Amanda and Graham's Great Pig Adventure

Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th March

Two days off at an out of town site again! Temperatures down to -8 degrees and quite windy too. There are flurries of snow but it is not settling, just swirling around.

Monday was a quiet day with everyone enjoying their rooms for some R&R, baths and showers. We had an Uber excursion to T J Maxx and then Meijer’s supermarket to do the bus shop. Not much needed this time apart from the usual big pack of water and the basics, but it is something to do!

Food today was leftovers – tortilla wraps with excellent guacamole from yesterday’s catering and the remains of our pasta with lobster sauce from St Louis in the evening. (We don’t have meals provided on our off days, but we have an allowance each week for personal spending to cover meals etc. We are provided with a catered meal for each show and there is always loads, so the norm is to take away some for the next day.)

At 6.30 we met in Nate’s room (Daddy Pig!) as he had offered to make everybody cocktails! He had already stocked up on essentials and prepped lots of limes and was offering a choice of five cocktails. It was great fun and gradually everybody turned up so Nate was kept busy all evening! We spilled over into the nearby breakfast room and played games. We had a big group playing Uno – new to me – and we really enjoyed it. Cocktails probably helped…! The sort of evening only possible with a day off to follow!

Tuesday was another slow day. We decided not to go out exploring as it really is cold with dark skies. Lake Michigan is quite a way away and we will be on the Lake at a later venue so we decided to wait until then for sightseeing. I spent the day catching up with this blog, reading and editing photos. It is frightening how quickly we forget what we have done if I don’t write it down! So many places, venues and States! We have been in a different State every day since leaving Texas on 8th March: Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois again and now Michigan. We have had two changes of time too since arriving, starting on Western Time, then Mountain Time and now Eastern Time. Plus the USA has already switched to Summer Time, before the UK, so we are only 4 hours behind now.

The photos jog the memory but there are so many! I am trying to keep up with editing and deleting as we go, otherwise it will be a huge job once we get home. I am enjoying the new iPhone 17 Pro Max, especially the “clean up” facility, whereby cars and other unwanted items simply disappear from photos! “Magic, magic” as George (Peppa’s little brother) would say! We have several favourite lines from the show now which we add into conversation at every opportunity. “Magic, magic” is one (said in a high, excited voice) and another is Daddy Pig’s “What is that?” (referring to the glockenspiel which he then has to play). Plenty of uses for that one, especially when trying to decipher menus! Another of his lines is “I am a bit of an expert” – which turned out to be true last night with the cocktails! Well done Nate!!!

Six of us went to the Gravity Taphouse Grille on our site for dinner, which was good with a wide-ranging menu – and very attentive staff which was quite amusing!

Then packing up and back to the bus, departing at midnight as usual. Lots of us change into PJs in the hotel which is easier than managing on the bus, but we will definitely need clothes on top tonight, even just to walk across the car park!