Geocaching Stoddard County Missouri
We got up and around early this morning. Were trying to beat the heat. Left here about 730 am and headed for our first hunt. Was in an old cemetary at the north limits of Dexter. Teri found that cache right away. Had to get information from certain headstones then translate that into coordinates. I do not like these kind. Give me the coords and lets go.
Always interesting headstones.
Off to our second hunt.
This is a very nice and well kept cemetary. Lots of US Veterans are here. I hope that it can always be kept in the shape that it is now. Very pretty place for a permanent resting place.
Our third hunt took us to this old log cabin. It was built in 1872. Has been moved from Clines Island to the city park in Bloomfield. You can see that Teri found this one. Did not take her long either. She is good at this.
One of my favorite spots this morning. It got hot, real hot, before we finished. What little shade I found felt really good. Checked my email sitting here while Teri was out chasing her fourth treasure of the day.
We finished at the Stoddard County Civil War memorial and cemetary. These fellas all fought in the civil war. Ckick the picture so you can read the front of this headstone.
Now, click this one so you can read the back of the same headstone. Cracked me up when I saw it. Most of the headstones told how the soldiers died. This one seemed to have survived the battles but lost the fight to a mob.
By the time we finished the fourth cache it was 930 am and very hot. We headed back home. Was 92 degrees here at 10 am, and that is in the shade. As soon as the weather breaks we plan a bigger all day "hunt" over in western Ky. and Tn. Lots of great caches along the eastern side of the Ms. River.
I hope that it is cooler where you are. Enjoy your weekend. Friday has rolled around one more time.
Dan
Heat Wave in Missouri
Whew, have I mentioned that it is hot in Missouri? Well, it is 95 right now but it is 78 inside. Guess where I am. Teri and I have not spent a summer in Mo. since 06. We picked the wrong year to hang out here. I keep having these dreams of Tillamook, Oregon. Teri and I will need to stay here until the last week of July. She has committed herself to another week of Bible Camp and our grandson, from Indiana, will be here. I think that Friday, when camp ends, will be a good time to head to the northern most point of Michigan. If fuel prices come down, or hold, maybe Oregon will see us. Gas dropped a dime here yesterday, 2.49.
Here are the bargains I got after Teri got loose from the doctor yesterday. Last night I got 5 of them into the ground. This morning the other 4 went in. Now to work with them and get em to catch up with the others. Lots of water and Miracle Grow really works wonders on these plants. We will have the front yard all hedged in. I have much of the back yard done but need a few more "3 dollar deals" to finish it up. This will give our grandchildren boundries while out playing.
I guess the bug and GMC are feeling neglected but I just can not get into the mood for work out there. I need to install my new seats in the bug. I think my next major undertaking will be to remove the fiberglass frontend of the bug and do the ball joints and tie rod ends. I may have the originals, I don't know, but new ones are about to happen. I like to be safe so the frontend will get a work over soon. It steers great but I just want all new. I can feel a little shimmy on the right side when I hit the brakes hard. May just be the tie rod end but I am thinking ball joint. Got some slop in it when I jack it up and shake the wheel. I need to get the steering wheel centered up too.
Alright, I think it is about nap time around here. Teri and Tyler are snoozing away in my bed. Guess I will sack out in the spare room. I have to take a test tomorrow, cholestrol. I will be glad to get this doctor visit over with. I need to rest up for it.
Classic Vehicles
Oh yea, a work in progress. I love these kind of vehicles. I guess you can tell that by the ones I drive. Anyway, took Teri to a doctor's appointment in Cape Girardeau this morning and found this ride. He was pulling into the same lot I was and I got his permission for a shot. He is mighty proud of this truck and the keg for a gas tank in the bed. Don't have to worry about dinged doors on these kind of vehicles. I just thought it was cool. Makes my bug look almost finished, don't it.
I forgot to tell you that my Teri was the female councilor of the week, at camp. She was nicknamed "Scary Teri" by some of the girls so she is giving her scary face here. She worked hard at camp. Teri is a real sacrificer too. I was in charge of the snack shack. If I saw my favorite ice cream bar getting low I would grab one before the kids got there. Not Teri. She said "oh save that for the kids, I will take one of those". That meant she grabbed the least eaten by the kids. See, I have a real winner here. If she reads this she will not be happy but I like to share my good fortune with everyone.
We picked up some plants in Cape today. Walmart was the only place I could find what I wanted. And, they had the last nine plants marked down from 7 bux to 3. I wanted ten but nine was good enough at that price. I felt pretty fortunate to grab those at that price. Will wait for the sun to go down to set them out. It is 95 outside and only 80 in the house. Not hard for me to decide where I want to be right now.
Naptime here. I have had a rough day. 120 miles in an air conditioned car. An hour sitting in the doctor's office, then over to Sam's Club and Walmart. Yea, I deserve a nap.
Thanks for stopping by.
Dan
The GMC is Home Again
It was a great week. I love that GMC. It is great. Kept me cool and with satellite tv and internet. Was very comfortable, as it always is. Brought it home today and unloaded it. Looks good in the driveway but I know it is ready to roll again. Man, it drives good. While doing 60 mph I was checking the steering. Take my hand off and it just went straight as an arrow. It would not to that when we bought it. Would have slammed right off into the ditch. I needed 4 hands to drive it back when we got it in 2004. So much fun to operate and rides like an airplane. I bet it did not handle like this brand new. I have a friend that has a shop out in Fremont, Ca. He and his boys have really made this thing a joy to drive. Thanks Jim.
Well, I tried to be as nice as I could be at camp. Did not want to set a bad example for the kids by getting caught doing mischief. So, I did not get caught. Won't let you in on everything but I will say that the camp director's door knob got a good dose of peanut butter mixed with Hershey's chocolate syrip. He just could not keep it to himself after he cleaned himself and the knob up. Seems the ants took over the door after that little episode. Have you ever grabbed a door knob covered with that stuff, in the dark? I laughed myself to sleep that evening. He had no way to prove anything.Teri is doing laundry for the 4 twins. I think their dad will head this way from Monroe, La. early in the morning. She has bathed them and got them all napping right now. Teri is a good aunt. Tonight will be fun. I think 3 of our grandkids are coming over to see the twins. May have to stick all 7 of them in the back yard and give them the water hose.
Just wanted to let you know that we survived. The other councilors were very envious of our GMC sitting there for my pleasure, especially after a couple of days of rain and extreme heat.
Hope everone has a great weekend and stays cool. Thanks for hanging out with us this week at camp.
Dan
A GMC Motorhome @ Bootheel Youth Camp
I would have never dreamed, 41 years ago, that I would be here sleeping in comfort. I really never thought I would live to be this old, ha. As a first year camper, in 1968, I was one of the small guys here. Back then the boys were big and a bit on the wild side. The camp board had to pass a rule to get the big boys to stop coming after they reached 18. One of my best friends was the cause of that rule. He was 21 years old and still a "camper".
I have lots of real stories I could tell these campers but am trying to keep them to myself. Might stir something up in their minds that does not need stirring up. I do not believe that I ever got caught pulling pranks when I was here. I don't recall being caught. Sneaky was always the name of my game and never look guilty. I better stop thinking about this, or I might be tempted to pull a few pranks tonight myself.
This is my camper sweetheart. She looks good even after sleeping in the hot cabin. Can't even hold hands here so when I get a kiss I have to sneak it. Last night there was a knock at my door. I got my kiss then.
It is 3 pm, the heat of the day. The boys are swimming and the girls are doing crafts. Here I find myself under the roof air of a nice comfortable GMC coach. Well, better check the stock market real quick, thow a little water on my face, to look sweaty, and head back out there.
Thanks for checking on us.
Dan
Roughing It
Teri is sleeping in one of these. She is a full time girl's counselor. This is roughing it. I am sort of a "floater". I do whatever needs done. Doing a little preaching Wednesday evening. So, I don't need to rough it. They need to make sure I stay comfortable.
Just a few shots around the camp.
I think we have 80 acres of woods here.
I was a kid when we opened this camp, in 1968. Was a first year camper at 14 years of age. I loved it as I got to come and be with friends and no field work. I did not have it bad on the farm, by any means, but this was a lot more fun. My dad was one of the founding board members. I took his place in 1985 and served through 1997. Now that I am retired they are quizzing me about it again. I told them when we quit traveling I will work once more as a board member.
See, they make sure I stay comfortable. What better way to hang out with a bunch of kids. I can always come inside here. Air conditioned, satellite tv, and internet. Plus, I have my own shower and bathroom. Gmc motorhomes are just the ticket for a guy like me.
Keep checking on me. I may need help with this job later in the week.
Dan
My GMC Motorhome Buddy
Now, here are two happy guys. All the peanuts we can eat. What could be better? Tyler comes over quite a bit. He likes peanuts, Vdubs, and GMC Motorhomes. Hmmm, seems he enjoys some really great things. We must take the motorhome out for a couple of nights of fishing when Teri and I get back from camp.
We had the Missouri Gregg reunion today. There were about 50 of us there. Too much food and a lot of great visiting. I came home, grabbed a nap and then cut the grass. It is 90 degrees here. Sure glad I am not sleeping with Teri this coming week, in a cabin, at church camp. The GMC is going to be nice, air conditioning, internet, satellite tv, and my own referigerator.
My rother, Matt, is on his way up from Monroe, La. He is bringing his 4 twins and leaving them at camp with us this week. The two oldest are identical and it is going to be fun.
Check in on us. This is an educational time but also a lot of fun. I actually opened up this bible camp in 1968 as one of the first campers. Hey, I was happy to get off the farm and head to camp. Sure beat hoeing cotton.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. I am about to relax and watch the race in Kentucky. I was at that track two weeks ago.
Dan
The GMC is Ready to Roll
I could hear the coach talking to me this morning as we cruised through town. I had it all washed, vacuumed, batteries topped off, and off to town we went, for fuel. One happy coach. It has been 3 weeks since it brought us home from our last trip. I could tell, yesterday, that it knew we were fixing to take a trip. Even though it is only a few miles to our destination, I will be living in the coach all next week.
We rode around town just checking things out. No noises, it is ready. There will need to be 4 new tires put on before we take a long trip. 4 of the tires are showing some cracking in the sidewalls and we do not like that. Treadwise they look new but the sidewalls are what hold us up. 5 years, 6 max, is all I will run tires. Plus, these have sat in the Arizona sun for several hot weeks over the last two years.
Was nice to have my friend, Rick, spot us at the filling station and pull in to visit. He is a blog reader so he knew the coach, even though he may not have ever seen it in person before. Still need to throw a few clothes in and some grub in the refer. Will turn it on tomorrow so it can get cold. Will stick the satellite receiver and internet card in after I get a nap. Worked myself too much this morning so its break time. Retirement is rough.
Dan
GMC Motorhome Owners, What did You Do To Your Coach Today?
I can tell you that I feel like a professional sewer rat after today's chore. 2 years ago we were in Az. for the winter. Twice the temperature dropped to 12 degrees. When that happened our sewer valve and maserator froze up. When the temperatures rose I got it working again but had a leak, just a little. Tinkered with it and got it to stop. Later, in Septemeber of that year, the rod pulled out of the gate when I hit the 12 volt switch. This gate is electric. I pryed it open and all was ok, for a while. When we got home, this Spring, I decided it was time to fix the stuck open gate. I could see it had a drip again. Pulled everything out and put different rubber seals in. Even put pictures up on the blog. Off we go for a 2 week trip. When we get home I see it leaking again. Today was the day. I can not stand something not working properly on the motorhome.
No pictures today. I spent 4 hours out there under that coach. Took the gate down and worked with the rubbers and put it back. Still leaked. I am no dummy, went to get a new gate. Got there and found out there are 2 different 3 inch gates. I bought both, intending to bring one back. I installed the new one that looked like the old one. Leaked. Took it down 3 times, leaked every time. Grabbed the other new one and tore it out of the package. This must be the one. Installed it, poured water. Got if off and saw where I had bumped one of the rubber gaskets and it did not seal. Fixed that, put the bolts back in, for the 50th time. Wham, no leak. Alright. I am good. Took me 4 hours to do a 30 minute job but I became a real plumber today.
If you are an rv owner and need a plumber, call me. I work for 50 bux an hour with 4 hour minimum charge.
Thanks for the help. Off to church camp Sunday, with no leak.
Dan
Working on the Bug
Here is what the inside of the doors looked like. I painted them and added a vapor barrier. Then, I installed the new door panels.
I think they look a lot better now. Quietened the ride also. Now, I can keep my heat inside the car this winter.
Had to readjust the doors after putting on the new seals. They would not shut without slamming them. Close pretty good now. So, just plugging along on this little ride. Cheap transportation.
Next I plan to see about installing the 2 new seats. I am sure I will need to find someone with a welder to make the brackets fit. That will really improve things. These old cloth buckets are worn pretty good and sit too low. Will raise the new ones up some for a more comfortable ride.
The carpet and headliner remain to be done. The carpet won't be bad but good quality carpet is expensive. The headliner is relatively inexpensive but a real chore to install. I found a local guy that will do it for 200 bux labor. I may go that route. Get the windows tinted and I will be a cool cat.
Thanks for stoppng by. It has been too hot to do much after lunch, outside. Been getting up early and doing my outside jobs. Hope everyone is having a great week.
Dan
Thinking Green
When I take a tree out, I always plant at least one. I will plant another one when I get rid of the rest of this stump and the trunk. Want it pretty close to where this old Maple was.
Who needs a pickup truck when you own a Vibe GT? We carried the Oak tree home from Lowes', 25 miles, just like this.
The little Oak is over 10 feet tall. Teri was not sure how we would get it home. I knew it would fit after we folded the passenger's seat forward.
The neighbor's dog saw Teri with the camera and came running.
There it is. With lots of Miracle Grow I will get this tree up and shading the back yard with in a couple of years. I hate Maple trees. Oh, I like the looks and the fast growing but they are soft and seem to always rot. Also, their roots are bad about seeking their way into sewer lines. I had to have our lines cleaned because of the tree that we took down. The line runs very close to where it was.
We got lots of stuff done outside this weekend. Yesterday I got the new rubber mouldings glued on the vdub doors. Now to ruff them up a little and paint the inside. Will then put the new door panels on. Will look and sound much better with those door panels on.
We hung a new ham radio antenna yesterday also. The ice storm took them down back in February. The grass is freshly cut and we got rid of all of the tree tops from the Maple we took down. I was outside last night at midnight stoking the coals. As you can see in the first picture everything is gone but a little bit of stump and the trunk, which both are still smoldering. I hate burning anything but we cut the tree tops up into 3 foot pieces and let them sit for over a week. Really burned good. Now to get the grass back around that stump.
Well, I guess thats about it from the Gregg home. Oh, got a call from our grandson, 5 years old. He was chosen camper of the week at church camp. He is a dandy.
Stay up with us this week, if you can. Got lots of stuff planned.
Dan
Walking in The Rain
We got up this morning to 60 degrees. Oh, it was nice. It was also sprinkling rain. We took off to the park for a walk between showers. It felt good. Had to wear long sleeves but after the first lap I was rolling mine up.
Dexter has a very nice park for walking. Clean and nice blacktop track. Once around is a half mile. I made 3 laps while Teri made 4. The rain was starting to get us wet so I was ready to call it quits. Teri takes this walking stuff way too serious.
When I was a child this was "the park". We came here on school trip picnics at the end of the year. Also came here for our Vacation Bible School picnics. Walking around here sure brings back memories. Lots of little 4 legged squirrels all over this place.
It was such a nice day. I pulled the Mustang out of the garage and swept the floor good. Then took the car to get it inspected. Time for new plates. She is running good. Kinda makes the vdub feel like a roller skate with a .49 cc motor on it.
Was nice driving around town in this thing. Need to put more miles on it. I saw that I have only put 200 miles on it since the last inspection, 2 years ago. I have a nice 5 speed sitting in the garage ready to replace the old toploader. That will be a nice update. The old Mr Gasket shifter is getting tired, really loose. My son in law machined an old Hurst shifter handle to fit the new 5 speed so folks will not realize what is under the floor. I like it.
This puppy is "spunky". That's all I will say. I built it right.
That's it from here. Hoping for more nice weather tomorrow. I want to rebuild the driver's door on the bug and be done with that. I have 2 new rubber seals for both doors too. Hope to get them on. Need to shim the passenger door a little then I am putting on the new door panels. This thing is going to look and handle good when I get done with it.
Thanks for dropping by. The coach will be moving in a week or so.
Dan
1951 Ford
There were several responses on the old Ford. It is a 51. Grille and other stuff has been customized. Thanks for the emails and responses here.
It has been warm here in Southeast Mo. Mon and Tues I hid in the house. I did cut the grass a little before dark last night. It had cooled down considerably. Today was a little cooler so I got out and started cleaning up more of the damage left by the ice storm back in the Spring. It wiped out all of my wire antennas for my hf ham radio station. I will not replace all of them. I was able to salvage the longest one, 160 meters, so I will put it back up and just use my tuner for the other bands for now. Picked up some parts and will work on the hanging bracket in a day or two. I want it all done and ready so when I climb the tower I only have to do it once.
We are having VBS this week, in the evenings. Teri has been busy every day making cookies. She will not even allow me in the kitchen if she is not in there. Seems to think I might steal or something. I don't get it. What would one or two licks from the icing bowl matter?
That is about it from here. We are working church camp week after next. I plan to take the GMC up there with me. Teri is sleeping in a cabin, not me. I did that when I was a kid. I have an air conditioned motorhome now and I plan to use it. Need to make a couple of minor repairs before I take it. Just waiting for a little cooler weather before I jack it up and crawl under to repair a leak.
Hope everyone is staying cool. We just had a thunderstorm and it dropped 8 tenths of an inch in 20 minutes. It was really coming down.
Dan
GMC Motorhome Weekend
Wow, I need to figure a way to get paid when yall read this blog. Thanks for so many hits this weekend. At least I know I have some followers.
I think I forgot to post this picture. Ken and I ran onto this car while eating lunch Friday. Do you know what year and model?
Ran upon this thing today. Any wonder some rv parks have a "ten year rule"? It was over 90 degrees and the humidity was high. No sign of an air conditioner, all of the vents and windows were open. Hope no pets were inside. Walmart parking lot.
Today was a day of rest. I enjoyed not getting up early and not having any real pressing activities outside. Teri and I took my aunt to eat and then shopping. My biggest outside activity was walking to and from the car between stores. I am telling you it was unusually warm in SE Mo. today for June 1.
That is pretty much it from here. I may get into something Tuesday worthy of reporting. Come on back and we will see.
My weekend in Ohio is pretty much undescribable. Just great folks that gave me some memories that I will not soon forget. I love making memories and I made some this past weekend.
Dan
Always interesting headstones.
Off to our second hunt.
By the time we finished the fourth cache it was 930 am and very hot. We headed back home. Was 92 degrees here at 10 am, and that is in the shade. As soon as the weather breaks we plan a bigger all day "hunt" over in western Ky. and Tn. Lots of great caches along the eastern side of the Ms. River.
