Just An Update

Right now we are parked at Walnut Meadow RV Campground in Berea, KY. just off of I-75. Not a bad place and they do offer one night of the PA discount.

We left the Elkhart Co. Fairgrounds in Goshen, IN on Tuesday. We will miss being with our friends, but we must move on - places to go and things to see. We did enjoy several great meals with Mickey & Patti, Smokey & Pam, & Helen & Bill. Helen and Bill had a small get-together on Monday afternoon which provided us a chance to say farewell - again! I'm sure we will see them all again someplace, sometime.

Tuesday afternoon we pulled into a wonderful little campground in St. Paris, OH. It's not on any map and you need to have an "in" with the owner to get in. It goes by Camp PullTab.

Tab had generously agreed to help Dean install our new front jack stabilizers, so we had them shipped to him. They arrived on Tuesday, so Dean and Tab worked for a couple of hours installing them. Wow, what a difference they make - no more movement in the 5'er when parked! I love it! That night we went out to eat - what else - and for dessert had the best sundae's. Yummy. I wish I had thought to have the camera with me - you should have seen our faces when they came out - really big but good to the last spoonful!

Here are a few pictures of us parked at Camp PullTab...





Yep, we got the "covered parking". Thanks Tab for all your help, Dean really appreciated it.

Tomorrow we are off to Racoon Valley in TN where we will stay for a week. Come back later for more.....

Quilts and more....

We started our day with a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast at the fairgrounds. Of course there was a long line, but it moved quickly. After eating breakfast we browsed through the different auctions - quilts, new merchandise, used merchandise, and rode the horse drawn trolley around the grounds. See picture...


We then settled in for a little of the quilt auction. During the time we were there most of the full size quilts sold in the 300-800 dollar range. One went for $1100. Here are a couple of the quilts that were auctioned while we were there.





This quilt hasn't been auctioned off yet. I hope I'm there when it goes as I am wondering how much it will bring. It won 1st place at two fairs.




We decided to go purchase some ribs to have this evening as we were told that they sell out quickly as the day wares on. Talk about looking good and smelling good. I'm sure they will hit the spot this evening.

We again strolled through the fairgrounds and ended back at the quilt auction. If I had to guess, they had a total of at least 300 quilts of all sizes to auction off. This time around, the prices ranged from $35 for a crocheted lap throw to $7000 for a hand stitched quilt done by one person. A lot of the quilts are done at quilting bees so many hands have had their turn at stitching. Here are a few of the ones we saw this time.....




And one more...

Indiana

OK, it's catch up time for me. We have been at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds since last Monday. Not to bad a set-up. We have full hookups which I'm really happy about - I get to take a real shower and can let the water run!

We have done some running around since we've been here. Nothing really exciting though.

Tuesday we went to Shipshewanna, IN to the flea market. It's huge! I would say that we walked probably 2/3rds of the market before we both said enough! After awhile, everything starts looking like what you've already seen. I did buy a sweat shirt - need it because it's been cold. We also bought some really good apples and some sweet onions. After doing the flea market, we went to the Essenhouse in Middleboro for lunch. Really great food served family style.

On Wednesday we drove around Elkhart going to the RV Surplus store, and Camping World. Dean bought a set of sissor jacks to put behind the wheels of the MS to give us more support when parked. We ate at a little hole in the wall cafe named Cock-A-Doodle. Again we had some very tasty food. I had a cheeseburger that was really good.

After we ate lunch we drove to Utility Bodywerks, a company that takes a truck chassis and upfits it for towing. We were really impressed with their work and may consider one of these if and when we decide to upgrade the truck. If you are interested in seeing their work, their web site is www.utilitybodywerks.com .

On Thursday we went to the Doubletree factory to take the factory tour. Now I know why I stay away from RV dealers etc. It's so easy to get the bug for a new rig. They have make quite a few changes that I really like, but guess we will stick with our '04 Mobile Suite for a while.

After the factory tour we went back to Shipshewanna to a couple of the stores. It's a really neat place to visit, but isn't anything like Lancaster, PA. I do believe that there are more Amish in this area though. We have been using the back roads and it seems like most every farm is an Amish farm. I got a few pictures of the buggy's - they are mostly using the winter buggy's now since it's turned cool.





This is an Amish schoolhouse...



Caught these pictures of two Amish men in the field bailing the hay.





Today, Friday, Smokey & Pam, and Mickey & Patti arrived. Mickey and Patti are here for a Montana Rally and Smokey and Pam are here as vendors for the rally. This evening the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale began at the fairgrounds and we all went for the haystack dinner. You are asking - What is a haystack dinner? Well you start with a plate and go down a line where you can have any or all of what is being offered. Basically it consists of crushed soda crackers, rice, hamburger meat (cooked of course), lettuce, tomato's, onions, black olives, green peppers, cheese, sour cream, jalapeno peppers and salsa. It ends up like a taco salad. It all just gets stacked on top of each other thus the name haystack. It was good, but I think I would have rather had some of the BBQ chicken that looked yummy - oh well, there's always tomorrow.

As for tomorrow, that will be another story....check back.

Old Friends, New Friends = A Great Time

On Wednesday we arrived at the Mercer County Fairgrounds in Celina, OH. The weather was heavy overcast with drizzle most of the day and into the night. We've encountered a lot of that since we left the New England states, but that's OK.

There is a harness race track here at the fairgrounds and every day they exercise the horses.



Mickey & Patti and several others from the Class of '05 were here already. You know how bad I am about names, so I can't begin to tell you who the "several others" are. Just nice folks!

Thursday night 17 of us went to town for dinner. The restaurant that was chosen sits a total of maybe 45 - 50 people - really small. After a wait of about 30 minutes we finally got seated at three different tables, which was OK. Everyone that was in the dining room knew that we were all together - we are such a quiet bunch - yea right! After dinner some of us went to Dairy Queen for dessert. Later in the evening we had a campfire where everyone had a good time listening to some "stories" and jokes.

There isn't much to do in this area in the sightseeing category. On Friday we took a road trip to Delphos, OH to visit a Post Office Museum and a Ohio-Erie Canal Museum, both of which were closed - bummer! The ride through the country was nice and FLAT. Dean is really enjoying the no mountains! Seems like at times you can see miles and miles ahead.

This is one of the many "tower" houses in Delphos. Not sure why they were built this way, probably had something to do with the canal.



Friday evening we had "hobo stew". I was really skeptical when I first heard about this dish. One person (the one who suggested it) brought browned hamburger and onions to start the pot. Then everyone brought at least one can of veggies and added them to the meat. Some brought rice and pasta. What the end result reminded me of was vegetable soup. It was very good. What was really nice is the manager of the Fairgrounds gave Mickey a key to the activity building, so the stew could be cooked indoors and we could eat there as well. We are having hamburgers and hot dogs tonight.

We had another bonfire last night and there were about 30 +/- there. A really nice bunch of people. We went around telling what we liked and disliked about fulltiming. Some interesting answers were heard, but most agreed that it was the freedom to go where you want, when you want and do what you want. Of course the women all agreed that the one thing we hate the most is the bad haircuts! At least it will grow back and you get to try again - LOL!!!

Saturday evening we all cooked hamburgers and hot dogs (some had sausage and chicken) with several side dishes of various salads. There was a yummy chocolate cake and some cookies for dessert. I think everyone had plenty to eat! After getting everything cleaned up and put up, we had our farewell campfire. This one ended early as those that were leaving in the morning for the Escapade had to be up and ready to roll at 9:30 per Terry's orders.

Our farewell campfire.



Today, Sunday, we got out of bed around 8 a.m. and went out to see what was happening with those that were leaving. Some had already left (those that were not parking with our group) and the rest were busy hooking up, dumping and lining up. Sure enough, at 9:30 a.m. they rolled out the fairgrounds gate on their way to Van Wert. Was a sad sight to be sure, but we know that we will see them again down the road. We then bid farewell to Tab and Deanna as they were heading back to St. Paris, OH (home for now). We will be seeing them in about a month as we are going to stay at Camp PullTab for a few nights on our way south.

Dean and I drove up to Van Wert around noon so we could check out what the vendors at the Escapade were offering. Very disappointing. We did subscribe to Gypsy Journal and bought a set of awning claws from Tom (Datastorm). Saw some of the group and bid them farewell again!

Tomorrow we leave Celina headed for Goshen, IN. which is near Elkhart. While there we are going to plan a visit to the RV Museum, the Mobile Suite factory, Utility Bodyworks (they retro-fit pick-up's for towing) and Shipshewanna Flea Market and other stores in the area. (Amish country).

Check back for more updates......

Popcorn, Tractors, Quilts and more.

This past Saturday Dean and I went to a Popcorn Festival and a Corn Festival. I must tell you, the Popcorn Festival was a big disappointment. It was advertised "popcorn everything". Bah! Popcorn in a box or bag, flavored and this - the BIG Oddity - the popcorn burger.



There were lots of arts and craft tent and we walked through most of them. Bought three towels for the kitchen. That was it.

From the Popcorn Festival we drove to the Corn Festival, about thirty miles away. OK, I've been to corn festivals before and there were several dishes such as corn soup(chowder), corn on the cob, corn fritters available. Not at this corn Festival! Roasted corn on the cob - that was it. Oops, forgot, more popcorn - LOL! Of course there were all the typical carney foods available, but I was hoping for something more.

Dean really enjoyed looking at the antique farm tractors - I guess you can take the boy from the farm but not the farm outta the boy. I took one picture of some tractors because this one had a FORD!



There was a quilt show in one of the buildings. We walked through and saw some really beautiful quilts. This one was my favorite.



Both festivals were a big disappointment in my book. Oh well, I'm sure that we will find more to check out.

Sunday we went to church with our Escapee friends, Paul and Jean (AFChap). After church we all went out to eat at a Chinese Buffet to celebrate Dean's and mine anniversary. We had a good time and good food.

I went over to the lake here at the campground last evening to try to catch a C5 taking off or landing. I was to late as they had all parked for the evening. I did get this picture of the lake with a C5 in the background. I missed some good photos yesterday as they were doing a lot of touch and go with the C5's. That's me, always a dollar short and a day late - LOL.



Of course the lake is not visible from the campground - go figure!

Tomorrow we are moving to Celina, OH to join a group of the Class of '05 graduates. Looking forward to seeing those friends that we've not seen in a year and meeting some new friends.

More later......

A Day at the Park

We spent yesterday afternoon at Kiser Lake State Park with Tab, Deanna, Ken, Kathy, John and Doni. They are camping there and the sites that they have are really nice. Right on the lake front.

We picked up some chicken and cole slaw on our way and shortly after arriving we did what campers do best - EAT! We had chicken, cole slaw, pasta salad, baked beans and macaroni-n-cheese. Needless to say, after eating, we all were like stuffed little piggies.

During the course of the afternoon one of the guys - I don't remember which one - noticed that people were setting up for a photo shoot just south of us, along the lake. Then one of them noticed that there was a "sweet young thing" posing in a tree! You should have seen the mad dash for the binoculars - it was just to funny. They took turns, kinda, looking through the binocs and John got his camera with super zoom lenses. Well, they certainly had a show because "sweet young thing" changed costumes several times right there in front of them! This you could see without the binoculars. Anyway, it was so funny because she knew that they were watching her and she turned around and flipped them the bird. Our thoughts were, if you don't want to be seen, then change someplace not so public. When they had finished with the photo shoot and were driving off, she yelled out the window "Bye Boys". Their entertainment was gone - to bad.

Tab also entertained us with a very strange looking caterpillar. Turns out it is a Hickory Horned Devil. Well it certainly looked the Horned and the Devil part. Even though it doesn't look it, it is harmless. See pictures....






Doni had a Dr. appointment in Dayton and missed most of the afternoon excitement. But, when she returned, she brought back dessert - all the fixins for banana splits! Yummy is the only word to describe this dessert. We also had Apple Pie which was good.

Here are a couple of pictures I took around the campsites and of the lake.







As we were returning home last evening we turned a curve on base close to the campground and there were about 6 - 8 deer. The little ones ran, but these two just keep on eating. One looked at us as if to ask "what do you want - haven't you ever seen a deer?" Dean took the pictures so they were not zoomed in. I'm going back to the same area tonight to see if they are there again.

Presidential Airplanes and an Alien??

This morning Dean and I went back to the Air Force Museum to tour the Presidential/Experimental Display. It is separate from the huge museum and can only be accessed by tour bus - you need to arrive early and sign up at the main museum. If you have a military ID card, then you can proceed to the Presidential Display on your own - this is what we did.

I found this to be one of the most interesting displays. I just wish that they had the planes spaced better so that you could get better pictures!

I'm not going to put all the history about the planes here. If you want to know, visit the museum, or I guess you could ask me. I've captioned the pictures to identify them. The most interesting information about the planes is located on information boards outside the planes - yes, most of these are open where you can tour the inside. Very, very interesting.















Another view of the last "retired" Air Force One.


We were talking to one of the volunteers at the Presidential/Experimental Exhibit when a young man came up to him and asked to see the "Alien". The volunteer said follow me, so we all did. This is what we saw, locked in a safe!



Ahhh, I knew they really existed. Isn't he cute?

After touring the Presidential hanger we went to the Experimental aircraft hanger. I didn't take any pictures there as the aircraft was just to close together to get a good picture. This are was also very interesting. There are a lot of "one of a kind" aircraft - well, maybe one of three, in this location. Some of them were very intimidating looking while others like the "Goblin" was cute. Something else you just have to see to appreciate.

After the museum we went shopping. I bought Tipsy some crinkle mice - they are made from a foil type material and make a crinkling sound when touched. He was so excited - right - he played with them for about 3 minutes and is now sleeping by one.

Tomorrow we are going to visit Tab and Deanna at Kiser Lake.

Till next time.......

A Afternoon With Friends

This afternoon we met Tab, Deanna, Ken, and Kathy at the USAF Museum. I couldn't believe how big this museum was. I've Naval Museum at Pensacola Naval Air Station and thought that one was big, well, it's not!

I couldn't begin to tell you all the aircraft that we saw, but it ranged from a small unmanned drone to a B-52. The aircraft dated from WWI era to current time. I highly recommend visiting this museum if you are ever in the vicinity. Plan on spending the whole day or break it up and visit two days - yes it's that big. Dean and I are going back to take the Presidential Tour which includes JFK's Air Force One. I'm really looking forward to seeing that. The Presidential Tour is separate from the museum and was full today.

In the case is a piece of the actual Berlin Wall. Really neat!



This is the kind of bomber that dropped the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan



Here we are in the lobby - don't ask about the fig leaf!



After several hours of touring we went to a great family restaurant for dinner. Wonderful cole slaw and au-gratin potatoes. There were some events that occurred while there, but I'll be kind to our friends and not mention them here. I would like to thank Kathy and Ken for our dinner - they treated us to dinner for our Anniversary or at least they picked up the bill. This was after it was handed to Tab and he threw it at Kathy. OK, I'm just kidding.

We bid the foursome farewell and returned to the base for a quiet evening.

Monday will be our Labor Day for sure as we plan on doing some major cleaning - dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Hope everyone has a safe Labor Day Weekend.

Bad Hair Day - Good Friends - Great Burgers

Dean and I both went for a haircut (add a perm for me) today. Dean got a good haircut, but then there isn't much one can do to mess his up except to maybe cut it all off. Me on the other hand, I got the absolutely worst haircut ever! The perm is OK, at least at this point I think it is, but oh my goodness, the haircut. The back is a zig-zag mess cut to short and the sides come down to my ears! Needless to say, I'll be looking to get it cut again in a couple of weeks, after the back grows a little. I guess I will not complain to loudly as this is the first bad cut I've had since being on the road.

Later in the afternoon we drove to St. Paris to check out this campground everyone keeps talking about - Camp PullTab. Well, just a little short on amenities, but really nice folks that own it. They even let you park inside the "recreation building" if you fit!

It was soooo good to see Tab and Deanna again. We haven't seen them since last year at the Escapade - wow time flies! Ken and Kathy we there also. This was the first that we had met them since we didn't make it to the Q last January. Ken's a really nice guy - Kathy and I got off on the wrong foot - she came up and said "You Must Be Deanna's Mother"!!!!! We all got a big laugh out of that and poor Kathy, her face was so red. I wish I would have had my camera just then to take a picture. Seriously, we all hit it off just great! But Kathy should be prepared, I'll not let her live it down. Humm, I wonder if it was the bad haircut, gosh I hope it doesn't make me look OLDER!

Here are pics of Ken and Kathy and Tab and Deanna at Camp PullTab.






We all sat around and talked and finally the chef got busy cooking (that would be Tab). We had a feast of hamburgers, hot dogs, yummy corn on the cob, a salad that I can't remember the name of, but it was good, chips, dip etc., etc. After we ate, the guys drifted off talking "guy" stuff. Us gals ended up reading Patti's latest emails that she had send Deanna. The three of us laughed so hard at the 30 Lines we were crying - Thanks Patti!

Dean and I left Camp PullTab around 9 pm to drive back to WP. As we were driving through the base headed for the FamCamp we had a fire truck head out in front of us, going the same direction that we were going. I didn't give it much thought as this is a very large base. We we about a half mile from the FamCamp and here comes an ambulance from behind. Of course I pull over to let it pass still not to concerned. Well, we come around a curve in the road where you can see the FamCamp and there sits two fire trucks and the ambulance - right behind our MS! Talk about heart being to pound. Seems that someone that is parked in the row behind us had a breathing problem and had called the base emergency number. Why the fire trucks - I don't know. I do know that we had arrived home around 10 pm and it was close to 11 pm before they left. I talked to our neighbor and they said that the camper had just come in that afternoon (we were not home then). We did hear one of the med-techs comment about someone having shortness of breath as he was talking to the hospital. The ambulance left with someone in it and the spouse followed in their vehicle. I see that the vehicle is parked in front of the motorhome this morning, so maybe we will find out what happened. What ever and who ever I pray that they are OK.

This is going to be a very interesting two weeks here at Wright Patterson. Every morning at 7:30 they play Rivalry over the base PA system. Most bases that we have stayed at you can just barely hear it, but here - there must be a speaker right at the FamCamp - it's loud. No sleeping in, that's for sure.