Saturday, March 31, 2018

Sunny Start, Family Campers Leaving, Neil Armstrong

I woke up Saturday, Mar. 31st and was shocked to see it was 10 minutes to 8. I slept in! I remember looking at the clock at 6 am and rolled over and fell into a deep sleep again. And I dreamt about a gathering with Bill's family. I don't mind telling you about that Friday night dream because no doubt, there will be one. Bill and Clemson were already up and settled downstairs, about half hour ahead of me. I think the temperature dropped to a low of 35F last night and by the time I got up, it was around 42F. The sun was shining but I felt lazy today and didn’t go for a walk.


These few pictures here are from last night’s sunset AFTER I posted. They are so pretty that I wanted to share them today. Bill and I had our morning brew together and read blog posts from our friends. Nice to see what they are up to, where they are in their travels towards home. Some are still having some wonderful weather in Arizona and Nevada so I’m a tad envious. That’s what happens when we leave as early as we do in October and we live with it and plan accordingly.

Wapakaneta water tower
Today, it was my turn to shower so I took care of that after making omelettes for breakfast. We took a drive just a few miles through Wapakaneta to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. This looked like it would be interesting and it certainly wasn’t disappointing. We spent a couple of hours walking around and trying our hand at landing the shuttle. Good thing we weren’t in the cockpit, it would have cost a fortune! I'm going to let the pictures of the museum speak for themselves. It is worth the very reasonable admission cost of $7/seniors (over 60).

We left there and drove around Wapakaneta a bit. Bill let me nip into Goodwill but I didn’t need anything so didn’t look too hard or spend too much time inside.

This train was putt putting through town
We drove home and arrived just in time as it started to rain after we stepped inside. Clemson, of course, had to go out so took me for a joy ride. This means he piddled right away and then pulls every which way as if looking for a spot for #2. All we’re doing is getting wet and Mom is getting more and more frustrated. Finally, one of us has to take control and he gets put inside.


 It was 2:30 and of course, the munchies hit. Bill makes himself something and I have to decide what can I eat, knowing full well too much will delay our required supper time. I stood looking in the fridge and saw the answer. George’s soup! So, I warmed it up and that did the trick. I added a tablespoon of butter and skipped the noodles but everything else was yummy and on my list of foods to eat.

A few pictures of the astronauts I'm familiar with
The rest of the afternoon went pretty quietly. I didn’t have any interest in the pool, maybe tomorrow when it will be quieter and we have no plans to go anywhere. We got our books out and between flipping pages and catching the odd doze, the day passed. It got really windy, 25 – 30 mph, which made the 55F feel all that much colder. Bill took Clemson out for a piddle and soon enough I decided I’d better get supper started.

Cute picture of Neil Armstrong at 6 years old
Love the old television, talk about flashbacks!
The actual Gemini spacecraft showing the very small space for
two astronauts to sit in, each clothed in 65 lb. suits and helmets
this was not a window, just cut out for us to see inside

when this hatch closes, the small oval (orange spot) is the only window they have

Bill docking the Gemini
Well, I don't think it worked out that way but he tried!
Hungry? the chocolate pudding, chicken and rice, applesauce
beef and potatoes and a survival bar
Yummy!
You walk into this lighted space to go into the theatre for the film

Hard to explain but a narrow walkway, with glass/mirrored panels all around
Cool but if you have vertigo, I think it would do you in!
It was a great 20 minute film

Small step for man
Giant leap for mankind


Apollo Module mockup


Goofing around

Looks like a natural!
And you can buy a mock spacesuit before you leave
I’d planned on Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Soup in the convection oven because we didn’t need to cook outside today. It was another recipe I found on line which is making me start to believe that I don’t need to be carting recipes around with us. I have very few favourite recipes so I could probably lighten the load right there.

Some nice old homes in Wapakaneta

And churches
This recipe was easy. 2 chicken breasts in a baking pan, onion salt, garlic powder, celery salt and pepper seasoning. Blend a can of mushroom soup, undiluted, with ½ can of half and half cream and pour over the chicken. I added chopped onion, carrots and a potato around the chicken and baked at 375F for 1 hr. and 15 min. I didn’t realize at first that it took that long so it wasn’t done until 7:15. Good thing we had that late lunch!
Looks like mush but I hate to waste good creamy sauce so dumped it on my plate

and we each had a glass of wine on the side
Bill doesn’t care for chicken too much. Well, it isn’t his favourite like pork chops aren’t mine but we tolerate them. I loved this meal and I think Bill enjoyed it. The only problem was that the breasts were too big. One would have been enough for us to share. So, we have leftovers for soup. I especially enjoyed the creamed sauce on the chicken and will save that recipe on Word on my laptop. With dishes cleaned up quickly by 8, we could relax. Nothing like a one dish meal!

Small creek runs between the front and back campsites

This section of the park is closed for camping until May 1st but it is great to walk around
undisturbed

Another area to walk out to the lake
all the lake fishing is Catch and Release

It is a very nice mini golf area with water and 'rocks' too
While the chicken was in the oven, I bundled up to bring in bottles of water from the basement. After doing that, I decided I was going to take a walk and walked to the very back of the park where there are sites but no campers. It was a good brisk walk and I was surprisingly warm in 2 layers of hoodies and my wind breaker. It was a good walk and I’m glad I pushed myself to get out there. This has been a good day and I hope yours was too.
This is a nice site, we'll keep in mind for another time
Thank you for stopping by today! I love to hear from you and will respond to every post in time.

16 comments:

  1. Geez, I forgot all about that soup on chicken recipe. I used to do that one a long time ago. Isn't it funny how foods we eat go in cycles...Luckily Mo and I both like chicken and I grill it quickly and always have leftovers for quesadillas or chicken salad or whatever. Everything does look a bit dreary there. Too bad you couldn't spend October at home and maybe stay a bit later in spring.

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    1. yes I don't make Georges noodle soup myself, but when he shares it I enjoy it.
      still dreary and now cold.
      we leave home Oct. 24th or thereabouts because it turns cold there to do 6 of one, half dozen of the other.😉
      a week later might make a bit of a difference.
      take care.

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  2. Your sauce on the chicken looks good....must try it. Did you bake it covered ?
    I sometimes brown pork chops with some sliced onions then pour over a
    jar of Newman's White Sauce. It has a good flavor. Of course I salt, pepper and some
    garlic powder on the pork chops before browning. It's good. Probably cook as long
    as the chicken if meat is very thick. I cover the dish until the last 20 mins.

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    1. That sauce was so good! Of course, I am a supporter of good fats so the cream was a bonus. One recipe said you could brown the chicken on both sides in oil first and then it would only be 30 min. to cook. I skipped over that recipe. No, I didn't cover the pan at all. Oh, I sprinkled slivered almonds on the chicken too which made for a nice crunch. :)
      I'll keep your recipe in mind for boneless chops since I need all the help I can get with those! haha

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  3. Love the spacecraft pics. I'd never make it. Too claustrophobic!! I'm going to try your recipe - it's sounds yummy.

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    1. I'm with you, no way could I sit in there knowing the hatch was going to close. Just the helmet would be too much for me after a while!
      You'll like the recipe, I think, the chicken was perfect, very moist.

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    2. oh, and I sprinkled slivered almonds on before baking uncovered. :)

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  4. If you are going to be there long enough, check out the Temple of Tolerance. It is a lot better if the owner is there, but still worth a look.

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    1. I saw that in their flyer they hand out. Wasn't sure what it would be like. We might have to do that on a dry day. Thank you!

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  5. Glad you go to the Museum we did it quite a few years ah=go and enjoyed it.
    Nice to see they have finished the mini golf looks wonderful now.
    You can do that same recipe with pork chops as well, or a chicken breast for you and pork chop for Bill

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    1. We enjoyed the museum and film a lot.
      Yes, the mini golf is quite impressive. Haven't seen anyone on the course though.
      I debated about one of each meat but the chicken was quite thick and would take longer to cook, I'm sure. This was good, Bill should have chicken once in a while. :)

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    2. You can always pound the chicken down to the same thickens as the coup I have done that. Works well.

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  6. Looks like a great museum..your pics of you goofing around are cute! The chicken and sauce looked so good! Nice park! Lot s to keep you occupied if you want. Hope the weather warms for you!

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    1. It was a nice museum self-guided tour. Lots to see and interesting facts. Things we remembered from our early years before we knew each other and could now share.
      The chicken turned out great.
      this is a nice park. I don't think the weather is going to warm up for us while we are here but that's okay. The sun makes us happy when we get it. It's the small things, right? :)

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  7. Thanks for the neat pictures of the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, that brings back so many memories of that time. It's amazing how technology has marched on since then. You are right, with the help of the Internet and their wealth of cooking recipes in it, we don't have to lug around all those cookbooks and just keep our favourite ones on hand. Love the creamy chicken.

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  8. Wonderful day topped by a wonderful dinner. Doesn't get much better.

    Enjoy!!

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