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travelingtheusa · 6 years

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NORTH DAKOTA

28 Aug 2018 (Tue) – We made sandwiches, packed a cooler, and took off for Theodore Roosevelt National Park today. Unfortunately, the weather was drizzly and overcast all day. That limited visibility of the surrounding area. Since this is our last day in the area, we just had to deal with it.

We drove along the loop road, stopping at pullouts to see what we could see. We hiked two trails then sat at an overlook and enjoyed lunch while the rain picked up a bit. During our drive we spotted pronghorn, three different herds of bison, several prairie dog towns, Nokotas (wild horses), and an elk. When we emerged from the park, we fueled the truck and returned to the campground.

27 Aug 2018 (Mon) – It was cool, rainy, and overcast all day. We decided to keep our activities indoors. First stop was at Theodore’s Dining Room in the local hotel. It was a breakfast buffet with very good food. There were four kinds of eggs (one had crab), bacon, sausage, hash browns, waffles, and granola with fruit. It was a little expensive but very enjoyable.

After breakfast, we walked around town a little then toured the Cowboy Hall of Fame. There were all kinds of stories of horses, cowboys, ranches, and competitions. Videos recounted stories of experiences by early settlers and their descendants. After the museum, we walked along the main street. Harold Schafer came to this town in the early-1960s and restored much of the town of Medora. He renovated/rebuilt many of the buildings in town and bought the existing amphitheater. He updated the seating and property, and brought a new, flashier show to the outdoor stage. Medora sits at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Harold envisioned a popular tourist town that people would want to visit and stay at.

Medora’s claim to fame is that Theodore Roosevelt came here back in the late-1800s. He fell in love with the place and bought two cattle ranches. They say he claimed that the time he spent in the Badlands of North Dakota prepared him for his role as president. His nickname was Old Four Eyes. He was disturbed about overhunting of wildlife on the range and the rapidly disappearing buffalo. Roosevelt wanted future generations to be able to enjoy the Wild West that he knew and loved. As President of the U.S., he was first to set aside national parkland. During his presidency, he preserved millions of acres of land, thereby ensuring that future generations would be able to enjoy the wonders of nature and the wildlife that inhabits it.

We drove to the Marquis de Homes, the home of the founder of Medora. He and his wife traveled from France. The Marquis was enamored by the stories of the Wild West and he wanted to be a cattle rancher. He came here, established a cattle ranch and meat packing plant, and named the town after his wife. His idea was to raise and slaughter cattle at one place, then ship the meat back east. It turned out to be more profitable than driving cattle hundreds of miles.

We drove into Theodore Roosevelt National Park to the visitor’s center. We wanted to get some information about hiking trails and the scenic drive. Hopefully, the weather will be more pleasant tomorrow and we can explore the park.

Last stop was at a local convenience store (the nearest grocery store is 35 miles away) to pick up some groceries. They didn’t have much so we only picked up water and lunch meat.

26 Aug 2018 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bismarck at 10:30 a.m. It was a short hour and a half to our next campground. About three fourths of the way here, we stopped at a visitor’s center called Painted Canyon. What an amazing change of scenery! Behind the center was a landscape of ravines and hills with remarkable colors. We were driving along looking at flat farm land with wheat fields and sunflower crops. This was quite a change in geography. Usually these things change slowly but this was a rapid change. After we left the center, the landscape quickly morphed into colorful hills and canyons.

We pulled into Medora Campground around noon. It is a large campground with red dirt roads and campsites. There are some trees to provide shade. The sites are close and the neighbor’s sewer hookup is right outside our door. They could have laid the campground out better.

As soon as we were set up, we did the laundry. The laundry room was a pretty good size with six washers and four dryers. No one else was in there so we were able to use three washers.

At 5:00 p.m. we drove to the Pitchfork Steak Fondue across the road. We had called and made reservations the day before yesterday. When we walked into the dining area, we saw dozens of picnic tables. They could probably seat 2,000 people. There were pitchforks with steaks already impaled and waiting to be cooked. There was also a large buffet area for the sides that were being served with the steaks. We got wine at a small stand, claimed our table, and waited for the meal to start. There was a small 4-person band playing country music in the center of the pavilion. When the word went out that it was time to eat, everyone lined up. We got a stamp on our hand but never had to use it so I’m not sure why we got it. The buffet included a baked potato, baked beans, Texas toast, cole slaw, broccoli & cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, and ranch dressing. After loading up on sides, we walked over to the cook area and got our steak. There were probably a quarter of the people they would usually have on a holiday weekend. Lots of tables were empty or had only one or two couples at them.

At 6:30 p.m. everyone moved over to the outdoor amphitheater. It was a huge seating area cut right into the side of the mountain. The stage had tracks that allowed the scenery to slide sideways and the band stand to slide forward. The show was every bit as good as Opryland. It was very professional and the singers and dancers were very talented. There were two co-hosts – Cowboy Chet Wollan and Bill Sorensen. Wollan sang and danced right along with the accompanying performers. The comic, Kermit Apio (from Hawaii), was hysterical. I never laughed so hard at a comedian before. The weather was a little cool. As the sun set, the temperature dropped and many people had blankets they had brought. We wore jackets but would have appreciated a blanket ourselves. The show ran from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.

25 Aug 2018 (Sat) – We went to Fort Abraham Lincoln today. The Custer House was a recreation of the house General Custer and his wife lived in but all the furnishings and clothing belonged either to them or from that time period (1870s). The CCC built several buildings on the former compound grounds. There was a large granary, a barracks with mess hall, a stable, and a commissary that had a snack bar, library, gift shop, and restrooms. We had a hot dog for lunch. I’m not really sure what it was we ate. The dogs they gave us were red. They put some kind of dye in them. I was afraid they were soy dogs. We just ate them. We then drove to the visitors center where they had a replica of the Slant Indian Village. There were six earth lodges. They were full size mounds made from logs, branches, and dirt. They were circular in design and had a fire pit in the center of the lodge with an opening in the roof.

It rained again last night but there was (thankfully) no thunder and lightning. I don’t know why it seems to only rain at night here.

24 Aug 2018 (Fri) – The most ferocious thunderstorm rolled through during the night. The first boom literally lifted me out of the bed. I have never experienced a storm like that one. There was no wind and very little rain but there was lots of lightning. So much that it was like daylight. The thunder was explosive and had a concussive effect. The thunder rumbled for close to a minute. The storm was both exhilarating and frightening.

We went to breakfast at Ramkota Hotel in their Seasons Café. The food was very good and the ambiance was very attractive. They definitely like dark wood. We then went to the Dakota Heritage Center right next to the capitol building. It had a lot of interesting displays, artifacts, and exhibits but it was laid out in a very confusing way. We left the center and drove to Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch. Then we stopped in at Captain Jack’s to pick up some wine and at Target to get groceries. We ran out of rice for Bonnie and were giving her dry dog food with her boiled chicken. Unfortunately, she got diarrhea so we need to put her back on the rice. She has developed a really sensitive stomach.

After dinner, we worked on the mapping the route for our Utah caravan next year.

23 Aug 2018 (Thu) – We left Garrison around 10:30 a.m. There were a few sprinkles on the way but the weather was basically clear. In an hour and a half, we arrived at General Sibley Park & Campground in Bismarck. This is a great campground! The campsites are very roomy but only have electric hookup. We had to stop on the way in to fill our tank with fresh water. There are many trees in the campground but all the underbrush has been cut away and the grass mowed so everything looks open.

After set up, we drove into the city and took a tour of the capitol building. It has a two story building with an 18-story tower added on. We met the tour guide in the lobby and joined two other couples for a tour of the building. She took us first to the original part. It was like walking into the land of Oz. The hallway ceiling was 40’ and set in an art deco style. We looked into the Senate and the House chambers. They only meet every other year so they vote in a two-year budget. How do they legislate an entire state if they only meet bi-annually?

Next was a ride up to the 17th floor to the overview. We walked out on the deck and admired the view of the surrounding area. It seemed like you could see forever.

After the tour of the capitol, we took a tour of the former Governor’s Mansion. Then we went to lunch at the Blarney Stone Pub. I had Shepherd’s Pie and Paul had a pasta dish. Everything was very good. We then found a post office to mail off some post cards then returned to the campground.

22 Aug 2018 (Wed) – We drove around the area today. First stop was at the Custer Coal Mine. It was not owned by General George Custer. The placards at the area didn’t really explain why it got the name it did. It was a strip mining operation that mined coal. There was a small pond to look at.

We then drove to Fort Stevenson. One building was on site with display items telling the history of the fort. The actual fort is two miles northwest of the site under water. Nothing of the original fort remains. This was the last place General George Custer stayed before he rode off to the Battle of Little Bighorn.

After the fort, we drove around the state campground. They have over 100 campsites and only three campers. Apparently this is now their slow season. The campgrounds only fill up on the weekends. We guessed that is because North Dakota is so far north that many families cannot camp here and make it back home in time for school. As a matter of fact, the North Dakota state college classes started this week. Guess it’s the same across the country. K-12 usually starts the day after Labor Day.

Next, we drove into the town of Garrison. It was small but cute. After lunch at Ye Olde Malt Shoppe, we strolled up and down the main street. Lots of businesses called themselves Ye Olde ____. There was also a bottle shop. In this state, there are no liquor stores. They are called bottle shops. These shops are usually attached to a bar where liquor is served.

Last stop was at Krause’s Market. It was a small supermarket but we were able to pick up just about everything we needed. We came home and grilled corn on the cob. It was just like back home. The corn was delicious. Unfortunately, the flies are horrible. At they aren’t mosquitoes. After spending most of the meal swatting the flies away, we put a corn cob at the end of the table. The flies happily swarmed on it and mostly left us alone for the rest of the meal.

This has been such a lovely campground. The weather has been perfect. The haze from the fires out west were washed out by the last storm and we now have partly cloudy to clear skies. It’s been in the high 40s in the morning and in the high 70s to low 80s during the day. We can sit on the lake shore and watch the birds swimming in the water and the little chipmunk-like animals scramble among the rocks lining the shoreline.

21 Aug 2018 (Tue) – We packed up and left Minot AFB at 10:45 a.m. The weather was good and we arrived at our next stop in East Totten Trail Campground at 12:15 p.m. It is an Army Corps of Engineers site on Lake Audubon. This is one of the nicest campsites we have been in for a long time. We back up right on to the lake shore. The sites are spacious with plenty of room for the picnic table and barbecue.

On the other side of the causeway is Lake Sakakawea (we pronounce it Sacajawea everywhere else). This is the third largest reservoir in the United States. Garrison Dam is the fifth largest earthen dam in the world. The lake is 178 miles long and 14 miles wide. The dam itself is two and half miles long and 210 feet high. We drove around the area looking at the dam and spillway. There is also the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge on the lake.

Next stop was at the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery. Unfortunately, we stopped there 15 minutes before the tank buildings were closing. We rushed through them to look at the fish. There were burbot, trout, paddlefish, and two kinds of sturgeon. The pallid sturgeon is on the brink of extinction. The only thing that has saved it is its longevity. When the dams were built on the Missouri River, it disrupted the spawning habits of the fish. It took 20 years to realize that the pallid sturgeon were dying off and another ten years to react and get a program in place. The fish live 80 to 100 years. They have to capture fish and take blood samples to find out their gender. The hatchery takes sperm from males and freezes it. When they get females, they get them to lay their eggs (spawn) and then use the sperm to fertilize the eggs. It sounds like such a complicated process. Only about 35% of the little fish released into the river survive.

After looking in the tanks, we went back into the visitor’s center and spoke with the docents in the building. It turned out that they are volunteering to help out at the hatchery for the season as part of a workkamping program (many people do workkamping). The husband and wife were both retired servicemembers. We spoke about travelling around the U.S. and serving in the military.

When we left the hatchery, we drove into the nearby town of Coleharbor. It was very small and had no grocery store, no post office, no restaurants, no nothing. We then drove to the other side of the lake to the town of Riverside. It was basically the same thing – a small town with nothing. At the entrance to the campground, there is a service station and an eatery. We had dinner at the Totten Trail Bar & Grill.

Later, after we got back to the campground and spent an hour on the phone trying to get the Dish satellite working, we visited with the couple next to us. They started full timing a year ago. We exchanged stories of places to see and things to do.

20 Aug 2018 (Mon) – We drove to the Scandinavian Heritage Park this morning. It claims to be the only park in the world that represents all five Scandinavian/Nordic countries. There is a visitor’s center at the front of the park and a plaza with the flags of all five nations. All of them have the same design with different colors – a solid color background with a cross. Denmark is a white cross on a red field. Finland is a light blue cross on a white field. Iceland has a red flag bordered in white on a dark blue field. Norway’s flag is a blue cross bordered in white on a red background. And Sweden is a golden yellow cross on a light blue field. We wondered if all these countries were once a single nation before dividing into separate entities. Why do they all have the same design?

At any rate, there were several different items around the park depicting items from the Scandinavian countries: statues of Hans Christian Anderson, Sondre Norheim (the father of modern skiing), and Casper Oimoen (an Olympic skier); a 30-foot tall Dala horse (a Swedish symbol); replicas of the Gol Stave Church from Norway and a Stabbur (storehouse from Norway). There was a Sigdal House that was dismantled in Norway and shipped to Minot where it was reassembled. There were various artifacts in different buildings showcasing beautiful handiwork – knitting, woodwork, trolls, etc. We strolled around the park enjoying the exhibits for two hours.

We then went to lunch. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants serving Scandinavian food. That seemed weird. In fact, most restaurants in the area were national food chain stores – Olive Garden, Appleby’s, etc. We went to a place called the Starving Rooster, a bar café. I had a Caesar salad and Paul had some kind of pasta dish. It was ok but not what we wanted.

After lunch, we drove to the Dakota Territory Air Museum. There were a few military aircraft and lots of civilian planes on display. Other artifacts were on display as well. One interesting fact we learned was that two days before D-Day, a directive came down from HQs instructing that all aircraft be painted with three white stripes and two black stripes on the wings (top and bottom) and on the fuselage. They expected the skies to be crowded with aircraft and wanted the pilots to be able to easily identify the friendly planes. Very ingenious.

When we returned to the campground, Paul washed the truck and trailer.

19 Aug 2018 (Sun) – A vicious thunderstorm rolled through last night. It lasted for more than an hour. At times, there was so much heat lightning that it seemed like daytime - split occasionally by bolts of lightning.

We packed up and left Grand Forks at 9:45 a.m. The rain cleared out some of the haze and the skies were partly cloudy during our ride to Minot. We stopped in Rugby to get pictures at the geographical center of North America. The marker was next to a Mexican Restaurant so we bought lunch while there. They must make out like bandits because of the monument.

It was more than four hours to the Air Force Base. When we arrived, the Outdoor Rec office was closed. We pulled into an open campsite. There are six back-in sites in a parking lot with electric and water hookups. A dump station is down the road. There is a large playground in back of the parking area. Several prairie dogs holes dot that area.

18 Aug 2018 (Sat) – We’ve been getting alerts about poor air quality. Fires in California, Idaho, Montana, and Canada are sending smoke and dirt particulates into the air. The sky has been hazy even though the weather service has been predicting sunny days.

We packed up and left Monticello at 9:50 a.m. Traffic was easy and we arrived in about two hours at Grand Forks AFB FamCamp. The campground reminds me of Fort Drum’s campground. It’s kind of remote and at the end of the base. There are only a few campers here. They have 61 campsites – 21 are full hookup and the rest are for tents (or boondocking). We have electric and water. We didn’t bother connecting the sewer since we are only here for one night. Paul chose a site right next to the bathhouse so we’re trying to use their toilet instead of ours.

Once set up, we drove about 25 minutes into the city of Grand Forks. It is a pretty old town with lots of historical buildings. We ate at the Rhombus Guys Brewing Company. The service was horrendous. There was a bridal shower going on but the place never called in extra help. It was almost an hour and a half before we got our food. People who came in after us got their food before us and we got our food before people who were seated before us. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how the kitchen was preparing the food. They were quick to jump in and serve another beer when Paul finished the first but other than that, the waitress barely came by the table. It was like she was avoiding us. Probably embarrassed about the long delay.

After lunch, we walked along the main street and riverwalk. A memorial tower had been erected in the park to commemorate five floods that have devastated the town. There were various high water marks on the tower, the highest point occurring in 1997. As a result, they built a dike system to hold back rising waters.

On the way back, we stopped at a department store called Home of Economy (weird name, right?). There were no coffee makers with thermal carafe so we drove to WalMart. There, we found a Black & Decker coffee maker just as we wanted. We bought it and returned to the campground then did our laundry on site.

17 Aug 2018 (Fri) – We drove a half hour into Fargo to go to the Fargo Air Museum. It was small and contained within two hangars. There were about a dozen planes. A lot of the exhibits were devoted to aerobatic planes with a few military aircraft on display. Many uniforms and military paraphernalia were also on display. A B25 used by four governors was available for visitors to walk into and look around.

We left the museum and drove to the Border Town Bar & Grill for lunch. We enjoyed a taco lavosh. It was like a pizza but made with a cracker crust. It was good. The waitress had a chip on her shoulder and our service suffered for it. She was one of two girls serving tables and we guessed someone didn’t show up for work or she might have been directed to do something she didn’t like. Either way, she was certainly letting the patrons know she was not happy.

After lunch, we stopped at an RV dealer to look at some ice fishing trailers. We have seen many up north here and wanted to see what they looked like inside. They’re kind of cool. There are bunks and kitchens and bathrooms and sealed holes in the floor. One just had a toilet seat with a space underneath where you would put a bucket. Another had a regular toilet system with a dump valve. Some had heat, water, a microwave, and a refrigerator. All the holes in the floor each had a light directed at the hole. I guess so you could see into the hole when you fish. People have been using these “ice houses” as regular campers. We have spotted several in campgrounds.

Next, we drove to Bonanzaville. It is a collection of historical buildings and artifacts dating back to settler days. It is called Bonanzaville because North Dakota used to be known for its Bonanza farms. There were small farms that were basically self-subsisting and then there were large farms that produced more than they needed. Those were called Bonanza farms. We strolled along the streets wandering in and out of the old buildings, admiring the exhibits on display. It was pretty large and took us a couple of hours to go through everything. A Telephone Museum showed the progression of telecommunications. Some kids were having fun playing with the phones. There were a couple of phones set up to call each other. You could dial a phone across the room, listen to the clicks and whirs of a switching station, hear the telephone ring, then talk to the person who picked up the phone at the other end. There was also an air museum, a car museum, and a kind of catchall museum with unusual items on display (a glove stretcher, a wooden fishhook from Alaska, pipes from Norwegian settlers, a square knife strop, a dress lifter for ladies crossing muddy streets, etc.). It was an interesting afternoon.

16 Aug 2018 (Thu) – We pulled up stakes and left Monticello, MN, at 9:20 a.m. It was 220 miles to Casselton, ND, about 20 miles west of Fargo. The hotel is a Days Inn but the adjacent campground is called Governors Drive RV Park. The sites are close and paved with gravel. We have a pull through with full hookups. There are about 40 campsites in the campground.

We stopped at a rest area around noon to make lunch. When we were finished with our sandwiches, we continued on to our destination. The weather was perfect and the traffic was mostly not a problem (we had a brief hold up for some construction on I-94). We checked in at the desk in the hotel and then got set up. Then we drove to Fargo to pick up some groceries. We also stopped in at the Information Center and got a map and other brochures about the state. There was a wood chipper with a fake leg in it for visitors to take pictures with. This is intended for those persons who watched the movie, Fargo. In the movie, a crook puts his unfortunate partner in the wood chipper. The sheriff comes along just as he’s pushing the last leg into the machine. The funny thing about it all is that the movie was not filmed in Fargo at all. It was filmed in a town up on the Canadian border and in Minnesota. The clerk recommended Kroll’s Diner for lunch. We went to the diner. It was a 50’s style diner with a counter on one side and booths on the other side. We had a cheese button (similar to a pierogi but four times the size and deep fried) and something unpronounceable. It was like a thin slice of meatloaf inside a pastry that was deep fried. After lunch, we picked up groceries at WalMart then returned to Casselton.

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mnranger5 · 3 years

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Texas Lunker Hunt, Lake Fork, Tx, 3/13/21 - 3/17/21

Since Dyan and I had a quiet spring break week scheduled. we piggybacked a long weekend on the Schroeder’s fishing trip vacation. But before we could leave, we tuned in online to see Ashlynn’s dance competition (spectators were not allowed due to Covid)

3/13/21

Dyan and I were supposed to sit together, but Covid restrictions only allowed for a single passenger per two seats meaning we had to be split. And since my luggage was too large for the Embraer 175 overhead bin, it had to be strapped into the seat buckle next to me!

Hopefully my luggage doesn’t get lost. Not sure where the nearest TWA office is located at! We were wheels up by 11AM.

It was a short two hour flight into Dallas, and we were quickly made our way to the rental facility. Now, usually, we have pretty good luck with rental cars. Today, not so much. I had rented a Range Rover Land Rover (or similar) for the trip and was super excited to drive that around Texas. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Sixt Rental Agency, the last Land Rover had been checked out earlier that morning. So, we had to “settle” for the similar car in the class, which was either the BMW X5 or Volvo XC90. There were no BMW’s either...bummer. So, we took a white XC90 - which was still SUPER nice.

We had a full evening to kill in Dallas, so after checking into the Sheraton Grand in downtown Dallas, we made our way to an area just outside of downtown called Deep Ellum - a vibrant little community with more bars and restaurants as far as the eye could see.

We were in the mood for margaritas, so we stopped into Vidorra, a very cool authentic outdoor Mexican food experience. We could have eaten the warm chips and salsa as a meal, but we also wanted to try the street tacos, which were also quite good.

And then after dinner, we had a Picole Pop, which was basically a vodka infused strawberry bomb pop. Dangerous.

3/14/21

We were up early and in search of a good greasy spoon. We came across a place that was even better. Bread Winners Café & Bakery in Uptown. All bread and pastry’s were house made. I got the chicken and waffles, Dyan got eggs and has browns and we split the warm caramel pecan role. Everything was outstanding. One of the easiest clean plate awards we’ve ever received.

Last order of business was picking up take out from Pecan Lodge, a world famous BBQ joint in Deep Ellum. We ordered two “Troughs”, which each came with 1 beef rib, 1lb of pork ribs, 1lb brisket, 1/2 lb of pulled pork & 3 sausage links. In addition, we got copious amounts of sides including baked beans, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, French fries and banana pudding.

On our way out of town, we passed a Krispy Kreme. Yes please. We picked up a couple dozen to bring to the lake. We had enough food to last us a week in Texas.

We arrived to Lake Fork around 1PM, and feasted on the Pecan Lodge BBQ - barely making a dent in it. Mike and I then headed out to the lake. Of course, it was pouring. We spent the afternoon fishing flooded timber. The fishing was prespawn, so we were throwing a lot of moving baits like spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and crankbaits. But I occasionally was mixing it up with a shaky head while fishing right next to the timber. around 4:30, I finally hooked into one of those Lake Fork Beauty's. Although we almost didn't get her as she tried wrapping around the tree I caught her on. She tipped the scale right at 4 pounds.

3/15/21 & 3/16/21

These were both hardcore fishing days. Mike and I were up before dawn, trailering the boat to the other side of Lake Fork. Mike had an area on that side of the lake that he was sure held some big ones. Unfortunately, the big ones never showed up. We caught some small fish here and there, but nothing picture worthy. But hey, the sun was out the heat sure felt good for us Minnesota folk!

And while we were fishing, Dyan, Rachel and the girls took a day trip over to Waco to visit the Magnolia store.

3/17/21

And then came the dreaded cold front ripped through the area at 7AM, dropping the temperature 20 degrees from yesterday. The winds kicked up, roaring out of the north once the squall line passed through. Neither Mike or I wanted to go out on to Lake Fork with those kinds of wind, so we opted for the smaller Lake Holbrook, about 40 minutes away.

Mike and I spent a majority of the morning fishing docks on the east side of the lake. Once again, we caught a few fish here and there, but could not hook up with anything decent. Toward the end of the morning, Mike spotted a bed and spent about 30 minutes trying to catch a pesky bass that was locked on. This chunky little 3 pounder finally bit after hearing Mike say “One my cast” at least 30 times!

We had to cut the fishing day short however because Dyan and I needed to return to Dallas to catch a 4PM flight home. And due to the crazy 30mph winds out of the NW, they had us departing on Runway 31R. The aircraft were stacked up waiting for takeoff, which delayed our flight over an hour.

The trip was a great little Spring Break getaway. The fishing could have been a bit better, but I’m not going to complain about getting to experience 80 degree weather in the middle of March!

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americanahighways · 4 years

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What a year of music it was in 2019. In fact, I’d say it was one of the best I’ve ever experienced. This was my second trip around the sun with Americana Highways and I’m both humbled and proud to be a small part of what our Editor Melissa Clarke has created. It’s a lot of work as a contributor, but it would be an impossible task without out the assistance we receive from all the band publicists, managers and staff. Same should be said of the venue teams. But most of all, my thanks to all the bands and artists. How dull my life would be without you.

There’s bound to be speculation about some of my omissions. I didn’t hear every release. There are definitely some albums I’m still looking forward to giving full attention to. (Tyler and Sturgill’s releases immediately come to mind.) With that said, my wife would tell you that I’m one of those music “nerds.” Therefore, I enjoy narrowing down my music to a near obsessive level. So, with that in mind I attached a stipulation. I only considered releases I either personally reviewed or ones that I heard 100%, and with multiple listens. I expect I’ll have other favorites as I work to catch up with those releases I still want to check out. But for now, these the releases I listened to the most.

Albums of the year 2019

1. Billy Strings Home. Not sure how this one missed my initial radar, but my current excitement around his music is comparable to my love of all things Grateful Dead. My favorite album of the year without question. https://billystrings.com/

2. Benjamin Tod A Heart Of Gold Is Hard To Find/ Lost Dog Street Band Weight Of a Trigger. Maybe cheating a bit, but both deserve mention. Not since Townes has a singer-songwriter captured life’s pains as astutely as Tod does here. That’s impressive. https://www.benjamintodmusic.com/ https://www.lostdogstreetband.com/

3. Mike Oberst Six Feet Of Earth. Stopped me in my tracks when I heard it. Its warmth and familiarity resonated with me deeply. https://mikeoberst.com/

4. Los Coast Samsara. They mightily impressed me opening for St. Paul & Broken Bones. Clever, catchy, funky and bold. A band to watch. https://www.loscoast.com/

5. Tedeschi Trucks Band Signs. Heartwarming, comforting and emotional. The band captured their grief and hope all at the same time in album that’s beautiful and rich through and through. https://www.tedeschitrucksband.com/

6. Tanya Tucker While I’m Still Living. Don’t call it a comeback. Relaunch is the preferred description. Whatever you call it, it’s proof that Tanya Tucker is still kicking ass. https://www.tanyatucker.com/

7. John Paul White The Hurting Kind. Old school country brilliance. Captures the ghost of Nashville’s grandest and most resplendent times. JPW is one of my favorite vocalists of any genre. http://www.johnpaulwhite.com/

8. Allison Moorer Blood. Powerful, honest songs that capture and express despair, loss, as equally as they do perseverance and family. I speculate it could easily be a Grammy Winner. http://allisonmoorer.com/

9. Malford Milligan Life Will Humble You. Leave it to Malford to release such great album, and one I wasn’t expecting. It’s a personal and introspective blues album that makes me homesick for Texas. http://www.malfordmilliganmusic.com/

10. Ted Russell Kamp Walking Shoes. An eclectic, substantive, country album. It’s familiar, organic and fun. Great songwriter, musician and one heck of a nice guy. http://tedrussellkamp.com/

Concerts of the Year 2019

It was quite a year of live music for me. I saw 53 actual events with a total of 152 actual sets of music, reviewing and photographing each one for contributions. I spent countless hours this year attending, photographing, editing and writing about nearly every concert I could squeeze in. I drove countless miles, and immersed myself nearly fully in the music and the chase of that magic it holds. I’ll turn 50 years old within hours of completing this year-end piece. What sticks with me the most about those 50 years is how important music has been throughout it. As far back as I can remember there’s been music. One band or song after another has added too, and built one impressive soundtrack for my life. In 2019 I threw caution to the wind somewhat. I re-ignited my high adventure tendencies and tried to catch more shows in a year than I’d done before. I continued to explore and expand my boundaries and escape my comfort zones. I tried to disintegrate the confines of genres within music by seeing as many new bands as I could, and I’m pretty satisfied by the results. Truth is, I probably need to scale things back in 2020. I guess we’ll see. My wife would also tell you that I’m nothing if not a creature of habit. So anyway, here’s my ten favorite live experiences of the year:

9/16 Glen Hansard – It’s basically indescribable how great this show was. The songs, the presentation, that band. Not only this years favorite show, but also probably of the past few years. Do not miss the opportunity if it presents. http://glenhansard.com/

12/13 Charlie Daniels Band I expected a nostalgia show and was put in my place by an 83 year old man. An 83 year old man and band that put on one of the most electric shows of the year. https://www.charliedaniels.com/welcome

7/11-13 Woody Fest – Easily the best music festival I’ve ever been a part of. The sense of family would prevail regardless of the lineup. But, thankfully the lineup is as outstanding as the people doing all the work behind the scenes. Can’t wait for 2020. https://www.woodyfest.com/

7/2 Dead and Company — I admit, I had questioned John Mayer as Bobby Weir’s choice to further the magic bus that was the Grateful Dead. I underestimated Mr. Mayer, and his respect of the songs and scene won me over and got me back on road. It felt like going home. https://deadandcompany.com/

11/12 Tedeschi Trucks Band, Southern Avenue – Perfect line-up, perfect execution. Lots of heart and soul, and of course that unexplainable ‘x-factor’. https://www.tedeschitrucksband.com/

8/13 Lost Dog Street Band, Matt Heckler, The Tillers – This show lead me to some of my favorite music of the year, with Benjamin Tod/Lost Dog Street Band, Mike Oberst (Tillers) both also occupying my albums of 2020 list. I also wouldn’t have discovered GemsOnVHS without this show. https://www.benjamintodmusic.com/, https://www.lostdogstreetband.com/ , https://www.mattheckler.com/ , https://mikeoberst.com/ , https://www.the-tillers.com/ , https://gemsonvhs.com/

2/23 BJ Barham early & late – A night of BJ acoustic and in storyteller mode. I’ll never miss it and hope for many more opportunities. It’s special. http://www.americanaquarium.com/

3/29 Willie Nelson and Family – An all access day spent with a good friend, behind the scenes and in the thick of things. A unique and likely once in a lifetime experience. http://willienelson.com/

10/2 Ahi, Chloe Beth – Disappointing attendance created an opportunity for an even more intimate and special performance from Ahi. It also gave me the opportunity to finally catch local songstress, Chloe -Beth. https://ahimusic.com/ , https://www.chloebethmusic.com/

11/17 Drive-By Truckers – My return to the ROCK SHOW. It’s good to be back. https://www.drivebytruckers.com/

10/24 Jesse Malin, Diane Gentile – Malin’s album “Sunset Kids” just missed making my top 10 for 2020. A night of Malin’s NY swagger and catchy hooks, as well the equal confidence of Diane Gentile whose songs, Little Steven Van Zandt considers some of the “coolest in the world”. Like Malin’s album, Gentile’s EP “Little Things” counts as an AOY honorable mention too. https://www.jessemalin.com/ , https://www.dianegentile.com/

Review: 50 Years of Chasing the Magic: 2019’s Music in Review @bstrings1 @lostdogstband @oberst_mike @loscoast @derekandsusan @malfordm @tedrussellkamp @allisonmoorer @johnpaulwhite @tanya_tucker @glen_hansard @woodyfest #americanmusic What a year of music it was in 2019. In fact, I'd say it was one of the best I've ever experienced.

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junker-town · 5 years

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2018 college football coach hiring *and* firing grades, updated

Let’s keep track as the coaching carousel spins or whatever.

Below, brief notes on each FBS head coaching change, along with an INSTA GRADE. The difference: let’s also grade the firing part as well. Why should only hirings get graded? Onward.

Note: I’m not factoring buyouts here. You’re probably paying him too much to leave. That’s your boosters’ problem, not mine.

Akron

Terry Bowden firing grade: C. Better have a high-upside replacement. He led two of Akron’s three bowl trips and only bowl win, and a four-win base line is basically Akron’s historical norm. It sounds like everyone just got tired of things.

Tom Arth hiring grade: B-. This is a really interesting hire. His 9-13 record as Chattanooga head coach wasn’t much, but he went 40-8 at previously mediocre John Carroll in Division III, where he also played. He’s only 37, but has spent almost all of his life within about an hour of Akron.

Appalachian State

Scott Satterfield left for Louisville.

Eli Drinkwitz hiring grade: A (be advised I’m handing out lots of As this time around). The NC State offensive coordinator ran a good group in Raleigh, has a good rep among coaches, and has experience both in the state (obviously) and Sun Belt.

Bowling Green

Mike Jinks firing grade: A. At some MAC schools, you might as well just stick with whoever you have. But BGSU had won pretty consistently under four straight coaches before its former AD reportedly Googled his way to a poor fit, both geographically and experience-wise.

Scott Loeffler hiring grade: D. He’s only been an OC, so let’s look at his offenses: as he’s coached four different teams, his offenses have ranked Nos. 32, 73, 91, 94, 72, 124, 101, and 95 in opponent-adjusted S&P+. The old joke about the majority of his resume being “was Tom Brady’s position coach at Michigan” seems to still apply.

Central Michigan

John Bonamego firing grade: B. CMU wasn’t supposed to be good this year, and he led three solid seasons, but — well — this was the worst season in program history. Considering how hard it is to hire well in the MAC, I think I would’ve given him a chance to prove this was a fluke, but I get it.

Jim McElwain hiring grade: B. Hey, you got a two-time recent SEC East champ in the MAC! Nevermind how strangely his Florida tenure ended. Also nevermind how bad the SEC East was. He’s spent the season since making connections as a Michigan assistant and has coached at Michigan State before.

Charlotte

Brad Lambert firing grade: A. It was time for the architect to move on. A startup jumping to FBS is never easy.

Will Healy hiring grade: A. I mean, he had a winning season at the somewhat nearby Austin Peay. That’s basically impossible.

Colorado

Mike MacIntyre firing grade: C+. Building 10-win teams at San Jose State and Colorado is hard ... but what’s he done over the last decade if you take out those two years? CU’s good year didn’t feel especially sustainable, considering how senior-heavy that team was.

Mel Tucker hiring grade: B. Well, the Georgia defensive coordinator led one of college football’s best units for three years and was in demand, being considered for jobs like UNC’s. There’s the question of how his experience will translate to the West, in a state where a former UGA coordinator is struggling at Colorado State. But there’s no particular reason to doubt he can build decent teams.

East Carolina

Scottie Montgomery firing grade: A. This had been a simple call for about two months. A school that’d recently been to eight bowls in nine years had gone 9-26 under Montgomery at the time of firing.

Mike Houston hiring grade: A. He’s the only FCS national champion head coach from somewhere other than North Dakota State since 2010, a North Carolina native, and career-long Mid-Atlantic vet. Do we hand out bonus points for ECU stealing him from Charlotte or demerits for Houston apparently breaking a verbal with Charlotte? Let’s call it even.

Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson retired.

Geoff Collins hiring grade: A. He’ll try to make Georgia Tech feel like modern Atlanta’s college football team. That’s a tall task, when you already have Migos rooting for UGA, but it’s long overdue.

Houston

Major Applewhite firing grade: C- by conventional metrics, but I’m gonna give this one a T for Texas. Because firing a coach after two winning seasons is stupendously Texas-y.

Kansas

David Beaty firing grade: B+. KU improved during the first-time head coach’s four years, but not that much. More importantly, things don’t look that much better going forward than they did when he showed up.

Les Miles hiring grade: C+ for now, because the expectations matter greatly. Is Miles’ primary task to stabilize the program and set it up for a young innovator? In a weird way, Miles’ beloved gritball might be an underdog tactic in the wide-open Big 12 (see: some of Kansas State’s best recent teams), but he needs to show he’s willing to evolve his Schembechler-ian tendencies.

Kansas State

Bill Snyder retired again.

Chris Klieman hiring grade: A. Some K-State fans don’t like the idea of hiring an FCS coach whom the AD already knew. Counterpoint: North Dakota State would’ve beaten Kansas State in Manhattan this year — again. There’s reason to wonder if this will work, but that’s the case with ANY HIRE ANYWHERE. Stop dissing FCS, and keep this in mind: a former Division III coach just led Buffalo’s best season ever. That’s a way bigger jump than Klieman is making.

Liberty

Turner Gill retired.

Hugh Freeze hiring grade: lololololol of course

Louisville

Bobby Petrino firing grade: A+! Lamar Jackson evidently covered up even more warts than we realized, the program was crumbling all around Petrino, and there’s an ideal replacement who won’t necessarily be available next time around.

Scott Satterfield hiring grade: A. The Appalachian State head coach had one of the best teams in college football, period. He’s not Jeff Brohm, but so what? He’s a fantastic second option. Give him time to clean up Petrino’s mess.

Maryland

D.J. Durkin firing grade: Far more serious things than football to consider here, so not playing around with grades on this one.

Mike Locksley hiring grade: No grade on this either, because this is a complicated one.

Miami

Mark Richt retired.

North Carolina

Larry Fedora firing grade: B. He had really rough roster situations for the last two years and led UNC’s best season this millennium, but winning five games in two years against mediocre schedules ain’t getting it done.

Mack Brown hiring grade: C-, until he shows Texas’ six or so down years were a big fluke. He was UNC’s second or third best coach ever before becoming Texas’ second best coach ever, but his last really good team was 11 seasons before his first at UNC. Unlike Kansas, UNC clearly had more encouraging options.

Ohio State

Urban Meyer retired.

Ryan Day hiring grade: B. The Ohio State OC’s side of the ball was the reason the Buckeyes won the Big Ten this year. He’s only 39, and this is one of the biggest jobs in all of football, but it appears he led the team capably during Meyer’s three-game suspension. Continuity is nice, as long as he’s ready to make significant staff changes on defense.

Temple

Geoff Collins left for Georgia Tech.

Manny Diaz hiring grade: A. He was responsible for the only thing the Canes were good at, has been a smart and elite defensive coordinator for years, and should be able to bring some Florida athletes to Philly. My only real concern as Temple would be the Miami head job possibly opening in the next few years, but that’s down the road.

Texas State

Everett Withers firing grade: B. Wins had yet to arrive, with only seven in his three years at a school that joined FBS in 2012, and Withers’ personality wasn’t a great fit, but at least recruiting was going well. Withers clearly never should’ve left JMU for this job.

Jake Spavital hiring grade: B+. Lots of relevant experience in the area and air raid roots that should be popular in Texas and stand out somewhat in the Sun Belt.

Texas Tech

Kliff Kingsbury firing grade: A. Yeah, five straight years of losing the exact same way and producing .500-ish seasons at a school that would prefer its Mike Leach records is gonna get a person fired. Both parties should better succeed apart.

Matt Wells hiring grade: A. The geographic fit isn’t perfect, but other than that? Wells was head coach or coordinator for Utah State’s three best seasons since the 1960s, and could’ve had even more than that if not for rotten injury luck during the middle of his time there. Per Steven Godfrey in the offseason, other coaches believed Wells would get it turned back around.

UMass

Mark Whipple firing grade: A. Five years with nothing better than 4-8 is an easy call. Amid significant roster turnover, this sets up as a fresh rebuild.

Walt Bell hiring grade: C+. The former Arkansas State, Maryland, and Florida State OC has minimal ties to the Northeast and is only 34, but will surely strive to oversee an offense more creative than the one the Noles put together this year.

Utah State

Matt Wells left for Texas Tech.

Gary Andersen hiring grade: Well, A, I guess! Worked out great the last time.

Western Kentucky

Mike Sanford firing grade: C. A 9-16 record is a clear step down from Jeff Brohm’s three straight bowl wins. But canning a previously up-and-coming coach after just two years at a school that’s still a C-USA newbie suggests he was clearly way in over his head. Do four one-score losses in 2018 and two comfortable wins to finish the season support that? Hard to say from afar.

Tyson Helton hiring grade: C. He has basically the same resume as Sanford and wasn’t exactly on the rise at Tennessee. If there’s a secret reason he’s a significantly better choice than Sanford, tremendous.

This post will be updated after each FBS head coaching move.

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celtfather · 6 years

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About Firefly Drinking Songs for Browncoats #237

Firefly is one of the most beloved projects from the mind of Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It came out in 2002 and was canceled after only 14 episodes. It developed such an incredible cult following that in 2005, a movie was released based on the TV series. http://celtfather.com

The show inspired me so much that I released a CD with Bedlam Bards called Firefly Drinking Songs. Now I have a new album out for Browncoats called As Long As I’m Flyin. You can buy it at FireflyDrinkingSongs.com.

How did Firefly go from a cancelled TV show to a new album 16 years after it was released? I’ll tell you all about it right now.

I was first introduced to Firefly just a few short months before the movie was released. I remember binge watching DVDs. I absolutely loved show. It had a realness to it that appealed to me, despite being a Sci Fi Western.

Firefly became my all-time favorite show ever. It hasn’t budged from that standing. I still watch it regularly.

I don’t consider myself an ambitious songwriter. I don’t write a lot of songs. I write slowly and I am usually “inspired” by something. I never planned to start a genre of Firefly drinking songs. It just sort of happened.

In 2007, I was on the first Brobdingnagian Bards tour of Ireland. I got an email from fan telling me there is a songwriting contest called Sing A Song for Saffron.

Saffron was a nefarious woman who was featured twice in the series. She first appears in "Our Mrs Reynolds" where she sneakily marries the captain of the Firefly ship, Serenity. She then attempts to seduce him. When that fails, her true purpose is revealed, leading the crew to their deaths to steal their ship.

Saffron appears again later in the episode "Trash." She works with the crew to steal a famous laser gun. She attempts to double cross the crew only to find they are ready for her.

Beautiful and seductive, Saffron is a favorite side character.

So there I was in Ireland when I get an email from a fan that read, “you should write a song for this contest.”

I was immediately struck with a parody idea using the traditional Irish melody “May Morning Dew”.

I submitted my song “She Said Her Name Was Saffron” to the contest a week after returning from Ireland. The song won the Best Parody award.

A few months later, I sang that song for The Signal Firefly Podcast for a live event at DragonCon.

I had no further plans to write more Firefly songs. But a year later, I was driving Back to DragonCon when I was struck with an idea.

I had just finished watching the episode "Jaynestown." The crew lands on Higgins Moon, a town that sells mud. The crew is hired to transport contraband off planet. One of the crew, Jayne Cobb, warns about how he had trouble with the local magistrate a few years back. We soon learn that Jayne has become a folk hero of the town with a statue and his own protest song “Hero of Canton”.

That song is a favorite among Browncoats. Everyone of us longs to have a mug of mudders milk and sing along. But as I was driving back to DragonCon, I wondered what other songs might’ve been heard in that little pub in Canton. So I wrote one.

The song was called "Monahan's Mudder's Milk". I wrote it as a sort of Woody Guthrie-style protest against the challenges faced by the mudders of Higgins' Moon.

This song was super important to me. First, because it sort of solidified what would eventually become my most-popular musical niche, Sci Fi Drinking Songs. But it was also the launching point for Firefly Drinking Songs and my newest album, As Long As I'm Flyin'.

It was around this time that the idea of recording a CD of Firefly Drinking Songs began. I set up concerts at Gen Con and Dragon Con dedicated to this theme. Each show was packed. The conventions were turning people away at the door.

The atmosphere at these shows was amazing. I really wanted to capture that feel. So I decided on recording a live CD. I wanted it to feel like you were in that little pub in Canton.

My biggest challenge was I didn't have enough songs to create an album. So I turned to someone who did.

The Bedlam Bards were the first to release a full CD of Firefly music. It was called On The Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity. The album captured everything that people love about Firefly and the fandom. It's fantastic.

Cedric is the primary songwriter for the group. When I called him up to ask if he'd like to make an album with me, he was psyched.

We spent next few months performing Firefly Drinking Songs at various venues and conventions trying to capture an amazing live recording. It finally happened at church in Round Rock, Texas that my friend Jan Czenkusch booked for us. It had the energy, the sound. It was fantastic.

We released the CD. It quickly became one of my most-popular albums.

Once again, I had no plans for a follow up. I was trying to get out of doing themed CDs. Most of my 20+ albums are themed. Some are Irish. Some are about cats. Some are sci fi. While themed CDs are easier to sell, they are much more difficult and costly to produce.

So when I wrote "Bring Me Home, Boys", a song based on the episode "The Message" where a body is mailed to the crew with a message to bring his body home to his family, I didn't put on a Firefly CD. Nor did I put the song "Browncoats Keep Flyin'" one one. That's a song I co-wrote with Rie Sheridan Rose. Though I did put it on Sci Fi Drinking Songs. Again, I had no real plans to record another Firefly album, despite its success.

But one year at Gen Con, I was singing "Close Your Eyes". This is a song by Daniel Glasser. Many call it the "Demon Lullaby". I have a whole podcast episode about that song. Follow the link in the shownotes.

In the middle of the song, I changed the lyrics to the "reavers beneath your bed are gonna eat your face". The crowd erupted in laughter and for the next few years Browncoats asked when I would put that song on a CD.

In 2016, I set a milestone on Patreon. If I reached that goal, I would record a 4-song EP of Firefly songs, exclusively for my Patrons. I quickly hit that goal. But as I started recording the EP, more songs came out. So I asked Rie Sheridan Rose, a long-time songwriting collaborator to send me some more lyrics. She did.

Next thing I knew, I had a full album of Browncoat drinking songs. I launched a Kickstarter and the rest is history.

Now one of the things I sort of glossed over earlier is the Firefly Drinking Songs show. This show took on a life of its own. When I started, I was just singing songs about Firefly. But I wanted something bigger. I wanted something more inclusive.

You see, I have long been a part of the reenacting shows. Mostly notably are Renaissance festivals. At faires, you're encouraged to not just play music, they want you to be a part of the atmosphere, to recreate the Renaissance.

Early on, I absolutely LOVED faires for that very reason. I could pretend I was in the Renaissance.

But the simple fact is I'm not an actor. So keeping that going ALL DAY LONG was a bit exhausting and tedious. So I took on a new character, that is basically me.

I think that's why I love the Firefly Drinking Songs show so much.

I don't usually write music ABOUT things I love, like Firefly. I prefer to write as if I'm a PART of the world. Firefly is the epitome of this. The music I wrote was as if I was living in the Firefly 'Verse. The show was created as if I was a touring musician singing songs for Browncoats.

The show is about an hour long. With any luck, the one at Gen Con this year will be about an hour and a half. But for that period of time, it's easy to get and stay in character. So that's why I do.

My family is all from East Texas. So I put on my Texas accent and step into a world where people are on the fringe of civilized society. They're looking for an escape. They want to hear music that celebrates the independents who lost the Unification War. They want to escape the hard life of working in the mud pits.

For an hour, they are a part of that. We sing songs about the "Hero of Canton," "Blue Sun," reavers and the Browncoats. It's absolutely incredible.

It's been 16 years since Firefly was started and canceled. Yet new Browncoats are made every day as they discover this incredible show.

One of my dreams is to take the Firefly Drinking Songs show on the road. I want to unite Browncoats once again for a Shindig among Shindigs and an inspired passion to keep building the 'Verse. Because to quote Mal, "we have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

If you're interested in my new album, As Long As I'm Flyin' or the Firefly Drinking Songs show, please visit FireflyDrinkingSongs.com. You can buy the album, listen on Spotify, find cool merch, and learn more about the show. I'd love to hear about your favorite episode or character. You can post that in the shownotes.

I should point out that the physical CD will only be available in March. So if you like CDs, then you should order it as soon as possible.

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Thank you for listening. Celtfather Music & Travel was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, please join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. For as little as a buck a month, you will help release more music, podcasts, videos and more.

Would you like 21 songs for Free? Plus get regular updates of what's new. Subscribe to the podcast and newsletter at www.pubsong.net.

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travelingtheusa · 4 years

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NEW YORK

8 Sep 2020 (Tue) – We spent yesterday getting ready to move. We drove to the lawyer’s office in Port Jefferson to sign a temporary Power of Attorney for Travis. Since we won’t be here for the closing on his house, we are giving him authority to sign for us. That was debacle! First, the secretary asked for ID with a picture and our address on it. We gave her our New York driver licenses. They have our Texas mailing address on them. She said that was no good. She then instructed us to send her copies of our passports. When we got back home, I did that. She said Paul’s passport said New York but mine said New Jersey. I had to explain that there is no residential address on a passport; that the states are where we were born. She then asked for a Costco card or some other ID that had a picture and New York address on it. When we couldn’t provide any, she mumbled something about having to do a tax form for Texas. We are certainly hopeful that Travis & Sam don’t have to pay taxes to Texas!

After the lawyer’s office, we drove into Port Jefferson and had lunch at one of the many restaurants in this charming port town. The waiter gave us the menus, stated that he was the only one working today, and he would come when called. The tables were set up outside on the parking lot. There were about 6 tables he had to serve. The service was very slow but the meal was good.

We invited Caiden to come over for dinner. He enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we got a message saying my nephew’s funeral will be on Saturday. We were expecting it to take place next Saturday. We were going to camp in PA for a week, then drive to Rhode Island/Massachusetts. Now, we had to call campgrounds and move things around. Fortunately, we were able to get 5 days at a Navy campground in Newport, RI, as well as move the days we were going to PA. Whew. Otherwise, we would have lost our deposit at the PA campground.

6 Sep 2020 (Sun) – It’s been a busy week. Kenny went to the clinic and had his arm looked at. The doctor said he has a second degree burn but didn’t do anything with the injury. Just told him to keep it clean and dry.

I started physical therapy on my Achilles tendon. I went for therapy on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. They start with heat and stimulation, then I do some exercises, and it ends with ice and stimulation. They also do some ultrasound. The place is big and it kind of feels like an assembly line operation. Oh, well. I won’t be there for long.

Miranda’s car had the thermostat and rheostat replaced as well as three coils in the engine. It cost $900. Our next door neighbor, Dave, owns an auto body shop and did the work for us. We brought the car back to Miranda and Kenny and told them that’s it. No more money will be spent on that car. Dave suggested we put it in a lot, douse it in gasoline, and set it on fire. It’s basically shot.

We took Caiden and went over Susan & Bill’s house on Saturday. It was our last swim for the summer. He had a great time. We are all a little sad to see the season end. Earlier in the week, Susan and I went to West Hampton for lunch. They recently renovated the town and she wanted to look it over. It was very new looking.

After church today, we went over Travis & Sam’s. Today is Travis’ 39th birthday. We enjoyed a barbecue and ice cream cake. We gave him a storage device with all our photo albums scanned on it. Hope he likes it.

30 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Attendance is still sparse but the way the pews are chained off, it’s probably for the best. After church, we stopped at Bagel Boss for bagels. The deli counter had 6 people on line and the bagel line only had 1 person so I opted for the bagel line. What. A. Mistake. The girl who waited on me was so new that she had to ask another worker what a rye and garlic bagel looked like. She was sooooooo slow that everyone in the deli line not only went through but several people after where I would have been had I gotten on that line. Serves me right for being in a hurry.

After church, we drove to Travis & Sam’s, stopping at a couple of furniture stores on the way to look for new recliners. We are limited by the size of the space that the recliners would fit into. The kids are growing fast. The baby is such a happy little guy. Big smiles and laughs all the time. Paul and I picked up KFC chicken for dinner. It was a nice visit.

Miranda borrowed the truck at 7:30 to go pick Kenny up at work. Their car is not working right now. There is some kind of blockage in the cooling system. Caiden and I played a few games. When Kenny got home, Miranda changed the dressing on his arm from the scalding he took yesterday. He has a very large blister and a lot of redness on his arm. Miranda and I convinced him to go to the clinic tomorrow. He probably should have the blister drained and get put on an antibiotic.

29 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We went to church today to attend a memorial service for June Wertz, a friend of ours. Her husband, Bob, invited us to join their travel club some years ago. One of the members of their club had passed away just before the small group was going to camp out at Wildwood State Park. They invited us to take his camping spot. During the 8-10 years we camped with them, it was always on Long Island. The members were all up in years and didn’t go off-Island to camp. It was a fun group and I wish we could have known them in their younger, traveling days. At any rate, we certainly enjoyed the time we spent with Bob & June and the rest of them.

Miranda and Kenny had a serious incident yesterday. They were at KFC when they noticed smoke coming from the engine. They popped the hood, looked around, and opened the radiator cap. Both of them were scalded, Kenny pretty badly. They are monitoring his condition to determine whether his burns are bad enough to seek medical help.

28 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I drove to Ronkonkoma to visit with my cousin, Claude, today. He has been experiencing medical issues for a while now. He has gone from 220 lbs. to 175 lbs. He is looking old and sick. I fear for his well-being. I visited for about an hour then the nurse came in to see him so I left.

Paul spent the day repairing the steps to the back deck. He poured some concrete at the base a few days ago and had Caiden put his name, date, and footprint in it.

27 Aug 2020 (Thu) – I drove out to Southampton today. It was almost an hour and a half drive. When I arrived for my 10:30 a.m. appointment, the receptionist told me I was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The dentist didn’t get me in until almost 12 noon. I was seeing him for a consultation. He is an endodontist who specializes in root canals and oral surgery. He didn’t see anything that needs immediate attention. Furthermore, he said that he conforms to the recommendations of the American Dental Association and doesn’t believe that metal in the mouth or root canals are inherently bad. He suggested that I leave everything as it is unless I am in pain. It was a disappointing consult.

I stopped at CVS to pick up my prescriptions from the dermatologist, the neurologist to get copies of the test results for my records, and at Shop Rite for some groceries. I got home in time to put everything away and turn around to make my 4:00 p.m. appointment for physical therapy. That was also a somewhat disappointing experience. I was brought in, asked a bunch of questions by someone who said she was a physical therapist, and advised that I would get some exercises to do. Today’s appointment was just heat and stimulation. An aide put the electrodes on my foot and wrapped it in a hot towel. She said the therapist would be in to turn on the stim. After 15 minutes, I flagged down a passing therapist to see if she could find the gal that was supposed to turn my stim on. After 5 minutes, she came in and said she thought the aide would turn it on. They seemed very disorganized and uncommunicative. I am scheduled for physical therapy 3 days next week. We’ll see how that goes.

When I came out of the office, I crossed the street to pick up a few things at Best Market that I didn’t get at ShopRite. It was a full day of running around. Whew!

26 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I went to the dermatologist this morning. The oncologist told me that the chemo can cause skin cancer and to get a skin exam once a year. So, here I am at my one-year check. The exam went well and I was given a clean bill of health.

At 1:50 p.m. I went to see the orthopedist that I was referred to by the podiatrist. I have an interstitial tear in the Achilles heel fiber, not the tendon. There are three ways to handle it – by physical therapy, by surgery, or by an experimental program that takes your blood, mixes platelets with it then injects it in the injury site. Insurance will not cover the cost. I opted for physical therapy. He gave me a script and I made an appointment with a nearby therapist.

We went out for dinner to Texas Roadhouse. The food was good. We forgot our leftovers. That must happen at least half the time we plan to take leftovers home. Aaaarrgh!

25 Aug 2020 (Tue) – No doctors today! I ordered dulse flakes from Amazon. Travis called to ask for help. He was turned down for a rental because a credit report stated they had been late on their last 8 mortgage payments. This is incorrect. I went on the webpage and saw that their payments were on time. Samantha called Equifax to correct the report but was told they only reported what the mortgage company gave them. She called the mortgage company and was told Equifax had to correct the record. A big, fat bureaucratic run around!

I spent a good part of the day on the phone with the mortgage company trying to get a letter that simply stated that their payments have been on time all year. The last agent I spoke with told me they are restricted in free-form correspondence because of a contract they have with USAA. They can only send certain forms. He did offer to send a transaction record that showed all payments were made. Unfortunately, it does not say the payments were on time.

In the meantime, I was trying to get an appointment with the dentist and getting a refill for Paul for a medication. I finally landed an appointment with the dentist for Monday and the doctor’s office placed the refill order directly with CVS. I did get to finish burning one box of records. Only 5 more to go!

Travis called later and told me he offered to pay one year’s rent up front and was waiting for the rental agent’s reply. He’s got a job offer and the new boss said he would look into putting the money up until Travis sold the house. If he does that, Travis better give this guy 110%. He doesn’t know Travis from a stranger on the street and is willing to put up $23,000? We will see.

Miranda and Kenny went out tonight. I offered to watch Caiden so they could have a date night out somewhere. It isn't much but I’m sure they haven’t had a chance for private time since this whole COVID-thing started. Kenny’s mother and grandmother are keeping their distance and they have no other childcare set up.

24 Aug 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping this morning. I did laundry in the house. At 1:45 p.m., I left for an appointment with the biological dentist in Manhasset. On the way there, the office called to say the dentist was running late and to come in at 4 p.m. So I detoured and stopped at Sherry’s Market in Babylon. I wanted to pick up some barley grass juice powder and dulse flakes. They did not have the dulse. The clerk said I might find it in Wild by Nature down the road in West Islip. So I drove down John Street and into the strip mall. They had dulse granules but no flakes. Not sure if that was OK, I didn’t buy it.

Finally, it was time to stop dawdling and drive to the dentist. I got there at 3:50 p.m. and called the office to let them know I was there. They told me to come right up. I didn’t wait 10 minutes (BIG difference from last visit) and was shown into the exam room. The first dentist, Dr. Golden, popped in while Dr. Blum was reviewing my 3D scan. They discussed my case and what they recommended I do. Then they sent the money gal in. She described the procedure they would use – do a root canal on two teeth and put in ceramic posts with a bridge. Giving me a discount on the bridge, it would only cost $12,000. I could buy a frickin’ car for that much money!!! I told her I would think about it and left.

I called my sister to see if I could get in to see her biological dentist. She gave me his number but the office was closed. I’ll have to call them tomorrow.

23 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Everyone is still wearing masks and the pews are roped off to keep people distanced from one another. After church, we gathered up most of the stuff we have been collecting for the yard sale and brought it back to the church. They are trying to have an outdoor thrift shop sale on the front lawn. We don’t know how that’s going to work. It was all clothes they had outside and anyone shopping would lift the clothes to look at them. Now they’ve been touched. What next?

At 3 p.m. we drove to our friend’s house, Bob. He used to be my brother’s father-in-law (before they got divorced). Bob managed an A&P store in the day and he catered many parties. Any time he’s making a meal, it’s worth going. He’s a great cook. He made ribs, roast potatoes, and corn on the cob. We had a very nice visit.

22 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to my sister’s house. Susan is celebrating her 65th birthday today. As expected, Caiden never wanted to get out of the pool. Our brothers, Dennis and Chris, also came to the party. We gave Denis some old baseball cards we found in the back room during our clearing out maneuvers. He seemed to be pleased with the gift (his birthday is next week). It was a fun day.

21 Aug 2020 (Fri) – We went to the Oconee Diner for lunch then took a ride to Target to get a few things. We picked up some clothes for Caiden and ourselves. After we returned home, we spent the rest of the day cleaning out the back room. I burned more military records. Thirty-one years of military history – GONE! Up in smoke! I was surprised to see that I had every pay record I ever got during my service.

20 Aug 2020 (Thu) – It was a confusing day at the cardiologist. First, Paul went to the office for a 9 a.m. appointment only to be turned away. They said he had an appointment at 3:45 and I had one at 2:30 p.m. When he got home and told me, I stated that the office had called yesterday and confirmed the 9 a.m. time. I also had my appointment time entered in my calendar as 2:15 p.m. Just as we were perplexing over these times, the doctor’s office called to say he was called to the hospital and they had to reschedule our appointments. We managed to get us in at 11:30 and 11:45 respectively. That ensured we got in together.

The doctor was prompt and entertaining. He checked us both over. Reviewed our bloodwork and tests and declared us in good health. My cholesterol is a little elevated so he wants to see me back in 3 months. If the numbers are still up, he will put me on a drug (he thinks).

We drove over to Travis & Sam’s tonight for dinner. Turned out we had to buy the dinner (surprise!). We stopped at Chili’s and picked up 6 meals then drove to Trap’s where we enjoyed our dinner together. Travis got a job offer at a construction company in North Carolina. They will also help them to get into a rental home. It sounds very good.

19 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I went to a biological dentist today to get an assessment of all the dental work in my mouth. I have been reading several books about alternative medicine. One book by Dr. Simon Yu states that disease is the result of 4 causes. The three top causes are dental problems, heavy metals, and parasites. It was 2 hours before the dentist came in to see me and we spent an hour talking about the research and alternatives. She sent me to get a 3D x-ray to see if there are any infections in my mouth. Although there was no “pathology,” she did identify 4 incomplete root canals. She recommended I see the surgeon in the office. I made an appointment for Monday.

On the way home, I stopped by Sherry’s Market, a health food store in Babylon. It was expensive!

18 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the neurologist this morning to get all the electrodes disconnected. I tried to schedule a follow up visit with the doctor but his earliest appointment is October. How do you discuss what they found with all these tests?

I drove to East Islip to the podiatrist’s office to pick up a copy of the MRI report stating I have an interstitial tear in my right foot. The receptionist offered to call the radiology office to see if I could get a copy of the MRI pictures. Then I walked over to their office and got the disk.

Paul spent the day working around the yard. I spent the day burning files. I have so many military files to burn. How in the world did I get so many in my possession???

17 Aug 2020 (Mon) – I went to the neurologist this morning and was wired up for a 24-hour EEG. They attached 23 electrodes to my head and 3 to my chest. I have to wear a machine to register brain activity for 24 hours. All this just to reassure Paul that I am OK and can go hiking in the woods again.

When I got home, Paul went food shopping. I was NOT going out with all the wires hanging off my head. When he got back, we had lunch, then went to work on getting rid of old files and boxes. I have tons of old military books and material that has to be burned. It can’t just be thrown in the garbage. I sat in front of the fire pit for 2 hours and only got through 1 box. I have 5 more to go.

Ford called to say they replaced the fuel pump on the truck and everything seems to be alright. I took the rental car, drove Paul to Sayville Ford to drop him off, drove to Islip Airport to drop off the rental car where Paul picked me up and we drove back home.

16 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We borrowed Kenny’s truck and drove to church this morning. It rained all day. We spent most of the day inside watching TV or working on the computer.

15 Aug 2020 (Sat) – Spent the day working around the property. Kenny went to work at 4 and I went into the house to watch Caiden. He came out to the camper and had dinner with us, then we went back inside and I gave him a bath. We had a pillow fight and played with his transformers. He finally went to bed at 9 p.m. I think that is too late for a 6 year old but his parents are night owls and I guess he’s becoming one also.

14 Aug 2020 (Fri) – The tech from Sayville Ford called and said the diagnostics was telling him the truck needs a fuel pump. No amount of arguing that the last service station messed something up. We finally authorized the part. Maybe they can get to it on Monday. Ugh.

Miranda’s truck was finished at 4 p.m. Turned out to be the alternator. I was going to take the rental car since we have no vehicle but I let her take the truck to Philly given the cruddy condition of her truck. We weren’t sure it would make it there and back. It really is on its last legs.

We were supposed to ride out to Indian Island to join the Long Islanders for camping this weekend. Since we don’t have the truck to pull the camper, we will miss the campout. This was very disappointing.

13 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Miranda’s car suddenly gave up the ghost today. It was clicking, wouldn’t start, and all kind of diagnostic warnings were flashing on her dashboard. She was able to drop it off at the service station. This is really bad timing because she is preparing to go to Philly this weekend to coordinate a concert for her camp. We looked around and was able to reserve a rental car just in case the car isn’t back tomorrow.

Paul and I rode our bicycles to Best Buy this afternoon. It’s been giving me trouble and there’s some kind of program on there that we didn’t load in but keeps trying to update drivers. I had them take it off. They were very understaffed and the tech wasn’t really interested in working with me on anything else. I had wanted help in getting videos off the computer. I’ll have to wait until things get back to normal.

Paul took an Uber to the cardiologist this afternoon for a stress test. They injected him with something and then put him in an MRI machine. He said it was quick and easy.

12 Aug 2020 (Wed) – It was a quiet day all around. Paul picked up the truck. Not only was it making the humming noise, but the dashboard was lighting up like a Christmas tree! Low fuel pressure! Low engine pressure! The service station told us they couldn’t find anything wrong and the noise was gone. Boy, were they wrong. Paul called Sayville Ford and we were able to get it into the service bay today. Hope they didn’t break the engine. L

11 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the radiologist today for an MRI of my right foot. We worked around the property, cleaning out old files and boxes. Sent out for pizza for dinner.

10 Aug 2020 (Mon) – Paul brought the truck back to the service station this morning. They kept the truck and dropped him off back at home. At 1 p.m. I went to the doctor for an echo cardiogram. I had to borrow Miranda’s car to get there and back.

We called the service station at 3:30 p.m. The tech told us that they had to call a friend at Ford to ask about the fuel pump. The guy told them they had to replace the entire assembly, not just the fuel pump. Paul was annoyed! I think we will have to make sure in the future that (1) only Ford does the work and, (2) that the mechanic is a certified diesel mechanic. Hopefully, we will get the truck back tomorrow. They were going to send out for the item, which will cost us over $400. This is after already being charged $170 to put the fuel pump on before they broke it.

9 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. I think it was the most people we’ve seen there since we came back. Everyone is still wearing masks and there are seats roped off. Hand sanitizer stations have been set up around the building. They announce that the thrift shop will open for 2 hours on Sunday afternoon in an outdoor setting. That means folks attending the service will be asked to help bring things outside and set up, then take it back downstairs when done. I hope it works. The thrift shop is a major revenue source for the church and it has really been hurt with the closure.

After church, we went to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. The waitress was soooooo slow. Paul ordered Belgian waffles and they came out cold. My food was lukewarm. He sent his waffles back. The next service was also cool. Paul wound up not eating his meal. It was a disappointing experience and we probably won’t go back there for a while.

8 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to Sue & Bill’s for the day. The day started out overcast but the clouds soon cleared away and we had a delightful day in the pool.

7 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I went to the neurologist this morning. The first test was a Neurotrax. It was a cognitive test to see if I’ve had any brain damage from the TGA back in March. Following that, I had an EEG. A technician glues 23 nodes to your head and then has you sit in a chair with your eyes closed most of the time. He flashes a light on your closed eyes, then says “Open Your Eyes” for like 30 seconds then close them again. Weird.

Paul has been working hard in the yard, cleaning up after the storm. The oblivious neighbor did a stupid thing. A tree in his yard came down into our yard. It was straddling the fence with the root ball in the neighbor’s yard and the tree branches supporting the tree in our yard. The neighbor brought his chain saw out and cut the tree. No longer balanced between the tree branches and the root ball, the tree crushed our fence.

I went to the podiatrist today to check out the painful lump on my Achilles tendon. The doctor took an x-ray and said I have a bone spur that could be causing the problem. She also criticized my flip flops, saying I needed more support for my feet. She gave me some heel inserts to wear in a closed shoe. She also sent me to the radiologist to get an MRI. I made an appointment for Tuesday.

6 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Paul brought the truck to the service station to get it inspected. When he got back, he complained that he could hear a humming from the fuel pump. That happened to us once before. A non-qualified mechanic had tried to mount the fuel pump on the rail and broke it. Apparently, a certified diesel mechanic needs to do the job. Paul called and was told to bring the truck back in on Monday.

We brought Bonnie to the vet at 2 p.m. The ultrasound shows she has some abnormal liver issues. The vet wants to do a biopsy but Bonnie has to get a blood test first to see if she has a clotting factor. If so, then she can have the biopsy. If not, then we can’t do it.

5 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I had a check with the nurse at the cardiologist’s office today. They wanted to check and make sure there were no problems with the loop recorder. She said I had a bit of a reaction to the medical tape but everything looked OK. I should just let the tape fall off when it wants.

After the doctor, I brought some containers to Travis. He is now in contract on his house and beginning to pack things up. I brought him 9 containers. Then I drove to Sayville and met my sister, Susan, and her daughter, Shay, for lunch at Cornucopia. It is a kind of health food supermarket with a great deli counter where we all ordered lunch. We then sat outside to enjoy our meal. Following that, we took a walk along Main Street, looking in the shop windows. When we came upon an India shop, we went in. Susan & Bill follow the religion of Ashananda and the shop owner had been to one of their meetings out in the Hamptons. She spoke for a while with the clerks (the shop owner wasn’t there).

We went over Trap’s tonight to sign the contract for the sale of their house. Since we are listed as co-owners on the house, we have to sign the contract as well. While there, Trap dug out the chain saw for Paul.

4 August 2020 (Tue) – Things have been so busy and technology has been so challenging that I have not been able to keep up with the blog. I have an appointment with Best Buy on the 13th. Hopefully, that will get things back on the road.

Let’s see. I have been to the cardiologist and had an internal cardiac monitor (ICM) installed in my chest. It is a device that tracks heart activity and at night, when I am sleeping, it uploads the day’s activities to the doctor’s office. It’s been 5 days and the site still itches like crazy. Ugh.

I had to go to the lab and get a COVID test before getting the ICM installed. The nurse stuck a Cutip so far up my nose that my eyes teared. And I had an earache for the rest of the day. That dam thing was painful! I will not do that again.

We took Caiden to Sue & Bill’s last Wednesday. Their daughter, Shay, and her boyfriend, Pat, are up from South Carolina. We all swam and munched on delicious vegan foods. It was fun.

I went to the doctor’s office to see what is wrong with my heel. The PA saw me (the doctor was busy). He thinks I have a cyst on my Achilles tendon and referred me to a podiatrist.

Miranda was back in Pennsylvania this weekend so we watched Caiden a good part of the time when Kenny wasn’t working.

We got to visit with Travis & Sam yesterday. The baby is walking pretty good now. He’s always so happy. He immediately lights up when he sees you and waves his little hand hello. Trap got an offer on the house and we signed the contract with the realtor. He’s a little freaked out. They have now signed a contract to sell their house. They have to be out in a month. They want to move to South Carolina but neither of them has a job or a place to stay. In addition, they’re not going to be able to keep as much of the money from the sale of the house that they had counted on. The realtor gets $16,400 alone! Wow!

Today, Paul had an appointment with the dentist. This was a follow up to checkups we had two weeks ago where the dentist found a cavity. He went in to day to get it filled. Afterward, we went to WalMart to pick up a few items. Later in the day, Tropical Storm Isaias blew through. Another tree from the neighbor’s yard came down across our fence. Also, one of our trees came down and landed on the deck. It just missed the roof and back doors. This was dejavu! Same thing happened last year when we were here. Paul will have to dig out the chain saw. The entire neighborhood is digging out. Two trees went down on Saxon Avenue, the next block over, and the road was closed. Thousands of people were without power. We lost power on and off all day long but not for very long. Our neighbor a few doors down had a tree go down and take all his electrical lines with it. The fire department came and cut up the tree and pulled it out into the road.

25 July 2020 (Sat) – We went to Nicky’s on the Bay for lunch. The tables were spaced apart. Lots of them were out on the deck. All the wait staff was wearing face masks. Our waitress was very slow and unsure about herself. She might have been new. While we were eating, a waitress came running through the restaurant asking if there was a doctor, an EMT, or a nurse in the place. Apparently, something happened at the marine fuel site out on the deck. We couldn’t see what happened but an ambulance did roll up.

The cost of the meal was very high. It don’t know if it is because Nicky’s is a seasonal place and is trying to make its money during the summer or if they jacked the prices up because they can’t have as many people in the place. Either way, it was over $60 for a wrap and a sandwich. Ouch!

24 July 2020 (Fri) – Finally! A day with no doctors. Whew! Paul got up early and took the truck to WalMart to get an oil change. He said it looks like WalMart is going out of business. The shelves are all half stocked. If you stop to think about it, they get most of their products from China. The pandemic has affected shipments worldwide. In addition, the U.S. is angry with China for keeping the Coronavirus a secret and has instituted sanctions against them. WalMart must really be hurting.

After Paul got home, we went to Home Depot to get a container. One of our two batteries went bad and Paul bought two new ones. Now he wants a container to put them in to keep the area more organized. Home Depot didn’t have much of a selection at all. On the way out, we stopped by the tile area and picked out a tile to do a backsplash in the bathroom. We couldn’t decide, so we picked up three samples to see which we would like best.

When I was entering the costs into the budget, Paul discovered that WalMart charged him for the oil that he actually provided. So he got in the truck and drove back to WalMart to get his $12.47 refunded.

Miranda is teaching in Pennsylvania again this weekend. They took Caiden into Queens to stay with his grandmother. Kenny borrows his mother’s car so Miranda can take their car. I will miss Caiden.

23 July 2020 (Thu) – Today was my visit with the oncologist. It was so disheartening! My appointment was at 4:15 p.m. I checked in then after a brief wait, a tech brought me into an exam room and took my vitals. Thank goodness; no blood draw. Then I went upstairs and checked in with the receptionist. I waited about a half hour before the doctor’s admin assistant came and led me to the exam room. I sat there for another half hour before the nurse came in and went over my case. He spent a lot of time complaining about patients calling and asking for visits or pain medication when they should be going to their primary care physicians. Then he asked me who my PCP was. I felt like it was some kind of criticism. Was I supposed to be going to a different doctor?

The nurse left and it was another 20 minutes before the doctor came in wearing a face mask and a full face shield. He seemed detached and didn’t really hear my complaints. He said the medication sometimes causes blisters on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Was I having any of those? He also said the medication can cause AFIB and that the cardiologist should check me for that. It seems like every visit to the oncologist results in him telling me something else that can happen with this chemo therapy. He seemed preoccupied and in a hurry to get out. I felt like I got the bum’s rush. I came home and started crying. Which is kind of stupid because the CT scan shows that I am responding to the medication very well. All the lymph nodes are continuing to shrink. So what’s my problem?

22 July 2020 (Wed) – I went to the Good Sam Sleep Center this morning. I had to sit in the parking lot and call the office to tell them I was waiting. They called me when the previous patient was done. When I walked into the doctor’s office after checking in, he excused himself and began to dictate the results of his visit with the previous patient. He stated the patient’s name, the issue, and his diagnosis, all in front of me. Hasn’t he been briefed on this whole patient privacy thing? I thought that I should probably step out of the room but with the whole COVID thing, they don’t want people wandering around unsupervised. When he was done, I told him that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 15 years. The cardiologist recommended I do a sleep study because poor sleep can affect heart function and weight. The doctor said we probably wouldn’t find anything but said he would do the study anyway. How encouraging is that???

21 July 2020 (Tue) – I went to the eye doctor today. I arrived at 9:30 a.m. When I checked in, I found my appointment was for 10:45 a.m. It looks like I made the appointment while we were in Alabama and my calendar recorded the appointment as central time, not eastern time. So the clerk sent me to sit out in my car till it was my turn or the doctor became available sooner. They called me at 9:50 to come in and brought me right to a test station where they blew air into my eye. Then she took me to an exam room where I sat for over a half hour. The doctor came in, put drops in my eyes, and said I am developing glaucoma. Come back in six months. Then he was gone. No discussion, no explanation, no anything. I complained about some eye discharge and irritation so he prescribed an ointment to put in my eye at bedtime but, again, no explanation or discussion of what the problem is. It was a very annoying visit. The doctor was very dismissive.

Paul put together a 3-minute video of upstate New York. I posted it on You Tube then contacted SMART with the link. They posted it on the website next to the description of our New York caravan.

I went in at 4 p.m. to keep an eye on Caiden while Miranda went to the store. Paul is still grousing about yesterday’s argument. I have to find a way to get him to lighten up. Ugh.

20 July 2020 (Mon) – I had a CT Scan with contrast today. I dropped off a urine sample for Sheba at the vet, then drove to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I checked in at the front desk and asked if my doctor or his nurse was available to see me. The receptionist said she would contact Dr. Rodriguez and see what he said. I then went into the imaging area and had the CT scan. That’s such a weird test. They inject an iodine based solution and it gives a flushed, very warm feeling in the back of the throat and in the crotch. It feels like I wet myself. The test isn’t very long and I was out of the machine within 10 minutes.

I returned to the front desk to see about the doctor. The receptionist said Dr. Rodriguez would change my telehealth appointment for Thursday to an in-person appointment or I could see someone in triage today. I said I would meet with the doctor on Thursday.

I got home to find Paul working around the RV. He was installing a switch for the water pump in the bathroom. The switch on the main panel stopped working some time ago and Paul installed a switch down in the basement. That has turned out to be somewhat inconvenient so he moved the switch up into the bathroom. That should work better for when we have to use the onboard tank for fresh water.

While we were outside, Paul and Miranda got into a nasty fight. That was very upsetting for me. Then we left and went over Travis’ house to help him with some projects. He has finally gotten an offer for his house and the inspector will be over on Thursday. He wants to clear up a few little things before the inspector arrives. Paul and Travis worked on repairing a leak in the kitchen sink and on the thermostat for his burner. I played with the boys then we all enjoyed a meal that Sam prepared. It was a pleasant evening.

19 July 2020 (Sun) – We didn’t think Caiden would be able to sit for an hour in church with a mask on so we didn’t go. At 11:30 a.m. we drove to the Bayside Clam Bar for brunch. Afterward, we walked along the boardwalk and looked at all the boats in the marina. There was a dog at one end that the owner let go down on a little spit of sand. Caiden climbed down and followed the dog around. We took his shoes off so he could step in the water. The dog was an older black lab and very friendly. Her name was Sandy.

After our meal and walk, we returned to the house and I watched Caiden while Paul worked around the house and yard. Kenny got home at 7:30 p.m.

18 July 2020 (Sat) – We got Caiden at 10:30 a.m. and then drove to Sue & Bill’s house in the Hamptons for a day of swimming in the pool and barbecuing. Despite the fact that I put sunscreen on Caiden twice, he still burned. So did I. His mother will never let me take him to the beach again. Aaarrgghh!

After we got back, I stayed with Caiden until his father came home at 10:30 p.m.

17 July 2020 (Fri) – We both went to the dentist today. The chairs in the office were taped off to ensure adequate spacing between patients. It only left 4 chairs to use. The secretary took our temperature and went through a checklist (like the tech did yesterday). Then we had our teeth cleaned and xrays taken. I got an excellent rating; Paul has a cavity and has to come back to get it filled.

We went over Trap’s to visit. We picked up dinner at Chili’s and brought it to the house. Travis was working on painting the counter top in the upstairs bathroom. They are trying everything they can think of to sell their house. They’ve had lots of lookers but no buyers. The real estate market is so hot today, I can’t figure out why the house hasn’t gone. His in-laws put their house on the market and the first visitor bought the house for $5,000 more than they were asking. The only stipulation was that they had to be out in 30 days.

Miranda’s cat was showing some kind of neurological issue today. It was walking against the side of cabinets like its left side was weak and it couldn’t stand by itself. Miranda contacted us while at Trap’s and asked about bringing her cat, Liath, to the vet. We hurried home to help but the vet said it was not life threatening and to wait until Monday to bring her in. Miranda was concerned because she is leaving tonight for Pennsylvania and will not be back until late Sunday. I promised to keep an eye on the cat.

16 July 2020 (Thu) – We both went to the cardiologist today. I was doing a follow-up to my “incident” in March. Paul went because he has hypertension and should be seen by a cardiologist.

When we arrived, we were met at the door by a tech who asked us a bunch of questions about where we’ve been and who we’ve been near. He took our temperature and then let us pass. We walked in and was processed by a clerk. Then we were brought back to the exam room. The PA came in, went over our medical histories, took our blood pressure, and did EKGs on both of us.

Then the doctor came in. I liked him instantly. He is young – in his late 20s/early 30s. He was upbeat and very friendly, touching elbows as a form of hello. He thinks I had a TIA and felt the neurologist was wrong to think I had a TGA. He recommended I get an EEG, an ambulatory EEG, and have a loop recorder inserted in my chest. He feels it is possible that I have atrial fibrillation (AFib) and the recorder will measure my heartbeat and send messages to the office. I would wear it for 3 or 4 years! I said I had to check that one with my oncologist.

Then it was Paul’s turn. The doctor referred him for a nuclear stress test. He also recommended that Paul resume taking the baby aspirin every day (he stopped a year ago because of a medical report that said baby aspirin didn’t help to prevent strokes.

15 July 2020 (Wed) – We worked around the RV until 11:30 a.m. then we took Sheba to the vet. It was over an hour in which the vet’s office displayed confusion and chaos. First, I called to say we were outside for our appointment. About 20 minutes later, one of the vets came out to gather information then went inside. Ten minutes later he came out to get Sheba. Again, the office was not able to get through to my phone and the vet came out to tell me to call them. I called and spoke with Dr. Thode. She took blood and gave Sheba shots. Dr. Thode also said the blood results were back for Bonnie. She has round worm and a low liver value. She prescribed medicine for the worms and recommended an ultrasound for the liver. After waiting 10 minutes, I called the office to see what was happening. They were just finishing up and would send Sheba out. The vet brought Sheba out, went over the highlights of her exam, and said the office would call to get payment. After another 15 or 20 minutes, I called to make the payment. The clerk took my card number three times because the machine wasn’t working properly. Then the vet tech came out with the paperwork. Paul asked about the medicine for Bonnie. They forgot it so she went back in to get it. She brought it out but stated they had forgotten to charge us for the medicine so I had to call again to give the credit card number. They brought the receipt out along with the stuff to get a urine sample from Sheba. We left but I got a phone call about 10 minutes later saying they forgot to charge us for the bloodwork they did on Sheba so I had to call back again and give the card number again. What a debacle!

Late this afternoon, Caiden came knocking on the door. He came in and played for a while then I made dinner for the three of us. He ate a small part of his meal but seemed to enjoy it. I brought the left overs into the house for Miranda and Kenny, or to keep and reheat for Caiden tomorrow.

14 July 2020 (Tue) – I had an appointment with the neurologist this morning. This was the same doctor that found the tumor in my mother’s brain 36 years ago. He has gotten very personable over the years. I liked him very much. He said the incident I experienced in March was most likely Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). Just to be careful, he recommended three different tests but stated that he doesn’t expect to find anything. Apparently, a TGA can happen at any time and never happen again. Or, it can happen again once or multiple times. If it happens many times then you would have to get checked for seizure activity in the brain. Luckily, I have not had any problems since that one time.

I played with Caiden a little tonight. We didn’t get much time together but it was still fun. He loves battle sequences.

13 July 2020 (Mon) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning. She needed a refill on her flea and tick medicine. She got a checkup and a couple of shots. It was so weird. When we arrived, we called the office and were instructed to stay in the truck. After about 20 minutes, a vet tech came out. He took down Bonnie’s information and reason for her visit then went back inside. He came back about 10 minutes later and took her inside. We sat in the car until the doctor called. We discussed our concerns and what the doctor found and recommended. Five minutes later, the clerk called to get our credit card number for the bill. A whopping $950!!! After about another 15 minutes, Bonnie was brought back out to us. Then we waited ANOTHER 15 minutes for the clerk to bring out medicine and the bill. What a pain in the butt. And we will have to do it again with Sheba.

Kenny was off of work today, so Caiden stayed in the house nursing his sunburn and playing with his parents. Paul worked around the yard and I did paperwork.

12 July 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. They just reopened after holding services digitally on You Tube and FaceBook for months. There were about 30 people in church. We had to wear our masks the entire time and still try to maintain 6’ distance from each other. They didn’t pass the collection plate. Instead, it sat in the back of the church and the minister asked everyone to drop their donation in the plate when they left.

After church, Paul and I drove to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. We both enjoyed a salad. The day was lovely – sunny, but not too hot, with a soft, balmy breeze blowing in off the water. The sun glittering on the bay was beautiful.

When we came home, I gathered up Caiden and he and I went to Heckscher State Park. I figured the beach would be closed but we could walk along the shore, throw stones in the water, build sand castles, and wiggle our toes in the water. Boy, was I surprised to find the beach open, complete with lifeguards. There were many people on the beach and in the water but they still were all keeping a decent distance between each other. The water was so warm; like a bathtub. There was lots of wave action and a delightful breeze kept the heat away. I did not have a bathing suit so I stood on the shore with my feet in the water, getting splashed well up the legs. Caiden went in and had a great time. Unfortunately, I forgot to put sunscreen on him and he got burned. His mother yelled at me.

When we left the beach, I stopped at Carvel and got Caiden some ice cream. The perfect end to a perfect day.

11 July 2020 (Sat) – Paul worked in the yard most of the day. I entertained Caiden a good part of the day. At 4:30 pm, we went over Travis’ house. We shared a salad and pizza then spent two hours playing with Noah and Hudson. The baby is on the verge of walking. He has very good balance.

10 July 2020 (Fri) – It was an overcast day with rain on and off. Tropical Storm Fay was pummeling the Jersey coast today but we didn’t get it too badly. Paul and I went shopping at PetCo for pet food and ShopRite for some groceries. Boy. Was the grocery store crowded! And we forgot to bring our own bags so the cashier charged us for 3 bags. Glad we didn’t buy a lot.

Caiden wanted to come into the trailer so badly today but the weather was lousy and I wasn’t going to put Bonnie out. Caiden came out and we stood outside in the drizzle talking for about an hour. Later, I went into the house and we played for about 2 hours.

9 July 2020 (Thu) – We packed up and left Newburgh at 10:45 am. It took almost 4 hours to drive down to Long Island. We were surprised with all the traffic on the road. We came through the boroughs and had traffic and construction that caused us to creep along through congested spots.

Caiden was so happy to see us! He ran out and gave me a hug, then ran back to the porch to watch us park the rig in the driveway. When Paul had the RV positioned well, I had Caiden help finish the set up by pushing buttons to open the slides. After we were set up, we visited for a bit and watched him swimming in his little pool. After dinner, I took Caiden to Carvel and picked up ice cream for him and Miranda (Kenny was working and Paul and I are on a diet). We brought it back home and they enjoyed the treat out on the back deck.

8 July 2020 (Wed) – Just hung around the campground most of the day. We did run out to fuel the truck and get ready for tomorrow’s move.

7 July 2020 (Tue) – We visited with the sales manager here at the campground. We had interviewed him last year and reconfirmed the amenities and costs. The nightly fee actually went down. He also promised to coordinate a bus tour into New York City for us. He offered to pick up our order for bagels and juice and even stated he could arrange a catered meal right here in the campground.

We came back and did laundry then just hung out for the day.

6 July 2020 (Mon) – We started out for West Point but would up sidetracked to the Historic Huguenot District. It was two blocks of old stone houses built in the late 1600s/early 1700s by early French settlers. The visitor’s center was closed and none of the buildings were open. We walked up and down the street, admiring the architecture from the street.

We then continued on to the West Point Military Academy. The visitor’s center was closed, as well as the tour operations office. There was no one to ask anything of. The day was a loss in that regard.

5 July 2020 (Sun) – We drove over to the Mohonk Mountain House today. Thought we’d check them out for the farewell dinner and then take a hike around the area. Unfortunately, they now have a gatehouse to control access to the place. They have us a brochure to look at and a telephone number to call but wouldn’t let us go in.

Then we drove by another restaurant but they were closed. No signs on the door. We couldn’t tell if they were just closed or if they had gone out of business. Cross them off the list.

We made a quick stop at the grocery store so Paul could pick up milk for his coffee then returned to the campground. We got to enjoy another campfire tonight. Two in a row. Wow.!

We drove into Newburgh and took a stroll on the Walkway Over the Hudson. It was an old railroad trestle over the Hudson River built back in the late 1800s. It was repurposed into a level concrete walkway that stretched for more than a mile and a third. We walked out to the middle, took a selfie, and walked back. The day was lovely. There were lots of people on the bridge – strolling, biking, walking the dog. Almost everyone obeyed the signs and wore a mask. Some people didn’t. It was very warm and my mask was wet from sweat by the time we finished our walk. It was a good time.

We drove to the FDR National Historic Site to look over the presidential library and home. The visitor’s center was closed.

4 July 2020 (Sat) – We were going to drive to the Mohonk Mountain House today but stayed in the campground instead. We had a small BBQ and sat before a delightful campfire. The campground is pretty full with lots of kids. Bonnie is barking at bicycles, skaters, and walkers. The staff came by yesterday passing out flyers about the pool. It was going to be open today from 10 to 4. They were having people sign up for a one-hour block of time. The pool is limited to 25 people but they were thinking they wouldn’t be able to do that and still have people maintain their distance. We didn’t sign up. It seemed better to leave the time slots to the kids. Normally, they would spend the whole day in the pool. This is like a tease. But I suppose it’s better than nothing.

3 July 2020 (Fri) – Things have been quiet. We have been running around trying to line up restaurants for the caravan next year. We are now at the KOA in Newburgh for a week.

30 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We pulled stakes at 9:25 am. It was a white knuckle exercise in getting out of our site. Paul had to ask the guy behind us to move then he backed up the RV to get out. Trees and other RVs and yard “stuff” in the area made it impossible to pull out from our pull-through site. Paul did it perfectly! He is so good in moving our big monster. It’s almost like it’s an extension of his physical being. Just imagine maneuvering 54’ of truck and trailer. I can’t do it!

We arrived at Shadowbrook RV Resort at a little past 11:30 am (it was a very short drive). This campground only has 18 campsites for transients. Again, we’ve been undone by the seasonal campers. After set up, we drove to four separate campgrounds and all gave the same answer – no room at the inn! The last campground we stopped at recommended the KOA up on Route 20. We’ll try them tomorrow.

We drove by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. They are on a limited opening. I left a business card and someone will call me back. I also sent emails to the tour director for the NY Capitol in Albany and the USS Slater. Communications continue with other venues as well.

29 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to another campground this morning to check it out. It turned out to only have 4 available campsites for transients. The rest are filled with seasonals. Too bad. It was a really nice campground right on Saratoga Lake.

On the way back to the campground, we refueled for tomorrow’s trip and picked up chicken and water. Bonnie has diarrhea again. It just seems to be something that she’s going to go through on a regular basis no matter what we give her.

28 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We left Ticonderoga at 9:20 a.m. It rained a little in the three hours it took us to arrive at Adventure Bound RV Resorts & Campground. The campsite we got was very tight while Paul had to maneuver around a parked van, trees, and lawn decorations. This campground, although very large (over 300 campsites), would not suit our group and many campers are seasonal. The RV next to us hasn’t been moved in years.

As soon as we were set up, we headed out. First stop was at Chili’s for lunch. We both had a grilled chicken salad. Tummies full, we drove to four different campgrounds. Two wouldn’t fit the group, one had no one in the office, and the other took our phone number to give to the owner. It was not a very productive day. Hope things get better tomorrow.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Hannaford to pick up groceries. It was a nice supermarket. Why can’t we get any of these grocery stores on Long Island?

27 Jun 2020 (Sat) – It was a light day. We just hung out around the campground today. I made some calls and updated the files on what we’ve collected so far. The poor wifi service here is maddening! Even the cell service is poor. I’m glad we won’t be staying here as a group but I worry the other campground might be just as bad. After all, we are now in the mountains.

26 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We drove into Lake Placid today. It is a small town. The Olympics Museum was closed. We decided to have the group explore the museum then go out about the town on their own. There is a lot to see in this little tourist town.

We then drove to Whiteface Mountain. We wanted to drive up the Veterans Memorial Highway to the peak. Unfortunately, it was $25 per car to drive up. I thought that was too much money to go up there and find everything closed (not that there is that much up there to see other than the view). We turned around and left.

Right next to the entrance for Whiteface Mountain is Santa’s North Pole Workshop. We came up here twice with the kids when they were little. The workshop is still there with the post office that will send off a letter or postcard with the North Pole return address. The park was also closed.

We drove to Ausable Chasm, the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. It was beautiful. We spoke with the sales manager and got information on a walking tour, float trip, and lunch at the center. It will be a nice touch for the group. Up the hill right next to the chasm center is the Underground RR Museum. It is in a beautiful old stone building. It was closed but a woman stepped out of the building to speak with us. The cost to explore the museum is free and the place is very small. Guess we’ll have the group break up into smaller groups to tour the museum.

We also checked out two other campgrounds. The KOA seems like the best option at this point. It would have been nice to stay at the North Pole Hundred Acre Woods Campground but they don’t take groups of more than six rigs. Oh, pooh!

After we got back to the campground, we did the laundry.

25 Jun 2020 (Thu) – Well, we learned today why a scouting trip is so important. We left 1000 Islands CG and headed out to Ticonderoga, 170 miles away. The GPS in the truck tried to route us though Canada. It would have added 100 miles to our trip! Instead, we followed the route on my phone. The trip went through Adirondack Park. We saw mountains but the elevation never got much over 2,000’. The roads were narrow and winding and the driving was slow but we got here safe and sound. The scenery is beautiful with occasional glimpses of the lakes and rivers beside the road.

It turns out that this campground does not have enough campsites for our group – they are mostly for seasonal campers. Paul went through a list and found an alternative campground. In fact, he changed two campgrounds for one and we now have another stop on our itinerary.

After set up, we drove to Brookwood RV Resort and interviewed the owner for a possible stay there. They are a very popular campground and she suggested we get our reservations in ASAP. The only thing we don’t like is that we wouldn’t all be together. Everyone would be spread around the campground.

We drove down the road to another campground owned by the U.S. Forest Service but it was closed. We then drove into the town of Ticonderoga. The Star Trek Museum and Fort Ticonderoga were both closed due to the pandemic. We walked into a luncheonette across the street from the Star Trek Museum to see about a lunch for the group. Our group could go to the museum at 10, go to lunch at 11 (it’s a little early but that’s what they want), then take a tour of the fort. The other option is to wait on lunch until 2 pm, which is kind of late. I don’t like either option.

As we were driving around, we spotted an old stone chapel in a graveyard. We parked and went in to explore it. It reminded me of the Viking church on display in DisneyWorld.

24 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We drove over to Alexandria Bay this morning. We stopped at U.S. Boat Tours which I had emailed to ask about a tour of the Singer and Boldt Castles. We checked at the window to find out what time the shuttles and tours ran. After getting the times, we decided to have the group go to the Boldt Castle at 10 a.m., come back to town, wander the shops, and have lunch. At 2 p.m., we’ll have everyone come back and take the tour to the Singer Castle.

Afterward, we drove around the area, checking out different places. We also drove over to Wellesly Island and looked at the state parks and golf courses there. We also stopped by the ice cream shoppe in front of the campground to find out about an ice cream social. They sell 3-gallon containers of ice cream for $45. The lady suggested butter pecan as an older person’s favorite flavor.

23 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We packed up and left Stow at 9:15 a.m. The drive was easy but took almost 4 hours. When we arrived, the office was closed (we had checked in online), and a note on the door told campers to proceed to their assigned site. After set up, we left a message for the campground manager asking for a meeting.

We drove to Clayton where Main Street was under construction and closed to traffic. We had seen a delightful hotel with a restaurant years ago that boasted the original Thousand Islands dressing had been invented there. Unfortunately, the restaurant went out of business. We spoke with a manager at Bella’s. The restaurant was pleasant but she said they did not want to have a large group in to dine during their peak season. She preferred to cater a meal of assorted wraps, salads and desert and suggested we eat at the Antique Boating Museum.

We drove past both the Thousand Islands Museum and the Antique Boating Museum. They were both closed. I sent emails asking about admission and meals. This is becoming very frustrating. Many of the businesses that I have sent emails to have not answered.

When we got back to the campground, we met with the campground camp host. Whe was very chatty and gave us lots of information about the area. I have to follow up with an email so she can share it with the owner.

22 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to Seneca Falls today, noting the mileage to various areas along the way. Everything we wanted to see was closed. The National Women’s Hall of Fame, although the name was displayed on the front of the building on Main Street, is no longer there. A woman in the visitor center told us it was relocated to a mill across the bridge but the coronavirus had stopped the set-up and opening of the center in its new location. We drove over and saw that it will be 3 stories high and promises to be a good stop. There is also a National Women’s Rights Museum on Main Street and a couple of houses around Seneca Falls that people could tour if they wanted.

Waterloo, birthplace of Memorial Day, is next to Seneca Falls. There is an American Civil War Museum and memorial graveyard in town. I think it would be appropriate to include it in our itinerary but Paul thinks it is too much. If so, we will certainly have to suggest it as a stop on their own.

We stopped at Ventosa Vineyards to see about a group lunch after the Seneca Falls tour. There is a lovely deck area outside overlooking the lake. The woman we spoke with suggested we send an email to the catering manager.

We then stopped at Belhurst Castle. They have a very attractive stone room with an intimate setting for lunch that also looks out at the lake. The man we spoke with gave us a menu and suggested we coordinate with the catering manager. I sent emails out to both managers.

21 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bath at 9:50 a.m. It was only 95 miles to Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort in Macedon, near Rochester. We arrived about noon. The office was closed. Our registration packet was sitting on a table. As we were preparing to drive to our campsite, the owner pulled up and led us to our place. She was very friendly and gladly agreed to meet with us later.

After set up, we cased the campground while walking the dog (it was too hot to let Sheba out – 90 degrees!) then went to the office and sat down with Barb. She said they would give us 10 percent off for military discount. We were all sitting around the table with our masks on and it got very hot. I was sweating like crazy. I sure was glad when the meeting was over.

We drove into Rochester to the George Eastman Museum. It was closed. We then drove to The Strong Museum of Play. That was also closed. It is a very large museum and looks like it will be fun. We then drove to a restaurant recommended by Barb. It was too far from The Strong to have people walk to it so we will have lunch in the museum then explore the museum. There is a restaurant inside.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Wegmans Supermarket. What a huge store! It had to be the largest supermarket we’ve ever been in. And it was neat and clean and attractive. Everyone in the store was wearing a mask and the staff was actively wiping things down and making sure everything was sanitized.

20 Jun 2020 (Sat) – We drove to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum to meet the Administration Assistant and see the wine cellar where they host catered meals. It is a lovely room and we are sure the group would like it. We would probably have the tour of the museum first (there are 3 floors in the museum) then go to the bottom floor for a lunch.

After meeting with Nancy Wightman, we drove back to the KOA to meet with the Office Manager. We sat outside at a picnic table, all in our masks, and discussed what they could offer the caravan next year. Elaine is pregnant and will be out on maternity leave for a while. This could cause a problem with coordination but we will see how it shakes out.

While driving out and about, we stopped at a nearby fish hatchery. It was closed but they had an observation pool with three kinds of trout in it – brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. What is weird is that the brook trout is the only native species to the area, yet the hatchery doesn’t raise them – only the other two species.

We drove around to check out some other places. There is a VA Center and National Cemetery a couple of miles down the road. We rode around the cemetery looking at the gravestones. We also gathered information about other services in the area – RV dealers, hospital, clinic, vets, foodstore, etc.

We had a campfire tonight. There is nothing more intoxicating that the smell of a campfire.

19 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We packed up and left Chautauqua at 9:30. The weather was good and the drive was pleasant. We arrived at the Bath-Hammondsport KOA around noon. They had sent an email asking us to pre-register/check-in. I did that. When we arrived, Paul stayed in the truck while I went in. The clerk confirmed our information and gave us our map and paperwork. This is a lovely campground. We have been here before and am sure the caravan will enjoy the place.

We drove around town, trying to find a restaurant to have a welcome dinner in. The three restaurants we chose were all too small and two of them were still closed. The thirde, the Stone Timber Inn, does catering. We took the chef’s card and left. On the way back to the campground, we stopped at an American Legion post and took a look at their hall. We asked about renting the hall and the bartender gave us the rental agent’s phone number along with the commander’s number.

The campground is working hard to ensure people are having a good time, despite the spacing restriction from the coronavirus. They delivered a packet to make s’mores with. Folks were invited to make s’mores and post pictures on the facebook page. They also gave us free firewood. It made a delightful fire. They also had a cornhole contest where people who had the game in their rig wee encouraged to play and report their results.

18 Jun 2020 (Thu) – We went to the office at 9:30 a.m. to speak with the campground owner. The doors were locked. Some guy came out in to the hall, looked at us at the door then went back into his office. How rude! I then called the office and the owner answered. We sat at the table outside on the deck and interviewed the guy about the facilities and what he would do for the group. Satisfied, we told him we would send a check and wanted to leave him a book. He said he was in his office. When we told him the door was locked, he laughed and said he forgot to open it then stepped out and took the book.

We drove 20 minutes to the Grape Discovery Center to see what it looked like. It was closed. We parked and walked around, peeking in the windows. It looks like it would be a nice experience for our group next year, so we will include it in the itinerary.

We found a laundromat in a house (ah, country life). We put the clothes in the washer then drove to a Mazza’s Winery and had a flight of wines. Then we returned to the laundromat house and put the clothes in the dryer. We walked around the town of Mayville while our clothes tumbled.

After we collected the clothes, we drove to Jamestown to check out the Lucy-Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center. Unfortunately, they, too, were both closed because of the pandemic. This situation is going to make it hard to develop a budget for the caravan.

Paul located a WalMart and we did some food shopping. We are starting a diet and needed to pick up all the right kinds of foods. I just planned 4 days and the frig is chocked full. I will not be able to shop a week at a time, that’s for sure.

The check-in time for this campground is 6 p.m. (check-out is 5 p.m.). We’ve never seen such a late time for check-in. We asked if the owner would put that aside for us when our group comes next year.

17 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We left Marblehead, Ohio, at 8:20 a.m. It was a long drive today so we left early. The drive was over 4 hours and took us along the lakeshore of Lake Erie, through Pennsylvania and into New York. The campground looks like it was a KOA at one time. Our campsite is a pull through with a concrete surface. The campground is on Chautauqua Lake. The pool, the store, and all group centered places are closed due to the pandemic. You have to wear a mask in the office.

After set up, we drove into Mayville to meet with the operations manager of the Chautauqua Belle paddlewheeler. He was a young man who seemed to be coordinating a group tour for the first time. We went over is suggested schedule and agreed on an itinerary. He will draw up a contract and send it to us.

Then we drove down the road to the Chautauqua Institution. It is one of the stops on the itinerary Mike put together and we wanted to look at it. It’s not very clear why we should take a tour of the place. It seems like a private community with very lovely homes on the lake. The roads are very narrow and seem to wind aimlessly around the neighborhood. There is a beautiful old hotel where he suggested we have lunch. We wanted to get some information about the place but the visitor’s center was closed. I’ll have to send an email.

We drove to Jamestown and picked up food at Pet Smart. Then Paul drove up the other side of the lake to the center where the interstate crossed the lake. We got back to the campground at 5 p.m.

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katherinenoble · 7 years

Text

Hello!

I’ve skipped a couple weeks to last week – Abby has arrived and we’re in Texas. She flew into San Antonio (so did I- I flew with Southwest and there was a cracking crew they were a laugh and I actually enjoyed (!) a flight). We stayed in a really cute Airbnb and then headed out for some food – I had a burger and Abby a salad (!!!!). Guess who’s was nicer… I have got to say though I honestly have never eaten as many burgers in my LIFE as I have had in the US. I’m not even really a fan of them at home, it’s the brainwashing happening again! San Antonio has a really really cute riverwalk that tracks miles and miles of the river that runs right the way through the city. We started walking by the river for a while and then after 5 minutes realised we were MUCH too hot but had to keep going… FINALLY reached the point we were aiming for – lots of cute bridges and bars and LOADS of tourists and drank about 4 pints of water at a cute table by the river.

So next day we got a bus down to the missions a little further down the river (not due to the heat – this was actually very far!!!). San Antonio has a bunch of these missions which were set up by the Spanish to convert Native Americans into Catholics and change their name, practices, customs… It’s a bit uncomfortable, to be honest. The churches are still in great condition and a couple are even still used. We walked down the river to the second (literally learning nothing apparently…) and arrived a couple of sweaty messes. It’s very beautiful and reminded me a lot of European old churches. We bussed it back up to downtown and had a look around some more, grabbed some pizza and checked out the market. It was basically a Latino market with a singer, loads of stalls, lots of South American food and the kind of stuff for sale I’ve seen in Mexico etc.

Making it to civilisation along the river

Mission #1

Misson #2 (hiding her exhaustion)

Market

We ended our last day in San Antonio at this very very cool bar/restaurant on the river that was basically made up of two storage containers where you order food or beer and then a couple of sheets of corrugated iron that sort of gave it a bit of a roof and some framing. There were big swings overlooking the river and picnic benches and fairy lights everywhere. It was extremely popular and the food was incredibly good. A strong end.

The next stop: Austin! I’ve been excited about going to Austin for months and months- literally everyone I’ve spoken to about has said that it’s one of their favourite cities in the world. We stayed at a hostel that was right in the centre of downtown (the main bit!). Half a block away was 6th street – totally full of bars and restaurants that at night literally all have live music in. Also a weird thing about Austin is that there are food trucks absolutely everywhere selling all types of food. We got a burger and walked over the river and then through a lovely lovely park in the sun. It was a Sunday so everyone in Austin was walking their dog and goodness me Austin has some cute dogs. Abby seems to have realised she’s big into dogs so what with the sweatiness of us both and the need to point out every single dog in the park it took a large chunk of the day to eventually arrive at Barton Springs. It’s an area where everyone can swim/hire kayaks/paddle boards so it was very busy this hot Sunday afternoon. Abby and I found refuge in a nearby restaurant that sells purple ‘Ritas’ that contain Everclear – a spirit so strong it’s banned in a bunch of states — the place has a warning saying you’re only allowed 2..! We didn’t actually have one – I think we were worried we’ll fall asleep and not make it back to actually check into our hostel.

Anyway – we actually managed it and had a rest up before checking out some of the bars nearby. There really was live music in every single one- and it was a Sunday night..! Pretty cool.

Your favourite travellers ever so slightly glammed up

View from the park looking across to Downtown Austin

The heat was getting to us (ps go heels!)

What a poser

A place to swim!! But nothing to swim in…

Next day we had a tour of the Capitol – Austin is the capital of Texas so we had a tour around the building – it’s red! – and could see where the senators get together. After we walked (!) up to the campus for the University of Texas. It’s so beautiful. We snuck into the stadium too to have a look and wow it was large. Obviously UT orange has got nothing on Carolina blue but it was impressive all the same. We also had a look around the Lyndon Johnson library/museum which was genuinely super interesting. I didn’t know anything about LBJ really – except from what Dad has told me from his RIDICULOUSLY long books on the man – so it was a great exhibit to actually know what he did. He did seem like a particularly scary kind of man though. There was literally a place where you could take a photo with a cardboard cut out of LBJ being all intimidating. Although we LOVED Ladybird Johnson’s office and basically everything she wore.

The Capitol

Abby + LBJ (I)

The LBJ library – all the documents – they go on forever

Abby + LBJ (II)

Katie + LBJ

Texas Longhorns (go heels!)

That evening we went to the coolest cinema I have literally ever been to. You get a seat in these really comfy chairs and there’s a menu and you can order basically anything you want and they bring it out to you. I had a very strong g&t and Abby a milkshake – but we could have had cocktails, wine, WINGS, mac & cheese, salads, a whole variety of popcorn flavours – so much stuff! Even whilst the movie is on you can write down what you want and pop it up in front of you and someone comes along and takes it. We saw Wonder Woman which I really enjoyed (maybe it was the gin) but they do other theme nights – like the night before had been a Dirty Dancing SING-A-LONG NIGHT like literally they were doing themed drinks (watermelon obv) and encouraged everyone to sing along or speak along with it… Literally amazing.

We spent the next couple of days looking around Austin – walking about in ridiculously hot sun – seeing some really cool neighbourhoods- there was one street that was just a bunch of amazing bars that all looked like someone’s house and you sit in their garden! We also went with the hostel one night to Blues on the Green. It’s a free music festival held once a month during the summer in the evening. You can bring beer and sit on the grass. There were literally thousands and thousands of people there, it was amazing.

Exploring

Continued

Realising we’d taken a long sunny route

Oh dear

Found the ice tea and cupcakes though

Sunset rooftop pool

Austin at night

Next stop was a fleeting visit through Houston. Not a whole lot to report- we went to a lovely cocktail bar, stayed in a lovely hostel in a great area (literally a beautiful residential neighbourhood) and found my FAVOURITE supermarket in the US. I know that doesn’t sound all that exciting but honestly, supermarkets out here are literally appalling. They either have zero fresh anything and just sell cans or snacks or they are a fancy pancy vegan paleo gluten free extreme ridiculousness market that sells ONLY organic stuff at extortionate prices – so I was fairly excited by a regular supermarket where we could buy NORMAL THINGS! – including Marmite and Ribena, that I sadly resisted. Also our trip was my first Megabus experience in a while – I had taken a Megabus from DC back to Chapel Hill a while back and it was FULLY HORRIBLE but they made it up this time, just. Although I genuinely think Greyhound is way better… they get such a bad rep!

Obama wall

Sun setting in Houston

We flew out of Houston very early (VERY EARLY) the next morning to New Orleans. Another Southwest flight, which I love. We got to New Orleans at maybe 8:30am and took a couple of long buses into the centre – we were staying in a hostel in the French Quarter. The outskirts of New Orleans looked like literally every other town in the US – lots and lots of chains and big roads and not much else. But the French Quarter is beautiful – narrow streets and lots of lovely balconies and steel railings and music literally everywhere. We got breakfast in the Music Legends Park – there was a small square with a cafe and a live band – at 10am on a Saturday morning! We spent the day looking around the French Quarter- went to the French Market which sold things like alligator on a stick and catfish to voodoo dolls, jalapeno pineapple jam, gumbo and pecan praline – a New Orleans special which tastes like really sugary fudge with a bunch of pecans in.

That evening we headed out to Bourbon St, which is this fairly gross street with lots of bars on that always smells totally rank (all day every day apparently). We tried the New Orleans special – the hurricane which is made up of rum and its totally and utterly disgusting, it’s so sweet and tastes like maraschino cherries pureed and poured over half a bottle of rum before heading across the street to the DUELING PIANO BAR which I thoroughly enjoyed – 80’s hits and classics all requested songs that the pianists JUST KNEW how to play. It was pretty cool.

At this point Abby is going to write about what she thought of New Orleans which is super exciting (not just because it means I can write less teehee). I’m going to figure out how to make her bit look different HOLD ON HERE…….

So we arrived in New Orleans at about 8am after getting up to catch the flight from Houston at 4am, it was pretty early for us. After dropping off our bags we decided to wander a little, look about, and we stumbled across this really sweet little courtyard with a cafe, bar and outdoor tables. Despite being only about 10am at this point, there was a little jazz band playing – it felt very ‘New Orleans’.

After that our day generally consisted of the same, pottering about French quarter. New Orleans is so incredibly cool. We spend hours, tiredly walking about and still managed to love it. The little streets were full of art galleries, antique shops and bits and bobs and one street was even closed off so that artists could come set up shop and play in the afternoon.

The building and the streets are gorgeous, they all looked just as they did in the films and television, just how New Orleans should – we couldn’t take enough photos of balconies and hanging ferns. In Jackson Square we stumbled upon a great Jazz band bustling, complete with Tuba – the atmosphere was incredible!

The next day we got up for our walking tour. It was very hot, very humid, vaguely unmanageable but manage we did and we even got there early. This walking tour was great, our guide told us so much fascinating history like, for example, that due to the education provided to women by nuns in the city, in the 1830s, free women of colour made up the largest class which owned their own business! Our guide called the city one of the few matriarchal places in the country at that time as this education was provided for men so only the rich few could afford that, whereas the women thrived – it all sounds very exciting. Anyway, so we pottered about some more, learning about the different developments of architecture from the French and Spanish colonisers, it was a very interesting tour.

Later on, we had a look at the Hurricane exhibit in one of the main museums. It had a big section on Katrina of course, which was incredibly interesting but also obviously very sobering, I couldn’t get over the fact that it was so recent and had such an impact. There was a large section on how the communities came together to rebuild their homes and retain their culture, very moving.

Sticking to the tourist activities we headed to Cafe du Monde later on and got some beignets – tasty but far too much icing sugar! (Katie told me off for trying to brush some off). Also pottered along the river and saw the holocaust memorial which is basically a bunch of panels with some patterns on that all look different from different angles, representing different aspects of the Holocaust I believe.

Later still we headed to Frenchmen’s Street which is famous for live bands. We settled into one place after struggling to choose for a while (too much choice New Orleans!) and watched this great band do sort of synthy funk (I’m 100% guessing here), complete with keyboard and trumpet solos. It was very enjoyable, the band leader kept finished each song saying ‘yes indeed, yes indeed’ in a proper Louisiana accent which was great – I even had a little dance and we bought their CD. Everyone who we saw performing seemed to be from New Orleans which was very cool also, supporting local artists and such.

The next day we set off to the WWII Museum which is boasted best in New Orleans and 4th best in the country! It was a very impressive museum to be fair to them, the time flew by. Alongside all the in-depth exhibits which were particularly interesting as from a US perspective so not one we were so used to, they gave us each an interactive card which was our ‘dogtag’. With that we were linked up the story of one particular person and through the exhibits we could check in on machines to see where they were and what they were up to at the time – we could even keep the cards and look back on the website when we got home! Whole new level of museum if you ask me.

After that we pottered on to the Garden District which was basically founded I think by rich Europeans coming over after French Quarter was taken over by Americans after the independence. The Garden District has some of the most incredible houses I’ve ever seen, all verandas and balconies and such – entirely gorgeous.

Overall, I absolutely LOVED New Orleans. I think this may be because, in a sort of European way, it’s set up (at least in the Centre) so that everything’s near each other will just small streets between, unlike the usual massively spread out cities I’d seen in Texas. The atmosphere is so great, you can hear different live music about every 10 metres. Despite being a proper party city with people carrying about huge plastic cups and bowls of cocktails from about 11am, and smelling *questionable* to say the least in some areas, it wasn’t rowdy and unpleasant, it was really lovely to walk around. I think I’m a bit obsessed, I won’t lie to you, and this is even without being old enough to do the classic Saturday night drinking on Bourbon Street!

Bourbon St

Muffuletta – a New Orleans speciality – basically a VERY stuffed sandwich

Abby + beignet

Warehouse District

Garden District

Abby in the Garden (District)

Streetcar from Garden District to French Quarter!

Beignets!!

MEMPHIS! After another 4 hour train journey – less relaxing this time BUT we did discover there are FOOT RESTS you can pull up so it was intensely comfortable (I think we were just more bored) – we arrived into our penultimate city. The hostel we’re staying at is a church, sort of. It’s run by the church and we’re in the building next to it. But it seems really great so far – they leave out pancake mix for you to make your own pancakes in the morning and that’s a big win from me.

Today Abby and I explored Memphis. We went on a sweaty bus ride – it’s really not that hot but it’s still so humid, I was wearing jeans and unexpectedly warm… Our first stop was Sun Studio – the studio where Elvis was first recorded by Sam Phillips. It’s only about 3 rooms but they do tours and our tour guide was great- super informative and funny. I didn’t know a whole lot about Sun Studio or Elvis for that matter so it was really interesting. It’s also the place that Johnny Cash recorded for the first time and where Jerry Lee Lewis recorded Great Balls of Fire (which then Abby and I had stuck in our head for the rest of the day). They even had one microphone left which Elvis had used – one of the old school silver ones – it doesn’t work anymore though sadly, although the recording studio itself is still in use.

Before a quick Cuban lunch we popped into the Peabody Hotel. So back in March the Final Four for the basketball was held in Memphis and there was a video we all saw of Roy Williams, the head basketball coach at UNC, herding some ducks down a red carpet. It was pretty random at the time but apparently it’s almost a century-long tradition at the Peabody Hotel after a couple of ducks were taken from the hunt and put in the fountain in the middle of the hotel. Nowadays at 11am and 5pm the ducks are still marched down a red carpet… and they live in the water fountain during the day and go home to a nearby farm at night. It’s incredibly random. Anyway…

After lunch we walked down a (very quiet) Main St towards the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum is in the actual building that once was the Lorraine motel, where Martin Luther King Jr was killed. There were fascinating photos capturing the civil rights movements in the 60’s and then lots of amazing exhibits documenting African American history – from slavery to the Civil War, to Martin Luther King Jr to the African influences in American culture today. It was very sad but incredibly interesting – especially as they have set up the motel room where MLK stayed so it looks exactly how it looked when he died. It makes you realise just how recent all of this was – segregation was only ruled as unconstitutional in 1953 – but segregation continued across the south for a couple of decades after that.

As we left the museum the tropical storm arrived. I had my trusty UNC raincoat – Abby got wet. Teehee. We headed to the Bass Pro Pyramid, an utterly RIDICULOUS place – it’s basically a shopping centre for outdoors-y stuff, so, guns, fishing stuff, hunting stuff, clothing, BOATS. But the whole place has been turned into this weird themed place – there are stuffed animals everywhere and ponds and weird fake trees just about everywhere you look. Fake trees! You can even get in the weird neon lift and see the view from the top of the pyramid (we didn’t – it was really grim rain at this point!). We headed back to our hostel & went for some incredibly tasty pizza and watched a bit of the NBA draft – which I really didn’t understand at the beginning but now I have some strong thoughts on the Sacramento team.

Ducks in the Peabody hotel fountain!

Lorraine motel – how it looked when MLK was shot on that 2nd floor balcony

Soggy

Paradise……….

Our ‘historically hip’ neighbourhood

Anyway! This has been INCREDIBLY long, congratulations for making it until the end. I only have a week left in the US now. It’ll be lovely to get home but I’m going to miss it an awful lot.

Lots of love!

Katie (& Abby!) xxx

Texas to Louisiana to Mississippi to Tennesee (feat. Abby!) Hello! I've skipped a couple weeks to last week - Abby has arrived and we're in Texas.

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