So It Begins, Trial and Error

Wednesday night Steve told Kaylee to be up and ready no later than 9 am, asked her what time she wanted us to check and make sure she was up, etc. So she was up, packed and by the door at 9 am. Meanwhile, neither Steve nor I were feeling it. I had a low grade headache, he was feeling iffy, and then I pulled up the radar to find a wad of stuff between us and Oshkosh. So we sat and waited. By the time we got going, we were pushing being late to get a text from the people we were renting campers from. Kaylee was annoyed to be up early and ready when neither of us was. ;).

We took the 172RG up. It would be a 1 hr 50 minute flight direct. Because we don't fly over the lake single engine any more much, it became a 2 hr 10 minute flight. Except it wasn't. Strong headwinds meant we were doing 100 kts. groundspeed, and Chicago re-routed me three or four times.  By the time we arrived around 3 pm their time, 4 pm ours, we were already tired for the day.

Nobody directed us where to park, so I parked on the ramp by the building. We unloaded. We tried to tie it down with our own straps but it was too far away on one side. So we got in and repositioned the plane, and THEN we got our straps back out and got two out of three done...before a line guy came over and said we couldn't park there. Fine. We untie. We offer to go to the grass. They say no, we can leave you on the ramp no problem, just over here. Fine. We tie back down, get out the complicated cover and get it on while I go inside. She tells me it's $20/day to tie down on the ramp. We're here for 11 days. Ouch. She agrees to cut it down to 8 days if we buy gas. OK. Afterwards I mention the grass, and she says "that's a one-time $15 fee." Would've been good to know. 

Now we're more annoyed and tired, but hey, we're at Oshkosh! It's. very hot and humid. Now we wait for our trailers. And wait, and wait. What started as 4 pm became 6, then 7, then 8. We hadn't eaten except a quick cheeseburger before we left Kokomo. Starving. Hot. Tired. Been sitting outside all afternoon. First trailer arrives. We go eat at Red Robin and hurry back to be here by 9:45 pm for second trailer. Second trailer doesn't show until after 11:30 pm their time.  We're exhausted. We can't even set ourselves up, all our bedding and stuff is in the camp trailer. We all just fell on top of the beds and fell asleep like that, no sheets or blankets, and sleept on top all night.

The next day it got even better when we found out that the one RV has dead batteries and no propane, so no lights, toilet, or hot water during hours the generator isn't on. Ours lost its generator but that was ok, either it started working again or Steve fixed it.

Not a real glorious start.

We're way back by the highway. When the guys got here Tueesday, everything was already taken until they got back here. It IS right next to a shower house, but the showers are the ones with no changing area. So I likely won't use those again. But the toilets right there are great!

Yesterday evening Kaylee and I had fun though. We went to a local high school play of "Footloose". I've "known" a group of women since Kaylee was born, online forum called "Moms of November Babies" back then. Kaylee is obviously not a November baby, she came two months later, but it was a group of ladies who have asked questions and supported each other for 17 years now (during pregnancy too). One of them lives in Oshkosh. She suggested we come see her daughter in a play, "Footloose". Well, Kaylee likes plays and I like Footloose and plays, so win/win! They rewrote the plot some, which does not please me. But they had some really good singers and actors/actresses in it. Willard was awesome. He killed it. Mrs. Shaw was really food. Arial was good. Ren and Rev Shaw were really weak/off. The play lasted three hours. At intermission a girl behind us said "Some of those songs are like real songs, like that hero song. Was this a show or something?" Ack! I furiously started texting Kaylee, who had heard it too. Who doesn't know Footloose?! It's nuts.

At intermission I went to buy a cookie/beverage and the woman selling it said "Are you Laura?" It was Katie, the November Mom! Her daughter was Rusty, and did a great job too. Awesome voice! We connected afterwards and talked for a few minutes. It was a nice connection. :)

Afterwards Kaylee and I went out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings (one of the only places open that late, but was good) then hit "Insomnia Cookies" for dessert. Home around 11:30 and everyone else was already in bed. It was an hour later our time, so didn't blame them.

Today Steve Tummers made breakfast, I read a book, Kaylee worked on homework, we went to Johnnie Rocket's, everyone hit the stores for supplies, and Steve tries to figure out how to help on the wounded trailer...grilled chicken for dinner tonight. :)