The last few days have been really HOT! We haven't reached 100 degrees yet but the thermometer but it looks like we'll get close this week. Thank goodness for air conditioning.
Last Monday a 100 year old tree fell down on some power lines at the end of our road. We were without power for a few hours. Had a nice strong breeze and almost everyone survived with no problems.
Have a few more new workers started this past couple of weeks. Larry - his wife Donna doesn't work - is another one of our maintenance people. They'll be here for about 6 weeks. They're from Indiana and he drives school bus. So will be returning in August. They also hired a neighbor girl, Samantha, 16 years old to make pizzas at night. She works a couple of nights a week. She's earning money to go to Disney World next summer.
We're not sure how long one of the work camper couples will last. They said they would be here until November but. . . . Let's just say they're not Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee but he likes to stand around and look at people while they work. He hates being alone even though they have 2 dogs and live in a 20 foot travel trailer. That's right - they full-time in this camper. When Jinnie is up working (making pizzas), Howard will find some excuse to come up and stand around. Some days it quite comical. Not sure Scott & Diane find it comical, though.
We've been invited to dinner at the bosses on Wednesday. That's Scott & Diane's house. Not sure why or if there's an ulterior motive but guess we'll find out on Wednesday. They've been really nice to us lately. I mean really nice. And we've already agreed to come back for the fall and winter months.
Looking forward to some time off come August. Hoping to catch up with family and friends when we head north. We'll probably be staying at the KOA in Adel but trying to get in to a different campground near Altoona. Not sure if we'll be able to stay since she doesn't like State Fair people. Have some friends staying there for a few months and they're trying to get us a spot.
There have been some very interesting people staying here this past week. Sometimes you just wonder how they manage to get along in this world. Have had a couple of first time camper users. We can definitely relate. It's been fun helping them. Actually makes me feel like I know something.
We like the people working here - just find a few more interesting then others.
Just realized we haven't taken any pictures since Memorial Weekend so maybe we'll take some this week. Thought about a little outing on Thursday - but weather channel says 100 degrees. Might be a good day to stay inside and watch others work. We have Wednesdays and Thursdays off.
Until next time or I have something exciting to share.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Springfield Cardinals Baseball Game
On Wednesday, May 30th, Scott & Diane took all employees to the Springfield Cardinals game. We closed the office early at 6pm. All but one employee attended (with families). Sharon did NOT wear anything Cubs. Nope. No hat. No Shirt. However, she didn't wear red either. The team won the game and a few HRs were hit. We sat in a section known as the Red Roost. With your ticket comes a buffet of ball type foods plus soft drinks. You could eat/drink as much as you wanted with your ticket. The hot buffet had hot dogs, brats, nachos, chips, deep fried mushrooms. At another location was a salad bar. You could also have all the popcorn you wanted.
Here's a few pictures.
A picture of Scott & Diane. And yes, they bought peanuts for everyone.
Howard & Jinnie (look closely you can see Scott in the background)
Kathy & Keith. Now, Kathy is our "crazy" person. She kept jumping up and down. When you stand up the seat folds up. I'm surprised she could walk out of there. She must have fell a 1/2 dozen times. She was sure to have a bruise on her butt.
So far it's been a fairly nice summer. Definitely getting hotter. The truck needs fuel filter so will be going to Republic on Thursday.
Here's a few pictures.
A picture of Scott & Diane. And yes, they bought peanuts for everyone.
Howard & Jinnie (look closely you can see Scott in the background)
Kathy & Keith. Now, Kathy is our "crazy" person. She kept jumping up and down. When you stand up the seat folds up. I'm surprised she could walk out of there. She must have fell a 1/2 dozen times. She was sure to have a bruise on her butt.
So far it's been a fairly nice summer. Definitely getting hotter. The truck needs fuel filter so will be going to Republic on Thursday.
Friday, May 11, 2012
May 1
It's been awhile since I've posted, I know. What can I say? Maybe we've been very busy? How about slow internet connection? How about just being lazy to sit at the computer and figure out what to say.
The campground is looking really good these days. The maintenance guys plus the outsourced mowers are keeping the grass mowed and trees & shrubs trimmed. Diane (owner) planted pots of flowers in the front. The irises are almost done. The dogwoods are finished.
We planted some flowers in pots and they're looking really good. One of these days we should take some pictures.
On Sunday, April 29 Donna & Arlyn came for a brief visit. They stayed in one of the deluxe cabins on the campground and left early Thursday morning. Found a picture of the cabin from last fall.
On Monday it was raining so we went to Bass Pro Shop and then Fantastic Caverns. We had lunch at Hemingways (Bass Pro)- great buffet. Then we went to the caverns. It's a tram ride through the cavern. Very amazing. Just a few pics, I won't post all 140 of them :).
This last picture was the original opening to the cave. Sure liked the opening they use now, better.
Took in a couple of shows. First was Six. The group is composed of 6 brothers. It's all vocal - no instruments. They make the sounds of the instruments using their voices - even the percussion. We realized that we had seen this group several years ago at the Iowa State Fair - Sharon talked with one of the wives and she remembered the fair. O.K. so at least she said she did.
We then saw the Baldnobbers. Second & Third generation of the first show in Branson. The music wasn't hillbilly but mostly Country - played a lot of Alabama & Garth and the comedy was of the silly stupid kind. Loved the show. I laughed so hard I used 3 kleenexes that night.
We then saw the theater production of Joseph. Enjoyed it very much. Sharon who doesn't like musicals said it was o.k.
We had a great time and had a nice visit with Donna & Arlyn.
This last picture was the original opening to the cave. Sure liked the opening they use now, better.
Took in a couple of shows. First was Six. The group is composed of 6 brothers. It's all vocal - no instruments. They make the sounds of the instruments using their voices - even the percussion. We realized that we had seen this group several years ago at the Iowa State Fair - Sharon talked with one of the wives and she remembered the fair. O.K. so at least she said she did.
We then saw the Baldnobbers. Second & Third generation of the first show in Branson. The music wasn't hillbilly but mostly Country - played a lot of Alabama & Garth and the comedy was of the silly stupid kind. Loved the show. I laughed so hard I used 3 kleenexes that night.
We then saw the theater production of Joseph. Enjoyed it very much. Sharon who doesn't like musicals said it was o.k.
We had a great time and had a nice visit with Donna & Arlyn.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Last Full Day in Mississippi
On Sunday, David & Patricia took us out for dinner in Biloxi. We drove down along the coast from Bay St. Louis. Couldn't believe the roadways. They were full of sand from the storm of a couple of days before. Reminded us of snow drifts.
We stopped at this one restaurant but over an hour wait - too hungry - so we drove on and found a new restaurant to try. The food was fine but the service was very very slow. Doubt very much if David & Patricia go back there again.
Did see a nice sunset.
We had a very nice time in Mississippi. Looking forward to going back. Maybe David will have his boat by then.
We stopped at this one restaurant but over an hour wait - too hungry - so we drove on and found a new restaurant to try. The food was fine but the service was very very slow. Doubt very much if David & Patricia go back there again.
Did see a nice sunset.
We had a very nice time in Mississippi. Looking forward to going back. Maybe David will have his boat by then.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Sharon and the alligator
We're heading back from New Orleans along the gulf coast. You can still see some leftovers from Hurricane Katrina. Some houses were left abandoned. Some piers partially demolished. And then, you come across those places that were rebuilt. David & Patricia were telling us that when they first arrived here about a year ago there were even airplanes scattered here and there due to the hurricane. And, guess what happened next:
A couple of pictures along the highway
We stopped at a roadside inn for a quick drink. The server told us that there were a couple of alligators out in the bayou near the inn. A baby and the mother. The baby loves to eat marshmallows. They hadn't seen the mother for a few days. We didn't have any marshmallows but Sharon went out along the waterway and started calling for the alligator. Can't you just hear her: "here alligator; here alligator; come alligator"
Overall, this was a very nice and beautiful day. Had a great time seeing more of the area. Kind of sad in a way that there still is so much damage from 5 years ago, though.
A couple of pictures along the highway
We stopped at a roadside inn for a quick drink. The server told us that there were a couple of alligators out in the bayou near the inn. A baby and the mother. The baby loves to eat marshmallows. They hadn't seen the mother for a few days. We didn't have any marshmallows but Sharon went out along the waterway and started calling for the alligator. Can't you just hear her: "here alligator; here alligator; come alligator"
Overall, this was a very nice and beautiful day. Had a great time seeing more of the area. Kind of sad in a way that there still is so much damage from 5 years ago, though.
Monday, April 2, 2012
New Orleans
Tuesday, March 20th.
At first we weren't going on Tuesday - the winds were kind of strong. However, after looking at the forecast for Wednesday & Thursday decided to go.
Going across the bridge into New Orleans.
Skyline
Through the car window driving on a downtown street. Good thing the streets are all one way.
Had lunch at the Charter House Cafe. Sharon had a cajun crawfish platter and I had the Taste of New Orleans
Sharon's dinner. She had crawfish etouffe, crawfish cake, and fried crawfish.
My dinner: jumbalaya, gumbo, and beans & rice.
We then walked to Jackson Square.
At Jackson Square we took a carriage ride around the quarter. If you look closely at the above picture, our white carriage is in it. Some pictures from our ride. As you can see from some of the beads hanging from trees, shrubs, etc., they don't remove them after Mardi Gras.
After our carriage ride, a trip to New Orleans wouldn't be complete without stopping at Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. I loved the beignets - however, the cafe au lait was a little weak. We were told it was very strong coffee with some steamed milk in it. Guess we thought it needed more of the coffee.
After our donuts and coffee we walked up to the Mississippi Lookout. It started raining on us at the top but didn't last very long.
Did a little shopping around Jackson Square and then headed for home. David drove us through the Ninth Ward so we could see what it looked like today. Couldn't resist taking a picture of this one pump gas station. It was open.
For the ride back to Kiln he took us along the gulf highway. More later. Hoping that our internet connection stays strong.
At first we weren't going on Tuesday - the winds were kind of strong. However, after looking at the forecast for Wednesday & Thursday decided to go.
Going across the bridge into New Orleans.
Skyline
Through the car window driving on a downtown street. Good thing the streets are all one way.
Had lunch at the Charter House Cafe. Sharon had a cajun crawfish platter and I had the Taste of New Orleans
Sharon's dinner. She had crawfish etouffe, crawfish cake, and fried crawfish.
My dinner: jumbalaya, gumbo, and beans & rice.
We then walked to Jackson Square.
At Jackson Square we took a carriage ride around the quarter. If you look closely at the above picture, our white carriage is in it. Some pictures from our ride. As you can see from some of the beads hanging from trees, shrubs, etc., they don't remove them after Mardi Gras.
After our carriage ride, a trip to New Orleans wouldn't be complete without stopping at Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. I loved the beignets - however, the cafe au lait was a little weak. We were told it was very strong coffee with some steamed milk in it. Guess we thought it needed more of the coffee.
After our donuts and coffee we walked up to the Mississippi Lookout. It started raining on us at the top but didn't last very long.
Did a little shopping around Jackson Square and then headed for home. David drove us through the Ninth Ward so we could see what it looked like today. Couldn't resist taking a picture of this one pump gas station. It was open.
For the ride back to Kiln he took us along the gulf highway. More later. Hoping that our internet connection stays strong.
Mississippi
Well, we're back in Springfield, MO. Have a lot better internet connection so I'll try and get caught up over the past few weeks.
On Friday, March 16th met some friends (Buddy & Maria) in Bay St. Louis for lunch. We ate at a restaurant that just reopened due to hurricane Katrina. Bay St. Louis didn't receive any federal funding for the 2007 hurricane damage so it's taking them a little while to rebuild. Most of the menu was seafood. I had eggplant parmesan; Sharon had the grilled red snapper. I tried a bite - not too bad.
Sharon celebrated her birthday on the 17th by watching every single basketball game. Yep, she did. She also had corned beef and cabbage for lunch. Notice, I said Sharon had that. If memory serves me correctly, my cheeseburger tasted very good.
On Tuesday, we went to New Orleans. I'll do a separate post for that trip. On Wednesday, we went to the grocery store and fueled up the truck. We heard a storm was heading our way on Thursday & Friday - so decided to go earlier in the week. Coming back from the store - we took a little detour and visited one of the parks close by. A few pictures from the area. We saw some irises growing in water along the roadway and some white flowers growing on these vines climbing trees and bushes. The cypress trees were very impressive.
Almost forgot to mention the storm that arrived on Wednesday night. The rains were unbelievable. David emptied his rain gauge twice by Friday morning - had more than 10 1/2 inches of rain. There was flooding in some of the housing developments a couple of miles to the south of them. Of course, those homes were on the waterways. We definitely understood why the homes in the area are built on "stilts". By the time we got out on the weekend the water had gone down drastically.
Sunday, before we left, Patricia and David took us to Biloxi. I'll do a separate post for that also. The pictures of the sand across the road is amazing.
On Friday, March 16th met some friends (Buddy & Maria) in Bay St. Louis for lunch. We ate at a restaurant that just reopened due to hurricane Katrina. Bay St. Louis didn't receive any federal funding for the 2007 hurricane damage so it's taking them a little while to rebuild. Most of the menu was seafood. I had eggplant parmesan; Sharon had the grilled red snapper. I tried a bite - not too bad.
Sharon celebrated her birthday on the 17th by watching every single basketball game. Yep, she did. She also had corned beef and cabbage for lunch. Notice, I said Sharon had that. If memory serves me correctly, my cheeseburger tasted very good.
On Tuesday, we went to New Orleans. I'll do a separate post for that trip. On Wednesday, we went to the grocery store and fueled up the truck. We heard a storm was heading our way on Thursday & Friday - so decided to go earlier in the week. Coming back from the store - we took a little detour and visited one of the parks close by. A few pictures from the area. We saw some irises growing in water along the roadway and some white flowers growing on these vines climbing trees and bushes. The cypress trees were very impressive.
Almost forgot to mention the storm that arrived on Wednesday night. The rains were unbelievable. David emptied his rain gauge twice by Friday morning - had more than 10 1/2 inches of rain. There was flooding in some of the housing developments a couple of miles to the south of them. Of course, those homes were on the waterways. We definitely understood why the homes in the area are built on "stilts". By the time we got out on the weekend the water had gone down drastically.
Sunday, before we left, Patricia and David took us to Biloxi. I'll do a separate post for that also. The pictures of the sand across the road is amazing.
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