Hell’s Half Acre

Leaving Michelle’s, we decided to hit Trader Joe’s and stock up on organics before we left Illinois.  It was raining and it should have occurred to me that going to TJ’s in a 5000ft rig was probably an idea best forgotten.  Course, it did occurr to me, but only much later in hindsight.
I didn’t have [...]

This will be really boring to anyone but family; pictures of the kids in the snow. 
Jesse
A Pretty one for Chrissy This is in Michelle’s back yard
Ellen decides snow is best eaten
Horses (and the girls – way to the right) at the Farm this is behind Michelle’s house to the east
Sissy decides to partake [...]

US Turkey Day (to differentiate from Canadian turkey day) was spent in fine fashion.  Helping Michelle and Liz (her SIL) prepare the feast, nursing Ellen and watching the kids play in the snow.  We gorged ourselves quite well and really, I have nothing else to add.  Must be the triptowhatever in the turkey.  ZZZZZzzzzzzzz
Instead of [...]

It was wonderful to see Michelle and the kids again, as she rushed them off to school (half day) and she headed for the gym.  When we woke to clear skies and warm (for Illinois) temperatures, we felt a bit foolish for our marathon drive the night before.  Even Michelle doubted it would snow, though [...]

Does one little city deserve a whole post?  I suppose it does.  It is a tiny city, but it is where we got our home.  Back in California; when we were trying to decide which travel trailer to purchase, Jamie was pretty sold on the Keystone Laredo 284BHS.  We saw one in Martinez and while [...]

We found the sun!!!  Woke this morning to ice on the car for the first
time; I guess we found the humidity also.    Arrived late last night
(around 5:30) and we’ll never start late in the day again.  Made the day
seem incredibly long.  Kids had a blast at Grandma Elinor’s and were
having so [...]

Woke really late (8:30 central) and actually woke the kids up as they
could have slept longer.  had breakfast in the hotel restaurant (kids
ate free but it was still $20 for the 6 of us).  Sausage was deep fried
(??!!), potatoes were deep fried (???!!!)),  and I think they would have
deep fried the coffee (Folgers, of course) [...]

I think my brain died.  Rain rain rain rain.  Nebraska, Iowa.  Rain.  We
hit the largest town so far – Des Moines.  It stretched for quite a
ways.  I think the largest town off 80 since California.  Nebraska was
just as flat as feared and we started the day with a lovely bruhaha.  We
got breakfast coupons (one of [...]

We have left the desert behind.  East of Cheyenne (but before Nebraska)
we hit farmland and the trademark of the midwest; water towers.  What is
it with those water towers?  We’re still at some elevation but a lot of
the flat landscape has been converted to farmland.  We’re just now going
through Pine Bluff and it looks like it [...]

Up at 6am and on the road by 7:20.  I’d packed the car the night before;
it is breakfast (ad the kids eating it) that is taking so long.  Maybe I
need to get them up at 6am instead of 6:15 so we can get on the road
earlier…

I thought sure they’d all be sleeping by now, but [...]