Winterpalooza, December 28th-January 8th 2023

SSSSSSHHHHHHHHH..............We left the SSUVFL and quietly made our way south to warmer weather. (We left in the fog so no one would see us leave.)

Although this may have been the winter to stay north because when we left December 28th, it was 32 degrees and no snow. I did a quick check on The Weather Channel and it looks mild temps up there until January 10th. Usually it would be 30 below zero now and it would stay that way until July fourth. That's an embellishment but it sure feels like that some winters.

Like I said, we hit the road south. It took 3 days of travel and over 800 miles to finally reach a temperature that was out of the 30's. Our first stop was in Clear Lake, Iowa at a state park. We stop there out of necessity because for a camp ground so far north it is open year round. All you get is electric, because they are no dummies, they shut the water off. For $12.00 a night , it works.

Next stop was in Perrysville, Missouri. Lisa found an open RV resort there that used to be a KOA. Again. open year round. Full hook-ups for $22.00 a night. Temps were still in the thirties here so it is nice having electric to run electric heaters. Day temps now were going to warm up to the 50's so it was safe to de-winterize the camper now.

Our stop on day three was an Army Corp. of Engineer park called the North Abutment on Lake Granada in Mississippi. $24.00 for full hook-ups. It has been awhile since we stayed at one of these parks and I have to say that they rank near the top for "Niceness". 

Our site, #9. Picnic tables, grills and all paved. I don't like paying taxes but if our tax dollars go to these parks, I'm for it. 

Our view. Army Corp. parks are always built near dams or reservoirs. Way in the distance you can see the water. It would normally be closer but what I read about this lake is they drain it down so that the spring run off has a place to go. Otherwise the water would be at the edge of those trees.

At the end of the road turn left. If you go straight you will be in the Gulf of Mexico.

Finally on day four we arrived at our first destination. Waveland, MS. We have been here many times. We just really like it here. The beaches are huge and empty. Our camp ground is Buccaneer State Park. 

For a state park it is getting expensive from when we first stopped here. Something we will have to take into consideration for the future. I know Jim will choke on his beer when I tell you the price so don't be standing in front of him when he reads this. $65 a night for the holiday weekends $55 regular weekends and for a regular week day it is $45. If you want beach sites, shell out $85 a night. Like I said, this is a state park. It is getting too expensive for us now. We are here a week though and will make the best of it. 

Our first full day here, Jan. 1st, we went to the beach naturally. Lisa walked on the beach for hours while I did some treasure hunting.

Sorry ladies. I am taken.

I ended up with a rusty nail, a tent spike and $.06 in cold hard cash. The clouds moved in later so we drove down the coast to Biloxi. Later on we ate dinner at our favorite beach bar, Shaggy's. We both had shrimp platters that were amazing.

The water was so calm.

The next couple of days weren't very nice. So we decided to make the short drive to New Orleans. One day we drove to the Chalmette Battlefield.

This is where the last battle took place during the war of 1812. Also known as the Battle of New Orleans. The American forces were outnumbered by the British but they were dug in and fortified. The British marched over an open field and were slaughtered by the Americans. 2000 British casualties versus 20 American. It was a major defeat for the British, thus ending the war. The battle lasted a brief couple of hours.

So we learned some history and we got some great cannon shots.

Monument

Navel Battery. You can tell by the cannon.

Lisa playing "I bet you can't shoot me!"

There was a military cemetery next door so we went to check it out.

Another day we drove back into New Orleans to go to the World War II National Museum . Now the literature says that that takes all day to do. They were right. It is enormous. There are 5 different buildings to check out and it can get crowded sometimes. Well worth the stop. There is also a 4D movie that is extra but it is a must also.

Howitzers!

Guns!

Tanks!

Planes!

What more could you ask for. There was also a section about the liberation of the concentration camps. It was very moving. They had interviewed survivors and also GI's who were the first to go into those camps. It was a very moving experience to see. I was telling Lisa that the sad part is that there are very few WW II soldiers left along with the Holocoust survivors and if it wasn't for places like this, the history will be forgotten. I only think of that because of my father passing away at 97 last year. He was a WW II vet and now he is gone.

One afternoon we went to the local casino. I had 17 dollars burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted to strike it rich. So we go in and pick out 2 penny machines side by side. Me being the big gambler, immediately put in a fiver. Lisa asks for money so out of the kindness of my heart I give her a dollar. These machines are confusing to us. You don't just bet one penny at a time. No. My bets were $.40 cents a pop. Blew through five bucks very quickly. I look over at Lisa and she is just punching buttons not knowing what she is doing and her machine starts to go crazy. Making all kinds of noises and lights flashing. Somehow she won just over $40 on one bet. She quickly cashed out and ran. I found the quarter slots and they just as quickly ate my last eleven dollars.

Lisa showing off her winnings with my money.

My winnings. You can't even get cash for that.

More beach days followed along with more shrimp feasts. But sadly our time in Waveland is at an end. On to our next wintery destination.

I can post this blog now because Lisa let it slip that she was enjoying the beach. I mean it was all over the Facebook so now everyone, (I mean the 5 readers that read this blog) will know that we are outside of the SSUVL. We will have to hide from the Paparazzi.

Christmas 2023

Merry Christmas from Tango and Gladys!

 Christmas is upon us and I can't help but think about Christmas' past.

As a child, Christmas was such an important time in our lives. The anticipation of opening presents. I was telling Lisa the other day. Back in "the good ole days" we didn't get toys but twice a year. Birthdays and Christmas. So it was a big deal to get toys back then.

My parents must have been gluttons for punishment because they adopted 3 kids at the same time. We were all 16 months in age apart. I tell people that the orphanage had a sale that week. Buy 2 get one free. I was the free one. When Christmas came around and we were on our Christmas break from school, we would literally drive my mother up the wall.

"Can we open a present! Can we open a present!' the three of us would hound her nonstop.

My mother, getting sick and tired of it, and only being eight in the morning, too early to start drinking, finally gave in and let us open a present. The plan was genius. We would play all day with that toy. Staying out of her hair. At night she would then re-wrap those gifts and put them back under the tree. The next day we would pester her again. So she would let us pick another gift to open. If we would pick something we had already opened, we would be so happy exclaiming that we had gotten two trucks or whatever it was. We weren't very bright. I can just picture my mother laughing and laughing about that.

Another fond memory I recalled was this. If we weren't in snowy Minnesota for Christmas we would travel to Long Beach, California to be with my mothers sister and her family. We would pile into the family truckster and my father would drive and drive. Usually making the trip in two days. One year we stayed in a motel right across the street from Disneyland. It was truly magical. Now LA was a totally different place back in the 70's versus the way it is today. I remember my parents giving us our tickets for the park and then letting us walk across the street and spend the day in the park alone. 

My mother was a wild and crazy person. Around Christmas time she and her friends would get together and go caroling. Only it was called Yulebaching. Not sure of the spelling but knowing her she made it up. It was like caroling but for drinks. As a kid I could tell that it must have been fun by the way she came home.

When we did go to my aunts house I remember never being able to play on the swing set they had in the back yard. Why is that you ask? The reason being is that they had a monkey that lived on that thing. It was not a cute monkey but rather a monkey from hell. Mean monkey. But that is what memories are made of.

Another fond memory is the first Christmas I spent with Lisa and her family. The Christmas that never ended. Rather, it was the gift opening that never ended. We would take turns opening 1 gift. Everyone would watch that person open it and then "oohhss and aahhss" would ensue. Comments and stories would follow. Then the gift would be passed around the circle so everyone could see it. Then the cycle would be repeated for the next person. I swear that gift opening took forever but in reality it was more like 3-4 hours. Now my side of the family was more of a free for all. Someone would hand out the gifts. Once your pile was in front of you it would begin. It was like a feeding frenzy. Lasting maybe 5 minutes.

When Lisa and I got married, Christmas cards were our thing from the beginning. I will include them so you can see us dorks on parade.

Our cats before we had kids.

Our son and my vintage SnoJet.

This year we sent out a letter with this picture. Dorks.

Our kids throughout the year.

The ATV's and kids.

We had a character drawing of the kids done one year.

As the kids got older we started camping and traveling more.

Another fun dress up card we sent out. 

Silver Lake sand dunes.

One year everyone didn't want a picture taken so I had to improvise. Yes, we had five cats at one time.

Moab Utah.

This is the year we were hiding our identities.

On a glacier in Canada.

That's it for family photos. Kids are adults now. Time moves on. 

Merry Christmas to all. Have a Happy New Year also. We will be going into hibernation soon and hope to wake up in the spring.

Hockey

Hockey-a game played on ice between two teams of players who each have a curved stick with which they try to put a puck (a small, hard disk) into the other teams goal. -Cambridge Dictionary

 One of the joys of being near the grandkids is to be able to watch them grow. From little balls of babies that do nothing but eat, cry and poop, to toddlers who are into everything, and to where they are now. 4 and 5 years old. At this age they are definitely developing their own personalities. 

We had the four year old stay with us for a couple of days last week he was so excited seeing our Christmas tree and all of the presents under it. He really wanted to start opening all of the gifts we told him he had to wait until Christmas. Now it is funny how their  minds work. So he says, "Can I touch them?" We said that was fine. So he touched them all and then he was done with them. The top half of our tree has candy canes on it. The bottom half that he could reach are all gone. Every time I turned around I would see him munching on a candy cane. 

"Stop eating my candy canes!" I would tell him. Only to get a sheepish little giggle out of him.

Now the five year old is playing hockey. In Minnesota if your child isn't skating by kindergarten, they will never make the pro circuit. A friend of mine had asked me what we had planned for the day. I told him we were going to Fargo to watch the five year old play hockey. I said that that should be interesting. It did not disappoint.

Imagine 8-10 kids who can barely stand on skates chasing a puck around for an hour. They were laying on the ice more than they were standing. Actually I give them a lot of credit. They are better skaters at this age than I ever was. But it was fun watching them develop those skills. I loved it when the puck would get out to open ice and the kids would skate after it with wild abandon. The first one to reach it would wind up for the shot, only to whiff, fall on his butt and slide into the boards. Then he would scramble to his feet just so that he could get into the mix again. They sure were burning the calories that night.

The four year old fell asleep that night on the way to the game. So Lisa stayed in our daughter-in-laws vehicle while he slept. Then half way through the game, I changed places with her, so that she could enjoy the game. When it was done they came out to the parking lot and our five year old was in a very happy mood. He had a huge smile on his face and as proud as he could be he declared that he had lost a tooth. I said to him "Now you look like a real hockey player!" 

Now flash back to my childhood. We lived a block and a half from our neighborhood ice rink. Like I said earlier, Minnesota is a huge hockey state. Well my father, being the hairdresser that he was gave us kids figure skates. Figure skates. Back in those days kids could walk around without adult supervision. So my bother, sister and I would ask our mom if we could go skating. She would usually tell us we could, under one condition. We had to put our skates on at home instead of at the warming house by the rink, the reason being my mother didn't want our shoes to get stolen. So we walked to the rink in our ice skates without guards on them. I don't think skates on concrete is very good for them.

To this day my now brother-in-law who lived down the block would always comment about that. "Here come the Oliver kids walking to the rink in their skates." And then laugh and laugh.

As chance would have it. I never did become the next Brian Boitano.

Was it because my skates were dull? Or was it because of my notoriously weak ankles? I'm betting on the latter. I would stand on my skates, the blades would be pointing out and I would be standing on the inside of the boot. It made it very hard to do a triple sow cow like that, not to mention just standing up. 

Christmas is fast approaching. Then after the holidays the real deep freeze will hit us here and then we will go into hibernation. Until then. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Truth is Out There

 *Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Sit back, start a fire and enjoy the tale I am about to tell you. 

Every so often it happens. Our hero and his spouse are just living their lives to the best of their abilities. Hard working people. America was built on the backs of such hard working people as themselves. He wore a soldiers uniform. Many times not seeing his family for days, weeks and yes, even months at a time. All in the name of freedom. She had to raise two small children while working full time jobs. Just to give them the morals and values that make good human beings.We will call them Tango and Gladys. 

Our antagonists, Jethro Buckhumper and Bambi Poledancer, are from Wisconsin. Need I say more? Tango and Gladys are from Minnesota. So you know there is a natural hatred amongst them. I mean, just look at their rival football teams. The proud and Noble Vikings.

Feared far and wide throughout Europe. Even going so far as to discover the Americas. Then look at what Wisconsin has to offer. Cheeseheads.

Wearing a block of cheese on your head. That is what is supposed to strike fear in your enemies? The teams mascot is actually a "Packer". I am not sure what a packer really is. Does it have something to do with fudge? Here's another look at them.

But I am getting away from the story. 

Tango and Gladys had worked hard all their lives finding a chance to make a new life after their kids had moved on, they decided to travel this great country in their RV to explore America. Not only to find new adventures but also to find themselves. It started beautifully. The spark returned to their eyes. They began to see each other as if it was the first time in their lives. 

The cruel hand of fate was about to deal an evil blow. Our heroes were in the middle of Florida one year not so long ago. Minding their own business when what should happen on that fateful day. A day we refer to as "The Beginning". We were sitting outside our RV when we noticed a funny little man walking a funny little dog in front of our rig.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Now I wish we would have ran into our camper and locked the door and drawn the shades, but we didn't. At the very least I wish we would have listened to the advice from my dear departed mother. That was "DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS". Four simple words probably would have changed our lives for the better. But we didn't.

As he ambled by, I winked at Gladys, nudged my head in his direction and we both chuckled to ourselves. We watched in amazement as his little dog crapped in front of our camper and he nonchalantly just kicked some dirt over it and continued on. He took two more steps, stopped and ever so slowly turned in our direction. He looked at us with eyes that didn't see. His mouth started to quiver as if there were words trying to form. Before he spoke he spit a stream of tobacco juice onto the dog turd. Wiped his chin with his forearm and said these words.

"Howdy neighbor! I see those plates on that there pickem up truck is from Mini-sota dag gum it! The little woman and me are Wisconsinites. I'm Jethro and she goes by Bambi. She's going to love ya all, I just knows it. We will be back for dinner at 5. I likes to eat early so I's can drink all night. You have beers right?" With that he grabbed his little dog, jumped up in the air and kicked his heals together and returned to where ever it was he came from.

Gladys and I looked at each other and said "What the heck just happened?"

5 o'clock came that night and sure enough so did our new friends (for lack of a better word). Jethro introduced us to Bambi. If there was a Daisy Duke look alike contest, she would win easily.

Jethro on the other hand. 

It was truly amazing to see that man eat. He had a spork in one hand and his beer in the other. It went something like this. Shove a bite of food in his mouth and then wash it down with beer. Eat, drink, eat, drink and on and on it went. He would occasionally belch once in awhile but that was it. I noticed that he never went to the bathroom. 

"Jethro," I said. "Don't you ever go to the bathroom?"

He said "Not since I discovered these new fangled underpants called Depends. I never have to stop drinking to use the potty."

To which I had to inquire. "How long have you been wearing that pair?"

"All day, why?"

"Well you seem to be leaking."

For years we traveled around. That's putting it nicely, when in fact we were hiding from them. Now I don't blame Bambi .That's the hand she was dealt with and I am sure she is doing the best that she can. WE worked in Moab, Utah. Sure enough they were there. We worked in Yellowstone. Again they were there. I don't know how many times we would be somewhere and they would show up.

We finally got off the road and built our house we even gave it a name. SSUVFL. That stands for Super Secret Undisclosed Virus Free Location. I don't know how they find us but they do.

That's my tale. Those who know, know.

Fall 2023

Procrastination-the action of delaying or postponing something. (Oxford Dictionary)

I have been meaning for weeks now to put a blog together. I started out naming it just October. Then I changed it to October/November. Finally settling on just "Fall". Mainly because it encompasses many weeks of activities. When thinking about subjects for the blog I go around and around about ideas. Usually shooting them down because of the lack of entertainment value or witty insight on my part. 

But after reading a blog I found on the internet today about a guy playing the word game called "Wordle" and about how he went on and on for ever in his blog. Then the other half was about dogs. Maybe if the dogs were playing "Wordle", then maybe it would have been interesting. So I thought to myself, can I really do worse?

We can't believe that it has only been over a month since we closed up our food trailer. It seems like it was a lifetime ago we were slinging soup and Cheesey Sasquatch's to the populace of Ottertail county. But that is the beauty of having a seasonal business. We can pack it away and then concentrate on other aspects of life. Such as our next big endeavor.

Well as many times it happens, we were enjoying a fire with libations. We find that libations really get the creative juices flowing. Decisions were decided on and plans were planned. It was time to start working on our new addition to the house. Once done it will nearly double the living space keep in mind that our cabin is small to begin with. 768 square feet. The new addition will be 576 square feet for a grand total of 1,344 square feet. We will be expanding into the barn with our cabin. Not needing such a large space because we have decided to sell our fifthwheel next spring. So if anybody is looking for a great camper, let us know.

So with our plans decided on it was time to get things in motion. First off we had the side overhead door removed.

Inside of door.

Outside of door.

Once the door was removed. It was time to frame it and install the new walk in door.

Door gone.

Framed and new door installed.

Then came the time to add the OSB sheeting, Insulating and add the steal to the outside.

OSB installed.

Insulated.

The outside view.

I think it came out pretty good. Just for the record. I have not had any formal training in the construction arts. Although I did attend "Josef's School of Construction" as I grew up as a child. My father was a DIY'er long before it was cool and I was always around to help him out and to carry on his knowledge. Don't get "Josef's School of Construction" mixed up with "Josef's School of Hair Design". Two different things and I went to both. Confidence was high so I started the next phase. Framing the rooms. We are adding a family room, a walk in closet and a primary suite which used to be called a Master suite until everybody got hyper sensitive.

Again things were going much better than anticipated. So much so that I decided to start my own construction company. It is going to be named, "Cripple Guy Construction". My motto will be "When you simply can't afford anyone else". Well after the framing it was time to put the floor joists up. I had to hire my son to help me get those 16 ft. long 2X10's up there. It took us an hour and a half. 

Up top we hope to use for storage of our many treasures that people start gathering when they live in a house. In other words, a place to store junk as Lisa would say. When we lived in our RV for those 6 years, everything we owned was inside the RV. Now we are buying it all back. So the next phase is to build stairs. Never have I ever done that. Here goes nothing.

I looked at the local lumber yards to see if they had them pre-made. They didn't. It was a special order. So I watched a ten minute video on Youtube. After that I was 50% sure I could do it. 16 ft. 2X12's are only $35. So I laid it out, marked it and began cutting. We brought it into the barn and held it up there. Perfect! Took it back outside and traced it over the other board and cut that one also. Nailed them in place and then put the stairs on them and Presto! Steps!

That is where we are now. 4 weeks it took us to get to this point because at "Cripple Guy Construction" we work 2-6 hours a day, depending on if our arthritis, gout, hips, knees and all other joints, IBS, and ED aren't acting up.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!