I just realized I haven't posted for a week! Everything is fine here - we've really been enjoying the glorious weather. Sometimes you feel like posting, and sometimes you don't, that's all.
Dick had a presentation this morning at Crystal Mountain for a group of mental health professionals. Crystal is a beautiful facility, and we enjoyed being there. Our workshop was small - 5 or 6 people, but it was a good group, and Dick did a beautiful job - his best ever. Plus - we got a free breakfast!
The day was so spectacular that we couldn't just come home afterwards. There were quite a few caches in the area so we did some Betsie River caches, and had lunch at Dinghy's in Frankfort - one of our haunts.
It was such a terrific day to be out and about - and we split the finds - 2 for Dick, and 2 for me. Don't you love it?
Friday, April 28, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Avuncular Tom
Laurie and Dylan are safely back home from California. Mary's wedding was in a unique home on a steep hillside with a terrific view of Catalina. The wedding was small and intimate. Laurie had her first taste of "buckeyes" because Brandon is from Ohio.
Tom and Dylan had a marvelous time at Disneyland. Here is Tom's report:
Dick and I visited Mother today - she seemed slightly more out of it this afternoon - I think she must have been in a deep sleep when we arrived - usually she's just dozing. We stayed for about an hour, and then she began drooping again.
We stopped at Ellis Lake on the way home and couldn't find RGH's new cache.
Dick cooked dinner - yaay
Tom and Dylan had a marvelous time at Disneyland. Here is Tom's report:
We had fun. Dylan was amazingly well behaved. I was especially surprised at the end of the day when he simply said he was tired and wanted to go home. I was kind of expecting a meltdown. It was a tough trip for him schedule-wise. They got up at 4:00AM (1:00 PST) on Thursday morning and flew out here. I didn't get up to their hotel until 7:00 and then we went out to dinner so Dylan didn't go to bed until 8:30 - that's a 19.5 hour day! Then he woke up at 4:00 Friday morning because he was still on Eastern time. We got to Disneyland around 8:30AM and by 7:00PM he was done. Then the poor kid had to get up at 4:00 again the next morning to fly home!
We went on all his favorite rides (the Mountains: Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain) and on several rides that are only at Disneyland, not Disney World. The big hit here was the Matterhorn (another mountain). He went through a bit of a phase where we would get in line and then he would decide that the line was too long so we'd get out and go get in another line for something else then he'd decide that THAT line was too long too. I put a stop to that pretty quickly.
There was a bit of trouble over the Indiana Jones ride. For some reason he got it in his head that it was too scary and so started pleading to get out of line. I told him it would be fine. He was persistent, but never started really whining or throwing a fit. We got on the ride and he spent the whole thing with his head down and his eyes shut. I couldn't discern any appreciable difference in scariness between this ride and the rides he loved so I was a little perplexed. I was expected a tirade afterwards about how could I make him go on that and how horrible it was etc. etc. but he just cheerfully exclaimed, "That wasn't scary at all if you kept your eyes closed and your head down!" Whatever.
The old Carrousel of Progress has been turned into something called Innoventions, which is sort of a cross between a science museum and an ad campaign for the latest techno-gizmos. You walk around and look at exhibits and the outside of the building where you used to sit still revolves around the inside, but there's really no point to the spinning. Anyway, they had this touch-sensitive plasma screen TV with one of those fish-tank screen savers on it. If you touch a fish something would happen to it. Sometimes it would get big, sometimes it would get small, sometimes it would change into another kind of fish. Then sometimes when you touched the screen it would produce little food pellets on the screen and all the fish would swarm over to eat. It was pretty cool, you know, for 30 seconds or so. But Dylan was mesmerized. I think he would have stayed there all day if I had let him. My feet were tired and there was nobody else around waiting to play with it so I just sat down and let him go at it until some other kids showed up then I told him it was their turn. This morning Laurie said it was about the only thing he would talk about. Weird kid.
Overall it was a pretty flawless excursion. There was some difficulty getting home because I got a bit turned around. Then Dylan fell asleep in the car and I didn't know what to do about dinner since he hadn't eaten yet. But I went to a drive thru and got him some chicken strips and french fries and he woke up halfway up to the hotel room. (He looked around and said, "Where am I?") I made him stay awake long enough to eat something and take a bath and then he zonked.
It was fun, but next time we definitely need to schedule more time so things aren't so hectic and he doesn't get so tired.
Dick and I visited Mother today - she seemed slightly more out of it this afternoon - I think she must have been in a deep sleep when we arrived - usually she's just dozing. We stayed for about an hour, and then she began drooping again.
We stopped at Ellis Lake on the way home and couldn't find RGH's new cache.
Dick cooked dinner - yaay
Friday, April 21, 2006
Googling Richard
Googling Richard Just for Fun:
Here's an item from the consent calendar of the T.C. City Commission meeting of December 6, 2004. This is the approval that allowed Dick to set out his Park Series:
This one is from mytraversecity.com (see link above):
Here's an item from the consent calendar of the T.C. City Commission meeting of December 6, 2004. This is the approval that allowed Dick to set out his Park Series:
The request from Richard Steiger, 888 East River Road, to allow use of City parks for Geocaching, an adventure game for global positioning system users, as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission be approved.
This one is from mytraversecity.com (see link above):
At the Traverse City Visitors Center, I explain my “color quest” to volunteer guide Dick Steiger. Happy to help, he perks up and suggests two postcard-pretty overlooks. One is Inspiration Point on Route 616 south of Glen Arbor, which takes in the aquamarine sweep of Glen Lake, nestled among the trees like a Caribbean lagoon. The other is a hilltop on M-37 halfway up the Old Mission Peninsula near the Chateau Grand Traverse winery, where you can catch a rare glimpse of both East and West Bay at once. Steiger is nice enough to pinpoint the spots on my map.
“You know, of course, that Torch, Glen and Crystal lakes are considered the third most beautiful lake in the world?” Steiger says with a chuckle. National Geographic once bestowed the distinction on one of the lakes – or so the story goes. Now all three claim the title. “What are the first two?” he says, rhetorically. “And who cares?” The point is – they’re all world-class breathtaking.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Piles of Leaves
Dick had a meeting with the visitor center volunteers this morning. Chamber of Commerce and Cherry Festival Office - he enjoyed meeting Tom Menzel, the new director. From Dick's report, it sounds like the discussion was mainly about funding and budgeting.
I moved all my 9 piles of leaves and so the yard is slightly more picked up than it was before. There's still a lot of work to be done - doing some fine tooth comb raking, and beginning to weed the bed. The weather just draws me outside - it has been perfect.
We went for another great ride this afternoon - we went to pick up Dick's computer, and some shirts at Progress. Gas is $2.95.9 - I was totally in shock.
Got a call from Mary G. - Uncle Fritz is having a pacemaker installed. I want to check that out, and go tell Mother so she'll be in the loop. Evidently F&R have more financial problems than I thought. They lived quite a lavish lifestyle - they had me fooled. Thank God for Dad's prudence.
I moved all my 9 piles of leaves and so the yard is slightly more picked up than it was before. There's still a lot of work to be done - doing some fine tooth comb raking, and beginning to weed the bed. The weather just draws me outside - it has been perfect.
We went for another great ride this afternoon - we went to pick up Dick's computer, and some shirts at Progress. Gas is $2.95.9 - I was totally in shock.
Got a call from Mary G. - Uncle Fritz is having a pacemaker installed. I want to check that out, and go tell Mother so she'll be in the loop. Evidently F&R have more financial problems than I thought. They lived quite a lavish lifestyle - they had me fooled. Thank God for Dad's prudence.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Lovely Day
Such gorgeous weather we're having! The grass is greening up, and the trees are definitely ready to burst.
The perennial garden is all raked out, and today it was a lot easier. Some of the plants are already sending up shoots - some green, some purple. It's fun to see. I had a list of perennials to plant this spring, and I can't find it. They were all plants that should thrive in our climate (zone 5) - I haven't given up looking for it yet.
Dick is still working on polishing up all of the park caches - new logs, double checking for dampness, etc. So we had a great ride all around town - it was the perfect day to be out and about. We love to Subaru Cruise! We stopped at the brand new Oleson's - it's very nice, and it's a convenient stop for us on the way home from town.
Tomorrow Laurie and Dylan fly to California. Laurie's going to Mary's wedding, and Tom is taking Dylan to Disneyland.
The perennial garden is all raked out, and today it was a lot easier. Some of the plants are already sending up shoots - some green, some purple. It's fun to see. I had a list of perennials to plant this spring, and I can't find it. They were all plants that should thrive in our climate (zone 5) - I haven't given up looking for it yet.
Dick is still working on polishing up all of the park caches - new logs, double checking for dampness, etc. So we had a great ride all around town - it was the perfect day to be out and about. We love to Subaru Cruise! We stopped at the brand new Oleson's - it's very nice, and it's a convenient stop for us on the way home from town.
Tomorrow Laurie and Dylan fly to California. Laurie's going to Mary's wedding, and Tom is taking Dylan to Disneyland.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Indie Flix
Weather prediction was for a beautiful day, so I planned to rake out my perennial garden. It was, and I did. Sort of. I have some really good days and some not so good days, and today was not so good. I did rake out two big piles of leaves, but then I was done. Or done in, take your pick. The rest of the day I just sat around.
The highlight of the day was going to Kejara's Bridge Coffee House in Lake Leelanau in the evening for coffee, snacks and movies (indie flix). Their food is yummy, and the coffee was excellent. The decor is garage sale/flea market. The tables are all old fashioned kitchen tables, all different. The dishes are all from the yard sale - cups, plates, and flatware. The dish that Dick got was like our very first set of dishes - the yellow dish with the big daisy in the center. It was freaky.
The movies were Mark Fiore cartoons (some funny, some very unfunny), and a film about culture jamming. It was about people who hack billboards and posters, and a one-man crusade against Disney because of the sweatshop merchandise. (Rev. Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping)
When we were kids, we used to hear about Solle's Bookshop near Suttons Bay. Folks used to say that he was a commie, or a pinko, or at the very least a leftist. We think that the movement is alive and well in Leelanau County!
It was an interesting evening - I've always wondered what Kejara's Bridge was like inside. It was very pleasant and friendly, and a little strange.
The highlight of the day was going to Kejara's Bridge Coffee House in Lake Leelanau in the evening for coffee, snacks and movies (indie flix). Their food is yummy, and the coffee was excellent. The decor is garage sale/flea market. The tables are all old fashioned kitchen tables, all different. The dishes are all from the yard sale - cups, plates, and flatware. The dish that Dick got was like our very first set of dishes - the yellow dish with the big daisy in the center. It was freaky.
The movies were Mark Fiore cartoons (some funny, some very unfunny), and a film about culture jamming. It was about people who hack billboards and posters, and a one-man crusade against Disney because of the sweatshop merchandise. (Rev. Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping)
When we were kids, we used to hear about Solle's Bookshop near Suttons Bay. Folks used to say that he was a commie, or a pinko, or at the very least a leftist. We think that the movement is alive and well in Leelanau County!
It was an interesting evening - I've always wondered what Kejara's Bridge was like inside. It was very pleasant and friendly, and a little strange.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Geo-Brunch
We decided that a geo-brunch is like a geo-breakfast except later, and like a geo-dinner except lighter.
We met at the Omelette Shoppe with Kim (Major K), Carla (Civilian) and Darcia (Tootsie Roll) who are known collectively as the Sucker Sisters. They all work in Grayling for the Army National Guard in the Environmental Programs Division. There will be a National Guard convention here in T.C. at the Resort on May 2, and they have promised a geo-caching outing for the evening entertainment. They've chosen Dick's 10 stage municipal park cache series. They wanted to double check all of the locations, code numbers and coordinates to make sure they're on top of things before the big event.
Kim is a SCUBA diver, and she was here yesterday for the underwater egg hunt down at the marina. She's planning to dive with sharks in the Bahamas next. Carla is a mountain biker. She and her family biked across the country 8 years ago when her son was 12 and her daughter was 15. Her son is now on a Belgian bike team - amateur not pro, but he wants to be pro eventually (ala Lance). This summer she and her husband are planning to bike the Continental Divide. You meet the most absolutely fascinating people geo-caching!
We met at the Omelette Shoppe with Kim (Major K), Carla (Civilian) and Darcia (Tootsie Roll) who are known collectively as the Sucker Sisters. They all work in Grayling for the Army National Guard in the Environmental Programs Division. There will be a National Guard convention here in T.C. at the Resort on May 2, and they have promised a geo-caching outing for the evening entertainment. They've chosen Dick's 10 stage municipal park cache series. They wanted to double check all of the locations, code numbers and coordinates to make sure they're on top of things before the big event.
Kim is a SCUBA diver, and she was here yesterday for the underwater egg hunt down at the marina. She's planning to dive with sharks in the Bahamas next. Carla is a mountain biker. She and her family biked across the country 8 years ago when her son was 12 and her daughter was 15. Her son is now on a Belgian bike team - amateur not pro, but he wants to be pro eventually (ala Lance). This summer she and her husband are planning to bike the Continental Divide. You meet the most absolutely fascinating people geo-caching!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Hop, Hop Bunny Bunny
Happy Easter Everybody!
Sniders arrived around 10:30 this morning, and it was great to see them. We haven't gotten together all winter. We caught up on all of the latest stories and jokes, and Belleville gossip. There's nothing better :)
We had a reservation at the Freshwater Lodge for brunch, and it was as spectacular as usual. The best part was the dessert table (blush). We had good appetites, good food, good friends and good conversation. It really wasn't that crowded, so we could sit there as long as we wanted and just talk.
It's such a beautiful day that when we got home, we all just sat out on the deck and watched the canoes and kayaks go by. The temp was around 65, but the sun was really warm. We enjoyed hearing on all of the latest news of the children and grandchildren.
I wasn't sure that I should mention Kim's health problems here - but Dick wrote a letter of explanation to our kids and I thought it was well done - so here's his letter:
The infusions that she gets are called IVIG. It's gamma globulin to boost the immune system. It's a treatment often used for MS, but they haven't actually diagnosed her with MS at this point. You can google it. The neuropathy is advancing upwards to her calves also. Her friends are all doctors too, and she comes to T.C. regularly to see other doctors (gastroenterologist and hematologist), and she goes to Ann Arbor for her infusions. Plus she has access to the entire staff of West Shore Hospital in Manistee. Tons of doctors are involved and they can't figure out what the problem is. She's still trying to see patients part time, but she's not very mobile. Whoever first said that Life Is Not Fair was right.
Sniders arrived around 10:30 this morning, and it was great to see them. We haven't gotten together all winter. We caught up on all of the latest stories and jokes, and Belleville gossip. There's nothing better :)
We had a reservation at the Freshwater Lodge for brunch, and it was as spectacular as usual. The best part was the dessert table (blush). We had good appetites, good food, good friends and good conversation. It really wasn't that crowded, so we could sit there as long as we wanted and just talk.
It's such a beautiful day that when we got home, we all just sat out on the deck and watched the canoes and kayaks go by. The temp was around 65, but the sun was really warm. We enjoyed hearing on all of the latest news of the children and grandchildren.
I wasn't sure that I should mention Kim's health problems here - but Dick wrote a letter of explanation to our kids and I thought it was well done - so here's his letter:
We had brunch with Bill and Jan today. They are on their way from Manistee to Houghton Lake and then back to Canton. Bill has to go to the U of M hospital Tuesday for tests. The reason he has to have tests is that Kim has some very serious health problems.
First, she has gastrointestinal problems caused by an inflammation of the stomach. As a result she has a problem keeping food down and has lost over 10 pounds. That doesn't sound like much for us but Jan says she is really skinny.
Second and compounding the problem, she has a chronic sinus infection and cough. The coughing apparently is severe at times and has resulted in a hernia.
The above are her minor medical problems, much more serious and the cause of the tests on Bill is that she has developed neuropathy in her legs. Due to some auto immune attack, she has lost all feeling in her feet. Jan says she can no longer walk but just shuffles along. It also seems to be spreading to her hands. She goes to A2 every two weeks for an infusion treatment at 10K a pop but they don't see any results yet. Bill is being tested because of his leg problems to see if there is a genetic component.
I'm not sure that we reported that they are moving to California. Mike has had it with the "small town hospital politics" in Manistee and wants to start fresh. They have put $ down on a small house near Reiko. They have the Manistee house listed at 1.5. They are buying less than 1/2 the house for more $.
As you can imagine, Bill and Jan are extremely concerned. It's one thing to get creaky and achy at our age but it's not fair to have it hit when you are so young. We feel lucky that all we have to worry about with our kids is their job stress.
The infusions that she gets are called IVIG. It's gamma globulin to boost the immune system. It's a treatment often used for MS, but they haven't actually diagnosed her with MS at this point. You can google it. The neuropathy is advancing upwards to her calves also. Her friends are all doctors too, and she comes to T.C. regularly to see other doctors (gastroenterologist and hematologist), and she goes to Ann Arbor for her infusions. Plus she has access to the entire staff of West Shore Hospital in Manistee. Tons of doctors are involved and they can't figure out what the problem is. She's still trying to see patients part time, but she's not very mobile. Whoever first said that Life Is Not Fair was right.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
New Mission
This was an absolutely gorgeous Spring day. We picked daffodils for Mom, and drove past our beautiful bright blue bay. Mother seems fine - she loved the flowers, and we had what she likes to call "a good visit". She learned all about the latest happenings. She enjoyed hearing about L, C & D camping in Florida - we told her about the raccoons and the bears, the canoeing and the geo-caching, but we left out the story about the tics!
After our good visit, we drove over to Lake Dubonnet, and located a possible site for another Shore to Shore cache. The trail really meanders around through there - and it's a beautiful area, although spring is not it's prettiest season - lots and lots of dry leaves.
I have a new mission in life - I'm going to try to avoid artificial sweeteners because I believe they make me feel ill. Over the past 10 years I've consumed just about every type of sugar substitute that there is, and I certainly can't notice any positive results. I've been reading about them on the internet, and some of the case histories are downright scary. Some people are seriously affected by the chemicals in the sweeteners. After my aspirin/internal bleeding episode, I believe I probably am "some people"!
There's a long list of physical problems associated with most of the fake sugar - even Splenda, which I had thought was going to be the healthy choice. Check out the link above, and scroll down to "side effects". Maltitol is my biggest bugaboo - my system can't tolerate it - and it's in so many things I've been eating - the diabetes food bars, sugar free cookies, fake chocolate, even hard candies and sugar free gum. I found this paragraph which graphically explains the biggest problem:
Those substitutes mentioned in that paragraph are all sugar alcohols, and I'm learning that we really don't want to be putting these substances in our bodies. Reading labels is going to be my new hobby. Even Diet Pepsi is on it's way out - I think I'll start drinking more iced tea and sparkling water. Water si, chemicals no.
After our good visit, we drove over to Lake Dubonnet, and located a possible site for another Shore to Shore cache. The trail really meanders around through there - and it's a beautiful area, although spring is not it's prettiest season - lots and lots of dry leaves.
I have a new mission in life - I'm going to try to avoid artificial sweeteners because I believe they make me feel ill. Over the past 10 years I've consumed just about every type of sugar substitute that there is, and I certainly can't notice any positive results. I've been reading about them on the internet, and some of the case histories are downright scary. Some people are seriously affected by the chemicals in the sweeteners. After my aspirin/internal bleeding episode, I believe I probably am "some people"!
There's a long list of physical problems associated with most of the fake sugar - even Splenda, which I had thought was going to be the healthy choice. Check out the link above, and scroll down to "side effects". Maltitol is my biggest bugaboo - my system can't tolerate it - and it's in so many things I've been eating - the diabetes food bars, sugar free cookies, fake chocolate, even hard candies and sugar free gum. I found this paragraph which graphically explains the biggest problem:
All authorities recommend using caution and definitely moderation is key. Because they are not completely absorbed in the bowel, they have a nasty reputation of holding onto water, and promoting diarrhea, gas and bloating. This is politely termed the "laxative effect". Sorbitol and mannitol are the worst offenders, maltitol and lactitol less so. The label should indicate the serving size. This is the amount considered safe to eat before the laxative effect takes over. So beware that overeating these foods can have serious effects. Especially for children, who of course will experience the effect from an even smaller amount.
Those substitutes mentioned in that paragraph are all sugar alcohols, and I'm learning that we really don't want to be putting these substances in our bodies. Reading labels is going to be my new hobby. Even Diet Pepsi is on it's way out - I think I'll start drinking more iced tea and sparkling water. Water si, chemicals no.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Happy Birthday Barb
This was the Big 6-0 for Barbie, and so her kids organized a birthday dinner at Schelde's, and we were invited! It was really a good time, and it was great to see everyone.
Barb and Jim, Melissa and Peter, Autumn, Brooke, Shelly and Chris, Adam and Melanie, Dick and Nan - it was a lively group! Of course, Autumn and Brooke are still the cutest little girls that there ever were - and they look so much alike - blonde hair, blue eyes, and those charming dimples that they got from their Grandma Barb.
Barb looks so good - she's doing great. She's going to start working full-time on Monday, and she really feels ready! It's a miracle.
Afterwards we all went over to Shelly's for cake and ice cream - it was such fun to be with everybody. Her house is small, but very comfortable and charming. I loved it. Shelly has a new puppy named Ranger - a collie and shepherd mix - looks like it will be a big dog! Peter had his police dog in a dog crate in the backyard- Jim said it looked like it could hold a wildcat!
We left with a smile because Autumn and Brooke called goodby from the upstairs bedroom window, and yelled "Happy Easter"! Fun.
Happy Birthday Barb
Barb and Jim, Melissa and Peter, Autumn, Brooke, Shelly and Chris, Adam and Melanie, Dick and Nan - it was a lively group! Of course, Autumn and Brooke are still the cutest little girls that there ever were - and they look so much alike - blonde hair, blue eyes, and those charming dimples that they got from their Grandma Barb.
Barb looks so good - she's doing great. She's going to start working full-time on Monday, and she really feels ready! It's a miracle.
Afterwards we all went over to Shelly's for cake and ice cream - it was such fun to be with everybody. Her house is small, but very comfortable and charming. I loved it. Shelly has a new puppy named Ranger - a collie and shepherd mix - looks like it will be a big dog! Peter had his police dog in a dog crate in the backyard- Jim said it looked like it could hold a wildcat!
We left with a smile because Autumn and Brooke called goodby from the upstairs bedroom window, and yelled "Happy Easter"! Fun.
Happy Birthday Barb
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Foothills
These Medicare presentations are always a new and different experience. The meeting this morning was at 9:30 at the Foothills Cafe on Dunn's Farm Road over by Glen Arbor. We must have driven by this place a million times over the years, but neither one of us ever noticed it. There's a small Mom and Pop motel, and the Cafe is about the size of a two-car garage. We were expecting 22 people, and I was wondering if we would all fit in there. It turned out to be a fine place - it was open and airy, because there were huge windows on two sides. The food was good, and the servers were friendly and pleasant. The Leelanau COA paid for our breakfast.
We didn't feel that this group was really interested in hearing about Medicare Part D. They seemed to be all set as far as their prescriptions were concerned. I think that the program director just lined up somebody to give a program without considering the needs of the audience. It was a nice group, and we sat next to retired teachers - that's always fun.
We're still working on finding spots to hide caches for the Shore to Shore trail series (called by those in the know "The S2S"). So after the meeting we drove to Empire and explored the riding/hiking trail. Dick found 3 or 4 good possibilities for cache sites, and we had a great ride around Leelanau/Benzie.
We didn't feel that this group was really interested in hearing about Medicare Part D. They seemed to be all set as far as their prescriptions were concerned. I think that the program director just lined up somebody to give a program without considering the needs of the audience. It was a nice group, and we sat next to retired teachers - that's always fun.
We're still working on finding spots to hide caches for the Shore to Shore trail series (called by those in the know "The S2S"). So after the meeting we drove to Empire and explored the riding/hiking trail. Dick found 3 or 4 good possibilities for cache sites, and we had a great ride around Leelanau/Benzie.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Friendship Center
Well this was the oddest presentation for Medicare yet. The set time was 6:30 p.m., and we were there early. By 6:30, no one else had appeared - we were expecting about 20 people, and there were 6 of us counting Dick and me, the Leelanau coordinator, and the event organizer. So that left 2 people who came for the presentation. We just sat and talked to them for about an hour and fifteen minutes - it was a unique event!
Afterwards, we went to the Olive Garden for dinner - it was OK. It's not as great as the Olive Garden in Ann Arbor - that one had a lot more atmosphere, and was more comfortable. Tonight, the first table at which we were seated was freezing cold - there was a definite draft from somewhere - it was almost like they had the air conditioning on. We moved to a booth, and it was much better. The servers were well-trained and the service was good. The food was OK - Dick really enjoyed his seafood pasta. My baked ziti was average. It seems to be a very popular restaurant, and I'm not really sure why - the prices aren't particularly cheap, and I just wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. The view out of the window by our booth was the Williams Kia dealership.
Afterwards, we went to the Olive Garden for dinner - it was OK. It's not as great as the Olive Garden in Ann Arbor - that one had a lot more atmosphere, and was more comfortable. Tonight, the first table at which we were seated was freezing cold - there was a definite draft from somewhere - it was almost like they had the air conditioning on. We moved to a booth, and it was much better. The servers were well-trained and the service was good. The food was OK - Dick really enjoyed his seafood pasta. My baked ziti was average. It seems to be a very popular restaurant, and I'm not really sure why - the prices aren't particularly cheap, and I just wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. The view out of the window by our booth was the Williams Kia dealership.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Easter is Coming
Dick had an appointment with Dr. Tim first thing this morning - then he went to the Agency for 5 or 6 hours. He handled 30 phone calls, and one Medicaid application.
I went shopping at Tarjay to get some Easter things to brighten up Mother's room. I really waited too long - their Easter items were almost all gone. There were still some very nice things there, though, and I was pleased with what I got. She seems fine - she liked the Easter stuff. She enjoyed hearing about our trip, and telling me about the goings on at Concord Place. I wish they would come up with a dependable staff on a regular schedule. She never knows who will be coming in the evening to bathe her and help her get ready for bed. It's a little unnerving for her to never know who's coming. They do seem a bit short-handed. I keep saying that she can go to a different place, but she won't consider moving at this point.
Our week is shaping up - we're quite the social butterflies! Tuesday evening Dick has a presentation in Suttons Bay at 6:30 p.m., so he's taking me out to dinner. Thursday morning he has a presentation in Glen Arbor, so he's taking me out to breakfast. Friday evening we're having a family dinner in T.C. Sounds like an eventful, fun week.
I went shopping at Tarjay to get some Easter things to brighten up Mother's room. I really waited too long - their Easter items were almost all gone. There were still some very nice things there, though, and I was pleased with what I got. She seems fine - she liked the Easter stuff. She enjoyed hearing about our trip, and telling me about the goings on at Concord Place. I wish they would come up with a dependable staff on a regular schedule. She never knows who will be coming in the evening to bathe her and help her get ready for bed. It's a little unnerving for her to never know who's coming. They do seem a bit short-handed. I keep saying that she can go to a different place, but she won't consider moving at this point.
Our week is shaping up - we're quite the social butterflies! Tuesday evening Dick has a presentation in Suttons Bay at 6:30 p.m., so he's taking me out to dinner. Thursday morning he has a presentation in Glen Arbor, so he's taking me out to breakfast. Friday evening we're having a family dinner in T.C. Sounds like an eventful, fun week.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Jiggety
Breakfast with Bob Evans!
Dick did 6 more caches and then it was time to head for home. I was still totally wiped out from yesterday, so I just sat in the car or did short walks.
We had a nice drive home - found our mail - thank you Barkers!
Dick did 6 more caches and then it was time to head for home. I was still totally wiped out from yesterday, so I just sat in the car or did short walks.
We had a nice drive home - found our mail - thank you Barkers!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
New Record
We spent the day in Marshall doing urban geocaches. Usually 7 or 8 in a day is satisfying and enough for us. Today we did over 25!! A brand new experience. The first one we found was our 900th find.
A bonus was meeting other cachers. In town, we ran into Hog Islanders (Jim Needham) and that was fun. At the Coffindaffer cache we met up with Geopigs (Sally and her husband).
When we got back to the motel after dinner at a Denny's that looked like a diner, Dick sat right down and logged them all. It took him approximately 2.5 hours.
Tired and sleepy - ho hum.
A bonus was meeting other cachers. In town, we ran into Hog Islanders (Jim Needham) and that was fun. At the Coffindaffer cache we met up with Geopigs (Sally and her husband).
When we got back to the motel after dinner at a Denny's that looked like a diner, Dick sat right down and logged them all. It took him approximately 2.5 hours.
Tired and sleepy - ho hum.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Chapter 899, In Which I Go Solo !
This was conference day for Dick at Burnham Brook in Battle Creek. I kept myself busy cleaning out the car, getting iced tea at Burger King, and reading my book at Burnham Brook. I was a guest for lunch, so we were able to eat together. We should have gone to Burger King! The food was slmost inedible. It gave me renewed respect for Mother, who says the same thing about the food where she lives.
We had noticed on the GPSr that there was a cache quite near the conference center. So after lunch, I went on a quest, and I was successful! (My first solo find - and the coordinates were right on!) Whoop, whoop! It was our 899th find.
We had noticed on the GPSr that there was a cache quite near the conference center. So after lunch, I went on a quest, and I was successful! (My first solo find - and the coordinates were right on!) Whoop, whoop! It was our 899th find.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Ten Caches
We did a leisurely drive from T.C. to South Haven, and did 10 (count 'em) ten caches in one trip. We are very proud of ourselves.
We stopped for lunch in Rothbury at the Country Kitchen. The food was really good, and the eavesdropping was spectacular. It seems that local gossip has it that Cabela's is considering putting a big sports center near Rothbury on a huge (642 acres) parcel of land. It's not a done deal, but it was fun listening to all of the conjecture!
Once in South Haven, it was recommended that we eat dinner downtown at Clementine's. Well, Clementine's was over-crowded, so we just ducked into Captain Nemo's. It was kind of a combination ice cream shop and sub shop. We saw a lot more local color than we really wanted to!
We stopped for lunch in Rothbury at the Country Kitchen. The food was really good, and the eavesdropping was spectacular. It seems that local gossip has it that Cabela's is considering putting a big sports center near Rothbury on a huge (642 acres) parcel of land. It's not a done deal, but it was fun listening to all of the conjecture!
Once in South Haven, it was recommended that we eat dinner downtown at Clementine's. Well, Clementine's was over-crowded, so we just ducked into Captain Nemo's. It was kind of a combination ice cream shop and sub shop. We saw a lot more local color than we really wanted to!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
UsTwo
This morning we were treated to breakfast at the Omelette Shoppe by UsTwo (Doug and Edie of Lansing). We had a great time and a yummy breakfast. The air was filled with cache talk - that's always such fun. Thanks for breakfast, UsTwo.
We're leaving tomorrow (Thursday) for Battle Creek by way of South Haven. We're heading for the MMAP Volunteer Recognition Conference. It's always enjoyable. Of course, we're planning to do a lot of geo-caching before and after.
This year I think that Dick should win at least 14 different awards at the conference because he has worked so hard! The Traverse City office has been hit by a plague of locusts (well, not really). The boss is in Florida for the winter and not returning until May, the vice-boss has breast cancer and is responding poorly to chemo, the Social Security contact has colon cancer, another counselor has just has heart by-pass surgery, and then there's Dick. So whatever gets done in Traverse City - medicaid applications, Part D drug Plans, presentations to groups, general medicare questions - gets done by Dick. One year we both won the Medicaid Specialist for the State of Michigan award, and we didn't work half as hard as he has worked, and there were two of us.
We're leaving tomorrow (Thursday) for Battle Creek by way of South Haven. We're heading for the MMAP Volunteer Recognition Conference. It's always enjoyable. Of course, we're planning to do a lot of geo-caching before and after.
This year I think that Dick should win at least 14 different awards at the conference because he has worked so hard! The Traverse City office has been hit by a plague of locusts (well, not really). The boss is in Florida for the winter and not returning until May, the vice-boss has breast cancer and is responding poorly to chemo, the Social Security contact has colon cancer, another counselor has just has heart by-pass surgery, and then there's Dick. So whatever gets done in Traverse City - medicaid applications, Part D drug Plans, presentations to groups, general medicare questions - gets done by Dick. One year we both won the Medicaid Specialist for the State of Michigan award, and we didn't work half as hard as he has worked, and there were two of us.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Vote for Your Favorite Turtle
Which picture do you like best, Turtle 1 or Turtle 5? I'll use the winning picure on the geocaching cache page for a new cache I want to put out. Please vote!
Sam's Club is so great - we go there every month or so to get large quantities of things like toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, olives, etc., etc. We spend a lot of time and money there this morning.
Dick knew of two new caches in T.C. - the first one was at K Mart, and that was fun - and while we were there we went to the dollar store. I'm searching for turtle items for my new cache.
As long as we were at the Cherryland Plaza, we went to The Big Eazy for lunch. Yummy and fun.
Second cache was at the new County Building on LaFranier Road - we had lots of fun finding the trail that took us within 200 feet of it instead of walking 14,000 miles from the parking lot.
Sam's Club is so great - we go there every month or so to get large quantities of things like toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, olives, etc., etc. We spend a lot of time and money there this morning.
Dick knew of two new caches in T.C. - the first one was at K Mart, and that was fun - and while we were there we went to the dollar store. I'm searching for turtle items for my new cache.
As long as we were at the Cherryland Plaza, we went to The Big Eazy for lunch. Yummy and fun.
Second cache was at the new County Building on LaFranier Road - we had lots of fun finding the trail that took us within 200 feet of it instead of walking 14,000 miles from the parking lot.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Weirdness in Wonderland
An adventure like this only happens to the "lucky and the strong".
First of all, we stopped for lunch in Alden at The Wild Onion. Alden sits on the shore of the beautiful and famous Torch Lake. Searching the menu for yumminess, I almost burst out laughing. For breakfast at the Wild Onion, you can order an omelette called "Torcher"!! No kidding! Want a little Torcher for breakfast? Weird. This reminds me of a sign we saw on another day - it was outside a small ranch. Near the gate, the sign said "Oleo Ranch - The Cheaper Spread"!
Our caching adventure began over in the Jordan River Valley, near East Jordan. There are marvelous trails there, and the conditions on the dirt roads weren't too bad. We parked by a sign that said "Congested Area" at the convergence of three dirt trails! Weird. Dick went off down the gated path to find the Crossing Jordan cache, and to put out the Michigan traveling cache. After he left, I got out my ski-walking poles, and went to investigate the great looking bridge over the river. The trail was superior, the bridge was so attractive, and the river scenery was very unusual. There were hummocks the size of hassocks all through the river, and some other hummocks the size of picnic tables - it was most picturesque.
The trail was so inviting, it drew me on down the way until I came to a fork in the road. I didn't know which way Dick had gone, so I stopped to reconnoiter. I noticed a set of railings at the top of a steep hill, and I was drawn once again to investigate. The ski-walkers made it possible for me to scramble right up the hill with no problem. At the top of the hill was a campground for backpackers. I walked down another hill to another road, and back to the car. This is unusual behavior for me - you have no idea how I surprised myself by doing it. Weird. The ski-walkers are going to change my life!
The second cache was down Bartholomew Road. There's a lot of weirdness in the world, and we found quite a bit of it today! On the way down the road, we came to a junkyard with junk cars on both sides of the road. The thing that was interesting to me was that on one side of the road there was a long wooden wall, and written on the wall were Biblical scriptures - there must have been 15-20 quotations. The interesting part is that the lettering was absolutely beautifully done - a really professional job. It was most incongruous in a junkyard. Weird.
We wound up in somebody's front yard, so we had to back up and look for the right trail. There was a two track back to a picnic area, and the ruins of a house and barn. This cache had been placed by a Boy Scout Troop, and it was very different and weird. The cache container was a red thermos jug just sitting out in the open with no camouflage.
At the Bennett Creek cache site we ran into Whitard and his whole family! How weird is that! It was really fun to see them - we'd like to have them come out to the river sometime. The little girls are so much fun.
The next adventure out-weirded the rest. In search of the Ouachita cache, we took off down Pesek Road, which was a quagmire of mud at the berginning, and then changed to frozen and icy, and then returned to muddy quagmire. There were houses along the way - we couldn't believe that! Dick had to really go fast through the mud so that we wouldn't get bogged down, and mud was splattering everywhere. That road would make a great ride at DisneyWorld! We were both all tightened up and tense by the time we got to Marvon Road. To us, it looked like a super highway. Pesek is short for Pesek Cake (piece of cake) NOT. This is what Dick wrote when he logged the cache:
The Scenic State cache was last. Whew! I was reaching the saturation point.
On the way home we passed through Central Lake, where we saw a man out in his front yard sitting by a campfire playing the guitar. Later we saw a man straight out of Monty Python, doing the silly walk down the side of the road. Weird!
A quick stop at the car wash and at KFC and then home to watch George Mason lose to Florida in the NCAA semi-finals. So now, do we root for UCLA because Melanie chose them, or for Florida because at least they're East of the Mississippi... Weird.
First of all, we stopped for lunch in Alden at The Wild Onion. Alden sits on the shore of the beautiful and famous Torch Lake. Searching the menu for yumminess, I almost burst out laughing. For breakfast at the Wild Onion, you can order an omelette called "Torcher"!! No kidding! Want a little Torcher for breakfast? Weird. This reminds me of a sign we saw on another day - it was outside a small ranch. Near the gate, the sign said "Oleo Ranch - The Cheaper Spread"!
Our caching adventure began over in the Jordan River Valley, near East Jordan. There are marvelous trails there, and the conditions on the dirt roads weren't too bad. We parked by a sign that said "Congested Area" at the convergence of three dirt trails! Weird. Dick went off down the gated path to find the Crossing Jordan cache, and to put out the Michigan traveling cache. After he left, I got out my ski-walking poles, and went to investigate the great looking bridge over the river. The trail was superior, the bridge was so attractive, and the river scenery was very unusual. There were hummocks the size of hassocks all through the river, and some other hummocks the size of picnic tables - it was most picturesque.
The trail was so inviting, it drew me on down the way until I came to a fork in the road. I didn't know which way Dick had gone, so I stopped to reconnoiter. I noticed a set of railings at the top of a steep hill, and I was drawn once again to investigate. The ski-walkers made it possible for me to scramble right up the hill with no problem. At the top of the hill was a campground for backpackers. I walked down another hill to another road, and back to the car. This is unusual behavior for me - you have no idea how I surprised myself by doing it. Weird. The ski-walkers are going to change my life!
The second cache was down Bartholomew Road. There's a lot of weirdness in the world, and we found quite a bit of it today! On the way down the road, we came to a junkyard with junk cars on both sides of the road. The thing that was interesting to me was that on one side of the road there was a long wooden wall, and written on the wall were Biblical scriptures - there must have been 15-20 quotations. The interesting part is that the lettering was absolutely beautifully done - a really professional job. It was most incongruous in a junkyard. Weird.
We wound up in somebody's front yard, so we had to back up and look for the right trail. There was a two track back to a picnic area, and the ruins of a house and barn. This cache had been placed by a Boy Scout Troop, and it was very different and weird. The cache container was a red thermos jug just sitting out in the open with no camouflage.
At the Bennett Creek cache site we ran into Whitard and his whole family! How weird is that! It was really fun to see them - we'd like to have them come out to the river sometime. The little girls are so much fun.
The next adventure out-weirded the rest. In search of the Ouachita cache, we took off down Pesek Road, which was a quagmire of mud at the berginning, and then changed to frozen and icy, and then returned to muddy quagmire. There were houses along the way - we couldn't believe that! Dick had to really go fast through the mud so that we wouldn't get bogged down, and mud was splattering everywhere. That road would make a great ride at DisneyWorld! We were both all tightened up and tense by the time we got to Marvon Road. To us, it looked like a super highway. Pesek is short for Pesek Cake (piece of cake) NOT. This is what Dick wrote when he logged the cache:
Thanks for the cache Nanalulubug, we made it into quite an adventure. We were coming up from the south and our auto routing sent us up Pesek Road. We bet that is a real pretty drive in the summer but it's pretty hairy in the spring. We couldn't believe that folks actually live back there. By the time we got to the end, our little Subaru looked like a swamp buggy. We're too old for this stuff. By the time our knuckles were pink again, we were ready for a nice friendly cache. We signed and stamped the log and left a little ducky finger puppet. Then we drove off to find a car wash. Yee Ha!
The Scenic State cache was last. Whew! I was reaching the saturation point.
On the way home we passed through Central Lake, where we saw a man out in his front yard sitting by a campfire playing the guitar. Later we saw a man straight out of Monty Python, doing the silly walk down the side of the road. Weird!
A quick stop at the car wash and at KFC and then home to watch George Mason lose to Florida in the NCAA semi-finals. So now, do we root for UCLA because Melanie chose them, or for Florida because at least they're East of the Mississippi... Weird.
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