2023 A bit of a Family Reunion

 Tue. May 16, The target was Golden, CO for Mon night and the weather angel was again on my shoulder. We woke to cloudy grey skies but got the 15 minutes of dry I asked for to pack up and get on the road. We were only down the road 15 miles when the rain started. The grey skies and on and off rain were with us the first few hours.  Accommodations were sparse in the area around Denver and Golden so we made reservations for the Clear Creek RV Park and got the next to last space in the park. By the time we arrived they were booked solid. Small park in the heart of Golden, but REALLY nice with walking trails and a park nearby. Some of the sites are creek side.  Golden is the home of Coors, my beverage of choice, and the facility is massive. We arrived late enough I didn't think a tour would be worthwhile this trip, but I will come back and spend some time. Golden is a neat little town. Tue. morning we awoke very early and were on the road 45 minutes before the planned departu...

 Sun. May 14 We arrived in Jackson, MO just past noon on Fri. and met with Scott and Marlene at the Elks Lodge. We were able to drop the trailer and have it hooked to electric through our stay. We then followed them back to their house and spent the afternoon catching up, since it had been a while since we had seen each other. Marlene fixed dinner, chicken, pasta salad and apple pie. We had a great evening of conversation and laughter. Sat. we woke to coffee and coffee cake before heading into Cape Girardeau. We were too late for the farmer's market, but in time for the flea market along the wall that protects the city from the Mississippi River when it is full. When the river is high, approaching flood stage this is what the other side of the wall looks like. Without the wall the first few blocks of the city would be under water.  Back to the house for a nice evening and a shrimp creole dinner. The weatherman has been nice to us since we have been here and only dropped a few ...

 Thursday May 8, Monday the weatherman was less than friendly and decided to drizzle on us most of the day. The walkers got in their walk and we spent the day in the condo or on the balcony. Our nephew Brandon and his wife Joi came over and spent the afternoon with us. This is Joi and my sister Bunny. Brandon cooked for us and made Cajun shrimp etouffee, which was wonderful. Here is a group photo minus photographer Deb. Brandon is standing on the left and Joi is front right. Tue. was checkout day, so we all packed up and then met at Duck's Diner for a final breakfast before Bunny and Michael headed for Fl and we returned to Bob and Roz's house. Later, we made our first stop at a semi-fast food place, Culver's, for dinner and an ice cream. The evening was spent watching a movie. Wed. Bob went to work at the golf course, while Deb and I prepared for the Thursday departure. Repacked and reorganized for a visit to friends in Jackson, MO, before starting west. A quiet evening at...

Monday May 8, Fri. after morning showers, we spend most of the day lounging around the pool and lazy river. Later we will go to steak night at he American Legion for dinner and entertainment. They have music and dancing after dinner. The music was a wide variety, catering to a more senior crowd and pretty good. Good to see the folks doing the jitterbug and other older style dancing. Fun evening and good steak dinner with plenty of left overs. Sat. early we went to Mo's BBQ for a smoked cheeseburger for lunch - Really good flavor! Then we walked off the meal meandering the farmers market that is held next door to Mo's. Back at the condo we relaxed until dinner when we decided we needed to put a dent into the left overs we have brought back from the many restaurants. Dinner is served with scrambled eggs, steak and home fried potatoes. A quiet evening on the balcony finished yet another terrific day. Sun some of us started with biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Early afternoon Bra...

Fri May 5, The last few days have been fun. Tue. we went in separate directions for a bit. I got a propane tank filled and stopped at Walmart. The wives went places and Deb saw the quilt shop where Roslyn works. We met up for lunch at a BBQ restaurant. There are so many of those around! Lunch completed we went back to the house to plan for Wed as we will be moving down to the condo. Wed. is like moving day, as we will be spending the next week at a condo on the water. Packing takes place and then Bob and I go to his basketball practice while the wives drive down to Orange Beach. My brother is coaching a high school basketball team and now is running special training sessions with some of his players for next season. After the session we drove down and joined everyone at the condo. My nephew, sister and BIL in the kitchen and the view from our balcony. Since it was already past 5 when Bob and I got there is was time for a restaurant choice and dinner. Doc's Seafood was a short dista...

 Tue morning May 2. The last few days have been generally nice weather-wise and it has been fun to be with my brother. Saturday we went to a German Festival fund raiser. They had a good turn out in spite of the weather, which brought in a thunder storm. We got in line for the sausages and had about a 20 minute wait to get to the window. They were worth the wait. We went to the bake sale next, should have been first. The storm drove everyone inside and they all but bought out the bake sale. We did manage 4 cookies and some peanut clusters. A quiet afternoon followed - while the rain stopped, it was overcast and we were more comfortable inside watching the Mexican Open. Sunday we went for a buffet meal at Saraceno's. This is a tiny place with excellent food and numerus choices. The desserts were wonderful as well. After the meal we drove down by the pier in Mobile Bay and walked the open air market that was going on for small businesses. They only allowed people to display what the m...