HAPPY HOUR WEDNESDAY BEGINS

Happy Birthday to all the Campers!!

June 8th was Greg's 30th Birthday and Angel turned 30 on Friday

Dusty and I celebrated our 32nd Wedding anniversary on June 8th

We had a great turn out for Happy Hour..thanks everyone for coming!!

Me and Jerry Reese...he wanted his picture too!!!  He had a LOT of fun that night!!  He is our man to go to for trees being cut down.

What a week it has been, some of the hottest days we have seen here in Indiana since we started spending summers here in 2006.  In the 90's and hot, then just like that we have awoke to thunder and rain storms the last two mornings.  But it was a beautiful day on June 8th when we started Happy Hour potlucks again.  Dusty and I usually start the Happy Hour's off with a party on a Saturday but this year it just didn't come together so we had a Theme party on Wednesday but this is NOT something that is required by others that sign up for the potlucks and if you are from Indian Springs and weren't here we sure need people to sign up for the rest of June....if no one signs up then we will have no Happy Hour dinners after next Wednesday which will be at Jenni and Brian Lawheads (THANK YOU FOR LETTTING ME SIGN YOU UP AGAIN...LOVE YOU TWO) til July...so come on gang let's keep this going.  But we did have a great turn out even with the heat and I had planned the menu while I was freezing so I had made White Chili but we made it in crock pots instead of on the fire- pit as it was just two hot to have a big fire.  Our theme was a birthday party for all the campers and some brought birthday gifts to exchange and Jenni and Brian brought a huge Birthday Cake.  It turned out to be actually Greg's real 30th birthday and Angel had turned 30 on Friday and then it was mine and Dusty's 32nd wedding anniversary.... so it was a good celebration.  Happy Hours are a great time to meet new campers and make new friends, we also mourn friends lost and this year it was Dick Collins, who had been our main Security for years and Sandy Jackson a long time camper here.

New seasonal camper Stephanie enjoys her first Happy Hour, husband Rob got there later after work, they are going to fit in here just great.

Linda Gradless and Connie McCart always enjoy Happy Hour

Brian Lawhead and Scotty enjoy a cold beer...so needed on a hot day.

WE LOVE OUR FRIENDS

Jeff and Shelly Caywood...hard workers here at the campground

We are happy that Sarah and Lori are enjoying the camp this year.  So see if I pass the test...J in yellow, Lori, Bret then Tammi and Rosie (with dark glasses)...did I pass gang????  Black and Yellow, black and yellow!!!

Whoops..kids go for paddle boat ride and have a problem...Jerry Reese helping ( and the biggest kid)

Paddle Brian Philip...paddle!!

Our Bar-b-Que winners in their matching shirts L to R
Calvin Stevens, Jim Scanlon, Gary Serres  and George Serres Jr.

We are always have fun with each other,  here we are at the Stevens camp

Jared makes it for the picture with the winners..a little late but never forgotten!

Do you think these guys are Happy???

Jim Scanlon..1st Place

Linda Gradless and Sandy Stevens

Cal Stevens...1st Place

Gary Serres...showing off both his trophies for 2nd Place

Our winners!!

And the WINNERS are...........

CALVIN STEVENS takes 1st Place!!!  Congrats Calvin!!

Ribs cooking on Cal's cooker

Gary Serres 2nd Place Winner.  Way to go Gary!

Some of the competion

Calvin is the reining "King of the Pit" at Indian Springs

The men and their helpers

Char, Elana and Patsy..official Cheer Leaders

Dusty and his Booze Basket...whatever will we do with THAT????

CALVIN STEVENS, JIM SCANLON 1st PLACE AND GARY SERRES , GEORGE SERRES JR. 2nd PLACE!!!!!!Yes our own local men won their first official Rib Cook-Off at the Butler American Legion on Saturday.  Of course a big hand has to go to their wives who do allot of the behind the scene work so YEAH for SANDY STEVENS, ELANA SERRES, and LINDA GRADLESS.  And of course they had extra help with Jarred and Bud (sorry guys aren't sure of last names) and then their was their cheering section...Patsy (Bud's wife and Elana's sister) Jarred's wife Nikki and girls (Cal's daughter-in-law and grand-daughters,), Rory and Pam, Brian Lawhead, Dusty and I and more of the Stevens family(and if I forgot anyone I am sorry).  The guys put a lot of sweat (of course it was one of the hottest days of the year..in the 90's and with those huge cookers...HOT HOT) and work in their cooking.  They put together their sauces and have a blast teasing each other.  Last year at our 1st Cook-Off here at Indian Springs they took the same places, Cal 1st and Gary 2nd and Matt 3rd.  Of course we didn't present them with a check like they got yesterday...1st $500 and 2nd $300, but Angie Akey did make Calvin a large winners sign that will be pasted around year to year with what will now become an annual cook-off here at the park.  But I was totally shocked that for all the years of cooking that these two guys do that they had never entered a official cook-off before....I have a feeling this maybe what starts them on that journey, but Cal said it was a great deal of work and yet he said they had a blast doing it.  We couldn't be prouder of our local men and of course we ALWAYS knew they were award winning cooks!!!
One of the benefits yesterday of being cheer leaders were we got to eat the results..Yum Yum.  The Legion had drawing and auctions during the cook-off.  Dusty won the big booze basket.....just the thing we need here!!!  And I won a 2 hour massage for $40....something I will truly enjoy.

George Jr Serres,. Gary Serres 2nd Places, Jim Scanlon, Cal Stevens 1st Place and 3rd Place winner (?)

We are so PROUD of you guys

Pit Masters (George & Gary) Bar-B-Que Masters(Jim & Cal)

Cheering section enjoying the winning ribs!!

Yes, these are winners!

The Judges find them "finger licking good"!!

The men were outside cleaning up when the winners were announced so Sandy Stevens gladly accepts the 1st Place trophy and CHECK for the Bar-B-Que Masters

Patsy says "I won, I won" after accepting the 2nd Place trophy and check for the Pit Masters while Elana went looking for the guys...well someone had to do it!!

The guys finally came in to accept their prizes

Yeah Winners

This is a retraction photo....Margaret( in maroon  sweatshirt) is not drinking but  is taking care of my phone and answering it if it rings....also taking care of MY beer!!  Thank you Margaret!!!

It takes a great deal of support and work to be winners and these guys got it done!!

Calvin Stevens with trophy in front of Dusty, these men were always winners to us.  We couldn't have all of our wonderful cooks here at the park without Cal, Gary, Jim, Jared, Dusty Stevens and when Matt is home his help too.  We miss you Matt and Nikki.

Never a Dull Moment

Dusty stirring the kettle with Kettle Corn in it.  Calvin Stevens keeps a close eye on it

Kettle Corn is a big hit here at the campground

Amy, Angie, Char (me in pink) and Rose have the hard job, tasting the popcorn and bagging it.  We wouldn't want to give out "bad tasting" popcorn.  And Rose NO we don't want wintergreen popcorn!!!!

Now it is Johnny's turn at fire while Jim looks on and Dusty holds pan it will go in 

Jerry, Cathy and Margret have the easy jobs, eating and drinking!!

"Wilson" now at the fire...see how hot that gets!

We had to make two more batches after we thought we were done...people line up for "free" popcorn!

HOT HOT

Local "camper" boys waiting for popcorn

Dusty stirring again

  

Thank you to those of you who have said they miss the blog.  I know it isn't fair to write everyday then just quit on you...sorry.  But it has been raining allot here at the campground and it is very hard to get Internet connection then.  Dusty had to go outside in the rain and hold the hot spot til I could get an important email out!!!  There were more storms then I would have liked last week and two times our son and daughter-in-law called us to make sure we didn't want to come to their house for safety.  But we have learnt that sometimes the storms will skirt us just enough.  But with all the tornado warnings last week I did keep the TV and weather radio on to double check..one night I stayed up til 2 am, that is how bad the storms were and tornado warning kept popping up, oh and we do have friends that have a basement for us to use that live only 1 mile away so that helps and we did have to use it once last summer.

Rain rain go away!!

Can you see how hard it was raining?

No fun

Tried to get how hard the rain was coming down.

  This weekend it rained hard a couple of times and at one time Dusty and Derrick were cooking ribs and chicken and they pulled them off just in time before the hard rain started!!  Calvin and Sandy Stevens did kettle corn on their lot and it is always a big hit.  Us girls just have to bag the popcorn the poor boys have to stand over that hot hot fire....watch out for popping hot oil!!  So our Memorial weekend was kind of on the slow side, with friends joining us for campfires, conversation and good food (OK some grown-up drinks too!!).  On Monday the sun came out and we have been enjoying a beautiful week.  The birds are singing as I write this, the "weekenders" have gone and the park is ours once again.  The evenings are just perfect for a walk, until the GIANT MOSQUITO'S begin to eat you!!!!  With all this rain and the park owner not spraying for mosquito's it is terrible here....we are buying bug spray by the cases...not really..but people are stocking up.  We all remember in 2007 when the whole area ran out of mosquito spray, and we are afraid it will happen again this year.  That year the campground members  took up a collection to spray here twice...what's wrong with that picture...oh yeah the Park owner should be doing it.
We have a busy month coming up so forgive me if the blog doesn't get done everyday..we (Dusty & I ) kick off the weekly Happy Hour Potluck's on June 8th.  We have allot of new campers here so hope to make new friends this year at the potlucks.  Dylan our grandson will arrive on June 19th, his birthday is June 22 so there will be a birthday party with all the park kids here, then June 26th we will be having a Happy Hour Breakfast Potluck here on our lot for the regular campers who can't make it on Wednesdays for Happy Hour.  We had one last summer and it was a big hit.  Cathy and Norm Sweet plan on making their famous pancakes (well they will be famous after June 26th).  Oh and I forgot this Saturday four of our men will be competing in the Butler, IN Bar-b-Que cook-off.  Some of us plan on going to support them ( and we already know how good their cooking is so maybe we will get some??)

Dusty, Char, Sarah and Lori

I had a great Birthday dinner with Sarah and Lori last week.  We went to a local restaurant in Garrett and it was nice and quiet on a Tuesday night so we could talk and we had a lot of catching up to do.  I was kind of bummed last Tuesday because it dawned on me that it is one thing to be 60 another thing completely to be over 60!!!

Our favorite neighbor.."Mini Hedy Ho Neighbor Wilson" aka Caden with his grandpa ..Dave "Wilson"

Dusty, Jenni (playing games on her phone) and Laura Wilson

We must be real boring if Tommy can sleep through us!!  Greg with his handy dandy six pack holder

Becky Wilson, Derrick and Angel

See Brian is always smiling.. Dusty too.

Caden Wilson and Grandpa Dave

Dusty taking firework reflection in our "lake" from our deck

Firework reflection