Sold Our Saturn Vue - 8th Grade Recognition ceremony

For the last 3 years or so, we have been towing along this Saturn Vue behind our motorhomes. First it was towed behind our Safari. More recently we did tow it behind our littler Winnebago View.  We decided that we enjoyed the e-bikes and the little cargo trailer much more than just towing along our Saturn. It was time to let it go...

Since it was all set up and ready for towing, including the baseplate, extra wiring and the battery kill switch, we decided to sell it as a tow package. Along with it we sold the toolbar and safety chains and electric auxiliary braking system. 

I wrote up an ad and put it on Marketplace. Within 3 minutes, I kid you not, some friends of ours from Lower Michigan contacted us. They wanted it, SOLD! Yep, I sold it in 3 minutes!!!

They were already planning to come to Wisconsin for a concert down in Madison. So it just made sense for them to stop along the way, and hook up and take it right along with them. 

Incidentally, they have a Winnebago View just like ours!

It looked pretty cool to have two Winnebagos parked in our driveway! 

We had offered for them to stay overnight in our driveway. The term for that is called "moochdocking". It's when you offer your driveway to someone where they could plug in, top off their water, hook to our free Wi-Fi, and enjoy a visit. 

Our special honor guest was Miss Sophie! A beautiful Great Pyrenees who came to give our pups a little visit. She was extremely gentle, and granddaughter Claire took to her right away.

She is one big fluff bucket for sure. Great Pyrenees are known for their loyalty, and their dedication as a stock dog. Watching out for everything and making sure nothing harms their flock or herd.

Nicholas wasn't quite sure about playing with her. When she would bounce up and down and dodge to initiate play, he was a little perplexed.

We invited them to dinner on the grill. They brought us this very interesting type of pickle that is only available in the lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is made without vinegar and is a refrigerated type of pickle. They are very crunchy and have an extremely good taste.

We looked online and found out they are not available for shipping. You can only buy them in local stores down in Central Lower Michigan. So next time we go through, we are going to have to stock up!

The guys putzed around between both motorhomes, and Mark needed to top off his DEF fluid. In the meantime, Tracie and I were busy with hints and ideas and storage and modifications on the inside of our motorhomes.

Theirs is a 2016 G model just like ours. But ours has the upper bunk over the front and theirs has the large skylight window on the front. That's really the only difference. Everything else inside is about the same. It was kind of fun to go through each other's motorhomes...

The next morning, Mark finally got in the Saturn and drove it the full distance of our driveway out to the street! Now that is a trusting buyer. He didn't even take it for a test ride...lol! 

We got them all hooked up step by step. Tracie video filmed the entire process, so they could refer to it again and again until they become familiar with each step. Sometimes it can get rather complicated for towing, and the last thing you want to do is forget a step. Not only can it ruin your own equipment, but it could endanger the life of somebody behind you if things aren't hooked up properly.

IT'S A VIEW WITH A VUE!!

We said our goodbyes, and soon they were on their way headed towards Madison. I'm sure we will see them down the road somewhere and say hello again to our Saturn Vue.

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On Monday, we had the honor to attend our granddaughter Chelsea's 8th grade recognition for graduating. Next year she will be a freshman in high school. Where has the time gone?

We were very proud of her, as she was recognized for a number of special achievements, including citizenship and an essay on patriotism.  We were proud when she received her award. I was filming and taking pictures, so Grandpa and her parents had to clap double loud to make up for me.

One by one they got to walk across in front of the audience, receiving a certificate as well as a school T-shirt to keep as a memory of their time at Oconto Middle School.

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I will finish up this blog with a little bit of flowers around the yard. We wait all year for these beautiful yellow irises to pop up around our flagpole. Last year we barely had any, for some strange reason. But this year they were back in full force!

I love my little kissing Dutch boy and girl. We bought them when we lived down in Chilton and we were sure to take them up to Oconto when we moved. They are very heavy, made out of solid concrete. Every year I touch up their paint a little bit as needed.

I am pleased to see my clematis vines are coming back as well. They took a while to get started. The last two years I've left the old growth on the trellises. It seems it gives the new growth something to grab onto.

This one on the right side is already blooming this gorgeous burgundy red bloom!  They continue to bloom on and off throughout the entire summer until fall. I have a mixture of the burgundy ones and the white ones on both sides of the pergola.

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It is also the anniversary of a raid upon a horrible nightmare of a place in Midland, Michigan. This awful woman had entrapped 38 breeding shelties in a mobile home. She would only meet with people in public places to sell them puppies, citing that she was an elderly lady and was just being cautious. She didn't want to have people at her own property. She was hoarding them and they were in awful health. She didn't have any food left or running water. One of the neighbors reported her to the sheriff. The Michigan Sheltie Rescue, along a partnership with the Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue, took in the 38 decrepid diseased and awful conditioned dogs. Soon they became 72 dogs with all the new puppies that were born. It was horrible! They had volunteers around the clock as well as veterinarians and staff helping aid all of the deliveries. Many of the new puppies were born with health issues.  The mature dogs were in horrible shape.

Why do I say this? Because this is the 11th anniversary of when our darling little Binney was rescued!!

Here are the before and after photos....

Binney was heartworm positive, she was skin and bones, and her hair was falling out in clumps. Her genetics are awful, as well as her dental situation. She barely has any teeth left now at 11 years old. It took a long time to nurse her back to health. Not to mention overcoming all of the emotional damage that these dogs suffered from such a rough start in life.

Also, at that same time, our little Finnegan was born to a litter mate of Binney's, by the name of Daisy. We were fortunate to have Finnegan in our lives for 7 years. He passed away from multiple cancer tumors, as have so many of the other dogs that came out of this mess. 

I guess we have to enjoy each and every day that we can with our furry family friends.

As for now, 

we are on the road. 

Heading out camping 

somewhere up north.

 I will blog about it later...