Our Chapter Two

I'm such a control freak that camping, for me, is difficult. I can't be this crazy, carefree person that wears the same outfit for four days.    Mabel Ya Gotta Have Friends Before the official end of summer we take the RV out and travel not too far from home for a nice weekend with friends. We decide on the Holiday KOA on Lake Eufaula near Checotah, OK. Near the highway exit but surprisingly we had the feeling of isolation. A large shady park with space for our long bus and slide outs. We have a patio, grill and Adirondack chairs provided. The site has a large swimming pool and playground. While Monty sets up the utilities on the outside, I empty boxes, fill cabinets and set up the inside. Holiday KOA swimming pool That's us on the right We soon realize the refrigerator doesn't work even after checking fuses and propane valve. Nope, no refrigerator. We had brought several Ziploc bags of ice for the cooler but end up using it in the frig and after a couple more bags of i...

Shopping is a bit of a relaxing hobby for me, which is sometimes troubling for the bank balance.  Rebecca Hall The Merc Who doesn't like to wander through a crowded, unique, fun and old time general store? Hear your heels on the wooden floor, climb the antique staircase and sit with a delicious bakery item overlooking a small town?  That's what we found in Pawhuska, Oklahoma recently when we took a trip to visit the Pioneer Woman Merchantile. We are about an hour and a half north from Tulsa. A beautiful part of green country (as we call the northeast part of the state). The rolling hills and large ranches go by as you drive into town. Pawhuska wasn't always this busy. But when Ree and Ladd Drummond decided to open the store in their hometown, here came her fans.  The colors, selection, frenzy The "merc" is a renovated 100 year old Osage Mercantile building on Main Street. We are in the county seat of the Osage Indians. Ree and Ladd have revitalized the town and ot...

Life is a zoo in a jungle. Peter De Vries Recently I took four of my grandchildren to the zoo with their mothers. This is always a great idea, but I forget that these are four little personalities that don't always want to have the fun I want them to have.  My loves They always want to go but forget that it takes a lot of walking, getting through crowds and not paying attention when the sidewalk has choices and they make the wrong one losing the group. Lots of saying "come this way", "not that way".  We rent a stroller for the two smaller girls who are four and the boys walked, jumped, hopped, and ran along.  We had about an hour and a half so not time to see everything but we saw the main animals. No time to feed the fish but rode the train one way. That's always a hit.  I love spending time with all my grandchildren, any time, any weather.  The Group The landscape is wonderful Hugo and Marshall Hugo and Marshall Olive and Lucy trying to get the Tiger to wa...