Greetings from Jim, Pat and Thor

We are back on the road again…. on our second leg of our vacation.  This year it is kind of taken in increments.  The first few nights out, we met up with our good friends, Char and Denny.  We just love being able to see them again, and catching up with all our news and travels.  They are full timers now.. and enjoying it to the fullest.  Always look forward to meeting up with this wonderful couple…

 

While in Galena, Illinois, we drove over to see President Grants home.  While we were not able to see the inside, it was nice to see the home. 

 

 

 

 

 

Our travels took us on up North, and into Wisconsin.  As you know, this is cheese country…. and you know what that means, right?  Yes….  mice…   Everyone out there knows how Jim loves them.   So, when we were passing by this fella, we naturally had to stop and take a picture with Jim and his friend…Igor. 

 

 

We drove on up  the route along the Mississippi.  It was quite a pretty drive, and we enjoyed it. 

While driving through Wisconsin, we saw quite a bit of Amish farms.  The horses that they have are awesome, and beautiful.  We came upon this mother and baby, which we thought was precious.  The Mother was not interested in us at all, but the little one was somewhat curious about us, and why we were taking pictures..

 

 

While in the area of Sparta, Wisconsin, we found these tunnels fascinating.  They are very interesting, in their history.  Trains ran through the  tunnels.  They are now used for many of the bike trails here.  The rails have been removed in the early 1990’s.  If you notice the big gates, there was another set on the other side.  They were opened up for the trains passing through by a railroad man, and closed again when the train passed through.  He had a guard house on one end, and his job was to open and close the gates upon the arrival and passing of each train.  We walked into the tunnel, and the temperature was at least 20 degrees cooler than the outside.  Soot from the trains covered the  roof of the tunnel.  I  can only imagine the noise when the train was passing through. 

 

 

From the inside of the tunnel, looking out, this   was the  view.  The fog gave it a somewhat eerie appearance…

 

 

 

Sparta is not flat land, like other parts of Wisconsin, and even somewhat mountainous, as you

see, from the lookout of Wildcat Mt. State park.  Even with  the rain, it was a beautiful  view.

 

 

Our campsite, while visiting Sparta, was at Fort McCoy.  It was a very pleasant place to stay, and

we enjoyed it.  Each campsite was very wooded, and back away from the next camp.  I  enjoyed

it very much… even with the reveille and retreat being played out on loud speakers over the whole

base.  It was too much memories of the Army for poor Jim.  I think he had fears that they were

going to keep him.  All and all, it was a very interesting experience.

 

Sparta is the bike riding capital, and there are bike paths all over the town.  We had to take a

picture of this guy… “ Ben Biking”.. isn’t he cute?  Everyone in town seems to know who he is,

and knows he is the biking mascot.  The paths run for miles, and every one who bikes seems to

come here.  For such a small town, I found it quite impressive how they have make such a nice

and beautiful place for all the biking community.

 

 

The biking paths run over beautiful bridges such as this one.

We will be on our way again tomorrow, to South Dakota, so we will be back, telling you all the news. 

It has been so nice and cool up this  way , and with all the news we have been hearing about the

heat Georgia has been having, we are most thankful, and enjoying it.

Till we see you again… take care…. and… as always….  WALK SOFTLY….

 

Jim, Pat and Thor

Jim, Pat and Thor on the move again….

We are so sorry that it has taken so long to get our blog out… but we have had two very sick little computers…. :-(
Our trip to South Carolina was very nice… even with all the pollen that covered our newly washed and waxed truck and camper.
  
We arrived, got all hooked up, while greeting and talking to our wonderful friends.  The campground is very nice, spaced nicely, and wooded.  Of course, Thor was SO excited, being near his old friend, Myrddin.  They just had SO much to talk about!!! 
Behind us, was our  friends, Char and Denny.   It was wonderful being with them again, we had so much to catch up on, and of course, the fellas had to go shopping together to the auto stores.  This gave Char and Pat lots of time to catch up on all the goings on of  the last year. 
First, we attended a computer class, held by the Geeks on Tour couple, Chris and Jim Guld.  We attended their computer boot camp last rally, and it was great.  Seems like each time we go, we learn more!!  This is such a great couple, and we are looking forward to seeing them again in Goshen at the Escapees Rally in September.  Jim and Linda Smith were at the next table… learning lots too~



Pat’s computer buddy, Denise, was at the rally too, did not get to see her as much as we would have liked, but we did get in some good times together…  (Pat even got her to get a poodle skirt for the 50-60’s night..!!


*******PARTY TIME*********
At last.. it was “50-60’s  night!!!  What a blast it was!!!  All of us “old folks” remembering our youth…   Of course, most of us forgot our bodies were not 20 any longer, and most of us could not walk the next morning, but.. what the heck… we had  a romping good evening.. dancing to the old tunes, singing along with them, and generally getting lost in the 60’s….   Some wore what we had wore at that time, and got lots of laughs out of that too.   Pat was so lucky, her wonderful friend, Pat McConnel made her poodle skirt… and she received compliment after compliment on it during the evening.   Of course, it had to be combined with Jim’s ring on a chain, and a letter sweater (borrowed from her friend, Sarah Peck).  It was finished off with white shoes, bobby socks, and red shoe laces.   Wow.. what a hoot.. even got a compliment after the party, walking home, from another camper, walking by us… Thanks again, Pat McConnell…   you made the day… 



This picture was taken by Chris Guld, and was in her blog..
Leaving, and saying goodbye to all our RV Dreamer friends is always difficult… but the rally came to a end. all too quickly, and we had to say…  “See you Again”…
We look forward to seeing ya’all again next year.. if not before…
Our next stop was Plaines Georgia… to see Jimmy Carter’s home town.  So strange, living in Georgia all these years, and not seeing it.  But we thought it was high time to do so.  It was very educational, and we learned a lot about our 39th  president.   We visited his high school, where he attended, saw the class room where he learned his ABC’s, and viewed lots of documents and pictures of him and his wife during their early years in Plains and where he campaigned for President.  It is just a wide spot in the road, even now, but we were told they still get thousands of visitors monthly, even after all this time  The train station was his headquarters. 







Yesterday we drove a few miles over to see Fort Sumter, also known as Andersonville Prison Camp.  What a sad place that was.  We have wanted to go and see it  for years, especially after my genealogy work I have done on my Father’s line.  We were able to get a tape that played while we drove through the park.  It was very well kept up, and it left you with a deep feeling of thankfulness to all the young people that lost their lives here.  Over 2,000 young lives lost … and this was all in a period of only 14 months!! 
We viewed where the stockade and the line of the prison, which was marked in posts, where thousands of men were imprisoned.  The small tents were what they made for themselves, to try to protect from the elements.  In front of one of the walls, you will see manacles, where they were held by their ankles..  The cages around the trees were where they   tied to tunnel out, but were almost always caught…  It was a difficult thing to view, but something everyone should try to go and see.  As always, we have a lot more pictures, but due to space, we have just chosen these few … 
The last picture is a small portion of the gravesites that were here.  




Tomorrow, we head back home.  It has been a wonderful time, seeing our friends again, and seeing things and places we have not seen before.  As always, the time simply flew by.  We will be home for abut 4 weeks, and we will be heading out on our next trip to Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota.  Gives Thor and us time to catch our breaths, and pack up again..  We are having a great time, and want to thank you for joining us on our journeys…  Till we head out again, will say Good-by…..  take care now… as always… Walk Softly……..
Jim, Pat and Thor…

Newspaper article at the Balloon Festival...and more..

A week or so ago we promised to put in the newspaper article that was done while we were attending the balloon festival. Has taken awhile to get it to you, but here it is...
(to enlarge the pictures click on them)

On the way back home, we visited a few places that were of historical importance, and we found very interesting. The Texas Ranger Museum was of special interest to Jim. Men seem to be very interested in law enforcement of years ago. The guns that they had on display was very well put together. Jim even got to handle one, and was astounded how much they weigh! The art work through out was beautiful. I found especially interesting the display they had on Bonnie and Clyde. It included the guns that were used at the time of arrest and pictures, that were somewhat gruesome, I felt. Outside of the building was a awesome statute of a Texas Ranger on his horse. The whole showing of the Rangers was done is such good taste, and very interesting, that I would highly recommend anyone passing by that way to stop in and see it.

In case you would like to look into visiting, it can be found in Waco, Texas

Our last stop, while heading back home, was Vicksburg Military Park in Mississippi. Even though we had visited the park before, we still found it interesting enough to want to go back again. The park is a drive through, and a cassette can be obtained, telling one about each stop along the way.

After its surrender, Vicksburg became an occupied city for the rest of the war. In Feb. 1864, Maj. Wm. Sherman marched across the state from Vicksburg to Meridian in the first manifestation of his concept of total war that would later "make Georgia howl' during the March to the Sea.

The drive though the park is 16 miles long. For history buffs, this is a absolutely must to see.

At the end of the drive, is the Union ironclad gunboat, U.S.S. Cairo.

On December 12, 1862, while steaming up the Kazoo River, it was destroyed by two explosions, tearing gaping holes in the boats bottom. Within minutes, it sunk. It was the first vessel in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo, which is today called a mine.

In the 1960's, it was brought up and preserved, where it can now be seen by the public. It is now on display at the a U.S.S. Cairo Museum adjacent to the Vicksburg National Cemetery.

So.. it was finally time for us to head on back home. Even Thor said he was tired!!! The last day was not the best of days.. It rained all night and kept up raining the whole trip back to Conyers.

Those who travel in RV's know what a nasty job it is, breaking down and traveling in storms.. But we made it home.. for which we were very thankful. It is always so great, coming home too..

Hope you enjoyed our vacation with us... it was nice having you along...

Till we get itchy feet (and tires) again... everyone take care... God bless...

Smile... enjoy life... and as always... Walk Softly.....

The Thomas'

Jim, Pat and Thor

RV Dreamers rally...

wow...... what a wonderful time we had!! It was four days packed with good food, wonderful fellowship and meeting lots and lots of new folks.

We arrived a day early, so we were able to see all the rigs come in and meet the new kids on the block early. It was neat!

Howard and Linda really outdid themselves this year. I don't know how they will top this one.

The campground the rally was held at is Buckhorn Lake RV resort. It is such a nice camp. The pads we parked our rigs on were cement, and level!! wow. It was so easy Full hookups, which meant I could have WiFi for my Face Book!! double wow, with sugar on it.. cable TV too. We even had a small place behind our camper so folks could putt for their golf practice. It was well kept and clean.

Such a nice place to stay for the week. As we drove in the camp, we were greeted with this huge

windmill. It was beautiful. Of course, at night it was all lit up, which was right outside of our rig!

This is a picture of the entrance with the windmill.. isn't it pretty?

During the rally, we had two catered dinners, which were delicious! These folks in Texas sure can cook!! One night was a chili cookout. I brought my "Plain Jane Chili". It was not as fancy and spicy as a lot.. but people seemed to like it too. I know the judges had a difficult time choosing the winner. There were 15 entrances to be judged. People could not seem to find just one they liked, so they were all walking around with plates with 6 or so little bowls all on their plates!! Maalox, here we come!!!!

During the rally, there were many seminars given. We did not attend all of them, due to the reason, mainly, that they were geared toward people wanting information about going "full-time". We are just "part-timers", and not selling our home and everything, like these folks are doing. But, we were very grateful that we were able to give some of the new timers some of

our advise that we had learned over the years. They were all such a great bunch of "newbies".

Our "next door neighbors", Jim and Linda, were folks that we met at one of the campgrounds on the way to the rally. They have the sweetest little dog that I have ever seen. His name is "Boo".

This is short for something that I cannot remember tho. I absolutely fell in love with him.

I am determined to find a way to find a way to own one just like him. As you can tell by the

picture, he is my buddy...

Our last day here was a barn burner!!! In the afternoon, a lot of the folks had a "open house" with their rigs. It is a favorite with the RV Dreamers rally attendees We had a few couples here that have not be able to decide what kind of rig they wanted to full time, so this helped them a lot, Of course it was a wonderful excuse to just sit and "jaw". It was enjoyed by all..

The evening was a hoot. It was a "Western Ho Down", with a catered dinner (with the most tender, HUGE pork chops any of us had ever seen!) After the dinner, it was time to work off all that huge dinner.... so it was time to line dance. There were a lot that danced, but a lot of us that just got a kick watching them all!


Our sponsors for the rally, Howard and Linda Payne got right out there on the floor and really hoofed it up. They stayed on the floor all night, even after the others dropped off and out..

This is a picture of them line dancing... and showing them all how to do it!!

The caller told everyone that it was just starting.. and that the Cotton Eye Joe was next. Groans...

But, they all got a cool drink and went to it. Even Speedy and his lovely wife, Sherrie got on the floor for this one... We all loved watching them.. but after one dance, he declared he was "too old for this". But, he gave it a good try..

Most everyone was in western garb, and I was even a able to get Jim in a western shirt!!!

I grabbed by cowgirl hat on the way out, and we were ready for the night...

Our good friends, which we met at last rally sat at our table, and we had such a good time! They are full timers now, but are from Iowa, right across the river from us when we lived in Illinois.

Jim and Denny spent hours comparing floods, work, and talk about music. Char, his wife, is such a wonderful gal.. and we both just love her to death..

She LOVES to line dance too.. even when it wears her absolutely out. She got off the floor, but we caught her dancing to the music on the side ground.

Denny is a absolutely wonderful singer, and he brought along his guitar, and sang to us between sets. Both Jim and I and everyone would have loved to have him sing the whole evening!! Lots of

pictures were taken of him while he was singing, so thought we would add ours too so you could see him. (Can you guess... he loves Johnny Cash songs?) We are looking forward to seeing him and Char next rally, if not before..

The next morning everyone met at the big red barn for a breakfast, good by. It was a teary, sad time for lots... everyone asked, how can we get so close to a group in just a week? Easy.. we all are "family". Speaches and lots of tears later, with lots of hugs, we were all on our way to our next destinations, with promises to meet again next year.

Our next stop was at a COE park in Texas. Only traveled about a hundred miles, but it is a great park. Time to just relax and unwind after a week of excitement and fun. We are sitting on a lake, with lots of trees around and lots and lots of deers around our rig!! The man across the way is feeding the deers, so when they hear him they all come running!!! Such a beautiful site to see!! Here is a picture of one that was taken out our back window..

Guess that is about all for now. We are on our way now to see a Army buddy of Jim's and visit with them a bit, and see their new house. We have been out on the road for a month now, but it sure does not seem possible. We have had a ball....

Take care now, all. and we will be back in a few days.

Don't forget... enjoy life.. and as always... Walk Softly.....

Pat, Jim and Thor.