We got a later than anticipated start in moving from the Andrews to the Hockstras house as Katrina got in a few more great games of pickleball. It was great competition for her and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to get in some high level play. I was off on the transit game as I made a couple of missteps along the journey. First off, we stopped for diesel and I used the wrong credit card and paid retail $4.45 per gallon, ouch! Next I selected the wrong destination on the GPS and we ended up having to unhitch the truck to turn around. Good thing that Wendy and Roger were patient with us! Wendy and Roger Hockstra are our next door neighbors from the Myakka River Motorcoach Resort in Florida. They purchased last year and have been a great addition to our piece of paradise!
We finally got to their barn and then headed to their house located on Blue Lake in Mecosta. We decided to park the Busse Bus across the street from their house at their second garage. Check it out:
After we got settled, we headed off on their pontoon boat.
They have a beautiful pontoon boat – to me the best part was the automated cover that turns into a Bimini. What a wonderful lake that connects with two other ones. Great place to tool around and see the houses, the sunset, and the wildlife:
They invited us to stay in their house with Bear which was wonderful because we didn’t need to use any water in the coach. They had 50 amp service out at the barn so that we could keep the refrigerators in the coach running and keep it cool.
Both Roger and Wendy have gotten the pickleball fever! So much that when they got home they painted a court in their barn. That meant that we got to play:
What an action shot!
They keep their coach and Roger’s brother coach in the barn with enough room to play comfortably. I mean that I only hit Roger’s coach sixteen times but I assured him that those scratches would buff out.
We went out for lunch but since it was Monday we had to change our plans and ended up at The Barn Door.
Cute place with decent food. Kinda felt like we were in the Wild West with the decor.
That night we had dinner at The Royal Golf Course at Canadian Lakes because they were hosting trivia and it sounded like fun. The whole game was based on Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. We actually did pretty good considering that we were up against teams with many more players. Going into the final round we were in third place and bet the house! Final question: How many pumps are in the Soo Locks? Who the heck knows? We didn’t! We guessed six, wrong. There are zero pumps. Don’t ask me how, but now you know. Besides getting questioned there was paper games with points appointed – these we did really well on. Here’s one for you:
To give you a clue, the answer to number 9 is Stand Up. Let me know if you figure out the other ones!
The next day Roger and I got to mess around. We took their golf cart over to the barn where we got on their Ruckus’s, a.k.a. Mini bikes. Roger took me to his deer hunting spot. I’m so glad he hunts because his snack sticks are amazing! From there we rode over to Lakeside Motor Sports, his toyland, where he told the salesperson that we were just Christmas shopping. Wonderful assortment of motorcycles, boats, snowmobiles, jet skies, etc. I really loved some of the pontoon boats:
Loved the built in bar!
We returned to their house without an accident and with money still in our pockets.
That night we went to The Forager in Howard City for dinner. Very quaint place!
Great food and drinks!
On the way home we stopped at Kings for ice cream. Huge scoops! I should have only ordered one scoop, but….
The boys enjoying the cups:
We saw some deer on the drive home.
Roger wanted to get his bow or gun but it ain’t season yet.
When we got home we saw that Bear was on a tear on their bed:
Pillows spewed all over the place. I think he enjoyed staying there.
The next day we were able to ride our bikes.
Headed around the area and ride around some beautiful lakes:
That launch is on the other side of Blue Lake, their lake.
Once we returned, we let Bear play on the beach in their backyard:
He loves the water. Here’s a picture of him waiting on the deck to head to the beach:
What a cute dog!
Afterwards we took another boat ride, it’s getting a little chilly:
Great ride! Bear loves a boat as much as the water.
That night we played a little Rummikub. It’s a great game although one needs to think a little more that any of us wanted to that night.
The next day Katrina and I headed to Chicago to catch a flight for a Greek Island cruise. While we were gone, Bear and our coach stayed with the Hockstras. I’ll write another post regarding our European vacation. But it is sure good to know that we can leave all of our treasures with trusted friends.
While we were gone I think that Bear had a wonderful time and made himself at home. He even slept with them every night! Sorry Roger.
Our coach on the other hand did not fare as well. We had tried to get the chain on our full wall slide fixed while we were away at B. Franck RV Service.
Once they got the new chain they could not get it installed. It wasn’t until we returned and both Roger and I looked at what they were doing when we realized that the bracket that holds the chain was bent. They had to order the replacement part and that delayed our departure by a few hours. Luckily once the part came in they were able to get it fixed.
When we got back we also had to take care of other items besides the Busse Bus. Katrina needed to get a Tdap booster shot, we desperately needed to do laundry, and I had to finalize payment on the townhome that we purchased in Winter Park. Well, Katrina accomplished all of her tasks while I struggled. I had to get all the paperwork signed, be witnessed with on on-line Notary Public
(that was a first for me), and wire the money. Everything went great until Chase Bank needed to verify my wire (a good auditing requirement) because when they called me back my phone sent their call to voicemail. I thought that I wasn’t getting the calls until one time when the auditor left a message. I realized that I had a call blocking app on my phone and then allowed calls from the same number. I finally got a hold of Chase and had them call me back. My plan didn’t work and it was getting late in the day. We deleted the app and had Roger’s brother call me. Still didn’t work! I got a hold of AT&T and they had to remove the app on their end. I highly DO NOT recommend using the Call Protect application. By this time it was too late in the day and I had to file extension papers with the Title Company. The next day we got everything completed so now we are the owners of a townhome in Colorado!
We got to take one more pontoon ride and one more night of playing cards with the Hockstra’s.
When we heading to bed we thought that Bear was still our dog. However, he opted to sleep with Roger and Wendy instead. The traitor! He did come and try to make atonement with us the next morning. We are onto his game.
After we picked up the coach we brought it back to the house to load it up and head out. Boy, it took much longer than we anticipated. Bear waited patiently for us to finish and we could tell that he wasn’t too happy to be leaving Wendy (and Roger).
It was so much fun spending time with them and seeing them in their natural environment. Goodbye Roger and Wendy and thank you so much for everything! We really appreciated it! See ya soon back at Myakka.
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