A new life begins, an old life ebbs

Yesterday, I got to meet my newest granddaughter, Phoebe Joanne Lapko. She is a sweet little girl with dark blue eyes and dark hair. Dark hair is unusual in our family tree, especially for little ones. She is one month old and mostly eats and sleeps, as is typical. I enjoyed holding her, although she is a squirmy little thing!

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Today was a journey to visit my mother who is in a nursing home in Schaumberg, IL. I attended the quarterly meeting on her progress. Her hearing aide has been, finally, replaced and we received a report on her surgery for some facial cancer. All seems to be going well on those fronts. I asked about her long term prognosis, and was told that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This was news to both my brothers and to me. It does, however, explain the deterioration that we have noticed in her cognitive abilities. I had thought they were due to recurring urinary tract infections. I guess that was wishful thinking.

We were able to get a family picture while we were there. From the left, is my younger brother, Kurt, myself, my older brother, Carl, my daughter, Robyn, my granddaughter, Phoebe, and my mother.

We also got another nice shot of our four generations of women.

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When I returned to the Indiana Sand Dunes State Park, Emma and I went on a long walk. I must admit that tears were streaming down my face for most of the walk as I remembered the vibrant woman my mother had been, and is now lost to me forever. It has been such a hard and sad day for me. Tonight I honor her and miss her so........

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

A long travel day

I was on the road by 8:45 this morning and headed to Indiana Dunes State Park. I thought it was about 240 miles, but it turned out to be 293 miles...more than I bargained for. I arrived in the Chicago area around 2:30 and white knuckled it through the early rush hour traffic. It was near 4:00 before I finally pulled into the state park.

I spent the next couple of hours slowly setting up camp for the week. I'm pretty wiped out from all the driving today, but I'm thrilled to have everything set up and no trains within spitting distance!

Tomorrow afternoon, I'll head for Dyer, IN, to meet my new granddaughter Phoebe, and babysit both girls for a few hours. Emma is enjoying all the sand in our site. She can dig to her hearts content....and then she turns around, starts digging again, and fills up the original hole she made. The texture of sand has always had an unusual effect on her.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The Sunday Blast from the Past

After a month on the ocean at Pea Island NWR, I moved over to the main land at Alligator River NWR. The two refuges share a visitor's center and staff work at both locations. I moved because I had absolutely no cell phone reception or internet out on the island. I was also growing tired of having to completely wash the salt spray off of the rig each week.

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A week or so after I was set up, I was casually eating dinner one evening when I happened to look out the side window.

Much to my surprise, a female black bear, with three cubs in tow, had just walked through the RV pads! I took these shots through the window since I certainly wasn't going to go outside for a closer shot.

As soon as mama bear decided it was time to leave, I hopped outside and reattached the electric fence. Wild Bill, the other volunteer, and I had become a little too complacent about keeping the fence closed during the day. I can assure you that we never neglected to close it again. ;) This mother bear's territory was right around the living quarters, and we sure didn't want her and her youngsters to get used to visiting too close.

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On July, 23, 2007, I got up very early so I could drive the 20 miles to meet the US Coastguard at the Pamlico Sound. They would be taking a group of volunteers from Pea Island and Alligator River out to a man-made island in the sound.

They dropped us off on the island and would return later in the day to pick us up. Our mission for the day was to round up all the baby pelicans for banding.

The young pelicans ranged in age from newly hatched....

to about six weeks old. I wouldn't exactly call them cute....more like something only a mother could love!

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After chasing, and catching the older juveniles, we took them one by one to the banders.

There is a method to handling these birds. You have to grab their beak with one hand, so you don't get pinched. Then grab both wings by the shoulder area with the other hand. Their webbed feet have very sharp nails on them, so I chose to hold them away from my body. Doing that also meant that I avoided being barfed or pooped on. :) Did you know that a pelicans pouch feels like the softest kid glove leather?

After the banding, you had to return them to where you found them (in the same nursery group). What a day it was! We scoured the whole island and found and banded over 500 youngsters that day. We worked as quickly as we could since all of the adults were air born and circling overhead.

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The Coast Guard did return for us as promised, and we even saved some boaters in distress on our way back to the mainland. Their engine had died, and they were just floating along. We towed them back to port. A wonderfully exciting day, all in all.

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My duties at Alligator River were quite different from those at Pea Island. I still worked at the visitor's center every Tuesday, but once or twice a week, I took people on five mile canoe trips through two lakes and several long, swampy, Cypress channels.

This is the spot where we put in for the canoe trips. We went under the bridge and then headed left on the lake to the channels through the swamp. I presented an interpretive program on the history of the swamp as we paddled. I seldom had a passenger in my canoe, so that made the curvy channels a real challenge. I ended up putting a couple of cement blocks in the bow of my canoe to keep the front end down. The average temperature in the swamp was 100*, and I was always dripping wet when we returned (and certainly not from falling in). There are a lot of stories to tell about these canoe trips, but it would take way too long here. Ask me sometime when you see me.

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On a few Wednesday nights, I led a bear finding tour of the refuge. It began by my presenting a short talk on the black bear and the endangered red wolves that are found on the refuge. I would then lead an auto caravan on the back roads of the refuge hoping to see some bears. I gave each car a walkie-talkie so I could communicate with everyone as we drove along. That was always a popular tour with visitors.

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When I wasn't busy with the tours or at the visitor's center, I maintained the Charles Karault Trail in the refuge. I also painted road signs and did a lot of litter pick up along the roads. It was a busy and exciting three months that I spend working on both these refuges, and except for the chiggers, I enjoyed it all!

Sunset on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

P.S. I almost forgot....Alligator River is where I saw my first Luna moth...it was about 6" across.

A Mississippi River sunset

I didn't do a whole lot of anything today besides take Emma on numerous walks. It was a day of relaxation....some reading, some computer stuff, and plenty of times to cover my ears as the multitude of trains passed by. Emma kept busy watching all the kids skateboard, scooter, and bike around and around the loop. ;)


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It was all topped off by....

this Mississippi River sunset. A nice ending to a relaxing day.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Choo choo trains...do you like them?

So, a thing that isn't very well published about this COE campground, is that it is located along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad line. On average, 75-80 trains pass along this route each day. Those train tracks are about 30 yards from my site, with a crossing at the campground entrance. Unless you are a real railroad buff (or deaf), I would not recommend this campground. OMG! 75-80 trains a day with whistles blowing and about 100 cars per train really rocks the rig. Trains per day means in a 24 hour period, so guess what that means at night....

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Four nights here will really try my soul...talk about sleep deprivation! On the bright side, I'm hoping that things will slow down for the weekend. We'll see if that is a naive hope.

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I did head out today just before noon to got to Potosi to visit the Potosi Brewing Company. This was a brewery that produced Potosi Beer starting in 1850. Eventually, it closed down since it couldn't compete with the big breweries in Milwaukee and other parts of the state. After touring the museum, I had lunch in their restaurant and tried catfish for the first time. It was good, but I thought it was a little mushy. I guess I like a little firmer fresh water fish.

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On my way back to the campground, I stopped at Potosi Point hoping to see some bird life. The only thing there was a great egret. It's a little too early in the fall migration season to see much, but there were a few white pelicans further down the river.

It was pretty hazy today, so views of the Mississippi river left a little to be desired in the picture taking department. However, right across the road from where I took this picture...

was a natural spring, with cup included for a thirsty traveler. I'm not sure I'd use that cup for a drink unless I was desperate!
Here's my site at the Grant River COE campground. I have a site at the end of the row, so I have a little more privacy than other sites. It would be a very acceptable site, if not for the trains.

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A fellow SKP couple stopped by to chat this evening as Emma and I were enjoying the evening. We had a nice visit, and I'll probably converse with them further this weekend. They have been on the road fulltime for 10 years, so I'm just a beginner in their eyes. Escapees are always friendly and fun to talk to.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

My fall migration down the Mississippi Flyway

Believe it or not, my four-footed alarm clock decided to sleep in for the first time in her life! I was the first one to awaken and it was 7:26! So much for my plans to be on the road by 7:30 to get to Universal RV early. I blasted out of bed and was able to take Emma out for her duties, finish packing up, and made it to Rochester by 9:00. Phew...that was a challenge.

After dropping the RV off, I headed to PetCo to get a "furminator" for Emma. It is a tool for removing shedding and loose hair. The price was way more than I expected, but luckily, one of the employees showed me a similar model that she uses for grooming at PetCo and it was half the price.

Then it was off to get the car washed at my favorite place in Rochester. The Focus was really a mess after the gravel roads of Rice Lake. That completed, I still had time to kill while waiting for the levelers to be fixed. I decided to visit Golden Hill Education Center. That's where I was principal of the Alternative School before I retired. It was great to see all of the folks and the improvements that I had struggled so hard to implement. Many of those improvements have been put in place. While there, I got a call that the motorhome was ready, so I returned to Universal. Once I got all hooked up, again, and filled the gas tank, it was only noon, so I decided to head for Wisconsin.

I had decided on a Corps of Engineers Park along the Mississippi River as my eventual destination for the weekend, and since it was only noon, I thought I might be able to make it there today. After taking I-90 to La Cross, I ended up driving down Wisconsin route 35. It is a scenic two lane highway and is part of the Great River Road. And what a scenic highway it was. Fantastic views of the Mississippi River as you head south. All was well until I hit a detour. That detour resulted in an additional forty miles and an additional hour so that I didn't arrive at the Grant River COE campground until 5:30. I really saw more of "America's Dairyland" than I had planned on. ;)

Actually, it's a good thing I drove the whole way here today, as all of the non-reservable campsites are now full for the weekend. All of the reservable sites are booked for the weekend as well. What a surprise to find this campground so full at this time of the year.

I'll be staying here four nights, and hope to get some pictures tomorrow of the Great Mississippi. After speaking to my neighbor, I think I'll go to a local brewery for lunch tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

One last campfire

Well, I finally heard from Universal RV, and about half of the ordered parts have come in. I will be leaving Rice Lake SP early tomorrow morning to head over to get the levelers fixed and the propane gas alarm replaced. What won't get fixed is the dead bolt lock on the door and the bottom door panel....parts are on back order. (so what else is new?)



After going to Owatonna to do the laundry this afternoon, I continued my pack-up ritual when I got back. I stowed the DISH and managed to get everything else put away after enjoying my last campfire at Rice Lake. The birds were a little confused after I stowed all the bird feeders, but it's time for those hummingbirds to move south anyway. The nuthatches and chickadees will get along, and the raccoon that has been messing around with Emma's water bowl every night will have to find a new source.



Yesterday, I was reading a spring copy of the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine and read an article about how Minnesota is beginning a five year effort to conduct a breeding bird atlas and is looking for volunteers. I helped with the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas in the late eighties, and as you know, birds are my "thing". So, I gave the coordinator a call yesterday afternoon and left a message about my interest and experience. Today, while I was at the laundromat, I got a call back. The coordinator called me and was thrilled that I would be interested in covering areas where there are few volunteers. I'm excited about this opportunity. After all, I've got wheels and can go where I'm needed. She'll be sending me a map of the areas that need coverage and I'm thinking either northwest MN (where I've never been) or maybe the northeast. I do love the Gunflint Trail region of the state. I'm pretty sure I'll have to foot the bill for the campgrounds, but with my newly acquired "senior pass", I'm hoping to take advantage of the national forest campgrounds at half price. Besides, birding is what I love to do, and how cool will it be for me to investigate the back roads and byways hunting documentation of breeding!



I'd better sign off for now and get busy packing up my trucker's antennae and 12' pole. I've got to arise before dawn and get on the road.......



Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Remembering a childhood game

Many years ago when I was a child, I remember playing a game with my younger brother, Kurt. It involved two toothpicks, two Sears Christmas catalogs, and many pictures that were cut out of magazines. I don't kow if my mother devised this game to keep us quiet or not, but I do remember enjoying it.

We scattered the cut out pictures throughout our catalog, and then took turns poking a toothpick into our oponent's book hoping to find a page with a picture in it. If we were successful, we put that picture in our catalog. Of course, there were very favorite pictures that were coveted by both of us.

While I was reading through some of my magazines today, I thought of that game. I don't get very many magazines, but a picture of a cracker tripped me back. Since I have four grandchildren and another on the way, I decided I'd start collecting interesting pictures from the magazines so when the grandkids are old enough to visit me, I'll have the catalog book game to play with them. I'm not even sure Sears puts out a catalog anymore, but I'll find something. In the meantime, I've got about 40 pictures cut out so far, but need many more. I'll work on it as I move around the country. Does anyone else remember this game?

I was up before the crack of dawn today to return to the Mayo Clinic for a blood test and a ECG. That's it for my medical appointments, so I'm free to move on as soon as the parts come in for the motorhome.

In preparation for moving on, I began the slow process of packing up today. I removed the face from the tree, beat and folded up the outside rug, and returned several outdoor items to their basement storage places. If I get a call from Universal RV, my plans are to head out on Thursday or Friday. If the parts don't come in, it will put a real crimp in my plans. I do have a reservation at Indiana Dunes State Park next Monday, that has already been paid for. Oh well, I guess I'll just see what happens.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

An exhausting task completed

Last night, after having spent the afternoon at my son's house having a chicken bar-b-que, I decided to call them back up on the phone to see if they'd be interested in helping me wash and wax the rig. Who could pass up a chance like that? ;) Of course, I sweetened the pot a little with the promise of some spendable green stuff.

So, once more I packed up the rig and drove the twenty miles to their very spacious driveway. Andy and I did most of the work while Kelly kept herd on the two active grandsons and prepared lunch for everyone. Washing and waxing the rig is one of those chores that I really have to force myself to do. It's a lot of work, and if I had to do it all myself, it would have taken me days. How nice it was to have family to visit with as we worked. It made the job almost enjoyable....almost.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The Sunday Blast from the Past

In June of 2007, I began my volunteer assignment at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Pea Island is located in the middle of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the coast of North Carolina.

The front yard of my volunteer site was the Atlantic Ocean. I only had to walk about twenty paces to have this view. I spent many on evening walking up and down this pristine beach looking for shells. I have always wanted to live by the ocean, and for a month my dream came true.

I was able to visit all three of the lighthouses on the national seashore.

Bodie Island (pronounced body)...

Cape Hatteras lighthouse...

and the Ocracoke Island lighthouse. Each is painted differently to aid in mariner's navigation. Their beacons at night are also different so sailors knew their location along the coast.

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I really enjoyed the names of places here, like Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, and Ocracoke Island. I ate my first crab cake on Ocracoke Island and liked it.

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The visitor's center, where I worked was the busiest that I've worked in. It was not unusual to have over 200 visitors a day and do $800 worth of sales. Besides answering questions, selling items, and restocking, the visitor's center handles all the reservations for the canoe and bear watching tours for Pea Island and it's sister refuge, Alligator River NWR. Normally, volunteers come in pairs and both husband and wife man the center. Since I travel solo, I had to do it alone. The days I worked in the visitor's center, the time flew by because of being so busy. If there was ever a lull in the crowd, I had to lock up and dash across the parking lot to the bathroom. There were always folks waiting for me to return. ;)

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One of the enjoyable things I got to do was be a participant in the turtle watch. Each summer sea turtles arrive at night to dig a nest hole and deposit their eggs. These nests are monitored by volunteers and after close to two months, nightly turtle watches begin.

The circle at the top of the picture is the location of the nest. We use garden edging to construct a runway for the young turtles to travel down to the ocean. You're probably wondering why. Well there are two reasons. One is that these turtles are endangered and the path gives them a straight shot to the ocean. The other reason is the most important one. The runway combined with volunteers with sticks patrolling it keep the ghost crabs away from the hatchlings. If we didn't flip the crabs away, they would kill all the young. They run up and snip the muscles of a flipper and then move on to find another victim. Eventually, they come back and drag the incapacitated turtles down their crab holes. If we didn't guard these nests, there would be very few turtles that would make it to the sea. Now if I could just remember the name of this species of turtle I'd be happy, but my mind is drawing a blank right now...sorry.

The eggs are buried deep in the sand and are the size of a golf ball. This photo, and the next, are from the display at the visitor's center. It will give you a good idea of what I'm talking about.

The turtles always hatch at night and use the light of the moon to direct their way to the ocean. There can be close to one hundred eggs in a nest and most hatch at the same time. When they begin to climb to the surface it is called a boil, and that is exactly what it looks like....water boiling. I was lucky enough to be on hand when a nest hatched. The nests are "watched" from 7:00 pm until midnight. My first night on patrol, we had a boil at about 9:45. It was my job to count the number of hatchlings as they began their way down the path. We had 49 hatch that night, and all made it to the ocean thanks to the diligent stick patrol! You might think it would be easier if we just picked them up and carried them to the water, but that won't work. Each hatchling must make that perilous journey on it's own so that the location of the beach will forever be imprinted on them. That way, they will know where to come back to breed when they are old enough.

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I have many more memories of my time at Pea Island. It was a dream come true to live by the ocean (although having to completely wash the rig each week because of the salt spray was a challenge!)

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Cooking out, plans, and repairs

This evening, I got a campfire burning so I could cook my dinner.

There's nothing like a good old American tube steak (aka: hot fog...Hebrew National of course) grilled over an open fire!

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Earlier in the day, I spent the afternoon planning my journey to and in Colorado. I'll be visiting Daniel and Crystal in Denver after my trip to Indiana to see Phoebe, my latest granddaughter.

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This morning, I noticed that the nuthatches, chickadees and goldfinches are not the only ones taking advantage of the seeds I've put out for them.

A cute little chipmunk has found the bonanza of seeds underneath the feeders. This, of course, drives Emma to distraction!

Here's an interesting group of mushrooms that I found growing in the campground. The black border around each shroom seems to drip down the stems. Don't know what kind they are, but mushrooms are one of my favorite things.

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Yesterday, I took the rig into Universal Marine and RV, in Rochester, to have some work done on it. They were able to get the water heater working using propane, but couldn't accomplish much more than that because of a lack of parts. I was having a problem with the levelers, and their solution was to take out the "brains" of the levelers. Of course, they didn't have the parts to fix the problem, so I was left with no usable levelers. That presented quite a problem for me since my site at Rice Lake is anything but level. I asked Swede for some help and boards when I got back to the park. Even with several boards on the starboard side, I'm not anywhere near level, but I can run the frig. That will have to do until they call me next week after they get the needed parts. The biggest issue with this problem is that although I filled the water tank, one half of it drained out before I could get set up due to the slope of the site. Grrrrrr...

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Remembering 9-11

That's what today was about. I was at work when this tragedy occurred, and everyone at the school was glued to the television. It was a time of disbelief.

The following weekend, I was camping at Rice Lake State Park, and local communities had suggested a candlelight vigil to honor those souls that were lost. Before dusk, I walked the loop of the campground with a flag in one hand and a candle in the other. I then stood at the end of my site with the flag and candle for an hour to honor those lost. Sadly, though a number of campers walked by, no one joined me, spoke to me, or appeared to understand why I stood there. Such a sad time..........

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The sky is falling!

Remember Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey, and Foxy Loxy? Well, for the last week I've felt like Henny Penny. If I take Emma for a walk down the road leading to the office, acorns are dropping all around me. So far, I've avoided one falling on my head, but I'm thinking it's just a matter of time. ;)

Yesterday, I did the laundry thing and picked up the thin sliced round steak from Firehouse Meats. I'll be making "birds" soon. Then I spent the afternoon meeting with my financial advisor. She is based in Mankato, MN, and drove out to Rice Lake to meet with me. That took most of the afternoon, but she did report that I should have funds to last me until I'm 92. That's encouraging!

Today was a pretty relaxing day. I picked up my mail and did quite a bit of reading. This evening, my friend, Susan, stopped by and delivered my drapes that she had refurbished. They should be good for another three years. Thanks Susan! I also got a call from the optometrist that my new glasses are in, so I'll be stopping there tomorrow after I take the rig into Rochester to have some warranty work done. I'll be dropping Emma off at my son's house (with a fenced yard) so I can get some errands done without leaving her in the car. The weather continues to be spectacular and I'm really enjoying this visit to Minnesota.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The Mayo Clinic

If you have never been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, it is worth a visit. Besides the fantastic medical expertise, the grounds of the clinic are beautiful. Outdoor gardens and artwork abound. Many of the hallways are marble, and it's almost like a city unto itself in the subway labyrinth. It is a grand place to visit even if you don't have medical issues. Around mid morning to early afternoon there is also live grand piano music supplied in one of the huge waiting areas, and you can get to both hospitals and all the medical buildings through underground tunnels or overhead enclosed walkways. This is especially nice during the bitter winters that can occur here. Besides medical buildings, there are also restaurants and various clothing and shoe stores, and boutiques. The walkways and tunnels also attach to the parking garages and hotels. Quite often you'll be in a waiting area with celebrities or rich shieks.



On the medical side, patient handling and expiditing has been honed to a science. As an example, the total time from entering the door to leaving today for my mammogram was about twenty minutes! Think how much time the normal person sits waiting for their appointment, and this is astounding.



I got a few appointments out of the way today, made arrangements to have warranty work on the rig done, and enjoyed a great lunch at the Sky Dragon Buffet in downtown Rochester. In all my travels, I have not found a Chinese Buffet to compare with the excellent food served here. The lunch buffet is $5.99, and worth every penny.

I just got a call from the kennel where Emma is staying, and the owner has just returned home. So, it's off to pick up my companion before it gets dark.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

What does a camphost do?

That's one of the questions I got this weekend from one of the campers. So I thought I'd let you readers know how a holiday weekend goes. Probably the two most important things that I do is meet and greet the campers, and keep the bathrooms supplied with enough toilet paper. ;)

There are five pit toilets scattered throughout the park, one semi-modern bathroom, and one bathroom with flush toilets and showers. I don't have to clean them, that's done by the staff, but I do need to make sure there are enough supplies available throughout the day and night. I generally tour all of them about three times a day on a busy weekend.

I also post the reservation signs at individual sites and answer all sorts of questions from the campers. This was a pretty quiet holiday weekend. On Saturday, I drove around the loops to remind campers of the astronomy program being offered.

Sunday night, about 7:00, a camper came to inform me that the lights had gone out in the main bathroom building. I appreciate it when they let me know about problems. After investigating the problem, I called the park manager, Joel, and between the two of us, we were unable to get the lights to work. He called an electrician, but being a holiday weekend, he was unable to come out. So, that meant I drove around to every site to tell them to bring a flashlight if they were going to use the bathroom last night. By visiting each site, I avoided having multiple campers knocking on my door all night, and I believe I prevented folks from becoming upset over the situation.

Today, the electrician showed up in the early morning, and the lights are now working. Then it was the mass exodus, and almost all campers had left by noon. Once everyone was gone, I hopped in the cart and visited each site to pick up garbage and toss any extra fire wood in the back of the vehicle. I must say that this only took me about an hour. What a difference from when I hosted in South Dakota. Minnesota folks are extremely neat. They not only put all of their trash in the dumpsters, but they also put all their plastic, glass, and aluminum in the recycle bins! When I hosted at Richmond Lake Recreation Area in South Dakota, it took me a half day to just pick up the trash left behind by campers, and the number of sites was half what it is here.

There were no real emergencies this weekend, and things went quite smoothly. Over the years, I've had some real hair raising situations, and some really comical happenings at this park, but thankfully, not this weekend. So....that's some of what I do as a campground host.

This evening, I took Emma to a boarding kennel for the night. I've got a couple of medical appointments tomorrow, at the Mayo Clinic, as well as other errands I have to run. She would have been stuck inside the rig for too many hours, so she's having a little holiday (and so am I).

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The Sunday Blast from the Past

When I left Anahuac NWR, back in May of 2007, I stopped the first night at Caddo Lake State Park in Texas. My intentions were to just stay one night, but I changed my mind once I got there. There was too much to see and do for just one night.

This campground epitomized what I had in my mind of a swampy Southern bayou. The cypress trees around and in the water were draped with moss.

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The second day that I was there, I took a tour on a pontoon boat that was run by a woman.

I'm glad she knew where she was going, because I surely would have gotten lost back in this swamp!


What a great tour this was. I especially enjoyed seeing the prothonatory warblers flitting by at eye level.
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The third day I was there, I went on a nature hike that was led by Gwen Young, the campground host. Gwen and her husband, Jim, had hosted at Caddo Lake for several years. It was hard to believe they were 87 years old with the way she led us up and down the trails of the park!
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While I was busy enjoying myself for those three days, a pair of very persistent Carolina wrens had decided that my rig was the ideal place for them to build a nest. Not just one nest, mind you, but three! One was on a shelf under my slide-out, one was under the slide-out awning, and the last one I found in the basket of my mo-ped. The nest on top of the slide-out proved to be the most difficult to remove. That area is close to 12 feet from the ground, and I don't have a ladder that tall. I had to balance my footstool on top of my ladder and then try to sweep the nest out with a broom over my head. I was finally successful, and then quickly went inside and brought the slide in before the wrens had a chance to add any more sticks.
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Lots of good memories from a short three day stay.......
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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Two days of grandsons!

What fun I've had the last two days getting to know Joseph and Seth better! Joseph will be four in October, and Seth will be three in December. I saw them when I was up here for Daniel's wedding in July, and Joseph remembered my motorhome and my "easy button". We've had a great time cooking hotdogs over the open fire and making some-mores.



The boys also got a thrill out of driving around with me in the cart that the park provides for the host, and telling all of the campers about tonight's astronomical program this evening. I'll be seeing them a few more times before I pull out on the 18th. I'm looking forward to the time they are old enough to spend a few days camping with me.

I'm having internet difficulties tonight, so I'll cut this short.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The evening "drive-bys"

Something that I have found unique about Rice Lake State Park, is the evening drive through's by many people. These are not people looking for a campsite for the night, but I think they are local citizens that enjoy driving through all the roads of the park in the evening. Joel, the park manager, has speculated that they are people scoping out the campground for future camping. I'm not sure I agree. Many of the folks are quite elderly, and don't appear to me to be interested in camping.



Earlier today, I calculated that since 1999, there have been only two summers when I have not hosted here. In that time, many of the evening drive-bys have been repeat visitations. I recall a quite elderly couple that has been here many summers. The wife drives the car and inevitably asks me if those big white birds are pelicans. I reassure her every year that they are.

Over the years here, I have owned three different rigs, and more than one evening visitor has noticed my change of abode and commented on it. One family that has driven through each year I have been here is led by a man that has the loudest speaking voice that I have ever run into. He buys firewood here to use in his fireplace at home. Back in 2005, I decided to camp for the weekend at another MN state park for my shake down trip for my present rig. Would you believe that this man with the loud voice, and his family, decided to camp that weekend at the same state park? Well, he did...and when he arrived, he spotted me, and asked what site he should set up his rig in, as if I were the camphost at this park! I gave him my opinion, and sure enough, that's where they camped for the weekend.

It's no wonder why I feel like I'm coming home each time I host at Rice Lake. I wonder if I'll see these same folks this year in the short time I'm here. Time will tell....

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Fall is on it's way

One of the reasons for my coming to Rice Lake was to take care of yearly medical checkups. So they began today with a trip to the dentist. I hate going to the dentist. :( Everything thing turned out OK, but these appointments just make me tense.

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After that, I met my friend Susan (aka: SJ3), in Kasson for lunch. While it was not a memorable meal, we did have a great time catching up. Susan is a seamstress, and I'm hoping will be able to help me solve the issue with my drapes that cover the front windows. Over time, the glide tape that allows me to close the drapes at night has disintegrated and it looks like she will be able to sew new tapes on the drapes for me. That is if I can find enough glide tape for her to do it. I bought two 72" strips last December, but that is not going to be enough. It's one of those specialty RV things.

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I'm so glad to be up in Minnesota in September. It's been a while since I've been around for what I think is my favorite season...fall.

The leaves are already starting to turn. The maple tree in front of my campsite dropped these.

This is the camphost site I'm in. I set out my hummingbird feeder, and two seed feeders on Monday, and all three of them have been discovered by the birds. Several ruby- throated hummingbirds are fighting over the nectar, and, so far, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, and American goldfinches are taking advantage of the oil seed and white millet.

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There is a big maple at the front of my site next to the road that I enjoy adding a little humor to.

Did you notice the face?

Once the crowd gets here for the weekend, they will be walking and bicycling up and down this road, and it's fun to see who notices the face on the tree. Most adults chuckle and the kids think it's a hoot! That is, if they notice it. It blends in very nicely and reminds me of the talking trees in the Wizard of Oz.

Last, but not least, is a shot of Emma chewing on a stick (she doesn't let me take pictures of her very often). I'd say it sure beats sucking on a toad!

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Emma learns a lesson (I hope!)

The weather has just been fantastic here so far. It's cool enough over night that I have the electric heaters going to keep the rig at 70*. It warms up during the day into the lower 70's and the skies have been sunny.



I just tried to upload some pics from Rice Lake, and they have somehow disappeared. I don't understand that. I created a new folder in My Pictures for Rice Lake, and one moment it was there, and the next it wasn't! I don't know what's up with that.



Anyway, after our morning walk, I had to do laundry in Owatonna since I left Swan Lake a day early. Next to the laundromat is a butcher store that I remembered from two years ago. While the clothes were washing I went in and purchased a pork chop, rib eye steak, and two smoked pork chops. The meat from this shop is outstanding, and I also ordered a very thin round steak to pick up next week so I can make "birds". I'll explain that recipe in a later post.



Upon my return, I had lunch while Emma was on her lead outside. When I finished, I went outside and noticed that Emma was foaming at the mouth. She was laying down at the foot of the stairs, and in between her front paws was a toad. Aha! I knew what this meant. She had found a toad, picked it up in her mouth, and suffered the consequences. Toads exude something through their skin when threatened, and Emma experienced that. Obviously, she dropped the toad and was just looking at it while she dealt with the foaming. I guess the moral to this story is to not suck toads, unless you are in Toad Suck, Arkansas! The defense mechanism works well, as the toad hopped away unscathed.



Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Heading to Minnesota

The trip from Swan Lake NWR, MO, to Rice Lake State Park, MN, was not exactly uneventful. Uneventful is the way I like my traveling days, but it was not to be. After leaving the refuge, I noticed that there was a "thunk" whenever I slowed down or stopped. While driving along, I checked my rear view camera, and it appeared that the car was not staying directly behind the motorhome. It looked like it was weaving off to the right. That's not good. Finally, I just stopped in the middle of the road at a place that I thought might be fairly safe. With all the hills, and curves on the two lane road out to US 36, I just couldn't stop anywhere. Sure enough, the toad had lurched over to the right. The reason is hard to explain if you are not familiar with using a Blue Ox tow bar, but suffice it to say, I was able to correct the problem.

Then it was a fairly smooth 389 miles to the state park. Once again I decided to do that long drive in just one day. When I got to Rice Lake (a day early), the host site was occupied. I filled the water tank and chose another site. For a change, I hooked up the electricity before I put the slides out. I'm glad I did, because there was something wrong with the electric hookup. After trying five times to get it to work, I decided to move the rig to another site. I was then able to set up for the night with the knowledge that I would move again today.

This afternoon, the August hosts moved out, and I set up, once again, in site B-1.
Getting in and most of the set up routine was a breeze, but getting the DISH set up was a real challenge. It's been two years since I've set the DISH up here, and I guess the trees have grown taller. After two hours of frustration, I was finally able to hone in on the satellites. Then I set up the trucker's antenna and amplifier so I could get Internet reception, and put out my rug, rocker, and two bird feeders. After covering the picnic table with my tablecloth, I settled down to enjoy what was left of the evening until the mosquitoes and cool temps sent me inside.

After the hot and muggy temps in Missouri, it was refreshing to need sweatpants and a sweatshirt in order to sit outside. The area is experiencing lower than normal temperatures and I'm thrilled.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

A slight change in plans

Today was Greenwing Day at the refuge. This was a five hour program for families with youngsters 0-17. The local Ducks Unlimited Chapter ran this show along with the refuge. There was another retrieving demonstration with four talented Labrador Retrievers, skeet shooting, duck identification, and a wetland station along with a duck calling competition and several other activities. Over two hundred people took part and enjoyed all the activities and a free lunch. It's great to see so many families enjoying the refuge.

Pam and Kirk, the other volunteer couple, had suggested to me yesterday that they could handle the visitor's center on Sunday if I wanted to leave a day earlier. At first I turned them down, but the more I thought about it, I decided it was a good idea. I only work a few hours on Sundays, since they came, and it would mean I could take two days to drive the 400 miles to Rice Lake State Park in Minnesota instead of trying to do it all in one day. So, late this afternoon, I put my pack up routine into high gear. I emptied and packed the three bird feeders I had out. The birds were a little confused, but they'll find feeders in the same places in the next few days as Pam and Kirk put their feeders out. I also got all the outside work done other than dumping and stowing the hookup cords. I can take my time tomorrow doing those final chores as I'll only have about 200 miles to travel. I think I'll even sleep well tonight. ;) That's not always the case when I'm preparing to leave a place I've been at for a couple of months.

I'll be stopping for tomorrow night near Ames, Iowa, and will do laundry at a private campground I have picked out. There are no laundry facilities at Rice Lake, so I want to arrive with an empty laundry bag. Leaving tomorrow will make for a much more relaxed move up north.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Late summer wildflowers & a lock down

I'm counting the days until I leave...2 1/2 to go. The rain stopped today and I took some pictures of wildflowers after getting my bicycle up and stored on the back of the RV.



These yellow daisy-like flowers are more than abundant on the refuge right now.

I don't know the names of most of these blooms, but I do enjoy seeing them.

The yellow flowers are very vibrant around my site.


Thistles have such gorgeous flowers for a much aligned plant.

The wild grasses are also producing seeds....





The Elderberry bushes are also producing an abundance of fruit...anyone want to make some wine?

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Later today, as I was sitting outside with Emma, a woman drove into our driveway and approached me asking who lived in the bunkhouse near my site. I told her that the biologist lived there. We then chatted for a while about volunteering and I told her that this was not a campground, but just two sites for fulltime volunteers. I had the generator running at the time, for it's monthly exercise, so it was kind of noisy as we spoke. I then asked her if I could help her in any way and she said she had some questions about the First Friday Activities on the refuge. I told her all about what was available at these monthly celebrations. She said she lived in Sumner and had one child. She then returned to her vehicle and I went about shutting off the generator. Once I had done that, I noticed (and heard) that she had gone to the bunkhouse. She was obviously upset and shouting at Ann Marie, the biologist, and really carrying on. She then got into her car and erratically blasted out down the road. I thought she might fly off of the road.
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I then went over to talk to Ann Marie to see what had gone on. Ann Marie was very upset over the outburst from this woman. She didn't know who the woman was, but said that she had threatened her. I suggested that Ann Marie call 911, and she did. The cops were aware of this woman and suggested that we all lock up tight tonight as she has a history of erratic behavior. They sent two squad cars out here to talk to us. That's big for such a rural area. So, tonight, I've battened down the hatches. Hopefully, the woman will be apprehended and not cause us any further grief. After such a boring three months, this has been the most exciting thing to happen here. :(
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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Where are you from?

That's a question that I get asked often. The problem is how to answer. Most recently, I was asked that question yesterday in an interview for the Friends of Swan Lake NWR newsletter.

I'm just not sure how to respond. Do I say I'm from Chicago, where I grew up and spent the first 27 years of my life? Or do I say New York, where I spent 18 years, in the small town of Newark Valley, raising all three of my kids? Or do I say Minnesota, where I lived in Dodge Center and Kasson for 13 years, before I retired? Or do I say Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I have claimed residence and have my mailing address?

If you live in a house, it's easy to say where you're from. If you travel in a motorhome fulltime, it's not so easy. None of the places where I've lived in a "sticks and bricks" call out to me as where I'm from. (I'm having a little issue with italics and can't turn it off) So there's the dilemma....

I'm thinking that the next time I'm asked, I'll just say I'm from the United States of America. What do you think?

I rolled in the awning today since there are thunderstorms possible overnight and tomorrow. Other than that it's been boring chores for the last two days like defrosting the refrigerator and freezer. I always like to leave a location with all the frost out of the small freezer. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may or may not venture up on the roof to wash it down. I couldn't talk anyone into washing and waxing the RV here, so I may work on some of that myself.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

A near disaster....

...or, how I nearly had an indoor swimming pool in the rig.

Today was a day for domestic chores. I did a couple of loads of laundry, vacuumed the rig, and went to town for groceries. After putting the groceries away, I used the bathroom and then took Emma out for a short walk. Thank goodness it was a short walk. When we got back, I hooked her up outside and came back in for a minute. I was hearing a running water sound and checked the kitchen sink...nothing. So I headed for the bathroom and found the toilet overflowing! Every once in a while, after flushing, the water flow doesn't stop. I normally wait in the bathroom to hear the gurgling sound that signals that the water has stopped. I guess I had other things on my mind, and left before hearing it. I was able to sop up the water with a towel before there was too much of a disaster. Phew! Sometimes I just get lucky.

That was enough excitement for one day for me. I'll probably just relax for the remainder of the evening. Tomorrow I'll begin the slow process of getting the rig ready to move out next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The Sunday Blast from the Past

Fast forward, or fast backward, to Feb.-May, 2007.........


I began my first volunteer assignment at a National Wildlife Refuge. There are over 550 National Wildlife Refuges in the country, and Anahuac (pronounced anna-whack) is located southeast of Houston, Texas. It is on the Gulf of Mexico coast and consists of mostly marsh lands. The difference between a marsh and a swamp is that swamps have trees, and marshes do not. Both have abundant mosquitoes. ;)
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I spent three months there and worked 32 hours/week. Living in a spot surrounded by marsh was a new experience for me. My duties included working in the Visitor's Information Station (VIS), light maintenance, elementary school education programs, and waterfowl studies. Being an experienced birder was an advantage at this refuge and I enjoyed helping the biologist with a waterfowl study.



There were plenty of other critters there besides birds....like this alligator,

and small lizards (I think they were called anuoles).


I even found a little green tree frog clinging to my awning brace.
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Of course, my main interest was birds, and I was not disappointed. Thousands of snow geese winter on the refuge, and it is a major migration stopping point for thousands of neo-tropical migrants in the spring.


In nearby High Island, Texas, was a rookery (breeding location) for great egrets, neotropic cormorants, and roseate spoonbills. The pinkness of the spoonbills is determined by the amount of shrimp they eat. These spoonbills, obviously, had a good supply of shrimp in their diet.



Scattered across much of the land in the refuge were these mud mounds that measured about ten inches tall. They are constructed by crawdads (or crawfish, or crayfish, depending on where you are from). It's amazing how these creatures build these mud tunnels from marble like rounds of mud.


This was the visitor's center where I worked...outside...

and inside.........

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Last year, Anahuac received a direct hit from hurricane Ike, and the result was that this VIS was pretty much demolished. The water surged seven feet tall through the VIS and the office and maintenance buildings behind. The refuge was devastated, most alligators and other wildlife were drowned, and the volunteer building no longer exists. I have seen pictures of the destruction, and it is hard for me to wrap my mind around it. I will be spending about five weeks there this winter helping to rebuild the education program, so I'll be able to post the recovery efforts for this important refuge.

Last, but not least, is a view of the refuge that I experienced at the close of one of the waterfowl counts that I did. Views like this made me forget the mosquitoes for a while! ;)

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You know, I'm really enjoying these blasts from the past as I reminisce about my fulltiming experiences. I hope you enjoy them also.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy