Passing of an Aunt, Bubba at Vet, 2019 Trip

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

Today my Aunt Vera, who lived in Blue Springs Missouri for the past few decades, passed away.  About a month ago we heard that there were concerns for her health.  In the photo above, taken on October 1, 2016, she was still living alone in a large 4 bedroom, 2,400 sq. ft. home in what was her ninetieth year back then.  I remember that as Marcia and I were leaving, I started driving away and was watching to be sure her garage door went down.  As I turned right, I pulled over and watched…and see her walking down the driveway headed for the mailbox.  Here I was worried that she would be able to get up the stairs and close the automatic garage door…not thinking that every Monday through Saturday she went down those stairs and over to the mailbox.  I laughed and drove away.  I was thankful when I heard that her daughter Cassie and son-in-law Rick sold their home and moved in with her.

Bubba, who is now 15 years old, had his visit to the vet on Monday.  For his age, he is doing pretty good.  He does have a heart murmur, but the vet said there was little change (how she knows this since it was the first time she heard his heart I don’t know, but they grade them and it did not change).  He does have a occasional, sometimes more frequent, cough when he is laying down like this…which is his most favorite daily position outside of eating.  Wish it wasn’t on a black blanket, and I did it with my phone which does not take a very good picture.  Anyway, got his 3 year rabies shot, and 3 year license…honestly, I doubt he will get another of either…typically, a healthy cocker spaniel lives about 12 to 15 years. 

On Thursday, the 28th, we start out on our eighth “GoingRvWay” trip…this one will last around nine months if everything goes as planned.  First, we will take three days visiting friends and family here in Florida.  By Tuesday, April 2nd, we should be in Arkansas to visit with friends, family and former colleagues, along with having what I hope is my last Arkansas Doctor’s Appointment…by the end of 2020 I will finally be on Medicare.  Since I retired in 2012, I have had my insurance through the Pine Bluff Retirement System with the Library paying half of my insurance costs as part of my retirement.  However, if I see a doctor outside of the approved list (which is mainly Arkansas based doctors), then I have to pay out the nose for the services provided.  This appointment, which is at UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) will cost around $20, and will include blood and other tests as the doctor orders.  By April 22nd we will be up in the Kansas City area for my youngest son’s graduation from the Chiropractic School he has been attending the past four or five years.  After that, we will wander over to the Phoenix area, and eventually to California to see mom, dad and other family members…that part will be planned out probably while we are up in the Kansas City area..  Not sure where we will go during the hot Sacramento summer months, probably up to the Southern Oregon Coast again…but eventually we will make our way back to the Sacramento area to spend the fall, and perhaps even Christmas, with family before speeding back to Florida again.  Now the fun begins…loading up the motorhome again….

Replaced at Sister’s House…WHAT Are We Going to Do????

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

  

Skruffy:  “WAIT JUST A MINUTE!  What are those BIRDS doing in OUR backyard?”

Bubba: “Now look Skruffy, this isn’t the first time that MONSTERS have been in Uncle Arny’s backyard.  Besides, I am surprised YOU can even see them the way YOUR eyes are going downhill.”

“Well, at least my snoring wouldn’t scare them out of the backyard…heck, I can hear your snoring all the way at the condo…and you are probably miles away.”

“Look Skruff, last year we shared the backyard with two or three monster Geese.  I am SURE Uncle Arny will let me stay again…as for you, well, that I just can’t guarantee…you know, Uncle Arny LOVES me, he only TOLLERATES you.”

“But Aunt Sandy picks me up and rubs my tummy…she NEVER rubs your tummy.”

“Maybe because NO ONE rubs my tummy…I don’t like that.  Anyway, don’t panic, I am POSITIVE we will be able to stay at Uncle Arny and Aunt Sandy’s house again this year.  Now, let’s plan our attack on these Turkeys…First thing, we need to call our cousins, you remember them don’t you?”

You mean the one that jumps a mile high, and the other one that looks like a Pharaoh?

Yes, our good ole pals, Parker and Charley …

Monday we celebrated our 8th anniversary.  We celebrated by…

No, not get in a fight…we went to our favorite Greek Restaurant…Mama Maria’s

This is Marcia’s brother Mike, taken while we sat drinking coffee before church a few years ago.  Mike was the Police Chief of Tarpon Springs before he retired awhile back.  Anyway, we got a call on Friday that he was in the hospital…fainted on his bed was the first prognosis.  By Sunday they felt pretty sure he had a mild heart attack…by Monday they said he had high blockage in three arteries.  Problem is that the hospital he is in does not do bypass surgery, so off to Clearwater he went today.  They say his case is “Urgent” but not a “Emergency”, and the Clearwater Hospital was busy over the weekend.  Tomorrow they will start testing his lungs, full blood work, etc. etc. in preparation of having his surgery.  We HOPE his surgery will be Thursday or Friday…but it might be next week since he really seems to be doing very well.  I am sure he would love to get out of that hospital bed…

Here that same day is Bob and Nancy sitting with Mike.  Nancy has been having problems too, and is in a Care Center, which is where they put people who need medical attention, but not hospitalization. 

We also got notification that my oldest Aunt, Vera, up in the Kansas City area, is in the hospital too.  Some days she is back to herself, other days she is very lethargic.  Wasn’t a stroke, but something just is not right.  Above is Vera with my cousin Cassie…taken I think last summer (stole off of Cassie’s Facebook page).

Winter is tough on the elderly.  Mom and Dad always seem to catch a cough each winter which lasts for a few weeks.  Saw where a fellow Rotarian passed away a few weeks ago in Arkansas, and another acquaintance is very sick. 

Luckily, Marcia and I have not been sick for a number of years now.  Oh there are days where we don’t feel our best…but overall we have been healthy.  Marcia completed her last yearly doctor’s appointments, and all is well.  I see my doctor in April while we are going through Arkansas, but overall I feel fine.  We sure hope you are staying away from the sick bug…if not, our thoughts and prayers go out to you too.

Family Visit and Blue Springs Lake Campground

At Blue Springs Lake Campground, Lee’s Summit, MO

Back in 1991 when I took a job in Arkansas, mom and dad followed very quickly by moving from California to Independence / Blue Springs Missouri area where they had friends, and mom had two brothers, two sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews living nearby.  Now, mom and dad live back in California…and only one sister-in-law is left…Aunt Vera.  I have shown pictures of my cousin Donald a few times…he and I are the same age…this is his mother.  Don’s sister Cassie has lived in the area since the 1970’s, and her and her husband Rick sold their home recently and moved in with aunt Vera who is 92, still climbs the stairs a few times each day, and has lived independently since Uncle Harold, a Pearl Harbor survivor, died in 2002, shortly after attending the 60th anniversary of the attack with a honor trip back to Pearl Harbor.  It was nice to see Aunt Vera and Cousin Cassie, her daughter Allison and Allison’s three children…sorry that Rick had to work, but as a bonus, my oldest brother’s daughter Kathryn and her husband Dallas, a Jackson County Fire Fighter, were able to meet us there.  Before long, 3 hours had come and gone...and we were gone again without any pictures.  Gotta remember to take that camera to these events!
 

Blue Springs Lake is a 720 acre reservoir located near Lee’s Summit, west of Kansas City, south of Independence. It is located in Fleming Park, a public park in Jackson County which also contains Lake Jacomo, another 900 acre lake which is right up against Blue Springs Lake.  There are two campgrounds in Fleming Park, both administered by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department, which also operates a third campground nearby called Longview Campground along Longview Lake.  All three campsites have a combination of full hookups ($33) or electric/water ($25) or tent ($21) with water nearby, and there is a slight discount for senior citizens.  (We are paying $31 per night for full hookups)  All campgrounds take reservations, but we are outside of the busy season, and easily got in without one…but there is no extra cost if you do reserve, which can be done through the Park and Rec website.

Most RV sites are very deep, and can handle any size of a RV.

Some, like the one above, have two sites right next to each other…great for camping with a friend…not so great if you don’t know your neighbor because they are like “right next to you”.

Here is an example with a large Class A motorhome in a full hookup spot.

Although there are no sites with direct access or views of the lake, it is a short drive in either direction to get to the lake.  There is also a boat marina located at all three lakes, and there are also picnic shelters, and Blue Springs Lake has a swimming beach, and lots of fishing at all three lakes.

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Here is a playground which is close to our campground.

Family Time

I was so tired yesterday, I failed to say where we were staying.  In Peculiar Missouri there is one RV Park called Peculiar Park Place.  There are many monthly or long-term stay RVs, but they are all in good condition, many with underpinning to keep them from freezing during the cold winters.  There are 14 sites in the back which do not have water year around, and don’t have sewer.  This is where we were, but that is good because it is further away from the noise of the Interstate.

   

It is a nice park, and if I was to have business in the KC area, I would probably stay here…except my Aunt and cousins are in Blue Springs.  Since my son is in Overland Park, Kansas, this was a good place to stay, and kept us from having to drive through heavy KC traffic when we leave on Monday.

    

Around noon we headed over to my Aunt Vera’s house in Blue Springs.  She married my mother’s brother, Harold, who passed away 14 years ago.  Her son (my cousin) Donald, who is my age, and his wife Sheri were visiting from California (along with one daughter, son-in-law and three grandkids).  Her oldest daughter, Cassie and her husband Rick, were there, but they also live in Blue Springs.  Vera’s oldest child, David, has a daughter who lives in Independence, and this was the first time I had met her, or second if I met her when she was a young child.  David is my oldest brother Jim’s age, and that was the name mom and dad were going to give him until Vera named her first child David, who was born just a few months before Jim.  So “I” got the name David three children later.

We took some indoor Tulips over, and came back home with some freshly baked bread that Cassie had made…she learned from the expert, her father, who was a master bread maker…as is she.  In fact, former KC Chief’s running back Kimble Anders lived just a few houses away from Harold and Vera, and every time he scored in a game, Harold would take freshly baked bread over to them. 

We now have 1,200 miles to go to get to Phoenix by Wednesday.  Not sure how far we will get tomorrow, but hope to make it at least to the Texas/Kansas boarder…perhaps as far as Tucumcari, New Mexico.  Either way, Monday and Tuesday will be long travel days, with a shorter day on Wednesday.  I just hope we don’t have any more  new weather events, because we have faced humid warmth in Florida, rain in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, hail in Arkansas, and sustained wind and cold in Missouri.  Although it did not snow where we are, it did snow in parts of Blue Springs Saturday night.  Outside of “heat”, about the only new weather left are fog, tornadoes and hurricanes…none of which sounds very good to us. 

Double Crossover Diamond Interchange, Oklahoma Joe’s, And Family Stuff

And I was just getting used to the “Roundabout” Interchange, and now they have come up with another new type of Interchange, the Double Crossover Diamond Interchange, also known as the Diverging Diamond Interchange.  I first learned about this new Interchange a few months ago while reading a newspaper from Arkansas….they have a major construction project going on in West Little Rock dealing with the I-630 and I-430 intersection, and other intersections leading up to this area.  When I saw the diagram, similar to the one above, I was like, “You have to be kidding me….just don’t see how this is going to work!”  Since we left the Sacramento area, we have now seen two of these intersections, and amazingly, it does work.

The nations first DCDI was in Springfield Missouri, pictured above.  Essentially when the traffic crosses over along the top of the overpass, it crosses over forcing traffic to drive on what we would call the “left side” of the road instead of the typical “right side” of the road we are accustom to. By moving the traffic over to the left side of the road, it allows traffic which wants to enter the freeway to turn left without crossing over oncoming traffic. Stop lights are programed to only allow one side of the road to move at any given time.  This stops large backup lines from forming in and before the overpass….and allows for traffic to move quickly and freely when they do have a green light.

It can also be used for roads that pass under a freeway, as shown above, although I have not seen any of these yet.

If you are still having trouble seeing how this works, see the animated picture above.  There is one of these intersections near the motel that mom and dad stayed at in Blue Springs, Missouri.  The first time we went through it, we got off the freeway, took a right turn, and did not even realize that the overpass was one of these new intersections.  When we left after our visit, we just continued down the frontage road the motel is on, and did not go over the interchange until the next day.  

(Above is a picture I took today as I went back to the motel, taking a right off the freeway.)  Once I realized that this was a DCD Interchange, it worried me that I did not see it the day before.  When I took a right coming off the freeway, had I looked good enough to merge?  Because the traffic I was merging with, had there been traffic, would have been coming from the non-typical lane that I would look at.  That is a bit scary considering how many miles I have driven in my lifetime (well over a million miles, perhaps a million and a half, through 47 different states in my lifetime.)

    

Above are two pictures of the Intersection in action.  I know that more and more freeway overpasses within cities are going to be changed over to this new style of Interchange….just like the explosion of Roundabout Interchanges over the past few years.  Who knows what the future holds....

Tomorrow (Sunday) is mom and dad’s last full day here in the Kansas City area.  After they visit their church tomorrow, they will move out to a Hotel by the Airport where they already secured a reservation earlier today, turn in their rental car, and on Monday I am going to get them to the airport and they will by flying away about the time we pull out of the KOA later that morning headed for Fort Smith.  In the picture above this is dad, mom and my Aunt Vera, who married my mother’s brother Harold, who died a few years ago.  Harold was a Pearl Harbor on that fateful day back on December 7, 1941.  Mom lost another brother, James, four years later…but all of her other brothers who served made it home safely. 

We were at a Chinese Buffet Friday night, and mom had just told the story of how my sister Sandy had been at a Buffet with her and dad, and came back with a dozen or more deserts on her plate….well Sandy, she has no proof of her story, but you now have proof of her coming back with Ice Cream, Cherry Pie, Orange Cake, Honeydew, Cherry Covered Bannna, and a Cookie.  By the look on her face, I think she knew she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, don’t you think?   Also, note to self:  “Don’t eat so much at the next Chinese Buffet that you go to.”  

Earlier in the day I took my son Ryan out to lunch for some real good BBQ.  Here he is in his kitchen, and I’ll bet he is glad that I cropped out so much of the picture.  Told him to pick a place, he asked if BBQ was ok, I said, “you bet.”  So he picked……Oklahoma Joe's, the original Kansas City location.  WOW!!!!!

    

First thing, the line. Opens at 11 am, we got there around 11:30, the line wraps around the inside of the restaurant, and out the door.  Took us 45 minutes to place our order, took less than 5 after we paid to get our food….perhaps closer to 3 minutes.

   

Here is what we got….my “Z-Man Sandwich” on the left,  Ryan’s Jumbo pulled pork, or was it beef brisket, on the right.  So how good is Oklahoma Joe's?  Many rate it the best BBQ in Kansas City, and some say that Kansas City is the BBQ capital of the world.  Here are what others say:   Forbe’s 10 Great BBQ Joints Across The USA, Zagat names Z-Man to 50 top sandwich in 50 states list  (also has been on Zagat’s Kansas City's 'Best Barbecue' since 2004), Yelp’s # 3 in top 100 in USA, USA Today America’s Best Ribs, and the list goes on and on and on.  They have won numerous BBQ cook-off contests.  And now, this is the kicker…..Oklahoma Joe’s is run out of a Gas Station! Yes, a Gas Station. Became so popular, they added more tables.  Although you wait in line, you will get a table when you get your food.  And YES, the Z-Man Sandwich was real, real good.  I have had better onion rings, but they were still good.  Next time, if there is a next time, I will get ribs, and I will get them to go so that I don’t have to wait.  And I will get a pound or two of pulled pork, of brisket, of smoked turkey so that we can have Oklahoma Joe’s on the road. 

My niece Kathryn, her husband Dallas (who is a firefighter), and her two kids (cell phone picture did not turn out for them unfortunately) along with mom, dad Marcia and I went out to dinner tonight.  She is my oldest brother Jim’s daughter, and has lived in the area for around 20 years now, give or take a few years.  So we have seen a lot of family while we have been here….but there are others who we wish we could see but probably won’t have the time and energy to see.  But we know we will be back through the area sometime in the future…..to see family, and get some more Oklahoma Joe’s!