Week in Review: May 19-25 ~~ Cloquet, MN

The weather in Minnesota is still rainy and cool -- temperatures for the past few days had barely reached 60 degrees. Where is the sun???

Sunday afternoon we attended the Hamre School of Voice 12th Annual Spring Vocal Recital-2013. Our niece MacKenzie has been taking voice lessons from Gail Hamre for the past two years; this was her classical voice recital.  The 2-hour recital had an international theme broken up into five languages: French, Spanish, German, Italian and English and featured 26 vocalists plus her instructor. MacKenzie had to learn German for her song, which was entitled Bist Du Bei Mir (If You Are Near). What an enjoyable afternoon! I’m a little biased, but MacKenzie did an outstanding job. As I mentioned, MacKenzie has been taking lessons for just two years; she just turned 12. Thought you'd like to hear it. (Please don't forward or distribute this video without approval from her parents. Thanks.)

Here are photos of MacKenzie receiving flowers after the performance, and with Gail (her instructor).

Monday morning we woke to 45 degrees, and pouring rain.  By 10 a.m. the rain had abated slightly, making it easier to get Mom to her hair appointment without too much hassle. That afternoon,  much to the delight of Mom, Dick and my brother Rich, I baked yet another batch of cookies. (They disappear way too quickly around here!)

The rain continued through the rest of the day Monday and on into Tuesday, although thankfully it was not a deluge…just a constant rain. The temperatures didn’t get out of the high 40s but the sun did begin to shine again Thursday morning. That ol’ yellow ball in the sky was a welcome sight after so many gray and gloomy days.

Friday morning was still sunny, but only 39 degrees at 7:30 a.m. Brrr! Dick shuttled my brother Rich to a local garage to have some service done on his snow plowing truck (NO – there’s no longer any snow!). While there, a call came in requesting a flatbed tow truck be dispatched to a local gas station pick up a diesel pick-up (pulling a 5^th wheel and a boat and trailer). The driver had inadvertently filled his fuel tank with unleaded gasoline instead of diesel fuel—BUMMER! The pick-up wasn’t running too well…L  The tow truck could get the pick-up but couldn’t do anything about the 5^th wheel and boat, so being the ever-helpful guys, Dick and brother Rich offered to pull the 5^th wheel and boat to the garage so it could be in the same vicinity as the pick-up while that was being serviced. We are so thankful we’ve not made that mistake, and hope we never do!

Friday evening my other brother Ron and wife Debby arrived from Roseau, Minnesota for Memorial Day weekend.  In preparation for their arrival, Dick and I cleaned Mom’s house from top to bottom: floor scrubbed? Check. Carpets vacuumed: Check. Furniture dusted? Check. Bathrooms cleaned? Check. Plants watered? Check. Laundry done? Check. Whew! We slept well that night!

Ron and Deb arrived safely around 8:30 Friday night, after about a 5½ hour drive. It was so good to see them again.

Saturday morning came way too early. However, I did my part and made French toast with fresh strawberries and sausage. We needed energy to face the day of yard work! Lawn mowing done?  Check. Lawn raked and aerated? Check. Lawn fertilized? Check. Shed and sidewalks swept? Check. Whew! To celebrate, the four of us drove the 18 miles to Duluth to Wild Birds Unlimited (Ron and Debby bought a bird feeder hoping to attract blue birds and orioles) and Hobby Lobby (we all scored there—leather working books for Ron, greenery for Deb, craft strip for Dick, and yarn for me). Yippee!

That night was pizza night followed by another wild game of Pegs and Jokers with Rich, MacKenzie, Ron, Deb, Dick and me. Never having played it before, Ron and Deb quickly got the hang of it. Unfortunately, the guys won yet again. Arrgh!

Hope this finds you well. Will be in touch next week, with another edition of Week in Review! Until then, stay safe, stay well. We love you!

Dick and Gail

Week in Review: May 13-17 ~~ Cloquet, Minnesota

 Mother’s Day, Sunday, and what good day it was! We brought Mom home from Sunnyside Health Care Center, after a 3-week stay with “those old people,” as she would say. She was more than ready! We picked her up at 10:30 and were home by 10:45. Because Mom has a bit of a memory problem, she was a little confused as to where she now was, but within a couple of days everything was once again familiar.

Even though the temperatures were in the low-30s and it was really windy, it was sunny. We moved the Sundance off the street, parking it alongside the garage until our next trip.  Didn’t hook up anything, as we’re staying in my mom’s house while we’re here. 

That afternoon my mom’s youngest sister Fern and her husband Kenny, from Grand Marais, stopped by for a visit, on their way home from Minneapolis. They were amazed to see how well Mom is moving around with a walker. Occasionally Mom takes off without it, but soon realizes how much more stable she is when she uses it.

Dick and I decided that the walker she was using was too big for her, so Monday we went to the local medical supply store and picked up a smaller one (more similar to the one she was using in physical therapy at the hospital), a handle for the bath tub, railings for alongside the toilet, and a hand-held shower head. Dick installed everything that afternoon while I made chocolate chip cookies. Then, we celebrated with the ever-ready cup of coffee and cookies! Temperatures were still in the low-30s that morning, but thankfully, NO SNOW!

By Tuesday afternoon the temps had risen to the high-70s; rain started in the morning but changed to sun that afternoon. It was a good day to set up some of the deck furniture so we could be outside to enjoy the sunshine and warmth.  We still have the deck swings to uncover, but that’ll come next weekend in time for Memorial Day.

Wednesday Dick and I visited Sherri, our local hairdresser. Yeah! Feels so good to have the locks shorn again. 

The temperatures had risen to the low-80s that afternoon so we spent the afternoon out on the deck; Mom doing her word find puzzles, Dick reading and me knitting. Love that sun!

Mom’s pastor, Doug Green, stopped by for a visit that afternoon, announcing that he’s going to retire in September. He’s been in Mom’s church for over 27 years.

Thursday was another beautiful and sunny day, with temperatures reaching the mid-70s. Dick visited the dentist and Mom and I sat outside again, before I picked up MacKenzie from school. She spent the afternoon and early evening with us and helped me make comfort food for dinner: meatloaf, baked potatoes and fresh asparagus. YUM! There wasn’t much left! Oh, and I made two loaves of banana bread that night.

Friday was my turn at the dentist.  Good thing Dick checked out my teeth before we got married—I’m still in good shape! No problems.

That afternoon I accompanied my brother Rich as he sang “The Lord’s Prayer” at a memorial service in downtown Cloquet. I hadn’t played a piano or keyboard since August last year, but it’s sorta like riding a bike—it comes back. Went very well. While I was gone, and Dick was downstairs in the basement, Mom sat down at her piano and played for over a half hour. She won’t play when I’m there—or when she knows anyone is there for that matter.  Dick heard her playing and was thoroughly entertained for that little while. She played hymn after hymn—so glad she does that.

Later that afternoon Dick and I drove to Duluth to attend the wedding of a cousin of mine, at the Greysolon Hotel. Turned out to be quite the family reunion! Saw aunts and uncles and cousins; some cousins I hadn’t seen in over 45 years! By the time we drove the 18 miles to my mom’s, the temperature had dropped to the high-40s, with wind. Rain appeared overnight, making Saturday morning dreary and gray.

Groom Brian (cousin) and Bride Susan

Flower girl Katelyn and ring bearer Nikoli

Cousin Julie and her husband Peter

Uncle David and Aunt Glenna

Gail with cousins Kara and Kim

Cousin Jane (right) and her daughter

Cousin Susie (right) and her kids. I haven't seen Susie
since she was just a baby

Temperatures were in the low-40s on Saturday morning, with fog and occasional drizzle. My uncle David (you may remember me mentioning him over the past year—he had a stroke a year ago), aunt Glenna and their two daughters Kim and Kara stopped on their way back to the Minneapolis area following the Friday night wedding. Kim’s and Kara’s husbands were child-sitting while they were taking a much-needed break from homemaking, to attend the wedding. Was so good to spend time with them again.

That evening, my brother Rich, wife Karen, and daughter MacKenzie came for pizza and game night. After devouring salad, half a pepperoni pizza, and half an all-meat pizza, we tackled “Pegs and Jokers.” (Remember, Dick had been given this game for his birthday, when we were in Illinois.) Only five of us played, so we didn’t compete in teams. I won the first game (Yeah! Marv and Shirl, I didn’t even have to move around the board!) I didn’t do so well the second time around…Dick won. It was still a good game and lots of fun.

That’s it for this week. We’ll be here in Cloquet for the next few weeks, so our adventures may be a bit sparse, but nevertheless we’ll keep you informed.

Hugs and blessings to you as we head into a new week.

Lake Tahoe, Christmas 2012

Dick and Gail

P.S.: Oh yeah – almost forgot… We received word that daughter Hollee and son-in-law David are expecting a baby girl in early November! Whoohoo! Grandparents once again!

Week in Review: May 5 to 11 -- Illinois to Minnesota

Greetings! It's Sunday, May 5 and we're still in Shady Lakes RV Resort in New Windsor, Illinois.

Hoping for a sunny and warm day, after Friday’s and Saturday’s frigid temperatures dipping down into the low 40s and the seemingly never ending rain, Dick and I made plans to ride the motorcycle for some local sight-seeing. That afternoon the sun came out and warmed things up to the high 60s—perfect. We headed just a few miles away, to see—wait for it…Wyatt Earp’s birthplace! How ‘bout some Earp history…

“Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was born March 19, 1848 in Monmouth, Illinois. Contrary to television lore, Wyatt was a gambler and Deputy U.S. Marshal in Tombstone, Arizona, taking part in the gunfight at the OK Corral during which lawmen killed three outlaws. To Wyatt's displeasure, the 30-second gunfight defined the rest of his life. He is often regarded as the central figure in the shootout in Tombstone, even though his brother Virgil was the city marshal and deputy U.S. marshal in Tombstone that day.

Wyatt Earp wore many different hats during his lifetime. He was a city policeman, county sheriff, a teamster, buffalo hunter, bouncer, saloon keeper, gambler, brother owner, pimp, miner, and a boxing referee. Within the two years after he married his first wife who died during pregnancy, he was arrested, sued twice, escaped from jail, then was arrested three more times for "keeping and being found in a house of ill fame." He landed in the cattle boom town of Wichita, Kansas where he became a deputy city marshall for one year and developed a solid reputation as a lawman. In 1876 he followed his brother James to Dodge City, Kansas where he became an assistant city marshal. In winter 1878, he went to Texas to gamble where he met John Henry "Doc" Holliday, whom Earp credited with saving his life.

Earp moved constantly throughout most of his life from one boomtown to another. He left Dodge City in 1879 and with his brothers James and Virgil, moved to Tombstone where a huge silver boom was underway. The Earp brothers bought an interest in the Vizina mine and some water rights. Wyatt, Virgil, and their younger brother Morgan held various law enforcement positions that put them in conflict with a loose federation of outlaw cowboys. Tom and Frank McLaury, and Ike and Billy Clanton, threatened to kill the Earp brothers. The conflict escalated over the next year, culminating on October 26, 1881 in the "Gunfight at the OK Corral," during which the Earps and Holliday killed three of the outlaw cowboys. In the next five months, Virgil was ambushed and maimed and Morgan was assassinated. Pursuing a vendeta, Wyatt, his brother Warren, Holliday, and others formed a federal posse which killed three of the cowboys they thought responsible.

After leaving Tombstone, Earp and his third wife moved from one boom town to another, starting in Eagle City, Idaho; then San Diego, California; Nome, Alaska; Tonopah, Nevada; and finally Vidal, California. An extremely flattering, largely fictionalized, best-selling biography published after his death created his reputation as a fearless lawman. As a result of the book, Wyatt Earp has been the subject of and model for a large number of films, TV shows, biographies and works of fiction that have increased his mystique. Earp's modern-day reputation is that of the Old West's "toughest and deadliest gunman of his day". Until the book was published, Earp had a dubious reputation as a minor figure in Western history.” (Wikipedia.org)

Unfortunately, the Earp Museum is closed on Sunday, so all we saw was the outside of his birthplace and corral.

As we rode back to our trailer, we passed field after field after field of farmland, with horses, beef and milk cattle, alpacas, goats, chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, and sheep.  Some winter wheat was soon ready to harvest, while many more fields were being plowed. Upon our return to the trailer later that afternoon, we began pre-packing for our trip Monday to Lanesboro, Minnesota, the final stop before we land at my mom’s in Cloquet.

Monday by a little after 9 a.m. we hit the road. We headed north on some state highways that ranged from being smooth as glass to near impassable, causing travel to be real slow—20 to 30 miles per hour in some spots. Due to the recent rains and snow melt, we saw the Mississippi River long before the actual river flowing under the I-80 bridge taking us into Iowa. Weather for travel was beautiful: 70 degrees, sunny with spotty clouds.

We arrived at Eagle Cliff Campground in Lanesboro, Minnesota around 3 p.m. As we left Iowa and entered Minnesota, we passed through Burr Oak, Iowa, where Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) helped her father run a hotel for a short while before settling at Walnut Grove, Minnesota. We passed farm after farm, many owned by the Amish who are prevalent in this part of the county. (We did see Amish horses and buggies along the road as we traveled.)

The Eagle Cliff Campground is, perhaps, one of the most beautiful and well –run campgrounds we’ve been in since we began our journey. Located in Lanesboro, Minnesota (45 miles SE of Rochester) it is nestled along the Root River and surrounding bluffs. There are accommodations for 50 riverfront tent sites, 161 full hookups for RVs (overnight and seasonal) and a 5-room on-site hotel. The grounds are beautifully maintained (immaculately clean bathrooms, dump station, laundry facilities, security, recycling, ice, modest camp store), and there are an abundance of activities available (fire rings, game room, horseshoes, volleyball, playground, BBQ, boat ramp, canoe and kayak rentals, tube and bicycle rentals, close proximity to paved bicycle trail, picnic shelter and playground, great trout streams in the area, close to approximately 60 miles of paved recreational trails for biking, hiking, rollerblading or cross country skiing. And, hunt the area farmland (with permission), and thousands of acres of state land, abundant in deer, turkey and more.) We highly recommend this place, if you’re in the area.

We met Cindy and Pat (and their dog Toby) from the Minneapolis suburbs, who are seasonal campers, and pulled in shortly after we did, parking their Airstream across from us.

Tuesday we set out for downtown Lanesboro, in search of Wi-Fi. (The Wi-Fi at the campground had been hacked, so there was no free Wi-Fi available on-site). We found the public library, but the hours weren’t compatible with our schedule. While we were in town, however, we did see a few Amish horses and buggies. So cool, but we learned that they do not like to have their photos taken, so we complied. Off we headed to Rushford, Minnesota, about 21 miles from Lanesboro, and 17 from our campsite. Their library was open so we took care of emails, sought out the local IGA for a few grocery items and hit Subway for lunch. Oh, and we did wash the very dirty black truck! The day was so beautiful, that after we returned home we sat outside for about 3 hours, enjoying the scenery and reading.

Wednesday we rode our bicycles around the park for about 30 minutes. The temperatures were in the mid- to high 60s. We were able to ride close to the Root River to take photos, but contrary to the name of the park, we didn’t see any eagles. Dick took off on the motorcycle for a couple of hours that afternoon, while I worked on our family’s cookbook. So quiet and peaceful. And then the rain came…

Thursday was a deluge! It rained and rained and rained. There was no hope of getting outdoors this day! We “bought” a 48-hour subscription to Wi-Fi so were able to access the internet. This gave us access to the internet for movies, too, so we watched the very strange movie “Loopers.” (We did have excellent TV coverage during our stay.) We began packing as much as we could indoors, for our departure on Friday.

By Friday morning the rain had subsided and the sun was “on the verge” of shining. By the time we got totally packed and ready to head out it was about 9:30. We had a 4 ½ hour drive ahead of us, without stops. The route we chose was smooth and clear sailing! No bad roads! The sun did shine, and the temperatures rose to the mid-60s for most of the drive. As we proceeded north, though, it steadily dropped to the low 50s by the time we got to Cloquet. The drive was uneventful, thankfully. We arrived about 2:30, with traffic and construction in St. Paul, and one stop. We were able to visit with Mom for several hours at the Sunnyside Health Center at the Cloquet Hospital for a while before dinner, which was good. She was so ready to go home! Sunday (Mother’s Day) would be the day!

Mom with MacKenzie, my brother Rich and me.

Mom, enjoying cookies and coffee.

On each floor at Sunnyside Health Care
were huge cages of live birds. They are so
colorful, and so fun to watch.

Our trailer parked at Mom's.

Man, did it get cold in Minnesota! Saturday morning when we got up it was 34 degrees! We decided to visit the local McDonald’s for breakfast before heading up to see Mom for a few hours. (She kept asking if she could go home with us rather than stay another night, but the doctor’s orders were to stay until Sunday.) We left shortly after sitting with her for lunch, stopped at WalMart for a few items, heading back to her house to do laundry, and a few things around the house.

The weather was so weird! We watched rain, wind, snow flurries, pea-sized ice pellets, wind and wind all day. Yuck! Tough to take after having such beautiful weather for most of our journey. The temperatures hovered around 40 degrees all day. Brr! We spent the early evening with Mom again, letting her know we’d be there to pick her up to bring her home the next morning. She was so excited! It would be good to have her home again. The physical therapist was blown away by how Mom was progressing; she had walked over 1,200 steps that morning, leaving everyone and everything in the dust!

We hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. We sure did, getting Mom home by 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning. What a blessing. Again, thank you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers on her behalf. Prayer works! She’s home, walking occasionally with a walker, but all-in-all doing very well. No follow-up PT is necessary.

Mom, happy to be home!

Hugs to you! Thanks for staying with us on our journey.

Gail and Dick

Week in Review - April 28 to May 4 - Carterville, IL to New Windsor, IL

Sunday, April 28 was Dick’s birthday. Although we preferred to have sunshine for his celebration day, we had to put up with off and on showers and a very grey day. I spent part of the day with my good friend Shirley, while we shopped WalMart and Sam’s Club. Working full-time gives her very little time for domestic errands. Shirley and Marvin, Jeri and Randy, and I surprised Dick with a birthday dinner of barbecued pork steaks, Brussels sprouts, salad and pineapple cake. Afterwards, we played yet another game of Pegs and Jokers, and they presented Dick with a game of his own—so we could practice over the next few months until we’re together again. What wonderful friends; we’ll miss them. Oh, Dick wanted me to be sure to say that “men rule.” (They won the games that night.)

L to R: Laurie, Marvin, me, Randy, Shirley, Leroy and Jeri
(Dick is taking the photo)

Monday the new parts for the awning cover over the dining room slide arrived, so John and Rob (from Kamper’s Supply) got it installed. This will help to keep debris from the top of the slide, and prevent water from pooling on top of it, too. Dick replaced a bolt on the motorcycle rack, helping to keep the hitch secure and level. Our friend Shirley let us use her washer and dryer to do a couple loads of laundry, so that’s done until we get to Cloquet next week. (We are so fortunate to have met Marvin and Shirley in Texas; we’ve become like, and we are so thankful for them.)

John and Rob installing the slide topper over the dining room.

Dick helped trim trees and bushes. He also helped with some computer issues. They’re expecting a new sign to be delivered and set up on Wednesday, so the lawns around the existing sign and store were mowed, and Dick did some “weed eating” where needed. It was a partly cloudy day, and very humid. Temperatures reached the mid-80s, with humidity just as high. Ugh.

That evening we visited Jeri and Randy’s barn, where they store their King of the Road 5^th wheel and Freightliner Sport chassis, as well as other “toys” and Jeri’s studio. (Jeri is a very accomplished artist, working in acrylics, stained glass, and other mediums.) 

Marvin and me next to Randy and Jeri's Freightliner, used to pull their
King of the Road 5th wheel.

Randy and Jeri's King of the Road 5th wheel, showing
3 slides.

Jeri's stained glass, in the door of the 5th wheel.
Beautiful!

Jeri's studio in their barn...all the comforts of home!

Rather than cooking, we all had dinner at Backyard Burgers—really good! Then…another game of Pegs and Jokers. Women ruled—at least that night…

Tuesday, we helped them clean and restock their store for the open house festivities. (They serve delicious barbecue all three days that Randy prepares on his stainless steel cookers: pork butts are the words of the day around there!) Dinner that night was a sit-down affair for 8 at O’Charlie’s. We also did the final packing up for our departure on Wednesday.

Randy's stainless steel cooker.

Wednesday the new sign for Kamper’s Supply arrived! It is so cute, and perfect, and you can see from Marvin’s smile that he’s pleased. So glad we were still there to see it go up.

By 12:45 we were on the road, after sad farewells, with happier thoughts of seeing everyone in October on our way south to Texas. We plan to have two more slide toppers installed then, over the living room and bedroom. We can’t say enough about their integrity and quality of work. They’re the best! We’re already looking forward to seeing the crew at Kamper’s Supply again.

By 4:45 we had arrived in Springfield, Illinois, to Cracker Barrel, where we would spend the night dry camping. We were a bit concerned that it would be noisy due to the close proximity to the highway, but we were able to sleep quite well.

Thursday was a great day for driving, as we headed for New Windsor, Illinois and Shady Lakes RV Park where we will spend the next four nights. It was a mostly sunny day, with temperatures in the 70s—at least to start. By the time we arrived at the RV park the wind had started to blow, the clouds thickened, and the temperature began to drop to the low-40s. It didn’t take us long to change out of shorts and t-shirts into warmer clothes! And then, the rain started…

And it rained, and rained, and rained, until late Friday night. Need I say that we stayed hunkered down in our trailer most of the day Friday, with the furnace running. We did make a run to the nearby WalMart in Galesburg for groceries and to the Post Office in Alpha.

By Saturday, the rain had subsided a bit, to just off and on showers, but the temperature was still cold. It felt like we left the furnace of Carterville and arrived at the freezer of New Windsor! It was a good day for watching movies, knitting (me) and working with craft strip (Dick).

View east from our camper...dark skies...

This RV park is quite nice, with established trees between the sites, full hook-ups, four stocked lakes, playground for kids, swimming pool, and a large recreation building. It appears that families spend weekends here, as a lot of trailers are on site full-time, and there were quite a few people here for just Friday through Sunday.

Thanks for joining us on our travels. We head for my mom’s in Cloquet next week, to spend some time there while she continues to recover from partial hip replacement. Next Thursday is a consultation with the doctors and staff regarding her recovery and future plans. We ask for your prayers on her behalf, that she would continue to heal and would be able to go home to her familiar surroundings soon.

Go, Mom, go! 

As we close for this week, we leave you with a link to a video of the "Ice out at High Falls" video, a flood of water and melting ice on the Baptism River at Tettegouche State Park near Silver Bay, MN on the north shore of Lake Superior. This video was shot by a former school-mate of mine from Grand Marais, MN. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnz0dA-dVdQ


Blessings,

Gail and Dick