Working hard (or, hardly working?)

It has been another low key week.  It rained most of the day Sunday and Monday.  By Monday noon, we had a pretty good case of cabin fever.  After many hours of planning and rearranging, Donna redecorated our home for Christmas:

Then, instead of listening to the rain, we went shopping in Spanish Fort (just east of Mobile on I-10).  It was a successful trip as we didn't buy much. 

On Tuesday Donna went to the clubhouse to assist a group with making baby blankets and knit hats.  They got a lot done.

On Friday Donna joined another group and decorated the clubhouse for the holidays.  They hung lights, erected and decorated a tree, and decorations to tables, bulletin boards etc.  Real cute.

We have also volunteered our food service assistance at the club house.  Every Saturday a breakfast is served to about 100 RVers .  I helped with the pancakes, bacon and sausage.  Donna helped clean up after the meal.  On Thursday, a pork loin dinner was served so we helped with the food prep in the morning.  We peeled sweet potatoes and apples and diced onions.  Unfortunately, we were not able to enjoy the fruit of our labors as we went out for dinner with two other couples.  Oh well, we had fun anyway. 

I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who want to talk with me about the Packers.  My Packer hat seems to act as a magnet for Wisconsinites.  We met a man who was born and raised in Shawano.  They now have property just northeast of there in Mountain.  Small world.  His wife knew Lemkes from Lodi.  At the laundromat this week we met a couple from Poynette (just north of Madison).    While we dined out with two other couples, a man from Green Bay came over to shake my hand.   Is there anybody left in Wisconsin or are they all down here?  I can't go anywhere with that Packer hat.   Maybe I should get a Viking hat!   Nobody would talk to me then.

Fort Morgan beach

On Friday we drove to the Fort Morgan historical sit which lies about 20 miles west of Gulf Shores on highway 180.  It is on a long finger of land separating Mobile Bay from the Gulf of Mexico.   Highway 180 ends at a ferry dock at the fort. The ferry transports vehicles to Dauphine Island which in turn is connected to the mainland's western shore via a bridge over the bay.  All told, the fort is about 42 miles from where we call home near Summerdale.

On the trip to the point, we saw many houses like this one dotting the shores.

For all those under 12 years old, why would people build a house high off the ground like this?
Friday was a breezy day and the wind at the shoreline was no different.  Here at the ferry landing, we were surprised to find oil rigs dotting the bay.

And some of the rigs were miniatures and other things were not:

The fort's shore line was spectacular.  We strolled the broad, sandy beach and came across many shore fishermen.  Others were strolling and picking up had-to-have stones and shells.

I asked a fisherman what these discs were.  They were fairly numerous and buried just below the surface of the sand:

These are jellyfish which were washed ashore.  If they dry out before the tide rescues them, they perish.  On this same stretch of beach Donna spied fins in the water similar to what we believed sharks would look like.  Instead they were two pair of dolphins (look closely on the right for tail fins)

Sighting dolphins in the wild was a first for us and made the trip well worthwhile.

Thanksgiving 2011

We spent Thanksgiving in the RV park.  It was a beautiful sunny and 72 degree day.  Donna decided to put up our Christmas tree.

Even though she was exhausted after decorating it, we opted to celebrate Thanksgiving by eating dinner with about 200 other snow birds from all parts of the country.   We ate in the park's clubhouse:

 The meal was served family style with tables holding 10 to 12 people each.  And there were about 18 tables total.

We signed up for a table not knowing exactly what to expect.  Fortunately, we were not the first to sign for the table as they automatically became table hosts.  The hosts provided any decorations for the table and set the menu.  Each guest brought a dish to pass.  We were charged with making the mashed potatoes (Dave) and the cranberries (Donna),  Each guest was then charged $2.00 to cover the cost of the turkey and gravy supplied by the park.  It was a fairly well organized event and, of course, we each ate too  much.

The only negative we had was that we missed the second half of the Packer-Lion game.  But the Packers won with out us.  Go Packers.

Slow Days

This was a laid back sort of week.  Storms were threatening the early part of the week, but they missed us.  Tornadoes landed a couples hours north of us and rain was forecast for our area. We had light rain and no storms.

On Wednesday we had a late lunch at the Fish River Grill  about 5 miles northwest of us.  It reminded us a lot of the lobster pounds in Maine.  It is a small building with a walk up window.  The dining area is actually an enclosed, unheated porch. 

The place advertises various fried seafood and hamburgers.  I ordered the catfish plate and Donna had the Swamp River Hamburger.  The catfish was very good with a very thin breading.  Expecting the fish was locally caught, I was a bit disappointed when I learned it was farm raised from Mississippi.  The plate came with french fries, and home-made  cole slaw and both tartar sauce and shrimp sauce.  Everything was very good.  The  hamburger was a 1/2 pound hand pattied burger served with lettuce, tomato and onion.  Donna has been hungry for a hamburger for a couple of days and this filled the bill.  It too was excellent.  As we were dining in, our meal included a complementary cup of their Swamp Soup.  It was an excellent combination of collard greens and black eyed peas in a ham stock.  We devoured it. 

On Friday, after some prodding, I decided to wash the truck.  The weather looked dry for several days to come and it was pointed out to me that we probably had the dirties truck in the park.  So I washed and polished it to a nice shine.  Of course, before the end of the day, it rained and rained most of the day on Saturday.   It looked good for a couple of hours anyway. 

Fairhope, Alabama

About 15 miles northeast of us lies the city of Fairhope.  On the shores of Mobile Bay, Fairhope is a city of about  16 thousand people.  The city was founded in 1894 as a Utopian experiment.  Upton Sinclair (remember The Jungle about the deplorable state of the meat packing industry ?) used to winter here as did many other notables.  Fannie Flagg (if you don't know who she is, you're too young) and Jimmy Buffett are said to be from the area.

We spent a cloudy and rain-threatening  morning on its shore at the municipal pier.  The pier reaches about 0.25 miles into the bay and offers marina space, fishing from its concrete deck,  a seafood restaurant at mid-pier and other amenities:

 The pier was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  It was rebuilt and opened again in 2006.  While we were there, there were several fisherman trying to reel the big one from the waters.

One of the more interesting things to watch on the pier were the vast array of water birds doing their thing.  Here is a pelican with a bevy of small friends resting after a hard morning of  doing whatever they do:

The entrance to the pier offers a rose garden with fountain.  The roses were in prime or just past. 

AND as an extra added attraction was a statue of some old guy glued to the fountain wall:

If you would like to see a live shot of the pier, here is a web cam (be sure to take control of the camera and see the area):  webcam.  Note that sometimes the web camera seems to take a break and won't show.  Keep trying if you are interested.

We had a good time in the fair city of Fairhope.

Foley Alabama and its Heritage Harbor Days

Foley is a city of about 8000 only 10 miles from our campground.  We attended Heritage Harbor Days in the square downtown.  It was a mix of music, crafts, food and a celebration of their local farm and fishing heritage.  Everything from old tractors and wooden boats to sugar cane processing was on display.

The sellers were selling and some buyers were buying.

There were samples of various flavors of pork rinds to be had, kettle corn, BBQ, coconut shrimp on a stick,  deep fried candy bars, deep fried Oreos etc. etc.

We didn't succumb to the temptations.  We did find a very interesting exhibition of the historical processing of sugar cane.  This is the raw sugar cane:

The cane was then processed by squeezing out the cane juice:

The juice was funnelled into a bucket.  The foam is then skimmed off to processed as molasses.  The cane juice is a brown liquid tasting like sugar water.  Add a little grape flavoring and you have grape Kool Aid. 

We left feeling a little bit hungry after smelling all the concoctions for sale.  While walking back to where we had parked, we stumbled upon an old Stacey's Rexall Drug store and soda fountain.

 Walking in we felt we were back in the heydays of soda fountains.  Stacey's opened in 1929 and it is doubtful whether it has ever changed.  We ordered sandwiches (BBQ on a bun and Egg Salad) and drinks (chocolate malt and Sour Lemon).  It was a great spot to relax.

And, if you look closely in the upper left corner of the above photo, coffee is a whopping 10 cents.  But it is self service--drinkers need to get a cup and go  behind the counter to pour one themselves.   Stacey's is also a full service pharmacy which makes deliveries in a 1931 Model A! 

The good old days?

On The Road Again, Again

On Tuesday we drove down I55 from Effington to Madison, Mississippi, which is outside Jackson, the state capital.  It was a long drive of about 515 miles with much road construction.  Memphis had especially bad roads and bridges.  Starting in southern Missouri we saw cotton being harvested which was a first for us.

Wednesday was a shorter day of driving.  We drove through Jackson during the morning rush (not too bad) and took highway 49 to Hattiesburg.  From Hattiesburg we took highway 98 to Mobile, Alabama  (narrow with no shoulders) and then south on 181.  We landed at about 1:00 PM outside of Summerdale at the Rainbow Plantation (an Escappee Park).

The sites are level and shaded with live oaks.  We have two trees which provide morning and afternoon shade:

We are about 20 miles north of Gulf Shores on the Gulf of Mexico.   It was 78 when we arrived which is a bit on the warm side.  We'll suffer through it.

On The Road Again, Winter 2011-2012

We have begun our journey south for the winter.  After spending a wonderful weekend with Erik, Becky and the kids (and celebrating early birthdays for the boys), we packed up and headed south this morning.  We got a late start as planned.  We left a little after 10 and drove until we were ready to stop.  We  had a leisurely lunch at a Flying J truck stop (Denny's) in Utica, Illinois.  We fueled up and were back on the road by 1:40.  After travelling I39, we took I74 and then hit I57.  Our journey was rather slow due to traffic (trucks!) and some road construction.  We averaged about 62 mph more or less.  We ended up for the evening at a very busy Flying J in Effingham, Illinois--only about 340 miles from DeForest.  Tomorrow, we expect to be on the road much earlier and put more miles behind us.  Destination: stay tuned.

Wisconsin Small Town Celebrations

This summer and early fall we have attended many small town celebrations throughout the Madison area. We've been to the Sun Prairie Corn Fest and found several unusual and corny specimens

We made our way to the  Sun Prairie Art Fest, Middleton Good Neighbor Days, Marshall River Fest , Waterloo Wiener and Kraut Days (yum?)

De Forest Dragon Fest

etc., etc .

But even more unusual than seeing grand kids milk a giant Holstein and much more interesting was Indian Summer at Ashippun.  Ashippun is a small community northeast of Watertown which celebrates living history organized by the Ashippun History Committee. 

The event included the "Voyageurs," who were licensed by the French to transport furs and other goods between points A and B in North America.  These travellers were limited by the French in order to maintain profitability of the fur trade.  Even several Lemkes got into the act on this hand made 18 passenger canoe similar to the ones used on the rivers during the fur trade heyday:

Also displayed was a domed, round shelter or Wigwam as well as a Tipi village.  Included was a drum circle and stone prayer circle.

I thought it was somewhat unusual to find a golf cart within the village, but then what do I know? 

Included in the event was a Civil War encampment:

The event also included a cook shanty (the :Dirty Ketl"), a trading post, buckskinners, and demonstrations of knife and hawk throwing and "atlatl," or spear throwing.  We also came upon this young buck reposing in a buckskinner's tent:

We had a good time walking through the large exhibits and talking with the people who were living in the tents for the weekend event. 

Some of us even got a carriage ride pulled by "Sky:"

It was a n intersting event and a quick summer here in south central Wisconsin.

Transitions

August was a month of transition for the Lemkes.

 A year ago we sold our house and decided to try full timing in our 31 foot Award Classic trailer.  We survived!  We have had many a good adventure and saw parts of the country we have never before experienced.  We have felt cramped for space only a few times but still have a positive attitude about our life style.  One re-occurring problem is trying to find something we packed away" somewhere".  "Somewhere" seems to be one of those universal black holes.  When we find it, there will be a lot of good stuff in there.  It has been a fun year.

We celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary this year.  Where has the time gone?  It seems to have disappeared with my hair.   Life goes on and hair gives up.

The grand kids are growing.  Easton (4) has mastered riding a two wheeler without training wheels (!) and is off to pre-school.  Chezney has also mastered bicycle riding and is in first grade.  Kiley is in middle school and has learned to on-up me on most everything. 

Erik has sold the village of Marshall on putting in a 19 hole disc golf course at an under utilized village park.  He sold the idea, designed the course, plotted the course through a mix of prairie and woods, and put in countless hours of back breaking work putting it into being.  The baskets were in place last week!  The village is adding water, toilets, a shelter and parking.  Way to go Erik!

And Becky has a permanent teaching job in a middle school in Janesville.  Fantastic!  A second degree in English as a Second Language sealed the deal.  She will be a great teacher.

We are yet in DeForest making plans and plotting courses for our winter travels.  We will end up somewhere and find new adventures this coming year.

More transitions are on the horizon somewhere in the black hole!

We are here

This summer has passed with amazing speed.  We have spent much of it in DeForest WI parked at the KOA visiting family. 

We took the three grandchildren camping for a week at Mirror Lake State Park at Lake Delton (the "Dells" area).  They enjoyed several days at the beach, camp fires, hikes and other good fun.  We did not get hooked into the Dells commercial activities but roughed it in the campground. 

We did a little yoga:

And ate a little ice cream:

We travelled a few miles south to Devil's Lake State Park to use their beach.  It is significantly better than the small one at Mirror Lake. 

The campgrounds at Mirror Lake are, however, much nicer than at Devil's Lake.  Of course our brand new water pump did not work on its first use.  We survived without running water.

From there we moved backed to Deforest and suffered through a week of near 100 degree temperatures and very high humidity (82% and over).   Water pump replaced.

Last weekend we stayed at the Vista Royale Campground in Bancroft WI.  The Lemkes, Haugs and Sterns have spent the last weekend of July there for the last three years.   The camping, like many private campgrounds, is crowded and somewhat disorganized.  The sites don't have designated boundaries and shade is at a premium.  Temperatures were in the upper 80s with cloudless skies for the most part.  It was good sunburn weather.  Severe storms fortunately missed us though there were many in the area.  The kids enjoyed playing in the water.  The adults enjoyed staying out of the sun.

Last Sunday we travelled from Bancroft to Amerst Junction about 30 miles northeast.  We camped at Lake Emily County Park.  The park was beautiful and relaxing.

 It sits on the Tomorrow River Bicycle Trail.  Unfortunately, our bicycles did not make the trip.  We did, however, watch a bald eagle fish in the Lake while we set up camp.  And, yes, the newer water pump worked. 

On Thursday we travelled 100 miles south back to Mirror Lake.  We are enjoying the quiet even though there is no vacancy in the park.  Thursday night we celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary dining at the Cheese Factory Restaurant in Lake Delton.  It is a highly rated vegetarian/vegan restaurant.  Great food.  And topped the meal off with a slice of chocolate cake for two that was bigger than my head (in other words, darn big.)   Life goes on.

Madison Farmers' Market

On Saturday morning we went to the farmers' market on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison (see here).  The market is open year round.  However, the outdoor market runs every Wednesday and Saturday mornings from mid April until the first week of November.  On Saturdays it is held on the inner ring around the State Capitol.  During the winter, it is held indoors nearby.  The market begun in 1972 is billed as the largest producer only farmers market in the country.  There are no resales allowed--the person behind the stand is the producer of the product.  Vendors are members of a co-op and elect members to sit on the Board of Directors.  There is a currently a 5 year waiting list for vendors to sell at the market.  Though it is a market, it is also an must see experience.

On Saturday vendors offered meats including bison emu, ostrich, chicken, beef and pork.  One could purchase fresh cuts, prepared meats and even smoked and fresh trout.  Vegetables included the usual spring mix of leafy greens, rhubarb, tomatoes, onions, etc.  And of course artisan cheese (and curds!) flowers, bedding plants and baked goods (Amish pies).   Don't forget mushrooms, popcorn, honey and maple syrup!  Many of the vendors are certified organic and others advertise "no sprays." 

Literally thousands of shoppers take advantage of the market and most follow the unwritten rule and walk counter clockwise around the square.

But with all the concern about walking in the appropriate direction with the flow of the crowd and trying to remember which vendor had the best deal on what, where would one find Donna and her sister Dianne lurking?  Squeezing the tomatoes perhaps?  Perusing the spinach?  Checking the squeakiness of the cheese curds, maybe?  Not even close.

Whoopie Pie anyone?

May 24

Well it came as no surprise.  I should have known better.  The rapture came and went and passed us by.  Oh well.  Life continues and so do birthdays.

Speaking of birthdays, the better half of our team celebrated her birthday on the 24th.  She continues to be 39.  It was a special day starting with a spinach and bacon souffle at Panera Bread.  After digesting both our breakfast and the daily paper, we went to the Olbrich  Botanical Gardens in Madison here  The gardens lie on a 16 acre tract along Starkweather Creek and across from Lake Monona.

It was a rather cool and overcast day and the gardens were abuzz with volunteers removing bulbs, planting annuals and providing a general clean up.  Signs of spring (finally) were in the air and the blossoms were still evident even after the recent storms.

The jewel known as the Thai pavilion seemed out of place with the spring colors.

There were far more volunteers in the gardens than visitors though a bus load of school children from Mount Horeb were evident. 

It was a ducky day (or turtle-y?)

We were almost enraptured.