12/31/16 - On 12/30 we did absolutely nothing since it was quite cool here.  It only made it to 64 degrees.  When I took my denture out, I also got a few stitches out.  I still have one more to go and am hoping soon that will go.

Today, it reached 75 degrees so we got out and saw another movie "Fences" and then went grocery shopping at Walmart which was really busy.  We came home, made some dinner and now are settling in for the evening.  We are hearing some fireworks out and about and the campground had a huge dance at the club house.  Not sure I will be awake for the ball to drop but oh, well 2017 will come anyway.  Happy New Year to all of my friends and family.

12/28/16 - On 12/26, I went back to the dentist for a check up to make sure I was not having a lot of pain or swelling.  Things look good except they made me take out the denture and put it back in to teach me how to do it and that was a little painful.  But now I am suppose to take them out every night.  It is so hard to take them out because they are in so tight with the implants and I am still very tender but I did get it accomplished.  I am having some difficulty putting them in since they really don't snap like the bottom ones do but am slowly learning.

12/27 - I felt a lot better with the cold and not much pain so we decided to go to the movies.  We saw Manchester by the Sea.  It is nominated for awards but I was a little disappointment with it.  We then got a guest book for Aunt Kay in the mall, had some ice cream and then home.  Was good to be out.

12/28 - Today was laundry day and went to the post office to mail the book to Aunt Kay.  Off to bed

12/24/16 - On 12/23, I had the dental surgery appointment at 2 40pm but got a call and they asked if we could be in at 2pm so Aunt Esther and I took off. It was a day to dread but had no real choice.  Before the surgery, I checked with the financial girl to ask if it is better to get the $1500 back and send the upper denture to Delaware or since I was told that they could use the denture and would save me some money.  I soon learned that I needed them to use the denture so now I will start in next week to see if I can get come money back and keep the denture.  I was in the chair from about 2 15pm to    5 30pm.  I now have six implants with the old ones filed down and of no use.  They wanted to put in 7 but I didn't have enough bone.  After leaving the office, we had to go to Walmart to get some prescriptions filled. One was an antibiotic and the other a pain medication.  We did not get home until after 7pm.  I have been able to only use ibuprofen but am on liquids for the next three days until I go back for my post op visit.

12/24, Today, I have been doing fairly well.  I have had tomato soup and a milk shake from Mc Donald.  We got a wonderful box from my sister-in-law, Mary Ann and we have party mix, tea bags, lots of icing and cinnamon rolls so now I can wait until they let me try solid foods which should be soon if I don't have any pain.

12/22/16 - On 12/18, Aunt Esther and I went to a live nativity program.  They called it a walk through in which they are props up for each scene of the program.  So we started with the old testament and then Gabriel appearing to Mary, then the trip to Bethlehem, the innkeeper scene, then the shepherds in the field, a choir singing, then the wise man and the manager scene and then the three crosses, the empty tomb and then the end.  They created a path with luminaries.  It was quite well done.  It was a nice evening weather wise.  I am still coughing and not feeling well but am hoping that soon that will be over with.

12/19, I have started a conversation with the dental office in Dover, Delaware because I am requesting a refund since my upper denture has two fractures and it is not even a month old.  I then also called and made an appointment with a dentist office here to start over.

12/21, I had a free consultation and soon learned that I should have listened to Mary Ann's dentist in Milford because this office will not touch anything until I have better implants.  He says the way my implants are done is for a larger mouth and if he makes another denture, I will always have problems and the denture will constantly fracture.  I am so upset because all of this is a lot of money but I can't keep paying $2000 to $3000 to always get new dentures.  So I agreed to the surgery with 7 implants because he is going to make a horseshoe type of denture instead of a full palate denture.  Of course, now I am really into a lot of money.  I am trying to let it go.

12/22 -  Today, I heard from Dover and they will reimburse me almost $1500 but want the upper denture.  I was told by the dentist office that he would be able to use the teeth of the denture so now I don't know if Dover will give me any money so will go back to the office here and find out which way is better for me and finances.

12/17/16 - Just a short update because Aunt Esther and I are still coughing our heads off so we still have not done sightseeing. I had to go get some prescriptions filled, Aunt Esther ran some errands and otherwise we have been sitting outside to get some fresh air but just do not feel good enough to do anything else.  Today, we did go back to the farmer's market for more tomatoes and avocado.  I sat outside for quite awhile.  It was a little chilly because of the wind but nice to get some fresh air.  

12/12/16 - On 12/03, we learned about a great farmer's market down by the marina.  It was very good. We had lots of choices for fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and baked goods. Across the street, they  had a great flea market and all of it included live music.

We have done some exploring with finding various stores and banks and Aunt Esther has been fighting a bad cold so we have not done much at all.  It has been a little cooler so didn't even do much sitting outside.

On 12/10, I broke off part of my new denture again!!

12/11 - I was eating and a piece of the putty or whatever you want to call it, broke off and I was chewing and did not realize it and swallowed it!!

12/12, Last night I started with the cold and ran a fever but early this morning it broke so now I am dealing with a cough so I don't feel like doing much either.  I have a picture attached of our spot:

                                            Space #192, Fort Pierce, Florida

I didn't realize we were on such a hill.

12/01/16 - We left St. Mary's Georgia at 8:30am and had great traveling.  We only were delayed for a short time because of an awful accident on the other side of the freeway.  Drove through  a few sprinkles but otherwise was great.  Arrived at Sandhill Campground in Fort Pierce, Florida at 2:30pm.  She was very busy and decided not to sign us in until tomorrow but did show us the space and helped to park us.  Later we had difficult with the faucet and the water hose but learned that is was leaking from the very top so went back to the office but the maintenance guy was leaving and stated he would come and repair tomorrow.  We hooked everything up, took showers, ate dinner and now are just relaxing before heading for bed.

11/30/16 - Today we left Manning, South Carolina at 9:39am.  It was our shortest day in these 3 1/2 days to travel so we took our time.  I did have some wind but otherwise traveling went well.  We stopped for lunch at the Georgia Welcome Center to learn it was under construction and the services were very limited but there was a lot of RV activity.  At one time, we almost had all of the truck parking side full. It was amazing.   We got to St. Mary's Georgia to the Walmart around 3:15pm.  Since it was a little early, we were the first ones so had several choices of where to park.  Soon we had another RV park alittle ways away from us.  Aunt Esther and I took a walk since there is a strip mall attached to Walmart. We learned that there was a Subway and they had reuben sandwiches so we had to have one for dinner instead of our left overs.  It was very good.  On my way back from locking up the car for the night, a truck/RV trailer pulled up next to me and asked if we were spending the night and I said that we were.  His wife informed me that way out at the beginning of the mall area there was a sign posted "No overnight parking".  I did not see that sign and informed them that my travel book told me that this Walmart was RV friendly so I always parked without a problem.  They decided to take the chance with me.  While they were walking their 3 dogs, a very big RV came in and parked kinda in our area. Now there was 4 of us.  Before the evening was finished, there were 5 of us all lined up together.  Off to bed since tomorrow is a bigger traveling day and we will be in a campground so want to set up before it gets dark. Off to bed

11/29/16 - We left this morning from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina at 9:40am and soon learned that it was windy so driving was slower.  We did have good travel and no delays.  We stopped at a rest area for lunch and was 78 degrees so could actually go for a walk.  We got into Manning, South Carolina around 3:30pm and decided to fill up with gas before heading for Walmart.  When I tried to use the credit card it was denied and I had forgotten to let Wells Fargo know that I was traveling so had to make a phone call and get it taken care of so I could use it for payment.  Aunt Esther cleaned the windshield while I was messing around with the credit card.  We got the tank full and around 4:00pm arrived at Walmart.  We are parked with 4 other RV'ers for the night.  It is so comfortable that we actually have a window open.  I am so happy.  We will have some dinner and then plan to walk to McDonald's have some ice cream since they are located in the same parking lot.  We have had good traveling with no issues and I am so grateful.

11/28/16 - On 11/26 at 10;00am we had a huge breakfast brunch to celebrate Jessica's birthday.  We had sausage gravy, biscuits, fruit, frittatas and homemade cinnamon rolls.  Everything was delicious. At that breakfast, we had 17 in attendance.  In the afternoon, Aunt Esther and I drove to Rehoboth Beach.  Since it was very cold and windy, we did not walk very long on the boardwalk.  On the way back to Daniel's we stopped at a New Balance shoe store and I got some tennis shoes.  In the evening, we did play a game.

11/27, Aunt Esther and I attended Daniel's church, we had a huge lunch and in the afternoon Aunt Esther made some chili for us while on the road.  In the evening, Weston and his family came over to help get all the items from storage and unboxed all his Christmas village with train for him to set up this week.  Back to the RV so we could get some things ready to go tomorrow.  Off to bed.

11/28 - We got up to a 29 degree temperature and we started the heater and then went back to bed to keep warm.  We got up at 8:00am and it was getting a little warmer and finished getting the inside ready for travel.  We finally got the outside ready as well and we were hooked up and off at 10:45am.
We had great traveling weather except we drove in a lot of wind.  The Washington DC traffic was a little heavy so traveling was a little slower.  We stopped for lunch at a rest stop in Dumfree, Virginia and then got to Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina around 5:00pm.  Since there is no wind, it does seem a little warmer but is still going down to 45 degrees so we will be chilly tonight yet.  Off to bed

11/27/6 - I am not sure where to start so will start on the day that I remember.  On 11/23, I had a dentist appointment to get my new dentures.  I thought my appointment was at 12:15pm.  When I got there, I soon learned that the appointment was actually not until 2:30pm.  Since I drove from Milford to Dover, I decided to waste time and wait for the appointment.  Appointment was confirmed by a text at 1:00pm and then got a phone call at 2:00pm wanting to cancel the appointment and re-schedule this coming week.  Wow, that did not work for me since I was leaving the area.  So I went back to the office and kept fussing until I learned there was a piece of equipment missing and they were hoping it would get to the office.  I insisted on waiting.  Finally, at 3:15pm, I was put in the dentist chair.  Soon I had some attention, the denture was starting to fit in but then I could not figure out why it was taking so long and finally the dentist informed me that he was trying to be a scientist and artist because they could not find my old clips and he was trying to make something that would work.  He was quite embarrassed and told me when I come back that they would make everything right but I won't be back for a while.  What he did to made to make it fit and stay was working.  I left the office at 5:35pm and about 2 miles down the road, I felt a hold so I went back to have it repaired.  I was so disappointed but finally left.

I had dinner plans with the Warfel family so called and told them I would be late since it was already 6:08pm and dinner was scheduled at 6:00pm.  I was told not to worry and still come for dinner.  My nephew Jay and his family from Harrisonburg, Virginia was here for the weekend and also my nephew Weston and family were in attendance.  It was a great evening.

11/24, Thanksgiving Day.  Today is my niece, Deborah's birthday.  I left at 11:20am to drive to Baltimore to pick up Aunt Esther since she is joining me for the winter.  When we got back to Milford, Delaware, we had a quiet birthday dinner with Daniel, Mary Ann, Deborah, Aunt Esther and myself.  In the evening, the Yoder family came over to celebrate Deborah's birthday.  Aunt Esther unpacked.  It was a good day.

11/25, Mary Ann had planned a dinner that included my nephew, Weston and family, nephew Jay and family, brother Daniel's family including a nephew Lem and wife Jessica, niece Rachel, Aunt Esther and I.  There were 20 of us!!  It was a nice evening.

11/15 - Today, I went with my niece Christina for some shopping in Dover, Delaware. We went to a store "Bylers" which is a combination of bulk food store, produce store and gift shop.  We found a few items.  I bought a new purse  but the straps were way too long so I stopped off at a shoe repair shop and learned that he could have it done in about 45 minutes.  Christina and I decided to go to lunch and then return for the purse.  On our way home, we stopped off at the bank since I needed some cash since I scheduled my carpets to be cleaned.  I got everything done.  When we got home, my carpet was nice and clean but still quite wet so I went over to Daniel's house and put a puzzle together to past the time.  All of a sudden, Mary Ann comes into the room to inform me that it was raining really hard and here I had all the windows open to try and dry the carpet.  Deborah and I ran for the RV and just that quick it was all over with but the left side of my stuff got wet so I closed everything up and turned on the heat to try and it dry.  I returned later and took shoes off to get myself to bed!!

11/15/16 -  On 11/10, I got up at 6:15am to be ready to go with Daniel to the first repair shop to pick up the RV and then go to the second repair shop.  Since it was quite a ways from Milford, I decided to stay at the repair shop until Daniel got off at noon because it would be closer for him to pick me up.  I was lucky, because they were able to find all the parts, filters and oil and were able to work on it right away.  They were done by 11:30am so I told Daniel that I could bring myself home.  On the way home, I was hungry and had some crackers with peanut butter when I was chewing and all of sudden the bottom denture came up and so I try to get it to snap in again but that was useless because of all the crackers I had in my mouth!!  So I took them out and keep driving home.  When I got home, I rinsed them and tried to put them in but I could not keep them snapped in.  The front two pegs were OK but the two back ones would not snap in.  It was horrible and I was back on soft food with no dentures.

11/11, I was lucky and the dentist office open and they were able to take see me within the hour.  I was seeing the a gal named Donna that had helped me before and when I explained the situation, she cleaned the denture, cleaned my pegs and we tried again to make it work but no luck.  She then told me that she would put some new ones in the back which I had just done in Virginia so Virginia was a total bust.  I kinda mentally added up the cost of my visit and came up with around $250.  When we were all done, she walked me to the front to check me out when she asked what insurance I had and I told her I was a cash patient and she looked at me and informed me that there would be no charge for today!!  I was shocked but thrilled.  Today, it is 6 years that my dad passed away.

11/12, Today, is a big day for the Yutzy household since their son Lem, his wife, Jessica and four other couples from D. C. will be here for a typical turkey thanksgiving dinner.  Their daughter, Rachel, also from D. C. was in attendance.  Mary Ann invited Jessica's parents and so the total around the table was 17!!.  What a wonderful meal and excellent conversation.  I did not think it was warm, but the D. C. guys played a game called "corn hole" and later they had a fire in a ring and sat outside.  Of course, I stayed inside.  Just too cold for me!!

11/13, The church had a commissioning service for a young man that was elected to join the leadership team of the church.  There was a guest speaker and then a carry in lunch.  The afternoon was quiet and Daniel and I enjoyed some football games!

1/09/16 - Off and on the past two weeks, I have had some minor repairs done on the RV.  I am kinda lucky because Daniel's works as a service/repair person at an RV place here in town so he has been coming over after hours to repair things.  Things are all repairs except I learned that the new TV does not have the option to connect to my surround sound so I just have to live with that until I decided to buy a radio/DVD combo so not sure when that will happen.  So my repairs have been a lot cheaper which I like.

11/8, I got the RV ready to move since I had an appointment to service the engine before Aunt Esther and I head for Florida.  I decided to take the RV in the night before so the mechanic could start bright and early.  I filled up the gas tank and the propane tank so that is ready to go.  Off to the repair shop.

It was scheduled to be serviced today, when I got a call and learned that the shop no longer does diesel engines and he just FORGOT to tell me.  So needless to say, nothing got done.  I had a dentist appointment and was hoping that my new upper denture was all done to learned that I was only in for a fitting and they wanted another 3 weeks!!  I just about had a fit since I am leaving in 2 1/2 weeks so they decided to try and rush it and so I am getting the final in two weeks.  I did alot of calling around to see if someone would do the engine service to learn that either they don't do RV's or they are booked up into December!!  I kinda gave up and decided to just head for Florida anyway.  Mary Ann then looked up some information on the internet and we found this guy who I called and he stated that he works on diesel engines and could take me in tomorrow!!  What a break.  Thank God.  So am getting up early and Daniel will take me in before he goes to work.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that things will finally go RIGHT.

11/04/16 - On 11/3, I needed to send a birthday card and missed the mailman on the farm, so drove to the post office and this was one of my views as I was driving into town:

                                                       Absolutely gorgeous

Having been on the west coast for many years, this is new scenery for me.

11/01/16 - I did not realize how long it  has been since my last blog.

On 10/22, Deborah and I left for Sugarcreek, Ohio since my nephew Raphael was being ordained as family life pastor at Grace Mennonite Church.  Daniel and Mary Ann had left the day before and planned a long week end there.  Deborah and I had a good trip and in the evening there was a birthday party planned for the 3 boys since their birthdays are long two weeks apart.  There was a lot of family in attendance and it was great to see the boys celebrating.

10/23, We went to church in the morning, had a great family lunch and then in the evening, we went to the ordination.  It was a very nice service.

10/24, We all went out for breakfast at the Der Dutchman.  Deborah and Mary Ann went shopping and when they returned to the house, Deborah and I left for Washington D. C. to meet up with Jesse, Christina, Charis, Rachel, Deborah and myself for a birthday dinner since Rachel had a birthday.  We ate at a nice place and Rachel brought one of her roommates to join us.  We had a great time.  Deborah and I returned home around 11:00pm.

10/26, late afternoon, my Uncle Walter and Aunt Mary Jane from Plain City, Ohio arrived since my Uncle Walter was having a series of bible meetings at Daniel's church.  We had a nice dinner and then they left for church and I stayed and babysat the two disability ladies that Mary Ann is responsible for.

10/30, Went to church and they had a carry in potluck since it was the end of the meetings and Uncle Walter and Aunt Mary Jane headed for Sarasota, Florida in the afternoon.

10/31 - Halloween was very quiet and I started another puzzle.

The rest of this week is just every day living.

10/19/16 - On 10/18, Daniel, Mary Ann and I left at 7:15am to meet a bus to go with a group to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see Samson at Sight and Sound.  There were 32 people on the bus.  When we got there, I knew the bus driver so it was great to catch up for a few minutes.  We had a nice trip up, the play was fantastic and well done.  We then stopped off for a buffet lunch before heading back to Milford, Delaware.  We took a picture outside of the theatre:  

10/17/16 - 10/14, Daniel and Mary Ann had invited friends and family for the evening to enjoy a bonfire, roast hot dogs, a potluck and end the evening with a hay ride. I have been told there were about 65 in attendance.  The food was set up on the side of the bonfire and the picnic tables were around the bonfire.  Of course, I was sitting in my chair as close to the fire as possible with coat, hat and gloves to stay warm.  It was a great evening even tho it was rather cold.  On of the individuals in attendance was from Virginia and I know her well so we had a very nice time.  The gal (Roxanne and her aunt Esther) also had rented a beach house for the weekend.  A picture of the beginning of the bonfire:

                                                The bonfire

10/15 - It is Mary Ann's birthday, son Lem and wife Jessica stopped by with also Jessica's mother Lynn, then Mary Ann had friends that stopped by for a visit that also were from Virginia.  I had an invitation to go to the beach house and visit with Roxanne and Aunt Esther.  It was a very nice beach house and a beautiful view of the bay.  Since it was almost a full moon, I was able to capture this picture:

                                                               The moon over the bay

We also went out for pizza (Grotto's).  It was delicious.  I had a very nice evening.

10/16 - Went to church and they had a potluck since it was appreciation day for the leadership team.  They had several different soups, salad and dessert.  Otherwise, the day was quiet.


                                             

10/11/16 - Once again it is time to get caught up.

10/2, I had another dentist appointment to get a second opinion regarding my upper dentures that are holding on with a thread.  I soon learned that it would be about $2000 to get new ones!!  The first dentist wanted to take off my bars and put in new pegs to my implants and that would be another $1000!!  The second dentist did not even suggest that and even told me that the bars were solid and looking good!!  I was delighted.

10/6, I had my annual mammogram and learned that there is a new procedure out call 3D mammogram so was told Medicare does pay for it so I decided to do that.  Since the physician's assistant wasn't sure if she felt a small lump or dense tissue, they also decided to do an ultrasound.  I have not gotten the final result since they want to compare with last year's mammogram that was done in San Diego.  So I have to do the waiting game.

10/7, I am not sure which day I helped Mary Ann freeze applesauce. She also has been putting lima beans in the freezer so I have helped shell those.  My niece, Deborah and I have been putting puzzles together in between other activities.  I do have part of another lap size afghan to finish but am waiting awhile before I finish that.  Also, Daniel's neighbor works at an RV place and he has been over and sealed the roof of the RV since we have been having a lot of rain.  He did take a quick look at my sound system but that will take some time so it will be done later.

10/8 - Daniel and I left for York City.  Daniel had a lot of meat (beef) left from his last year's supply and wanted to donate it to a mission church/school.  We had a traveling time and met up with a distance cousin who helped us unload and then we all went out for lunch before we headed back to Delaware.  We had rain all the way home.

10/10 - I had another dentist appointment to get the impressions done so the process has begun!  Daniel dug sweet potatoes last night.

Today,  I have made a sweet potato to eat for lunch.  I need to do some cleaning and then Mary Ann has some plans tonight so I will help with dinner and sit with the ladies that she takes care of.  So just an easy day.

09/27/16 -  9/19 - Not sure what I did except unpack and get some things cleaned in the RV.

9/20 - I got a doctor's appointment at Ambient Clinic.  I saw a PA and she was very detailed with my exam, got some lab work done, order for mammogram and because of my medical history also scheduled an ultrasound following the mammogram.  I did want a dexa scan but she stated they don't order those.  Not sure why but oh well.  She was a little concerned about the sun spots on my face and gave me a dermatology referral but I have not made the appointment.

9/21- was an uneventful day.

9/22 - My niece Deborah flew back to Baltimore from England and Daniel (her Dad) and I drove up to Baltimore to pick her up.  They had problems with the baggage so it took a while before we finally got to pick her up.  Her flight was in at 7:15pm and it was close to 8:30pm before she was on the sidewalk ready for pick up.

9/23 - I went to see two of my great nephews (Carson and Nevin) play in a soccer game.  Also got to chat with their mother (Stephanie and their father, Weston).

9/25 - Went to church, had a great lunch and watched football with Daniel.

9/26 - I went to another soccer game and the family was invited to my brother's house for dinner after the game.  Daniel had smoked two sirloin steaks and they were delicious.  We added a potato bar to the dinner and ice cream for dessert.  It was a great evening.

Today, I went with Mary Ann back to the dentist because I have a bigger fracture on the top denture and I got the sad news that it is not repairable.  They gave me a quote of $2800 for the new denture because he also feels he needs to change the brackets on the top.  I came home and did some research and now have another appointment with American Dental for a second opinion and hopefully something a little cheaper.  I have the appointment next week.  Tonight, we also shelled some lima beans for her to put in the freezer.  Off to bed

09/1/16 - Well, it is time to do some blogging.

9/13 is a blur so not sure what I did.
9/14 - I had a dentist appointment at 9:30am and was told by Mary Ann that they blocked two hours for me and that was something I really did not understand since there was nothing to do in my mouth except repair the dentures.  Well, this appointment was with a prosthodontist.  He took time to check out my implants versus the missing tooth and the large crack plus there was some movement with my bottom dentures that he felt could be causing some pressure on the top dentures.  This was the first time ever that he started to repair the denture while I was in the chair.  He also put different connectors in my two front implants on the bottom so things would not move.  I was in the chair for an hour and 45 minutes and walked out with a totally repaired denture and $585 poorer!!  He felt this repair could last for at least a year so time will tell!!  In the evening, Daniel and Mary Ann needed to attend a historical marker dedication at their church and I stayed at their house so she did not need to get someone else to sit with the two disabled ladies that she is a caregiver for.

9/15 - My sister-in-law, Ruby came to Delaware from Virginia to take care of three of her grandchildren while the parents traveled to Maine.  Ruby had to planned to come anyway since it was grandparent day on Friday anyway.  I went over and had lunch with her,  We also did some alterations on a top and discussed repair of jeans and making a skirt out of a dress.  We then went to pick up the granddaughter at school  and attended a soccer game that was played by two of her grandsons.  It was interesting.  I came home and packed a few things since I was traveling to Northern Ohio with my brother Daniel and his wife Mary Ann.

9/16 - We left for Ohio around 9:30am and had good traveling and got to our destination a little after 6pm.  My sister, Rachel and her husband, Ivan were traveling from Waterloo, New York and we made plans for dinner as soon as we arrived.  We ate at a restaurant named Dutch Valley.  We then went to my nephew Raphael (Daniel's son) for the evening.

9/17 - We left around 11am for a family reunion (Kauffman) which was also attended by my sister, Rachel.  We knew a few people and met alot more people so was an interesting.  Daniel and Mary Ann left early to drive about 2 hours south so he could attend a 45th high school reunion.  Rachel, Ivan and I went to visit Eli and Susie Miller.  We then also went to a restaurant in Shreve, Ohio for dessert and chatted with Tena Miller.  It was great to see both of them.  Rachel and Ivan then took me back to Raphael's house and later Daniel and Mary Ann returned.  Raph, Daniel and I then watched the Ohio State football game.  Off to bed.

Today, we went to church and Tena decided to attend with us because she had not gotten to see Daniel and Mary Ann yesterday.  We did some visiting after church and then left for Ohio a little after 12pm.  We drove through some rain but traveling was good.  We got back to Delaware at 9pm.  Off to bed

09/13/16 -  On 9/10, it was relaxing morning and then Rachel and I went to Union Market and met Lem for lunch.  The market was very interesting with a lot of various international foods, little farmer's market.  After lunch we went back to the house to relax. Jessica ran some errands including groceries. We had dinner on the grill which included sweet potatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions and bratwurst.  It was delicious.  Later in the evening another friends of theirs, Ryan stopped by for the evening and night since he was on his way back to New Hampshire.  We then decided to go to Rachel's house and meet some of her friends. It was so good to put a name to a face and get involved in her neck of the woods.

9/11, Lem went to a bakery and got ham and cheese sliders for breakfast and they invited some of their friends over.  I loved meeting their friends as well.  We had a good visit but then at 1:00pm it was football time so the party broke up and soon it was Lem, Rachel and myself watching the Bengals and Saints game.  The Bengals won but the Saints lost.  Around 4:40pm I left for Milford, Delware.  It was about an hour and 1/2 drive but it took me a little longer because I just took my time.  I arrived in Delaware around 7:00pm.  I had good traveling.  It is so good to be home and now I need to get some things done.  I was tired so off to bed.

9/12 - I made some phone calls, unpacked, got more c-pap supplies, refilled some medications and did some crocheting.

Today, I defrosted the freezer, cut some garden tea and helped to get the tea ready for hot water, mae some lunch and then went with Mary Ann to pick up a prescription for her and pick up my medications for me.  Tonight, I had dinner with them and we had delicious mushroom bacon soup.  Now, need to take a shower and get myself to bed.

09/10/16 - On 9/7, Ruby went to work and I did some crocheting, worked on the puzzle and then went out for Thai food with my first cousin, Rick Schlabach and his Kim.  The food was delicious and we had a nice visit.

9/8, I went to my great niece's volley ball game and had a nice visit with my nephew Jay and his wife.  Lauren's team won both games and it was good to see everyone.

9/9, Ruby and I said our "good byes", she went to work and I worked on the puzzle, crochet a while and then started to pack up since I was leaving around 5:00pm for Washington, D. C.  Ruby surprised me and got to come home early so we had some time together before I left and she had to leave for a birthday party.  I left Harrisonburg around 5:15pm and it had just started to rain but I soon drove out of the rain so had good traveling.  The traffic was great and I arrived in the Washington D. C. area at 7:25pm but did make a wrong turn and had to make a big square around to get back to where I was suppose to turn but I found the house.  I did call my nephew Lem to find out where to park and soon I was parked and arrived at the house.  Lem came home from work shortly after that and we decided to go out for Mexican food.  It was very good.  My niece, Rachel then joined us at the restaurant and came back to the house for the evening.  Off to bed

09/06/16 - On 9/5, Ruby and I had a nice relaxing day except she did some cooking.  We sat out on her back patio since it was a nice day and I did some crocheting.  She went to the local farm stand and got some corn and beets.  We had corn, beets, tomatoes for dinner and then rhubarb pie for dessert. Everything was delicious.   During the course of dinner, I managed to lose a tooth on the upper denture.  So tomorrow am going to call Ruby's dentist and see what they can do. Then we worked on the puzzle in the evening and off to bed.

Today, I had the dentist appointment at 2:40pm to learn that they could put new fasteners in my bottom denture in the office. They are concerned because actually my denture is cracked all the way from top to bottom so I will need new upper dentures sooner than later.  They are able to put the tooth back in and will try to strengthen the fracture a little to buy me some time.  So the lab could not repair today so I have a denture carry in at 8:00am and a pick up at 3:20pm tomorrow.  I am $455 poorer!! Such is life.  Oh well, it is either the RV, car or dentures draining my bank account!!!

9/4/16 - On 9/1 Rachel and I did some baking since she has invited some of her family over on Friday night to say "Good Bye" since I was leaving on Saturday.  We also took out some time to visit the school that her grandson, Leon was preparing to teach.   Ivan (Rachel's husband), Rachel and myself went to Chili's for dinner and then dropped in at Bass Pro to see all the displays of animals.  It was interesting.  My niece Miriam and her family could not come over to say "Good Bye" on Friday so they stopped by tonight and we played some games.  Off to bed

9/2 - Rachel and I got things ready for the evening since two of her families would be over for dessert.  We were planning homemade ice cream but Aaron could not get it to freeze.  So we gotten out the store ice cream.  We had a very nice evening and finally got all of my good byes done and off to bed.

9/3 - I packed up and left Rachel's house at 9:30am and headed for Harrisonburg, Virginia to my sister-in-law, Ruby.  I had great traveling but ate alot of snacks so did stop until I needed to get gas and then ate at Arby's.  I never had much traffic so my 400 miles went very well.  I did make a second stop just to walk a little and got to Ruby's house a little after 6:00pm.  We unloaded, chatted a little and then had a delicious dinner and off to bed.

Today, I went to the Highland Retreat Campground for church services, baptisms and fellowship dinner.  It was rather cool and I ended up with a jacket and a lap blanket to try and stay warm.  It was nice to be back in a wooded area.  We came home relax, did a little crocheting and now am helping with a puzzle and then off to bed.

8/31/16 - On 8/30, Rachel and I went to Geneva for the dentist appointment to repair my top denture that had cracked and actually a piece had broken off.  When the dentist saw the denture, he informed me that is was a fairly complicated situation and wasn't sure I should wait until I get back to San Diego so the original doctor could repair the mess.  I informed him I was leaving this area on Saturday but not going back to San Diego and he informed me that he didn't think that it could be repaired before I left and it was fairly stable and I could wait for the repair.  I left the office not knowing what to do next when Rachel mentioned that her son Mark and his family had a dentist in Seneca Falls that they really liked and maybe we should just drive over and ask some questions.  So we did and the receptionist went to get the dental tech who took a look at it and informed me that she could repair it in the office and it would be ready in about 2 hours.  I could not believe my ears.  I agreed to have it repaired and would return to pick up.  I was very happy.  Since I was toothless, we stopped for a milk shake and went home.  Rachel got some lunch and soon we were returning to the dentist office.  The repair went well and only cost $50 and I didn't even see the dentist!!  We made a few stops and then home.  Rachel is a driver twice a week for some girls that are employed at a bulk food so I decided to ride with her.  It was very interesting.  When we got home, a friend Sam was over to show us pictures of his volunteer work in a refugee camp on an island in Greece.  Off to bed

08/30/16 - On 8/29, my sister, Rachel, Ivan, and I went to my niece's house for dinner.  Miriam and Jerry own a couple of cute ponies so we went for a ride in a cart.  The driver was my great niece, DeAnna and it was a lot of fun.  Picture attached:

8/30/16 - I am adding to my information from Saturday 8/27, because I have a picture to attach:

                                           My nephew Peter, his bike and myself

08/29/16 - On 8/26, I got up and did some laundry, packed my suitcase since I was going to my nephew's house (Philip) for the rest of the weekend.  In the afternoon, a niece (Beth) and her family arrived from Pennsylvania and so we did some visiting.  At 3:30pm, I went to Philip's house since they had eye appointments in Watertown and I wanted to ride along.  I then had my glasses adjusted as well.  After the appointments, we went to Ponderosa for dinner and then back to their house.

8/27 - I went to my sister Ruthie's since a son (David) and his family arrived for breakfast.  David lives in Wisconsin and was in Croghan for the week end.  I did some visiting and helped get the food together so we could go up to the camp in the Adironeack mountains. They had a huge family reunion since grandparents were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary.  There is a large storage building that was used to set up table and chairs and the food. They had barbecue chicken on an outside grill and then the rest of the food was potluck style.  There is a cabin on the property so I decided to stay away from the reunion and stayed in the cabin but then when some of my great nieces discovered I was there, I had quite the crowd around me so the crocheting went back in the bag.  One of the great nieces did bring me a huge plate of food.  Later in the day, I went out to the storage building to say "HI" to a few people that I knew and "Goodbye" to Beth since she was  was going back to Pennsylvania.  In the late afternoon, my nephew, Peter came up to the camp with his motorcycle so of course, I had to have a ride!  It was a lot of fun.  In the evening, there was a hot dog/hamburger roast for several families that remained behind.  While eating a hot dog, I lost a part of my upper denture which had a crack in it for a while.  Philip, Virginia and I left for home since we needed to get a few food items ready for lunch on Sunday.

8/28 - Off to church and then we had a big lunch at Philip's house.  My sister Rachel and her husband left for home which was about 2 1/2 hours away and I packed up my things to leave when a great niece (Cynthia) needed a ride over to her Uncle Melvin's to catch a ride back to Pennsylvania.  We got a few directions but then I decided I would just follow the GPS and soon I found myself on a gravel road and then a dirt road in the middle of the forest!!  The dirt road had mud puddles and big rocks and I missed one big rock and hit it with my car and I thought the whole bottom fell out!!  It was a horrible noise but I checked and we then kept going because the GPS stated I only had .3 mile to go to the main road when all of sudden the GPS went blank!!!  We discussed it a moment and decided to try to turn around and I was against trees on the front end and a mud puddle on the back end but I finally got turned around!!  When we finally got back to the main road, the GPS did a recalculation and we FINALLY got the her Uncle Melvin's house.  I took off at 4:22pm for my 2 1/2 drive to my sister's house.  I stopped for a drink and some gas and then I learned that we were meeting at my nephew's house (Mark) since a nephew (Jeremy) and his family from Michigan were there.  They had plans to leave early Monday morning for home.

08/26/16 - On 8/23, my sister Ruthie and I did alot of visiting, set up the computer, took a walk around her garden area, and flower beds.  She has a nice variety.  We then walked to the neighbors and purchased  some sweet corn for the dinner.  The corn was delicious but one could tell the season is coming to an end.  She has a lot of fresh tomatoes and so I have been eating at least one every day. They have a great flavor.  Play a game before calling it a day.

On 8/24, her Charity was home for the day and we got food ready for a big family reunion on her in-law side on Saturday.  We made a HUGE bowl of potato salad, baked two different kinds of cakes and made cupcakes.

On 8/25, we relaxed and made homemade ice cream in the evening.

08/22/16 - This morning, I had planned to leave Massachusetts around 10:00am and when I got upstairs, I learned from Marilynn and Joe that there had been an accident on the freeway ramp where I was going.  We checked the internet frequently to see if the accident was cleared.  I finally decided to take my chances and so I took off about 10:40am.  3.5 miles from the exit, I got stuck in the traffic and it took me 50 minutes to travel the 3.5 miles.  When I got to the ramp, the truck was jack knifed but off the road but the problem was that all the traffic in the middle and left lanes were zooming by like crazy and then all of sudden they needed to be in the right lane to exit as well so with all the merging traffic it was very, very slow.  After that I had good traveling and near Albany, I took the wrong exit so had to pay the toll and then get another ticket when I got back on!!  What a mess.  From Norton, Massachusetts to Croghan, New York, I once again paid $10.55 worth of tolls!!  I did stop at a service plaza, had a fish sandwich and finally arrived at my sister's house at 6:00pm.  I had a huge tomato sandwich for dinner.  It was delicious.  Off to bed soon.

08/21/16 - This blog is just additional information for me - but the east coast has so many toll roads that from Milford, Delaware to Norton, Massachusetts,  I paid $33.60 in tolls and I wasn't even driving the RV!!  That total does include the $15 to just cross the George Washington Bridge!!

08/20/16 - On 8/19, Marilynn had a dinner party and invited some of their friends over so I could meet them.  Her friends brought the appetizers and dessert.  Marilynn had pulled barbecue chicken sandwiches, baked beans and cole slaw.  It was so neat to meet their friends.  We had a wonderful evening which ended around a fire pit.  One of her friends brought a fruit bowl carved out of a watermelon in the shape of my RV.  It was so cute.  Here is a picture:

                                               Has my name and lemons are the wheels

Today, we just took it easy because we had a big day yesterday and Marilynn was having some abdominal issues but is doing much this evening.  I did some crocheting as well since I need to get this baby afghan done.  The baby is due next month.                                          

08/19/16 - On 8/16 it was a very relaxing day at the Marilynn and Joe's house. On 8/17, we did some grocery shopping for a party. Marilynn has invited a group of friends for the evening.

 8/18 - We left around 8:30am for Onset, Massachusetts to take a boat ride across the Cape Cod canal. There was a live commentary with a lot of history. It was very interesting and then on the way back we just relaxed and enjoyed the ride. We then had Mexican food late afternoon. What a nice day. I have attached a picture of my friends:

                                            Marilynn and Joe on the boat ride

8/16/16 - During the week of 8/8, Mary Ann learned that the youngest daughter (Rachel) was bringing some friends to Delaware so they could do the beach. On 8/12, Rachel and her friends arrived very late in the evening. On 8/13, Mary Ann made cinnamon rolls for their breakfast and off to the beach. During the day, I helped her do some cooking since she was preparing a feast for about 11 invited guests. The kids came back from the beach, we had a fantastic dinner and a great evening of visiting. Mary Ann's dishwasher wasn't working so the kids did a wonderful job of helping clean up the kitchen before they left again for Washington D. C. It was a very busy but nice evening. 8/14, We celebrated Daniel's birthday and otherwise was a quiet day and I starting to do some packing for my month long trip to visit friends and family. 8/15, I left my brother's house at 9:37am to travel to Norton, Massachusetts to visit my long time dear friends, Marilynn and Joe. I had a good trip through Delaware, New Jersey and just before I got to the outskirts of New York City, I decided to stop for lunch and take a walk. I took about an hour break. I left there at 1:15pm and was almost half way according to the miles I had left when soon I got into traffic through New York City, George Washington Bridge and most of Connecticut. It took me 2 hours to travel 53 miles!! I soon learned that it would take me a lot longer to get to Norton than what I had anticipated. I had much better traveling when I got into Rhode Island but then had to stop for gas. I finally arrived at Marilynn and Joe's house at 6:08pm!! What a day. I am so glad to be here. Today, we are relaxing, except Marilynn mowed yard and did some weeding and I paid a car insurance bill. So needless to say, I have not been very productive but it feels good. Now, we are getting a nice shower.

08/08/16 - On 8/4, the crowd left to go swimming next door and I helped Mary Ann getting garden tea ready for brewing. Later, we had dinner and played some games. 8/5 - We left for Lewes Beach around 9:15am. The weather was very comfortable and everyone played in the water except for Christina and myself. We sat under the umbrellas. In the evening we had a great dinner of thinly sliced smoked beef brisket, potato salad, lettuce salad and pies for dessert. 8/6 - In the evening we had reservations for dinner in Annapolis, Maryland at The Melting Pot to celebrate Christina's 40th birthday. It was about an hour and quarter drive but a wonderful restaurant and we had such a good time. There was eleven of us. It was a great evening. 8/7 - Raph and Gina and family left around 8:40am for Ohio and Rachel left at 11:30am for Washington, D. C. so we just stayed home. In the evening, Christina and Jesse came over and we played some games. Today, I helped freeze 1000 ears of corn. It was a very organized operation and took about 6 hours. Off and on there were 12 of us helping in various capacities. The corn is in the freezer and everything is totally cleaned up. What an operation!! Jesse came over to help program some things on the computer and check and see if he can help with my surround sound that is not working. He was able to program the remote so now I only have to have one which is wonderful but still unable to get the surround sound. I really appreciate his help. Off to bed.

08/06/16 - On 8/3, I left Sommerset, PA at 9:00am and I had great traveling to my brother's house. I arrived at 3:45pm. I took off the car and then checked out the space that he wanted me to park. My niece, Deborah than helped me to back into the space. Daniel, (my brother) had leveled the space so good that I didn't need to put the levelers down. It is a great space and he has done a wonderful job in making it very comfortable for me with electric, water and the gray water of the sewer. I have TV reception so I am quite the happy camper. My nephew (Raph and family) arrived later in the afternoon. I joined the family for dinner. We did some visiting and played games.

08/02/2016 - Since it has been awhile since I last did a post, I can't remember half of what we did but will try to put some into words. On 7/24, we moved the RV from the campground to Uncle Allen's place. We were able to park right beside the garage so was not difficult to utilize some of their facilities. On 7/26, we had dinner plans with some of the Schlabach family. I was not sure that I knew anyone but then one of my elementary classmates was in attendance!! I was really surprised. It was a very nice evening. This day it was also the one year anniversary of Uncle Lee's passing. 7/27, I took Aunt Ada to visit with Aunt Martha and I went to Marysville to have lunch with some of my classmates again. In attendance was Karen Yutzy Whitmore from Norfolk, Virginia. It was so nice to chat with her. She was here for a Farmwald reunion that was held on 7/28 at Uncle Allen's house. 7/29, My cousin Robyn flew in from Phoenix for the Yutzy reunion. We drove to Rosedale to help with getting the light dinner together and then of course got to watch relatives arrive from everywhere. It was a great evening to get the reunion started. 7/30, Continuation of reunion. 7/31, Some of the relatives left in the morning but those of us who stayed, we had lunch, a little cleaning up and then back to the RV to finish Aunt Ada and Robyn's packing since they were leaving for Phoenix. Their plane was scheduled out at 6:05pm. Aunt Esther and I took them to the airport and then Aunt Esther decided to stay with me for the night. 8/1, I decided to take down the antenna for the TV since I could not do it myself this morning and of course we had a major issue. The stupid thing would not come down. In the process we cracked the level that was suppose to bring the thing down and finally Connie decided to climb up on the top to see if she could help push the thing down while Aunt Esther and Onita were turning the level. Well, nothing worked, so we finally gave Connie and hammer and screwdriver and she was able to take the thing down but of course now nothing works but that is OK since I usually use the satellite dish. So needless to say Aunt Esther did not leave Plain City very early. I then went out for lunch with Alma and Mary Grace. It was nice to spend time with them. I got a call around 1:00pm that my friend Louie got an earlier flight from Chicago and I would be able to meet him for dinner. We ate at a german restaurant. It was delicious and I was so happy to catch up with Louie and all the news. He will be in a seminar until Friday. 8/2, I got up around 8:00am and started to get the RV ready to depart Plain City, Ohio for Sommerset, PA. Uncle Allen decided that I could drive back to his farm and fertilize the hay field with my black water and my gray water. So I drove back and at the edge of the field, we dumped the tanks. I then returned to his house to fill up my fresh water tank for my drive to Delaware. By the time, I got the tank full, the car attached for towing and said my good byes it was 11:30am. I stopped for gas at a Pilot truck stop and it was so busy I had to go on and then stopped at a rest stop for lunch. For some reason the drive seemed much longer than it really was but I got the the Walmart in Sommerset, PA at 5:05pm. Found a spot to park but then just rested for about an hour. Now I have had dinner, took care of the car for the night, ran the generator for an hour, brewed some tea for tomorrow so am going to check out some things on the computer and go to bed. I have 260 miles to my brother's house so want to leave around 9:00am since I am planning on about 6 hours traveling.

07/22/16 - On 7/18, Aunt Ada and I went to the funeral home for the viewing of my 1st cousin's wife. We met some relatives there that we had not seen before so was great to see everyone. 7/19 - Aunt Ada and I attending the funeral and an uncle and aunt were in attendance from out of town so we visited after the reception. We then went to Uncle Allen's house to change clothes and we drove to Rosedale Bible College to check things out for the reunion. We then went to Uncle Allen's house and Aunt Ada quilted while I helped Connie make some spicy pretzels for the youth group at church and also for her family that was coming in from out of town. In the evening we joined some Yutzy cousins at the Der Dutchman restaurant and celebrated an 81st birthday. 7/20 - We went to visit Aunt Ada Beachy who has just moved to an assisted living place called Edgewater. Her area is really nice. She has a separate bedroom and a small refrigerator and microwave in the room. We had a great visit. We came home to wait for my sister-in-law (Ruby) who was traveling from Virginia. She arrived around 4:15pm and we visited until her step-daughter (Lonelle and boyfriend Dave) stopped by. We then went to Bob Evan's for dinner. Back to the RV for a nice visit. Ruby was staying with her daughter and then tomorrow morning will be leaving to visit her daughter (Joy) in West LaFayette, Indiana. It was so good to see her. 7/21 -Aunt Ada and I went to Uncle Allen's house so she could quilt and I could chit chat with my 1st cousin (Onita from Montana)who will be here for about 10 days. Hopefully, I am correct. I then went to visit some old neighbors of ours (Polly and Glenn Williams). Their daughter, Susan, was also there. I had not seen her for a very long time. It was so good to visit them. I went to school with their daughter Patty) for 12 years. We rode the bus together. When I got back to Uncle Allen's, his son Jon, Tonya and family arrived. We then stayed for dinner. It was very nice. Today, we had a nice quiet rain, went back to Uncle Allen's for dinner and Aunt Ada did some more quilting. I played some games with the family. We had fresh sweet corn tonight and homemade ice cream. It was delicious.

07/17/16 - On 7/14 - We learned that my 1st cousin's wife went to heaven in the forenoon and all other information is pending.   In the evening, I met my Beachy cousins at the Der Dutchman for dinner.  There were approximately 23 of us.  It was a great evening.  I learned that one of the cousins has a house only about a mile or so from where I am parked and the storm yesterday, blew over a glass patio table and they had some tree branches down so I know that wind was wicked!

7/15 - Aunt Ada and I left for northern Ohio around noon.  We got to Wooster, Ohio at 2:00pm and I dropped her off at her friend's house (Emma) and I left to visit a friend (Sara Mast Northey).  We grew up together in Plain City.  We had a nice visit and then she had to go to work and I left for my nephew's house in Sugarcreek, Ohio where I had plans to spend the week end while Aunt Ada attended a reunion.  When I arrived at Raphael and Regina's house, they had were getting ready to sit down for dinner but I had eaten already so I just visited while they ate.

7/16 - Raph had to get a part to repair the air conditioning in the van so I went with him and then we stopped off at a park, where a great nephew (Simon) was playing T Ball.  Actually, it was a practice since his game is tomorrow.  We then spent the rest of the day relaxing.  I had the privilege of helping with a 2 1/2 month old little girl that is staying with them at this time. That was alot of fun.

Today, I went to church with Raph and Gina and then to Fredericksburg, Ohio for lunch at an extended family's house.  It had been ages since I had seen Eli, Susie, Tena and Sara.  I also met Sara's daughter and Eli's daughter.  We had a great visit.  Left their house around 4:45 or so and got back to Columbus, Ohio around 6:15pm.  Traveling went well but good to be home again.  Now need to unpack and make some phone calls.

07/13/16 -  On 7/12, we went back to urgent care since Aunt Ada just is not getting better with her back.  We got some more pain medication and were told that we just needed to take it easy since the back was probable aggravated by all the sitting and riding in the RV from Arizona to Ohio.  We then went to Walmart to fill the prescription and did some grocery shopping.  In the evening, we went to Plain City and had dinner at the Der Dutchman with some extended Yutzy family.  In attendance were Freeman Yutzy, Orpha Lapp, Florence Farmwald, Wallace Yutzy (his wife Sarah), Elton Yutzy (his wife Betty), Perry Yoder and Aunt Ada and myself.  We really had a great time.  Got a call from my nephew Peter and he will be in Plain City tomorrow.

Today, I got the phone call from Peter and he would be in Plain City around noon and we planned to have lunch at the Der Dutchman.  We invited Uncle Allen and his wife Connie to join us.  I picked up Peter and Lawanda (his wife) and we had a nice lunch at the Der Dutchman.  Since he had some time to burn, we drove out to the old homestead, visited Uncle Paul and Aunt Martha, Uncle Val and Aunt Anna.  We then some off at Yutzy Farm Market so they could get some things. On the way home, we stopped at the hospital since I have a 1st cousin (Steven) whose wife Cindy is in critical condition and just went on hospice.  She had double pneumonia but has a debilitating muscle disease which probably will take her life.  I am witnessing lots of wind and rain right now.  I hope is slows down soon because the gust of wind was horrible.  It shook the whole RV!!  I won't be going to bed for awhile!

7/11/16 - On 7/10, We went to church at Shiloh and met other cousins and friends that I have not seen for a long time.  We then had a lunch date with one of Aunt Ada's friends and spent the afternoon.  Soon after we got home, Uncle Allen and Connie came over and we warmed up some leftovers, ice cream and pie and then played games until about 9:30pm.

Today, I need to get some housekeeping things done and maybe take Aunt Ada out to Connie's house so she can do some quilting.

07/09/16 - On 7/3, We went to church at Marantha and saw alot of relatives there.  We came home to rest since we were invited to a big barbecue that involved Uncle Lee's family.   I did know some of the family.  We had a nice time and the food was great.  The owner of the property had a nice pond and then got some beautiful fireworks in Indiana so we waited until dark and had quite the private show.

7/4 - We stayed around the RV and had an invitation to see fireworks in Plain City but they were not scheduled until 10:00pm so we decided to just stay home.

7/5 - We stayed around the RV and started to put things away since we were scheduled at a repair shop at 10:15am on 7/6.

7/6 - Went to the repair shop and was told it would take at least parts of two days and Aunt Ada and I then had packed overnight clothes and stayed with Uncle Allen and Connie.  We played some games, Aunt Ada decided to go to the basement and do some quilting.

7/7 - We joined 4 couples and Aunt Ada and I for lunch at the Golden Coral and then learned the RV was ready so Connie took us to the repair shop and then back to the campground.  I do like the new TV but is definitely something I need to get use to as to how it sits in the cabinet.  I do not have surround sound yet so am not sure how to get that taken care of.  Got all hooked up again and now it feels like home.

7/8 -  Took Aunt Ada to Aunt Martha's house and they went out for lunch and then Aunt Ada had her hair done.  I went to Aunt Lovina's house for taco salad that was prepared by Cousin Alice.  We had a nice visit, then Alice took me back to the end of the farm where her husband was combining wheat. It was interesting.  In the process, her husband called and asked if she could help and of course that was fine with me.  I then went to see another cousin Alma while I was waiting for Aunt Ada to finish. Then off to Aunt Martha's house to pick up Aunt Ada and back to the RV.

Today, I met cousins from Indiana (Sue, Jonas, Betty and Mary) for lunch and then Sue and I drove around the Plain City area to visit childhood places and renew memories.  We had to stop off at the dairy queen since it was one of our favorite places!  I had a great day and then left for Indiana around 5:00pm.

7/2/16 - Today is a very laid back, take it easy kind of day.  Want to do a few things around the RV

7/2/16 - On 7/1, We made plans to visit a few more relatives and then we had a visit from Uncle Allen and Connie for a short time before we left.  It was nice to have them come to the RV.  We then left and stopped for a short visit with Aunt Lovina and had plans to buy a pizza and have dinner with Aunt Ada Beachy but when I called to inform her of our plans, she informed me that she had chili on the stove for us to enjoy with her.  She also got some fresh sweet corn from the store.  The dinner was delicious and spending time with her was great.  Her son Jeff has built a two seat plane and I have been wanting a ride for a long time and the weather was great so he came over and picked me up and we went to his house.  We got strapped in and he has wide tires so he takes off on a grassy runaway.  We flew all over the Plain City area and he pointed out a lot of different homes, farms and landmarks.  It was wonderful.

                                           Jeff took a picture of me inside the plane while
                                                    flying!!

                                           A farmer's cornfield maze!  Charlie Brown cartoon

7/2/16 - On 6/29, Aunt Ada stayed home and I went for dinner at Jonas and Arlou Beachy's house.  They are my first cousins.  Their kids, Jamie and Clinton were also in attendance.  We had a wonderful time and the dinner was delicious.  We had planned to cut some spearmint tea but did too much talking so now I need to go back and get some.

6/30 - We left in the afternoon and visited Uncle Val, Aunt Anna, Aunt Martha.  Uncle Paul was gone but just as we were leaving he did come home so we chatted for a few minutes.  I got a call from nephew Peter who is a long distance truck driver and he was stopped for the night in northern Columbus so I hurried home and then left for north Columbus.  I did get to see him and his wife Lawanda who is traveling with him.  It was great to see both of them.  

                                                             Peter and Lawanda

I was able to sit in the driver's seat of his huge loaded rig.  What a feeling!!

06/28/16 - On 6/23, we did nothing but get acquainted with the area.

6/24 - I did the laundry and did some grocery shopping.

6/26 - We went to church at United Bethel and then had lunch with Uncle Allen and his wife Connie.  We had a nice afternoon visit.

6/27 - We have been having some TV issues with the TV in the front and around 5:00pm it died!


Today, I called several different RV repair shops and one was not taking appointments until September and the other one stated 7/14 was the first one.  Of course, I opted for the 14th.  When I called back to make the appointment, a guy answered and he had a whole different schedule so now I am scheduled  for 7/6 instead.  Aunt Ada went to her reunion and I went to Marysville to visit a friend who had a hip replacement and is in rehab.  After her visit, I went to the Corner Cupboard and visited with a 1st cousin Mary Grace.  We got some ice cream and visited between her customers.  I then picked up Aunt Ada and we came home for the evening.

06/22/16 -  Sue came over about 9:30am to help put things away, take care of water, sewer and electricity.  She helped to put on the car as well.  We left at 11:00am for Columbus, Ohio.  We drove Route 33 all the way so sometimes went through small towns but then found ourselves in rush hour traffic on I-270 but finally found the park a little after 4:00pm.  I got parked and then hooked up electric and water to learn that I had a leak with the hose attached to the RV which I had not moved for at least 2 years.  Well, I tried everything and things still leaked so a nice male camper came over to see if he could help.  He was able to make it tighter and in the process, the top of the hose broke off because it was rotted.  So finally I knew that it was not because I could not make it tight enough.  Thank goodness, I had another hose that I was able to connect and then he informed me that the hose was repairable so will try to do that.  Well, it took a long time to get everything done but finally got dinner made at 7:30pm and by 9:00pm had a shower and I really think that I am done.  They have a tornado watch out for early morning so not sure if I want to be in the RV.  Just not sure what to do!!

06/21/16 - On 6/20, we spent some time in an urgent care since my Aunt Ada needed some medication for an inflamed sciatica nerve.  We cancelled lunch and she rested the day.  I went to Sue's Condo to see if since I had not been there and then we drove to a RV superstore to buy some light bulbs that I needed.  It rained so hard, I had to pull into a parking lot and wait out the storm.  We than learned that we had to order the bulbs.  Sue and I then went out for a quick bite to eat and home since she had to work early today.

Today, Aunt Ada is feeling better, so we made lunch plans with Aunt Kay, Aunt Martha and Wilbur.  We had wonderful liver and onions and lots of left overs for another meal.  It was a very nice visit.  Then Aunt Kay needed to go to the bank for some cash and we stopped off at a grocery store so she could buy a green non blooming plant for her desk.  I then took Aunt Ada back to the RV since she needed to take her medication and then took Aunt Kay home.  Sue came over and we went to get the bulbs that we had ordered.  Stopped off and took a picture of a quilt garden and back to RV.  I then had a cousin call and wanted to stop by and see the RV and we chatted for a while.  Now, need to start putting things away since plans are to leave tomorrow for Ohio.  I will try to attach a picture of the garden:

                                             A Quilt garden in front of the Courthouse

06/19/16 - On 6/17, We left around 3:00pm and went to visit Aunt Kay.  My sister (Rachel) and her husband drove in from Waterloo, New York and met us at Aunt Kay's place for a quick visit since we had plans for dinner at a cousin's house (David Bontreger).  At 4:30pm we left with a wheelchair for Aunt Kay and got to David's house.  They have a lovely backyard so we sat out there and enjoyed the visit until dinner was ready.  We ate dinner which was delicious and then sat in the back yard again.  We sang some songs as a family and was really nice.

6/18 - Rachel, her husband (Ivan) and I went to a family reunion that neither one of us had ever attended.  We were not sure that we would know anyone but when we walked in the place to put our food on the table, we met some relatives from our home town in Ohio.  It was wonderful because suddenly I knew at least 6 people.  We met other relatives that we had not seen for a long, long, time. I was also able to meet some new relatives and make friends that I hope will be in my life for a long time.  It was a very interesting day.  After the reunion, I picked up Aunt Ada and we went to visit Aunt Kay.  We got some sandwiches and joined Aunt Kay for dinner.

6/19 - We got up and went to Aunt Kay's place and watch live video from her church.  She then made arrangements for all of us to have lunch with her in the private dining room. It was really nice and the food was great.  Aunt Ada and I then drove about 35 miles north (just inside the Michigan line) to visit one of her in-law relatives and a friend that she has not seen for a long time. We had a nice visit with both of them.  Back to the RV and plans were to stay home for the evening, when I got a call from my sister and was informed they had plans to visit a relative that was about 3/4 mile from where I was parked.  So I then went to another cousin's house and ate lots of popcorn and s'mores over an open fire.  My sister will be leaving early tomorrow to travel back to New York.  Now is time to relax and then go to bed!!

06/16/16 -  On 6/15, we left the Walmart parking lot at 10:00am and headed for Goshen, Indiana.  We had a good trip but could not find a rest stop so ended up just pulling off an exist and had lunch.  We arrived at the campgrounds around 3:45pm.  By the time, we took off the car, found our spot, hooked up it was a little over an hour.  It was rather warm and humid so I got very tired and of course was very dirty.  It felt good to make some dinner, get a shower and then relax and go to early bed.

06/16 - We met up with Aunt Kay around 10:30am.  She showed us around her new place which is very lovely.  Her room is arranged very nicely and quite comfortable.  We loaded her and the walker in my car and took off for Indian food, stopped off a consignment shop and off to Walmart for a little more shopping.  Aunt Kay needed to rest and so Aunt Ada and I left and back to the RV.  My friend Sue came over after work and we plan to do something for dinner.

06/14/16 - We left this morning at 9:25am.  We had excellent conditions for driving and stopped on the other side of St. Louis at a rest stop for lunch.  We got into Terre Haute, Indiana around 5:45pm eastern time.  We shopped at Walmart, had dinner and now going to play on the computer for a while before bedtime.  I am now back on the planned schedule!!

06/13/16 - On 6/11, we did laundry, Aunt Ada washed her hair and relaxed until we went to dinner at a German restaurant and then to a community  theatre for a play.  The play was a little slow and lots of dialog and not much action but entertaining.

6/12 - Teresa and daughter Lauren went to a baby shower, Aunt Ada and I went to church with Ron and after church we stopped off at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  Ron tried to go golfing but soon was rained out.  We then went to the RV to make sure that things were good when I soon learned that I had very dead house batteries and the generator would not even start,  I called the guy who repair things and begged to bring the RV back very early on Monday.

6/13 - We got up and Teresa followed me to the repair shop and we got there right at 8:00am.  I explained things and was promised they would help me right away.  I called around 10:45am to see if we would be traveling today and was informed that one battery was beyond repair and the other battery was a tester to see if it could be salvage but should have things ready by noon.  I called back and told them that I would prefer just to get two new batteries.  That was accomplished at 12:07pm.  Teresa came home from the bank and thought it would be nice to have an early lunch and then we would not have to stop for lunch.  We had a mexican lunch and on the way back to the house we got the call and RV was ready.  We went to pick her up, drove back to the school parking lot, back to the house to get our things and the freezer and refrigerator things and we were finally on the road at 1:30pm.  I am one hour short of being on schedule so am hoping to make that up tomorrow.  I did drove a solid 4 hours but did not want to stop until we had reach another Walmart so kept driving.
Ron and Teresa daughter Erin who is in school in Columbia, Missouri decided to drive down and meet us for dinner.  We ate at Applebees.  It was very good to see and visit with her even though it was a very short time.  Now am running the generator, making ice tea and playing on the computer before going to bed.

06/11/16 - The evening of 6/8, we went to see a show named "SIX".  It involved 6 brothers who sang a cappella but used the microphones and mouths to make background music.  The talent was amazing.

6/9 - We went to a forenoon show named "Dublin Tenors and Celtic Ladies".  There were 5 guys and 4 gals.  It was a great show.  Since we had a sausage and biscuit breakfast, we did not have lunch.  We then had tickets to a Light and Sound theatre and the production was "Moses".  I took a little bag of chips for a snack.  The theatre is huge and had 3 huge stages.  It was a marvelous production.  We then planned to have dinner at a "50's" diner but soon learned it was basically a hamburger, funnel cake and ice cream shop.  So we ended up at Denny's for a cup of soup and sandwich.  Back to the motel.

6/10 - We slept in a little, had another sausage and biscuit breakfast, went back to the room, packed and then stopped for a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts before heading back to Alma. We left about 12:30pm. Had a good trip.  We got back to Alma around 3:15pm so drove over to the repair shop to learn that it was not quite finished but would be finished before they closed. Teresa had left the front side door open so we were able to get into the house.   Around 6:00pm they called and I picked up the RV and Teresa showed me a good parking space at a school.  We then returned to the house, watched a Carol Burnett special on PBS and the NBA game and off to bed.

06/08/16 - Aunt Ada and I left just a little before 10:00am today and drove to the outskirts of Branson, Missouri and stopped for a sandwich.  We then drove into Branson and decided that we would stop off at several of the theatres and obtain tickets for the shows that we choose.  We then went and checked into the motel.  Now, resting a little and then our first show is at 7:30pm this on evening.  I need to stop for gas and we plan to get a little dinner before the show.  We are keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be repaired by Saturday and I want to head for Goshen, Indiana on 6/13.

06/07/16 - On 6/4, it was raining in the morning and Ron's daughter Lauren had driven up from Dallas, Texas to spend the week end with us.  It was very nice to visit with her again.  It was a quiet day although Ron and I learned there was some problem with the house current for me to plug in the RV to charge batteries.  We watched it most of the day and did get some electrical current to the RV.

6/5 - Off to church, had a great lunch and sat outside in the gazebo.  We planned some games, Lauren then had an appointment and when she returned to the house, she soon left for Dallas.

6/6 - Teresa and Ron both had to work so Aunt Ada and I took it easy by reading, playing on the computer and I did some crocheting.  Ron came home and we ate dinner with him and then relaxed for the evening.

6/7 - This morning, went to the RV to get some more items that we need since we have made plans to go to Branson, Missouri with the car for the next few days.  Hopefully, it will keep me busy so I quit worrying about the RV.  The repair shop stated that they are just waited for a phone call regarding the part.  They have been very kind and plugged it in so I have battery life.  I just pray, it will be finished when we get back late afternoon on Friday.  Teresa was scheduled only a 1/2 day today, so we went to Fort Smith for a mexican lunch, a little shopping, and then we went to a car wash and Teresa washed her car and I washed my car.  Getting ready for dinner and then will relax for the evening and get ready to leave for Branson by 10:00am tomorrow.

06/04/16 - On 6/3,  I called the RV repair place in Alma to see if I could just bring the RV in on our way to my cousin's house to learn that they do not do any engine work.  I then asked if he could recommend someone and gave me a name of Alma Automotive Repair so I called to see if he could check things out but since it was Friday afternoon, it was kinda impossible so he made arrangements for 8:20am on Monday, 6/6 so now not sure if we will be able to leave for Branson on Monday.  Time will tell.  We checked the coolant level to learn the reservoir was empty again so before leaving Walmart parking lot, we went in and bought two gallons of coolant and put them in the reservoir.  Therefore, we did not leave until almost 10:00am.  The trip was good, no lights coming on and the engine was not running hot!!  We stopped for fuel and checked again and it was empty again so we put in two more gallons.  I could not figure out where all this coolant was going because there never was anything under the RV.  So we left again and headed for Alma. We stopped for lunch and learned the reservoir was empty again.  A few miles down the road, was a Walmart so stopped there and got two more gallons to take us into Alma.  When we got to Cousin Ron's house, I backed in the RV up to their garage so we could plug in for the refrigerator.  Because it was on a slope and before I leveled the RV, it really leaked out the coolant on the passenger side on the front so now I know there definitely has a huge leak and I believe that every time, I went down a hill, I lost alot of coolant.  So now we at least know where the problem is.  We got everything leveled, cleaned up for the evening, went out for vietnamese food which was delicious.  Did some visiting and off to bed.

06/03/2016 - On 5/30 Aunt Ada and Robyn came over for dinner and Aunt Ada brought all of her stuff that she needed for the next 2 months.  We unpacked her, had dinner and then off to bed.

5/31 - We left Phoenix at about 10:00am.  We stopped at a rest stop for lunch and then spent the night at a Gallup, New Mexico Walmart.

6/1 - We left Gallup around 9:00am.  We stopped for lunch at a rest stop and it was rather cold, so I decided to turn on the heat when there appeared to be a problem.  I immediately turned it off but then checked and lost some coolant but things seemed to be fine.  When we got to a Love's truck stop, a low water light came on.  I was thinking that it probably was the coolant I lost.   We spent the night at the truck stop in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

6/2 - We left around 9:00am and soon after the low water light appeared again.  We stopped at a small repair shop who put in about a gallon of coolant in the plastic container.  We were on our way again but soon, the light came on again and then the engine temperature gauge starting going nuts and at one time when over to "high" so I pulled off the road but soon the gauge went back to below normal so then we stopped again to ask for a mechanic and found one just down the street.  He immediately learned that the other tank which was also coolant was almost empty so the coolant in the plastic container had not made it to the tank and he felt it was because of some air that had gotten in since it was so low before.  Anyway, he put in two gallons of coolant and we are once again on our way.  Just before we got to Weatherford, Oklahoma it the engine started to run hot again but would immediately cool down.  I called Mark (mechanic in San Diego) to get some information, and he thinks it is the gauge since a Cumins engine does not heat and cool off that fast.  We have decided to try and limp to Alma, Arkansas where my first cousin's lives and there is an RV repair shop there.  We have 263 miles.

6/3 - I finally can blog because I was out of gigabytes for the Wifi until this morning.

05/30/16 - On 5/24 - I went over to Aunt Ada's to pick up some stuff that we needed to head out of Phoenix.

5/25 - My last doctor's appointment regarding blood pressure and C-PAP machine.  I have been using it every night from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours and am hoping eventually it will get me off some blood pressure medication.  My blood pressure is finally under control!!  Per Cousin Robyn, I don't snore anymore and I do feel it helps my breathing a little.  Otherwise, still takes me a long time to fall asleep.

5/26 - My next door neighbors left and there is only a few of us left in the RV resort except for the permanent places.

5/29 -Off to church with Aunt Ada and Robyn and then in the afternoon we went to Robyn's friend's house for a typical English tea.  She is from Wales.  It was very interesting and we had a great time.

Today, I am doing some cleaning, starting to put things away.  Plans are to pull out of Phoenix by 10:00am tomorrow.

5/24/16 - On 5/18, it has been raining most of the night and off and on all day.  We got a puzzle from the office so of course I spent most of my time working on it.  It was a very relaxing day and then in the evening we went to a very nice restaurant (The Beach  House) which was right on the water.  It was a beautiful setting, the food was great and we had a beautiful sunset.  An excellent way to end out week's vacation in Kauai.

5/19 - We drove up to the very north end of the island since there was a dry cave and a wet cave to walk to and at the end was a state park but on the way there the traffic was very heavy so of course we could not find any parking but on the way back we did find a stop so we could walk to the dry cave.  We then stopped off in Hanalei for some shaved ice with ice cream and there were a couple of shops there so Aunt Esther and Robyn checked those stores out and I watched people.  We had planned to go to the beach for a short time but with the shopping we decided to just have our sandwiches in the picnic area by the shops.  We then drove to another area to check out that beach since we had never been there and it was really nice.  It had picnic tables, lots of trees in the area for shade and the water was very calm and good for snorkling since it was located more like an inlet.

5/20 - we had to pack and get out of the condo by 10:00am.  We then drove to the south part of the island and went to the see the water spout which is very neat.  It is really rocky and has areas in the rocks where the water rushes in and then there is a small hole and the water releases like a huge spout.  We went to another beach area for lunch and then walked to the beach where there were picnic tables and since it was Friday afternoon, the locals gathered in the area.  We have a clean restroom and changed clothes to get ready to go to the airport.  In the middle of Lihue, we found a small park and sat there for a while and watch the roosters and hens get ready for the night.  We did not realize that they actually flew into the trees and nested for the night.  It was quite interesting.  Off to the airport.  Aunt Esther dropped Robyn and I off with luggage and took the car back.  I left on Delta and they flew back on American.

5/21- I got into LAX on schedule but then was about an hour late getting out since a lot of the roads were closed coming into LAX because they were moving part of the space shuttle to a museum and the flight attendants could not get in because of the traffic jam.  Robyn waited for me at the Phoenix airport and Aunt Esther flew home later that afternoon so she just stayed at the airport.  We got back to the RV around 11:00am.  I did not do much but sleep off and on.

5/22 - I finally emptied out the suitcase, went to church with my friend Neal and then out for dinner since that is the last time I will see him for a while.

5/23 - I went grocery shopping and have started to put things away since Aunt Ada and I will be leaving in a week.