Cool weather for rally

State Center, IA 73 degrees overcast.
     Got a few sprinkles overnight and it is cool today.  I have not written much lately as I rely on WIFI to get on the internet and there is none at the campgrounds.  I am in the Library now and will post a few photos and what has been going on.

 The four photos at left show the two things that I guess are done most at these gatherings -- eat and visit.  I won't try to identify the people in the photos as would probably get names wrong.  You people from Kenwood will probably recognize them.

Sunday noon there was a gathering at Bob Morse's new 5th wheel for lunch.

 This shows the building we meet in and many of the trailers already set.

Sunday Phyllis & I rode 13 miles round trip up and down some pretty steep hills to an antique machinery show that was located between here and Marshalltown.  Long hills on the recumbent trikes are doable, but you sure realize what muscles in your legs need worked on.

Will write more as I get time.  Lynn

Kenwood Summer Rally - State Center, IA

State Center, IA 75 degrees.  Has been real cool here, with some 20 people gathering over the weekend.  This afternoon officially starts the rally, but many got together earlier.  One group of 4 units not only got together here, but have made reservations to go to a park in Florida this winter instead of returning to La Feria, TX.  Yesterday sweet corn was picked and we enjoyed that for supper last night along with some Casey's Pizza and dishes some brought. 
At noon a group of 8 or 9 are going to Des Moines to tour the John Deere Plant that Bob Morse set up for us.

Weather has been cool, but to get in to lower 90's today.  So far have hardly had to run air conditioners other than Friday evening.

This morning Leonard and Bill made waffles, with strawberries, eggs for breakfast.

Last night we introduced Judy to Pegs & Jokers, and of course her team won.

Will catch up later, Lynn

August is here--Where did July go?

Clarinda, IA  89º predicted high 99º

    

 We're in a new month and the Midwest is just as hot as July.  Picture at right shows the lawn (& the neighbor's RV after he returned from last trip). 



Photo below shows airing up the trikes with pump powered by the car's 12 volt system.  Oh yeah, that is Phyllis leaning over the garden hose filling some milk jugs to water flowers.  I didn't notice here when snapped this picture.  Should have waited a bit.

This morning it was a little cooler when we went for our ride.  Only about 70º when we started out about 7 am.  We have been riding about 7 miles each morning with much of it on steep hills.  Seems like the same hill is lot steeper going up than going down.

Sunday morning's ride was quite productive as we rode by the nearby restaurant/bar and found that many a folk finished their evening in the parking lot and chucked their cans there. 

Page County Fair was this last week.  Since we don't have kids or grand kids in the fair any more we don't attend like we should.  However, on Friday we helped with the pop/water stand for the 4-H group.  Watched a few minutes of hog judging before we reported for duty.

 Since we had the 10:00 am to 12:00 am shift and the morning was cooler than had been we weren't exactly over-worked.  The pop was in ice water and it took only a few seconds of fetching out the lower bottles to numb your hands/arms.

 On Friday evening we participated in the Square Dance with the Clarinda Circle 8 Square Dance Club, dancing in a pavilion where spectators could watch.  Since it is advertised that lessons will start this next week it was hoped that some interest would arise for those lessons.

Didn't get any photos at the dancing site, but, of course, we all went out for ice cream at the local Runza Restaurant afterward and took a few photos of this activity.

Phyllis is going to the church to the sew & share (or visit & eat) session this afternoon.  I am going to bring the Ford Excursion in from storage and start getting tires checked, hitched up, etc. for Friday

Oh, did you know plants created animals so they would have some way of spreading their seeds?
Till later, Lynn

After more than a month -- 1" of rain!

Clarinda, IA 79º - 81% humidity.

We got an inch of rain overnight.  This photo was taken through the front window when the rain first started and it was still light out.  Note the really brown lawn.  (The little white area is reflection of the TV that was on behind me)

    We had a few dips in the lights, but didn't loose electricity.  Phyllis' classmate Nancy, who was at the Assisted Living place with her mother about a half mile from us called to say they were running on emergency generator with only dim lights in the hall working.  Don't know how much of the town was without lights, or how long.

Last couple of days I have been, slowly, working on straightening door from our bedroom to the deck that had shifted enough that it wouldn't close properly, or lock.  After taking off internal trim and finding no nails or screws from the door frame to the surrounding 2" x 4" I finally removed the siding and found that the door was secured to the wall with nails through a metal flange.

Due to the low eave I couldn't get to the top flange without removing all the facia above the area.  With only a small space and the nails being tight it took quite some time getting the nails out above the door.


But, I was able to move the top of the door enough to get the latch to match and the rod that runs both up and down at the end of the door into the top and floor when it locks to match.

Notice the nail hole in the weather material beside the hole in the metal flange surrounding the door.  That is how much the top of the door had to move.  This is right at junction of the older part of the house and an addition for the bedroom that was built in 1994; I suppose there is some settling in the new part.

  Closing, latching, and locking worked perfectly.  However, since I had started looking on the inside by taking off the trim and doorstop pieces, they had to be put back on.  I snugged them too tight and the locking part still doesn't work.  Will take off the doorstop boards and move them in slightly, which should allow the pins to go up above the door and down into the sill.



Phyllis will be glad when I get it all back together.

When we were riding the trikes couple mornings ago we went by the local Lied Center (Swimming Pool) and rode by this huge cement pumper that was pouring cement around a new outdoor wading pool.

More later, Lynn

Still a bit warm!

Clarinda, IA 94º Hi predicted 104º
  This weekend was all about Phyllis-------and her 50th 1962 Class Reunion from Clarinda High School.  They had 50 classmates at the supper at the Country Club Friday evening.

After the photo above, a meal was taken and then a nice program of slides showing older photos compared to recent photos was shown.

At left are the two chairmen of the reunion trying to explain where the money went and what they had done to set up the weekend.  Everybody was happy with all the events planned.

A very nice booklet containing photos and history of those who responded to request for that was handed to all class members.




Much visiting was done that evening.  The next morning many went back to the club house and played golf

 and many went on a tour of Clarinda with Bill Lisle pointing out many of the changes and improvements made in the community since 1962.  Toured the new water plant, drove around the Japanese Ball Bearing Plant NSK-AKS http://www.aksball-us.com/, toured the Lied Center (swimming pool and exercise facility), drove through Lisle Corp, toured the Lied Library http://www.clarindapubliclibrary.org/, drove through Clarinda Treatment Facility http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/buildings/clarinda/  and Penitentiary http://www.doc.state.ia.us/InstitutionDesc.asp, toured through the new Clarinda Regional Health Center http://www.clarindahealth.com/,  and toured the EZ Way, Inc. facilities. http://www.ezlifts.com
 

 We ended up at Ed Nordland's Classic Cars place and enjoyed lunch of barbequed brats and/or cheeseburgers.

Ed has many cars, inside and outside, and tons of memorabilia relating to cars, car repair, gas stations, etc.

Yes, these were old prices.

Think this might need some work!

Ed had several Mustangs

Saturday evening most of the class members met at Bill & Cheryl Lisle's place for a picnic on the lawn.  Though it was warm, the tree shade, and some big fans made it comfortable.

 Lots of good food, through caterers, and lots of visiting.  Don't imagine the truth was stretched in any of these conversations between people who hadn't seen each other for years.

 One of the classmates, from Missouri, raises, trains, and sells police dogs and he brought a couple and demonstrated attacking one of the other classmates.

They also had a caricature artist from Lincoln, NE who made interesting drawings of all the people attending the supper.  I won't post the one he made of Phyllis & myself.

 On Sunday morning most of the classmates met at the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Museum for a brunch and more visiting and saying goodby.  Though many from Iowa will see each other in the mean time, many were from states well away from here and it may be the 55th reunion before they see each other.

We had enjoyed a visit with our friends Karen & Jack Norden who lives in our Kenwood RV Park in Texas and were traveling the Midwest this summer visiting friends and relatives.  They headed on to Joliet, IL from our place on Friday morning and one of Phyllis' classmates, Nancy Tarrant-Schaurte, from Florida came to stay at our house until this Tuesday.

Hot, Hot

Clarinda, IA 92º  Heat can't seem to go away.  All over the Midwest it is cooking.

When we left West Branch, MI we filled our fresh water tank, but didn't use a lot of it as we ate out mostly from there on.  I drained the 30 some gallon tank into buckets and poured it on some small trees, flowers and bushes.  Will see if this Michigan water helps.  Have not been watering the lawn, but have been buying water for tomato plants and a few outside flowers.

Here are a couple pictures of 3 of our tomato plants that are planted right up next to the north side of the shop which provides shade from direct sun.  First photo was taken last of June and second photo taken yesterday.  Had to prop up the plants and cages with some scrap lumber and tie the tomatoes up with the foam-covered wire thingies.

Have been watering the tomatoes each day, have some fairly good sized tomatoes on them   Phyllis bought 4 tomatoes the other day from a vendor that was also selling sweet corn - $5 for the 4 tomatoes.  Sure hope these start turning pretty soon.

Finally got the hedge trimmed that runs all the way across our back yard.  (This photo was taken when still had couple spots to do).  Note the desert looking grass by it.

 We have been riding trikes a few miles early in morning when relatively cool.  Here is picture of the corn field right by the airport.  It is much taller and greener than much that we saw in northern Missouri and southern Illinois, but it sure needs rain now to fill out the kernels of corn.  





 

This photo shows a lot of birds-foot trefoil blooming by the older hangers at the field.

Finally got around to taking off the bug guts splattered on the front of the trailer.  The front sits to the west, southwest which is the worst as far as the late afternoon sun baking those little innards onto the fiberglass.  Even though "The Solution" is a good product it took several applications and a lot of elbow grease to get them removed.  Worked on it this morning when the sun was still in the east.

     Getting ready for company Wednesday of friends/neighbors from our Kenwood RV Park overnight and the next day one of Phyllis' classmates arrives from Florida to stay with us  for their 50th Clarinda High School Class Reunion -- Class of 1962.  Think they have some events planned for Friday, Saturday and Sunday and have a pretty good percentage of living classmates coming.

All for now. Lynn

Headin' home from our 2 week trailer trip

Clarinda, IA  75º no rain.

        After having fun with Bill & Darlene on the weekend, we headed south on Monday morning.  Filled up our fresh water tank at the Fair Grounds as we left as wasn't sure what the next couple days would bring. 

Driving south we called my cousin Betty (French) and Ed LaBlanc in Marshall, MI and they drove out to a restaurant near the Interstate and we ate lunch together and visited.  We hit the Indiana line about 2:15 pm.


Stopping at a rest stop in Indiana I noted barrels of Salt -- something we don't see in the winter when we are in Texas.

We got to Marion and Ardel Finken's place in Grabill, IN about 4:30 pm.  Parked our trailer and Ford in a vacant lot adjacent to their house and they insisted we sleep in the house rather than hook up 20 amp electricity.  With their house air conditioned it did make it really comfortable.  We went out to the Grabill Inn Restaurant for supper.  Grabill is in the Amish area not far from Shipshewana, IN and is a very laid-back town.  Lots of bikes on the street, lots of horse and buggies on the street.  On Tuesday morning we took our trikes and did about 6 miles down to a park on the Cedarville Resevoir and back and also to a wetland preserve area not to far from the Finken house.  Ardel pointed out that Bill & Darlene didn't have anything over on them with their lake in the back yard as they have a water catch basin behind their house and it even has a couple ducks on it. 

 Telling Ardel & Marion we would see them this fall in Texas, we drove about 10 mile south to another Kenwood RV resident Dave & Jan Engle's place.  Visited an hour or so with them at the place they have lived in for some 50 years and then headed south and west to near Marion, IN.

I had jokingly said that part of the reason for this trip was to see where our friends from Kenwood hang their hats.  Phyllis told me not many wear hats any more; but, when we were in Harold & Imogene Williams house we could see where they hang their caps.  We enjoyed a visit with them and they drove us to Marion where we had lunch in a fine family restaurant and visited some more.  Harold drove us into the area behind their house and showed us their small pond and picnic area.  Of course, it was hot and dry through that area, as we found much of the Midwest to be.

Lee & Helen Miles

We headed west and called Helen Miles to see if they would meet us near the Interstate in Peoria. They live in Elmwood, IL and also are winter residents of Kenwood RV. We pulled into a Perkins parking lot about 7:30 pm and found that it was Helen's birthday and she was celebrating, having been at several other restaurant visiting with friends.  Lee & Helen enjoyed a pie and malted milk while we ate supper and visited.  We pulled back on the interstate in the dark and headed west. 

Phyllis, daughter-in-law Patty, and granddaughter Emily

We stopped in Galesburg, IL courtesy of a Wall-Mart parking lot about 10:00 pm and were back on the road by 7:30 Wednesday morning.  We entered Iowa at Davenport, IA and called our daughter-in-law Patty in Marengo to see if she could meet us at Williamsburg near the Interstate.  She did and we also visited a bit with our youngest granddaughter Emmy who was working at one of the retail stores.


We ate some huge cinnamon rolls and visited a bit with Patty and once again pulled back on the road.  Stopped in Atlantic, IA to visit with friend to see how her mother, in a nursing home, was doing.

Was back home about 5 pm, stopping at local airport where the city has a dump station, and backed  the trailer into the drive.

Was a fun trip, was able to see lots of Texas friends and spend some time with our daughter.

Will pull our trailer to State Center, IA in August for a week's Kenwood Rally where we hope to see many more of our Texas Family.

More later, Lynn