April/May And The Last Day of School!!!!

Time has it's way with you as you get older. We have checked off 1st grade as of 12:30 today. Its a welcome moment as we have struggled a little with Sam and his hair trigger temper this year. Needless to say, Sam and his parents are glad we get to take a break for the summer. 

This summer is going to be a big one for us and in the same fashion of last year, we get to kick it off with the 2016 St. Louis Rib Fest that also happens to be in our back yard. It is an awesome way to start the summer. 

This Sunday we depart for 4 nights of peace and quiet at Rend Lake in Illinois. A celebratory trip for the end of the school year and honestly I need a break from the same old thing.  On tap for early June is Kentucky Lake and the Smoky Mountains. Summer has just started and its already 1/2 way booked. 

Below are some the going's on over the last few weeks. 

Sam's last day of 1st Grade!!!

Homemade Pastrami Sandwich with House Smoked Corned Beef!!!!

Scored a Portable Ice Maker on a Buy/Sell Facebook Site. 

Our first trip of the season was to Johnson's Shut In's Near Acadia MO. It has become one of our favorite spots in Spring. Zero cell service, Zero TV. Get outside, Ride bikes and enjoy fresh air.  We even stayed in the same spot as last season. My parents also went with us having never seen this part of the state. This place has a certain feel that makes it special. The weather was warm enough that getting your feet in the Black River was a welcome treat. 

RTIC 20 Qt

RTIC Coolers.....I have always been intrigued by the YETI Cooler guys and how they justify pending $400-1K for a cooler. Truth be told as I have learned, it is more of a status symbol for those folks in the Midwest. If you are a offshore fisherman, or sport hunter that needs to keep your catch on ice for possible days with out replenishment, I get it completely. Up until recently Spending YETI money for a flipping cooler seemed ridiculous for the benefit of a colder beer. RTIC Seemed to have Clued into this and made the YETI Type cooler more cost effective for every day folks. As a Rv'er we use coolers and really beat them to hell. My current two Coleman's have had the hinges replaced, They are stained and beat up but they work well. I have been seeing the RTIC brand out for a while, their slogan is "1/2 the price, holds more ice!" The lack of really any real feedback on the coolers from consumers initially made me think it was a scam or a joke early on. Then I ended up springing for one of their Yeti Like Tumblers and It was solid value. Think Less expensive than a Tervis Cup.   Then they popped up as sponsor for a NASCAR team and it became pretty easy to see that they were a legit company. I ended up purchasing a 20 and 45 qt coolers. I did not really need them but I gave in to the hype and went for it.  They Rock. There is a definite difference in the Cold factor these coolers have over the typical. The Coleman Extreme Coolers that we have had for almost 10 years are good and work well, but there really is not a comparison. 

Roaming  the Neighborhood 

More work on the Cart, New Batt's. Did not really want to do this, but I am glad I did. Night and Day difference. The old ones would have not made it through the season. 

Winding down a Wednesday Night at the lake. 

Summer Is Over. Boo.

This past weekend I got away my brother in law for a drinking/fishing trip. More drinking less fishing. Wouldn't have mattered anyhow as the lake was so high things were all out of wack.  It was a good time however we struck out same as last year with the weather. It was either brutally hot or raining.  Also got to experience my first good storm in the RV along with a 3 am shuffle of securing everything so it didn't blow away....including the awning.

Our Spot at Ray Behrens Campground site 114

We have done more than our share of "things" this summer as a family and its crazy to realize it's nearly complete. It seems like Sam's last day of school was last week. Memorial Day came around and we went into hyper drive with a flurry of activities. Ali does a great job arranging things so they stay busy like the Art Camp Sam is going to this week and we have been keeping weekends busy as well.  As a group, we saw the beach and some rocket ships. We went took a few trips to closer more similar spots and had one canceled due to the high water. Birthday Week came and went with a smash. We bought a golf cart to cruise the neighborhood. Having the cart proved to be a huge hit during Ribfest where we and drank and ate entirely too much. It's been a great summer so far.....but now its almost done. Sam starts school in a few weeks.

Cool Golf Cart Spotted at Ribfest

2015 St. Louis Ribfest held in New Town

Civic Green Park in New Town. The Frogs are a hit.

LOTO State Park

The Deer At Lake of the Ozarks State Park were fearless. 

We have been ending a lot of days at home like this. Its nice to explore our neighborhood and check in on things. Oh and the pool.....No more wet car seats.

Snow Day and The Last Few Weeks....

Today is Presidents Day. It also happens to be my first Snow Day of 2015. We received about 4-6" of snow overnight and was welcome to see. After last years horrible abomination of a winter, this is just the right amount. Sam had the day off school so they don't burn a snow day...Good for the camping season starting off without delay. (Edit-Because I can never sit down long enough to write anything, this post is now into day 2. As luck would have it, Sam's school was called off for the weather. I must have cursed it by putting it in writing above)

Two weeks ago we went to the St. Louis RV and Travel Show down at the St. Louis Convention Center. The kids are at that age that they wanted to climb in everything and test out both the salesmen's and my personal patience level. Fortunately, we didn't stay to terribly long. However we all found a new model that I would almost be willing to sell my soul for. Open Range RV makes what amounts to the best model that would fit our family for years to come. Not that I don't like our current RV,but once you hit a certain point things can start feeling more residential. Leather sofas, Corian counter tops, 40" HDTV and a walk in shower.....Plus....Plus.....Plus a separate room for the kids with their own well...everything. I love it. Period. Oh did I mention...an outside kitchen complete with running water and a beer box? This thing is awesome. Now just to figure out how to tow and pay for this monster. More to come on this. 

While we are on the topic of campers....I purchased this nice little LCD TV from a neighbor who was unfortunately relocating. Got it at a great price and now for the first time we have a TV in our bedroom. I honestly don't like it. The thought was that we could use it camping as an outdoor TV. If It walks off or gets ruined who cares. That might let you know the kind of price I paid for it.....Yep it was a great deal. Watched the NFL playoffs in the Garage on it as the photo indicates below. Good old free TV works pretty much anywhere.



This week I spent some time on the road in Kansas. Turns out the Coleman Company was founded there and actually still employees people to manufacture their line of camping equipment. Naturally, after spending years traveling this area and never stopping in to their factory store, I had to waste some time there. Ended up purchasing the below "Beach Shade" and a single burner propane stove for our trip to FL this year. Doing a shrimp boil inside a RV is not a wise thing unless you intend to sell the RV to a Cajun alligator hunter. Some cooking smells are better left to the outdoors. We will see how well this burner does. More to come on this.




Valentines day dinner a day early. Locally sourced from our neighborhood Marsala's Market. Turned out great. Recommend to anyone. If they don't have what you are looking for, just ask what they have in back. It's a gem of a place I should use more often than I do.

Another little perk about New Town is the events and things that go on all year long. Some we make, some we don't. This weekend was Mardi Gras and if you know anything about St. Louis you would know that our celebration is one of the biggest outside of New Orleans. I am sure there is a reason for this but I apparently did not care enough to find out why. Our little town put on a craw-fish boil that really had a great turnout despite the weather. My oldest loves craw-fish, or "crawling fish" as he calls them.  Funny how a 5 year old would rather get elbows down on some craw's over Ronald's chicken nuggets. He is defiantly our kid.  I think its a great thing that we live in a community that cares enough to do things like this. Every time we take part in one of these events it cements our decision to live here.