Best of Europe

August 27/2019  Weather warm summer still in Ontario, Canada.  It feels unreal that we are here back in our homeland and only a short time ago we were riding thru the Alps and old medieval towns in Europe.  Gosh.  Life is amazing.  

Rosey so happy at the top of a mountain pass in Austria with our leader Johanna

https://www.edelweissbike.com/en/blog/?p=33475

We had the most wonderful adventure in Europe.  Here's hoping that everyone has a chance to take a huge step and do some wild and crazy trip that your just not sure you should do!  The Edelweiss Best of Europe Trip on a Harley was awesome.    If you care to read a bit of the day by day itinerary and pictures I have attached the link to our Edelweiss trip.  Enjoy!

Yes we rode out on that super elevated curve

Edelweiss & Scotland

map of our tour

picture of the brochure...... will it really be this beautiful?

Weather???  Who knows....... We will find out.  We have packed for all types of weather.   Full leather gear and shorts and sandals.  One extreme to the other, oh and rain gear too. 
Tuesday July 23/19 we are flying to Munich, Germany to join Edelweiss motorcycle tour group for the next 9 days.  It has been a bucket list desire to ride a motorcycle through the Alps.  When we started looking we talked to the tour company and they suggested "The Best of Europe".  Best thing is we get a HD Road King (which is what we ride here).  Billy will not have to worry about riding comfort or a new bike; it was one of his criteria for going.  We also have a bike leader, all rooms and most meals provided, tourist stops setup and a van that follows us with our luggage.   It should be A M A Z I N G.   Our camera is charged up!!!
Following the trip of a lifetime (we hope) we are flying to Scotland to see our kids/grandkids.  This is a beautiful pic of them and they are expecting baby number 3 but unfortunately not until November.  Oh well, that means we must go again!

The Scotland Clan announcing their baby to come

 

Mini Me ????

July 5 - 11/2019  Weather.... picture a big warm sun!  It's hot.  We've been parked at the farm on the back driveway and time is flying by.   When we are at the Farm we are busy everyday and this summer my quilty friend Bon and I are taking long arm lessons to finish the stitching on the quilts.  It has been so much fun!

Rosey Long Arm Quilting

When we are here we visit my Mom most days in Chatham at the residence.  She is 93 today!!!
Now going back and forth to Kitchener/Waterloo this summer has been wonderful for us to spend so much quality time with Aiden, 9 months old and growing like a bad weed.  This week we are back in The Landings Campground again.  This time Aiden's going to get in the "big swimming pool with Daddy" at the campground and we will have him stay with us one afternoon at the park too!  All new fun stuff for our little grandson.

Our son has such a beautiful family... picnic at our campground

As we drive into the campground (again) we are definitely being treated like "regulars"!   Everyone is so friendly welcoming us back.  This time we only towed the trailer and skipped bringing the Jeep since the weather is summertime - dry and hot.  We are just driving around on the motorcycle this week.
Oh and when we get back to the farm we have a new addition to our part time "Puddy Kat".  Yes there is a "mini-me puddy kat" now at our door step every morning too!!!!  

Puddy Kat and mini me puddy kat

Hunting for a Tombstone

June 14 to 21/2019  Weather  is low 70's and cool nights at 50's.  It's not quite tshirt and shorts weather yet.  We are off to Kitchener/Waterloo again to see our grandson.  How lucky we are to take our home with us.  Everyday we will see little Aiden.  Once again we are staying at The Landings in Petersburg.  It is only 8 kilometers from their house.  So everyday we get to play, play, play.  

Nana Rosey and Aiden playing peek a boo

After our fun week we headed 40 miles across to Mitchell area.  Friends of ours have a park model in Woodlands Lake RV Resort.  Its quite a big seasonal park and they do have a row of pull thrus that are way at the back of the park.   Takes about half an hour to come in and wind your way to the sites but they sure were quiet !!!!!   Oh and lots of trees.  And mosquitos!!!!  

the campsites are situated around small Woodland Lake

Our site was long and level and we had two nice big evergreens that we parked between.   Billy walked around our rig a couple of times and said..... we can't open.  What?  Oh jeez.    Oh well, it's only for two nights and we were there to visit our friends not sit in the coach anyways.   Don and Annie called us on the cell phone to find out our whereabouts... and we said "funny thing is we are in the Trinity Cemetery in Mitchell".  Don says "you are where?"
So the story is that Billy has been chasing his family tree down and found that he had a great grama and great great grama in Mitchell.  It was important to him to find the stone and we did find it!!!! Which was super exhilarating.   The stone had his great great grandparents, with their two daughters (great grama and great aunt).  

Billy's great grama, great aunt, great great grandparents

We recorded all the information and took some pictures, next time we come up this way we want to look for the home that they lived in for 75 years.    Finding the grave was so emotional as it unlocked some family information that Billy was hoping to find. 

Family Time

May 27/2019  Weather 72 and sunny today.  Beautiful day.

Our site at The Landings

Having our coach just a few miles away from our grandson has been perfect.  Everyday we get to go play with him and then be able to leave our son's family to some peace and quiet without Nana and Papa underfoot.  We have had the best week with our little grandson.  He is such a "peach".  Wow your heart bursts with love when they laugh and smile at you.  

Our little Aiden is such a cutie pie

This morning the Canada Geese were out swiming around the lake in the campground.  They were having family time too!!!

Mama , baby, baby, Daddy

Take our Home with Us

May 21/2019  Weather = Ugh!  that is ugh for ugly.  The worst spring we have ever come home to.  Oh well.  Mother Nature will do whatever she wishes.  Our health is good and our family is good so we will live with the cold wet spring.  Today was sunny (59 high and low of 45) and we headed out to Kitchener, Ontario to see our little grandson who is now 8 months old!  He is awesome:)  This summer we will spend a week every month visiting him.  It sure is handy when you can take your own little home with you. 
We are staying in an RV Park called The Landings.  It has 3 big pull thrus.  Not like cruising around the States where you can find a suitable Big Rig park every 100 miles.    You need to do some reconnaissance before pulling into a campground in Ontario.  Check and double check that you will fit into these parks and sites.  

The water pond at sunset tonight   - we have a nice view from our site

Wheels of Life

April 18 to April 30/2019  Weather.... ugh.   ln 12 days we have had 2 nice days.  Yes!  The math says 10 crappy, cold, wet, windy days.  Half the time we have had to shut our slides for fear the wind gusts would rip our toppers.  It feels like the worst season we have ever come back for.  Come on Mr. Sunshine, please come out and play.  
Only good thing is that we have been so busy with our "to do' list and visiting that we have not been home a full day in the motorhome.   
Isn't this Life Cycle true?????   Oh my gosh we are way past the half point.  Yikes!

Down on the Farm

April 18/2019 Weather started to thunder in Wapakoneta this morning when we pulled out.  But the storm held off and we were able to drive all the way home to Dealtown, Ontario where we will use the Farm as base camp.  It was not even that cold, maybe 60's.  BUT and that is with capital letters the forecast for Easter Weekend is horrible.   Cold, low 40's, very rainy and windy.  We are just hooking up and keeping the rig closed till the storm blows over by Sunday.   Billy is cranky.  He does not enjoy coming home in the Spring to nasty Ontario weather.   Oh well, it's only for 2 days then it is suppose to break and be mid 50's to 60's and sunny.  Come on Mr. Easter Bunny bring on the warm spring weather.   In the meantime my friend Pammy back in beautiful sunny Hill Country Texas wished us a Happy Easter Texas style.  Haha

Quite the ride Mr. Easter Bunny

Last stop

April 17/2018  Weather warm and grey today, storm is coming behind us.   We are in our last stop before crossing into Canada and home.  This Wapakoneta KOA is a nice clean park and a good way to finish up the season.  My brother tells us we must go to the TBone Buffet down at the truck stop here, Travel America.   It is the first service center on the I75.  First as in history,
the location was the first truckstop on the interstate.  It was built in 1956 shortly after President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. For the next 15 years, it was one of the busiest truckstops in the country.  Today it still quite busy serving roughly 1,000 fuel customers a day.  One touristy attraction we have never been to in Wapakoneta is the Neil Armstrong Space Museum.  Put that on the bucket list. 

Neil Armstrong - First Man to Walk on the Moon

Crossing Old Man River

April 16/2019  Weather sunny, high 77/low 55  

Ojibwa misi-ziibi, meaning "Great River", or gichi-ziibi, meaning "Big River"

Today we continued northwest across the USA with a goal to cross the Mississippi River and get past St. Louis before looking for a campground.  We broke our own rules today, putting on 363 miles driving till 3:45.  That is a big day for us.   It will leave two normal days for the home stretch.   We landed near the Illinois/Indiana border in a small town called Casey.  Easy in and out Casey KOA.  We might be the only transients in the park... not too busyi

The river barge could be moving grain, 60% of the grain is moved down the Mississippi for export

 

Harbinger of Spring

April 15/2019  Weather  nice temperature today, 75/55. 

Spring in the Midwest - green and blooms

Perfect spring weather in Missouri.  We did feel some strong south winds that eventually made us tired of fighting the gusts on the side of the coach (we are travelling northeast).  About 2:30 we stopped at Springfield KOA.  We enjoy staying here as we met the owners a few years ago and had some funny episodes with them and their dogs - The Kings.  Once again we chatted and caught up with them when we checked in.  Nice, nice people.
Missouri interstates were willed with Eastern Redbuds!  So pretty.

Redbuds

Follow that Sticky Note

April 14/2019 Weather clear as can be.  Sunny.  Crisp 50 this morning, 70 high/50 in Oklahoma City.   Last fall going West we found a great KOA on the East side of Oklahoma City on I40 so we are staying here tonight.  A good easy drive today.  We did take the toll road northeast out of Wichita Falls, I44.  Had to stop 3 times to pay tolls that amounted to $7.25 in total.  Not much traffic today.  Yesterday we did make a reservation to stop as it turns out snowbirds are on the move.  When we pulled in at 2:30 pm the lady said "i hope you have a reservation as we have only 2 spots left".  When we started RVing 9 years ago we could always find a spot early afternoon, not so much anymore. 
Tonight we pulled out our USA map with the KOA's....  as our friend Eric calls it the "trapline".  It is complete with sticky notes on each stop, forecast for that day including the wind, date and day.  Where to tomorrow?

Trap line

2nd day???

April 13/2019  Weather is a not good.
Heavy rain(2 to 3 inches) and wind(35 to 40 mph gusts) to the north where we would go next - Oklahoma City.
To the East possible Tornadoes - oh joy!
We are staying right here in Mineral Wells another day.  Not opening our slides, wind is too severe.  We are comfy.  Good day to do bookwork, read, watch TV and make cookies!

The Trap Line

April 12/2019  Weather 70/50 where we landed today on our first day headed north in our trap line.  We belong to the 230 club and it was bang on today!  230 miles straight north to a really nice campground on hwy 281 near Mineral Wells (west of Fort Worth).  It allowed us to stay away from FW/Dallas, we don't really need all that traffic do you?  Our camp is Coffee Creek RV Resort and Cabins.  

there we are up by the red truck

We have a nice long pull thru, big park and the ladies were so great checking in.  Tomorrow might be a rain out and we thought we might need another day.... they said "no worries you can decide in the morning and then come pay us, take your time".  So accommodating and customer friendly.   Nice clubhouses, pool and facilities.  Glad we stopped here.  And we have the "quietest neighbours".  

our neighbours

Oh Happy Days

Rosey and Billy on the Creek at Buckhorn

April 11/2019  Weather 79/53  Beautiful last day to pack up and smell the flowers before leaving Buckhorn Lake RV Resort. 

Oh happy days.  We had "way" too much fun this month in our last month of the snowbird season.  One last day to snap some pics of the spring flowers in Kerrville. 

Quick, quick, slow, slow

April 10/2019 Weather 92/63  HOT, HOT, HOT

throw those steaks on

It's never been this hot here when we have have been in Kerrville, Texas.  And tonight is the 11th Street Cowboy Bar.  The bbqs were fired up.  You bring your own meat and use the BBQ's and buy your fixins and ice cold beer. 

Nice Bottlecaps baby

The bar is so crowded on steak and dance night you have to visit when it is empty to see all the crazy walls and especially the ladies washroom in the front bar. The decorating is hysterical.  I will show you some pics at the end of this posting.  After our supper the band kicks up and the dance floor is packed.   Quick, Quick, Slow, Slow.... The Texas Two Step.

A couple Texas two stepping before it got crowded

There was a singles group in tonight and another bus load besides our bus from Buckhorn Lake RV Resort.  Super deal getting on the bus from BLR so we all go together.  We would never drive here on the Harley at night with all the wildlife out at night.    Ok here are the ladies bathroom walls..... crazy, crazy, crazy..... you sit on the toilet and look right at this, can you read what it says: "you are re-entering the wild kingdom home of the untamed male predators"  and "wanna straddle my hog honey"  and "nice jugs"  and so on and so on.  OMG.  Ha,ha.  

 And then you are still sitting on the toilet and look up to the side and there is a window with 3 guys watching you!!!!

So you can see why we love the ambiance of this bar!    Best cowboy bar in Texas 

Harley's and Horses welcome at the 11th street bar

16th Century German Beer in Hill Country Texas

April 3/2018  Weather misty rain day, 64/56 temps.  A group from BLR has put together a research trip to Fredericksburg to Altstadt Brewery.  Interesting research?  Might be;  first the tour and then the taste testing and lunch and lots of camaraderie.  Our kind of research:)

front door to the Alstadt Brewery

The investment to recreate classic German style beer in the heart of Hill Country is pretty much the sky..... as the owner of this venture is William Scripps Jr.  Do you recognize the name, you most likely see it everyday.  Watch the credits after HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel.

inside the brewery

   E. W. Scripps' television division currently owns fifty-one television stations in thirty-six markets.  Mr. Scripps had a dream to have a brewery in Hill Country adhering to the German Purity Law of 1516, the brewery puts nothing but hops, barley, yeast, and water into the beer. The new state-of-the-art brewery goes a step further by mimicking the mineral composition of the artesian spring water of Germany.   The Brewmaster has a Masters in Science of Brewing from Munich, Germany.    After a tour of the workings of the brewery we retreated to the Biergarten for sampling and lunch.  Prost!

A flight of beer (4 samples) and Cheese Fondue

Meat Candy

March 26/2019    There is only one way to complete a day of driving through 100's of miles of wildflowers.  Our ride from Kerrville to Llano to Fredericksburg and back to Kerrville was about 150 miles.  Drumroll please,,,,,,,,,,,,,, OPEN PIT BBQ.   You bet.   By far the best we have ever had is at Cooper's BBQ in Llano.  Brisket is cooked 18 hours, and you order by the pound.  Oh my God it is "meat candy". 

picking your meat at the pit

You pick your meat outside at the open pit then you take it inside to be weighed and get any side fixins like potato salad, coleslaw, pecan cobbler!  An ice cold beer.   Then head to a big communal table and dig in.  Bread, pickles and beans supplied for accompaniments.    It is heaven on earth.

1 lb of juicy brisket, Billy save some for Rosey

Texas Hill Country Wildflowers

March 25 & 26/2019  Weather   Gorgeous!  80 high/59 low

the flower power bike gang- the bluebonnets go on up the hills like carpet

the bluebonnets this year are thick from the fall flooding

We are doing "the loop"  back to back 2 days.  It's the old Willow city loop which is one of the most popular spring wildflower roads in the Hill Country.  Just outside of Fredericksburg you can catch the one way 11 mile ride through private ranch roads.

along the highway Indian Paintbrush and Bluebonnets

   One day we went north and the next day friends said lets go again and we rode it south.  Incredible wildflowers.  We cannot think of anywhere we have been lucky enough to be in Canada or the USA where the flowers are so predominant along the roadside. 

fields of white poppies

Redneck Prom

March 23/2018  Weather 72/59

best purse at the prom was a double D

Did you go to your high school prom ?  Do you remember your Prom?  That's a good question.  Well we have a chance to make new memories at our "Redneck Prom" tonight.   Dinner and drinks and a dance at Buckhorn Lake RV Resort.  And oh boy a whole bunch of rednecks!!!!  We laughed so hard our faces hurt the next day.

Going to the Prom

yes those are 1 piece red long underwear - Eric is so dapper; Pam what a lucky girl

King and Queen of the Prom

 

is that Minnie Pearl?

here kitty kitty