Spa Day

July 28, 2020
Back at home

Man oh man does it feel good to be able to dip into my private...okay, so once in a while I share with the frogs and birds...spa.  I slink into the water and if I lay by the skimmer, the water rushes past me giving my body an all over tingle.  It is wet and refreshing and I have missed my spa soak over the last two weeks.

We arrived home mid afternoon after driving through a shower around the Gainesville area.  While Momma and Dad unpacked, I grabbed up my waiting jug and made several trips all over the lush grassy lawn lugging my gallon jug by its rope. 

Momma and Dad were just too busy to toss it for me.  It just felt good to stretch out and burn some energy and finally be off my leash in my yard.  I ran faster than the wind.  

I'm hearing rumors of a new kid on the block. 

A 10 month old 4 legged named Piper.  If the late afternoon storm 
hadn't kicked up, I think I would have had a chance to meet Piper.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

I'm Chloe

July 24, 2020
Grandma's RV Park
Shepherdsville, Ky

The travel today was uneventful but an entertaining ride as we headed south through small Indiana communities into Kentucky.  The arrival was uneventful as well but then.....

It seems Dad found another 'quick' project that wound up consuming the evening.  Can you guess what this is?

Yes, it's shiny and would sparkle if in the sunlight as all those sharp edges would refract the light.  

If you said a shower door panel, you would be a winner!! 

I know it's hard to tell that all that glass is sitting in a bucket from the pic.  But after time-eating, copious gathering, all the shards have been gathered.

It all began when Dad decided to keep the magnetic strip on the edge of the shower door from sliding down.  He had two choices:  a bit of tape or a small screw UNDER the glass.  Well, he passed on the tape and failed to get below the glass.  It's rare to experience so many tiny shards of glass caused by one tiny little screw.  It sounded like hail falling in our bathroom.

Now it should be noted that the event could have taken a more disastrous turn when the two pieces of glass fell from the top part of the frame and pierced the back of Dad's hand.  Luckily they didn't go deep enough to need stitches when he pulled them out. 

As if the gathering of glass didn't take up enough time, more time was needed to shop for a new bath mat/rug (surely there are small pieces of glass buried in the old rug) and a shower curtain to cut up and tape in the now empty frame.

Not quite the way Dad had planned to spend his evening after a day on the road.  I would have much preferred an evening of tossing the ball but this park didn't have any room for such activities.  I think we were both stressed and definitely in need of some down time.

I did get to make some new friends though.  These guys were just across the road from our RV, right by the dog walk.

They did come over to say hello but Momma wouldn't let me get too close.  They were bigger than even my friend Sue, the Great Dane.  Must be all that good Kentucky grass they are munching down.

I'm Chloe

And so it comes to an end

July 24, 2020
Goshen, Indiana

Can you believe our week in  Goshen has ended already?  Such a beautiful area with flowers everywhere you look, fields of crops and buggies sharing the roads.

  Time to make the mad dash back to Florida for all the scheduled appointments.  

Tim and Julie had smiles on their faces as they accomplished one of their goals....replacement seating for their RV.  And we all bid farewell to the old seating as it found it's final resting place after being cannabalized for parts.

Mt Trashmore bound...

Of course no trip to the area would be complete without a huge, handcrafted burger from Coppertop Tavern ....topped with a peanut butter sauce.

That was after working up an appetite at the RV Museum in neighboring Elkhart.  Everyone was thinking.....aren't we glad to be RVing in THIS century.  These RV's sure looked rustic even though they were the top of the line for 1913 and up.

So we prepare ourselves for departure from this area tomorrow as we head south and back to the heat of the south.  

See you on the road....

I'm Chloe

Not all work....lots of play

July 21, 2020
Goshen, Indiana

This has been a very restful two days for me.  Now for the two-leggeds, they have been on the go, go, go.  That's after the chores are done, including washing the rig nose,

And a shared breakfast has been enjoyed.

Momma said I should label this pic "Will work for food"

Dad cleaned off Ritter's nose while Tim fried up some potatoes to add to our morning breakfast.

Tuesday was a day geared more for the gals...well sort of. The guys may not have been all that excited about some of the shops but they did enjoy all the tasting at Scherger's Kettle Jams and Jellies.  Yes, they really did have samples and that is the ONLY place offering samples this year.  Not everything was a fruit based jam either.  The peanut butter spread and the chocolate peanut butter found their way to the checkout counter too.  

Momma pouted because the Garden Yard Outlet wasn't offering their free popcorn but that didn't slow down the garden flag and whirligig shopping.

No samples at the Bulk Food store this summer, but that didn't stop loading up a cartful of finds.  And of course the Bulk Store is right to Ben's Pretzels and their pretzel pocket sandwiches.

Wednesday was a day geared more toward the guys as it began at Bontrager's RV Surplus in White Pigeon, Michigan  and ended at a Factory tour of Grand Design to see how the Ritter's Imagine RV was constructed.  After donning gear,

Jeff gave a thorough and informative tour that lasted over 2 hours.  You can tell he loves his job and the Grand Design products.  They even got to tour the climatized lamination building where the walls are built.  That was something Dad and Momma hadn't seen as part of other factory tours, although some other brands also use climatized facilities to ensure a strong lamination.

After my daytime spent resting.....and everyone thought I was taking on the roll of guard.... I was ready for some ball and jug tossing.  It's a good thing the temps have been pretty comfortable here and not even close to the 90's we left at home.  My tongue would really be dragging and I don't have a pond here to cool off in. 

I'm not the only one who gets to play evening games.  And Dad finally was on a winning Fast Track team last night .....and he wasn't even on Tim's (the usual winner) team. 

Life is good in Goshen/Shipshewana/Middlebury.....

I'm Chloe

Sunday, Rainday

July 19, 2020
Goshen, Indiana

What a life!  When it rains....it's sleep weather.  Sometimes on a lap

And sometimes on your bed

And somtimes you really dream deeply

It definitely was a laid back Sunday.  Sausage and Pumpkin Spice Pancake breakfast followed by a lazy, rainy afternoon gathering strength for the upcoming week when everything comes back to life and the schedule will be go, go, go.

Momma in her later years has drawn out her birthday to include most of the birthday month.  After all, you never know how many more b'days are ahead, so make the most of each year!  Well, it seems this anniversary is following that same pattern thanks to Julie who baked a special heart shaped banana nut with cream cheese frosting anniversary cake.

And what made it even more enjoyable was sharing it with super friends and neighbors.  It just doesn't get any better.

For the grand finish of the day,  how about a beautiful sunset

Momma said I probably shouldn't mention the game streak that Dad is having because it's a losing streak, while Tim seems to be on a winning streak. It doesn't matter if it is a game of Fast Track, Tick or Mexican Train.

Now when it comes to chasing after my ball or my jug, I'm always a winner as I ALWAYS bring it back....... until "last time" is called.

I'm Chloe

Good times in Goshen

July 18, 2020
Goshen, Indiana

I sure do like it here with all this green grass and extra, unoccupied space.  Dad lets me fetch my ball and I showed off for a couple of campers walking by who just had to stop and interrupt my game.  I thought they wanted to toss the ball for me but they just wanted to feel my soft coat of fur....and they didn't even bring any dog treats like Auntie Carol always does.  What were they thinking?

Momma and Julie visited the weekend Farmer's Market in Goshen and then finished off gathering goodies at Koger's. The adults scoped out the possibility of finding furniture off the floor (versus ordering it to be made) at Lambright's Comfort Design Furniture as Tim and Julie are considering new seating.
.

Of course they couldn't drive by Rise n Roll without stopping in for another ice cream filled donut.

And would you believe they brought home a Doggie Bag that they are trying to convince me is really a People Bag of left overs.  Now bringing home leftovers isn't a surprise as the Prime Rib filled the plate.  Hopper's is still serving their Saturday night Prime Rib special and even though the price is $3 higher this year, it is still very reasonably priced.

The restaurant opens at 4:30 and Dad told Tim and Julie we needed to be there when they opened.  T&J thought that was because Dad wanted to be there to beat the dinner crowd. Little did they realize that the REAL reason had a lot to do with all the salivating Dad has been doing since he was there last summer.
They serve a tasty, tender piece of meat.

This is the first restaurant experience for Momma and Dad in months and months.  They called it their anniversary dinner seeing as they had warmed up leftovers on July 15th, an on the road/travel day on their actual anniversary.

Having fun in Goshen, Indiana
I'm Chloe

The donuts are still as tasty as ever

July 17, 2020
Goshen, Indiana
Elkhart County 4H Fairground

What a nice view as we departed our campground this morning.

Our travel today was uneventful and we landed safely in Goshen, Indiana.  There are plenty of open sites so social distancing isn't an issue.  The registration office has been nicely remodeled with 'service windows' in the hallway to allow social distancing from the employees.  All campers must have a registration prior to arrival.

Tim and Julie haven't had the pleasure of enjoying this area so while I guarded the rigs, Momma and Dad gave them a brief 'tour' that began at Lambright Comfort Chairs as T&J are shopping for new seating for their rig.  They were delighted to see the addition to the building that has been added, allowing the showroom to be enlarged.  There were two other customers/couples but lots of room for distancing among the various seating options on display.  

Stopping at a produce stand, disappointment was in store as the owner said fresh corn on the cob is still about 2-3 weeks away.  But the peaches, tomatoes and melons looked inviting.  We'll soon find out if they are as tasty as they looked.

I'm not surprised that they rode thru Shipshewana without stopping as Dad was on a mission.  Get to Rise 'n Roll before closing time for an ice cream filled caramel cinnamon donut.  The cafe seating has been closed and the walk up window is open for those who don't want to venture inside.  And sadly, but not unexpectedly, no samples are available for their delicious offerings.  Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our 'treats'  while using the the outside table.  

The weather was still comfortable enough to enjoy eating on the picnic table but the forecast is for a very hot weekend coming up.   It just may be too warm to chase my ball seeing as I don't have my pond to cool off in.  It's a good thing the AC is performing well.

I'm Chloe

New Playmate

July 17, 2020
Knightstown, Indiana
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park

Oh Momma, you found me a new playmate! 

Look how friendly he his.  He's waving at me.  Wait a minute. I think his hand is stuck up there.  Oh man, he's a fake.  

As I had mentioned previously, we are traveling to smaller, out of the way areas.  This nice campground is located in the country as you can see by the corn fields.

The ride was 'interesting', as Dad put it.   We departed Kentucky, slipped thru a corner of Ohio and into Indiana.  Rather than take us further north and then east, our GPS recommended taking a diagonal path which would eliminate 50 miles.  As we left I-74, there was a marvelous large parking area at the gas station on the right so we took a break to stretch our legs and visit the large grassy field.  My what fantastic smells.  And of course Momma and Dad used our rig's facilities.  

Well, as we traveled through the first little community, Momma was enchanted with Brookville's charm.  A LARGE court house and some Victorian style homes all well maintained and landscaped.  And then the moment of panic.  The GPS said turn left onto Hwy 52 and the road was baricaded.  As a said, it was just a moment of panic as there was a bright, orange detour sign.  Piece of cake.  So straight we went as our GPS kept trying to turn us around so we could take the baricaded roadway.  And straight we went.  And straight we went.  Shouldn't there be another bright, orange sign showing us the way?  About then everyone decided it was a good thing we had taken that stretch and potty break because the 50 miles we were expecting to save may have just added 100???  Well, the GPS finally gave up on turning us around and resumed guiding us in a northly direction through some beautiful countryside.  And then, the GPS guided us to a left turn.  "Do I turn here at this intersection Dad asked?"  Momma looked at the GPS map which said the turn was two more blocks a head..so on we went.  But when we traveled 2 more blocks, we immediately knew this couldn't be right.  Okay, time to find a place to turn around, but then the GPS rerouted us and we said, "Why not".  So on we went passing by some more planted fields.  Wow, they even mowed the roadside between the fields and the edge of the road.  It looks better than our lawn at home!!  

We bravely followed the turns of our GPS and finally came to I-70 with a dozen miles to head back toward the west to arrive at our destination adding only 11 extra miles to our original, shortened route but....those last 12 miles were in the middle of road construction with only one lane of traffic each direction as they were working on the second east and west bound lanes.  The signage said one lane ahead but the second lane wasn't blocked off yet.  Momma mentioned to Dad that she was surprised not to have cars rushing up on left and trying to sneak into the long line of traffic.  Dad could see in his side view mirror what was going on.  A semi was blocking off the second lane keeping those 'I'm in a hurry and need to get ahead of you drivers' from using that lane.  Traffic was rolling along slowly but smoothly for our safe arrival.  Now that arrival was another matter.  The road was 'paved' with large crushed stone.  At least it wasn't a rutted, potholed road as we traveled about another mile.  

Our site is l-o-n-g and a pull thru with nice grass bordering our graveled pad.  As we were all sitting at our picnic table enjoying dinner, our neighbors arrived.  It's too bad they were on the other side of our rig because they provided much entertainment.  We didnt' clock it, but we finished our dinner before they had finally landed.  Did a mention that these are nice, open, level, straight pull thru sites?  Dad was worried the poor guy was going to have to refuel before he finally got situated.  His wife who had gotten out of the cab of the truck looked over at us and said, "He'll get it straight soon."   

The sites are filling up as the day draws to an end.  Business is good for this campground.  I sure hope they don't all plan to use pool at the same time and practice some social distancing.  At least being a dog, I don't have to don a mask!!

I'm Chloe

On the road againlllll

July 16, 2020
Knightstown, Indiana
Yogi Bear Jellystone PA Park

Dad has been working on project after project including stronger axels under our rig and upgraded suspension.  When Momma looked at the calendar, she saw a 3 week window of opportunity....in other words, no doctor, dental or whatever appointments on the calendar.  The perfect opportunity to test ride all the upgrades.  

Now the plan was to depart after the Primary Care Physician visit which should have put us on the road Friday, July 10...but that didn't happen.  Dad's doc said blood draw on Monday.  Dad said make it early in the morning 'cuz I'm going to hit the road as soon as the needle is taken out of my arm and do some social distance, safe travel to areas with lower Covid numbers than my current zip code.

When you remove 3 days of travel from the schedule, you have to crunch up your plans a tad.  The choice was either longer days on the road or back to back travel days.  The latter won out.  We have been in a diffent campground for 4 nights in a row so we can spend a week in Goshen/Shipshewana, Indiana and still zip home in time for the next appointment on the calendar on July 29th.  

Getting back to the test drive of all the upgrades.  I really don't think it was done with any forthought, but the second day, they really put things to a test.  When we arrived, Momma grabbed my water dish to fill it up and low and behold, it was half full as I had only lapped up half of the bowl.  Now the story is, the test was to see if any water would spill out as we bounced up the highway that you would definitely call rough and in need of some repair.  Poor Momma couldn't even focus on her book!!  Well, let me tell you, not a drop of water escaped from the water bowl.  Yes, Dad, your upgrades are giving the 5er a smoother ride.  Love that MorRyde suspension.  If we still had the Lippert Equaflex, we would have been mopping up for sure!!

Now you may be wondering if it is really 'safe' to be out and about.  For us it is as we stop at rest areas but don't go inside any buildings. After all, we are self contained and have our own bathroom and coffe making facilities.  We researched the Covid numbers and stop overnight in smaller communities.  We don a mask when we approach the campground registration area which for the most part is an outdoor affair.  If they do handle registration inside, they only have one person enter the office at a time and the staff are behind plexiglass.  Lots of safety measures in place.  

We still feel pretty isolated.  There have been lots of campers, but we keep our distance and don't chat much....that is until today.  And that's because we know our neighbors and will be traveling with them for the next week.

Yep, it's our neighbors from home....Tim and Julie.  And I FINALLY have someone to play with me.  With the temps in the 70's today with cloud cover, we all sat outside and Julie tossed my jug....not far 'cuz I was tied up....but I was able to play a close game of fetch.  It's nice to unwind after a morning of napping in the backseat of the truck.

I have to admit, we aren't traveling in our usual meandering, laid back way spending more than one night at each location.  And we aren't being very social.  But it sure is nice to experience some new scenery, new smells in the grass and today we can claim some cooler, less humid weather.

Enjoying some new surroundings......
I'm Chloe