Friday, August 31, 2012

Isaac Remnants Still Heading This Way

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 90F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


About the only thing that happened yesterday was that Jim and Linda made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up a few items before the Labor Day Holiday. Being Thursday morning, there weren't may people shopping, but that will probably change today.

There's actually 2 reasons more people will be shopping. The first one is, of course, the Labor Day Holiday. The 2nd reason is the weather that they're forecasting for the weekend.

You see, they're still forecasting a lot of rain and possible high winds from the remnants of Isaac that will be coming through Illinois on Saturday and Sunday. The latest forecast for rain, (as of this morning), is somewhere between 5 to 7 inches for this area, with possible heavier amounts in some local areas.

Now, the problem is not with the amount of rain, but with the short amount of time when it will happen. In fact, the rain is needed here and even that much will not make up for the drought. But, if it all comes down during a short period of time, there's sure to be some flooding. Also, if it rains too much too fast, much of the rain will run off into the streams and rivers and will not soak into the ground to help with the moisture level deep down in the soil.

Jim didn't get a chance to talk to Louise yesterday, but I'm guessing that there will be quite a few sites available here in the CG for the weekend. Many people will not want to come with the forecast of heavy rain for almost the entire weekend. : (

Did you know that the first annual observance of Labor Day was organized by the American Federation of Labor in 1884, which resolved in a convention in Chicago that "the first Monday in September be set aside as a laborer's national holiday?"




Thursday, August 30, 2012

A Day Trip and Isaac Is Coming To Illinois

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny, high of 93F. Winds from the South at 5 to 10 mph.


As planned, about 8:45, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to Wilmington, IL yesterday morning. Their Financial Advisor used to have and office in the little town that Jim and Linda used to live in, (Peotone, IL), but last fall, he moved his office to Wilmington. It really doesn't make too much difference except that from here in Rantoul, Wilmington is a little more difficult to get to and it is a little farther. (From here, they took US 136 west to IL 47, 47 up to Dwight, and then followed the Old US 66 to Wilmington.)

Jim and Linda really don't mind though, it's a nice drive through the country if you stay off of the Interstates and he has done a very good job of advising them on their investments. Especially through these last years of tough economic times.

It was right at 10:30 when Jim and Linda got there, so they had to wait about 1/2 an hour because their appointment wasn't until 11:00.

After the meeting, Jim and Linda were hungry, so they asked Dean, (their investor), where there was a good place to eat. He said that one of the best was right across the street at a family restaurant called Chick-A-Dee. Well, they went over there and ate and when Jim asked for the check, the waitress told him that the bill was taken care of by Dean!!!!

Wow!!! What a pleasant surprise!!! Thanks Dean!!! : )

From Wilmington, they followed the Kankakee River to Kankakee, (a very pleasant drive.),  and then took I-57 back down here to Rantoul. It was after 3:00 by the time they returned.

Well, I hope I didn't bore you too much with this post, but Jim and Linda may want to look back on this post to plan the trip from here up to Wilmington in the future.

It doesn't look like we're going to have very good weather for the Labor Day Holiday. The remnants of Hurricane Isaac are heading this way and they're forecasting rain, starting tomorrow night and lasting through Sunday, with total rainfall anywhere between 3 to 6 inches!!!!  : O

As of yesterday evening, Louise has already had 4 cancellations of RV sites here at the CG and she's expecting there will be more. : (

Did you know that in 1887, Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday?




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A Few Errands, Dinner Out And Dinner In and Today's Plans

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg. clear, NE wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Light east winds.


It's been slow around here the last few days. Monday afternoon, Jim took CLT (Cute Little Truck) and went to the post office to pick up mail and mail those 2 birthday cards. From there he headed, first to a farmers stand to buy some sweet corn, and then to Walgreen's where he picked up his prescription.

In the evening, Jim and Linda again took CLT and headed over to Fisher, IL, and to the Village Garden Restaurant for dinner. As usual, the food was very good and well prepared.

Yesterday, was another real quiet day. Jim did cook a steak out on the grill for dinner, (that he and Linda shared), and Linda cooked sweet corn inside of me and popped some bread sticks into my oven.

I don't know how it tasted, but it sure smelled good!! ; )

Today, Jim and Linda will take CLT and head up North to see their financial advisor. Every year, they meet with him and go thorough all their investments and decide if they want to make any changes. They'll be gone most of the day as it's about a 2 hour drive up there, they'll spend at least and hour with him, they'll need to stop and get lunch someplace, and then there will be the 2 hour drive back down here.

A Point to Ponder : Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays off now.



Monday, August 27, 2012

A Quiet Weekend, Linda And Jim and Rain

Rantoul, IL.

71 deg. cloudy, W. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...Then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.


It has been pretty quiet here a Prairie Pines this weekend. A few RVs came in, but they're either gone already or will be leaving today. Linda has been doing laundry and doing more research for her Family Tree Maker program.

Jim has been working on our trip plan from here to the East Coast. He's been making some changes to it and now it sounds like we'll be staying her a few days longer than originally planned.

Oh! Debbie, one of my followers, made a comment on this blog the other day and informed me that there is another full-timing couple named Linda and Jim staying here at this park. Jim talked to Louise and he is pretty sure they're on a site over on the other side of the CG. Jim found their blog in the Internet and it sounds like they are planning on being here for a couple of weeks, so maybe Jim and Linda can get together with Linda and Jim and swap RVing stories. ; ) 

We had pretty heavy rain go through this area yesterday. Jim didn't have his rain gauge out, but I'm guessing  that we had more than an inch of rain. That's OK though, this area is still way short on rainfall for the year. It's real muggy outside this morning, but they're forecasting drier weather for the next few days.

Today, Jim and Linda need to pick up Jim's other prescription at Walgreen's, check on mail at the post office and mail a couple birthday cards. Other than that, I don't think there's any other plans.

A Point to Ponder : If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Prescriptions, Shopping and Should Be Interesting

Rantoul, IL.

64 deg. clear, SE wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.


Not much been happening around here. Thursday was just a kick-back day and I'm having trouble thinking of anything at all worth mentioning.

Yesterday, Jim and Linda first went to Walgreen's to get Jim's prescriptions refilled. While they were waiting, Jim bought a new coffee pot that was on sale. The old one has been acting up lately and he was considering buying a new one anyway.

After getting one of the 2 prescriptions filled, (they were out of the one type of eye drops), they headed over to Wally World. One of my day/night shades in the bedroom has broken and being that neither Jim or Linda like those things, Linda is going to make some curtains for all 3 of the windows and get rid of all of those shades in the bedroom.

So, they needed a few things like curtain rods and material.

They found most of what will be needed, but will have to go down to Champaign one of these days to get a few more items.

I overheard Linda telling Jim how she was planning to make the new curtains and I think they should be pretty neat. ; ) 

Oh, and Jim bought a new electric shaver while they were at Wally World. He was just going to get some new shaver heads for his old one, but they didn't have them in stock. He did find out that the new heads would be quite expensive and being that his shaver is getting pretty old, he and Linda decided that it would probably be best to just buy a whole new shaver.

By the time they left Wally World, it was noon, so they headed to the Red Wheel Restaurant for lunch.

Once back here, Jim unpacked the new shaver and coffee pot. He plugged the shaver in to charge up the battery and ran a couple pots of water through the new coffee pot. (As per the instructions).

Then he took a nap. ; )

Well, I hope I didn't bore you too much with this post, but that's about all that happened.

This weekend should be pretty quiet here at Prairie Pines, but the next 2 weekends will be hectic. The first one, of course is the Labor Day weekend and Louise says that all of the sites are sold out. The weekend after Labor Day, there are 4 groups/clubs coming, and again, the CG will be almost full.

Should be interesting.

Did you know that today is "Kiss and Make Up Day"?    ; )






Thursday, August 23, 2012

They're Gone and Jim's Appointment

Rantoul, IL.

59 deg. clear, SE wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

They're Gone!!!! : (  Yep, the "Illinois Bunch" packed up and left yesterday morning. : (

Denny came over and talked to Jim for awhile yesterday morning. Then, went back over to his site and started packing up for the return trip home. Dave was also packing up and before long, was ready to head back to his house.

Jim and Linda went over there and talked to Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee for awhile, but soon it was time for h and h. (hugs and handshakes) 

It sure was good to see them again, but this visit seemed  way too short!! I sure hope I'll get to see them again when we're down in Florida this winter.

By the time they left, it was about lunch time, so Jim and Linda came back here and ate a little. After eating, Jim laid down and tried to take a nap, but couldn't go to sleep. (He was probably thinking about his eye doctor appointment that he had for later in the afternoon).

So, after getting ready, he and Linda took CLT and headed down to Savoy, (which is just a little South of Champaign), and to his eye doctor.

Jim has Glaucoma and this was his first visit back to the eye doctor since it was discovered last year. He's been putting drops in his eyes every day, but really didn't know if they were helping or not, so he was kind of nervous about going back.

Well, everything seems to be OK. ; )  He needs to have one more test done before we leave here, but his doctor said that the pressure in the eyes is down and the medication seems to be working.  In fact unless this retina scan thing that he still needs to have done shows some abnormality, he's good to go for another year!!! : )

Of course he'll still need to continue to use the drops every day.

By the time he was done at the eye doctor, it was dinner time, so CLT took them to an Applebee's Restaurant which is near the doctors office.

After they returned here to the park, Jim took a little nap and then he and Linda watched TV until bedtime.


Did you know that Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, according to the World Health Organization? And also, did you know that It is estimated that over 2.2 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it?


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

All Of The "Illinois Bunch" Are Here and The Cook-out

Rantoul, IL.

57 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =  Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. Light south winds.


Denny came over for awhile yesterday morning and he and Jim sat outside under my awning and talked for awhile. They have known each other for years, and in fact, lived only about a block apart when they were growing up.

They always seem to find something to talk about. Being from the same small town, they both know a lot of the same people and Denny keeps Jim abreast of what's going on with them.

I think if was about 9:30 or 10:00 when I saw Gordy and Dorthy pull into the CG. They had driven down here for the day, and just brought their car instead of the Motor home. Once they were here, that meant that the whole "Illinois Bunch" was here. : )  After they were here for a little while, Dorthy came over and visited with Linda for awhile and Jim went over to Denny's RV, where everyone was gathering, and visited.

During the afternoon, Linda was busy getting food together for the Cook-out that was planned. She baked a cake, cut up some cantaloupe, made a cucumber and onion salad, "doctored up" the potato salad she had bought at the grocery store, and baked a green bean casserole.

Then, about 4:30, everything was packed up and taken over to Denny's site where Dave and Denny had built a campfire. (Denny and Dorthy helped Jim carry the food over there). After everyone was there with the food that they had prepared, they started cooking hot dogs and brats over the fire, and cooking a few burgers on a grill.

Jim and Linda had invited Paul and Louise to come to the cook-out so they came over and had something to eat also. They had to leave once when an RV came into the park, but once they got them registered and into a site, they came back over and visited for awhile longer.

Jim and Linda both said that they think everyone enjoyed the cook-out. There was more than enough food for everyone and everything really tasted good. : )

After visiting for awhile, Jim and Linda came back here. (Denny and Dorothy helped Jim and Linda carry some of the stuff back). While Linda was putting the left-overs away, Jim went back and visited for a little longer and then came back here for the evening.

Gordy and Dorthy went back home last night and today the rest of the "Illinois Bunch" will be leaving. : ( It's too bad that they couldn't stay longer, but they have to get back home. I'm hoping that I'll get to see them again this winter, down in Florida. 

This afternoon, Jim has to go see his eye doctor. He's not looking forward to going, but knows it's best to go and make shure everything is OK.

Did you know that Americans eat more than 16 billion hot dogs each year?




Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Happy Birthday Bev and Cook-out Plans

Rantoul, IL.

54 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Light north winds.


Jim spent much of the day yesterday visiting with Denny and Dave. Linda worked on her Family Tree program and in the afternoon, baked a cake.

You see, yesterday was Bev's birthday and being that there were already plans to get together with Denny and Bev for pizza, Linda decided to bake a small birthday cake for Bev. : ) 

So, about 5:00, Linda called Monical's Pizza to have a pizza delivered and then a little later Jim and Linda headed over there.

Jim and Linda both said that the pizza was good and everyone seemed to enjoy the cake. I thought that I might hear them singing "Happy Birthday" to Bev, but I understand that she really didn't want them to do that. ; )

While they were eating pizza and birthday cake, quite a rain storm came through the area. It rained really hard for  awhile and we even had some thunder!  Jim was concerned because he had left my windows open, but it was OK as the rain was pretty much straight down, and my window awnings did their job and kept the rain out.

Today, Dorthy and Gordy are coming for awhile. They'll be driving down here in their car and will be heading back home this evening. Since they're coming down today, there's going to be "cook-out" where everyone will bring a dish to share and they'll cook hot dogs and brats over a camp fire.

It should be fun! ; )

Did you know that on this date in1959 - Hawaii became the 50th state?



Monday, August 20, 2012

Most Of The "Illinois Bunch" Arrives

Rantoul, IL. 56 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light northwest winds. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.


Jim and Linda finished getting me presentable yesterday morning. Then, Linda put a load of laundry in my washer and Jim went outside for awhile.

It was a little after noon, when Dave pulled in with his Open Road 5th wheel. There aren't any sites available real close to me, so Louise put him in site 28, which is across the street from me and North a ways. It's a nice site and he should have quite a bit of shade, which will be nice if the temperatures start climbing again.

About 20 minutes or so after Dave arrived, Denny and Bev pulled in with their Winnebago Brave. To keep everyone as close together as possible, Louise put them in site 26, which is also across the street and right next to Dave and Dee Dee. It's also a very nice site with some trees for shade.

If you look way to the left side of the photo above, you can see the very back end of Dave and Dee Dee's trailer. (That's Denny getting his satellite dish set up). 

Not long after Denny and Bev arrived, Dee Dee pulled in with their car. She may need to go someplace, so they wanted to have the car here in case it was needed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting. Dave and Dee Dee's son and his daughter stopped by for awhile and then for dinner, everyone just did their own thing.

Jim and Linda didn't go back over there in the evening, but I think that Dave and Denny built a fire in the fire ring next to Denny's RV.

I don't think there are any real plans for today. Probably just more visiting and catching up on what has been happening since we last saw them down in Florida. Tomorrow, it sounds like Gordy and Dorthy may be driving down here in their car to visit for awhile, and I think a cook-out is being planned while they're here. : )

A Point to Ponder :  Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.



Sunday, August 19, 2012

He Still Knows How and A Sloppy Joe Dinner

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly sunny. Isolated showers in the morning...Then isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light northwest winds. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.


Jut to prove that Jim still knows how to take photos, I thought that I'd post this one that he took the other day. It's not a photo of anything special, but I thought the dark blue sky and the puffy white clouds were kind of neat. It was taken from my site, looking towards the North.

Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to the County Market Grocery store yesterday morning. I though that they were only going to pick up a few items, but when they returned, they had the whole back end of CLT full of groceries!!!! : O

Somehow, they managed to get them all put away in my refrigerator, cabinets and basement compartments. : )

The afternoon was spent with Jim taking a nap and doing some cleaning inside of me, Linda cleaning some too, resting and making a desert for Louise's evening meal.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did I forget to mention that Louise invited Jim and Linda and another couple over for dinner last night?

It was sometime yesterday morning when Louise came over to my site and told Jim that she was having Sloppy Joe sandwiches, home made potato salad and home made slaw for dinner and that he and Linda should come over about 5:30 or so and they would eat around 6:00.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  being that Linda always likes to take something to contribute to the meal, she decided to make one of her sugar-free deserts. 

The one that she made this time, she just calls, "Peach Stuff". I could probably find the recipe if anyone is interested, but I know she uses a cake mix, some peaches, sweetener, and some nuts.

As usual, Louise put together a very good meal. Both Jim and Linda said that her "Sloppy Joe's" were really good and so was the potato salad and the slaw. And,  ,  ,  everyone seemed to enjoy Linda's desert.

After eating, Louise started a fire and everyone sat and talked. Jim and Linda must have had a good time because it was after 9:00 by the time they came back here. ; )

Thanks Louise!!!  : )

Today, Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be coming. I don't know when they'll be getting here, but I would imagine that it'll be sometime this morning or early afternoon. I'm really looking forward to getting to know Denny and Bev's motor home and Dave and Dee Dee's 5th wheel a little better.

It's too bad that Gordy and Dorthy won't be coming with their MH. : (

A Point to Ponder :  Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The "Eyes" Have It

Rantoul, IL.

55 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Light southeast winds.


What do the "Eyes" have?  They have a good report!!!!!  : )

Jim and Linda took CLT, (Cute Little Truck), and headed down to Linda's retinologist a little after noon yesterday. Again, even though she hadn't noticed any problems, she was very anxious about going. Well, as it turned out, everything is fine and she won't have to be going back for another year. (Unless she notices some changes in her vision.)  

Great news!!!! : )

Of course to check her eyes, they had to dilate them. So, when she came back here to the CG, she was still wearing her "movie star" glasses. ; ) 

Not much else happen around here yesterday. Jim did go over and talk to Louise in the morning to make sure that there were sites available for the 2/3 of the "Illinois Bunch" that will be coming tomorrow. I don't know for sure which sites they'll have but hopefully they'll be pretty close to me.

Today, Jim and Linda need to go and pick up their mail at the Post Office and a few things at the grocery store. I also need a little cleaning inside of me so I'm presentable.

A Point to Ponder : Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.




Friday, August 17, 2012

The Rains Cometh and The Illinois Bunch Too

Rantoul, IL.

55 deg., clear, W. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.


Wow!!!! That was some kind of storm!!!

Yesterday afternoon, we had strong winds, small hail, severe thunder and lightning and 1.8 inch of rain!!! The radar had all kinds of purdy colors in it, but we lucked out and didn't have any tornadoes in this area. (That I've heard about). 

We definitely needed the rain, but we didn't need all the other stuff that came with it. 

Yesterday morning, Jim spent quite a bit of time on the computer and then went out and secured everything outside as they were forecasting the storm and the radar for this area was starting to light up. The afternoon was spent watching the radar, TV and the weather out of my windows.

By late afternoon, the storms were over, so Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to Monical's Pizza where they had a very good pizza.

After they returned, Linda worked on her Family Tree program and then they both watched a pre-season football game on TV.

Oh, and with all the excitement of the storm, I almost forgot!!!! The "Illinois Bunch" are coming this Sunday!!!! : )  I didn't think that they would be coming until sometime in September!!!!!

What a great surprise!!!!!

Well, actually 2/3 of them are coming. Jim talked to Dave and Linda talked to Bev and it looks like Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be here, but Gordy and Dorthy won't be able to come. : (  Bev did say that Gordy and Dorthy may be able to drive down here for one day, but they won't be bringing their RV.

Jim hasn't been able to get in touch with Louise yet, but he's quite sure that it won't be a problem getting them sites here at the CG for 3 or 4 nights.

He'll go over and talk to her this morning.

Today, right after lunch, Linda has that appointment with her retinologist. He'll probably dilate her eyes so she won't be able to see much for awhile after her appointment. Then sometime, either today or tomorrow, Jim and Linda will need to go to the grocery store to pick up a few thing before the Illinois Bunch get here.  And, I need a little sprucing up inside.  ; )

A Point to Ponder:  Half the people you know are below average.



Thursday, August 16, 2012

Another Test

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg. clear, SE wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain in the morning, then partly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 91F. Winds from the SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


Didn't post the last few days because there hasn't been anything newsworthy happening around here. : (  Yesterday, however, Lind had to go and get another blood test. It seems that there was a problem with one of the results on the previous test and her doctor wanted her to get another one, just to make sure everything was OK.

Linda really didn't want to get another test because in the past, there has been problems with the results of this particular test, and it has always proven to be OK. But, the doctor insisted, so she and Jim took CLT and headed down to Champaign and to a Quest Diagnostics Center to have the blood drawn and the test preformed.

Because Linda has to fast before having the test, she didn't have any breakfast, so they stopped at a Bob Evans Restaurant on the way back here. : )  After lunch, CLT took Jim over to the CVS Drugstore to pick up a few items and then to the County Market Grocery Store to pick up a few more things.

There's nothing scheduled for today, but tomorrow, Linda has to go see her retinologist for her annual eye check-up. She hasn't noticed any change in her vision, so she isn't expecting any problems.

A Point to Ponder:  The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.





Monday, August 13, 2012

Drivers, Usual Stuff and Olympics

Rantoul, IL.

61 deg., rain, SW wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Showers likely and a chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.


Why is it that some drivers insist on driving fast in campgrounds and RV Parks? Yesterday, a car came past in front of me that had to be going 30 mph!!! Now, if you're out on the street that goes past the CG that's fine, but here in the park, especially on the weekends, there are children playing and some of them wander out onto the roads from time to time!!!

This weekend, we have more children than we usually do, and I'm guessing that they range all the way from infants to teen-agers. When this guy went speeding by, there were about 5 or 6 small children, (I'm guessing ages 2 through 6), playing just feet away from the road. If one of them would have wandered out on the road from between parked cars, it would have been a disaster!!!! : O

And, it's not just people in cars either!  How many of you have seen the guy in the big MH or truck pulling a 5th wheel go blasting through a park like they were out on an expressway? 

What are these people thinking?   Don't they realize that they can't stop that rig in time if a child should happen to run out onto road? 

So, please slow down when driving through a CG or RV Park. You're site will still be there in 5 extra minutes, the the camper who invited you over for coffee will keep it hot for you and if you're leaving the CG, it really won't make any difference if you leave the park a few minutes later.

If you should happen to hit a child or even possibly an adult, you're sure to be a whole lot later, and just think how bad you would feel.  : (

Jim and Linda didn't do anything special this weekend. Jim went through another one of my basement bays and re-arranged it. He also took a couple bike rides and talked to Paul and Louise. Linda did a lot of work on her Family Tree Maker program and of course, they both watched the Olympics on TV.

You know, I'm kind of glad that the Olympics are over. I enjoyed them but I'm looking forward to regular programing again. Oh, and talking about the Olympics, how did you like the closing ceremonies? I guess they were OK if you were a young person, but I just didn't get a lot of it.

Jim said that the only part of the closing ceremonies that he liked at all was the Spice Girls segment. ; )

They're talking about rain off and on all day today, so I don't know what, if anything, will get done outside. Jim has some computer stuff that he needs to get done, so maybe this will be a good day for doing that.

Did you know that the idea of an Olympic Flame burning from the start of the games to the closing was first introduced in 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, where a fire was lit in the tower of the stadium, though no torch relay was undertaken? The first torch relay was conducted for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.



Saturday, August 11, 2012

We Could Have Saved 3 Or 4 Thousand Miles

Rantoul, IL.

53 deg. clear, NW wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 80. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.


Wow!!! 53 degrees this morning!!!!

Because we're so used to it being so hot for so long in this part of the country, 53 degrees feels like it's winter!!!! Wouldn't it be nice if the temperatures didn't go from one extreme to the other so often?

I received a few comments on yesterday's blog about how far we have traveled and how many states we have been to in during the last 13 months. Yes, we did travel a lot this year, and I really don't expect to be traveling anywhere near that much every year.

The thing was, it had been 4 years since Jim and Linda had been out west to see Jeff and Heather who live in Portland Oregon, and, since you're going that far anyway, it would be a shame not to see other attractions or areas along the way, even if you had to take a longer route to see them.

Yeah, we could have gone straight out to Portland from Florida, and then straight back here to Illinois, and probably reduced the distance by 3 or 4 thousand miles, but just think of all the wonderful sights we would have missed. Things like the beautiful sunsets in the desert of Arizona, the stark beauty of Death Valley, the majesty of the Sequoias and the Redwoods, the beautiful California and Oregon coasts, the beauty of the mountains in northern Idaho and the "Big Skies" of Montana. We wouldn't have seen the wheat fields of the Dakotas or the lakes and forests of Minnesota. And, don't forget that great week we spent on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan where we saw some of the most beautiful sunsets, over Lake Superior, I've ever seen.

No, I wouldn't want to take such a long trip every year, but in a few years, I'll be ready to go again. ; )  Maybe next time we can visit Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, the Great Salt Lake, some of the National Parks in Utah and Wyoming, and maybe even the coast of Washington!!!!

Hmmm!!!! Where's that Road Atlas?????   ; )

Did you know that the five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana, and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions? The colors were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world.





Friday, August 10, 2012

Been Doing Some Calculating

Rantoul, IL.

62 deg. overcast, NW wind @ 14 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs in the mid 70s. North winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.


Yesterday, I said that I'd be traveling quite a few more miles yet this year. Well, that got me thinking about how much and where I've traveled since Jim and Linda purchased me here in Illinois last summer.

So, I've done come calculating!!!

By my count, in the last 13 months, we've been to 26 states, (9 of them twice), and traveled 11,313 miles!!!!!


Wow!!!! No wonder I'm enjoying these couple months of relaxing here in Rantoul!!!!

Not a whole lot to report for yesterday. Jim must have felt ambitious because he went through some shelves in my bedroom closet and threw some stuff away. Then he reorganized the rest of it to make more room. A little later, he went outside and completely emptied one of my basement compartments and repacked it, incorporating some items that CLT had in the back of him.

Linda finished up her latest embroidery project and  worked on her Family Tree program. Then for dinner she put together a nice meal of meatloaf, sweet corn and potato salad.

Around dinner time we had some light showers come through the area. I understand that there was some severe weather near here, with some damage, but all we had was a little rain and some distant thunder.

Did you know that today is "National S'mores Day"?




Thursday, August 9, 2012

Doctor's Appointment and A Suprise Visit

Rantoul, IL.

68 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly sunny with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Light east winds becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.


Yesterday was the day that Linda had to go to see her doctor in Fisher, IL., for her annual check-up and to get her prescriptions renewed. She always gets very anxious just before she goes to the doctor but everything went well and unless there's a problem with the results of the blood test that they took, it looks like she's "Good to Go" for another year!!! : )

Because of the blood test, Linda couldn't eat anything in the morning, so from the doctor's office they headed over to the Village Garden Restaurant, (also in Fisher), and had a very nice breakfast. ; )

While they were eating, the phone rang and it was Dave, (One of the "Illinois Bunch"). He and Dee Dee were out and about and wanted to know if it would be OK if they stopped by for awhile, in about an hour and a half? Jim told Dave that would be fine and that he and Lind were looking forward to seeing them.

So, after finishing their breakfasts, Jim and Linda headed back here to make the inside of me presentable. : )

I think if was around noon when Dave and Dee Dee pulled up in the parking area in front of me. After h and h, (hugs and handshakes), they came inside of me and had a very nice visit.

It sure was good to see them again, but all too soon, they had to leave. : (  But, I'm hoping that I'll be seeing them again real soon. Hopefully the whole "Illinois Bunch" can make it here to the CG for a get-together, sometime before we leave.

Speaking about leaving, Jim has been doing some planning and it looks like we'll need to leave here around the 20th of September so that we can head East to to see Mike and Joe and their families, (with stops along the way to see a couple of Linda's cousins and Roland and Louise),  Anna who is now living in Jacksonville, FL. and get down to DeBary, FL. in time to get a decent site at the Highbanks CG for the winter.

Whew!!!! Looks like I'll be putting on quite a few more miles before the end of the year!!! ; )

After Dave and Dee Dee left not a whole lot happened. We had some t-storms go through the area, but here at he CG we only had about 96 drops of rain. : (   Most of the rest of the day was spent watching TV, and doing normal things.

Did you know that American, Eddie Eagan is the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games? He was a boxing champion in the 1920 Antwerp Games, and also won gold at the 1932 Lake Placid Games in the team bobsled event.




Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Yesterday's Activities

Rantoul, IL.

64 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = High temp. 92 deg. mostly sunny, SW wind @ 6 mph.


Here's what happened around here yesterday.

Jim got up.

Jim read blogs and surfed the Internet.

Jim went for bike ride.

Jim sat outside and drank coffee.

Linda got up.

Jim renewed my and CLT's registration on the Internet.

Linda made important phone calls.

Both ate lunch.

Both went to a farm stand and the grocery store.

Both put away groceries.

Jim took garbage to dumpster.

Both took naps.

Both watched Olympics on TV.

Linda worked on Family Tree and embroidery project.

Both ate dinner.

Both watched more Olympics on TV.

Linda worked on embroidery project while watching TV.

Both watched news on TV.

Both went to bed.

Did you know that the first Olympic Games in which doves were released to symbolize peace was 1920?

Monday, August 6, 2012

Blocked Up, Sunrise and Odds And Ends

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Light northeast winds.


Jim didn't feel too well yesterday. His head was all blocked up, and had been for a couple days, so he took one of those allergy tablets. Those things make him really tired though, so he ended up sleeping quite a bit.

In between taking naps and falling asleep while sitting on the couch, he went outside a few times, watched a bunch of the Olympic games on TV and finished transferring addresses from the old GPS unit to the new one.

You know, one of these days, I'm going to see if I can get Jim to take some photos of the sunrise from here in the CG. I'm facing to the East, the sun is just coming up and it's really kind of pretty. I think he could get some neat photos if he just walked over to the other side of the park.

Do you remember me telling you that we had a good rain shower come through here Saturday night? Well, I found out that Louise had her rain gauge out and when she checked, there was just over 1" of rain in it!!!!

That should help a little. : )

Linda needs to make a few important phone calls today and Jim needs to renew my and CLT's license plates, ( He can do that on the Internet), and either today or tomorrow, they'll need to go to the grocery store to replenish some items they're out of.

Other than that, I don't thing there are any other plans.

Did you know that the oldest ever Olympian is Oscar Swahn of Sweden? He was 72 years, 281 days old when he competed at the 1920 Olympics in shooting.



Sunday, August 5, 2012

Finally, Some Rain!!

Rantoul, IL.

70 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 86F. Winds from the NNW at 10 to 15 mph.


We finally got some measurable rain last night!!! I don't know exactly how much we had, but I'm thinking it must have been around 1/2" or so. I know that 's not a lot as far as the drought is concerned, but it's got to help.

Not much happening around here. It's been so hot that hardly anyone has been out and about. Linda has been doing some bookwork, working on her family tree program and has gotten out an embroidery project that she needs to get finished before we we leave here.

Jim did a little cleaning inside of me early yesterday morning and then went to the Post Office and picked up the mail.

The rest of the day was spent watching the Olympic Games on TV.

Oh, and I almost forgot, they took CLT and went to the China Express Restaurant for dinner yesterday. They both had the buffet and both said that they thought the food was very good. : )

Again, no plans for today, but I expect that Jim will be outside more because of the cooler weather, and of course I'm sure he and Linda will both be watching the Olympics on TV.

Did you know that the first Games to include competitors from all five continents was in 1912?

Friday, August 3, 2012

A Rant and Still Hot

Rantoul, IL.

68 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.


We have a leak!!!!

That's the excuse that the oil companies are giving to raise the prices as much as 30 cents a gallon for gasoline here in the Midwest!!!

Yep, they're saying that they have to shut down the pipeline coming down here from Canada for repairs, so it's immediately causing the price of gas at the pumps to go up that much!!!

Come on!!!! Do they really think anyone believes that?????  It's just another excuse to raise the prices that are finally down some from their last major "Issue"!!!!!

OK, I got that off of my roof!!! Sorry about the rant..  : { 

Jim took another bike ride yesterday morning. The last time he rode his bike was way back in February, when we were in Florida, so he has been trying to take a longer bike ride each day. He says that he's really out of condition and is trying to build up leg strength and stamina. He still doesn't go very far, but each time out there is an improvement.

By about 10:00, the temperatures were already up into the 80's and by mid-afternoon, the thermometer was reading 95 degrees. : (  So, it was another inside day for most everyone here in the park.

Don't think there's anything planned for today. It's supposed to be hot again. Linda says that one of these days they'll need to go to the grocery store and has started a list, Jim will probably go for another bike ride, and I imagine that both of them will be watching some more of the Olympic Games on TV.

Did you know that the first women's swimming gold medal was won by the Australian Sarah 'Fanny' Durack, who won the 100m freestyle in 1912?




Thursday, August 2, 2012

A Little Ride, Rosie and A Test

Rantoul, IL.

64 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = High temp. 98 deg. partly cloudy, S. wind @ 6 mph.



Jim took a bike ride early yesterday morning. He'll probably take one early this morning too,  so that he can get his ride in before it gets too hot.

Being that it was so warm, Jim stayed inside most of the day, (after about 11:00), and read blogs, watched TV and played around with the new GPS. He's now in the process of entering all the addresses into the new GPS, that he had saved in the old one.

Oh, I found out one interesting bit of information!  I found out that the lady who lives inside of the new GPS is named Rosie!! Rosie seems pretty nice and I'm sure she'll try to guide us to our destinations the best that she can. ; )

Linda called and made an appointment with her regular doctor yesterday. If everything goes well, all of the doctor's appointments will be taken care of during August and then we can leave here anytime we want to in September.

For dinner, Jim and Linda decided to head down to the Steak n' Shake Restaurant in Urbana. Even though they know how to get there, Jim decided to test Rosie and see if she could find the way. CLT said that she did a fine job and led them right to the restaurant and then right back here again. : )

Way to go, Rosie!!!!!  : )

After they came back from the restaurant, the evening was spent watching the Olympic games on TV.

Did you know that the first time the teams and competitors were representatives of countries and not of clubs or just individuals was in 1908?






Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Olympic Games

Rantoul, IL.

65 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. Light northeast winds.




How about those Olympic Games????? Have you been watching them on TV?  I thought they were great last night!!!!!

We actually had a little rain yesterday. There were 2 "cells" that went through this area and both of them brought some rain.

I don't know how much we had, (probably less than 1/4 inch), but I think the grass looks a little greener this morning. : )

Not much going on around here. It was pretty hot outside again but Jim was out and about some in the morning and then pretty much stayed inside during the rest of the day, surfing the Internet and playing with the new GPS unit. Linda has been working on entering data into her family tree program and of course both she and Jim have been watching the Olympics.

Oh, Linda called and made Eye Doctor appointments for both herself and Jim yesterday. Nothing wrong, just their annual check-ups. Today, I think she's going to call to set up an appointment with her regular doctor.

I don't think there's anything planned for today. There's not much going on here in the Campground during the week. Maybe there'll be something going on this weekend.

Did you know that at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, silver medals were awarded to the winners and bronze to those who came in second place?