Getting My 'Fixes' Around Cincy.....OLA

Ohio Barn Quilt

I am a tennis fan-addict! Bill cannot quite understand why I passionately stay awake up to the wee hours of the morning to watch the rounds of the majors. Finally in Cincy (cute nickname of Cincinnati, Ohio) I got the chance to go to my very first live ATP Masters tennis tournament: The Western and Southern Open. It is part of the US Open Series prior to the US Open which just started today in Flushing Meadows, New York. The Cincy tourney has been running since 1899 and is the only one still playing in its original city. The Lindner Family and Tennis Center in Mason, a suburb of Cincy, is one of the country’s major tennis centers.

Blake-Baghdatis encounter on Opening Night

You cannot imagine my excitement as I waited in line for the gates to open, toured the many exhibits and kiosks, gobbled up many souvenir items (for our grandchildren and myself!), took countless photos, and watched #1 woman player Caroline Wozniacki and #2 men’s player Rafa Nadal practice at the side courts! I was frozen many times while watching even just the early rounds. My eyes followed the living ball whizz to and fro during the Blake-Baghdatis, Harrison-Chela, and Roddick-Kohlschreiber matches. Now, watching at least one of the four majors is a definite addition to our bucket list!

a section of Highway 127 in Ohio

Just like any other female, I am also a shopping fan-addict! But, retired and without the income I had before, it has evolved to become more of treasure hunting. Last year I was just reading about the World’s Longest Yard Sale in a travel magazine. It’s all of 625 miles along Highway 127, from Gadsden, Alabama to Hudson, Michigan on the first weekend of August. I ran into It when I took to bring Bill home from his surgery. On its last day, I dragged Bill, still in crutches, to get my ‘finds’: ‘Hot Wheels’ for my other grandson, Kenji who lives in Seattle, some bake ware, and other bargains! 

 

the Great American Ball Park

I am also a fan of Paul McCartney who chose Cincy as one of the venues for his 8-city ‘On the Run’ tour. It was a sell-out crowd of 41,500 at the Great American Ball Park. Unfortunately, we were not one able to go because of Bill’s surgery. Later we were able to go to the famous home of the Cincinnati Reds (although they may not be playing well nowadays)! I thought…wow they indeed got the best name for a ball park even if it is not ranked as one of the top 3 (Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees, Wrigley’s Field of the Chicago Cubs, and Fenway Park of the Boston Red Sox)!

the family with Bill, catching a small one

Admittedly, another addiction of mine is to entertain! The Wilmington RV Resort had a family centers basketball/volleyball/tennis courts, indoor pool and spa, mini-golf, horseshoe pits and shuffleboards, and 3 fishing ponds! Former I/ACT colleague Lea, husband Jimmy and children, Miles, Patrick, and Mathew visited us there during our first weekend. Matthew had long wanted to inspect RV living up close and personal. So in our Chicago reunion, Lea decided to visit us in this Ohio campground, just 30 minutes away from her home. I had a lot of fun watching the family catch three fish in just thirty minutes, enjoy the ‘ride’ on the RV slide-out going out, and take a nap on the dinette turned bed!

how can I bring home this chair???

And the biggest addiction of mine…the color yellow…got fed as we explored the farms around Clinton County. There we found more barn quilts (56) than the collection in Houston County, Minnesota! Wilmington is also the home of the first banana split in the world and the site of the annual Banana Split Festival in mid-June. But the most special find of all is the biggest chair I have ever seen, probably about 10 feet tall…and it’s all in yellow! 

We are having a lot of fun but soon I have to fly to Vegas for a mini-reunion with gal pals Jingjing and Ann and a visit to my friend Angie and cousin, Ate Tesing. Finally, Bill might be able to have time for his own ‘fixes’…sans moi!  

OLA: Standing at the Crossroads of America 2

a dinosaur 's tail crashes into a building wall at The Children's Museum!

The third definition of a crossroad is this: a place where many roads intersect. And that is Indiana, the Crossroads of America! All intersecting at Indianapolis are four major interstate highways, more than any other American city: I 65, I 69, I 70, and I 74.  If you look at the map, Indiana literally looks like a cobweb! But this is not the only reason why many roads intersect in the state. The Indiana Motor Speedway draws thousands of motorists to the Indy 500 in this, the Racing Capital of the World!

 

Indiana Motor Speedway @ Racing Capital of the World

Last year we were at the other popular speedway, the Daytona 400 in the northeastern coast of Florida. There, obviously newer, even the colorful seats are an attraction. But this one in Speedway, Indiana, an Indianapolis burb, was founded in 1090 and is the country’s oldest racing institution. It is host to the 500-mile Indy 500. Another favorite, NASCAR’s Brickyard 40, was scheduled that weekend, probably why there was a long row of Corvettes in every color parked in front of the Museum.

row of Corvettes in different colors in front of
Indiana Motor Speedway Racing Capital Museum

At the corner of Gliceratops and Triceratops Avenues (make-believe streets in downtown Indianapolis) is the top-ranked Children’s Museum. I was startled by a huge dinosaur coming out of a building wall and another whose head is going into the top floor of an adjacent buiilding! I took as many photos as I can for my 5-year old grandson Enzo who lives in Calgary, Alberta. Through the city center is a copy of the San Antonio River Walk, Canal Walk. Although not as beautiful, it is still a very relaxing place to be.

a covered bridge in Eunochsburg

tree at the Greensburg courthouse tower

Iowa beat Indiana in that two of its covered bridges were featured in the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. But with almost 40 covered bridges around the state, it is considered to be the Covered Bridges Capital of the World! One of them is only 10 miles away at Eunochsburg, one of 3 old German towns we visited. Not far is Greensburg where a tree is growing out of the tower of its courthouse! And also only ten minutes away is Oldenburg, an old town called the Village of the Spires, has a self-sufficient convent of the Sister of St. Francis founded in 1851.

three of the village spires in Oldenburg

water slide at the flea market in Indian Lakes Resort

With Bill’s knee surgery, however, most of the time we simply relaxed in our campground in Batesville, Indiana. Luckily, the Indian Lakes Resort, off I 74, is a very nice place to be. It has a 9-hole golf course, private sites for more than 200 families, a large lake with plenty of water activities, a large clubhouse with pool and spa, a great adult lodge, a teen center, a large restaurant/general store/gas station, and lots of activities. During one of the weekends we were there, there was even a special Open House with a flea market, concerts, free movies with free popcorn, car show, golf carts contest, a water slide, etc. 

vintage RVs in front of the campground

There was even an RV dealer in front of the campground that had vintage 1940 trailers! And about a mile east was a cool little Junkyard Art Home!  And we began making friends again, in this state where many roads intersect, east meets west, old meets new, and junk meets art.  It is also where many people meet and make new friends like Karl & Pat Klein and Woody & Donna Caudill!

junkyard art home near the campground

OLA: Standing at the Crossroads of America 1

Carol finding her fave mode of transpo @ the Spirit of Monticello Festival!

We were so excited to move to the White Oaks RV Resort in Monticello, Indiana. Advertised to have a beachfront, hot tubs, heated swimming pool, clubhouse, etc. we thought that would just be dandy! In fact we invited Loy Aquino and his sons Lawrence and Leonard who drove down from Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois (a 2 ½ hour drive) to join us there for some swimming and chicken and pork barbeque (Filipino style).  We had fun even if the resort needed some TLC.

the beach at White Oaks

 

Loy and sons Lawrence and Leonard join the Colborns

The fun included The Spirit of Monticello Festival, an annual town celebration.   In the middle of the kiosks and booths, I found a really cool vehicle! Bill, on the other hand, feasted on much missed funnel cake.   He also could also not pass up the Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2, showing at the small community theater for only $3 a person!   But we had to move to Camping World in Greenwood, Indiana soon after as I told you last week for the beginning of much needed breaks.  

But the fact that my previous post is being received so well is putting me at a crossroad.    I am now thinking of turning this blog into a book.   The goings-on behind the scenes can put the personal touch and thread together all the travels.   After all, ours is the unique story of two people, getting together later in life, after 2 very driven lives, set apart by 10,000 miles of seas, tackling an ambitious bucket list! We welcome your comments…they can help us make a decision.

Bill finding some funnel cakes...one of his fave snacks!

                                                                            A crossroad is defined as 1) a point at which a vital decision must be made, 2) a main center of activity, and 3) the place where roads intersect.   It is meaningful that examples of all three definitions were presented to us, quite nicely so, while we were in Indiana, The Crossroads of America!  The first definition was exemplified above. Let me now go to the second definition…a main center of activity. And remember that we are cruising across the North American continent in an RV.

Nappannee, Indiana in Elkhart County and the famous icon

50% of the nation’s recreational vehicles are made in Elkhart County in northern Indiana.  Winnebago, Jayco, Forest River, Gulf Stream, Thor, Monaco, and Dutchmen, to name a few, are built there.   Even the RV Hall of Fame is in the county.   Right before Bill’s knee surgery, we took a day trip to Nappannee, Indiana, home of Newmar Corporation, makers of high quality RVs like our Mountain Aire!  Daily tours are conducted and you see RVs at different stages of manufacture.   Photography is strictly prohibited.

Amish Acres, a great destination!

An RV takes months to build and the plant currently produces about 3 a week.   Their models range from 27 to a whopping 65 feet in length (ours is a mere 37 ft.).   On the lot at its final stages of finishing was one whose MSRP is a staggering $850,000! But the most interesting thing we discovered is this:  80% of the company’s employees are Amish.  (There are an estimated 150,000 in America, a majority of them here) You must remember that Amish still use horse-drawn buggies as their mode of transport, sticking to basic, simple living, rejecting technology.  What irony!

Buggies Rule!

                                                                           As a matter of fact, just across the plant is an old Amish farm turned tourist destination known as Amish Acres.   There is a greeting barn converted into a store, a unique round theater barn, an apple cider barn, etc.  Surrounding the Newmar plant are acres cultivated by Amish hands with clothes hanging to dry at almost all backyards.   The streets’ traffic consisted of buggies plying around or people on bikes.   Even the town’s water tower bears not only its name but a picture of its every day icon, an Amish buggy.

and so do bikes!

But I am sure you would find the last example, to be tackled in the next post, most entertaining!

OLA: Taking Much Needed Breaks!

Bill, waiting to be moved to the Operating Room

My children say I am wearing Bill out and think we need to take a break from all this travelling!  Sure enough, even the RV needed a break!  M’A ‘turn had been having problems with its front A/C system since we took it out of storage upon our arrival from Asia and begin this trek southeast.   During this sizzling summer even at our northern locations, the heat sometimes became unbearable and we have definitely needed a tip-top cooling system in place!

there's a leak!

It was Camping World in Council Bluffs, Iowa that first looked at the RV problem.    Our contention was that the roofing system they put in in the Fife, Washington branch before we left for Asia messed up the circuit board. They finally replaced the circuit board but the problem persisted.  The branch in Island Lake, Illinois eventually installed a new system. But while camping in the White Oaks Resort at Monticello, Indiana, days of rain and constantly running the A/C revealed leaks around the unit! We brought her to the Greenwood, Indiana Camping World.  They easily fixed that problem.

The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio

But my kids are right…it is Bill that needed the real break! We went to The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio just 2 hours away to have Bill’s right knee checked out by Dr. Marc Schneider.   It had been bothering him well before we went to the Philippines and his family doctor in Washington recommended that he see an orthopedic surgeon.   They provided the test results and indeed Bill was scheduled for arthroscopic surgery in 3 days!   We quickly checked in at the Indian Lakes Resort in Batesville, Indiana, 45 minutes away from the hospital! 

Dr. Schneider making preliminary checks

We scheduled ourselves to stay in Indian Lakes for 3 weeks (the maximum stay given our platinum membership at the Thousand Trails network of campgrounds) and then for another 3 weeks at the Wilmington Resort in Wilmington, Ohio, also 45 minutes away from the hospital.   We had considered having the procedure done in Florida where we will be staying for 3 months this winter but this is something that was long overdue!

I had barely sat down in the Waiting Area, fiddling with my computer when they called out…’Colborn family’!   My heart jumped, ‘Did they need me for some decision?’ It turned out that the procedure was done, also in a jiffy! The doctor talked to me

already at work in the recovery room

that all went well and soon I was at Bill’s bedside in the Recovery Room. That afternoon Bill was walking about and didn’t much need the crutches we had bought.   The biggest problem we had was actually of a very different nature!

I have been deathly afraid of American roads (except inside campgrounds) since the day I got here in March of 2004!  Actually I bought a Honda Civic in 2007, got a drivers’ license (without taking a road test, just a written one), and got involved in 3 separate crashes within 3 months…all in the garage area: destroying my son-in-law’s garage, denting my daughter’s car, and bumping into the landscaper’s truck!   Bill finally decided…there would beabsolutely be no more driving for me.

ready to go home

In the Philippines the roads are narrow, traffic slow (mostly unmoving), and I almost always had a driver. But now, I had to drive from the hospital to Indian Lakes after the surgery.   Bill and I spent looooong hours studying our Road Atlas to look for back roads I can use.   The day before the surgery we practiced a route that took me 2 ½ hours to navigate and gave me oodles of stress!   One time I almost drifted totally to the fields on the right when Bill was trying to discuss something with me.

While Bill was recovering, I took another look -- this time at Google Maps -- to find a shorter, easier route.   Eureka, I found one!   With only 2 stops to ask for directions (since I did not have the benefit of practice time), it took me 1 ½ hours and the fastest I had to drive was 50 mph!  Bill is now in Dreamland:   his knee is getting healed, he will be able to do more of his fave strenuous activities, and he will have much needed breaks from driving…for that day…driver Carol was born! 

the new me!

Next Stop: Standing at the Crossroads of America: Indiana

Meeting in My Kind of Town, Chicago! OLA

Marilyn Monroe, larger-than-life in Pioneer Square, Chicago!

Sear's Tower's dramatic silhouette

We met Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood last year. But in Chicago she is literally larger-than-life! Loy was driving Fides, Bill and me around when we chanced upon the 26-ft. femme fatale in a well-known iconic image from the film, ‘The Seven-Year Itch’.  The statue has stood since early this month on Pioneer Square and the scene rightly belongs to this windy city!  See all those people under her skirt? That’s where Bill and Loy wanted to be but we were so hungry for deep-dish pizza especially the kind at Giordano’s.  But, alas, the line was so long and the wait, 1 ½ hours! Thai ‘pizza’ wasn't bad at all.

1 1/2 hour wait at Giordano's
 for Chicago's deep-dish pizza

Chicago is my kind of town! As we approached it from the Wisconsin day trip courtesy of Loy, the dramatic silhouette of the Sears Tower was the first to meet us. Between that and the magical one with Marilyn, we had two other important meetings in the city. The first was a Friday dinner reunion of I/ACT (Institute of Advanced Computer Technology) colleagues that had been planned for a year and then my reunions with relatives from my mother’s hometown in the Philippines, Rosario, Batangas. I had not seen them since 1998 the last time I was in the city.

I/ACT colleagues in Chicago Reunion

We met my I/ACT colleagues at the home of Glenda and Ariel in Long Grove, a Chicago burb. Peng flew from London, Marge from San Francisco, and Fides from Seattle. Lea drove up from Ohio and Watet, Aleli, and Loy are locals. We reminisced about the good old days, Fides was in charge of production, and I, marketing. We may have been at odds then but it was a time of tremendous growth for I/ACT. Funny, but we both settled in Seattle and have become good friends since. The rest are much younger than us, got into I/ACT at almost the same time and remained friends through the years.

Ate Ofreng, Ate Amor, Araceli, and Ate Belen
in chicago's Little Quiapo

Then I had two reunions with relatives.  The first was with Ate (Tagalog for an elder sister/woman) Ofreng, Ate Amor, Ate Belen, and their friend Araceli at Little Quiapo, the very popular Filipino restaurant in Chicago, reminiscent of the one in Manila. I feasted on dinuguan (Filipino blood pudding), pancit malabon (Filipino noodles), and varied rice cakes. After that, we had halo-halo (Filipino shaved ice dessert) and more kinds of cakes in Glendale Heights, another Chicago burb, at Ate Feling’s with Butch, Nora, Amang, and children. It is so nice to be able to make these visits as we cruise around the country.

the Albertos in their home in Chicago

We stayed at the Pine Country Resort of Thousand Trails in Belvidere, Illinois. With the heat wave sweeping across most of America, I jumped into the Olympic-size pool almost as soon as we arrived and hooked up!   We discovered Belvidere’s 15 murals that give the city much pride. Our favorite one covered an entire building wall fronting a parking lot. It virtually transformed the place into a row of traditional favorite shops that looked very real from a distance. But our Chicago meetings prevented us from relaxing at the campground. Besides we wanted to visit the other nearby Illinois towns. 

just a mural...not a row of stores...in Belvidere, Illinois

Ronald Reagan's boyhood home

We were drawn to Dixon, Illinois, Reagan’s Boyhood Home where they lived for 17 years before he went to seek his fortune in Hollywood. The Lincoln State Memorial (a statue of 24-year-old Lincoln) also stands nearby because where he was stationed there to fight during the BlackHawk War. Further down in Grand Detour, we found the John Deere Historical Site where the first steel plow was used, near his home.  Nearer Oregon, Illinois stands the second largest concrete statue in the world (48 ft. tall) of Black Hawk, the brave Indian Chief, arms folded, staring far into the river below, amidst the thick of trees.

Lincoln, as a young soldier in Dixon, Illinois

the first steel plow at John Deere's home 

Other Illinois towns have a lot to offer but, being a big city girl, I absolutely loved the exuberant Chicago that Loy showed us! I can’t help but hum the tune, ‘Chicago is one town that won’t let you down, it’s my kind of town!’ So we will be back next year on the way down from Eastern Canada! We have not even gone to the Lincoln home and Our Lady of Snows Shrine in the southern part of the state.  And, of course, it will be another opportunity to meet our friends and relatives in this, my kind of town!

BlackHawk in Oregon, Illinois

Next Stop: Standing at the Crossroads of America, Indiana