Anne Shirley's Apprentice: August 29, the antepenultimate day of the Month.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

August 29, the antepenultimate day of the Month.

The Stowaway's cake. I'll have to get a picture of the Boy's cake from the Stowaway.
I made the Stowaway a birthday cake yesterday (the 29th). Making anything a surprise for the Stowaway is easier said than done. Making a surprise in the kitchen is impossible. She claimed medical reasons for needing food (remember, she has a weak constitution) so the surprise wasn't nearly as good as the Boy's birthday cake was. (He turned seven on the 25th) He is a total NASCAR fan and a Lowes (Jimmie Johnson) fan. I managed to convince him that I was decorating his cake like the Home Depot (Joey Logano) car. I tried really hard to make his cake look like Jimmie Johnson's car, but there was a food coloring malfunction (the food coloring turned out to be light blue, not navy) and that failed in the first step. Just as I had decided that half the tube was as much color as I could add without bad aftertaste setting in, I realized that the color was exactly right for The King from Cars. Fortunately, the Admiral is a fan of Richard Petty, so the Boy is also a fan of The King. So that's the cake he got.
The Stowaway got a much more simple cake, since a) she wouldn't stay out of the kitchen, b)she is 21, so the outside of the cake isn't so important and c) she has a weak constitution and too much sugar is bad for her, so it's okay if the icing layer is a bit thin. Really though, it was a pretty cake, according to the Harbor Master it was "Happy and Sunshiney like the Stowaway when she is in a good mood." It also tasted good, which is important as well. Persons well enough to leave the house went to Mass last night, so that the girls could get an early start on their drive to FL (they didn't) and so that we didn't have to leave the sick ones during the day.

Today, the penultimate day of the month, was a day for resting and recovering. It was also the day that I realized we have nine days before the day we plan to leave. There is so much to do between now and then that it is really ridiculous. We are old hands at packing on a moment's notice. No big deal. We'll be fine. Piece of cake. All we have to do is finish packing up all of the books, clothes, things we won't need etc., find homes for three cats, some chickens and a tankful of guppies, pack the camper, and find out where we're going. And I start school on the day before we leave. Wahoo!
It's gonna be great.

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Where We've Been

July 5- The Vineyards Campground, Grapevine, TX. Nice campground with a lake in the back yard and a marina full of yachts to watch.
Feb 26-March 5, 2010. Pueblo West Campground and Arena, Pueblo West, CO. This park has essentially no rules, and therefore has all of the perks and disadvantages of a park with no rules.
Feb 25-26, 2010. High Plains RV Park, Oakley, KS. This park is advertised as an overnight campground with resort like amenities. It delivers that as well. We did have some power issues, as there was not enough power to run lights and heat to everything that had to be kept warm, but we worked it out and had a fine time.
Feb 24-25, 2010 Lazy Days RV Park, Montgomery City, MO. This was an extremely pleasant place to stay, even in the middle of winter and with everything closed. Absolutely no complaints.
Feb 18-24, 2010 Firehouse Campgrounds, Jefferson, PA. We chose this park because, well, because there weren't many options. It serves as a resting place mainly for construction workers waiting for thier jobs to pick up in the spring. The quarters are rather cramped, but the campground does have decent restrooms and a laundry room. The roads through the campground, however, are really bad, covered in ice and snow, and, now, half melted goop.
Feb 14-17, 2010 Homestead Campground, Green Lane, PA. I can't say enough in favor of this place. There are no shower houses, etc. but this is the second time we have stayed here. The first time we were away overnight during a snowstorm and we returned to find not only plowed roads, but also Tallulah shoveled out and even her steps swept off. That just about covers what staying here has been like for us.
Feb 13, 2010, Wiltshire Motel, Breezewood, PA. Although this little motel doesn't look like much, (I am not sure I would exactly recommend it for a person actually looking for a hotel) it is a very accomodating place, and the only one that will allow you to plug your RV into your hotel room. There is also a convenient crack underneath the door, through which an extension cord fits perfectly. LOL.
Feb 12, 2010.Heartland Resort, Greenfield, IN. We thought this place would be fairly nice as it was large and the website makes it sound up to date and pleasant. The most annoying thing was that the electricity was at the front end of the camper, and the cord is located in the back. Other than that, the Heartland Resort is nothing more than a last resort for us. However, we did see a weasel hunting birds as we were packing to leave, and that was very cool.
Feb 4 - Now Whispering Oaks Campground. At first we thought this place was a little creepy, but actually, it is a fairly convenient place to be snowed in. Propane for the heater is available on site, the owner plows the roads daily, and there is a giant hill behind our camper.
Feb 1- Feb 3, 2010 Crossroads RV park, Mount Pleasant, IA. A decent place, but the laundry room and restrooms are closed for the winter.
Jan 29-Feb 1, 2010 Indian Hills Inn, Albia, IA. We knew when we looked at the website and saw the indoor pool that this place was going to be great. We were right. From the people who came out into the sub-zero wind chill weather to help us set up to the heated pool, this place was terrific.
Jan 28, 2010 Quality Times, Mount Vernon, IL. A nice place to stay for a night. Very nice persons in charge. We heard rumors of terrible mud, but had no trouble with that because everything was frozen solid.