Our Small World....

It's not news that Canada is suffering through astonishing wildfires. These fires are so huge that firefighters from other countries are flying in to try to help get them under control. One group from France (about 100 strong) arrived maybe two weeks ago....and their captain was quoted after several days saying that putting the fires out was basically impossible.

Heat and wind and dry conditions make burning season arrive earlier and last longer and fires spread farther. We here in the lower 48 have "witnessed" the fires just by looking to our own once-blue-skies. Milwaukee has had many days this spring where there is an overall haze diluting our beautiful blue ceiling and sometimes the city itself and big Lake Michigan are also "semi-hidden." Air quality is affected....and it's much worse in other big cities here in America. The map below gives some indication of just how widespread the Canadian fires are and why getting control of them is an almost impossible task.

I took Fenway out for his first walk a few days ago and was taken by the colors of our sunrise. Coming up over the trees just east of our building was an orange orb......softened with a sort of grey coating. I still enjoyed the fragrance of the still-blooming lilacs, but there was also a definite under-oder of smoke in the air.

Absolute proof that we live in a small world and it's foolish to think that changing climate conditions in one part of the world won't affect everyone. 

"Our" son is brighter today and the sky is bluer....but still not normal. A smoke-filled lesson for all of us about just how precious and fragile our planet is. 

Scented....

Early last week I walked outside in the mid-morning to walk Fenway. We left the apartment building and turned toward Lake Michigan on the sidewalk out front. I was immediately "overwhelmed" with the sweet fragrance of lilacs in full bloom.

The bushes were bursting with blooms and the scent floated on the breeze....following me to the corner. What a lovely sign of Milwaukee spring.

Today I repeated that same route but something was "missing". No sweet scent outside....at least not from our lilac bushes.

Ah well....next year.

An ECP Addition.....

We now have another connection to our neighborhood. Dave was busy building a Little Free Library and it now hangs on the fence outside our gazebo garden along the sidewalk. He was able to use "found" materials in the area. Someone moved out of an apartment and left a small cabinet and that became the "body" of the library. Another piece of furniture provided the "roof". A discarded picture frame lined with plexiglass and he had a front door. Basically the only things he had to purchase were the hinges, the clasps used to fasten it to the fence and the plexiglass.

ECP staff helped him hang it - Dave hiding in the bushes!

And voila!

We've already noticed people stopping by to check out the books inside....some are disappearing and others take their place. He's happy he was able to contribute this to our community!

Never Again…..

I have a lot of “pet peeves”. One is how manufacturers package mayonnaise and other semi-liquid products……think plastic mayonnaise or mustard bottles.

I hate these containers. No matter the fact that I store them upside down and shake the contents toward the opening before squeezing, after a blop of mayo I hear air. So I shake again and am rewarded with another blop. It gets worse and worse as the container empties. When I finally give up shaking and screw off the plastic top I can see that there is a lot of mayo still inside but unwilling to ooze toward the opening. I need more to make my egg salad or whatever so frustration results. I've tried using knives from the silverware drawer to scrape out the bottom with mixed results. I've tried resealing the bottle and then pounding it on the counter.....zip.

I finally found a small spreader in a kitchen aisle somwhere and found that it does a pretty acceptable job helping me to scrape out the semi-thick contents. Oh I know why the manufacturers do this.....they know you'll give up and just go buy more to increase their profits. Well I am going back to large mouth bottles even if they don't fit well in the little RV refrigerator.

My hero.......

A Thanks To Tim…..

When we left on this latest RV trip on April 26th I had our small freezer packed with flat dinners. I had been ordering some extra meals and freezing them in baggies to make some meals super easy.

Of course we had burgers one night and brats another time. We spent a total of about seven nights parked in family and friends’ driveways where we enjoyed some delicious entrees. All in all the dietary side of this RV trip was really good. 

But I think I saved the best for almost last. A special thank you to Eastcastle Place’s terrific head chef. Tim Muench put pasta primavera on the menu shortly before we left and I ordered an extra to take along. He used tortellini pasta, a good variety of veggies and a most delicious sauce…..it is one of my favorite choices whenever it appears as a selection.

Yesterday I defrosted it and Dave and I had a most delicious camping dinner. 

Cheers to Tim! I hope he runs “our” kitchen as long as we live at ECP!

Montana, Greenville and Gansevoort….

What makes a friendship? In my opinion it sort of depends on many factors … when you met (childhood, high school, adulthood?). How much time did you spend together? What kinds of things do you have in common? How much time do you have to develop a relationship? Lots of factors but perhaps the most important factor (as an adult) might be luck when paths cross unexpectedly.

One of our first long western RV trips included a Roadtrek gathering in Red Lodge, Montana. We’d already moved along roads from Wisconsin through Nebraska to Colorado and north through Wyoming with stops at the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. We joined other Roadtrekers in Red Lodge for a photography opportunity for Dave. It was three or four days with camera and photography as the focus. 

We met lots of nice people at this adventure but when Greg and Chris bicycled up to our site one evening for a visit something “clicked”…we just had so much fun talking to them. We sort of kept in touch after everyone pulled out with Christmas cards I think. Years later Dave and I spent a winter month in Greenville, SC and found they lived there, so we spent a fun evening at their house and discovered more commonalities. I remember driving back to our rental that evening wishing that we’d met them earlier in our married life and that they lived closer!

And so here comes our 2023 RV trip to the East Coast and we remembered they’d moved back up to New York State. A few shared emails and we found we could camp at a state park north of Albany and they were free to drive up for a third visit. And we had a relaxing lunch, long conversation, hike around part of the park and some goodbye hugs.

They drove off with a wave and againI thought “Damn! I wish they lived in Milwaukee! We vowed to stay in touch and encouraged them to come camping out our way. So who knows if/when there will be visit number four.

Maybe the connection is stronger than we realized. I gave Chris a letter to mail and when she saw my return address label she texted : “Greg’s sisters name is Linnea!” 

What are the chances!?

Threads…..

I guess if we said this eastern RV trip had a “purpose” it would be reconnecting. As I posted a few days ago we had been able to spend time with five very special friends along the way…..and maybe we saved the “best” for last.

Dave’s brother Bill and wife Claire live in Atkinson, NH and we rarely get together…..weddings and funerals and a few visits in between. It’s hardly enough in-person time! So we just brought our rolling bedroom to their driveway for three nights and really enjoyed some concentrated family time. 

Their three “kids” brought their kids to share one afternoon and a delicious meal. Brother Bill does a killer  job with his huge grill and Claire is no slouch in her big kitchen! (I would recommend their place as one of the best B&B’s on the east coast but membership is very limited!) 

The whole visit was just so relaxing and so much fun. Bill “worried” that nothing special was planned….no outings or explorations. But after all the driving we’ve done in the past few weeks I hugged him and said this time together was just the best. Strengthening the threads that hold our far flung family together.

Plus Fenway had fun with Cousin Charley and explored their basement to peek at the cats and eat the cat food!

The only sour note was that we pulled two ticks off Dave!