Christmas Ramblings

Received a Chia Pet Elephant as a gift. You know when that Chia Pet Garden grows that poor Elephant will be covered with Yucca Plants, pompus grass and weeds just like my wild flower garden I started many years ago.

A Christmas Tree should always have lights, candy canes, candy cherries on wire and ornaments. The ornaments should always include a dachshund ornament, a Packer ornament, a Rose Bowl ornament and a Energizer Bunny ornament. Icicles hanging down and fancy lace circiling the tree are acceptable too.



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Santa Heading Home

I think Santa is heading home. His sack of gifts is M.T. and the reindeer are headed back to the North Pole. He's had a busy time of it, now to sit by the fire and relax.

my letter to Santa

lucky 13 my wish for Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

LUCKY 13

Lady Luck-Meskwaki Casinos Day 2

Iowa on Saturday
Sunday December 12, 2010-Had to be checked out of our rooms by 9:00am. Then we went to breakfast. Oh, boy, I love those little Belgium waffles with strawberries and topped with whipped cream. Spent time at the slots and just walking around the casino floor. The casino is well laid out, the aisles are wide and you can even walk between the slot machines when all the chairs are occupied. Both casinos were not crowded as the weather was extremely bad. Wind was blowing and snow was swirling. Friends of ours played bingo but Mary and I stayed on the casino area and even had an ice cream for dinner. The one scoop of ice cream was huge. At 1:00pm we all were aboard the bus and we departed for Mystic Casino in Dubuque. The hosts came down the aisle and passed out Jolly Pops and said if all agreed the driver would like to proceed to Wisconsin without the stop in Iowa. We all agreed as the weather was not letting up. At Plattteville, Wis. we stopped at a Cluvers and ordered burgers etc. and ate them on the bus as we traveled. Again we got behind snow plows quite often. We finally arrived at MacD's in Madison for a quick break and to drop off those passengers from there. We departed for Johnson Creek and arrived about 30 minutes behind schedule. When we got to our cars they were loaded with ice and snow. Could not get into our back side doors on our Mini Van as they were frozen. Side front doors were frozen but opened. Could not find our ice scrappers so had to use plastic container of breath mints. As we were scrapping our windows one of the other fella who had his windows cleared helped us clear ours. It took us at least a half hour to clear about ½ inch of pure ice covered by 3" of frozen icy snow. All this in a windy snowy 10ºf. weather conditions. We did enjoy the trip, we made new friends and have to give the bus driver a great tribute for his driving skills.

Forgot to mention yesterday that I ordered a bottle of Budlight Wheat beer and it was very good. Didn't like the price but did enjoy the brewski.

Lucky 13 from our 3rd floor roomOn our way back to Wis.


Did I mention that the plastic breath mints we used to scrape our windows were "Ice Breakers" brand.

Lady Luck and Meskwaki Casinos in Iowa

Lady Luck Casino
Saturday Dec 11, 2010-Departed home for Park and Ride lot in Johnson Creek. Bus picked us up right on time and we started on our adventure. A slight snow and light wind as we departed Johnson Creek. The bus had picked up first in Milwaukee, then our 4 couples in JC and now we headed for Madison for the final stop to pick up passengers. As we headed west to Iowa and Lady Luck Casino in Marquette. The wind and snow picked up the further west we traveled. Near the Wisconsin/Iowa bridge we got behind a snow plow, at Prairie du Chien we entered the bridges over the Missippi River and headed into Marquette, IA and Lady Luck. The Casino treated us to a lunch then we had three hours to gamble or just check out the casino. We then departed for Tama and the Meskwaki Hotel Casino. The weather got worse as we traveled west to the center of Iowa. Again we got behind snow plows every little while. Upon arrival at the casino we checked into our rooms then down to the casino area. Had a lunch and then played some slots. The casino gave us a lunch allowance plus $20.00 in slot play. Later we went to our room to spend the night. Will post day 2 soon.



lucky 13Lady Luck Mississippi River Bridge

Oneida and Chip In Casinos October 18-19, 2010

Entering Oneida Casino Area, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Friends of ours wanted us to go on an overnight bus trip to Chip In Casino in Harris, Michigan. Chip In is also known as Island Resort and Casino. We left Monday morning Oct 18th at 7 :30 am. Harris, Michigan is located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near Escanaba. The route took us thru the Wisconsin country side until we arrived in Green Bay. A planned stop at the Oneida Casino for a late breakfast or an early lunch and to play a few slots. After an hour or so we were on our way. Again it was a pleasant journey thru northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. About 60 passengers were included in this adventure. On arriving at the Casino we were assigned our room and then we were free to take advantage of their Casino and restaurants. We enjoyed our meals both days at the cafe and also enjoyed the Ice Cream Shoppe. On Tuesday am the wife and I checked out the casinos RV lot. We hope to take a summer trip with our little camper to this area. Mid afternoon Tuesday we departed Harris for our return home. We had an hour stopover at Cluvers in Green Bay for a bite to eat then for the final leg of our excursion. We enjoyed the trip as did our friends. Other than in the bus we saw very little of them. People can be very close but never see each other in the casino environment.
We will be going on another overnight bus casino trip to Iowa next month. Will share a few words of that adventure when we return. In the mean time I will drop by every now and then.

Lucky 13Inside Chip In Casino

South Dakota Trip Day Seven Saturday Oct 02, 2010

Cleaned up, had a quick breakfast then hooked up the trailer. Departed Blue Mounds State Park and headed for home. When we arrived at our house the neighbor was outside picking up branches from a windy day the day before. He greeted us with this statement, "You won't recognize the inside of your house. We went inside the house and our walls were all washed and our living room carpet was shampooed. Three of our daughters got together and gave our house a good cleaning.

Sure dragged out posting all of our trip but was having computer problems. I uploaded 3 pictures to this posting but haven't seen them yet. It was a long download with dial-up, wonder where they ventured off too.

Lucky 13

South Dakota Trip Day Six Oct 01, 2010

Lady Luck Casino
We ate breakfast at Burger King located in Diamond Jo, played a few dollars thru the slot machines, filled the gas tank at the Diamond Jo station then departed for Wisconsin. That was at 9:40 am. Drove about 160 miles to McGregor, IA and stopped at the Lady Luck Casino. Located on a riverboat. Played a few slots had a quick bite to eat then crossed the Mississippi and entered Wisconsin. Filled the gas tank at Prairie du Chien then headed downriver to our favorite Corp Of Engineers Campground near Potosi. Got to the campground and the camp host said no camping there as the Mighty Mississippi was rising. Quite a few of the campsites were covered with water and the river was slowly rising. We decided to move on and camped at another favorite of ours Blue Mounds state Park. The campground was very full and we got the last electrical campsite that was available. Must have been something going on in the area.We set up camp and settled down for the day.
Bank in Clermont Iowa

lucky 13Bike Path Clermont

South Dakota Trip Day Five September 30. 2010

Mother and son Getting ready to leave for home
Had breakfast and some small talk then we started getting the TAB ready for the trip back to Wisconsin. Left the ranch at 10:35 am and headed for I-90. By-passed Sioux Falls and headed into Minnesota. Stopped to streach at Rest Area 25. Saw a T@B traveling west on I-90 but don't think they saw us because we were parked between a lot of semi trailers. Continued on our way and stopped at Worthington, MN to fill up our gas tank. We rode about about 75 more miles then stopped again to stretch. At Albert Lee, MN we headed south on Hy I-35. Another 60 miles and we arrived at The Diamond Jo at Northwood, IA. We again parked in the back parking lot as we stayed overnight there. Enjoyed a meal and spent a few bucks at the slot machines. Then headed back to the trailer to enjoy a good nights sleep.

Lucky 13 Rest area Mile 25 I-90 MN

South Dakota Trip Day 4 Wed. Sep 29, 2010

House Remodel
Day 4 started with breakfast with the boys and then the fella who was working on the remodeling with Mark came and they started working on the window removal. Kurt visited with us and helped them on and off then he had to head off to work. We headed into Mitchell. We were there a few times over the years but it is always a nice place to visit. We were held up for quite some time because of roadwork. That was both going to Mitchell and then again back to the ranch. Rode by the Corn Palace and then just rode around the town. Discovered a RV Park that the city runs. A very neat park but quite small. Returned to the ranch and Mark made supper on the egg. The egg is a ceramic grill that makes a great meal. After supper we enjoyed a beer and conversation. Went to bed early as we were heading back in the morning.
On a road near Salem, SD


LUCKY 13The Egg

South Dakota Trip Day 3

Diamond Jo water wheel.

Ate breakfast at Burger King in the casino and played a few slots before we started out for the day. Went about an hour feom the Northwood-Lake Mills area and the beautiful hills turned into level straight roads. The corn, soy beans and other grain fields dominated the view. Lot of grey, older barns, some still standing tall and others ready to collapse. This continued into South Dakota. In its own way it is quite scenic also. It is a serene and peaceful feeling as you drive thru the area. Bypassed Sioux Falls and continued on our way to Salem. Got lost of course because of a bridge out. Although there was a lot of water and flooding from rains the previous week, the bridge was just being repaired as a precaution from many years use. After a few cell phone calls and redoing Cheetah Safari (Our GPS) we arrived at the ranch. A porch overhaul-making a sunroom out of half of the 1st floor open porch. We set up the T@B then left for De Smet to meet our son who was at work at the Dairy Queen/Subway. We enjoyed our supper there met his staff and his assistant manager and her hubby stopped in to meet us. It was good to see his work and meet the people he works with. It was getting dark so we left for the ranch again. It got dark and we needed the cell phone once again. Had to stop for gas so we could clean the windshield. Heavy on the bugs that evening. Will post day 4 soon.


South Dakota farm and field

lucky 13 My type of gals

South Dakota Trip Day 2

Mystique Greyhound Casino, Dubuque, IA

Left our camping area on the Mississippi River and headed toward Dubuque, IA. After a beautiful ride thru western Wisconsin and crossing the Mississippi River we arrived in Dubuque. We stopped at the Mystique Casino for breakfast and play a few slots. After our wallets weighed less we left to continue west. Northeastern Iowa is full of hills, corn fields and beautiful scenery. We stopped at a Pizza Hut for a personal pan pizza, I can't remember the name of the town. We continued on our way and arrived at Diamond Jo Casino near Northwood, IA. We checked with the casino and then parked our car and trailer in the upper parking lot. Set up then went across the road to a Iowa Information Station for some info on the area. Then back to the casino to gamble a little and enjoy a meal at the Burger King in the casino. Spent the night in the trailer with no electricity. The weather was good so we did not need any fans for cooling or heater for warmth. Tuesday a.m. back to casino for breakfast and a little gambling before departing for South Dakota.
Diamond Jo Casino, Northwood, IA

lucky 13

South Dakota Trip

Mississippi River View
Day 1
On Sunday Sep 26, 2010 we started our journey to visit our son in South Dakota. We started out just before noon and traveled west. We were headed for the Mississippi River to a COE Campground. It was a beautiful day and it was an enjoyable ride to this Park. We arrived about 4:00pm and parked our camper. We did not unhook as we would be traveling again in the morning. Planned out our day for tomorrow's journey. We plan on driving to Norwood, IA and the Diamond Jo Casino. The pictures are taken from our park where we were camping. More to follow in the next few days.

Sunset on the Mississippi


lucky13

RV Show

From a cereal box
Yesterday drove down to Delevan to attend a RV showing. Nothing that we would be interested in, just looking for ideas for our little camper. Then drove to Lake Geneva to drive thru Big Foot State Park. They had a few campers there, pretty good for a week day this time of the year.

Today worked on chopping down my overgrown pampas grass area. Keep me busy for quite awhile and a lot more to chop. Hope to cut the area in half. Then perhaps grow some flowers in that area. Lots more to do in the backyard now that cooler weather is upon us.

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Yes, I voted
I voted Tuesday in the Wisconsin Primary election. We have a few really tough campaigns shaping up for November's election. Wisconsin Governor, US Senate seat and a few local contests are really getting fun to follow. The radio and TV ads can drive a sane person up the wall though. I wonder if the jerks that make these commercials actually figure they will change anyones mind about their vote. They just make their opponent and themselves look like fools

Cool weather is coming and the birds are filling up on the food and getting their nests ready for the snow and cold. The humming birds are really hitting the sugar water that I set up for them. They should be leaving on their long flight to Central and South America for the winter months.

Been busy the last few days. Yesterday was a cool day and I mowed the entire lawn. Later enjoyed a couple of brews with the next door neighbor. Today painted the porch posts. Really glad we had these cool days so I could get something done around the house.

Don't know if I mentioned that my camera went down for me. I really miss it. Hope it can be fixed. Well that's it for now. Enjoy!

Lucky 13Save your coins for a time when you can spend them wisely.

Just Posting-Nothing Important

Crossing the Mississippi
Not much to report. We haven't been camping for a few weeks. Also not getting much done around the house. The last few weeks have been very, very hot and humid then a few days ago we had 45-50 mph winds. The winds started mid morning and continued thru the afternoon and early evening hours. Shouldn't complain because they weren't tornado or hurricane force and no rain accompanied the winds. We could use a little rain. It is quite dry but because of the hot humid weather previously our lawns remain quite green. Sorry for the lack of a more newsy post but that is my life. Hope to get camping again soon.

Big cow.

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Big Crowd

Drove up to the Dells to visit the area and stop in to the Ho Chunk Casino for my birthday month $5.00. They also sent the wife and I a few special offers. Well the parking lot was full when we got there. Finally found a parking spot within walking distance. (They do have buses cruising the lot) Inside the casino was wild. It was jam packed. Apparently a lot of people got these same deals in the mail. There were people lined up to have the post cards authenticated or something. We were at the casino for about 4 hours and the lines just got longer. Needless to say I did not get my birthday $5.00 or our deal post cards set up. I,m not one to stand in lines. It was hard to get at the slot machines and quite a few of blackjack and poker tables were busy. We go to this casino about 6 times a year and I have never seen this many people in the casino. It was crazy. I prefer to gamble when it is a little more subdued and a little elbow room. Camera still not working no casino pictures
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Camping

Find the butterfly in the pampas grass

Got back yesterday from four days camping. Enjoyed the outdoors . One day our daughter and her 2 young daughters joined us and camped in the next site. We enjoyed their company and they enjoyed their days camping with mom, gramma and gramps. As the 3 year old said, " I never ate a hot dog cooked over a fire". I enjoyed a few Leinies. To those not familiar with Leinies it is a fine beer made by the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Would post some pictures of the camping but my digital camera is not working. Have to send it to my son, he is going to go over it and hopefully find out what I goofed up.
Nice convertible
lucky 13

Antique /Autos------New Roofing Shingles

1929 Pontiac
Short note this evening. The work reshingling the roof is all done. Had to remove 2 layers of shingles before applying the new ones. Started Monday and pretty much had it all wrapped up on Tuesday. The crew was here today to do a little caulking and pick up their tools. Did a good job.

Went to the old time autos get together at our local park. Last get together for them this year. There were 428 autos at last count but a few more were going arrive a little later. I love to look at the old time vehicles. My two favorites this week were the ones pictured in this message.

lucky 13 1980 Avanti