Visit with Great Granddaughter (and other relatives)

Marengo, IA - 80 degrees with nice sunshine at 2:45 pm.  Arrived here in Marengo about 12 noon and set up our travel-trailer in driveway at our son's place.  Wife, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and great granddaughter are out to the shopping mall while I catch up on some computer stuff having use of WIFI here.  Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos taken Wednesday, August 3, 2016 in State Center, Iowa

Standing, left to right:  Bill Connally, Tescott, KS; Dick Messer, Princeton, MN; Butch Giesking, Titonka, IA; Dan Erbst, Panama, IA; Orville Crane, Greenville, WI; Bill Oberholzer, Shoppe, Ames, IA; Patsy Gallaway, Owasso, OK; John (Bud) Toft, Canton, IL; Jim Gallaway, Owasso, OK; Roberta Mahany, Canton, IL;  Jerry Witt, Middletown, OH; Lavon  Schaefer, Independence, MO; Lillian Witt, Middletown, OH; Ed Stanger, Independence, MO; Jerry Rank, Lincoln, MO; Frank Parker, Liberty, MO; Judy Parker, Liberty, MO; Lynn Stivers, Callaway, NE; Don Foote, Topeka, KS; Helen Miles, Elmwood, IL; Earl Osman, Nevada, IA.

Front row – Kathy Connally, Tescott, KS; Jan Theulen, (Dan Erbst’s sister), Panama, IA; Linda Crane, Greenville, WI; LaRhoda Neher, Hiawatha, KS, Phyllis Miles, Clarinda, IA; Lolla Schappe, State Center, IA; Diane Messer, Princeton, MN; Anna Mae Schaefer, MO; Kaye Stanger, Independence, MO; Sue Rank, Lincoln, MO; Lynda Foote, Topeka, KS; Sharleen Stivers, Callaway, NE; Lee Miles, Elmwood, IL;  Debra Osman, Nevada, IA. 

Not included in group photo above - Judy Chroninger, Edon, OH

 and her sister Maxine  Koch,  Montpelier, OH

Monday evening Ed Stanger, and his wife Kaye, provided supper - hot dogs to roast over a fire Ed made, and beans, and potato chips with fixin's for smores later.

 Some full and satisfied people after eating all the hot dogs they could.  Ed had watermelon, but everyone was so full we voted to have it on a different day.

I think we had 12 RV's parked by Lola's shed, and several who came just during the day as well as 5 or so who stayed in motels in Marshalltown.
This photo was taken from up on the hill to the northeast of the building and RV's.

 This photo was taken from northwest of the building and RV's.

We got in several games of "Pegs & Jokers" over the 4 days of our get-together.  Justin Schoppe (Lola's grandson) is in between Linda Crane and Sharleen Stivers on this game.

Harold Neher was in on most games of Pegs  & Jokers

Dime Bingo was played one night.

Many made Tee shirts like this on front and their name and years attending the summer rally on the back.

One evening a "Pass Left, Pass Right" game was played with $5 gifts each brought.

Each opened their gift and showed others what they got.

 On Thursday about 32 of us drove northeast to Gladbrook, Iowa to eat at Spanky's.

 We split a special meat sandwich and was hardly able to eat it all.  Delicious and a generous portion.

 Then we went about a block away in this really small town, and went to Matchstick Marvels Museum  (Click on that link to go to their website)

This has many items one man has made from matchsticks.  And, as many or more are located at various other museums, Ripley's Believe It Or Not museums, and places.

 Each sculpture had a label showing the number of matchsticks in it and the hours it took to make it.

Even the sails on this clipper ship are made of wooden machsticks.

 This photo, and the one above and below, are of the National Capitol in Washington, DC.  It is built to scale

 and even the small statues on the porch-like entrances are made of matchsticks.

 This is a very expensive airplane that was used for a while in Renaissance years ago.  One of our group spent time in the Air Force around planes like this and said he knew it had cost $1 Million per hour to operate (counting all the ground personnel, etc.)  It became so expensive the few built are now only at museums.  He said this was very, very true to scale.

There were several ships, including the USS Iowa that we have been on on the west coast, and this "flattop" air craft carrier.

 This morning, Friday, our last day of our week-long get-together, pancakes and sausages were served for breakfast.  It is the only breakfast of the week that we all ate together.  At left is Bill Connally, who helped Jerry Witt fry the pancakes.

 Everybody, once again, ate their fill, as we had done all week.  We had gone to a sweet corn patch of Lolo's on Monday and gotten a lot of sweet corn so had corn-on-the-cob for most of the meals.  In fact, the whole week was something like being on a cruise ship -- really good food and a lot of it.

Everyone pulled out this morning and some headed to spend some more time on the road (like us) and some headed directly home.  With people from 9 states, they went off in several directions.

Will fill in about our visit here in Marengo with our family and 4-week old great-granddaughter next time.
Later, Lynn

Kenwood RV Midwest Summer Rally

75 degrees with bright sunshine in State Center, Iowa

Kenwood RV Park (La Feria, Texas) Midwest Summer Rally officially got underway yesterday afternoon with a spaghetti and sweet corn supper last night.  Afterwards dime-bingo was played.

Around 40 people who spend at least part of their winter months in Kenwood RV Park in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, but reside in the Midwest, showed up by Tuesday afternoon.  We had picked sweet corn  on Monday and some of it was cooked as well as speghetti and salad and lots of deserts.

Above photos are from Monday afternoon as people gathered.  We had a wiener roast that evening.  Games were played and weather was good with heavy overcast so not so hot.  Tuesday morning was rain, but most of the RVs had already been parked on the grass, so no big problem.

Lots of visiting going on.  I am at the town library writing this (for their WIFI) and Phyllis is working with the craft thing this morning -- making Tee Shirts with Kenwood on them and the years we have been coming to the summer rally.

More later, Lynn

In State Center, IA

73 with rain in State Center, IA  -  At a Library for wifi.  Got the last 1,000 or so photos worked on, sort of.  Won't have time to post any here -- they are closing in 8 minutes for noon hour.

Went to Indianola, IA with our trailer and Messers and their RV for the Balloon Festival and then came over here to State Center, IA for the Kenwood RV Midwest Summer Rally.

Will be posting later, Lynn