Livin' the Dream

Winter is over

2015-05-15T13:45:00.001-04:00

Time that I wake up from that long winters nap. Perfecting the art of laziness at our southern get-away, the buds of Spring draw us north. Our Alabama Gulf Coast get-away was more of a soggy bog with more rain than California has seen in a decade. Weather aside, a steady stream of visitors kept us busy and entertained. Just in case anyone wants to know who these folks were ... Bill, June, Tom, Mary, John, Marsha, Paul, Marlene, John, Linda, Jim, Carol, Denny, Marilynn, Roger, Rita, Ken, Jerry, Kathy, Bob, Judy, Ben, Vanessa, Leigh, Scott, Austin, Gay, Jake, Dave, Cande, John, Linda, Ron, Jan, Tom and Sue. I'll let you fill in the last names but be it a day or a month, we were very pleased that they all took some of their winter vacation time to spend with us. Though we didn't make it to all the local resturants, we did show em' how 'snow birds' can spend money on food and drink.

In between friends visits, I did have some left-over medical issues that needed so attention so I made my foray into the Florida-Alabama medical community. First was to schedule a visit with a Florida pulmonologist. However the first one I called demanded a whole flotilla of tests even before seeing him. I told him I just had completed those same tests and had all the results but that didn't matter. He wanted his labs results. I quickly see how us snow birds occasionally get screwed. I checked this guy off the list first. The next one I worked with was in Alabama. Made an appointment and on the day of the appointment was called and asked if I could come in immediately, about 3 hrs early. I said I could but it would take me about 45 minutes to get there. When I arrived, I filled out all the paperwork, had blood pressure taken and was told to wait in the lounge. About 10 minutes later was asked to take a one hour lunch break as they were running late. I returned one hour later and was told to wait a few minutes more. Finally I was led to an exam room and seated. Better than an hour passed and I sent a text to Sharon (whose waiting in the car) that I'd give them 15 more minutes before leaving. The time passed and I got up a prepared to walk out. The receptionist stopped me and wanted to know what I was doing. "Leaving", I said. "I've been waiting 3 hours and I've got other things to do". "But wait!" She said. "You can't do that!" "The doctor will see you next. He usually spends a lot of time with his patients, but you are next". I explained to her that yes I can leave and that I had other commitments and, by-the-way, I didn't appreciate waiting three hours to see him. Before her jaw dropped to the floor or she attempted to tackle me I headed for the parking lot ... Moderately pissed off, but gone.
I expected some sort of an apologetic phone call later, asking me to re-schedule or a just bill for sitting in their offices for three hours, but didn't get either. Instead, about 10 days later I received a scathing letter from the doctor explaining that he would not jeopardize his local patients to treat demanding "snow birds" who think they can demand treatment whenever they show up. And don't worry about coming back to the office as I wasn't welcome plus if I replied to the letter it would not be read and would immediately be thrown out. Southern hospitality at its finest I guess. And finally the next pulmonologist I visited, shortly after entering the examining room got out his prescription pad and wrote me a script for a drug I had never taken and before he even reading my medical history. He said most people my age should be taking this cholesterol medicine and all his patients are on it. I cancelled all future visits.
I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Maybe I should stay the hell away from doctors in the south as I'm apparently tainted in some way. Thankfully I'm recovering on my own with help from my local nurse Sharon and my remote nurse Susie.
Okay, enough! Us oldsters need to just stop talking about our medical issues. I know it's the one thing we all have in common, but this is it for me.
In the next installment I'll have some comments on our recent trip to a maintenance RV rally in Goshen Indiana. Pictures too! If you have the right brand of coach, it's THE place to be.
Till then, we're still livin' the dream. Now in Spring has sprung ... Michigan.

Phil

Friends and Family

2014-12-22T18:31:00.003-05:00

Okay so I can't remember everything and this picture was supposed to be in the previous article so let me introduce you to our friends Tom and Mary. We spent Thanksgiving dinner with them at the Tin Top restaurant in Bon Secour near Gulf Shores (tintoprestaurant.com) check out their menu!

Tom and Mary at the lighthouse at Pensacola Naval Air Station

It was great of them to stop by on their way to Titusville and share Thanksgiving with us.

Sharon's cousin Marcia and her husband John rolled into town after a fitful start to their new RV life. Breakdown after breakdown with their Class C punctuated by a 'to hell with it' and traded it in half way on their trip here with a newer model on their very first RV adventure. Their story gets funnier as time passes but at the time not so much. Anyway if you ever get the chance, ask them about it. It's a grin. Based on those experiences I think they'll fit right in to the full timers life. Overcoming adversity is part of the RV life.
We joined them for dinner their first night here at one of the areas more famous eateries. Lamberts (throwedrolls.com) is best known for the antics the waiters pull and the throwing of hot dinner rolls from across the room than their food but its still a 'must stop' when in the area.

Survived the 'throwed roll attack'

As Christmas nears what yearly event does Gulf Shores share with the great metropolis of New York you might ask. Well it's the annual Christmas parades. As Paul Revere almost once said... "One of by land and one of by Sea". Yes, two parades. One through the downtown area and the other a boat parade along the intercoastal waterway. As luck would have it the weather was tolerable, though a little chilly, so we joined Sharon's GISD (not so secret government agency) friends Marlene and her husband Paul and Linda and her hubby John curbside to take in the first parade. The high school band, floats, kids throwing candy like they were fastballs at Tiger stadium and of course, Santa riding atop a bright red fire truck. A good time was had by all.

Linda, John,Paul Sharon, Marlene and two mysterious fingers

Can you spot the snowbirds?

Pretty snazzy float I'd say.

Marlene unsuccessfully trying to tell Santa she's been good this year.

A few days later it was the local mariners who had their big parade on the intercoastal waterway between Lulu's and the Wharf, two very well attended watering holes for locals and tourists alike. We attended this event in past years but weather kept the boats and the crowds to barely a hand full of participants. It was a whole different story this year as the weather was good and upwards of 40 some boats took up the challenge. So Sharon and I, her cousin Marcia and husband John, and Paul and Marlene headed early to Tacky Jacks (tackyjacks.com) to get waterside seats, something to eat, and some much needed libation. Good thing we got there early as the crowd soon filled the place. Beers and bushwackers soon warmed us up and the boat parade soon began.

The newest Tacky Jacks on the Intercoastal

Paul and Marlene

John and Marcia

Tradition has it that you leave a message while here

Note our date 12-13-14 ... pretty neat eh?

Getting ready to parade

Nice sportfishman

Size matters. Nicely decorated 60 foot houseboat

And so it goes. Another night of frivolity and soaking up the local culture and beer. The parade goes along the waterway for several miles and ends with a big party at Flippers Seafood Oyster Bar and Grill (flippersrestaurant.com) in Orange Beach. We missed the party this year as us oldsters were already past our curfew.

Still 'Livin' the Dream' on the Gulf Coast ... and enjoying family and friends.

Phil

A thankful time

2014-12-21T22:55:00.000-05:00

Another Thanksgiving is under (literally) my belt and I should take a little time to ponder all the things I should be thankful for.

I want to thank that unknown turkey who involuntarily sacrificed itself to find a place on my dinner plate. I could have been a little more kind but prime rib wasn't on the menu that day.

I want to thank my RV for going a couple of days with nothing breaking or not working.

I want to thank my old TrailBlazer for only breaking a little bit the past few days. Seems that right side headlight just can't remain lit. Works mostly in the daytime but not so much at night. Sort of like me I guess.

I want to thank our friends Tom and Mary for taking the time to pay us a visit. We so enjoyed seeing them and sharing the holiday with us.

I want to thank our kids for allowing us the time to spend our retirement years just doing our ‘thing’. We've little worry about either of them succeeding in life or understanding what it takes to be a parent themselves. They make us feel like we may have done something right.

I’m thankful for having the sense to get up and walk out of a doctors office after waiting 3 ¼ hours for him to see me. And I really liked the stunned expression on the nurse's face as I explained my displeasure.

So with one holiday behind us and another soon here we’re certainly thankful that, before long, both friends and family will be here visiting us.

Thankful for lots of things and still livin’ the dream.

Phil

Winter Wonderland visitors

2014-11-19T14:15:00.001-05:00

It took Mother Nature to get them going, and none too soon. Our old friends Bill and June just barely escaped the cold grip of winter and left their home as the snow flakes were licking at their heels. Though headed for Texas, they took a bit of a detour and stopped down our way to spend a few days in the Gulf Shores area with us.

They barely had their power cord plugged in and we showed up at their park unexpectedly. I guess we were anxious. They probably had plans to relax a little before socializing but no ... we had to drag them out to one of the areas better shrimp dinner places Fish River Grill #2 (http://fishrivergrill.com/Home.aspx). Starting off with some 'swamp soup', fried pickles, and a round of drinks, we worked to cram in as much 'catching up' as possible. Since we do go back a long ways, old memories surfaced as fast as we gobbled down the fried shrimp. It was good to see them.

So the next few days were spent sightseeing, jabbering and trying out new places to eat. Bill and June had been through this area a number of years ago and remembered a place near the causeway to Mobile. The Oyster House (http://www.originaloysterhouse.com/) has been around a while, and by the looks of the crowd there, still very popular. We all enjoyed the food and the great view.

Bill and June at the Oyster House

As their visit came to an end we still had to make two more stops. First was lunch at the Tin Top Restaurant in Bon Secour near Gulf Shores (http://tintoprestaurant.com/ourmenus/bonsecour-menu/). A repeat visit for them and a multiple repeat stop for us, we were once again not disappointed.

Following a leisurely lunch, our final stop was a short ride out to Billy's Seafood shop (http://www.billys-seafood.com/). Located on the Bon Secour River, this local fresh seafood legend is the place to go for fresh shrimp and fish. Billy's is not your normal brick and mortar shop but a dockside jumble of flimsy walls covered with aged plastic film, extremely friendly and knowledgeable help, and mounds and mounds of fresh seafood on ice. They'll answer all your questions ... tell you about all the different variates, explain how to cook it, or even cook it for you. And if you want some sent to you great aunt in Seattle, they can do that too.

We'll be eating this red snapper in a few days

June had her eye on this little beauty. Looks like a hybrid bluegill to me.

Maybe something a little different for Thanksgiving?

With Royal Reds (that tastes like lobster) deep water shrimp in the foreground, Bill is trying to figure out how many he can carry in his cooler. Everyone nearby must get to his Texas camp soon before they are all consumed.

Let me get this straight ... you want 5 pounds of each type?

And so it goes. Their time here was too short but it's always good to see them. They have several short stops along their way to Texas and they were off once again this morning. Safe travels friends.

Bill and June

The weather here is like most of the country east of the Mississippi. Cold ... cold .... cold. This morning it was a crisp 23 degrees. Fortunately headed for the 70's in a few days but devastating on the tender plants in the area. I wonder what happens to all the butterflies as well.

We're still upset with Gulf State Park in that their formally excellent WiFi system is not working in this end of the park. I hear "they're working on it" everyday as I pass the entrance gate attendant. Three weeks has passed and it's pretty sad that a state facility can't get it fixed. I've talked with others and it's really a sore spot with most of them. I'm sure we're not the only ones considering leaving and not returning. On site Internet availability is no longer a luxury but a necessity for most of us.

But considering that I have no snow to shovel, like back home, this still is a pretty nice place to be. We're very fortunate and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Checking out the area

2014-11-16T22:35:00.001-05:00

Okay this may be a little cruel but this is a little of what we have to deal with on the Gulf coast. Butterflies ... lots of butterflies. You folks in the north remember those beautiful little critters ... flitting about the garden last summer. You now know where they spend their winters. Some smart gardener will instantly know what kind of flowering bush this is, but whatever it is ... the butterflies were covering it by the dozens. Quite a sight. My cell phone camera didn't do the scene justice but I thought it might remind you of what next summer may look like.

Winter on the Gulf

While wandering around Pensacola the other day we caught sight of this old steamer parked along side a busy boulevard heading into town. There was no place to park nearby so I just had a short amount of time to pull into a no-parking area and snap a photo or two. The "Pride of Pensacola" was built in 1912 and remained in service until 1956. It was part of the Saint Louis - San Francisco Railway Company and was nicknamed the "Frisco". She had more than one million miles of service. For you railroad buffs she originally was 2-8-0 converted to a 2-8-2 around 1943.

The "Frisco" #1355

The Gulf coast shoreline along Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have many inlets, canals, and rivers which act as natural harbors for the large private fishing fleet that thrives here along the Gulf. As this armada of small vessels ages, some are refurbished, some are dismantled and some are well... laid to rest. You'd think the proper way of ending the career of any respectful shrimp boat would be to scuttled it at sea but this poor soul has met a less glorious end.

The SS Minnow ???

Speaking of ships ... I found this behemoth (531 ft) docked in Pensacola an odd one, the Global 1200 was certainly not designed for racing. After studying it for sometime dockside, I could not figure out what this ship was tasked for. With a huge crane affixed to its bow the ship it was apparently designed for lifting something heavy ... but I was not sure what. Later investigation yielded that its mission is laying pipe in deep sea locations. With a crew of near 250, this ship was recently in service off the coast of South America.

Global 1200

We had a little misfortune with our coach because the exhaust pipe for the AquaHot heating system decided to rust itself to death and fell to the ground beneath the coach shortly after arriving in Gulf Shores. Since cooler weather is upon us, the need for that system to keep us warm is pretty high. We do have some backup ability and an electric space heater, but before too long I need to get this fixed. Not as simple as taking it to the local Tuffy Muffler shop but once I figure out what I'm going to do I'll let you know.

So from butterflies to ocean going ships, we trudge along exploring what's around us. Lots to see and do and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Our journey is complete

2014-11-07T11:37:00.002-05:00

Moving right along ... our next stop was a unique RV park in Gadsden Alabama. Better than midway between Chattanooga and Montgomery, this county owned park was almost surrounded by water. There were not many campers there but I think the park gets a lot of visitors none the less. After careful inspection I noticed that virtually every major tree in the park (and there were many and big) was strung with thousands of Christmas lights. I can only imagine when later in November they power these up it will be spectacular. Apparently it is quite an attraction for the locals during the holiday season. The place was neat as a pin, sites were all level and they locked the gate at 10pm each night. So if you're travelling south on I58 south of Chattanooga about 100 miles look for the town of Gadsden and head for the River Country RV Park.

I got the grill out and cooked our dinner while the sun was setting. Shortly after the sun was down here was our view.

A three quarter moon helps light our landscape

We were progressing to our final destination a little too fast as it turned out. Our reservation at Gulf State Park begins November 1st and that was still four days away. However we were only, at the most, a two day drive. So Sharon got on the phone and asked if we could arrive early and they agreed so now we had to find one final place to stay along our route. As you might have guessed we do not plan our trips very far in advance. Maybe a day or two at the most we'll make a reservation but sometimes not until the day of arrival. Works for us but does limit us to where we stay sometimes. We're not WalMart fans preferring the security of a commercial establishment. Works for us.

So we have one more overnighter and found a spot off I65 near Hope Hull Alabama south of Montgomery. Montgomery South RV Park is little park that was well kept and had nice pull-thrus for easy entrance and exits. Clean showers and very personable owners, this is a great place for a one or two night stay.

The next day we had maybe 150 miles to go so it was a good distance for my current abilities.

I might note that we made the trip south mostly avoiding I65 which I would have used leaving the Indianapolis area. It's the fastest route but the last two trips on that interstate cured me of taking the coach there. Once leaving Indianapolis the road conditions were terrible. Reminded me of driving around the Flint MI area or I10 between Houston and New Orleans a few years ago. Absolutely bone jarring road surfaces loosening about everything in the coach and reducing speeds to about 45mph, if you're lucky. I knew I had to meet up with I65 again on the trip but would not do so until reaching Montgomery. Not to be disappointed, no sooner than I got into Montgomery the road turned to crap. Thankfully that only lasted about two miles and all was smooth again. So far only two miles of the 1100 we had travelled were ugly. I can live with that!

The final leg of the trip was, like most of the trip, uneventful. We pulled into Gulf State Park, confirmed our site reservation and got set up. Before the sunset we did manage to find the Fish River Grill #2 up in Foley for our first shrimp dinner. OMG it great to be back.

The park is in great shape with the exception of one item. One very important item I might add. Apparently lightening had hit the park's WIFI system twice within the past few weeks. So no WIFI ... which really angers me. I now make it almost a daily trip to the office to complain. Nobody listens as most are work campers but at least I can vent a little. We've now purchased a 10 gig data plan on our hotspot. A cost I didn't want but without it could not get this blog out. I had a fix-it guy come to the coach and fix my kitchen sink and the Dish Network guy stopped by and aligned our satellite dish so most everything is now ship shape.

We're happy to be here. Only very minor problems along the way and very happy that we made it safely.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

More good times

2014-11-07T11:26:00.003-05:00

Our next stop was just northeast of Knoxville near the little town Portland TN off eastbound I40. Located on the western side of the Great Smokey Mountains, it was a good place to bivouac the coach, leaving the trip over the mountains (to visit my sister in Asheville) to our old trusty TrailBlazer. The park was a little rough but sufficient for our purposes.

We had a great visit at my sister and brother-in-laws in the Asheville area. What a neat place to live. We enjoyed a special evening out at the Red Stag restaurant adjacent to the entrance of the famous Biltmore Estate. Much like dining in an old English hunting lodge with a variety of wild game mounts throughout, dark woods and leathers ... even the menu had some very unique items. Sharon opted for the elk fillet special; paired with several wines and a special desert. Old fashioned me settled on a rib-eye. Both meals were outstanding.

Here are the girls basking in the glow of the electronic menu and the pear cosmopolitans. The cosmos keep them smiling for some time.

The KOA we stayed at was not the finest one we've been in but it was again sufficient for our needs. Much better than driving the coach the one and a half hour drive over the mountains to Asheville, as far as I was concerned.

We did take an interesting little side trip while near Portland. Actually not a planned stop but just stumbled upon the place while exploring the surrounding countryside. The Bush's Bean Company was located on a two lane, winding road somewhere between Portland and Sevierville. We were pretty surprised when we rounded the bend and discovered this icon of Sharon favorite baked bean recipe. Apparently a real tourist trap as there were tour buses, a gift shop, museum, and a restaurant. Plenty of oldsters were waiting in line so we passed on eating there but did tour the gift shop. It later dawned on me why the restaurant and gift shop were a little chilly inside. They left the windows open. Can you imagine a place that specialized in beans and a room full of seniors on a hot summer afternoon?

Beans and Ham

Little by little we're inching our way south, taking it easy and enjoying the fantastic weather. We started our trip when the fall colors were ebbing and are following the color tour south at just about the right pace. Fall colors abound.

No dispute here ... we're still livin' the dream.

Phil

And so it begins

2014-11-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

Our first stop was our old home town of Battle Creek. We still have family and friends there so it was good to get together once again before heading south for the winter. We parked the rig at the Turkeyville RV park near Marshall MI. Plenty of room … a relatively new park and a great restaurant to eat at if you like turkey. I can really recommend the turkey sandwich. Fresh baked turkey is used with all meals. Just like an early Thanksgiving. We had a great meal there with Sharon’s folks and her sister Gay. Even if you don’t have an RV stop there for lunch. You’ll like this place. We even had a little surprise in seeing my old fishing partner Dave and his wife Carol pull their rig right across from us. We could not have planned it any better.

We got together with our old friends George and Paula and Bill and June at Win Schulers restaurant in Marshall like we to try to do every year that we head south for the winter. As usual the meal was good and the conversation ... as good as it gets.

It didn’t take long down the road before I realized that my driving plan was maybe a little too ambitious. I tired easily and finding a place to rest for a few minutes every 75 miles or so was the answer. So what’s the rush anyway?

Our next stop was Anderson Indiana. As close as we could get to Sharon's sister and brother-in-law's beautiful new home in Carmel. As usual John and Linda made us feel right at home and we truly enjoyed our visit with them. We also managed to locate the local casino knowing that it would be the last gambling fix Sharon would have in a couple of weeks. We left with most of our clothes and maybe even a dollar or two extra.

Breaking News! Our old nemesis … water … has sought us out once again. Seems wherever we go water leaks seek us out and test not only our patience but resourcefulness. Not long after leaving the RV park in Indiana at our first rest stop, we discovered the kitchen floor was all wet. Figuring the refrigerator had sprung a leak I immediately shut off the water supply to it. Whoops … wrong answer. It was still coming out on our brand new floor! ‘Oh darn!’ (expletive replaced) I said. I then looked under the kitchen sink and could see that there was the problem. Something wrong with the new faucet. I went outside and found that shutoff valve and returned to help Sharon clean up. You know the phrase …”not a happy camper”? Well she was not happy. There was nothing I could do about it now so we just motored on. Thankfully the bathroom sink was there as it was now our most useful source of running water.

We stopped in a park just west of Cincinnati only to discover that we visitors were kind of expected to care for some of the ‘locals’. We learned in the morning that the ‘locals’ would go from site to site expecting something to eat for their morning breakfast. At first I was a little put-off by the expectations but soon fell in line and provided what was needed. As you can see here the small group had just left our door and were heading to my neighbors across the street for maybe something better.

They managed to eat a half a loaf of our stale bread. Two of the more senior ‘locals’ actually rested their heads on my knee hoping that something might fall their way rather than fight with the youngsters as I tossed out the crumbs.

The coach was running smoothly, the roads were smooth, the weather was great and we're 'still livin' the dream'.

Phil

I'm baaaaccckkk !

2014-11-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

Okay I’m bad. Lazy, inconsiderate, thoughtless …did I mention lazy?

Leaving my loyal readers stranded like that scruffy hitchhiker at the entrance ramp to southbound I94. I’ve finally crawled out of my hibernation den … my fingers are limbered up and my mind crammed with semi-worthless anecdotes that clutter my mind and now need to be released. So here we go again … trying to explain what it’s like ‘livin’the dream’. The Cliff Notes version of what's been going on since my last entry.

Our previous winter, better known as the winter from hell, kept us at home for the first time in about 6 years. 92 inches of snow was the cold medicine that convinced us that we no longer belonged in the northern climes in the winter. To be honest we did have some very good reasons to stay home. Like Sharon needed a new hip, the motorhome needed an interior remodel and we needed to get reacquainted with kids and grand kids. We survived the winter and headed for our summer nest in South Haven. So a rather uneventful summer passed … doing the normal things we do … visit friends and family, enjoy the fruits, vegetables, and sites of the South Haven area and relax. So as summer closed we needed to get the coach and house in order for this winter’s trip south. I got a little detained by inhaling some toxic chemicals included in some grass seed I got to reseed my lawn. Four days in the hospital, and maybe a year of recovery we needed to head south as the weathermen all say this winter will be a repeat of the last year's mess.

So the house is closed up and the coach is ready to go and the only thing that I really needed to pay attention to was to my stamina. Still recovering from the chemical burns in my lungs, the notion of not being able to drive the thousand miles gave us some concern. Others learned of my concerns and out of the blue my brother-in-law offered to help us out and drive the coach south for us. Within another day or so my friend Bill and neighbor Tom each offered to do the same thing. This outpouring of friendship was something I won’t forget. I had about two weeks to make up my mind if I wanted to take one of the volunteers up on their offer and during that time I started to feel a little better and finally decided that I could drive if I really took it easy and drove only a few miles a day. So that was the plan. Within that plan we figured we’d stop along the way and visit family … spend a few days at each stop taking up almost two weeks to get to Gulf Shores.

So here we go ... livin' the dream

Phil

Meet the new kids on the block

2014-08-13T22:03:00.001-04:00

It not like us blog writers are sitting on every corner ... but they're literally thousands of us blabbering on about everything from commercial uses of navel lint to 50 ways to make your mother-in-law like you. And there are but the few of us who spread the word about the RV life. I've been at it for almost eight years and finally I've crossed paths with another couple who not only write about their RV adventures but are also full-timers. So here in little South Haven we have two aspiring blogsters in the same park. Apparently the planets and stars are finally aligned.
And there are no grey hairs with this couple ... most of us have kids that are older. But an engaging young couple who have embraced this unusual life-style and inject a whole different perspective to their blog. WWW.RVOUTLAWZ.COM is their blog and Denny and Veronica are the authors. I urge you to check it out on a continuing basis as these 'kids' are on the move ... following the weather and sharing new places and experiences we all can learn from and enjoy.

Veronica and Denny

Notice that earlier I said they were full-timers. So how do they do this, one would ask? Win the lottery? Rich aunt left them a substantial inheritance? No ... actually they both have full-time, 8-5 jobs. With a very nice toy hauler style coach they each have their own office to run their respective businesses. Veronica does most of the writing and Denny has created unique, yet robust electronic offices featuring commercial grade WiFi and cell phone gear allowing the two of them to operate completely independent (if required) of the RV parks system. It provides 7/24 high speed internet and cell service just about anywhere they go. I thought I had a pretty good handle on this type of setup but he's a couple of light years ahead of me. Anyway they've been at full-timing for less than a year but I think they've got it pretty much figured out. Check out their blog for more details on his network.

Home sweet home and mobile offices

They headed out earlier this week to Elkhart for some minor repairs then on to Lake George in upstate New York. I certainly enjoyed their company. So don't hesitate to introduce yourself if you find them parked near you. You might also notice they have two, very friendly feline traveling companions, Mango and Kali.

Still livin' the dream and meeting some really great new people.

Phil

I can hear the whistle blowing

2014-08-03T22:51:00.001-04:00

What a great day in Michigan. Blue skies, warm temperatures and a full tank of gas. Aside from one little errand to run (dropping Sharon off to visit a friend up north for a few days) I had an open agenda. My friend Buck learned of my trip north to Grand Haven and asked if I knew much of the old steam engine displayed there. As you'll find in any number of RV parks, if you poke around enough you'll surely find folks who has a common interests with you. So it just so happens I have a small interest in old trains. Not a driving force in my life ... but interested. Those big old chugging, smoking, mechanical marvels of their time were memories in my past and when I learned that my friends Don, and Bill shared the same interest it led to discovering the Buck and Dave were also hooked and we all lived in the same summer RV park. As it turns out Dave actually is qualified to work on these old beasts of burden but all these guys have added to my appreciation all things railroad. Most have forgotten more than I know so it's nice to have a living library nearby.

Anyway, per Buck's request ... I made the effort to locate the old steamer in Grand Haven. Cosmetically well maintained, the 1941 Berkshire engined 2-8-4 resides in a nice little park along with a tender and several other cars; she's been there since 1981. It's in a fenced off area but I've heard that one day a year the caretakers will let you in to inspect the engine a little closer. As luck would have it Grand Haven was celebrating Coast Guard Week and the traffic was crazy. I managed to squeeze into an adjoining art fair parking lot and grab this image out the car window while creeping buy. Would have liked to stop but nothing was available.

#1223

The 1223 actually never saw service in Grand Haven as she was too heavy (400 tons) and she is also missing her drive pistons. Her sister locomotive #1225 was restored to full operating condition but did not use any of #1223 parts. She's still as majestic as they day they put her in service and a fine example of stream driven transportation. Check out Wikipedia for more info.

So the next time you're in Grand Haven check it out. And if you really do your homework you'll discover there is a WWII submarine in the area to explore.

Still livin' the dream, one little adventure at a time.

Phil

ps ... Those of you who spend their summers with us will note the omission of any photographs, quotes or other outbursts relating to the party held yesterday in honor of the owners Hal and Mary's birthdays. We mostly all acted within the confines of the law, though the notion of having a vodka tasting party combined with a birthday party does create a certain atmosphere. So about 20 people, about 15 different flavors of vodka, a bunch of snacky foods and no mix. Several hours of vodka shots would have put a lesser group down but we held our own. Even got up for Sunday breakfast together.

Okay maybe one picture ...

Happy Birthday Hal

Mr Fix-it

2014-07-31T11:38:00.001-04:00

As any seasoned RV'er knows ... things break. Looking under my coach I noticed some brown stains on the ground under my front mounted diesel generator. Not a lot material ... but certainly not normal. I opened the generator tray and after a quick look around discovered the problem. I normally run the 10kw generator and main engine every month while in camp. I should run them longer than the 15-30 minutes I do as I don't think I get them to proper operating temperatures, but figure this little bit cause less harm than not running them at all. Anyway I ran the engines about three weeks ago and apparently the generators fuel pump decided it needed some attention and had sprung a leak under a crimp seal. Since the pump still had the original OEM engine paint on it I knew the pump was 20 years old ... a good long life, so time to go.

By good luck the model number could clearly be seen without removing the pump so I began looking on the web for a replacement. As bad luck would have it that pump had been discontinued and replacement choices were confusing so I wasn't sure what to order. Finally I decided to check with regional RV parts stores and finally found one who was very confident of which pump would work. Their price was a little higher than other places but assured me it would fit and could be dropped shipped to me the following day. To my surprise, about 10:00am the next morning the FedEx truck pulled up with my brand new pump.

The following day, I opened the old tool box and grabbed a handful of wrenches and in about an 45 minutes swapped out the pumps. And, when I hit the 'start' switch ... it all actually worked! I know it shouldn't be a surprise to a good mechanic but since I'm not, it was. Oh happy day!

Onan 10kw replacement fuel pump

So I'm only telling you this story because you can save some serious repair bucks if you do a little research online and discover a 'how to' video the help solve your problem. Certainly not for every job you run across on your RV but most likely some you can do yourself.

Admiring my mechanic skills, saving some bucks, and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Yes ... we've been busy

2014-07-30T15:45:00.001-04:00

So here we go again. Day two of our 48th year of wedded bliss. Or as my daughter might say ...'the Bickerson's really can make a go it'. Oh sure we have our moments. But who doesn't! We celebrated with an hour donating to the Indians at the Fours Winds Casino then a really nice dinner at Shu's Grill in St Joe Michigan. With the corner table overlooking Lake Michigan, we had good meal ... that is until I knocked over a full glass of Stella beer. Some things never change. Luckily the waiter brought over another full one at no charge.

Anyway she's the love of my life and the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. Whatever and whoever I am ... it because of her and I wouldn't change a thing.

My bride of 48 years

When we returned back to our RV, our dear friends Bill and June had hundreds of paper rose petals sprinkled over our path to the front door, several balloons and a variety of gifts waiting at the door step. A perfect close to a great day. Thanks a million.

Looking back, we've had a busy summer so far ... with lots of visitors. Our good friends Jim and Carol, from the fine state of Iowa drove over for a few days stay. Last time they were here they fell in love with Earl's Farm Market and Bakery so we all needed to make another stop there. After filling our shopping sacks with all kinds of goodies we stopped for the obligatory tourist photo with old Earl.

It was great to see our other 'brother and sister' again and we're already planning on returning to Iowa to see them in the fall..

I think this is our 7th summer on the Sunset Coast of Michigan. And as Mother nature continues to dream up new ways to amaze me, a trip down to the beach usually produces something that catches my eye. When the wind is up so is the surf. And when the surf is up people get goofy. With the next wave fully capable of wiping them off the pier like chalk off a blackboard, they still come and do crazy things. You kind of expect youngsters to do weird things ... but the old guy on the bike ought to know better ... don't you think?

Flotation Tires?

Look out!

Some of you may know I like jazz music and one of my favorite piano players is the Frenchman Phillipe LeJune. His CD's aren't often seen here in the states as Europe is his primary venue but every now and again he performs here. I checked his schedule and saw that there weren't any US play dates so I wrote him a letter asking where in Europe I could order his CD's. Never thinking he'd reply but later in the day I received a reply. He said he was coming over to the states for a quick three day trip and would be playing in Detroit and ask if we'd come to see him.
He gave me the details and I quickly made reservations for the 5th of July at Cliff Bell's Jazz Lounge for Sharon and I and our friends George and Paula. Bell's is a long time jazz venue right downtown on Park avenue surrounded by empty buildings and empty lots. A little disconcerting area of the town but we pressed on. With the only parking some two blocks away I settled for valet parking and we entered the club.

Nothing has changed in the 50 plus years by the looks of it. Dark wooded walls, low lighting, and dark leather seating. Aged but still classy. A large bar was the focus when you first walked in with small bistro style tables around and an occasional large booth. I probably should have worn my zoot suit as I was sure Dillinger was surely nearby. Talk about a step back in time.

We were a little early and not many folks had arrived and our waitress soon seated us. And what a special seat. There were about 4 tables on the raised performance stage and one was surprisingly ours. Two of the tables across the stage were vacant and there was a man finishing his desert at the table next to us. We got settled and ordered drinks and Sharon kept bugging about the guy at the next table thinking he was the artist LeJune. I kept trying to calm her down and not bother the guy but she finally couldn't contain herself and blurted out ... are you Phillipe LeJune?

He looked up from his dessert and said 'yes' ... so for the rest of the evening he pulled his chair over to our table and before the show started and between sets he sat with us talking about his family, his career, and his music. Charming to say the least and his live performance was all I had expected. What a great evening of exceptional jazz, good food and wine, with good friends.

Sharon- Phillipe LeJune- Paula

LeJune Trio

We spent the night at 'The Henry' (formerly the Ritz Carlton) in Dearborn. A very nice place with lots of great art work placed throughout the hotel. One thing that was kind of neat was the menues we used at breakfast. They were iPads. Funcional and slick.

July 4th is traditionally a pretty big deal here at Cousin's RV. Another pig was sacrificed, we all ate like pigs and we enjoyed the parade ... complete with King and Queen, kids galore, singers, and patriotic music. Some outsiders may think this old fashion celebration is a little cheesy but everybody here had a great time.

Let the parade begin

Queen June and King Hal

Living in a beach side community has it drawbacks as I like to photograph scenes of and around our famous lighthouse. As you can see some people just seem to get in the way and almost spoil the shot. But I'll keep trying.

Not again!

Darn sand! Serves her right!

Rick and Jan, our old friends from Bay City drove across the state to pay us a visit. We go way back to my college days of the last century. Though I was a senior citizen when we attended, we're very happy to see them as they are still paying into the Social Security system and we certainly want them to continue.

Rick and Jan

Now if my sister knew that I was going to post her picture in my blog I may not have got the picture sent to me in the first place. She still looks pretty hot I'd say. Here she's celebrating her birthday with a little soiree' at the Biltmore mansion in Asheville NC.

My sister Judy G

We've slacked off going to live concerts the past few years and that's got to stop as many of these performers are getting long in tooth and before long their playing days may be over. I'd mentioned to my daughter Leigh that I thought it would be great to see the one of most famous blues performers Buddy Guy but his concert at the Firekeepers Casino was completely sold out. As luck would have it she somehow managed to find two tickets and gave them to me as a Fathers Day gift. What a great surprise!

The venue was almost packed when we arrived and Guy's warm-up act was a young blues guitarist/singer Quinn Sullivan. About 15 years old, this already veteran performer was amazing. Being mentored by the great Buddy Guy certainly has honed this young man's skills far beyond his age. So look for Quinn on YouTube and get a taste of what he can do.

Buddy Guy's career goes way, way back. Well into his 70's, he's been around the blues block and number of times and has played with all the great blues/jazz performers on the planet. He's works the crowd like a skilled pick pocket, stealing your attention and admiration with his skills. Playing while circulating through the audience, is his forte. Everybody wished he'd come their way, sit down beside them and play ... some got the opportunity but most were still eager bystanders. I guess if there were any criticism it would the acoustics of the venue. Not much sound absorption and generally the volume was too high. Anyway a great, great night out.

Bluesman Buddy Guy

So we've started off this summer not only with our newly remodeled coach (it turned out great) but a busy schedule as well. More to come ... so stay tuned.

Still livin' the dream here in South Haven

Phil

Let the summer begin!

2014-06-01T23:13:00.002-04:00

Far be from me to rehash the past ... especially these past six or seven months. Months spent enduring a brutal Michigan winter ... learning that being a care-giver when it always looks so easy when someone else is doing it ... understanding that folding underwear and sheets really is a science ... finding out that the cost of a new furnace and a/c unit has escalated over the past few years ... discovering that remodeling our coach was far harder than I had anticipated; and a bit more expensive ... watching the first rains of Spring begin to wash out the foundation of my house ... and finally realizing that these little speed bumps in life are really no big deal. Time to start having fun and looking at the bright side of things. So much for not rehashing the past!

And the bright side is indeed very bright. Sharon is recovering splendidly from hip surgery ... our kids and grand kids are all in good health and real treasures to the family ... our friends our still our friends and we may even added a few ... we've already cemented our winter plans (and does not include shoveling snow) ... our coach is like new inside and we're very pleased with the outcome ... we've finally returned to our summer residence in South Haven and in general ... life is good.

We arrived in camp about a month later than usual and were met by a lot of familiar faces. Miki, Don and Nancy, Charlie and Judi, Ron and Tammy, Steve and Cheryl, Buck and Lonnie, Alex and Barb and finally the park owners, Hal and Mary Cousins. This little group helped us quickly forget all the stuff in the first paragraph. We've already dined at The Hambone, The Taste, The Butler Hotel and Cousins ... just to let you know we hadn't forgot what life is like while roughing it in our RV.

The local fruit crops are doing well with strawberries, blueberries, and various apples and peaches all apparently surviving the wicked winter weather. Strawberries should be pickable' soon and the next fruit harvest will be blueberries, though probably not until July. South Haven is the proud new recipient of a new Meijers big box store. It will certainly give WalMart a run for its money; which is fine with me. The locally owned Village Market is still doing a great job and is still my favorite. Before Memorial Day South Haven is just a sleepy little tourist town without many tourists. But come Memorial Day, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, she awakes with the summer store fronts hawking the latest in summer wear, the river-side bars are teaming with folks who just want to shake of the winter doldrums with a cold, frosty drink and the harbor and marinas teaming with boats of all shapes and sizes. Oh! and did I mention that this years bikini styles at North Beach are briefer than last years? Fluorescent pinks and yellows barely cover the little butts parading around the sandy beach. Now if I could ever just find a parking spot down there to watch the parade? Unfortunately the spots are taken early and besides that ... my oatmeal with a side of prunes takes a while to digest so I can't leave the RV too early. But I do like parades. South Haven ... the jewel of the sunset coast.

And so another year on the road begins. Please hang in there with us. Maybe a little slower than previous years but rest assured we're... still livin' the dream.

Phil

Merry Christmas

2013-12-25T02:23:00.000-05:00

Gee ... What have you been doing on your winter vacation? Getting beach sand out of your sandals? Lathering those arms and legs with Coppertone? Sipping on a frozen strawberry daiquiri under some palm tree? Now if any of these things ring a bell ... we are very jealous. Very jealous! Our Southern adventures were put on hold this year as our coach needed some remodeling so here we are. In the nations 'Winter Wonderland' of Michigan.

We left South Haven and the comforts of Cousin's RV Park last October and got the coach in our driveway to begin the unloading process. In order to redo the interior we wanted to empty the coach of furniture and clean out all the drawers and cupboards. Do you remember the old adage about getting 5 pounds of s%#t into a 3 pound bag? Being on the road for such a long time we've discovered we're really human pack rats. Every nook and cranny had some treasure or another stuffed into it. But it all had to go. And where did it go? Our living room, our family room, and our garage ... And the garbage. With winter upon us there's little chance of having a garage sale so we're sitting here amongst the rubble. But little by little we'll work through it and be ready for Spring. Hopefully this coming one.

As my bride and I seldom agree on decorating styles, the coach remodeling has been stressful. What kind of flooring, what color flooring, what kind of refrigerator, what kind of toilet, what kind of window coverings ??? Way too many decisions and compromises so we hired an interior decorator. Maybe not an official one ... as she's still in college ... but at least a third party negotiator who might smooth out the disagreements. As the coach remodeling continues other little speed bumps have arisen to further heighten our winter at home.

Our furnace of some 40 years probably needed replacing 20 years ago. But since we'd still been waking up each morning, and the noxious gases hadn't gotten to that fatal level yet, so we got to thinking maybe we should replace it before we couldn't wake up some morning. So now we have a new Trane furnace with matching air conditioner and a new Nest thermostat. What in the world is a Nest you might ask? I won't bore you with those details now but it's the latest-greatest in world of thermostats. Look it up on the internet if you're interested.

So now we're warm a cozy. A good thing as the temperatures have fallen and winter is in the air and on the ground.

I'd mentioned to my RV/farmer friend Jerry that I wanted to photograph some cattle for an upcoming project I was working on so he invited me over to a cattle show at the Michigan State University Agriculture Center in East Lansing. It was a cold wintry day as we drove over to the show and found that this was a pretty big deal for cattle people. The parking lots were filled with trucks and animal trailers. The visitors parking lot was almost full so I'm getting pumped just thinking about what's ahead to see and do. When walking in I immediately knew I should have had on Levi's with a big belt buckle, a cowboy hat and rubber boots. Rubber boots?

I gotta get one of these bling belts

This city boy didn't realize beforehand that hanging around cattle is not very kind to hiking shoes with deep treaded soles (it took me two days to get those shoes cleaned up). As cattle apparently are not house broke (go figure), they tend to do whatever they want, where ever they want to. Stepping gingerly around was not good enough. There were just too much to avoid not stepping or sliding in something. Oh! ... and did I mention the smell? Though the building was large, there were several hundred animals waiting around to be judged ... so they don't care if they were in a barn, an exhibition arena, or the pasture ... they do what comes naturally.

They just needed a little after shave lotion

I was probably the only guy in the place that had a permanently wrinkled up nose ... but at times it was pretty pungent in there. Actually the show was a state-wide 4H affair with kids showing off their prized young cattle for judging. With over 100 classes of animals (apparently categorized by weight and breed) the critters are shampooed, hides trimmed, hair teased and hair sprayed and hooves painted.

What a life!

And don't forget to trim the eyebrows and get those sideburns straight.

It was really interesting and besides the farm yard conditions, inspiring to see young people so wrapped up into cattle raising. Not that I didn't see an Ipad or two but these kids were really focused on their cattle.

Angry Birds break.

Usually most of us are looking a beef cattle between a bun a McDonalds or in the meat market and pay little attention to what it takes to actually bring cattle to market, so this was a real learning day for me. Anyway my friend Jerry (a cattle rancher himself) did a nice thing for me that day and I appreciate him taking the time to show me a little part of the business he is in.

Speaking of warm and cozy. We had a little freezing rain storm pass through the area recently and left a nice thick coating of ice on everything. Including power lines. Normally we have had little trouble losing electrical service as all the areas around me have underground service. However this particular storm was a doozy and in this area knocked out nearly 300k customers. Including us! So when our lights went out the other morning I just knew it would only be an hour or so and all would be fixed. But as the day wore on and the news came out that this was a massive outage, I thought I better head out to the shed and fire up my 40 year old propane fueled generator. I hit the start button and it surprising fired up. I made all the necessary electrical connections, changed the breakers in the house and the new furnace came to life, the refrigerator was working as was the well pump. Life is good I'm thinking. I let it run for a couple of hours then let it rest for about 4 hours. But still no commercial power. I fired it up again and it was running so good I invited my neighbor to plug into so as to save his refrigerated food and maybe run the blower on his gas fireplace to provide a little heat. As the outside temperature was in the low 20's, our houses cool off pretty quick and if left unheated could cause some real problems. While calling our kids we discovered that though my daughter had power my son did not. He had just called the local power company and they said that due to the size of the outage they were promising service to return by the evening of the 28th. THE EVENING OF THE 28TH! That was over a week away! All of a sudden I wished I had payed a lot more attention to that cable channel show "The Preppers". So upon hearing that crummy news we began taking stock of food, water, and most importantly .. propane supplies.

Wondering if we could actually survive in the house (rather than a motel) we decided to give it a try as I headed out to the shed to check in the generator. It was sounded funny ... missing and coughing and making the 20 watt bulb in the shed flicker. I switched to my other full tank before restarting it decided to head out to find more propane. I had two more empty tanks in the garage so I went out to get them filled. Upon returning I started the generator up but after running smoothly for about two minutes it went back to sputtering. I disconnected all the outgoing lines and even with no load it still wouldn't run right. I fiddled with it the next twelve hours ... sometimes it would run, sometimes not. I had heated up the house enough so I thought we could go to bed without it running so I finally shut it down and went inside. We made it through the night but when I got up a 6:00am the temperature had dropped into the low teens and it was pretty cool in the house; mid 50's. I got dressed and stumbled out into the cold, dark morning to see if once again I could get some juice out of that old generator. She fired up and I let it run a few minutes then headed into the house. I had previously disconnected the power lift for the garage door so I could raise and lower it manually. So upon returning from the shed I wanted to lower it. I applied pressure on the outside panels and it began coming down. Apparently I was still half asleep, and my hands were cold and I just wasn't paying attention as the next thing I knew was that I had left two of my fingers in the panel joint as I was lowering the door. For whatever reason I didn't scream out (not that there was anyone around to hear me) but as I watched almost in slow motion the tips of two fingers got caught in the joint and I could hear the bones breaking. I leaned into the door to stop it decent and with the other hand managed to raise the door enough to extract my fingers. Now this was a real, honest to good ouchy. Even though I had on a heavy leather gloves the damage was done. No blood but certainly broken bones. I went inside and got Sharon up and we decided to head off to our doctors only to discover his office was closed due to the power outage. So off to the hospital we went and after a short three hour stay got doctored up, xrayed, given some really soothing pain meds and a future appointment to see a hand surgeon.

On the way home I decided to stop at the local lawn equipment dealer to see about a new generator. He said he was all out but maybe next Friday. Great! It's now beginning to look like Motel 6 here we come when just then a trailer pulled up with eight new Honda generators aboard. I said to the clerk this is looks like my day then he informed me that all of those were already sold. But he then said wait ... maybe I one 4k watt one left that I could get for $2400. Are you kidding me? $2400 dollars.

I said I think about it and headed home. I returned to my shed to work on the old generator again when I saw a trailer pulling into the driveway ... not my driveway but my neighbors! He bought that remaining generator. The only one within a 50 mile radius. I was pretty bummed as went inside to prepare for a birthday party over at my daughters house. Another cold evening with the temperatures hovering around 8 degrees was in store and I really wasn't sure we could make it another night in the house. After the party Sharon and I were discussing our options when we pulled into our subdivision and noticed Christmas lights burning. A sure sign (I hope) that power has been restored. Eureka! Our house was to be warm again. My fingers are still aching but at least they are warm.

So as I gingerly type these words, I'm looking out the window for Santa, Rudolf and their friends to cruise through the neighborhood dropping off goodies to one and all. He needn't stop here as I've already took care of his cookies and milk and besides ... what more could we wish for. A loving family, good health (except for the fingers), and a warm house.

Still livin' the dream ... though a cold one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all. And to all you 'snowbirds' frolicking in the warm sands of Florida or the warm winds of Texas take note of this story. Don't let let anyone talk you into staying north for the winter.

Phil

Settling in

2013-11-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

This is not fun.

I'm reading an email from our friends Bill and June and they're already on the road to Texas and the weatherman on the TV is warning of tornadoes followed by a major temperature drop ... Our coach will apparently be in the shop for many weeks for remodeling, it looks like we need a new furnace at the house ... My lawn tractor gave up on me even though I still have 3,769,657 more leaves to mulch and the headlights on our car keep burning out. Is this what they call "The Michigan Payback"? So who do I go see about apologizing for not staying here for the past six winters?

Burning Bush

But alas! Maybe there are a few silver linings out there! Just to name a few ... Our beautiful little Grand Daughter Lola turned three and the party was super, as is she. Our daughter Leigh got her first whitetail deer on opening day ... I'm real proud ... She got it with her a Dodge Journey at 75 mph. She's fine ... deer is definitely dead. Our other beautiful Grand Daughter Allison just turned nineteen and has discovered college life is pretty sweet ... Our Grandson Austin at fourteen, is now as tall as I am and GI Joe doesn't much interest him as much as the ladies do ... My sister Judy thankfully has survive a nasty fall while moving into new home in North Carolina ... Her elbow is pretty banged up but spirits are high ... We gather with bunch of our Cousin's RV friends in Battle a Creek for lunch and gambling at the nearby casino ... Seeing our friends was a whole lot better than the gambling however ... And our long weekend trip to Iowa to see our friends Jim and Carol was a blast ... I learned that bib overalls are not considered 'business casual' ...Cedar Rapids is a pretty cool city ... And we're very fortunate to have such good people as good friends ... And speaking of good friends ... We've had almost a lifetime of good times with our friends George and Paula ... We've already got together several times with them and we're looking forward to a winters worth of visits.

Barberry

Very dead Hostas

Now about those 3,769,657 leaves ... The weatherman said the winds would soon be picking up and my neighbors would probably get most of them so I went looking for a rake. Our backs were already screaming at us and we're hoping the ibuprophen is still in the medicine cabinet when I looked around and found my neighbors pitching in and helping us clean them all up. So very thoughtful.

So there you have it ... goofy pictures and all.

Still livin' the dream but kinda' wish we were with Bill and June ... heading South.

Phil

Home again

2013-10-26T23:02:00.002-04:00

Per our original plans we should have been enjoying the warm weather in Gulf Shores Alabama today but reality has set in and here we are ... in cold, blustery Michigan. The coach is in the shop for a variety of ailments so for the first time in about six years we're going to tough it out in the north country.

We're supposed to be here at Gulf Shores State Park ... But Not!

However just before leaving the South Haven area I must pass along a little lesson that our friends Jerry and Bonna taught us just before camp closing. Well they really didn't plan on teaching us anything but their misfortune is something all RV'ers can learn from. Jerry hadn't gotten two miles down the road and his diesel overheated and his journey home halted. As it turned out his engines serpentine belt gave way and without it he was soon parked roadside. Finding an engine belt for your particular RV engine nearby turned out to be impossible, as I would suspect most would be, so just to be on the safe side, folks need to buy a set of spare belts (you may have more than one size) and store them away for that day you might really need one. There's is no guarantee that you'll get back on the road soon as you might not find anyone to install it (if you can't) but at least you have one part of the problem solved. Also ... if something else caused the belt to break in the first place (bad pulley for instance) you're still hosed but having a replacement belt on hand can't hurt. Now everybody give Jerry a round of applause!

We're having our coach's floor replaced due to the water damage we incurred last July. Believe it or not it is still wet under the ceramic flooring so I suspect we will have to have the underlayment repaired as well. In order to accomplish all this we decided to remove everything in the coach so the workers would have less items of ours to work around. So when we got the coach home we began to empty it. Six years on the road defied one of the great truths of the world. Yes you can store 5lbs of stuff in to a 3lb bag. Maybe 6 pounds of stuff! I had no idea we had accumulated so many 'treasures' and had managed to stuff them into every nook and cranny of the coach. As bag after bag, box after box and hanger after hanger exited the coach, we quickly noticed how much more room we had in the coach. Eureka! Who needs slides now, I'm thinking!

But ... our once neat house now looks as if a bomb had gone off inside. With all that 'stuff' inside our house now we haven't a clue where we're going to put it all. We'll get the coach back in April so we've got a whole lot of excuses to dream up for the folks who decide to pay us a visit this winter.

So besides replacing the flooring, we're going to have the couch re-covered, a new refrigerator, new front drapes, new shades for the side windows and refinish the window valances. Please use my PayPal account to forward any donations.

We're certainly not going to hibernate this winter but may still do a little traveling; this time via my trusty old Trail Blazer. For instance in a few weeks we'll be visiting our friends Jim and Carol in Iowa and who knows ... maybe even a trip to Carolina's to visits family and friends. Sharon will certainly steer me into a casino or two and a trip or two back to visit friends and family on the west side of the state will be in order as well.

Home again but still livin' the dream.

Phil

Wrapping up Summer

2013-10-04T23:34:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note on this evenings activities.
Not that this, or most RV communities need an excuse to throw a party but this evening was just a little unusual. Bonna and Jerry thought it would be great to have an early Thanksgiving dinner before too many more people had departed for parts unknown. Turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes, gravy and all the other fixins' one could ever want. Wow! And a separate dessert table with enough goodness (and calories) to put Paula Deen on notice. Lots of effort from all the ladies here. We're fortunate to have so many good cooks.

I told you this was quite a feed

John and Kathy were ready

Jerry was late for dinner so .... not much left.

You can gain weight just looking at all these beauties

The smell of suntan lotion drifting through the air has been replaced by the aroma of burning leaves and fresh, ripe apples nearby. The sunny days are still here but you'd better have a jacket handy when the sun begins to set. Our summer is almost over and the threats of a brutal winter await us. We're going to spend our first winter home in six years. Why you wonder? Well it's time to get some major remodeling work done on the coach and we want to get at it. New flooring, drapes, and a new refrigerator are planned but if the work gets done early, who knows ... maybe we'll hit the road anyway.

The other day I finally learned out how cow pies were made. Oh sure... everyone knows that answer. But let me tell you how I found out. Our friends Jerry and Bonna invited Sharon, Miki, along with Bill and June, out to their southern Michigan farm. A beautiful stone farm house greeted us as we pulled into the drive. Surrounded by rolling hills and big red barns this place is what being 'down on the farm' is all about. Unfortunately it's so far from civilization that I was sure they'd yet to have electricity or indoor plumbing (but they did). Greeted at the door by the family dog, who apparently either has lost his sense of smell or our earlier showers actually worked, allowed us to pass. Bonna provided some cold drinks to everyone and while the girls were gabbing, Jerry wanted to show us guys what 'real' farmers do.
Jerry motioned for us to get into his big farm truck. Big tires, big rumbling diesel, and a big step up to get into the monster. So off we go towards the pasture. Bill jumps out to open the gate and off we go ... bouncing along directly towards a herd of comfortably resting black Angus cattle. Their ears perked up as we approached, probably thinking we were out there to feed them but soon they were struggling to their feet as Jerry began to slowly drive right through the middle of the herd. If cows could talk I bet they would had a few things to moo at Jerry about. A few moments ago they were relaxing in the cool mud (?) ... now they're struggling to get out of way. Now to the part about cow pies.
It seems these cattle have some sort of an attitude ... and show it in an unpleasant way. Disturbed by the monster truck in their midst, the first thing they do when standing up is make a pie and release enough nitrogen gas to fill the Hindenburg. It's not a pretty sight/smell and I quickly rolled up the window to keep any of it out of the truck (but wasn't fast enough). I look over at Jerry and the smile on his face tells me 'these city boys now know what farmin' is all about'. Anyway there we were parked ... in the middle of piles of steaming cow crap. Hoping that that the four-wheel drive works, as getting stuck in this steaming sea doesn't seem too fun, we do manage to move on and leave the herd to settle down. So there you have it. My conclusions are: being a cow does not get you many perks and they have developed ways to show their distaste. Here are some of wonderful critters. And I didn't know they wore earrings either.

I bet Jerry knows all their names too!

With the college football season in full swing the competitive juices must be flowing here at Cousins. Since this park has a reputation for great cooks residing here, one of our more well known purveyors of fine food (June) challenged one of our least known cooks (Charlie) to a lasagna face-off. No prize nor voting but what turned out was a great evening of pasta for all to enjoy. Charlie apparently has been a closet cook known only in family circles so this was his coming out party. Now June knows her way around the kitchen to so Charlie had his work cut out for him. As it turned out both were winners. Subtle differences in recipes were noted but both were worthy entries. I'd snuggle up to a plate of either one of them.

Here are the two lasagna combatants and their creations.

Chef Charles and Chef June

Okay I admit ... I screwed up!
We recently had the annual Cousins Chili Cook-Off and we had a record turn-out with eleven entrants. With secrecy paramount, only a precious few knew whose chili was in which warming bowl. After a round of sampling the votes were taken and the winner was Jeff C. with Carol B. in second and Eric L. third. Now here's where I messed up. Usually I take a photo or two of the winning group but as luck would have it I had an equipment malfunction and got nothing. However I can assure you that few will forget how good this year's offerings were. So hat's off to first time winner Jeff. Great stuff!

Chili Sampling Specialist

Half asleep on the patio I was nudged into consciousness by a strange humming noise. As my eyes fought to open I immediately saw this large bug flying around near me. Great! A praying Mantis was flitting around looking for a place to land and with a little luck I could watch him for a while. He settled down right near my foot and landed on the wheel of my Weber grill. He slowly navigated completely around the wheel before settling on one of the pseudo spokes on the wheel. I watched for several minutes and the damnedest thing started to happen. Instead of this guy lunching on a passing bug or perhaps chew on my leg She started making a ootheca. 'Betcha don't know what that is and I had to look it up ... it's an egg case. An intricate pouch-like repository for her 200 or so offspring to spend the winter in until hatching sometime in late Spring or early Summer. She was probably thinking, as long as Sharon and I usually go south for the winter, she might as well send the kids along in the basement of our coach where I stow the Weber while traveling. But she'll be really surprised when the kids are back in South Haven next year. Actually she's most likely already dead as they usually die shortly after laying their eggs ... so I guess I'll have to raise the little critters all by myself. I wonder if the IRS will flinch when they see the 200 dependents on my 2014 return? Anyway it was an interesting couple of hours.

Egg laying Mantis on the old Weber

So there you have it folks. A little catch up on what's been going on with us. As the parks residents continue to leave for part west and south, it's a sad reminder that the summer is over and another summer season has come to an end. Though we shall miss being on the road this winter, when we return, the coach will be looking a little better and we can start this all over again.

We have until mid-October to vacate the park so time is running out. With a little luck this year maybe I'll get a chance to photograph one of the Lake Michigan water spouts again. A rare treat.

Still livin' the dream but dreading the upcoming winter weather.

Phil

ps. Here's an unabashed plug for my grand daughter Allison's Monday afternoon internet radio show. Check out www.whaleradio.org in the 2pm to 4pm time slot. Allison and Jeff will provide an off-the-cuff unscripted review of current activities in their world. They take on-air phone calls too. If you log in or call in tell them you heard about them from Livin' the Dream blog.

Another few days in paradise

2013-08-15T23:33:00.002-04:00

Finally a bit of time to take a deep breath a pass along a little news ... or maybe a lot of news.

As the summer has flown by I suppose it's more of a reflection of the life of this senior, if not all those around my age. Admitting that I am of age is no big deal but actually putting words to paper certainly solidifies the notion that time is marching on. Of course the little blond at McDonalds this morning offered up the 'senior' coffee without asking, does drive the point home. Anyway we've been busy ... very busy.

Shuttling back and forth across the state, almost on a weekly basis, as my bride has been getting some treatment for her ailing back. All seems to be going well but only time will tell.

Our RV family in South Haven has experienced a steady diet of parties and get-togethers. Della and Jerry are giving up the summer RV lifestyle after many years and will soon part with their beautiful Blue Bird. And even though we're all sad that they'll be leaving Cousins RV Park, we all have many fond memories of their friendship and hospitality. But be warned you two ... you never know when one of us may be at your doorstep in HHI.

Enjoying a little 'happy hour' frivolity with DD and Jerry

South Haven had their annual Blueberry Festival this past weekend and the town was packed with tourists from all around. From the interesting gentleman I met from Indiana to a very foxy older gal from Cologne Germany, the folks come in all sizes and shapes. Speaking of shapes ... A trip to South Beach is usually a real eye-opener. The beach is certainly a place where one can set aside any inhibitions about what to wear.

One of the high-lights of the annual festival is the 'Fly-In' and pancake breakfast at the South Haven airport. Mostly light aircraft from around the state fly in for a little camaraderie and chow. In addition, they have a small collector car show that brings in some real beauties. Here's a dandy example from days gone by.

Chrysler Airflow

A bunch of us from the park attended the show but skipped the pancake breakfast. Good thing. We got there fairly early and there were already 200 folks in line waiting for pancakes.

There were vintage Piper Cubs, an Aeronca (similar to the one Jerry soloed in many years ago), and assorted biplanes and other fixed winged aircraft for all to get a good close look at.

I think this old Army Air Corp trainer flew in from Kalamazoo

However the 'big daddy' of the show was a WWII B-25D light bomber courtesy of the Yankee Air stationed near Ypsilanti Michigan. As shiny and well kept as the day it left the production line, she's a real beauty.

For a little over $400 bucks you can get the ride of a lifetime in her.

The flight crew is an eager and dedicated lot with more stories to tell than there was time to listen to them. They are extremely passionate about maintaining and restoring these old birds and with so few of the aircraft around, it's worth a few bucks to make a donation and keep them flying.

Crew member Carter

One of the neat things about these Fly-Ins or airshows is they do attract the few remaining veterans who actually served aboard these old flying machines. As I was standing next to one of the flight crew of the B-25 an elderly gentleman, with a WWII Veteran hat, was engaged in a detailed conversation about some of the characteristics of the old bomber. As I listened in I could really sense the pride these gentleman had in their service to the country. As their conversation broke up I asked the old fellow wearing the WWII hat if he had every flown on one of these B-25's. 'Oh my yes!' he exclaimed. 'I trained the navigators on the new radar system installed on the aircraft in the Pacific campaign'. 'Every navigator needed 5 hours of training before they were allowed to take up the plane and it was my job to teach them how to use it'. 'I trained them for three Pacific campaigns ... Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa'. I unfortunately didn't get his name but I won't forget him. His unwavering pride and honor to serve in the military is part of what made this country such a great place to live.

WWII B-25 radar trainer.

We don't often have 'happy hour' at our place but we thought we'd host one of the little parties for Jerry and Della featuring the famous Koegel's hot dogs from Flint Michigan. Since we're from that area, and eating some other brand is unlawful (I think), we thought we'd add a little chow to the libations normally served. Complete with both Flint and Detroit style chili sauce, piles of onions, mustard and catsup this mega-gastro feast was a culinary delight. The only reason I say that is that no one apparently got sick ... which is always good. Anyway it was fun and we all had enough to eat.

Hot dogs and friends

I think this is the third year in a row that the local Casco band came by the park and gave us a free concert. About 20 or so strong, these local musicians from all walks of life (and all ages) provide a wide variety of music from Gershwin to Sousa. Throw in an ice cream social (provided by Hal and Mary Cousins) and it was a perfect way to spend a warm summer afternoon.

Casco Band

As you may already know our park has a very eclectic population. From a retired police officer, to a retired dentist, to retired school teachers, and retired cereal makers, to a working school principal,
a working construction planner, a working wedding planner, to a working insurance agent. Each and all are unique and genuinely good people. So fellow RVer's here's is little lesson. If you look around the next park you are in I think you'll find just about the same mix of folks. And it's really easy to find out. Just get out of that easy chair and walk around and get acquainted with your neighbors. Break the ice ... be the first to hold out you hand and say 'welcome'. Once you start doing this you'll soon discover that that simple act of kindness is infectious and before long you've got a whole bunch of new and lasting friends.

We've got a new resturant in town and it's certainly worth a stop to eat there. The 'Taste' serves 'tapis' style with many different offerings all well prepared and presented. They are also known for their martinis with this weeks 'blueberry martini' the headliner. They don't have their website up and running yet but you can check them out on the Urban Spoon site. About 15 of us gathered there last night for a farewell meal with Della and Jerry. Prior to dinner we all met at Hal and Mary's (park owners) for cocktails and snacks. Their beautiful home showcases their kindness and hospitality.

Hal and Mary's 'happy hour'

DD and Hal

Dinner at 'Taste'

Though this update is a bit long and mostly upbeat I do need to mention the loss of one of Sharon's family members. Her Uncle Tommy passed away last week after a short illness. His broad smile, slight Texas drawl and a big hug greeted you each time you met. A rugged, yet compassionate man who was loved and admired by many. We shall miss him.

So once again I have blathered along far too long without any consideration that most folks are just here to see the pictures. None-the-less it gives me something to do and keeps my fingers nimble.

So keep doing what ever you're been doing ... but glad you stopped by as we're still livin' the dream ... and don't mind telling you.

Phil

Catching up ... a little.

2013-07-28T02:09:00.001-04:00

Just a little update. Nothing verbose ... just a short briefing.

Today, some 47 years ago, I married my best friend and love of my life. We were just dumb kids back then (maybe dumb adults now) who've managed to remain in love for all these years. What a trip! From our first year of marriage spent on a little Japanese island in the middle of the South China Sea to our current RV travels, we've kept life interesting and moving along. Not without a challenge or two we've managed to raise two fantastic children who have in turn given us three beautiful grandchildren. This really is ... livin' the dream.

Speaking of challenges ... we've had a thing or two break around here. Recently I managed to drop one of my cameras leaving it with parts rattling around inside. Normally not a good sign but as it turned out, fixable.

We then experienced a water leak. Not just any leak but one in an area that is tough to get to and went undetected for sometime. The result is our tile floor is shot and possibly the underlayment and insulation as well. Since it happened behind our almost inaccessible refrigerator, I did mange to finally shut off the water source but still don't know the cause of the leak. I suspect a mouse but will find that out later when we get the coach into the shop. Of course this does put my vodka tonics in jeopardy as our ice make is now out of order.

We also lost our 12 volt system in the coach. I really didn't lose it but really it just quit working. With help from Bill and Charlie, we finally got it back in service. You might ask why losing a few lights in the coach was such a big thing considering we're normally hooked to reliable 120 volt shore power. Well let me tell you the about that ... without 12 volt power we could not flush to toilet. That little porcelain gadget has electrical components that control water and emptying so this wasn't a project that anyone would want to put off for very long. As it turned out it was the 12 volt master control solenoid that pooped out and a $30 bill and a little elbow grease took care of that. Thank heavens for friends.

The other day I got my very first ride in a Ford Model T. My friend Jerry, here in the park, brought his 1920 something Ford to South Haven ... a 75 mile drive on the back roads of Michigan. Several of our wives headed out for lunch so Jerry suggested we do the same ... so off we went with Bill, Hal, Jerry and myself to the Curve Inn Bar and Grill about 5 miles down the road. With the top down, the' ah hooga' horn blaring, no license plates, and four thirsty guys, we headed out. Waving at everybody who made eye contact, we were having a ball and enjoying the outing. After lunch we headed for downtown South Haven for a little sightseeing. I could readily see that this old Ford was really a great chick magnet. Though most of the 'chicks' were a little long in tooth, it was still a hoot to honk the horn and wave. As they say ... there's no fool like and old fool!

Looking over my shoulder waiting to get pulled over by the police and casting our fate to the wind.

Here's what over 90 years of automotive development will get you. If old Henry Ford only had some of that pretty yellow paint we could like that Porsche Boxster

About a week ago I was down near South Beach (South Haven) and the sky was bright blue without a cloud in the sky. Lake Michigan was as smooth as the top of my head and as I looked south along the beach towards the Palisades nuclear power facility, I saw this release of smoke from the reactor site about 4 miles down the beach. Thinking that this was Three Mile Island all over again, I thought I'd at least take a picture before I started to glow from the fallout.

As it turns out they probably were just releasing a little non-radioactive steam ... I hope.

So there's a little update for Red, Miki, Bonna, Della and the rest of you . Here I am at 2:00am in the morning typing along and it just dawned on me I was probably not doing this 47 years ago.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

Ouch! Mother nature strikes RV park

2013-06-13T08:02:00.001-04:00

We've been on generator power for the past 9 hours as a storm has hit the South Haven Michigan area leaving thousands of residents and tourists without electricity. Our little RV community at Cousins RV park was certainly in the path as it appears that straight line winds toppled a number of trees and caused at least one injury last last night.

The most serious casualty of the storm was our friend Steve whose fifth wheel took a direct hit from an eighty foot tree that caved in the roof and injured him enough to be taken to the hospital with cuts and abrasions. The fallen tree also extended over to his neighbor coach and also caused some damage, though superficial. Other areas of the park were strewn with debris but thankfully no one else was injured and any damage is minor.

So there is lots of work to do around here and we all will need to pitch in so will close for now.

Thanks to my generator and WiFi air card I was able to get this short notice out. Here are a few pictures.

So folks it wasn't pretty but for the most part we're all okay and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Bluebirds, moving pictures and good times

2013-06-13T07:29:00.000-04:00

I hate to start out with an apology about not writing so ... maybe a joke would be more appropriate.

Did you hear the one about the priest, rabbi, and the Indian chief sitting in the New York bar? Whoops ... maybe I'd better set this aside as well before I'm making apologies for something else!.

Anyway the summer has been zooming by. Trips back and forth to our home to harvest the lawn ... see the kids ... back to South Haven for happy hour ... back and forth. Maybe we should get a seasonal bus pass.

At the rear of our campsite is a long rail fence with a birdhouse affixed near the coach. Since our arrival in early May I've watched it intently for some signs of a new inhabitant but apparently it didn't appeal to any of the local critters so I stopped paying attention to it. Then about two weeks ago I thought I'd take a peek inside the birdhouse to see if there was any signs of life and as I raised the lid I was met, in full startled flight, something blue as it zoomed passed my nose. Gathering my senses, and waiting for my heart to slow down, I backed away about 50 feet and within a few minutes the birdhouse resident returned. It was a beautiful Bluebird. A few days pass and I decide that this might be the perfect chance to get some up-close photographs of this colorful little creature so I got all my gear together and got it set up near the birdhouse. With telephoto lens, high speed flash, radio controlled shutter release all is place, I set down about 20 feet away in my comfortable lawn chair and waited. Ten minutes went by, twenty, then thirty. I wondering where is the world did this guy go?
An hour rolls by and I finally see him (or her) as it zooms by my head and lands some 100 feet away in a nearby tree. The light bulb in my head goes off. I'm spooking the birds by sitting too close to the birdhouse. Since I'm not really a very experienced 'birder' I thought I better just pack it in and try another day. So this is the best shot I got of that beautiful bluebird.

Simply a big nada, nothing, nope, nary a winged whippoorwill to be had . No birds ... just the bird box.
So with a little stealth ... me you say? ... and a little luck ... maybe next time I'll catch a shot of that little critter. Stay tuned.

This weekend in South Haven is the big film festival. Film makers from all over are gathering here to show off their productions. I think this is the first time the festival of film will be held here and they have already set aside four or five venues to show the films. Who knows ... maybe someone famous may even come to town.

The following week is HarborFest. One of the really big events of the season. Art shows, musical events ... a mecca for tourist young and old.

There you have it. Another episode on life on the trail with Phil and Sharon. If you're still awake thanks for stopping by.

We're still livin' the dream and happy you've joined us.

A new summer season

2013-05-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

I know ... I'm supposed to write a few words about what has been going on since we arrived in Michigan but as luck would have I have become even more lazy. Actually we've been back and forth across the state getting both yards in order, fixing the car, fixing the coach. Whew! I'm just running out of steam writing about it.

It is good to be back ... seeing the kids and grand kids and re-discovering what's going on in their lives.
Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Many of our RV friends have returned to our South Haven park with several more soon to arrive. The park is in great shape and it's been fun hearing of all the winter adventures other travelers have enjoyed ... or in some cases not enjoyed.

One example is a fairly new class 'A' coach completely losing its brakes on a freeway in northern Florida. Luckily no one was hurt but an expensive repair bill followed after a lengthy time at the repair shop. Probably had to buy new underwear as well. The good thing is that they can now laugh about it and makes for good fireside chat.

Personally our coach performed without a hiccup this trip ... but maybe more was wrong than I realized. After piling up several thousand miles this past winter and now safely parked at our site for the summer, I was cleaning the wheels and tires and noticed this large bulge in the sidewall of the right front tire. Now the thought of blowing out a front tire while piloting a 40,000 pound RV down the highway actually gives me cold shivers. When the side wall failed, I haven't a clue. Could have happened after hitting any one of the 937 potholes we encountered along the way (and that was just Michigan!). Anyway it didn't blow and we're thankful for that. I now get to save up the $820 bucks to have someone come over and replace it. The tire company said it couldn't have been a failure on their product only something that I did. Surprise ... Surprise. Anyway I will wait till fall before getting it changed. It does provide a good lesson for all drivers to remember to visually check your tires daily and don't forget to check the air pressure at least monthly as well. My tires were only 4 years old and had about 20 thousand miles on them. I'd planned on replacing them in about another 3 or 4 years anyway but certainly didn't expect this.

On another personal note ... my grandson Austin was chosen to represent his school in the placing of a commemorative wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington DC this coming Memorial Day. We're all very proud of him and I am positive it will be an event he will forever remember.

The little town of South Haven is starting to hum and buzz with excitement as the summer tourist season is in full swing. The South Beach parking area has been completed revamped and new playground equipment is in place for the little ones. A welcomed change to that great beach spot. The marinas are beginning to fill up with boats and with the exceptional warm weather, beach goers have started their tans already. It's a good place to be.

There are several new restaurants in town but we just haven't had the time to check them out ... but we will. Speaking of good places to eat ... my friend Jerry told me about a place called Goog's (www.googspubandgrub.com) on the South side of Holland (about 25 miles north of us). He said if I wanted a great hamburg this was the place. So in a couple of days we had to go to Holland to get Sharon a new vacuum for the coach so we thought we'd give it a try. Wow ... did Jerry get that right! Their fantastic regular burger is enough for two people. It laps over the edge of the bun and was cooked exactly as I asked for it. Sharon tried one as well ... hers with a tasty olive sauce. But they did have a interesting surprise on the menu. They have what they call a 'Fred Burger'. A 1/2 pound burger with peanut butter and onion. Their menu said you really need to try it before dismissing it; though I'm not so sure I'm brave enough for that one. But maybe next time.

So there you have it. The latest news. Just normal stuff but we're having fun doing it.

Still livin' the dream and enjoying each day.

Phil

Michigan my Michigan

2013-04-16T18:52:00.000-04:00

Great news ... for us us anyway. No water, no raccoons, no nothing wrong with the house on our arrival. After our winter hiatus, we'd almost grown accustomed to dealing with some problem at the house ... but not this year. A welcome change.

I'll need to double check the numbers but I think we put around 4,000 miles on the coach this trip and an additional 11,000 on the old Trail Blazer. And mostly without any mechanical problems. Another welcomed change. As each year goes by we appreciate more and more the quality of our Monaco coach. Sure we have an occasional repair issue but these older rigs were certainly built to a different, and I argue, higher standard. They are simple, yet elegant with materials and craftsmanship but few coaches being built today, can match. Our 11 litre, 400hp Cummins engine pushes us around with little effort and does it with a not too thirsty attitude. On average of over 9 miles per gallon, it may sound like it's pretty thirsty but considering our total weight of over 40,000lbs it's really not bad. Besides ... in what else can you spend the night in a WalMart parking lot (but we seldom do), sleep in your own bed, don't have to pack and unpack a suitcase, and spend most of our time wandering around this great country?

Just prior to arriving home, our final four day stop at Camp Turkeyville RV Resort near Marshall Michigan (www.campturkeyville.com) was uneventful though a little lonely in the empty park. We certainly enjoyed the visits with family and friends in the area. Our hometown Battle Creek, is still our hometown ... even though we've lived away for many years, the family and friends will always make it so.

So after some much needed yard work, thanks to a rather rough winter here, and the effort of cleaning up my junk clogged garage, we'll be heading off to our summer retreat in South Haven Michigan.

We've got some interesting plans for this summer so stay with us and enjoy the ride.

Still livin' the dream in Spring-like Michigan.

Phil

Back in Michigan ....brrrrrrrrrr

2013-04-12T00:44:00.000-04:00

Three clues on why I know I'm in Michigan.

1. I've stopped seeing squashed armadillos on the freeway.
2. The trees don't have those interesting green things hanging all over them.
3. I now reach for the heater controls instead of the air conditioning.

It had to end sometime ... those 80 degrees days with bright blue skies and short sleeved shirts.

The last leg of our trip north began in Anderson Indiana. A return stopover at the Timberline Valley RV Resort and we just got settled and the heavens opened dropping 3.9 inches of rain on us in about 6 hours. The only salvation was a pleasant dinner with Sharon's sister Linda and Brother-in-law John (birthday boy at that) who took time out of their busy schedule to drive down from Carmel to see us. As usual it was great seeing them and hearing about the new house they are having built.

The weather was threatening all the next day (today) so we weren't sure we could even travel, but as it turned out, we decided to give it a try anyway. But not without a little mechanical drama ... This usually means something was not right with the coach. I fired up the engine and noticed my volt meter was indicating less then 12 volts from the generator. I revved up the motor a bit and saw little movement in the needle. I let it run a little longer and it started to move up just a little. Suspecting a slipping belt, I shut off the engine and stepped out into the rainy, foggy morning to check it out. Nope ... it looked okay and the belt was tight enough so I closed up the engine compartment, went back inside, dried myself off and once again started the engine. While admiring the now properly function volt meter (but I have no idea why), a red light and accompanying blaring buzzer went off on the instrument display indicating the engine coolant was low. Oh crap!, I'm thinking ... I know how to fix this problem (add a little 50/50 antifreeze) but I have to go outside again and do the work. This seems to be an on-going issue with the coach so someday I will try to figure out why the sensor keeps failing and giving false alarms. BTW I knew it was a false alarm because it didn't need any additional fluid.

We finally got on the road and decided that we'd stopped at the factory in Topeka Indiana where we had two recliners for the coach made last fall. The recliners are beautifully made furniture by an Amish craftsman named Vernon Lambright. He has a small manufacturing facility not far from Shipshewana and he stands by the products he makes like a true craftsman should. I called him and he said he'd have a look at the adjustments we wanted made, so we decided to drive over to his facility. It was almost on the way anyway ... and even though we were driving in rain and a pea soup fog, when retired who cares about time ... right? I asked his if he thought I could turn my coach around in his parking lot and he said 'no problem' ... plenty of room. The last quarter mile to his factory required us to navigate a now very muddy, pocked marked, lane and a half farm road that I had to share with several Amish driven horse and buggy rigs. I arrived at his place and soon discovered that, since Vernon had never driven a motor vehicle, let alone a 40ft coach and tow car, his notion that I could turn around in his driveway was a little off the mark. We pulled in anyway, knowing that I'd needed to unhook the car then reconnect it after I jockeyed the coach around ... all this in a driving rain.

I shut down the coach, went inside and was met by one of Vernon's young workers. Nate was a lad of about 24 and though he hardly looked 16, was married with a son and another child on the way. He said Vernon was off to a wedding and that he could help me. We explained the chair issues and fully expected to leave them there and pick them up later in the month but Nate said 'do you have about an hour or so?, I think I can get the job done'. And besides, he had to leave at precisely 3:30pm to attend the wedding himself. He noted that he wasn't a family member but it was a pretty special deal to be invited by his boss Vernon. So the young man had about and hour to work on my chair, close up the shop, get the proper cloths on and get to that wedding. He needed wrenches and a screw driver to dismantle the chair so off he went inside to get his equipment. Quickly returning, he took out about a dozen screws and bolts and vanished back into the shop with part of my chair. In his absence, Sharon prepared a short lunch and I rehooked up the tow car. Before long he came rushing out with the issue resolved and with 10 minutes to spare!.

In talking with Nate it was so interesting to get a little insight on how a traditional Amish man thinks. His work ethic and the survival of the family unit and his beliefs are what drives him. His wife raises all there own vegetable for the year, he and his family share a beef cattle with another family, he's not seen television but laughed at the silliness of a program somebody told him about called the 'Amish Mafia' (he surmised probably consisted of previously shunned members), he'd only eaten shrimp once or twice in his life, he's never driven a car, they'll be no dancing at tonight's wedding, and he wouldn't accept any money for the work he had just performed. Actually apologized that we had problems with the chairs. I'm thinking out loud now and I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe Nate could teach us all a thing or two.

So the chair is fixed and off we went. Windshield wipers slapping to the beat of a Ramsey Lewis tune playing on my Ipod, we're headed north again. Only about 90 minutes from our overnight stay near our hometown of Battle Creek.

We're staying at the Turkeyville RV Resort only because Sharon pleaded with them to allow us to stay ... even though the park had not opened for the season. what a woman! Located off exit 42 on I69, north of the I94 interchange, the genesis of the park really dates back probably 60-70 years to a man called Wayne Cornwell. If memory serves me, he started raising turkeys and selling them to local grocery stores maybe back in the 1950's. I remember it was always a big deal at Thanksgiving time to get a Cornwell turkey as they were fresh, not frozen and always had lots of white meat; more than the average bird anyway. So Wayne sold a boatload of turkeys and somewhere along the line he opened up a small restaurant that featured his turkey heaped on a bun with some mayo. Now these sandwiches were and still are fantastic so from these humble beginnings he then opened up an antique barn across the street then over the past few years, has developed the RV resort. Now Wayne has passed some years ago and I really don't know if his family is still involved or not, but his philosophy about running a quality business seems to be alive and well to this day. The facilities are new and it looks like there are lots of things for kids to do.

Anyway we pulled into the park a little late and the manager had already left for home. She left us some instructions as to where to park and she said would see us in the morning. The rain had not let up and, though most of the gravel roads and pads were well groomed and leveled, it was still a driving rain and the ground could only hold so much water. We arrived at our site and it was an erie sight being here by ourselves. Not a soul. No body until the park officially opens on the 15th of April. I guess we can't complain about noisy neighbors! I stepped out the coach into water and very soggy grass. Yuck. But it got worse. I had to unhook the tow car again, but now I had to stand in thick mud and gravel. Not so fun but got it done. I only had to hook up to power as the water had not been turned on in the park, so getting back into the warmth of the coach, and a hot cup of coffee was still very welcomed on this cold, blustery, and not at all like a southern Alabama day.

Not so sure about another day in paradise but still livin' the dream back home in Michigan.

Phil