Dad's Journal

Awake: 6:29 Temp 59 sleep 5+56 morning rain overnight @ Nicktown.

Kathy left early from our workout to go to the doctor for her annual physical. She returned smiling with a clean bill of good health.

Later, her long time good friend Marge called from Grand Junction, CO; they made up, made up, made up, for lost time.

Meanwhile, I did some reading from the NTSB Reporter & also spent time on our computer.

Dinner: leftover Lasagna, asparagus, Italian garlic bread, cantaloupe, grapes & Bing cherries.
Evening movie: "Strategic Air Command" with James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Lovejoy, Barry Sullivan, Bruce Bennett, etc. Film only gets off the ground when Stewart does, as baseball player recalled to air force duty; Allyson is his sugary wife. 1955. Good airplane flick; there are no dreadful airplane movies made, right?

Lights out: 12:32am

Awake: 5:53am Temp 52 sleep 5+37 sunny...clouds overnight @ Nicktown.

"Happy Birthday to Kathy, my love!" This girl is sure looking good; she could easily pass as a "50" year old.

We left the koffee klub early & motored to Miners Hospital where we each had our blood drawn for testing in prep for our annual check-ups. Then we motored to Barnesboro & had a good breakfast @ Erma Jean's restaurant.

Next we visited an eye doctor to make an initial appointment for a check-up next week. After that stop, we toured the local thrift store then to Bi-Lo in Spangler for a few groceries & returned to Nicktown.

Phone & e-mail messages from family & friends awaited Kathy upon our return to our motorhome. It's always nice to be remembered on these special occasions.

Now that the grass is mostly dry, using our (100) ft tape measure, K & I spent time visualizing room size & kitchen size by placing marker flags inside our circular drive to correspond to the dimensions cited on the house plan. This is not the best way to get a picture of width & length...but it's a start!

Dinner: stuffed peppers & whole wheat Italian garlic bread.

Nick Skyped us late evening; within minutes, our audio & visual began to breakup which has a tendency to spoil the rendezvous occasion. Well, I thought I'd try & get a better signal, or whatever, by pulling the plug on my powered Micro USB unit; then our whole computer suddenly went into shock mode with no picture & I had no control over anything. After a few long & scary seconds, I forced the computer into shutdown & then re-connected my powered Micro USB unit. Gradually, bit by bit, everything came back to life; then an amazing thing happened: we talked & saw each other for (54) min without any breakup of audio or video what-so-ever. Skype for us has never been so clear & understandable since the beginning. Maybe all along, the plug for that Micro USB unit was not making a good contact connection? Anyway, this was a great "change" for a change.

Lights out: 12:33am

Awake: 7:11am Temp 60 sleep 6+41 mid morning drizzle overnight @ Nicktown.

We were both awake but still in our cozy queen bed when.....a diesel engine very close to our coach roared to life. Dick was pulling his motorhome around the circular drive in prep to hook up his tow car. Fortunately I was able to take a photo of him with Bernie & De De before he left; then we wished him a bon voyage, safe travels & a "thank you" for the visit. His wheels were on the move @ 7:35am.

Dick's timing was right on for us, allowing us to attend 8:00am Mass @ St. Nicholas church.
Today our town is having a Classic Car Show & small picnic with Rock & Roll music by the P.T. Cruisers. And there is more: a choice of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken dinner meal...etc. We invited the Foote family to come & join us.

@ 2:00pm sharp, the Footes arrived in our driveway. After a casual introduction to our motorhome & the nearby grounds, all (7) of us started walking to the Community Center where the celebration was taking place. Rows of classic cars could easily be seen as we entered the picnic area. Even after a mid-morning drizzle, the number of cars, trucks, & other vehicles present, was impressive. Usually any chance of precipitation what-so-ever, will either discourage the contestants from coming, or, if present, will leave upon the 1st raindrop.

I diverted from the Foote family & Kathy to peruse those classic vehicles as there was quite a few beauties to lay eyes on. Later, I joined up with the Foote boys in the playground area where Kathy, Melissa, & Kevin were spending time interacting with the guys as they enjoyed the swings, slides, a 4 person bicycle riding merry-go-round, & just playing as boys will do.

About 3:45pm, the Foote family & we gathered under a tent & had an early dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, potato salad, & baked beans.

Rain was beginning to threaten the area around 4:30, the classic cars were leaving & we decided to do the same, sauntering back to our property where we said our goodbyes until we meet again. I enjoyed spending some time with Nathan & watching him ride on the bike merry-go-round...his expressions & antics were precious & very suitable for photo opportunities, but I had forgotten my camera.

Evening movie: "The Care Takers" with Robert Stack, Joan Crawford, Polly Bergen, Susan Oliver, Janis Paige, etc. At times incisive view of a West Coast mental hospital, marred by flimsy script & poor editing. 1963. We found this story very interesting in spite of the above comments; plus, the nurse stayed awake.

Lights out:11:44pm

Awake: 6:13am Temp 63 sleep 5+56 fog, then cloudy overnight @ Nicktown.

After eating a Kathy muffin, we attended the 8:30am koffee klub meeting @ the social room in the Community Center & introduced Dick to the distinguished members who were present. Later he told me that he loved the idea of meeting for an hr (5/6) days a week & causally talking about anything & everything but not to gossip.

Next, driving Dick's Honda, we motored to Indiana & found the "Fore" driving range on Warren & Fenton roads; here we each got a bucket of balls, & Kathy & I each got a club owned driver. This was a lot of fun & a little frustrating @ times. It was also good having a protective plywood section separating each driving tee; protection against the infrequently sliced golf balls.

Then we had lunch @ the Train Station on Philadelphia Ave in Indiana We each had a tuna steak with veggies & side dishes. Dick bent our arms afterward to share an apple pandowdy with French vanilla ice cream for dessert. That guy knows his desserts!

Next, we visited the Jimmy Stewart Museum, a mere (2) blocks away on Philadelphia Ave. Dick is a real Jimmy Stewart fan; he has seen many of his movies so he was truly excited to be in the town where Jimmy was born & raised. We only briefly walked around the museum taking in some of the vast memorabilia collected before the matinee movie showing in the theatre was announced: "How the West was Won." It was a good movie but quite long, using up a lot of our museum exploring time. Unfortunately, the museum closed about 30 min. after the movie ended, but Dick had time to purchase several Jimmy Stewart movie tapes & DVDs.

En route to Nicktown, I gave Dick a casual tour of my ole homestead in Kirsch-town, pointing out the proximity of my aunts & uncles & their respective homes.

Back in our motorhome, we three had our wine with cheese & nuts time & reviewed today's activities & later Dick discussed his motor trip to the Northwest starting tomorrow. Kathy offered to make dinner but he was content with the lunch meal & snack we all had & preferred to get a good night's rest.

Dinner: K & I share a leftover slice of pizza.

We finished the movie: "The Fallen Idol" with Ralph Richardson, Michele Morgan, Bobby Henrey, Sonia Dresdel, etc. Young boy idolizes a household servant who is suspected of murdering his wife. Exceptional realization of Graham Green story "The Basement Room." Told in large part from the child's point of view. 1948. So-so story. Unless you're desperate, don't even think of adding this to your list.

Kathy was wide awake so we started another movie: "The Man Who knew Too Much" with James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda De Banzie, Bernard Miles, Ralph Truman, Daniel Gelin, etc. Hitchcock's remake of his 1934 film is disappointing. Even the famous Albert Hall assassination sequence rings flat in tale of American couple accidentally involved in international intrigue. 1956. This movie did not meet our high standards & ordinarily, we would have passed on it; however, due to touring the Jimmy Stewart museum today, we paid homage & watched it all. It was ...OK.

Lights out: 12:30am

Awake: 5:50am Temp 63 sleep 5+56 fog, cloudy, sunny overnight @ Nicktown.

After breakfast, I made a quick trip to Spangler for a Modular outlet for a phone connection; the current module's thin wires are corroded on site # 2; so if Dick wants to use our landline, I can easily replace the faulty one.

Dick C. called & reported that he had entered PA on I-70 from West Virginia & will call again when he is on the Ridge Road. About 12:20 pm I drove our Suzuki south on the Ridge Road & parked in an area where I should be able to see him approaching from the south. Minutes later, Dick reported he was now (4.5) miles from Nicktown. I let him know that I was about (2.5) miles away & would be his: "follow me car."

Dick appeared, blinked his lights & followed me into Nicktown with a tight left turn onto Saint Boniface Street, then another tight right turn onto Saint Joseph Street, and yet another tight left turn onto Saint Paul Street & then onto our circular driveway, where I motioned him to stop.

"Welcome to Nicktown!" I tell him. He apologized that he was (5) min late but is happy to be here. He remarked about how healthy the trees & vegetation are. Kathy joined us & also welcomed Dick. Then I gave Dick the option of either driving directly around the circular driveway & taking our campsite spot or, with our assistance, backing into site #2. He opted to have us watch him as he backed up & took campsite # 2; he did a marvelous job of backing up & parking. K & I worked with him to get the 50-amp shore line plugged in, his septic hose attached & the fresh water hose hooked up.

After that, we invited him to our coach for a wine & cheese session with dinner to follow sometime later. He offered to take us out for dinner but Kathy reminded him that she already had dinner standing by.

During our wine & cheese time, we got caught-up on Dick, his wife, Christine, & their cats, Bernie & De-de, & their travels. When they left Goodyear, AZ, Christine was taking daily doses of a drug to increase bone density; weeks later, according to a doctor in Florida, those daily doses were doing her harm instead of good. It got so bad that she was having difficulty walking & was experiencing motion sickness.

Of course Christine quit taking that medicine & began feeling better, but not good enough. She continued to experience motion sickness as they motored to Washington, D.C.; they agreed that she should fly back to their home in Goodyear where she could rest & Dick would meet her later in Portland, OR with the motorhome. So Dick & the cats will spend (2) days with us & then continue on to the west coast to rendezvous with his wife, Christine.

Dinner: leftover Lasagna, Italian garlic bread, mixed salad & wild strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

Dick was pretty tired after dinner & opted to go back to his coach around 9:30pm for a good night's sleep. We made some tentative plans for tomorrow & will see him in the morning.

Evening movie: "The Fallen Idol." K & I watch ½.

Lights out: 11:19pm

Awake: 6:58am Temp 61 sleep 7+38 mostly sunny overnight @ Nicktown, PA.

Mid morning, I borrowed a wheelbarrow & using my shovel, moved a pile of leftover gravel over to the entrance of our circular drive. Now all the gravel from Gary's (2) truckloads has been distributed. Then I uncovered our # 2 campsite in prep for Dick's arrival tomorrow. He will have a full hookup with water, electric & waste water disposal.

Next we motored to the Foote Castle to spend some time with the grandsons + Mel & Kevin. We rarely know what we will be doing with the Foote boys; today however, plans were in progress for me to do something with Matthew.

Melissa had already disassembled a used up Insulin Pod (Pump) & had taped a few of the parts on a sheet of construction paper identifying the purpose of those parts. Matthew wanted me to go a few steps further & completely describe each & every part with more detail on a separate piece of construction paper so when finished, he could mail the (show & tell) masterpiece to his cousin in Montana. Actually (1) more (used up) pod was also disassembled in order to be as accurate as possible on this delicate project. Matthew appeared quite satisfied when the final assembly was complete.

Meanwhile, Kathy played with Andrew & Nathan.

En route to Nicktown, we made stops @ Goodwill & Ollie's + Martin's & Wal-Mart for groceries.

Dinner: Turkey burgers, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, Bing cherries & fresh sliced peaches.

Evening movie: "The Postman always Rings Twice" with Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Audrey totter, etc. Garfield & Turner ignite the screen in this bristling drama of lovers whose problems just begin when they do away with her husband (Kellaway). The film packs a real punch & outshines the more explicit 1981 remake. 1946. Whatever you do, don't try this with your wife/husband.

Lights out: 11:54pm

Awake: 6:32am Temp 56 sleep 6+55 sunny overnight @ Nicktown, PA.

Mid morning, Dick C. called from D.C. He gave an estimated time of arrival as Friday @12:30pm. I asked him to let me know by cell phone when he is on the Ridge Road heading toward Nicktown.

Kenny called from Ebensburg; we are trying to rendezvous with him sometime next week.

Around 11:30am, K & I motored to Altoona, PA., about (35) miles. 1st we looked up the Altoona Regional Hospital to pay a visit to my nephew Eric. Turns out, Eric had been discharged a few days ago & is now being cared for by his wife @ home, we think.

Next we use our GPS to locate a Radio Shack in Altoona; they have a couple stores in town & neither had the transistors I have been looking for.

The main reason we came to Altoona was to, not only visit with Eric in the hospital, but to also check up on a recall item on our Suzuki @ the Five Star Suzuki Dealer. Our GPS took us directly to the Suzuki Dealer area but we couldn't find the building. After calling the Dealership for more directions, we found out why: two yrs ago they built a new building & moved a mile further down the street. Anyway, our Suzuki passed the recall inspection with flying colors.
During those minutes of confusion while finding the Suzuki dealership, Melissa called from Indiana; her ultrasound pictures clearly show that she is carrying another boy. She is delighted.

Quick & light dinner: left over tuna & vegetable salads.

After 6:00pm Mass, K & I attended Father Job's Catechism class with (7) other people for an hr.

Evening entertainment: watched President Obama's sales talk with Charles Gibson on the proposed National Health plan.

Lights out: 11:40pm.

Awake: 6:02am Temp 57 sleep 6+20 sunny overnight @ Nicktown, PA.

Kathy helped to make noodles today from 8:30am until 10:40am. Due to our dental appointment, she had to leave before the work was finished.

@ the dentist's office, our pearly whites got a good cleaning & thoroughly checked; we both have no cavities....hip...hip!

From here, Kathy returned a few library books & we casually visited the local thrift store.

Early afternoon, we retracted all slides & then backed up the coach about (8) feet, shoveled the extra gravel under both front tires & the drivers side rear tires to raise & level the motorhome.

Since parking here on April 26th, we have not been on the level; our leveling system was @ its limits, but now it's much better. During this moving adventure, we kept our shore cable plugged in & Kathy did (3) loads of laundry.

Melissa called & we talked for about (18) min. She brought us up-to-date on their time in Philadelphia.

Dinner: Tuna salad, Italian garlic bread, mixed salad, Bing cherries & fresh peach slices.

No movie tonight.

Lights out: 11:37pm

Awake: 6:54am Temp 62 sleep 6+57 sunny overnight @ Nicktown, PA.

When we returned from exercising @ the Community Center, we had a fast spoken & short message from Melissa: a belated Father's day wish. They returned last night from a weekend in Philadelphia, PA... & she didn't want to make a late call.

Gary C. called mid morning to confirm our plan for moving gravel this afternoon, "I'll be ready" I tell him.

Gary & Rosemary arrived about 12:35pm in their pickup truck, carrying a wheelbarrow, shovel & rake. Earlier this week, Gary had volunteered to speed up my gravel hauling process on our circular driveway; and speed it up he did.

We made (2) trips in Gary's truck to Hite's Rental, Coal & stone Supply, about an (8) min drive; each time getting a ton of 2-B gravel. Back on our circular drive, we both shoveled the gravel off the truck to fill up the low spots....hopefully making our campsites more level. It would have taken me (10) trips to Hite's in our Suzuki to get as much gravel as we did in just (2) trips; so I thank you Gary, for that thoughtful act of kindness.

Meanwhile, as Gary & I unloaded the truck, Kathy & Rosemary yakked & relaxed in camping chairs underneath the patio awning, sipping "mint juleps" spelled ice water.

After Gary washed the pickup bed & shovel, he loaded the wheelbarrow, rake & shovel back into the truck, then we had our wine time with snack tray inside the motorhome.
Later, Kathy served a dinner of: Lasagna, Italian garlic bread & salad. Dessert was wild strawberry cheese cake. After dinner, we showed Rosemary & Gary our 1st schematic design phase of our home & they had lots of questions; many of which we couldn't answer,

Lights out: 11:42pm

Awake: 7:17am Temp 62 sleep 7+00 sunny overnight @ Nicktown.

For Father's Day, Kathy made one of my favorite breakfast treats: Eggs Benedict & was it ever good!

Nick called from Seattle; he & I exchanged Father's Day wishes & then K & I talked with Nick for over an hr.

Early afternoon, K & I motored to Ebensburg for grocery shopping @ the West End Market & Wal-Mart.

Back @ our motorhome, while Kathy prepared a dinner for tonight as well as tomorrow night, I gathered another pan of good sized wild strawberries in our backyard.

Dick C. called from Cherry Hill RV Park in D.C. We talked about a rendezvous plan in the making for the near future.

Zack called from Seattle with Father's Day wishes & then Kathy joined in the conversation.

Dinner: leftover crab cakes with asparagus & brown rice.

Evening movie: "The Male Animal" with Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Leslie, Jack Carson, etc. Intelligent, entertaining Elliott Nugent-James Thurber comedy of college professor Fonda defending his rights; while losing wife de Havilland to old flame Carson. 1942. Kathy was not too impressed with this story; it sort of fell apart toward the end.

Lights out: 11:57pm