Summer in Minnesota

We're winding down our stay here in MSP. Chloe is the hit of the campground - she's fallen in love with the owner, Rick, and literally pees when she see him. The problem- she pees ON HIM!!

She just gets so excited when he picks her up (needless to say, he's holding her at a bit of a distance these days!)

Tonight we're unveiling her new t-shirt. All the staff wear these kelly green t-shirts- so I found one at PetsMart in the exact color with "I rule" on it. She's going to be devastated when we leave here!

The “girls” got together for lunch in White Bear Lake – and it was a real high school get-together. Even my mom came down for the afternoon. We wanted to eat at the little restaurant on the water, but it was closed. So, we went into downtown WBL. How strange to be back there- seeing all the same store-fronts, now housing yuppie designer stores. The Avalon theater is closed- evidently one of the retaining walls is collapsing and they’re trying to save it. The other theater is now an art gallery. The only thing I recognized was Bernie’s Barber Shop- still going strong.

We had a great lunch with Mom and E.D. at a little German restaurant in St. Paul. Great German beer and food.

We just got back yesterday from 3 days at "Mom's. What timing- her oven gave out the day we arrived, so all of our dinner plans had to be re-jigged. John had his list of to-do's (changing out the dish washer panel, fixing the screen door lock...) while I had PC work to do - plus an afternoon of shopping for new stoves. Fortunately, the selection is limited at "end of the earth" Wisconsin. It was a choice between the local-very expensive-appliance store and Sears (and not the big huge mall size Sears store---the little tiny country outlet.). It was tough trying to balance getting a great oven with every possible feature and a little less expensive one- realizing that she'll probably be selling the lake house in the next year or so - and is only there for 2 1/2 more months this year. We found a really nice one- on sale- with great features (even a stay warm option- AND even a "Sabbath Mode" for Orthodox Jews who can't "work" on the Sabbath- it allows you to pre-program your oven. What will they think of next?

It's always great to be at the lake- the views from Mom's house are gorgeous. Chloe got her first view of a lake and loved the dock. We did have to be careful with her, watching closely for ticks. Last year, Mom got Lyme's Disease and it was probably the worst thing she has ever endured.

This year, with high gas prices, the traffic up to lake homes has dropped off. It's a bit like having your own private lake.

Check out Chloe's new do---

Fire Safety

Well, we came back from the FMCA conference with a bag full of fire safety equipment. John went to a two hour seminar about emergency preparedness in a motorhome. Mac, "the fire guy", made a believer out of John and after having had several friends motorhomes go up in smoke, literally, we decided that we should have a Fire Emergency Plan (as well as $170 in new fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and even a glass breaking hammer!)

Amazingly, the motorhome manufacturer doesn't provide you with a fire extinguisher capable of dealing with the most common motorhome fire - electrical caused by the 12 volt wiring (most often in the dashboard). We also have had friends who had their motorhome go up in flames from an electical short in their refrigerator. Needless to say, this got our attention.

So, today, John installed our new fire extinguishers - in the entryway, kitchen and bedroom, added a smoke detector to the front of the coach, and added detectors in the cargo compartments --then we ran through our escape plan.

Check out this link for more info on fire safety--it could save your life!

http://www.rvtravel.com/publish/firerv.shtml

The FMCA Experience

Friday was our last day at the FMCA Conference at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It was the conference to attend--a real chance to see the state of the RV industry. With diesel prices at an all-time high, the attendance was way down. Typically these conferences draw anywhere from 4000-7500 coaches. This year, the estimate was about 2500 total coaches attending. The vendors were putting on a brave face, but once you started talking, you would hear the stories of no sales, layoffs, and a very bleak future. On the last day, everyone was talking about the latest fatality - the closing of the Monaco factory in Wakarusa, Indiana. Coming on the heels of the closing of Travel Supreme and the multiple layoffs at Newmar, the impact to these small communities must be devastating. On the bright side, we did get alot of free maintenance done. Newmar took care of our keyless entry (which hasn't worked in months) and a few minor fixes. Dometic fixed our rear air-conditioner (a just in time fix- given the summer heat and humidity here in Minnesota!). All in all- it was well worth the trip.

High School "Reunion"

Our annual visit to MSP wouldn't be complete without a chance to catch up with old high school friends. For the past few years, it's always been a girl's lunch - and a time to get an update on everyone's lives and hear the stories of our classmates. This year, Jane volunteered to play host to a couple's lunch. So, on Saturday afternoon, we loaded the car with some food and wine (and even Chloe!) and headed to White Bear Lake (John is beginning to think that every trip in Minnesota involves a ride either to or through WBL).

Jane and Jim's house is gorgeous! The inside is beautiful (but what would you expect from someone who decorates some of the most expensive homes in the city!) -and the outside---well, it is out of a design magazine! Jane and Jim vacation in Maui every year and they're transformed their backyard into a little bit of Hawaii- complete with pool and a beach! In no time, we'd opened the wine and had settled under their "tiki hut"-- with sand under our feet and Hawaiian music playing in the background.

Time flew by - we got caught up on families, kids (now grandkids for Kathy and soon to be for Jane), travels and old friends. Not barely enough time to get cover it all - so we're scheduled a girl's lunch --the gossip will be flying!

"The Girls"