The summer is over and I haven’t written a single post. I took a break on purpose though. We have been so busy working I didn’t have much time. Our web development work has really picked up. We have been, and still are, busy with our regular clients and even took on a couple new clients. We made 2 more educational games for Legends of Learning and one has even been featured on their site. This is great for us, as the payment structure for the recent games we’ve done is based on the amount of play the game gets. Just last week we signed a contract to make another 2 games for them as well. It looks like this is going to be continual work for a while.
Unfortunately, we have not had any time to spend on our mobile games that are on Google Play and Apple’s App Store. There are some issues with the screen resolution on newer devices where the games aren’t resizing correctly. I wish it was an easy fix, but all 3 of our Mogul Games need to be rewritten from the ground up. It’s on our list, but there seems to always be something we need to do first, like take care of our web clients.
When it was time to move back into our RV, we towed it out of it’s storage spot, where it was for the year and a half we were in Europe, and back into our old site at Owls Landing Campground. It took us a few days to clean up the mouse related disaster on the inside. It seemed our little furry squatter ate a bar of oatmeal vanilla soap, then chewed into a bag of 5-HTP powder. The 5-HTP was next to a bag of Vitamin C powder, which I think would be more appetizing to a mouse, but no he decided to overdose on the 5-HTP. He then went on a diarrhea fueled rampage throughout the camper. We had to take everything out to clean. We managed to throw out a couple trash bags of things that were either destroyed by the mouse or that we just didn’t want any more, clearing out some much needed space. Once everything was clean and put away, we were able to settle back into our RV for the summer.
When we weren’t working, we returned to our favorite kayaking spots or explored some new one’s we found while hiking one day. Kayaking was one of the things we really missed while in Europe. We will have to make this a priority next time, although it’s not quite the same in a rented kayak as your own.
All summer long there are various festivals going on in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. We spent a day wandering around Bike Week, even managed to get a ride there and back with Uber. Even though zillions of people are around this area in the summer, it’s still pretty rural and there isn’t much for public transportation. We struggled a bit to get an Uber home that day. Having both our phones, plus a battery back up dead didn’t help the situation, but a nice guy loaned us an adapter and we plugged into an extension cord out side the Broken Spoke and got a ride. The Broken Spoke was our local hangout this summer. They have great chicken wings, on par with Buffalo Wild Wings, and terrific prices on beer and cocktails. Plus the staff is great!
On July 4th, we drove down to Meredith for the Annual Duck Races. Our duck didn’t win, but it’s fun to watch all the little rubber ducks plunge over Mill Falls, through the water way, and out into the lake. There were fireworks at our campground that night too. We repeated a lot of the same things we have done for several summers now, but it’s still fun.
So the summer went by, fast as usual. In late September we made plans to travel back to Michigan and see Howard’s parents again before we head back to Europe for the winter. We were busy packing up the RV and wrapping up some things with work. We had appointments to deal with and the car was scheduled to go in the garage. Our plan was to leave at the end of the week.
That’s when we got the call. At about 9:30 am on September 24th, Howard got the call that his Mom had passed away. Just minutes before Howard was talking to his sister Heather, telling her our plans for heading to MI. She was planning to visit too. That call changed everything. We quickly packed up our laptops and some clothes, jumped in the car, and headed west. Heather did the same thing, heading north from Texas. The following evening we all arrived in Midland, MI to be with Howard’s dad.
In Michigan we all focused on keeping Howard’s dad busy. We visited our favorite places there, watched movies, played board games, and even did an escape room. We helped clean up and organize some things around the house too, taking a few bags to the donation center. After a week Heather had to get back to Texas but Howard and I were able to stay for a while longer. I helped pack up some of my Mother in law’s clothing for donation, but that was tough. Even harder for Howard’s dad. Leaving Michigan wasn’t easy either, but Howard & I eventually needed to get back home.
We arrived back in NH in time for my Aunt Paulie’s 100th Birthday party. Aunt Paulie actually had a couple parties, was sent so many cards and gifts, and even got her picture in the newspaper! She’s doing really well for her age. I hope I’m like Aunt Paulie later in life.
With our RV and truck all wrapped up in tarps for the winter, we settled in my parent’s guest room. We’ve delayed returning to Europe for a while so we can catch up on work and help my parents for a bit. I hope they will be okay while we’re gone. My Dad’s health is still slowly declining and my Mom, at 92, still does all the cooking, shopping, cleaning, etc. I worry about them and hope nothing happens while we’re gone. We will just be a flight away if needed though.
We’ll be flying over the Atlantic Ocean in December, just in time for Christmas markets and holiday festivities. This time we’ll have company too. Our friend Max is planning to join us there and Howard’s dad is coming over after the New Year. We are looking forward to visiting some familiar places, having new adventures, and getting back into a relaxing European lifestyle!
