October is almost over!

I love the month of October! We spent the first week in Tennessee with Amys family.  Camping in their backyard  was really great as we got to spend alot of time together.  Had some bonfires, roasted hotdogs and smores of coarse.  Took a trip to the Nashville Zoo, just the right size for the younger kids.  Now the leaves have turned to bright reds, yellow and orange, they don't last long!  With every breeze they swirl though the air and cover the ground.  As kids we spent alot of time raking them into piles, making make believe forts and then jumping right in! Then back to Iowa to get ready to leave for our trek west.  Spent the last couple of days with Mats family before heading out with a backyard fire and star gazing. Set off some firework left over from the 4th, that was a hit with the kids!  I always find saying good bye when we leave hard to do, I miss them already.

On the Iowa farm.

Kyler, Emily, Lane and grandpa

I 10 Texas

Happy Halloween!

The last week of October has been spent traveling toward Tucson AZ for the winter months.  This trek has been a new adventure for me as I am pulling the camper by myself.  Randy following along behind with Aunt Ruthann, he is driving her motor home. I have a new appreciation for all the driving Randy usually does!!  I have to say I was very nerves the first day, the second day and on and on.  Took a few deep breaths, put the metal to the petal  and off we go!  Since I'm the only one who has Gps and internet on my smart phone I get to be the navigator and travel guide.   How did the pioneers do it!  Travel with out cell phones and the internet?  They are my life line, need to see where the nearest gas station is up ahead or find a campground for the night?  JUST GOOGLE IT!   Radio going for company, tense muscles, sometimes white knuckle moments but now I know I can do it..

Tomorrow should be the last leg of this trip,  looking forward to seeing all our winter friends and taking walks in the desert.  Sun, fun and a swim in the pool awaits us!   Happy Trails.... Happy Halloween too!

Fall in Iowa

  It looks like we will be delayed departing Iowa for another month due to canceled and rescheduled Dr appts.  Have to take care of all that good stuff before we can take off for our winter home in Tucson.

 So thought I would take the time to rediscover rural America where I was raised and lived most of my life...Iowa.  Cooler temps, crisp nite air, golden corn and bean fields.  Fall awaits and the sounds of combines harvesting are all around me.  Made a trip to one of the local orchards to get some of Randy's favorite Honey crisp apples.  I was tempted to pickup some pumpkins put where would I put them in the camper?  So got some warm just out of the oven apple turnovers instead.  Yum!!!


Cleaned out Mats garden as were supposed to get a hard freeze and that will put an end to it.  Its fun to get to do the easy part of harvesting and canning.  Now Mat does the hoeing and watering.  Squash, tomatoes, watermelon, muskmelon, beets, green beans, peppers and beautiful sweet carrots. Oh Christine and family made old fashion sauerkraut in a century old crock the way I remember my grandparents doing it.  Canned kraut and deep red pickled beets line the pantry.


Decided to take a trip to middle Tennessee to see our daughter Amy and her family before coming back for  RV repairs.  Chronic problems with electric awning and convection oven on new camper.  I think we have a dark cloud overhead when it comes to campers!

Having arrived in Tennessee we are having a great time with the granddaughters.  What do you do on rainy days with two active girls?  Go to Goodwill..... stuff a bag for $2.99!!  Rent movies from Red box for only $1.00 and play games.

Goodwill shopping

 Took a field trip to the Tennessee State History Museum in Nashville.
Very interesting and it was free.. Learned alot about the area, prehistoric, plantation life and civil war battles of which Tn was greatly affected.  The only thing the girls were in a hurry to see was the mummy on display!


The girls decided they would like to have a rope swing in the back yard.  So with the help of the internet we found a great website with very good step by step instructions for an old fashioned tree swing.  Thus the project got under way and the whole family got involved... I learned some cool knots too!

             We did find one warm night to have a bonfire, make smores  and of coarse take turns telling scary stories.

Randy decided to put in 50 amp electric for the camper so we could park right next to the house and stay in their yard. Needless to say the girls have been hanging out in the camper..playing with Barbies, helping out.

 We'll have to drag ourselves back north in a couple of days..Burrrrrr.  Then off for Arizona we hope and looking forward to catching up with our winter friends!    Take Care!!!!



   Kathy