Can You Hear Me Now?

Things were very busy in the park this past weekend. All of our sites were rented and both shelters were rented for Saturday and the hut was also rented Sunday. It’s graduation party time.

With the graduation parties came some young people. Most of our clientele at this park is usually older people who enjoy peace and quiet. Saturday’s graduation party group had five sites in the park rented as well as the shelter. They brought more noise and commotion than we’re used to.

On Saturday Kevin had to deal with some teen boys who decided it would be fun to set off a firecracker in the bathroom sink. They were very apologetic and behaved after that. Luckily, no damage. I had to shoo some little kids out of the bathroom. They were filling squirt guns in the sinks and had the floor soaking wet and very slippery. I sent them to an outside water faucet. What is it with kids and bathrooms. Overall, nothing serious happened, just lots of activity.

There was another group in the park with ten sites reserved. They were from the Rock River Radio Club. They come on this weekend every year to participate in an international ham radio event. They set up all kinds of antennas in the park and spend most of their time inside their units talking to other ham radio operators all over the world. One site had this trailer on it. I think they slept in it. Do you see the antennas they put up on top the trailer?

The event is to help practice in case there were some type of emergency where regular communication was not available. It made me think of some of the movies where the world has some kind of catastrophic event and ham radio is the only type of communication available.

There is a contest involved for who talks to someone the farthest away and the number of people you talk to. One of the guys told us he was able to speak to many people in Europe, but the weather in Asia was bad so he didn’t reach anyone there. He also spoke to people in every state except Alaska.

These people had a small tent but a very large antenna. It’s on the left side between the tree and the tent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They spent a good deal of time throwing wires into the trees using fishing poles. I guess these wires boosted their signals. Some of the wires had rectangular pieces between them. If you look closely at this picture you can see the wires between the trees with the white boxes between the wires. This was then attached to a pop-up camper. (Click on the picture to enlarge and you can see it better.)

On Sunday our son Eric and my mom and her friend Richard came for a visit. It was a belated Father’s Day visit since Eric was on call last weekend. We had a nice visit together although it was a bit hot and humid out.

Eric was pretty exhausted from a long week at work due to hot weather. Unfortunately, the second half of this week is supposed to be hot and humid again with highs near 100 degrees. Eric is looking forward to fall, not winter. Winter brings the opposite problem for someone in the HVAC business.

On Friday Kevin replaced our water pump. A few weeks ago he was sitting outside and noticed some water dripping from under our fifth wheel. Upon investigation, he found that our water pump was leaking, causing our basement area to be quite wet. He rigged up a ramp made out of aluminum foil to divert the water down the ramp and into a bucket since the space under the pump was too small to place the bucket. Even though we aren’t using the pump, it was still leaking. Twice a day he would empty the bucket.

The pump is in the top right hand corner of the picture. If you look closely, you can see the discoloration on the wood near the bottom left from the water that was in the basement.

This is the second water pump that has failed on this unit. Last year in April the original pump was replaced by an RV dealer because it had stopped working. Now, just over a year later the second one was leaking. Jayco agreed to send us a replacement pump. Kevin was willing to install it so we didn’t have to unhook to go to a dealer. We sure are pleased with the service Jayco has given us. Our unit is almost four years old, and they are still standing behind their product.

This new pump is supposed to be an upgraded model. It was tight working in the confined space, but Kevin was able to get the new pump installed. It’s working great and is much quieter. Hopefully it will last longer than a year. Kevin’s thinking about purchasing a seal repair kit that Shur-Flo sells for the leaking pump. That way we’d have a back up. Does anyone have any experience with the repair kits?

Today Kevin is off playing golf with some friends. He was planning on driving the car, but it wouldn’t start this morning. It would turn over, but wouldn’t start. He was running late so he just threw his clubs in the truck and took off. Hopefully, nothing is too seriously wrong with the car.

It’s a 2000 Grand Am with 184,000 miles on it. We only use it when we’re in Wisconsin in the summer. The rest of the year we store it at my moms. It is sure nice to have two vehicles in the summer. The car gets better gas mileage than the truck, and we don’t have to put all those extra miles on the truck.

We did one other small project on Sunday. Our storage cabinets above the big window in the back of the unit have glass inserts in the doors. The glass is frosted, but you can still see the stuff behind the glass, and I didn’t like how it looked. Two years ago I bought some frosted contact paper and put it over the back of the glass. It looked better, but you could still see some of the stuff behind it. After two years, the contact paper was starting to come off, so I needed a better idea.

Kevin suggested poster board. I bought some black poster board and cut it to fit. We secured it with some duct tape at the corners. It looks more like smoke colored glass, and you can’t see what’s inside. The two on the left have the poster board, much better. No one needs to see all my junk, I mean treasures, in those cabinets.

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

Amazon Wants You

As you may remember, we will be working at Amazon in Coffeyville, Kansas again this fall. Although it was hard to be on your feet for 10 hour shifts, we feel it is worth it for the pay and benefits provided.

Amazon is offering a new referral program this year for the Coffeyville, Kansas facility only. For any name we submit of someone who is interested enough to receive a phone call from Amazon, we will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. If you are hired, we receive another $10 gift card. If you work for 30 days, we receive a $50 bonus. They had the bonus last year, but the gift cards are new.

So, if you are somewhat interested in possibly working for Amazon in Coffeyville, Kansas this year, let us know. We can submit your information to them and they will call you. This is not a commitment on your part, but you do need to be at least interested in speaking to them about it.

They are hiring beginning in mid-August and will continue to have start dates for work campers until the beginning of November. Like I said, we found it a great way to make a decent amount of money in a relatively short period of time. The pay is about $11 an hour with overtime for any hours over 40 per week. They pay for a full hook-up site at a nearby campground. If you stay through the end of your contract, they give you an additional $1 per hour bonus. Between the two of us, we made over $10,000 last year in a 10 week period. That allowed us to take the winter off. That’s our plan again this year :)

If you have any questions, send us a comment or email. We’d be happy to share our experiences with you.

By the way, we did get some rain last night and it is cooler today!

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

Are We In Arizona?

Kevin asked that question today. It’s been extremely hot, dry and windy lately.

As much as I complained about the three weeks of rain we got when we first returned to Wisconsin, it has hardly rained since then. Our area is extremely dry. The grass is brown which usually doesn’t happen until late July or August. At least we’re not dealing with fires like they are in the southwest.

The corn has still been growing, but it definitely needs rain. I was always told that when the corn is too dry, the leaves begin to curl up and get pointy looking. That’s exactly how it looks right now. We’ve been watering our little garden every day.

Its been in the mid 90s the last three days. The weather people are promising rain tonight and cooler temperatures the rest of the week. I sure hope so. I feel so bad for our son Eric in this type of weather. He is an HVAC service technician and this kind of weather is brutal for him. He’s pretty much working round the clock. Hang in there Eric!

The weird thing is they’ve had lots of rain in Minnesota to the west of us. In fact, parts of Minnesota are experiencing flooding. Their weather usually comes our way, but not lately. Its been going through northern Wisconsin and missing us completely. I sure hope we get that rain tonight!

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

I’m Back

I drove back home yesterday. There was quite a bit of traffic so it took me about 30 minutes longer to get home than it took to drive there on Wednesday. The weather was good for driving and other than a lot of traffic, it was an uneventful drive. Just long! I’m not used to being in a vehicle for 8 hours anymore. But, it was worth it to spend time with my son.

On Saturday was Staff Family Day at the camp. There were about 80 people that came for the day. Some spent a night or two, but most just came for the day. The majority of the camp counselors live within a few hours of the camp.

We started the day with a delicious breakfast cooked by Korey and Laura. They are both full-time program directors for Pathways Camping Ministries which owns the camp.

After breakfast Korey opened the ropes challenge course for any family members who wanted to try climbing the rock wall. I’ve tried twice before, but got scared of the height and have not made it to the top. On Saturday about 25 people tried it including one grandpa who was celebrating his 78th birthday that day. He not only made it to the top, but he rode the zip line down. Wow!

Here’s Korey explaining to one of the moms how he is going to hook her up for the zip line. He’s wearing the red shirt standing on the platform. The wall is over 32 feet tall. There was one dad who didn’t make it to the top. He had the same problem I have. He got about half way up and couldn’t deal with the height. I thanked him for making me feel better about not being the only one who didn’t climb to the top. I really am amazed at the parents who climb it successfully.

After two hours, everyone was done and Korey made his way back down using the telephone pole on the right side. I’m very proud of the job he does. He is the High Adventure Director so the challenge course is a big part of his job. He’s so good with encouraging everyone and helping people conquer their fears. During the week he works with the older kids and they do all kinds of amazing things on the course. He is also in charge of the Wet and Wilderness program which involves the kids and counselors going out in canoes and camping out along the river for a week. Korey certainly works hard during the summer.

It rained for about 2 hours during the middle of the day. We were going to go canoeing, but the weather wasn’t that nice. So, instead we took a long walk on some of the trails on camp property. They have about 300 acres so there are lots of trails and campsites they use for overnights with the kids.

I stay in the lower level of the retreat center. There are several rooms with separate baths, and they let family members stay for free. Much better than staying in the cabins or a tent :)

The sun came back out and we had our picture taken on the back deck of the retreat center. The lake is behind us.

Then it was dinner and evening worship. I think they have a great group of counselors this summer. They all seem very enthusiastic and seem to work very well together.

Kevin and I took our walk this morning. Now I’m chilling out inside. It’s supposed to be in the mid 90s, very humid and windy through Wednesday. Tomorrow I’m going to Eric’s to start painting his spare bedroom. I’ll finish the outside painting when the weather is a bit cooler.

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

Having a Wonderful Time

Cathryn arrived around noon on Thursday. Korey had to get some work done, so we girls had some time to chat and get caught up on each other’s lives. We took a walk and had a nice time.

I treated the two of them to supper at the Life is Good Café in Park Rapids. The owner is a former camp employee. It’s a kind of yuppie health food place with very good food. We had a nice dinner together.

After dinner we took a walk around the lake with their friend’s dog.

We stopped at the swimming beach and let the dog romp in the water. After our walk we played some games together and then it was time for bed.

Last year when I was up here around this time of year, the tics were quite bad. This year I’ve only found a few of them on my legs. I’m not complaining about that!

 

 

Friday morning we had breakfast here at camp and then Korey had some work to do. Cathryn and I hiked around some of the camp paths. We were gone for about 1-1/2 hours. We went to a suspension bridge which was kind of rickety.

 

There were some beautiful wild iris plants growing next to the water. After lunch Cathryn left for a wedding she is attending in Minneapolis this weekend. Korey had to do some lifeguard refresher training with his camp staff.

 

 

 

 

Here he is instructing them at the swim beach.

I took him out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town for his birthday dinner. My baby will be 28 on June 28th. Hey, I just realized it will be his golden birthday. I wonder if he’s thought of that.

After dinner we sat on the dock for a while. There is a pair of loons that build a nest on Lake Morgan every year. Here’s one of the loons sitting on the nest. There are a couple of turtles in the water near the bottom of the picture.

Here’s the other loon swimming in the lake.

Camp Emmaus is located on Lake Morgan. The lake is the camp’s property and there are no homes or other structures on the lake other than the camp. It’s such a peaceful and beautiful setting. I just love it here.

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

I’ve Arrived

Just a quick note to say that I arrived safely yesterday afternoon at Camp Emmaus in Menahga, Minnesota. It was a 7.5 hour uneventful drive. That’s always a good thing.

It was cool when I got here late yesterday afternoon. During the night we had thunderstorms and it’s overcast and cool again today. It’s supposed to clear up later today and be sunny and warm tomorrow. I’ll take some pictures when the weather is a bit nicer.

This week there are elementary and middle school groups at camp. I’d forgotten how noisy a bunch of kids can be. We eat with them in the dining hall, and its fun to watch them enjoying camp.

Korey’s girlfriend Cathryn will be here soon. I’ll post pictures later in the week. I’m so happy to be spending time with the two of them!

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

You Asked For It

Thanks for the anniversary wishes. Several of yesterdays comments asked for a picture of my new hairdo. You asked for it, you got it. As much as I bug others to take their picture, I don’t like having mine taken. But, here goes.

I had highlights put in which I really like. It now has that sun-kissed look. My hair had been short since I was ten years old. Two years ago when we started full-timing, I decided to grow it long so I could just put it in a ponytail and not have to worry about wind and humidity.

It has taken some getting used to. It was cut in a blunt style, but the back had this strange wave in it and it just wasn’t working. Yesterday she cut lots of layers into it. I like it much better. I think it will be much more manageable when its not in a ponytail. I plan to grow it even longer and have more layers cut into it. We’ll see how it goes.

Our weather last weekend was very hot and humid. Last night a cold front came through and this morning it was in the 50s again. It’s been like a yo-yo around here. We golfed this morning, but between the very slow group in front of us and the strong winds, it wasn’t the greatest round. Oh well, we still had a good time together.

I’m packing for my trip to Korey’s tomorrow. I’m so excited to see him!

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