Cabin vs Camper

Since Ken and I first started camping at age 18, the summer we got married, we have loved being in the mountains. For several years we did primitive camping in the Allegheny Mountains near Marienville, PA. Most of the time back then, Ken’s sister, Barb and her husband, Ed, went with us. It was Ed who introduced us to this area, being familiar with it from hunting.

On one of our first camping trips the four of us went for a hike down a dirt road.  We enjoyed the quiet solitude, the beautiful trees, the lush greenness of the area, and an occasional cabin hidden in the woods. After walking a good distance, we came upon one camp that looked as if no one had used it for a while. In the front yard was an old wooden picnic table. One by one we sat down on the table to rest. I was the last to sit down. At that time, I was rather thin, weighing about 103 pounds. But for some unknown reason, when I plopped my then skinny butt down on the bench, the table decided to break. All these years I have held the responsibility of breaking some camper’s table. And no, we didn’t leave a note telling them who did it! We took off.

But from that day on, Ken and I have talked about owning a cabin in the mountains and retiring to it. We pictured ourselves living there year round with wood stacked on a front porch near the door to keep us warm in the winter. We pictured watching out our window while deer came to a salt lick that we would provide. We envisioned the family coming in the summer and staying for extended weekend vacations or using the cabin when we were not, if we bought one before we retired.

We would have two sources of heat to make sure we were warm. During the summer, we would chop and split wood and stockpile it to get us through the winter. We would have propane or electric heat available as a backup. We would have phone service and once the internet came about, we added that to the list of must-haves. We prefer to have running water inside with a bathroom. An outhouse wouldn’t be as bad in the summer but I can’t imagine trudging through the snow on a cold winter night to take care of nature’s calling.

The cabin wouldn’t have to be big. It would need at least one bedroom, a living room with enough space to have a pull out couch, maybe somewhere for bunk beds for the grandkids.  The kitchen and living room could be one big room as long as there was space for a table and chairs and some countertops. A shed would be nice for storage of tools and things. The driveway needn’t be paved, gravel would be fine.

As for location- woods, woods, woods. A creek or lake nearby would make it ideal but is not a must. I would love to sit outside the cabin and hear the trickle of water as it spilled over the rocks in the bed of a creek. There was one cabin in the Allegheny’s that I told Ken I wanted when we retired. It was built above a creek, and the setting was absolutely beautiful.  It was obvious that it was built to take full advantage of the view of the creek and to watch the water tumbling over rocks right in front of the cabin.  If I remember correctly one would have to cross over the creek to get to the cabin built on the side of a hill. The cabin was surrounded by trees, lots of pines for sure.

All of these wonderful dreams have not completely faded away but in recent years we have been camping in the luxury of a fully equipped trailer.  To pursue our older goal would rob us of our current idea of traveling the country, living in campgrounds along the way, and visiting places we have wanted to explore. Currently we long to be full-time RVers. We volunteered as camp hosts at Mosquito Lake State Park Campgrounds to gain experience to take with us along the way. Our plan is (was?) to take our home on wheels wherever we want to go, find a campground we like, and do volunteer work there to pay for our stay. Some places require a longer commitment while others do not. Depending on the weather, we could be in whatever part of the country we chose, living as Ken puts it, “homeless and trailer trash.” 

Another option we have been exploring it is to keep our camper at Leisure Lake the entire year and to purchase another camper in a campground where the winters are warm and the campground is open year round. We could travel between the two “homes” as we chose. To follow through on this idea would eliminate the dream of seeing the country and would keep us in two places throughout the year. 

Following one’s dreams is not always an easy choice. All three ideas appeal to me. On any given day, one or the other idea is more attractive, depending on my mood. I think I could be happy in any of these scenarios as long as I can be out in the woods, near water, or watching the animals and creatures in their natural habitats.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy your family, the great food, and all the festivities of the season.

I will enjoy watching my grandchildren's excitement on Christmas Eve while they wait to see if Santa shows up and wonder what he might bring. Watching them pass out the gifts they have chosen for everyone is also a lot of fun.

We have the family at our house on Christmas Eve for dinner, then we do our gift exchange. We'll visit the grandchildren on Christmas Day at their house.

Whatever you do for this holiday, enjoy!

To Give or Receive?

We are trying something different in our writing group. We will take turns coming up with a "prompt" for our group to write about. When I came home and told Ken I had the first prompt he gave me a suggestion which I thought was really good.

He said, "Ask the group to write about when (if) they realized it was better to give than receive."

Over the next few days, I tried to formulate how I would write about that topic. It was interesting but I couldn't pinpoint any particular time when I actually realized I enjoyed giving more than receiving.

Memories came back to me of shopping at Christmastime as a child. While in gradeschool my sister, Bobbie, and my two brothers, Wes and Jeff, and I would usually shop at G.C. Murphy Store for our gifts. We would each have a dollar or two to spend. At that time, there were five children in our family, our parents, and two sets of grandparents. Our younger brother, Tom, was too young to shop then.

We would pool our money together to buy gifts and would put more than one name on the tag in the "From" section. We must have been good at mathematics because we made those couple dollars go a long way.

Coloring books could be had for 5-10 cents each, puzzles were not too expensive, and our parents and grandparents got some wonderful ashtrays and Christmas ornaments over the years.

One particular Christmas, Wes, Jeff and I found that "perfect gift" for Bobbie. It cost more than we usually spent on one gift but we all agreed it was so nice we had to get it for her. Somehow we came up with the two to three dollars this beautiful ring with the yellow/gold stone cost. We were so excited to see her reaction when she opened it. I'm sure somewhere in the depths of her jewelry box today this ring would still HAVE to be there!

I'm not sure but I think this was the same year that I ran out of money. I had only one more gift to buy and it was for my mother. How could I not have a gift for my mother? It was unthinkable. Of all people, you HAVE to have a gift for your mom.

I agonized over this and worried what she would think. I didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her think I had forgotten about her. So I wrote a card for her and put it under the tree. I explained that I had no more money to buy something for her. I wrote something to this affect, "When you read this, I have a kiss for you. I love you Mom."

I still remember her getting up and coming over to me to collect that kiss. She reassured me that my gift was perfect.

Kudos, or Boos? Tears or Smiles?

I got an email Friday morning from my daughter, Karin, telling me that Aaron made it to the final round of the spelling bee for fourth grade. Friday would be the last round before he could win. He had his heart set on winning and was determined not to let one particular student win over him.

"If he wins, I get to go watch him in the school spelling bee," she wrote.

Friday morning he told her he wished he could call her to tell her what happened, but they all knew the results would have to wait until after school.

I called their house around 4 pm to see how he had done and to congratulate him on getting so far in the bee and hopefully for winning it. The boys had already gone to their Grandma Jackie's house and no on answered. I would have to wait to see what happened.

A while later I got a call from Karin who seemed distressed. "Aaron didn't win," she said. "He wanted it so bad. Some of the kids in his class asked the teacher if they could give their place to Aaron if he misspelled a word before them. She explained that wasn't allowed. Another classmate, Nick, said if it was between him and Aaron he would spell the word wrong so Aaron could win."

It sounds to me like Aaron had a lot of friends rooting for him.

"He made it to the final three. Guess who won?" Karin asked.

"The student he wanted to beat the most?" I guessed.

Wrong answer. "Nick?" I tried again.

"No. Worse than that. Andrew beat Aaron out," Karin said with a heavy heart.

"Andrew? I didn't know he was still in the final round," I exclaimed with a smile on my face.

"Me either," Karin replied, "but somehow he was still in for his class."

"Wow that's great!" I said. I was so proud of both of my grandsons and one of them had won.

"No it's not Mom! Aaron said he felt worthless and was so disappointed."

How does a mom handle a situation like this? One son wants something so bad and the other son, his twin brother,  takes it away from him. Should she cheer for Andrew or have heartbreak for Aaron? I think she felt both but didn't know how to show either emotion without hurting one of her sons.

Being a mom, a diplomat, a cheerleader, and a shoulder to cry on all at once is a big responsibility.

Congrats to both Aaron and Andrew for going so far in the spelling bee. Karin will get to watch the school spelling bee but without Aaron in it.

Treasures in these Walls

Recently I was cleaning up the storage area of our attic. I moved all the Christmas decorations which take up most of one side of the storage area into the big area of our attic. While sweeping and scrubbing the floor I paid more attention to where the floorboards do not meet the outside wall of our house. I wondered if anything could have or did fall into that space.

So downstairs I go to get a flashlight so I can do some investigating. Walla! I found great treasures....plastic eggs from Easter egg hunts, straw from Easter baskets, and lots of dust. But then my eye caught an area that appeared to have a piece of paper down there. I shined that light right on it and couldn't believe my eyes. There was an envelope sitting in there. Wonder why I never saw it before? Oh yea, all those boxes of decorations and wrapping paper were blocking it. So down on my hands and knees I go to retrieve this mysterious envelope. I wonder if it was here when we bought the house? I wonder whose letter it is?

When I pulled it  out of the space, there was not only the envelope but also another letter behind it. Oh boy, this is going to be interesting.

I checked the address on the envelope along with the post date. All of a sudden lights came on in my head. The envelope was addressed to the parents of  "........" and the post date was 1990. The return address was our local junior high school.  The letter inside along with the letter found behind the envelope were both reports to parents on the actions of a child.

I laughed out loud when I realized it took 20 years for this letter to come to light. After Ken came home, we took it across the street to our son's house.

After greeting him and Marissa, Ken pulled it out of his pocket and I announced, "You're grounded!"

Kenny laughed and said, "That's why you never got it. What good would it have done? I would have just been grounded and I would still end up where I am now."

And where he ended up is fine with me. He is a good and smart adult, responsible and dependable.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have done some things differently.

Now, I wonder what else is stuffed in the walls of that old house?

For these things I give thanks to Thee….

My salvation, the greatest gift that could possibly be given. My Father in Heaven sacrificed His son for my sins. I cannot fathom doing that.

My husband, Ken- My best friend for over 40 years. The person I know I can lean on, depend on, and who I know always has my back. His sense of responsibility is great as is his honesty. His morals are above reproach. He is an answer to my long ago prayers.

My children, Karin and Kenny- who are responsible, self-reliant adults who have sensitivity to others with a caring nature. Both know right from wrong. Their spouses are a welcome addition to our family. Seeing my children happy makes me happy.

My grandchildren, the A-Team: 

Aaron with his crooked little smile when you compliment him, his artistic talents and great writing ability.

Andrew whose sweetness and smoothness rolls like warm caramel over ice cream.

Austin with his great wisdom and curiosity, so concerned with others’ feelings, yet so hard on himself to be perfect. 

Old friends – in the past year several old friends have come back into my life unexpectedly bringing great joy. Friends of a life time, some you see often, some you seldom see or talk to. But a friend is someone you can pick up with immediately when you see them or talk to them. It is like you never lost contact.

New friends - made this past year, mostly at the campground. There are so many types of people in this world and each one of us has something interesting about us. I’m thankful for the opportunities I have to make new friends.

Davis Center Writing group – Our co-ordinator, Karen Shubert, has the ability to bring out our good points and to gently nudge us in the areas where we need more work. The group is friendly, fun and most of all talented. I marvel at what each person puts down in words and how those words affect me.

My job – It helps to provide for my existence. It is not who I am but where I work. I enjoy what I do, my co-workers, and my boss. Not a career, a job.

Acceptance – something I have been working on in my personal life. To be able to accept each person, no matter what they look like, how they act, where they live, work, or socialize. Each person is different and each person has unique qualities. Acceptance of oneself is probably the hardest.

Home –

My summer home in the camper where I am most content, at peace and enjoying God’s creations around me.

My permanent home built nearly 100 years ago, still standing strong, where memories were made not only by my family but those who lived here before me. Its walls have provided me a safe haven, a warm shelter, and a place to call home.

Answered prayers – In the last several months many of my prayers have been answered. I am seeing results that I know I did not produce.

My list could go on and on but I will stop. It feels good to take the time to list some of the things that are good in my life. Oftentimes I pay more attention to negative things and don’t see all the good that is really happening.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

May you have many things for which to give thanks.

Cooking

Now that we are home I have been doing more cooking. When we are camping many of our dinners are prepared over the fire or on the grill. I do not touch a grill ever! Never! It was really ugly the one time I tried.

When camping, Ken gets the privilege of cooking as often as he likes. I say that truthfully. When Ken cooks, he enjoys it and puts his heart into it.

When I cook, I expect applause-which doesn't come often!! I can't figure out why. Hmmmm.

Here is a picture of a burger that Ken made for me on Sunday when I gave him the opportunity to cook. It was one of the best I have ever eaten. Restaurant quality for sure.

Son's cruise to Bermuda

I’m not enjoying your cruise

Not at all

I’m ready to hit the booze

Hoping that you’ll call.

My stomach is in knots

My mind isn’t clear

I see the storm brewing

And I live in fear.

Where are you?

Your ship I can’t track.

The storm is getting bolder

I can’t wait until your back.

Are you on the island in the sun

Enjoying the sites and having fun?

While I sit here in terror

Wondering where oh where?

You’re home, sweet home.

My held breath I let go

You had a great time

Even with the ebb and flow.

Old Friends, New Campground

We got a call from friends of ours from Mosquito Lake Campgrounds. Stella and Bob met us at Lesiure Lake Campgrounds Sunday afternoon and we gave them the grand tour. We couldn't do the proper tour in the golf cart where you can get up close and personal but we did show them around in our car. I think they were impressed at all the facilites available to us.

It was so nice to spend the afternoon with them reminiscing. We are looking forward to them visiting us next summer when the campground is in full swing and more than likely we will visit them at Mosquito Lake Campgrounds and enjoy some good times around a campfire. I'll have to bring Clayton so he can see his girlfriend, Roxie.

Pond or Swimming Pool?

We now have a swimming hole behind our camper. The pond that was created when the water line broke has been improved. We now have a deep pool.

The water line that was leaking has been fixed. The water was turned off and the man who dug the trench for our sewer line (you remember, the one who broke the water line and cut an electric line while digging because no one knew they were there) came back and fixed the water line again. I can't believe it but he dug it up with just a shovel. That trench is deep where he laid that pipe. The ground was so wet from the water leak and the dirt had to be heavy. But it was done when we went back on Sunday afternoon.

The hole is petty deep. Deep enough that I think I am going to have a diving board installed next year. And the hole (pool) is going to be there until next year when they turn the water on because they want to make sure the water line is really fixed this time before covering it up. So for now, we have a swimming hole with no water. But if that water line still leaks, we will have a real pool.

Check out our solar cover!

Work Weekend, More Sleep? and TV's

 We went back to the campground Saturday to help with Work Weekend. The water was being shut off and several people pitched in to help, turning on and off the faucets at every campsite and letting the water drain. Then a compressor was used to blow out the water to be ready for winter. Ken helped close up one of the comfort stations and the two hamlets.

I helped in the clubhouse taking down the Halloween decorations. Lunch was served to those who worked. We enjoyed some really good sloppy joes, chips and fruit. Thanks to all those who prepared the meal. (I stayed away from the kitchen!)

After we finished helping we went back to our camp to re-pile the wood (see the previous post).

It was such a beautiful and warm day that I wished we could spend the rest of the weekend there. I would have enjoyed an evening fire, some visits with neighbors (who probably are still laughing after watching us move that wood pile again), and a hot dog over the fire. But we had no food there and we also had the Dish satelite man coming to our house Sunday morning to set up our t.v.

Ken and I were exhausted Saturday night (can't imagine why?) and we were glad this was the weekend we got an extra hour of sleep because we turned our clocks back. We went to bed early Saturday night, both needing a full night's sleep after some restless ones during the work week.

Much to my dismay, Ken awoke me around 1 a.m. to tell me, "We have to go back to the campground. We should go right now. We left the t.v. there and the Dish man is coming early tomorrow morning."

I told him that we needed and could get some more sleep before having to go out and get the t.v. He said he probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep because he was so upset we forgot to bring the t.v. home. He said he would be thinking about it all night. I told him we were not going out at this time of night and we would get up early and be back in plenty of time before the Dish man got here. He fell back asleep within minutes but guess who was awake for a long time afterward? No, not Clayton. ME!!

The satellite is up, and I hear the t.v. working. All is well with the world.

The Woodpile Jinx

We've done it again! Moved another woodpile! Can you believe it? Me neither. But it's true.

In my post about locking up and leaving, I posted a picture of our new nice neat, out of the way woodpile to be used to store the new wood we have recently split. It looked so nice, really it did.

That is until....
    Friday night when Ken came out to the campground after work. He was going to attend the Board Meeting later that evening. I had an appointment after work so I didn't go. My phone beeped because Ken had texted me. When I opened my phone, I couldn't make out what he was trying to say to me...all I could read was "The woodpile go...." then a picture came up. I don't have a fancy phone, just a phone with no frills or thrills. Pictures in texts are very small and hard to make out and there is no way to enlarge them. I thought he was telling me the woodpile was gone. I couldn't believe someone would have taken all that wood but you never know. So I had no idea what Ken was trying to tell me until after my appointment when I called him back.

With despair in his voice he said, "The woodpile go boom". 

"What? Is it gone?" I asked.-

"Didnt' you look at the picture I sent you?" he asked.

"Yes, but I couldn't make it out. The pictures are too small on my phone."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"So what happened to our woodpile? Did someone take it?"

"No, it fell over."

So guess what we were doing Saturday afternoon? How did you know? We were moving the woodpile again. Ken figures that the woodpile was at a slant next to the shed because of the hill. The whole thing fell over. It was eight feet high and eight feet wide. We decided that we would move the woodpile to the other side of the camper where the slide out is.  I wonder how long it will stay there? I foresee woodpiles being moved again in the spring. What do you think?

Stored away, time to go

We spent last weekend, Oct. 29 and 30th winterizing the camper and taking food and clothes, etc., home for the winter. We found a place to store our golf cart-in our new shed. It fit in there nicely and we still have room to store the chairs, coolers, refrigerator and rakes.

Ken made a new wood rack for the wood we got from Barb's tree. We got most of it split and Ken brought a truckload out to season over the winter. The wood rack looks so neat next to the shed and it is out of the way.

It felt good to have the inside of camper all scrubbed and clean and everything stored.  Ken locked up and we were ready to go home.

I don't think Clayton was overjoyed that we had to leave but he will adjust.

It was a beautiful day when we closed up camp and it was hard to leave knowing that winter will be here soon.

Our summer of camping for this year is done. Now we look forward to some weekends at the camp in the winter. We will go out on the 19th for the campground Thanksgiving dinner and hopefully spend the night.

Hunters, Beauties, GI Joe and Ninjas

Special event sign was posted this weekend

The A-team arrived after their basketball game Saturday morning. The festivities had already started. We hurried into the camper and worked on getting three Ninja’s dressed. Each costume was different and each member of the A-team needed some specific help. Good Luck teachers when they have to put these on at school. Andrew’s costume has arm and leg pads that need laced to put them on. I don’t see any way he will be able to tie them himself at school. Once that was done and all of Austin’s cheeks were covered (terribly important to him), we were ready to go.

Aaron, Austin, Andrew

We headed to the clubhouse and found our seats. All the children were served hot dogs, chips, juice and cookies and cupcakes. There were about 130 children at the party and the hot dogs went fast.

We then got ready for trick or treat.  After reassuring the boys that they would be fine on the hay wagon without me, we went back to the clubhouse for boarding. I followed behind their wagon for a short while in the golf cart until it was confirmed by the boys that they were fine. Ken met them back at the clubhouse after trick or treat was over. We sure went through a lot of candy in a short amount of time but it was worth it. We got to see hunters, Sleeping Beauty, GI Joe, butterflies, and lots of cute characters. It looked like all the kids were having fun. Some of them trick or treated on golf carts, some walked, some were in the back of pickups or sitting in vans with the side door open. But there still some who did it the old fashioned way and walked. Good for them!

Before the pot luck dinner the adult costume contest was held. Three adults made outhouses from cardboard and decorated them, slipped them over their heads.  One even had a roll of toilet paper coming out of it. They won the contest. There were some really interesting costumes worn by the adults including Beevus and Butthead who showed up later when the band was playing. Ken and I dressed as ourselves. We didn’t win anything.

The boys played on the playground and had a great time and made friends. They were supposed to spend the night and then play at the camp again on Sunday, but by the time the band was playing the boys were falling asleep. Karin and Bill had come to hear the band and the boys were ready to go home. Too bad they didn’t stay because Sunday was a marvelous sunny and warm day and lots of kids were still here. Next summer we will have more time for the boys to play and make more friends here.

I give credit to a lot of people who put a lot of work and time into making this Halloween event successful. We are a member owned park and anything that happens here is done by the members on a volunteer basis. It is amazing how well everyone works together to get things done. Ken and I didn't help in the planning of the event but we did try to participate in different ways including taking trash to the dumpsters and picking up papers on Sunday. It was well worth it.

Thank you to all the members who made this day so special for so many people.

Glorified Golf Carts

From my previous posts on Froggy, I guess you know that some people get attached to their golf carts.

Ken purchased one for us to use here at Leisure Lake Campgrounds. It is a bright orangish color and it was brought to Ken's attention that it is the same color as the Cleveland Browns use. (Is that a good thing?)
Ken chose this one because he thought our grandson, Andrew, would like the color because the salesman told Ken it is the same color being used on the new Camaros and is called burnt orange.

Well, there are all sorts of golf carts out here. Some are really old and have only three wheels (one in front, two in back). Some are larger than others, some have two wheel and four wheel drive.

But these ones are sitting temporarily in the extra driveway coming into the campground and I think they are pretty sophisticated.

Oh wait, Ken says these are not golf carts! These are some of the vehicles being used to repave Route 225 and they are storing them when not in use in the extra driveway at Leisure lake.

Well, Ken some of them are also orange so maybe they are like the new Camaros too.



2012 Camaro



It looks like a parade outside the campground where these are parked.

Tulips in October?

When I was walking Clayton early in the morning near the pond  I noticed these strange looking plants. At first I thought they looked like tulips that had not opened. I knew they could not be because it is October and tulips come up in the spring.

I got closer and my guess is that they are mushrooms of some sort.

Ditches, Water Lines and Backyard Ponds

Last Saturday the man with the backhoe came to dig the trench and put the line in for the sewer so we can have full hook up. It was a nice sunny day and although we had plans to just kick back and then go see Kenny race, we were still glad to get this done. One more thing off our list of things to accomplish here at Leisure Lake before winter. When spring comes, we will be pretty well set up.

Well that is what we thought. Remember how many times we moved the wood pile because the places we had chosen for the shed were not going to work? Well the day before the backhoe operator showed up, we had gotten the gravel in place for the shed. Whew that was heavy work shoveling that gravel!



Shed site ready to go

Well, the backhoe driver had to drive over our shed site to get some of his digging done. Oh well, he only messed it up a little. No big deal!

Ken and one of the trustees, Bob, stayed with the backhoe driver most of the day assisting. He was a friendly and intelligent man who knew what he was doing.

But alas, another thing that was not going to work out easily. He hit a water line that no one realized was behind our camper. And to top that off, there was an electric line right next to it and yes, he cut that too. "Oh boy," I thought, "we are not going to be well liked here at Leisure Lake." They had to turn the water off for the whole park to get the line fixed. And some of the park was without electricity until that was fixed. It didn't take long for either to be fixed and we were back in business. The sewer line was put in place and the trench was covered up.

We were now happy campers!




No more tanks to empty!!!!!

So Sunday while I was inside doing some chores, Ken was outside raking the dirt to even the ground. I heard him calling me but ignored him because I was busy and selfishly felt that if he wanted me he could come inside and tell me what he wanted to say. Finally, I went outside to see what was going on. He told me to come behind the camper and there was something oozing out of the ground. Ken had sunk in the dirt and was stuck when he was calling me to come help him out. But what was that coming out of the ground? Had we hit oil? No, not oil. The water line broke loose again and water was coming up out of the ground.

Surprised? No not really. It goes the same way other stuff here has gone. Not easily. So all the trustees that are in the park stop by to take a look. Ken and one of the trustees tried digging but the hole just kept getting wetter, heavier and bigger. The backhoe operator has to come back and redig and fix the water line again.

So now we have a small "pond" behind our camper. I think there is only one other campsite that has a pond on it and it was man made with a plastic liner. Ours is natural.  I think I will buy some rubber duckies or plastic fish to put in it until it is fixed.

Our shed arrived the next day and is now in place. It looks great. But we have to watch where we walk to get in the shed because the ground along the trench line (which is right in front of the shed) is sinking from the water filling in below ground level. One good thing about all of this is that the water in the park will be shut off the first weekend of November. If the waterline is not fixed by then, I am guessing we will be waiting until spring.

Here is a picture of the view from our pond area overlooking the hill. We have plans to develop this area with a deck next  year. The view is beautiful.

All in all, even though things have not gone as smoothly as we had hoped, we love it here.

Followers

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read my blog. When I started blogging I wasn't sure if others would find it interesting enough. But I had fun doing it, so I continued on. People have told me they enjoy reading it and that makes it even more enjoyable for me.

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Happy Birthday!

Today my mom turned 85 (oops...sorry Mom, I mean 27). Happy  Birthday.

I am a lucky person because many of my relatives lived to an old age (unlike my mom who is still young). My grandfather on my mom's side lived to 85 (just like my mom should be) and my grandmother on my mom's side lived to be 104. Good genetics are in my blood. I tease my kids and tell them they will have to take care of me for a long time. My son in law is too smart for that and says, "I won't be here that long to take care of you." I hope he is wrong.

I have no idea how long I will live, but I hope that I enjoy and am thankful for each day, for the family and friends in my life, my healthy, and for all the things, large and small in my life. There is a song that says something about living each day as if you were dying. I have an idea what he is referring to and I think he is right.

If we knew we only had a set amount of time left to live, I wonder how differently we would live it. All the things that we put off until tomorrow (and I am THE PERFECT example of someone who does that) would soon become so important to us.

Go out and enjoy today!

God's creations

The link below shows beautiful and moving pictures of the marvelous things God has created. I'd love to experience, see and hear all the beauty of these amazing things shown in this video. For now, I'll take the small chunks of life around me, explore them and marvel at each one of them. My eyes, ears and heart are open to new places, creatures, changes in the environment, recreation through birth, metamorpheses and the beauty all around me.

Sometimes we miss these things because we are in too big of a hurry. Today, take a moment, stop and look around you. Be still and listen. Sniff. Do you see something different or long forgotten in front of you? Can you experience the thrill of watching a frog jump in the creek, darting after his food? Or the way the breeze gently rocks that flower back and forth?  Can you enjoy the aroma of the leaves drying on the ground or the crunch of those leaves under your feet? Have you noticed the smell of that wildflower you used to think of as a weed? Have you run your fingers through the water making little waves or dipped your toes in a creek lately? Have you listened to the birds lately or the sound of distant children laughing and playing? Do you know what that soft little caterpillar feels like?

I hope you enjoy this video and that it slows your day down for a while so you can enjoy God's wonderful beauty all around us.

http://andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html

Still Kicking

After more than a week's silence, I just wanted to let you know we are still kicking. Well really not kicking but lots of other stuff. We got the gravel shoveled on Sunday into the spot where the shed will go. The shed should arrive Monday, October 10th. Once that is in place we can bring the rest of our stuff we want to keep at the campground along with the refrigerator. It will be nice to have more food available in the bigger fridge.

We had a few trees donated to us on Monday so we had to handle that....no not planting them. These were cut down and the wood was donated to our benefit. So Monday we hauled the logs to our backyard and Tuesday we started splitting them with the log splitter. We didn't even make a dent yet in the woodpile in our back yard. It will be easier to transport the wood to the campground once it is split. In the meantime, we picked it up, put it in the truck, took it off the truck and stacked it on Monday. On Tuesday, we started lifting it again to put on the splitter, then catching the pieces and restacking them at the back of the woodpile. We have many more days of splitting in front of us before it is all done but it will be worth it. Ken says this is the last time he is getting his own wood. Can't say I blame him!

I'm not sure, but it seems this new campground has caused us a lot of work with gravel and wood. Oh well, we are enjoying ourselves. We went to the clubhouse on Friday night and watched a group of people we know play pool. On Sunday afternoon, Ken and I went back to the clubhouse and tried our luck at the game. We are pretty miserable players right now but hopefully we will improve. Saturday the A-team came to see Paco's new golf cart. They really liked riding in it even though it was raining.

Lots of people camp in the winter at Leisure Lake. We will have to bring in our own water because it gets turned off in November. The shower house and clubhouse bathrooms and showers will be available though. We are really looking forward to doing some winter camping with our new friends.

Now We Are the Newbies

Well we are now the newbies here. Starting over. Learning the ropes and rules. I haven't ventured far yet and actually I'm feeling a little shy. Shy at my age? Yeah. That's just a part of my makeup. Once I get to know you though, look out- I don't shut up (as Ken reminds me sometimes).

I plan to take part in activities here when they happen. We have met many people but it takes time to form "friendships". We left many friends behind at Mosquito Lake Campground that is for sure. We miss them and hope to stay in touch with them all. We also realize that sometimes when you move away that is hard to do.

Rosalie and Roger, former campground hosts at Mosquito, are leaving soon for their "Full Time RVing Life". We wish them the best and are envious. Roger will retire at the end of this month and away they will go. Their dream has been fulfilled. Congratulations!! I suspect that they hope to stay in touch with friends too and hope that is possible. I am anxious to follow their trails through emails, Facebook (UGGHHH) or maybe a blog.

There will be a Halloween event here on October 22, so I am looking forward to that. I plan to have the grandsons here (the A Team) and hopefully by taking part, we will make more friends. If help is needed and it is something I am capable of, I may volunteer. We will see. They have a hayride for the kids and they take the kids "trick or treating" on the hay wagon. They drive up and down the streets and people come out to the road to pass out the candy. That sounds like a great idea. I am anxious to see what other events they have planned.

Well, it is a beautiful day and I plan to get my chores done and spend some time outside. Who knows, maybe I will start a new friendship today.

Enjoy The Fall, because I see leaves turning already.

Wood Piles, Gravel, Pits and Sheds

The wood pile will go here

The shed will go there

The gravel is dumped here

No, the shed must go here

Which means the wood pile goes there

For now the gravel stays here

Move, stack, move

Neatly the wood pile sits

Waiting for the shed

Pits? They’ll be trenching there for the pit?

We must move the wood pile again.

Now the wood pile goes over here.

The gravel is here where the pit will be dug

Shovel shovel shovel

Move the gravel from here to there

Soon the shed will arrive

It goes there

You know- where the gravel is over there

The wood is now here

But will go over there

Next to the shed

Oh where oh where?

Raccoons vs Skunks

One of the questions Ken asked out here was, "Do you have problems with raccoons?" The answer was "No. But we have skunks."

Oh boy, no more raccoons, but YEAH...skunks?????? I have never seen a "live" skunk. I have seen them dead along the road. I have smelled them. But I have never seen one.

He is kinda cute though!

As you know from my previous blogs, I enjoy experiencing and seeing new things regarding nature. But guess what? I DON"T want to see a live skunk.

But I did get to experience the "fresh sweet scent" of one Tuesday night. I was awakened from a dead sleep by the smell of a skunk who had released his potient. It smelled like he had been right underneath my window in the camper. I tried to ignore it. Didn't work. I closed my window. Didn't work. I closed the vents. Didn't work. I put my head under the pillow. Helped a little. I finally fell back to sleep and when I awoke the smell was gone.

I read that a person can smell the skunk's release a mile away if down wind. I hope we were a mile away!

Froggy Update

Froggy survived the surgery and was seen up and running Monday afternoon.

A speedy and full recovery Froggy!!

Busy Beavers

I took this picture of the new Beaver's nest recently built and still under construction behind our site at Mosquito Lake. This is the same place the beavers built a nest or resting place last year. The second picture is one taken last year while the beaver was on the next.



This guy needs a new toothbrush!


Just like the beavers, Ken and I have been very busy this past week moving to our new campground, Leisure Lake, in Diamond, Ohio. We packed, carried, stowed and delivered items to our home, his sister's, and the new campground.

Ken, Jr. came through on Monday by driving his trailer for his race car to Mosquito, helping us load it (and boy did we appreciate that!) and then delivering it and helping unload it at Leisure Lake. We did the whole thing again for the second trip which got it all. He then took some stuff to be stored at Barb's house until we get our shed delivered.

Ken and I got two sections of the deck in place on Monday evening once we were approved to leave the trailer parked where it was. There are rules and regulations here to be followed and two trustees must approve that you are parked within the guidelelines. We put the steps in place and took a breather on the lawn with a couple of cold ones.



Before the deck or steps were up

 We were exhausted and went to bed early. We didn't think we would be staying in the camper on Monday but because of Kenny's help we got so much more done than we expected and we went to bed here by 9:30.

Ken finished the deck this morning and it looks good. It is not as high as it was at Mosquito. We got the lamp post put up and the flowers are in place. We have running water and electricty and hope to have the grey tank installed soon.

I swam in the pool here this afternoon and had it entirely to myself. I plan to use it as often as possible until it closes in the next couple of weeks. They keep it open until they run out of chemicals and that is projected to happen in a couple of weeks. I hope the A-team gets to use it before they close it. Those three boys are just too busy anymore!

Good Bye Mosquito Lake. Hello Leisure Lake!

Moving On

We are officially new members of Leisure Lake Campgrounds. We have decided to move to a new campground and we are excited.  I will miss the beauty of this park for sure but we will definitely be back to visit, not only the campgrounds, but the marina, beach, and trails. We enjoy coming here in the winter and walking through the park. It is much quieter and the scenery is so much different.

We will miss our many friends here at Mosquito for sure.

A dear friend to me is Stella. She is married to Bob, a camp host, who we truly enjoy. They are a unique couple for sure. In many ways they are so different, yet they are so close. Stella is such an outgoing, friendly, open and giving person. She is ready for fun at all times and has no qualms about getting involved and enjoying herself. I love that aspect about her. I enjoyed watching her dance her heart out at the marina concerts this year. She is always going places and doing new things. I hope her spirit of adventure never dies. We walk in the evenings together and it is truly enjoyable. Clayton and Roxie, Stella's little white Westie, join us many times on these walks and they have become a duo. Clayton enjoys walking with Roxie and has learned to behave.

Stella's husband, Bob, "The Mayor", can be seen riding around in his beautifully altered blue golf cart. Don't even think of driving or getting too close to that pretty little baby. He will bark at you if you do. But don't worry, most times, Bob's bark is not has harsh as it sounds. Ken and Bob have become great friends and Ken gets a kick out of Bob. He says he truly understands where Bob is coming from. The four of us have a great time when we are together.

Diane, Froggy's mama, is the campground "Sweetheart." Everyone loves Diane. She is such a good and giving person. She gets involved in many activities that help other people, here in the campgrounds and outside. She is in the garden club, knits blankets for Relay for Life, plants flowers in her community, helps with the Friends group here, and many other volunteer activities. To not like Diane is impossible.

Frank is Diane's husband and Froggy's Papa. Frank works a lot and cant be here as much as he would like. Both he and Diane enjoy being on the lake and he loves working with motors. (At least I think he does because it seems he is always working on somone's vehicle.) We enjoy when Frank and Diane have time in the morning to stop for coffee and some conversation. For some reason we always end up laughing.

Carol, our campground manager, is another person that you can't help but like. She is ready to help her campers at all times. Everyone knows her name even if they don't know who she is. Whenever there is a question or a camper needs something, you will hear these phrases, "Call Carol." or "Go see Carol." or "Carol will know." Carol has been at Mosquito for many years now and has outlasted several other people who have worked here. She knows most people involved in the state parks and knows the rules and regulations as written. She runs a great camp store and keeps it stocked better than any I have visited in all my camping years. Carol is a person who is honest, has scruples and knows how to treat people.  Carol has the respect of many people and fully deserves it. She treats her camp hosts with respect and lets them know she appreciates their hard work.

Ray  also works in the check in station. He has been off this summer recuperating from surgery but is here at the campground with his wife, Liz, a camp host. Everyone knows Ray. Even the people who don't camp here but only come to walk or jog or ride bikes in the campground. Ray is the "Mosquito Man". He loves Mosquito Lake so much that he has a tattoo of a mosquito. Ken loves to go and sit and talk to Ray. If I couldn't find Ken, I knew he was talking to Ray somewhere.

Liz, Ray's wife is a delightful person. She has been a host for several years here and knows her stuff. She trains all the newbies on how to show the movies at the amphitheater and you better pay attention. Her final test is a killer! Both Ken and Bob trained last year and both earned their certificates. Good job guys, but you have to give Liz credit, she was a good teacher.  Liz creates things on her computer that are so cute like cards, certificates and flyers. It is always something special if you get a hand made card from Liz. Thanks Liz.

Patty and Butch are our camp hosts from the "no pet" section of the campground. They are full time RVers and right now are our idols. We pick their brains about full timing whenever we can get them to sit still long enough. Both of them have a great sense of humor so you know you will have fun whenever they are around.

Kim and Mike, newbie hosts from the other end of the campgrounds, have camped here as seasonals for a few years. We liked them right off when we met them while they were out walking Butler, their friendly Rotweiler. Kim is artistic and makes a lot of the signs for the Friends group and spends a lot of time helping the group.

Mary and Scott, another newbie host couple live up at the cul-de-sac. We don't see them often but Mary is the President of the Friends Group. Most times when I see Mary she has her cell phone up to her ear, even while driving and riding her bike. I would fall off the bike for sure. Mary had a plan at the beginning of summer to try to ride her bike everyday. It paid off for sure because she has lost a lot of weight and is looking good. Scott put in a lot of time helping Mary with the Friends group but works and isn't here much.

Vi and Gary, friends we made a few years ago, come here mostly for him to fish and her to camp. They are both such friendly and good people. Having them for neighbors is great and we love talking to them. I always wished they could be here more.

Joe and Kathy run the marina bait shop and sell food there. They organize the great free concerts we all enjoy throughout the summer as well as the Pirate Fest and the clam bake. Both of them seem to work 24/7 but always have time to be friendly. The park has truly benefitted from having them here.

Al is one of our camp rangers. He is always friendly to us and the campers. You know though that if there is a problem, you can count on Al. We love that he will enforce rules when needed. He even warned us last year or the year before when we parked our second car in a vacant spot that it was not allowed and would need to be moved. Rules  are rules and they need to be followed or the park will go downhill. Thanks Al for enforcing them. This park is too valuable to allow rule breakers to ruin it for the others.

Colleen, Rachel, Josh and Eric work in the camp office and all have learned their responsibilities quickly and do a great job. Carol sets a good example for them to follow and  trained them well.

I am looking forward to making new friends at Leisure Lake but definitely don't want to ever lose the great friends I have made here at Mosquito. All of you are welcome to call us, come visit us or invite us to join you at functions or dinners.

Froggy

As usual on Sunday afternoon, Froggy was out and about helping his "Mama Diane" clean sites. Froggy, a golf cart with a dusty green coating, whizzed along amongst the campsites, making it quicker for Mama to get her chores done. Later in the day, Froggy's Mama and Papa stopped to talk to Ken and I. During the discussion, Papa Frank, mentioned that he has a golf cart on order with parts to make it match his Red Corvette.

Poor Froggy- old, used, and not so pretty anymore. Imagine what went through his head. "Am I being replaced with a new shinier version?" "Don't they love me anymore?" "Aren't I good enough?" My heart went out to Froggy right there on the spot.

I think what Froggy heard broke his heart- literally. It wasn't much laterthat same day that we saw Papa Frank bending over and checking Froggy out in the street in front of their campsite. We stopped to see if everything was all right. Mama Diane said Froggy wouldn't start, just quit working. I got an email the next day informing me that Froggy died.

Our hearts poured out with sympathy for Diane and Frank. How would they get along without their dear Froggy who was so faithful to them? He went many places with Diane and they had many hoppy memories. He has been to a luaua, pancake breakfasts, the check in station, craft shows, the doggie park, visiting other campers, and the movies. He even had a special spot for the Halloween Bash scavenger hunt. The children would have to find Froggy and hear his beautiful horn blow to get their card stamped by Mama Diane.

But don't fret yet! Froggy may get a heart replacement. Champion Golf Cart may have a heart sitting on the shelf. Papa Frank is going to try to do an outpatient heart replacement surgery on Froggy. I hope Dr. Frank's medical skills are up to par. Froggy should only have the BEST.

Let's all hope that Froggy survives the surgery, heals quickly and is out and about with Mama Diane again soon. We miss you Froggy.

Three Ring Circus

Tonight is a great night. The weather is great, a little cool. The skies are clear and full of stars which shine like bright lights. So, I'll pretend they are the lights for the circus show we witnessed tonight.

The first act consisted of the Baby Teasing Toads appearing and disappearing, materializing from nowhere. You look down and all of a sudden they are there, sometimes several of them. Look away and they disappear. This little toad is doing his rendition of flossing. {What is that thing hanging below his mouth?}

Sit back in your seats and you will see the next act, the campground Wild Cat. Wearing his black and white tuxedo coat he sits in the shadows anticipating his moves. The "Teasing Toad" sits directly in front of him, still on the stage.  Wild Cat is ready to perform. He pounces, trounces and captures the Toad. Gone...gone...gone....Wild Cat just ate the Toad!! He slouches back into the shadows, a curtain of leaves and branches closing his act.

After an intermission, the outside natural light has now dimmed. All is quiet and the crowd sits ready. It is time for the Flying Trapeze Squirrels. They are first spotted, both landing gracefully on the side of the large tree. Around and around the tree they chase each other. All becomes still and the crowd awaits. Before their very eyes, one of the Trapeze Squirrels glides through the air and lands safely on a small branch. Shortly thereafter, the second Trapeze Squirrel glides through the air and lands nearby. Soon they perform in tandem, one then the other, gliding through the bushes and trees in front of the crowd. Before it is all over, one of them lands safely on the bird feeder and closes his act with a mouthful of seed, hanging upside down by his tail, his black beady eyes bulging from his face.

Brag Book Moments

Sometimes we just have to brag....This is one of those times for me. Earlier this year I wrote a blog about my son, Kenny's goal of having a race car. I wrote about how hard he worked to achieve that goal and how proud I am that he achieved it.

But Kenny went on to make me and his whole family even prouder of him with his racing ability. Saturday night he won his fifth feature event of 2011.

I'm sure he can't hear us nor see us as he races past the stands filled with fans. We filled a good portion of one row this weekend. Karin, Bill, Aaron, Andrew, Austin, Aunt Barb, Ken and I were there. Marissa and Angela's father helped in the pits because Kerry couldn't be there or they would have been in the stands, sitting on the edge of their seats like we were. Karin and Barb couldn't stay in their seats and I had to tell Barb to sit down so I could see the race. I understand their enthusiasm. As a mom, I sit nervously praying for Kenny's safety and a win along with lots of cheering. (It's probably better that Kenny can't hear me.)

This week Kenny won his heat, started in 7th place in the feature and came out on top, winning the race. By doing this, he also moved himself into first place in the points. This is a  very close race for the first place in points. He had been in third place for some time, but only two points behind the second place position when he started this race. He is now only two points ahead of the second place points person. I don't understand how all the points are earned, all I know is that my son is now in first place.

Whether he is able to stay there for the remainder of the season is yet to be seen. I am bursting with pride for him and even if he doesn't end up as the first place points person Kenny can be proud of himself. I have watched him evolve from a first time newbie behind the wheel a few years ago to a confident competitor. He keeps his cool, has patience, and works for his wins. When things go wrong, I would expect someone who has put so much work into winning to get upset, yet he doesn't. He knows things happen and he moves on. He works on the car to make it better and gives it his best the next week.

What happened last week when I wasn't there proves this. He was close to taking first place in the heat but spun out and ended up last. He started the feature in 12th of 13th cars. He worked his way up to the winner's circle, something that is hard to do. I wish I would have been there to hear the announcer for this race. I am sure he was as excited as I would have been had I been there.

I have not seen Kenny smile so much as I did on Saturday night after winning that race. He doesn't like his picture taken but he didn't seem to mind this weekend. He made me feel like a million bucks when he asked me to pose with him in the winner's circle. (The picture from my camera was blurry-darn it!)

Keep up the good work Kenny. Your whole family is proud of you, win or lose. You are a champion to us and always will be!

Late Night Visitor

Ken and I really enjoy our deck. We sit there in the mornings with our coffee when we have time before work but especially on weekends. We like to watch the birds feed, the chipmunks munch, and the squirrels gathering. It is peaceful most times when we sit there. We enjoy it in the evening after a day's work.

It seems there are fewer and fewer nights that we are up very late but one night around 11 pm we were sitting out there just relaxing and talking. Ken saw the big black bird feeder moving and mentioned it to me. We knew the birds were not out at that time. I immediately suspected a raccoon but since we didn't see anything other than the feeder moving, I knew I was wrong. A raccoon would have had that feeder swinging.

We talked some more and the feeder kept swaying slowing. I got the flashlight and shined it on the feeder. I could see something on the back of it but couldn't make out what it was. I continued shining the light and walking to the other end of the deck but still didn't know what I was seeing.

Ken went in and got his camera with the zoom lens. I shined the light on the feeder and he snapped away.
We were amazed when we looked in the camera and got a good look.

All summer long Ken had been telling me there were "flying squirrels" in the campground. I didn't know if he was just joking with me to see if I would believe such an idiotic thing or not. I didn't know if he was referring to regular brown and black squirrels that can jump from limb to tiny limb in a tree and seldom fall. It kind of looks like they are flying. But he wasn't kidding. There really is a "flying squirrel." They really don't fly but can glide 20-30 feet and it appears that they are flying.

He and/or one of his buddies has been to our feeder twice that we know of but we are guessing he has visited quite more often than that.

I think he is a rather peculiar looking animal, reminding me of a squirrel and a bat. He has a loose skinned body and he hung himself upside down on the feeder both nights that we saw him. He seemed to flatten his body against the metal of the feeder and it appeared that he was hanging on with his tail at first but when I saw the picture up close, I see that he was not. His tail and body appear flat. I got the picture below from the internet to show the underside of a flying squirrel.

I think I like seeing him better when he is hanging onto the feeder. He looks a little scary here.

Cleanliness is next to what??

Friday night while Ken worked the check in station I stayed home after work and did some laundry and some projects around the house. When I returned, I stopped and asked a campground friend to stop by our site and visit for a while since I was alone. When I got to the site, I took Clayton for a walk and my friend accompanied me.

Clayton, of course, did his business and I cleaned it up using a campground doggie bag. We returned to the site and I disposed of the bag in our trash can. We keep a plastic bottle of hand sanitizer on the back bumper of our camper right above the trash can.

I know I have a thing about washing my hands after touching yucky things but I never knew that such little creatures at this did too. He must have touched the trash can too and decided it was time to wash up.

Luckily I looked before pushing the plunger on the sanitizer or my little buddy would have been squished or I would have  been traumitized!! By the way, I think this is a tree frog. Remember when I was looking so hard for one before Ken caught one for me?

Beautiful Sky

It is a beautiful day today with lots of sunshine, blue skies and white fluffy clouds.

On our way back to camp after work I enjoyed the ride by watching the clouds in the sky. Sometimes there is so much expression up there and today was one of them. I felt like a child who just lies in the grass and looks up, imagining the different shapes being formed by the clouds.

The first one that caught my eye was a bunny riding a jet ski. He was having so much fun. His long ears were strewn behind him showing me how fast he was going. His paws were holding the handlebars and he was leaning back, letting the wind hit his face.

Right behind him was an old lady with a bee hive hairdo, a big butt, in a long dress. She was lying on her stomach floating through the air. She looked like she was trying to catch the bunny ahead of her.

I smiled to myself as I enjoyed my view, thinking that this was like watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade with all the balloons that float overhead.

After a little while, the bunny on the jet ski started to change. He turned into a poodle. I could see his curly puffed out fur, and his long fluffy ears, and I chuckled when I saw one lone bubble right in front of his nose.  It looked like he was enjoying one of my childhood pastimes.

I briefly saw a wolf pass by with his long skinny nose, slim body and bushy tail.

Soon there appeared a cherub, full round cheeks, bare feet, in a sitting position, his round belly showing as he played a flute.

The only colors displayed in these cloud forms were white and grey with a blue background which reminded me of the black and white television  my family had when I was a child and that had satisfied me to no end. Who needs video games or phones capable of viewing movies and the internet when I have a view like I had today?