Movies

Kevin and I really like to watch movies.  We’ve subscribed to the 3 movie package with Netflix for several years.  Many weekends we would watch 3 movies in one weekend; especially, on those cold Wisconsin weekends.

This summer we are having the movies sent to our son’s house.  About once a week one of us drives to his house to get our mail, including the movies.  It’s about an hour drive each way, but we figure we have to get our mail anyways so we continue to have the movies sent.

We plan to continue to use his address as our mailing address once we leave for the winter.  I don’t think it will be feasible to continue the Netflix.  From what I understand, most campgrounds don’t let you get personal mail delivered to the campground.

I’m wondering what other fulltimers do about movies.  We do have DirecTV and can watch movies on TV.  We don’t subscribe to any of the movie channels because it doesn’t seem they have that many good movies.  We’re not much into going to the theater due to the cost and convenience of watching at home.  I’m thinking we will try out Redbox as we travel.  I also frequently check out movies at the library.  I’ll have to see how accessible libraries are as we move around.

Two recent movies I’ve enjoyed have been Extraordinary Measures and Valentine’s Day.  We also watched Wolfman which I thought was far too gruesome and Remember Me which was a sad drama with a surprise twist at the end.

It’s not a big deal, but one of those things we enjoyed in our old life and are trying to figure out how to incorporate into our new life.

Yesterday we played another round of golf.  Kevin shot a 47 which was one of his best rounds ever.  I’m still not keeping score.  I did have 4 decent holes with a par on the last hole.  It’s rare for me to get a par, so I was excited about that.  Little by little, I’m improving.  Even though I’m not very good, we have a good time playing together.

Wishing you all a great day!

What Were They Thinking

Yesterday we had an unusual situation with canoe rentals.

Four couples in their 40s rented canoes for the entire day.  It costs $25 per canoe for the day, and the canoes have to be back by 8 pm at the latest.  I explained the rules to them.  They seemed to understand completely.  They told me how they had a handheld GPS and they planned to paddle to a park in Columbus which is 4 miles driving distance from here.  We didn’t know how far it was by canoe, but you’d think with a GPS they could figure that out.  They told me they had a vehicle parked at the park with a picnic lunch waiting for them.  It sounded like fun.  They left a 11 am.

At 4 pm, two of the guys drive up in a truck.  They told us they had a problem.  Apparently, some in the group were too tired and sore to paddle the canoes back.  They wanted us to pick up the canoes at the park or let them use the park’s trailer to get them. 

We weren’t sure what to say.  I went and asked the full-time park attendant what she thought.  She said there was no way we could pick up the canoes or let them use the trailer.  The trailer is used to store the canoes next to the river.  It is not equipped to be on the road.  She said they had never had this situation in the 10 years she’s been here.  People know they have to bring the canoes and kayaks back to us.  We do not transport them.

I told this to the two guys.  They got quite snippy and rude about it.  They had the attitude that since they paid money to rent the canoes, we had to do whatever they wanted.  They went to talk to the park attendant themselves.  Still no go.  The bottom line is they signed a release stating they would return the canoes.

They went off in a huff and said they would figure out a way to drive them back.  One of the couples was camping in a horse trailer.  They hooked up that trailer and brought back all 4 canoes. 

They had a better attitude when they got back.  When they asked us to pick up the canoes, they still had 4 hours to get them back.  They would have been paddling downstream all the way back.  I really think they had just gotten tired and didn’t want to do it anymore. 

Another new camp hosting experience.  Sometimes you just have to wonder what are people thinking!

Unplanned Blood Donation

This small bowl of raspberries cost me about a quart of blood! 

There are many wild raspberry vines growing in the park.  For the past few weeks, I’ve been picking and eating a few each day on our walks.  Yesterday I decided to pick a bowl full. 

As I mentioned earlier, the mosquitoes are ferocious right now.  I covered myself in Deep Woods Off.  I was sure I would be protected enough to pick berries.  As you can see, I didn’t get many. 

I was literally surrounded by those pesky little bugs.  They were buzzing in my ears and swarming all around me.  I gave up rather quickly, but not before they got me several times.  There were some plump mosquitoes after they were finished with me :)

Hopefully, there will still be some berries left by the time the mosquitoes go away!

The weather has turned beautiful this weekend.  The humidity is down and temps are in the mid 80s.  The campground is more than half full and people are enjoying themselves on the river.  We rented all eight of the canoes and kayaks today.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Oops!

First of all, I’d like to welcome new followers Levonne, Susan and Jim and Dee.  I’m honored to have you share our journey!

We had a little mishap today.  We ran out of gas.  Oops! 

About 2 years ago, I bought a chainsaw carved bear from Watson’s Woods in Wisconsin Dells.  Over time, my bear developed a large crack, so a few weeks ago we took him back for a repair job.

Today, we went to pick him up.  Here are a few pictures of the shop.  Dave, the owner, does an awesome job.  If you are ever in the Wisconsin Dells area, it is worth going to Watson’s Woods just to look at his awesome work.  He has many carved bears, but also other animals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I forgot to take a before picture, but here’s an after of my bear.  You can see where a wedge was placed in the front of the stump part.  That’s where a rather large crack had appeared.  I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.

On the way back, we ran out of gas.  The gas gauge showed about 1/8 of a tank and the light never went on.  We now know to fill it before it gets to that point.  Luckily, we have roadside assistance on our car insurance.  It only took about 20 minutes for a towing company to bring us some gas.  All’s well that ends well!

I have a few pictures from our Minnesota trip that I forgot to share.  Here’s a picture of the very first loon I’ve seen and heard.  It was pretty far away so it’s not the greatest picture, but I was excited to hear it.

 

 

There was a tree at the campground that had grown right into and through a fence.  Look closely and you can see the tree behind the fence at the bottom and in front of the fence at the top.  Nature amazes me.

The heat and humidity are supposed to break tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to beautiful weather this weekend!

Humid, Humid, Humid=Bad Hair Days

I can’t recall a summer that was this humid.  Wisconsin usually gets a week or two each summer with dew points in the 70s.  This summer has been incredibly humid with an abundance of rain.  The mosquitoes are thriving!!  I’ve decided to let my hair grow longer so I can put it in a pony tail on humid or windy days.  This humidity is driving me crazy.  My hair isn’t long enough for the pony tail yet, so every day is a bad hair day :(

We have been able to continue our daily walks with some adjustments.  We go right after we wake up in the morning.  We cover ourselves in Deep Woods Off and then shower when we get back.  The rest of the day we have been spending inside with the air on.  This Friday the hot, humid weather is supposed to improve.  I’m looking forward to spending time outside again :)

It was great spending time with good friends last week.  We camped in Waupaca with 4 other couples for 5 days over the 4th of July weekend.  We played cards and ate; we played board games and ate; we went shopping and ate; we attended the 4th of July parade and ate.  You get the picture.  It really was a good time; now it’s back to the Wii Fit and daily walks.

Last Sunday it rained very hard most of the night.  When I got up on Monday morning, I discovered that water had somehow leaked through the window in our large slide.  The floor under the window next to the kitchen table was soaked.  When Kevin got up, he found water had gotten into a bedroom slide window as well. 

I called the warranty administrator at Gillette Interstate RV where we purchased our camper.  His name is Tom, and he is the nicest guy.  Unfortunately, they are in Michigan about 8 hours from us.  He gave me a few suggestions on what may have caused the leaks.  We will be taking it to a local dealer to have the awning fabric replaced in a few weeks (it is tearing).  We’ll have them check out the windows as well. 

This is our 5th Jayco, and we have always been extremely satisfied with our Jaycos.  I’m a bit disappointed with the problems we’ve experienced with this one.  Mostly, it has been small things, but it seems there is always a new problem popping up.  This water leakage is a major concern.  Now, we’re having trouble with the DVD player.  I’m glad Jayco has a 2 year warranty.  Hopefully, we will have discovered all the problems before the end of October when our warranty expires.

There has just been a tornado warning issued for our county.  It looks like it is north of us.  Time to batten down the hatches!

Moorhead and Bemidji

On Monday Korey drove us to Moorhead, MN to show us his new apartment and one of his offices. Korey and his roommate, AJ, moved into the apartment in May and then both left to work at camp for the summer.

It’s a very nice apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. They are on the top floor with a nice little balcony off the living room. The building is only a few years old. All the rooms are very spacious. They have a 2 car garage which is practically essential in the cold winters. There is also an indoor pool and exercise room. I think they’ll like living there. Now they just need time to unpack and get a little more furniture :)

Korey took us to the church in Moorhead where one of his offices are located. Korey actually has three offices he works out of. One at the church in Moorhead, one at the camp in Menahga, and one at the main office in Bemidji. I don’t think he’s ever bored.

Monday evening we took Korey and his girlfriend, Cathryn, out to dinner at a restuarant called Granite City to celebrate Korey’s birthday. The restaurant has it’s own microbrewery. The guys enjoyed the beers. Here’s a picture at the bar. Cathryn wasn’t there yet when the bartender took the picture for us. Happy Birthday, Korey! I can’t believe my baby is 26 years old!

Both guys ordered the “bedda chedda” burgers. I have never seen such a large burger with so much cheese piled on top. They managed to eat the whole thing and said they were very tasty. I had a french dip type sandwich. It was just OK. Cathryn had the chicken wrap and said it was a bit dry. The guys really liked the restaurant. I wasn’t as impressed.

After dinner we went to Cathryn’s parents house for birthday cake. It was the first time we met them. They are very nice people with a beautiful home. They live a few blocks from the Red River.

You may recall that two summers ago there was terrible flooding along the Red River in Fargo and Moorhead. The water came close to their house, but they were spared from any flooding. Many of their friends and neighbors were not so lucky. There are still houses along the river that are up on blocks waiting to be moved to a different location.

Yesterday Korey drove us to Bemidji to see another of his offices. I also wanted to see the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox. Here’s Korey with the statues. Paul is 18 feet tall and weighs 5,000 pounds. Babe weights 10,000 pounds. The span between his horns is 14 feet wide.

The tourist center next to the statues has a variety of Paul Bunyan memorabilia including his axe, gun, fishing pole and boxer shorts :)

The Fireplace of States is also located in the tourist center. It is made out of stones from every state in the Union, every province of Canada, and from Mexico and other countries. One of the stones is from the original US Capitol in Washington, DC. You can see Paul Bunyan’s hammer and fishing net in the picture.

We’re now headed to Fountain Lake Campground in Waupaca, WI to visit our friends Dick and Wanda who own a lot at the campground. Each year a group of 10 of us get together for the 4th of July at Fountain Lake. Lots of game playing and eating takes place while we’re there. (Maybe a little drinking, too!) We’ll all have a great time. The weather is forecast to be spectacular!

Heartland State Trail

We discovered this great trail here in Park Rapids. We don’t have our bikes with us, so we decided to walk along part of the trail. Yesterday we walked for about 1-1/2 hours. Today I decided we should try for 2 hours. We figure we walked over 6 miles today. I’m pooped! Here’s a description of the trail from the website. What a great find!

“The Heartland State Trail was one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country. It is a 49 mile multiple use trail between Park Rapids and Cass Lake. The trail is located entirely on a level abandoned railroad grade except for a four mile segment north of Walker, on sharply rolling terrain. The 27 mile segment between Park Rapids and Walker has a paved surface. This segment also has a second grassy treadway for horseback riding and mountain biking.”

Yesterday we drove about 12 miles south of here to Menahga to check out another campground. It was nice for tents and smaller campers. There were just too many low hanging branches to risk taking our camper in there next time we visit.

We also stopped at the St. Urho statue in Menahga. This area is very Norwegian. The town has chosen to honor St Urho, patron saint of the Finnish vineyard workers. You can read all about him below. Can you say Uff-da! (No offense, Cathryn!)

We also spent about an hour yesterday walking around the downtown of Park Rapids. It's a quaint little town with the typical tourist shops and some Northwoods shops. I'm happy to say I didn't buy anything except a birthday card for Korey's birthday tomorrow.

One last thing for today. I have seen a couple of black squirrels up here. I’ve never seen one before. This was the best picture I could get.

Time to get going. Korey will be here in about an hour!