Back to Peace and Quiet

Considering we were overflowing with campers for the holiday weekend, all went well. Our 24 sites were mostly occupied by five groups of families and friends. We try hard to allow people to have a good time. But, sometimes we have to remind people of rules so that everyone is ensured of having a nice weekend.

Of course, there are always a few people who forget the rules apply to everyone. The rules at our park are that there is only one RV allowed per site with one extra tent allowed. The week prior to Memorial Day one of the groups called the main office explaining that one of their tenters had bought a pop-up and could they park it on a site with their parents who have a motorhome. They were told no, but kept calling and emailing until the office finally gave in and told them they would allow it this one time only as long as all wheels were on the paved part of the site. Our ground is extremely wet and there was no parking allowed on the grass.

They set up their pop-up in front of the motorhome and all was fine. On Saturday one of the others in this same group said they had permission for a tear drop trailer to come and set up on their site with their pop-up. We knew nothing about this, but since the office was closed we couldn’t check out their story. We allowed it. Of course, these extra units had to pay the full price for the second trailer on a site.

This same group had to be reminded to have their dog on a leash. They also took their large dog into the bathroom even though we have signs on the door stating no dogs allowed in the bathroom. Isn’t that just common sense???

On Monday morning I called the office to check on their story. As suspected, they did not have permission for the second extra unit. What is it with some people. You give them an inch and they take ten miles. They have now ruined it for everyone. Doubling up of trailers will absolutely be denied in the future.

Late Sunday afternoon a young couple on road bicycles came into the park. They were on a trek across the state from Milwaukee to the Mississippi River. We let them set up their tent in the overflow area next to the wood shed. That area is only supposed to be used for people who are road weary and need a place to sleep. I think these bikers definitely qualified.

Some friends of ours who were camping nearby came for a pot luck dinner on Sunday. We cooked out and then enjoyed some time around the campfire. Thanks Gordie for sending me this picture. Kevin managed to be hiding in the picture I took.

As you can see, we are all bundled up. The weather over the weekend was quite cool. We had a bit of rain, but mostly it stayed dry. Areas to the south of us had rain all weekend. I guess I’d rather have cool temperatures than rain.

Yesterday the warm and muggy weather returned with highs in the 80s. We went from running the heater one day and the air the next. There were some severe storms west of us during the evening hours. Several campers were overturned at a campground not too far away. Luckily for us the severe weather stayed away from our area.

Tomorrow I’m driving to Moorhead, Minnesota to attend a bridal shower for Cathryn, our future daughter-in-law. The wedding is just over two months away. I’m looking forward to meeting some of Cathryn’s relatives. I’m sure there will be lots of wedding talk all weekend :)

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

I’ve Invented a New Mouse Trap

We’ve been pretty busy this past week. On Sunday we had a visit from a very nice couple who will be retiring in January and hitting the road as fulltime RVers.

Mark and Kay found our blog through my cousin who lives in Michigan. It turns out Mark and my cousin’s husband work in the same industry. Even though I haven’t seen my cousin in years, through Facebook and our blog they knew about our lifestyle and travels. Our blog was recommended and Mark and Kay found their way to our front door.

We sat outside on a beautiful day enjoying the delicious bakery treats they brought and answered their questions about our experiences in this wonderful life. It was fun meeting them, and we may even run into them next winter as we’ll both be exploring the Gulf Shores area. I’m always amazed at what a small world it is.

Monday afternoon I was sitting in my recliner watching TV. I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye, and to my horror saw a mouse sitting on the floor in the corner in front of the TV cabinet. Yikes. Kevin was out mowing so I had to figure out what to do about it. I slowly got up and went to get a shoe box I had in the closet to try and catch it. I got it trapped in the corner but couldn’t get it to go into the box.

As my mind was racing to figure out how to get this creature out of my home, I happened to look at the fly paper I had hanging near our back window. It just so happens that the lake flies we get every year in May had come out in full force last week. Some of the little flies get into our RV and congregate by the back window. The fly paper helps get rid of them during the two week period they are here.

Hmm, maybe I can catch the mouse with fly paper. I got another roll of it and unspooled it. I hung it down and was able to stick the mouse to the paper. I threw it into the box and slammed on the cover. I took the box outside and found Kevin. He just threw it into the dumpster. I felt a bit bad for the mouse, but not bad enough to allow them to be in my home. Kevin set up a trap, but it seems our visitor was alone. No customers at the trap. Thank goodness!

On Tuesday night we drove to our son Eric’s house. We took the truck so we could pick up his new bathroom vanities. He’s having them installed and his tub and shower redone and then his bathroom remodeling will be done. Then the three of us headed to Miller Park to enjoy a baseball game.

Our team has not been doing very well so far this season. However, we saw a great game that ended in a win for the Brewers. Yeah!

The weather last week was very nice. The lilacs and crabapple trees have finally begun blooming about two weeks later than normal. I so enjoy passing the lilac bushes on my walking route. They smell so great!

One of the other pleasures as I walk is seeing the white pelicans soar overhead. I never tire of watching them.

Our park is full for the holiday weekend. Yesterday they just kept coming. I remarked to Kevin that we must be an RV park rather than a campground. All 24 of our sites are occupied by motorhomes, fifth wheels or travel trailers with just a few pop-ups and one tent set up behind a fifth wheel.

Since we are a county park with only 30 amp electric at the sites, I’m a bit surprised to have all RVs and no tenters. I guess RVers are discovering what a treasure our small park is. The weekend weather forecast is for cool temps and a slight chance of rain Sunday night and Monday. Not the best, but it could be worse.

I hope everyone has a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday weekend!

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

A Very Happy Mother’s Day

I’d like to wish a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in blog land. For the first time in several years, I was able to have both of my children with me on Mother’s Day. As an added bonus, our future daughter-in-law Cathryn was also in attendance.

Korey and Cathryn were in town because Korey was in a wedding of one of his good friends from childhood. They came in Friday afternoon and had to go back to Omaha on Sunday because Cathryn had final exams this week and Korey had to work. Their route home took them near our park, so they were able to stop by for two hours on their way home.

Eric’s job requires him to be on call every other weekend. Luckily, he was not on call for Mother’s Day so he was also able to come to the park. We had a short but fun visit. In fact, I was having such a good time I forgot all about taking a picture.

After Korey and Cathryn left, Kevin, Eric and I joined my mom, her friend Richard and my brother and his wife for dinner at a restaurant. It was a great day for visiting with family!

As is typical for Wisconsin, it seems we went from winter right into summer. This week has been beautiful with temperatures in the low 80s. I finally broke down and turned the air on for a few hours yesterday. We don’t have any shade on our site. As much as I love having the windows open, that sun can sure heat things up in here quickly.

The birdfeeders have been a very busy place. We’ve had two new visitors this year. The first was a Rose Breasted Grosbeak. It was only here for two days, and I haven’t seen it since. I’m wondering if it was just passing through on its trip north. What a beautiful bird.

The second new bird is a White Breasted Nuthatch. There have been several of them visiting the birdfeeder. They never sit still for very long, so it has been hard getting a picture.

The Orioles and Goldfinch are also regular visitors. I really enjoy watching the shenanigans of all of the birds at the feeders.

Because it was such a cold spring, flowers are just starting to bloom. I really enjoy seeing the tulips in people’s yards when I go for my walks. There’s something about red tulips that makes me very happy :)  Most people consider dandelions an obnoxious weed, but don’t they look pretty next to the red tulips?

The crabapple trees have burst into bloom this week. Breathtaking!

There are many wild plum trees growing around the perimeter of our park. They have also burst into bloom this week. Not only are they pretty, but they smell wonderful. One of these trees is right outside our back window.

A robin has made its nest in the crook of the tree. I’m amazed how brave the mother robin is. I got quite close to take the picture, but she wouldn’t leave her nest. Don’t worry, I won’t be bothering her again. I can’t wait to see the little babies.

 

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

A Golf Date

The weather has finally improved, and we’ve enjoyed several days of temps in the 70s.

On Monday Kevin and I went golfing at Kestrel Ridge Golf Course in Columbus. We’ve enjoyed playing at this course the three summers we’ve been in this area. I had bought some Groupon certificates last fall so we played 18 holes for $18 each.

I don’t normally play 18 holes. After 9 I’ve had enough fun. But, I played all but the last two holes. By that time, I was done. The day was beautiful. There are several ponds on the course, and the frogs were serenading us.

This was Kevin’s second time playing this spring and my first. Both of us had pretty decent games considering we haven’t played since September. I had a few muscles that were complaining the next day, but I’m back to normal again.

Yesterday I went to Eric’s house to do a little laundry, pick up our mail and have dinner with Eric. We had a nice visit. There are a few more projects at his house we’re planning to tackle this summer.

The last two summers I’ve done some volunteering at the Beaver Dam Community Hospital. I told them I was taking a break from volunteering this summer, but I am going in today to help out with their annual Kindergarten tours. Those little ones are so excited to learn, and they’re so cute.

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

Three Years and Going Strong

Today marks the three year anniversary of our fulltime RVing life!

We’re thrilled to report that we couldn’t be happier. These three years have been filled with some amazing discoveries. We’ve seen so much beauty in places like Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California, Texas and the Midwest. And, we’re looking forward to many more beautiful places in the years to come.

We did have a few mishaps along the way. The most annoying being the failure of the original Goodyear tires that came on our fifth wheel. Goodyear has stood behind their product and replaced all four tires as well as paying for the damage done to our rig.

It’s hard living in your unit when repairs need to be done. But, that’s just a part of this life. Even if you own a home, things break and need fixing. So, we deal with it and move on.

When we started on this journey, we had a lot of what if questions. What if you don’t like it? What if you get sick? What if you don’t like being together so much? etc. etc. We had done our homework and felt we were ready. And, what if we have ten extra years of freedom before the standard retirement age.

Well, we’ve had three years of freedom and can’t imagine going back to the old life. We hope to continue living this life as long as possible! And so far, we’re getting along just fine :)

Our weather has finally taken a turn for the better. As is typical for a Wisconsin spring we went from winter right into summer. Yesterday’s high was 82 degrees. But never fear, by tomorrow it will be back in the 50s with more rain.

I think the birds have been very confused with the late arrival of spring. When we arrived two weeks ago, there was a large group of American Coots hanging out along the shore of the lake in the park. This was the first spring we had seen them here. They’re already gone. I guess they just stayed a big longer than usual.

Also, I was disappointed that there were very few white pelicans here. Suddenly, in the last few days more and more of the pelicans are arriving. They were smart enough to wait until it got warmer.

The lake level is quite high this year. Last year the pelicans congregated on a rock outcropping in the lake. There were lots of birds on that little stretch of rocks. Here’s a picture from last May.

Yesterday when I was out for my daily walk, I saw some pelicans at that same spot. As you can see, they did not have nearly as much area to sit on. And, it looks like there are still a few coots hanging around with the pelicans.

On my walking route there is an area near the lake where a bunch of Canadian geese hang out. This pair have an absolute fit each time I walk by. I’m guessing they’re protecting a nest.

There are many swallows in this area. Lots of the homeowners have birdhouses for them. As I walk, I see them busily building nests in the houses.

Last Saturday we spent the day with members of the camping club we belong to. We can’t get away for an entire weekend due to our camphosting duties, but are able to spend a day with them once in a while. It was great seeing everyone and catching up with everyone’s news. And, it was actually a decent enough day to sit outside.

Kevin has been doing his job in the park. They had a late winter ice storm so there are many branches to be picked up. He’ll probably start mowing next week. The water problem was fixed last week so we are good to go and don’t need to take navy showers anymore.

I’ve been doing some spring cleaning and running errands. My biggest accomplishment is that I’ve finally found a dress for the wedding. What a relief!

I’m probably only going to blog once a week or less this summer. I don’t want to bore anyone with our day to day normal activities. I’m sure you don’t want to know that I’ve done laundry or what we had for dinner. I’ll have plenty to share as the wedding gets closer :)

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