Road Trip 2011/12...Moonwalkers vs Mammoths

Some needed rain(considering how things looked back in mid June, never thought I'd say we needed rain by the end of July) came rolling through west central Ohio last night.  Most of the recent storms had by-passed this portion of Ohio and moved to the north, south, and west...heck!  East too....we just didn't get much.  A storm with some rain on Saturday night, but not enough to make the grass green, until last night when we received a couple of good storms and showers.  It was enough to delay the State ACME Baseball Tournament again, so they will move those games(postponed in the 2nd inning of game #1 last night) to this evening, and push the Championships back at least until Friday evening, and depending on outcomes, it may be until Saturday before we know a State Champion.  Celina still is alive and will play in game #2 tonight.

Sunflower Update_____

After the rains last night, I figured to walk around the back yard and beyond the aging wooden fence that surrounds the back yard of the property....a chance to see any limbs that were dropped by the storms(and there were some), pick those up and check on the condition of the blooming Sunflower population.  I planted 5 or 6 varieties, and a rouge wild plant also appeared...so far 4 types have bloomed, and another is about to.  The only one I have no seen hide nor hair of is the "puffy sunflowers"....no horticulturist am I, but I do appreciate the hardy Sunflowers.  During my time in Dodge City, Kansas, I marveled at the fields of them that dotted the farms and roadsides of southwest Kansas...plus they are so damn easy to grow and and take care of....they don't need much care.  Pull some weeds, pick off the plants that may be too close to the others, and watch them grow...fast!  I noticed the first "Moonwalker" has bloomed...as tall or taller than the Mammoths, the Moonwalkers grow multiple flowers on each stalk, and even though as tall, they are not as big or are the stalks as large in circumference....which lets them reach to the sky, them bend over when the flowers are in full bloom....

Our planned Road Trip for 2011_____

Patricia and I have decided, now that the kids are grown and on their own, even Anissa lives away most of the time, we will do some major traveling the next couple of Summers.

After retiring from the Environmental Health field in 2002, I spent the next 5+ years driving the highways of the country, delivering RV Motorhomes....if you count my Air Force years, I have seen 48 of the 57(right Obama?) States.  The only 2 I have not at least stepped foot or landed in are South Dakota and Montana.  Alaska I have to admit was only for a 15 minute stop over in my Sky Cop days.  Anyway, we have decided to take off for at least 2 weeks in late July through mid August of the next 2 summers to "see the USA".  The first year we will head west, then in 2012, we plan on going south then up the east coast towards New England, and back across the eastern Great Lakes area.

Although I saw much in my RV Driving, I really never got to stick around places for very long...time taken was money lost....I did hang out in Las Vegas on occasion, but for the most part, a few hours spent at any one location was not in the cards.   So next year, we will visit her folks in Wisconsin for a day or 2, then on to South Dakota, Deadwood, and Mt Rushmore, then head west through Montana, Idaho, and south to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, back to Colorado and the Rockies, Dodge City, and back east towards home....2 weeks to 17 days should do it.  Of course it all depends on cash, time, and health....and if the Kenyan Bastard in the White House hasn't locked down the country.

More on the trip(s) as I begin to see the plans come to clearer....

back later>>>>

Photos-The Wall Cloud from last night storms moves through Celina(looking north from our porch), The First of the "Moonwalker" Blooms...and Mount Rushmore, is one of the early stops planned for our 2011 Road trip through the west....The Marxist Sanctuaries of California, Washington, and Oregon, are not on the vacation agenda, but most of the other states west of Ohio are.