Those 70ish Girls

Life on the road is not without its challenges. Just because we’re living in a vacation-like atmosphere where calories don’t count doesn’t mean everything is always hunky dory.

Yesterday and today, we have had to deal with a $1275.00 unauthorized charge to our checking account. In the process of trying to dispute the charge, which was the amount of a payment on a loan that’s been paid off for 6 months, they froze our account. We’re in our RV in Wyoming. It costs money to exist every day, and we need access to ours. Kip was getting nowhere with a long line of customer service reps, so I insisted crying might help and got on the phone. “How will I purchase my next rhubarb pie?” I wailed. “It’s spelled, r-h-u-b-a-r-b.”

Thankfully, it finally got resolved, but something like that makes you realize how we’re all too often at the mercy of customer service reps. They have all the power. They can be your angel or your nemesis.

Back to the travel log…

We left Gillette, Wyoming, this morning, and we’re headed for Yellowstone National Park. We spent the past two weeks spending wonderful quality time with son, Mason, his wife, Amy, and their son, Ethan. I even got to spend a little time with grandson, Mase Jr., who is attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie. I went with Amy to a football game in Cheyenne, and Mase met us there. It was a fantastic 2 weeks.

I should mention since I’m blogging about our rv travel experience, that we spent the first 3 days in Gillette attending an FMCA Rally. There were 2500 people attending, and their registration was down 800 from their previous rally. I’m sure fuel prices as high as they are had something to do with it. RV parks have all increased their rates, too. It’s amazing, though, that most parks are up to 50% occupied by permanent Rvers. The rates are always somewhat lower for full-timers.

While at the rally, we got hooked up with a vendor who was able to get the awnings to repair the 3 that were damaged by the Texas hailstorm we endured. That was a piece of good luck. We also got a new mobile internet provider which has made watching television and using our devices much better.

All in all it was a fabulous 2 weeks. We got to eat Amy’s great cooking several times, and Kip and I found good desserts at a couple of the local bakeries for our contribution. Mason and Amy treated us to an outing at the Frontier Auto Museum, which was amazing, and we ate at Lulla Belle’s, a local favorite where you can get a wonderful breakfast. We also spent a fun day at Keyhole Lake where Amy’s mom has a house.

Here are a few pics I took on our drive today between Gillette and Greybull. Next stop…Yellowstone.

What’s cookin? By Lav

https://maryfrancismcninch.com/2021/01/08/murdo-girl-this-old-place/

Easy Peasy Apple Crisp by LAV

I was fortunate enough to get some green apples from a friend’s tree and as the 8 apples sat on my kitchen counter speaking to me or maybe they were staring at me – no – potatoes have eyes, not apples. Anyway, I thought of an easy recipe I had for Apple Crisp which would be simpler than baking a pie. So I got busy this morning, before it got too hot, and put it all together.

Karlyce finished strong with her nostalgic dinners. We had scalloped potatoes and ham, Mexican casserole, and pot roast with all the trimmings. She made peach cobbler, zucchini bread, and Mexican chocolate cake for desserts. Here are a few photos.

We left Greeley Thursday morning and took the scenic route to Laramie. We’re staying at a KOA that we stayed at 8 years ago when we were here. We were on our very 1st RV trip.

The reunion starts today. We have a grandson that attends UW, but he’s not here yet. We will see the rest of our son’s family next week when we get to Gillette.

We’re going to meet 2 of Kip’s sisters for breakfast. The 3rd sister is driving in from Sheridan and will be here early afternoon.

Registration is at the fairgrounds. They’re going to have food trucks, displays, and music from 4-11. First, we’re going to visit the cemetery and drive by all the places everyone remembers from growing up here. Unless you’re a new reader, you know that I love reunions. Eat your heart out, cousin Lav.

We’re still having a good time with Kip’s sister, Karlyce who lives in Greeley, CO. The weather has been almost as amazing as the food. Karlyce is still taking Kip down memory lane by fixing dinners their mother made. I get to go along for the eating.

Since I last reported, we’ve had fried trout with cole slaw, and hamburger gravy served over torn up slices of bread. This caused a little argument. Kip remembers his mother frying hamburgers, which they cut into pieces and tossed with the bread before pouring white gravy over the top. Karlyce, and as it turns out, Kip’s other 2 sisters remember their mom browning crumbled up hamburger and making the gravy with the crumbled hamburger in it. I’m probably not explaining this right, but I’m here to say it is great comfort food. We ate it with yummy sweet corn and sliced homegrown tomatoes.

Yesterday, we took a beautiful drive up to Estes Park. Nellie and Rylie even got to go. Karlyce and I did a little shopping in several of the cute touristy stores before treating ourselves to a great lunch. I had an Elk burger, which was delicious, until I walked outside and saw several Elk basking in the sun. I felt bad.

We usually eat breakfast out…

We have 2 more home-cooked meals to look forward to before we waddle to the reunion. Man, oh man, Karlyce is a great cook!

As my husband and I get older, we think about our birthdays. How should we celebrate? Will this be our last one? Will we get to celebrate with our family and friends? Should we do something special, because we don’t have many more chances to enjoy our time here on the planet?

I’m all for a big splurge. I want to go on a trip somewhere exotic or unique. Some place I’ve never been before. Who knows at my age if I will ever get to go on my dream trip? We usually go out for lunch or dinner at a snazzy restaurant or to eat our favorite cuisine to celebrate senior birthdays. This year I want to try something bigger and better and funner.

This year for my birthday, I told my husband I want to visit Charleston and Savannah to tour the historic homes, museums and Civil War sites. I’ve always wanted to go there. I went ahead and looked into arrangements for such a trip to celebrate being 70ish. My hygienist and friend of 25 years even gave me the name of her daughter’s great travel agency. I called and talked to a travel agent there who had me flying high on ideas and wondrous destinations in the South! He painted a visual canvas of fascinating places to see with stays at old remodeled 1850’s style inns and romantic southern foods at lavish intimate dinners overlooking lush gardens with trees covered in Spanish moss. I was enthralled. I was ready.

The tour trip was called Southern Charms but there was nothing charming about the cost of a week long trip to Charleston and Savannah in the fall. My heart and my hopes sunk. My husband said he didn’t want to go on any tours. He also said it’s too expensive. Maybe I will go alone. It costs half as much that way.

Then later as we discussed what else to do for my special birthday, one like no other, he may have been fooling around, just joking, which he does tongue in cheek quite successfully. I was cooking something at the stove. He said, “I’ll take you out to dinner for your birthday- first to Burger King then to Dairy Queen for dessert.”

I just stared at him a minute.

I hope he wasn’t too badly injured by the flying frying pan.

One of the things I love about RV life on the road is that every day is different. Even if you’re in one spot for a couple of weeks as we currently are, you experience new sights and scenes each day.

Yesterday, I went to lunch with my sister-in-law, Karlyce, and a group of her friends. After lunch, we went back to her beautiful little stone church for an hour of fellowship. Karlyce asked me to read a poem from my “Rhymes for all Times” book. I read, “On any Given Day,” which they seemed to enjoy.

Wednesday night, Karlyce prepared another nostalgic dinner that her mom made when the 4 kids were growing up. She made chicken and noodles served over mashed potatoes and a fresh fruit salad made with fruit and sour cream. It was all amazing. Kip and I brought lemon bars, which are something my mom used to make.

I would encourage you all to take the food walk down memory lane. It prompts a lot of fun conversations about growing up and family times.

This weekend we plan to drive up to Estes Park. We used to go there a lot when we lived in Denver and Kip, and Karlyce’s mom lived in Loveland.

The weather continues to be gorgeous. Coming from Texas, where the heat has been relentless this summer, it’s a real game changer.

The following are pictures taken at the Sheels store. What a fun place. We bought a bunch of dog paraphernalia.