Family RVing, Doggers, and Quilting

Start with some RVing stuff.... our family is on the road, and we hope to be soon too!

Steve's dad Pa Pfundtner is out and about on his extended vacation in his motorhome.  He and his doggy co-pilot, Nicky, have been exploring the warmer southern states for a few weeks.

He called from Kentucky last night and is going to hole up for a few days at a KOA there and watch the weather.  Looking for a good hole in the passing snow storms to sneak his way up into Illinois.  The problem is that in mid-winter, he now will be running out of campgrounds to overnight in.  There aren't any campgrounds open in the northern states to allow us northern travelers to get back home again.  The motorhome he just bought is not really set up for boondocking overnight without electrical hookups.  Otherwise he wears his batteries down too low with the furnaces running....   or he would have to run the generator all night to keep warm.

So I told him about a place we saw about 30 miles north of Bloomington, Illinois that is a Phillps 66 gas station at the exit for Menona at Hwy 17.  The station has 6 or 8 RV campsites open year round.   Nothing much in the way of beauty, they are in the parking lot next to the Burger King.   They are pull-through sites with 50 amp electric, water, even cable tv and sewer dumps.   So he will head there as soon as the weather opens up, hole up there for the night, and make the last dash into central Wisconsin to HOME.

Steve's brother Mark and wife Shirley just took off from Central Wisconsin pulling their travel trailer.  They are headed to California for a month, but took off as fast south as they could quickly to avoid the storms.  They made it safely to Mississippi and now can turn right and go to California.  Hope the winter temps avoid them around Texas and they can get to sunny California to enjoy some time away from this awful Wisconsin Winter.

We hope to get outta Dodge here mid month, about the 15th or so if the weather cooperates.  It was sunny on Sunday so we went out in the rig parked in the frozen snowy backyard.  With the sunshine coming in the windows helps to warm the interior, we kicked on the furnace for a bit and warmed it up to a comfortable level.

I had my clipboard, making lists and notes of things to be sure to pack, take along, or pick up at the store.  Had to double check what items are still in the rig and what items we might have pilfered and took into the house some time between November and February.

Both dogs came along to hang out... and Duke kept checking the treat drawer, hoping some would miraculously appear.  We don't keep any perishables in the rig to attract mice, so he was out of luck.  Finney is getting used to the rig, but didn't like the automatic steps that come out when we opened the door to go it.  That didn't set well with him, so we had to coax him and encourage him to go up the steps and get inside.  Once Duke bounded up the steps, little Finney followed, but hesitantly.

 Relaxing in the sunshine on the loveseat in the motorhome. 

Wonder what Finnegan is going to think of this house when it starts moving down the road???

We will bring along his doggy crate to ride in safely.  He travels well in the car and isn't motion sick, so that is good. 

Our first collie, Mustang, used to vomit and emit all his bowels and bladder each time we took him in the motorhome, even in his crate.  We finally got sedation meds from the vet to help him travel. He grew out of it or used to it,  after about 3 months worth of camping trips.  It wasn't any fun to have to clean up a big hairy dog in the shower and hose out his crate the moment we got to any campground.  Whew....  not to mention the stinky stressful ride..... 

When it was time to go back in the house, Duke dragged and lagged behind. 

He hates leaving the motorhome, and hates to come in the house when he has to leave it.

Soon soon soon old dogger, 

we will load up and head south! 

Speaking of vacation, I ordered some new vacation clothes! 

If you know me, you know I don't often buy anything new in the way of clothes, so I splurged and bought some fun stuff from http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/  Items purchased on this site are from "fair trade" companies which employ people at a fair wage.  The proceeds help to feed animals in rescue situations.  Each time you select something to purchase, you are told how many bowls of food your purchase helped to donate.  This was worth 96 bowls!  Plus their stuff is SO cool! 

The dogs are doing pretty good , and Duke is seemingly recovered from his stroke or seizure he suffered from last week. We will watch him close and hope he can enjoy one more vacation with us in the motorhome.  Finnegan needs to learn all the rules for being a "Good Campground Doggie" from Duke.   He will be a good mentor.

Finnegan is growing fast, but still thinks he should be a Lap Dog....

And here is a little video clip of how pesty a young pup can be to an old timer:

I worked on my quilt this week, and hope to get most of it done before the weekend sets in.  Then I can get the sewing machine and stuff off the diningroom table.  We have Chelsea and Clayton grandtots coming for the weekend while their mommy and daddy paint and install new flooring in their new cabin up north.  We will bring the grandtots up on Sunday and get a good gander (and some pics) of their new family getaway. 

I am adding some stitched leaves and vines along the dark borders of my quilt.... from what I learned last week at Pat Gaska's quilting class I took with Paula Stuplich (read last Wed post) 

On Monday, I ran up to Green Bay to help a gal with an 1898 Gearhart sock machine....  on the way I had driven past my old house and had to stop and take a pic.  I planted that pine tree on the right probably in 1986 or 87... it was about 5 feet high at the time.  WOWZER look at it now!

I am glad to say, we got the sock machine working just fine.  Turns out it was purchased years ago from a fellow weaver friend of mine, so we got it running just fine. I knew it would work again, just took a little futzing and putzing.   It has a happy cranking owner now who will soon be making warm wool socks too.

One other VERY exciting and disturbing bit of news was about our nephew, Christopher.   He and his wife and daughter live in Pennsylvania. On his way to work, some car ahead hydroplaned on the water, and a truck hit him, and then a semi truck stopped fast and hit that truck.  Christopher was able to stop behind the semi.  Whew..... but ... but.... another semi coming up behind Christoper was unable to stop in time!  He smashed into Chris's car, and mushed Chris up into and underneath the semi ahead!!!!  Like an accordian!!!

(I shake when I see these pics) 

TRUNK

And I am very happy to say, 

he hopped out of the window, 

ALIVE, 

and without a scratch!!!!!!