One of the first things we did with the grand kids was
to take them to ride the Cass Railroad. For those who have never done this it is an
experience. While it was fun all of the kids said, "When Mommy & Daddy came to
your house and wanted to come ride the Cass Railroad, would it be OK for us to stay
home with you?" :-) It is something for everyone should try to do ONE TIME!
The kids and a lot of the adults did not understand that
coal fired locomotives sends hot coal cinders into the air. The wind was blowing just
right for us to get our eyes filled several times. Makes you appreciate how wonderful
modern travel is. These cars are old logging cars that have been converted with benches
for passengers. They travel up the mountain through a series of "switchbacks" that
allow them to climb a very steep grade. Some of the grades as I recall exceeded 11%.
My understanding is that this is about four to five times the regular railroad grade
we normally associate with trains.
These kids are always ready to work, looking to make money.
Of course getting to operate the 4-wheeler didn't hurt either. :-) It was really hot
this day, and the sweat did roll from these youngin's. After the work was done they were
allowed to ride the 4 wheeler under supervision for a short while.
When they first got here they tore the farm up with the mini crotch rocket and Go-Kart. As the time wore on, like all kids they wanted to ride the bigger equipment.
Kristen graduated to the Go-Kart and Katie graduated to the 4-wheeler. There wasn't anything for Stevo to graduate to as he is not quite ready
for the Escalade. I spoke to his mother about this and I would not be surprised if there
is not something larger for him when he visits the farm next time.
This our new toy. It is a 1988 Honda Goldwing, GL1500. It has a CB, AM/FM Radio w/Tape Cassette, Intercom, Cruise Control, and Reverse. Although it is old (a 1988 Model) it has only had one owner, and we purchased it from his widow. The cycle only has 50,000 miles on it so it should be able to wear us out. While anything that has been used for 18 years will hardly be pristine, this cycle is in outstanding shape both mechanically and esthetically. We look forward to touring around the country on it.
While picking up our new cycle in Indiana we paid a visit to Doit's sister and her family. We don't see as much of Judy and Gene and their family as we would like, but our lives seem to take different paths. Judy is Doit's baby sister. Judy and Gene are nearing retirement age, and are also in the grandparent mode.
This is a small pictorial of our very active Summer 2005. We still love retirement. The Lord has blessed
us beyond measure, and we give thanks each and every day. As we travel
Doit is always accompanied by his trusty notebook computer and keeps a
daily check on the e-mail. Send us a note at doitk@dkoppler.com and let
us know what's happening in your end of the world. Hope you enjoy our pictures as much as we did living and capturing them for you. As always future editions of this Web Site is predicated on the Web Master's continuous study of the book, "Web Pages for Dummies". Doit & Donna Koppler
doitk@dkoppler.com