Thrifting

We finally made it into town on a day that the United Methodist Church Thrift Shop was open. It's an all volunteer shop, so it's only open Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. A thorough search of the items on offer yielded some real bargains, including a lightweight shirt/jacket in black. (I'd love to find a white one.)

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Navy Band Cruisers in Kalamazoo

We drove to Kalamazoo today for the last of the summer concerts in Bronson Park, featuring the U.S. Navy Band Cruisers. It was storming, so the performance was moved to the rain location, the First United Methodist Church, which is located on the square. 

We were late because of a detour, so when we arrived, people were being directed to the balcony. Unfortunately only the front row of the balcony could see the performance, since the musicians were in front of the communion rail. Some people stood along the sides of the balcony.

Photo taken from the Family Room (cry room)

The performers were all very talented, and we enjoyed some of the pieces they performed, but a lot was very loud rock, which is not our favorite. They were well into one piece before we realized that it was a very unusual arrangement of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

US Navy Band Cruisers

As the U.S. Navy's premier popular music group, the Cruisers feature eight of the Navy's most dynamic performers. The group takes its name from the Navy's versatile, flexible, multi-missioned ship – the cruiser – and the band lives up to their namesake by having the capabilities of playing genres of music ranging from jazz & standards, rhythm & blues, classic rock, adult contemporary and pop as well as original material. This elite group has engaged and excited audiences of all ages throughout the U.S. and abroad with world-class musicianship and high energy, fun filled performances.
Having truly worldwide appeal, they traveled to Oslo in 2004 for the Norwegian Military Tattoo. In addition, they performed in Keflavik, Iceland, in October 1999 for the Naval Air Station's Navy Birthday Ball. Closer to home, they are in constant demand by the most senior government and military officials. Smaller combinations of the group often perform at the chief of naval operations' quarters for official receptions. Their show-stopping appearances on Navy birthday concerts, holiday concerts, national tours, and summer concert series performances are always a highlight.

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Games

Many of the cousins are avid gamers. They let me join them for a game of Ticket to Ride this evening.

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Microwave Installation and Family Reunion

This morning Bill and Michelle arrived at 9:00 a.m. at our site in Pier-Lon, prepared to install our new microwave. We had not been able to find anyone local who was willing to install it, so we are very grateful to them for their adventurous spirit and willingness to accept a challenge and for their generosity.

Bill came prepared with tools and a very organized approach. He had spoken
 with one of his former students who actually works at an RV service center to get some advice, and he had requested info from us. We sent him photos of the situation and a copy of the installation manual. The instructions say that two people are required to do the installation, but we ended up with three, as Chris and Bill held the microwave in place while Michelle drove the bolts from the upper cabinet into the top of the microwave. Success! We now have a new microwave in place and ready to use!  (We wish we had taken photos of the installation process, but everyone was too involved to think of that.)

We went to Kathy's house to hook up with Terri, who rented an SUV that fit seven passengers. We all set out for my cousin Peggy's house, an hour east in Mentor. Our gathering included the extended Martin family and Bockhoff family, including Aunt Helene. She lives in an assisted living facility nearby.

Bill, Sophia, Anara, and Jeff playing Bocce ball

Molly, Terri, Lee, Michelle, Stephanie, Kathy, and Karen chatting

, (Posed in family groupings from left) Molly and Terri; Ed, Cate, Sam, Jesse, and Julie; Chris, Sherrie, and Anara; Ken and Lee in front; Bill, Michelle, Sophia, and Gryphon; Jeff; Todd and Stephanie (with Aria in front of Gryphon); Kathy in front; Aunt Helene middle front; Allan, Mysie, and Bobby; Kelly (Corey was out of town on a fishing trip), Daniel, Tim, and Sabrina; Brian and Karen (front row), and Peggy. Thanks to one of Peggy's neighbors, who joined the party and took the group photos.

Happy Cate!

Aria helping Anara blow out her 17 birthday candles.

The buffet table included pulled pork for sandwiches, brats, corn on the cob, veggies, beans, pasta salad, watermelon, and more. Everyone had plenty to eat. We had lots of time for visiting, and a good time was had by all. Aunt Helene got tired, so she was taken home early. Evidently she likes living in the assisted living home, Salida Woods. Read more!

Happy 17th Birthday, Anara!

Today is Anara's 17th birthday. We are looking forward to seeing her tomorrow and celebrating her birthday with cake at Peggy's house Sunday.

Julie and the kids arrived this evening at Kathy's after an eight hour drive from Charlotte. Hugs all around, and then we had dinner together. The great Martin family reunion has begun.

Chris and Sherrie and Anara will arrive from Portland tomorrow afternoon. Ed and Terri and Molly will fly in much later, so we won't see them until Sunday. Bill and Michelle and Sophia and Gryphon will drive from Madison, arriving around 6:00 p.m. Jeff and Stephanie and Todd and Aria will be over too, so we'll have a large group for dinner

We are very sorry to be missing Robert and Bibi and Juli, and we'll be thinking of all our family members who have died Read more!

Back in the USA

We flew from Paris to Toronto to Cleveland today. As usual, it was a bit of a hassle flying, but we made it safely. Over the next week, Ken and I will be creating some blog entries with photos from our travels. Stay tuned (but meanwhile we are jet lagging). Read more!

More Biking

We took a shorter ride today, only about 16 miles. After biking this trail for over a week, we discovered today that the old train depot in Bellville is a rest stop for cyclists, with restrooms inside, a water fountain, and shaded picnic tables.

We've been seeing an enticing sign offering ice cream across the street here, in a small complex with antiques and a cafe. We were disappointed when we stopped and talked with a young woman in the antiques store to find that the cafe and ice cream were not currently available because of a zoning issue when the new owners took over. Darn! So we biked to the nearby small grocery, Stoodt's, and bought a container of turtle flavored ice cream to take home. Of course by the time we got it home and then packed it in the cooler while we defrosted the freezer, it wasn't very solid when we dug in, but it was cold and creamy and delicious. Read more!

Butler Browsing

It was very rainy, all night and all morning. When there was finally a break, we decided to walk to Butler, about a mile from the campground. The first interesting thing we encountered was the recycling. They collect aluminum and steel cans, #1 and #2 plastic, and newspapers.

We found a nice little memorial park.

The town is quite small--it doesn't even have a small market--but it has a very large elementary school which must serve the entire region. The school is on College Street, but there is no college nearby. The town has 933 residents, a few small local restaurants, a museum open one afternoon a week, and a great bike path!
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Y-Not Cycling and Fitness

We biked along the trail to the Y-Not Cycling and Fitness shop in Lexington this morning, planning to get some repairs done. The really nice guy adjusted my front brake and one of Ken's brakes, and lubricated our chains, but said that both bikes need major repairs. My rear brake cable is rusted solid, and the cable runs through the frame, so it's no minor job. He refused payment, so we took his picture and promised he'd be immortalized in this blog.

We were impressed that Y-Not carries Electra Bikes--that's what we have, and they're not sold everywhere.

The weather held for our entire 21 mile ride. We could tell when we got home that we're pushing ourselves, but that's what we need to do to get in shape. Read more!

Biking

We are enjoying the bike trail. Today we headed northwest for a round trip of 15 miles. We passed a sign advertising a bike shop three miles ahead, so tomorrow we're planning to get there for some repairs. One of my brake cables is frozen in place, and the other brake is squealing.

More views of River Trail Crossing:

View across the neighboring farm field. Read more!

On the Trail

We went to explore the bike trail after breakfast, On our first outing, we went southeast to the town of Butler, where the trail begins at Hitchman Park, mile 0. It's only about a mile from the RV park, so of course we rode back northeast past mile 6 past the town of Bellville, for a total of a bit over 12 miles at 9 mph.

The trail is relatively flat and mostly shaded, which makes for easy riding. We encountered a few other users, including a mother who was jogging along behind her young son on a small bicycle, plus lots of little chipmunks, a large fat cat, and a frightened little rabbit that tried to outrun us down the trail instead of heading into the brush.

Tomorrow we'll try for a longer ride.

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River Trail Crossing "WHERE THE CLEAR FORK RIVER AND THE B&O BIKE TRAIL CROSS"

We had a short drive today, mainly in I-71 and then Ohio 97, to our home for the next two weeks. We are planning to take advantage of the 18 mile Rails to Trails Richland B & O Trail, which passes right by the RV park, near Butler, OH.

Clear Fork Mohican River

Where the bike trail crosses the river, adjacent to the RV park


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Spending the Night at Costco

We packed up and got ready to move this morning. Jean joined us for a final walk around her neighborhood. We said goodbye and thank you to Jean, and she said that it would be quiet around her house without us and she'd miss us. Sweet of her. We carefully pulled out of the driveway without making any more deep ruts in her yard and waved goodbye.

Our first stop was quite nearby, at the Flying J, where we fueled up, got our propane tanks topped off, and dumped our gray tank. All this took nearly an hour, so we were later than usual pulling out of Indianapolis, but we still made it to Costco just north of Columbus, Ohio, before 5:00 p.m. We'd called in advance and been told we could stay at the north end of the parking lot. It turned out to be a quiet place to spend the night--after we'd done our shopping at Costco, of course.

We had the lot to ourselves. After dinner we walked over to the nearby Earth Fare for some soymilk.



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Daredevil Brewery Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Today was a special one for Jean and her son, Bill. He was an award winning craft brewer who has now gone into business with two partners and built a brand new brewery in Speedway, IN, right next to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Mary, Jean's sister Joyce and her husband, Bill, Jean, and Lee chat in the public taproom

Bill, Jean, and daughter Connie

Ribbon Cutting

Jean also showed us around some of Indy. Jean, her friend Mary from the hiking club, Ken and I walked along the Central Canal Walk, where we saw (but didn't have time to visit) several museums, including The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. We also saw the Medal of Honor Memorial and the USS INDIANAPOLIS National Memorial, both well designed and impressive.

After supper we headed to the first session of the 2015 Academy for Advanced and Challenge Enthusiasts (AACE) convention, held at the Wyndham Indianapolis West. We were happy to see and dance with several of our friends. Jean found a partner for the evening, so she was able to enjoy dancing an entire dance (three hours), a first since she has recovered from her broken ankle and painful hip. Read more!

Meeting Friends and Back to Babler

We continued east on I-44 today, heading toward Babler State Park. Our route took us through Rolla, MO, where our good friends Hardy and Judy live. They would normally be off traveling this time of year, but they've been involved in getting repairs done on their water-damaged kitchen for the last month. So we called and made plans to meet at Cookin' From Scratch in Doolittle, MO, just west of Rolla. It was delightful to see our friends waiting for us in the parking lot.

Cookin' from Scratch has a very large chicken outside. It's a restaurant in a truck stop, and its signature dish is pan fried chicken, so that's what Ken and I got and split. It was good, but not great. However, getting together with Hardy and Judy was very enjoyable. We were there for over two hours before saying goodbye and moving on towards Babler.

Hardy and Judy are hoping that their kitchen repairs will be finished soon and then they will go back down to the RGV to check on their house there. They've been having breakfast in the Casita, not eating much in the way of lunch, and going out to eat every night for the last month while the repairs have been ongoing.

After lunch, on to Babler. We're in site #25. It took us an hour at the fresh water spigot by the dump station to get the fresh water to 88%.

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RV Express 66 in Marshfield, MO

We left Arrowhead State Park this morning and drove north on Hwy 69 through Muskogee. We intersected I-44 and followed it east. The section of I-44 in Oklahoma is the Will Rogers Turnpike. It is supposed to have interoperability with the Texas Toll Tag, so we hope that worked okay.

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Exploring Arrowhead

On our walk this morning we decided to explore a bit to see if we could find a view of the lake. We did catch a glimpse, and as you can see, even this lake is well above its usual level.

The campground we are staying in is called Turkey Flat. However, we didn't see any turkeys (except for the rude picnickers who dumped their trash on the ground). Since we stayed hitched up, we didn't venture too far from our campground, but we know there are other campgrounds in the park.

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Arrowhead State Park in Canadian OK

After a visit to the dentist for Ken's crown prep, we headed north. We're far enough from the lake here that the campground is high and dry. It was completely redone four years ago and has beautiful, well designed sites.

We're here for two nights before moving on toward the St. Louis area to dance to Romney Tannehill.

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Disneyland Day

Rebecca and Catt are both big fans of Disney, so of course they decided to take Ken and celebrate today.

Rebecca and Catt waiting in line for a carousel ride

Catt likes animals

Jose at the Tiki Room

Dinner at the Blue Bayou, just next to Pirates of the Caribbean (with Rebecca, Catt, and Kevin)

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Congratulations, Graduate!

Catt graduated today from Cal Pac at the Grand in Long Beach. The Cal Pac Academy of Arts and Sciences is an accredited online school We are all very proud of Catt for this achievement.

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