Life is grand!

Besides medical appointments (still on-going), we have squeezed out a little family time with grandkids. Here are some photos to prove it!

The Twinkies - Celebrating their 22nd birthday

Our youngest grandbaby, just turned 2. Enjoying her time at Cracker Barrel. 

Who doesn't love ice cream?
Ages 10 & almost 8.

Not all our grandkids are in Maryland area - here are 3 of mine, enjoying their vacation in Lake Tahoe.
Ages 10, almost 14 & almost 15. We don't get to see them often enough, hope to this year.

My grandson Ryan with his girlfriend, Nicole. He is still recovering from his accident but doing well.

Another passel of grandkids, these are in NY state.
We hope to see at least some of them this summer. Been way too long!

Of course, believe it or not, these aren't ALL our grandkids - we just don't have good new photos of the rest. LOL! If they don't get posted on Facebook....you know how that goes.

We also have a small passel of great-grandkids, most of whom we haven't met. That's for another day.

Ciao for now!

Stu's Tuesday Travels - leaving Colorado Springs for parts east

I think the guys had a late night last night...waiting for my phone call. Some good pics posted on Facebook just before they departed.

>Getting ready to head back East, Stu, Duane, Earl  at Days Inn Colorado Springs-Gdn of Gods.

Mr Earl, Stu and the original Duwop - Duane

Stu and Donna's daughter, Sheri

Interesting face...

Later in the afternoon we saw -
>Time for... Well you know — at Dairy Queen., Goodland KS

Ah, do I sense a little frustration in this 5pm post?
>F'ing hot, Boring, flat I70 through Kansas — at Wakenney, Ks.

Last post of the day.
>Dinner and in for the night. Saw a storm developing to the South of us. Fortunately it was moving Southeast. The picture doesn't really show the enormity of it. Tomorrow I split away from the others as they head to MD and I slow the pace and head to Tenn. — at Salina, KS.

Stu's Monday Meanderings - a rest day

Today was a quiet day for Stu, resting and doing laundry while Mr. Earl visited some local family and the Duwop Duo of Bonnie and Clyde - no wait, that's Bonnie & Duane headed up to ride Pikes Peak.

>Resting today. I'm staying put or perhaps a Visit with some Fam. The rest are heading out for a day of whatever. — at Days Inn Colorado Springs-Gdn of Gods.

He then had dinner with our daughter, Sheri and her husband Kenn.

>Dinner with Sheri and Kenn. Nice to sit and catch up on stuff — at Texas T -Bone.

A little excitement during dinner....
>Meanwhile across the street from our dinner at Texas T- Bones. http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/CSPD-Investigates-Death-212833371.html?device=phone

Final report?
>Three Irish folk meet at a restaurant and talk....no pictures were taken.....

Yup, everyone forgot to take a photo...LOL!

Tomorrow they all hit the road, headed home. Current plans are to stop around Salinas, KS.

Back home, I spent the day at McDonald's chewing out over 3500 words, into chapter one of "Barely a Spark". More tomorrow....

Been doing small loads of laundry and running the dryer on air to dry...tonight even that stopped. Back to the laundromat I go. Sigh....glad we have an appointment mid-July to get all our rig issues fixed.

Oh Sadie? She came home last night and spent the day sleeping inside while I was gone. I let her out early this evening. She came home less than two hours later, panting, wet and limping (she gets a muscle cramp in her hindquarters). I wiped her down and she's been sleeping ever since.

Stu's Sunday Travels - through the Independence mountain pass

Mid-afternoon Stu McNicol and the Duwopers checked in from Independence Pass, Colorado. I suspect they are at the big stop with LOTS of snow (based upon my experience riding there in 2005).

Click the link below to see where they were located.
http://fms.ws/Cc3uo/39.11973N/106.72223W

Well, a long day for the gang...ended up in Colorado Springs, just now getting dinner at after 10pm their time. Tomorrow is Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods for the others, Stu is ready for a day of rest (he's done both before).

Back on the home front, I went to Cookeville shopping today. They have two much larger Walmarts than here in Jamestown. I found my large Chobani Greek Yogurt and another trunk for our move to Ecuador. A good day...oh, and when I came home, our errant daughter showed up wagging her tail. She's spending the night at home for a change. LOL!

Stu's Saturday Travels - moving into Colorado

I got a late start this morning due to a nasty bug bite that caused me to itch all over last night. Took a Benadryl and when it finally kicked in around 1AM, boy howdy, did I ever sleep. Woke briefly at 8:30, 9:30 and finally got up at 10:30 this morning. Itching is currently better but will keep an eye on the bite since I don't know if it was a tick or spider.

Looks like the Duwopers slept in a little bit, too. Stu posted this on Facebook around 10:30 their time.

> Breakfast. And now a rain free ride into Colorado and points west — at Western Sky's Family Diner., Wheatland WY

Like ·

Early afternoon check in....
>Lunch. 'Nuff said — at Nordy's BBQ & Grill. in Loveland, CO
Ride good. Lunch good. This afternoon Rocky Mtn NP. Woot!

Riding through Rocky Mountain National Park

Check in for the night.
>Dinner somewhere then in for the night — at The Viking Lodge & Ski Shop/Wear Me Out T-Shirts., Winter Park, CO

Well, Sadie appears to be out for the night again...having too much fun. Darn teenagers...

Family, Friends and Fire Lily Base Camp

Some people don't understand the RV lifestyle and wonder how we can give up our homes and leave our family and friends. The truth is, many of us have family spread out all over the country, especially those of us with extended/blended families.

Take Stu and I....not a first marriage for either of us, our late spouses also had children of their own before we married them. We now have over twenty-five grandkids (and one great) scattered throughout Maryland, Ohio, Georgia, New York, Delaware and more family in Florida. Our RV lifestyle lets us see them much more often than we could otherwise. Plus we have the added bonus of having our own bed and a place to retreat to at the end of a long day.

We've had pizza parties, attended graduations, enjoyed Thanksgiving, done some motorcycling, danced at weddings, cried at funerals, partied at Halloween, ate food (LOTS of food).

Do you have a set schedule to visit family and friends? Have you found it easy to make friends on the road?

BONUS: Fire Lily Base Camp

Another week gone.....

I swear sometimes that I am sleeping through the days when I realize how long it's been since I last blogged. But when I look at what has gone on, I know we've just been busy.

Going to try to keep this short and just link to photos, so here goes!

• Sat May 15 - Attended graduation and moving party in Thornton CO (greater Denver) for oldest daughter
• Sun May 16 - Attended graduation ceremony for daughter in Denver at Metro College 
• Mon May 17 - Left our campground in Monument CO and headed north on I-25 where we spent the night at Wally World in Timnath CO
• Got to meet online friends Brian & Heidi, fellow RVers and riders, chatted for HOURS!
• Tue May 18 - Moved from Tinmath CO to Rock Springs WY where we enjoyed another night of hospitality courtesy of Wally World
• Wed May 19 - Kept moving westerly, from Rock Springs WY to Wells NV where we were kept safe nestled in the midst of all the trucks at the Flying J
• Thu May 20 - Gorgeous day as we traveled from Wells NV to Susanville CA where we once again parked overnight at Wally World

Some miscellaneous happenings along the way:

• Got to see the Great Salt Lake
• Were surprised at a rest area stop to find we were at the Bonneville Salt Flats
• Were attacked by some random tumbleweed, one of them traveling for 20 miles or so wrapped around our mirror
• Got stopped by a CHIPS officer for going a little over the speed limit and wandering a little on the road (well, it was VERY windy)....no ticket, just some friendly discussion
• Went through tunnels, over mountains, down into valleys...through sun, wind and rain
• Enjoyed farms, ranches, cattle, sheep, goats, desert views, wildflowers, red rocks, white rocks, black rocks, salt laden lands, green lush rivers, snow capped mountains

We are moving towards the Pacific coast but once again the weather has slowed us down. Tomorrow we hope to make it to Grants Pass OR where we will camp till Sunday or Monday when we will move over to Crescent City CA. We will spend a couple of days and enjoy the Redwoods....hopefully on the motorcycles.

Then we will wind our way up the Pacific Coast Highway (101) and finally settle outside Seattle before taking off on our 14 day cruise to Alaska. Can you say EXCITED??? WHOO-HOO!!!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

The hills are alive with the sound of music....

Saturday was the day we had been waiting for...we had tickets to see the country duo, Sugarland, at the World Arena in Colorado Springs. To sweeten the deal, the opening acts were Danny Gokey, former American Idol contestent, and Julianne Hough, better known for her gyrations on Dancing with the Stars reality show.

We had opted for a pre-show dinner/parking pass at the Arena and arrived early enough to pick up our tickets at the office. Parking was wide open since the show was almost 90 minutes away.

After a short wait in line, the doors were opened and we were escorted to the top floor where our table awaited us. We had two drink coupons and we decided to try a local Colorado Springs beer, Laughing Lab. Delicious...going to have to pick up a six-pack before we leave the area.

We met two nice couples at our dinner table and we all chatted a bit before getting up to help ourselves at the buffet. The food was plentiful and delicious! The only downside was not having enough time to relax & enjoy both the food and the company before the show started.

Danny Gokey was the opening act and we missed his first song and had to stumble to our seats in the dark. His set was short, not sure why but the next set was Julianne Hough and since she announced this was her last performance with Sugarland, we thought that maybe Danny was slowly breaking in his opening act.

Although short, Danny's voice was better than ever and we enjoyed seeing him live. Julianne was amazing...what a voice she has. And moves....oh my! She makes Shania Twain look like a Girl Scout....LOL! We both look forward to seeing her back on Dancing with the Stars and will be picking up some of her songs at iTunes.

Then it was time for the main act, Sugarland. What a great show they put on...Jennifer Nettles has the most distinctive voice and her partner Kristian Bush has moved way beyond his family "Bush's Baked Beans" empire. Ninety minutes later we all still wanted more....GREAT show!

We did learn one thing...we need to practice taking our own photos much more often. Today's kids do it so naturally...all we get are dorky shots....LOL!

Sunday was Mother's Day and we celebrated it with my oldest daughter, her new hubby and my grandson. We had a wonderful home-cooked meal and then headed over to see the new house they will be renting in a couple of weeks. They were married last December but have lived in two towns (Denver & Colorado Springs) until school commitments finished. They are excited about finally becoming a family under one roof. I so enjoyed the company that I forgot to take any photos...oops!

Next weekend my daughter graduates college after 13 years of combining work, school and family. I'm so proud of her! Then she starts graduate school...hmmm, a glutton for punishment? ;-)

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

The rest of the photos: Sugarland Concert w/Danny Gokey & Julianne Hough