Blogs, random thoughts, travel

  • Preventative Maintenance PSA

    by Dave McAda
    Never underestimate the importance of preventative maintenance whether it’s a house, an automobile, or your body.
    Posted in Life, Retirement

  • Not All Campgrounds are Created Equal

    by Dave McAda
    One time at a KOA west of Yellowstone we were packed tight like sardines, the showers were one degree above frigid, and the campers next to us were growing broccoli on their picnic table. In the Poconos our van haphazardly huddled around the electric outlet with several other RVs trying to get juice to keep us warm on a wet, cold night.  And once in Maine we confirmed the campground had showers only to walk in to the building and discover they were coin-operated with no change machine on site and all of our quarters had gone toward washing our clothes!  No, our experiences have not been great.

     

    Until a couple weeks ago, that is.

     

    Posted in Hiking, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel, Van Life

  • Easter Egg Hunt

    by Dave McAda
    In my childhood, I recall that on the Saturday before Easter Sunday we would take a basket or box, line it with fresh green grass from the lawn and a few wildflowers from the pasture (but never bluebonnets because we were not permitted to pick them).  These baskets would be lined up in the hallway of our utility room and on Easter morning we would check them for chocolate bunnies and other sweets.  Sometimes there would be a few dyed eggs to find in the grass outside.
    Posted in Family, Life, Retirement

  • Soo Locks and soo much more

    by Dave McAda
    Sault Ste. Marie (Sault is pronounced like the girl’s name Sue) is a Michigan city built on the Canadian border.  We were very familiar with the name because for years our television news weatherman back home always used it as a point of reference when giving national temperatures.  Every weathercast we could count on knowing the high or low in Sault Ste. Marie.  It came as quite a surprise during our trip that most of our friends had no clue where it was!
    Posted in Great Lakes, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel, Van Life

  • Mackinac or Mackinaw

    by Dave McAda
    Still early in the morning, we pulled in to a Welcome Center in Mackinaw City.  The woman behind the counter was super friendly.  She loaded us down with all sorts of brochures which made me wonder if they get a commission based on how many pounds of tourist brochures they push out the door.  
    Posted in Great Lakes, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel, Van Life

  • Pure Michigan

    by Dave McAda
    As we pulled up to the Sleeping Bear entrance booth, a ranger slid her window open and greeted us with “We were expecting you today!”.  What a warm welcome!  
    Posted in Great Lakes, Hiking, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel, Van Life

  • More Michigan

    by Dave McAda
    We knew we needed some “touristy” information on Michigan so we made it a priority to find a welcome center for some maps and brochures.  After a Google search, the first one we were led to showed no signs of ever existing.  The next closest one was physically there, but judging by the plants we could see through the windows, had been closed for several weeks.  
    Posted in Great Lakes, Hiking, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel, Van Life

  • Indiana Wants Me

    by Dave McAda
    The title "Indiana Wants Me" has little to do with the blog.  It's just a song by Dean Taylor from 1970 that I once knew the lyrics to and it fit the state we were driving through.
    Posted in Great Lakes, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel

  • Great Lakes Trip

    by Dave McAda

    Rather than incorporate our last big trip into a book, I have decided to share it in a series of blogs.  (Translation:  There hasn’t been much happening around here and I’ve run out of things to write about!).

    Throughout last year we had been making small trips in Wanda—rarely more than three or four nights on the road and mostly within the Carolinas.  We were craving a longer adventure and decided upon a trip to the Great Lakes. 

    Posted in Great Lakes, Living With Wanda, Retirement, Travel, Van Life

  • The Ledger

    by Dave McAda
    When we emptied my parents’ home, there were large piles and tubs of photos and historical family documents.  You see, they had gone through this same rite of passage with their own parents.  My siblings and I did the best we could to sift through everything but in the end I can remember on the final day scooping up several old photo albums, putting them in a large Rubber Maid tub, and telling myself I would sort through them ‘one winter day’.  
    Posted in Family, Life, Retirement

  • Routine

    by Dave McAda
    I’m not sure if others felt the same, but between the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s holidays and various illnesses in our household we seemed to lack any kind of routine the past couple months.
    Posted in Greenville, Life, Retirement

  • The Longest Night

    by Dave McAda
    Have you ever made plans to watch the sun rise?  If so, you know to do so you have to get up while it is still dark.  When I was employed, I caught the sunrise most mornings on my commute. Many were glorious and actually made it worth my time to go to work. Sometimes (many) it was the ONLY thing I enjoyed about my workday!  I must admit that since I retired and put away my alarm clock, I see way more sunsets than I do sunrises.  
    Posted in Greenville, Life, Retirement