On the road with Bill & Karen.

Hi Family and friends:

We are doing great.  

  Driving around Council Bluffs, IA & Omaha, NE is the reason for the steering wheel in the truck. 

 A lot of OOPS... another one way go around,

and recalculating from GPS.

Boy, do they love to decorate bridges here.

 

 There is a beautiful foot bridge that connects rails and trails between the two states. It has a nice swing in the breeze, and is closed on high wind days.

So many trails west began here. The Santa Fe, California gold rush and the golden spike was driven into the railroads west here.

 

 Col. Dodge of the Pacific Railroad made his home in

Council Bluffs.

 

Lewis and Clark made first council with the Oto. and Missourians here in the bluffs that surround the great Missouri River.

 

 Today we head for South Dakota along the trail that Lewis and Clark mapped out for President Andrew Jackson.

Bill and I miss and love y'all.  

Keep well and keep us in your prayers as we keep you.

Bill & Karen

Memorial Day at Sandpipers-2014

 

A very emotional program was presented by Stan and his crew...and, as always, they did a wonderful job reminding us of the sacrifices our soldiers have made for hundreds of years.

 

  Freedom doesn't come cheaply.

Excerpts from letters written by young men, far from home spoke of loneliness, fear, but always of the pride they felt serving this nation.  Everyone, including the presenters was brought to tears.

Stan, Karon, Steve, John...and all the veterans and their families...you make us so proud.

 

Louise Gone Feral!

After one month in the mountains of New Zealand and three in the Outback I have gone completely feral. 

 No nail polish,

no toe nail polish (!!!),

 no hair dye, NO HAIR CUT. 

 My last moisturizer gave out three weeks ago. 

 I need help! 

 

 Oh, wait, what is that I see on the horizon! 

It is the town of Perth, Australia. 

It is Tuesday and by Friday afternoon I will be in a full service hotel in Sydney, then on to a cruise where the liquor is free, room service is free and there is a spa and fitness center available 24/7. 

 

 Oh dear Hanna, I have been saved!  Let the pampering begin. 

 

 

 P.S. this photo was taken two days ago while hiking to Mushroom Rock on the Western Australia coast line, near Kalbarri.

And Summer Begins....

A note from Karen:

Jay and I have been quite busy these past few weeks and the light at the end of the tunnel is still too far away. 

 

 Our newest granddaughter, Leona arrived on

Thursday, May 15th at 2:34 am. 

 She has deep blue eyes and was 6 lbs., 11 oz and 19 inches long.

 

  Our move to site 39 will be this week even though many things still need to be done. 

 

On Sunday, May 25th at 5:30 pm please come down to Flip Flopz and join us for a cookout. 

 

Sandpipers will have some hot dogs grilling up, potato chips, watermelon, and vanilla ice cream. 

 

 If you would like to bring a small salad or dessert to share, please do. 

 

We hope to have a water volleyball game right after we eat. 

 

Did I mention  that there will be box wine available at 5:00?

 

 

On Memorial Day Monday, please join us at 10:00 am at the Court of Honor for our program that Stan has put together.  

Eyeballs and Beer-Great Combo!

What a great afternoon...after a dismal morning at the eye doc.  Needle in my eye, weepy pain, enough said...I was not a happy camper, til I got home and was invited to an impromptu beer tasting at John and Sue's, tasting some of the beer she brought back from Wisconsin.

 Sue's mom Bunny held court amongst serious beer tasters...

 John was overcome with emotion when talking with his son and inducting us into the Sandpiper's Beer chapter...something, something, lots of initials. * Give me a break.  I am writing this after drinking more beer that I have in ages.  Somebody had to finish the dregs and they were on the table by me.

*MMABT
 (Metropolitan Milwaukee Assoc. of Beer Tasters-
Sandpipers Chapter)

 Then of course we had to try out the beer popcorn and beer potato 

chips.  Tough job.

 

 More pours....teeny tiny pours...about 76 of them.

 

 

 This was Sarah telling us about how she and Vela will soon be neighbors...they have bought Mike and Sharon's house. 

We couldn't be happier!

 

 

 Empties...at least they were when I finished with them....

 

What a nice afternoon...made me forget my sore eye...or maybe I was numb after all the beer.

The Best Bar in Australia

I have unilaterally declared, “The Lazy Lizard” in Pine Creek, Northern Territories as Australia’s best bar.

  In the very small town of Pine Creek, on the lonely road between Katherine and Darwin, the jumping off place for

 Kakadu National Park, sits The Lazy Lizard.

  Part gas station, part grocery, part RV park and the biggest,

best, most inviting, charming,

 can’t-get-enough-of-it bar in all of Australia. 

 

The building is made of unfinished bricks cut from the ever-present termite mounds.  The décor is Western, with old photos of the, “stockmen” who tamed the horses and managed the cattle. 

 

 The music is easy listening classic rock straight from the United States.  [I really needed Steve J. to be there to help with the artists and actual names of the songs, but I knew the words to all of them.] 

 

The beer is cold, the food home made, the outdoor tables cool and bug free due to lots of fans.  Carved wood was everywhere, even forming the sinks in the bathroom.

 
Yup, I would make a special trip just to go back to that bar. 

The Lazy Lizard is the best bar in Australia—

and I’ve got the T-shirt to prove it.

 

Summer Book Club

Joanie and I have arranged to have the Summer Book Club

again this summer.
  Karen says we can have it in Flip-Flopz. 

 The first meeting will be:

Thursday, June 12, at 7:00 pm in Flip-Flopz

  (and thereafter, on the second Thursday night of each month)

Those interested can talk about any books you are reading or have read lately that you liked.  Also, bring your own drink and some snacks, if desired.

Thanks, Patsy

There Goes the Neighborhood....

Jay's man cave is almost finished but for the roof, which I'll never see 'cause a house now blocks my view.

 

 Jay & Karen led the parade....

 These guys could thread a needle with that home...

they are that good!

 Through hand signals and a few shouted warnings they lined up and plugged in...

The new view out my window...sob.

AANR Ballots-From Pam P.

One of our park residents wrote asking me for my recommendations concerning those running for AANR office since I have been working with all of those people

  for the past 4 years as a Trustee. 

 

Far be it from me to tell anyone how to vote, but it makes perfect sense to give my advice based on experience

when others don't know them at all. 

 

There may be other Peeps out there who would appreciate some guidance concerning the ballot. 

 

 My experience has shown that

Tim Mullins for President

and

Bob Roche for Vice-President

are the best candidates for those positions. 

Thanks -

Pam

The Great Wall of Willis

The Great Wall of China was built to keep out the barbarian hoards....

Hadrian's Wall, likewise, was built to keep the barbarians 

 behind a barrier...

 

 

What is the Great Wall of Willis protecting us from?

But, it is pretty....

A Building Boom

The pool has been drained and is being resurfaced and the Sandpiper logo will be applied to the floor.  Should be gorgeous and the whole army of worker bee's is working hard...and it has been beastly hot.

 Several days ago it topped out at 107! 

It's been cooler lately however. 

 

Good thing too, 'cause we just had our metal mobile roof replaced

 with pretty red shingles. 

 Matches my shutters. 

 Coordination is my middle name.

 

And...we had our master bath remodeled. 

It was a hard-to-clean mess of paper fronted cabinets and a round acrylic shower that I could never get free from mildew.

Now we have a gorgeous, huge, fully tiled walk in shower and real wood cabinets.  Love.

 

And...

next door the Taj Mahal is progressing nicely.

Jay and Karen have the beginnings of quite an estate!

First a never ending train of cement trucks made a sea of white...

Then, yesterday, the pallets arrived with materials to build

the large garage in the corner.

 

Looks like enough bricks to build The Great Wall of China!

Can't wait to see what happens next!

Check back...I understand the mobile is in the valley just waiting for a delivery date!