Cracker Barrel

We had to take the Trailer in for some 'hopefully' minor repairs...like the leak near the slide out when it rains,
here in FL that will be almost every day for the next 7 months if things go normally.
So after we drove it over & dropped it off we stopped next door at The Cracker Barrel for dinner.
I DO LOVE their rocking chairs all lined up out front, very inviting!

This is only my second EVER time eating there!
It wasn't bad either however my favorite part was shopping while we waited for our meal.
If I could only get paid to shop, my husband says I am a PRO at shopping, who else could find
2 books and a t-shirt that she had to have while at dinner? :-)

One is educational of course, the other is both educational and fun.
The t-shirt.......well that was purely a splurge.

The trip saga continued....
We got as far as Marietta, OH when we knew the Suburban would not make it another block
(it died 3 times in the last 1/2 mile) so we pulled into an Auto Zone & ran a check on the engine...
a few possibilities and parts later still didn't fix the problem
so the nice guy that worked their told us where the nearest Chevy Dealer was located
and a 'nicer' place to camp than the one where we were headed.

So we camped riverside in Reno OH, while the place wasn't 'high end'
it was clean and the other campers we saw were very nice.
I really hated to think what the other place would have been like.

Larry & Tyler took the Burb in first thing the next morning while Sahara & I cleaned the camper,
hand washed some items & hung them out to dry...the wind was picking up & I could only think of
THE WIZARD OF OZ... I was able to get a signal & checked mail and made a few calls to let folks know
what the situation was with the car.

The dealer brought the boys back after 3 hours to wait while they finished the repairs...it was the fuel pump,
which had been replaced a few years earlier...hmmm.
Sahara & I took the dogs down to the river...apparently just 1500 yrds from where George Washington camped.
We saw a river boat and Otis drank some of the water NOT a smart move Otis!

Then Larry took them both down to the boat ramp to crawl around at waters edge.




We finally hit the road around 4pm WEST VIRGINIA HERE WE COME!!

Wednesday started the long trip homeward

Packing to hit the road 4/23 8pm


Sahara being silly Thursday Morning after catching 40 winks in a gas station parking lot in Valdosta



Just outside Talladega Raceway Thursday afternoon




Tyler watching Monty Pythons Holy Grail on the laptop Thursday Night in Tennessee


We started out extra early on Wednesday as we knew how tough our leaving would be on Rachel...
She cried & cried, which made me cry.
Even though we started out by 7 or 8 we didn't leave the area until after 10am
We had to drop my BIL's trench coat at a SIL's house (his place was even farther out of the way) then we headed to our C.U.
where I reminded DH that they are closed on Wednesday except for the drive up lanes that maybe he should park & walk up to the drive up window.
Well of course that was somehow an insult to his ego and he pulled out & back around and into the 'taller drive up' area. Barely making it into the middle slot. Then when it was time to leave he looks in the mirrors & realizes he has 1/2 inch on either side of the 29 foot trailer and no real room if he gets it through to turn towards the one lane exit from the drive up.
Gee didn't we have a similar conversation about men not listening to women just a month or so ago?

So Tyler jumps out one side & I the other to try to 'guide' him, which of course isn't sufficient as our pointing in the direction he needs to maneuver he can't hear....well no kidding I am not going to yell in the drive up & draw more attention to the fact we are now STUCK.

So after a few little moves he completely UNHOOKS the camper turns the car & hitches back up then a few more little maneuvers we managed to squeak out. By now I am starting to have a meltdown...which of course he doesn't understand...hmm maybe all of the stress so far this year on top of the last week & then you yelling at us for not guiding you correctly out of the tight squeeze you got us into? Maybe that is it?!!!

We then hit the road to meet my BFF and give her a box of items we didn't bring on Sunday, of course we are in a large parking lot of a distributor and now blocking his trucks from loading up so we quickly get out of there and head through morning rush hour traffic in Chicago on the TORN UP Eden's Expressway.

After getting into Indiana I call my two friends to let them know we are on the way to meet them for lunch (hopefully) but guess what they aren't ready & they didn't figure out how to get one (who doesn't drive) to anywhere in between. So we were going to go to the ones house & back down to the others on our way through the state. Well that wouldn't do either so we picked a spot that had a bunch of cute shops to meet at the next day.

As we are heading to the town where we are to stay in the Wally world lot, because I was told none of the campgrounds were open this early in the year the car starts dying again.
GREAT because it is now starting to get hilly....very hilly.
We get to Berlin around 10:30 after numerous stops & almost not making it at all and find an open campground! WOO HOO

Arrived Safely

We made it home at 10:30 last night and unloaded some of the car & camper before collapsing on the bed and dozing off.
I had high hopes of a tub but I didn't even get the bedspread off. Today has been another whirlwind day & it is now quit for the moments so I thought I should jot a note to let you all know I have plenty of photos & days that need to be added to this misadventure. Although I have 2 orders and a group UFO (round robin for you quilters) to get organized by Wednesday so bare with me and I will do what I can when I can. In the meantime I am trying to get the laundry done & the house back in order.

Blessings 2 U Friend

Pray for us PLEASE!

We are supposed to be hitting the road in a few hours.....

Sunday morning before the Rays' /White Sox game we received a phone call from my Aunt in Utah that Grandma had just passed away.
I hadn't hear back from them since they moved her out there and apparently she refused to take her pain meds and stopped eating. Sunday morning at 4am she quit breathing after 95 1/2 years here on earth. The top five songs are all songs Grandma loved!

Grandma was like a mother to me, she encouraged my creativity, she taught me about gardening, how to make do with whatever you had and in general is responsible for all my good & stubborn traits. My sister & I would FIGHT to spend every weekend with her all year long. Summers we would spend weeks at her house and I think most of those times were the best of my life. She taught me to Polka.

The last few days I have been packing up our crew and making arrangements to head back to Waukegan for the funeral services on Friday & Saturday.
We (hubby, 2 of the kids & 4 dogs) will be driving up, the older two will be flying in to Milwaukee & Chicago on different days & we have to be there to pick them up.

We are packed & waiting to hear from the RV place if we were approved for financing on a small travel trailer we picked out last night at 6 pm, since we had no sleeping accommodations when we get there. Dropped the Suburban off so they could get it wired up should we be approved so we can't even pack the car the living room is filled with suitcases & clothes hanging from chairs. Even the dogs suitcase is packed with their food, bowls, emergency meds, leashes etc.

Will hopefully hit the road by noon since we have to be in Milwaukee by midnight tomorrow.

Hug your loved ones & let them know you love them!
95 1/2 years still wasn't long enough for me to really let Grandma Schlegel know just how much she meant even though I told her often.