My wife and I were menbers of the elite club of RVers called Good Sam'ers for quite a number of years.As a youngster in the thirtys and fortys my family often tented for several nights along the Des Moines river in the Ledges state park south of Boone Iowa where I learned to really enjoy and appreciate what our creator gave to us.After my second marriage to last and hopefully the only one-she had always been a motel person.I talked her into trying a tenting vacation to the Wyoming area.My daughter by my first marriage also went with us.We made it to Thermopolis Wyoming;where we pitched our two bedroom tent sleeping bags and all;after completing the set up of that first venture for her we went to see the hot springs and smell the -ugh-sulphur vapors that go along with them.Went back and cooked chow on my Dads old white gas stove,then tucked ourselves in for the night.Needless to say but as sometimes comes about it wasn't the most pleasant of nights.The temperature slowly dropped to  28 degrees,and we didn't have a tent heater,coooool.The next AM I was sure she'd say that that was enough lets head back home only motelling all the way;however I and the daughter who had been tenting previous to this marriage also convinced her not to give up so quickly"it worked"so we continued on to Crystal creek near Jacksonhole.This proved a little to alot more enjoyable-I had her hooked.As time went by we advanced to a fold down camper followed by a purchase of a used 5th wheel trailer.The first trip in that was to Hollywood Florida (man is that living).I was employed at New Idea farm equipment Co for seventeen years ultimately gaining the position as Quality Control mgr.17 years I spent with them when our ex plant mgr.-who had climbed the ladder was moved to the home plant in Coldwater,Ohio.He convinced the upity ups to close our plant and move it back east to the existing plant there-it cost them 35% more to produce the same products we made at the factory in Fort Dodge than at the plant in Coldwater-some they were never able to produce because of factory screw ups.They offered to move us to the factory their and retain my position as QC mgr-the present one was retiring anyway-, but because my wifes parents and my daughter were still living in FD we decided against the move-they ultimately let the "know it all mgr.by request go, I tried to assist my wifes brothers and sister in their farming operations so I gave it a try-after all some of my grand parents on my dads side had been farmers-my great great grandfathers daughter was the overseer of a plantation that  he had puchased near Rawleigh South Carolina,she was only sixteen at that time so maybe it would be in my blood. I did it for about eight years and finally(from working with four hundred personell at the plant I found out I didn't like myself that much- most of the time alone on the tractor-So I gave it up.The wife with her approval decided to throw in the towel and retire.Since she finally accepted the enjoyment of traveling in our RV during vacation times we said to each other lets try full timing it.We traded the old 33 footer for a 28 foot fiver and took off for Corpus Christi,Texas.We spent four months by the Laguna Madre in the Padre Palms RV park in Flour Bluff a suburb south of C/C.We contined to return their every year for eight more years thru the winter months.We became good friends with many nice people while there,some are still living-we've lost some good ones-still remain in contact with us After the owner of the park-they  treated us as if we were family- sold the park to another party and we only visited their for a short time the next year.We made one enjoyable trip out to California to visit with my next oldest sister I have two other ones one is 90+ and the other 2 years younger than myself. We lost my brother in 1965 from a ship collision off of the east coast of Boston shortly after he was married the one and only time, he was a gun crew Captain on a Merchant Marine tanker he had just married a few months before the collision and shortly before the surrender of Germany.While in Calif. we had to make a quick flight back to Fort Dodge as my father in law had passed away.The suceeding year we took a month to  get down south,enjoying golf the sightsand the quisine all the way. We arrived in San Antonio,Texas the first of December.luckily finding a exceptionally nice park that had been converted from a mobile home park into a well layed out RV park just south of a most interesting and diversified city just a few blocks south of downtown on Roosevelt Ave,we again made some more long term friends, much golf was played with many of them and we had made arrangements with an adjacent city owned golf course near by. The city gave us the opportunity to let all the interested golfers  have the course to ourselves on wednesday mornings.Individuals names were drawn to mix up the players then four of them were drawn to make up teams to have a little friendly (not always) competition fun-fun- fun.Many trips were  made to the outlying town courses to have additional enjoyment as a group-mostly hitting the ground harder than hitting the ball.In 1990 I developed an arithmetic heart.Our family doctor put me on a high age of diureticts I lost 16 #'s of water that first week quite a weight loss program.Eventually  I went into the hospital with a heart rate of 172 a minute-almost flat line- ultimately it developed into congestive heart failure,so we had to give up the full time traveling extensive life style,which we both loved extremely.Of course we had to stay on are sight in the motor home so we would be close to our familys (we had built our own site on the farm) including water,telephone,electricity and satelite tv.who could ask for anything more.We didn't completely give up the perfect type of life"my opinion"but we did down size from th large motor home we had had for several years,so we sold the big wheeled motor home and bought  a class C self contained motor home-much smaller but easier to manipulate for one that is becoming leary of handling the big rigs safely.That to had to be given up. With all those great things that come with the so called golden years such as cataracts,cidney failure,diabetes,esophagus ulcers,polopys,COP from smoking three packs of cigarettes a day,starting just a few when I was thirteen ,then all of the prominent pepole especially actors and actresses and the constant advertising made it the thing to do to be on the "in group".After coming down with bronchial neumonia on a vacation from rving we flew-with some really close home town friends to Zehuatanaho, Mexico the good lord freed me from the terrible habit and I've never taken a puff since "praise be" I smoked progressively more and more until that lucky god saving day for 43 years quitting in1984.Now I have emphesema and for a little while with the other physical problems came the need for an extra supply of oxygen,my lungs had deteriorated by 60 percent from the time I started,on top of that it cost about -both the wife and I smoked-some where around 35 hundred bucks a year-cigaretts were only around 10 bucks a carton-because of my  fortunate withdrawl she quit smoking also-she felt that if she continued it it might entice me back to them good old days-hah-no way Hosa no way.I will admit that I really enjoyed it just as todays many gamblers are supposedly enjoying the current market of the so called good things in life-like heroin,speed,marymarystuff. I GAURENTEE -if they survive into those golden years they'll be very very sorry"to soon old to late smart"sure fits the bill.So now I spend the greatest part of my day at this computer (I've got to admit it's got me hooked ,but I have learned alot from it's capabilities to touch the world while still alive and restricted from strenous activities I'd love to pursue- especionally- the RV life style.Thru the marvel of the medical profession and the wonderfull medications we now have-tho I'm to fat cause I enjoy food to much to cut down -have improved my health considerably I hope to try a little golf this summer.And maybe just maybe return to some local rv parks.Any one out there who hasn,t gained back some functioning of their lung capacity got a good cheap one for sale,give me a holler'.Oh incidentally at attaining quote golden years of 77, soon with so called luck I'll be 78.Ijust lost a good friend of many years-he attained seventy eight,but ended there, going to his viewing this eve.I'm sure not looking forward to it- who ever does-.I'd hate myself later if I didn't .I'm slowly but surely now loosing my chompers"great huh".I guess I've strained your eyes and for you unlucky people who have lost their read ability if someone reads it to you I've made your ears tired.I'm sorry.I'll leave you with this statement-It's not an original I wish it was.Straighten up and fly right. An old man.    Lukentod1 (my wifes nickname is Toddy) and may the one and only God Jehovah -his names in the good book you know- give you his blessings and the one trying to replace him "the lowly one"he gives us all these tribulations he's called the devil.He be gone soon I hope.   Bye for now.