Archive for October, 2008

Halloween/Thanksgiving Rally

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Omelets in a bagDwight frys a turkey

The rally was held at Amboy 4H fairgrounds. Fourteen trailers came in on Friday and another 2 trailers plus a B-van came in on Saturday and stayed overnight. Seven couples drove-in Saturday to join in the fellowship. We had a little rain Friday and a small 1/8 to ¼ inch hail storm at 5:00 PM, which did no damage. The tables were decorated in a Harvest Theme with pumpkins, and gourds. Our First Lady, Sharon White, set up a “guess the number of candy corns in the jars” contest. The two winners received the jars of candy. That evening, we had a good time playing a “Golf” card game. For future unit entertainment, the Executive Board approved the purchase of a $600 DLP color projector and sound system.

Saturday morning we had “Omelets in a bag”. To encourage more rally participation, Dwight Dixon proposed (and the membership approved) giving one free rally fee to members who had not previously attended a unit rally. Saturday afternoon, we raised $303.50 at the club white elephant auction. The weather cleared on Saturday, so Dwight was able to deep fry one turkey outdoors. The other two birds were baked in the Nesco’s. All enjoyed the turkey dinner with all the fixings’. Al’s Motorhome of Rockford donated five coupons of $25 each for merchandise or service for our door prizes. One $25 gift coupon was given to new member, Monique Clark, and her mother, Martha, won another one at the evening drawing. As normal, we also gave away the very nice table centerpieces. Dave Toeppen’s Alaska movie that evening was very entertaining.

Sunday was cool, clear and windy. We had a church service and brunch before our departure.

Medical- Oct. is Breast Cancer Awarness month.

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

One in eight US women will be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime during their lifetime. In the US, there will be about 186,000 diagnoses this year. Breast cancer is the sixth leading cause of death for US women with about 41,000 dying this year. Early detection will give the best outcome. To put it in some prospective: Heart attacks killed 330,000 women this year. Strokes take another 91,000. Lung Cancer is responsible for 68,000. Then comes Respiratory infections with 63,000 and Alzheimer’s with 47,000. As I said to the gentlemen last month, If you want to extend your life, treat any cholesterol problems you have, watch your blood pressure, and quit smoking. For the women, doing a monthly self exam and having a yearly mammogram will also help.

Where the River Road Begins Caravan 9/18 -10/6 ’08

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Eight Northern Illinois couples participated in the caravan including, Bob Whitesell, our past president, and Norm White, our new incoming President. Other Northern Illinois couples included: Aarup’s, De Hahn’s, Dixon’s, Dutton’s, Mayo’s and Stuart’s. The caravan was led by Jerry and Louise Humble from the Southern Illinois Unit. Three other Southern Illinois couples came along.

The caravan started with a visit to the cranberry museum and a tour of the cranberry marshes in Warren, WI. The next day we traveled to Little Falls MN. to visit the Lindberghs’ home and air museum. On our way north on Interstate 94, we saw three Airstreams returning from the Alaska Caravan. It was Cristy’s, Koch’s and Matkovich’s. We waved but we were not able to reach them on the CB. We continued to Bemidji, MN and Lake Itasca, which is the source of the Mississippi River. We even walked across the stones at the very beginning of the river.

We followed the River east to Grand Rapids, MN. and toured the Forestry History Museum as well as visiting a mining museum and the Hull-Rust open pit iron mine, which is the largest in the world. Next it was a whirlwind tour of Minneapolis, MN. Five of us did the tour on Segway People Movers. The many bridges and multiple uses of the river make it an interesting old city with a modern flare.

The next stop was Wabasha, MN with its Eagle center. While we were camped in Wabasha, we also visited the Redwing Shoe factory and Red Wing Pottery as well as a day trip to Winona, MN for a guided tour of its colorful past. A midday stop in Prairie du Chien allowed us to tour Villa Louis and replace tires on Mayo’s and Whitesell’s Airstreams, which had gone flat. The next day we visited the Mississippi River museum in Dubuque, IA. Next, it was a day trip to Galena, IL and a guided trolley tour of the city.

Three couples dropped off the caravan after the Galena tour to return to work and other appointments. The rest continued on to Davenport, IA. Weather was great 95% of the time and the fall colors were at their peak.