Recent Articles

Surfs Up, Dad!
June 28, 2008 –

Hey Dad,
Since leaving Philly, PA we speant the weekend in Sumter, SC where I was able to speak to a bunch of dads and moms. Sumter wasn’t the sight-seeing capital of the world but we did stop at legendary South of the Border on the NC/SC border.

Been Here Done That!
June 18, 2008 –

Hey Dad,
Things couldn’t be going much better. My wife is radiant, but I’m starting to run down. I’ve spoken to thousands of dads and moms, driven thousands of miles, and said at least a thousand times, “Settle down back there!”

Howdy from Intercourse, PA!
June 12, 2008 –

A big howdy from Intercourse, PA. You heard me right. The people of Intercourse seem to be able to say it without smirking, but I feel like my Mom will wash my mouth out with soap if I say it. It is a nice town and in fact, the town scene in the movie The Witness, was filmed here.

Salute From The Iowa State Fair Grounds!!
June 4, 2008 –

Greetings from the Iowa State Fair Grounds. A little known RV fact: you can camp at most county and state fair grounds. This is our first time. Actually it’s Pork Expo time in Iowa so we’re surrounded by trailers filled with squealing pigs.
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From the Magic Kingdom
May 30, 2008 –

I think it was Dorothy Gail from the Wizard of OZ who once said, “There’s no place like…Florida.” For this Indiana boy and his family, it truly is the vacation state. Not that it has all been vacation, but it sure is good to be back in the sunshine state.

Beautifu FLORIDA!!!
May 17, 2008 –

Hey Dad,
Just a quick update on our progress. In the last week, we drove from Harrisburg, PA, and then flew to Billings, MT, then spoke in Atlanta, GA yesterday, and will pull into Orlando, FL tomorrow at noon. The RV has run top-notch and a quick stop at a Cummins shop yesterday in Chattanooga, TN to change the fuel filters stopped a small leak.

Greetings from Harrisburg, PA
May 8, 2008 –

Hey Dad,
I continue to be amazed at how much ground you can cover in a week. We started last weekend in Oklahoma; we’re in Harrisburg, PA now, and next Friday, we’ll be in Billings, MT (we’re flying to that one).

Throw Papa From The Cliff
April 29, 2008 –

Hey Dad,
We’ve covered a lot of trouble free mile since last I wrote. We had one windy day near Tucumcari, NM where my awning unfurled along the interstate. We had to pull over and cut a big chinch of the awning out. Reminded me a little of a sailor cutting a chunk of sail along a stormy sea.

Greetings from New Mexico!
April 19, 2008 –

Hey Dad,
As some famous comedian used to say, “It’s always something.” That’s how it has been out on the road. Actually, the day I updated the blog last week I noticed some little cracks on the sidewalls of one of my RV tires. After a few calls I found a reasonably priced tire in Amarillo, TX. We drove there got the tired changed quickly and then I went to start the RV. It started but it didn’t something weird.

Greetings from Albaquor... Albeqwarky... that place in New Mexico
April 14, 2008 –

It’s amazing how much ground you can cover in a week. Right now we’re parked at the Amarillo Ranch RV Park in Amarillo, TX. Yesterday, we were freezing as we traveled away from St. Louis, and tonight we have the windows open and are enjoying a warm spring breeze.

Leaking Like a Sieve But Having the Time of Our Lives
April 9, 2008 –

Remember all those expensive RV repairs that I told you about last week? Well, one of those items that was replaced was a new compressor for my air brakes. It sure made a big difference once it was replaced, and I was glad to have it fixed…until I saw the big spot of oil that seemed to be leaking from it every time we stopped.

If At First You Don't Succeed...Fail, Fail Again!
April 1, 2008 –

You know, life is funny…like toothache funny. IN a nut shell we didn’t hit the road like we had anticipated. Here’s the short of it:

The Journey Begins
March 19. 2008 –

I’m not sure I’m ready…but the RV adventure begins today. All I need now…is an RV.

The Great RV Makeover - The Race is ON!!
March 6, 2008 –

Auggggg!!!! We only have three weeks before I have to have the Familyman Mobile road worthy. That doesn’t seem like much time when I just got the seats bolted in yesterday. It sure doesn’t help that it’s been so cold and snowy.

The Great RV Make-Over - Back at it!
January 10, 2008 –

Although we’re sitting around waiting for Baby Wilson #8 to show up, I’ve been struck by the fact that we have to hit the road in 3 months. There’s still a bunch of stuff top do on the RV before we cast off.

The Great RV Makeover - Week 6
October 17, 2007 –

Progress…I love it. Well, Merle the Amish RV carpet layer spent a day and half cutting, streching, and laying the vinyl and carpet in our “new” RV. Man, it looks great and lightens up the interior a ton.

The Great RV Makeover - Week 3
September 27, 2007 – Home

Well, we continute to make progress (whatever that means) on the new FM3. Merle (the Amish, floor-covereing guy) came over and said it looks doable.

The Great RV Makeover - week 2
Septemeber 20, 2007 – Home

Well, after hanging the wall paper in the main cabin area…removing the wallpaper form the main cabin area…and rehanging the wallpaper in the main cabin area, it’s looking good.

Closed for the Season!
August 31, 2007 – Home Sweet Home

The Familyman Mobile is parked…

The Last Push
June 6, 2007 – Richmond, VA

Well, it seems as though we’ve been on the road forever, and we’re all running down. We speak in Richmond for the next couple of days, visit Jamestown for the big 400th anniversary celebration and then head home. Ahhhhh, home.

Diamonds
May 31, 2007 – Murfreesboro, AR

Greetings form Arkansas, “the Natural State.” It is mighty pretty around here, and today we spent a chunk of the day looking for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park. I think this is the only place in the world where you can hunt for diamonds and keep all that you find…

A Little Mickey
May 27, 2007 – Fort Wilderness, WDW

The sun is shining, and the family is swimming while I type this and stand guard while Caleb takes a nap. We pulled into Disney’s Fort Wilderness two days ago and have been enjoying our favorite family destination…or as Katherine likes to call it ‘paradise’.

The Life
May 16, 2007 – Edisto Island, SC

Man, there is nothing like the smell of the salt, the warmth of the sun, and the roar of the ocean…especially to an Indiana family that has spent the last 5 weeks cooped up in a tight RV.

Stuck
May 9, 2007 – Pittsburgh, PA

OK, if you’ve just come from the Familyman Weekly you know we got stuck on a steep incline. So I won’t repeat all the details. Besides being stuck, I’ve finally come to grips with the incredibly high price of gas (although in PA it’s around the $2.85 range).

Gas Pains!
May 6, 2007 – Lansing, MI

Before I give you an update on all the good stuff that’s been happening, let me just start by complaining about the gas prices!!!!!!!! 75 gallons at $3.25!!!!! Augggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rainy but Good
April 25, 2007 – Springfield, MO

Finally a little peace and quiet…could be because I’m sitting in Panera Bread sending this out while the rest of the family is out in the RV. We’ve had a great week…after the tire blow-out on the highway…and met a bunch of great dads and moms at the Kansas City Expo Center.

A Boyhood kind of Week
April 17, 2007 – Kansas City, KA

fter traveling to Peoria, where we were able to encourage (and be encouraged by) lots of great dads and moms, we made our way to Hannibal, MO – boyhood home of Mark Twain. It was neat, and the kids hardly complained about being at a dead guy’s hometown.

Bye-Bye Raccoon
April 12, 2007 – Home

Elvis has left the building!!!! The raccoon is out for good, she took 3 of the 5 babies away to someone else’s house, and my raccoon-loving wife passed the remaining 2 babies off onto some lady who cares for wild animals.Home

Raccoon Warrior
April 11, 2007 – Home

Houston, we have a problem! The furry kind. The kind that chews through the ceiling…has babies…and can take over the entire house!!! Well, I chased out the mamma, captured the babies, and sealed up the opening. Victory…or so I thought.

Prepare for Blast Off
March 30, 2007 – Home

RV Check list:

Propane – fixed. Water heater – fixed. Fridge – fixed…maybe. Generator – check. You get the idea. You know there are a lot of things that can and do go wrong on your standard Familyman Mobile.

The Tingle
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In RV-ing, as in life, God often causes a little tingle to creep up the back of the neck informing you that what you’re about to attempt is NOT a good idea and should NOT be ignored – especially when you’re behind the wheel of an RV.