July 4th, 2015

I have spent a very non-traditional 4th. Robert and Liz spent the day sight seeing interesting personal history sites, parents house where they grew up and other sites specific to  Worcester,Mass.

I begged off and updated my blog,among other computer -related things.

It has been good to have a rest day.I love 

visiting with folks, but I do enjoy a day to recharge my battery, so to speak. 

Playing catch up.

June 17, 2015

Today was a sweet/sad day.  Robert closed on 204 Gold Run Road.  A 60-year home for Robert and a 29 year home for Ann.  The sweet part is that the young couple who have been renting for the last 2 years were able to raise the money to buy it.  Compared to before the floods and fire the price was sold as in a "fire" sale for 1/2 price.  But, they are so happy that it cures the pain, at least for me.  Their Thomas was born in that house and they wanted to give him the opportunity to grow up there.
In the middle of the closing we had to evacuate the building because of fire,  but the Closing continued outside.  The bank sent no representative, the Title company Rep was VERY inexperienced so papers were missing; Chris ( the new owner ) was sent to jog to the bank and pick up the missing paper..and so it went!

June 18, 2015
Order b-day present for James, in the UK. And put money in Keats Schwab account for Lee's b-day.

June 19, 2015
Rochelle's b-day.
I cleaned up all the cupboards in the Van this morning.  Now it is getting hot! Lorna is cleaning the rest of the Van, then the kitchen.  She'll clean once while we're gone.

June 20, 2015
Going to a race of autonomous robots.  Going with Bob Gray (Bob has ALS) to the race.  It was fun, many teens some with fathers and some completely on their own.
Came home and had lunch.  Then loaded the Van with stuff  I had laid out earlier.

June 21, 2015
Got up late.  Finally ready to get groceries at 11 o'clock.  King Soopers, looking for a 12 oz. cheese dip that ass't manager said was in aisle 8. Paul, manager, came along and asked if I was finding everything.  I told him my problem and he picked up a package I had missed and since it was 8 oz. I said I'd try it.  He then said "Try it for free." and wrote his name and "no charge" on the package, so I'll see how we like it.

June 22, 2015
Finally off, at noon.

June 23, 2015
We spent the night at Prarrie Dog State Pk.  We've stopped there many times; the first time was probably almost 30 years ago.  Little sticks and they are now lovely mature trees; Locust and cotton-less cottonwood trees.
We stayed up way too late lat night because it took so long to get dinner and we needed to take a walk.
My 2-burner stove is broken; one burner works, but the flame is very low.

June 24, 2015
We are at Beacon RV park near St. Joseph, MO. The lady at the desk recommended Roger, our neighbor in the RV park as a stove-fixer to try first because he can "fix anything".  He managed to find the problem; a valve that would have to be ordered.  It will have to wait until we get home.  I'll have to use the micro-wave.
I called George Swenson and he is expecting us.

June 25, 2015
The days are mixed up.  We are at George's, arrived late and are parked in his drive.  We'll see them tomorrow, it was really too late tonight. (what ever night it was)

Terrible thunderstorm during the night.
We had lunch with Janice and Georgee at Taffie's.  Then on our way.
Overnight at France Pk near Logansport, In. The site of morning races; ATVs and motor cycles.

June 26, 2015
We are in Mary Jane Thurston St. Park near McClure, Ohio.

Clearly, until very recently the whole place has been under 2 feet of water.  It's still plenty muddy in spots and water standing marshes elsewhere.
We'll walk over to the Maumee river and see how high ithas been.
Tonight, I am cooking corn and some kind of meat in the microwave.  Learning how to cook without a stove to nor a grill.

June 27, 2015 Grand Rapids, Ohio                                                             38292
River Maumee, Riverside park, playing scrabble..  Finally leave at 11 AM.
It rained and rained, a gentle rain all night. Everything was saturated and now it is more so. The high water line is in the area where we camped and is 2 ft above the ground where we were!
We stopped at Walmart in NE Pennsylvania and bought a really cheap 2-burner camp stove and 2 bottles of propane.  Hopefully, I can cook dinner tonight on stove and microwave.  The stove cost only $39.00.

June 28, 2015                                                                                           38500 in PA
We spent the night in Locust Lake campground near Erie, PA and near Lake Erie.
It is a private resort and it was full.  But George got the OK from the boss and let us camp on his front lawn and hook up to his outside electric box; we could have had water from his water hook up for campers if our hose had been long enough
Webster County park campground in Webster, NY.

July 3, 2015
On the road to Elizabeth Tsanger's home in Holden, MA which is near Worchester, MA.  We left the Moore's about 1 PM.  It was hard to leave because we well may never see them again.  Trudy was more welcoming than either of the last 2 times stopped thee.  She had one hip replaced, but fell and never recovered.  There was no mention of stroke, but she has lost some mental ability, but sure remembered me, Robyn, Connie and Jeanne.  Carl was concieved in Hamilton, but born in Oswego. 
Trudy walks around the house, a little, using a walker.  Her caregiver walks her in a wheel chair down the road so she can get some fresh air and get to Neal's house which is the nearest house.

We spent the day, after we left Moores driving through the Bershire Mts.  We eventually got up to greater than 2000 feet.  We stopped along the Hoosic River for supper.  Now on our way again to Holden, MA.

July 4, 2015

We sat up until 12:30 while Elizabeth and Robert talked over old times....hence today we didn't get up until 9 AM.  We had breakfast while Elizabeth was out riding her bike for miles and miles.  She returned and took all my dishes, from last night and this morning, in to wash in the dishwasher.  Lovely!!  Now they are off to walk around town and see the sights ( where Liz's father lived and some other relative).  I have been catching up on this blog and cooking potatoes for German potato salad we'll have for dinner.  We are having her meat loaf, our potato salad and going to an ice cream parlor for dessert.

July 2nd ,Near Cazenovia, NY at Walt and Trudy 's home.

Walt is the same as always, but older, he will be 90soon. Trudy seemed much happier to see me than the last two times.  But she is much ed diminished, in that she is very dependent on Walt and /or care givers. She is walking with a walker, but prefers the wheel chair. 

June 28th 

We spent the night at Locust Lake campground and resort. It is private and full, but George, with okay from boss offered us a spot on his lawn and let us hook up to an outside outlet. The one advantage of being old, folks hate to turn us away, especially if they know all the other campgrounds are probably full. This has happened to us several times on this trip. I guess we look a little bit antique. 

June 29th

We are in Pittsford, near Rochester, at Ann and Jim Owen's

This morning between showers we walked along the Erie Canal. I asked what was in one of four big boxes.  The operator,obviously bored, was happy to oblige. I shall try and add a photo of the inside.  It houses the electrical breakers for the locks. They are gorgeous, turn of the century controls and still in like new condition.  We also went to the Science Museum, new since I lived in Rochester.

It, as is true of the Denver Museum, full of elementary school kids, but I still found it interesting.  After the museum we had lunch in a café Jim knew of from Ann. Ann did not go with us because of a prior engagement. It was an interesting day, but tiring, too.  Ann fixed a lovely salmon dinner for us. 

July 1st,

We spent the day touring upstate NY after a late start from our campsite at a County Park in Webster NY.

We are now at Sunset RV PARK in Oswego, NY. Our Van is less than 100 feet from the water and we just watched a gorgeous red sun setting. 

The sun finally came out. Italked with Renée this afternoon.  They are in Iowa and have a camping trip planned  as soon as they return.We will stop there several days after they get back so they will have a chance to catch their breath. 

June 12th, a brief description of of the beginning of this continuation of my Blog. 

Connie, Ariel and I set out for lunch at 11:30.I didn't put up the flag today,again it's too rainy. 

We  went to PeiWei for lunch, a favorite of Ariels.

June 13th

Went grocery shopping after a noon brunch. 

June 14th 

Some gardening.  Stayed up too late again. 

Talked we Jo. ,etc.

June 15th 

Bob Grey came at 11 : 00. He broke the stunning news that he has ALS.He has had it for 3 years, but has been avoiding us most of that time. We had become persistent so he thought he had better tell us. What awful news. He has sold his  business to his employees. 

June 16th. 

Getting ready to leave for the east coast. 

Talked at length with Janis and Jeanne later. 

June 17th 

Closing on the Gold Run house today.  The fire alarm went off in the middle of the closing.  The mortgage bank,Wells Fargo didn't bother to send a representative and the clerk from the title company was very inexperienced so it was quite a muddle. But it is done! The money is in the bank.