In Macon, Missouri for the night

 81 degrees and bright sunshine here in Macon Missouri at 5 pm Saturday.   Arrived about 2:30, set up the trailer and drove around town a bit, got gas. ate a bite at Hardy's, located the Wilcox Opry House where we will see Duke Mason and the Black Diamond Jubilee at 7 pm.  

Will dump tanks and head out early in the morning.  Hope to be in Clarinda shortly after noon, unhook and leave again.   Learned today of death of one of our neighbors in Kenwood and will pick up Patty Steckelberg and go to Panama, IA for visitation at 4 pm.  About a 90-mile drive. 

Will finish unpacking trailer and pickup on Monday 

Lynn

Time being spent in Cape Girardeau, MO

 61º with NW winds at 15 - 20 mph here in Cape Girardeau, MO at 12:00 noon Thursday.

Will post a few photos of closing up house, etc.

Photo at left is when we

were loading up final

stuff to head north.

Final packing of pickup at right.  Had to take several things out and put under the trailer or inside trailer while at Cape Girardeau now so could put their two walkers in the back when we take them out later today and again on Friday.

Back door locked and covered with
reflective bubble wrap

Bedroom closed up for the summer.

Awning down over bedroom west window.
I got some "thrown away" roofing metal
and covered the back door to Texas Room

Hot tub in shop room within the Texas room
drained, aired and Damp Rid set in. Ladder
 and some waste baskets off the floor.

All the "hangy things" stored (except big chimes)

Clothes dryer vent closed off to mice, etc.

Rest of shop room in Texas Room

Leaving 1 recumbent trike.
Raised so when tires go flat in
a month or so, wont be resting on them.

Phyllis' cousin Jan's golf cart covered for summer

Had lemon pie & coffe with Darlene's daughter
Laureen & Darlene.

Had lemon pie & coffe with Darlene's daughter
Laureen & Darlene

Photo at left taken by Laureen of Darlene in front of

the place she and Bill bought in 2000.  She had sold

the house and will stay home in Michigan now.

All Texas Room windows covered with
insulation on inside.

Phyllis' first cousin Steve Cabbage
passed away last week at 65 years old.

We are heading back to the Chateau to spend afternoon with Don & Vicki.  Think Vicki wants us to driver her to a couple stores today and maybe eat out.

Tomorrow she wants us to drive them to the cemetery in Illinois where her husband and parents are buried and niece Jenny's tombstone is.  Heavy overcast all day here so far, but is to be sunny tomorrow.

Later, Lynn

Lots of rain, no Solar Eclipse for us

 63º and raining in Cape Girardeau, MO at 7:00 pm Wednesday.  We hooked up the trailer in La Feria Monday in the rain, finished loading the trailer and the pickup in the rain, drove all day long in either a heavy mist or heavy overcast.  Here is photo taken at the time (I think) when the eclipse happened--at least Facebook was posting pictures of it and San Antonio radio was talking about it at the time.

We arrived at our camping spot near Angelina, TX about dark, in a drizzle and were welcomed by several thousand mosquitos!  

Our spot was very narrow and when
you come out the door you drop
off about 8" down to the grass.

On Tuesday we had about 3 hours of sunshine as we went north through Houston.  Then rain, rain, rain.  I ran the windshield wipers on fastest speed for about 95% of three hours with it just pouring down.  It did let up when we were setting up at a camp near Hot Springs, Arkansas Tuesday night.  Today was another heavy overcast all day, and it startedf raining about 3:00 pm here in Cape Girardeau right after we were set up.

Had supper with brother Don and wife Vicki tonight.

We will take them out tomorrow for a bit of shopping; won't spend too long out, they are moving really slow.

Hope to have a bit more time tomorrow to post some photos of our closing up the house in Kenwood, etc.

Later, Lynn

Busy getting ready to move to Iowa

 74º at 8:30 pm here in Kenwood RV Friday evening.  

Last few weeks an endless series of meetings, eatings, goodbyes, and working getting house ready for abandonment until this November.

Received

photos of

sister-in-law

Lin Nelm's

gravestone

in National

Cemetary

near Bushnell

Florida

Today is her birthday anniversary.

Flowers Phyllis got from Izzy's place
at Barbrshop Chorus picnic

Monday we drove to fellow singer Dennis Bush's place in Mission, TX where he showed me many old photos of the Barbershop chorus.  I took photos of them to add to my Google Photo Album of the Men of A-Chord History Album.  Without being able to get away from the glare on all the glossy photos they will not be good, but will probably bring back memories to some of the older guys.  Did our "last of the season" visit to Costco for some meds and, of course, the all-beef foot-long hotdog.

We are only taking one trike back to Clarinda
I put it up on a stand to disassemble much of it.

By removing the front wheels, seat,
carrier, then folding the back wheel up
over front, it compact to pack in the pickukp.

The trike is under the shelf, on the left side,
it was soon completely covered with small items.

Collecting boxes and bags from everywhere. 

 By today it is pretty well packed -- hopefully will still be able to put in several bags of 1015 onions, carrots, and avacodos we are going to get tomorrow from Vegiman Joe at Donwes Fleamarket.

Today we went to lunch at Rooster's Country Cafe in western Harlingen with what is left of the group Phyllis plays cards with every night.  She takes Darlene, with the golf cart, so she doesn't have to be on her bike in the dark.  They are at the Rec Hall about every night.  She enjoys games and being with people so she goes.  I enjoy not playing games and not being with people, so I stay at the house.

I rode the recumbent trike around the park today and there are hardly any of the RVers or the winter texans in the permanent dwellings left.  We, and several others will be gone by next week.

Darlene's daughter flies in Saturday and flies with Darlene to her Michigan home on the 11th.  We will get to spend one day with her before we pull out Monday, the 8th.  Will be the day of all the hupla over the Solar Eclips that day.  We are going away from the trajectory of that eclipse and have guaranteed space to park our trailer Monday night near Houston and Tuesday night near Hot Springs, Arkansas.  The next three nights we will be at Cape Gerardeau.

Put water in the trailer tank.

Strung out electric cord to trailer
to run the refrigerator/freezer.

Lot of "stuff" being stored under the trailer.

Today we emptied the 140 gallon hot tub,
scrubbed it, and dried it out.

Using the sun to dry the lid, and towels

Took weather station down.

Growing up on a ranch in west
central Nebraska, this struck
a chord with me.

Till next time, Lynn

Busy week again - last Barbershop Chorus practice, attended Maundy Thursdy service, sang in Good Friday service and again this morning

 86 degrees with 19 mph wind out of the south here at La Feria, TX at 1:15 pm Sunday.

Just a few minutes to recount some of our activities.

Darlene's house (now Tom & Lisa's house) with outside of new Texas Room completed.  Tom & Lisa headed for Pensylvania this week.

I had to remove, add "stiffening" boards to back of drawer in camper and get a new slide for one side.  After some hassle (Working on the floor is not as easy on an 80-year-old as it was 20-30 years ago) I got the drawer out, replaced one ball-bearing slide and put screws in some 1"x1" boards to keep the floor from dipping.

Had to disassemble part of the hitch and grease the heavy parts just under the orange hitch piece.  Broken grease zerks makes it necessary to drop them down and slazzer with grease.

After watering the new bushes in back yard for last time this season, I removed the box containing roll-up real for the 100 ft hose and put it in the Texas Room for the summer.

Last Thursday was Phyllis' birthday and after Darlene and we went to Maunday Thursday service in Harlingen and then when we returned home we had the birthday cake Darlene had made and also had Tom & Lisa Urban come by to celebrate.

They are the couple that bought Darlene's house.

***************************

Well, you probably didn't know it, but the last line was typed about 1:25 pm -- it is now 5:56 pm.

We took Darlene and went to Llano Grande RV Park where we had a great lunch with Izzy (from the Barbershop group --and originally from Marengo, IA) and several of her neighbors.  Very enjoyable afternoon with great food.

Great ham, green beans, baked pineapple casserole, scalloped potatoes, rolls -- and apple or lemon pie for desert.   And, several varieties of wine to start the afternoon.

Darlene took her weekly Sunday telephone call from her grandson after the meal was finished.

Got a lot of "treasure" from under

my recliner chair.

Thursday evening we took Darlene with us to the presentation of the "Last Supper" at the Methodist Church in Harlingen.  At right - our Choir Director and his wife performed a song during the presentation.

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At right is a screen capture from the Youtube video of Good Friday Church service.

Putting the roll-up box with 100 ft hose in it away in the Texas Room for the summer

We had our last practice for the 2023-2024 season of Men & Women of A-Chord on Tuesday.  Down in numbers as many have left for the north.

Well, is now 7:30 pm Sunday- 80º outside with a 7-10 mph breeze.

Will close up for now, Lynn