Whew!  Where did the month go?  It has been a busy one for us - staying at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds in Pecatonica, Illinois.  For the most part, the fairgrounds is a quiet place...it's the schedule that kept us on the go.   We have been parked in a grassy field with full hookups. The bad news is that we have no shade...the good news is that we have no shade --- meaning that we have no interference for satellite reception and nothing dripping from trees onto our rig.  But, the summer sun has really kept the rig nice and warm.   We also have a nice view of the Pecatonica River and the entrance to one of the trails at the Sumner Park Forest Preserve.  There were a few activities at the fairgrounds during our stay but nothing on a major scale, so it was a peaceful place to stay for us and just two other rigs.  The price is more than reasonable and its off the beaten path.  When we first arrived here at the beginning of the month, the many cornfields were "knee high" and the rolling countryside of Winnebago County was a lush green and growing.  We now have to slow down at the country road intersections because the corn is gold with tassels and taller than the car.  The wheat fields are dotted with freshly baled hay.

Our reason for staying in Pecatonica was that our daughter and her family live about 6 miles away.  We had the opportunity to be a major part of their lives for the month.  Our first big event was the Independence Day holiday.  In the morning we joined the crowds in the town of Winnebago to watch the 4th of July parade.  Schools, businesses, churches and groups from the western part of the county were well represented.  After the parade, the police and fire departments competed in a bed race.  Later we enjoyed a BBQ dinner and in the dark of the evening, we returned to town to watch the fireworks...a fun-filled day.
 
 

It isn't, by any means, luxurious, but our site at the fairgrounds is pleasant.  Through breaks in the trees, we can watch fishermen go up and down the river.	It's certainly not their usual mode of transportation, but the firefighters won the bed race against the police department - even in full gear.

Then came the final days of the softball season.  Our two oldest granddaughters, Coffey and Close, were on teams in different age groups.  This was the first year that Coffey's team had played together and they had not won a game all season.  Then the tournament started and they won 3 out of 4 games.   That meant a drive to the town of Durand several nights in a row.  It was a thrilling end to their season.
 

Close substituted on her sister's team several times this season.	Coffey was a pretty good hitter for her team.	The "Phillies" sponsored by the Pecatonica Pharmacy were pretty happy the night they won their first tournament game.

With softball season over we had a little more free time.  Chrysler was shut-down for a week giving Ann some time off work, Matt also arranged some vacation and then there's us, the flexible RVers....so we all headed to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for a few days of fun.  We had made advance reservations for two sites at the Big Foot Beach State Park.  The on-line reservation system and also the advance phone call to the ranger station assured us that they were "big-rig friendly."  We've decided that the definition of "big-rig friendly" is open to interpretation.  We brushed several branches starting right at the entrance station and then when we got to our spot - one of the brand new 50amp electric sites, there was a huge maple tree right in the middle of the driveway with branches hanging down to about 8 feet off the ground...not good for a twelve foot+ rig.  We blocked traffic for a bit while waiting for a ranger to come, but in that time we worked out a deal with the campers on the next site.  They were in a tent which they had placed way at the back of the nice big site.  They were not using their electricity.  So, we parked our rig at the front, in the nice open drive next to the electric hookup.  The other camper was happy to park his car in the shade of our site.  He was leaving the next morning, so all we had to do was explain the whole mess to the ranger at the gate.  Ann and Matt and the girls set up their two tents in a site across the road from us, and we had a great time.  We spent an afternoon out on beautiful Lake Geneva on a rented pontoon boat...sightseeing, having a picnic, swimming, tubing and fishing.  Grandma and Grandpa "passed" on the Waverunner adventure, but we did enjoy the campfires and a trip to play mini-golf.  The trip was over far too soon!   And a tradition was broken...the temperature and humidity for the trip weren't in the high 90's.
 

Our home at the Big Foot Beach State Park, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin...pretty spacious.	Dinner's ready!         (Note the purple ball.)	Fill the purple ball with cream and sugar and strawberries from one end and salt and ice from the other.  Then play soccer for a few minutes.  Ta, dah!  Ice cream!!!!

On Lake Geneva with Ann.....	Matt.....	Merrick,  Close.....	and Coffey.       I think we're having fun now!!!

This mini-golf course even has sand traps.	No camping trip is complete without S'mores.  Have you ever had chocolate marshmallows?

Next on the agenda was dance competition.  The team from the studio in Pecatonica - and quite a few other teams - had qualified earlier in the year to attend a "National Competition" in the Chicago suburb of River Grove.  So one day we were up early for the two hour drive into "the city."  Once we arrived, Coffey spent some time getting hair and make-up all in perfect condition and then went on stage for two different numbers with her team.  There were several hours of performances and then a two-hour break for the judges to compile their scores.  At the awards ceremony, Coffey's teams were awarded ribbons for their performance in various categories, but it was a competition with no "first, second and third."  It was a long day, but a fun event.
 

Hair done and eyelashes attached by Mom.	Everybody ready?  We're on next.	A quick change and here's the end of our second number at the Dupree National Dance Competition in Chicago.

Merrick kept herself occupied by dancing in the aisles.	"The day after the night before"  The J&J Dance Team showed off the ribbons and trophies they earned.

In between all the "special events" we had been busy with on-going projects and occurrences.  Ann and Matt have lived in their house for just over a year and since it was a "basic" brand new house when they moved in, there were still some things they wanted to do.  To keep cost at a minimum, the builder had put cabinets in only half of the kitchen.  I think we had more counter space in our RV!  Ann and Matt couldn't decide whether to have some new cabinets installed, or buy them and hang them themselves.  Boy were we glad they decided to let the professional installer tackle the project.  In about two hours, the fridge was moved, the new cabinets put in place, and it looked like they'd always been there.  Of course it then took Ann several days to decide where everything should go.  But, it certainly is great to have all the extra space.             Another on-going project is a deck.  That project was to be done by a carpenter...but he turned out to be not very reliable.  He had estimated that it could be done in a week or so.  After three weeks and nothing more than the frame-work completed, it became a family project, and at the end of the month is "coming right along."

We also have been tagging along on trips with the granddaughters to the library summer reading program, the Rockford park kids programs called "Imagination Station" and having the girls spend the night on the nights that Ann works.  On our baby-sitting days we have taken hikes through the forest preserve, done some baking and crafts, gone shopping and taken our first venture into "Geo-caching."  (For those who have never heard of this adventure...we use a GPS device to find the exact latitude and longitude co-ordinates where someone has hidden a "cache" or treasure box of some kind.  They are hidden all over the world and listed on a website: www.geocaching.com.)  We found several caches listed for our nearby area and had fun searching for them, seeing what was inside and leaving a little treasure of our own in the box for the next finders.  And, no surprise, Tom and Matt have managed to get in several rounds of golf.
 

Everything to the right of the stove is new	A "work in progress", but that first step out the kitchen door is already much better.	"Grandpa, I just heard the GPS beep, and think I see something under that tree.  This must be the place."	The comedy juggler performing at the "Imagination Station" tried to juggle Merrick along with two balls.  She had quite an experience being thrown in the air.

                                            We plan to continue our stay in Illinois for a few more days and then we'll be "on the road" again.  We have no definite plans as we
                                                                                                      finish up July - so come back next month and see where we've gone!