Two Months down and One to go in OHIO !

We have kept busy while home and have been able to have good relaxation time also. So relaxed in fact, that we often forget to take our camera with us on outings. Hopefully we will get back in the adventure mode when we hit the road again! We did hear from our early mentors, Bill and Bette, from Canton when they arrived back in the area. So we called them and made plans to visit and catch up on news and play the Pegs & Jokers game which they taught us. On this visit we learned a new game called Sweep. Bottom line, we had a very good dinner and a lovely visit with them. We are hoping to have another visit with them and another couple whom we met at the same time in 2007. This month at Timashamie Campground has included Christmas in July. The kids enjoyed Santa's arrival , even without the snow and reindeer! Not many adults followed through with decorations though. It sounded like too much trouble to me!! But I am looking forward to the Yard Sale in August. Our grandson has spent a lot of time with us as he loves the pool beside our site. He did leave long enough one weekend to go to the First Friends church for practice and pre-qualifying with their model racing cars. He had won a car at a previous race night at Donnell Ford during Super Nationals weekend. He is in his glory doing this and the racing MC, Richard Theiss, appreciated our son's assistance with technicalities. Richard, you might have the family roped into this for the long haul!! Speaking of First Friends Church, we had our Sunday School class out to our motorhome for a picnic and evening of fellowship. One of the couples brought their grand daughter who enjoyed showing off her gymnastic abilities. We all had a great time!! Hope they get to come back again. I have been meeting with friends to scrap book every opportunity that I can. I am making progress though not as fast as I would like. I do now have a five foot table that we made in the motorhome under the window so that I can keep busy there. I think that I can be happy with this and we can live without the dinette. Who needs to eat anyway? Salem also has music nights in Waterworth Memorial Park at the Orashan Memorial Civic Center and we decided to check it out. We got to listen to a couple hours of polka music by the Dick Tady Orchestra . It was very enjoyable and one couple even danced on the lawn while this young gal kept her little lamb dancing all evening! Our grandson left us for a week away at Summer Scout Camp and his father went also as a scout leader. Unfortunately, they had a lot of rain that week . On Thursday which was parents night to visit, we took his mom with us and spent the afternoon and part of the evening with them. It is a beautiful camp with a commissary on a slight rise and a grand dining hall on the hill side. This hall looks out over the lakes where the canoeing and swimming merit badges are worked on. The swimming area was well divided for the beginner, intermediary and swimmers groups. Gary helped stir the dinner pot of beef while the boy scouts praised "Cecil" food . Cecil being their Scout Master! This past Saturday Gary and I went to Mentor, Ohio and picked up my brother to then go to a Family Reunion in Uhrichsville, Ohio. We had a good visit and then took him back to the motorhome with us for a few days. While he was with us he worked on a jigsaw puzzle and we also taught him to play our favorite Pegs & Jokers game . He then went home today to his Assisted Living apartment all fired up to teach them a new game! So as you see we have kept busy enough. And now we will see how much we can get into for August. Gary is to go on a fishing trip tomorrow on Lake Erie for starters!

More Summer Fun Back in OHIO !!

We did not want you to think that we have forgotten you all. We are just trying to get caught up with old friends and with doctor appointments to keep us through another year. I've been waiting to have the old co-workers group out and finally it came to pass! We had a most enjoyable evening and the weather sure co-operated! One of the gals brought her husband which made an enjoyable evening for the Chef (Gary). No one went swimming, but the fire was nice . We are hoping to do it again before we leave in September. One more visit for the road! Not long after that it was July 4th weekend so we had the family and a couple friends out for a picnic, which also was quite enjoyable. We combined that with a celebration reminder that our daughter-in-law is another year older! It surprised her that we did this. She usually gets her surprises at her family get-togethers. Last Saturday when our grandson was here, the Campground had it's annual Luau around the pool. So he was in swimming until 10 pm. The swimming and music ended at 11:15 pm. But we had turned into pumpkins by then! During that day they also had their annual cardboard boat race on the lake here at the grounds. It was fun and our grandson is hoping that he can participate next year. I think that the wheels started turning when he saw the different boat ideas. There were three different groups of boats , some very well built and some last minute attempts. They all had their chance, though some did not much more than leave shore before going under ! There are two sections of lake with a bridge dividing them where the finish flagman stood checking out the winners as they came back through under the bridge. They had to first successfully go out in the smaller lake and around the fountain in the middle of that section of lake. Then they had to go under the bridge and around the fountain in the larger lake before coming back under the bridge to the finish. If they made it! Some capsized and had to be rescued and then some of them swam back with their boat in tow. How is this for propulsion ? I do believe that they all had fun and the audience as well! This really is a nice park and they seem to have fun things to keep the young people's interest up. In the south the entertainment was more for the seniors, and I guess that is where we fit in. You sure could not beat the small fee that they had to charge for the entertainers! At this park, I understand that they are going to have Christmas in July and also a yard sale. I am looking forward to both. Gary has been out doing the car shows and also checking out the Flea Markets and Antique Malls, while I have had a few days out with my scrapbooking friends. I have finished up two albums and will soon have a third one finished. Just imagine the weight lifted when I leave these albums behind with their new owners! Enjoy your summer, we are!!

OHIO - As We Pause To Visit Old Friends and Attend a Wedding!

We have been back in Salem since June 1st. But where has the time gone? It is unbelievable that our summer is one third gone and we will then be headed west. We have been to Cleveland area several times to see relatives and to help my brother with his adjustment to his new home and to get his condo ready to sell. And believe it or not, before that was all done they have a buyer. I do believe someone is watching over him!! Praise God! We have also had the pleasure of having our grandson with us, both when we were at my brother's and here at the campground. While up north he had the fun of playing games of his cousin's on the computer as well as playing in the back yard at their house. Then when we were back here at the campground, he was in the swimming pool a lot and would be there all of the time if warm enough. But we had to shorten his stays there because of sunburn that he got on his shoulders. Ouch, a lot!! We could watch him from this deck as well as from the side of the pool. He wished that his dad had brought his bike down here also. There is a kiddies pool you can see here as you look out over the campground and the lakes. They do have what appears to be two lakes with a bridge spanning the center. There sure are more small boats, peddle boats and canoes than there was when we used to stay here when our sons were young. It is very nice and relaxing. Everyone thinks that our spot beside the pool would be noisy, but really it is not. Then we had our old neighbors come out to camp for a weekend near us and that was a lot of fun. Our grandson thought so also as we played Pegs & Jokers together, cooked out and sat around the fire as well as riding (actually he got to drive) the golf cart around the grounds. Gary had to show off his tri-pod that he made for over the camp fire. It works great and raises and lowers very easily. You sure would not be able to do it over our neighboring campfire though . Some fire, huh? I sure love the time to sit around reading, watching the finches and humming birds, as well as the Good Year Blimp overhead . Now we are looking forward to more time like that! Before our grandson went off to his other grandmother's he also went to watch the fancy model cars being raced the week of the Super Nationals here. They had the track set up at Donnell Ford. He even won a car. Now he has to get some practice in before the races start back up in the fall. And our friend Rich who used to do many voices for Walt Disney called the races. We also went to the other side of Cleveland for another nephew's wedding and had a great time. It was so good to see him happy!! She is a very nice lady! One our way back from Cleveland today I remembered to take pictures of some lovely hanging baskets and planters in full bloom in Newton Falls. Wonder who did all of that work?? I would love to have some like them. My flower bed is what I miss about our old home. That and the memories. Not the work!! I can live in the motorhome without regrets. I just might have to buy a couple flowers! Also in Cleveland we saw this unusual tree

. Can any of you tell us what kind it is, besides the fact that it does not have any leaves? It was neat.

We spent an evening with our friends Bob and Eugenia for dinner and a lovely visit. We are looking forward to doing more of that here at the campground with friends and former co-workers. I also need to get much more scrapbooking time in. I have met with others and did some, but not nearly enough. Gary has been enjoying his visits with friends and at his former workplace also. He even got to the Flea Market!

I'll be back as we go through another month! Keep watching.