Monday , 24 July; EAA Airshow, Oshkosh, WI

It's a lovely cool morning here.  A tad chilly in fact.
We took Bella out for a walk and then headed off to the show.  Today Rob and I are attending a class on getting certified as a Small Unmanned Aircraft pilot (drones).  As a hobbiest you don't need a certificate, but you still have to know and abide by all the FAA rules.  If you want a job doing it you need a certificate.  There are going to be tons of Drone jobs in the future and it would be fun to get one.  Anyway, so we sat in the class all morning, had a half hour break for lunch and then back in until 2:30.  It was nothing for Rob, since he abides by all the FAA rules and only needs to know a little of that which specifically applies to sUA, but it has been forever since I reviewed any of this.  But it was all coming back.
After the class ended we wandered around some of the exhibits.
Everyone is here.  All branches of the Military, all Major and minor Airlines have booths answering questions for anyone interesting in becoming a commercial pilot.  The FAA was there and helped people get into their system for their certifications and stuff.
The Safety administration was there as well.  
Rob was having trouble logging into the system to get access to something he needed and they helped him get it all taken care of.
All the airplane, helicopter, drone, ultralight etc developers are here.  It is amazing.  This is my future form of transportation.  It is a drone! It hasn't flown yet, but it is pretty cool.

 Of course we had to stop in at Army Aviation and chat with them!

Slingshot motorcycles are here.  Some of our friends at the Ranch have a couple of these.

And then of course there are all kinds of airplanes on display, both future

 and historic.

 This is "DOC"a B-29 that was rescued and restored by a private group.  After the war it dragged targets for shooting at

Then it sat in a field and was used as a sitting target.  Finally it was rescued and restored and now is absolutely beautiful.  

This is "FiFi"  It is also a B-29 with an incredible past and also rescued and renovated by a private group of individuals.

This is for our Friend Ag.  His last name is Agretelis, but he goes by Ag.  Anytime we or he sees some thing of interest with "Ag" in it we have to take a picture.

By the way, They are also using Drones in agriculture to spray crops.  

Also, all the while, an air show was going on with crazy stunt pilots, wing walkers, and aerobatic with colored smoke and the like.

We wandered around until about 5:00 at which time my feet, knees, and hips were starting to kill me, not to mention it was cocktail time.

We made our way back to the rig and Miss Bella was sooooooo happy to see us.  She was jumping and licking and going crazy.  It was such a lovely day.  The weather was perfect.  

We sat outside for a bit enjoying an adult beverage and observing the goings on in the park. Rob grilled some lovely steaks. 

All the while, the air show is still going on and they were doing sky writing.

As darkness fell we went inside and watched some TV.  It was a still night and so they were able to raise the inflatable screen for the flay in theater.  I think they were showing Mission Impossible or something like that.  It was really loud and went on until midnight. I think when it finally ended is when I finally fell asleep.

Sunday, 23 July; Oshkosh, WI

It was actually a very nice morning.  Bella and I went out and she met a little white poodle-type dog named Penny.  They liked each other right off.  Of course, Penny was properly on a leash and Bella was running free and acting like a crazy dog.
Rob decided this would be a really good day to go and play golf.  The airshow doesn't really start until Monday, so today would be a good day.  I definitely do not want to play while the conditions are hot and humid. It just is not very fun for me.  Rob, on the other hand loves golf and would play every single day if possible. 
So, he went off for an 8 am tee time and Bella and I stayed back.  
I was a good kid and did a yoga work out. Yippee!  Yoga, Friday, run/bike Saturday and Yoga again on Sunday!  I'm on a roll now!!
When Rob gat back we drove down to the "River Walk"  not exactly like the one in San Antonio.  This one is actually a walk along the river.  It was really nice to get out though.  Bella was getting bored and restless and I was actually getting cold from being in the Air conditioning. 
We started off down by the University and the trail took off under the roadway.  Man, it was a really nice, cool breeze flowing through there.

We walked for about an hour and a half along the river .  It was really nice.  Then we came to a Brewery/restaurant.  It was on the river with a huge outdoor seating area.  They also have a Cirrus airplane on display.  

 
 In addition to that, they had some outdoor games.  Some bean-bag toss, a board with hooks and hanging rings where you try to swing them back onto the hook.  We tried, it was impossible.
They also had this big chair that Bella and I tried to sit in.

We went to the outdoor pub and enjoyed an adult beverage. I, of course had a margarita and Rob had a beer.  It was really nice sitting there watching the various boats go by, the draw bridge only had to raise once, and there were a lot of people out there enjoying the day.

We returned to the rig and watched the final end of the the last round of the British Open.  Yippee!  Jordon won leg three of the triple crown prior to age 24.  In fact, he will be 24 in 4 days. It was great.

We hung around because they were supposed to have a couple movies at the outdoor theater (just across the fence from where we are staying).  It is a blow-up theater.  But, as it turned out, the wind came up and it started raining and they ended up having to cancel it.  The rain went a way, but it was still breezy.

I stayed home and worked on my August stitchery for a cute pinwheel Kleenex box. Rob went out and sat around a fire with several new people who are RV ing by us. It was really nice for him because all these people "Love Aviation"  They love everything about it.  They are all pilots, many retired from various professional flying jobs and flying privately for fun now.  They are totally excited about flying and Rob said it has been awhile since he has felt that way, but they all jazzed him back up.  That is good.

This is an EAA Airshow.  EAA stands for Experimental Aviation Association.  People are building their own aircraft or buying and flying experimental or ultra lights or various flying machines.  It is pretty cool.

Rob and I are actually going to attend a class, most of the day tomorrow, on getting our certification for flying unmanned aircraft.....drones.  There are a lot of opportunities out there and perhaps I can get into some of it.

Any way.  I went to bed and he joined me shortly after.

Saturday, July 22; Oshkosh, WI

It is still drizzly this morning.  I took Bella out.  I met our neighbor Jerry who is backed into us at an angle.  He is a retired Northwest pilot and now flies with some dog rescue organization.  He seemed nice.  Rob met our neighbors on the other side last night. They are Jim and Ginger who have 2 Yorkie's   They live in New York and Georgia.  He is a corporate pilot and they have been coming here for 16 years.  
I took some pictures of our new home.  The air show doesn't start until Monday, so not everyone is here in the parking lot yet.  They will be coming in today and tomorrow and the place may be scary.   

Our abode!

Tucked in tight.

Bella is wondering what I am doing.

We decided to go for a run. Bella, Rob and I "Wogged" three miles.  I ran for a mile then walked a half, ran a half, etc.  Bella and I returned to the rig and then Rob went off and ran the three miles alone. At a much faster pace I'm sure.  
After that, after I cooled off and showered.  
When Rob got back we watched the end of today's round of the British open.  It's looking pretty good for Jordan Speith!
We loaded up on the bikes and road through the airshow areas.  They are going  to be 10,000 aircraft flying in and camping, so you know there are going to be that many or more RVs and tents.  I
It is truly an amazing area.  
In addition to all the aircraft people flying in (they are just spectators) there are tons of aircraft on display as well as aircraft taking part in the shows.  The event is 7 days long.
So, today they are just putting up tents, bringing in display stuff and setting things up.  It is pretty minimal at this point.
The RV parks are not full yet and the airfield, where those flying in is minimal yet. They set their tents up right under the wings of the aircraft they flew in.  We think it would be kind of yucky.  No services and no place to get out of the heat or weather in their tents.

We went by where the ultra light aircraft are going to be and where the helicopters are going to be as well.  Some of the helicopters have arrived. 

 These helicopters have been trailered here.  Some of the parts may have been taken off to fit in the trailers. Now they are putting them all back together and getting them ready for flight.

On the way back we came upon a De'lorian all souped up like the "back to the future" car. 

In fact, he wanted to use Bella to put in the car and see if she actually goes "back to the future"  I was like nooooo, she's a "velcro dog" and will not separate herself from me.

We went back to the rig and got some dinner.  We were actually some what tired and both of us were sort of waiting for the sun to go down so we could go to bed. Rob didn't even make it all the way to sunset.

Friday, 21 July; DeForest to Oshkosh, WI

Rob is excited this morning.  He gets to go ride in the B-17.  That is sooo cool.  I thought I was going to get to go out there and take pictures of him, but as it turns out I have to take the loaner back to Lexus and pick up my car and pack up the RV so we can move to Oshkosh.  We are supposed to be out of here by 11 am, but we asked if we could stay longer due to his flight.  They said we could stay until 1 pm.
Lexus called early and said my car was ready.  So, rather than Rob taking the truck and me swapping vehicles he took the loaner with him and picked my car up on the way back. 
He had a great time in the B-17.

This is the whole B-17

The nose art "Aluminum Overcast" 

Tail gunner, had to be a little guy so there is a dummy in the seat.

Bomb racks 

Rob finagled his way into the cockpit for take-off and landing 

Norden bomb site over Madison, WI

Radio operator. 

Tail view from the top turret

Rob in the bombardier position.

 Meanwhile, I started cleaning up and packing up.  It was sooo hot and humid already.  I did all of what I thought was the heavy, hard stuff and then came in and took a wonderful shower. Ahhhh. But, as it turned out, by the time I got the truck hooked up, everything tucked away and pulled the rig off our space I was dripping wet and ready for another shower.  
The entrance to the KOA park is a huge gravel lot. So, I just drove the RV out there and parked it along the edge and waited for Rob.  Man, the air-conditioning in the truck is awesome.
He actually showed up right away.  He jumped in the truck and Bella and I jumped in the car and off we went.  It was only about a 2 hour drive so I just followed him.  I stayed in my car listening to my book while Rob registered and then we followed a man into a big grassy, muddy area to our spot. Oh my we are packed in.  And this is going to be our home for the next 9 days.  
It was dreary and raining and I was feeling blue and just wanted to stay inside.  I had done a 45 minute yoga workout this morning while Rob was gone but he hadn't gotten a work out in so he went off in the car to find a gym that would let him in.  Bella and I stayed back and worked on the blog.
He came back after an hour or so and never did find a gym, but he checked out the city some.
We grilled chicken and corn and then watched some TV before bed.

Thursday; 20 July DeForest, WI

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
Today is Mom's 89th birthday.  She is healthy and going strong and I pray every night to keep her that way. I didn't get to be with her on her birthday, but I was with her a couple weeks ago and we sort of celebrated then.  I did send her a really cute floral arrangement that was a white puppy (made out of carnations) climbing out of a pretty basket of mixed flowers.  She liked it. (I found out later when I was able to talk to her)
We got up fairly early and had our coffee.  We had an appointment this morning to take my car into the Lexus dealership in Madison.  It is due for it's 60,000 mile check up which is somewhat extensive.  It is going to take several hours so they gave us a loner.  It is a real nice Lexus SUV.
We loaded up our stuff and went to play golf.  I told you, Rob always wants to play golf and this is a new place so off we went.  It was soooooo hot and sooooo humid, I was hating it.  And..... my game was showing it. 
These are pictures of the farms in the area from the golf course.

 Anyway......Yesterday when we rode our bike over that canal I told Rob that while he was playing golf Bella and I would go paddle boarding.  It was so hot and humid on the golf course that that was all I could think of.  On about hole 6 I told Rob I was not going to play the back 9.  I was to hot and soaking sweaty wet and was not having a good time.  Bella and I would wait for him to finish, but I would rather be paddle boarding.
We decided that we would just play the front 9 and then quit.  He was hot and miserable as well.
We went back to the rig and had a sandwich.  The lexus dealership called and said my rear shock was leaking (we already knew that because my car kept bottoming out when it hit bumps) anyway, they were both going to have to be replaced and they wouldn't be able to finish the car until tomorrow morning.
So, that was perfect.  We could go paddle boarding and not have to worry about Lexus.
We loaded the bags with the boards and headed out. We stopped on the bridge to see if the river was flowing or just mellow.  It was flowing.  So the plan was to start at Monona Lake, go down the river canal into Upper Mud Lake and then get out in Lake Waubesa. We found a place to park near Paunack Park and packed the boards down there.  We inflated them, put the fins on and the paddles together and took off. The lake is really weedy along the shore and quite a ways out as well.  Rob went for a dip right away.  I went in a little bit later (on purpose, not from falling in).  We found the entrance to the river.  

It is so cool, because there are beautiful homes with lovely yards and their boats all along it.  There is a yacht club and a restaurant along it as well.  Oh, the University is located along Monona Lake so there are also some apartments and a Frat house or two.  How cool would that be, to live on the river or lake while attending college.
We paddled on and had to go under two road bridges and the Freeway bridge.

One of the bridges was so low we had to sit down.  I kept hitting the bottom of the bridge while I tried to paddle under it.

We went off on a side canal which had homes and apartments on it as well.  It joined the main canal later on.

As we approached Upper Mud Lake several boats were anchored together and they were all playing in the water.  It is pretty shallow and you could stand up in it.  They were having a good ole time. 

The river had been a "No Wake Zone" which is always nice when we are standing on boards. Once we got into Mud Lake that ended and there were a couple jet skis racing around and some other speed boats.  Also, there we no homes on the lake.  There were just reeds along the edge and a bunch of stuff growing in the water.  I could hardly move and as it turned out I had collected a ton of weeds on my fin and it was creating a huge drag.  Rob removed it for me.  

The original plan was to go all the way into Lake Waubesa and pull out at a boat ramp.  Then Rob was going to Uber back to the car and come back and get us. It was starting to get late and it looked like a storm was rolling in.  I was not crazy about the Ubering part of the plan, leaving Bella and I at a dock.  Also, I was getting low on water and was really thirsty.  I voted for turning around and heading back the way we came.  Rob thought it was going to be hard going against the current and into the wind.  As it turned out the wind no longer affected us once we got back into the river and the current didn't seem all that strong. We stopped and chatted with the people playing in the river.  They had a couple dogs floating on a blowup raft and Bella was a little interested in them.

We continued up river and then pulled into the dock at the restaurant.  We went in and had an adult beverage and Salads.  Mine was a grilled brussel sprout with candied bacon, bits of butternut squash and cranberries.  Rob had a grilled chicken.  They were both delicious.

I called Mom while we were there to wish her a Happy Birthday.  I had called earlier, but she was out to lunch with Art and Barbara.  She had a good day and loved the puppy dog floral arrangement.

Feeling refueled we headed back to the board and back to the river and continued our journey onward.

We got back to the park and pulled the boards out of the water.  There were mosquitos and I wanted to get out of the grass.  So we carried everything up to a parking lot to deflate and roll them up. I still got bit pretty good along the way.  Man I hate mosquitos.

By the time we got back to the car and headed out it was 8 pm.  We  just went in and chilled for the rest of the night until bed time.

Wednesday, 19 July; DeForest

Boy is it ever hot and humid here in Wisconsin.  It is awful.  It makes you need to spend all of your time inside with the air conditioner on.
When Bella and I went out for our morning out and about neither one of us wanted to be out for long.
Rob and I had talked about finding a place to go mountain biking and leaving Bella in the rig with the air-conditioning.  But, after driving around the city we decided that it would be more fun to ride our bikes around the city.  There are two lakes right here connected by a river.  Lake Mendota and Lake Monona.  There is also a main street that is closed to cars. Additionally, Don and Tina with Bjourn and Calvin are going to be attending Grandparents University at University Wisconsin.  They get to take two days of classes and stay in the dorms starting tonight through Sat.  They are coming in to town this late afternoon and we are going to meet them.
So, in the mean time we decide we would ride around the lake and around town and we would bring Bella with us.
It was a fun ride.  There is a path called the "Lake Loop"  it goes through neighborhoods as well as along the lake.  We really enjoyed it.  There are really pretty homes with beautiful gardens.  Again, due to the humidity, everything is really green and gardens grow well.
We drove by the capital on the way to find the place to park to ride.  It was really very pretty 

We went over a bridge over a canal which is actually a river between the two lakes. I want to live on that river.

 We continued on through neighborhood which has some really awesome signs which i will track down and have in my yard.

 I especially like the one above.

I like this one a lot as well.

 The ride was really fun.  We stopped a couple times and let Bella out of her basket and let her run around.  She seems to like it. We ended up riding 15.8 miles.
After that we went home and took showers.  We actually napped bit and then went back into Madison to meet up with Don, Tina and the boys.
We met on campus of university Wisconsin.  We wandered around a bit. and took some pictures of some of the buildings.

We went into the student union and waited while they registered for their classes.  From there Tina and the boys went to the book store to "shop"  Rob, Don, Bella and I went to the historical museum and checked out John Muir multifaceted desk and his clock.

We also went upstairs to check out one of the amazing study halls. The ceiling was pretty amazing.  It looked like a study hall you would see in one of those brainiac movies.

From there we went to the student Union to the Beer Pub.  It was an awesome place.  Big, German, and looked onto/opened onto a big outdoor terrace that was on the lake.  What an awesome place to go to College.  Don and Tina both attended this university.

 We wandered about a bit more, the kids got ice cream and Rob and I decided it was time to leave.  We gave hugs and kisses to everyone and then headed off to Great Dane Brewery.

It is a cute name, because it is in Dane County.  Rob had a nice beer and I had a nice wine.  We had a nice dinner and then headed out.

On the way out we came upon this little chair and I needed to sit in it.!

We got back to our rig just in time for it to start raining and then pouring.  We watched a movie that we had gotten.  When Bella and I went outside to go potty before bed we stepped into a lake, ankle deep.  I couldn't believe it.