Busy Week of Visits!

I know I haven't posted a blog all week... but I have a good excuse!

On Sunday, Steve's dad, Paul Pfundtner was able to come over and spend a few days with us!  We had found him a site next to us, and he came over in his Newell motorhome.    http://www.newellcoach.com/   He just got it a few months ago and has all the "bugs" worked out that come with owning a new rig.  This visit with him was so enjoyable for him because everything was operating properly.  It looks so pretty nestled into it's campsite among the green trees and woodsey shrubbery.

They got all backed in and set up in his site.... his companion Nikki the dog was along, and we helped with walks and potty breaks to keep him entertained.   He moves so fast it's hard to get a shot of him.

Nikki is ten years old,

but acts like a puppy 

and can be very sassy at times... 

He keeps us on our toes! 

Sunday evening was a treat out by Pa Pfundtner, to the High Cliff Country Club for a dinner on the town!  What a nice evening!   We had a cute little waitress who took this pic of us.... how great was that?  Our dinners were wonderful, and so much on our plates that our leftovers took care of lunch for the next day. 

Oh, I forgot to mention that Steve ended up working the full day Sunday to make up for an employee's family emergency.  That turned out to be a good thing, because since the State of Wisconsin doesn't like paying overtime, instead he was able to take some time off during the first part of the week while his dad was visiting!

Some serious cribbage playing was done, with many cheating moves by Steve to be able to get one up on his wiley old father.  (I think Paul let him win to feel good, like a father should)  

The weather turned pretty hot and muggy by Monday, and we were happy to have the upgraded 50 amp service in the park.  No throwing breakers and overheating wires with the new system in place since last fall --- Steve had overseen the electrical upgrade taking place as one of his first "big projects" in the park after being hired here.  And we sure appreciate it on days like this! 

I took Pa Pfundtner on an extensive tour of the park and showed him all the fun stuff we get to do as volunteers.  He signed up as a park volunteer too to help out with the park, and we made him do the hosting duties at the campsite while I was out cleaning firepits.  He handled all the folks coming to the host site to ask questions and get directions.  Customer Service is his specialty~! LOL

He had a chance to meet Steve's co-workers, bosses and staff... plus explore Steve's big (and well-organized) workshop and equipment areas.  I think he got a good earful of praise about his fine son and the good work he has done.  I saw him beaming with pride.  awwwwwww

A few weeks ago, Steve, his brother Pete and their dad Paul had all gone out on a charter fishing boat into Lake Michigan.  They got one humongous salmon and froze the filets till we had a time to all get together.   Pete came out on Monday with the slab of salmon and all the fixins....

Under Pa Pfundtner's careful tutelage,  brothers Pete and Steve carefully prepared the fire, the grid to cook on (made by Steve) and the slab of fish.  Layers of tomatoes and onions were placed on top and a basting mix of garlic, butter and lemon was prepared.  

The sons carefully covered the fish with tin foil so it could "bake" over the hardwood coals...  with Pa Pfundtner supervising the entire process.   I was only to take care of steaming sweet corn, and baby red potatoes and setting the table.   It was a "MAN'S COOKING DAY"  for sure -----

Ohhhh the smells coming from that campfire I am sure had the entire campground drooling!  The dogs were drooling too.  LOL   We dug in and the whole crew was SILENT.....  because they were busy eating!

 All I can say is MMMMM MMMMM GOOD!   

After all their bellies were full up to the top, Steve cleared away the dishes and cleaned up for me!   Then the guys got very serious.... it was time for some more cribbage.  These guys really had a good game going, and played well into the evening.  It was so much fun to see them all laughing and teasing each other.  It was good to sit back and observe them fall into their natural roles of father and son and brother.   What a great evening for memories to be made.

See, last December, we lost the matriarch to the Pfundtner family, Steve's mom, Maryann.  It has only been 8 short months, but the pain is just as strong and the memories were flowing.  Stories were told and a few tears were shed.  I am sure she was smiling down at her silly sons and the good time they were having with her loving husband.  We miss her.

On Tuesday, our friends Sharon and Fred rolled in, and backed into their site right across from us in their nice Tiffen motorhome!  We teased the park staff that we are sprucing up the place by inviting all these folks with big fancy motorhomes to come in----  but sssshhhhhhh  just don't mention that our motorhome is 16 years old...  it thinks that it is newer too and we don't want to hurt it's feelings.

Sharon and Fred tow a little Ford Focus behind their rig, and are planning a winter down in Arizona.  They have had a few family issues the last few years keeping them in cold and frozen Wisconsin.  This will be a good winter for them to get away.

We enjoyed a nice visit with them and their yellow lab, Brandie.  Steve gave them a campground tour after our coffee clutches and gab fests.  We have camped together many times and fall into a good routine.  They were our best buddies to take us out west with them after our son passed, and they helped us grieve and listen and support us in those awful weeks after we lost Mike. HUGS to such wonderful folks----

The weather had turned quite hot and humid, so we mostly sat around, 

shooting the breeze, or escaping into our motorhomes for the air conditioning.

I went out earlier in the mornings to get my camphosting duties done, cleaning firepits and running the loads of ashes back to the big dumpster at the shop.  Most of the park was empty, so I got a lot of sites ready for the upcoming weekend.

We shared meals and pitched in some goodies.  One night I made up a pan of lasagna and Sharon whipped up a salad...   another evening after tenderloin steaks on the grill, Pa Pfundtner treated us all to ice cream at the Chubby Seagull!    http://www.chubbyseagull.com/ 

All too soon, Paul had to pack up and head back home, and today, Sharon and Fred loaded up and took off too.   I set out on my cart and put in five straight hours of firepit and grill cleaning to catch up for all my goofing off.  Steve went back to his regular work hours.   And when he came home, we ran to Chilton to do a few loads of laundry and get some supplies.

There was a missing dog from a campsite that had the whole park on alert to look for it, as it was dragging a chain that was sure to be wrapped around a tree.  Yes, it was later located by some hikers, wrapped around a tree and hiding down in the woods.  Everyone rejoiced at the safe return of 9 month old Penny, a white colored Golden Retriever.

I think he and I both needed to relax and rest a bit......   

sitting back and watching the Packer Game tonight.

Now at halftime, the score is still 3-3 against the Seahawks... 

I know it's only pre-season, but a game is a game is a game to a Packer Fan! 

Guess what?  Sunday we have MORE friends stopping by!  Fellow Safari motorhome owner's Mel and Paula are coming from Wausau for a few days of gabbing, quilting, fiddling and fixing and just plain ole enjoying each other's company....  plus she is hauling me a new load of tenderloins from the little meat market in Wausau.  What a doll!

Chelsea's Excellent Adventure - Gushy Grandchild Camping Post

It was 2 year old Chelsea's turn to come and spend an overnight with Granmuddah and Granfaddah Pfun.   I went to pick her up on Tuesday morning, right from her daycare center.   First I gave sleeping little Clayton a kiss on the head, and promised him that when he gets bigger, he can come camping too.   Then I went to Chelsea's play yard and came in unobserved.  I sat down and suddenly she spotted me!  RUSH to Granmuddah's arms, and off we went.  (the daycare knows me and was also informed by Erin that I would be taking her)

We had a 60 mile trek back to High Cliff State Park, but first we stopped at our other daughter Heather's apartment to visit a bit with Jameson and the kitties.  It was a nice break in the journey and gave us a chance for the use of the toilet, as Chelsea is pretty well potty trained and making the journey in her Big Girl Panties.    Then we headed on down to the Appleton area, and made a pit stop at Aldi's grocery store to stock up on provisions.  Ya know, the things little girls like such as bananas, raisins, and cookie baking supplies!

Once we got to our campsite, she helped me haul all the groceries in and put them all away.  Then we went looking for Granfaddah.  Ahhh there he was in a little white maintenance truck!   Check out the newest Maintenance Assistant at High Cliff State Park!

We didn't get to play on the big bulldozer and dump truck stuff, because the guys were all busy working with it during the day.  But we did manage to get over to the big big tower!  Chelsea climbed up all 64 steps, helping her Granfaddah count each and every one. 

We watched the sun set over the lake.. .and then... 

danged if that Tracker didn't go and turn into the ice cream place, The Chubby Seagull again!!!!

http://www.chubbyseagull.com/

Chelsea said she needed a PINK ice cream cone.  Sure enough, they had PINK! 

She was even willing to SHARE! 

Did you know they even make Doggie Sundaes??? Complete with a doggie bone on top, in a dish that is tongue-friendly for a lapping pooch who loves ice cream?

Outdoors they have this great tourist attraction of a big blue adirondack chair to pose in.  Who can resist?   Also, it's a great landmark to tell all of our family and friend visitors to the park to turn left at the Big Blue Chair!

Throughout her stay with us, little Chelsea worked so hard to pick up trash and litter, (and walnuts and acorns and hickory nuts) that we bought her a High Cliff T Shirt of her very own.  Well, it's a bit on the big side, so she wore it as a sleep shirt after her bath! 

She cuddled in the bed this morning with Granmuddah after Granfaddah had to leave early for work.  We spent a nice morning walking dogs, picking up litter, reading stories and playing at the park.  Then it was time to get a little baking done.  I think more chocolate chips went in her mouth than in the cookies! 

We managed to save one plate full of cookies to use for dessert when her mommy and little brother came to get her.   Oh, and Granfaddah snitched one or two after he was done with work too.

Erin came down to get Chelsea, and we had a nice taco dinner ready, while I got to cuddle Clayton for a bit.  When both he and Mason are older, they can come for an overnight too.  But for now, at 5 months old, they won't know they are being skipped in the rotation. Next Monday, it's granddaughter Allegra's turn to come to spend a night with us. 

After a long hard day of grandchild entertainment, 

we are now setting back with a glass of wine, 

each of us on our laptops, 

sitting around a dying campfire.

I think it's time for bed.....

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A quiet Sunday in High Cliff State Park

Things are getting more and more relaxed in our lives, and we are getting this RV Full Time Living thing down pat.  Sunday morning was spent "sleeping in" and later we had coffee and some delicious Apple Streusel Muffins (from a Betty Crocker mix)  for breakfast.

We laid around the for the morning, and only ventured out to take the dogs for a short walk around the park, watching all the weekend warriors loading up and heading out.  Back to their every day lives, leaving behind their weekend fun get-away time.  That used to be US too!   And now we can enjoy staying put and not having to rush back many miles to a sticks-n-bricks home.  We get to stay!

About noon, Steve was getting antsy to do something, so I tossed a batch of chili in the crock pot and we took off for a ride.  We loaded up the dogs in the back of the Tracker so they could get out and about too.   We drove through Calumet County Park, about 5 or 6 miles down the road, along the same shoreline as High Cliff State Park.  We thought we might like to spend a bit of time there too, and scoped out the sites.  

http://www.co.calumet.wi.us/departments2.iml

From there we headed back around through Sherwood, and back towards our park.  Right before the entrance to the park, for some strange reason, the Tracker just steers itself into the parking lot at The Chubby Seagull ....

http://www.chubbyseagull.com/

We just had to stop for waffle cones, dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles.   Steve had mint chocolate chip hand dipped ice cream on the left (THAT is a single scoop!) and I asked for a very small scoop in the cone on the right of Mackinaw Island Fudge ice cream in my cone.  This sweet gal, Autumn, posed for us holding our delightful treats.  I told her I was putting her in my blog!

After we stuffed ourselves silly with our big cones, we drove back to the campsite and got settled in for the Packer Game at 3:15.  Steve dozed off a bit before the game started, while I had out my sock-knitting machine in the background and was cranking away on socks for my Etsy store.  Also I have my laptop open setting on the rotated driver's seat so I can keep up with all my internet buddies while I am cranking!

It was a bad game, the Packers lost, but we love them any way!

As you can see, the dogs are not too interested in football.

During half time, the chili was done!

This was a special pot of chili, because it's using up one of the last quart jars of my home-canned tomatoes from last year.  I have the last few quart jars of tomatoes, pickled beets and jam stashed away in our rig.  Using them up sparingly and appreciating the flavor and taste of the hard efforts of canning them.  My daughter Erin has all my canning gear, so we can still do some together.  Not sure about doing any this year,  but maybe next year.

Tomorrow I am running up to Oconto to pick up little Chelsea.  It's her turn to come for a sleepover in our motorhome at the park tomorrow night.  So I am sure to have a pile of pics of her Great Adventure with Granmuddah and Granfaddah Pfun!



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Doc gave O.K. and we are back to High Cliff State Park

A relaxing morning of hot coffee and sweet cinnamon rolls with our friends... it was a great way to start a great day!   Then the guys had a few more tasks to do, and I had to reset a few of the sensors on our Hopkins Tire Pressure Monitor.  I swapped a few from the Tracker to the motorhome, just to be sure we had sensor coverage on our steer tires.

Last week, I had called the NVision Hopkins company about the bulging sensor that let the air outta the tire last week.   The person I spoke to was very helpful and offered to not only replace the sensor, but to replace ALL ten of my sensors, along with the main control module too!  Seems they have a newer system and better sensors with better batteries.  Hmmmmm  So he said he would put them all in a box and shipp them to me in care of Steve's work address.  I will let you know how the new system works as soon as I get it set up!   And to make it even nicer, he said he will ship them out right away, and include a pre-paid shipping label to return my set to him AFTER I receive the new ones!   Amazing!  Now THAT is Customer Service! http://www.nvisionsafety.com/tire_safety/

Speaking of tires.... Mel hauled out his "wreath" to show us what happens to a toad tire on his Saturn when pulled behind his motorhome.  They had a flat and this is ALL that was left of their tire!!!!  So this creative couple made a wreath outta it to hang in the campgrounds during the holidays.

The guys were waiting for the dew and dampness to dry off Mel's motorhome roof to add one last coat of the elastomeric paint with the leftovers in the bucket.  But the danged humid weather would not cooperate.  Instead we made ourselves "road-worthy" to head on out.  Then we got all teary eyed and huggy.  Geesh, we are gonna see these friends in probably a few days over at High Cliff for a visit, but we were all weepy anyhow.  We kinda went through "stuff" together the last 10 days and it was hard to leave! 

We finally left Paula and Mel's with big blasts of the air horns (sorry neighbors)  and some toots from the little Tracker horn.   I followed behind Steve as we drove over to nearby King's Campers to refuel our propane tank.  Our motorhome has a large built-in tank so it is necessary to drive up to a propane seller to get it filled.  Our tanks holds 50 gallons liquid propane (LP) and it is only filled to 80% so that is 40 gallons.  Well, our tank took 31.5 gallons, so I guess we were getting pretty low.  King's Campers was only $2.95 a gallon... whereas Van Boxtel RV in Green Bay was at $4.00 a gallon.  It was worth filling up where we did, and saved us over $30 bucks!   http://www.kingscampers.com

At 2 p.m. we had an appointment with Steve's surgeon in Green Bay to take out his remaining stitches and give him the okay to get back to work.  Well, I say "remaining" because Steve had been snipping and pulling out some of the most irritating stitches on his own!   Honestly though, his incisions are healing well, no sign of redness or pulling or irritation.  Might as well, eh?  After a quick check of Steve's vitals, the nurse snipped off the remaining stitches and gave us the complimentary tweezers and the tiny scissors paid for by the comp insurance (the scissors will be great in my knitting stuff!)   and the doc came in.  He really liked the look of Steve's knee, and was very encouraging and positive all was well. He showed us photos of the surgery and examined the knee.  Then he signed the release paper to allow Steve to get back to work.   We really like this guy, his name is Dr. Eric Nelson, and if you need any orthopedic work done, we recommend him.   Dr. Eric Nelson

I like this line on his bio: 

I really do my best to be punctual and respect my patient's time. No one likes to sit and wait. I am always honest, and I work very hard to involve the patient in the decision making process. I don't like the passive "you're the doctor..." approach; my strong belief is "yes, but we are talking about you're health, life, and goals." 

After we left the doc office, we headed on down to High Cliff State Park.  It was only 30 miles to the park.  We stopped at the office and sure enough, the box with our Hopkins Tire Monitor and Sensors were there, just as Hopkins promised!   

Steve caught up with the boss for a bit, and then we headed to the dump station to empty our tanks from the 10 days at the Stuplich's.  We had reservations for our site number 57, so we headed on into the campground and are all set up and cozy in our "home" ...  our site is very nice and wide in the back yard area and wooded all around.  

After supper, we buzzed over to The Chubby Seagull near the entrance to the park.  This place is gonna be the downfall of us all!  http://www.chubbyseagull.com/     

They put chocolate dip on their waffle cones and then roll them in sprinkles!  Then they have 14 flavors of hand dipped ice cream (oooh Mackinaw Island Fudge)  or soft serve.   Also pizza, burgers and other treats. We are going to have to limit ourselves to ONE cone a week!   And we did take a nice long walk around the campground to wear it off.  LOL 

Tomorrow Steve goes back to work, and I have some fiber shipments to send out.  

Back to the old routine, but in a FUN setting of this park

and living in our motorhome! 

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