Last stop in Iowa....MC

On Tuesday October 8th we headed back in to Morgan Creek. Jeff had a little problem with the tire sensors. When we arrived at MC it was almost empty, I guess the camping season is winding down. We pulled into the same spot we used last time #22. It's really pretty with the fall colors. One thing that's horrible is these little black bugs...they bite and are so annoying. They are so thick. They are everywhere. Jeff got an invite to meet up with Justin to play tennis I stayed back. Jeff was the winner again.

Wednesday was kinda special it was our anniversary....our first year fulltime in our HOW. Boy that went quick. I had a full day planned, I went in to paint our granddaughters bedroom. While I was there I took advantage of there laundry facilities. Did have a minor mishap I spilled some paint, good thing she has hardwood floors. I don't know how I didn't spill the whole can. It's Wednesday so that means hockey practice for Ashton, we can't miss that because we won't get to see many more this year.  On our way home we stopped to see how sissy likes her new room. She told me that everything looks beautiful!

Thursday we hit the grocery store and picking up some things we can't get where we are going. Jeff went back to the HOW, I went to Seth's house to start my organizing. I told them I would help them but I'm running out of time. I got a closet and laundry room done today.

Friday Katie took the day off to help me with the final project the basement closet. Jeff came over to put together Hailey's new big girl bed. Then to finish off the night we met Judy at the rest area to stay the weekend. Our last get together before we head south.

Saturday we had a busy day planned, 1st I had to get my last Christmas present purchased at Toys r Us. Then to the movie  Captain  Phillips. It was really good and so was the popcorn. Came home for chicken stir fry for supper. Then we headed to the stable to watch the rough riders play.(hockey) It was going good then in the middle of the 2nd period there was a fight not that big of a deal but one of the guys went down and started seizing which was a big deal. It took awhile to get him transported and then forever to figure out what to do.  They ended up suspending the game, bummer . We left there disappointed and headed across town to cocktails, a bar were our son was playing. We had a great time there. We stayed out way later than were used to but it was really fun. We did have a little problem to deal with when we got home from the movie, our toilet has ran over and we had a mess to clean up. It could have been way worse.

Sunday after that late party night we just hung around home. Watched a movie, enjoyed a campfire and visited. I got Judy on her way home. Went to Justin's for supper.

Monday started getting things cleaned and organized for traveling. Paid up our mail forwarding service. The funniest thing today.... I carved my pumpkin with Jeff's power drill. That was awesome. Supper at Seth's (chili).

Tuesday ran some more errands. When we got home our toilet had overflowed again. This time it was worse... Trying to figure out an answer to that problem.

Wednesday I made homemade noodles for our family dinner on Sunday. I did laundry, all those wet towels for our toilet mess. We went to Ashton's hockey the last one for awhile.

Thursday, made some sugar cookie dough for later. Then Jeff and I filled out a couple applications for campground hosting next year, not sure if that's for us now but just gonna see what happens. To end this night we had a very yummy supper. Then I get a call from Seth, he needs meds because he  has a terrible toothache. Always a mother I ran over with meds in hand. Turns out he needs a root canal...yikes!!

Friday I baked those sugar cookies cause we have a date with a very special cookie froster. Hailey came out after daycare. She helped me make pizza for supper and frost those Halloween cookies. She was really into the frosting and decorating. We watched her movie TWICE and called it a night.

Saturday morning had breakfast and a campfire. It was really chilly out and windy. Hailey went home before lunch. We were suppose to go trunk or treating but that didn't happen.

Sunday we planned a family dinner, one last hurrah before we take off. I made a big batch of chicken noodles that really hit the spot. I had pumpkin dump cake for dessert. The kids had there pumpkins ready to carve so that was our next project. They turned out pretty good. It was hard leaving there house tonight. Ashton was giving extra kisses to last us awhile.

We made it to Palo

October 1st we headed out to Palo, and there state park Pleasant Creek. We timed that just right cause the price just went down to $11.00 a night. Jeff made reservations and had a spot with a good view of the lake. We parked at site #22. There aren't water hookups and  we only have 30 amp service. We are only gonna be here for a week and the water spigot is right across the street. When we left Morgan creek we took are time cause it's only about 15 miles to Palo. We set up and checked out the place, it's really a pretty park. They updated the 2nd loop and so we wanted to see it. They installed 50 amp service there. Seth invited us over to watch the opener of the Blackhawks...and the raising of the championship banner. When we got back the power was off and the frig was beeping. Jeff had to go out and reset the breaker, that's what we don't like about 30 amp service.

Wednesday was a warm day went for a walk then came back and did a bit if cleaning. Jeff took his kayak out to try fishing but didn't have any luck.

Thursday it was cloudy and rained a bit but cleared up so I went for a bike ride, Jeff also  jumped on his bike to go across the lake to try and fish again....no good. Had a yummy roast for supper.

Friday was a busy, full day. It looked a bit stormy to start but the big stuff missed us. I made some apple crisp which is always a fall favorite. Fixed some veggie soup for later. Then we went to Justin's cause we are going to the Amana Colonies to partake in Octoberfest. Wow there are some serious drinkers there. It didn't rain and we had fun with Justin&Georgie. I drove home, and had quite the light show with the lightening.

Saturday we got up early to take our dogs for there shots. Then we waited to hear from Jeff's brother who was coming up for a visit. We met them at Seth's house and visited  for awhile. Seth and Katie had to go somewhere else so we would meet up with them later. Justin and Georgie joined us for lunch at Bushwoods. It was yummy. It was really busy cause it's a sports bar and the Hawkeyes were playing. After lunch we went to a movie "Gravity" and it was really good. Went back to see Seth & Katie and the kids. Fritz & Shawn decided to come out to the HOW and spend the night. Good thing we had veggie soup for supper. We just did some visiting, which was really nice.

Sunday I had one thing on my mind.... Haileys birthday cake. I had made the cakes ahead I just needed to put it together. Well it went together really good, and I frosted it and princessed it up. Well Fritz and Shawn left and then we had to get ready to head in for the party. I looked over at the cake and it was settling and not looking so great. I started to get upset but that was nothing compared to what happened in transit. It didn't completely fall apart but I was about crying cause it sure didn't look like what I had envisioned. I tryed to repair it when we got there but I couldn't really fix it . I learned I'm never going to stack cakes again, going to stick with sheet cakes . The cake was perfect to Hailey, she loved it and Jeff kept telling me that that's all that mattered. The weather was really chilly but that didn't hinder our party. Hailey was excited over every single present and was a blast to watch. She loved her quilt and princess dress. The cake tasted better than it looked and the party was a huge success, I cant believe Hailey is 3 years old.... Oh how time flys!

Monday I needed to rest up cause I always get myself worked up about these cakes. We walked with the dogs. I gave Jeff a haircut. We watched some tv and had chicken noodle soup for supper. We picked up stuff for our move tomorrow.

M.C. For 2 more weeks

Tuesday September 17th we took off with an extra passenger.... Noodles are grand dog, she had to sit on my lap cause I spent the travel time picking all those burrs out of her hair . She did so good and I was so happy that I didn't have to give her some kind of goofy haircut. We tried a different spot this time and we backed right in. I love when that happens. We set up and I took the dog back home and borrowed there washer and dryer. It's so much easier to do sheets and towels in a regular sized washer. So I made good use of my time. While I was waiting on my laundry I went to work cleaning Ashton's bedroom.

Wednesday I went into town to redeem my gift certificate for a pedicure. I just can't get used to that, I giggle when they scrub my feet. Why is it they aren't very friendly??? I haven't had a lot of pedicures but I always feel like I'm in a different country or something. While we were out we picked up a movie to watch at Walgreens. This brings up another subject .... What's with all the coupons, cards, etc. We had a heck of a time getting the prices that were posted on the product. First you have to use your card, then there are coupons from the flyer and next you have coupons from a book.... Really could we make this any more difficult? Then when you try to get the correct prices the people in line behind you look at you like your nuts.. Just saying....

Went to Ashton's hockey practice followed by a meet and greet ... You got to meet the hockey team "Rough Riders" Ashton got to be a human slingshot on the ice and that's what he was looking forward to.

Thursday was a lazy day, hung around home and then in the afternoon we picked up Hailey at daycare do we got some Sissy time which is always good .

Friday was a cooler day so we started the day with a fire. A storm came through last night so had a bit of cleaning to do. The bikes and chairs needed wiped off. Jeff put a turkey in the crock pot ... The grand kids are coming for supper and going to spend the night. We had a busy evening for sure... It's hard to keep both of them happy. We had popcorn with our movie.

Saturday started with pancakes and sausage, everyone liked that. We went for a walk but then had to pass the kids off to Nana at 1:00. After that we went to a movie  " Prisoner's ".....so good! Home for chili and time to relax . It's so fun to have those kiddos around but they can wear you out.

Sunday fall arrives officially, so that's good news who doesn't love fall? I actually read a book today ... I sat and read the whole thing. So needless to say it was a quiet day .

New week, nice weather!  I went to the campground host to see if I could borrow here concrete pad. It's easier to put your quilt together on. So while I was doing that we did some visiting, I'm really good at that. Justin's invited us over for supper, funny thing we brought our steak, twice backed potatoes and a can of veggies. We even picked him up a steak at the store.

Tuesday Justin brought his truck over. Jeff told him he would wash, wax , and detail it for $75.00. So we worked on that. I gave Belle a haircut. I think I'm getting better at grooming. I put up a little Halloween decorations. When Jeff went to pick up Justin and give him his truck he was pleasantly surprised to find out that the truck cleaning was our birthday gift to him. He was very happy.

Wednesday was another project to do. Drove to Seth's and started more laundry . Then the fun begins, first I cleaned out Hailey's closet. Can you tell I'm kind of an organizer freak? Then the big project.. There garage it was packed with stuff. We officially went over to sign for a package. So this was kind of a surprise. It was an all day thing. The good news they loved it and it looked good!!

Thursday we drove out to Palo to check a couple sites. We are thinking that's our next stop. The rates go down Oct. 1st to $11.00 a night. It looks like a good fit so Jeff's going to reserve it. We got back and he took care of that plus, we found a vet to get the dogs shots. We called around and it seems really expensive around here. We found a vet and it's about. $100.00 cheaper, what's up with that? Then we went back over to get all the junk that we cleaned out of the kids garage. We drove clear across town to dump the stuff. 

Friday Jeff felt like he needed to go back to the garage and fix their garage door opener. While he was busy with that I went to get some groceries and I even got stuff for my Christmas ornaments.  To finish out the night a movie. "Rush " it was really good.

Saturday it rained most of the day so we stayed around the camper. I got some Christmas pjs ordered for the kids . It's a tradition. We watched a movie and had supper. We drove over to Justin's cause we headed to watch the season opener of the a Rough Riders. We all got in Justin's truck and headed to the stable. It was a good game but they lost, boo.

Sunday we had a fire and listened to a Bayside message over my phone. Seth called and invited us over to try a piece of cheesecake, it was Cheesecake Factory cheesecake . So yummy that Jeff went to the store and got one. Came home and quilted and watched tv.

Monday we did a little cleaning and a little shopping. Wanted to make sure we had what we needed for the week ahead. I got some honey crisp apples... Yum that's a sure sign of fall lots of apples. We packed things away for the move tomorrow. Kind of excited about going to a different spot.

Year ONE Living in our RV

Its hard to believe that on Oct 10th we will begin year two of our life in an RV. I would say after one full year of living and traveling in a 5th Wheel we have figured out quite a bit about this lifestyle.

First of all we have no regrets about choosing this way of life. It does present its challenges, but the flexibility and freedom far out weigh any hassles. We feel we chose the right truck and 5th wheel and are very comfortable in the Cameo as it has become our home.

The truck has performed well and pulls and stops the Cameo with ease. The true test was when in April after leaving Hot Springs, Arkansas I decided to take Scenic route 7 to Branson, MO. I have driven on many mountain roads across this country and this one was at the top of the list as far as inclines, descents and switchbacks. The truck was totally impressive on this terrain and did its job well, although I don't recommend to take this route while towing. Next time I will definitely take the long way around.

We towed the Cameo a total of 4810 miles and put 10,650 miles combined towing and driving on the truck. We averaged 12.47 miles per gallon combined. The truck gets around 19 to 20 on the highway when not towing driving at 60 to 65mph.

We visited 12 states and camped in 8 of them in 31 different campgrounds. We spent the Winter in Florida, a little over 4 months traveling as far south as Curry Hammock State Park in the middle of the Keys. We made our way back up the west coast and along the panhandle spending 2 weeks in each State Park until exiting Florida on April 1. On the trek back north we spent time in Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and landed in Cedar Rapids, IA to spend the Summer months with the Family.

We have really enjoyed our time here in the Cedar Rapids area for the last five months. We have been able to spend lots of time with the Kids and Grandkids.  We met some new friends here who are Full Timers as well and have learned a lot by reading there blog: http://flamingoonastick.blogspot.com/visiting and visiting with them as they are just starting there 4th year.

Florida Keys Dec. 2012

Lake Manatee, FL  Feb. 2013

Stephen Foster State Park, FL  Nov.2012

Florida Skyway  Feb. 2013

Dade City Wild Things  Feb. 2013

Rainbow Springs, FL  2-2013



Rainbow Springs, FL Feb. 2013

St Joe Peninsula, FL Mar. 2013

St George Island, FL 3-2013

St Joe, FL 3-2013

Lake Bistineau State Park, LA  4-2013



Lake Ouachita Arkansas  4-2013

Pleasant Creek State Park, IA 6-2013

Cherry Hill Pool Cedar Rapids, IA  8-2013

We will be beginning our journey south here in a couple of weeks. Our planned route will take us through the smokies over to the Carolinas with planned stops around Charleston, SC and Savannah, Ga. Also plan on a stop at the Cumberland Island area before making our way back to Florida. This year we have 6 weeks in the Keys with 2 wks at Bahia Honda, 2wks at Curry Hammock and 2wks at Pennecamp before making our way back up the west coast as we did last year.

Some may wonder why Florida again this year? We just loved it so much last winter we just had to do it again!

Stay tuned for the winter of 2014/2015 as we change direction and head for the great southwest.

Hi Ho Hi Ho Across The Town We Go......

Tuesday September 3rd we got ready to make the trek across town. It was another pretty day. As we were leaving our friends were pulling in. It's so nice doing this crazy thing you meet so many nice people. We arrived without problems which is always a good thing. The spot on the top of the hill was vacant so we backed her in. Across the road was another Cameo, he came over and talked a bit before they pulled out. We had talked to them before, they talked to us about joining the Iowa chapter of the Carriage Club. I spent the day catching up on laundry....(fun) then headed to the store to stock up. A very productive day.

Wednesday started the day with coffee and a campfire, not a bad way to start the day. Then I went into town to cut off this hair. I thought I would try to grow it out but I couldn't take it anymore. That's more work then I want to do. After all the hassle I still didn't like the way it looked and I needed to comb it, what's the fun in that?

Thursday the 5th is our Grandsons birthday. He turned 8 today which is crazy, I can't believe he is 8 already. He already had his party but we met them for supper. Of course I had to sing to him.? How can those grand kids have such an effect on your heart... That's a powerful love for sure.

Friday was a nice day, went for a walk and then after getting a bunch of new DVD's I put them in alphabetical order....I know I'm silly like that. Then I got started on Hailey's princess dress. She has a birthday in October and she wants a princess dress so that's what I'll make.

Saturday it got hot again and I'm one that likes summer but really this steaming hot weather is getting old. I worked a lot on Hailey's dress. Since the weather is so hot I thought we'd do some summer dishes. I made some  potato salad, and fresh green beans for supper. Then we headed downtown to watch our son Justin play at White Star. It was acoustic show and we enjoyed it once we found a place to park.

Sunday we downloaded a message from a church we visited in Florida, we watched it on TV and it was great. We stayed here all day. I actually finished Haileys dress and I love it sooo much I can't wait to give it to her. I had to wrap it up so I wouldn't give it to her early. It did sprinkle a little today.

Monday another scorcher. I cut Jeff's hair and colored mine. Another bonus with short hair easier to color. Did some cleaning inside, also did some phone calls. Then we had plans to go into town and meet for dinner with our new friends, John  & Janie. We met up at Granite City and had a great time. The food was good too.

Tuesday I worked on a photo book on line. Had a coupon for a free book so I couldn't resist that. Then I decided to make a scrapbook for a friend that had a baby. Went into town to purchase some things for that. To finish off the night we met Seth & Ashton at the ice arena to watch the opening preseason game of the Rough Riders. We won!!!

Wednesday September 11th always a day that causes people to stop and think.  You can't help feeling a bit sad on this day. It's one of those things that you always remember we're you were at and what you were doing...

We watched a movie today. Then I got started cutting fabric for a new quilt. It was a bit cooler today...yeah!

Thursday....perfect weather went for a walk. Jeff worked on washing and waxing the truck. I worked on my quilt. I also made spaghetti bread for supper.

Friday the 13th.... Yikes!! We had a campfire this morning cause the weathers so nice.  I sewed cause once I start a project I can't quit. Went in to a movie (2 Guns) it was ok.

Saturday we went in to Seth's cause Ashton had a fire safety project and wanted Papas help. Katie had made some copies of there new family pictures. So I replaced them when we got home. We watched some  TV to end our Saturday night .

Sunday listened to another message from Bayside.  Did some sewing.I got a phone call from a friend of mine and had a great conversation. Such a nice surprise. After supper we had a visitor...Seth brought over there dog Noodles, we are dog sitting for a couple days.

Monday three dogs to take care. We walked them and they are getting along very good. We visited with a couple from Keokuk. Just hung around here today. We put some things away for our move tomorrow. I got stated on that scrapbook. Watched the season premier of Dancing with the Stars.

Tuesday was moving day. We had an extra dog so instead of leaving 3 dogs in the truck we tied Noodles outside while we were hitching up. We had a little glitch with our water pump loosing its prime. When I looked over at Noodles I was shocked!!!!! Her whole face was one big matted burr mess. You couldn't even see one eye. I was in tears.. I called Katie and warned her I might have to cut all those burrs out but.. I worked very hard and long to get every one of those burrs out. I didn't even have to cut out one. So it ended with a happy ending. Yeah!!!!

Morgan Creek again....

We moved on Tuesday August. 20th. We had a passenger in the backseat,Ashton was with us for the move. As we were pulling in our friends John & Janie were rolling out. We set up on site #6. We have always wanted that spot but it was always taken. I went into get Ashton's bike and do some laundry. Gonna get the bird feeders and hummingbird feeder out cause there are lots of birds. It didn't take long for them to partake at our buffet. So many hummingbirds flying around, we really enjoy them. There is one that keeps coming back and he sits on the perch and fluffs his feathers and kinda sits crooked. Our hummingbird feeder sticks on the window so we have a birds eye view.

Wednesday morning Ashton arrived around 6:45, we have him everyday this week cause his day camp is over and schools not in yet. Started the morning with waffles and sausage. Took a short bike ride cause the heat is rising. Went into Walmart and got some groceries then came back and had lunch. I started making cookies and the boys got out the wii. Our younger son had given us some attachments to put on the controllers. There was a golf club, tennis racket, and a baseball bat. They were taking turns at playing with all of them. Then they got started on the baseball, Ashton was pitching and Jeff was at bat. All of the sudden I heard a horrible thud... Then I look up and see this sick look on Ashton's face and hear Jeff ...... The nerf bat had come off the controller and thru the TV.  It didn't actually shatter the TV but it looked like a stained glass window. It was definitely ruined no doubt!!  Ashton starts crying and runs to hide in the bedroom, Jeff did really good but just kept saying he couldn't believe that, and that he was just SICK!!!! So I went to watch Ashton play hockey and Jeff went shopping for a TV. When I got home Jeff had purchased a new TV. Now the process of putting it back on the wall. Of course nothing is easy. We ended up having to move the wall brace to get the TV up, but after a few adjustments  SUCCESS...oh boy what a day.

Thursday was not nearly as exciting as yesterday... Except for when Ashton dumped a pitcher of warm syrup on the carpet.. Now that was a mess to clean up. He's kinda known as a spillasaurus. It's kinda cloudy and spitting rain so we decided on making it science day. We blew up lots of ziplock baggies with baking soda and vinegar. Also put a bar of ivory soap in the microwave and watched it grow. Then crumbled it up with a bit of water and food coloring to make trout soap.(with cookie cutters)

Friday, big day have both kids today. We were up and ready and kept waiting, waiting and I finally called. They had to meet Ashton's teacher today and they forgot to tell me. I had to run to there house cause they forgot Sissy's scooter and Ashton's trunks. The biggest problem was they took off without giving us a car seat. Seth brought one over on his lunch hour. We had to have a car seat cause we were taking the kids to the pool. So after our lunch we packed up and headed to Cherry Hill Pool. It was a real nice day for swimming. Sissy was all about Papa so Papa had a really busy afternoon. She didn't really care if I was there or not so I got some chair time. Ashton had fun showing us all his tricks. We stayed til about 3:30 and we thought Sissy would be tired but she didn't want to leave. Headed to the HOW and thought we'd put on a movie so they could rest a bit...well we put in the movie but I'm not sure there was any resting going on. Katie picked them up after work and then we did some resting. Good news there was no spills today!

Saturday..HOT HOT HOT we went to Coralville Mall with our oldest son to get Ashton's birthday gift.  Sissy was with us. Katie and Ashton were in Davenport at a color me rad run. They had fun. I came home and made cupcakes. I started talking to our neighbors who are in a tent and find out they are sleeping on an airless air mattress (no pump) so we told them to bring it over and we'd pump it up. Then found out they have no fan and in this weather that's a big problem. We set them up with a fan and a fluffy mattress. I think we made there day for sure. It's just so hot you can't even stand to be outside.

Sunday, another scorcher. I sat outside for a bit in the morning and here comes are neighbors with flowers for us. I guess that fan really helped. These were young people and they were very grateful and polite. Something so easy to do really made there camping bearable. So hot it seemed like a perfect movie day so that's what we did. It was a good one. Didn't have much supper, to hot to eat. We were still full of popcorn.

Another week and I'm just gonna start this out that it was smoking hot all week long, Sunday a cool front came to town. When I say hot one day tied the record at 100 degrees.

Monday we had Ashton his last day of summer vacation. Had a movie for him to watch and went out for lunch.

Tuesday it's was pretty quiet around here so I got busy. I did laundry, cleaned, and quilted. I even had time to paint my toes Hawkeyes style for the kick off this weekend. We rented some movies to watch.

Wednesday Jeff helped me with blowing up a Blackhawk picture for Ashton's birthday cake. I make there birthday cakes every year and they pick what kind they want. Ashton picked the Blackhawks logo. So I think I got that figured out.(relief)

Thursday Jeff was getting cabin fever and so he decided he needed a road trip. He headed to North Branch to the Herbert Hoover Museum, me well not so much so he dropped me off at the mall. Jeff loved the museum and I enjoyed myself at the mall.

Friday I finished Hailey's quilt!!!  I made Ashton's cake and put in the freezer. We went to the ice rink to watch Seth, Justin and Ashton do stick time. Which means they skated around with all that stuff on hitting pucks. After to Justin's to watch a movie.

Saturday the last day of the month we headed south to our hometown of Keokuk to do some visiting first and then the annual fireman's picnic. We were almost the first to arrive and almost the last to leave. They presented Jeff with a fireman's ax to acknowledge his years of service. It was nice to see everyone.

A new month and its starting off good you can feel the weather changing. I didn't do much. I made Ashton's birthday cupcakes and they took forever to frost and I wasn't even excited on how they turned out.

Monday... Labor Day and the day of Ashton's birthday party. So the first thing I did was get started on frosting his cake. It took awhile to finish but he loved it and that's all that matters. The weather was perfect temps in the 70's so nice and welcomed. The party was a success and we spent the afternoon playing with all of Ashton's gifts. Such a fun day! Tomorrow we will be heading across town. I can't believe how fast the 2 weeks fly by.

Back to Squaw Creek

Tuesday August 6th was are moving day.   Very wet and foggy so we waited for it to clear. The trip back was uneventful which is alright with us.  Pulled into Squaw Creek and tried a new site #45B, it's a pull through and really private. It's getting really hot again. Didn't have much planned to do but catch up on laundry which was hard cause its so humid that nothing would dry. It was also nice to have some TV again.

Wednesday .....HUMP DAY!!!! It's not quite as hot today, we saw a mama turkey and babies, I scared them cause they flew away. I didn't think they could fly. Then went to our grandsons hockey to finish off our day.

The rest of the week we just hung out at the campground. The weather is really nice and without humidity. Saturday I went in and did some shopping at the fabric store. Sunday went to church and over to see our granddaughter cause we haven't seen her since we got back.

Week 2 started off by getting grocerys and some pictures developed that I've had on my camera forever. Talked to my best friend and she's coming up this weekend, that's good news.

Tuesday we did some cleaning and laundry. We had plans to go into town with our son Justin to hear a band at The Chrome Horse Saloon. The band was called Helferstout. The lead singer was on American Idol for awhile. It was outside and I actually had to take a sweatshirt. Lots of bikers there and in the back parking lot. There were also a lot of  fancy cars. Saw the coolest coral T-bird.....sweet! We stayed for a couple hours but needed to get over and pick up Hailey our granddaughter to come  spend the night and Wednesday with us.

Wednesday was all about Hailey so we went for a walk, read books watched her favorite movies, you know everything a 2 year old likes. Took her to hockey practice and gave her back.

Thursday seemed really quiet and so I cut up fruit and made mini cheesecakes. Getting stuff ready for our weekend visitor.

Friday went to Menards to get some more bird food cause the gold finches here are really hungry. We also had a ruby throated hummingbird come to dine today. My friend Judy made it and she only had one little glitch. So we spent the night visiting and catching up.

Saturday...funday! Went into the Cedar Rapids farmers market and it was awesome. It wasn't smoking hot and there was plenty to see. We got sweet corn, green beans, seasoning, bread, olive oil, and Judy even bought a rock....really?. Stopped by Justin's then went to Noodles & Co. for lunch. It was really good never been there before and we were pleasantly surprised. Headed back to the campground. Then after visiting a bit we took off for a movie "The Butler" it was really good...3 thumbs up. Came back to the HOW and prepared dinner with some of our purchases at the farmers market. Everything tasted great. Went to bed fairly early, all tuckered out from all the running today.

Sunday we did not do much. I took Judy for a bike ride around the campground. We sat outside awhile its starting to warm up again. Went to the store to get stuff for lunch. Hung around until time for Judy to take off. She followed us to her exit toward home and we continued on to Seth's house. We had to pick up Ashton cause he's done with day camp and school doesn't start for a week. So we are his daycare for the week.

Monday we started packing up the bikes and kayaks. We also played some frisbee,trackball and I even challenged my grandson to a game of twister...I won! Our plans are to head over to Morgan Creek in the morning.