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April 1 - 30, 2002
Monday, April 1, 2002 Boulder, CO
We said goodbye to Summit County and pointed the RV northeast on our way back to Wisconsin. We stopped outside of Denver to do a little shopping before heading up to Boulder. We hooked up with Tom for the evening in Boulder. Tom had joined our ski group in Vail for a weekend, and that is when we first met him. We discovered a common interest in the annual Burning Man festival held around Labor Day in the high Nevada desert. Tom has attended this event for six straight years, and this year will be our first, so we arranged to meet with Tom to pick his brain and begin preparing for the unique event. Temperatures that nearly reached 80 degrees today overwhelmed us.
Tom was a great host. We went out for dinner at the Oasis Brewery and talked over our food as we watched Indiana fall to Maryland in the NCAA championship game. Tom answered all our questions getting us excited about the things we can begin doing to ready ourselves for Burning Man.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002 Valentine, NE
After enjoying a cup of coffee with Tom this morning, we climbed back in the RV and began to eat up the miles. Yesterday’s freaky warm weather was replaced today by cold flurries blowing out of the northeast. We opted to visit Wyoming’s state capitol in Cheyenne by heading due north on I-25. We were impressed with how small and cozy the Wyoming capitol building felt. The small chambers were enabled by the comparatively small legislative bodies. The building was constructed in phases from 1887 to 1917.
Christine posed for a picture in front of the capitol building standing next to a statue of Esther Morris, a prominent player in granting voting rights to women in Wyoming. Wyoming was the first government in the world to grant women suffrage and was thus named the “Equality State.”
Our visit was brief. We pointed east on I-80 and then north to Valentine as we bucked the wind almost all day. We covered nearly 500 miles today.
The Wyoming State Capitol.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002 Minneapolis, MN
We continued making our way north and stopped in Pierre, SD to visit the state capitol of our home state. It was another cold day, but the winds became a little more favorable and the skies were mostly clear. The South Dakota state capitol building was quite impressive. It was constructed between 1905 and 1910, and uses a lot of limestone and marble in its construction. We enjoyed snooping around for a while as we took a break from our driving today.
We managed a truce with the wind as we pressed all the way to Minneapolis across highway 14. We arrived a little after 7:00 to join my sister, Kathy’s family for a casual dinner of pizza and conversation. We had made over 1000 miles these two days, and were tired from the effort.
Two views of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre, SD.
Thursday, April 4, 2002 Francis Creek, WI
Christine checked her e-mail this morning to sadly learn that her grandmother had died yesterday morning. We scrapped our plans of taking two more days to reach her parents house, and headed there directly. We arrived in time to attend the viewing this evening. This was Christine’s last surviving grandparent. Her grandfather had just died three months ago, but we had missed that funeral.
Friday, April 5, 2002 Francis Creek, WI
Today was the funeral. A very large family gathered to bury Christine’s grandmother and remember her extensive life. At four days shy of 90 years old, she left quite a mark on her community. The day was a bit overwhelming, but still a very positive experience overall.
By Christine: Grandma Graff was one of those very special people who gave her family including 6 children, 21 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren an example of kindness and support. Joe and I have stopped in the past few days to realize that between us, we have lost that entire generation in the past 4 years, including 5 grandparents and one great aunt.
Saturday, April 6, 2002 Francis Creek, WI
I got started early today troubleshooting the disabled ramp on my RV. I was pleased that the failure was apparent after just a short time of snooping. I rewired a connection that had corroded and enjoyed the relief of having my ramp function again. This freed me up to join the family’s effort to move the belongings of Christine’s grandmother out of her ‘assisted living’ apartment. It was a much more productive day as the family welcomed the purpose before them today.
Christine and I returned home early and set to our own lists of tasks. Christine tackled the laundry and her studies while I got her motorcycle out of the shed and loaded it on the RV. I also busied myself with doing our winter/summer swap of provisions and accessories. It was a dry sunny day, perfect for the tasks I undertook.
We relaxed at home this evening over some grilled venison steaks and a fine bottle of wine.
Sunday, April 7, 2002 Francis Creek, WI
Yesterday’s sun disappeared. We awoke to a wet layer of snow on the ground and a cold nasty wind that discouraged spending any time outside. We spent the day piddling around on projects in the house. Carol gave up several hours to help me on a sewing project and Christine continued the attack on the laundry. It was a very pleasant day with my in-laws. Carol cooked up an excellent ostrich roast for dinner and spoiled me with an apple pie for dessert.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Wausau, WI
Christine and I finished packing up the RV and headed west to visit her friends, Bonnie and Jeff in Wausau. We had planned to visit them the day we left Minneapolis, but had to reschedule when we sped back to her parents’ house for her grandmother’s funeral. We had last seen Bonnie and Jeff in July when we were heading up to Alaska. They had just moved up from Nashville onto a nice spread of farm. The delay to our visit worked for the better, because Bonnie had just given birth to Sarah nine days ago.
We had a very mellow visit. Christine soaked up some more baby time and we both got to play with Sam, their 3-year old. We enjoyed Bonnie’s spaghetti and dessert bars, and great conversation.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002 Madison, WI
We said goodbye to Bonnie and Jeff before heading south to visit Teresa in Madison. Her husband, Doug was away on business, but we had a good visit with Teresa. I ran around Madison doing some errands while the ladies chatted. Teresa plans to join us in western Montana later this summer, so we had fun kicking around a possible itinerary.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002 Oxford, OH
We got a very early start today for our drive to Ohio. We had to stop in Milwaukee to finally drop off my skis that I had damaged in Colorado last month. From there we just hit the highway through Chicago and Indianapolis on our way to hook up with our friends Molly and Scott in Oxford, Ohio.
We had a great evening with them that included a fine dinner out and then some after-dinner beers at a local German pub. Oxford is a college town dominated by Miami U. We were surrounded by youthful students wherever we looked.
Thursday, April 11, 2002 Bradford, KY
We awoke to a massive breakfast that Scott had prepared. He made pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. But to my surprise, he also had prepared some goetta. Goetta is something that my grandmother used to make with meat scraps and pin oats. The finished product is formed into a dense loaf of meat that can be sliced like sausage and grilled in a skillet. It has a very pleasing taste. It was quite a treat.
We left Molly and Scott and stopped at my sister, Martha’s house in northern Kentucky. We had arranged to use her high-speed internet connection while she was in classes today. Christine got some schoolwork done before Martha got home for a nice visit with us. We left there and reached my parents’ house by dinner and settled in for a weeklong stay. My Mother had a surprise in store for us at dinner this evening. She had prepared Rouladen, a German specialty of thinly sliced beef rolled around bacon and tied into logs with string. The Rouladen is browned, slow-cooked, then served with an ample portion of gravy. By my measure it could be considered a dessert. It felt good to be home.
Friday, April 12, 2002 Bradford, KY
I spent the day working on a project with some help from my father. Dad and I drove into Augusta to pick up some hardware and we stopped to visit my grandmother’s grave on the way back. We all cleaned up and went out for a great dinner at the historic Bee Hive restaurant in Augusta. We were surprised to have Nick and Nina Clooney sit at the table next to us. They were celebrities in Augusta long before their son George became a movie star.
Saturday, April 13, 2002 Cincinnati, OH
Christine and I took the RV into Cincinnati today with plans to stay the night with Matt and Nancy. Matt hosted another get together of the old group of friends. Pat and Tom were unable to make it this time, but Matt, Scott and I enjoyed the evening anyway. Matt and Nancy had prepared a feast of slow-cooked barbeque ribs and grilled chicken. It’s always great to see their kids, Devon and Nick too.
After 10:00, Christine and I borrowed Matt’s car to drive into Mt. Lookout and catch the performance of Blue Tip. A friend and former co-worker, Tuck plays saxophone in this band. Scott joined us as we truly enjoyed the playlist of blues/rock songs from the seventies and eighties. We were pleased that Ron had joined us there, too. We last saw Ron when he and his wife Terry joined us for some skiing at Vail in February.
It was pretty late when we crawled into bed, but it had been a great day.
Sunday, April 14, 2002 Bradford, KY
We got up this morning and quietly joined Matt’s family for some coffee. Matt has built a very comfortable life for him and his family. They are a pleasure to spend time with.
We drove back out to my parents’ house and prepared for a gathering that would include Martha and her two boys, Preston and Evan; Theresa and Carmen. We had originally planned to have a picnic at a nearby county park and do some fishing, but the rainy day killed our plans, so we kept the picnic indoors at my parents’ house. It was a good visit with my sisters.
By Christine: We enjoyed an early family birthday celebration for Joe this evening complete with cake and gifts. Below you can find some great pictures from this very enjoyable day.
1) Joe received some fishing waders from Christine for his birthday, and they even fit! 2) Joe, Evan, Preston, and Carmen. 3) Dad and Martha. 4) Mom and Theresa. 5) Theresa and Carmen.
Monday, April 15, 2002 Bradford, KY
I kept pretty busy today with a project while Christine focused on her class work. Her two classes this term are much more demanding than past terms. We both measured our days productively.
Christine worked up a special treat for all of us. She broiled up some venison tenderloins that she brought back from Wisconsin. Half were stuffed with bleu cheese and the other half were stuffed with herbed butter. They turned out to be excellent. Even Dad, “Mr. Well-Done, Please” gave these a thumbs-up. Christine had also made an angel food cake from scratch to cover with strawberries and real whipped cream for dessert.
The picture is a little dark, but we can all see Joe sewing. Is it a new hobby? Has he been so inspired by his Mother-in-Law? Does the RV need curtains?
Tuesday, April 16, 2002 Bradford, KY
Christine drove into town to get in another day of high-speed Internet use at Martha’s house. I helped reconcile some computer issues for my mother, and piddled around with some other tasks. Our visit was winding down and we needed to start getting our things together. Mom cooked up a great final dinner for us.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 Indianapolis, IN
We packed up the last of our stuff (almost) and said goodbye to my folks. We got to a grocery store 40 minutes away before we realized that we had forgotten Christine’s purse. I had missed it on a final walk through. I left Christine at the store to do some shopping. I called my father got him to halve the trip back by meeting me in the middle with the purse.
We drove through a violent thunderstorm on our way to Indianapolis. We hooked up with our friend, Nancy there and spent the night with her. She took us out to meet up with Vince and Carolyn, the ones that joined us skiing in Vail. We ate dinner outside on a perfect evening in the trendy neighborhood of Broad Ripple. We enjoyed our food at the local microbrewery while we exchanged pictures from the ski trip and shared stories of adventures since then. We then caroused around the Broad Ripple area following Vince’s lead, enjoying drinks at various establishments. Christine and I were stunned to realize that we had stayed up until 2:00 AM. The hours had just slipped by with such compatible company.
Thursday, April 18, 2002 Bruceville, IN
I awoke slowly after last night’s indulgences. We were pleased that Nancy had cleared her morning to hang out with us. We shared some coffee and bagel time with her before finally taking off near noon. We visited Nancy’s neighborhood library for some Internet time and then did a little shopping for the upcoming weekend.
We escaped Indianapolis just before rush hour, and enjoyed a very scenic drive down Indiana 67 toward Vincennes. We have had plans since New Year’s Day to join our friends, Tracy and Chris for a weekend of fishing. Chris’ family has owned a large chunk of land near Vincennes for over 50 years. The land includes a beautiful 7-acre spring-fed pond that is loaded with fish. We had heard much about this land and we were looking forward to the weekend.
We were a little late for our 8:00 PM rendezvous with Tracy and Chris. I was delayed for a while trying to repair the door handle that gives us entry to our RV. It had suddenly broken with Christine on the inside and me on the outside, and we couldn’t get it open. I finally climbed through the front cab and disassembled the door handle. The strike plate had broken off, and I could not jerry-rig a fix. We had to get by for the weekend using a key to open and close the door each time.
Chris and Tracy were tenting next to the pond, and we parked our RV nearby. It was quite dark by the time we arrived, so we were content to relax by the campfire for a while before turning in for the night.
Friday, April 19, 2002 Bruceville, IN
Chris and Tracy were already out in the boat fishing when Christine and I finally emerged from the RV. They had already pulled ten fish out of the pond. Chris explained to me that the pond had last been stocked over 20 years ago with large-mouth bass, blue gill and crappie. The clean healthy conditions of this pond permitted the fish to thrive. A recent estimate by the Indiana DNR has the fish density at about 500 per acre. With that many fish in the water, even I was going to be able to catch some fish. Chris had asked us to harvest every fish we hooked, unless it with a bass over 12” long. The fish density was becoming too great for the available food supply.
Chris had brought his electric trolling motor to use on the 18’ skiff that he kept there. It was perfect for creeping around the pond without a commotion. We took turns in the boat and fishing from the dock. We were excited about the number of blue gill and crappie that we were catching. They were very big, and worthy of filleting. I got to put my new filet knife and fish-cleaning board to good use. I got better with each fish we cleaned. We cut up about 20 good-sized blue gill and bagged them in the freezer.
In between fishing sessions we took a ride around the property and walked around the pond hunting the elusive morel mushroom. Chris got lucky right away and showed us three that were very near each other. Now that we all knew what we were looking for we spent an hour looking for more mushrooms. I was only able to slay two during my hunt, but we collected 13 altogether. It is an interesting exercise to clamor around the woods looking for a phallic-shaped fungus.
Chris left for a few hours to pick up his daughters, Meg and Abby in Bloomington. They were back for us all to enjoy some grilled chicken with trimmings for dinner. The evening ended with a recorder concert by Meg. It had been such a fine day. We went to bed wondering about the weather. A pleasant cool front had come through this afternoon drying out the air a bit, but a storm front had moved in during the evening and the air was wet and heavy by the time we all turned in.
Saturday, April 20, 2002 Bruceville, IN
Last night’s weather was worth our concern. The skies let loose with nearly two inches of rain last night. It rained throughout the night, and several hours of it was a strong downpour. Chris, Tracy and the girls left early in the morning to drive into Bloomington for the girls’ softball game, but we would find out later about their wet camping experience last night.
Christine and I drove into Vincennes to empty our sewage tanks and to look for a new door handle to replace the broken one on the RV. We took our time driving around the area in the morning drizzle. The rain had passed by the time we returned to our campsite. We took advantage of the solace and took the boat out on the pond for some fishing. Our friends returned in time for lunch and began stringing lines between the trees on which they hung all their rain-soaked items. We learned that they got very little sleep last night amidst the storm.
After another lucrative day of fishing, we cleaned another 20 crappie and blue gill before eating some of our catch for dinner. Tracy wrapped the blue gill fillets into serving size packets of foil with onions, bell peppers, and seasoning. They were then set in the hot coals of the campfire to poach in their own juices for 5-10 minutes. The fish was accompanied by corn on the cob and seasoned potato slices for an excellent meal. Tracy even sliced up the morel mushrooms and sautéed them with butter for a real taste treat. I am not much of a mushroom fan, but I really appreciated the rich flavor of these morels. I guess I must just have rich tastes.
By Christine: It has been a really nice weekend, even with the rain at night. Joe and I feel badly that we sleep warm and cozy and don't have to deal with the wetness of tent camping. But we also feel very lucky to have such good friends as Tracy and Chris. They have such a full life and yet took 3 days out to share this beautiful spot with us.
1) The Risley's; Meg, Tracy, Chris, Abby, and Libby. 2) The results of the Morel Mushrooms hunt.
To view more pictures of our wonderful weekend in Indiana, click here.
Sunday, April 21, 2002 Crossville, TN
We had more rain blow through last night, but nothing as severe as the night before. Our tenting friends were more prepared for the rain last night, which resulted in a better night of sleeping for all. The rain stuck around this morning mostly in the form of a drizzle, aggravating the job of breaking camp. We took our time with the pack-up job and finally parted ways around 11:00 AM. It had been a wonderful weekend with close friends in our own private Eden. I hope we can find a way to get back there with them again some time soon.
Christine and I headed south and east toward Charlotte, leaving a sky full of dark rain clouds in our rear view mirrors. The temperature jumped 20 degrees just an hour south of our campsite.
By Christine: In Nashville we passed right by a Camping World. Camping World was unable to help us with our door problem, but they directed Joe to the RV dealer next door. In no time Joe was back with a new door latch and we were back on the road. We got within 300 miles of Charlotte before stopping for the day.
Being as it's Joe's birthday tomorrow we stopped for a treat of Shoney's Strawberry pie before heading to our campsite. I sent Joe in for "2 pieces of pie to go" only to see him emerge with a big smile and a whole Strawberry pie in his hands. I should have known better. At our campsite, Joe installed the new door latch as I prepared a simple salad for dinner with sliced venison steak, blue cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables. Oh, and Strawberry pie for dessert.
Once again, I am struggling with a headache tonight. The last week and a half has been brutal with more hours with a headache than without. It must be the wet weather and the fact that spring is bursting out all around us.
Monday, April 22, 2002 Charlotte, NC
We got a pretty early start for the drive to Charlotte. It has been a year since we were last in Charlotte. We felt no special feelings coming into Charlotte until we pulled into our old neighborhood—it felt strangely like coming home. We are to call this our home base for the next month as we stay with our close friends, Ken and Luma.
It was great to reconnect with our friends. Ken and Luma treated us out for a birthday dinner at a new Mexican restaurant and then a great Nicaraguan birthday cake back at the house. They made us feel very welcome.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002 Charlotte, NC
We began our long list of errands today. Christine had her annual eye appointment, confirming that her lasik surgery two years ago has held up splendidly. We killed some time between appointments by visiting the people at my old office. I was pleased to see so many familiar faces around to say hello to. It was a great visit.
We enjoyed a nice visit this evening with our old neighbor, Lena and her two girls, Amanda and Olivia.
By Christine: A realization hit me this afternoon as I stood at the counter at the Doctors office and the told me that my appointment was canceled for today. They tried to call. Of course, we don't currently have a phone so calling didn't work. Fifteen months ago, I would not have taken this news so calmly, I can guarantee you, yet here I was very calmly asking when I could next get an appointment. This time which has been very stress free has been good for me.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002 Charlotte, NC
We spent today quietly working through some tasks.
By Christine: Joe and I both visited the Dentist today. And we enjoyed a movie premier tonight with Luma, Ken, Ct, and Lee, all old neighbors.
Thursday, April 25, 2002 Charlotte, NC
I filled my day getting the 45,000-mile service check on the RV, and having the RV alarm system repaired. I then hooked up with my friend, Russ for some happy hour beers and dinner. It was a productive day.
Friday, April 26, 2002 Charlotte, NC
I prepared our motorcycles for our first ride together in nine months, and we got out for a short ride into South Carolina. Christine considered the ride a success, but she’s trying not to get ahead of herself.
We spent the evening at a neighborhood party in the likes of the old parties we used to have when we lived here. Fourteen of our old neighborhood friends gathered for a grill-out. It was very special to get reacquainted with all these fine people.
Saturday, April 27, 2002 Charlotte, NC
We relocated the RV across town to spend the weekend with our friends, Henry and Siobhan, and their kids, Bronwyn and Aidan. We left the kids with the baby sitter and the four of us attended the annual Queen’s Cup steeplechase event. These horse races tend to be big to-dos, so we got somewhat dressed up for the occasion. Henry had gotten us tickets as guests of Visa, giving us access to a generous hospitality tent for food and drink. The weather turned out to be cooperative and we all enjoyed the outing.
Staying with Henry and Siobhan, we got to appreciate the eleven months of home improvements that they had just completed in time for the birth of Aidan three months ago. We kicked back and enjoyed some steaks on the grill and the company of children.
1) Joe, Christine, Henry, and Siobhan. 2) One of the races at the Queen's cup.
Sunday, April 28, 2002 Charlotte, NC
Today felt just like a lazy Sunday morning that defined so many of our Charlotte Sundays when we lived here. We sat around with the paper and coffee; we went for a good long walk; and we squeezed in some naps. Siobhan made me a chocolate banana cream pie to follow the pork tenderloins that Henry prepared on the grill. It all made for a most relaxing day.
Bronwyn is a truly adorable little girl. She enjoyed playing in the RV and she liked Joe teaching her how to climb a tree, probably more than her parents appreciated that.
Monday, April 29, 2002 Charlotte, NC
We packed up and said goodbye to the Fultons and squeezed in some more errands before returning to our old neighborhood. Christine and I both attended doctor appointments today with miscellaneous errands managed between them.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002 Charlotte, NC
Christine had a cavity filled and helped Luma with dinner plans while Ken and I worked diligently to get a stubborn virus off of his computer. We met a neighbor tonight that Ken and Luma have befriended since last year. Also named Ken, he lives a few doors down the street. We had a very fun evening with him joining us for a dinner of Mexican food, done Luma’s way—very satisfying.
By Christine: Well, this was the first cavity or issue of any kind I've had with my teeth in over 25 years, I guess I can hardly complain.