2011 Escapade, Gillette. WY. August 31, 2011

We are coming to you from the 51st Escapade in Gillette, WY at the beautiful CAM-PLEX this morning. We are parked in the Box Elder Campground, row “D”, site 34 with hundreds of other RV’s.

When we got home from our 1000 mile trip back to Eastern Nebraska, we were rather exhausted. We almost made the decision not to come over to the Escapade but it rained all day Monday and that gave us a chance to relax and recoup. There are just too many of our good friends over here that we wanted to see so here we are. Plus the weatherman promised clear skies and a beautiful day Tuesday. He was right Tuesday was beautiful. We hurried up and sent out a couple PressurePro orders and headed West towards Gillette. It was a super day and the 112 mile drive was enjoyable.

Before we left, I wanted to dump my tanks. I love the way the air system on this Foretravel lets you tip from one side to the other, raise or lower the front and rear. That comes in real handy and helps get the rain off your roof and awning.


We called and told our good buddies Art and Caroline Fennell that we were about 10 miles away. They are in charge of Security and advised us just where to turn and said “we will be there waiting for you”!  When we pulled into the big wonderful Cam-plex, there they were on their golf cart waiting for us. After some hug’s they lead us directly to our parking spot....full hookups and 50amp’s. Now how is that for service? Boy it pays to know the right people in the right places…  Thanks so much guys!!

We got comfortably settled in and then ventured over to the main complex area. It wasn’t long until we were meeting all kinds of friends and long lost buddies. We ventured through the Vendors area and that made me remember all the times we stood in  booths at Rally’s like this. Ah, it seemed so great to not be working and being a regular attendee for a change. We even had a few hugs with some of our old Vender buddies.
  
After looking everything over and talking with friends for much of the afternoon, we headed on back to the Rig and about Happy Hour there was a knock at the door. Several other Foretravel owners were near by and invited us over. There are about 6 Foretravel owners here that we got to meet and talk Foretravel  with. A couple of them even bought their Foretravels from MOT just as we did and even from Mel, the same salesman.

Since there were no activities that evening and it was an “on your own” night, we had some of the Roast Beef that Ann had given us that was left over from the funeral luncheon. Boy it hit the spot.  Later our friends,  Keith and Donna, stopped by to say hello and shortly after that, Mark and Dortha stopped.  It is so great to see all these folks.

During Mark and Dortha’s visit Megabyte2 decided to create a little excitement. We hadn’t noticed that we had left the front door slightly ajar. Silently and without anyone noticing, she slipped out into the big vast campground. When Mark and Dortha got up to leave, we noticed she was gone, Oh Dear!! It was high panic time for us all…….would we ever find her.....while I got my shoes on for what I expected to be a long search and started out the door, here she came zooming back in the door.  Mark and Dortha had seen her under the Motorhome and she was scared and when she saw the chance she decided to get back home, where she was safe and sound…   WOW, were we relieved. Praise the Lord !  What a great day,,,,all’s well that ends well!

Today we will continue wandering around like a couple “regular attendees doing a few things of our choice. Then tomorrow night, us and about 30 others will be initiated into the local Elks. A lot of the Elks clubs across the country have Campgrounds and hookup’s for RVs where a lot of our friends stay, so were looking to join them.

Friday we will say our farewells to all and head back to our little “Heaven on the Hill” in the Black Hills and guess what. We are going to move into our CABIN……..  We are excited!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!! As we continue to thank our Father in Heaven for all he has provided us…..

Thanks for stopping by.
Mike
This Blog is published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Our beautiful campsite in the city park in David City, Nebraska.

Change in Plans..

We are in David City, way back in the Eastern part of Nebraska. Not much time for a Blog this morning as we about to hit the road headed back home to Custer.

Shortly after I published last Wednesday’s Blog, we received a call from Ann, our daughter-in-law in Lincoln, informing us that her Mother had passed away during the night. We immediately began preparations to leave. I knew Scott would want us to be here and help support Ann in his absence. Shortly after lunch Wednesday, we were on the road.  We went part way, stopped for the night and then drove on in to David City on Thursday.

We made it to David City around 4 pm and parked in the little City Park.  Ann came over to visit with us that afternoon.  Friday afternoon, we met Ann and some of her Mom's family at the Funeral Home for the viewing.  The Wake and Rosary were held at St. Mary's Catholic Church Friday night.  Yesterday morning (Sat) was the Funeral and this morning we are ready to head back towards home.

Although Ann’s Mom was 86 years old and had been under the weather for a while, it is never easy. Ann is an only child and was very close to her Mother. I am so glad that we came.  We sure miss Scott though and I know Ann misses him terribly. Ann came over yesterday afternoon after the funeral and we said our goodbyes.  We'll come back through here to see her on our way south in a month or so.

The weather has been beautiful and the City Park is a nice little RV park for short time visitors. It has 50amp service and water hookups. So we have been quite comfortable. 

It will take us until sometime tomorrow to get home. Then we will regroup and decide if we have enough time (and energy) to make it on over to Gillette, WY to the Escapade for a couple of days. We could still get in on half of it but we will see how we feel and make a decision when we get home.

Thanks for stopping by and come on back Wednesday.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Escapade in Gillette, WY. Here we come!

Only two more days and we will be heading over to Gillette, WY to the Big Escapade. Many of our friends are already there or heading that way. We have been hitting it pretty hard around here and it's time for a little trip. We have been stationary for nearly 3 months here on our “Heaven on a Hill” in the Black hills of South Dakota and we're ready for a vacation. We planned on attending this Rally and not “work” it for a change.... just relax and attend a few seminars of our choice. That will be a switch but it may not happen, as several good friends have already contacted us requesting Volunteer help. We’ll see but I sure would like to enjoy just being a spectator once. 

The “Cabin” is ready for us to move into. We got the Satellite TV all installed and Ms. Pat, Megabyte2 and I enjoyed Happy Hour there last night. It sure was nice and comfortable. We’re really anxious to move in but we will wait until we return from the Escapade. Then we will only have about a month before we have to close it up for the Winter and begin our trip South. Around the first of October, we will head towards Florida to visit kids, grandkids and friends before we head to our house in Arizona.

I’m extremely proud to Welcome our latest Follower’s:

Frenchy and Clotile

.......who just happen to be our 200TH Followers!! Welcome aboard folks and we’re mighty glad to have you with us.  Who would have ever thought back in 2007 when I started this Blog that I would ever have anywhere near 200 Followers? Not me!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Travel safe and God Bless you all.

We should arrive at the Escapade Saturday about noon. It’s only a little over 100 miles and we’re hoping for a nice comfortable trip. See ya'll there !!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Shop! Shop! Shop....Until you DROP!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and comments on our little kitty from Heaven, Megabyte2. Boy are we relieved!  She continues to get better every day and only has two more antibiotic pills to take. It sure was good to watch her playing and chasing her toys around the place again. Praise the Lord for that. For a while there, I thought he was going to take her back.


Well, since we are heading to the Escapade in Gillette, WY in a few days, we didn’t move into the cabin. So I’m still reporting to you from the Motorhome.  When we get back we will move in.

Last Thursday was a shopping day. We got away early at 7:30 am headed for Rapid City for what I knew would be a long day. I will admit I’m not a shopper of any kind in anyway shape or form. I hate shopping!! But since Gina or Dale weren't around, I knew I had to do it. I kept telling myself all night and all the way to town....I can do this...I can! I can! Plus, I have to act like I’m enjoying it and make it as easy on Ms. Pat as possible. So here we go!! Wow!!  We went to SIX different furniture stores!  Yes SIX! That doesn’t count Sams, Lowes, Safeway, the Polaris store, or the Harley Davidson place.  It was a long day but a successful one and we came home with a truck and trailer load of furniture. When we got home it was late and we were both wiped out so we left everything in the trailer and called it a day!

 Thursday was put together day!  The Recliner/Loveseat came all crated up.

We took it apart and finally got it through the door.  The TV we bought and the wall mount are in the corner waiting to be put up.

Finally we got it put together and Ms. Pat is happy!  It sure is comfortable.  You can't really tell what color it is in the photos but it is a dark brown leather.

Next we got the TV wall Mount up and mounted the TV.   Notice Ms. Megabyte2 in the chair relaxing.:-)  That is one of my Mom's old rocking chairs that we inherited.  We'll find a place for it in the cabin somewhere. Mom would love this place.

Next was to get the Bar Stools put together…… there was a zillion parts and pieces. What a job!



But it was worth it as they look great….  Good job Mom!

 We're not done but we're getting there!  Rollie and Gina, you gotta get back up here and see what YOU built!! You can't see Rocky's plumbing, but its there and working beautifully!

We put the new box springs and mattress on the bed frame and made up the bed with our new quilt and pillows Barb made for us.The picture doesn’t do justice to all the colors and hand stitching in the quilt and pillows but I can tell you it is BEAUTIFUL!!  Thank you so much Barb.  Now, Ms Pat says she wants to find the perfect dust ruffle to accent the colors in the quilt but right now, it is what it is.  We are still shopping for nightstands to go by the bed.

About 2:00pm Roy and Ann stopped by to say hello. They are Blog followers and PressurePro customers from New York. They are enjoying the “crooked” roads in the Black Hills and are on their way to the Escapade in Gillette. It was great getting to meet them.  As usual, I forgot to take a picture of them. :-(

Just as they were leaving, Duane and Carol our friends and big time PressurePro Distributors pulled in for the night on their way home to Arizona. These are the folks that we buy all our PressurePro Systems from. We are ever so thankful for all their help and support over the year's.

We tried to talk Roy and Ann into staying as Ms. Pat was cooking Buffalo Burgers for everybody but they had other commitments and had to go. Bob and Cindy, from Hemingford, Nebraska, were also in town and joined us. Cindy brought a super good salad that everyone enjoyed.  Above is Bob with his back to us having some of Ms. Pats special Smoked Salmon dip.   (A special thanks to JRoger and Susan for the recipe). In the circle is Cindy, Carol, Me, then Duane. Look at all those COATS. Here it is August and it is "oh so nice and COOL!!!" We love it.

Bob and Cindy both have Trike Motorcycles, so yesterday (Saturday) we all went for a nice 3 hour ride in the beautiful Black Hills.    As you can see, we never have a dull moment around here but I believe we are about ready for a little down time. Some R & R……Ha, that’s a joke.


Stay tuned as we prepare to leave Saturday morning for the Escapade in Gillette WY. Looking forward to seeing all our friends that are already there or headed that way.  If you're in the area, come and join the fun.  There are lots of educational seminars, entertainment and social activities to enjoy.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by……..come on back whenever you can.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday.

Finally!! The Test Results Are Back!!

It was a long weekend waiting for the test results to come back and determine if Ms. Megabyte2 had the life threatening disease of  Feline Infectious Peritonitis ( FIP).   Monday we called the Vet at 10:00AM and they weren’t in yet, then when we hadn’t heard by 3:00PM Ms. Pat called again. They still weren’t in but the Vet said she would call the Lab and see if she could find out something. Wow!   Wait, wait, wait!!  I hate waiting. We were beside ourselves with all this suspense. Ms. Megabyte2 had a bad day Friday, then Saturday she perked up a little as the Antibiotics started kicking in and her temperature was staying down.

FINALLY, Monday evening about 6:00PM the phone rang and it was the Vet. I was so anxious to hear the results, yet I was scared to death. Scared it was going to be something we did not want to hear. I listened closely as Ms. Pat heard the Vet talk.  I heard her say “Yes. Oh OK”, then I saw her face turn to a “happy face” and she said “Oh, that’s WONDERFUL” ! I knew then that it was GOOD news and I was already saying my Thank You to God.

Her tests were negative for the Coronavirus which causes the fatal FIP.  She was also tested for FIV (Feline AIDS), Feline Leukemia and Toxoplasmosis….most of the dreaded deadly diseases that cats can get.  They were all NEGATIVE!!!  Praise the Lord!!!   She does have a serious urinary tract infection and possibly a kidney infection.  We are to continue with the antibiotics, monitor her temp and stay in contact with the Vet.   She is not out of the woods yet and does not act like her usual playful self but each day she seems to get better and the outlook is promising.  We continue our prayers…..

We thank you all so much for your care, concern and prayers. It was quite an ordeal but we are so thankful that we got a second opinion. I have been spending a lot of time with Ms. Megabyte2 the last several days. I hope she will be with us for many years to come. She has become so much a part of this family that I can’t imagine living without her.

Monday Ron and Barb headed on down the road on their summer vacation. They had been with us for a month. They enjoyed the Black Hills and said they hated to leave but the kids were calling!

In between times when Barb was not enjoying the beautiful Black Hills, she was making these beautiful pillows to go with the Quilt she presented us at North Ranch last winter. The colors accent each other beautifully and they all will look so great on our bed in the new cabin…  Thank You so much Barb….

Meanwhile, Ron was hard at it too! He Dri-washed my entire Rig!!  Wow, what a job!!  It took him two days of hard work to get all the way around it but he did a wonderful job and we appreciate it so much! Ron is a dealer for Dri-wash Products which we have been using for years and years. In my book, it is the best polish you can put on your RV, Car, Motorcycle or anything else. So many of our friends already use it but if you haven't tried it, get in touch with Ron and tell him I sent you.  He will ship you some of this superb product and you won’t be sorry. Thank You again Ron for your hard work.  That was so good of you and I am so proud to go to the Escapade in two weeks with our rig all detailed……

As hard as we tried to get them to stay, we knew they had to get to Missouri to see their kids. Here they go, out the driveway.   So long guys and hurry back!! Travel safe.  Gosh we miss them already.  It seems so quiet up here on our little hill with just us!!

Tomorrow we are going in to Rapid City and spend a long day shopping for a box springs and mattress and some furniture.  By this weekend we hope to be moved in....so stop by Sunday and maybe I’ll be coming to you from our new home!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by as we continue to praise Our Father in Heaven for all he provides us and for watching over our "little girl".

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Yet another trip to the Emergency Room!

This time it was Ms. Megabyte2. She hadn’t been acting her normal self at all and we were both very concerned about her. She just had no energy and although she sleeps a lot anyhow, she was sleeping more than usual and not playing and running around like she normally does. I’m sure you pet owners know how you can just sense when something isn’t right. She wasn’t going to the bathroom at all. Ms. Pat and I decided to take her to the Vet but first we took her temperature. It was 105*. Yep, definitely something wrong and the Vet said to bring her right in… she was a sick girl.

The Vet did a quick examination and took a urine sample. He then looked at the sample on a small portable microscope. He immediately diagnosed her with FIP. which is Feline Infectious Peritonitis. He gave her a steroid shot and gave us some Prednisone tablets to give her for the next few weeks.   He told us that FIP is incurable and although this is usually always a fatal disease, it can often be controlled with medication. Ms. Pat and I were devastated and in shock. Our hearts were broken as we took her home.  Ms. Pat started researching FIP on the Internet and she was shocked even further.   The diagnosis was pretty grim.  We both cried all night and were wondering what to do next. 

The next day we decided to call our Vet in Arizona who helped Megabyte through her pregnancy and other illnesses to see what she had to say.  We told her what the Vet here told us and about the Urine test that led him to his diagnosis.  She told us to find another Vet and get a second opinion because FIP cannot be diagnosed with just a Urine sample.  We called another local Vet here in Custer and they told us to bring her in.  When we arrived at the Vet’s office, her fever was 105.6*.  She was very lethargic and a very sick little girl. 

The new Vet confirmed the opinion of our Vet in Arizona and said that FIP cannot be determined solely with a Urine test.  She said we needed to do further testing to determine exactly what is going on and really questioned why the first Vet didn’t do more testing before diagnosing her with FIP.  She said the fever could be caused by any number of illnesses.  So, she drew a large sample of blood and overnighted it to the lab.  Since it was Friday, we won’t know the results until Monday.

Meanwhile, the doctor gave Megabyte a shot of antibiotics and some antibiotic pills to take at home.  She also gave her some fluids under her skin because she was really dehydrated.  We took her temperature yesterday morning and it was back to normal so we’re hoping the antibiotics are starting to work.  She is still a very sick little girl.  She's not eating and drinking like she normally does and not going to the bathroom like she should but we are praying she is getting better.  Monday, if the Coronavirus test comes back negative, we will know for sure it is not FIP.

It’s in Gods hands and we put our trust in him.  We sure don’t want to lose her.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Now It’s Coming Together!!

This is Paul, one of our finish carpenters installing the new front storm door yesterday. Check the coat he has on, it was quite cool here and rained off and on all day.

Here is the new storm door all installed. I really like this door.  It is an extra heavy duty Larson and will protect the front inner door a lot. Last year the snow piled against the front door and then melted. When we returned last Spring, it looked like the moisture had seeped inside the door.  Hopefully, this will help.  Plus it gives us a much better view and you can lower the glass and a screen automatically rolls down from the top.....neat!!

Open the front door and step in.....this is what you see…  Counter Top is on, Micro/Convection and Stovetop installed and the Sink is ready to hook up. Mom is HAPPY!! They are sending us a new panel for the front of the cabinets, so we still have to install that. But all the door framing and the floor moldings are completed..

A closer look.

Look at the kitchen window sills Ms. Pat chose.....I love it.

The living room window sill.

This is the bedroom with the sliding mirror closet doors and the floor moldings installed…

This is from the kitchen looking out towards the front door. What do you think Rollie?                   

If you want to look back and see what we were doing at this time last year, check this Blog :
August 2010

Now all it needs is furniture.  Yep, I’m afraid there are some furniture shopping trips in our future… Gina....Dale.......Please could someone come and help me out…I hate shopping!!

Today I am looking forward to getting the bathroom stool reset and the refrigerator and washer/dryer back in.


 It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!     Praise the LORD!

Thanks for stopping by and if you're in the area, stop and see us.  Everyone please travel safe and God Bless.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Afternoon Thunderstorms

 
One afternoon about Happy Hour, while JRoger and Susan were here, we had one of our usual afternoon thunderstorms and, of course, it had some small hail and loud thunder…..

The loud thunder and the hail was making a lot of noise in our metal "Toy Barn". It scared Ms. Megabyte2 so bad she zoomed out of there before we could close the door. Ms. Pat took off after her. Here she's asking me to come out in the rain and help her get her out from under the Motorhome because she was scared to death.
It's raining real hard and Ms. Megabyte2 won't come out.  Ms. Pat is beside herself..

So, like an idiot, I run out to get wet too!! I’ll get her when she comes out the other side. JRoger and Susan were back in the barn having a ball watching and laughing at us…….and as you can see, getting it all on camera.

Finally, we rescued her and were assuring her that she was safe and sound. Ms. Pat got drenched and I got a little wet myself.  I never realized how hilarious this fiasco must have looked until JRoger showed me these pictures.   WOW, what people won’t do for their pets, right?

Well, I was hoping I could show you a picture of the completed  kitchen cabinets today but that won’t happen. There sure is a lot more involved with this than one would realize.  The counter top wasn’t ready for install until Friday. When they brought it out with them from the cabinet shop to install, they found it wasn’t cut properly and would have to go back….  Man O' Man….!!

They did get quite a lot of other work done, like these crown moldings and the knobs and handles installed.

They look pretty neat, don’t you think? These take a lot of precise cuts.  Hopefully, one day it will be worth all this but I’m getting a little frustrated..  Ms. Pat says “you just have to be patient”! Boy, without her I don’t know what I’d do!  So maybe next week….?

Meanwhile the weather has been just superb.....like yesterday with clear skies all day and a low of 54* when we got up and went for our walk.  Then it got clear up to a high of 78*.  All this time, there was very little humidity and a nice, cool gentle breeze. There was a low rumble in the background most of the day as I was mowing and digging rocks on the property but it wasn’t thunder! It was the sound of Motorcycles. The big Sturgis Bike Rally starts tomorrow and believe me there are Motorcycles everywhere with more to come. We will lay low and let them have the Hills and in about a week it will settle down again and we can have our Hills back again…

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

A Quilter in the Midst..

Ron and Barb are visiting us and enjoying our beautiful Black hills. They formerly lived in Dallas, TX. and just began full-timing about a year ago. Ron was a VP for a large Corporation and Barb worked for Harley Davidson.  They came to spend about a month in the area and although they have been here two weeks now, it seems like they just got here. They have been seeing the sights in the area and yesterday they drove over to Devils Tower in Wyoming.

Barb is an excellent quilter and when I walked out into the shop the other day, she had a new quilt she was working on laid out on the floor. It is actually a lap quilt she is quilting for Ron and it took my eye immediately.  It it a beauty!!  If you remember, Barb presented us with a beautiful quilt she made us for our Cabin when they visited us at North Ranch last March. We will be displaying on our Brass Bed in the Cabin when we get our furniture moved in.  Check it out:  Grand Opening

As I moved in closer and took a look at this beautiful quilt in the making, I had but one thought in mind......

Rollie and Gina will LOVE IT!! It is a beauty!!   They love Eagles, as you can see from their Blog. They just published a new Blog recently, so check it out as it has pictures of their new Grand Baby Abigail and check out the EAGLES!!

Meanwhile, Ron and I are getting a lot of projects done. Ron’s specialty is Dri-Wash and Guard polish. Here we are applying a protective coat to the top of our Motorhome. Ms. Pat and I love and swear by Dri-Wash products and have been using them for years. Ron is one of their top dealers and ships the product all over the world.   If you haven’t tried some, you should and you will be amazed.  Dri-Wash is like PressurePro, it has been around for a long time and is often imitated but never duplicated. It is the Best!!

While Ron and Barb were gone to Devils Tower yesterday, Ms. Pat and I took a long 20+ mile trip out in the woods on the 4X4’s. It was such a beautiful day, with temps in the 70’s and low humidity. One of those days that makes you proud to be alive……..and be where you are in this big world!

All this activity just seems to really wear Ms. Megabyte2 out…..Whew!   If you're wondering what that red thing is on the top of my PressurePro Monitor Antenna, it seems that Ms. Megabyte2 likes to “chew” on the antenna. So I slipped a little piece of pex pipe on top of it so she can chew away and not hurt the antenna.  As the old saying goes, "There's more than one way to 'skin a cat'". :-)   Works for me!! 

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

A special WELCOME to our latest followers..

Kitty
Nan and John

We are happy to have you onboard!!!  That brings the Follower count up to an unbelievable 198.

WOW…..!! Thank You All so much!!

Safe Travels and God Bless.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..