Saturday, July 31, 2010

Dad still not feeling well.

My Dad is still not feeling real well.  He was able to eat more today and take less pain medicine.  That is good news.

Up at 7:00 with Fred for his morning walk. Today is our first full day of our no nonsense eat healthy diet.  We decided to join Nellie in her quest.  Today was not as hard as I thought it would be.   We didn’t even sneak any junk food in. LOL

John has been working on new return air vents in the RV so that we can use residential pleated air filters.  He said the pictures will come later. We made a run to Lowe’s for supplies and I sat in the truck waiting on John.  I figured it would only take him a few minutes.  NOT!!!!  While waiting I amused myself by watching the people come and go.  As I looked over to the car parked next to us I  noticed there was a multi-colored sock monkey in the backseat with a seat belt on.   How funny is that.  I pulled out my camera and tried to get a picture.  The picture is not very good because of the glare off the car window but if you look closely you can see the sock monkey with the seat belt over his legs. He is quite colorful.

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After lunch John and Terry (my sister’s husband) worked on the air vent project at their house.  While they worked my sister and I visited.

Tonight John and I met our son Robert, daughter-in-law Kelsey and their friend Garcia for dinner.  Robert chose EDO Japanese Restaurant.  It is one of his favorites. They ordered some Sushi and everyone had some but me.  I haven’t acquired a taste for it yet.   John ordered the Teriyaki Chicken and I chose the Hibachi Shrimp.  The food was delicious.  Of course that might be because we were starving. LOL

Tomorrow John and I are having breakfast at the fire house with C-Shift.  It will be good to visit with them.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails. Stay safe.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Dad still not feeling good.

Up at 7 a.m. with Fred.  While on the morning walk I spotted a blue Heron and tried to get a picture of if but I was not successful.  I guess I made too much noise because it flew off.  The only critter I got a picture of was a pregnant cat that followed Fred and I all the way back to the camper.

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This is the area surrounding a portion of the campground.

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Our site. #93

After breakfast John and I went over to my Mom and Dad’s.  John cut their grass while we were there. Dad had another night with bad headaches and had to take pain medicine again.  He had another doctor appointment this morning at 10:15 so that his condition could be evaluated.  He got two more shots and was sent home again.  They are still awaiting additional test results.  I sure hope he feels better soon.

In the afternoon John stayed with my Dad while my Mom and I made a Wal-Mart run for groceries.  As soon as we returned Mom and I began cooking dinner.  My sister, Annie came over after work to join us.  Our dinner menu consisted of roasted chicken, fresh green beans, creamed potatoes, salad and rolls.  Of course we had to have  a dessert.  Mom made banana pudding. Yum Yum.

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Sockey thinks the banana pudding is all his. Not!!!! LOL

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Sockey giving my sister a hug. Awe. LOL

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Happy Birthday Frank

Up at 7:30 with Fred this morning. John slept a little while longer. His back is doing pretty well since the chiropractor visit. He can actually move around without a grimace on his face. Yeah!!!

Received a call from my mother this morning saying dad was real sick again so back to the doctor they went. The doctor changed his medicine and gave him two more shots.

Later on in the morning I left John at the fire station to visit with his buddies and took Fred to his spa appointment.

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Fred chilling out after his spa day.

After dropping Fred off at the dog spa I went back to the fire station to pick up John and head over to TSC (my former place of employment) to surprise Frank and the gang at lunch. Today was Frank’s birthday. Happy Birthday Frank. We all shared laughs and caught up on all the news. It was so good to see them again. Below are a few pictures of some of the TSC gang.

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From left to right: Amy, Kay, Frank and me (midget in the middle)LOL

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This is Mike.

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This is Steve.

We finished a few chores this afternoon then went over to my Mom and Dad’s to check on them. Dad wasn’t feeling too well at all. My sister, Annie stopped by after she got off work and John and I left to go eat dinner with her. Annie treated us to Biaggi’s Italian Restaurant. John had a chicken pasta dish and Annie and I had the Tilapia fish special. The food and service were great. I thought about taking a picture of the food but was halfway finished eating when I thought about it. So no picture of dinner.

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My sister, Annie.

We left Biaggi’s we went across the street to the Renaissance Mall where John used to work part time. John visited with his old work buddy and Annie and I walked over to Barnes and Noble to shop then it was back to my Mom and Dad’s. Annie picked up her car and went on home and John and I stayed to play a round of 10 Penny. John was the winner tonight. I think I want a rematch. LOL

For anyone who is wondering how Sockey the Sock Monkey is. He has just been hanging out in the camper.

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Sockey is waving hello to his fans from my his recliner.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Back in Mississippi

Up at 7:30 and out for a walk with Fred.  John was up by the time I returned.  We will be heading back to Mississippi today.  John’s back is still bothering him and he feels our regular chiropractor can fix the problem.  We will also be visiting family while there.  Both my Mom and  Dad have been sick with sinus infections.  Last night my Dad had to go to the emergency room for relief from a severe headache that would not go away.  After undergoing a CT Scan the doctor determined the headache was the result of a very bad sinus infection. The doctor gave him pain medicine and changed the antibiotics.  Hopefully the medicine will start making a difference real soon.

As we were getting everything road ready Jim and Elllie came by to say “See You Later”.   I think they were headed to Tunica, Mississippi today.  We had a great time with them yesterday while exploring Beale Street and visiting with them at their campsite.  We are so glad we stayed the extra day and spent it with them.  I am sure we will see them down the road later.

We arrived in Brandon, Mississippi around 2:30 and set up at Timberlake Campground

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It was still early after getting everything set up which allowed us enough time to see our chiropractor.  John and I both went in for adjustments.  John said he felt a difference immediately with his back .  Yeah!!! I am so glad for him because he has been suffering for a month now.  My problem was my neck and shoulder.  I have problems that stem from a rear-ender car accident that happened over ten years ago. 

After the chiropractor John and I stopped in to visit my Mom and Dad.  While we were visiting my sister came in and the conversation turned to “What’s for dinner?”.  Since my sister was driving we left it up to her.   The choice was Cracker Barrel.  We were seated in a corner away from the main dining area which sometimes means bad service but not this time.  Our server was one of the most efficient and conscientious servers we have ever encountered at Cracker Barrel.  John told her they needed to giver her four stars instead of the one star on her apron.  Good customer service is very hard to come by these days. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ducks, Guitars and lunch with friends.

Up around 7:30 this morning and took Fred on his walk. After breakfast John went over to the campground office to extend our stay for another day.

Jim and Ellie picked us up around 10:30 and we were off to explore the Beale Street area in Memphis. Our first stop was the Peabody Hotel to see the Peabody ducks in the lobby. We arrived just in time to get a photo of them emerging from the elevator. Ducks arrive at 11am and return to the roof at 5pm.

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Elevator designated for the ducks to ride.

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Awaiting the ducks arrival.

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Here they come…..all five of them.

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After leaving the Peabody Hotel we walked over to the Gibson Guitar Factory and purchased tickets the 2:00 tour. By this time Jim and John were smelling the BBQ ribs in the air. On to Rendezvous for some ribs. When we walked in the host told us the only menu for lunch was ribs. Either a large order or a small order with sides of baked beans and cole slaw. Ok so we had the ribs. The flavor was good but this is not the best ribs we have ever had. To help push the ribs on down we walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe where Jim and Ellie bought a few things. It still was not time for the Guitar tour so we walked down Beale street to sight see.

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By this time we wanted some ice cream. We found a restaurant with ice cream for dessert and a good air conditioner, so we could get out of the heat. The only kind they had was vanilla bean….so vanilla bean it was. It was good and cold.

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John and Jim waiting for ice cream.

Finally the time arrived for out Gibson Guitar tour. It was very interesting. The tour guide walked us through the work stations and explained the process from start to finish. I never knew what went into making them.

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This is a picture of the Gibson Guitar factory. They would not let you take pictures on the tour or inside the building.

With all our sight seeing completed we headed back to the campground. We enjoyed happy hour at Jim and Ellie’s and shared restaurant and campground experiences. Before we knew it 11:00 p.m. had arrived so we said our good nights and called it a night. We had such a great time with Jim and Ellie and look forward to meeting up with them on the road again soon.

Below are some pictures taken while we were visiting with Jim and Ellie at their campsite.

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Jim and Ellie.

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Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay Safe.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Tom Sawyer’s Mississippi River RV Park

Up at 8:00 this morning and took Fred on a morning walk.  When I got back to the camper John was up and moving.  Today is moving day so we ate a quick breakfast and started getting everything road ready. Out of the park by 10:00 and on the road.

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John in travel mode.

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Fred in his travel seat.  He was already settling in for his riding nap.

Around 1:00 p.m. we stopped at a rest area and had sandwiches under one of the picnic pavilions. 

We arrived at West Memphis, Arkansas and pulled into Tom Sawyer’s Mississippi River RV Park.  One of our fellow RV buddies told us about this park so we thought we would try it out.  Our site (#93) backs up to the river.  There have been several barges going up and down the river. 

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Site #93

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John sitting by the river chilling out.

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John sitting with Fred.

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John and Fred again.

Around 6:00 p.m. the dark clouds moved in.

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After dinner I started to write today’s blog and John was sitting in his chair reading blogs when I said to him, “I just can’t believe we have not run into anyone from RV Dreams that we know in all the places we have been so far.”  A minute later he looks at me and says, “Jim and Ellie are here….in this park.”  He was reading their blog and Ellie had posted a picture of this park.   We walked over to the other side of the park and sure enough there they were. They were so surprised when we knocked on their door.  We stayed and swapped travel stories until the weather started getting bad.  We were supposed to leave in the morning but I think we will stay tomorrow and tour Memphis with Jim and Ellie.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Fun with Friends.

We did not get up and get moving until 10:00 this morning. Can you say LAZY???? Well I did stay up after John went to bed. I think it was close to 1:00 a.m. when I finally piled in the bed. I did get up to take Fred out at 7:00 a.m. but I went back to bed.

John and I drove over to Woodbury, Kentucky to visit our friends Betty and Joe. We arrived around 1:30 and watched the Nascar race with Joe. Betty had to work but got off later in the afternoon. Joe, Theresa, John and I drove into Morgantown, picked up Betty and proceeded to Garcia Mexican Restaurant. We have eaten there with them in the past and have never been disappointed. Like I always say, “It tastes so good it makes you want to slap somebody.” LOL After we ate our fill we went over to Ellen and Braxton’s house (Betty and Joe’s younger daughter and their son-in-law) to visit and of course, PLAY 10 PENNY. Yeah!!! Braxton won….Again!!! He won the last time we played. We will have to come back through for a rematch. LOL Thank you all for a fun night. Love you guys.

We wanted to take a group picture before leaving so John and Braxton played with the camera and figured out how to set the timer. Once you set the timer it gives you 10 seconds to run and get into place before it takes the picture. It took several takes and a lot of laughs but we finally got it right.

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From left to right: Braxton, John, Ellen, Me, Baby Olivia, Joe, Betty and Caleb.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Finally…we see wildlife….Elk and Bison

Spent most of the day inside chilling out and watching movies.  The weather is so hot here.

Later on in the afternoon we headed out for a drive along The Trace.  We were hoping to see some wildlife to photograph.  One of the  places along The Trace is the Elk and Bison Prairie. Finally, we see wildlife.

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They don’t have to worry about me getting out of the vehicle.  The animals can have all the space they want.  We will admire them from afar.

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In this photo John was able to snap a picture of an elk and some turkeys.

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Finally…we see a bison.

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An elk grazing along the side of the road.

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This elk was just a few yards away from the previous one.

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It finally looked up at us.

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It is hard to see but to the right of the center there is a bison behind the trees.

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After leaving the Elk and Bison Prairie we stopped at the Homeplace 1850 Interpretative Center. We were too late to purchase tickets this afternoon so we looked at the exhibits in the front of the gift shop.  The Homeplace 1850 is a living, working historical farm located in Pryor Hollow near the old community of Model, TN, now a part of Land Between the Lakes.  Sounds like a very interesting place to tour.

By the time we finished looking around dinner time was approaching.  John pulled into a restaurant called Sirloin Stockade in Murray, Kentucky.  As we pulled in and parked we noticed the parking lot was packed. John said, “This is either the only place in town or it is very good.”  It was very good.  John chose the food bar and I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with a baked potato. 

Since it was still light out when we returned to the campground we went for a short walk.  It is still just too hot here.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.