Whitefish Point

It's hard to imagine this calm sea is a graveyard for hundreds of ships. Go to http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/  to find out all about it. It was one of the most interesting places we've visited, I guess because we didn't know very much about it in the first place. Mark encouraged us to visit it and we did. It was a good day visit. (I finally remembered my camera).

Across the Mackinac Bridge and on to the Soo Locks

We crossed the Mackinac Bridge. It was five miles long. It connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. We've been on longer and higher bridges. The history is what was interesting. Read about it at  http://www.mackinacbridge.org/historical-construction-album-31/

Later we visited the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. More than 11,000 vessels of varying size pass through these locks every year. Most cargo in the ships are either iron ore, coal, grain, or stone. The boat we watched go through was carrying dried beets for cattle feed. The boats and ships pass through the locks between Lake Huron to Lake Superior. Very interesting. For more pictures go to link below:







http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4TSHB_enUS240US241&q=soo+locks+michigan&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=U05OTKXqDpKosQPc5anSDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=7&ved=0CEYQsAQwBg

We parked at RV Park East in Kincheloe, MI about 12 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie. It was part of a military air base active in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. Across the highway the buildings were converted to house prisoners. We met several couples that were there for a class reunion. They were both stationed at the air base years ago. They shared many of their memories here. You meet the nicest people in RV parks.

Our Visit to Mackinac Island

We road the Star Line ferry over to Mackinac Island yesterday. It was first a summer fishing camp of the Great Lakes American Indians. . In 1671 Father Jacques Marquette established a mission to the Huron Indians on the island. During the American Revolution a fort (Fort Mackinac) was built in 1780 by the British. It became US territory after the American victory. By the 1820's the fur trade was florishing there, afterwhich it was adapted to commercial fishing. It then became America's second national park, established just three years after Yellowstone. Since then, the Federal Government transfered the national park and fort to the state. Now it is a popular Resort. There are no vehicles (except for a fire truck and police car). There are bicycles and carriages, horses, horse manure, and people everywhere you look. It wasn't anything like I expected. The movie "Somewhere In Time" was filmed at the Grand Hotel, but there is a $10 charge to walk around the hotel. We didn't visit the hotel. To visit the Carriage House was free. We didn't do that either. We didn't have the energy to ride a bike or walk back up the hill to the hotel after our tour. We only saw one person in period clothing. She was the welcome committee at the fort. We road a horse drawn carriage and the guide gave us a history of the island. That part was interesting. We did find out the the island is noted for it's Fudge. And they have a Lilac Festival in the Spring. I'll bet it's a beautiful time of the year. It was an interesting morning, but I don't think I'd go again. It has become a real tourist trap. If you are a bicyclist or hiker you'd probably love it. We are neither these days.
http://www.mackinacisland.org/  Today we just rested and planned our trip on the UP. We'll move out of here in the morning. Crossing the Mackinac Bridge should be interesting.

Our home is now in White Cloud, MI

We parked our home at  Woodlands on the Lake in White Cloud, MI. Wednesday. Mark and Alexa has lake front property in Morley, a little town nearby. After the wedding we spent a few days at the lake golfing, eating, shopping, eating, and canoeing. We had a wonderful time visiting with them, but they have to go back to work and we need to move on. We're pulling the slides in and hitching up the truck tomorrow morning, hoping to be parked before the front moves in, bringing with it more rain.

Below is a short slide show of our visit here.

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Our Home in Indiana

Willard and Rocky relaxes at  Indian Lakes Resort in Batesville, Indiana. We spent two weeks here. We went to Greensburg to see the Tree on the Courthouse Roof. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/463 We visited Oldenburg, a unique old German-style town and Metamora, The Canal town with world-famous antique and craft shops http://www.metamoraindiana.com/ . We donated to the Holiday Casino on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, In. We also attended the Antique Farm Machinery Show

at Ripley Co. Fairgrounds Park Osgood, IN.

Jim and Sue, new RV friends, were parked next to us. They invited us to a lovely dinner at their rig. They are from California and just sold their house and started fulltiming in March. After dinner we went to the camp Pavillion where a country band was playing. We enjoyed watching Jim and Sue linedance to several songs. They linedanced as partners. I'd never seen that style before.

One day Willard said, I think I'll try to call Goeff and Gayle again. They are the Australian couple we met at Pacos, TX. in April. To our surprise Gayle answered the phone. It seems that for the past two months their cell phone had not been working. She turned it on for about 15 minutes before we called and we were the first callerl. They were in Skagway, AK, of all things. It was great touching base with them again. They are having a great time and will be driving their motorhome back to Dallas in August where they will store it while they fly back to Australia. We hope to meet them on the road.

Mark and Alexa's Wedding

We finally made it to DeWitt, Michigan to attend Mark and Alexa's wedding on July 11, 2010. We arrived early to help prepare for the big event. We helped erect tents, mow, build a band stand, prepare food, and decorate. It was a lot of work, but fun too. They made us feel needed. The wedding was a great success because of all the pre-planning and preparation. The only thing that happened that was not planned was the brief rain storm soon after the first dance. Some left early because of it, but many stayed while the band moved their equipment to a dry area. Alexa sang a song to Mark and Willard and I played two songs for the newlyweds. Dancing, food, drinks, and visiting finished out the evening. It was a great experience for us. We silently celebrated our 52 wedding anniversary too. They were kind enough to recognize our anniversary in a way that didn't take away from their own celebration. After breakfast with Mark, Alexa, Mark's son, his girlfriend, Cindy, and AJ, we tackled the clean-up, took some of the tents down, and put away all the extras. Somehow we managed to find time for Alexa and I to play miniture golf while Mark and Willard hit some golf balls. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to icecream cones. Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

It was hard to leave this beautiful view from James and Carolyn's porch, but we needed to move on. We had such a good time at their home. One day I was telling Carolyn I needed to get Mark and Alexa a wedding present. Carolyn said she had some quilt tops her aunt had pieced together. She suggested that I could buy one of them and her cousins, Joyce and Judy, could quilt it on their quilting machine. Well it sounded like a great idea so Jan, Carolyn, and I prepared the quilt top for quilting, bought some filling and a king size sheet. And in three days the quilt was done.
I think they're going to love it.

We also went to a big flea market I bought a necklace with 4 grains of rice in it. I watched the lady write on each grain my kids names  and painted a rose on the forth one. Amazing! We all went to Ryans in Corinth, MS one night and then to Harrah's Casino in Tunica, MS another day. We ended our visit with a friend-and-family gathering for a potluck dinner. It was a hot afternoon, but George, Willard, Lloyd, and I managed to play some music. It was really fun playing that afternoon.

After we left James and Carolyn's we went to Loretta Lynn's Ranch and Campground
http://www.lorettalynn.com/images/ranch/2010/LL_RANCH_2010.pdf  We visited The Plantation House, The Coal Mine replica, The Butcher Holler House she used to live in, and The Museum. It was all very interesting. We were not crazy about the RV park though. I worried our entire stay about how were were going to drive our motorhome around the trees and down the narrow road to get out of the park. We did take some day trips around the countryside and to WalMart in Wagner, TN. And we took a deep breath of relief as we wound our way out of the park and on to a major highway.  

We were glad to get to Goodlettsville just north of Nashville. We stayed at the Nashville Country RV Park http://www.nashvillecountryrvpark.com/Photo_Gallery/ . It was a good stay. There was a jam session in the park one night and I joined in with my Bass guitar. I got a little carried away and ended up with two blood blisters on my pickin' fingers. But I sure had fun. The swimming pool was bath water warm, so we got in (I hate cold water pools). I washed clothes in the laundrymat in the park one afternoon. Rocky got a bath and trim at PetSmart and we did some shopping, But most of the time we visited with my cousins, Elaine and Jimmy and their family. Two of Elaine's children were not there. We had a wonderful visit though and a wonderful dinner at Elaine's oldest daughter, Tonya and her husband Randy's home on the last night in Goodlettsville. They asked us to play some music, so we did. It was difficult because it got dark and we aren't used to playing when we can't see our fret boards. It was good to get to know Elaine and her family better. We decided it had been too long between visits.
Photo by Tonya (Will, Jean, Elaine, Jimmy)

The next morning we drove to Batesville, Indiana. It is a beautiful area, rural charm. We've taken country drives each afternoon and even visited a beautiful casino on the Ohio River. Last night we had a thunder and lightening storm. Thank goodness there were no tornadoes spinning out of it. Saturday we went to Osgood to a Tractor Show and Fair. It was a lot of fun: flea market, food, and tractor collection. We didn't stay for any events. Three hours was enough for us. Could it be that we are getting too.......no I can't bring myself to say the dreaded word.

Bass Fishing in Tennessee

Willard caught this beautiful 6.7 lb. bass yesterday evening just before dark. It was full of eggs so he released it, after taking a picture of course.

We are visiting with James and Carolyn and having a wonderful time. George and Jan are coming tomorrow, so we will have a few days of fishing, jamming with our guitars, and catching up on our life adventures. I think we are planning a cookout on Saturday along with some of James and Carolyn's friends and relatives. We'll be playing music, of course.

Guntersville Lake for Bass Fishing

"Wish I had my boat."

While we were at Guntersville, Alabama, they were having Bass Tournaments. There were at least 21 tournaments going on at the same time. The park was full of families with bass boats and fishing rods. If you are interested in fishing for bass, this is where it's at. http://www.guntersvillebass.com/ 

Memories of May 2010

I sometimes wonder why I even keep this Blog going. Not sure anyone even looks at it. But, I figure I'll enjoy it when I can't get out and about anymore. It will be like browsing through a scrapbook, I suppose. And perhaps one of our grand children or great grand children will discover it and realize we did have a life when we were old...a very good one, I must add.

With that being said and off my chest, I'll try to recap our experiences during the past three weeks.

We left Gene and Penny's in Liviingston, TX  after we came back from the visit to Santa Fe, TX to see my siblings. We made it to Abita Springs, LA by early afternoon. The RV park was nice, but I couldn't get cell phone or internet service (had to buy my internet service), we couldn't get satellite, and we only had 30 amps. And it was hot and humid, raining nearly every afternoon. We did enjoy the hot tub several times though and Willard caught one fish. Rocky enjoyed his walks, but didn't like walking in the wet grass. Guess he's an Arizona dog for sure.

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One day we went to New Orleans and visited the French Quarter http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/fq/?gclid=CPaNzYDJ_6ECFRuenAodJmlwCw . We rented a horse and buggy for a tour of the area. It was really interesting. One of the most interesting stories our guide told was about the New Orleans cemeteries. You can read about them at this site: http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/tours/cemeterytours.html  We shared a shrimp Po-Boy sandwich and some Beignets (French doughnuts), while being entertained by some sidewalk Blues musicians. We also saw the Mississippi River once again, and visited some of the shops on Decator Street. I especially liked the Voodo Do Store. It was awfully hot and humid, so we didn't stay all day. We were really impressed with the 25 mile bridge across Lake Pontchartrain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway . We had to travel it to get to and from our RV park and New Orleans.

Another day we went to Bay St. Lewis, Mississippi to Silver Slipper Casino http://www.golfcoast.com/casinos/silver-slipper-casino/ . Didn't have much luck, but enjoyed the trip. The casino is right on the bay about 500 feet from the beach. The RV park there was about $30 a day.  We didn't stay there, but it would be fun parking there if you wanted to be a beach bum for awhile.

Abita Springs had a Crawfish Festival, so we just had to go. I finally got to go to a crawfish boil http://mrcrowder.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/crawfish-boil.jpg . We ordered 5 pounds of crawfish, new potatoes,and corn on the cob all cooked together. They dumped it all in a paper sack and off we went to one of the tables under a big tent. There was a band playing music on the bandstand and a couple was dancing. People were milling about as we watched to see how to eat our lunch. Like all the others, we tore open the paper sack and begin eating with our fingers. Thank goodness there were plenty of napkins on the table. Wish my camera battery hadn't died. The woman sitting next to me took a picture and said she would email it to me, but no picture, as yet.

We left Abita Springs and went to Dick Albritton's in Couderant, LA to install some upgrades on our coach. It was a beautiful part of the country. Earl and Samie were there. It was good to see them again. The last night there we had a great jam session. Early the next morning we hitched up and drove to Meridian, Mississippi.

We've been in Meridian 5 days. It's been a good stop over. We visited the Jimmy Rodgers Museum again http://www.jimmierodgers.com/. We were here 8 years ago, but rushed through. This time we took our time. And the museum guide was very informative. We also visited the Dentzel Carousel http://www.meridianms.org/culture_attraction.htm. I had my first experience riding on a carousel. I'm sure it would have been more fun if I were a child, but I survived getting on and off my horse as gracefully as possible for a 70 year old youngster.

Our Visit at Alice's

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We had a wonderful visit at Alice's. We went to Galveston for dinner and a walk on the beach looking for a sand dollar for Charles' granddaughter. There was none to be found, but be had a good time. Then we checked out the carvings around Galveston made from tree stumps left from the Hurricane, Ike. That night we played a game of Dominoes. The boys won, but we girls came in at a close second. The next morning we had a big breakfast: biscuits, gravey, eggs, and sausage. Later Scott and Meme came over for lunch. It was great visiting with them. That afternoon we left so Alice and Charles could attend Charles' 50th Class Reunion.

Google: Galveston Tree Carvings

http://www.slideshare.net/rangatang/galveston-tree-carving

On to Gene and Penny's home in Livingston

Our last evening at "The Mooring"

We had a wonderful week's visit with Carl and Aimee, but had to move on, promising to come back next year to see their new home completed. We'll be looking forward to that trip.





We said our good-bys the morning of May 3 heading for Gene and Penny's at the Escapees Park in Livingston, Tx. We had a busy two weeks while there. First Gene and Willard took out our old TV and put in a new one, which proved to be a challenging project.  And I made a clock to put where the mirror was.  

Then Willard and Gene installed brake and tail lights higher up on the back of the coach where they can be seen better. After our projects were finished we had some fun. (1) had several meals together at home and at restaurants, (2) went to Costco's in north west Houston to buy the TV and VCR and DVD player, (3) went to Louisina to a Casino, (4) sat on the porch each evening enjoying each other's company, (5) and Gene and Penny hosted a neighborhood dinner one evening. Gene cooked a turkey, everyone brought some great food, and Willard and I entertained with our music after the meal. On Friday and Saturday we went to Santa Fe in our truck to visit with Alice, Charles, Scott, and Meme. On Monday we packed up and moved on to Abita Springs, Louisina. We want to thank Gene and Penny for inviting us to their place and for all the help they gave us in upgrading our coach. Hope to See Ya in Quartsite 2011.

The Bass Reunion

On June 28, 1908 at Martins Mill, Van Zandt, Texas Robert Elijah Bass and Mamie Estelle Riley were married. That was 102 years ago. And on May 1, 2010 Carl (their grandson) and Aimee Ward hosted a Bass reunion at their home in Streetman, Texas at "The Mooring." More than 30 decendents attended. Robert and Mamie's youngest child, Garland, was in attendance and gave a nice rememberance of his parents. There were over 30 first, second, and third cousins, some meeting each other for the first time. Many of the first cousins hadn't seen each other in over 50 years. All agreed that that was just too long. We want to thank Edris for starting the planning of the reunion over two years ago, even though she was unable to attend. We missed you, Edris. Later some visited their old stomping grounds in Cayuga, Texas which stirred up many memories. As we parted, we all said we should do this again...let's hope we do.

T.S. Elliot  said it best......,

"We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

Through the unknown, remembered gate

When the last of earth left to discover

Is that which was the beginning."

(shared by Carl Ward)

Our Stay at "The Mooring"

We arrived at Carl and Aimee's on Thursday. What a beautiful place they have. Click below to take a virtual tour.

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Friday night we went with Carl and Aimee to their dance class. We learned to Rumba and Fox Trot. We can't wait for our next week's lesson. After the class we devoured a piece of delicious Texas pie. Willard and Aimee had Chocolate pie and Carl and I had Coconut Cream with a toasted meringue topping. Yummm.

The next evening after dinner, we gathered on the porch to watch the birds. We ended up talking until dark. It takes a long time to catch-up on about 55 years of living.

Back at the rig, I checked my computer for a weather report and discovered  a tornado warning. So I decided to stay up to hold down the fort. Willard and Rocky went to bed. I was startled from my movie when our propane alarm went off. Seems I had a Sensey "candle" on and with the windows closed and the air-conditioner off the vapors triggered the screeming alarm. I finally hit it with a hammer to get it to stop. About then my computer alerted that we were now in a tornado watch. That was about midnight. I woke Willard up again and we turned on the TV to watch the local weather station, where we could follow the radar pictures as the worst of the storm moved to the northwest of Streetman. To be on the safe side, we got dressed in case we had to run to their rock studio - where Carl and Aimee are living while building their new home. The wind started blowing harder and the rain came down...into our toilet room. The wind had blown the vent cover up and it wouldn't come back down. Willard had to cut a hole in the screen and we managed to pull it closed with a coat hanger. By the time we got that problem solved the storm was about over. That was about 2:00 a.m. Exhausted, we went back to bed and let the rain lull us to sleep.

We learned that Corsicana had 80 mi. hour winds, which knocked out the power. That really didn't bother us because our motorhome switched over to the inverter. So we had lights! It was windy, but we've experienced higher winds at North Ranch and Stanton. We had some hail, but no damage. The tornado touched down in Van Zant county, just northwest of here. Needless to say, we slept late.

We woke up to a bright beautiful day.

My Flowers at North Ranch

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Wildflowers in Texas

We stayed two nights in Ranger, TX just off I 20. Jerrie and Shorty came over for a visit from Mineral Wells. It was so good to see them. I think it's been 5 or 6 years since we'd seen them last. After a little catching up on our lives, we went to dinner in Eastland. The food wasn't so hot, but we sure enjoyed visiting with our friends. The next day we hitched up and headed for Whitney, TX where we are now. Robbie, Haunani, and Palani came over Saturday from Cedar Park. We cooked up some hamburgers, red beans, and potato salad for lunch. It was so good to see them again. Has it really been two years since we were last here? We hope to see the other kids next week when we go to Cedar Park for the day. We have really enjoyed the wildflowers along the country roads. I love to come to Texas in the early Spring when the Bluebonnets and Paintbrushes are in bloom and the weather is still bearable. (Photos by unknown)

Davis Mt. St Park -( Click here for video of park)

We have been working our way to East Texas at a snail's pace. After the Chapter 13 Rally we parked at the Western Horizon park in St. David, AZ for two weeks. We did some site seeing, had lunch in Tombstone, shopping in Sierra Vista and Tucson, fished, and relaxed in the hot tub. Just a relaxing two weeks.

Then we moved on to Dream Catcher Escapees Park in Demming, NM. We visited with Delana and Joe - a couple of our Stanton friends who parked in the 81 RV Park during the winter this year. We stayed two nights before moving on to Van Horn, TX for two nights.

Now we are in the Davis Mt. State Park in Texas.  It is cool, windy, and cloudy. Looks like we'll be inside most of the afternoon. Guess we'll go check out the town of Ft. Davis. Looked like there were a few nice restaurants....or maybe we'll stay home and have leftover pizza.

Remembering Chapter 32 Rally

We enjoyed many meals together at camp and in the community.

We enjoyed a campfire each evening with live music. Willard, Gary, and I played our guitars and sang into the night. Gary even had to compete with a Coyote during one of his songs.

Each morning the hikers head out for a walk. One morning they hiked to Wind Cave. The next day some hiked all the way around the mountain. It took about 5 hours. I'm getting tired just writing about it. We toured the area in our TRUCK.

Gary travels with his shop on wheels. He can fix almost anything. He even made a two-seater bike.

Willard fills our motorhome up with diesel before we move on down the road.

Our camp hosts planned a busy week for our Chapter 32 Rally. In camp we ate many of our meals, played games, told jokes, sat around the campfire, hiked, had a business meeting, and just got acquainted or renewed friendships. Gary even brought out his telescope and we looked at Saturn in the east sky. They also scouted the area and came up with several great field trips to:

http://queencreekolivemill.com/

http://azopry.com/

http://organstoppizza.com/

http://www.celebrateart.com/

What a great whirlwind week.