Missed International Talk Like A Pirate Day

We didn't know yesterday was International Talk Like A Pirate Day until we had posted our blog yesterday. I was a pirate for Halloween last year. I had the cast on my leg and with my black boot cover, I looked quite the part.

We were camping last Halloween.  It was so much fun!

Mama loves this photo of me.

 The campground is busy this week with RV clubs from Missouri.  Yep, we are surrounded by Missourians.  We talked with a few ladies the other night and they knew our little town.  They are from Warrenton.

Sunday, the folks got haircuts.  Mama's last haircut was in Ohio and Dad's was in Texas. Dad hasn't needed a haircut because of the crazy hair lady who didn't know how to use scissors.  This haircut went much better.  After their haircuts they ate at City of Champions.  There were limited reviews of the place, but one said they served authentic Mexican food as well as burgers.  It is a sports bar, so there were several TVs on. Mama was disappointed that the Rams were not on, but she later learned they came on at 3 p.m.  Mama got confused and thought we were still in Cleveland when she saw the Browns playing.  Dad reminded her we were in Bear country.  Mama is silly. This weekend, the Rams and the Bears are playing against each other.  We will keep a low profile in the campground.  LOL

 Anyway, back to the meal.  Mama decided to order a steak burrito because it is made with skirt steak.  She was disappointed in the flavor of the burrito. It was pretty plain.  She added salsa to it and that helped, but it is not something she would order again.  She felt it needed melted cheese on top or maybe melted cheese in the burrito.  It had lettuce and tomatoes and unmelted cheese in it.

Steak Burrito

Dad ordered a BBQ burger.  It came with onion rings on top.  He had a choice of half pound or a full pound.  He chose a half pound.  He said it was really good.

BBQ burger

The burgers do not come with fries.  They decided to order an appetizer.  They ordered fries with BBQ pork on top.

BBQ Pork Fries

The fries are the waffle type so that made them easier to eat.  They both liked them.

All in all, it was a good meal.  Mama was disappointed in her meal, but Dad said she would have loved the burgers there.



The folks came home after lunch and they decided to just rest. We watched the Rams game and the Rams won. That hasn't happened very many times recently, but we have a new coach and he is good. During half-time, the folks decided to order a pizza. Scout and I got to go with them on the pizza run.

They decided to order from Maciano's Pizza & Pastaria because it was nearby.  They ordered a Chicago Style Works pizza online, but then the restaurant called back and said it didn't come in Chicago Style.  Mama changed it to thin which was probably a mistake since it had so many toppings on it. 

16" The Works - Maciano's original, generous portions of sausage, pepperoni, ground beef, bacon, mushrooms, onion, greeen olive, green pepper, and black olives.

The pizza was good, but not anything special.  We felt it was expensive.  With tax and after using a 10% off coupon, this pizza was $28.95.  It was quite large though and after our dinner on Sunday, it provided Mama with two meals.  We would not order from them again because there are so many other pizza places to try and we were not impressed by it.

 Joey, 

The Greyhound Who Was Caught Playing With His Sister This Morning

Joey's Dream Walk Turns To Frustration

So many trees....so little pee.

It is just not fair!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Needs To Drink More Water Before His Walks

Starved Rock State Park

Bunny and her family love going to Starved Rock State Park.  She has mentioned it in her blog a few times. Mama and Dad visited there after their boat trip on the canal.  Mama said the place is HUGE!  She said it reminds her of Yellowstone with the visitor center, cafes, restaurants, lodge, etc. It seems more like a national park than a state park.  She said it is definitely not a place for Scout, so that means it is not a place for me. They went on one trail and it had a lot of steps.  Mama said there is no way that Scout would have walked those steps.

The folks were shocked at how crowded the parking lot was.  It is a large parking lot and it was almost full. There is a restaurant there and the website said reservations were recommended.  Dad didn't think it was necessary, but when they arrived at the park, Mama decided to see if they could get reservations.  She called and made reservations for 5 p.m. which is when the restaurant opened for dinner.  While they waited for 5 p.m. to arrive, they visited the visitor's center and the gift shop.  They purchased two sweatshirts for $30.  Mama said that was a good deal.  They then walked on a trail and took some photos.

A turkey crossed in front of them.

The canyons are pretty but hard to see in these photos.

This would be fun to see in the fall or winter.

Carved eagle and her babies - babies have white heads here which is not accurate - just saying.  LOL

The lodge and cabins were built from 1933 to 1939 by the Depression-Era Civilian Conservation Corps. The lodge and cabins originally cost between $200,000 and $300,000 to build. Dad said he read that the original furniture is still in the lodge.

Fireplace in lodge

Furniture in lodge

Fireplace in the restaurant.

Restaurant

Mama decided to splurge and ordered a ribeye.  She says splurge because it was a little pricey to her.  It didn't come with a salad and she refused to pay $2.95 for a salad when spending so much on a meal.  She said it was very good.  She is glad that she ordered it.

Ribeye with baked potato and veggies-$22.95

 Dad ordered Forest Mushroom Farfalle with Smoked Pheasant.  It is Portobello, Shiitake, and porcini mushrooms, yellow peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Asiago cheese, smoked pheasant and farfalle pasta in a rich cream sauce.  He said he couldn't really taste the pheasant but loved the Asaigo cheese.  He did order a side salad.

Forest Mushroom Farfalle with Smoked Pheasant - $22.95

Inside the hotel lobby.

Another view of the hotel lobby.

 This park is so big and has so many things to see.  The folks barely scratched the surface.  They would love to camp in this area for a week or two because there are three state parks that are close to each other.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Wishes His Sister Would Learn To Go Up Steps

Scout Really Could Be A Mule

Mama was disappointed that Dad had to work late on Friday night.  They normally do their grocery shopping on Friday nights.  She needed to pick up a prescription and buy some soda, so that had to be done first thing on Saturday morning. Dad didn't get home until 10:30 p.m. on Friday.  We drove Mama crazy because we were whining about Dad being late.

Saturday, they went grocery shopping early to get that done.  They brought some treats home for us.  We were completely out!

The folks then drove to LaSalle, IL to take a ride on a canal boat. It is pulled by a mule.  That is how they used to do it in the 1800's.  The canal was hand dug.  People traveled from LaSalle to Chicago via the canal.

This is Larry and his handler.  Larry pulled the boat.

This is the boat.

Close up of Larry.

Learning about Larry, mules and the canal.

 Scout is like a mule because when mules get tired or don't want to work, they just stop.  They will not work themselves to exhaustion like a horse will.  We all know that when Scout doesn't want to walk any more, she just stops.  When she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't.  Yep, Scout is part mule.  What Mama?  I am  like a mule too?  Well, it's just because you want to walk the wrong way.  We need to walk around the lake like it's a race track.  It's just not right to go the opposite way.

Larry at work.  There is another mule named Moe who shares the duties and a goat named Curly.

Larry pulling the boat.

Going down the canal.

The canal actually crosses over the river. 

The river below the canal.  It is quite low due to drought.

View of boat from the bridge.

 The folks said the ride was really smooth.  They enjoyed spending an hour on the canal.  The towpath that the mule walked on is used by walkers and bikers.  Mama said it was nice and shady and would be a great place to walk.

After the folks left LaSalle, they went to Starved Rock State Park. We will tell you about that tomorrow.  Yep, a mini cliff hanger.  LOL

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Not Stubborn Like A Mule, But He Knows What He Wants

Feeling Fine Friday - #3

It's another Feeling Fine Friday here in Joliet. We have had three walks, vacuumed, printed out our Emeals grocery list and finished the laundry. Doing laundry here is not fun.  There is a high level of iron in the water.  There are signs that say your whites could turn yellow.  Mama has to add special stuff to the water to try and keep Dad's shirts white. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. Last week, the water was yellow.  Yuck!  On the bright side, I won't be getting a bath here because Mama doesn't want me turning yellow.  Anyway, now the work is done and we can kick up our paws and relax!

I sure look handsome here.

Pretty view of the paddle boats.

Cub fans are everywhere!

Mama would like to put a Cardinals logo on this guy.  Last year, the Cardinals (baseball) had a rally squirrel.  It sure would look nice next to their Cubs dog.  LOL

Okay, we have a fun question for you.   Do you know what a "honey wagon" is in a campground? Mama saw that they offered it in their brochure and thought at first it might be a "welcome wagon" or a food truck.  They charge $15 for it to visit your site.

Are you ready?

HoneyWagon

Still don't know what it is?  LOL  It is used to empty your tanks if you don't have a sewer hook up.  We see the "pig man" driving it around all day long.  Maybe that is why he has such an attitude. LOL

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Changed Out Of His Rams' Collar Since He Is Deep In Bear Country