Yooper Yarns

THE PEOPLE OF ALLIGATOR RIVER AND PEA ISLAND

2009-11-08T08:36:00.001-05:00

I’m going to tell you about all the wonderful, FRIENDLY, informative people that Dan and I have had the opportunity to meet and to work with.

We have met a LOT of people and I can’t even begin to remember names. Many of them were locals and we may never see them again, but they helped us or informed us.

Then there are the employees of Alligator River Refuge and of Pea Island Refuge. I know we haven’t met them all and the ones we have met we may not remember their names yet, but they are just as important as the ones I’m going to tell you about.

I know all of these people have titles, but I can’t commit to memory all of the titles!

We had been corresponding for almost a year with our Volunteer Coordinator, Abbey. I felt by her emails that she would be a genuinely special person to get to know and to work with. We were not disappointed. Abbey strikes us as a warm and caring person. She is so full of energy and ideas; she is also a mother and a wife and a horsewoman. How she finds time to sleep is beyond me.

Then there is Cindy who works out of the Pea Island Refuge; she TOO is a hard worker, extremely personable and a lot of fun to be around. From what we have seen so far, Cindy is on the go all of the time. Cindy is a wealth of information and is very happy to share it with others. And she too puts in a LOT of hours.

And there is Bonnie. She works out of the Manteo Office and due to all the responsibilities Bonnie has, I think she is often viewed as the manager of Alligator River Refuge. She is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. You can tell the dedication to her work and the refuge just by having a conversation with her.

Then there is Bruce who is the head of, I guess you would say maintenance and repairs and all of the 9 (or 11??) refuge’s in the area. He wears a LOT of hats. I can’t even begin to tell you the duties of the field’s operations office but he is the head of it…and he has been extremely helpful when Dan and I need something and don’t know where to go or what protocol is. Dan and I think of this branch of the refuge as an equivalent to the Michigan DNR’s field offices. They oversee 3- year prescribed burnings, the drainage of the ditches, the purposeful flooding of the fields, timbering the dikes, etc.

And speaking of the DNR…the Michigan DNR has finally had to admit that there ARE cougars in Michigan!!! I believe the story was dated November 4th and is out of Chippewa County which is to the east of the county of Luce (where we live). For years locals have been trying to convince the DNR that there ARE cougars and they, the locals, were not taken seriously. One of the DNR’s wildlife cams caught a couple of photos of a cougar! I guess they now have to agree, there ARE cougars in “da U.P”!

Back to the people we’ve met; Friday, Dan and I worked the hospitality table at the Pea Island Visitors Center. This was all part of the Wings over Water festival so there were a lot of bird people at the center who had been on very early morning guided bird walks. We view them as very DEDICATED birders due to the howling wind and the 40 degree temps. It had to have been very cold walking through the marshes that morning to get to the viewing areas. I’ve never seen such a variety of spotting scopes, binoculars, tripods and cameras. And people talking about birds we’d never even heard of. But they were so willing to share their knowledge. It wasn’t only birds that people had seen off and on throughout the day but various types of butterflies, snakes, assorted other reptiles and other types of mammals. It was an education for us.

It appears the bears have been very active on the trails and boardwalks again. Dan and I will have a lot of boards to replace this week. I can’t remember for sure, but it seems to us that the treated lumber that we purchase in Michigan is NOT treated with salt as it is here. I know it use to be treated with arsenic, but I can’t remember what is used now. I feel a search coming on!!! One would think there would be something that could be used for this boardwalks and rails and wouldn’t entice the bears to chew on them.

Have a great weekend!!

CRITTERS ARE BIGGER AT ALLIGATOR RIVER

2009-11-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

OK, I know...it's just a bug. But I've never seen a praying mantis this large! Or casting such a shadow. I thought of calling this "ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS FOR SURE!!"

In regards to the weather, if it'll make you feel any better, we had to put an extra blanket on the bed last night; it was about 39 degrees when we got home from the photography speaker thing. And this a.m. it was only 50 inside!!

More later! I don't want to tie up the line too long!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND BOYS IS THE PRICE OF THEIR TOYS

2009-11-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, Dan and I were farmers in our “former lives”. It is something you never get out of your blood; from the smell of new mown hay, to the smell of cows breath, to the early morning “cattle calls” and to all the things in between. It is hard, but rewarding work. As the saying goes; Farming is everyone’s bread and butter.

We still like looking at farm equipment, but that is especially something Dan is “fascinated” by. He marvels at how things have changed in the past 20 years.

This afternoon, we have been watching two men working hard at V-cutting the field(s) across the road from our campsite. These fields are all part of the Alligator River refuge. There are X amount of acres set aside for soy beans. Some of it is harvested, some is left for the critters of the refuge….but however it is handled THESE FIELDS ARE WET!

You may remember from an earlier post that we thought that the fields must be tiled because they ARE so wet; that is not the case.

Dan and I have been watching these two guys for about the last 4 hours preparing the field for the V ditching. It is fascinating to watch how it is all done from beginning to end. From what we can figure out, the back hoe first goes into the area that is going to be ditched and searches for hidden stumps and roots them out. Then the ditcher (I’m sure it has a proper name, but don’t know what it is!) goes across the field with the equipment not quite set deep enough into the ground to make the ditch, but more like it is being notched out. Then he makes a return trip setting the ditcher deeper and actually makes the V ditch…and you should see the water run out of the fields and into this ditch! It appears that all of the V ditches start and end at a large culvert (at each end of the fields). This particular field is about one mile across. I’m not sure if all the plots are set as such or not.

I think I told you in an earlier post that there is about a 10 acre “strip” of beans, beside it is 10 acres of all the plants you’d expect to find in a wetland area, then beside it is another strip of beans, and so on. Last week, someone was across the road in these fields brush-hogging all of it. (I believe all the equipment has to be 4 WD….or they would never get through!).

There is a very large ditch between our road and the next road and the Refuge can control how much water is in the ditch with a pumping station that is at the end of our road. This morning, there was very little water in this deep ditch, however, since they have been V-ditching this field today, it is filling back up. The V ditches look to be, I’m guessing here, about 2-3 foot deep….and the water is flowing into that ditch as soon as he cuts it in the field, from there it flows back to the culvert(s) and into the BIG ditch. Clear as mud???

Maybe the photos will help clear it up!

NUTTIN MUCH!

2009-11-04T14:01:00.003-05:00

5 a.m. on Wednesday; got my “cuppacoffee”. Have a light blanket wrapped around my legs…it got kind of chilly last night. I think it is about 42 degrees outside because it is about 55 inside. I don’t want to turn the furnace on yet!!

Trying to get a weather report is about impossible, at least on the radio. We have our radio set to 15 different FM stations and 5 AM…and no one gives a weather report on a predictable basis. And I think the weather wizards in N. Carolina might be a bit on the chicken side…they only give you today, tonight and tomorrow. Heck, where we’re from, you can get a whole 5 days weather report!

The report I finally got yesterday a.m. was kind of interesting though. It started out telling us that the highs would reach near 70, a sunny day, overnight it would drop into the 40’s. The man went on to warn us that the tide was high (full moon the past couple of nights), and that due to the high tide there would be high surf and riptides and to stay out of the surf. Then he told us what to do if you got caught in a riptide. And, again, where we’re from, OUR weathermen tell you what to do if you get caught in a blizzard even down to the point of telling you what you should be wearing and how much kitty litter you should have in your trunk in case you get stuck in a snowbank.

One thing I’ve noticed since being here is I’m beginning to feel like a nicer, more relaxed person. I didn’t realize how stressed I was till I got away from our business. I must be a real B to Dan sometimes and don’t even realize it! It still seems strange though to not be telling him to watch the phone and office while I go brush my teeth (little things like that).

The bird migrations have begun. When we first arrived here, all we were seeing were TONS of buzzards and a couple of eagles (oh, and fighter jets…get to that later if I don’t forget). Now, we are seeing huge flocks of tree swallows, warblers (at least we think they are warblers; very shy and hard to see), and many flocks of snow geese flying over head..WAY overhead. They are too high up in the sky to get a photo. Their clamor proceeds their view…they sound like Indians on the warpath way off in the distance.

About the fighter jets…they too are way up in the sky and way too fast! Dare County bombing range is within Alligator River NWR. The Navy owns the range but leases it to the Air Force. It isn’t too far from where we are so there are a lot of fly overs as they are practicing. It is like having our own air show…but way off in the distance.

A couple of days ago, we were at the fire maintenance building and there was an 8” x 10” photo on the table in their kitchen of fire personnel holding a snake over the end of the shovel. The snack was a huge rattler…and when I say HUGE I mean HUGE. It weighed 98 pounds and was 9’ 5” long. He killed it at a part of the refuge about 30 miles south of here. I am not worried about bears so much as I am snakes (and spiders!)! He managed to break its neck with the shovel but couldn’t chop its head off with the shovel. You’d probably need a buzz saw for that! I will think about this snake every time we are out in the refuge filling brochure boxes or near the river….at least you can smell a bear before you see him (usually anyway!)

There is another post today below this one; just photos of a shy bird. We THINK it is a cormorant; well Dan thinks it is. I don't know for sure...any ideas??

Guess that is about it for this time!!

SHY BIRD

2009-11-04T13:39:00.004-05:00

Hiding behind the rushes

Hiding under the water

Coming up about 30' downstream

And the bottom one..leaving the scene! You can see where he has "paddled" out of the water with his feet leaving a sign of each "step".

THE CABIN

2009-11-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

This is what the inside of the little cabin looks like. It is close to our campsite; the first shot (left to right) is me trying to get connected to dial up in the 'living room', the shot under it is the mini kitchen, next is the laundry room and last is the two bathrooms and showers.

Dan helped me connect a very long phone line to the camper so I can now get on line IN the camper instead of hauling everything over to the cabin. Much more convenient.

We just saw a bear run across the field which is across the road from us; it was too far away to get a photo of it, so Dan and I are going for a walk in a bit to see what else we can see!!

On Friday we work at the Pea Island visitor center and Friday night we get to go to a dinner/speaker. The speaker is a renowned photographer; check his work out at www.markbucklerphotography.com.

Saturday we will be transporting people to and from canoe launches. Saturday night we are going on a REFUGE AT NIGHT drive from 5:30 t0 8:30 p.m. Not sure what we are supposed to do Sunday.

Catch ya later!!

SAND, SUN, SURF CONT.

2009-11-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

These photos were supposed to be with the previous post but didn't make it. I don't know if these are piping plovers or oyster catchers.

SAND, SUN, SURF BUT NO HORSES

2009-11-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

It is Saturday afternoon. We spent most of the day in Corolla, N. Carolina…well, maybe MOST of the time was spent driving to get there but it was worth the trip!

Yesterday we went to the Elizabethan Gardens and Fort Raleigh. I hope to also have photos of the gardens to share with you…if this all goes according to plan! Photos may be in another post by themselves, so you may have to look for more posts!

The gardens are wonderful, but it is the wrong time of year for everything to be in blossom. I can only imagine what they look like during the summer months.

One of the two reasons we wanted to go to Corolla was to see the wild horses on the beach. The other reason was the Corolla Lighthouse. You will notice photos of the lighthouse but not horses.

You can take tours to HOPEFULLY see the wild horses, but you can ALSO drive your 4 wheel drive vehicle on the “beach” as long as you obey the rules. And one of the rules is if you see any horses you are not to make contact with them, molest them or worry them in any way. We had hopes of actually seeing these free roaming horses running in the surf, but that was not to be. Other rules included driving and parking in the middle of the beach, not near the dunes or at the shoreline. The sand is hard so 4 WD really was not needed. I’m sure there are times when you DO need it…especially if you don’t adhere to the rules.

Others on the beach were surf fishermen and women, a couple of surfers and people just sitting in lawn chairs enjoying the beautiful day. I got such enjoyment out of watching the piping plovers! Talk about quick little creatures!!! You had to be fast to get a photo of them for they were always running someplace; as if they had great purpose in life and knew precisely where they were going!

The weather continues to be fantastic, although it does get a bit muggy during the night. I did not bring enough lightweight blouses or shirts.

Monday is the beginning of the big Wings over Water festival. Dan and I have been told that we will be very busy all next week, which is fine with us. It sounds like something very exciting to be working at and involved with. At one point we were told we would be working at Pea Island refuge and at another point we were told we’d be working in Manteo, so we’re not sure where we will be. I know if we don’t get home till after 5 p.m. we will both be wonderfully tired and most likely won’t be updating my blog till my eyes get some rest!

With me being on dial up and doing everything I can to protect my computer, it takes a bit of doing to get it all over to the cabin (which isn’t that far from our RV) and get everything set up. I take my surge protector with me which I plug my computer in. My surge protector also has an in and an out for the telephone hookup. It just is time consuming to get it “all hooked up”. There isn’t a table for me to sit at so I have to hold the laptop on my lap (hence the name,huh??!!). I have a lot of photos I want to post but I don’t know if my patience with dial up will allow me to get them all uploaded or not!

AND I WANT TO CHECK IN WITH THE BLOGGERS THAT I TRY TO FOLLOW!!! I haven’t had a chance to do that in a LONG time. Hopefully Sunday morning will be my time to get it all taken care of!

Take care!!

ELIZABETHAN GARDENS

2009-11-01T08:28:00.000-05:00

Info about these photos will appear in a post that includes shots of a lighthouse. I have so many photos of the gardens, and little garden Gnomes!! Hard to chose which to use!!

DOES A BEAR SH- - IN THE WOODS??

2009-10-29T11:04:00.002-04:00

We will get to why I titled the post what I did later, but for those readers who might not be familiar with that saying, it pretty much means that “Yes, that’s the truth!”, or “No, I’m not kidding you!!” For example, if I were to say to you “I just ran 3 miles backwards!” And you replied “You’ve got to be joking me!” I would say “Does a bear sh- - in the woods?”…which we all know that they do so what I told you must be true! Oh, and in case you don’t know what the rest of that sh word is, it ends in it.

So, with all of that said, here we go!!

Dan took me for supper last night to celebrate my blankety blank birthday. Oh, OK…I admit it…I’m getting older and I’m over 50… over 50 something to be exact. Anyway, we went into Nags Head (I hope to have photos to post of what is our route to work, well, when we have to go into the office for something). One of the men at the Fire Management Unit recommended a Mexican restaurant to us; La Foghata (or something like that). OMG!!! It was SOO authentic inside and out. Everyone who works there (or at least those that we came in contact with spoke Mexican and at times we had a difficult time with a slight language barrier. The food was so good! I had a fried chicken chimichanga, topped with LOTS of sour cream, guacamole, and all the trimmings that go with that, as well as a side of beans. Dan had a huge beef burrito with all the trimmings. They provided a fried chip and Mexican dip while you waited. We both were so full, but I hadn’t had fried ice cream in ages so I ordered that and two spoons. Dan had NEVER had fried ice cream. When it arrived, it came in a 6” diameter fried shell and the dessert was huge too! Dan moved over to my side of the booth so we wouldn’t make a mess. This was better than any fried ice cream I’d ever had!! With all of that and our drinks, our bill came to $24.92. Sorry to say that you couldn’t get THAT much food and THAT good of food any place where we live (Newberry, Michigan) for that price.

Fishing is a HUGE past time in the area; not just for fun but for a living. In Michigan, you are use to seeing gun racks mounted on the inside of a pick - up truck, with a gun in the rack. HERE, you see vehicles coming down the road with long, heavy duty fishing poles inserted into a fishing pole holder which is mounted on the front of the vehicle (around the bumper/grill area. Driving down the road at even 15 mph, the poles (even as heavy duty as they are) tend to “bend in the breeze” and obviously they bend towards the direction of the windshield. Dan has decided the reason they mount the rods like this is to straighten them back out due to having large fish on the line which causes the pole to bend towards the direction of the water. Dan is such a thinker at times…and such a dry sense of humor!

Abbey, our boss, gave us a quick tour of Manteo (which oddly enough is pronounced MANeo; emphasis on MAN…silent T). We have a LOT to see!! Manteo is a small town; the side streets are very narrow but it is two way traffic. Lots of neat little shops to be explored. Yes, I know…I don’t like shopping but I like looking at stuff like this!! Andy Griffith lives in Manteo and attends Abbey’s church. One thing that we want to do when we have time and the weather isn’t too hot but is sunny (gotta be perfect!!) is go to the Elizabethan Gardens.

One of our jobs is to make sure all brochure racks (which are mainly at trail heads or at canoe launches) are filled and that bears haven’t destroyed the racks. Abbey has a list of the places we need to check on but we haven’t gotten that list yet. The other day, we were “on patrol” on one of the Charles Kuralt birding trails. It is a wide, asphalted pathway that winds through the woods and wetlands. There is a wonderful board walk that goes out over the swamp and wetlands. We had seen areas where bears had tried to eat the rail boards or had grabbed hold of them trying to hoist themselves out of the water; scratch marks, boards bitten, etc. I really don’t know how long this boardwalk is; maybe 1/16th of a mile. About ½ way through there is an interpretive sign that tells you about the alligators and they can grow between 6-12’ in length. Good to know…out over their swamp.

As Dan was walking off the boardwalk and back onto the walk way, he quietly said “Come here; there’s a bear.” I thought he was joshing me. But as I got off the boardwalk and looked where we had just been 5 minutes ago, there was a very large black bear standing in the middle of the walk way looking towards us. We’re guessing he was about 100 yards from us. We watched each other for a while…quietly. We were not going to use our ‘bear horn’ if it was not necessary. Dan and I decided to continue our walk down the path to where we hadn’t been yet. We looked over our shoulder every now and then and the bear was slowly walking in the same direction. The next time we looked back, he was nowhere to be seen so we weren’t sure if he got into the water or went back into the woods…but we still were cautious.

We got to the next board walk which just was a short distance and ended at a view of a lake. One of the rail boards was totally ripped into and parts of it shredded. Since this lumber is treated lumber and is now treated with salt instead of arsenic, the bears like chewing on it for the salt. We knew this was something that we would have to repair and started the walk back towards the head of the trail.

We talked loudly so to let any bears know we were coming through and would appreciate it if they didn’t surprise us by jumping out of the woods. We made it back to our government truck and went after replacement parts.

When we came back to the trail, we were able to drive the truck down the main highway and come in at a different entrance (at the end of the trail) so we didn’t have too far to carry the materials.

As we approached the boardwalk, we could see a steaming pile of bear poop on the trail….so nope, bears do not always sh- - in the woods!!

I hope to have some photos to upload with this post but I am going to be using dial up (hopefully that will work this time!!) so I don’t know how many photos might be uploaded. OH, and about having our mail sent to us once a week by priority mail by our local post office; it took from Wednesday to Monday afternoon for it to arrive!!!

(There is another new post below this one; just some photos is all it is)

THE ROAD TO WORK

2009-10-29T10:57:00.001-04:00

When we leave our wilderness area to go to the main office in Manteo, this is part of the road we take. It takes us over to Roanoake Island. If you continue on you will cross another bridge (next photo) that takes you to Nags Head and other places like Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, etc.

The bottom photo was taken through the windshield on the way home last night.

THE MISSING PHOTO FROM THE PREVIOUS POST!!!

2009-10-28T12:49:00.000-04:00

THIS is the photo of the houses and boat slips that was supposed to be in the hprevious post!!

WE'RE STILL HERE!!!

2009-10-28T12:42:00.001-04:00

So much has happened since I last wrote!

Currently, I am sitting at the table, with my morning coffee trying to get caught up on “stuff”.

I finally have a dial tone here where we are camping but the number that Lighthouse (my ISP in the Soo) gave me actually rings into the Visitor Center on Pea Island!! THAT doesn’t do me any good! So I’ve got to try to get that straightened out before I can really be connected more often.

If all goes as planned today, I will be able to get on wifi at the Fire Management Unit of Alligator River. It is about 7 miles from us and is where we pick up our government vehicle on the days we work.

There is so much to share with you, but I don’t think this post will be the post to start sharing. But a few of the “highlights” so far are;

We were going to take part in watching over the last nest of unhatched loggerhead turtles. One has to sit there in the elements from about 6 p.m. to a bit after midnight. With my hive problem, we didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to be out along the ocean when there has been so much foul weather in that area. Chris, the gal who is the wildlife biologist, says she doesn’t think this nest is going to hatch due to the fact it IS so late and there is no sound of activity within the eggs. She has a listening device and isn’t hearing anything. The day we were at Pea Island (I think was Monday??), one of the interns found a dead adult loggerhead turtle on the beach about ¼ mile from the office so he had to retrieve it so they can do an autopsy. Even though it was dead, it was a beautiful creature and had live barnacles on its back. The day we were there was a nasty, WINDY day; spitting rain and mist. BUT it was also beautiful to see the Atlantic waves crashing on the beach, the pelicans wheeling about the sky and the sounds of it all. Abbey, our boss, told us that many times they have to bulldoze the sand that blows from the dunes onto the roadway because it will actually block the paved road…and this IS a main road (only two lanes). So where us Michiganders worry about plowing snow, they worry about plowing sand! And this can be a year around thing!

From where Dan and I are at in Alligator River to the refuge in Pea Island is maybe a distance of 30-40 miles but it is like being worlds apart! Our area is wild, overgrown and I suppose to some maybe a bit on the dangerous side. It is beautiful to Dan and I because of our love of nature and trees. There are grasses taller than 6’, trees we’ve never seen and have yet to identify, weeds that are beautiful, birds we’ve never heard before now (and so far haven’t seen…very elusive!!). The woods are substantial and thick, the wetlands lavish. Then you drive east of here towards Nags Head and you see sand, marsh grasses, go a bit south and it is even more of the “sea side scene”…and these two places really are not that far apart!

I haven’t had a chance to get a lot of shots to share with you because we have been so busy with work and the unpredictable weather hasn’t made me anxious to take my camera with me, but I DO have a few shots I hope I can get posted with this. IF I am able to get them up, I want you to know what they are!

You hopefully will see a bunch of “homes”; this is the place I THINK I told you about earlier where there don’t seem to be garages, but boat slips instead. The one of our 5th wheel makes it look like we LIVE in the tall grasses; we don’t. We have a nice sized MOWED yard but this is what is outside of our yard and outside the electric fence…and there ARE alligators in the ditches as well as Alligator River. I really didn’t think there WERE alligators here but there are. And the last shot I HOPE to get up is of a Kingfisher. I KNOW it is blurry because I had to take it going down the road at a speed of about 10 mph. Every time we stopped the truck he would fly off.

OH!! And another note about the deer season; here they TRAIN BEAGLES to run deer. Where we are from, if a beagle is chasing down deer that dog is most likely to get shot! The “hunters” can sometimes be seen, sitting alongside the road, IN A LAWN CHAIR, a cooler with lunch and pop at their side and their gun across their lap…waiting for the dogs to chase a deer out of the bush, the swamp, the thick brush. Abbey said deer hunting is NOT that popular here due to how hard it is to get a deer and how small the deer are.

Please keep checking back!!!

OUR NEW HOME AND OTHER INFO

2009-10-24T10:37:00.001-04:00

TOP PHOTO...LOOKIN' OUT OUR BACK DOOR

THE VIEW ACROSS THE WOODS FROM OUR NEW HOME

I think it is Saturday. Good thing I brought a calendar along. I have to X off the days so I can keep track, or turn on the cell phone to see what date it is (which getting a cell signal way out here is by luck….I DID finally get our TV tuned in…we get 5 stations, two of which are cartoons!! At least one of the stations is CBS so Dan can watch Survivor on Thursdays!!)

Monday we officially start our positions. Abbey will pick us up early Monday morning for our first staff meeting and then hopefully a tour of things. Dan and I have been slightly busy at our new home spot (aka campsite) cleaning things up around here, working in the little cabin cleaning it up and repairing a picnic table that must’ve been constructed by little people. It is about the height of a child’s table so we literally put it up on blocks. Dan had to tighten a bunch of bolts before it was safe to set on. The thing weighs a ton. He was so looking forward to cooking outside on his new portable gas grill, but the table wouldn’t have held it any more than it would have held us. AND with the bear population (of which we haven’t seen any yet!), it might not be a good idea to fry bacon outside!

It took us a better part of a day and a half to get the 5th wheel arranged. We can’t connect directly to the water connection because no matter what ya do (including driving to Kitty Hawk for a new RV hose, which has to be 30 miles one way from here), the connection won’t stop leaking. Our RV hose worked fine at home, but now it and the connection don’t like each other. The RV hose that we bought from Wal-Mart in K H wouldn’t even connect to our fitting! ARRGGGG. So, we’re just using the holding tank until we can figure something else out (and it isn’t washers; Dan tried that too). It isn’t a big “leak” but enough that Dan doesn’t want to run it that way because he doesn’t want to chance the steady drip somehow getting inside the 5th wheel and making things wet and us not knowing it. I’m thinking he could jimmy up a little “eaves trough” type thing and divert it down the hose and away from the side of the 5th wheel.

I need to talk about mosquitoes. The mosquitoes that are HERE are about ½ of the size of Michigan mosquitoes! They are so little!! They are just as troublesome and they do bite. I look like someone has thrown little straight pins into my skin. I’ve got bites all over, but the bites DON’T ITCH!!! And the mosquitoes are only an issue in the evenings, but last night I think it was too hot for them because they weren’t an issue at all.

About the homes down here….yep, they are prepared for hurricanes. Lots of strange looking shutter things on homes and businesses. I don’t mean they are fastened down, but they are there just in case. And the homes are something to see. There are many, many homes like the one in the movie “Nights in Rodanthe” (which was filmed down this way), then there are others that instead of having a garage for your car, there is a boat slip for your cabin cruiser. It is wall to wall sea side homes.

Tonight, we are going on a “howling”. It is something that the NWR (National Wildlife Refuge; remember that for future uses) does every so often. We met one of the other volunteers yesterday; he takes care of the red wolves that cannot be released into the wild yet and he also takes care of the venomous snakes (great to know, but who in the hell takes “care” of venomous snakes…and why would you want to?? )…in fact he had one in the back of the truck…did we want to see it? NO THANKS, not now, maybe later when it might be dead. He went on with his comforting story of the snakes and how there are so many venomous snakes in this area that a documentary is being made using this area. Now, I’m thinking we need another strand of electric fence around our parameter…a low strung strand of it. Anyway, about the howling. People meet at 6 p.m. at Mill Tail Creek Rd and caravan into the woods and listen to the wolves howl. I know that may sound strange that living in da U.P. of Michigan that we would have any interest in listening to more wolves…but these are RED wolves; not like the wolves in our area…and much smaller.

It is deer season here and they can hunt deer with dogs….which Dan and I don’t approve of, but it isn’t our place to approve or not. However, after seeing the “countryside” we can see why dogs would be necessary for a successful hunt. I will get some photos eventually and eventually HOPEFULLY actually be able to post them (still traveling to the Welcome Center to use their wifi). The countryside is SO THICK. Deer season will be over the end of this month and then there will be NO unauthorized traffic on the “road” we live off from. For you farmers out there; in this area, they plant soy beans and we figure the fields musts be tiled (considering that most of this is wetlands).

If time allows (since I am using the Welcome Centers wifi and I don’t want to overstay MY welcome) I will try to check out some of my favorite blogs and maybe be able to upload a photo or two. I for sure need to know how Tim (DVM’s Wifes Life) is doing. You guys have been in our thoughts while we’ve been gone. (While I AM doing this, poor Dan has to find something to entertain himself with and there is only so much he can do in the Welcome Center or sitting in the truck!!).

Don’t give up on me!! I’ll post every chance I get!!!

WE ARE HERE!!!

2009-10-22T10:21:00.002-04:00

This will be short, but just to let you know we arrived at our "new home" about 4 p.m. yesterday. We have the place to ourselves, well, except for various birds, deer, bear and wolves...of which we have seen none of the latter two! However, our campsite is surrounded by a strand of electric fence for "our protection" against bears in the night (or any other time of day I supposed!!).

I'm currently at a Welcome Center using a very low signal wifi so I'm also trying to download email messages while typing this. I won't be able to respond to comments so please don't be offended if I don't. And I won't be checking blogs until I can come up with a better "arrangement".

It is wonderful!!! Our campsite isn't anything special, right out in the HOT SUN at about 76 yesterday. It got cool during the night but it has warmed right back up.

So that is all for now and I'll be back when I can!! Please stick with me!!

A BIG,NOISY FANFARE

2009-10-18T05:01:00.002-04:00

It is terribly quiet in my office; not just because there is no TV on in the next room but because the desktop computer is off, unplugged and packed away ready for us to take it to our friend’s tonight. (Since I’ll be posting this in the a.m. this story will be a little “outdated” by the time you read it!)

The desktop has two what I consider large fans…and they make a lot of fanfare noise! I asked the guru why this new desktop is SO loud and he assured me it is normal due to the bigger processors that are inside the “souped up” new computers.

I also made a lot of noise when it came time to unhook the computer. One would think with all that modern man and woman can do that there could be a LOT LESS CABLES INVOLVED WITH A DESKTOP COMPUTER!! ARRGGGHHH!!!! It is just a tangled up mess of cords and cables. It reminds me of the road map to get around Cincinnati. The UPS (not to be confused with the good looking delivery guys in the brown outfits) obviously has its own cord, plugged into its very own dedicated outlet (has its very own breaker due to the nature of Newberry Water and Light not being exactly what you call dependable). Then obviously the desktop computer, the monitor, and the Wild Blue satellite modem are plugged into the UPS. And obviously those all have to be plugged into something else in order to work. The printer is just on a very good surge protector but it has to be plugged into the back of the computer, as does the Ethernet cable, the keyboard, the mouse, the speaker line, and a back up phone modem…you know how it goes. It is just a nightmare and in 6 months when we get home and have to put it all back together again, I’ll be cursing under my breath then too (as I was THIS time). Even marking the USB places with what goes where, it still is a nightmare.

And I can’t believe how dusty it gets under there!!! And there is NO WAY to get it all clean because that would require pulling ALL the remaining cables and cords out and I’m just not going to do that! I tried to dust around them the best I could (sitting on the floor which is not comfortable at my age, and especially not sitting on my keys in my pocket!). Bright and early Monday morning, before we take off, I will then have to unplug the router and the modem and the UPS’s. (There is one for the router too) I just hope that the spiders don’t take over and the dust bunnies die a horrible death; I’m hoping they will all freeze to death while we are gone!

So, here it is, the next morning after I started writing this post. We have all my computer stuff stashed at my friends, had a wonderful meal (topped off with rich brownie and ice cream dessert) and a nice visit…and hugs all the way around when it came time to leave knowing this will be the last time we see each other for a long while. It is hard to believe that tomorrow morning, it will finally be time to leave.

It isn’t like leaving on vacation; now that it is time, it is kind of scary. I worry that Dan won’t enjoy himself and will miss the snow and grooming.

And as I may have mentioned before, it will seem strange not watching the birds in the winter (spending about $300-$500 for sunflower seed for 6 months..well, this year it will be saving that much). I’m already worried about the birds, which is dumb I suppose. And it will seem very strange not having snowmobilers around, with us sitting by the dining room window at night, playing a game and watching them come in and out on their sleds. Having them come in the office and tell me about the ride they had, how many miles they put on that day, what the trails were like, etc.

But, since our “beloved” Governor Jennifer did away with the Snowmobile Advisory Committee this past week ( SAC for short; a state agency designed to work with MSA among other things), no one has a clue what will happen next with the sport of snowmobiling in Michigan. Even MSA, Michigan Snowmobile Association, didn’t see THIS one coming. The MSA is the snowmobilers Lansing voice and goes to bat for everything to do with snowmobiling. For you sled heads, if you haven’t heard about this, look it up online. My point to telling this is that it is another reason Dan and I think we made the right decision on how to spend our winter.

We are meeting a friend for breakfast in a couple of hours, then it will be home to put the final touches on EVERYTHING so we can leave at daylight tomorrow. It is not supposed to be below freezing tonight, so we hopefully can get the 5th wheel dewinterized and bleach the lines to sanitize it before putting some water in the holding tank. And I fear it could be one of those days that Dan and I most likely are going to get on each other's last nerve!!!

I hope to be able to post one more time before we take off tomorrow, but if not, please keep checking back for our great winter adventure and photos!!! If I'm NOT able to post tomorrow a.m., it most likely won't happen again till towards the end of the week.

Later!!!

NUTTIN' MUCH

2009-10-15T06:40:00.001-04:00

OK. I declare it. I am suffering mildly from BTW. Dan has a brutal case of it but fortunately this won’t hinder with our leaving date of Monday…and it isn’t infectious.

OH!! You wonder what BTW is??? It is Boob Tube Withdrawal. I didn’t think I would miss TV but I DO miss NCIS, House, Two and a Half Men and the Bold and the Beautiful. Dan just plain misses everything. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen him reach beside him on the couch for the remote. Then he’d get this hangdog look on his face (kind of like a dog looks when it is embarrassed) when he remembered it wasn’t there and the TV wasn’t in front of him on the stand either.

So, when we aren’t busy getting the 5th wheel ready, we are listening to a LOT of CD’s. Heck, the other night we were shadow dancing to Billy Idol’s version of Mony, Mony. We created some scary looking shadows on the wall and ceiling. And we’ve been playing a lot of a domino game called Spinner…all the other games are in the 5th wheel. One night, we were playing Spinner and had a CD from the 70’s going. Dan’s game wasn’t going too well. He was tired of the 70’s music. The song “GOLD” was on and it was at the part of just some guitar playing. Dan said “Is that twanging bastard about through?”. Maybe it was one of those “you had to be there moments” but it cracked me up. Now that is our new catch phrase.

And I’ve played a lot of Scrabble against the computer and I’m finding out that the computer cheats. At least it sure feels like it. Let me explain and see what you think. I get my first 7 letters and they habitually consist of AA, II, E, O and maybe a Y or a T. The computer gets L, N, J, I, U, Q and O. Put that all together and you’ve got Jonquil, which is a 7 letter word!! And that J could easily end up on a double letter score. If I exchange a couple of A’s and an I…I still end up with more A’s and I’s to take the place of the ones I just exchanged. And then there are the words that the computer comes up with…words I’ve never heard of and wouldn’t begin to know how to pronounce. So, I click on the word in the computer’s play list to see what it means and sometimes it comes up and says “DEFINITION NOT AVAILABLE”. What the hell is that??? Is THAT fair??? OR, it gives you another version of the spelling instead of a definition so if you are desperate, you can type in THAT spelling and see if it comes up. By this time I really don’t care.

I am also suffering from a bit of CRS and it seems to hit me in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping. In case you aren’t familiar with CRS, it is Can’t Remember Sh—! I remembered, about 3 a.m., that we need to have two lunch boxes for our jobs at the refuge because there may be days we’ll be “out in the field” and can’t get back to our 5th wheel for lunch. Add that to the list…

Last Saturday I went to Amazon’s website in search of a good, queen size mattress pad for the 5th wheel. They had the Pike brand on sale for more than ½ off, so I got it for $47.00. It arrived yesterday (Thank you Amazon for being so prompt!!). This mattress pad is WONDERFUL!!! It is thick and luxurious (should be for what the original price was!!) and feels like velvet. My hope is that it will eliminate the need for a foam pad on top of the mattress. The reviews of the pad were really good too; most people said it eliminated the need for any more cushioning.

So, with the arrival of that, Dan and I were finally able to make the bed (except for the pillows which won’t go in till the morning we leave). Making the bed in a camper can be a learning experience and this was no exception. Our old 5th wheel required making the bed while on your knees. At least with this one, you can assume the position of Quasimodo.

It is necessary to pull the mattress down from the head of the bed so you have better access to it in order to tuck the mattress pad and sheets around all four corners. Then comes putting the rest of the bedding on. This would be so much easier if the room was wider. Every time either one of us would bend over even slightly, our rear ends came in direct, PUSHING contact with the pleated fabric blinds on the bedroom windows (one on each side of the bed). I raised mine up (the blind, not my butt) so I wouldn’t be squashing it, Dan muddled through and his blind still looks fresh as a daisy…a daisy with a butt imprint in it.

I explained to Dan that making the bed was not going to be just MY job; that it was something we would be doing together. All that got me was a grunt.

Dan reminded me to make sure we had extra blankets along….in case HE decided to sleep on the couch (which is a hide abed in disguise). I guess he figures if he isn’t responsible for UNmaking the bed he won’t have to be responsible for putting it back together again. I think using the couch for a bed is going to be more work for him than just sleeping in the queen size bed.

Yesterday in Manteo, N. C the temp was 69 and overnight it was 59. Yesterday, HERE, the high was 41 and currently it is 24. And we’ve still got a lot of outside stuff to get done as soon as we close the gates at noon on Saturday!!

Candace, my friend who owns the Gateway Motel in Newberry, took pity on us yesterday. I think she realizes that getting this close to time to go that I’m not able to cook a lot of meals (can’t find the table for one thing). She brought us a HUGE container of cornbread salad that she made. I know, it doesn’t sound good, does it?? BUT IT IS SOOO GOOD!! It has torn up corn bread, finely minced green peppers, green onions, tomatoes, pickles and something else it seems like. Anyway, that is mixed with a concoction of mayonnaise and pickle juice. Then it is packed into a container and topped off with fried, crumbled bacon. Not only is it tasty, but it is pretty too!! Dan cooked chicken on the grill, I warmed up left over sweet corn in the microwave (from a friend’s garden) and cooked noodles in chicken broth. So we had a decent supper last night….except for the CRS struck again. That sweet corn I’d warmed up in the microwave was still IN the microwave. I’d forgotten to get it out for supper!!

So that’s how things have been going in our neck of da woods. I’ll catch up with you all later!!!

WELCOME NEW FAITHFUL READERS!

2009-10-14T05:18:00.003-04:00

This is just a short one and a thanks to those new readers who have joined the list of followers!!

There is one in particular I want to comment on, and that is the photo of the Pug puppy dog. IF I ever found that I could let a dog steal my heart again, I think it would be a Pug. My friend, Candace, has a Pug. I don't ever see it (rarely see Candace for that matter!!), but occasionally when we talk on the phone, I hear him in the background making those funny nose noises that only a Pug can make. There is just something about a Pug.

Dan would like to get another Husky sometime, but he knows that if we are going to be gone winters, it wouldn't' be fair to a Husky dog to be cooped up in an RV and not have a place to run around like Nick did....that and all the dog hair from a Husky!!! At least with little Chewy (the Shi-tzu), there was no shedding, but there were other issues; eye problems for one which I bet the Pugs have the dry eye issue too.

But you love them, care for them and make them your family.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who recently joined!!!

We've got a lot to get done today! Only 5 more days till we leave!!!

FOR MY DIE HARD SLEDDERS

2009-10-12T05:16:00.006-04:00

Fun in the snow!!

TOO cute for words!!

President Bob Brown and me accepting a sizable donation from a group of Pennsylvania sledders!! Photo taken inside the TASA barn.

Grooming the trails for you!!!

Since I won't be updating any trail reports this year and I always post this for my snowmobilers to get them in the mood, and since there HAS been snow, this is my last HOO-RAH for the season for my sledders!!!(And i DO hope you will all give the new TASA board and groomer operators a chance to prove themselves. Many of you have emailed or stopped by expressing concern and telling me you would be bypassing Newberry this year, but you really need to give the new guys and gals a chance!!)

I'll be thinking of you all on the trails and praying you are being safe and sensible!! (there are two posts today, so scroll down for the first one)

DIE HARD SLEDDERS
'Twas 2 nights before the trails opened
And all around our town
It was snowing like crazy!
It was really coming down!

The groomer drivers were sleeping
Knowing it'd be their last chance
"Oh, why did so many
Have to do that snow dance?"

It had been snowing backwards & sideways
And how the wind howled
It had been a challenge
Just keeping the roads plowed!

But this raised a question.
It was on all of our lips
'Would our snowmobiling guests
Still want to make the trip'?

Would they still come up?
Would they still show?
After all, the wind chill
Registered 50 below!!

There was a town meeting
At the town square
This was a heavy storm!
We needed to prepare!

If our guests had trouble getting here,
What could we do
to help them arrive safely,
We hadn't a clue.

When what to our wondering eyes did appear?!
SUV's and trailers and all kinds of gear!
A whole group had arrived
Amidst this bad storm
"Get us a room please,
so we can get warm!"

They were covered in snow
And were proud of themselves
Had frost on their eyebrows
And looked like big elves.

"It was a long trip
We left long ago!
We had no idea
There would be 6 foot of snow!"

"The weatherman said
There was a slight chance of a flurry
So anyone traveling would
Not have to worry"

(Well, that certainly explains it
As we all know
Don't depend on the weatherman
To predict the snow!)

We found rooms for Joe Snow and Catfish too
And for Viper Girl and Skidoo Queen to name a few
We heard them exclaim as they unloaded their stuff
"TOO MUCH SNOW??
THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH!"

(moral to the story…be careful what you wish for!!)
Written for fun & for sledders by C. Clementz

OK!!! I ADMIT IT!!! I'M GOING TO MISS YOU GUYS AND GALS!!! KEEP IN TTOUCH!!!

GOTTA DO IT!!

2009-10-12T04:55:00.002-04:00

1. CALL AT&T TO DISCONNECT THE 2ND PHONE LINE. I was going to disconnect BOTH lines and save even more while we are gone, but AT&T cannot guarantee that we would have the same phone number when we turned it back on in 6 months. Since our all of our business advertising has THAT number on it, they kind of have us where they want us…but on the other hand there is a very strong possibility that number would still be available. WHO CAN TAKE THAT CHANCE!!! ??? Thanks a lot AT&T!

2. SWITCH THE ANSWERING MACHINE FROM THE 2ND PHONE LINE TO THE FIRST PHONE LINE. Heck, as long as I have to pay for the first line, might as well make the most of it and leave the answering machine on…even though no one will be able to leave a message. I will use the Announcement Only setting!

3. CHANGE THE ANSWERING MACHINE TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. And make sure to switch it to the first line that we will be paying for.

4. MAKE SURE TO HAVE CHANGED THE EMAIL VACATION RESPONDER MESSAGE FOR THE NORTHCOUNTRYCAMPGROUND@GMAIL.COM ADDRESS. Already took care of this one.

5. IF BC & BS OF MICHIGAN BILL HAS NOT ARRIVED BY FRIDAY, SEND THEM A CHECK ANYWAY. Have you ever known anyone to be anxious to send Blue Cross a check?? Can’t take any chances here! In fact, I found out that we can pay up to 6 months ahead so we’ll be doing that in November.

6. GO TO THE PO AND GET SIGNED UP FOR THE PRIORITY MAIL FORWARDING SERVICE FOR ADDRESSES OF BOTH PLACES WE WILL BE THIS WINTER AND PUT MAIL ON HOLD FROM APRIL 1 TILL WE RETURN. The PO will forward our mail once per week, on a Wednesday by priority mail at a cost of $13.95 weekly…this almost uses up the money we’re saving by having the 2nd phone line disconnected! OH, and there is a $15.00 application fee to do this and since we have to turn in two forms (one for Manteo, N.C and the other for Ennis, Texas) we pay that fee twice.

7. CONTACT OUR ISP TO HAVE WILD BLUE TURNED OFF WHILE WE ARE GONE. Well, that sounds fairly straight forward, but it isn’t. If I want to keep my “spot in the sky” I have to pay them $10.00 per month for WB to keep that open. If I want to be able to use my Lighthouse account at all while we are gone (which I may have to use dial up at times), that is another $20.00. So, in total I will be saving $19.95 per month. I guess that is better than paying full price and not being here.

8. PAY 4TH QUARTER USE TAX AND ROOM TAX WHICH CONSISTS OF THE FIRST 17 DAYS OF OCTOBER. FILE YEAR END REPORT FOR THAT. Scroll down for bitch session on paying quarterly taxes.

9. TAKE DESK TOP COMPUTER, MONITOR, LASER PRINTER CARTRIDGE, CREDIT CARD TERMINAL, REMAINING 30 POUNDS OF SUNFLOWER SEED, 10 BAGS OF FROZEN BUTTERNUT SQUASH TO FRIEND. I know, it is an odd combination, but no sense letting the stuff go to waste.

10. GIVE ALL THE KEYS TO THE PERSON WHO WILL BE WATCHING OVER THINGS. He has to be able to get in!! He will feel like a jailor with all the keys he will have.

11. WHEN I PACK THE FIFTH WHEEL, REMEMBER TO TAKE ALL IMPORTANT FILES, ROLEDEX …BASICALLY TAKE THE OFFICE WITH ME. I have mentally packed this stuff and THINK I know where it will go without being in the way but still be easy to get to. Time will tell!!

12. GET AS MUCH TAX INFO TO THE ACCOUNTANT AS POSSIBLE. PRAY YOU’VE PAID ENOUGH IN EACH QUARTER SO THERE WON’T BE A BIG SURPRISE AT THE END OF THE YEAR…SHOOT, STILL GOTTA PAY THIS QUARTER WHICH TAKES IN FROM SEPTEMBER 1 TO WHEN WE CLOSE ON OCTOBER 17TH. QUESTION FOR THE IRS AND THE STATE OF MICHIGAN; WHY ARE YOUR QUARTERS SPACED LIKE THEY ARE?? IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO ME. 1ST QUARTER I UNDERSTAND. THAT IS FROM JANUARY 1 TO THE END OF MARCH AND DUE BY APRIL 15TH. 2ND QUARTER IS FROM APRIL 1 TO THE END OF MAY AND DUE JUNE 15TH. 3RD QUARTER IS FROM JUNE 1 TO THE END OF AUGUST AND IS DUE SEPTEMBER 15TH. 4TH QUARTER IS FROM SEPTEMBER 1 TO THE END OF DECEMBER AND DUE JANUARY 15TH. THESE QUARTERS ARE NOT QUARTERS!! ROOM AND USE TAXES, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE QUARTERS…DUE APRIL, DUE JULY, DUE OCTOBER AND THE LAST QUARTER DUE IN JANUARY. I DON’T GET IT!

Ah, yes, things are coming together!! Slowly getting it all in order!!

BTW, while we were blowing out the water lines in the campground yesterday, it was snowing sideways…then it started raining. It was a fun day. And in May, when we bleach the lines and turn the water back on to the campsites, it could be snowing sideways then too! Turning the water back on to the campsites always brings guests out of the RV to ask “What the hell was THAT noise?” All that air that we put through the lines yesterday has to go someplace when you put the water hook ups back under pressure in the spring. As you turn on the faucets, they sound like one gigantic fart! And I mean it is LOUD! Like GUNSHOT loud! Always something to look forward to!

Today is the day that the CATV gets shut off to the campsites, our home and the Little Lodge. This worked out well because last night, the batteries in the remote for the older TV died so I put them on the charger last night...they can be used in the blood pressure monitor that we better take with us. We may need to use it for the next 6 days/nights since Dan won't be able to watch TV!

ONE OF LIFE'S FEATHERED PLEASURES

2009-10-11T05:54:00.003-04:00

It snowed yesterday; snowed and blowed and leaves were swirling in the wind.

And the cute little Juncos arrived yesterday, pecking at the grass looking for sunflower seeds. We only see them in the spring (usually still snow on the ground in places) and again this time of year. They look so soft. They are one of life's feathered pleasures (you were thinking along the lines of something different, right??? HA!)

But along with the fact that the Juncos are back is also the fact that we are no longer filling the feeders. I feel badly about that, but there is no sense us feeding the birds any longer since we won't be here through the winter to make sure they are fed and have fresh, warm water (heater in the bowl of water). The chickadees and nuthatches are scolding us, so we try not to sit near the picture window in the dining room...not till they've gone to bed anyway.

And only one other thing that I will feel badly about as far as being gone this winter is not having Thanksgiving with my daughter and her friend. It will be very strange not fixing a 20 pound turkey with all the trimmings and having my "little girl" here for 3 days.

So, today is the day we blow out the campground water lines. We considered doing it yesterday but the Weather Weanie assured us that it would "only" be down to 31 overnight. Yesterday a.m. it was 27. THIS morning it is 28 (and it always gets colder as it gets closer to daylight). We have prepared what few remaining campers we have that the water will be shut off to the campsites this afternoon and that cable TV will be turned off tomorrow. It is supposed to snow and rain again today so it will be a bitter, cold job standing out there with the air compressor hooked up to a water outlet, blowing the water back to the "plumbing pit". It takes about 30-40 minutes to do it properly, then we have to go around and make sure all the faucets are open, try to drain the water out of the vacuum breakers on each faucet, take the towers apart at the dump station. It is just a time consuming job...and that is with the hopes that with the cold temps again that nothing froze and broke over night.

A couple of days ago, we set up most of the picnic tables. We left a few down in case we get more campers...which we did get more campers....which was a surprise considering the weather!

Tuesday I take Bubba, the truck, in to get it detailed. Newberry Motors will have him for the day. They will have a loaner vehicle for me so I can get my normal Tuesday errands done. Kevin, the owner of Newberry Motors, is good about that. So a plug for Newberry Motors.

So many little details and little things I may forget...like yesterday, I saw a large rose colored button sealed in a little plastic bag. I recognized the button as being from my new polar fleece coat I got last fall. It made me think that maybe I better take that button with us, but what good would that button do me without my sewing box?? So I dug that out of the closet and put it with the growing pile of things to pack in the 5th wheel. I'm not a seamstress by any means; I staple and tape a lot.

And this time of day is really the only time I have where I can't do anything else to prepare to go! Dan is still sleeping and it is still dark (AND COLD!!) outside, so here I am trying to catch up with all of you. And I'm hoping someone can explain something to me...I have asked this question before...I only have 40 Yooper Yarn followers, at least those who are willing to admit they read my blog, BUT I have between 75-300 visitors per day..why are the rest of you so shy??? You don't have to provide a picture; you can remain a shadow. You don't have to give out personal information. DON'T BE SO DARN SHY...

Catch up with ya later!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH

2009-10-10T05:15:00.003-04:00

I have recieved an award from my blogger buddy at THE FIFTY FACTOR

It is the OVER THE TOP award! I have enjoyed her writing and blogging styles for about 6 months now. It would have been longer than that, but I only found her recently! And as you know I don't have a lot of blogs that I do follow but I truly enjoy hers and hope you will check her out too!!

WORDS FOR YOU TO LIVE BY

2009-10-09T05:43:00.006-04:00

Alice in Wonderland posted a comment yesterday and reminded me that even though we have beautiful fall colors right now, Christmas and all that goes with it weather-wise is only 9 weeks away. I just had to remind all of you too.

And I will now remind you that in 10 days, Dan and I will be leaving here in hopes of avoiding winter and all that goes with that part of living in “da U.P”!! We will be standing on the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks, ducking and dodging kite flyers, watching ocean fishermen at the docks, wiping the sand from our feet prior to entering our home on wheels, listening to the red wolves howl at night…oh, and of course, then there is our day jobs there. And there is always a possibility that hurricane season might not be completely over but at least there should be some words that will be out of OUR vocabulary for the next 6 months. You Michiganders know the ones, right? OH, YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN THOSE WORDS??? Well, PA-LEEZ let me refresh your memory!!!

LAKE EFFECT SNOW, SNOW SQUALLS, NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS, BLIZZARD WARNINGS, SYSTEM SNOW, 28 INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED OVER NIGHT, WIND CHILL INDEX, SHOVELS, SNOWBLOWERS, SNOWRAKES, SNOWPLOWS, FROSTBITE. We Yoopers know a few more words, but I don’t want to spoil all of your fun! YOU can add some in the comment section…now, be polite and don’t use cuss words!!

And to get you all in the mood, I am including some photos for ya!!

For my readers who might not be from our area or even our country, let me explain that a popular winter sport is snowmobiling and that person in the 2nd photo, known as SledHead, is hot and heavy into the sport of snowmobiling. He and I use to correspond by email (I believe he has his own website now dedicated to the sport) and he sent me this photo last year when I was still responsible for updating the snowmobile trail reports. He took this photo to show how anxious HE was for winter to begin!! I didn't want you thinking I'd posed in my snowmobile gear on the beach to show you that I was anxious for snow!!! HA!!!

BTW, it is expected to be 83 degrees in Manteo, N. Carolina today!!! This morning on OUR thermometer, we have 34! 10 more days!!!

AUTUMN SPLENDOR AT CLEMENTZ'S NORTHCOUNTRY CAMPGROUND AND CABINS

2009-10-07T16:29:00.004-04:00

I guess I need to change the layout of my blog if I want the whole picture to show!!! Things look a bit different, so scroll down for items you are use to seeing on the right hand side!!

COULDN'T GET A TICKET IF WE TRIED..AND WE DID TRY!

2009-10-06T07:06:00.000-04:00

Gotta have my morning cup of coffee…that’s all there is to it. I don’t drink coffee any other time of the day except morning and when it is gone, it is gone. Oh, if we have friends stop by I will make more coffee but I don’t drink it. They just THINK it is coffee I have in my insulated ‘drinking jug’ when in fact it is water.

I don’t like flavored, perfumed coffee…just plain, strong coffee, but I DO have to add a little skim milk to it, basically enough that all it does is change the color, but that is the taste I want. And this morning, I had no milk! I even ransacked the cupboards seeing if I had any powdered creamer and I didn’t. So, I have black coffee this morning. It just isn’t the same. What a way to start the day.

Dan and I had a good trip to the Soo the other day; we stimulated the economy over that way. He got his gun safe and I picked out a TV and a bunch of other things that we needed for the 5th wheel. We are using the new TV in the living room till we leave(then it will go in the 5th wheel) and put the “old” TV in the bedroom. We had a dinky 13” TV in the bedroom, so with the 19” it seems like a wall to wall change in our viewing pleasure! AND we only have to use one remote now!! The old 13” TV’s remote started having the hiccups about 6 months ago. You can turn the volume UP but you couldn’t turn it down. You could go UP stations, but you couldn’t go down. We tried to get a remote that went with the TV but they don’t make them anymore, so we got a universal remote. HA!

We did everything we could to program that universal remote and finally had to settle on the fact that if you used it to change stations, it went up two stations at a time or it came down two stations at a time. AND you couldn’t use the numbered buttons to pick a station; it would go off in a direction all its own when you tried that. The only thing you COULD do with it was adjust the volume! So, lying in bed at night, trying to watch TV was not much fun when you had to run two remotes. AND now that we have a larger TV in the bedroom, we may be able to rearrange the furniture! We won’t have to have the bed so close to the TV in order to see what is on! Who wants to wear their glasses to bed in order to watch TV??? Our bedroom is about 24’ long so now we can take advantage of that!

Anyway, I digress; back to the Soo…

Our first stop was at the hospital. There was no place to park so we had to use the fairly new parking garage across the street. I had to park there one other time and swore I’d walk a mile before I ever parked there again!

My first time there started out just fine; drove in, got my ticket, the gate opened and I found a place to park. When I got ready to leave, I drove to the exit, inserted my ticket, it told me what I owed, I put the money in and then waited for the gate arm to lift….and I waited and waited…and waited some more. By now, there was another car behind me. I started to panic wondering how in the hell I would ever get out of this place. I saw there was like an intercom button on the piece of equipment that took my money and I pressed it. A voice said “Yes, may I help you?”. I explained what happened and miracles of miracles, the gate raised and I was free!!! I don’t know, and don’t care, what happened to those who followed. I just knew I wasn’t going back in there again!

So, here Dan and I are trying to find a place to park and he doesn’t want to walk a mile (neither did I really). I felt confident that in two years time whatever was wrong with that gate had to be fixed by now, so in we drove. The gate arm to the entrance wasn’t even down; strange. Dan pushed the button to get a ticket and nothing happened. He tried again, and still no ticket popped out. We looked around to see if there was any help in site. Nothing happened and no one was around that had an official look about them. So we drove in and parked. Even as we walked out of the building, we pushed the button to try to get a ticket to come out….nothing happened.

When we got into the hospital, we told the lady at the ‘counter’ what had happened, so she made a phone call to “someone”. The info she was given was to tell us when we got to the exit with no ticket, to press the silver call button and it would be taken care of. We weren’t quite sure what that meant.

An hour later, we were back at the truck and headed for the exit. Dan pushed the silver button and we could hear a phone dial. Dan was staring at the silver button, waiting for someone to answer the phone call and I was telling him, “GO!! GO!!! The gate is up!!! Get out of here before the Wonderful Wizard changes his mind!!”

One would think that the hospital isn’t making much money off from this parking system. I think we WILL walk a mile next time.