From Wal-mart With Love

All praises to the folks at Camping World in Island Lake, IL!!!! When we got there first thing this morning they had no record of our appointment. When they looked farther they found the appointment: one week from today! But the service manager said he would squeeze us in when he heard our plight.

To make a long story short, they fixed the water heater and got the folks in Georgia to pay for it. Total cost to us -- $0.00! For some reason the air conditioner was also working when we picked up the HaRVey the RV even though they hadn't done anything to it. Maybe something got soaked by the leak and caused a short?

Anyway, by 3:00 PM we were rolling again. We are in a Wal-mart just north of Wisconsin Dells. I suspect we will cross the border into Canada sometime Thursday. I'm sure you'll hear more from Judy.

O Happy Day

We are up early today and drive up to Island Lakes where we have a repair appointment at Camping World. There was a mix up with the date, but they were wonderful and fit us in and fixed our water leak. Our fan worked when we left and we don't know why - but it's great!

While we waited for the repairs we drove around the area and the town of Crystal Lake. A beautiful section about 1 1/2 hours north of Chicago. Lots of lakes and rivers and boating and vacation homes. There are miles of strip malls and loads of shopping and eating choices. We stopped at a Holiday Inn to see if they had a room in case we had to stay overnight. As I walked in to inquire if they allow pets I was greeted by lots of Mastiffs with their owners. Turns out there was a dog show there. Ziggy ws quite disappointed that we didn't get to stay over.

We happily drove off and spent the night in northern Wisconsin at a WalMart.

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

It's Monday and most of the family are off to work and school. We sleep late and start the laundry in Mindy and Glenn's new washer. Thanks to Mindy who later dried our clothes and folded them so beautifully. We set out to cousin Terry's house and we joined her and Rick for a trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens. Located in the northern suburb of Glencoe, the gardens are set on 385 acres and just breathtaking. We strolled the Japanese islands and saw many waterfalls. The tulips and rhododendrons were in bloom and the crab apple trees were about to flower. It all smelled great too! We had lunch in the cafeteria and took a tram ride around the perimeter of the property. Make sure to visit here if you find yourself in Chicago.

We drove back to reality and met Marilyn for dinner and more catching up. That's what we Glazer's enjoy - eating and talking. Marilyn had to leave for an evening meeting and we said our goodbyes to her, Terry and Rick as we are leaving early in the morning to get our RV repairs done.

Back at the Luebke's Ziggy was patiently waiting for us. Inside we visited and were treated to a short piano recital by Miranda.

We Are Family

Another sunny day greets us and a little shopping in the WalMart starts us off. We start driving and arrive in Chicagoland around noon. Our cousins live in Arlington Heights which is northwest of the city and conveniently located on a quiet cul de sac where we can park. It is great to see Mindy and Glenn and their kids Jeremy and Miranda who are growing up so nicely. They have a beautiful yard and Ziggy enjoys Miranda walking her around.

A little later we get together with the entire family for a dinner featuring Carson's ribs. It's a family tradition and Marilyn is our hostess tonight. It turns out to be an early Mother's Day celebration and I am showered with gifts and it's fun. Marilyn and her twin sister, Terry, are Jeff's first cousins and Terry's daughters are Mindy and Stacy. Stacy's daughter, Jessica, completes the Chicago cousins. We do have another east coast relative here - Rick! He drove out from New Jersey so we can all be together for a family reunion. Jeff is very excited because Rick has brought him 20 - 2 liter bottles of birch beer. Jeff has missed his favorite soft drink and now will have a supply to last the summer.

After eating we returned to the house to hang out and take some family pictures. Now I'm catching on on this blog and look forward to more family fun tomorrow.

Old Friends

Saturday morning we are up and off to the memorial service. It is a fitting tribute to Ray who was a good man and well loved by so many. We are so pleased that we are able to be part of this celebration of life.

After the luncheon we say goodbye to old friends and head north on a secondary road amidst green pastures with cows and tiny, newborn calves. There are some impressive horse farms and we remark that West Virginia is a very pretty part of the country. After an hour or two we cross into southeastern Ohio and a four lane highway. The landscape turns flatter, but still green and lots of grazing land and farms.

We realized that our route was going to take us through Dayton and then to Indianapolis. Jeff and I have a dear friend who lived in Dayton and we decided to call him. I wasn't able to get a phone number through 411 so I called Jan & Harvey in South Carolina and they found the number on the internet. Oh I love the modern technology. So we called Bob Lawner and arranged to meet him for dinner. This is so weird as Bob was a friend of Jeff's at Boston University in 1965. Later I met Bob on a blind date - the same date that I met Jeff. Surprise, I was fixed up with Bob! Anyway we were great friends and Bob was an usher in our wedding.

Bob arrived with his kids Stefan and Sara (hope I spelled that right) and we had a great time reminiscing and telling the kids all the dumb things we used to do. After showing them the RV and introducing them to Ziggy we had to leave. We arrived in Indianapolis around 11pm and found a WalMart and passed out.

Workin' In The Coal Mine

Here we are in a KOA Campgroud just west of Charleston, WV. This is a beautiful state with rolling hills and lots of greenery. We got on the road this morning at 9:30 and Ziggy and I enjoyed a long walk around the WalMart parking lot. They always have grassy areas and trash cans so that works for us.

I drove most of the day and we arrived a Charleston around 3pm. It is an interesting area as we passed many coal mines with trains and barges filled with coal. Lots of billboards touting the advantages of coal energy dotted the highway. Our campground is pretty with large wooded sites. Jeff and I took long showers in the campground facilities. One of our mechanical problems is a water leak and more runs out the bottom of our rig that from the faucets. Don't ask!

We dressed and got ready to head into Charleston to visit with some of our old printing friends. A dear colleague named Ray Stinson passed away last week and we are here for his memorial service which is tomorrow. Lots of other folks who were associated with the Crouser Consulting Group are here too so we are looking forward to seeing some old friends even though it is a sad occasion.

Well we are back from the reception and saw many old friends.We don't miss our printing business at all and it was fun to reminisce about the "old days." This untimely death is just one more reminder to get out there and live life to its fullest while you are able and healthy.

Now we're ready for bed. Tomorrow we will go to the memoral service and then head west towards Indianapolis and Chicago.

Nothing Can be Finer Than to Be In Carolina In The Morning

Well it is time to go. It is a gorgeous day and I am sad to leave our beautiful home. A few friends stop by to say goodbye and an egret strolls lazily along our lagoon. But we finish loading up and set off just after noon.

Our drive is uneventful and we pass into North Carolina and spend an hour and a half in a huge traffic jam. A few mechanical problems arise so we schedule a serivce visit after we leave Chicago. The city of Charlotte looks impressive with several very tall skyscrapers and we stop just north of the city to spend the night in a WalMart parking lot. Jeff calls it Wallyworld and I call it cheap. But it works for us and there are two other campers nearby.

Good Night