Home Again?

It can be confusing when considering the place that we call home. Our original intent, back in May, was to live full-time in our fifth-wheel, making home wherever we might happen to park our rig. This being true, our home the last six months has been Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. I guess you can see the problem.

To be particularly accurate we are back in our house on Avalon Road in Winter Garden, FL. Our fifth-wheel is parked in the driveway and will be for the foreseeable future due to significant changes in our circumstances. This does not end our RV adventure but it certainly does put things on hold for awhile.

Kathy and I really enjoyed our trip from New Hampshire to Florida. The first attraction in our itinerary was Hershey, PA. The chocolate town is something else. Apart from the confectionary element of this stop was the fascinating life story of Milton S. Hershey. His tenacity, industry, benevolence, and philanthropy make him a singularly remarkable example of humanity.

Another interesting item was our overnighter in Natural Bridge, VA.

It was a place we each were aware of but neither had visited. The site was one of wooded beauty and geological interest. Historically, it was noteworthy because George Washington surveyed the location in 1790 and carved his initials in the rock wall.

We lunched with Aaron, Beth, Leon and Silas as we passed through Bristol, TN and did our grand-parenting best to spoil the boys with toys and chocolate.

A weekend in Lafollette, TN was devoted to a Bible conference with the folks at Whitman Hollow Bible Church. It was great to see some folks I hadn't seen in years and we thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship, food and preaching.

Our last stop before reaching Florida was with Steve and Sylvia at their haven just outside of Waynesboro, GA. We ate good food, rode in the woods, watched a movie and played table games while there. The last morning, as I was preparing the fifth-wheel for departure, I heard two rifle reports which heralded my brother’s first buck of the season.

Finally, ensconced in our Florida abode we are laboring to empty the RV and put the house back in order. Kathy must soon go to New York for Gina’s bridal shower (requiring a Jury Summons resolution first) and we are preparing to have all our offspring, and offspring's offsprings, for Thanksgiving. All in all, November looks to be a busy month. It’s good to be home.

Day Ninety-five

On the Road Again

Today we arrived at Turning Stone Village RV Resort near Verona, NY. Getting here was somewhat problematic. Our morning ritual in breaking camp was routine until I pressed the monitor button, after emptying the tanks, to check the tank levels and the cabin went dark. Yep, we had no 12 volt at all, nada, zip, nothing at all. We visited the local RV dealer where they were kind enough to assist me. Turns out a bin in the underneath storage bumped the kill switch located in that compartment. This was fortunate because I was envisioning a set of new batteries at the least, or a new power converter (mucho $$$$$$$) on the high side, assaulting our budget.

Turning Stone is on Indian land and is an enterprise of the Oneida Nation. There is a casino, spa, golf resort, camping resort, and numerous restaurants here. After settling in we showered and changed and called for the free shuttle from the campground to the casino. The Season’s Harvest Buffet is where we ended up dining. The food was okay, but not exceptional and I had expected better. Never having visited a casino before, I decided to experience the gambling scene for myself. The only slots on the machines were for a plastic card provided by the establishment. I put $20 on the card and selected a 25 cent machine. In short order I burned through fifteen dollars and called it quits. I put another $20 on the card and told Kathy to try her luck.

She selected a penny machine, popped in the card and began punching buttons. In about five minutes she won $200. Kathy enjoyed watching her winnings ebb and rise until we pulled the card out of the slot with $198 on it. We visited the cashier where we opted to pull $150 off the card and returned to the trailer with cash in our pocket. So, we had dinner, walked through the shops, spent a half hour in the casino and returned with more money than we started with – not a bad deal at all.

Tomorrow morning we will attend Gina’s graduation at Le Moyne College. We’ll stay here one more night and then point our truck toward Alton Bay, NH where we will join dad, Kris, and Terry at the family cottage, Pleasant Point. We might meet up with John and Terri as they are currently in Maine but are making their way to Alton Bay, as well.

Good night all.

Day Ninety-three

Wrapping Things Up

Well, we leave Thursday for Syracuse and Gina’s graduation. She has received her degree and is now a Physician’s Assistant. We are all quite proud of her accomplishments.

Kathy has been in a frenzy at her mother’s house wrapping things up there. The house is almost empty as her siblings, nieces, and nephews have taken most of the contents home. Donations of clothes and televisions have been delivered to Shore Winds Nursing Home and to the Viet Nam Vets in Rochester. We are happy to be concluding this phase of our journey. While some elements of our visit have been unpleasant, having the opportunity to be with family has offset any negatives. Also, seeing Kathy in full Grammy mode has been worth it all.

Last Friday we had a cookout here at the campsite. Kathy’s dad and stepmother were in town from South Dakota and they, along with brother Dave and wife Jan, spent the majority of the afternoon with us. We were also surprised by a visit from my sister Terri, and husband John, on Thursday afternoon and they were here for the festivities on Friday as well. We cooked red and white hots, chicken, and sausage patties on the grill. We played games around the picnic table and concluded the affair with a campfire. The weather was cool and gorgeous and the day was a great success.

Today, Kathy is finishing up at the house and nursing home and I have pulled everything out of the underneath storage compartment in the fifth-wheel to reorganize and get ready for our departure. The Coleman grill is clean and stowed and almost all items to go underneath have been placed and secured. We also had rain yesterday so we have some drying out to do – we want to avoid a moldy situation.

This evening we are dining with Glenn and Rita at their home in Webster. Wednesday, Kathy will cook a pot of sauce for supper at Danny and Kim’s while he and I play a last round of golf before Kathy and I depart. It has been great to be so close by and, no doubt, Kathy will suffer Brayden withdrawal soon after we leave town.

Our plans had also included a side trip to Ontario, Canada to visit our friends there at Beacon of Grace Church but it just hasn’t happened. We have learned that it is great to be mobile, and flexible, but we have discovered that we can’t go everywhere we would like. Retirement has been anything but sedentary and our plates have been full. One may retire from their previous employment but it is difficult to retire from life and the many challenges and opportunities it brings our way.

Day Eighty-three

Back in the Fifth-wheel

After six weeks in the house on Crossfield Road we are back in the camper and setup at Webster Park. It required a good part of the day but we managed to get everything back in the fifth-wheel though we have a good deal of organization to accomplish. Each time we hit the road after a hiatus it takes us awhile to get ship shape and travel ready. Camp is fully setup and we have already walked around the campground and met some of our neighbors. Hopefully, we can chill over the next ten days before setting out on our way east.

There is still some work to be done at the house before we wrap up things here in Rochester but we felt it would be easier to accomplish this by removing ourselves, and our stuff, from the premises. Kathy and her sisters will be sorting through what clothing remains to decide what will be donated to the residents at the nursing home. On Tuesday the local Viet Nam Veterans organization are coming to the house to pick up all the items left over from the yard sale and after that we are pretty much done.

We have a beautiful campsite here at Webster Park. Most of the trees here are old growth which makes for a wonderful canopy providing us with excellent shade and scenery. The campground is close to Danny, Kim and Brayden, Sandy and Larry, Glenn and Rita and Tina so our location is ideal. Yesterday evening Kathy and I did babysitting duty enabling Danny and Kim to have a much needed date night. Brayden was quiet and slept most of the evening except for several feedings. Kathy is in full Grammy mode and sure does love smooching on and hugging her grandson.
Meanwhile, back in Florida things are a little unsettled. Mom fell and was hospitalized for a few days. She, presently, is back in rehab for a few weeks while they attempt to help her regain her strength. As long as things go well with this effort, Dad will be going to the New Hampshire for a few weeks where we will meet him.

It is getting late and we will soon be ensconced in our Sleep Number bed for the night. Both of us are sore, and weary, so we are looking forward to our first night back in camper. Strangely, after being in a house for six weeks, we are experiencing the feeling of having returned home after a prolonged absence. We are so comfortable in this space. In a very real sense this fifth-wheel is now our home and we miss it when we are away.

Day Sixty-four

Planning Future Travel

This is another of these mornings when I have awakened far earlier (3:08 a.m.) than I would have liked. After lying awake for an hour, or so, I am now downstairs surfing the net and making preliminary travel plans for when we depart Rochester. I just heard that the coffeemaker is no longer gurgling so I will prepare a cup of my favorite (though decaffeinated) morning elixir before I continue.

Ah, coffee in hand. To the RV’er planning can be an interesting challenge as itineraries are seldom fixed and contingencies are always necessary. When you throw in camping site locations and availability into the mix it can be especially exigent.

By way of example, we would like to meet a cousin in Hyde Park, NY around the twelfth of September. At that time our current plans are to be in New Hampshire. Here are some of the questions that arise. 1. Do we journey down without the RV and then return to NH? 2. Do we journey down with the RV and then return to NH? 3. Do we journey down with the RV and then continue afterwards to Florida? 4. Do we journey down with the RV and then go elsewhere afterward? 5. Do we go anywhere at all or do we stay put for awhile? 6. If we do go what is the nearest campground and do they stay open after Labor Day? 7. Is the campground on the east side of the Hudson River or, if not, is there a convenient bridge nearby? 8. Are we going to confine our explorations to the Hyde Park area or are we going to do further journeying up and down the Hudson River area? 9. Where will meet up with my cousin, Tug, and what kind of accommodations will he be utilizing? 10. Are there any campgrounds near where he “might” be staying? 11. What is his itinerary, and timetable, and can we adapt to it? 12. Are there any contingencies I have failed to consider?

From my list of questions I’m sure you can realize the scope of my travel planning and preparation (and this is for one possible side trip). That’s the thing about the RV lifestyle; it’s not about a destination as much as it is about the journey. There are itineraries within itineraries and agendas within other agendas. I have often pondered why many are attracted to the RV lifestyle and have concluded that the demand for flexibility and spontaneity lies at the heart of its appeal. Yes, I know most people require a rigid travel agenda because of copious demands of employment and family obligations, but to the full time RV’er the calendar is much like the challenge of an empty canvas to an Impressionist artist – it demands to be filled with color and form. To most people traveling is a requirement or an escape but to the dedicated RV’er it is an art.

The other thing you might gather from my rambling script is that, even when not on the road, the full time RV’er is always traveling, at least in his mind. By the way, lest some misinterpret my motives, this is not meant to romanticize the RV lifestyle but it may serve to clarify the RV persona for some of my readers. And while it appears to some that RV’ing is a casual pursuit, I would caution you that consider adopting this way of life not do so casually. In the same way the artist is committed in the pursuit of their art, so the full-time RV’er be committed theirs. On the other hand this, too, is not meant to be intimidating in my causations to not adopt RV’ing lightly because one of the greatest attributes of the RV’er is joy and a lighthearted spirit.

Hopefully, this will prove to be more enlightening than confusing to most of you.

Day Sixty-one

A Cool Respite

Early morning and I am sitting on the deck again; the temperature is a comfortable 65 degrees. Yesterday we had wide spread showers that lasted into the night resulting in this wonderful cool air. I awakened about 4:30 a.m. and have been unable to go back to sleepy land. I hate it when I do that.

Tomorrow is a big day here at the house. The plan is for the family to gather @ 9 a.m. and complete the process of emptying the basement and sheds of all the items desired for themselves. Trash will be put to the curb and the remainder put back in the sheds for the garage sale next weekend. I am glad this process is nearing completion.

Also, I have been making plans for our departure on August 12th. We have reservations @ The Villages at Turning Stone RV Park east of Syracuse. This facility is a part of the Oneida Indian Nation and has a casino complex and other amenities. Arriving on Thursday, we will drive back to Syracuse on Friday for Gina’s graduation and then departing Saturday for Alton Bay, NH. From Turning Stone to Alton Bay is not terribly far but with the fifth-wheel we may do it in two days rather than one.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a six inch puncture on the fifth-wheel near the king pin. I didn’t do it and have been attempting to figure out who did. We recently had service done to our rig but I would think that I would have noticed it when hooking up to drag it back to the house. The servicing dealer will never own up to it now that I have it back in the driveway so I will have to deal with it myself. Thank goodness for metallic duct tape.

Thursday night we enjoyed an evening over at Larry and Sandy’s. Kathy had cooked a pot of sauce so Sandy made gnocchis and we had an Italian dinner. Kathy also roasted a large chicken. It was great! Tonight we have dinner plans with friends Carol and John down at Irondequoit Bay near the outlet to Lake Ontario. I’m told the dinning is al fresco so it should be nice with the current weather.

Day Fifty-eight

Rochester Heat

It is sweltering here in Rochester; warmer than Florida. In spite of this I played golf this afternoon with Danny in the Men's League at Lake Shore Golf Club. Kathy is spending the night at Danny & Kim’s so they can get a good night’s sleep while she tends to Brayden.

Not much else to write about.