June, 2002

Well, we finally have some warm weather again!  Most of last month made us wonder why we came north.  But June finally brought some 85* days and sun.  Leaving the Buckeye Bounder rally in Wapakoneta on Sunday, June 2 we drove to Marysville and enjoyed an overnight visit with the granddaughters and their parents.  On Monday we headed back to the Toledo area, but realized that the Bounder engine was "chugging" all the way.  So, it was back to the service shop where we discovered that one of the engine valves needed to be replaced.  We got an oil change and lube job while it was in the shop.  Also during the week we met with the auctioneers and real estate agents and continued our cleaning out and packing chores.  Our house passed a "safety audit" by the county Department of Human Services required for our buyers as one of their eight children is a ward of the court in the State of Nebraska.

On Friday, June 7 we drove the Bounder to Berlin, OH in the heart of Amish country.  We had a great weekend rally - this time with the Pioneer Chapter of BOA.  It was great to see some friends that we had not seen in nearly two years as we had been in Alaska all last summer and missed the rallies in Ohio.  Mary visited some of the shops, and we also visited a local winery, but much of the time we spent just relaxing.  Our hosts, the Waltons and the Miles, provided great breakfasts and arranged for all 25 of us to have a family style dinner at an Amish restaurant on Sat. night.  Yum!
Back home on Sunday evening we began the cleaning chores and on Monday we scrubbed down the outside of the Bounder, including the roof..always a wet experience!  But, it's clean again for a while.  The rest of the week was spent in closets and the attic wondering where all the stuff came from.  On Wednesday we did take a break and drive up to Jackson, MI to visit with Mary's mom and stepfather.  We had a nice lunch and a friendly game of dominoes while getting up-to-date on all that's happening.  And on Friday evening we enjoyed getting together with old friends, Kathy and Dennie Dew.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, June 15, Mary's brother and sister-in-law arrived in a big truck shortly after Ann and Matt and Coffey Ann had arrived from Marysville.  We loaded up the truck with boxes and furniture that we had been collecting all week and then all drove down to Marysville to unload the truck, pick up a few things that needed to come north, and then drove back to Toledo again.  It was a long day, but now some of our "good stuff" is safe and being used at Ann's house.
The week of June 17 was spent on our continuing project of "bagging and boxing."  Tom took a load of things to be donated and we continued sorting through things and stacking boxes next to the door.  Friday morning, June 21 was our "big day."  We had closing on our house....signed a few papers and walked away with a check!  That afternoon we drove the Bounder up to Bellevue, MI to get together with our Michigan-O-Bounder Chapter.  We had 15 rigs there for the weekend and the Norths and the Smiths made sure we ate well by cooking fabulous breakfasts and dinners for us.  We had a Scavenger Hunt on Saturday evening and we won!!!  Amazing what stuff we have accumulated, even in the Bounder.  On the way home on Sunday, we stopped in Jackson and had a nice visit with Mary's parents.
Checking back in at the end of the M.O.B. scavenger hunt.
We "picked up the pace" during the week of June 25, trying to be organized for the final events at the house.  We did spend some time at Merrill-Lynch discussing what to do with our house money.  No decisions were made - more meetings later!  We got the keys to our storage unit and started putting the few things we are keeping into it.  On Friday, June 28, the workers from the auction company came and started organizing things for sale.  Ann, Matt and the girls drove up from Marysville on Saturday afternoon and we had a cook-out dinner, scrounging in boxes for things we needed to fix the meal, and borrowing the neighbor's deck for places to sit. (Thanks, Dick and Liz!)  Kathy and Dennie Dew stopped over to get a progress report and give us a little moral support!  Since the upstairs of the house was practically empty, Tom and I spent the night in the Bounder out in front of our house, and Ann, Matt and girls took over our room inside.
Sunday morning, June 30, dawned bright and early and hot!  By shortly after 7:00am we had driven the Bounder over to the Target parking lot, where we parked it for the day.  By 8:00 the auction people had arrived and started "doing their thing." Check out our "Auction" page for more details!  That evening, we collapsed at the home of Kathy and Dennie for a great dinner and some reminiscing.  The month of June, 2002 had a hot and busy end, as did the "stage of our life" on Wyandotte.
Were these people evicted, or what???