Two Enjoyable Bike Rides

On Thursday afternoon Kevin and I went bike riding with Kevin’s brother Joe. Unfortunately, Joe’s wife Julie had to work. Joe and Julie live in Waverly, Iowa where Joe took us out on the Rolling Prairie Trail. Another very nice paved Iowa bike trail.
We rode 16.3 miles round trip. The forecast was for 60s and sunny. Unfortunately, the weather guessers were wrong again. It was much cooler and overcast. We even got sprinkled on a bit. However, it was still a great ride. Thanks to Joe for giving us a tour of the trail. Here are Kevin and Joe next to the tallest Pompous Grass I have ever seen.

On Friday Kevin and I rode about 9 miles on the paved trails in and around George Wyth State Park. There are some small lakes in the park. This one is called Brinker Lake.

Part of the trail runs along the Cedar River. As you can see, most of the colorful leaves have already fallen to the ground. It was still a very pretty ride.

Much of the Midwest, including Iowa, is experiencing a severe drought this year. According to the newscasters, this area is over 16 inches below normal. The drought conditions are very noticeable in some of the waterways. The water level on Fisher Lake in the park is very low. These Canadian Geese must be wondering what all this mud is doing here.

Last night we went out for dinner with Joe and Julie, their son Robert, and their daughter Jen with her husband Mike and their son Nathan. Jen, Mike and Nathan live in Chicago and are visiting her family this weekend. When we found out they were going to be here, we extended our stay so we could see them. It’s been almost three years since we’ve seen them. Nathan is now four years old and is such a little cutie.
We ate at a retirement community. You may be thinking that sounds a bit odd. The story is that the chef at the retirement center used to own his own German restaurant in the area. He got out of the restaurant business because of the crazy hours. He was hired at the retirement center. Once a month he puts on a German dinner in their dining room and the public is allowed to make reservations.
It’s really a win/win/win situation for everyone. He gets to prepare his German cuisine, the proceeds go to the retirement center, the public gets to enjoy the great food and visit the fantastic retirement center which is great publicity for the center. Their dining room was just as nice as many restaurants I’ve been in. The food was fantastic!! They don’t serve alcohol, but the public is allowed to bring in beer or wine. What a great idea this chef had!
Today has been pretty rainy, but that’s okay. They really need the rain. Tonight we’re going to Joe and Julie’s house for dinner with everyone. It’s so nice to have a more flexible lifestyle now and be able to spend some extended time with family.
We got a phone call from Amazon yesterday. They were confirming our assignment as pickers. The lady I spoke with assured me that we will be pickers working the 8 shift which is nights on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. That’s exactly what we wanted. Hopefully, this year what they told us and what happens will match! On Thursday we report at 8 a.m. for orientation.
Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Eek!!

Yesterday morning I saw evidence (droppings) that a mouse had been in our kitchen and bedroom. That is not going to fly!!!

While we were out, we picked up some basic traps. We keep mouse poison in our basement and under the bed, but none of that had been disturbed. Kevin thought I was imagining things; but let me tell you, my mouse radar is very accurate!

Kevin promised he would set the traps before he went to bed. We were sitting watching a movie, and my ears perked up. There was a rustling noise by the garbage can in the kitchen. Kevin went and looked, but didn’t see anything. He again told me I was imagining it, he didn’t hear anything. He rolled his eyes, but set the trap next to the can. Within a few minutes, snap. He walked around the counter, and, sure enough, there was a pretty big mouse caught in the trap. (I’ll spare you any pictures.) I told you I have excellent mouse radar :)

He reset the trap just in case this mouse had friends, but no more snaps. I think we’re safe, and I was able to sleep peacefully last night!

We’ve actually been quite lucky regarding rodents in our 5th wheel. This is only the second time we’ve had any evidence of a mouse.

By the way, last night on the local news there was a story about the Field of Dreams movie site. It seems it has been sold to investors from Chicago who plan to build a large baseball complex surrounding the site. The original farm and field will remain, but there will be a complex with fields and facilities for tournaments, etc. Some locals had filed court papers to stop it, but a judge ruled yesterday to allow the sale.

One of the signs stated that they originally did rent the site out for games and special events, but the family didn’t think that worked very well and chose to keep it simple and open for all to enjoy. I’m glad we got to see it in its non-commercial state.

I got a text message from Redbox yesterday giving me a free rental code for their 10th anniversary. Amazing they’ve been around for that long. We rented Snow White and the Huntsman. I would say it was just an okay movie. Charlize Theron did a great job portraying the evil stepmother. The end definitely left things open for a sequel.

 

Today we’re going bike riding with Kevin’s brother and joining them for dinner at their house. Temps are supposed to be in the 60s today and sunny. Should be perfect for a nice long ride.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Field of Dreams

On Monday we traveled to George Wyth State Park in Waterloo, Iowa. It was about 240 miles, and we averaged 8.8 miles to the gallon with the new diesel truck. Kevin was very pleased with how the truck tows. He is especially happy with how much better the brakes work. I’m thinking we were definitely overweight with the old truck. The entire trip was into headwinds of between 15 to 25 miles per hour, so we think we did pretty good on the fuel mileage.

George Wyth is a nice park. Sites are 50 amp electric, but no water or sewer at the sites. Originally, we had planned on staying only three nights so we would have plenty of tank space. The fall rate is only $11 per night including electric. What a great deal. There are lots of hiking and biking trails in the park. It’s a beautiful place.

Yesterday we planned on biking with Kevin’s brother Joe. Rain and cold weather altered those plans. Instead Joe and his wife Julie came to the park and we spent the afternoon visiting. We met up with their son Robert for dinner at Old Chicago and enjoyed some delicious Italian food.

Joe told us that their daughter Jen, who lives in Chicago, was coming for a visit this weekend with her husband and son. We haven’t seen them in almost three years so we’ve extended our stay here through Sunday night. We’ll just be a bit more conservative with our water usage.

Today we drove about 65 miles to Dyersville, Iowa to visit the Field of Dreams movie site. The farm used in the filming of the movie is owned by the Lansing family. They have kept the property pretty commercial free. The site is open to the public to come and take pictures and make memories free of charge. They do have a gift shop to help them with costs. There were a few signs on the property with some interesting movie facts. About 65,000 people visit annually.

Here’s the view from the end of the drive. The baseball field is on the left behind the curve in the drive in front of the cornfield.

Here’s an aerial shot from a postcard I purchased.

Kevin posed at home plate. Can’t you just see those ballplayers coming out of the corn!

Here’s the bleachers Kevin Costner sat on with the house behind it. The movie production company actually extended the porch around the corner of the house so they could add the porch swing. The swing used in the movie was rented from a family in Dubuque and returned to them after the filming.

In the movie Kevin Costner’s character carved “Ray Loves Annie” into the bleachers. And here it is, still there.

Filming of the movie took place during the summer of 1988. Some walls inside the house were taken down to enhance filming. The owner of the house actually lived in a trailer on the property during the 14 weeks of filming. There was a drought that summer so water had to be diverted from a nearby creek to get the corn to grow. The baseball field was constructed in 3 days. The Iowa Film Board lobbied heavily for the filming to take place in Iowa. When the producer saw this farm, he knew this was the place.

I have received another email from one of my German cousins. This one was from Irina, my youngest cousin. She sent some pictures of her family. Rainer also sent some pictures of his family. Its so amazing to see my cousins as adults around the same age as I am. I still picture them as I last saw them as young adults or teens. I am so loving this virtual reunion!!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Guten Tag Across the Ocean

I’ve had some very surprising communications the last two days. Let me tell you the story.

On Friday when we dropped our car off at my mom’s house, she was worried about her sister in Germany. My mom and her sister communicated by mail and she hadn’t received a letter in a while. Her sister had not been well, and my mom had a feeling something was very wrong.

My mom had an email address for her sister’s son, her nephew, my cousin, but she wasn’t sure if it was still valid. Since my mom doesn’t want to have anything to do with computers, she asked me if I would try sending a message to the email address and see if my cousin would respond.

A little background on my family history would probably be helpful at this point. In 1958 when I was 11 months old, my family immigrated from Germany to the United States. Both of my parents were born and raised in Germany.

My dad’s family, his parents and brother, also immigrated at the same time. My mom left her parents, her two sisters and their families behind. My mom was 20 years old at the time. It must have been very hard for her to leave her family and move so far away.

Over the years we visited Germany a few times and I got to meet my grandparents, two aunts and uncles, and eight cousins. Some of them also visited us. The last time I saw any of my German cousins was 30 years ago when my mom and I, along with my son Eric, flew over for a visit. Eric was 18 months old at the time.

Yesterday morning I sent an email to my cousin Rainer. I wrote in English as my German is quite rusty. I knew my cousins all learned English in school so I was hoping he could read my message. I told him he could respond in German as I could speak and read much better than write.

By afternoon I had a response with some sad news. My aunt Lily had died on Thursday. Rainer was also able to reach my mom by phone. Apparently, he had tried a few times, but my mom couldn’t hear very well and thought it was a wrong number.

Since yesterday Rainer and I have exchanged a few emails with some pictures. He is married and has a very cute little girl who has just started school. I sent him my blog address and his wife has signed up as a follower.

It turns out she also writes a blog. She is quite crafty and has created some wonderful items. I’ve joined her blog as a follower. Blogger actually translates it into English so I was able to read her entries. The translation isn’t the greatest, but between what I can read in German and the translation, I am able to understand it quite well.

I asked Rainer to share my email address with my other German cousins. I’m hoping I might be able to reconnect with all of them. The internet is truly an amazing invention. I’m so excited to be able to reconnect with my family across the ocean!

Auf Wiedersehen.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Gorgeous Fall Colors

One positive consequence of the drought our area experienced this summer has been the exceptional color of the leaves this fall. I’m glad we stayed in the area long enough to enjoy the natural splendor.

Driving around the last few weeks has been such a treat. The red and orange trees actually looked like they were glowing at times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the pictures in today’s post are from the park we’re at. I have seen even more beautiful trees as I’ve been out and about, but didn’t have my camera with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This weekend the weather has turned cold again. Highs struggling to make it to 50 degrees and lows in the upper 20s with pretty strong winds. We disconnected our water hose and are using our pump with water in the tank. Kevin had to let the water trickle at the water towers at the dump last night so the pipes wouldn’t freeze. They’ll be shutting the water off within the next few weeks.

 

We have 10 sites occupied this weekend. Four of them are tenters. You couldn’t pay me enough to be out in a tent in this cold weather!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday we dropped our car off at my mom’s for the winter. It is so nice that she has an extra spot in her garage for us to use. Then we went out for fish fry with a group of friends. Tonight Kevin is playing cards with a group of guys he used to work with.

 

We’re leaving Monday morning. We plan to drive to George Wyth State Park in Waterloo, Iowa for our first stop. We’ll stay there three nights and visit Kevin’s brother and family.

Then we plan to stay at a state park in Kansas for the next five nights. We haven’t decided which one for sure yet. We’ll arrive at the campground in Coffeyville, Kansas on Oct. 16th. We have our orientation day at Amazon on Oct. 18th.

I spoke to Amazon yesterday and they have assured me that we will have the picker job. They offered us either day or night shift. Believe it or not, I actually chose night shift. It pays better, Kevin prefers the night shift, we know two other couples that are working nights and I won’t have to set an alarm. I figure I can do it for nine weeks. I know what to expect this year, and I think that will make things easier. Time will tell.

We’re excited to be on the move again. Time for some new adventures!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Beauty in the Sky

The harvest moon made an appearance this weekend. What a beautiful sight!

I did a little experimenting with my camera. The first shot is on the daytime scenery setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second shot is on the sunset scenery setting. Either way it was a beautiful moment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As if seeing the moon rise in the east wasn’t enough, the view to the west wasn’t too bad either. Nature certainly provided a gift yesterday evening.

The weather the past week was fantastic with highs in the 70s and crisp sunny skies. Kevin took advantage of the beautiful weather and did some maintenance projects on the fifth wheel. On Saturday he repacked the wheel bearings on the tires.

While he was doing that, I ran some errands and then came back and washed our car. We leave the car parked in my mom’s garage over the winter, and I wanted to get the dirt and bugs washed off before we park it later this week.

On Sunday Kevin flushed our hot water heater tank. We’ve been having a problem with smelly water at our bathroom sink. After much research, the consensus of opinion is the smell is being caused by a chemical reaction inside the hot water heater. We’re not completely convinced flushing the tank will fix our problem, but we thought we should do it anyway. The owner’s manual says the tank should be periodically flushed, and we haven’t done it in the four years we’ve owned our fifth wheel.

The weird thing about the smelly water is it is only happening with the water at the bathroom sink. We use hot water at the kitchen sink and in the shower, but that water never smells. Flushing the bathroom water lines with bleach about once a month has been getting rid of the smell, but who wants to be doing that every month. Now we’ll wait and see if the smell comes back.

The wonderful weather brought out lots of last minute campers this weekend. We had one reservation, but ended up with eleven occupied sites. Next weekend is predicted to be cold with highs only reaching the 50s. I’m thinking we’ll have a lot less activity in the campground for our last weekend.

The great weather also brought out the bugs. We’ve been inundated with box elder bugs and flies. We’re not alone. Apparently, the hot dry summer has produced a bumper crop of the box elder bugs. At least, that’s what they said on the news.

I think all of Wisconsin breathed a collective sigh of relief at the end of the Packer game yesterday. It sure looked like bad calls by the officials were going to cost our team another win. They were able to pull out a win in the last few minutes. Unfortunately, the Brewers are not going to make it into the playoffs, and the Wisconsin Badgers are not playing well at all.

Today we’re both getting our hair cut before we hit the road. We’ll also stop in and say happy birthday to Kevin’s sister and have a farewell dinner with my family. Busy, busy, busy!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Getting Ready

We’re getting ready to hit the road on October 8th. We’ve definitely been busier than normal. I remember how busy I always used to be between working full time and having two children.

Our life has definitely slowed down since we’ve been fulltime RVers. I like it that way. Now when we have things to do for several days in a row, I feel rushed. Strange how we get used to different lifestyles.

Last weekend the camping club we belong to had their monthly outing at our park. There were ten families in attendance. We went bike riding on Thursday with Mary and Gordie on the Wild Goose State Bike Trail that Kevin and I like to ride on. It was pretty windy, but we managed to ride over thirteen miles. I was sore by the time we were done.

Unfortunately, the weather over the weekend was not nice at all. We had rain and highs in the upper 50s and lows were freezing. My garden is finished. We played some games inside and had some campfires in the evening. It was so nice to see everyone again.

Sunday our friends Sue and Jim came for a visit. I’ve known Sue since we were in 7th grade. They were our best man and maid of honor, so we have lots of history with them. It was great seeing them again.

On Monday we hitched up the fifth wheel to our new truck for a test run towing with the new truck, and to take in the RV to get our awning fixed.

We drove about 30 miles to Custom RV in DeForest. Carefree had sent them the repair parts. We were still under warranty for the awning. They replaced the motor and an end cap with a new design. Hopefully, this one will last longer than four years.

It only took about 20 minutes and we had a working awning again. Although the service was fine, the people we dealt with at Custom RV were not very friendly. As this was our first encounter with them, we didn’t come away with a very good feeling about the place. It’s amazing that businesses don’t get it when it comes to having friendly customer service people.

The good news is that the truck towed beautifully. Kevin is very happy with it. He had a little stress with our new hitch. It’s a Reese R16 hitch and works differently than our old one did. It worked fine, but Kevin was a little worried he wasn’t doing things right. When starting and stopping, it made clunking noises. After doing some online research, it seems the noises are normal.

Yesterday we had appointments to have our teeth cleaned. No cavities for both of us. Yippee!

Today is my last shift volunteering at Beaver Dam Community Hospital for this year. Then I have some errands to run. Kevin has been even busier, since he has his job here at the park.

Tomorrow I will finally have a day with nothing going on. The weather this week has been beautiful. Highs in the mid 70s. Perfect fall weather. The leaves are starting to turn colors. I love this time of year!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!