Bristol days

We have enjoyed our Bristol visit with Beth, Aaron, Leon and Silas despite the record heat. Funny, we leave Florida (in part) to get away from the heat and humidity and it follows us to South Carolina and Tennessee. The boys are very active and we can see that Beth certainly has her hands full. One day we treated Beth, Leon and Silas (Aaron was working) to a trip to Bristol Caverns. Surprisingly, they had never seen them. It was an interesting trip and cool respite from the unseasonal heat.

Today we are leaving Bristol and continuing our trek north. If all goes according to plan we will camp tonight in Flatwoods, WV at the KOA we have visited numerous times before on our previous journeys. Our itinerary allows us three days to arrive in Jordan Station, ON, Canada where we have reservations for a week at the campground we summered at two years ago. Our purpose in this visit is to see our many friends made our previous visit when working with Beacon of Grace Church. After our week there we will join up with Kathy's folks in LeRoy, NY where they normally summer in Timberline RV Park. Our plan is to stay about a week and be there for Father's Day and then proceed to Webster, NY to be near the rest of Kathy's family.

Well, it is 7:30 a.m. and time to get the show on the road. The weather is beautiful this morning and we look forward to a wonderful day.

Up the Road

The RV lifestyle does present its challenges. Of course, being new to this coach offers a learning curve that I am still below the standard – but I am catching up on it. So far, we have overcome electrical issues and problems with the satellite dish. I still haven’t quite figured out how to calibrate the leveling system so I have struggled getting us level using the manual mode.

We had a nice visit with Lee, Julie and Laurie in Greer, SC. During our visit we made a visit to Newberry, SC to see an orchid greenhouse business – the varieties were amazing. I’ll try to post some photos at a later date. Also, one afternoon we went to downtown Greenville and walked around (Laurie really enjoyed playing putt-putt in an indoor facility we visited there). We dined at Saskatoon’s where we sampled some exotic meats – bison, antelope, venison and kangaroo. There is room for all of God’s creatures; right next to the mashed potatoes.

Currently, we are in Bristol, TN visiting with Beth, Aaron, Leon and Silas. Yesterday evening we had a picnic in the park next to a cooling stream. In a few minutes we are heading to their house for lunch and they are going to join us for a cookout here, at the camper, this afternoon. What fun!

On the road again!

The last few months we have been working out the bugs in our new Winnebago Adventurer. Like any complicated piece of machinery it has been interesting exercise. We already have a humorous story.

We made a second shakedown trip to Beverly Beach, near Flagler, awhile back and in the course of our travels I had a major scare. After a minor navigation error I was looking for a convenient place to turn around our fifty some odd feet of rig and retrace our path. Spying a strip center on the left side of the road I applied the brakes with a little too much vigor and was immediately rewarded with a screech of tires from our towed Chevy HHR. This in, and of, itself was no big deal but Kathy, after looking in the Rear Camera to see  how the car was doing, screamed “the car is gone, we lost the car” because it was no longer in the view screen. My immediate reaction was a loud “Oh (expletive deleted).” I stopped in the middle of US 1 and hastily exited our motor coach expecting the worst. Anticipating all manner of dire consequences I was shocked to find our little car right where it was supposed to be – tethered to the rear end of our Winnie. Because we are new to this motorhome thing we didn’t realize that when I employed the turn signal the view on the camera changed from rear view to left side view. A lesson learned but with the expense of a near coronary.

This morning I made my last visit to the clinic where I am being treated for my diabetes. It was fun parallel parking 37 feet of coach in their small parking lot. Fortunately, the car wasn’t in tow as Kathy, after losing a filling, made a last minute visit to the dentist and met me afterward at the clinic. Good news from my doctor; I am making exceptional progress with my disease and test results show substantial improvement in my numbers. We tethered the HHR and hit the road north toward South Carolina where we expect to visit Lee, Julie and little Laurie on Tuesday.

Ensconced in the Savannah KOA by four p.m. we again received an experience in RV challenges. Setup was breeze, as leveling is automatically done at the press of a button, and in a short time we were about ready to eat supper when the power went off. Kathy thought she caused it by using the microwave while the AC was under a heavy load in the Georgia sun. I checked all the breakers and fuses in the rig – no problem. I checked the breaker at the power hookup outside – no problem. Turns out our entire row dropped power and the park was having mechanical issues with their outdated equipment. What I learned from this – now I understand the value to having an onboard generator. We ran the AC, microwave, TV, hot water heater, refrigerator all at the same time – no problem.

At the moment we are watching the “Dancing with the Stars” finale and are thoroughly comfortable in our new mobile digs. Tomorrow looms with its challenges and rewards and we couldn’t be happier on our Great RV Adventure. Goodnight all.

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.