The Migratory McDonalds

How many people set their travel plans by how much booze they have to drink before crossing into Canada? We now need to stay another day in the UP (Upper Peninsula), because our new found friend gifted us a bottle of Chateau Grand Traverse Pinot Noir Rose.  We had not thought about how much booze we could bring across the border until my cousin Lisa mentioned it, so earlier last week we jettisoned a half gallon of Jameson’s whiskey, leaving it for Gary and Lisa to enjoy. We figured, with the days we are spending as "Yoopers" in the UP, we would be fine crossing the border into Canada in the next few days, drinking each evening to get the required alcohol amounts adjusted.  Then we meet Rhonda. In our evening walk with the dogs, we see the cutest little trailer with bright orange curtains, enticing you to peek inside. Rhonda was sitting in a camping chair, peering out over Lake Superior, but got up immediately when I said "We love your little camper!" We explained, t...

I haven’t written much for the last ten days. I have been visiting family. We first stopped in western Iowa to see my cousins Scott and Greg at their weekend dune buggy cabin. Three days flew by as we drank beer, rode dune- buggies and played cards. I haven’t had so much fun in a long time doing something completely out of my comfort zone. We then drove in to DesMoines to see Uncle Bob, the lone surviving patriarch of my dad’s generation. Growing up, I heard story after story about how Dad and his older brother Bob roamed the woods of Hiteman, stole watermelons from the neighbors field, and lived through the late years of the depression. Until now, the only times I have been to Iowa was for a wedding or a funeral. Being able to spend a full week with Uncle Bob and family was precious. Cousin Paula organized a mini- family reunion while we were there.  From Iowa, we headed north to Hastings, Minnesota where my cousin Lisa lives. We toured the surrounding areas and cruised the waterw...

First thing on the list - stop at a hardware store and buy a live trap, a sturdy whisk broom, and window cleaner.  After last night’s unsettling incident when an unknown critter ran across my feet in the back of the RV, I insisted we find someplace that sells a good live trap. When I put my shoes on this morning I was extra careful to make sure nothing was in them.  This day brought me back to when I was a just budding teenager who worried about what everyone thought, especially those of the opposite sex, and I also practically lived on my horse, Ginger.  I needed a pair of cowboy boots. My mom became insistent on that shortly after a local girl, who was a few years older than me, while riding her horse, somehow got her foot caught in a stirrup and was dragged to her death. All of my friend’s mothers and my mom then were adamant that we couldn’t ride unless we had proper cowboy boots.  It was a lean time for our family, so my Uncle John Roberts, gave me a pair of his...