June 29, 2007 West Branch, MI

What a beautiful day. The birds sing so loudly before sunrise that it is almost impossible not to get up and sing with them. Sunny and cool all day long. Temperatures were in the high 70s and humidity in the low nothings. We went to Barnes and Noble in Midland, MI today and got a book explaining in more detail the Paleo diet that the arthritis doctor is placing Carol on. It is very similar to the low carb diet that I was on successfully for so long only the fat is cut out heavily. Fishing is in store for early tomorrow morning. Then to Pinconing, MI for a visit to an outfitters outlet for a look-see at some RV supplies and fishing lures and who knows what else. We just also heard that there will be fireworks in West Branch on the 4th. Small town America is a very nice place to be anytime but it is great on the 4th of July. This campground is very nice and the only complaint that we have is the smaller lot sizes. We were spoiled last week with the large lots at Hartland.

June 28, 2007 West Branch, MI

This has been our first cool day in a long time. It only got up to about 70 and then, if it got that high, dropped again into the 60s. It felt great. This has been a relatively lazy day, Carol running a couple of loads of wash and Jim fussing around the rig. It is very nice having our washer/dryer on board. Tomorrow we are going to Bay City and see if we can find a book store and try to locate some literature on the diet plans that her new arthritis doctor has placed on her. There is also some river and waterfront on the Saginaw Bay that we will check out. Should make for a very nice day.

June 27, 2007 West Branch, MI

We left Hartland in the morning and the temperature was in the high 80s with high humidity. When we arrived at West Branch near noon, it was still hot and humid butthe winds were coming up. We got the rig mostly set up when the rains and heavy winds arrived. They brought cooling relief from the hot, humid conditions that we have had lately. It is now cooler and the sun is still shining, so, all is well. Lake of the North is a nice campground. Many trees and they have a new well and pump so the water pressure is better here than it has been in our last few camp grounds. The campground is just about full. There are many older campers here so we feel right at home. Fishin' and fussin' around the rig are in store for the next few days.

June 26, 2007 Hartland, MI Fishing with grandsons

It just gets better. Went out fishing with two of our grandsons on a paddleboat and then returned. They swan and then fished by wading into the lake. They several perch and small bass were caught. It is about time to take them home now and then we will get ready to move to West Branch, MI. We are going to try to leave early in the morning because bad weather is approaching, scheduled as of recently to start storming at noon or so. We hopefully will be set up by then.

June 25, 2007 Hartland, MI

What a day! Carol met with a new arthritis doctor and he has a plan. Hopefully this will be a change for the better. She would tell the last doctor that she still had pain and would be prescribed more drugs - that did not stop the pain. Diet and vitamins, to put it briefly, are what will be the main plan now. We are praying that it works better. We were joined at the campground by two grandsons and I went fishing with them on the lake in a paddleboat. What a blast. They will spend the night and we will try it again tomorrow. I can't wait. We got a call today from a collection agency talking about a non paid bill for electricity in E. St. Louis, IL from February. Never been there. We also have been getting mail sent to a person we don't know at The Boylan Agency, like she was an employee here. We are the only Boylan Agency going so we would know our employees. Going to talk to the police tomorrow - sounds like Identify Theft to us. As the start of this post said "What a day!"

June 24, 2007 Hartland, MI

That sound that you hear is the Montana and pickup thanking me for giving them baths today. Monty was filthy from sitting in the dust at the storage lot for a couple of weeks. They were doing construction right next to it and kicked up a ton of sand. We are back at the campground now. Waldenwoods is a beautiful park. It is treed but not too much so. The lots are very large. We could get a much bigger rig on our lot along with room for several vehicles to park. This is one of the few parks we have used that allows us to wash our rig. It has a nice pool and a clean lakefront beach. There are quite a few kids here but, because of the size and trees, they are not heard. We will be spending more time here when we camp near home. Tomorrow we are picking up two grandsons to spend the night with us. That should be a fun time.

June 23, 2007 Hartland, MI

Finally got the nose cap of the Monty cleaned. The bugs were pretty heavy on it after the last travel. We use Bounce fabric softener sheets in the rig when we store it to keep the mice out. It has kept us mouse free for several years now. We also discovered that the sheets are great for taking the bugs off the cap. There is a gel-coat on the cap and the Bounce is mild enough to not damage the surface. The bugs come right off and, as soon as it is rinsed, the cap shines like new again. After seeing a T-Ball game, starring one of our grandsons of course, we were visited by one of our daughters and her family at the campground. This made for a great day. It is now 9:00 and seems like bed time already. Enrolling for Medicare and receiving Social Security does that, I guess. Tomorrow the Monty hopefully gets a complete bath.

June 22, 2007 Hartland, MI

What a beautiful day - temperature in the low 70s, low humidity and lots of sun. Took Monty to the dealership and had the refrigerator repaired. Now it is good to go. This beautiful park just got better. We talked with Pete, the former friendly grounds keeper from our home park in Davison, MI. He was always smiling and helpful. He even backed our rig onto our sites on a couple of occasions for us when we were newby 5th wheelers and didn't know much about them. He is now head of grounds here at Waldenwoods in Hartland, MI. He has a lot in Mission, TX in the Rio Grand Valley and we planned on visiting him there last winter, before the doctor stopped our plans to the southwest for the season. Hopefully we will see him and his wife this winter. Gotta stop thinking about winter now with all the summer adventures we are looking at for this year. Tomorrow we go to see a T-Ball game and then one of our daughters' family is stopping over to this park for a visit. As we age, time seems to fly ever faster and it is already time to get on with this day so we'll get back with you tomorrow.

June 21, 2007 Hartland, MI

We finally got out. We started by hooking up the Monty and discovering a very low tire on the rear of the pickup. Unhooked and had air put in the tire with a mobile compressor and then went back to Discount Tire and discovered that there was a nail in the tire. Removed, refilled and finally back to hooking up and taking off. We got to Waldenwoods RV Resort in Hartland, MI and set up. Soon Carol found that the refrigerator was not cooling. Checked the electricity and gas and found nothing amiss (as much as this Master of Disaster electrician/handyman could find, anyway). We took the food back home and put it back into the home refrigerator. It is now 8:PM so we will make the phone calls tomorrow to try to get it fixed. Waldenwoods is a beautiful park. This weekend is Pioneer Weekend and they are going to have a lot of doings to celebrate this. They even will have Civil War reenactors to put on a demonstration. Sounds interesting.

June 14, 2007 Grand Blanc, MI

Today we attended our grandaughter's dance recital and made reservations for a week in Hartland, MI, Waldenwoods RV Resort, for June 21-27 and West Branch, MI, Lake of the North RV Resort from June 27-July 6. Meagon, who just completed the first grade, was the star of the show that included high school age students. (We are not biased at all, of course) The recital was great and now are really looking forward to taking the Monty out again. We are now talking about taking two years and full timing for that time and trying to see all we can in the US with our Monty. We will then revisit the idea at the end of two years and see where we will go then, continue on the road or come home and long time it. A very interesting time now while we decide what we are going to do. It is nice to be able to plan from a position of retirement instead of one of trying to cram everything into a vacation period.

June 5, 2007 Grand Blanc, MI Dr says stay for a while

This photo is of the Smoky Mountains taken during our trip in April of this year. It demonstrates why we are so looking forward to seeing more of our beautiful country. It looks like it will be later in the summer before we travel again, though. Medical questions and problems are to be taken care of first. We are now planning going to Mt Rushmore in late August. We will probably travel the northern route through Wisconsin and Minnesota to get there. Then to Goshen, IN for an MOC rally in mid-September. Maybe up the western Michigan coast to the area around Manistee, Ludington, Traverse City and northern Michigan for the fall colors. In the meantime, hopefully short stays in and around our home park. We'll keep you posted.

June 2, 2007 Grand Blanc, MI

Well, we have made our doctors' and dentists' appointments now and next week will probably set Monty up at our home park, Lake Shore in Davison, MI. After a couple nights there, we will probably go to West Branch or Gaylord for a while. We have seen some beautiful modifications made to other Montys and may try some ourselves. Carol has called me The Master of Disaster for my prowess in mechanics and carpentry. Since we have spent more time in our Monty this year, I am improving with practice and watching others work. We saw a grandson playing T-Ball today and another will be watched playing soccer tomorrow. These are the great rewards of returning home. We will post more of our plans as soon as we learn them ourselves.