Delightful Weekend

Summer has arrived in Wisconsin!! We had an absolutely beautiful weekend with temps in the high 70s, low humidity and cool nights. The reservations poured in all during the week before. People were ready to get out and camp after a cool and rainy spring. We only had a few open sites.

I spent a lot of the weekend sitting outside, enjoying the weather and reading a good book. John Grisham has been a favorite author of mine, and I have read most of his books. I just finished Sycamore Row, a sequel to A Time to Kill, and enjoyed it a great deal.

Saturday night we enjoyed watching this beautiful full moon rise over the trees.

Every year for about a two week period in mid May, the lake flies descend on us. Sometimes, the swarms are so thick you can barely breath, making lawn mowing a real challenge for Kevin. We went for a walk on our normal route near the lake on Thursday, and had to be careful to keep our mouths closed so we didn't end up with some extra protein we didn't want.

Sunday we decided to ride our bikes away from the lake rather than risk another walk through the swarms of flies. We rode eight miles along some back roads just west of the park through farm fields. It was sunny and warm, and a great ride with no flies to bother us.

What a difference a week makes. The previous weekend was terrible with rain and cold weather. On Saturday it didn't even reach 50 degrees. We had some hearty souls here, about ten sites. We barely saw anyone all weekend. Everyone was hunkered down inside their campers. In fact, for a little while on Saturday, we had snow, sleet and hail. Here's the hail on the site next to us. Not what you want to see in mid-May.

I have a few bird feeders outside the back window, and really enjoy watching the many visitors it attracts. In spring, we get some orioles migrating through the area. They really seem to like grape jelly and oranges.

Last Tuesday I drove to Eric's house to continue painting a spare bedroom. I've been doing some painting at his house every summer since we began full-timing. This is the last room to be done. It works fine as I don't mind helping him out, I do our laundry while I'm there, and we get to spend some time together. We had dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Arriba, which we can walk to from his house.

This afternoon we are going golfing. Kevin has gone with friends a few times since we've been back, but this will be my first time. I've become spoiled and am very much a fair weather golfer. Today will be perfect.

Next weekend is Memorial Day and we are fully booked. I'm sure it will be a very busy weekend. We will have two friends camping here as well, so should be fun.

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

Happy Mother's Day and Six Years of Full Time RVing!

First, I'd like to wish all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day. We are going to our son Eric's this afternoon for a visit, and then meeting up with my mom and my brother and his wife for dinner.

The weather this spring has been a typical roller coaster in Wisconsin. We've had some very nice warm days and just as many cold and damp days. Last week there was a stretch of about six days that had no sun and were cold and damp. I barely ventured out, but did get some sewing projects worked on.

When I finally did get out walking again, I discovered these beautiful tulips surrounding the mailbox of one of the lake houses. Spring flowers are so pretty!

We've also had some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets since we've been back. The sun rises over the lake and sets over a farm field. This sunrise was one of the first days we were back.

Yesterday's sunset was beautiful. The terrible fires in Canada have caused some haze in our skies which made the sunset very colorful. I sure hope they can get those fires under control soon. It breaks my heart to see the video on the news.

My bird friends have been visiting the feeder quite regularly. Last week I saw the first Oriole of the season. They sure do like grape jelly.

May 1st was the sixth anniversary of our full time RV life. It's hard to believe that it's been six years already. I remember very well the planning, excitement and uncertainty that was involved before we began. And, then the pure joy as everything finally fell into place and we were free. I remember how excited we were our first evening around a campfire toasting our new beginnings with champagne. 

I am happy to say we are still just as happy with our decision as we were that first day. I'm so glad we haven't spent the last six years in jobs we didn't enjoy and paying for a house and yard that had become much too big for us. Instead, we have been very comfortable in our "tiny house" exploring and escaping from the cold Wisconsin winters.

Fate was kind to us as we found a summer gig that has been wonderful for us. We have spent each summer working for Dodge County Parks at the campground in Derge Park in Beaver Dam. Our site and electricity are free, plus each of us works 24 hours a week for pay. In addition to these part-time jobs, I have a pension from my years as a school secretary. So, we have enough income to cover our annual expenses and can take the winter off to enjoy ourselves.

Our plan is to continue working in Wisconsin in the summer for a few more years. Eventually, we do want to do some summer exploring while we are still young enough to take full advantage of the adventures we've been dreaming of. We hope to continue our full time RV adventure for many more years.

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