Tuesday August 20- Nature gave us our alarm this morning with the sound of pouring rain. We didn't have anything planned to do outside anyway. It is Tuesday which means movie day. We like to go in the morning. The rain let up right before time to leave. Jeff picked out the movie, Blinded By The Light. Well it definitely wasn't what we thought. Both of us didn't like it. Oh well, the popcorn was good. Before coming home we stopped at the store. While we were there Justin called and needed us to come over later to watch Maddyn. We got home unloaded the groceries and sat for a minute before it was time to leave. While we were in town we got Hailey because she was suppose to stay tonight anyway. Thought we would save them a trip out. Hailey must have had a busy day because she crashed on the way to the camp ground. When we arrived home it was time for supper. We played with Hailey and before we knew it time for bed.
Wednesday August 21- Today is a big day. We had plans to entertain Hailey most of the day. We had breakfast, played Yahtzee, trac ball, and we even got the sewing machine out so she could start sewing her blocks together. She really listened well and took her time with everything I explained to her. I think she had fun. She was very serious.
After lunch we went in to town to pick up Ashton. We are taking the kids to Hudson Iowa to visit Hansen's Dairy. With school starting next week we needed a final hurrah. Jeff had read about this dairy. When he looked online to make a reservation it was booked solid for 2 weeks. Today was the first available time that didn't conflict with Hailey's gymnastics. It is a family owned, working dairy. They give you a tour and also give you a chance to get some hands on fun. One of the most exciting things was they have kangaroos. You get to feed them and pet them. Well when we told the kids about that they were both in. We needed to arrive 15 minutes before the tour time at 3:30. We checked in and waited for the tour to begin. They had a fake cow inside so you could practice milking.
I should tell you right now that I took plenty of pictures, and all 4 of us had plenty of fun. We loaded up on the wagon for a short ride to the farm. There we unloaded and divided in to 2 groups. Our group had Teresa giving our tour. The first stop, the kangaroos. Well the kids were super excited about that, me too. We had to listen to a few instructions before heading in. We got to give them a piece of wheat bread. They did let you pet them, all except the biggest one. She told us if you get to close to him he would just hop away. Here are a few pictures of the kangaroos.
After that adventure we weren't sure the kids would be that interested in the rest. Boy was I wrong. Next we got to see the baby cows. On each pen they had the name of the cow and date of birth. Again Teresa gave us some instructions on how to feed them. I have never done that before. It was fun for everyone.
After the baby cows, we got to see where the mama cows stay when they are pregnant. They get 2 months off from milking. They just get to hang out and get a special diet.
In between Teresa, our tour guide gave us tons of information on how this farm works. The next thing was showing us the milking station. We got to watch the process. The cows get milked twice a day. Each time, each cow gives 5 gallons of milk. With the high tech machines it only takes about 5 minutes to do that. While we were there we got to, if we wanted to milk the cow by hand. Now both kids said there was no way they were going to milk them. When we got there Hailey jumped right in and she had a blast. Now I wasn't going to pass up a chance to milk them either. I'm not sure who had the most fun, Hailey or me.
After our milking experience we moved on to the goats. Yep they had goats too. Again we got to go in and pet them. Who doesn't like hands on....no one.
Well that was the conclusion of the farm part of the tour but we weren't finished yet. We got back on the wagon and went back to the building where we first started. First we had to wash our hands. Then we got to have some samples of there products. We had milk, chocolate or white. Then they brought out some of there cheese curds. Then they passed out a jar of cream with a lid on it. We got to shake it back and forth until it turned into butter. They had instructions to follow. Then they brought us crackers to spread our fresh butter on. The kids were impressed with the butter making. To finish off the tour they gave us a sample of there ice cream. Each one got to pick out the flavor they wanted. When I say sample it was a decent size container. A great way to end the tour. What was the coolest thing was they sold there products there. To pay for them they had a metal cash box....it was an honesty thing. So great to see family business thrive.
After the tour we drove in to Waterloo to eat dinner before heading home. We went for pizza at Doughy Joey's Peetza Joynt. It wasn't busy and we got our food fairly quick. It was alright food but not my favorite. At least we had a fun times with the kids.
We took the kids home and then made our way back to the park. It was a great day.
Thursday August 22- Today we hung around the park until about 11:30. We went in to pick up Ashton and take him to his new school. He is off to high school this year. Today was his orientation. After dropping him off we drove down to Coralville. We needed to cash a check and make a Traders Joe run. After heading back home for supper.
Friday August 23- Cleaning day. We stayed here all day. First the shower house, preparing for a busy weekend. Then I needed to clean our place before our company arrives tonight. Judy is coming up for the weekend. It was a super nice day. I even sat outside and did some quilting. I made a campfire early so I could cook my burger on it for supper. It was a great fire so by the time Judy arrived it was still going strong.
Saturday August 24- Got up and checked the shower house. Then we had breakfast. Judy and I went to town to do a little shopping. She loves this bread they have at the farmers market so I wanted to show her where she can get it, all the time. Then we went to Sam's, the grocery store and back to Sam's. I forgot to get a rotisserie chicken. Then we came home for some lunch.
We went for a walk to the beach area after lunch. Then we hung around and visited the rest of the afternoon. We had an early supper and got ready to go to The After Dark Farmers Market. We got there early before all the people showed up. We got to walk around before the madness.
We had almost perfect weather for this thing. We got us some kettle corn and found some music to listen too. They were having some technical problems. The band not my favorite this year, but ya can't win them all. We still had a wonderful time.
Sunday August 25- We got up and all got ready for church. I had signed up to greet this week so Judy helped me. A good message and worship. Came home and I made us a breakfast brunch. Then with the great weather we just hung around here and visited, We also got to watch everyone pull out. We should have one more super busy weekend before it slows down. That's what we are hoping for. Judy took off around 3. The park had emptied out and the walk in sites filled right back up for the next weekend. It will be busy I'm sure. The good news about filling up early we know what to say when campers come a looking.
Monday August 26- The day started early. We are going in to watch Miss Maddyn today. The weather doesn't look favorable for playing outside. We arrived and it seems Maddyn has a bit of a cold. We took her out for breakfast but she didn't do much eating. After we went a looking for her a pair of crocs like papa. We couldn't find any that fit. We decided to stop by the pet store. She got to see the fish , birds, and reptiles. They even had a few kittens. While there she spotted these hats. They fit her but they are for dogs. She didn't seem to mind.She is just a hoot to take, very entertaining. Since the weather was so crappy we headed back. I did my laundry as usual. We played a bit before lunch. She went right down for a nap and slept a good 2 hours. I finished up the laundry while she slept. When she got up it was busy busy busy. We played and read books.
Tuesday August 27- Today we headed in to our church. We were asked to help with the food pantry stuff. Jeff and I went in about 9 o'clock. They get food from different places in the city. We helped package then up for distribution. I was amazed at all the food they are able to provide. We stayed there a couple hours. Before going home I wanted to see about those crocs we couldn't find yesterday. We are on this side of the town today. I found a pair I think might work, we'll see if she likes them.
We stopped at the store also. We both are wanting some soup so we got what we needed for that. It is starting to cool off a bit. It just is starting to feel different outside, more fall like.
Wednesday August 28- Since the weather has cooled off a bit I decided to start my cleaning up outside. I got everything out of the basement compartments. Swept them out and went through the stuff to see what we didn't need. Then back in. Getting ready for traveling. Jeff washed the car again. Since they have the road tore up coming in to the park. Our car is always covered with dust. He also started the truck to keep the battery from going dead. Just as he was shutting it off the service engine soon light came on. Is there anything more frustrating than that? Well we have heard about a mechanic in Palo that people say does good work. Jeff went in to play guitar with Lenny so he drove the truck. He took it to that mechanic and he put it on the machine. Found out it was the NOX sensor. The guy said he could fix it. Jeff thought maybe it was under warranty so when he got back he checked. Yep, our warranty has been extended because of all the issues with the emission stuff, including this. Well he called them back and they can't do warranty work. Jeff called the GM dealer in Van Horn. So they will take care of it.
Thursday August 29- Got me a sore back this morning. I guess climbing in those basement compartments might have something to do with that. Did a whole bunch of nothing today. We walked up and visited with Wanda. She is the campground host up on the 2nd loop. Ruby loves her because she always has treats. I also called my niece in California to wish her a happy birthday.
Friday August 30- Jeff got up about 4 a.m. He has a cold. After cleaning the shower house I came home to make breakfast. Well I went to open the pantry to get something and I noticed a smell. It was ammonia...everyone knows that's not good. I had Jeff come see if he could smell it too. Yep. So right away we turned off the frig. Great, a broken frig. Now this is going to be a challenge to say the least. It's not like you can go and get a new one and plug it in. I don't know about you all but we like to eat and always have plenty of food. People that camp on the weekends usually just pack what they need for a weekend. We live in this and we both like to eat and I like to bake so we have a full kitchen all the time. We do have a small frig in the basement but that isn't going to hold all of our stuff. I loaded up the freezer stuff and took them in to our kids place. They have an extra freezer. Then we had to unload the rest in to the little frig and coolers. What a pain. Then Jeff got online to compare what our options are....Trying to figure out if we want the helium unit or change it into a residential. Then can we do it or should a professional? Well then who will do it right? Lots to be looking at. Now it's a holiday weekend so nothing will get done for a few days. Well Jeff spent a lot of time researching. I cleaned the frig out really good. It is easy when there is nothing in it. We had plans to do something tonight but Jeff's really not feeling well and all this going on we just stayed in.
Saturday August 31- We have lots of stuff to try and use up. So after cleaning I came home and made breakfast. The park is full for the holiday weekend but our campers seem to be pretty quiet and clean. That's great. I have to got to town tonight to watch Maddyn. We had something sat out for supper but since I'm not going to be here we decided to have a big lunch. The day went by really fast. I loaded up laundry, and my quilt stuff and headed in. Jeff stayed back because he didn't want to get Maddyn sick. I took over her crocs to show her. I asked if she liked them, she said no. I asked if she wanted me to take them back to the store? She said yeah. So not really sure what we will be doing with them. She did try them on later and acted like she liked them. They are a little big so maybe that's the problem.
Maddyn and I had a fun day. We read books and watched videos. Then we had supper, she was a little stubborn today. She didn't want her pasta but ate everything else....with gusto.
Sunday September 1- A brand new month. We are getting close to travel time. We have about 1 1/2 months left. I know that time will fly by. We started the day with church. Stopped to get more ice for our coolers and came home. I got one of the coolers cleaned out so we are down to just one cooler. By it's easy to forget how nice a frig is. We are spoiled with all of our appliances. Since it is a holiday weekend nobody is leaving. Well I think a couple campers did. Again we ate like kings today. First another breakfast and for dinner we had a Thanksgiving meal. We tried not to have too many leftovers but with the turkey we had plenty. I called Wanda to see if she would want some leftovers, she said yes so we were able to keep what we had to put in the frig at a minimum. Well you know what happens after a turkey dinner....we just hung around here. I quilted. Still have a full park. We are thinking the camping will slow down a bit after this weekend. Til next time.
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