Oh Man....What A Great Trip!

By now you have figured out that we are back and that we had a magnificent time.
Over the next few days I will do my best to walk you through our trip and what we saw and experienced. I will try not to be like the relative that goes on and on with pictures that all look the same.

Friday afternoon we pulled into Camden State Park near Marshall, Minnesota. We had a great site with a view of the valley. The park was only about 25% full Friday and Saturday. Sunday and Monday we had the entire place to ourselves!


Once we were set up and had supper we struck out on a hike and snapped a few pictures for you.


By now it was starting to get dark, but we did spot this bunny.


As the sun set, we were in for a big treat. The moon was almost full and treated us to a good show.



We spotted a hawk looking for bunnies just before dark and saw a feather fall out of the sky. I was able to catch a shot of it falling.


That was about it on the first day of our excellent adventure. Soon I will have some pictures of our quest to visit all 70 Minnesota State Parks so stay tuned for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Another Camping Adventure In The Works

This coming weekend promises to be a great one. We are heading to Camden State Park near Marshall, Minnesota.
This is one of favorite parks with large private sites, great hiking trails, a lake and lots of wildlife.



Camping & Lodging
Camping | Sanitation Facilities

Camping
Drive-in Sites
80 Sites

Located in the Upper and Lower Campgrounds. In winter, 35 sites (9 electric) are available in Lower Campground only.

Pull-Through Sites
7 Sites

All are electric sites and are located in the Upper Campground. 60-foot limit is for drive-through sites only.

Electric Sites
29 Sites

20 in the Upper Campground and 9 in the Lower Campground.

RV Length Limit
50-60 Feet

Length is measured from the front of tow vehicle to rear of the vehicle being towed. 60-foot limit is for drive-through sites only.

Handicapped Accessible Sites
2 Sites

Located in Lower Campground.

Horse Camp
12 Sites

Maximum capacity 50. No reservation required.

Group Camp
1 Site; Accommodates up to 50 people.

The camp is located adjacent to the Redwood River. Tents and pop-up campers are permitted. Facilities include running water, toilet building with sinks and vault toilet, fire rings, picnic tables and enclosed picnic shelter with electric outlets. Camp does not have showers. For group camp reservations, contact the state park reservation service.



Sanitation Facilities
Showers
Located in campgrounds.

Showers usually available mid-May to mid-October. Handicap Accessible.

Flush Toilets
Flush toilet in park office available year-round. Located in campgrounds, north picnic area and beach.

Facilities generally available from mid-May to mid-October. Handicap Accessible.

Vault Toilets
Throughout Park

Handicapped accessible. Available year-round.

Dump Station
Seasonal

Generally available mid-May through mid-October.

Hopefully, the fishing will be good. The lake is very nice with nice areas to launch the canoe.

We each have a three and a half day weekend, so we are excited.

Tune in again soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Bench Update

We had an old park bench that needed some attention. We didn't know how bad it looked until we re-stained the front deck.

So we sanded down the metal and wood and started painting.

Now Sue is working on painting the wood slats.



There is always something that needs doing!

A few days ago I showed you some pictures of the new "wagon" we purchased for the girls. We took them for a ride this past Saturday and they loved it. Well, I think they loved it. I strapped them in with duct tape and they didn't gnaw off their legs. That is a good sign, isn't it?

Tune in again soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I don't know for sure what it is, but I have really been enjoying looking at vintage cars and trucks.

Sue and I discovered a car lot specializing in old vehicles and we have had a great time looking at these classics.

This past weekend we spent some time there looking around and getting a few pictures.

I hope these shots bring back fond memories for you as well.


















I hope you have enjoyed the trip. The folks at Unique Speciality and Classic Cars in Mankato, MN are good people with some great inventory.

Tune in again soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

I Have Had Enough!

Those who know me well know that I am pretty easy going and don't get overly excited about every day matters. Well, I have been pushed over the top!

Let me explain.

Five years ago we installed all new doors and frames on the house and garages. That equates to seven walk doors and four overhead doors. That was a lot of work and money.

All 11 insulated steel doors look like new, but it's the door frames that are taking a beating.

These things are chewing the frames down to nothing!


No foe is safe when I set my mind on conquering the enemy. Ladies and gentlemen....I am on a mission and I will be unrelenting until I win.

The battle is on and I will not cease my quest for success until the war is over and I am the winner.

I have spent countless hours getting myself ready spiritually, mentally and physically for this herculean task.

This is not something you go into with your eyes closed. Anytime you take on wild animals you must be prepared for any situation. There is a lot riding on this so I must be careful, yet vigilant.

Please wish me luck!

After carefully mapping out our property and the location of the damaged areas, I prepared a probability model pinpointing the high probability strike zones.

With great care I set up surveillance zones so I could monitor critter movement in the high probability areas.

I then ran the numbers and determined where to place my physical assets and came up with a placement area that would give me the highest kill probability.

With assets in place, I waited....



The planning paid off. As I monitored the kill zone, I could see lots of ground activity through my spy glasses and heat detection devices. I less than an hour I had my first confirmed victim!



This experience is something I will never forget. The thrill of the hunt has been a life changing experience for me. It goes to show that hard work can reap huge benefits.

The success continues. In the past five days I have caught six of the relentless intruders.

Is the hunt over? NO! I will not consider victory until every last invader has been neutralized.

Tune in again real soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

Have We Gone Over The Top?

Sometimes I wonder about everything we do for our pets. We feed them and occasionally give them water. Is that not enough?
Apparently not!
As you you know we have two wonderful sons...Ben and Andy. We also have the "girls". They are two Rat Terriers names Betty and Lucy.
Now be honest....do you think they are spoiled?

Can you believe it? We bought a cart for the dogs so they could go bike riding with us.
Of course some assembly was required.

Making progress...

And the finished product....

Can you see them smiling?

So there we have it...the girls and their new wagon. I had better go and feed and water them. Is once a week enough?
Tune in again soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"

A Day Full Of Chores

Labor Day for us was a day full of labor for sure. After coffee we hit the ground running with a list of projects to get done.
We have an old park bench we have been restoring. Lots of sanding, tightening , priming and painting.
Sue put on coat number two on the metal legs and sides.

The sides are green and the wood slats will be brown.
The tomatoes in the garden are producing. The plants look terrible, but the fruit is delicious.


Sue was very busy cleaning the windows...inside and out..She is not afraid of anything. Some of our windows are up pretty high, but she tackled the project with gusto. I held the ladder in between working on my own list of projects.
Here is Sue working on the windows in the screen porch.

Some of the windows were accessible with a ten foot step ladder....much safer than some of the windows that needed the extension ladder.

We installed nine new steel doors five years ago. They were primed, but never painted. That has been interesting. Two more of them are almost finished. I had grown fond of the "prime" color. Oh well.
That is all for now my friends. Tune in again soon for another edition of "Now What Are They Doing?"