August 16- September 22, 2022 Mary's Scoliosis and marina events

 8-16 We were right on the Central and eastern time zone line, so we lost an hour that morning.  We make it to Brunswick, Ga by 6:00pm.  We stopped at a Mexican food truck at a brewery downtown Brunswick before going back to the boat.  I dropped off Dave and our luggage at the boat so he could start cooling it down and the refrigerator/freezer.  I went directly to the Publix grocery store.  Besides picking up groceries, I was able to say hello to our son, Peter, who works there.  I also bought a bag of ice and put everything in our freezer for the night.  We didn’t go to bed until the air conditioning lowered the inside temp to 80 degrees.  
8-17   We had to be back today because Dave has an appointment for lab work this morning at 10:00.  His phone didn’t make the automatic change in the time zone, so he was going to be late.  They let him reschedule to 11:00, thankfully.  I had an appointment at 4:00pm with a spine doctor.  He showed me the x-rays of my MESSED UP back.  The scoliosis was severe in my lower back which explained my problem areas.  I also have degenerative spine in my lumbar region.  But no surgical treatment is necessary.  And as long as it stays mobile, I should be able to avoid that in the future.  He referred me for physical therapy.  I was actually happy to have a plan to help me stay out of pain and avoid surgery.  

8-18 Dave had his annual exam at the VA this morning.  He hadn’t seen a Dr in person since before Covid early 2020.  Our refrigerator and freezer were’t cooling like it should after we turned it off for the first time.  So Dave started looking into that.

8-19 Friday. We went to our storage unit today to figure out where we were going to store our cedar chest and paintings.  We made it work.  Dave was feeling like he had a urinary tract infection, started antibiotics and took it easy.  We had Pete over for dinner.  We had brought a frozen crawfish étouffée back from Louisiana and shared that with Pete.  Pete and I went up to the marina’s happy hour late and he played music and we played cards with friends.  
8-20 to 9-9. Usual marina functions and boat projects.

pizza night on the dock

Dave's homemade Gnocchi

tried to have a happy hour on the dock, but a catamaran owner invited us to his boat

Dave's homemade bread

9-9 Friday Pete, Dave and I went to Woodbine, GA for their Woodbine Oprey bluegrass night.  We’ve only gone on Saturday nights for the old country music.  They served a meal of 2 tacos, chips and a drink for $6.  Great deal.  The bluegrass night is more of an open mic event and people took turns leading a song as others played along.  The Saturday night event is more structured and retired professional musicians play.  We visited with one of the performers afterwards.  They would love to have Pete join them anytime.  
9-12 We drove to Jacksonville early this morning to take Pete to the airport.  He is flying back to Rapid City, SD for a week to play a gig with his old band, the River Liffey Boys.  Murphy’s Pub celebrates Sept 17 as half way to St Patrick’s Day, also known as St Practice Day.  After dropping him off, we stopped for breakfast in St Mary’s at Cedar Oak cafe.  There were new owners and management.  We enjoyed our breakfast.  Photos are from 9-17-22 in Rapid City.

Toni Moore, Janice Zeller Mooore, Pete and Cheryl Ulmer

Back at the marina, I started helping a committee plan a fundraiser for another boater and friend, Eric Thompson, who has rectal cancer.  He and his wife live on their sailboat full-time, but they are not of retirement age.  They are/were both still employed.  So many of the boaters wanted to do something to help them out.  Much of my time between now and the event, Sept 22, was spent on planning, PT for my back, and packing for a SD trip with girlfriends.  
9-22. The fundraiser was a huge success.  We planned a beach party theme.  The marina provided the food for a “picnic” type of meal-hamburgers, hotdogs, coleslaw, individual bags of chips, and cookies.  Another boater offered to fry fresh caught fish.  We asked for a donation for the plate of food, not an all you can eat buffet.  Boater donated alcohol and mix for a rum punch and margaritas, bottles of wine and a keg of beer.  That was also on a donation basis.  We had sold raffle tickets for a 50/50 drawing.  And we had a silent auction.  We thought we might have 5 items, but we ended up with over 30.  People came dressed in beach attire.  We had games to play to make it more festive.  We had hoped to raise at least $1000.  The place was packed and we raided about $4500!  The winner of the 50/50 drawing gave them his winnings.  Eric was in the hospital on the day of the event.  But his wife came and gave a heartfelt thank you to everyone.  There were 3 of us on the planning committee, but we had all kinds of help from other boaters.  It was a great night.  

Amber thanking the crowd

                                             Adults acting like little kids playing this game

August 10-15, 2022 Oklahoma and Louisiana road trip to GA

 8-10 We had a late start for Oklahoma today after cleaning up after ourselves at Janice and Jim’s.  We spent the night in Council Bluff, Iowa along the interstate.  
8-11 We finished driving to OK today.  We stopped in Kansas and ate at an awesome taco truck.  We also bought corn on the cob that was borderline of being a little old.  But we hadn’t had any this summer.  We enjoyed it for dinner at my sister Bev’s home in Harrah, OK, a suburb of OKC.  
8-12 Bev is building a new home with her son Kevin.  She will have a 2 bedroom home attached to their home.  She has been storing a few of our things at her home.  We decided now would be a good time to move them to our storage unit.  We unloaded my cedar chest.  We took down three paintings and figured out how to package them with card board for traveling and storing.  We drove to their property to see the progress of the new home.  It was fun to walk through the lot and picture where the house will set.  From there we went to my favorite restaurant in the area, the Royal Bavaria German restaurant. Mya, the youngest daughter, came back to Bev’s and spent the night with us.  We found a scorpion on the kitchen floor.  That was a first one I had seen at Bev’s home.  

Dave, MaKenna, Mary, Kevin, Melanie, Macy, Mya, Beverly

8-13 It was noon by the time packed our belongings and headed southeast.  We planned to stop in Louisiana on the way back to Georgia.  We had a late lunch when we crossed into Texas at the Borderline restaurant.  I had a ribeye steak and Dave had catfish.  We saw one of their 18 ounce hamburgers go by.  The waitress said you can order them as a double or triple!!
I researched a Holiday Inn in Shreveport, LA to be near a church I could go to in the morning.  I think I will think twice about going to a city center in the future.  There were signs in the parking lot telling you to remove your valuables from the car.  Instead of leaving it at the back of the hotel by our door, Dave moved it near the front door where it would be more lit.  
8-14 Sunday morning.  No break in last night, our car was fine.  I went to mass at 8:00am at St John Berchmans Catholic Church.  Hadn’t hear of that saint. 

We drove to Breaux Bridge, LA for the night.  We wanted to hear some cajun/zydeco music   Most live music was on Friday and Saturday night.  But I found a dance hall that had music on Sunday afternoons.  We went to La Poussiere Dance Hall from 2:30 until 5:00 and had a ball.  You could tell it was where the locals would go.  The music was just what we were looking for.  And everyone was up and dancing all afternoon, which we enjoyed, too.  

 

 We asked for recommendations for dinner before we left.  We were directed to Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf.  “Take highway xxx and turn left when you hit the levee.”  Now that’s a landmark I haven’t used up until now.  We had an awesome dinner with an assortment of crawfish dishes.  The restaurant was sitting on a canal.  While we were there, we saw an alligator drifting down the canal that had to be 12 feet long!  After dinner, we drove along the levee and circled back to our hotel through the country side.  We were amazed at all the sugar cane that is grown in this area.  

 

 

 

8-15 We headed back to Georgia this morning.  We passed the Atchafalaya swamp and lake today.  Yesterday we had seen houseboats on the water.  So I did some research into coming back someday and renting one.  It looked beautiful and mysterious all together.  

 

We planned to stop in the Mobile Bay Area at another favorite restaurant, R&R Seafood on the Causeway east of Mobile at the top of the bay.  Our favorite there is crawfish, but the fresh ones are out out season.  We enjoyed raw oysters and crab claws, then mahi tacos and a fish dinner for our meals.  We drove on to Bonifay, FL that night and I swam in their outside swimming pool. Love it.  

August 7-9, 2022 Julie Bowar's funeral in Faulkton, SD

8-7 Sunday, we checked out, had something to eat in Sisseton and were back in Aberdeen by 2:00.  Jerry Zeller, Vern and Ruth Schaefer had already arrived at Janice’s house.  We all changed clothes and drove to Faulkton together for the wake and dinner.   There was a wonderful gathering of many of my cousins that I grew up with.  Julie’s daughter, Jeanette, told me that within the last couple of years, she was filling out a family journal with her mother.  One of the questions was “who was your hero?”.  She said her sister Teresa, my mother, because she was always so happy and looked at the good side of everything.  That was so wonderful to hear, and so true.  After dinner, we drove back to Aberdeen.

 

This photo was taken in the 1980's or 90's of the Schaefer siblings and spouses.  Standing-Margaret and Lawrence Schaefer, Charles Zeller (my dad), local priest, Bob Bower, Melvin Zeller. Seated-MaryLou Schaefer, Teresa Zeller (my mom), Julie Schaefer Bower, Dorothy Schaefer Zeller

 8-8 Monday We drove 2 separate cars today to the funeral.  Jerry, Vern and Ruth were going to leave directly from Faulkton to return to MN.  There were so many lovely stories shared by the priest, family and friends.  We enjoyed more visiting and lunch at the church after going to the cemetery.  

Bob and Julie Bowar family

Members of Ed and Lawrence Schaefer family

Lawrence and Margaret Schaefer's family-Bob, Judy, Linda and Herman Kindle

 We were invited to stop at the farm of Larry and Gary Bower, where their parents had previously farmed.  Of course I wanted to stop.  I had so many childhood memories on that farm.  And it was nice to continue visiting.  They had several tables set up in the garage of Gary’s home, across the street from Larry’s home.  They were all playing a card game that looked like a lot of fun.  So of course I had to learn what it was.  They taught me to play Swoosh.  It was really different from other games and any number of people can play.  They will love this back at the marina. 

 

 Back in Aberdeen, we washed sheets and towels again.  It was the least we could do for letting us stay for several days.
8-9 Tuesday was a lazy day in Aberdeen.  I walked across the street to visit Doris Felix and Marie Crawford for a glass of wine late afternoon, Glen’s family.  They make you feel like you’re part of their family, too. 

August 3-6, 2022 Aberdeen, SD and Roth family reunion

8-3 I was able to get an appointment with the doctor that did my knee replacements in 2018 for a 3 year check up (1 year in 2019, now 3 year).  Our plan was to visit my niece, Heidi Crawford, and family,  But some of them were out of town.  So we had a nice relaxing few days to Janice and Jim’s before going to a Roth family reunion near Sisseton, SD.  

checking Janice's garden

We spent the day cleaning out our car and sorting through our belongings.  We had an oil change (much cheaper here than in Georgia), washed and vacuumed our car before repacking it.  We found out today that my Aunt Julie Bower from Faulkton, SD had passed away.  She was my mother’s last living sibling.  We have on aunt-in-law in Miller, SD, MayLou Schaefer Oakley.  If the funeral is before we leave for Dave’s family reunion, we wanted to attend.  Faulkton is about an hour’s drive from Aberdeen.  
8-4 Thursday Claire Crawford, Heidi’s daughter, was golfing in a tournament in Aberdeen, so we walked to course with Heidi and enjoyed watching her play.  He took 2nd place.  We went to Crawford’s farm that afternoon to enjoy their swimming pool.  We had pizza for dinner with the whole family.  Glen’s mother and Aunt, Marie and Doris, joined us.  I taught them how to play the card game 7’s.  Fun day with family!

Dave really wanted a seed corn hat.  Our great nephew,  Garrett, gave this to Dave

8-5 Friday I had coffee that morning with a grade school/high school classmate that lived in Aberdeen, Nancy Augspurger Carlson, at her home.  One of those friends that you feel like you never left.  We found out that Julie Bowar’s funeral was going to be on Monday, so we planned to go to Dave’s family reunion and return to Aberdeen for the funeral.  My brother, Jerry, from Minneapolis and cousins Vern and Ruth Schaefer from Maple Lake, MN planned to stay at Janice and Jim’s for the funeral.  Since J&J were in Sturgis, I washed bedding and towels to prepare for guests.  In the afternoon, Dave and I drove to Claire City, SD about 2 hours away, to join his family.   His mom Alice, brother Dean, sister Debbie and her “so” Randy were all staying at the Red Side Inn, as were we.  We all had dinner together at the only restaurant in town, Deano’s, which was very good.  

8-6 On Saturday, we all drove to New Effington for the reunion.  They have it every 3 years at the 4H building.  The last one we attended was when Pete was a little boy and Dave’s dad was still alive, around 1990.  They start with coffee and rolls about 9:30am.  There was lots of reacquainting and reminiscing.  There were about 40 people in attendance.  The lunch was prepared by several of the local relatives.  A donation is accepted to cover the cost, but they also hold a silent auction to cover expenses.  My Sturgis Rally t-shirt was a hit.  All of Dave’s aunts and uncles have passed away.  Alice, being an ex wife, was the only one in attendance from that generation.  She had spent many years with their family and enjoyed seeing everyone again, and they enjoyed seeing her.  Alice, Dean, Debbie and Randy have attended several of these reunions over the years.  We headed back to Claire City by late afternoon.  

Dean brought the cake

Marlys Roth Brooks, Alice, Dave Roth, Peggy Roth ..., , Debbie Roth Heise, Dean Roth

Dave and Alice saying goodbye

These next photos are from the last time we attended the Roth reunion.  Must have been 1988

Dave, Pete and Mary

siblings, Carl Roth, Dolly Roth Foster, Lyle "Bud" Roth, Dave's dad

Debbie, Dean, Bud and Dave

These were old family photos

Car, Kenneth, Joe Roth, Ina Roth, Dolly, Bud

Alice is standing back left, Bud seated with Dean on his lap, Dave on floor right side with Debbie in the middle on the floor

 I decided to drive to Sisseton for church on Saturday night.  It was about a 20 minute drive and I arrived at 5:25 to an empty parking lot.  The Saturday evening mass was in Rosholt, not Sisseton.  So I took off for Rosholt and arrived at 5:45.  Everyone stared at me because I was a stranger AND I  walked in 15 minutes late, but they were very welcoming.  Back in Claire City, we all went to Dean’s for dinner again.