As Kay and I get older, our tolerance for both hot and cold weather narrows.  Today, it was in the low 90s, but with high humidity, stifling hot—almost to the point of not being able to breathe.  From the time we retired in 2004 until 2009, temps were quite pleasant here at home until near July 4th.  However, since then, it has been unrelentingly hot; we’ve had temps in the 90s for about 4 weeks now.  It’s about time to get out of “Dodge”.  To cool off a bit, we have plans to spend a few weeks in Island Park, Idaho, later this summer, so stay tuned for more details.  Island Park is 22 miles west of Yellowstone National Park, and saw snow all day on Memorial Day, and the low temps now are in the high 30s.

Last winter was a long, cold one for us as I had major surgery in mid-December, and spent the next couple of months recuperating.  Kay said we weren’t going to spend another cold winter at home!  Consequently, we have made reservations at Bentsen Palm Village RV Park in the Rio Grande Valley for late winter.  We have been on their waiting list 3 of the last 4 years, and finally was able to get a spot for the upcoming winter.  This is a really neat park, with 10 miles of bicycle trails, canoeing and kayaking, and is next door to a world birding center and one of the world’s largest butterfly gardens.  Bentsen Palm Village RV Park is the highest rated park in the Rio Grande Valley.

Summer of 2012 is still open; we don’t know if we’ll do a big trip or not.  We’d like to cruise the Baltic, including Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and St. Petersburg, Russia, but haven’t made any plans.  Guess the coming weeks and months will tell…

We both woke early, had our coffee, and completed preparations for departing for home.  We were able to visit with Jim and Cheryl for several minutes before completing our chores; we really like them, and enjoy their company.  By 9 AM, we were on the road, arriving home shortly after 11 AM.  Seems like it takes a lot less time to unpack than pack!  By noon, the motorhome was back in its resting place, and we were having lunch.  This was a good trip.  We didn’t do a lot, but really enjoyed the visiting and conversation.  We hope to see most of them again in November in Canton, TX.

What a great night’s sleep; we didn’t awake until 7 AM, late for us.  The motorhome has day/night shades and remains relatively dark, even during daylight hours.  Our house does not have a lot of window treatment, and we sleep and awake relative to the outside darkness; so summer results in less sleep! 
Breakfast this morning, our last of the official rally which runs through today, consisted of egg and sausage casserole, biscuits, and other goodies left from the previous two mornings.  Kay and Connie made a short trip to Dick’s 5 and 10, a store that has almost one of everything, including some hard to find things.  Despite a somewhat overcast sky, we did some pool time in the afternoon, rested from doing nothing (isn’t it great being retired), made some calls, and had our last rally dinner of barbeque beef and pork, potato salad, slaw, and baked beans, and of course, lots of deserts.  After dinner, we visited with fellow rally goers, said our good byes, and returned to the coach for the evening, almost ready to pull out tomorrow morning.

Last night saw a brief, but powerful, storm roll through—no damage, just some wind and a little rain.

Following breakfast, Kay and I went to the pool, one of the largest “private” pools in the Branson area.   The water was okay, just a tad on the cool side, but the sun felt really good.  We drove to the Keeter Center for lunch.  The Keeter Center is located on the campus of College of the Ozarks in Branson.  College of the Ozarks is a very conservative liberal arts college, and all students are required to work 15 hours per week on campus as payment of their expenses—a great concept.  The Keeter Center combines a restaurant and lodge, and students comprise the staff involved in all aspects of the hotel.  After lunch, we drove to the US Army Corps of Engineers Indian Point campground, as it is close to Silver Dollar City and Table Rock Lake.  We were a little disappointed inasmuch as the campground has a lot of development around it, and is a little too busy for our tastes.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent napping (Kay).  Our dinner menu for the evening included baked ham, potato salad, baked beans, and rolls, with lots of great desserts.  Unfortunately for me, the doctor last week gave me a very stern warning about the potential for diabetes and much needed weight loss—really getting my attention—so dessert is off the table, literally.  We immensely enjoyed the after-dinner conversation and visit in our “circled-up” chairs near the pavilion.

After a good night’s sleep, we awoke wanting our coffee.  I made a 4-cup pot, and was ready to make Kay’s instant cappuccino when she realized the mix had been forgotten.  Improvising, I heated about a half cup of milk in the microwave to near boiling, and poured hot, strong coffee and hot milk into the cup simultaneously, creating café au lait, a French coffee, which she really liked.  After coffee, I joined other Travelers in the rally room for more coffee and great conversation.  Regular attendance at these coffees provide an education on just about any aspect of RVing, or anything else for that matter.  Anyway, they are quite entertaining.  After coffee and breakfast, Kay attended a Ladies’ Craft session on pressing and drying flowers.  She made an attractive bookmark and several good looking occasion cards.  After the craft session and quick lunch, she and Cheryl, our friend from near Springfield, went shopping (for baby clothes for our as yet unborn grandson, Bear) and saved us soooo much money you wouldn’t believe.  She insisted that I look at the baby outfits!  He’s going to be one of the best dressed kids in central Arkansas.

Our rally hosts spent the afternoon frying turkeys for dinner, and it provided an opportunity to sit around and shoot the bull with other rally attendees, and enjoy a great happy hour.  The fried turkey was the centerpiece of our evening meal, with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and rolls, and of course a myriad of desserts.  What a feast!  After dinner we “retired” outside in the nice evening air, formed a circle with our chairs, and had a great visit since many of us had not talked since early last year.  It was really good renewing old acquaintances.

We’re in Branson, MO, for an Arkansas Traveler RV Rally; this is our first RV trip to Branson.  It was just a short drive from our house to the campground.  We departed home about 11 AM, and was really enjoying the trip when the supplemental break buzzer went off, indicating the brake in the Honda behind us had been engaged for at least 10 seconds.  As fate would have it, we were on a two lane road, near a hill top just east of Harrison, AR, but managed our way to the non-existent shoulder with several vehicles behind us.  We slowly pulled forward looking for a safe spot to check the brake, and saw a driveway.  The good Lord takes real good care of us, because the driveway was an entrance to a country church parking lot.  After pulling into the lot, we checked the brake, and it continued to cycle.  We unplugged the power cord, removed the auxiliary brake, and proceeded to the Ozark Country Campground in Branson without further problems.  While Kay registered us, I unhooked the Honda, and we set up in our campground site.  No leveling was required, so setup was a breeze.  With temps expected in the low 90s, we immediately turned on the AC, greeted other rally goers, and settled in for the afternoon.

Dinner was a potluck affair, and as with most RV gatherings, the food was delicious.  Kay may a pasta/vegetable salad and a pecan pie.  After dinner she played “31”, but quickly lost her 4 quarters and joined me outside visiting with the other Travelers.