THURSDAY………
A very busy morning as when the contractors arrived we were in the process of preparing to go to Bonne Terre to visit Michael. They needed us to measure and decide EXACTLY where we wanted the four recessed can lights placed as well as the two lights in the sun room’s ceiling. Then the last choices on the light receptacles and switch placements had to be made.
Then they reminded me that I needed to give them the can lights today……and I had forgotten to run up to Farmington yesterday. Sooooo, I sent the 1st Lady on to Bonne Terre and then I went up to the electrical supply place where I had ordered the 5” can lights. They were there this time…..and so I made a quick payment and turned around and returned to F’Town and gave them to the contractor. More decisions had to be made on the ceilings…..and then I drove up to Bonne Terre.
We both returned after lunch and then finished loading TheHowserHouse so that we could leave for Sam A Baker State Park to remain until Monday. Since I am sitting in TheHowserHouse in the Park right now……I cannot check my blog to remind myself exactly what I told you Wed when I last wrote. I discovered that I had a serious leak with my fresh water intake/storage tanks……..soooooo, we cannot use any fresh water, either by hose connection or by putting it in the 60 gallon fresh water tank. This means we have to bring in water to use in cooking or drinking…….so we have a 5 gallon “jug” ( not a real jug)….that we use to fill the fresh water tank when we do not have a connection with a hose……i.e…..like in the Teton National Park when there are no water hookups.
Anyway…….we arrived at Sam Baker in the middle of a cold rain…..but we had reservations and it took very little time to get TheHowserHouse backed into the paved site and hooked up to electricity. Soon, the inside was toasty warm as I turned on the furnace and we were soon sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot tea to take the chill off.
We have no cell phone service down here in the forest and Missouri mountains(????), so I have no online connection, either. On the other hand, we can pick up ONE tv station AND…..I have great reception on my XM Radio!!!! As it was chilly and wet, we remained inside and watched CBS…..and then listened to the Cards WIN the NL championship and head on to the World Series.
I would certainly recommend highly that if you get an RV……go ahead and pay the couple of hundred dollars extra and get the fireplace!!!!!!! It warms the rooms sooooo nicely….and is nice and cheery on a cool fall evening. WELL WORTH the cost!!!!
After the game, we enjoyed the quiet…..only about 5 other rvs here and just read until we gave up and went upstairs to bed.
And with the warmth and quietness……
Life is Great……and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
FRIDAY……
The temps last night dipped into the low, low 30’s……but inside TheHowserHouse it was nice and warm. I awoke around 7:30 this morning and tried to sneak downstairs, but think the 1st Lady was awakened. I closed the bedroom door and then got my coffee dripping……Fr. Roast, of course!
I watched the CBS Early Show……what choice did I have??? NONE!! HAHAHA……but it wasn’t toooo bad. When the 1st Lady came down…..I popped some Cinnamon Buns into the Convection Microwave…..and they cooked perfectly in a few minutes. After tea and Fr. Coffee, the two of us decided to take a walk on such an incredibly gorgeous morning. It was crisp and chilly……..sweatshirts and coats were needed……and before long we were walking besides Big Creek……a fast moving wide stream that is crystal clear. The path is paved for bicycles and walkers…..and so we walked the 2.5 miles up to the other cg here in the Park…..and then stopped in the cg Office and informed them that we arrived last night as our reservations stated.
We then returned to TheHowserHouse arriving about 12:30.…..a GREAT walk through some beautiful fall foliage…….very, very colorful with LOTS of yellows and oranges!!! GREAT!!!
The afternoon just disappeared as we gathered some small tree limbs/twigs to use as kindling for our cg fire……and then drove outside of the Park to a place where you can purchase firewood for next to nothing…….15 logs for $3.00!!!!! Returning home……we sat in the sun, did some reading….and then watched the tons of rvs arriving for the weekend. This is a large cg and has only about 5 or 6 sites that cannot be reserved…..and so it is necessary to reserve a site at this time of the year, which we had done earlier this week.
Tonight, it was fire roasted hot dogs, some baked beans cooked in TheHowserHouse, and then marshmallows cooked over the open fire. The sun dropped quickly behind the “mts.” and the valley chilled quickly as we sat by the fire……getting very, very smoky!!!! Soooo, about 8pm, we went back inside, turned on the fireplace and watched a very poor reception of CBS’s programming on the tellie.
Fantastic weather for using TheHowserHouse in a fantastic setting……..and so,
Life is GREAT…..and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
SATURDAY……
WHAT a beautiful October day here in Sam Baker State Park!!!!! Even better than yesterday………it was much warmer, even though the wind was blowing……making the leaves dance and fly throughout the park. Just incredible……
We had our Fr. Coffee and hot tea…….and then the 1st Lady decided that we should join the Park sponsored “hike” at 11am. Since the day was sooooo nice, I quickly agreed and we drove up to the trailhead around 10:30. After parking, we ambled over to the trailhead sign and were quickly joined by the young family that are camped right next to us……from Ste. Gen. Of course…….I began talking with them….and soon we were exchanging info about our children…they have three young girls….and our vocations and previous vocations(us). Before long the Park Ranger suggested that we head up the trail…..and by that time there were probably 12-15 others……all with children who were anxious to get going.
The “hike” was not exactly as I anticipated….we stopped often and observed the various sounds and other senses that the forest trail provided. Then we stopped to examine leaves and the different shapes. Soon…….the Park Ranger told us we could continue onwards or return with her to the trailhead. The 1st Lady and I immediately decided to continue and we kept going up the trail until we reached the end of the named trail that we were following……at the swimming hole where we, many years ago, used to use with our inner tubes and then float back down to the campground. After a few minutes, we retraced our steps to the junction of another trail and headed up this one…….switching back and forth, zigging and zagging up the side of a high bluff.
We finally reached the top and then following the trail, we found the #1 Shelter House for hikers that are caught in storms or by the lack of daylight. We enjoyed the view….enjoyed the wonderful colors of the trees…..and then continued onwards, as this trail would take us back to the trailhead, via a different…albeit longer hike. After almost two hours we returned to the truck……..a bit winded, but feeling like we had had a great experience and hike. I would recommend it to anyone……about 4 miles of hiking in the forest and up and down the bluffs. It is part of the Mudlick Mountain trail system here in the Park. It was the PERFECT DAY to do something just like this!
We returned to the cg…..and had some lunch……a bit late at it was almost 2:15pm. I told the 1st Lady that we needed to refill one of our large propane tanks in TheHowserHouse……so, we put the tank/bottle in the truck and headed up close to Annapolis, which the Campground Host had directed us to. This refill place turned out to be a weird little hole in the wall……perhaps a general store/liquor store type of place run by a very backwoods lady……who happily refilled my propane bottle….and charged me an ungodly price for her “work”!!!!! DAMN…….she sure did take advantage of me out here in the “boonies”!!! Oh well……..
We came back to TheHowseHouse……and it wasn’t toooo long before someone knocked on the door…..and when I answered it, ….it was the young lady from next door whom we had met at the trailhead this morning. She asked us over to their trailer site for some chili for supper! What a very pleasant surprise!!!!
So, we grabbed some bowls and went over there………spending a couple of hours with the entire family. Being from Ste. Gen, we found some commonalities……she is a Crisis Counselor….and knows our neighbor across the street there in F’Town!!! Then two of their daughters are in band and so we discussed the previous band director that I know very well……they attend Valle Schools in Ste. Gen. They also told me of the “new” director…..and he and I know each fairly well……he used to teach in Arcadia Valley.
Later we invited them over to see TheHowserHouse……..as they have only recently purchased their first RV…..an older model travel trailer……to see if they enjoy camping as a family. From our discussions, it is quite evident that they made a wise choice for them……the seem to love it.
And sooooooo, the night progressed as the 1st Lady….and the REST of the Campground…..listened to the Cardinal game Game 1 of the World Series….which they just won!!! HURRAY!!
And sooooo, once again….after another beautiful and interesting day……
Life IS Great……and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
SUNDAY…….
Another beautiful day…..albeit much colder than yesterday. We decided to drive to Wapappello State Park….about 30 miles here, so we packed us a bit of cheese, fruit, and NO wine!! After all…..I am driving and that is the last thing I need right now is either a fender bender or a speeding ticket while under the influence of my dark red medicine!!!
We attempted to get cell phone service all the way down US Hwy 67.…and finally came to the turnoff for the state park and we had some towers on the phone facing. Sooo, we stopped at the junction where there are several permanent flea market stalls. While I browsed and looked, the 1st Lady made several calls to catch up with the family. Then we took off for the park we wanted to see. Well,……..the camping facilities are horrendous!!!! VERY, VERY uneven gravel with the sites barely able to get into with a small unit…..NOTHING for a big rig like ours!!! I was amazed that it was soooo horrific…..and to make matters worse, the STEEP, STEEP descent down to the cg was one that I would never, never be able to pull TheHowserHouse back up to the main road!!!!!!!! Good God……what would I have done had I started down and then had to continue……it would take a semi cab to pull me out of there!!!!
We did park by the lake at the boat ramp and had our cheese and fruit and crackers. It was soooooo windy and cold that we just picnicked in the cab of the truck…..hahaha. We did read the STL Post Sunday paper that we had purchased at a gas stop.
Returning to Sam Baker State Park, we took a brief detour to go to the COE Old Greenville campground. It is a lovely place with many wonderful sites…..and so we made a promise to ourselves to return there and spend some time. PLUS….with my “Golden Age Passport” from the National Park System…..it will only cost us half of the regular fee for camping…..a GREAT deal for us old age seniors!!!!
Came back to our cg and snuggled in for the evening with the cold winds blowing. We turned on the fireplace, grabbed our current reading materials, and enjoyed the evening in the den of TheHowserHouse.
And soooooo, with another beautiful October day without any responsibilities to worry about……
LIFE IS GREAT…..and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
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