September 2009 - Bridge Coast to Coast Saga

September 28 - 30, 2009 - De Forest, WI
Monday, September 28. The last week of our Wisconsin stay has arrived. It will be a busy one as we try to visit folks for the last time in a while.

It's another cold, windy and cloudy day. The wind rocked the old RV throughout the night and the rain pelted us. We turned the furnace on this morning to take the chill out of the air. Frisco was quite frisky on our walk this morning.

Pat was off today, so he came up and we headed out to do some shopping. Mike just happened to find that 3G iphones were selling for $49 at the AT&T store, so guess what - Pat and I both got new iphones today. After much research, Mike learned that he can sell his original iphone for close to what he paid for it ($200), so why not sell it (the one I had been using) and get me an updated model and make a bit of his original investment back. From there we went to Middleton to pickup a prescription and make a stop at Costco for some paper products and bubbly water that Mike and I like so much. After our shopping, we stopped at the Quaker Steak and Lube for some lunch and since Tracey was just getting off work, she joined us.

We always look forward to Monday nights to watch Antiques Road Show and today was the start of the new season. There is also a Ken Burns documentary called "The National Parks" that we started watching last night.

Tuesday, September 29. We sat her this morning on our computers, MIke trying to get the digital book conversion program working so he could read books on his iphone and me trying to get my new iphone set up. I also spent some time getting prepared for leaving the area, securing our chairs to ladder rack on the back of the motorhome and figuring out a way to keep them protected from the elements (one of our wheel covers works perfectly).

This afternoon we went to Wyocena to visit with Mom. Kelly, one of the activities staff was doing manicures for the ladies, so I did Mom's while she did another womans. By the time we had finished that, Dan and Sharon arrived for a visit. Frisco caused quite a havoc when he bumped or jumped up against the bird cage of the 2 resident *bleep*atoos. When they landed on the floor right in front of him, one of the birds ended up in his mouth for a very brief time, sending feathers flying in all directions, but fortunately, she was not injured. I had seen it happened and was there trying to get ahold of him but he had slipped from my grasp for a very short time when he caught it. I got Frisco under control and Mike tended to the bird and it turned out that she was fine. On the way home, I told Mike that I was glad that he isn't any good at actually catching things, but he sure does make the attempt, getting so excited that his whole body trembles and you can just see the desire in his eyes.

We headed to Dan & Sharon's house for a delicious roast pork dinner and a wonderful visit afterward. The conversation centered around things that Mike and Dan remembered about growing up with Mom and Dad and some of the many fun and not so fun experiences of their childhood. We talked so much that it was after 9:00 when we left and those guys start their day around 4:30 in the morning.

Wednesday, September 30. Brrrrrrr. It's cold this morning, only 34 degrees and there is frost on the picnic tables. Frisco and I spotted 2 Sandhill Cranes in the field across from our site this morning, so I went back home and got the camera. I also snapped a photo of a maple tree that I've been watching for the past month. It's still not 100% changed color but I think it's beautiful. The patches of color have increased each day.

We spent a good part of the day trying to get my e-mail accounts working right. I must have changed a setting that caused the outgoing mail to stop working and I keep getting error messages whenever I try to send a message from those accounts. The same problem is occurring on my iphone, so we both spent a good amount of time this morning trying to resolve the problem and it's still not working right.

We got frustrated after spending the entire morning on it, so headed out to do some shopping this afternoon. The switches on our small electric heater were not working right, so we decided it was time to buy a new space heater. We decided that an oil filled heater that radiates the heat and doesn't have a fan would be more efficient for the motor home.

Jim and Gwen invited us for dinner tonight and we had an excellent meal of steak sandwiches, potato salad, sweet corn followed by Jim's homemade chocolate ice cream for dessert. Add a few Octoberfest beers and that mkes for lots of good conversation and many laughs. One of the things that we have in common with them is that we met our life partners at the same bar, Rusty's in Middleton back in 1966 and we have managed to stay together all of these years. Our good friends, Susan and Dean also met there the same year. It was a regular hangout when Wisconsin had legal beer bars for 18 year olds.

September 21 - 27, 2009
Monday, September 21. We got .19 inches of rain during the night, it seemed like it went on for quite a while, but sure didn't amount to much. This morning really feels like fall is in the air with that damp smell of decomposing foliage, gray skies, and multi-color trees.

Mike surprised me with a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs with onion, jalapeno, and cheese, toast, and juice. What a great way to start the day.

I got a much needed haircut this afternoon, then did some shopping.

Tuesday, September 22. The rain started around 8:30 this morning and didn't stop until after 2:00, it came down steady the entire time. Everywhere I looked, there were puddles. I managed to get soaked twice; walking Frisco and a quick trip to the grocery store.

I made a batch of Cabbage Creole Soup and took it to Stoughton to share with Pat, Tracey, and Savana. Had a nice visit.

Wednesday, September 23. Housecleaning and laundry day. On Monday when I was out shopping, I picked up some replacement parts for the vacuum cleaner and Mike got it all tuned up this morning. Did it ever make a difference in it's performance.

This afternoon we headed to Reedsburg to have dinner with Rosemary and Robert. It's always nice to see them again. We always loved having her as a sister-in-law (my deceased brother Rocco's wife), but we also like her new family and are so happy for her. Their house is lively with children and pets; Paul (age 8 - almost), Rachael (age 6), Angel the dog, and 2 cats. Rosemary fixed a delicious Cabbage casserole for dinner with ingredients fresh from her garden and we had a great visit for a few hours. It's a long drive home for us and they have busy evenings, so we didn't stick around too long.

Thursday, September 24. It was real foggy this morning, we could hardly see 100 feet away from us. The fog finally lifted around 10:00. After a leisurely start to the day, we headed to Wyocena for a visit with Mom. Her vision has definitely improved, as she waved to us before we even got through the door. We tried to sit outdoors on the patio for a while, but the gnats were too pesty so we went back indoors. They were celebrating the September birthdays, so we sang Happy Birthday and I helped to serve up cake and ice cream.

There were a lot of visitors today and we even got to be entertained by one of them, a 92 year old woman that was visiting a friend, she pulled a harmonica out of her purse and began playing tunes, taking requests and even dancing a jig to some of the songs. I sure hope I can be like that when I get that age. Frisco also provided some entertainment with doing his tricks; roll over, sit up and beg and catch a treat, and foot shakes. He was rewarded with treats and lots of attention.

Friday, September 25. It was a gloomy, cool, rainy day today a perfect day to just hang around the house and do inside stuff. I gave the bathroom a good cleaning and decided it was a good day to sanitize the fresh water tank. It is a process that involves filling the 40 gallon tank, adding a small amount of bleach, running the bleach solution through all of the faucets, letting it sit for several hours, then draining. After that, it is filled twice with fresh water and drained. I managed to dump 80 gallons on the rain soaked ground and fortunately, no lakes were formed.

I worked a few rows on the baby afghan that I'm making. It is a Tunisian Crochet project, a very nice diamond pattern - each row takes me about 40 minutes to crochet, so it might just be ready by January. It's been along time since I've done any crochet, it took me a while to get it down. Not only that, the Tunisian is a stitch that looks like knitting but is done with crochet hooks - definitely a new thing to learn.

I also worked on the web baby shower that I'm setting up for Jill; getting the guest list together, adding their registry sites, personalizing with photos. Isn't the internet great? I was pondering how I could do something when our family is so spread out throughout the country - this seems like it will work just fine.

Mike took the Jeep to have the tires checked. Last week, they rotated them but we are having some vibration in the front. It turns out that one wheel has a bend and will have to be replaced. For now, he had it put on the back and it should be okay until we need to get new tires. Damn crooked car dealers - they had the damage covered up with weights.

I decided to make beef tips and noodles for dinner, so we invited Pat's family to join us. Had a nice but short visit, as Tracey and Savana had to get up early in the morning to catch a bus to the Warren's Cranberry Fest. We will be going to Rockford to the WWII reenactment with Pat and Justin.

Saturday, September 26. It's gray and cloudy but little rain is expected, so we set off for Pat's house this morning where we met up with him and Justin and headed to Rockford. There, we connected with Tom and Leslie and John from Milwaukee and proceeded to walk through the woods, checking out the different camps of the troops. At 1:30, a Normandy battle between German and American troops was reenacted, complete with spotter planes in the air, troops fighting on the ground, tanks, medics taking care of the wounded, and lots of battle smoke and noise.

We then walked through the small town where a skirmish broke out between the Russians and Germans when a sniper took some shots at a German soldier. Another skirmish took place in the woods where a troop of American gliders encountered German soldiers on the road - that battle took place right across from where we stood. By then it was 4:00 and time to be heading home. I would recommend this event to anyone in the area at this time of the year. It is supposed to be the largest reenactment event in the US, with 800+ participants and is very well organized and quite informative.

Sunday, September 27. Mike was up throughout the night with stomach problems, so he was out of commission today. We had planned to spend time with Dan and Sharon but that didn't work out. The weather was not nice at all either, so it felt good to just hang out at home. A cold front came through last night and it was in the low 50s, cloudy and windy. I think fall has arrived.

September 14 - 20, 2009
Monday, September 14. Our days have been busy and today wasn't any different. It started earlier for Mike than for me, as he had a dentist appointment to get his permanent crown and he managed to spend $900 before 9:00 even came around.

After that we drove to Portage to pick up Mom's glasses and then delivered them to her in Wyocena. They look real nice and she said they felt good and she could see a lot better. We had a very nice time, there was a lot going on there today. Several women were sitting around, so we joined in the conversation. Frisco entertained them by doing his routine of tricks and being his usual friendly and playful self. One of the resident's daughters brought her 3 month old twin grandsons for a visit and they were a big hit. Everyone loves babies.

We took Mom out on the patio to enjoy some fresh air and we had a nice visit. She was very upset when we tried to talk to her about the outing she went on yesterday. Fifty-two residents and staff participated in a Memory Walk in Portage, the route took them along the Wisconsin River on a beautiful day. She couldn't remember a thing about it and felt terrible when she realized that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't refresh her memory. It's sad to watch but we are so glad that she continues to remember her family and even Frisco. She's such a sweetheart, always delighted when we come for a visit.

Tuesday, September 15. We had planned for a quiet day at home today, but Pat called last night and invited Mike to go to the shooting range as he was going to have the day off from work. I dropped Mike off at Pat's house and then I went to visit with my cousin Fran while they were gone. We had a great visit, catching up on her side of the family and me sharing information about my side. I took along my computer so I could show her the most recent photos that I had. Mike and Pat stopped by her house to say hello when they got back to town.

We stopped for some lunch with Pat, then headed back home. My big activity for the afternoon was to give Frisco a much-needed bath. He's been scratching quite a bit and it just has been a long time so he needed it.

Wednesday, September 16. Today we got to have our "do nothing" day and that was about it. Other than giving Mike a haircut and Frisco a nail trim, there wasn't much activity going on here.

A cold front came through last night and we barely hit 70 degrees today, a cloud cover for most of the day kept it pretty cool.

Thursday, September 17. Back to busy days again. Today was laundry, house cleaning, and grocery shopping day. We had also planned to wash the car but by the time we got the other chores finished, we only had an hour and a half before having to head to Wyocena to visit Mom and to meet up with Dan and Sharon. We opted to relax during that time.

Mom was rather "out of sorts" today, she was napping when we arrived and had a hard time waking up. Mike and I were with her for an hour before Dan and Sharon arrived, so we took her outdoors to enjoy the beautiful day.

After our visit, we headed to Dan and Sharon's house for BLTs and a nice visit, then off to Dairy Queen for ice cream before we came back home.

I had a nice conversation with Ben this evening, sure do miss his company.

Friday, September 18. After my walk this morning, I got my dessert ready for tomorrow's cookoff at Dana and Justin's house. We had such a great time at that event last year that we've been looking forward to going again this year. My "Sittin on the Ritz" dessert requires 24 hours refrigeration. It is meringue sweetened with sugar (of course), then has walnuts and crushed Ritz crackers folded into it, then baked, cooled, topped with Cool Whip and shaved sweet chocolate - yummy!

Pete and JoAnne joined us for lunch today, a very pleasant reunion since we last saw them in Benson, AZ and did quite a bit of exploring that area with them. We had an enjoyable lunch and lots of laughs and great conversation. Hopefully, we will find time to do that again in the short 2 weeks that we have remaining here in Wisconsin.

We washed the accumulated dust and dirt of the Jeep - the park has gravel roads and there's been no rain for the last 3 weeks, so it is quite dusty. Each morning, we wake up to dew covered surfaces and the dust just sticks to it.

Saturday, September 19. The day of the big cookoff in Stoughton, my entry was ready but Mike got his together this morning. He is taking an old family favorite, "Mrs. Gumtow's" casserole, a burger, bacon, noodle, and pea dish that is flavored with chili sauce and bitters and topped with cheddar cheese. We had to arrive by 2:00 in order for our entries to be judged. It was nice to see that group of folks again, mostly Tracey's family but also some of Pat's childhood friends that we haven't seen for a while.

Neither of us won prizes but we sure had fun sampling all of the different dishes. The winning entries were Justin's pulled pork, Tina's veggie wraps, and Savana's angel food cake topped with fresh berries.

We had a great time and it was a beautiful early fall day.

September 7 - 13, 2009, De Forest, WI
Monday, September 7. Labor Day. What a couple of "lumps" we were all day long. I guess we're feeling the effects of being on the go. We headed to Stoughton to hang out with Pat and Tracey, but were both feeling real tired, so we only stayed a couple of hours.

Thursday, September 10. It's early, I'm sitting here watching the big red ball of sun rise over the treetops. There is a thin layer of clouds covering it - I just wish there weren't a bunch of RV's in the foreground. I love the morning.

What's been going on? An eye doctor appointment for Mom on Tuesday morning kept us busy for a good part of that day. Even though Mike called the Health Care Center the night before to be sure that she was all set to be taken by taxi to Portage for the appointment, the taxi forgot to pick her up. She arrived an hour late, but they were able to do the checkup. All is well, her surgery was a great success and her vision is greatly improved. That meant that we got to pick out new frames for her new glasses. They were able to take all of the measurements today, so she doesn't have to return again, as it is kind of stressful for her, she is out of her comfort zone whenever she leaves home.

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beautiful day, sitting in our lounge chairs under the tree and reading. Mike grilled some chicken and sweet potato for dinner, I made us a nice salad, and we enjoyed a great meal together.

Yesterday was a day for errands. Since we travel, I carry my mammograms with me wherever I go, so I had to pick them up from the clinic in Madison. It's a big envelope with films going back to 1992. I took the opportunity to return some products that I bought at Hobby Lobby but didn't need. That led to some shopping.

We've decided to vaccinate Frisco against periodontal disease, so we had to take him for his shot yesterday afternoon. The vaccination protects against the bacteria that causes the disease and requires 1 shot with a follow-up in 2 weeks and then annually. We also had to pick up his flea and tick treatment, as they didn't have a year's supply on hand when we were there last week. His annual checkup, heartworm and flea and tick preventive cost us almost $400, hopefully he stays healthy all year.

It was Mike's turn to run errands today, starting with an oil change on the Jeep. After that, he went to visit with Mom. He said they had a nice time and enjoyed being outdoors. When he left, he had to return to the garage in Poynette because they didn't have the correct air filter this morning.

Frisco was definitely feeling some side effects from the vaccination - lethargic, uninterested in food or walks, and he flinched when I touched the area. I gave him 1/2 of a baby aspirin this afternoon and he started getting some spunk back, even chasing after the chipmunks and eating/drinking again. Poor boy.

Friday, September 11. I set out this morning to look for garage sales, I did find several but ended up going home empty handed again. That's OK because whenever I buy something to take up space in the motor home, I try to get rid of something else. And what do I really need? Nothing - we have everything we need with us, I do like to look around at garage sales - an activity I started doing years ago when we were collecting antiques and other stuff.

This afternoon, we headed to Stoughton as Frisco is spending the weekend at Pat's house. We had also planned to go to Toby's with Pat and Tracey, but she wasn't feeling well so it was just the 3 of us that went. We met Tom and Karen there for the early bird special (no break on price but maybe just a slight break on the crowd). Toby's has always been known for their fish and sirloin steak. It is one of those crowded little supper clubs, they still allow smoking, and it is noisy, but still a local favorite. Instead of seating you at a table, then taking your order, the waitress takes your order at the bar, then you go to your table when it is setup with your salads. It was only 7:30 when we got back home, so we listened to the Friday night "Two for the Blues" program on our favorite local radio station, WORT.

Early to bed as Pat and Roger are picking us up at 7:30 tomorrow morning for a weekend drive to Stillwater, MN.

Saturday, September 12. By 7:30 we were headed to the De Forest Family Restaurant for breakfast. The drive to Stillwater took about 4.5 hours, was uneventful with a stop at Black River Falls to fuel up and stretch. We had motel reservations in Hudson, WI but missed the exit and ended up in Stillwater anyway.

Last February, while Mike and I were staying at "On The Beach" in Port Aransas, TX, we met Bruce and Janna who were from Stillwater. While there, we all had such a great time together that several couples agreed to meet back there this coming winter. Our plans have now changed so we won't be joining them. We were happy to hear that they would be around this weekend in Stillwater.

The Jameson House in downtown Stillwater has a beautiful patio overlooking the St. Croix River, a great place to stop and enjoy a *bleep*tail after a long drive. The river is bustling with activity; an assortment of boats ranging from small fishing boats to large riverboat paddle wheels. A wedding was taking place in the park's gazebo.

Bruce and Janna joined us for a drink and the afternoon of fun started there. We walked along the river for a few blocks and stopped at another club. The next stop was their condo, where we had snacks and sat on the patio and continued the stories and conversation for the next few hours. Before we realized it was almost 7:00 and time to head for dinner. The Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter was our restaurant choice for the night. The German beer and food were great and we certainly enjoyed the company. It had been a long, enjoyable day and we said goodnight to our "new, old friends" (nice term, Janna) and we headed to Hudson to check into our hotel for the night.

One thing we really like about our lifestyle is meeting people from all over the US and it amazes us that it takes so little time to develop friendships. We enjoy having people to see throughout the states, it adds a lot of interest to our lives.

Sunday, September 13. Pat, Roger, and I started our morning in the hot tub and pool. What a great way to wake up and start the day. We were all feeling a bit under the weather this morning, imagine that! We didn't waste any time and headed to downtown Hudson for breakfast right away. Pier 500 has a beautiful patio overlooking the St. Croix River on the Wisconsin side, another great place to enjoy the beautiful morning. The temperature is perfect and it is bright and sunny. After breakfast, we walked along the old railroad bridge that once crossed the river to Stillwater. Today, it only takes you to an island park but no longer spans the entire river. We had a nice walk and enjoyed the early morning, looking at the boats in the harbor and the busy people enjoying the outdoors.

Back to Stillwater to check out some of the downtown shops, we stumbled on Bruce & Janna as they were heading out of town for a motorcycle ride. We all hugged and said goodbye until we meet again someday and somewhere down the road. We did a little more shopping and then headed back home. It was a great weekend with our dear friends and our new, old friends too.

September 1 - 6, 2009, De Forest, WI
Tuesday, September 1. Mike is still having trouble recovering from his dental work, so he was pretty low-key most of the day. Frisco and I had a long, refreshing walk this morning but we were pretty low-key too.

Late this afternoon, we went to 4-Lakes Yacht Club and met up with Jim and Sue, our great, long time friends from here. They just bought a vintage 1953 Chris Craft wood boat and wanted to take us for a ride in it. It's beautiful and sounds just like a hot rod, maybe that's because it has a Ford flat-head six in it (I got those words from the guys).

We headed north on the Yahara River to Turville Bay (on the southwest side of the lake) where we had a beautiful view of the Madison skyline. Sue and I were talking so much that I almost missed the view. From there, we went back south on the river, past the yacht club and onto Lake Waubesa, stopping at the Beach Club for dinner. It was always one of our favorites for their weekend walleye and egg breakfasts. I didn't have the breakfast but I did order the walleye and it proved to be delicious, as always. It was dark by the time we left the restaurant, so it was slow going and a little hard to see coming back, although we had an almost-full moon to help light our way. The ride was smooth and it was a beautiful evening to do it. What an enjoyable time we had, catching up on the last year and talking a lot about having grandchildren and our future lives of retirement (Jim is retired, working part-time and Sue isn't quite at that point yet, but getting much closer). Hopefully, we can get together again before we leave the area again.

Wednesday, September 2. I am now the proud owner of an iphone - I inherited Mike's today when he upgraded to the new version. As usual, I'm a little resistant to the change but I think I will do just fine through the learning curve and then probably won't want to go back to a regular phone.

We stopped at Wisconsin RV world to inquire about getting a complete check of all components of the motor home done (our warranty expires in late October and we can't renew because of the age of the rig), only to find that they are closed for the season. Isn't it a bit early for that? So we stopped at Camping World and set up an appointment for next week. Talking with Sharon later in the day, she said she hasn't heard any good things about that place, so we're now tossing around some different options, maybe even a stop at Forest City, IA (where Winnebago's are made) when we leave here.

We went to see Mom after our errands were done, she's always so happy to see us. It was such a beautiful day, so we took her for a walk around the property, stopping to pick a few tomatoes and green beans at their gardens along the way. She was able to see some beautiful flowers and wildlife; a family of Sandhill Cranes, a pair of geese, and some lively squirrels teasing Frisco. Dan and Sharon stopped by after work so we all got to visit for a while too.

Thursday, September 3. Laundry and cleaning day. It felt kind of good to stick around the house and get things cleaned up a bit. Our windows were in bad shape (Frisco's nose prints on the inside and dust on the outside), so they got cleaned too. The afternoon was perfect for sitting under the shade of the little tree on our site and reading.

The weather couldn't get much better than this, clear blue skies and comfortable mid-70s temperatures. We pulled out the grill and Mike cooked up some great pork chops, complimented with fresh Wisconsin sweet corn and cantaloupe.

Saturday, September 5. Labor Day Weekend.Dan came by this morning and we headed to Stoughton. Mike, Pat, and Dan went to a gun show in Jefferson and I stayed to help Tracey clean out some stuff in her basement. She wants to setup an office space down there because she has the possibility of working from her home but that requires a designated space. We have a way of collecting stuff that isn't really needed, so we were able to fill several bags to be donated and several bags for the landfill.

When the guys got back, we headed home and spent the rest of the day just relaxing. The park is full and there is lots of activity and the smell of campfires around us now. We enjoyed watching young boys riding their bikes and seeing who can leave the longest tire mark when they put on the brakes. Frisco is meeting lots of different dogs.

We had a light snack for dinner and settled in to watch a movie, a very sad story about the abduction and marketing of young children - what is wrong with people and what makes them want to prey on the innocent? I had a hard time watching it, all the time hoping for a good ending that never came about.

Sunday, September 6.Today we took a drive to Oxford, about 50 miles from here, where my cousin Jo and her husband, Ray were spending the weekend with her family at their almost finished log home. We manage to see Jo and Ray periodically, but it has been about 7 years since we last saw Jo's daughters and their families and they have really changed. Tammy and her husband Tom have a daughter, Hannah (age 14) and a son, Jake (age 12). Stacie and her husband Mark have 2 daughters, Bria (age 15) and Brooke (age 13).

The house is beautiful, sitting on a hilltop overlooking Hill Lake. It isn't quite ready for move-in, but a couple of toilets and a shower are in, so they were able to sleep on air mattresses in the house. A few more weeks and they can move in. We had a great afternoon visiting, having a few beers, and playing bean bag toss. We all headed to Boondocks restaurant on Jordan Lake near Wisconsin Dells for dinner. What an experience. The waitress, Pam, was quite under the weather and not real enthusiastic about taking our orders, more interested in being at the bar or with her friends downstairs on the patio. She did manage to get them all and there was only one mistake when we were served. Since Tom has restaurant experience, he even helped with clearing the table and seating some other guests that arrived.

After a very fun afternoon, we said our goodbyes and drove down the road in opposite directions.

Created on 08/31/2009 06:32 PM by bridge
Updated on 10/08/2009 10:05 AM by bridge