Joe & Wilma's Excellent Adventures

 Part 2, May 15, 2024

Picking up from first post, we are now at April 15, 2 days after the Decker Alumni.  I think we went to Jayden's baseball game on Monday, but I started not feeling well.  We had lunch with Stacey on Tuesday, and saw her new apartment, but I still wasn't feeling good.  We cancelled Wednesday and Thursday events, which included dinner with Mike and Rachelle.  By Friday, I decided to go to Urgent Care for medication because I had a slight fever, felt crummy and was coughing constantly.  So I found out I had COVID.  We went back the next day because my coughing was just awful, and Joe tested and found out he, too, had COVID.  So that really put a damper on our activities.  We hung out at the RV or drove around in the Jeep for the next few days, wondering who we had already infected and trying not to infect anyone else.  We heard one other couple who had attended the Alumni came down with COVID about the same time.  But we had to miss the Decker Chapel Alumni, which was the 20th.  And it was the main reason I had wanted to come home at this time.  So that sucked!!

Once we felt like we were ok to go out in public (with masks), we finally got to visit with Tommy and Katie and get acquainted with Grady and Henley.  That was a fun evening.  Mike and Clayton joined us at Tommy's and we had a good visit.  We even saw wildlife.  Joe drove down the old "lovers lane" to Tommy's and a turkey wandered across the road in front of us.  We saw something else, maybe a ground hog, but it was too dark to identify.

On Sunday, we got to go to Maura's First Communion and the party Jaclyn had afterwards.  I forgot to take any pictures of beautiful Maura in her Communion dress, but I did get a picture of the cake.  And on Monday, we had dinner with Mike and Donna Carter (our final Bobe's Pizza).

Tuesday, our last night, we finally got to join up with Mike and Rachell and their family.  Karson happened to call from Ft. Carson, Colorado, during dinner, so we got to chat with him too.

During all this time, our brother-in-law, Jim Croxton, has been declining in health and we were anxious to leave Vincennes and get to Fort Wayne.  COVID delayed us some, but we were still waiting for our new air conditioner.  Finally on Monday, May 8, the new air conditioner was installed.  So Tuesday we did our final chores in Vincennes, and on Wednesday, we headed to Fort Wayne.  Unfortunately, Jim passed away Tuesday night shortly before midnight, so we did not get to see him before he passed.

Meanwhile, in Florida, things are happening there too.  Our Grandson Andrew was selected from his 5th graded class to represent his school in a Ted Pod Cast, based on a paper he submitted.  John said he was so nervous the night before his presentation that he cried and cried, but after it was over, he told his dad he wouldn't be nervous next time.  I don't know if it will ever be broadcast, but it was a big deal to all of us, and he did a great job.

Driving around Vincennes and Fort Wayne, we bumped across lots of potholes, but I saw this sign and thought it was worth a picture.   

So we got to Fort Wayne several days in advance of the funeral and got to visit lots of family, those who live in Fort Wayne and those from out of town and state, coming in for the funeral.  The visitation and funeral were both well attended, and the funeral itself was perfect.  The pastor knew Jim very well, and his message was very personal.  And we had a lovely day weather-wise.

The church provided a dinner after the gravesite service.  Henley and Grady were on good behavior.

Fort Wayne has one campground in the city, and we have stayed there a few times.   It opened May 1, and we arrived on opening day.  It is a nice campground, right on the river, and we had a nice campsite. 

Apparently, mastodon bones have been discovered here, so that this their "statue.

Fort Wayne has 3 rivers, and lots of lakes and ponds.  Geese are everywhere, as they are also in Vincennes.  Coming out of our campground one morning, we spotted this little family.

I picked up a terrible cold while here, or it is the continuation of the COVID cough. After coughing my way through the funeral, I finally went to Urgent Care (I guess I am on a mission to check out Urgent Cares in every town we visit).  Dixie had tested positive for COVID while we were there, but I was just diagnosed with Upper Respiratory Infection (or a cold).  I am still coughing, so I don't know what I have.  No other symptoms.  

We had a great time in Vincennes and Fort Wayne, despite the challenges and the passing of our beloved Jim.  We celebrated his life, he meant a lot to all of us and will be sorely missed.  We enjoyed playing several games of Hand & Foot (cards) in Fort Wayne, with different partners.  That is always great fun.  Usually kept us up past midnight.  For anyone or any main event I omitted, I apologize.  If I don't have a picture to jog my memory, I forget things.  

We left Fort Wayne on Monday (staying an extra day because of my cold), and FINALLY headed to Michigan.  We have visited family and friends, but now it is time for the real EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, we hope.  We crossed into the Upper Peninsula about 2:20 after paying $14.00 in toll, and arrived at our campground, another one we have stayed at before, about 3:45.  Today we saw 2 deer and 3 sand cranes.  I hope our wildlife numbers improve from now on.

Mackinac Bridge (5 miles long)

Mackinac Island in the distance.

We love the Upper Peninsula.  And it has the most beautiful rocks on Lake Superior.

Our campsite at Soo Locks Campground is right on the water (St. Mary's River) and huge ships pass right by.  It is not very full right now, but we know we are pushing the season a bit.

Besides the tour boat, this is the only kind of ship we have watched so far.  And we have not yet been down to the locks, but we probably will.

As I write this, I am listening to Xaviar Croxton play in the NAIA tournament.  Their placement in the tournament we attended in Fort Wayne got them a place in this tournament, and they are playing hard.  In the tournament, they lost the first game, then won the next 3.  Unfortunately, they lost the last game of the tournament so they won't get to move on to the next level, which is in Idaho.  That would have been a great trip for Xavier.

We have traveled 2,405 miles since we left home.  We don't know how many miles we will travel in Canada, but we know the price of gas will be higher.