The Christmas tree..

is up and suitably decorated.  Pat has a fine collection of Hallmark bangles and decorations that she has accumulated over the years.  Our daughter-in-law is a manager of the local Hallmark store and keeps Pat informed if not supplied with the latest stuff.  I suspect we will have to have a second tree soon!  I have no idea where we would put one and still see the football games.

It has been gently snowing huge flakes for several days now.  There is a nice layer of white snow everywhere.  Very suitable for the holidays.

Merry Christmas...

For the Blog readers: A special Merry CHRISTmas and Joyous and Rewarding New Year!!

May God bless you all!

Snow, snow...

..everywhere and I mean everywhere.  It has been snowing since early this morning (Monday) at a rate of about 1/2" per hour.  That means that it is useless to remove the existing stuff as it'll just fill in behind you.  So far I estimate we have about 12-18" on the ground, depending where it is measured, for the season.  That includes several days of warm weather to melt some in the past few weeks.  Brian tells us, he's on the road to Wyoming for a load of coal, that it is just nasty and he only is driving because that is his job.  I have no idea where he has to haul the coal when he gets it.  We have canceled a trip to Williston (south 70 mi.) for Tuesday for shopping and a medical appointment for me.  We will reschedule when we can see the edges if the highway again!  Pat and I have powered up the snow blower and tried to clear the driveway and sidewalks.  A loosing battle!   After 20 minutes it is hard to tell where we removed the white stuff.  My back pain limits the amount of shoveling and blower work I am able to do and Pat ends up shouldering much of the work much to my dismay.

12/21/2010-0500;

It is 0ºF and we have lots of soft, fluffy, powdery  snow.  Maybe as much as 2' in places.  We will have to start up the blower and tackle it again.  The good thing is we don't have more snow predicted for the rest of the week.  Travel throughout the state is much restricted.  Most trucking has been stopped as has most deliveries to outlying areas such as Crosby.  Many of us here, especially the farm folks, depend on UPS, FedEx and such for our Christmas shopping.  If you haven't got your package by now it may not be here for Christmas.  I have one that is in FedEx limbo now!

Our Patio table

We are concerned about Brian... hope he is doin' OK.  Roads are really bad in the places he will be driving.  I'll give him a call a little later!  He is a good, cautious driver but stuff happens, eh?

Pat and I are fine for those of you who worry.

God bless all of you;

 

Sorry about the...

..lack of postings.  There was one but it got lost somewhere in the posting.  I have no idea where it went.  I didn't check when I uploaded it.  My bad as they say.
I have my hearing aids.  I must say I am a bit disappointed in the effectiveness of helping my hearing loss.  I had been warned, but hope is eternal.  That is not to say I'm ready to send them back.  I believe that with some adjustment things will be much better.  No amount of amplification can overcome the nerve damage, that is the bottom line.

This is what we saw this morning;

Ice crystals on the bare trees create a beautiful panorama.  The individual crystals are things of beauty as is the pure white snow over the landscape, especially out on the prairie.  Very beautiful.

CHRISTMAS

We are planning on splitting our Christmas between the two households with a "brunch" with family only with Brian, Joyce, Naomi and the kids at their home, then dinner at our house.  We will have some others to share the bounty with.  At least two we hope.  I have no childhood memories of Christmas when very young and we had family near except the year that Santa (my uncle) visited.  I hope that Naomi's kids will have more recollections than I have.

Thanksgiving...

...was a hands down success!

Our youngest son Brian with wife Joyce, their extended family and two guests made a table of nine.  Dinner was perfect, Pat outdid herself.  Turkey, Ham and all the trimmings plus what everyone brought.  It was great!  Everyone enjoyed the companionship and meal. The weather cooperated with cold and snow.  Our guests, Tamara and Steel enjoyed the meal and games after dinner.  Steel made a 'Green Tomato' pie.  It was very good.  Sort of  like Apple pie in taste.  We try to invite folks that are going to be alone for the holiday to join us.  This has become a tradition here for us.  It is a great way to start the holiday season.

It appears that we are in for some unpleasant weather this week.  The pattern that added snow and transportation woes to the west coast is coming our way.  We are prepared!  I'll post a picture or two if it is truly remarkable.

Well, the weather did not produce much worth talking about here in Crosby.  A couple of inches of snow is all.

I am posting this today as I really have little to add.  Kinda boring, eh?

 

 

 

It's noon and ...

+14ºF and snowing, really quite pleasant.  It is also the day before Thanksgiving.  Our son Brian has been in Idaho Falls, ID unable to move.  He just called and said the highways have been opened and he hopes to get home for the turkey dinner.  Brian drives a semi truck and hauls all over the northwest and Canada.  He has about 800 miles to cover, much of it icy and unpleasant.

Pat has her new dining room table and is really jazzed to have lots of seating for tomorrows  meal.  It looks like there will be 9 or so.  We have a lady friend who resides at the home and we have had her for thanksgiving dinner for several years.    It feel good to share.

The pickup is sporting a set of new tires now, 4 gallons of new oil and a fuel tank full of winterized diesel.  She seems content now.  I'm broke.

The audiologist is setting me up with two hearing aids.  It seems that my good ear is not so good!  I will be fitted this Pearl Harbor day, Dec 7, 2010.  The second aid is being loaned for a 60 day test.  Two aids will be over $4000.00.  I'll be paying for them for the rest of my life it seems.  I hope one will do the trick though.

The turkey is thawed and ready for prep and cooking.  Pat purchased a boneless turkey and a pre sliced ham.  That will make leftovers a breeze and no carcass to deal with.

Gotta Go;

Bruce

The good news...;

I have apparently regained enough of my hearing (about 30%) to warrant a hearing aid.  Of course it has to be the very expensive one (≈$3000) that will help. Our insurance will cover $300.00!  Maybe next year.  One begins to wonder if the expense of these medical wonders are worth the results at my age.  !?????!

On my way home yesterday afternoon on highway 85,  I had a front tire on the truck loose its air.  I called AAA and they had one hell-of-a time finding someone to help me.  Every business in North Dakota is short of help and the tow outfits are no different I guess.  I spent two hours, some in the dark, waiting for help.  The good part is that I did get help.

The tires on the PU were due for replacement this coming spring.  Looks like I better be doing something sooner, eh?  (eh?, That's Canadian/Norwegian).  Doesn't it always seem that this stuff hits you when you feel the most vulnerable?

Well it's 1130 and the snow has been falling steadily. Not much accumulation so far.  It is a very light snow so far with a light breeze that seems to barely slant the snow north to south.  I'll bet that was a lot more than you wanted.  I have moments that I wish to wax poetic and I suppose you will have to accept it if you wish to read these ramblings. BTW, no snow was forecast for this day.

11/18-0600: This weeks weather that I have included shows that we do indeed have winter arriving.  Guess we will have a cold Thanksgiving.  I don't think I would enjoy warm Thanksgiving again, it needs to be "winter" for the winter holidays.

Pat and I are headed to Minot, ND for a medical appointment for me and she has some shopping while I am occupied with my 4 hr infusion appointment.

 

 

 

 

 

Yup, it's here

Nice forecast, eh?  We do have sunshine though.  It is just hard to get a tan! ☺

The snow we do have will fade slightly because of evaporation due to low humidity.  Just not very fast.

Ahhh, I hear Pat moving about upstairs, I'll go up and see her now.  A small break from my chore here.  I'll be back.

 

I think winter has finally come!...

This was taken this morning at 9 AM and this is the expected high for the day!

We have had a very comfortable fall this year and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Now we must pay the price.  Pat has declared today a Chili/Cornbread day.  Thats OK by me.  By the way, the photo was taken on our front porch looking Northeast kind of towards Brian's house.  The storm has uncharacteristically come up from the south along the western borders of Nebraska, South Dakota and the Montana and North Dakota border.

We are quite content, Pat is is the sewing room making sewing machine noises and I am in my computer room. Both rooms are in the finished basement.  Canuck is my partner and co-author for these missives and will proof read this.  Including his photo may keep him from being too critical.☺

Pat's brother Larry and his wife, Eileen, have proposed a visit to us this coming year.  We have to negotiate suitable dates.  We are looking forward to a visit with them.

 

 

The snow...

has all but melted away.  Spots of snow exist but are not troublesome.  We have had a week of very pleasant weather.  That is apparently ending Monday.  Rain and rain-snow are predicted for the coming week.  I have really enjoyed the respite from winter so far.

A contractor from Montana has purchased the residence across the street and is preparing to flip it after a renovation.  Lots of people working there this last week.  The same contractor has flipped several home here in the recent past months.  For you folks in the rest of the nation this would seem an irony, we are having a housing shortage and boom while many of you are dealing with foreclosures. He and Pat have had some differences about his requests in Planning and Zoning committee on which she serves.  It advises the city on issues that concern planning and zoning.  He is a bit pushy and brusque and Pat does not push easily.

Pat is at a quilting retreat at Kenosee Provincial Park in Canada.  She will celebrate her birthday there (Nov. 6).   It is about 116 miles north of us according to AAA.  This is a once a year event and she really looks forward to it.  It is a 3 day event so I'll have her home sometime late sunday.

 

Winter is here, and...

the great blizzard of 2010 is blowing as I type at 6AM.  It is very windy and snow blowing everywhere as it was all night.  Not pleasant at all.  Our low humidity makes snow that resembles talcum powder and it will not stick together. *see below.  So with the wind it'll blow everywhere.  Our kitchen door porch and garage door have about 8" of snow but the patio at the back door has very little.  When daylight comes I will be able to see better and snap a photo or two.  We are at the very western edge of this storm event and have not been hammered like those east of us.  Photo is Canuck watching the snow out the LR window.

The snow blower is ready.  I'm not sure I am.
Just removed the snow from the driveway.  We had a 2' drift that really worked my 8hp snowblower.  The snow is uncharacteristically wet and heavy making it harder to blow any distance so I had to move it twice in some areas.  We could make snowballs, very unusual. It must have gotten warmer that the 28ºF that we had at 6AM some time last night.  I am tired now, that was a lot of effort for this senior citizen.  I hope this snow is not what we can expect for the rest of this winter.

What you cannot see is the force of the wind whipping the flag...

We are having a chili and cornbread day and that is what Pat is going to do for supper !  She has become very adept at creating various soups from scratch and I enjoy them very much.  We have leftover veggie soup for dinner (lunch).

Here comes Winter...

The little red circle is where Crosby is.  IIt is activly raining now, we are getting a good soaking.  t looks like our first snow of the year is on the way.  We like to have snow on Thanksgiving.  That fits with the traditional view of the holiday.

We, the family in Crosby, have not made the plans for the holiday.  We try to share Thanksgiving together and let Christmas be celebrated separately.  We do get together to share gifts and visit on Christmas though.

Pat is in the kitchen making home made Vegetable soup using a beef broth base.  We'll have the soup for supper with corn bread.  Mmmm good!

I believe I have everything done for the winter preparation.  I hope so anyway.

What a week!

My trusty Mac Laptop circa 2006 had a hard drive failure while I was running the backup!  Needless to say both the hard drive in the laptop and the external drive for the backup were corrupted.  I purchased a new drive on line for the laptop and installed it.  Then began trying to salvage all my software programs and documents to restore the new drive. It has taken most of every day this last week of steady work to get much of my stuff restored.  I still have a bunch to go but all the really important stuff seems to be in its proper place now.

 

Winter should be upon us by all rights.. not here yet!  We are busy having very pleasant days and nights are above freezing.  Our first winter we had snow on this date and it was still with us in April.  I put the mower away for the winter and had to get it back out to mow again.  I even had the snowblower serviced and ready for work!  Almost everything is ready for the winter.  I have a hose caddy in the backyard that needs storing and some miscellaneous small stuff to do.  That is the kind of stuff you race around doing when the weather man says "snow tomorrow".

More stuff since the last...

A very pleasant Sunday morning in North Dakota!

While we were on our semi-annual jaunt to Indiana, Pat had a couple of quilts entered in a Quilt show in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and she did very well, even brought home some money.  Good show, eh?

You can click in the quilt image to see detail. 

That makes her renown internationally doesn't it?  She does do long arm quilting for folks in Canada and gives classes there too.  Her quilting business is by word of mouth and she is kept very busy by her clientele.  I really am proud of her.
Did I tell you that Pat is now an Alderwoman on the Crosby city council?  She won the election by a comfortable margin.  She has been very active on the Zoning and Building commission and became known by the electorate as someone who spoke her mind.  Are they in for it!

My hearing problem is still with me.  There are times that I think that I have some hearing improvement but it is so small that I think it is wishful thinking on my part.  The Niagara Falls in my left ear affects the hearing that I do have.  If I could get rid of that roar things would be better.  It is doubtful I'll loose the noise as it is "nerve generated" inside my head.  I will see my 'local' Dr. next month to set up an appointment with a local audiologist who will retest me to see if any improvement can be detected.  If not, we will talk of a hearing aid.  If I do, we will delay the hearing aid and wait another 3 months for a retest and then get the hearing aid based on that testing.

So far we have had a very mild autumn this year.  We have had a couple of nights where the thermometer touched 32ºF, no more.  It was just enough to give the tomato plants terminal frost bite.  Needless to say we are really enjoying the tropical conditions. LOL!

The farmers here have had a very disappointing wheat harvest this year.  Many are simply mowing the fields and not harvesting.  Many though had bins full of last years grain and will not suffer too badly this year.

ß

More Reunion 2010

The Lamb (Pat) reunion, July 31-Aug 1, was a great success.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  Pat and I certainly did.  We had the reunion at Kickapoo State park in Illinois near Danville IL.  We camped there for 3 days then moved on to Crawfordsville, IN where we stayed for the rest of a hot and humid August.  We did have a lot of relatives and friends to get together with and time seemed at a premium towards the end of our month.  We had planned the whole month so we could have a leisurely visit... so much for that plan!

I woke up deaf on my left side at the beginning of our 2nd week in Crawfordsville.  I spent the 1st day trying the normal remedies such as flushing the ear for possible wax removal.  This was not successful and the next day I went to the local ER after I had thoroughly researched "Sudden Loss of Hearing" on the internet.  This ended up with several trips to Indianapolis to see specialists who determined I had idiopathic loss of hearing on the left side.  I also was told that I probably had about a 30% chance of regaining some hearing during the next 6 months or so.

The whole ear thing boiled down to the supposition that I had a "mini stroke" that starved the nerve(s) for hearing in the left ear.  The blood vessels that feed the nerves in the ear are very fine and easily clogged.  I was the statistical one out of five thousand. Lucky me, eh?   The good part is that I do not have issues with cancer or tumors and it wasn't an eye.  Sooo... I will wait out the next 5 months and hope for a return of some hearing so I may get a hearing aid.  

This whole episode placed a bit of a cloud over our vacation.  We also had a water leak that we fortunately found before it was a major issue. The trailer has a plumbing water distribution manifold and I was able to isolate the leak so that only the kitchen sink was only missing hot water.  I had to order a special part (valve) from the trailer manufacturer in Kansas.  When the part arrived I repaired the leak and all was well. For those who do not RV, problems such as this are typical.. stuff happens.  It is amazing that more doesn't go wrong with the rough roads one encounters along the way.

We put 5000+ miles on the Dodge pickup and 3000+ miles in the trailer.  I think we will mark up the trip as a whole as rewarding and successful.  We truly enjoy our home on wheels.  We lack for very little in comfort and having out pets with us is a major plus.  

Thats it for now..

ß

It is Sunday...

...and we are resting.
The RV park we are staying at has a large collection of mature Rose of Sharon bushes with gorgeous blossoms.  I have taken some picts of the flowers and will share them with you...

The Katydids are noisy but we are happy to hear them again.  The same for seeing the Fireflies early in the evening.

We are planning to spend the day in Indianapolis at the State Fair.  We are both pretty excited to go, like little kids, we may not sleep well tonight.. LOL.

ß

Here we sit....

at the Crawfordsville, IN KOA for the next 30 days.  The reunion was a great success and we had a wonderful time camped at Kickapoo State park, IL.
We have had a 'small' plumbing problem that has left us without hot water for a couple of days.  A pipe connection failed and I hope to find parts to repair it today.  In RV's it is a fact of life that issues will occur from time to time.  The rough roads are tough on our trailer houses with all the comforts we want.
Here are a few photos from the reunion:

Ray Lamb & sister Kay Lamb

Eileen Howard

L>R, Helen, Ray Lamb & Pat Woodward

Lamb stuff from Ray Lamb

Cloe [Apple] and Merle Howard

Cloe [Apple], Joy Burket, Kay Lamb

Eileen Howard, Nanette, Pat Woodward

Clicking on photos enlarges.

On the road to..

Illinois then on to Indiana.  We are now parked at a KOA in Newton, IA (I-80) for tonight and maybe tomorrow  night, we'll see.  So far all has gone well and we are pleased with our progress.  We even have some time to kill. It's very warm and humid as we progress more eastward.  It is easy to miss our low humidities in N. Dakota.  Sorry, no pictures so far.

ß

Ed and Liddy just left...

Ed and Liddy in Medora, ND

Our RV camp spot

Just relaxing in or Fifth Wheeler in Medora

... And we had a most pleasant visit.  We all had a very good time in Medora and the musical was GREAT as usual. We also went through Theodore Roosevelt National Park and really enjoyed the tour, we saw Wild Horses an Bison close up.  They took lots of pictures to share.

I think they really liked our small town (Crosby).  I wish we had more time to share, There is so much more to show them.  Maybe next time, Eh?  Pat and I really enjoyed the visit.  Just too bad that our scheduled trip was a limiting factor.

Pat and I are now concentrating on getting our selves packed and ready to leave Sunday for Kickapoo State Park near Danville, IL.

 ß

Theodore Roosevelt National Park:   http://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm  should you wish to visit via the web.

The "Threshing Bee" etc...

As I type this the parade is forming up at the Threshing Bee for 2010.  I am not participating this year.  Pat is involved with a antique quilt display in a old church.  She and others have gathered up a collection of very old and antique quilts from various donors for the show.  This is something that Pat and Elaine Nygaard started last year and they, with the local quilt guild have been requested to return this year.  I'll try to get a picture or two to post here.

Speaking of Pat;  She has taken the winning of election to the city council by the bit and is already recognized as a force to be reckoned with.  She has garnered the support of state Senator Andrist, a very influential politician in North Dakota and here in Divide County.  Several issues regarding the future of Crosby and Divide County are coming to a head after several years of forming.  Pat has the opportunity to be active in the decision making.  The next four years are going to be hectic I fear.  Oh my! She could be re-elected!???

We are also expecting company tomorrow as noted in the last post.  I am also preparing the RV for the trip to Illinois/Indiana for the Lamb reunion.  Pat has constructed a quilt for auction at the reunion again this year.
 ß


PS:
This link is an example of the growth of energy resources in N. N.Dakota spurred by the Bakken oil field exploitation. 
A lot of energy Discussion of energy meeting includes expanding refining capacity

stuff...

I really can't tell if anyone reads my missives on this blog.  One of the reasons I chose to do this was to eliminate the use of twitter or facebook.  I have tried to cancel my relationships with these things and have had very poor results.  I still get notices from facebook!  I do not respond to facebook invitation notices, ever.  Just so you all know.

Now more pleasant things...  Ed and Lid Atkeson will arrive on our doorstep from the Prescott, AZ area on Sunday. If they arrive by noon or so we will be able to share the antique tractor parade and Threshing Bee with them.   Ed is Pats 1/2 brother.  Ed and Liddy have a special place in our hearts.

Tuesday, we are loading up the fifth-wheel and taking Ed and Lid to the Musical at Medora, ND.  The musical lasts until 10-11 pm and we just don't want to drive back home in the middle of the night.  We will all sleep in the RV and leave in the morning for home, about 200 miles north.  

Pat and I are pre-preparing for our month long outing to Illinois and Indiana.  We will probably get on our way on the 23rd of July.  We really need to get into Kickapoo state park (Danville, IL) in the middle of the week (28th) so we can get a RV parking place.  The park is where Pat's family reunion will be that weekend, 7/31-8/1.

more later (I think) LOL
ß

I've been remiss in keeping the blog current....

..we've been busy.  Spring and summer are intense times here.  Long days and lots of projects.  Our weather has been a little more intense than usual.  Seems that we are having more of everything, tornados, rain and wind, than in recent years.

Eddie and Lid Atkeson (Pats step brother and wife) are coming from Prescott, AZ for a visit next week.  We are pretty excited by the prospects.  We plan to take them to the Medora Musical (http://www.medora.com/musical/) in Medora, ND.  It is a overnight trip as the musical lets out close to midnight, so we are taking our RV with us to stay the night.

After Ed ans Lids visit we must get our RV ready for the trip to Illinois and Indiana for the month of August. Pat's family reunion is the first weekend in August and we plan to visit folks on both sides of our family.  My intent is to keep the blog up to date as possible so all of you can share our adventures as we go.  


We really miss our Jack Russell Terrier Lucy.  I found the following photo that I thought was cute.  Lucy was always there to help anyone who needed a nap, especially Pat.  Lucy would not let you disturb her when she was occupying her couch.  She just didn't move, that's all!  We were allowed to pick her up and move her but she did not like it and she made it clear with a withering look.

Don't forget the fun stuff...

The following note was received from my aunt who has always been special for me.  I decided to publish the story on the blog 'cause it really pointed out one the important things in our lives.  It is to finish out happy and pleased with our existence.  I hope you find this as inspirational as I did.

One day I had lunch with some friends. Jim, a short, balding golfer type about 80 years old, came along with them---all in all, a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented, we ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups, except for Jim who said, "Ice Cream, please. Two scoops, chocolate.

I wasn't sure my ears heard right, and the others were aghast. "Along with heated apple pie," Jim added, completely unabashed.

We tried to act quite nonchalant, as if people did this all the time.. But when our orders were brought out, I didn't enjoy mine.

I couldn't take my eyes off Jim as his pie a-la-mode went down. The other guys couldn't believe it. They ate their lunches silently and grinned.

The next time I went out to eat, I called and invited Jim. I lunched on white meat tuna. He ordered a parfait.
I smiled. He asked if he amused me I answered, "Yes, you do, but also you confuse me.
How come you order rich desserts, while I feel I must be sensible? He laughed and said "I'm tasting all that is Possible.
I try to eat the food I need, and do the things I should. But life's so short, my friend, I hate missing out on something good.

This year I realized how old I was. (He grinned) I haven't been this old before."
"So, before I die, I've got to try those things that for years I had ignored.
I haven't smelled all the flowers yet. There are too many trout streams I haven't fished. There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down and kites to be flown overhead.
There are too many golf courses I haven't played. I've not laughed at all the jokes. I've missed a lot of sporting events and potato chips and cokes.

I want to wade again in water and feel ocean spray on my face. I want to sit in a country church once more and thank God for His grace.
I want peanut butter every day spread on my morning toast. I want un-timed long distance calls to the folks I love the most.

I haven't cried at all the movies yet, or walked in the morning rain. I need to feel wind on my face. I want to be in love again.

So, if I choose to have dessert, instead of having dinner, then should I die before night fall, I'd say I died a winner, because I missed out on nothing. I filled my heart's desire. I had that final chocolate mousse before my life expired.."

With that, I called the waitress over.. "I've changed my mind, " I said. "I want what he is having, only add some more whipped cream!"

This is my gift to you - We need an annual Friends Day! If  you get this twice, then you have more than one friend. Live well, love much & laugh often - Be happy.

SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS including me if I'm lucky enough to be counted among them.
Be mindful that happiness isn't based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people we like and respect. Remember that while money talks,  CHOCOLATE  ICE CREAM SINGS!

Horse event in Bismarck...

This last week Pat and I traveled to Bismarck, ND so Pat could work at a Endurance Ride there.  She was invited after someone had bragged of her abilities.  We left on Thursday and planned to stay at WalMart in Minot then go on Friday to our destination.  As it turned out this was a very good decision.  On Thursday night we were buffeted by winds up to 70 mph after experiencing blinding rainfall going down the highway.  In some areas we traveled through it was reported up to 5 inches in one hour while we were on the road.  Not fun!

The weather changed and by Saturday morning we had lovely North Dakota summer weather.  The included pictures show our "big sky" that Montana likes to brag about.

We spent Friday preparing for the event and watching folks arrive with their horses.  We were bivouacked at a very pretty farm from which the ride was run.

The lady holding the team was the owner of this very handsome pair if ponies and the farm we were camped.  Folks of all ages enjoyed wagon rides.  Canuck, our dog thought they were pretty special and he made a friend of a mule in a paddock where we were parked.  There was also a goat that was very friendly with Canuck.

These pictures were taken on Monday the 21st just before we left for our trip home.  We actually had a mostly dry trip home but it did look threatening all the way.  All in All we had a pleasant weekend and met a group of very fun folks.  We have been invited to return next year and we are looking forward to it.