Odds and Ends

We are still camping at Long Lake with long days of not doing much, but I have a few things to report:

1.  As we thought, the people in the next campsite had a teacher to direct things and keep the children busy.  Other adults included a nurse, a mathematician and a University of Wisconsin - Madison professor.  They all see the financial benefits of camping, three families, $12 a night for a campsite, and cooking their own food makes it even more reasonable.  It's amazing more families don't camp.  When we chatted, we found out we all had been at the big Madison rally in March, but since the crowd may have been as big as 200,000, it is not surprising that they didn't remember me.

2.  Now that I am at Istanbul on my imaginary walk, I had to figure out where I am going next.  I decided to take one of the old Oriental Express routes which will take me to Budapest, Hungary, but first I must make it to Sofia in Bulgaria, 339 miles away.  Even with a sore leg, I should make that by Christmas.

3.  Gary and I celebrated his anniversary at Fritz's at Long Lake.  It seems appropriate somehow to eat fish at a Wisconsin bar as we mark his 17th year of sobriety.  Fritz moved to Long Lake and bought the bar when he retired from his job in Racine.  That's when he discovered he doesn't fish or hunt and there's not much else to do in the north woods.  He's now trying to sell the saloon.  We really like him so we are not out looking for buyers.

4.  We stopped at Lake Ottawa to check out our next camping spot and found Marty, Linda and Brandon there, friends from lower Michigan.  ("Trolls" Gary says because they live beneath the bridge.)  They are camping at the site Gary wants but will be vacating the day he moves his camper so that will work out well.

5.  I will continue to camp with Gary when I can but must return to Seymour to deal with bills, mail, and Rascal on Monday.  I plan on coming back on Thursday.