We're Home

We made it home on September 15th. We have been busy since we got home so I am a bit late in updating my blog. We are settled and back enjoying the things we like to do.
We did not do too much in Colorado Spring. We had a problem with the RV so time was spent getting that fixed. We did take a trip to Cripple Creek one day and were surprise the number of casino's that were there. We have a great lunch but did not gamble.
To finish our trip, we left Colorado Springs and decided to take the mountain route home. We have friends (Marcia & Fred Miller) that summer in Lakeside, AZ so we decided to stop there for a couple of days. They have a lovely home in Lakeside with tremendous views. Marcia & Fred invited us to a delicious dinner. We had a nice visit sitting on the screened porch enjoying the view and catching up. The following day they took us for a ride to Greer for lunch and then a little shopping. We were so happy we stopped to visit.
The 2011 travel have concluded.

Mom's

I know it has been awhile since I last updated my blog. It has been very busy at Mom's. Between shopping for paint, door, curtains and curtain rods, Mom and I spent several days in Wausau. Then there was the painting. We painted the livingroom and hallway which had 8 doors and 2 windows....lots of trim work. Jack added additional rock to the flower beds and put a new door on the house. Not to mention the window washing, mowing the yard and carpet cleaning. The house looks so nice when we left. Mom was

so happy and it was all worth seeing her smile. Of course I gained 10 lbs. eating all the good food she fed us. When I get home, my exercising program will begin.

One day we did golf with our friends, Karen and Keith which we enjoyed very much. Jack and I snuck off and golfed one day and we again golfed in a tourney with some friends in which Jack won the Senior division. The picture of Jack is enclosed as proof with a plaid jacket as the reward.

Mom and I went on a bus trip to the Brewers game. We enjoyed the game although the Brewers lost to the Dodgers. We had quite an adventure with the bus driver. On the way home, the bus was to stop at a supper club for dinner. Well the driver got lost and it took us more than an hour to find it. We had some upset folks but it will be a trip to remember.

When we were at Mom's, two of her friends died so we attended two funerals. Not what I was expecting to do during my visit. Mom was glad I was there so she did not have to go alone.

After leaving Mom's we all went to my sister, Kathy's in Sparta, Wisconsin. We stayed there a few days. It has been a tradition that Kathy, Mom and I would go clothes shopping. We has so much fun as usual. We all came

home with new treasures. We spent a day playing a card game called "Baseball" becasue it rained an entire day. We had a lot of fun and I won almost all the games. We did not play for money but for root beer floats. Kathy was the loser and she had to buy. Yummy!

After leaving Wisconsin, we stopped in Iowa to visit friends Linda and Frances. It was their 26th anniversay so we all went out for pizza. The best pizza I have had in a very long time. The following

day we all went golfing and then over the Linda and Frances house (beautiful) for dinner (delicious). It was such a wonderful day. Thanks for having us.

Pictures in order:

My Aunt Maragret (91), me and my Mother

My sister Kathy and her husband Steve

Jack in his winning jacket

My sister Kathy, Mom and me

Linda and Frances Freeborn

Jeff's & Shelly

We spent the weekend at my son Jeff and his wonderful girlfriend Shelly. Shelly has two very charming children and I love them as if they were my own grandchildren. Alex (10) participates in many sports but we were there during his baseball tourney. His team played Friday night, Saturday and Sunday in very hot and humid weather and placed second in the tourney. What an accomplishment for the team. Great Job Alex.

Carly (almost 8) is such a character. She is always is a good mood and is such a clown. She comes up with some of the craziest things. I love being around her and trying to keep up with her. The kids love our dogs...Karly and Rusty. Carly gets a kick out of a dog with her name.

We had a cookout one evening and found out everyone "loves" steak. I can not believe how much steak Jeff, Alex and Carly can eat. We finished our dinner with some great desserts. What fun.

Thank you Jeff and Shelly for such a nice weekend. You two are perfect for each other!!

We had lunch with my two aunts today. Aunt Cora and Aunt Dorothy!! They are such special ladies. I love them so much. I feel so lucky to have them in my life. We had such a nice visit.

Craig's House

We spent a week at my son's Craig's in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. We had such a nice visit trying to keep up with the grandkids. I spent a day shopping with my daughter-in-law, Lynn, my granddaughter Lexi (17) and my grandson, Tyler (19). I love shopping with Lexi as she is a good shopper and she models for me. She is a beautiful girl and is so active and busy. She is going to be a senior this year and plans on attending University of Wisconsin in Madison the following year. She is trying out for the girls golf team that her father coaches (Went to "State" last year). She has been in gymnastics since a young child and continues to participate in her high school gymnastics team. (Went to "State" last year). She works part time at TJ Max and still finds time for her friends. She

found time to golf with her Grandma. I was so honored to be able to do that. She is a very good golfer and I had so much fun watching her and trying to learn from her. Jack and I also golfed with Craig and Lynn so we did get in a few rounds.

My grandson Tyler works at a golf course in the summer and is getting ready to attend a technical school in Milwaukee this fall. He is going to share an apartment with two of his friends so he should have an interesting year. Tyler matured so much over this past year and I am so proud of him.

My grandson Brooks (10) had a baseball tourney in the Green Bay area.

We attended his games and watched him focus on his games and interact

with his teammates. I can not believe he is grown up so much. He has a lot of friends and is constantly playing with one of them. During the week he was attending a basketball camp and soon football is starting. He is a real sports guy like his dad. He knows all the stats of the major league players and watches the Brewers. I always get an education when I am there.

On Sunday I was able to get the family together and we went to lunch at Highlanders except for Brooks as he stayed overnight at a friends to celebrate their baseball win. We had a biggest Bloody Mary's I had ever had and a great lunch. What a nice way to end the week. Thank you Craig

and Lynn for everything.

Catching Up

Just before leaving Pigeon Forge, we had lunch at the great cafe that was right on the river. We had a delicious barbeque pulled pork sandwich and enjoyed it looking and listening to this beautiful river. I want to go back!

We then moved to London, Kentucky where we planned on spending a few days in a State Park. Well that only lasted for 2 nights. This park was really nice for "families" but not so good for us old folks. Most RV's had at least 4 kids who ran around our RV.

But that was not all. The site we were in was surround by dirt and then it stormed. We had a 3 inch river running under the RV. That did it. We moved back to Crossville to our previous park as it was so nice. We just relaxed there for a few days and had our friends over for brats. We had a great time and enjoyed out time there.

Elgin was our next stop to visit Jack's family. Jack's sister Judy who lives in Elgin invited all of the nieces and nephews that lived in the area for super on Sunday. Jack's two sister from Arizona were visiting so we had all the sibling together. Not all the nieces or nephews were able to come but those that did had a great time. The photo on the left is of the group.

Great food, great company and great fun!!

Here is Jack with his sisters. Judy on the left, Dor in the center and Kay on the right. I know you all know Jack. It was so nice to have us all together. Dor visits the area for a few months each summer as her 3 children and 5 grandkids live there. Tom and Kay have not been in the area for years so being together was very special.

We are now visiting my son, Craig and his family. More on this in my next update.

Pigeon Forge

Here we are in Pigeon Forge, TN at a beautiful RV park. We have the best spot with trees all around us with a nice cement pad and great lawn. The only thing we are not liking much is this little Cardinal in the photo. She seems to be looking for her mate because every morning at 5:30AM she pecks at our windows especially our bedroom window. She goes from one window to the other and keeps pecking. Jack has washed the windows several times because they get so dirty we can not see out of them.

Needless to say, she has been a pain in the ___! But enough about the bird. We took a ride to the Smokie Mountains. What a beautiful site! A bubbling creek runs along the roads surrounded by trees. I love the sound of the rippling waters. We took a 2.6 mile hike up to see a waterfall but it was a disappointment. That was after we walked 1.2 miles to see a school house. We got our exercise that day.

The weather has been pleasant. We have been able to sit outside in the mornings and for cocktail hour. The morning temps have been in the 60's and the late afternoon in the mid 80's. The humidity has been down so it felt nice.

We have been surprised by how much this area has grown in the last 18 years. This area has more tourist attractions than anywhere I have seen. Lots of shows like Branson, ride parks like Disney land, and restaurants galore.

I felt like a Princess one day (Carmel take note). Jack dropped me off at a mall and let me shop all by myself. My favorite thing to do! I went into almost every shop and bought a few things. Then I found a beauty shop and had my hair cut. Jack picked my up and treated me to ice cream. What a sweetheart.

Not much else to tell. More as we move on.

Chattanooga

We got the truck window fixed and went on our way to Chattanooga. Jack decided we should take State Hwy 64 so we went through a lot of construction and two way road. That got us into Chattanooga at peak traffic once we got to I24. I always get so nervous but we made it to the RV Park without any problems.

Saturday we went to Lookout Mountain which was a location of the Battles of Chattanooga. It was a beautiful drive with a lot of historic homes and

curvy roads. Lookout Mountain was famous for the "Battle Above the

Clouds" in Battles of Chattanooga. We went through Park Point which is a military park, the site of the battles. The views from the park would have been great if it were not for the over cast skies. Unfortunately we did not get any good photos from the area.

Sunday we went to Riverfront District where we were looking forward to walking the river walk. Well of course it was not open due to the Riverbend Festival as they were taking down all the booths from the festival. We took a walk around the Aquarium, Hunter Museum, and the walking bridge that goes across the Tennessee River. It was in the high 80's with the humidity of 70% so we did not walk too long.

We always seem to find interesting places. Being Father's Day, many of the restaurants were busy so we were looking for a place to have lunch. We saw this sport bar called "The Track" so we decided to stop as the Nascar race was starting. It was a beer bar that was big into racing but it was an old time bar. The owner was making wings on the grill but they would not be done for awhile so he suggest a chicken quesadilla. The gal tending bar did not know a thing about racing but she was a kick. We finished a few beers and our lunch and we were ready to walk out and the owner came out with some chicken wings for us to take with us. They were soooo good. So much fun!

Last night we saw our first rain. There were strong thunderstorms in this area which did cool off the temps but it also brought in heavy humidity. Some storms are expected again this afternoon.

We head out tomorrow for Crossville, TN. Jack has some old friends there we are going to see.