Journal Entry #16 - Butler, Loudonville OH

Saturday  9/14/02

Day Sixteen

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 91338 / Ending mileage 91464

David didn’t sleep well last night due to possible digestive discomfort, but mostly it was the thunderstorm. That’s right, our first Ohio thunderstorm this trip! It was pretty good—moderate rain but lots of noise. We let the doggies in to sleep with us so they wouldn’t be scared. I’m pretty sure they slept through the whole thing…

I made an omelette for one, and we left the KOA @ 10:30. First stop: library. David worked on reserving moving trucks & trailers while I checked email. Found out Pav is doing great with Dad & Elsie, and that [omitted]. S sent a nice note for us to “stay in touch”.

Well, we drove and drove until 1:45pm. As we’ve noticed since arriving Ohio, the fields & fields of *sweet peas are turning a lovely golden hue. Besides the corn, it seems that *alfalfa is one of the other main crops. We haven’t seen any pumpkin patches thus far, which strikes us as a little odd.

Something we have seen a lot of is deer statuary. At least we thought they were decorative, until we noticed that they have a shoulder “target” (see photo). Seems they’re not entirely eye candy…

Another interesting observation by David is that some of the roads have intricate patching—on cracks, thousands of cracks, not the whole road or just potholes. Looks like A LOT of work.

Anyway, @ 1:45 we stopped back in L’ville to use the Library bathroom, and I walked down to “Simply Country”—the store which *Jerrilyn L [last names omitted from this section] owns. One of my earlier emails was from Classmates.com saying that the original 20-year high school reunion had been cancelled due to “lack of response”, but that a casual reunion would be held Oct. 5 at Jerrilynn’s house. So, I went to her store, but she was not there, although her sister Jeannie appeared to recognize me. I think it’s because Dad & Elsie had stopped into the store, and my maiden name had been spotted. 
Anyhoo, I talked to Jerrilynn on the phone and told her I was sorry not to be able to see her Oct 5. Turns out Lisa L, Marcy E and misc. others I know will be there. Lisa works in journalism in New York now! I wrote down Jerrilynn’s address so I can mail something out.

By 2:20pm we were back on the road, heading out on Rt 3 to scope out more areas around Loudonville. Although we love every road we go on, and driving is such a pleasure, it didn’t take much longer to realize that it only counts if something is for sale. So, we decided to call it a day and wait until Monday to have any further ideas re: our future home.

Arrived KOA @ 3:30. David bought a large bundle of firewood near the camp, but we didn’t end up using it because another thunderstorm moved through. Actually, we couldn’t hear thunder because the rain on the awning was so loud. We sat under cover for the watery barrage, then back to the comfort of the trailer. Oh yes, earlier we BBQ’d chicken for dinner.

Vince is sleeping between us on the couch as we watch ‘Forensic Files’ on TV. He is dreaming and his paws are doing double time. Also, he snores quite loudly. So cute! Tomorrow we’re headed to Cleveland, so we’ll just keep relaxing tonight.

*sweet peas: We were just guessing at crops, but I'm sure I wasn't actually thinking sweet peas when I wrote that down. Turns out I was referring to soy beans...

*alfalfa: Yeah, guessing again. Not sure now what the actual crop was. 

*Jerrilynn: high school classmate

End of Entry

Journal- Intermission

Random List - Pocket Buddies

Unrelated items I have found together in a pocket

Robe Pocket:
(2) Lids from 2-liter Coke products
(1) folded lottery ticket (not a winner, obviously)
(1) dog flea-med sticker
(1) large crumb (toast? I hope)

Jeans Pocket:
(1) scribbled note on torn envelope: "three doz"
(2) hairpins
(1) dog whistle

Journal Entry #15 - Butler, Mansfield, Mt Gilead, Loudonville OH

Friday  9/13/02

Day Fifteen

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 91157 / Ending mileage 91338

I managed to get up for dog duty this morning (5:22) which is good, because David’s been stuck with it too much. He never complains about it, but I’m trying to be a better morning person so I can contribute more.

After sleeping in a bit, we had cereal and reviewed our day. The plan: take the real estate mag to Lynne (on Trimble Rd) and show her our highlighted selections. We’ll just get addresses from her, then take off on a driving tour by ourselves to check out the properties before having her get us an appt to see the whole thing.

On our way at 10:20. Another beautiful, blue sky day which promises to throw a blanket on the cool evening we had. We’re both dressed in nice shorts & tops to give a decent impression.

Arrived at Lynne’s office @ 11:00  and left 15 min later with lots of addresses. Our first stop was a prospect for the [homeowners], then on towards Mt. Gilead. Ended up driving quite a bit and didn’t reach our target before stopping for lunch at 1:00pm [91221 mlg] I-71.

Now it’s 1:30; we’ve regrouped on the map, and heading towards our possible future. I called Leslie while I had a good phone signal—it’s so great to talk to her & know that soon we’ll be living in the same state. I hope she’ll understand that it's not that I don’t  want to live near her, it’s that we love this area so much, and feel a connection to it that might make it easier to find friends & a good occupation.

Okay, now it’s 5:15pm and we just stopped for a dog break and a snack (to tide us over until the pizza we’ve promised ourselves tonight) near Butler. We covered a lot of territory so far today, and got very excited over one place near Mt Gilead—14 acres and perfect, secluded setting. Sadly, the house was too small, and not feasible to update and enlarge without a tremendous amount of work and $. We studied it for quite some time before deciding not to pursue it. We learned from the experience that we would like to limit the age of tour house to 1950’s and newer.

Then back on the road, and we managed to narrow the day’s roamings down to 3 locations we’d like to view more closely with our agent. Took another drive-by of the house outside Loudonville, but we’ll have to wait for our Monday apt to have a more informed opinion.

Finally decided to stop for the day, so we stopped at the Pizza Hut on Rt 3 outside L’ville on the way to the KOA (medium combo to go). David ordered the pizza while I called Lynne with the 3 addresses.

The plan for tomorrow: more driving, to the places in the real estate magazine we didn’t get to today. Should result in a well-rounded appt schedule next week. Plan to visit Leslie & Dave B on Sunday.

We still kick around the idea of offering [homeowners] more $, especially now that we’ve seen what acreage with decent housing is going for. However, we’d like to have an alternate site in mind, so we can say: Look, we can give our money to them, or we can give it to you.” It’s still the primo location, and we know the house & property are workable.

I’m going to see if I can talk David into putting a few thoughts on paper.

(David Writing) Realized that the “old” houses in this area (1800’s) are too worn out for my liking. We’ll limit our search to newer houses. Some good prospects today & lots of driving though. Can’t decide if location or property features is of higher value. Dogs did great riding all day. Tina’s a good map reader & navigator. Now to rest up for another round tomorrow.

Pizza was good. I watched my soap (on tape) for awhile while David read. To bed @ 10pm.

End of Entry

Beaks and Cheeks II - Genders Confirmed

Final Answer?  Two Boys and A Girl

That's it in a nutshell. Instead of three daughters, Andre the Second is a proud father of two sons and one daughter. 

Flute has become more white than silver, but stays her pretty little girl self. Corky is sporting cheeks more orange with every passing day, and has decided to keep his versatile name. Sparkles, on the other hand, is also coloring up, and we've chosen to call him 'Brut'. 

Who stays and who gets to "travel abroad" is still under debate, but there's no hurry. Don't want to break up the family while they're still maturing.

 

Journal Update: Photos are being added

I found my 2002 photo backup CDs, so I am in the process of adding photos to the journal entries!

7-27-13  Okay, I've added a lot of photos to the journal entries up to #14, so look back if you want to see them.

Journal Entry #14 - Butler, Lucas, Loudonville OH

Thursday 9/12/02

Day Fourteen

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 91060 / Ending mileage 91157

David said he couldn’t get back to sleep after early a.m. dog duty, so he was up puttering around, making coffee & scanning the 3-4 TV channels. I slept in & didn’t mind it a bit when he brought me coffee in bed. But by 9:15 it was up-an-at ‘em for toast and straightening the trailer up.

The little ones don’t seem upset by Pav’s absence, but we’re pretty sure Vince is aware of the difference.

David found the 2 5-acre *Mohican lots on the map, and they’re near the KOA, so we’ll drive by before our 3:30 appt w. Lynne at the Lucas property. Since we didn’t plan to leave until 2 at the latest, we gathered up all the dirty towels & clothes and rode our bikes to the laundry room. Played pinball, and rode bikes around the campground and local roads while the machines did their thing.

Lunch of Tacquitos.

Took off @ 1:45, first stop Loudonville for David to get fuel and me to check email at the library. Oops, wrong. First stop was to find the Mohican vacant lots. They were fairly disappointing in their appearance and lack of trees. Then to fuel & library. Then, to Lucas to meet Lynne at the house. It was 14 miles and 20 minutes there. A series of disappointments in this prospect:

house not finished remodeling; structure unsound; bad acoustics; barn in total disrepair. Also, turns out the property does not include the land in front. Oh well. She gave us a new book to pick listings from. We drove around a little on the way home, looking for “for sale” signs. Started to get pretty hungry, so we headed back to the trailer. The dogs had been riding along on this trip, and some of the roads got a little bumpy. No complaints out of them, though!

Anyway, dinner of Hamburger Helper, and some time spent highlighting things in the real estate magazine. Around 7:00 we decided to drive by the house near Loudonville (we had a tentative date of Sat. to see the inside, but Cherie called us and changed it to Monday at 7:00pm, due to the current renter’s work schedule.) Had a couple deer cross the road in front of us.

Couldn’t get too close, but we still like the looks of the place, and still very interested to see the house and outbuildings.

Headed back to the trailer, poor David had the sun directly in his eyes while it was doing its last gasp above the horizon. Quite nice sunset colors at 7:45.

Not much else; trailer, talk, tv, bedtime. I feel so very tired.

Fuel: Loudonville, Oh / 350 mi / 24 gal / $35

*Mohican: Mohican State Park

My note on back page of journal:  Butler: “The core of Appleseed Country” (also, a speed trap per [omitted])

End of Entry

Journal Entry #13 - Butler, Loudonville, Millersburg, Shreve OH

Wednesday 9/11/02

Day Thirteen

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 91028 / Ending mileage 91060

Everyone was finally up by 8:30, which was a little late considering there are four of us getting ready to leave by 9:30. David & I slept a little better last night by each taking a different pull-out bed. I used the sleeping bag on the couch bed, and David was on the dinette. As usual, the dogs were wherever they wanted. It was our last night with Pav for awhile, so I enjoyed having him stretched out next to me (except when he poked his paw in my eye and later, his elbow in my gut).

Speaking of Pav, I’ve rarely seen him as frisky as when Dad had him out for a pre-trip potty and he came scampering back, prancing and perking up his ears, when Dad call him to their van.

The kennel fits nicely in the back of their Honda after the back seat was put down, and Pav doesn’t seem the least bit disconcerted when the hatch is lowered. Seems his usual placid self, and we know *he’ll enjoy his time with Dad & Elsie. They act pretty excited to be having a dog-for-rent, especially a greyhound.

After coffee, tea, etc. we got all our stuff rounded up and headed out the door. Dad & Elsie had gathered most of their things last night so it wasn’t a big deal this morning. I had stayed up late & cut out property ‘ads’ of interest, and consolidated our paperwork, so I felt pretty organized on that count. Final photos, hugs, and promises to write when we get work…

We headed right to Cherie [Cher-ee] at Real Estate Showcase in Loudonville for our 10:00am apt. Suffice to say, we arrived back at her office at 4pm. Quite a lot of driving (in her Ford Taurus) to various properties as far out as Millersburg & Shreve, and also close around Loudonville. Most were a lost cause due to property not meeting our needs—too steep, too barren—but two were promising despite the fact we were only able to drive by, and not see inside the house. The one outside of Millersburg we eventually decided not to have Cherie pursue because of its distance from Loudonville or any familiar towns, and also because the property, though large, didn’t seem conducive to a “water feature”. So, it boils down to a possible look-see inside the property near Loudonville. 5 acres on a township road, close enough to bike into town but in a country setting. We have tentative plans to see it on Saturday.

Tomorrow’s plan is relaxing, laundry, dog walks, and a 3:30 appt. with Lynne at CB to see the house in the Lucas area. That should be interesting to compare to the Loudonville site, since the price is higher but we really like the area.

We broke down and told Cherie about my old house “kind of” being available, and fed her info about the [homeowners] in case she can be helpful in convincing them to sell.

Well, it’s 9:30 and we’re very tired. Had turkey enchiladas for dinner & brownies for dessert. 

The couch seems empty without Pav on it. On the other hand, it’s nice to see that it’s available for human seating! Vince & Tessa don’t appear upset by Pav’s absence, but it may take til tomorrow for it to register. David, Vince, Tessa & Tig are all lounging on the bed while I write out here in the chair. I better go help put the sheets on, so we can get to bed & read & relax—tough schedule!

We have of course reflected briefly on the terrorist attacks of one year ago, but neither of us wants to become emotionally overwrought and distracted from present day, real life priorities. The media seems to insist on manipulating people into focusing on past tragedies, pulling at heartstrings in an effort to…what?—open wallets? raise ratings? outdo each other?—and I for one choose not to take part in it.

*Pav was getting along in years at that point, and we didn't want to put him through the stress of two more trips across country.

End of Entry

Random List - Morning Colors

Vivid colors I noticed this morning in the back yard

Yellow-Orange

Marigolds, in garden (tomato buddies)

Dark Orange

Gladiolus bloom, in container by greenhouse

Royal Blue
Stellar's Jay, in tree by greenhouse
Orange-Red

Canna bloom, on mound
Dark Green-Burgundy

Canna Leaves, on mound
Cardinal Red

Male Cardinal, on bird feeder under tree by greenhouse
Pink

Rosa Rugosa blooms, along split rail by bridge
Fuschia

Dahlia bloom, on mound
Purple-Black

Ripe Blackberries, along split rail by garden
Bright Yellow

Goldfinch, on thistle sock

Sunflowers, several spots

By the way, I think this list is a prime example of just how easily distracted I am, since I have a limited time to get ready for work in the morning, and DO NOT have time to wander around and look at all the pretty colors!

Journal Entry #12 - Butler, Loudonville, Mansfield, Lucas OH

Tuesday 9/10/02

Day Twelve

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 90950 / Ending mileage 91028

Up & at ‘em fairly early. Tea, coffee, cereal (in shifts since we’re down one bowl) and chatting. Then David & I left @ 10am, while Dad & Elsie kindly stayed behind to dogsit. Since the weather

I don’t remember what I was going to say up there. It’s now 8:30pm and we’ve finished a spaghetti dinner with fresh produce salad. Dad & David are attempting to prepare a photo show via Dad’s camera & laptop & tv. Seems complicated.

Our day went about as planned, with our first stop at Real Estate Showcase in Loudonville. Met with Cherie, a very nice agent, who reviewed our wish list and will get started finding properties for us to look at tomorrow (10am appt).

We left her office & David dropped me off at the library to check email while he picked up subs & pops from the local Subway. I received & printed an email from Dave K re: his airline plans, and sent an email to Karin with details of our trip thus far.

What the dogs did when we were gone...

Then it was off to Mansfield to meet with the Coldwell Banker agent, Lynne, on Trimble Road. She was waiting for us as we arrived for our 1:00pm appt. After a quick review, we rode with her to a few locations, with nothing sparking except for one we drove by near Lucas that’s a little on the high $ end, but has all the external features of land, space, quiet road, etc. As for the house, Lynne will try to get us an apt to see inside on Thursday.

Had some fun shouting matches trying to connect with Dad on the cell phone, but never got a clear connection. We headed back to the KOA & arrived @ 5:00pm. We lounged awhile swapping tales of the day, cooling off with a beer because it was still hot. I started spaghetti water while the others perused the local newspapers.

Just ate some pie while Dad finishes burning a CD on his laptop.Techno-dad! David is staking down the awning because we heard there may be a storm tonight.

General consensus has it that [section omitted].  I’m pretty excited to be looking around at other things, and feel confident that we’ll have a great time with whatever property we get. Well, it’s 9:00pm, so we’ll wind down & head to bed.

End of Entry

Journal Entry #11 - Butler, Perrysville, Mansfield OH

Monday 9/9/02

Day Eleven

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 90950 / Ending mileage 90950

I managed to pull myself up for dog duty @ 6:30, then back to bed – the dinette bed seemed to repel Vince’s attempts to sleep with (on) us. By 8:30 we were all up, and had bagels for breakfast. Just for kicks made tea & coffee for Dad & Elsie and served it on a tray. Lounged a bit, then hit the road @ 10 to go to the [homeowners]. Tried to go up on *Mt Jeez first but the gates were closed.

Dad had fun driving up the “new” driveway to the house. [section omitted]. We toured the house, and when the menfolk went out to the garage I showed S a few things on the computer (how-to) and also a few pictures from my photo CD. She is very pleasant & nice to be around.

We then went outside to find guys, oh, except first I asked S about H’s view on a sale, and she said she couldn’t get him to budge. So, my spirits went down a bit, but I knew David had “Plan B” up his sleeve.

We all wandered around the property. I just love the far-reaching views in a 360 degree panorama, with no neighbors or eyesores to deal with. It doesn’t hurt to have record-breaking temps in the 90’s and cheerful sunny skies.  [section omitted]. The goal was to get David & H alone so they could haggle, but first we spent time on the red concrete porch talking over Malabar historical facts. 

Left to Right: Grandmother Ruth, Grandfather Axel, help,
aunt Karin, Dad, aunt Britta, Louis Bromfield

S really enjoyed getting the real scoop from Dad, who speaks from direct experience with Louis Bromfield and the other inhabitants. They shared & exchanged old pictures, but eventually David & H wandered up into the back yard.

After a time I got to find out that David had asked H about selling and was told they weren’t ready at this time. Although I had told S we’d make another salad, I knew then that I wouldn’t be good company, and David walked me out to the van. He went in and made my apologies, and after a short while everyone came out and we got ready to leave. S brought me a glass of water, and I made sure she & H saw my Kleenex dabbing away. It wasn’t all for show by any means, but it doesn’t hurt to let someone know you’re disappointed. [section omitted].

Anyway, we left and did a litting touring of the Mansfield area before heading to the Richland Mall (now Westfield Shopping Town Richland) and having lunch at the food court (Oriental Express). Oh, and I forgot to mention that we found the gates to Mt Jeez open and went up to look & take a few pictures. Also, did a driving tour of Malabar Farm.

Me crying to daddy about the
answer, while up on Mt Jeez

Malabar Farm from up on Mt Jeez

After cruising by a couple “Homes for Sale” on O’Possum Run Road, we headed back to the trailer, arriving back @ 4:30. The doggies were ecstatic!

Well, it’s 6:45, we’ve just been lounging and I’ve been writing so I better get cracking on dinner.

After dinner of BBQ chicken & leftover shrimp pasta and peach pie with vanilla sauce, we lounged around some more & listened to classical music, trying to guess the composer. I attempted to get everyone tipsy, and was successful except for Elsie who appears to have more self-discipline than the rest of us. Then to bed.

*Mt Jeez: A local "hill" associated with Malabar Farm.

End of Entry

Random List - $h!t Happens

Excrement I Have "Handled" All on the Same Day

• Dog
• Cat
• Horse
• Chicken
• Mouse
• Human

Some days it feels like I should have a PhD in Manure Management.

Beaks and Cheeks

Good thing I didn't get their Christmas stockings labeled yet...

Soooo, turns out I did NOT properly read the info on how to tell the gender of a young zebra finch. I thought it interesting that Deuce was working hard last weekend to teach his girls to sing, because that's just not how it works in ZF City. Only the boys pick up a tune from their daddy and carry it down the line, while the females make non-melodic sounds. But then yesterday I noticed a slight tinge of color change on the top part of all three youngsters' beaks and went into research mode. 

In a nutshell, I may have to change all their names, because zebra finches get their adult feathers and adult coloring (including orange beaks and cheeks for males) at 5-6 weeks old. Hey Einstein, guess how old my birds are? Who would have guessed that a black beak would/could become orange! (I would have, if I'd read the original material more carefully.) Then again, I was born with black hair that turned blonde so I guess it's not that weird.

Random List (new blog feature!) - Gel

Things I use that are filled with gel

Gel Pad: for my saddle (actually, more for me than the saddle)

Gel Pad: for my lower back in my work chair
Gel wrist rest: when I am running tapes on my adding machine (yes, people still use those)
Gel hair product
Gel hand sanitizer
Gel pens
Gel shoe inserts
Gel pill capsules
Gel toothpaste (only in a pinch because I still prefer good ol' Crest Original)

Good grief, how did the pioneers travel on those horse-drawn wagons without GEL PADS?!

Journal Entry #10 - Butler, Mansfield, Loudonville OH

Sunday 9/8/02

Day Ten

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 90857 / Ending mileage 90950

Everyone seems to have slept well – except for us… Tonight we’ll sleep on the dinette bed which is slightly narrower but a little longer, and hopefully won’t make the dogs feel as misplaced.

David did dog duty @ 6:00am, then back to bed until we all stirred around after 8:00. He then played super-host by making coffee and pancakes for everyone! Ate outside again, then sat around & talked awhile until it was time for Dad & Elsie to take Lars back to Columbus (needed to check on his dogs by noon or so). Lars gave us his work phone # so we can call him when we get back to Ohio with all our “stuff” and he’ll help us move in to storage or a house.

After they left we hung around the trailer and had a hot dog lunch while we planned an outing. We left @ 1:30 to tour the general area; Mansfield, Butler; Loudonville. Talked to Lynne the Ohio agent we’ve been emailing with & set up a 1pm meeting on Tuesday. Got a voicemail msg. from *Karin. Very difficult to find a spot where the cell phone is not on Roam or Extended Service and Analog.

As we drove around we wrote down some tel. #’s from “for sale” signs, but more lucrative was the real estate section of the newspaper we bought later

when we grocery shopped at Gribble IGA. After completing our grocery list @ 4:00pm we headed back to the KOA.

David observed that most back roads do not have any speed limit signs – must be up to each driver… We’re really enjoying the no-stoplight roads & all the pretty scenery, knowing that this isn’t possible to find in Western Washington.

David spent a while oohing and aahing over potential properties & homes for sale (newspaper ads) due to the low prices compared to WA state. Then we had dinner of hamburger & fries and cleaned the trailer a little for Dad & Elsie’s return visit. Stayed outside in the screen room until it was too buggy and dark to read. D&E showed up @ 9pm and we all talked a while before going to bed. The plan for tomorrow is to drop by the [homeowners] @ 10. I really hope we can get a decision from them.

*Karin: my sister, in Smithfield, VA

End of Entry

Journal Entry #9 - Butler, Perrysville, Loudonville OH

Saturday 9/7/02

Day Nine

     KOA, Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 90827 / Ending mileage 90857

Departing KOA @ 9:35am to go see the [homeowners] and find out if they’d like to sell their home to us. It’s another beautiful, sunny day. We’re wearing nice jeans, collared shirts, & t-shoes, and have brought a more casual change of clothing for later.

Arrived slightly early, and entered the *“new” driveway. [She and he---hereinafter referred to as S and H] greeted us in the parking area, and after getting the dogs settled in the truck in shade, we went inside to see the house. It was an interesting tour in that it was David’s first time inside, and my first time in 20 years, and not that much had changed. In fact some of the carpeted areas have the same carpet. The wood built-ins all look in good shape, and the views to the outside are as much of a treat as I had hoped for.

Still no other houses in sight, just greenery of trees, grass, grazing land and of course the pond. The pond was a bit of a shock to see because various water plants have taken over, and the level is way down, giving the whole thing the look of only being ½ as big as before. We’re confident we could bring it back up to speed. The creek is currently dry, partly due to summer heat, and partly due to digging & fence work done by *Malabar Farm.

The [homeowners] were so pleasant and informative, and gave us a thorough tour of the inside & outside. I managed to bring up “the issue” with S, and by the end of the visit David & I have concluded that S is ready to sell and move on with retirement living, while H will need some encouragement from S. He’s almost [age omitted] and she’s in her late [omitted]'s and we’re hoping he’ll realize that his to-do list is too big for them to tackle at this point. David said he liked everything, but doesn’t want to get too excited yet. Also, I think he sees a lot (too much?) of work to bring the house & property back into shape. We’re going to keep our options open and get ahold of some real estate agents.

We made a nice lunch salad at the [house]; fresh romaine & produce from the *M.F. stand down the hill. We all seemed to get along well, and when we left it was decided that we will contact them on Monday to get together and show them some pictures & S asked if we’d want to go out on their boat to see Pleasant Hill Lake.

After departing, we drove through Perrysville and into Loudonville. David liked the country driving with few stoplights, and I kept taking in the scenery. Tried to get into a real estate office in Loudonville, but they were closed, so we just mailed a couple letters at the P.O. (PO boxes are $36 & up per year for 4”x6” and up) then headed back to the KOA. We are liking the countryside near Butler, and will definitely check out properties in the area.

Tried to call my Dad after arriving back at the KOA main office area, but the cell phone & pay phone kept reaching some lady’s voice mail. Finally gave up, but decided to try again later so we can set up a visit to Columbus tomorrow. As we were talking about this, we met a vehicle coming down the road from our campsite area – the driver rolled down the window, and there was my dad, Elsie & Lars! I was totally surprised. 

Their visit was wonderful, especially since they were able to stay overnight. After talking awhile and taking a few pictures, Elsie pulled some food out of the van & we had an excellent dinner of cold salmon and a shrimp noodle dish. Also drained some bottles of Chardonnay.

We all sprayed bug repellent on, and had a super experience dining in the great outdoors with fabulous temperature and the steady cadence of the insect brigade. The dogs are being fairly well-behaved, with Tessa trying to curb her excitement.


Once the decision was made to stay over, Dad & Elsie made up the back bed with some of their linens, Lars got set up outside in the add-a-room with an air mattress & sleeping bag, and David & I bunked on the pulled out couch. The plan was for the dogs to sleep on the converted dining area bed, but Vince kept jumping on us & waking us up. We also decided to pad the couch bed with a sleeping bag next time because of the support bar.

Before bed we looked at photos via Dad’s laptop & the TV screen. I had a nice chat with Lars outside while he had a last smoke.

*new driveway: driveway relocated to safer area 

farther below the crest of a hill

*Malabar Farm: A landmark property turned State Park

*M.F. stand: small produce stand set up when seasonal

End of Entry

They're Growing Up So Fast

Corky, Sparkles & Flute are 1 Month Old

Here's a video of the threesome out and about with their daddy, Deuce, last week.They fought their way out of their eggs on June 9, and have come so far so fast.

Today I came home and saw that the kids had left Deuce with the proverbial 'empty nest' because they were hanging out in the tree house (upper left) while he hopped aimlessly about. All's well that ends  well, however, and as I type late this evening they are all nestled together in the main nest.

Journal Entry #8 - Davenport IL to Butler OH

Friday 9/6/2002

Day Eight

     (near) Davenport, IL to Butler, OH
     Starting mileage 90337 / Ending mileage 90827

Now it’s 12:01am and we’re still going! And going, and going…. (10 hours @ 500 miles)

Ah, dawn in Iowa (5:40am). Pulled over about 12:20am at a rest stop east of Davenport, near the Illinois border. Quick dog walk, then to bed between 2 roaring semis. Apparently in Iowa they allow truckers to sleep over in rest areas, because all were packed full in the wee hours. Snagged *@ 4 ½ hours sleep.

Ah, dawn in Illinois (6am). Beautiful wispy cotton candy clouds dance over the tropical punch horizon, with stars still bright overhead. It takes almost 20 minutes for the dawn to release its gift, even then shrouding the glowing orb in a mist of morning fog. Two silos stand sentry over a homestead and sea of corn, silhouetted in the pinkish-yellow sky.

7:10am: Hunger set in, so we patronize a McDonald's, and check the map while we eat. The plan:
Stay on I-80 through Illinois until near Chicago where we’ll switch to Hwy 30 and blaze into Indiana. We may hit Ohio tonight, but we’ll see how the day goes.

David got a kick out of seeing the JC Whitney main warehouse near Ottawa, IL – since he’s done mail order biz with them for years. We can’t believe how close we are to Chicago – it’s felt like we’re much further south.

Stopped for fuel, newspapers & juice in Morris, Illinois @ 8:30am. Making the switch from I-80 to Hwy 30 at 9:22am near New Lenox, IL. (90483) After ½ hour of slow going through stop lights & construction, we thought we’d advise the *Keils to delay getting on Hwy  30 until just before the IL/IN border, 394 or 83.

Entered Indiana at 10:14am (90508) which means it took almost an hour to go 25 miles… David’s a little steamed.

Things finally picked up & we’re now 63 miles west of Ft Wayne, after stopping to make sandwiches in Plymouth @ 11:45. We sprayed ourselves with “Off” and applied to the dogs, since I read in the Chicago Tribune that Illinois has had 214 WNV cases and 9 deaths.

David says his legs are sore & body tired from our late night/early morning excursion but nothing an old road pro like him can’t handle (I embellished his comments a little).

* 12:42pm: just saw a sign for a daycare or school “Child Evangelism Ministries”, and also the 2nd of two Christmas specialty stores. Sadly, another sign indicates we missed the Marshmellow Festival in Pierceton – darn!

It’s 2:38 Eastern Time (switched when we hit Indiana) and David has predicted arrival Mansfield @ 6:30 tonight! (Give or take, depending on breaks, photo opps, etc) We plan to call the [name omitted by author for privacy] "homeowners" later to see if we can visit them tomorrow, or wait until Monday. I have butterflies!

WE’RE IN OHIO! 2:55pm (90666) 8 hours, 320miles

4pm – Stopped for fuel in Beaverdam, OH near the I-75 interchange.

Really enjoyed our trip down 603, as the trees & landscape filled in, and the rolling hills reminded us that not all of Ohio is flat. Saw the old house as we went by, but decided to stop in at Pleasant Hill Lake campground first (looked at Charles Mill Lake campground but decided to go to PHL & look). We were totally confused by the system there, and left after tooling around a bit. Decided to head to Mohican State Park, but on the way saw a KOA sign & headed towards it. After @ 5 miles on Bunkerhill Rd, we arrived at the KOA at 6:50pm.

Although it didn’t look like much on paper in the KOA directory (being near Butler and all…) the drive out was beautiful, and the camp itself seems very nice.We landed their favorite site #77 (full hookups) and gave the dogs & cat the good news: marathon driving is on hold for a while. Had to charge up the cell phone awhile before calling the [homeowners].  [Mrs] answered & despite the bad connection we managed to agree to meet at 10am tomorrow morning. Tried to call my dad to give him our status, but he couldn’t hear me & thought we were close to Columbus.

After a dinner of Tuna Helper (and champagne) we rode our bikes down to the pay phone, and after several quarters talked to Dad and Lars. Quickly gave them our status, and told Lars we might see him on Sunday. Our meeting with the [homeowners] is the first priority, and I think we’re both eager to get the “the big question” answered.

It’s 8:50pm, and I’m out in the *“add-a-room” with Vince & Tessa. David decided to take a well-earned shower. It’s dark, totally devoid of any traffic noise, scant human noise, and the insects are in full symphony. When we came back from our bike ride to the phone, David beckoned me over to the truck, and guided my sight to the stars. There are so many more visible here! And we both agreed we can see the Milky Way. All in all, an excellent arrival to Ohio.

(Side Bar) – David writing
Except for the fuel line problems, the trip has gone smoothly. No big wind problems; no other mechanical problems – not even an ounce of oil used. Pretty good for a 13 year old truck with 90K miles.

Trailer also holding up better than hoped – no damage due to vibration except to bike rack support I under-engineered.

Dogs & cat very cooperative. No illnesses (cat barf occasionally)

Tina is great traveling companion. Never complains; keeps occupied; always helpful & positive.

Still 5000+ miles to go for complete move, but a few deserved rest days first.

Fuel: Morris, IL / 21.5 gal / $33.61 / 255 miles

Fuel: Beaverdam, OH / 26.3 gal / $36.00 / 258 miles

*@  I used this symbol often to abbreviate "about", not just "at" like a web address. Hey, it was way back in 2002!

*Keils: A neighbor friend from Auburn and his dad; they would be driving our Honda Accord across the country when we were ready for the final move. 

*add-a-room: screening material panels that attached to the awning and zipped onto each other to form an outside room

End of Entry

Journal Entry #7 - Kearney NE to Davenport IL

Thursday 9/5/2002

Day Seven

     Kearney, NE to Iowa to (near) Davenport IL
     Starting mileage 89851 / Ending mileage 90337

Both had a good night’s sleep. David handled dog duty @ 6:30, then *Vince & Tessa came back to bed with us. (All three dogs & Tig spend nights in the living room, with the couch pulled out. It seems to work well to have Tig snack & potty then out of the bedroom, because he can be restless at night & keep climbing on us). I got up @ 8:30 and put V&T on their ropes. It was a wonderful breeze & temp in the shade (yes, shade necessary at 8:30am). After breakfast of banana, honey & peanut butter, I made coffee & read my instructional book about bowling. David rested longer, since the plan for today requires late & long driving. 

The plan:

Do laundry at the motel/rv park (that’s what I’m doing now), leave @ 11 to bicycle to the Ford dealership to pick up the parts, come back & David will work his magic while I get the trailer ready for travel. Then, hopefully after no more than 2 hours of labor, we’ll hit the road, drive until dinner, then off again till midnight or so. Hope to find a rest area to catch 5 or 6 hours sleep, then on the road again.

Well, the plan is going just fine. At 11 we set out on our bikes for the 2+ mile ride to the Ford dealer. Again, very level riding for the most part, but when I got off my bike to rest my butt & legs right before a lengthy incline I started to feel nauseous & like I was going to black out (black spots in front of my eyes). That passed fairly quickly, then we finished the last leg of the trip. The parts were in, so David paid cash (too much $ to write down) and we strapped the bits & pieces on the rack on the back of my bike (cool!) and headed back to camp.
Took a couple detours to look at a park and to take our picture by a fountain (how original) until David reminded me of our priorities. At 12:20 he started working on the truck, while I took some damp clothes to the laundry room to finish drying. While that went on, I went for a swim in the pool – deep end 9 ft., clean & clear & cold – had it all to myself which is good since it was pretty small.

@ 1:45 David finished the work just as I returned with clean, folded clothes. We broke camp and hit the road at 2:15pm. Dad called just as we were leaving town – he and *Elsie are headed to Ohio to see *Lars, and we’ll meet up with them if/when possible, so they can take their grand-dog Pav home to NC.

Stopped in Lincoln, NE @ 4:45 for fuel. Me & the dogs about got ate up by mosquitoes – hopefully no nasty WNV carriers…David checked the engine & says status: unknown. Some fuel drips that may be residual or new. We’ll check again later. (These rough roads are very tough on my legibility)

6:40pm, 34 miles east of Omaha we took an exit and snagged some Dairy Queen for dinner (“to go” in the trailer). David had to slide out to get to the dog’s food. Still almost 90° & partly cloudy. When we took off at 7:18pm, I put my digital clock/thermometer in the back of the truck where I can see it from the cab. Although we blow our air conditioning towards the window, and there’s a foam “donut” to seal the outer edges, it can be pretty warm in the back for the dogs, so I want to keep an eye on it. Started at 86.9°. As we pulled away, 10 minutes later down a whopping 1 degree to 85.

Passing by Des Moines IA at 9pm. The outside air is still too warm to use the vent – still on AC. Temp in the back is down to 78-79.

Stopped for fuel in Newton, IA @ 10:15pm; nothing exciting to report.

A few miles west of Davenport, IA we passed by “I-80 The World’s Largest Truck Stop”. That’s probably no exaggeration – we could see hundreds of semis parked for the night (11:50pm). Well, almost midnight – time to start a new day and page!

  

Fuel: Lincoln, NE / 25.5gal / $36.75 / 225miles

Fuel: Newton, IO / 19.4gal / $28.27 / 217miles

*Vince is the black and tan dachshund mix we adopted from the pound in 1999 as a playmate for Luc, our Doberman, since Pav (the greyhound) wasn't exactly playful...

*Elsie: my father's wife

*Lars: my brother in Columbus, OH

End of Entry