Warm

Clarinda, IA 91º with bright sunshine.
 Click on photos to enlarge.  Bit warm this afternoon.  We went on 8+ miles ride on the trikes early this morning, getting back about 9:45 am before it got too hot.

 Mowed the lawn Saturday.  Neighbors on both sides had shown pictures of mushrooms growing in their yards.

Well, I ran on to a bunch, also.    Were not golf ball shaped like neighbor Carol's, but somewhat similar.  Also a couple real bright red, red/orange.

These were growing under the big evergreen we have in front of the front door.

This little fella was really bright!

Phyllis' flowers just to the west of our house.

Not sure what these flowers are called, but they are just behind our garage.

Put the trikes, one at a time, on this small frame so could adjust things and put graphite on chains and chain de-railers.

Last night, Saturday, Patty Steckelberg came over from Shenandoah and we all went to Jay's Pizza to share a House Special Pizza while attending the Clarinda Circle 8 Square Dance meeting preparatory to their new season starting in September.  Since we are gone to Texas during most of the Square Dancing season we no longer belong, but do support them when we are here.
Getting the travel trailer ready for us to leave Wednesday morning on way to Fountain, Michigan where we will be set up at Timber Surf Campground over Labor Day Weekend.  Our daughter and her family will be at their cabin at nearby Gun Lake where we will be on the water and also only a few miles from Lake Michigan.  Guess they have canoes and kayaks and we may get wet.

Can't believe - have had 193 people read my last post on "death of a classmate"  Maybe should have called it "passing of a classmate" maybe the name drew them all.  Anyway, that is by far more than I have ever had any of my posts read.  Too bad no one left any comments; would like to hear from readers.

More later.

Death of a classmate

Clarinda, IA 81º - 86% humidity.  Pretty muggy.   --  Click on pictures to enlarge.
     Got word yesterday that Carolyn Downin Ellis had passed away. 

    I went to rural elementary school - Lower Lodi, north of Oconto, NE.   This had been one of the last 10-grade country schools in Custer County, but at the time I graduated 8th grade there were only 8 grades.  There were just two in my grade, myself and our neighbor girl Carolyn Downin.  She is second from left, just below the teacher, in the photo at right, which I am guessing was taken in early to mid 1950's.

From this 1970 newspaper article, showing the gathering (I think the last) at this rural school - lower left shows myself, ex-teacher Valaire Robinson, Norman Downin (Carolyn's younger brother) and Carolyn Downin.

Though this does not show Carolyn, it shows my mother, Pearl Miles (at left in front of blackboard) and next to her is Carolyn's mother Elsie Downin.  I believe Katie West is beside Elsie.  This was the last day of school dinner in 1959 according to label of the photo at Lower Lodi rural school.  We would have been in high school in Callaway, NE at that time, but I assume my younger sister was in grade school here.  My mother telephoned Elsie Downin at least every couple days for many years, until Mom's death in 1986.  This area of the sand-hills was sparsely populated and they kept in touch by phone.

 Carolyn is the third from left of the ladies standing in this 50-Year Reunion of our Callaway High School in 2011.  While there were just the two of us in our grade at Lower Lodi School, we were in a class of 30 (I think) when graduated from High School in Callaway.
We were never real close, but she was my only classmate that was with me through all of grade  school and we had kept in touch occasionally over the years.  I had called her several years on her birthday - she was from March 16th to June 10th older than me - to see if the extra year was making any difference.  We stopped at her and Jim's house near Cambridge, NE several years ago.  At home, in Custer County she lived just east of us and  closest neighbor with her brother Norman and parents Morris and Elsie Downin  just "over-the-hill" though it was maybe a mile by road. 

We visited her brother Norman, who still lives on the home place, at the end of June when we attending the all-school reunion.  He runs a lot of cattle and was working with them the day we were there.  He is in picture at right in this "selfie".


My oldest brother, Roger called last evening saying Norman had called him and asked we be notified.  Said the funeral is going to be next Wednesday.  Wish we weren't scheduled to be on way to Michigan to visit our daughter over the Labor Day weekend, would try to make the drive to central Nebraska.

Today is Tuesday, August 26, 2014, and I just received 3 photos of Carolyn from her husband Jim.  He said Carolyn loved butterflies and these were taken at a butterfly shop in Florida - At right is Carolyn and her husband Jim Ellis.

More later, Lynn

A bit warm

Clarinda, IA   Temperature 86º and humidity 74% giving a "feel like" of 97º.

            Writing this on Tuesday.  Cool here in the basement with the A/C on, though.  Started out not planning to do a lot this morning and so far have been pretty successful at it.
Phyllis spent afternoon at Methodist Church helping with the Page County Food Pantry on their one afternoon of the week food give away to people with proper paperwork from the county.  In the evening we drove to Villisca, IA and went with Oliver & Mary Jo Herzberg to the Villisca Country Club to eat.  They are only open Wednesday evenings to the public.  Had good supper and then went back to O&MJ's for couple games of Hand & Foot.

Later, Lynn

In Clarinda

Clarinda, IA  Temp 85º - Humidity 58%    With the relatively low humidity isn't too bad a day.  Bright sunshine.  We went for trike ride right after breakfast.  Only went little over 5 miles and stayed in the residential area of Clarinda which provided shade much of the time.  Had gone a little over 11 miles on Sunday morning early.

After leaving State Center last Friday we drove to Marengo, IA and set up the trailer at Sudbury Motel & RV.  Girls went shopping down at Tanger Outlet near Williamsburg and I worked with photos on the computer.  When daughter-in-law Patty got off work from school she walked the mile from their house to our trailer and when Patty (Steckelberg) and Phyllis returned we drove over to Cam & Patty Miles' place.  When Cam got home from work he drove us all down to Williamsburg where we ate Chinese.

Returning to Cam's we spent time looking at the huge Photo Album Patty had made of their June trip to Iceland.  On Saturday morning we returned to their place and Cam showed many slides and videos, showing on a map where they were at each.  Very interesting trip they had; they enjoyed and so did we from the photos and videos.

Granddaughter Ashley and Cam --

 Had a great lunch there and then hooked up the travel trailer and headed to Clarinda, arriving around 6:45 pm.




Son Cam and Patty Steckelberg

Grandson-in-law Heath---

Daughter-in-law Patty and Phyllis









Have a few things to work on the travel trailer -- track for the door between bedroom and living room needs re-anchored to the ceiling, and a few other things I thought of working on, but can't think of right now.  Will be leaving next week for Michigan over the Labor Day Weekend.

Phyllis has been getting some tomatoes from our single plant by the back deck.

Pulled some "creeping charlie" and finally got out some 2-4D and sprayed the stuff along with some dandelions around the yard.





More later, Lynn

Succesful Kenwood RV (Texas) 2014 Summer Rally

Clarinda, IA - 70º overcast and spotty showers.

Returned, with the travel trailer, Saturday about 6:45 pm.  Had pulled out of here, with Patty Steckelberg on board, around 11 am Saturday a week ago for State Center, IA.  Phyllis headed up a summer gathering of Midwest people who overwinter in Kenwood RV Park in La Feria, TX.  State Center is called Iowa's Rose Capital  (Click on link to read their web page).

Click on photo to make larger.  I think we got all the people who were there except Ardel & Marian Finken who were there only Tuesday.  We had several who dropped in for a while and I think they were all here at 5 pm Wednesday when this was taken.

We had a lot of visiting and Pegs & Jokers playing-

 Toured a 22 hr/day dairy (they clean one hour at 7 am and again 7 pm)  Think they said they were milking 2,500 cows - 3 times a day.

Heifers are all raised for replacement cows in the milking herd.

Picked sweet corn -- which we had for all lunches and dinners once we got them back to the shed.

Once we were back at the shed the sweet corn was shucked and the husks thrown into the adjoining bean field.  With a bunch working it didn't take long.

At right is photo of us eating the fresh-picked sweet corn at our noon meal.  To see all the photos of our gathering for the Kenwood RV 2014 Summer Rally click here.

Patty, Phyllis and I had driven to Des Moines on Monday and spent the day at the Iowa State Fair.  One day isn't enough to see it all, but we got a pretty good look. Here is web site with lots of 2014 Iowa State Fair photos click here.

At left is our entering the Beef Quarters for a very tasty noon meal.

    Somehow we missed the "American Gothic" statue but this is a picture from the Iowa State Fair website noted above.

We played Bean Bag Baseball on Tuesday evening.

       More cooking going on.

    Game playing going  on.

Visiting at  Dick & Deanne Messer's motorhome.

Visiting at  Dick & Deanne Messer's motor-home on Monday evening.  

Thursday evening we had homemade ice cream that LaRhoda and Harold had made.  Guess there was too much ice cream for the containers when we were finished, so these ladies sacrificed their bodies to eat it down till it fit.

Friday morning they made pancakes and sausage for breakfast -- with strawberries and other goody toppings.

I did some work in Photoshop and added the Finkens to our group photo.

Think all enjoyed themselves --

Till next time, Lynn

Getting ready for State Center, IA

Clarinda, IA  72º and expecting rain.  Been clear and warm last few days.

Worked on putting new Wheel Skirt on that had been blown off in Arkansas when tire blew on way from Texas in April.  Had to paint the one sent from RV place and doesn't quite match the rest of the trailer.  May run on to some good-for-plastic paint sometime that is closer in color.  Had to build new center support down from frame as it had been lost.

 Got the Table Saw Sled finished and used it last couple days.  Makes it a lot easier to cut small pieces.

Rubbed baby powder on all the rubber gaskets surrounding the slide-out on the travel trailer.  It is supposed to soften them so they will seal better.  Did find that when the slide is closed, and bouncing down the road, the bumps of the screws to the right have worn holes in the rubber gasket.  Not sure if it lets water in if the gasket is to the inside (where it seems to normally be) but if it does flip out--like shown then it would let water through.  Will have to look at it when we are set up for a time and make sure the rubber seal/gasket is tucked in.

Did find that the junction between two small eaves was leaking so sealed with a little epoxy.

Haven't used the Honda EU2000i Generator much, but usually carry it with the travel trailer.  Haven't run it for some time and it won't start now.  Imagine will have to drain it and put new gas in--already cleaned the spark plug.  Probably won't take it for the week we will be in State Center, but would like to take it the couple weeks we will be going to Michigan and returning in case need it for power.

The "Naked Ladies" on the east side of the garage are blooming.

Not sure what kind of plant this is, but found it just south of the shop.  Looks like Chinese Thingy to put in your mixed drink!

Been eating on the deck a lot.










Figured some days/time: 16 years 8 months since Phyllis' Mom died; 27 years 11 months since her Dad died; 27 years 9 months since my Mom died; 36 years 4 months since my Dad died; 6 years 3 months since my sister Louise died.
On better note, it has been 132 days since we left Kenwood RV Park in Texas and about 82 days till we will be back down there.  In 23 days we hope to see Daughter Michelle on Labor Day weekend in Michigan; and 3 days until we are at the site in State Center, Iowa for the Kenwood RV Summer Rally--and 6 days until the Rally starts.

Maybe later, Lynn