Big changes

We are going to stay in Ann Arbor for some months with Kim and Chuck and the boys. Kim has accepted a new job as Professor of Clarinet at North Texas University which is located in Denton, Texas. She will begin her new duties at the beginning of the fall semester.

In the meantime they have many things to do, such as packing up this house, putting needed saved things in storage, fixing up the house to be put on the market, and helping with daily chores. Spring is always a busy time of year for a college professor, and so the extra help around the house is appreciated. Chuck is also very busy at work, and we will fill in where necessary. He is considering becoming a consultant. We hope that they will have the house ready to go on the market by early spring, and at that point we will leave Ann Arbor and return to Texas. Our motor home has been put in storage for the meantime.

This is quite a change for us, but we are glad to volunteer to help and will do so as long as necessary. We get started today to locate items for donation and start taking things to storage. A busy time for sure. Happy travels.

Christmas in Ann Arbor

Having grown up in Upper New York State, I am used to a white Christmas. After spending many years in the Southwest, I gradually accepted the idea that Christmas could be green or brown or any color other than white. This year we spent Christmas with Kim, Chuck and boys and thoroughly enjoyed another white holiday. The boys got quite excited about opening presents and had to be quietly calmed down but made excellent Santa's helpers. I think we helped out the economy this year as did our other kids. Everyone was way too generous. Of course, we managed to eat and eat well and ended up wearing the fat of the land. If I am not careful, I will have to get larger pants and soon. Best of all, we managed to talk with each of our kids' families and even brothers and sisters. A wonderful day for sure. Happy travels.

Max is a good traveler

Max has turned out to be an excellent traveler. At first he whined about being in the car but gradually got used to the traveling bit. At our first stop he loved playing with Harper, our great grand. He would bark, and Harper would laugh. It was quite funny.

Then in Connecticut he had to share the house with Phyllis and Pat's cat. That did not go too well, so we kept them separate. He was a good guest though and got invited back.

At Maurice and Anne's place he was able to run free outside until he started down the road. He came back when called and was on a leash when going outside after that. Speaking of going, he learned to get on with his business and quite quickly too, as snow and cold did not exactly agree with him.

At Mom's house he had the run of her house and loved it. Again he was a good visitor and looked after Mom very well. He quickly learned not to try to jump on her. He got invited back there, too.

Now in Ann Arbor he has a house to share with two other dogs, Violet and Rosie. They have decided to get along, and that is a good thing. At night these two go up to bedrooms with their boys Jonny and Christian, while Max shares a bedroom with us.

It tickled me that in motels he would turn to look at the door of the elevator when traveling up or down. Now how did he learn that? A good traveler for sure. Happy travels.

Neglectful

I think that title says it all. We have been very busy. We helped Mom with errands and managed to get her to get a cane for walking and a medi-alert necklace to use in case of a fall. She celebrated her 98th birthday with three kids and two spouses present. She will be spending Christmas with two other sons.

The day after her birthday we left for Ann Arbor, Michigan. We drove to Buffalo and then crossed into Ontario, Canada for a shorter drive to the Detroit area. In about 7-8 hours we drove into Kim's driveway for a warm welcome. Foxy's cold had gone into pneumonia, and I had the cold as well. Foxy got some medical treatment and is on the slow mend. I take meds and hope it doesn't get worse. In spite of our colds we are in the full helping mode, and this means last minute shopping, preparation of food, clean-up, and anything else. The grands want us to play cards or games, and we have done so in a limited away. Two boys are very excited about Christmas tomorrow. Whew. It is tiring but fun. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy healthy new year. Happy travels.

Syracuse, here we come

We left Maurice and Anne and traveled north to the Syracuse area where they have been having lots of snow. They had 55 inches on the ground when we arrived and have had 80 inches total this year. That is a great deal of snow especially to a Texan. We are currently visiting Mom who will be 98 tomorrow. Quite an accomplishment, I think. We have been visiting, eating too much, running errands, and playing cards, of course. We will stay here with her until the day after her birthday when we travel west to Ann Arbor to see Kimberly and Chuck and boys for Christmas. The weather may play a part in this plan but we will wait to see what unfolds. Happy travels.

A grand visit

We have been thoroughly enjoying our visit with Maurice and Anne. We have played cards each evening and wandered a bit during the day. On Friday we visited brother Gary and his wife Donna. They were busy taking care of four of their grands. Then we had lunch at an Italian restaurant and then home.

Yesterday we went to Owego and visited a museum that was featuring decorated Christmas trees and wreaths. You could bid on each and if you won the bid take the decorated item home in time for Christmas. They were very well-decorated, and although we did not bid on any tree, we did enjoy looking at the many many decorated trees. Then out for lunch this time to a different Italian restaurant and then on the way home stopped in Newark Valley to see their decorated wreaths. What fun. Last night we again played cards and then off to an early bed. Foxy has a cold and the rest of us are trying to avoid catching it, but I might be starting it.

We have decided to stay home today rather than expose others to Foxy's cold germs. It is a joy to watch Max and his Uncle Maurice play. I think Max would like to stay here forever. Happy travels.

Onward to New York State

We had a wonderful time with Phyllis and Pat and reluctantly left but needed to get on with our trip. This time Pat helped with directions, and we followed them with good success and shortly were in New York State in the Hudson River Valley. We drove interstates until we arrived in Owego and then turned north toward Newark Valley and Berkshire. The side door of my brother's garage was open and though they were not home, we started to unpack the car. Even before we were done, they arrived too from a lunch with other retired co-workers.

So it has been visiting and catching up ever since. After dinner we played Progressive Rummy, first eastern rules and then western rules. It was great fun and much laughing. The only concern has been the weather and outside temperature. By the time we went off to bed it was around zero. Sunday it is supposed to rain sleet and snow. Should be simply delightful. I think I need to get all weather tires for the car. Maybe today.

Max loves being out of the car and a chance to run around. Happy travels.

Connecticut

Yesterday we packed up and left our motel and headed north from New Jersey through New York. We skipped the city and crossed the Hudson River north of the city and then headed to the Merritt Parkway and east to Connecticut to visit with Phyllis and Pat. We love visiting these good friends and catching up on each others' lives. They may be moving further east to a newer home, if all of their plans come to fruition. We may get to see this house today and do a bit of shopping in the bargain.

Max has been a good house guest so far, although their cat is a bit freaked out. We have kept the animals separate so far. Weather here is in the twenties and maybe warming up to freezing. I can only hope it does not begin to snow as then travel would be difficult. Happy travels.

Wilmington and beyond

Our blog readers know that somehow we got from Atlanta to Wilmington. We had to see a grand and great grand. What a cutie he is! His mom Ashley looked just as cute when she was a wee one. When it was time to go, he raised his arms for more hugs and gave us the feeling that he did not want us or Max to go. Lovely! Ashley and Tom are doing a great job of raising Harper. At one point Harper showed us his bedroom and his play kitchen. He thoroughly enjoyed showing us his room. He was on the go the whole time we were there. Our visit was short but delightful.

This morning we got up early and hit the road heading north. We drove around Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, and Baltimore, not sad to miss driving through these congested cities. Tonight we are in a motel located to the east of Philadelphia. Tomorrow we hope to drive just north of New York City and then cross into Connecticut to see friends Phyllis and Pat. Happy travels, but watch out for snow. There was snow on the ground in North Carolina and in the air as we drove into New Jersey. Supposedly there will be snow showers tonight.

Visit to Wilmington, December 2010

What could ever be better at this time of the year than to see grandchildren and even GREAT grandchildren? Nothing, we decided, and so we decided to travel a bit out of the path to Wilmington, NC, to see Ashley, Tom, and Harper. Although Tom was scheduled at JC Penney's during the weekend sale, we did go by to see him, too, and he even baked us a pie! Thanks, Tom! The rest of the visit was spent visiting with Ashley and just enjoying watching and playing with Harper, as you can see from the pictures. He is a delightful, happy, toddler at one and a half, curious and busy. They had just put up a Christmas tree yesterday, and he was fascinated by all of the ornaments. He was also delighted to play with Max, who thought Harper was his new best friend. Harper would "talk" to Max, causing Max to bark, which made Harper laugh. Max, thoroughly enjoying this new source of attention, would then bark each time he laughed. Aaaahhhhhh... the joys of traveling with a pet are without number! After a delicious dinner at the Olive Garden, Ashley's choice, and a wonderful dessert of apple pie, we thought it was best to leave so Ashley could put Harper to bed, albeit, a bit later than usual. It was a wonderful visit, and we are so happy to have seen them! Merry Christmas, Grands! And Happy Travels to all!

Visit to Wilmington, December 2010

Travel day two

I know that I have trouble with time and time zones, but today I did it again. I got us going after looking at the clock in the room, and in no time we were packed up and ready to hit the road. However, the time in the car was an hour earlier than we thought, since apparently the clock in the room had not been adjusted from daylight savings time. Anyway we got an early start which was good, since we knew that we would lose an hour when we arrived in the Eastern Time Zone.

This morning we left Louisiana and entered Mississippi and then Alabama, and finally Georgia. Tonight we have stopped in a suburb of Atlanta. It was fun to revisit places where we have traveled before. As we passed Sharpsburg, we enjoyed thinking of the times when Chris and Traci lived there.

Max has turned out to be a good traveler. He only has about half of the seat in the back of the car and tends to snooze a lot. He seems to have the hang of motel rooms and so far has been a good boy. We take time to walk around the motel several times to give him a break after being cooped up all day in the car. Tonight we have made four circuits around the motel and may get in two or more before bedtime. Happy travels.

On our way again

We finally learned that we could park the coach in storage at Rio Robles and so quickly started the packing process for the rest of the day. We then met Dave and Lois for dinner and headed back for an early to bed.

I got up at my usual early time, but this time got Foxy going too, and by eight we had parked the coach in storage, put Max in the back seat, and we were on the road. We headed east on I 10 through San Antonio to Houston and onward to Baton Rouge. We stopped for the night in Hammond, and Max finally got to have a longer walk and the freedom of our motel room, which is considerably more room than he had all day.

We went to Applebee's for dinner and were served by a delightful young lady who does not want to be a waitress her whole life and is completing her senior year of college, majoring in criminal justice, and then on to law school. We encouraged her to stay in school and to get that law degree. On the way out of the restaurant we visited briefly with the hostess and asked her if she might be French. She proudly admitted she was 100% French and wanted to know how we guessed. We admitted that she typified a young French woman who was petite in feature, and being our reserved usual selves, had to ask ,of course. The resulting conversation by Foxy included, " Tre bien" and "Enchante!" We left laughing, and the hostess was left with a smile, as well. Such a lovely evening. Great fun! Now home to bath in a tub, which we can not do in our motor home, and maybe a bit of reading and then to bed. Happy travels.

Goodby to friends

Yesterday late in the afternoon we drove over to Guadalupe RV to bid goodbye to Gordon and Diana. This was their last day there as they head to the Texas coast for some good free time to really relax and enjoy life without work camping. They have been worked quite hard as the park went through many personnel changes. Both were feeling the relief and looking forward to several months of rest at Port Aranasas, Pioneer RV Park. We may try to visit with them when we return from our trip up north this month.

We also visited with Gloria and Roy and Laura, other work campers at Guadalupe. You can sure make great friends by work camping. You get to meet many very nice people and then keep in touch with them as you wander about.

Today we are having lunch with Connie and Bill, former work campers that we wish to bid goodbye to before we head north. Once they retired from work camping, they bought a home about half way from Kerrville to Fredericksburg and have been fixing it up ever since. It will be great to see them and also see what their new deck looks like. Happy travels.