May 15 and 16--My  father was one of twelve brothers and sisters and five half brothers and sisters, all born in Nashua, Iowa. Having these many children was not unusual in the mid-west during the early 1900s. The probable reasons for such large families was the need for free farm workers and long, cold winter nights. Of course, I have many cousins from all of these aunts and uncles. We visited two cousins in Nashua, one in Shellrock, and three in Ionia. My mother had only one brother and we visited one of his kids in Rudd. Great to reconnect with family and friends in the Nashua area.

Friday May 17the we traveled on to Milton, Wisconsin, to visit one of Patrice's relatives. We made a small detour to stop at Camping World in Madison (DeForrest) to have a replacement fan installed in the bathroom, We had outrun thunderstorms through Iowa and Wisconsin, and stayed in Milton through the 21st to let some storms pass us. Actually spent a short time in a storm shelter under the clubhouse in the RV resort at our park. Funny how when I lived in the mid-west for the first 35 years of my life, I paid little attention to tornado and severe weather warnings. Now while traveling through tornado alley with our fifth wheel, I  heed these warnings seriously.

Leaving Milton on the 21st, we headed south to mid-Illinois, then straight east to Remington, Indiana. This route allowed us to avoid pulling the RV through Chicago. We only used electricity at the site, didn't even unhook the truck, then the next day on to Seville, Ohio, outrunning severe storms on both days. Great RV parks both nights, and the sites are getting more expensive the further east we go. Gas is around $4.00 per gallon in most states, and at about 7 miles per gallon we are spreading our wealth all across this great USA.

All through Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio it is apparent that farming has changed dramatically since I lived and worked there. Silos (including expensive Harvestores) are empty and barns are used for storage on most farmsteads, and few cattle are seen in the fields. Those living in the farm houses are probably the original land owners and/or older parents of sons and daughters who have left to work in the surrounding cities. Huge farm machinery can be seen working all of the farm lands that were once part of the small farmsteads. These huge machines are owned by a single farmer who is working between 1,000 and 5,000 or more acres of crop land. That farmer may own some or all of this land or may he may be renting it, some times in small parcels located several miles apart. The articulated tractors may cost up to $250,000 and may be pulling farm conditioners, planters, and reapers 48 feet or more wide. In some cases these new farmers may be the sons or daughters of the older generation who have gone to college and returned to work these mega-acreage farms. The beef cattle and dairy herds that were once an integral part of the small farm are now managed in confined lots by big commercial interests. Those of us who had friends and relatives on these smaller farms are sad to see how things have changed.

We are spending the Memorial Day weekend in Jefferson, Ohio, where we have met up with the couple that is touring the Atlantic Maritime Provinces of Canada with us this summer. It will get down to 32 degrees with a 15 mile per hour wind off nearby Lake Erie tonight--big difference from North Palm Springs, California. I am finally wearing my long pants.

Tomorrow a trip to Ashtabula on Lake Erie is planned, with lunch at the Deer's Leap Winery. Ashtabula County is famous for its covered bridges and its wineries.