Looking For A Lull

With Chappy still at the dealer and the new campground not opening for another week there is nothing much to do on the camping front except plan out the things that still need to be done before we leave, places to stop on the way, what to do when we get there, and where to go on the way back. We want the trip to be open to spontaneous activities and that notion in itself does not necessarily have to clash with my need to plan and make lists.  There is nothing wrong with listing out possible activities and even scheduling a few that require prior notice, but with only those few exceptions do we actually write anything in the calendar.  We do however work from our list. It works like this: We compile a list of activities, places to visit, and places to eat. During the course of the trip we add more items to the list as well, sometimes forsaking what we set out to do in the morning to explore one of the new ideas on the list instead.  The list also includes some activi...

We found a local campground for Chappy!  We are excited about having a place for him to sit during the summer months that we can go when we aren't on the road with him.  The campground caters mostly to families with young children as it has a small lake where there are slides and inflatables, batting cages, a goat petting zoo, and things of that nature, our kids even went there years ago for a homeschool event, but it also checks off all the items on my list. It's only 15 minutes from the house!  I wasn't really expecting to find somewhere that close. They like puppies.  (They say only two in the rules but said they would make an exception because Sara is so old she will rarely leave the camper.) It's a corner lot.  A bit larger than the other lots they had available, and easier to get in and out.  It's not a pull through but if you are going to back in regularly it's close to perfect. The cell service (Without the WeBoost) is strong enough for me to...

The South Dakota trip is coming up soon and I can't wait.  I just booked a stay for the trip out at a KOA in Minnesota and I'm still trying to decide what we will do on the way back.  I like to plan the travel down pretty tight and leave the meat of the vacation pretty flexible as it tends to fill an itinerary on it's own with little to no help once we get there. Chappy is already at the dealership getting ready for the trip, Karen is already debating what to wear, and I have my sights set on enjoying some time with my bud Big Joe that I don't get to see as often as I'd like. Close to home we have a line on a few local campgrounds to keep Chappy at and have been touring them and working out what is best for us. We've got some work around the house that needs to be done before we leave and some planning for work when we get back.  There are also a few woodworking projects that I need to get started/finished soon so it really is not too hard to stay busy.  We...

Karen and I have decided that we are going to try to find a spot for Chappy to stay where we can visit on the weekends we don't have anything planned.  We like the idea of having our driveway back and we did enjoy going out to our old campground and spending Friday and Saturday nights.  Our old campground is still there, and it is inexpensive, but we really want to try something new, something closer maybe, and something a little easier to get in an out. Our main list of things we are looking for in a convenience campground: Not too far away.  Who wants to drive for an hour after work on Friday nights? Easy in and out.  We really enjoy our mobility.  If we want to pick up and go to Michigan for a week at the spur of the moment, I want to be able to get the camper our without any hassle and park it back easily when I return. Dog friendly.  Sara, Rocky, and the Donk are important to us and they deserve to be comfortable too. Decent internet.  If...

When I first started working from home a number of years back it wasn't long until I realized I hadn't left the house for a couple weeks.  It was easy to do really.  It was winter, it was warm inside, and I had pretty much everything I needed.  Eventually it became clear to me that I needed to force myself to leave the house so that I didn't move to a level of crazy other than the one in which I normally live. After very little discussion with Karen we decided to make Sunday brunch a 'thing'. We scouted around to a number of venues eventually finding one we absolutely loved.  This place is great!  (See my plug below!)  The brunch menu includes prime rib among many other awesome choices and they have what I consider a key feature:  99 cent Bloody Marys! Holy cow!  I was sold. We've been doing Sunday brunch for a few years now at our favorite spot, sometimes with friends or family, and my Sunday Mary's are cemented in my weekly plans. When w...

During our Florida/Georgia trip having the Donk with us was really special.  I felt a little bad because we couldn't take her with us on all of our adventures and she had to stay back guarding Chappy, so I figured I would do a little more planning for this next trip and find some Donk friendly places that we might be able to visit in South Dakota. That is where I found this website .  A great place to get some suggestions of places to go with your puppy and really useful for those that are visiting a particular area and looking for Dog friendly places and things to do. Now, Donk being a rather large puppy, probably won't be gracing the halls of any museums or stores while we are in South Dakota, but I did find a number of trails we can hike, a place where we can take her to catch rainbow trout for dinner, and that she could ride with us through Bear Country USA, although that last one may damage her self esteem (seeing cats that are bigger than you!). We will definitely ...

I just have to say that one of the most handy things in the slew of things we have gotten for the camper is this hose. It is so much easier to handle than the standard hoses!  I can quickly roll it out or pack it up like a rope and it fits neatly in a small plastic bin.  The standard "garden style" hoses are so rigid and they don't stow neatly without a decent amount of effort.  These things are definitely worth the extra money.  if you  get one  you will not be disappointed.  I know it sounds like I'm selling the stupid thing, that is definitely not the case.  I just get really excited about things that make life easier.

Being back at home base after a trip and sliding into that same old routine is a bit depressing, but it helps to get your mind off of it by starting to plan your next trip.  With Florida/Georgia done we are beginning to plan for South Dakota and it will come up quick so I haven't wasted any time and I called to set up an appointment to drop off the trailer for a quick workup.  I also have to get the Oil changed on Delilah and possibly think about getting some new tires although I'd rather wait on that until mid/late summer. The campground for the majority or our trip is already booked, I'm still looking at stays for the trip there and back since we probably won't want to do it all in one day.  I've given some thought to maybe dry camping but I'll have to make that decision pretty quick in case we do decide to try and book a site. Too Far for one day... There are a few other things I need to do to Chappy before we hit the road again (We finally gave the ...

OMG, Ohio hates me.

It's always sad coming home from a trip.  I'd like to pick up and leave one day and stay tripping my way around until I'm too old to stop, but that is not in the cards or at least not yet.  On our last day out, we left the campground in Tennessee around 6:00 AM and hit the road for the final 8 hour drive home.  One thing that I noticed were the roads.  The closer we got to home the worse the roads became.  Winter weather really wreaks havoc on pavement.  That being said there is no excuse for what you have going on Cincinnati.  Yeah, I'm calling you out.  I thought I lost the trailer in a pothole at one point.  My back still hurts from the torture of riding through there. It also began to rain the closer we got to home.  That coupled with the grey sky only contributed more to my melancholy feeling at returning.  Oh well, it was a great time and we have only a little way to go before the next road trip! I'll be calling the dealer...

Thursday was our final day in Florida before we began our trek back to Ohio.  I spent the day working and took my lunch outside sitting with Jackie when she stopped by to visit us in the afternoon.  After work was over we set out to go pick up Grandma Janet before  heading over to Lori and Mike's for dinner. It was Meghan's birthday (17 wow!) and Mike's parents were over as well.  It was great to meet them and nice to have a relaxing celebration. Pizza, Salad, and Garlic knots from a local joint.  It was yummy!  Birthday cake followed dinner for desert and we had fun just spending time talking and enjoying everyone.  Before long it was time to take Grandma home and head back to camp to get some sleep before the long drive home. We had taken the time to pack up most of the stuff from outside except things like the water hose, electric, and of course the stinky slinky so in the morning there wasn't much to do before heading out.  On the ro...

On Wednesday I worked all day again.  That Weboost still is holding strong, even with heavier winds blowing around stuff today.  Luke told me earlier in the week he wanted to go out on the boat for a sunset cruise and we of course were excited about that prospect.  He came and picked us up in the boat and we headed out into the gulf and over to a neat little seafood restaurant.  Karen and I shared a basket of clams that were excellent. The ride back was beautiful as well.  A bit cold with the wind biting at you and occasional spray of water soaking your clothes.  It was such a great time.  I really can't explain so I'll let some pictures speak for me. The Clan -1 out for dinner View from the restaurant Some of the best fried clams I've had The sun is setting, will we make it back before dark? Heading out to the gulf wow Wow...Again ...We didn't make it back before it was totally dark, which made it that ...

I spent the day working from the trailer.  Not a glitch with the internet all day and it was a pretty busy day.  It's nice to be able to walk along the river during lunch or have the option to take the laptop outside and enjoy the warm weather! We met up with Jackie for dinner at a Polish restaurant called Krachovia over in Spring Hill, about 10 minutes from the campground.  The food was good, a little pricey for what it was, and the deserts were not something I'd order again if I went back.  My cheese cake was more like cake than cheese.  Jackie at Krachovia Business suit After dinner we came back and I started a fire and spent a couple hours relaxing and soaking up the heat. Cutout Fire pit Other side

Sunday was a relaxation day.  We went to the store and then hung out with Grandma for a while, sitting on the porch while letting the Donk play in the yard. I picked up a couple of tall skinny reflectors, drilled some holes in the stumps and put the reflectors in them so they can be seen easier at night.  Don't want anyone else driving over them.  I'd love to do more than that, but I don't have any tools with me for breaking up stumps. Later we came back to the campground and tested out the new Weboost cell signal booster to make sure it was going to work for me when I worked on Tuesday.  That thing is pretty solid!  I went from no signal to 4 bars and streaming netflix after it was set up.  I was a little worried it would blow down because it was pretty windy, but those mounts stick really well. Inside Antenna Inside powered booster Outside antenna on the pole On Monday Karen and I went shopping.  There are two western stores that we...

We went to visit Grandma this morning and took her out for Brunch at the Florida Cracker Kitchen.  Neat place!  I'm told that it is owned by the same people that own the Campground we are staying at although it is over in Brooksville.  I'm not sure if that is true or not.  The food was awesome and the company was even better. Brunch Bloody Mary Mmmm After brunch we dropped Grandma off back at home where Jackie would pick her up later to go to Luke's while we ran back to the campground to let the Donk out for a while and rest up before the get together. Luke texted me after a while and said he'd come pick us up with his boat and bring us over.  Door to door Florida river taxi!  Awesome. Luke's house and boat as seen from the Campground Dock The food at Luke's was spectacular.  Fresh shrimp and sausages, awesome salads and PEANUT BUTTER PIE.  OMG, that is my favorite. Winding down on my Third Plate! Later in the evening Jac...

We finally made it down to Florida.  The sun is shining and it is not terribly humid, a little on the chilly side in the evening, but much better than it is back home. The campground we are staying at is called Mary's Fish Camp and it came recommended to us by my Cousin Luke.  Luke and his family live almost directly across the river from here and I could probably hit his house with a rock if I were inclined to throw things that may damage other peoples things. That is Delilah and our trailer in the center of the frame We   decided we would relax a little after the long drive and take the Donk exploring around the campground so she can stretch her legs after another long day of driving.  It's a neat little place that is for sure. On our walking around we found this little head carved out of a tree sitting on the edge of a field.  The Donk wasn't having anything to do with that guy.  She'd run away from it and bark.  She's such a goof....

I decided to write about these days all as one entry because I spent some of this time in Atlanta for work while Karen and the Donk stayed at the campground. My time was spent in meetings, seeing colleagues, and learning a little about our new company while Karen spent her time doing classwork and working on her puzzle. Karen's completed puzzle Karen picked up this cool puzzle depicting the 20th Maine on little round top mountain at the battle of Gettysburg on our trip last fall.  You may notice that there were a couple of missing pieces that we later found had fallen between the cushions at the dining table in the trailer. After I got back from Atlanta we had a little time to rest up before we got things around to leave early in the morning on Friday.  We drove around Cartersville area a little and found a neat little southern food Buffet to eat dinner at. Home Cooking Buffet! We woke up pretty early on Friday to leave for Florida.  We wanted to make sure...