Pedro, Nayra, Heather and Rio stand by Flamingo Lake at our RV Park

Wow, what a rush this Christmas has been! Heather and Pedro and grandkids Nayra and Rio arrived Christmas Eve about 10 p.m. A fabulous Christmas Gift! It has been great having a concentrated time with them all, first catching up and talking that first night as well as opening some small gifts.

Christmas Day was beautiful and fun as we ate a lot--we had a spiral cut honey ham from Harold's Meat Market down the road (where you can also buy alligator meat, pig jowls, chicken feet [!?!?!] and collard greens). We got a lot of visiting done, and then played Apples to Apples for a couple of hours.

Friday we spent the day at Jacksonville beach, walking the beach, talking, watching the kids play in the sand and surf, and enjoying the 80+ degree weather. They built a sand castle, Nayra collected a bucket of shells and Rio was body surfing. The Iowans really shifted into the warm weather wholeheartedly and had a blast.

Saturday we drove to St. Augustine, and enjoyed the trolley ride through this historical old city. So much to do there, we managed to see Castillo de San Marcos, the 300+ year old fort guarding the city, and the Lujano's went to Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. A great day! We have a great time having company, and are very thankful the kids were able to make it down here. There are 5 more groups of family/friends that are planning to visit us during our stay here in Jacksonville! Cool!!!

I am on a four day weekend from my proton treatments, resuming Monday. I hope to get rid of the pounds I've gained during the holiday break, as I am supposed to stay within plus or minus two pounds from my starting weight. I might not be able to eat anything for the next two days!

Ho Ho Ho

It is just hard for me to understand that it is Christmas time. There is no snow! No Jack Frost nipping at my nose!

However the stores are amazingly crowded, so that may be an indication. We went up to the River City Mall north of I-295, and had trouble finding a parking spot. Well, with our F-450, it always isn't easy to find a 'big enough' parking spot, but I am getting better at finding my way in between the white lines. the lots were nearly full.

With all those shoppers, it is hard to figure the economy is bad, but the news and all sure do remind us we are in a recession. I am sure a lot of folks are not having a very happy time this Holiday Season. We are counting our blessings, fortunate enough to be where I can be treated effectively (6 treatments so far), safe and sound in a warm and cozy fifth wheel, food on the table, and lots of caring sent to us and phoned from so many wonderful friends and family.

It is the most wonderful time of the year.

Wednesday daughter Heather and Pedro and Nayra and Rio will arrive here in Jacksonville and will spend the holiday with us. Now that is a great gift! Merry Christmas to all!


thought for the day: It seems that the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Proton Therapy

Me in my fancy gantry fashions

I thought I'd give you all an inside view of the proton therapy 'gantry' where I receive my treatments. I lay on this table with my head toward the viewer. When everything is lined up ( they use laser lines towards 'x' marks on my hips and the bed itself. The bed is then swiveled into the chamber so my feet are towards the viewer.


The blue thing by my feet is actually a form made from my legs, so that when I lay in it, everything is in the same place. The box on the left is an xray apparatus, which is used to 'track' my prostate, so that it doesn't move. The box on the right is what the proton beam passes through. In there somewhere is the lens made specifically for my prostate. Everything is adjustable in just about every direction to fine tune my prostate position in relation to the proton beam.My understanding is that if everything isn't lined up just right, the beam is stopped.

Below is a photo of three of the girls that have helped me in the gantry area this week. From the left is Kim, Ashley and Kristin. This whole thing is like something out of Star Wars... Except for the people, which make it really nice. Every employee here is exceptionally positive and caring, but more than that, they know they are part of something good, and they are always smiling and 'up'. A really healthy way to be in health care!!!

2 down, 37 to go

I have started my treatments at the Florida Proton Institute. My first was Monday afternoon, and I must say I was nervous and anxious. Before my treatment, I had consultations with my nurse Kristi, and then my oncologist Dr. Randal Henderson. That calmed me down considerably, as the doctor went over my MRI, scan and biopsy results, all of which confirmed the cancer is contained in the prostate, and it in the intermediate stage. That was a relief...

Each treatment is the same...void a half hour before, drink 15 oz. of water, then when called back to the 'gantry', get a certain amount of saline solution pumped into my rectum. I then lay down into my premade leg forms on the table, get 'lined up' and positioned so I am in the same position and my prostate is in the same place every time...this is done with lasers aimed at markers on my hips and the 4 gold markers inserted in my prostate. When laying correctly, I hold a spongy ring with both hands across my chest to reduce the chance of movement. The whole key to this process is to have all variables the same every day, and have me in the same position every day. The table is then swiveled into the gantry area (a 10-12 foot diameter cylindrical space, and maybe 12 feet deep), and I hear some clanking and whirring, and sometime while I am lying there motionless the proton beam is released at the target from either the left or right side...the side is alternated each day. That's it. From start to finish it is about 45 minutes. I feel nothing and I don't hear the beam.

When friends and relatives call, they express concern about how I am feeling. Truthfully, I feel the same as any other regular day...Sometime down the road I may experience some issues--burning when voiding, increased urgency and frequency are some of the more common. Each guy is different, so I will just have to wait and see. But I really do appreciate people's concerns!

Ellen has been awesome through this whole thing. She is so positive, upbeat and supportive. I cannot imagine going through this on my own...Self pity is what you might call my strong suit. Ellen doesn't let that happen.

It is nice to be in our own home--most patients are renting a motel or condo. And t is awesome to be in Florida after hearing how Iowa and Minnesota got hammered with bone chilling cold.

2 down and 37 to go....

Still sittin' still

It is hard to believe we have been sitting in the same RV park for over six weeks! This is definitely our longest stay anywhere anytime since becoming full time RVers. This is an indescribably strange feeling. Previous long term stay was at Val Vista Park in Casa Grande, Arizona, last Feb.-March.

And we have another 8 weeks to go!

We were joined here at Flamingo Lake RV Resort today by Bob and Bonnie Herman from Dade City, FL. The Hermans rolled up in their vintage 1964 Airstream Globetrotter, and were able to set up right next to us. Bob is also going to start Proton treatment tomorrow.

We connected with the Hermans as we were in the waiting room at the Institute the very first day, when Bonnie recognized Dale Chihuly's signature on my t-shirt. Wow, not many people have any idea who Chihuly is...Ellen got me the shirt when she and friend Laurie Feldman saw the blown glass installation at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. We look forward to our shared experience with Bob and Bonnie, great folks.

Tomorrow is my blast off day...here's hoping all will be well, as I have my first of 39 treatments.

67 years ago...

This day lives on in infamy...In 1941 (Four and a half years before I was born) Pearl Harbor occurred. So many lost so much in that surprise attack. I am not a military guy, but things like this choke me up. It is unbelievable that so many so often resort to aggression and war for so many stupid reasons. We are in two wars now...it is hard to understand the complete why and wherefore, but here we are.

And fearing more and more as time goes on.....

Being here in Jacksonville, there is a lot of military here, and they are trying to get this area as home port for a new nuclear aircraft carrier...and one of the strategies is to avoid the 'Pearl Harbor" possibility, as the rest of the nuke carriers are in Norfolk...so as to not put all the eggs in one basket kind of thing.

Interestingly, the U.S. aircraft carriers were out to seas rather than in Pearl Harbor when the attack occured in 1941, and those warships became such an important force in WWII for the allies in the War in the Pacific.

Time with Fort Dodgers

Last night we had a really nice time meeting up with John and Cindy Dahl, former Fort Dodgers. Ellen taught at Phillips Middle School with John, who was a computer teacher. Cindy worked at Iowa Illinois Gas and Electric, later to be Mid-American. I had occasions to visit with John on Friday afternoons at the Stadium. I also had their sons Jason and Chris as students years ago at Cooper Elementary School in FD.
The Dahls retired 4 years ago and moved to the south side of Jacksonville, close to their son Chris and his family. We met at Boston Classic Pizza on the north side of JAX, and had a great time talking and catching up about comon friends and fellow educators. It was good food and excellent conversation! We are planning another get together, at their house, December 19. We look forward to that.
We have been busy little elves. We finally got all the Christmas gifts mailed to our kids and Grandkids. We have done it in spurts, so we are getting to know the postal clerks at the northside Jacksonville post office, and have endured some long lines.

2008 Light Parade, Jacksonville

Christmas is in the air in Jacksonville...actually in the water too!

We trekked down to the waterfront, the St. John's River, for Jacksonville's annual Boat Light Parade...

Thousands (it seemed like thousands) crowded the riverfront near Jacksonville Landing to see the fantastic festive flotilla. Beautiful (and expensive) boats all lit up with all kinds of themes cruised along the shore. The weather was perfect for the show, as the light breeze capped a day in the mid 70s.

Sons of Norway Entry

Our favorite was the Sons of Norway, whose yacht looked like a Viking Longboat with all its lights. They had a crew wielding lit oars, and wearing neon Viking Helmets. We found out today in the paper that it won best in show. All the craft were not hugs, as one of our favorites was a 16 foot John Boat with some kind of structure carrying lights that looked like an alligator head, and it was pulling a lit alligator tail some 25 feet behind it. Unfortunately, I did not get a good photo of it.

It was a fun experience to see all the creativity and fun involved in this annual event.

Civil War at Fort Caroline

Saturday we made a short trip to Fort Caroline, a National Park Historic Site. The Fort was a 16th century bastion of safety for the early settlers of the Jacksonville area. It was shaped like an arrowhead, with the tip pointing towards the bay.

The fort itself is a reconstruction and was somewhat of a disappointment, but we were glad we made the trip as area history nuts put on a great Civil War historical program. There must have at least 100 men women and children in authentic period costume, with Rebel and Union tents housing historical items of interest...one tent had medical utensils and paraphernalia, one had a display about naval operations in the area, another the guy talked about mapping and scouting, and on and on. The folks were roasting hams over campfires, women were knitting, and soldiers were taking care of their weapons.

Musket and cannon firings were also put on. I did capture a small troop marching along. Weather was not the best, very windy and chilly by the fort which overlooked the inlet to Jacksonville harbor.

Three days of fun

Well, it has been three days of 'fun'...I finished my three day work up at the Florida Proton Institute. Don't want to bore you with the grisly details.

Well, maybe a little bit....It could have been worse, but I had several CT Scans, MRIs, and a 12 point needle biopsy, plus the insertion of 4 gold markers stuck in my prostate to help guide the proton beam to the target. With the gold, I came out worth more than I went in, particularly as the stock market was plunging yet again.

The great thing is I am in a fantastic program for my cancer treatment. Every person at FPTI we have come in contact with has been "up", friendly and helpful, as well as understanding. There is such a grand feeling of community here, with the ease of visiting with other patients, and learning from those that are in the later stages of their treament and bonding with the other 'newbies'. Ellen was at her first Wive's Support Group meeting today, where one wife is the cousin to Bob Monteith---fellow teacher at Fort Dodge Senior High! Way down here in Jacksonville! Small world! We are so thankful at this opportunity.

I have my start date for daily (M-F) treatments, and that is Monday, December 15. I will have 39 treatments, and should finish in Mid-February. It has been three days of 'fun', so much so that I crashed for an hour when we got back to the RV at 3 pm.

thought: Two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Einstein

Soup and Salad place with an accent

This week has been pretty quiet. Saturday night they had a country band at the rec hall here at the Park, and we had a pretty good time. Tonight there is a jam session and we intend to go to that too, and maybe remember some of the steps we learned from Harold at the Eagles Club.


Spent some time at the beach, and that always is good for Ellen. She loves the sand between her toes.


On one trip around Jacksonville, we were at a Hobby Lobby and asked a clerk how to get to certain restaurant. She said "Go out of the lot, turn raght and then make another raght at the Tar Place." We were kind of amazed an asphalt company would be in this retail area....and then as we were following her directions we made the second right at a Goodyear TIRE place. I guess she thought we talked funny too.


By the way, the restaurant we were seeking is a Sweet Tomatoes. Wow, what a great place to eat! A salad and soup buffet that cannot be beat. I think our bill (with a coupon) was $13.00....and there must have been 10-15 different salads and 6 different and wonderful soups--shrimp bisque, Irish potato and leek, chicken pot pie stew, and more. mmmmm. Plus a bunch of pasta choices, fresh fruit and breads...very fresh breads and rolls. Two thumbs up on this one. Find one at www.sweettomatoes.com

The Oldest City

Today we had the pleasure of visiting St. Augstine, the country's oldest city. We actually went the day before, but got there 'late' in the day and purchased a multiple day trolley pass...so we scouted things out and when we returned on Friday, we got discounted tickets for the activities we wanted to do.

First stop was the earliest and largest masonry fort built, completed in 1695, the Castillo de San Marcos. It was built by the Spanish, as the city had been plundered by English corsairs, including Sir Francis Drake. Walls are several feet thick, and made of cochina, native to the area, a porous rock made of sand, earth and shells. When struck with a cannon ball, cochina does not crack or break apart like firmer masonry. The fort was never 'taken' by military force.

There are musket and cannon firings through the day, performed by guys in period military clothing. Lots of interesting displays, information and cannons. It was interesting to find out that the U.S. Government actually put some 70 plains indians here as 'forced inhabitants' and the Captain in charge tried to make them 'white', through indoctrination..he used the phrase "(to) kill the Indian and save the man". Yet another stupid chapter in our nation's history.

We also toured Flagler College, a 4 year private school, much of which is in the building previously known as the Ponce de Leon Hotel, built in the late 1880's by Henry M. Flagler, a wealthy man who co-founded Standard Oil. He also created the Eastern Florida Railroad, with tracks running down the eastern seaboard of Florida...including that RR bridge he built to the Keys!

All along the route he built posh hotels for the infant, yet blossoming tourist trade heading for sunny Florida. The Ponce de Leon is a remarkable structure featuring Spanish influenced details, and poured concrete. His hotels were vanguards in the use of this building process. There is amazingly handcarved trim and pillars throughout the building, and the grand dining hall is now used by college kids to snack, eat and text message in. Each original chair (there are many still in use!) is valued at $2100. Lots of 24 carat gold leaf, and marvelous murals, plus a ton of Tiffany stained glass.

Surprisingly, the student tour guide said the tuition, room and board for this private liberal arts college is only $19,000 a year!!! Flagler College is rated in the top 200 4 year schools in the country.

Flagler College, previously the Ponce de Leon Hotel

We then walked around a bit, as this old city has tons of charm and beautiful buildings and churches. We took a scenic boat tour of the harbor and waterway leading to the lighthouse, and along Anastasia State park which used to be an island, but through natural processes became part of the mainland. We saw lots of birds including brown pelicans, egrets, herons, and osprey, as well as some dolphins. The sunset was gorgeous.

There are many more sights to see, as well as shops and galleries and restaurants to try, and I am sure we will return in the near future. St. Augustine is about an hour south of our RV Park.

The sunshine state????

Wow, I always believed the license plate slogan, but this is like the 5th overcast day in a row. At least it is not raining...supposedly the sun was supposed to break through yesterday. It did not. Then it was supposed to break through today. So far no luck. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

What a fantastic day for the United States yesterday was. It is so amazing that this breakthrough has happened. Yeah, I was choked up pretty many times last night as we watched the results. I thought John McCain's concession speech was excellent as well. Lots of things to fix here in the U. S. of A., but to use a positive phrase, "yes we can!"

To make things exciting Ellen got juror's summons for Hanson County in our home state of South Dakota. How unsettling. I know jury duty is a citizen's obligation but we are vagabonds. Maybe if the county court can give us a free hook up in the parking lot. We'll see how it works out. Ellen dutifully filled out the forms, and hopefully a summons won't materialize.

I made my choice

Well, I made my choice, and I am not talking about the election. I have chosen Proton Beam Radiation treatment for my prostate cancer. With all the research and looking I have done, this seems the best way to go.

I will be starting my proton therapy program with a three day workup, Nov. 18, 19 and 20. Lots of tests, bloodwork, scans and measurements. About 3-4 weeks after that I will have my first of some 40 treatments.

If you are interested, you can click on the Florida Institute's site and look at how it works. I hope to continue more regularly with blog posts about my experience with the treatment.

http://www.floridaproton.org/

Twas the night before the election...

Well, here we are on election eve, we're not yet tucked our bed, but we have sugarplums dancing in our heads. It is unbelievable how some folks think up scams to intimidate would be voters, and a lot of it has to do with race...But we are deep in the south, in Duval County Florida, where John McCain leads by 20 points. I don't want to get too political...but cold calls about the INS being at the polling places (to get you illegal relatives), cops there to collect or issue warrants for past parking/traffic violations., Republicans to vote on Tuesday, Democrats to vote on Wednesday...

It is nice to live in a country where each citizen has the right to freely vote. It sounds like the turnout will be huge. Florida and Georgia had early voting, and there were BIG lines! This is so stirring... Although the campaign has gone on too long, and has cost too much ($8-10 per vote!), it sure beats what a lot of other countries have to deal with. Can I be patriotic and still maybe vote Democratic?

Whatever happens, it sure has got to be better than the last several years. I sure hope you all had the chance to vote!

We are at a nice RV Park on the north edge of Jacksonville, but I have to admit, I am hesitant to wear my 1-20-09 ('Bush's Last Day' T-shirt with "End of an Error" on the back) after seeing our neighbor's motorhome, beautifully decorated with the mural you see below.

Florida, chill, and doctors

Hey, we're in Florida and the cold front is chasing us! We are just east of Tallahassee at a dumpy overnight park. The temps are supposed to drop to the low 40s. then the high in Jacksonville may only be 61 or 62 on Tues-Wed. Acouple of chilly days, and then it is supposed to be in the mid 70s for awhile. We'll take it!

We just spent three quiet days at the Styx River RV Resort east of Mobile, AL. A very nice park, great weather, but unfortunately there is a shooting range just up the road, so throughout the weekend there was a constant cracking of gunfire. This is what the 2nd amendment is about...nobody had an AK-47. By Sunday we were kind of used to it.

I have my consultation at the Proton Therapy Institute on Wednesday...it'll be an all day affair, with blood tests, Dr. consult, and a CT scan to boot. Then on Thursday, I go under the Mayo clinic's scrutiny. By the end of the day on Thursday, we should have some definitive idea about what is in store for me in this deal...we are hoping to be able to do the proton therapy, but we don't know if that is a possibility. We really appreciate all the nice calls and emails from all our friends and family! Thank you all for your expressions of concern and positive wishes. We love you all!!!

We're jacked up

Well, here we are on the outskirts of Duncan, OK...darned near in Texas! Plans changed yesterday morning when we packed up in Oklahoma City. Our front jack once again refused to stay up when retracted...hence, you cannot go anywhere with one foot down. This was supposed to have been fixed last week when we were in Smith Center KS, at the Excel factory. We retracted the uncooperative jack and tied it up with rope so we could travel.

We are at Doug's RV, with really nice people. We've visited with Doug a couple of times already, as nice a guy as you'd ever meet. Hopefully they can get on this issue this morning so can continue on towards Jacksonville.


today's thought: Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

OKlahoma City is more than OK

The Oklahoma Bombing Memorial, Oklahoma City

We are in Oklahoma City, enjoying temps in the upper 70s...We did get downtown and saw the Bombing Memorial...the Federal Building that whack-job McVeigh destroyed along with the lives of over 160 innocent people.

The design of the memorial is extremely poignant, with a glass, stone and metal chair representing each person who lost their life. The chairs are organized according to the floor where that person was. The whole area is sobering, with a huge reflecting pool and vertical wall structures with 'doors' before and after the time of the explosion...9:01 and 9:03. We were there in the late afternoon, but as told, 'had to return at night'.













We were very glad we did....
The base of each chair is lit, and glows through the lucite base...it is awesome with the light of the chairs against the dark of the night. The Memorial is open 24/7.








We also used the water taxi on the canal built through Bricktown, the warehouse district of the city. The city fathers have done a great job reclaiming a mess of deterioration, crime and homelessness.

There are several public art projects, most done by area college art students. At the south end of the manmade canal is a group of sculptures depicting the Land Rush of the late 1800's The statues are one and a half times life size, and are stunning! There also is a huge mosiac with a fountain, and some great murals showing the history of the city. I had no idea Oklahoma City could be so fun.


We are heading out tomorrow morning, hoping to get close to Little Rock.

Getting old is better than the alternative, but....

GETTING OLD
Getting old is much better than the alternative, but it does take you down some paths that aren't so much fun.

I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and since last Wednesday when we found out, Ellen and I have been bouncing all over the place, calling this hospital and that, doing internet activity on therapies, with their benefits and drawbacks, talking to family and friends, and wondering just what it is that we will do, and where we will go.

Thankfully, prostate cancer is a most treatable disease and one that can be taken care of...and we are hoping for the best. We are traveling to Jacksonville Florida, as at the U of Florida, there is a 'Proton Beam Therapy Institute'. This treatment, which uses a cyclotron, seems to have treatment that is not invasive, and has less negative side effects with better results. The proton is whipped through this cyclotron then sent along a path and into the treatment rooms, and stopped right where the cancer is!

We have initiated the process of acceptance as a patient, but there is some uncertainty about insurance coverage. So we also have an appointment Oct. 30 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. They have a modified radiation therapy that is also highly rated. We shall keep our fingers crossed and our options open.

So, to put it simply, we are not going to be able to do our Arizona plans...so no reunion with our friends in that area, and no ATVing...and maybe more. But Florida does sound better than the upper midwest....climatically speaking.


RV WORK
In the meantime, we are at Smith Center Kansas, getting our 5th wheel looked at, as we had some incident with the hydraulics not working properly, plus a small list of other stuff. As it looks right now, it may just be a battery problem. That would be fine with us.

Smith Center is a small and slow farm town of 1600 that happens to have a major RV manufactureron the edge of town. Excel (Peterson Idustries) really does treat the customer well, and we hope to have everything taken care of by tomorrow.

In the meantime we are parked in the Excel parking lot, right next to a most talkative, and at times irritating customer who watches the Excel techs as they try to fix his coach. I am sure they appreciate his watching. We do, because then he is not talking to us.

Get together in Paton, Iowa

Believe it or not, this was the best photo I got of all 6 grandchildren at the get together Saturday 10/4 at Erin and Jeff's home in Paton, Iowa. You should see some of the other ones!!!

Left to right are: Nayra Lujano, Ethan Ackerson, Jaiden Ackerson, Mica Pedersen, Ellen's daughter Jenn, Mason Ackerson, and Rio Lujano.

I can't remember the last time all 6 were together. It was FUN to have them all there and watch them play together. Hopefully we can do something like this again soon. The weather was nice and we were able to go to the city park with Mica, Mason Jaiden and Ethan. That was fun on the play equipment. Rio and Nayra weren't able to get there til 4:30 or so. We really appreciated Heather/Pedro's and Jenn' effort to drive a lot of miles to get to little Paton!

I think all had a great time. Jeff grilled steak, brats and hot dogs. Nobody left the table hungry!

DISH Network today!!!

3 days without satellite is too long! DirecTV toyed around with us at our anniversary date...offering a whopping $5 off as incentive to continue. Our enticing sign up benefits were lapsing, so our bill was going to go up 40%. When we later called up to disconnect, all of a sudden they were able to reduced the bill to an amount LOWER than we were paying!!! Too bad, so sad. Dish is still $5 less than that. Kind of a stupid way to run a business. We are hoping Dish isn't that whacky.

Medical Stuff

Our friends L-R: Elvie, Connie, Wanda,
Jim D., Wayne, Janet, Jim I., Judie

What a nice looking crew. Again we had a great weekend at the reunion! Thanks Wayne and Janet!

I realize it is Wednesday already, (guilt sets in when I don't transfer my digitals to the computer in a timely manner) but we have had a wild time getting here to Fort Dodge. Plus on Monday I was getting ready for this morning's needle biopsy on my prostate...a high PSA led me to this new and different experience. So today is a day of rest, doctor's orders. He said it all looked ok, but the samples' results will be back next week.

We are parked at Alec and Charlton Pendry's in Fort Dodge. This summer Alec put in a 30 amp service for us, so we are free campin'!!! Thanks Alec! Last night Ellen had her last book club night of the season, and she totally enjoyed that. We will be catching up with other friends, plus playing some bridge and Settlers of Catan with the Pendry's.

Reunion and back to Fort Dodge

Wow, time sure flies when you are having fun! We are now in Fort Dodge, Iowa, for our final stay for the year. Ellen has her book club tonight, we are visiting friends and I am having some doctor stuff done. Next week we plan on seeing comedian David Sedaris at the Civic Center and an Iowa Chops hockey game in Des Moines, and finishing with attending a wedding of one of Ellen's favorite student's wedding in Ames. The bride, a great young person, Hannah Carse, is the daughter of one of my favorite teaching friends and one of my poker buddies, Bryce and Steve Carse.

But last weekend was a ton of fun, as we had our annual 'reunion' of the "women from Clinton". This group started as a new mothers' group Ellen was in back in the 1970's. So we were graciously hosted by Wayne and Janet Walters in Port Byron, IL, just over the Mississippi River from Davenport, IA. Good food, good muchies, and great company!

Jim and Connie Dent (Indianapolis, IN), Elvie and Wanda Hirl (Clinton, IA) and Jim and Judie Ives (also full time RVers, retired out of Grand Rapids, MI) were there, along with Buddy rounded out the folks there. We played some games, watched some football (ouch for my Packers!), and ate a lot of food. We look forward to next year and thank Wayne and Janet and Buddy for being so nice to open their house up for us. I hope to post some photos soooon.

'CATCH UP' TIME

Omigosh! Over a month and no blog additions... I'll try and catch up here.

When I left off we had water in our 'basement'. Well, it was solved when we went to Sheldon IA .... The RV tech, Dave, at RV Central solved it, finding there was a missing gasket in the shower drain. He also did a lot of other stuff in a day and a half, so our 5th wheel is doing well.

FORT DODGE

We went down to Fort Dodge, had some appointments, and had fun with our FD friends...the Provins, the Pendry's Mike Zahm and Marsha Storbakken, and as well a poker night at Brian McClain's, and Ellen had another night with her LLLL Book Group.

PATON and SPRING LAKE
We also were able to connect with daughter Erin's family in Paton. Had fun with the grandkids, and we found out 3 grandkids are too many for our home on wheels. 1 or 2 are great, but there just isn't enough floor space any more! We stayed at Spring Lake, a Jefferson County Park, which is very pretty, and very quiet. We found out why it is so quiet! We stayed at Erin's til almost 11 pm, and as we turned into the park, found out the gate was closed and locked! They lock up at 10:30!!! It was a very long walk in the dark to get to our site...plus a long walk back to the gate in the morning. It was the forced restart of my fitness program...

MAYO CLINIC

We headed up to Rochester again for another recheck for Ellen, plus she got into the Women's Clinic there, and she was super pleased with the staff and treatment. All is well for her, her functions checked out pretty good...although her spinal bone mass was down a nudge, and the doctor had her get an infusion of Reclast, an annual IV osteoporsis treatment. She actually was really glad to get it as it has been 4 years since she was taken off Fosamax. She is getting all her medical stuff at the Mayo now, and she is very glad about it..

We stayed at Autumn Woods RV Park south of Rochester, a very nice and clean park, with friendly and helpful staff. Park up the way from us was a monster 5th wheel .

A 'Space Craft' RV (made in Concordia MO) that must have been over 50 feet long, pulled by a big Kenworth tractor. We wanted to find out more about it, but there was never anyone around. 5 slides, and tons of basement access doors. Three roof air conditioners!!! Check out the stairway!

WHAT'S NEXT???

This morning we drove up to the Minneapolis area to stay at Lebanon Hills Park near the zoo in Apple Valley. We will be celebrating daughter Jenn's birthday, and as well, have grandson Mica stay with us at least two nights. We're looking forward to a nice week!!!

A MURAL AND A LEAK

This is our last day in Minneapolis (OK, we're in Eagan), and we picked up grandson Mica from daycare. The south side of Minneapolis is a unique and diverse bunch of peoples and structures. I think Caucasian is a minority, but I don't think any ethnic group is a majority.

As we were stopped at a red light, Ellen saw a mailbox at the curb, and having a couple of bills to post, she got out. Of course the light turned green as soon as she closed the door. I wheeled around the corner, and it gave an opportunity for a photo of one of the kajillion murals painted on store and shop walls. I passed the camera out to Ellen and she snapped a few digitals. Thought this one was nice, so enjoy.

Still hot, and today a bit more humid than Sunday. I discovered a water problem :-( in our basement (yes, our RV has a basement). I noticed wet edges on a piece of masonite laying on the floor under the ton of junk in the "belly". I found most of the floor's carpet was wet. Blotting as much up as possible, and looking for the source, we finally found our shower drain is leaking way up near the top of the drain pipe. A bucket under the u trap will prevent further wetness on the floor, but it was added to our list of warranty work we are hoping to get done in Sheldon IA later this month. We've got a fan under there now, with both bay doors open.

NOTHING WOULD FIT IN THE RV

We are staying at Lebanon Hills Campground near the Minneapolis Zoo. Catching up with daughter Jenn's family in the city, as well as taking Matt to the airport early Thursday morning for his flight to Miami and on to Colombia.

Today we went to the Powderhorn Park Art Fair, with more than 180 artists and lots of vendors, all ringing the little lake they have there. Saw some very interesting and creative stuff there, and reminded me of my art fair days. Hot, lots of lookers, and a very long day.

We were classified as lookers, that's for sure, because any purchase would have to be lightweight, stowable in a small space, and pretty much unbreakable...nothing else goes in the RV. Ellen did look at some small rugs, but colors weren't right.

I wore my 1-20-09 shirt (Bush's last day, "End of an Error" on the back), and must have had 25 people ask where I got it, plus lots of positive comments. The Powderhorn Park neighborhood is very diverse and very liberal.

SPAM MUSEUM in AUSTIN, MINNESOTA

We left Fort Dodge Tuesday morning and picked up Matt in Waterloo. After loading up his gear and bicycle (he went on RAGBRAI then skydiving), we motored toward Minneapolis. A great place to visit was the SPAM Museum.

Converted from an old KMart building, the museum is a bevy of history of canned meats which gave the George A. Hormel family a lot of money. It was deserved though, as many innovations were made throughout the decades in providing tasty meats that would last next to forever on the shelf. Bright blue and yellow was the color theme, as from the can label. It was amazing to find out how much SPAM was provided WWII fighting forces, both American and Allied.

Also interesting was the Hormel All-Girl band and performing group. They wore uniforms, hawking Hormel products across America, while promoting the show they would put on in a given city. This was post war time, and Hormel sales doubled in the 4-5 years the group traveled across the US in a fleet of white sedans with George A Hormel's name printed on the sides. It was also still radio's heyday, but as TV overtook radio as media leader, the group was disbanded in early 1953.

The museum is really done up nicely, colorfully, and humorously, and the best part is it is FREE!

We are now at Lebanon Hills campground near the Minneapolis Zoo. Matt flies out to Colombia tomorrow morning. We are also seeing daughter Jenn, Ben, and Mica

FORT DODGE, FRIENDS AND FAMILY

We have been at Kennedy Park, a county park a few miles north of Fort Dodge, our ex-hometown. This campground is really very nice, with full hookups for $17. That includes 50 amp service, sewer and water. At Palisades Kepler State Park near Cedar Rapids the price was $16 and all you got was 30 amp electrical service.

We have been able to catch up with friends, notably Dawn and Herman Provin and kids Zach and Mackenzie. It is always nice to see them and visit. Big news was that their springer spaniel Sadie had 6 puppies, all of which were very fat with little skinny legs and round pudgy faces. Ellen and I taught with Dawn at Fair Oaks Middle School for several years, and actually Ellen was Dawn's mentor when Dawn first started teaching in FD. Great news for Dawn in that she completed her Master's Degree....Hooray!

We have also visited Alec and Charlton Pendry, playing bridge and Settlers of Catan. They have been such good friends, letting us use their 94 Toyota Corolla to buzz around in. 30 mpg is twice as good as our F 450. Thank you Pendry's!!! Also saw the Dark Knight, and Heath Ledger was really excellent and scary as a Joker. Lots of action, but not very cartooney in the traditional Batman sense...and really, that's ok.

Seeing grandkids is always really special. We drove down to Paton, and Jaiden Mason and Ethan were a lot of fun. New pets at the Ackerson home include 2 firebelly toads, which were about 3 inches long (stretching out to maybe 6 inches. They had red 'grippy' fingertips that helped them climb up your arm. Mason liked to put his on top of his head.

Of course it is raining again. Drizzle on and off, just enough to keep things uncomfortable and muddy. When it isn't raining, it feels like it is--we have had enough humidity to last a year.

Cedar Rapids

Rain, rain, go away...
It rained yesterday from about 6 pm to about daybreak. A very steady rain. It gave us the opportunity to wipe down our coach this morning, and now it looks like new again.

Yesterday we shopped at a mall on the west side of Cedar Rapids, and it was a very unsettling experience. About a third of the mall spaces were being used by FEMA, the Red Cross, and Cedar Rapids city government and agencies, as well as the public library! All this as the result of last month's flooding. It is really sad. I don't know if the mall is solvent really, as there were several spaces totally empty.

We took Matt and Rob Knapp out to eat at Texas Roadhouse, and judging from the crowd (a 30 minute wait), maybe the bad economy hasn't yet affected America's penchant for having someone else cook their evening meal. Lots of tables were full of young families. The food was good, and it was a great chance to catch up with news of Matt's old High School friends.

Today's thought: If the professor on Gilligan's Island could make a radio out of a coconut, why couldn’t he fix a hole in a boat?

Time Flies

Note to Self: Blog more regularly.

Another long hiatus between entries has passed, and for that I apologize. Time flies when you're having fun.

We have been up to the Twin Cities, celebrated grandson Mica's 3rd birthday, picked up son Matt from his flight in from Colombia South America, dashed to Fort Dodge for appointments, and zipped across central Iowa to end up east of Cedar Rapids. We're here to 'stay close' to Matt, as he is staying with friend Rob Knapp in CR...We are at Palisades Kepler State Park, a very wooded park sloping down to the Cedar River. Just kind of chillin', as Matt would say. He has been biking and skydiving.

We did a day trip to daughter Heather Lujano's in Washington, and enjoyed that, hugging the grandkids and playing a game of Settlers of Catan. The weather has been HOT. Lots of sun and wind. We are here til Sunday when we travel to Fort Dodge while Matt does RAGBRAI, biking across Iowa with his team, "Team Whatever".

That's it for now, and hope to write again sooner than later.

GREAT REPORT!!!

Ellen had a great report at the Mayo Clinic yesterday! She had been seeing a renal specialist for her after effects from her thyroid surgery a few years ago, including some kidney damage and high calcium in her kidneys, etc. Well, Dr. Lieske said everything looked great and she does not have to see him again unless something changes...that is great news!

We had a nice day in Rochester, and went to a movie for the first time since April. Get Smart was a fun movie, but I was a real fan of the TV show in the 60's. Steve Carrell was great (as always), but as I said to Ellen, Anne Hathaway was a MUCH better agent 99 than Barbara Feldon.

Hidden Bluffs Resort is a beautiful place to park your RV. We had to go over some nasty washboard gravel for a bit to get here, but it was worth it. Full facilities, and we're gonna try out the pool this afternoon.

A 'better late than never' thought for today: To err is human. To blame someone else is more human.

OUR NEW HOME and a MURAL

With all the excitement of visiting family, and completing a mural commission, I spaced off writing about our new home. We moved in to our 2008 Excel 35LMKO at Guthrie Center Iowa, May 25. We have loved getting to know it, figuring out where to store things and decorate it.

We found some nice accents in Coralville Iowa, red throw pillows, a nice red runner for the rear shelf under the TV. We even have a nice place to place candlesticks and some photo frames. Thanks to 3M we have been able to hang a mirror with a woodburned and painted border I made for Ellen several years ago, as well as our white board and cork bulletin board. Our new home feels more like a home, as opposed to an RV. The photo was taken at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge.

Oh, and while in Fort Dodge, I had the honor of doing some mural work at Trinity Regional Medical Center. They are developing an area for joint replacement rehabilitation. They wanted a 'camp' theme, so I painted a rustic sign on one wall, applied a tree bark texture to 3 pillars, and completed a north-woodsy lake mural that is about 5' by 20'. The staff there was thrilled with the results, which is always extremely gratifying to an artist. I was happy with the outcome as well as the remuneration.

Seven Years

Today is our 7th anniversary...it is unbelievable we have been husband and wife for seven years already. It has been simply awesome, full of living, fun, exploration, travel, caring and love...and we look forward to more and more years of this great life together.

We are celebrating with a quiet day in a quiet campground. Tomorrow we will drive to Rochester, and aside from Ellen's medical appointments, we will probably see a movie and have a romantic dinner--there are so many really nice restaurants in Rochester.

Almost out of Iowa

Today we traveled north on SR 150 through several cute Iowa towns, having a picnic lunch in Hazleton, Iowa. We arrived at Pulpit Rock Park just outside of the NW corner of Decorah, home of the Nordicfest and Luther College.

Our RV site is just up from the trout stream that was a raging river a week ago. Lots of mess around the rivers in Iowa. Earlier in the day we drove through Cedar Rapids on I380, and saw all kinds of debris and ruined stuff on curbsides in the neighborhoods that were under water. A fifth of the city's population had to be evacuated.

Tomorrow we make a short hop to Spring Grove Minnesota, our 'home' for a week.

Southeast Iowa, Jewelry and Family

Holy Cow, Batman! We are a month since our last post, and need to apologize to anyone who may have noticed (Mary Jo!!!)...

We have been buzzing around Iowa, seeing old friends, some young friends, and our related families in Iowa. We are just finishing up a couple of weeks in the Washington, IA area, visiting the Heather (daughter) and Pedro Lujano family.

We were able to see Pedro's jewelry as he prepared for an art fair in Burlington, and his pieces at a gallery in Iowa City. Beautiful fused dichroic glass pendants and earrings. Pedro's business is called Malinalli Arts.

We had fun playing games with Nayra and Rio, our 2 beautiful grandkids, as well as having them overnite a few times in our 5th wheel. They really loved that. Finally, this morning we had the wonderful pleasure of watching a swim meet in Fairfield. I don't know if any of you have been through this or not, but we were there for 3+ hours, and the kids were racing for about 10 minutes....they sure swim better than I ever did!

We also saw some of the flooded areas around here, and it must have been terrible at the peak of the river levels. Our hearts go out to those affected.

Tomorrow we head for SE Minnesota to an ROD Park in Spring Grove. Ellen has a check up at the Mayo next week. I haven't downloaded and sorted the photos on our digital camera, so when I get caught up, I will add some images to these entries!

I'm All In!!!

Thursday was a treat, as we had my first poker night in months! Brian McClain hosted in NE Fort Dodge, and 10 other guys from our old Texas Hold'Em group showed up. It was great to catch up and hear what's been happening with old friends, as well as share how our excel-lent adventure has been going.

Brian's wife laid out quite a spread, with a cream chese ball, little smokies, chips and dips...yum! Of course there was plenty of liquid refreshment. Usually I play better if I drink in moderation, but Thursday I had quite a few Jack and Cokes, and still managed to take home some extra money. Actually it came up to about 9 gallons of diesel fuel, which is kind of sobering in itself! I was very lucky, with the cards coming my way. Good conversation, joking, and music.

Hopefully we can have another poker nite before we leave the Fort Dodge Area. Thanks to Brian, Ryan Reisner, Steve Carse, Joel Greathouse, B J, Phil Trimble, Travis Jass, Mike Zahm, Tony Butler for making a great night for me...oh and Herman Provin for being my designated driver!!!!!

HOLY COW, BATMAN, IS THIS HEAVEN?

HOLY COW, BATMAN! IS THIS HEAVEN??? No, its Iowa.........

We have made a wild dash across the western half of the country in what seemed like just a few days (but obviously it wasn't)...and my blog has suffered for it. It was really easy to get out of the habit of doing this, kind of like falling off a diet. I have more experience with that.

Ellen and Mica at Lake Elmo Park

We stopped at Smith Center KS (Home of Peterson Industries, who make the Excel 5th Wheel) for a couple of days, long enough to get some minor work done on the old RV and make a deal on a new one!!! Honestly, we were just going to look, but we didn't stop there. We found a 2008 35 MKO (mid kitchen, 2 ft. longer, more basement storage, heavier rated tires, hydraulic powered slides and front jacks, a satellite dome, and (gasp!) a 32" flat screen TV and more)...it has a floor plan we have been enamored with for awhile.......and got what we think is a pretty good deal, as they also were changing some things in favor of our choices--colors, furniture, refrigerator, and adding a fireplace while coming down a substantial amount. It should be delivered to Guthrie Center IA in a week or so, and that's when we drive down there to 'move out' and 'move in'.

We motored up to Lake Elmo MN, east of St. Paul, to be close enough to spend some time with daughter Jenn's family, and try to spoil grandson Mica. What a precious little guy he is! We had a wonderful time playing with Mica and reading, and playing games, and spending time at the playground. We also got to spend a lot of time IN the 5th wheel, as we were once again in the rainy part of the world. There was more rain in 5 minutes than we saw in the southwest in 3+ months! And it rained most of 2 days. Driving through construction on 494 with torrents beating against the windshield was not a lot of fun.

We also had the opportunity to see our first May Day Parade in South Minneapolis. Perfect weather for the parade that has grown from 200 spectators in the mid 70s to over 50,000. As Ellen puts it, there's a whole big strata of society that we didn't know existed! Celebrating May Day and spring provided a chance to have a wonderfully creative parade with huge puppets and all kinds of messages and causes espoused. Lots of "Stop the war...NOW!!!" chants, green causes, calls for ending the use of fossil fuels, Native American groups and dancers, African American drill teams, informal bands, and following the official parade came all kinds of groups--Hare Krishnas, atheists, politicians and on and on... It was exciting and truly eye opening, as the parades we had become used to in Iowa had girl scouts, fire trucks and farm equipment.

We are heading for the bustling town of Paton, IA (population 205) to stay in our daughter's driveway for a while...to keep me away from fuel stations where the price of diesel has rocketed over $4.00 a gallon. The worst we've paid so far is $4.19!

We are going to attend daughter Erin's graduation Saturday from Iowa Central Community College in Nursing, and we are sooooooo proud! We will also be happy to spend time with her and Jeff's 3 children as well as catch up with some friends from Fort Dodge. I'm sure we won't be bored!


Thought for the day: It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Landscape Arch, worth viewing after an up-and-down 1.6 mile trek

Yesterday we made a day trip to Arches National Park. The park entrance is only a couple of miles north of Moab, where we are staying at the Moab Rim Campark. What a beautiful park this is, full of so many different colors, textures and rock formations, including 'petrified' sand dunes.

There are numerous turnoffs and viewing areas throughout the park.

Landforms like the one at the left are sticking up all over the place. On one of them we saw a climber at the very top! Ellen jokingly said that that was something son Matt would do. Probably so, except that he would skydive or hanglide down!

The weather was perfect, but honestly, when we were done, we both felt pretty gritty and sandy. It was the best workout we've had in quite a while.

Throughout the park it was amazing to see so many different license plates from the US and Canada, and to hear so many foreign languages. This photo was taken by a guy from France.

Here is Ellen smiling in front of Tunnel Arch, and then me under Sandstone Arch. Some of these places are really hard to get to because of the fine and deep sand...it is much like trudging along a very sandy beach--without the water as a coolant!!!













Finally, what makes Moab look like a lot fun to be at are the inordinate number of 4x4's and ATVs and offroad bikes. There are scads of them. At our RV Park two out three RV's are toy haulers!Next time through we might just have one of our own to explore the natural beauty of this corner of the Beehive State!

Red Rock Park, Gallup NM

We left the Albuquerque area heading west on I-40, but didn't get too far, as the lure of the casino struck.

We pulled in to the Route 66 Casino, and enjoyed almost two hours at a blackjack table. Well, "enjoyed" included losing a modest amount of cash, but we did have fun with the dealers and a couple of young University of New Mexico students (who, by the way, were there 3 hours before our arrival, and still were there after an hour lunch at Johnny Rockets' ...mmmm, love those onion rings).

We knew we had a short trip, planning a stop in Gallup, some 150 miles from ABQ, so we were fine with the casino 'detour'. We stayed at a City Park, Red Rock Park, which used to be a NM State Park. The grounds included a lot of extra camping sites, as there is a large rodeo area, plus a balloon launch area, and as well, a Native American Museum.

It was a nice quiet stay at Red Rock Park, far enough from the busy east west route of the BNSF railroad, and not too many rv's. The park has hiking trails, and amazing gigantic red rocks, jutting up from the sandy soils and drifts. In the distance Church Rock towers above the small mountains. The park was pretty empty, until a group of 20+ students started pitching their tent. It was a field trip for an Anthropology class. Oh, and then with all the emptiness, a fifth wheel parked right next to us, squeezing between us and his utilities and picnic table! He seemed fine with it. At least he and his wife were quiet and they didn't light a campfire. They happened to be from Waukesha, WI, a city less than 20 miles from where I grew up.

These are our last nights in New Mexico as we are headed for Moab, UT!

Hippies and High Points

We made a day trip yesterday to a ghost town reclaimed by hippies some 40 years ago, and is now a curious, artistic haven for hippies, bikers and gawkers (us). Madrid NM is once dead ex-coal mining town on a curvy section of NM HWY 14 south of Santa Fe.

The town has umpteen galleries, shops and dining spots plus one large biker bar. Madrid is famous for its art, but also for having the movie Wild Hogs filmed there. Maggie's Diner is there as in the film. We got a magic glitter dusting in the shape of a star on our cheeks at one art gallery, administered by a flower child of the 20th century. Lots of creativity and incense and unique art...

We drove on to Sandia Peak, the highest point around these parts. There still is a lot of snow up the north side of the peak. We hit the summit at over 10,600 feet, to experience a view that was fantastic. The temperature dropped about 15 degrees on the way up! The photo is a view looking south, and unfortunately, the photo of us shows how hazy it was that day. We are indebted to our friend Don Sarver, who did the driving as we enjoyed the view.

Brrrrrr....and SNOW!

We were in Old Town in Albuquerque, NM, shopping and browsing galleries with friends and fellow full-timers Don and Connie Sarver. Just before we walked around the town square for dinner, it started raining. Not just a really light rain which we have experienced here in the southwest, but a fairly steady drizzle.

Well, as we ate Mexican (again...it is Ellen's favorite), it was SNOWING up in the Sandia Mountains where our Excel happens to be parked at Hidden Valley RV Resort. SNOW!!! As we drove up to the RV, the snow seemed to increase.

At first this didn't seem like the best thing, and we jokingly blamed Don and Connie, because we are here on their invitation. After a short while, the beauty of the snow on the Mountains and trees was pretty much breathtaking. We had not really seen snow up close since we flew to the Midwest for Christmas on early December.

We snuggled into our nice tight, insulated fifth wheel, and cranked up the furnace....and just knew life is good.

A day of Ruins

Yesterday we took an awesome trip to ancient Sinaguan ruins, starting at Walnut Canyon National Monument, just some 15 miles southeast of Flagstaff. The canyon was eerily and beautifully quiet, with just a haunting wind whistling through the junipers.

From the viewpoints at the visitor's center and the rim walk, we could see many remains of structures built into the overhangs of the canyon walls. The Island Trail which circles an "island" of rock in the middle of the canyon was closed due to a rockslide where a boulder about 10+ feet in diameter landed on the trail, squashing a railing and a viewing bench. The quiet and the winds whooshing through the canyon provided a humbling, spiritual experience, knowing that peoples eked out a life hundreds of years ago...making the most of the difficult environment.

We hooked back to the east side of Flagstaff and drove on to the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument where we saw lava flows, red fissure areas on mountainsides, and the Sunset Crater Volcano which erupted almost 1000 years ago. There were miles and miles of landforms coated with black volcanic cinders.

We continued our trip on to Wupatki National Monument, which had an astounding ruin on some large rock formations in a small canyon. There once was about 100 rooms in this structure. The National Park Service had a very informative guide handout which had 20 'stops' along the pathway, to decribe the various rooms' uses and building techniques. It also sadly told of the intrusion of excavating sacred areas and pothunters looting. This ruin was astounding in its presentation and information.

We also walked on and around Wukoki Ruins, a three story structure on a tall, huge rock a couple of miles east of Wupatki. It is believed the Sinaguans who built and inhabited these two ruin sites migrated to Walnut Canyon following the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano. We were just amazed how these early societies survived and actually flourished for hundreds of years.....

thought for the day....The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. (Einstein)