July 7 - The End of the Road

Ugh! Going home. Quick breakfast of cereal and fruit. Since we didn’t unhitch last night it was pretty quick to shut down. Bill did the tank emptying job and we headed out shortly after 8. At the end of the drive where we turned to get on the interstate there was a fruit stand and a little gas station store. The fruit stand was closed but we saw a truck of watermelons in front of the gas station and signs indicating fruit so Bill went in and they had what I was interested in. We got a 25# sack of Vidalia onions to share, a case of nice big peaches and just a basket of nice looking tomatoes for us.

Around 10:00 we stopped at the last Flying J on the way home to fill up one last time and took our potty break and Xena’s potty break. Once again Molly spent most of her day on the console between, periodically sticking her face into the air vent or looking out the window on Bill’s side. We stopped at a rest area at lunch time and there was enough ham left for Bill a sandwich and I had my hummus and cucumber on a sandwich thin. We finished off the cookies we bought in Scottsboro. On the way home we listened to a book on CD, a western, will not get to hear it all so maybe when we go to see Cleveland vs Rays this weekend we will listen going and coming and hear the end.

We parked at the end of our driveway at about 2:30 and then was the worst of the trip. The unloading! I wanted all the blankets, couch throw and bedspread washed, so we had a ton of dirty laundry, the clean clothes, all the “stuff” we bought, our books and maps, the stuff from the fridge and freezer, the pets stuff – whew—it was really hot in the RV and I was mopping the sweat up. Bill ended up backing the van up to the RV and loading it to avoid so many trips back and forth up the driveway. That was after he attempted to used Harry’s old wagon, but the wheel fell off! Then there was the putting away all the food before we could take the RV back to park it.

There was tight squeezing (at least for me it was tight) to get the RV around the trailers at the warehouse and then took some back and forthing for Bill to get me into our spot, but we did it. I didn’t want to have to ask Mark or Kurt to come out and do it. I opened the fridge and freezer to dry out and we covered the wheels and came home. It was a sad, sad ride.

I did 3 loads of wash and we went out for Chinese as I was too tired to even think about cooking after putting everything away and sorting out our purchases and bagging things up for my family and friends.

It was a great trip, even with the various mechanical issues. We drove 3,645 miles and lived to tell!

July 6

What a long day! Well, when you’re driving on the interstate is seems like a long day. By the time Bill said his good-byes to the neighbors in Scottsboro it was about 8:15 when we got on the road. Initially we were not on interstates and the roads were pretty good, but at time a bit slow through towns. At least it gave us the opportunity to stop and get Bill a couple of cases of Sun Drop to take home. He also got himself a vacation T-shirt for $5 at the local Food World when he went in for sodas. He said he always gets one, and he does, but this time he didn’t seem too interested. And it’s not like he needed another one.

So once we got on the Interstate we went through a really bumpy stretch. I tried moving in and out on the lane to reduce the bumping but it didn’t get any better til we just got to newer roads. It was a stressful driving day too as the traffic was worse and we had several areas of rod work with barriers and single lanes and I HATE barricades. I feel so fenced in with the big rig, I just start to sweat and try to hold down a panic attack. No wonder my back was killing me. It was all in knots and I just could not get comfortable. I tried with and without my back support thingy but it was just stress. Can’t wait for a massage to get that worked out.

We made too many stops today to make really good time. Fuel, Sun Drop, lunch and bathroom (more than once). I was falling asleep by the time we got fuel so I got a chocolate bar and a bottle of green tea and of course, drinking a 20 ounce bottle of tea created a new issue. We were supposed to stop for the night at exit 60 in GA on I-75 but I was tired and my eyes were hurting so we stopped at 92 instead. Perhaps that was a mistake. They put the overnighters on the back 40, just lined up on the grass, like we’re in a race to get away in the morning. Bill asked for 50 AMP service and we leveled and hooked up the surge protector, power, water, sewer and once the surge protector popped on I turned on the AC. Well that was short lived! The surge protector kept popping on and off as soon as I’d try the AC. There was no 30 AMP outlet to switch to, so we called the office and the owner came out and said to try it without the surge protector. Well, what’s the point of it if the power is bad and it surges and blows out our AC, TV, microwave??? It didn’t but the microwave would barely run even with the AC off, so not sure what that issue is. The cable doesn’t work and we’re under the trees and the neighbors say the antenna won’t work either so it’s a computer and reading night. Oh, did I say computer? Well we’re supposed to have WIFI and their network won’t come up out in the back 40, so I called the office (for the 3rd time tonight) and she said to try again. Apparently she thinks I’ve never done this before. NO COMPUTER CONNECTION! Maybe if I go outside at the picnic table it will work. Will try that later.

We had our 4th of July leftover burgers with zucchini, tomatoes, peppers. The nice thing about this campground (Southern Gates in Arabi, GA) is she gave us cookies when we checked in. Not sure it makes up for no internet, but it takes the sting out a bit. Bill did up the dishes and went out and unhooked the cable and put it away. We’ll have to empty all the tanks before we leave here tomorrow and then only use rest areas or gas stations tomorrow. We think we figured out how to keep our TV from flying around on those bumpy roads. I need to cut the little cable and take it to ACE to get a new clamp and re-hook it up through the back of the TV. I have a fear of coming in and find the TV on the floor.

Well I have a connection but only 1 bar so will see if I can post my journals. Journal got posted for last night. You know I want to do this to sit outside with no shoes on and fighting ants. I already had my shoes off and was too lazy to put them back on. So this will be it for today.

July 5

Wow, the end of the trip is pretty much here. Today is a sad day, especially knowing that I will do nothing but drive for the next two. I made Bill is last “good” breakfast: soft boiled eggs, toast, bacon and fruit. Did some extra bacon for BLT’s tomorrow on the road for lunch. Then we headed into town, but on the way I called the welder that we’d been given and luckily he answered and said he could come out in half an hour. Bill went ahead and took me to the Unclaimed luggage store and he looked a bit and left to meet the welder. $100 later the hitch plate is now permanently part of the king pin, so at least we won’t have to worry about making a 90 degree turn. I do sometimes get in a pickle and need all the help I can get!

Bill came back for me and I only found a Cleveland t-shirt for him and some clothes for Shiloh, although they have tons of merchandise, from high dollar name brand to things you’d find in Wal-Mart. The pricing is based on the condition as there is a lot of new merchandise. They had designer purses with tags still on them for several hundred dollars that were about half the retail price. Lots of electronics, sporting goods, luggage (of course), 60% clothing, shoes, jewelry, books, toys. It was unreal. I did find out they also get damaged lots or discontinued lots from Sam’s Club. They have an Annex that carries the bedding, kitchen, tools,etc.. We wanted to go to the craft/antique/junk sale that was down around the town square. Found a parking space and walked ¾ around and had lunch at the bakery. We each had a chicken salad sandwich, bag of chips, pickle spear and soda for $4. We thought that was a deal. Then I got us each a couple of cookies to go and we shared a donut filled with cream cheese. Doughnuts are one of my very favorite foods. There is no bringing home donuts because I can’t leave them alone. So that was a real treat. I drool just thinking about the smell in that shop!

We finished our trip around the square with only a few small purchases. Bill dropped me back off at the Unclaimed Luggage Store while he went to fill up the fuel for our trip tomorrow. I went first to the Annex building and got 2 of the little blankets like on an airline but these are southwest design, perfect for the ottoman and chair where Xena likes to lie. Checked out the ladies clothing this time but didn’t find any prettier tops in the color I wanted than I’ve seen elsewhere. Someone needs to stop making such ugly fabric and even uglier styles. Bill found a paperback book. We stopped at Piggly Wiggly on the way back for fruit and water.

After watching a bit of TV, Bill took a nap to offset his getting up at 5:30. We decided to go to a matinee, so went to see A-Team. We liked it. Sure reminds you of the old TV show. Left us with the idea they could make a sequel. For dinner we had ham I had frozen and brought, leftover potato salad and various raw veggies. Trying to empty the fridge and freezer so there’s not so much to carry in when we get home. Bill considered going out for Mexican but decided not to leave the pets any longer.

I did the dishes and we needed to de-grease and re-grease the hitch. That is such a nasty job. That is some thick gooey grease. Then Bill took the patriotic lanterns down and I put the inside stuff all away til another red, white and blue holiday. We watched TV till Bill was too tired and now I’m trying to totally catch up and post my journal and some photos. AND dreading the drive tomorrow.

July 4

This was probably the worst day of our trip. Bill wanted to be on the road by 8 and surprise, we made our first goal. We reviewed my itinerary and decided we didn’t have time to go to Lynchburg, TN for lunch and then Russell Cave National Park and get to Scottsboro, AL before 5 or 6. We don’t like getting in that late and setting up and fixing dinner. So I said we could skip Lynchburg. Well, once we exited for Russell Cave, Bill said he thought we’d been there. I told him it wasn’t marked off in my parks book and even when we pulled into the parking lot, it still didn’t look at all familiar and Bill insisted we’d been there. We parked and I made lunch. I got out my park book and there it was, big as life, a stamp from 2004, when we rented an RV to test out the camping routine. I was ready to just head out but Bill said while we’re here, lets go. As soon as we walked in and I say the painting of the site behind the ranger desk, I remembered exactly what it was. It’s not a cave with formations, it’s a huge dugout cave that goes back in for 7 miles. 3 civilizations of ancient Indians lived in the cave and water from the spring that flows right in front. There were sections for each civilization depicting their life. On the walk back to the RV I spotted a doe down in the hollow having an afternoon snack. My keen spotting ability came through once again!

We drove on to Scottsboro, with the plan of scoping out the Unclaimed Luggage Store so we’d know how to get there tomorrow. Well, we found our campground and it’s the worst one we’ve pretty much ever stayed in. There is no bathhouse or any amenities, but does have water, electric and sewer. It appears there were only 2 opens spaces, both pull thrus. The rest look like permanent residences but it was late before we ever saw a soul. The 5th wheels on both sides of us are really nice units but still look like they live here, which means most of them are rather trashy. It’s on a steep hill and all gravel with almost no where to walk Xena. Thank goodness it’s only 2 nights. The really nice upscale place would not take reservations, they told me to call the day of arrival to find out if there were spaces, but since it’s 4th of July weekend, she told me my chances were not good. So there wasn’t much to pick from.

The next issue was as soon as we unhitched and I pulled the truck out from under the RV, the bottom plate on the hitch pin was almost off. It was one with 4 bolts and 3 were rusted and broken. We start to wonder when will all the issues end. Bill called the guy who installed our hitch after reading our literature about the hitch. It says to have a minimum of 10 bolts to hold it on. The hitch guy didn’t put it on, it was done by Dusty’s RV’s when we picked up the RV since it goes on the RV, not on the actual hitch in the truck. The hitch guy called back and said he welds the plate on but 12 bolts minimum should be used. He explained what needs to be welded and that we could take the big king pin off and take it to a weld shop. So we stopped at an auto parts place and asked if they could recommend a welder. He gave us 2 names and numbers but being a holiday we got no answer. Will call first thing tomorrow and see if one can come here to do the welding. We can drive it like it is, but it will limit the turning radius we have and sometimes we get in tight spots. Bill and I used some WD40 to loosen the remaining bolts and the broken ones and got them out.

We finally got to go for our ride and found the luggage store, the movie theater and went to see the campground we couldn’t get into just to see how the other half lives!

I grilled our hamburgers, cooked the last 2 ears of that really good corn, sliced up some home grown tomato, lettuce and cheese to go on the burgers. Bill was very happy with his potato salad and the rest of the meal. I decided I wanted to go to a movie since there are several out we have missed so after dinner we went to see “Killers”. Totally unrealistic but entertaining. Xena was excited to see us and we took her for a little walk. Then we put our 36” fancy sparklers in a row in the ground and lit them all. We had to have our fireworks to celebrate along with our hanging lanterns, flag and red, white and blue table décor.

So it didn’t turn out to be a very good day. At least the TV reception is some of the best we’ve had but it’s getting late and time to hit the sheets.

July 3

Happy Birthday Darlene! Bill let me sleep in til 8. What a nice husband I have (and he does dishes). I made whole wheat pancakes this morning and bowls of bananas and some good peaches we got yesterday. We both showered in the RV as it’s a bit of a walk to the showers. Bill isn’t crazy about the tiny shower, but he’s managing. I think he also doesn’t like moving the litter box in and out of the shower, but Molly has to have some space too. We didn’t get on the road until about 10. Today’s travels were north to the Lincoln’s Birthplace Historical Park, which consists of 2 locations about 15 miles apart. They are both around Hodgenville, KY which is exit 81 and we’re at exit 53 of I-65. Lincoln was born at Sinking Spring Farm and lived there until he was close to 3. His father bought the farm but was later sued due to title issue and boundaries, so he leased a 30 acre farm on Knob Creek where they lived until Abe was 7. His father had lost the lawsuit over the Sinking Spring Farm and at the same time 9 area families at Knob Creek were being sued to evict from the area with another unstable title. This was too much for Abe’s dad so that is when they moved to IN. There is a huge monument at Sinking Creek with a symbolic log cabin housed inside. It is closed to renovation but we were able to see the gist of it in the visitor center movie. The monument has 56 steps, for Lincoln’s 56 years of age and 16 somethings representing his election as 16th president.

At Knob Hill a cabin that belonged to a neighbor, but was from the time period was moved to the site of the Lincoln cabin. Equally as humble as the first cabin, one room with a sleeping loft for Abe and Sarah, a fireplace for heat and cooking and not much else. We walked to the creek behind the house where Abe almost drowned and was saved by his friend (neither one could swim) by use of a tree limb reaching out to Abe and pulling him in.

On our way back through Hodgenville we stopped at Abe’s Diner (didn’t know he also ran a diner) and had the best chicken wraps for lunch. I’m sure there must have been so good because there were tons of calories and unnecessary fat inside. We also stopped and bought some tomatoes and a pepper from 2 Amish children selling veggies at a corner from their buggy, and again we aided the Amish at another stop who were selling canned goods, aprons, baskets and potholders with purchases of jam and potholders.

I put in our last load of wash and had the power go out twice. At least now Bill knew where to go and flip the breaker on. We determined you can’t use the TV, A/C and microwave at the same time on 30 amps. I much prefer the 50 so we don’t have to worry.

Bill has been chatting with many of our neighbors and we have new ones next door from Virginia. They’ve been to Alaska on a caravan and Bill wanted me to go out and meet them and get the scoop. Well, 2 hours later everyone agreed it was time to head in for dinner. Very nice people, the husband’s family is from Prince Edward and Buckingham counties, which neighbor where my family is from. We had a very interesting conversation about RVing and the problems and mishaps along the way. They said if they decided to go to Alaska again, they would not hesitate to go with several RV’s of friends. The roads were fine, there were gas stations along the way. The big thing would be making some camping arrangements in advance. It would also help to have some “handy” men along.

For dinner I grilled salmon for me, a steak for Bill, with more of that delicious corn and a salad. Unfortunately, after dinner it was time to start putting things in place for a quick get-a-way in the morning. We had a great 3 days here so it’s harder to pack up and leave. Some places you can’t wait to get away from. I didn’t stay up too late tonight.

July 2

Well, the cooler weather we have been enjoying has left us. Feeling more like Florida every day! We kinda slept in, well, honestly, I am the one who sleeps in, as Bill continues to get up by 6:30 if not earlier. He and Xena take their first walk and he reads or maybe turns on the TV. I had 2 biscuits left from last night so make bacon, egg, cheese biscuits for breakfast with a bowl of fruit. Just as good as Mickey D’s.

Becky called and said her daughter and husband might not be available to meet up, so we agreed to have lunch together today after our tour of the Corvette plant in Bowling Green. She works only 5 minutes away. I programmed her cell number in my cell phone to call her once we got out of our tour, so we could meet at Wendy’s near the GMC plant.

We headed to Mammoth to see about a tour for later today or for tomorrow. Bill narrowed his choice down to 3 and I eliminated 1 of those so it was whichever of the last 2 we could get on. We know it’s to be a busy weekend so hoped for the best. It was more crowded today than yesterday. Our first choice tour was not available today and only had 1 spot for tomorrow, so it was out. The other had space for today so we thought we better get it as it is one that you can only get tickets on the day of the tour. It was the Frozen Niagara Tour, which would be in a wet cave, which meant there would be stalactites and stalagmites. A totally different kind of cave.

Once we had our tickets we hit the road for Bowling Green to tour the Corvette plant there. I had called a couple of days ago and verified if we needed to reserve a spot for the 11:30 tour and was told no, that they always take their walk-ins. When we arrived I realized that I didn’t bring my cell phone with Becky’s number….oops and panic mode set in. She was expecting to meet us at about 12:30. Bill had his phone so I called Kerry and got Becky’s home number, then called there and luckily got her husband who gave me her cell number. We weren’t allowed to take ANYTHING into the GMC plant, no cell, no purse, no cameras, I felt naked! Bill put some cash in his pocket as the tickets were $7 each for the tour and if there were souvenirs, of course we might want something. Well, apparently, it would have been much better to have made the reservation because it isn’t one group. Since we were walk ins, we were in group 4, so we didn’t leave the “tour room” until after 12. With no way to contact Becky! Then since it was break time, the workers were pretty much stopped and we waited at some stations to see the process and didn’t leave the building until 1:30. I called Becky but she was on her way back to work from lunch as she had appointments to keep. So maybe next time we can do a better job of scheduling. The tour was good, just a little draggy and our guide stammered around a lot and didn’t know the answer to questions I thought would have been pretty standard. I learned there sure are a lot of parts in a Corvette. Most of the info was over my head, not being a “car” person. I was more interested in the process. We watched them put the insides like the seats, arm rests, all the interior, then we saw the body come from the top and on a conveyor and was perfectly timed to set in on the base. Then the exhaust is added. Those cars go through literally over 100 final checks, the last being put into a car wash to check for leaks. Then, if they pass all the inspections they are taken out on a test drive track. They start with 4.3 gallons of gas but who knows how much is left once they test drive them.

So we missed lunch with Becky, but I did enjoy my Frosty! We stopped at a little grocery in Cave City on the way back for a few things, then back to the RV to check on the pets and chill until it was time to head back to Mammoth for our 5:30 tour. It was listed as only 1 ¼ and ¾ mile. This one took us by bus to a man made entrance. At one time this section was not part of the park, but owned by a “competitor” who blasted it open and lied to tourist by telling them Mammoth Cave has collapsed and come to his more beautiful cave instead. There were law suits flying and fights and ill will in the neighborhood, but eventually the top notch legal system managed to get it worked out and in the end the government got all the land, so I’m not sure who really won. Anyway, this one was prettier than the other tour, not so many steps, only 49 down and 49 back up. It’s main feature is the Frozen Niagara which is a huge flow stone of rocks that looks like Niagara Falls when it freezes. The entire area has a variety of formations due to the limerock drips. There are soda straws, popcorn, stalactites (that hang from the ceiling) and stalagmites ( that rise from the floor) and some meet in the middle to form a column. There were draperies and bacon. At the lowest level the view up to the ceiling was awesome. Too bad the limestone drips don’t have more minerals in them to create a more colorful artistry. The formations are basically white. In addition to the formations, we were able to see cave crickets. They actually look more like spiders to me. They live on the ceilings in this part of the cave and do not make any noise, so I don’t understand why they are called crickets. Bill got annoyed with me for pointing them out once we were shown them. Being the excellent “spotter” that I am, once we were back on the bus headed back to the Visitor Center, I spotted a wild turkey with her chicks and 2 deer along our side of the bus. Most of the passengers were non-observant but once I spotted the turkey they were suddenly keeping an eye out the windows.

As usual Xena was very happy to see us and Molly was perched on the counter at her bowl waiting for a refill. While Bill walked Xena I heated up the leftovers of chicken, orzo and made salads. Then after dinner I made a batch of low-fat brownies from a mix that I left in the RV. Had to throw in a few pecans though to make them truly edible. Now I also had a load of wash going and while it was doing its thing I was on the computer labeling my pictures. All of a sudden the power went off. Well, it didn't bother me since my laptop went to battery mode. Thinking it was the whole park, I didn’t really get worried, but since it didn’t come back on for a bit I decided I better check it out. Our breaker panel and fuses were as they should be. The breakers switch outside was fine too. A neighbor came over and said it was only us with a problem, so I came in and called the park owners. She sent her husband, who in another life was an electrician. He reported that it was the breakers for our spot and showed Bill the pole and how to correct it if it happened again. We made it through the night with no further issues. I was up too late setting up things on my travel blog and labeling all the pictures we’ve taken so far. Dragged myself to bed after midnight! Bad Girl!

July 1

I’m pretty tired so hope I can accurately remember today. We left Lincoln State Park about 9:30 – 9:45 headed to Cave City, KY, which is the closest “town” to Mammoth Cave National Park. It’s just north of Bowling Green about 30 miles. Bill thought we would take 3 hours but we made better time. However, when we attempted to head south on the highway we had arrived on from the north yesterday to this park, it was blocked and nothing said where to go. We went ahead and went back north, thinking we could at least cut over someplace. Luckily right up the road we decided to just take a road and darn if it didn’t put us right on the alternate route we needed. For once we must be living right! We were on all expressways but not a rest area in site and after a while I REALLY needed a pit stop. Finally I just pulled off the road and went in the RV. That bathroom can be really handy!

Had no trouble at all getting to our RV park, Singing Hills in Cave City. When we pulled in we both were kinda nervous about the place. The entrance and office don’t really exude the feeling of a high quality establishment. I went in the office and the lady was so nice and provided so much great info. Once we pulled around the building it wasn’t so bad at all. The spaces aren’t the most level and they are kinda close together but we got a pull thru with full hook up and that is what we wanted and for only $14 a night with our Passport America. They have 6 ducks on the little pond and we can fish if we want but it is catch and release. We had lunch and I wanted to get a load of wash done before heading to the cave. We had a 3:30 reservation for the River Styx tour. We wanted to make sure we left in time and had some time to check out the visitor center so we left at 2:30. I put the clothes in the dryer and off we went.

It was further than all the signs indicated but we got to the visitor center, parked and as soon as we walked in the door they announced for those going on a 1:45 tour to please gather under the pavilion. I kinda looked at Bill and said 1:45? Then they announced it again. I asked him what time was it. We kinda looked dumbfounded and asked a lady at the register and found out that we were back in Central time so it was 1:45 and we had an extra hour to burn! Of course that means when we get back to the Eastern time zone we will lose that hour! I could have gotten my other load of clothes in the wash. We checked in and picked up our tickets for the tour and checked out the gift shop. Then went next door to the hotel and checked out their gift shops and went to the café and had a snack to pass the time. I had a cappuccino and Bill had tea and we shared a piece of Derby pie. I’m gonna have to look up a recipe for that. It’s kinda like a pecan pie but with walnuts and tiny chocolate chips in it with a thin crispy layer on top, not really a top crust. When it was about time to depart we did a bathroom stop as our tour was 2 ½ hours, 2 miles and 500 steps. I wasn’t sure I had made such a wise choice for 2 people with bad knees. Once the ranger got us together he painted a strenuous picture of steps, low ceilings and narrow passes. We again wondered if this was a good decision. Anytime someone tells you that you will have to walk crouched down for 150 feet in an area called Fat Man’s Misery, well, you kinda wonder if you will fit. He told us we all would. He also stressed if you had a fear of heights you might want to reconsider. Hey, I had $19.50 invested in these tickets, and we didn’t want to be the only ones to turn back. At least we had windsuit pants on and jackets, so we wouldn’t freeze when they took 2 hours to come rescue us if we passed out or something.

I called and left a message for Becky Nunnelly, who lives in Bowling Green, where we will be going tomorrow. Becky used to be Kerry’s roommate and we’ve kept in touch via annual Christmas cards. We hoped to have a meal with her or her family while we are in the area.

The rangers were great. The led one was a former history teacher and he was especially good with the kids on the tour. There were 38 of us. At one point we carried Coleman lanterns to the 5th level down which is the lowest. Since I’m sitting here writing it’s obvious we made it out alive but boy that last 155 steps back to the top just about did me in. Bill commented my face was pretty red. Once out we still had a pretty good walk up the incline to the visitor center. The Fat Man’s Misery was not bad at all. Being short I didn’t have to crouch so much but I did fall and got my pants muddy. Bill was in front and didn’t know there was a woman down. The young couple behind me was too busy taking photos to notice, but I managed to get up and salvage my pride. Mammoth Cave is not the biggest, that would be Carlsbad, but it’s the largest, running 400 miles at this point of discovery. There are 25 miles of rivers. The River Styx that the tour is named for is the river at the bottom of the 5th discovered level. It’s named that from Greek mythology as the belief when you died was you would need to be ferried over the River Styx to get to the “other side”. When they died they put gold coins over the eyes so once you reached the underworld you had money to pay the ferryman.

It was 6 when we got out of the cave and headed back to the RV. I made biscuits with country ham and 1/3 of the zucchini, which was pretty good. Bill even said how good it was. I left the pieces larger than I normally do and steamed them, then put a bit of butter on and coated with Parmesan cheese and tossed it. Bill got word from his principal, Mike Armbruster, that Mike was being transferred to University HS, so Bill knew he had made the right decision to retire. He would not have liked to work for a new principal at this stage. I did the second load of wash and Bill walked Xena twice. She was going crazy at the door when we got home. Acted like we were not coming back. I read a little while Bill did some email. He did dishes while I did email and now he’s in bed and I’m getting droopy eyed!!!