Whelan's Wheels (go round and round, round and round): Wednesday random "stuff"

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wednesday random "stuff"

Some Wednesday "randomness" ...

The cattle show continues so whenever we leave or return to the camping area here I make it a point to go by the exposition hall where these cuties are getting all beautified to back into the ring! This guy was out getting a tubbie yesterday when we returned from a morning of errands. He is the only one I've seen that isn't either solid black or solid brown - I asked the young man who was cleaning him if I could take his picture because he reminded me (sort of) a Vermont Holstein. But when I loaded the pictures I noticed those ears - what's up with those feathery looking (pappion) ears! Aren't they just so cute! Not to mention the slobber/drool. Well I really thought this guy was quite a looker and he won a prize for "prospect" - I was impressed, but I have no clue what that meant (help me out here Kimmerly).

Another thing that happened yesterday - well it happens every day twice a day, but

really struck me - There is a sand and gravel company down the road (a piece!) and railroad tracks behind the camping area here, where a train (sometimes two engines and sometimes 12 cars) goes slooooooowly by twice a day (I am really loving this part, but I guess it's 'cause it makes me think of my Dad) ... anyway, I had a flashback yesterday of the many times I heard the story of when my parents were quite young and lived in a little house that backed up to the railroad tracks in Sudbury, MA. My Mom would be out hanging clothes everyday when the train would go by and she'd wave to the caboose man (or the conductor or both) ... well the story goes that when she returned home from the hospital after my older sister, Candy (and first born Win and Lois offspring) was born, my Mom held the baby up for the conductor/caboose man to see and they started blowing the whistle and kept blowing and blowing the whistle/horn for "miles" on down the tracks ........ or so the story goes ...

Another randomness .... Last night we went out to a local "sports bar" type place, across from the Sioux Falls Canary stadium (appropriately called "The Birdcage") to watch the All Star game. There were two young men (early 20's) sitting next to us and Rick notices a dill pickle in a glass and asks one of the kids what the heck was up with that - yeah it must be a South Dakota (or Sioux Falls) thing, although we hadn't seen it since we've been here - You eat a dill pickle that you keep in a glass of beer - HUH? Well I love dill pickles, hate beer so I guess it wouldn't possibly work for me!

Today seems to be a very late start (well DAH the game didn't get over until 1:00 this morning) and we're sort of trying to figure a plan of "what to do" - it's 2:30 so probably not much will get done now. We did get lots of errands done yesterday, some banking stuff, Rick had some lab work done for his appts next week, he has gotten his suitcase out to start packing, I've done some laundry ...... guess that's about it. I think we're going to "Hot City Nights" tonight in the downtown area - I guess they close off the terrific main street and have a couple bands or something there - we shall see. Oh yeah, and an awesome thing happened yesterday - There is a Jazz/Blues Fest this weekend (Taj Mahal for starters!!) and I had volunteered to do whatever they could use me for - I got a call last evening - I will be at Beer Garden #1 on Saturday!!! YIPPEEEEEEEEEE I love Sioux Falls!

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This is our story ~ and we're sticking to it.

Our attempt at a blog - quite scary isn't it?

We left MA in early October, 2007 after I (Tracey) retired September 5 as an executive assistant for a software developer and Rick retired from his job on October 1. We passed papers on our house September 28th and off we went. We traveled down the east coast to the Florida Keys ~ where we planned to spend three nights but 17 nights later had to leave our site because someone had reserved it a year prior! We then stayed in northern FL for another month and headed off to meet our Marine returning to the San Diego area after his second tour "over there". We spent several wonderful weeks realizing why grandparents get tired easily! After the San Diego area we headed to the "low desert" (certainly a new phrase for us) of CA and into western AZ .. and decided it was finally time to start the blog we'd talked about since August or so!!

So many wonderful things we saw along the way. And the people, oh the people. I have said so many times to Rick the best part of this journey has been the people. So, so many people with so many interesting stories. Think about it - think about the stories YOU have and multiply that by the many many people we must have met along the way ~ particularly a social person like Rick .. we met a rattlesnake milker in Sweetwater, TX, we met the camp hosts in the Keys who summer back in NH ~ talk about the best of both worlds! We met the female police Sgt. at the Sweetwater Elks whose son was also in Iraq at the same base as my son. We met people in Slidell, LA who survived Katrina and had a great attitude and a smile on their faces and were proud to share their local cuisine with us. We saw the Blue Angels, purely by chance, in El Centro, CA. Or the "campground" where within an hour of arriving our house had been hit three times by golf balls! Or the Elks lodge in Indio ~ the sweetest, bike riding, bartender ~ I just wanted to pack her up and bring her along on our adventure. Not to mention the aerial tram while we were there, the warplane museum for Rick who does NOT do aerial trams! The Salton Sea ~ WOW just WOW. We stayed in the lovely little town of Wilcox, AZ - there was just something about that town. How about Pensacola, FL where the Elks Lodge on the beach is now built high, very high, off the ground! Or what about Huntington Beach State Park in Murrels Inlet, SC - talk about beautiful. What a great place that was to spend our first Thanksgiving on the road with good friends - that was something to be thankful for, for sure. Our first Christmas and New Years in the Keys!! WOW. The love and support of a dear friend in FL while Rick had to fly back to Boston and we dealt with all that entailed with unexpected follow ups back in FL .. how fortunate were we through all of that. Not to mention having the new trailer outfitted in Myrtle Beach and staying at what a week or two a year is the Broken Spoke? Or the kind and soft spoken LA Police Detective who is on the gang unit? So many people, so many stories. And there is so much ahead. The people .. did I mention how wonderful the people have been - all different walks of life .. so many personalities, so many stories! I have said many times ~ I need to pinch myself every morning to be certain it REALLY is happening to US! We are so grateful.

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