As we move forward with our renovations in the RV, after changing out the faucet and utilizing the inside of our pantry doors as chalkboards, it was time to address an awkward issue.

The big cupboard below the cook top was not only wasted space but didn’t really have easy access.  I would look around to make sure no one was looking before getting down on my hands and knees to begin my crawl into that big space.

Two things were wrong with that picture.  1.  My body no longer works and bends as easily as it once did…say when I was doing ballet many, many, many years ago, and 2.  I was getting claustrophobic inside that cabinet looking for pots, pans and lids.

As you can see, the top shelf was almost totally useless with about a 3” clearance.  I would scrape my knuckles trying to get out cake pans and such.  I have no idea what the designer thought this shelf could be used for other than placemats and napkins.

Enter my son in-law again to put things right for me.  The Pilot and Tim took out the tooclosetothetop shelf and the work began to make two usable shelves.

After much measuring with tall pans in place and without any pans at all, they put in two shelves that were attached to ball bearing drawer slides.  I mean…they slide with ease.

With a touch of my finger I can pull out and push in the shelves without a hitch…pun intended!

Here are the new shelves that allow for a much more organized and neat area.  Let me give you a tour.

This is the bottom shelf fully extended.  It gives me plenty of room from either side to choose the item I need without moving everything.

This is an overhead view of the bottom shelf and gives you an idea of the amount of new usable space.

This is the top shelf that holds those cakes pans, cookies sheets, cooling racks, etc. that I can remove with ease…without scrapping my knuckles.  Picture me putting the band-aides away.

Here are both shelves extended and giving me twice the amount of storage that I had before.

We had a lot of discussion on what we were going to use to pull the shelves out and push them back in.  We talked about a 2” high piece of wood that would keep the pans from pushing out while traveling.  But I decided I wanted these stainless pull bars.  We’ll see how they hold up.  We felt that the doors to the cupboard, when closed, were pretty secure. 

We used 2×4’s on each side of the cabinet walls to mount the drawer slides.  We felt that this reinforcement was needed to hold the weight of the pans. 

So, while I lost a total of 4” because of the 2×4’s, I gained twice the amount of space that I originally had.  As all RVers, fulltime or otherwise, know all space inside your unit is precious and you want to use it wisely.

Our next project, when we find the right flat screen TV, is replacing the old tube type TV and trimming the cabinet back that sits overhead at the front of the RV.  You know, the one where you receive a concussion at least twice a month from hitting your head on it as you carry in the groceries.  I think this puts us at the same risk as football players!

Do I really need to tell you how much I love my husband and son in-law?  I also love my daughter because she kept me company while the men worked.  Isn’t that what daughters are for?

This project has shown me that no matter the size of your kitchen, be it in a sticks and bricks or an RV, there are ways to customize it to your liking. This project cost us approximately $42.00, excluding the labor…which was free because my son in-law loves me:)

Before I end this blog I wanted to let you know that the new faucet that we installed  has shown itself to be a multitasker.  It not only stays out of the way while washing dishes but acts like a high end pot filler faucet in gourmet kitchens.  It sits high enough that you can fill a large pot with water or, if you prefer, the hose can reach far enough that you can fill the pot while it’s sitting on the counter close to the stove.  What a bonus for those of us who love to cook.

RV Renovation – Part III originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 02/19/2012.

For someone who is dedicated to keeping life simple it suddenly got away from me the past few weeks.  My friends on Facebook messaged me asking,  “Where are you?” followed by the question…which I’ll admit made me feel good…“Where was last week’s blog?”

Reality Check #1:  It’s tax season.   I felt I was way ahead of the game and had all of our papers together for personal and business taxes only to find that some dastardly gremlin had invaded QuickBooks and completely wiped out two years worth of bank reconciliations…that are obviously crucial to our CPA.

I held in my hands all the completed reconciliation reports and didn’t know whether to throw them across the room, laugh or just cry.  Knowing none of the initial reactions would get me anywhere I sucked it up and just plowed in reconstructing the last two years.

Reality Check #2:  Growing old isn’t for the feint of heart…and I’ve known that all along in my heart of hearts.  However, I feel that the Pilot and I have recently endured more visits to the dentist than is normal.  We’ve never had any problems before and all of a sudden we’re slammed.

It’s been my turn at the dentist…and then at a specialist because we all know that all doctors and dentists specialize.  No one generalizes anymore…I guess that’s a lost art and/or skill.  This way they can all share the wealth.  Sorry, if that sounds like sour grapes but it seems like each visit is always around $900-1000. a pop.  I was even more surprised to find that my visit would be just under $1300…for one tooth.  Now, that’s just wrong! 

I get very agitated and almost break out in a rash when I know that I’m helping to pay for a million dollar machine.  One of my dentists let that one slip out when they were complaining about health care.   They stopped talking when they saw the look of amazement and total lack of sympathy on my face.  I’m looking elsewhere for dental care..

So, I’ve been away from the social side of the computer trying to simplify our lives again.  We’re retired you know and we’re fighting like crazy to enjoy it…doggonit!!!  Enough complaining because it drains me of energy. 

I’ve been checking online for different places to summer in and thought I’d found one in Ft. Davis, TX.

Now I’ve heard back from two different people that we should seriously reconsider that thought.  Both people are well respected by us and know their stuff.

I did have to laugh when the State Trooper that lives by us said that on his last trip through that vast area of very few towns, he and his wife were cruising by on their motorcycles they saw a Prada Shoe outlet…all by itself…in the middle of nowhere.  I would say that’s one very industrious entrepreneur.

We’ll now check further into possibly summering in New Mexico…specifically Angel Fire. 

It has an elevation of ~8,400 feet and is 23 miles from Taos.  The temps are reportedly around 75 during the day and 55 at night.  Oh, besides all the usual things to do like fishing, hiking, horseback riding, etc. there are ghost towns around the area.  We’ll be checking this out on our return trip from Arizona.

Time is slipping away from us as we try to get everything in order for our trip and then for moving out of Texas for the summer.  I have very mixed emotions about leaving here even for the summer because I love this state totally…just not the hot steaming summer weather.

Just My Opinion

In the news this past week a woman came forward (please read as “pushing her book”) and “revealed” to the world her affair, and extra activities, with John F. Kennedy and his friends.  She had “held on to this secret” for almost 50 years. 

Now, I’m not here to judge her or to even care what she did 50 years ago.  What I do care about is the invasion of my privacy with all of the media that she is doing on different television programs to let the public hear her confession.  A visit to a therapist, priest or best friend would have accomplished the same goal.

I’m tired of switching channels so I don’t have to hear this hypocrisy and her not so neatly hidden agenda of  making money.  I would much rather see statistics on what kind of people would buy her book.  I mean…why would anyone even care? 

Personally, I think it’s rather freaky that an almost 70 year old women feels the need to write a book at this late date and share her sex life in the 1960’s.  Did she suddenly realize that she didn’t have enough retirement funds or social security so she needed to make money?  Did she think the public “needed” to know about JFK…and, who in the public doesn’t already know? Or, was she counting on the fact that there were enough people out there that would live vicariously through her life to buy her book?

If I could, I would give each of the television shows a slap on the wrist for allowing this woman air time thus giving us indigestion that we all thought we had under control.  Please, please don’t do this to us again.  It’s just ugly!

Reality is Hard Work! originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 02/13/2012.

It’s true what they say about finding treasures in your own backyard.  In this particular instance our backyard in Texas is historic Old Town Montgomery and, in particular, Fernland Historical Park.

The Pilot had returned from a visit to Jim’s Hardware, which is secretly his favorite place to browse, and said he had passed two old cabins.  He had taken a back road to get to Jim’s and that’s where he found the park.  It didn’t take long for us to get back in the car and go explore.

The five structures that have been moved to this walk-back-in-time park were donated to Sam Houston University by Carroll and Mae Tharp. If you care to read more about the history of these buildings and how they came to be at the park click on Fernland Historical Park.

The Arnold Simonton House, with its charming little garden on the side, was built in 1845. The one-story cottage now serves as the main entrance to the park and is where much of the history of these buildings can be found.

Just across from the Arnold Simonton House is the Hulon house, a civil war era Greek revival wood-frame plantation house. 

The day we were there you could only peek into the rooms inside.  They are hoping to get more volunteers so that visitors can get a closer look at life in the late 1800’s.

As you move along the path you see the Crane Cabin  built in 1867 in Angelina County by a Confederate Civil War veteran.  According to the description, “The walls are pine logs left rounded on the exterior and hand-adzed for a flat smooth finish on the interior walls.”  Looking at the side of that cabin is like viewing art.

The view across the back porch of the cabin shows a logging wagon backdropped by peaceful rolling land.  Seeing the wagon up close is another look into the past.

Just a few feet from the cabin is the blacksmith shop that displays  many tools that were used in logging and blacksmithing. 

This is a close up of an old saw that hangs on the front of the blacksmith shop.  This is what was used to saw logs in half…lengthwise.

This is the inside of the blacksmith shop and…

just outside sat the forge.

Several feet away sits the Jardine cabin. This cabin is “one of the oldest extant log structures in Texas, is a typical single pen, story-and-a-half hand hewn log cabin with front and back porches and mud cat chimney”.  In the photo above you can also see the blacksmith shop and Crane Cabin to the right.

This park is a photographer’s paradise with so many features like this…

And this…

And,  in the background is the sound of running water that starts your journey into Memory Gardens.

There are benches all around this serene setting that encourages you to relax and contemplate the beauty of the past and the miracles of nature.   

There are many different places around here that we’ve yet to explore…such as the Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary and the three wineries.  Sometimes it pays to go exploring in your own backyard!

Backyard Treasures originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 01/29/2012.

Remember when you fell in love with your RV and decided to buy it? There it was…sitting on the lot with the sun shining on it, spotlighting it just for you. You couldn’t turn away. You just had to have it.

So you gave yourself time to adjust to it to find out what worked and what didn’t work for your lifestyle. This is exactly what we’ve been going through. Now, at last, some of our renovations are done and we are more than pleased with the results.

The first thing that I knew I wanted replaced was the kitchen faucet. There really wasn’t anything wrong with the old one except that it sat so low to the sink that I had to constantly push it to the side so that I could wash the dishes without chipping or breaking them.

I missed my high standing faucet from our sticks and bricks. So, off to Home Depot we went to find one that would fit the requirements that we had.

We found the Pfister Avanti, which was just like the one we had in our sticks and bricks.

My wonderful son in-law, Tim, came to install the new one.  I could hardly wait.  I was excited.  After all this time I wouldn’t have to battle the faucet when doing dishes.

Let me stop right here with this wonderful tale of updating and renovating. I would like to tell you that the installation went smoothly and that I was able to wash dishes without one single dish hitting the new faucet.

That’s what I’d like to tell you but the gospel truth was that Murphy’s Law had accompanied the new boxed faucet. It was the box from hell. There were a couple of parts and some of the instructions missing in that box.  Someone had obviously returned the box to the store…minus some parts. 

Not to be put off by this hurdle, Tim started to tackle the job. He worked at getting the old faucet out and began working with what he had with the new faucet.

If you RV, then I don’t have to tell you that the area you are working is in verytightquarters. I mean you begin to question whether you really need to revise your New Year’s resolutions and add “Lose Weight”. Working in smalltightplaces isn’t good for your ego.

May I introduce you to my daughter pictured above? Tim needed another set of hands to get a grip on the nut that appeared to be glued into place on the old faucet.

He tried his level best to get the new faucet in but we knew defeat when the nut wouldn’t screw on the new facet.  We all decided to take a break and go out to eat.

The next day we went back to Home Depot and exchange the faucet for one that had all of the components in it.  It makes the job easier, she said tongue-in-cheek!

We felt we found a treasure map when we opened the new box and saw the sheet that told you what pieces were included in the box.  How refreshing to know what we were working with.

The above piece is what could have saved Tim & Steph from a nervous breakdown.  This black plastic cylinder is what is used to screw on the nut that is positioned past the length of your arm.

The Pilot took over the installation at this point because Tim needed to be back at his job.  He decided that while he was at it he would also change out some of the plumbing.

So, out came some of the stiff pipes and in went flexible hose which freed up some of the cabinet for storage and made the installation much easier.

Cue the drumroll please….here is the new faucet!  Isn’t it a beauty?  I can’t begin to tell you how pleased we are with it and I haven’t once hit a dish on it or had to move it out of the way. 

This is our third Pfister product and I can’t say enough good things about their customer service.  When we called, they were extremely helpful in telling us…in understandable American English…  what parts we were missing and offered to overnight them to us.  That’s what I call great customer service.

RV Renovation – Part II originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 01/20/2012.

Our pantry doors proved to be a good project for creating a chalkboard on the inside panels that would allow us to have a “Grocery” side and a “Menu” side.

This is basically all you’ll need to create your own chalkboard doors.  Oh, don’t forget the blue masking tape to tape over the areas that you don’t want sprayed.

Word of Advice:  When spraying make sure your feet are covered.  I wore sandal’s and now have the outline of them on top of my foot!  Either wear old shoes or cover your feet with plastic bags.

The Pilot removed both doors for me so I could tape the outside edges of the doors and the hardware.  Make sure that you cover the inside edge of the door frame with tape so that it doesn’t get sprayed.  I took the doors outside to begin spraying them.

I followed the directions on the can and did several applications…while fighting the wind that suddenly blew in!  I had the doors laid out on plastic trash bags on the ground that were held down by assorted cans from the Pilot’s stash.

This process took just a little over an hour to complete.

I’m really pleased with the end results.

Here’s the “Menu” door….

and the “Grocery” door.

I know that we’ll get a lot of use out of them.  We can also use them to leave notes and phone numbers for each other, maybe a movie to go and see, love notes…gee, the list is endless!

Next on our list is a new faucet that is presenting a few problems.  My son in-law and daughter are helping.  Here’s a sneak peek at how it’s going.  This is one of those times that Murphy’s Law came into play.

RV Renovations – Part I originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 01/16/2012.

It’s been raining outside…a lot.  In fact, it’s the first time that I’ve been able to see the water in the small lakes in front of us while sitting at the kitchen table. 

On our way to breakfast we saw a refreshing sign alongside the road:

That’s a vast improvement over the signs that were posted all summer:

Side Note:  At breakfast I ordered Migas…you know the eggs with tortilla strips that I posted a recipe for a few weeks back? 

Well, the eggs came…without one single crumb of tortilla chips.  What’s up with that?  Is there a new cook in the kitchen who’s not familiar with these Mexican eggs?  Come on…we’re in Texas and we love our Mexican food.  Enough said!

I recently read an article on RV.Net by Bob Difley about Walter Cannon bringing his Behind the Wheel driving classes as part of RVSEF’s RV Lifestyle, Education & Safety Conference. I became excited because I’ve been looking for a driving class for months.   The only problem with this class is that it’s in Bowling Green, Kentucky!

The Pilot does the RV driving when we’re on the road.  I do the car driving to help even things out.  It’s not that I’m opposed to learning how to drive the RV…in fact, I want to.  I just want someone to teach me the correct way to turn corners, back-up, etc. 

We have a neighbor who is close to 80 years old that is constantly telling me he will teach me to drive our RV.  Now, I love him to pieces but he has a tag along trailer…not a 40’ RV. 

We carved out time while we were in Florida to drive over to Ocala for the RV driving classes that are offered by RVSchool.com.  I sent my enrollment form in only to find out that the instructor would be off while we were there.  It appears he was recovering from heart surgery…hopefully not from wannabe RV drivers!

It’s hard for me to fathom that there aren’t more RV driving schools given the number of RVs being sold. 

We have Mark Polk’s DVD on Drive Your Motorhome Like A Pro and I highly recommend it.  It’s quite concise and easy to understand. 

But, here’s my problem…and, rest assured it is my problem.  I can watch this DVD many times over…and I have.  However, I’m such a visual hands on type person that I want someone beside me, coaching me as to when I need to turn, letting me know that I’m inside the white lines and, more than anything, patting me on the back to let me know I did well.  Okay…the last part doesn’t actually have to happen but it’d be nice.

The bottom line for me is that I want a professional instructor so that I don’t learn someone else’s bad habits.

If anyone has any suggestions or knows of any RV driving schools here in Texas, please let me know.

Until next week, let’s hope the rain helps end our Texas drought and fill up Lake Conroe once more.

RV Ready for School? originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 01/09/2012.

New Year’s Eve we watched the camp as RV’s, campers, trailers and even a tear drop pulled in and set up for the weekend.  We were surprised at the number of people here and the fact that it was a holiday weekend.  It was an affirmation of making the right choice.

I smiled every time I looked out our front window and saw the Air Stream parked across the small lake.  I’m fascinated by them and admire their durability through the years.  They are good looking campers and look so futuristic!

This one is one of the largest ones I’ve seen with triple wheels in the center for support.  I love the shiny exterior.  One of our neighbors has an Air Stream and he’s getting ready to have it cleaned professionally and polished to a high sheen.

I’ve even seen photos of them painted with scenes reminding you of  Jimmy Buffett.  This camper was done by Bob Meredith.  If you want to see more of this camper go to his site at http://tincantourists.com/meredith1.php. 

The weather had finally turned mild on New Year’s Eve and was just right for sitting outside by a campfire and talking with the neighbors over a glass of wine.

I wanted you to see how our neighbor Roger pulls his 5th wheeler…with this shiny red semi-cab with sleeping quarters.  I’m always intrigued with the different ways people choose to live and travel.  And, Roger doesn’t do things in a small way…except for the Smart Car that he carries on the back portion of his cab.

That’s a sight to behold.  One mammoth cab with a tiny car strapped to its back.  I think this is ingenuity at its best!

There were two big groups that gathered here for the weekend.  There was an RV Club whose many members immediately put out their flags to show their loyalty to the US, Texas and a couple of them to the Navy and Air Force. 

The other group is one I wrote about earlier this year.  The Reguladores, a law enforcement group, were a pleasure to have visiting last summer.  In addition to law enforcement, this group puts on fundraisers for worthy causes…including cancer research which is a cause close to my heart.  They’re a great group of people who really enjoy themselves and we hope that their New Year is filled with peace and keeping their own lives safe.

New Year’s Eve found us with several of our friends here in the camp celebrating the beginning of a New Year and meeting more new friends.  We feel fortunate to have met many wonderful people who are following the same lifestyle as we are.  We’ve learned so much from them and they are always willing to share tips and experiences they’ve had.

We have many goals for 2012 and hope that we have enough time to do all of them. 

One of them is to tour our beloved state of Texas.  We want to explore the areas that we’ve heard about and have been recommended to us.

I have to give Texas size kudos to Rex Vogel of www.vogeltalksrving.com 

This Canadian knows our state better than we do.  I have a list of his recommendations for historical sites, restaurants, breweries, landmarks, campgrounds, etc.  In fact, I told him the other day on Facebook that I was making him an honorary Texan!  Check out the articles he has written on his website.

Thanks to Rex, we have a lot of new places to explore and have fun.  Rex enjoys our Texas BBQ and our Texas Beer.  That makes him King in our books.

We also hope to see in 2012 the end of the terrible drought that has hit our beloved state.

The sign on the left side of the picture above reads, “Deep Water Boat Slips”.  It sits above the piers that are now empty…boats unable to use them.  This particular area is also where the boats fill up with gas.  This means that the marina is now struggling to stay in business.  It makes us sad to see this because of the heavy toll that it’s taking on so many people and businesses.  This is a beautiful peaceful recreational area at Lake Conroe and the effects of this drought are devastating.

However, we have hope that this too shall pass.  You can’t tell by the photo above but that curving little steam, between the two piers in the foreground, is actively flowing with water…slowly contributing to the reemergence of the formerly filled lake. 

We have hope because we’ve heard that the rain from the north of us is flowing down towards the lake.

We have hope for another year filled with new friends while still holding on to our old friends.

We have hope for a better economy and for people to be able to support themselves and their families and we, above all, have hope that all of our veterans find the peace they deserve back home.

May 2012 bring you everything that you need to have a healthy, happy, successful year.

Transitioning from 2011 originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 01/01/2012.

I believe in Santa

The Christmas holidays found us decorating our RV home for the first time and we were pleased with the results as we put out decorations that had been a part of our lives for many years.

We put up our Christmas tree, albeit smaller than our usual tree.  It sat proudly ensconced on our steering wheel.  Along the dashboard were our different Santa’s and the garland from our mantle in our former sticks and bricks home.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas if we didn’t have outdoor lighting.  We were enthralled by the RV groups that met here prior to Christmas and the inventive ways they decorated their RVs.  It was nice to look out the window at night and see all the lights around the camp. 

It was surprising to see how many RVs didn’t decorate for Christmas.  The camp has been pretty empty during Christmas week.  Maybe a lot of the RVers were heading for warmer areas and didn’t have the time to put up and then take down the decorations.

I did Christmas baking without any space problems.  We overcame the death of our convection/microwave oven and moved forward.  I’ll be writing about the RV Kitchen next week.

Christmas Day found us driving down the road for dinner with the kids and grandkids with Bad to the Bone playing in the background.  That worked for us as a Christmas carol!  We found that particular radio station after listening to other singers try to outdo everyone else with their version of a Christmas song…which ultimately left you wondering, “What song was that?”

It was so much fun walking through the door at my son’s house and being greeted by the grandkids as they excitedly showed us their Christmas presents.  I’m always amazed at what these toymakers come up with each year.  No matter how sophisticated or intricate the toys are…there’s always one toy that seems to make a child’s eyes shine.  This year for Luke it was his $4.00 toolbox.  For Addie, it was two new babies who were promptly named Pink the same as all of her other babies. 

I had asked the Pilot the other day, “Where has the excitement and anticipation of Christmas gone?”  I wondered if it was our age or if it was the way  that a lot of people were anymore…rude, thoughtless of everyone else but themselves, selfish, etc.  He was at a loss as well. 

We rediscovered the excitement and anticipation through listening to the grandkids talk about their day and presents.  Whew…I was beginning to feel like Ebenezer Scrooge.

We sat down at the dinner table with family…and extended family and remembered those not with us that day in our prayers.  It’s always a whirlwind of laughter and trying to talk over the holiday music in the background with several conversations going on around the table.  That’s one of the things that I love about getting together with family and friends.

Toward the end of the dinner the Pilot felt something against his leg.

It was Luke talking to Bella…under the table.  He loves her and is always close to her whenever we come over.

Soon, there were two of us under the table laughing and talking to Bella.

And, finally there were three of us as Addie joined in.  By this time we were giggling about being under the table and taking pictures.  Isn’t this what holiday meals are all about?  Okay…maybe some of you think that’s ridiculous…especially at my age.  But, just wait until you are around your kids or grandkids and see how mature you act!  You can’t help but feel their excitement and join in.

The time to open presents finally came and my grandson Timmy decided that he liked Luke’s helmet.  Vogue…Strike a Pose…is the nickname I’m going to give him.  We have all of these pictures of him in various poses and they crack us up.   

He and his friends try to outdo each other…   

 Like this one!

Luke started opening presents before everyone gathered in front of the fireplace.  He’s forgiven since he’s 2 ½ and was amazed by all the toys. 

Bella kept sticking her nose in our Christmas bag filled with good smelling scents.  I guess she thought it was for her.  The Pilot comforted her after I’d told her no cookies.

The day finally came to an end.  It had done its magic and we left feeling content.  Calling for Bella, we left after all the hugs and kisses.  Some of our Christmas hugs and kisses had to be done technically…via texting, phone calls and yes, Facebook.

Soon it will be time to pack away the Santa’s and other ornaments.  But for now we’ll just enjoy the memories that were created this season.

May your New Year be filled with love and peace for our world.

New Year’s Day is the accepted time
to make your regular annual good resolutions.
Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.   

Mark Twain

RV Christmas originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 12/26/2011.

(Click on the link above to hear Silent Night…played by my son.)

Our daughter in-law, Jamie, had called earlier in the week to set up plans for making Christmas cookies with the kids, Addie & Luke.  Baking with a 5 year old and 2 ½ year old creates its own magic and memories.  To add to our Christmas mix, Nicole, my other granddaughter joined us.

Yes, those are pipe cleaner antlers that Nicole is wearing…courtesy of Addie.  It’s Christmas and everyone’s in the spirit!

As we tried to decide which cookies to make, Jamie let me know that Addie’s choices had narrowed from last year.  Alas…no peanut butter cookies this year, she had moved on to M&M cookies.  I’ll do the peanut butter cookies on my own at the Pilot’s daughter Carolyn’s request.

Whenever I visit Addie & Luke, I always come into their house ready to chase them all through it.  It’s a game that started a couple of years ago and we’ll probably still be doing it when they’re in their teens.  Once I’m almost ready to catch them, they hide, usually under the dining room table, and taunt me with, “You can’t find me.”  Of course, I do and I snag several kisses and hugs in the process.  Memory #1.

The morning started out with the kids making Peanut Butter Honey Cranberry Granola under the guise that it was a surprise for the Pilot.  It’s actually their surprise for their Dad and they were thrilled to be making it under his nose while talking loudly about giving it to Poppy.  We whispered and giggled while making our plans.  They love a mystery too.  Memory #2.

I gave each of the kids a holiday bucket to put the finished granola in.  We were now ready to begin.

I assigned Luke the task of breaking up the pretzels into smaller pieces.

He took to that job with uncontrolled enthusiasm…especially after Nicole showed him how to play tricks with a wooden spoon.  Great…another new lesson for someone who’s imagination needs no coaxing!  Memory #3.

As Luke pounded, Addie measured out the oatmeal…carefully.

Nicole took care of the more dangerous stuff like heating up the peanut butter, honey, cinnamon and brown sugar.  The kitchen was smelling good!

I checked with our Jr. Chef to see if she needed for me to do anything.  She had it under control.  Meantime….

Luke decided to take time out to play a Christmas game on my iPhone and entertained us with the different sounds of Christmas.  Always the high tech guy! 

He also decided to sample the granola by putting some in a cupcake paper.  It hadn’t quite cooled down but he’s always thinking outside the box on ways to improve things just in case the holiday buckets didn’t work out.

Granola done…time to move on to the M&M cookies.  Before we started the M&M cookies, I had the kids march around the kitchen island while we sang about making Christmas cookies.  If we looked silly…so what?  Okay…the march ended up being done with only Luke and me, but we didn’t care and did it with wild abandon and gusto.  My grandson accepts me for who I am!  Memory #4.

How to Make M&M Cookies:  First, you have Nicole mix the ingredients in a bowl.  Then the Jr. Chef adds in the M&M’s…not just any M&M’s.  They need to be red and green to add to the Christmas spirit.  Our Candy Chef looks on and quickly samples them to make sure the cookies will be just the right balance.

Next, you scoop out the dough, lining up the balls on the cookie sheet.  I believe her secret is holding her mouth just so.

I’m thinking that before too long, she will have her own cooking show!

Addie lets Mommy put the finishing touches on the cookies before they went into the oven.

A final taste test was done and both of the kids pronounced them the very best cookies ever!  Memory #5.

Taking time to spend with my grandchildren revives me and reinforces my belief in the Christmas spirit.  All my grandchildren have been taught the true meaning of Christmas and how it came to be.  They’ve done well and I’m pretty proud.  My favorite Christmas gift was given to me this past Saturday by Nicole, Addison and Luke.

May your Christmas be filled with blessings, joy and treasured memories.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The Pilot, Vickie & Bella

Making Memories originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 12/19/2011.

This week’s blog is being done by the Pilot…former Navy Lt. Bill Medley.  I thought it would be more appropriate to have this done by a former vet who still believes strongly in remembering those who gave their lives for our country. 

5:30 am, Saturday morning, December 10, 2011…three days after the 70th anniversary of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th, 1941.

Not just another Saturday for me.  Although still dark and cold out, with a piercing gusty wind (the kind that makes you want to stay in your warm bed), I awakened with a driven purpose. I was going to the Houston National Cemetery to do something important. This was Wreaths across America day, that is, the day that volunteers place wreaths on veteran’s graves at Veteran’s Memorial Cemeteries all across the country.

I had been asked to help with this year’s efforts by Mike Cothran (the current President of the Texas Professional Real Estate Inspector’s Association, TPREIA), of which I am a proud member. How could I turn him down? I didn’t know much about the wreath placing effort, but it sounded worthwhile. After all, I’m a veteran too. And, I had volunteered for several other worthy activities over the past several years which gave me a great deal of personal gratification. This looked to be at least as important as those.

So, after washing the cobwebs from my eyes and making sure I had all my clothes on (usually very important), I headed out for the long drive to the cemetery. About one hour later, I arrived only to find traffic being re-directed from the front of the cemetery to another entrance due to a traffic accident which had left several large traffic lights lying in the street. I hoped this wasn’t the beginning of a fouled up effort to honor our dead veterans.

After searching around inside the cemetery for a few minutes, I was able to hook up with Mike Cothran, Terry Acra and the group from TPREIA. A great invention the cell phone is; with maps, internet and telephone all rolled into one. Things were looking up. 

I ran into one of my friends, Sal Gambino (he’s the one at center right…with the big smile), who was there representing the Korean War Vets.  Sal’s an old hand at this Wreaths Across America.

A large motorcycle escort for the trucks carrying the wreaths had left from Porter, Texas about an hour earlier. The procession was an awesome thing to behold producing its own “shock and awe” sound as it pulled into the Houston National Cemetery, winding its way through the cemetery. Several hundred engines rumbled their demand for respect to veterans who now resided in this cemetery.

The ensuing ceremony was an inclusive exercise in “togetherness of purpose”, having comments by officials, and a ceremonial wreath laying by all the different military organizations.

A solemn aura was generated as bagpipes played Amazing Grace, pulling tears from already moist eyes. As I looked around, it appeared that deep emotions were being held in check only by great effort.

The general laying of the wreaths began right after the ceremony. A reported 31,000 wreaths had to be laid over the next hour or so by family members, independent volunteers and volunteer groups such as TPREIA. That would seem to invite a somewhat impersonal and rapid mechanical response to get the job done as rapidly as possible.

However, the Wreath Laying Instructions in the handout were well thought out. The first caution was:

This is not a race. Please take your time and be respectful…

 In other words, slowdown, think about what you’re doing. My personal involvement, although focused and serious, was impacted by that advice. I thought, “That’s a lot of wreaths, but really, what is the hurry? These are people who spent a part, perhaps a large part, of their precious lives keeping you and me safe. They deserve some focus. ”

Reading further on to another section of our instructions for laying the wreath:

…place the wreath with the bow at the top,
the top of the wreath should be just below the last name.
Straighten out the bow and level the wreath.
Step back and read the name aloud…

It would seem at first read that this was a simple and straightforward request. It was not. It wasn’t, because you must look closely at the wreath to align it properly. It wasn’t, because you must read the name when you place the wreath. It wasn’t, because you must say the name out loud. It wasn’t, because if you do those simple acts as requested by the instructions, you must give a few crucial seconds of yourself and your life to the person you are respecting.

Each time I did those acts of respect, especially saying the name out loud, I felt that a connection was made between myself and that person. I could feel it every time I performed the instructed acts. In those few seconds reserved for each wreath laying, I wondered about their life, what they were like and felt grateful that they were there to protect me and my family while I was living my life elsewhere.  It was up close and personal. And then, it was over.

As I was driving home, I thought, “This was a very gratifying experience; much more than I had thought it would, or could, be”.   When I placed the wreaths and said their names, it became personal.  As Terry Acra said, “it was my honor and privilege”.

God willing, I will be there again next year.

Wreaths Across America originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 12/15/2011.

When we entered a campground, we would look around trying to figure out where those pictures on their website had been taken because we sure weren’t seeing the same thing that some of them advertised.

Don’t get me wrong, some of the campgrounds exceeded our expectations and we wouldn’t hesitate a moment in going back and staying again. The ones that were less than expected made me wonder why the owners were even in the campground business.

We found as we camped in larger cities that the fees were really expensive. The farther up the East Coast we went, the price also went higher, especially outside of Washington, DC. Most of these expensive campgrounds didn’t offer any discounts nor were they participants of Passport America, Escapees or Good Sam. If they did participate, the discounts were usually only good for one night.

I can’t say enough good things aboutb Cracker Barrel, Sam’s Club and Walmart. The managers were nice and didn’t have a problem with letting us stay overnight. They never once asked us to buy from them. However, we told them up front that we planned to do our shopping with them. It’s a small payback for being allowed to park for free. I give all of these places five stars.

Right after Christmas I’ll be sitting down to plan our next trip out. We’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from this trip that we’ll apply to the next one.  And, I’ll be reading all the reviews for each campground before making the initial decision.  As I said in the Texas Is Where Our Heart Is blog, we will also detach the car and drive through the campground before making our final decision.

I’ve tried to be very fair when grading the campsites listed below.  I didn’t comment much on internet access since we have a MiFi card that works wonders…with the exception of one place.  We are extremely pleased with this ability to stay online and do our business.

I do have to point out that we have Direct TV.  However, once we were on the road we were surprised when it wouldn’t work.  We were even more surprised when we called them and they told us we needed to send them an affidavit that we were fulltime RVers on the road before we would be given access to stations such as ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.  It has to do with an FCC ruling.  They said it would be two weeks before it was implemented.  So, we used cable for the interim.  At least now we are prepared for our next trip.

Listed below are the campgrounds, prices and our opinions:

Ratings are 1-5 diamonds with 5 being the highest.

Maxie’s Campground, Broussard, LA
Passport America/$12./per night
Full hookups. 
Lots of trees making getting TV difficult.
Very small campground close to the highway.
Filled with many RV’s and campers, most looking like they were there permanently.
The owner was extremely helpful.
It worked for us because it was just an overnighter.
Very tight sites with little room for error.
Rating: ♦♦

Pensacola RV Park, Pensacola, FL
Good Sam/$32.11/per night
Full hookups and full access to TV
Wonderful, relaxing, spacious park that was clean…even with a few chickens running around.
Enclosed wooded dog park.
Close to the Pensacola Naval Air Museum.
Rating:  ♦♦♦♦♦

Rustic Sands RV Park, Mexico Beach, FL
Passport America/$17./per night
Full hookups and access to TV
Crowded campground with very sandy sites. We had to find another site when the RV kept sinking.
Not too clean and a lot of permanent campers that weren’t too clean.
Lots of kids live there and catch the daily school bus…early.
Management rarely around and not extremely helpful.
Sits a couple of blocks from Mexico Beach.
Rating: ♦♦♦

Chiefland RV Park, Chiefland, FL
Passport America/$14./per night
30 amp hookups with access to TV
Small crowded campground with very little turn around space.
Very nice manager who lives on site.
Rating: ♦♦

Hidden River Travel Resort, Riverview, FL
Passport America/$23.50/per day
Full hookups and access to TV
Clean campground that also has a permanent “village”.
They are updating the sites and have planned activities.
We had a cable sitting on top of our RV while driving to our site. Management had it fixed the next day.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about the management. They accommodated us as we went through a dental emergency.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Jolly Acres RV Park, St. George, SC
Passport America/$20.33/per day
Full hookups and access to TV
Internet was a problem and we had to drive about 5 miles up the road to get it…even with our MiFi card.
This camp was a total surprise. Located in a small town about 45 minutes outside of Charleston, we found this park to be delightfully clean and pleasant.
It sits in a park like setting that is peaceful.
The owners couldn’t do enough to make us comfortable.
The site was cement and level.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Louise F. Cosca Regional Park, Clinton, MD
Senior Discount/$13./per day
30 amp hookup only. The area is heavy with trees making it impossible to get TV.
This park was misrepresented by the people I spoke with before we even arrived. It’s a very small park that really isn’t set up to accommodate larger coaches.
We arrived in rainy, dark weather and extremely narrow roads. The only roads into the park were through residential areas.
The site wasn’t paved and was sloped making it very difficult to level.
Ratings: ♦

Parkview Mobile Home & RV Park, Appomattox, VA
Passport America/$16.00 good for 1 night, then $32.00/per day.
Full hookups and cable.
Clean camp but big potholes in the road. Permanent mobile home village sits behind temp campers.
Campsite has potential if they continue to work on it.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦

Gentry’s Landing Campground, Rich Creek, VA
Flat Rate of $19./per day.
Full hookups and cable.
The camp is owned by the Lion’s Club and is a wonderful secret.
It sits by the New River that runs along a mountainside. The scenery is idealic and we woke up several mornings to Canadian Geese walking along the shoreline.
They are in the process of putting in more sites along with full hookups.
Sites are not paved.
Manager is extremely helpful and accommodating.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Creekside RV Park, Pigeon Forge, TN
Escapee/$22./per day
Full hookups and cable.
Park sits in the middle of Pigeon Forge making it easy to get to all attractions.
It was very crowded as the town is quite touristy.
Paved sites.
Sites are quite close to each other but doable.
Management was very nice and let us have the SKP discount that had been in effect the previous month.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Nashville KOA, Nashville, TN
KOA Value Kard
KOA Rewards/$51.99/per day
Full hookups and cable.
Kudos to this camp. They promised us space for the above price but then moved us to a premium site for the same amount.
Very clean and close to all Nashville attractions.
Sites are paved.
Rating: ♦♦♦♦

Graceland RV Park, Memphis, TN
Good Sam/$38.35/per day
Full hookups and cable.
Good park with streets named after Elvis Presley songs.
Paved sites.
Less than 5-minute walk to all things Elvis.
Free limo service to Marlowes BBQ that picks you up and drops you off at your site.  And, the BBQ is great!
Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Now, to get back to the big hunt for a GPS that suits our needs.  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below.

But the website showed….Reviews originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 12/05/2011.

As we counted the things that we were grateful for, we realized that gradually throughout the past year we had phased out/deleted/crossed out different things and people that always tried to shroud our lives with control, guilt and/or negativity.

We can deal with negativity with someone and/or something once or twice but, when it becomes a fulltime occupation then it’s time to halt it.  I believe that’s where the term “Energy Vampire Suckers” came from. 

Our main goal this past year was to get rid of stress that became energy wasters.  We had made a huge lifestyle change with selling the house and moving fulltime into the RV.  And, with that change we gave ourselves permission to enjoy retirement as much as we could while still running our business while on the road. 

Along the way we encountered people who only had negative things to say and overt ways to discount decisions that we had thoughtfully made.  Sometimes they were just plain rude.

It’s the rude part that will tilt me over into evaluating whether a situation or relationship is worth having.  In my book, there is absolutely no reason to be rude.  You can say or tell me something in a normal tone and get your point across without yelling or name calling.  I have to stay away from people who put other people down to satisfy their own lack of self-esteem.  In my book that’s bullying.

In conversations with other family members and friends, we found that there are many others who have made the same decision.  Could it be that we’ve all finally got it through our heads that we are who we are and if others can’t accept that then we all need to move on and not clutter each other’s lives that reduce our conversations to thinly veiled spitting matches.

Because we have reached that “other” season in our life we’ve agreed to walk away from all drama that has no basis and is only being done for the sake of control, guilt and/or manipulation. 

We’ve given ourselves permission to enjoy our lives as we choose to live them and not for anyone else’s expectations.  This is the way that we have always treated people and we decided to gift ourselves with that same thought.

I got an email from my girlfriend since junior high that brought all of our changes home to us. 

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

Try everything twice.

On one woman’s tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:

“Tried everything twice. Loved it both times!”

Life is good and on the whole has treated us fairly and well.  We feel blessed by the positive things in our lives and the positive people that pass through.  I think I need to get a mat to place outside our door that reads:

Please wipe away all negativity before entering.
Only laughter and happiness allowed.

New Year’s Resolution…Early originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 11/28/2011.

Beautiful countryside outside of Roanoke, VA

We made it back without any real major damage to the RV but will find out what needs to be done when the RV repairman comes this afternoon to look it over.

We learned lessons about life, traveling and living in an RV while covering almost 5,000 miles.  We are now sitting down and re-evaluating preconceived ideas that we originally had versus what reality is.  All in all, I don’t think we did badly considering it was our first big trip on the road.

I’ll be publishing, in future blogs, things we learned and giving reviews to some of the RV parks that we stayed in.  We learned rather quickly not to depend on an RV park’s website.  Often times we would arrive and wonder where they took the photos that are on their site. 

We were inordinately pleased with several of the camps that we stayed in and sometimes shocked by others.  What amazed us more than anything are the camps that I had already talked with that confirmed they were geared for an RV our size. 

 Great campsite at Jolly Acres RV Park, St. George, SC

I’m sure many of you can identify with trying to navigate an extremely narrow road with many trees and lots of low hanging branches.  And, heaven forbid that another RV be coming down that same road in the opposite direction and there is nowhere to go.  After seeing the third campground like that we made a decision.  Unless we heard from previous campers otherwise, we would detach the car and drive through first to evaluate it for our needs.

I’m pretty good about researching things before diving in.  I had checked reviews of many of the campgrounds and let that be our guide for a while.  In all fairness to campground owners, I understand that there will always be someone that you can’t please and they, in turn, will write a bad review. 

I kept a journal going of our trip and also kept an Excel spreadsheet that listed campgrounds, their pertinent information, costs, etc.  This same spreadsheet, on page 2, then listed all of our expenses so that when we came off the road we would know how much was spent and where.  This is something I plan to keep on doing so that we can plan our budget accordingly.

I want to give kudos to the little black Camper’s Daily Log that I used.  It’s a great fill in until I can get to the spreadsheet.  Okay…what can I say? I’m a sucker for spreadsheets and love working with them!

Thou shalt not judge my left-handed writing!

I will admit that I started out using the Daily Log wrong.  Yup…I put our starting mileage on the End Mileage line…cause I didn’t read it thoroughly and I’m quite anal about doing things in order…and end mileage in my anal thinking comes after start mileage.  I know why they did it that way but it still threw me off each day.

I will probably order more sheets and use the notebook again since its size is so handy and fits in the small basket that I keep up front as we travel. 

While that rectangular basket worked well, I’m on the lookout for something just a bit more durable and that I can somehow attach to the front of the dashboard. 

Because we still run our business from the road, I keep our business phone, personal cell phones, small notepad, some maps, glasses, brochures of areas we’re going to…and, one napkin from a restaurant that we started writing a song on. 

We bought our share of souvenirs, for ourselves but were quite restrained knowing we had to find room for anything new.  It was a good lesson in wanting versus needing.  The Pilot, however, couldn’t pass up this cup for me:

However, my favorite souvenir that the Pilot bought me was a t-shirt that reads:

We had a photo taken of us at Graceland…in honor of Elvis.  Okay…I know you’re not buying that but we just couldn’t resist.  See the earlier blog title Can’t Help Falling in Love, Part II for the full explanation.

A few days before we got home our GPS system died.  Because we are still researching GPS’s geared for trucks and RVs, we decided to get another one specifically for the car.  We got a Garmin nuvi 1350…because that’s basically all that was available where we stopped.  We were quite pleased with the way it was working and our ability to program it accordingly…until Day 2 when it started freezing up all the time…no matter what you did to reset it, etc.

That GPS is going back to the chain store where we got it and we’ll continue our search.  I’ve been following the online RV blogs that are currently talking about different GPS systems to see what the reviews are.  We even asked a trucker what system he used but that was quickly thwarted when he told us his company has their own GPS system…and tracker.  I’ll keep you updated as to which one we decide on.

Before ending this week’s blog, I need to give big SNAPS (in Z form) to Cracker Barrel.  They graciously allowed us to overnight in their parking lots several times.  We, in turn, had dinner and breakfast inside.  That was a real hardship…NOT!  We stayed there when we were just traveling through the area on our way to a destination.  We only had one incident while parked there through no fault of Cracker Barrel…an unwelcomed visitor waking us up at 1:30am wanting to wash our RV in pouring rain…for some money.  You already know the answer.

That situation made us create new guidelines for instances like that.  So, while we wouldn’t want to repeat that scenario we definitely learned from it.  That’s what RVing is all about isn’t it?  You go and you learn things…one way or another.

So, while it’s nice to be thought of as arm candy at my age, this arm candy has a lot of cleaning up to do now that we’re back home…and had our Tex-Mex fix.

Texas Is Where Our Hearts Are originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 11/21/2011.

We were in the land of Elvis.  You know…the one name that doesn’t need to have “Presley” attached for you to know who he is/was.  We arrived at the Graceland RV Park and Campground, right off Elvis Presley Boulevard, just a few minutes walk from the mansion and right next door to the Heartbreak Hotel. 

We were parked on Heartbreak Lane, just around the corner from Blue Suede Lane.  Yup…the whole park is named after Elvis’s songs.  We had arrived in late afternoon and were given a handful of brochures telling us about this area and all about the popular Beale Street. 

One of the brochures was for Marlowe’s Ribs…on Elvis Presley Blvd., of course.  The neat thing was that they would send a pink limo to pick you up and return you to your campsite doorstep. 

 And, if that wasn’t good enough…they also gave you a 10% discount on your food.  Guess what we did?

Oh yes!!!  This was the first time that we’d tasted Memphis BBQ and it ranks right up there with our Texas BBQ.  We had a pulled pork sandwich that they had smoked the pork for 24 hours.  Soooo good.  We also tried their fried dinner rolls but couldn’t figure out what made them special.  They were crusty, dried rolls…to us.  However, to make up for that we had their Mississippi Mud Cake, which was pretty good. 

Side Note:  Cracker Barrel’s Double Fudge Coca Cola Cake still takes top prize for chocolate cake.  I’ll be testing that recipe when we get home this week and will publish the results.

As we geared up to take the tour of Graceland, we talked about the first time we saw him on the Ed Sullivan show.  That was September 9, 1956.  No…that date isn’t stamped in our minds; we looked it up to see exactly when this 21 year old made such an impression on us.  And, heaven forbid, the impression that he made on everyone’s parents.  Their reactions were quite different from ours.  The word “vulgar” comes to mind.  For us kids we thought he was wonderful and exciting. 

We watched in awe on our black and white television sets as this young man sang to us with a half wicked smile, penetrating eyes and those ever swiveling hip gyrations.  At first, we had to imagine the hips moving because the cameras weren’t going there at that point. Only on his third appearance did those hips set the nation on fire.  After that break out moment came, any televised performance of Elvis was full length…and we all fell in love with this new form of “rebellion”. 

Our tour of Graceland took us back to when we lived through all things Elvis.  He was a part of our years from 12 years old until he died, when we all had married and had not only children of our own but, grandchildren as well.  It was a sad tour at certain points.  Even after he died, he still remained a part of our lives because of the savvy marketing done by Priscilla Presley and their daughter, Lisa Marie.  So, we’ve never really been without him in our lives in one way or another.

Side Note:  A security guard said that Graceland, named by the former owners and built in 1938, had been for sale for quite some time before Elvis saw it.  It had been listed for $38K in 1957 but when the owners heard that Elvis wanted it, the asking price went up to $100K…and Elvis bought it and the 12 acres for that price.  There is 17,500 square feet to the property. 

Above is the barn and horses that Elvis kept.  It was hard to tour the place because of the number of people.  They just kept coming and coming and coming. 

This is the famous “Jungle Room” that sits off the kitchen.  I remember reading about that room in the movie magazines that all of us teenagers devoured, generally while sitting on the floor of the local drugstore while reading them.  Our allowance sometimes didn’t cover the price of buying one.

Here is his TV room that sits in the basement of the house.  He put in three television sets after reading that Richard Nixon watched three TV’s at one time so that he could keep up on the news.

When we finished with the house, we toured the trophy room that also held his costumes.  Again, it was hard to really get a feeling for the displays because of the emotions of some of the people viewing the clothing.  It was reminiscent of when the teens would cry while he was singing.  I’m talking about people my age.  Perhaps, some of these people were the very same teens that were so moved by him. 

Just a few of Elvis’s signature look.  The man knew how to wear clothes and how to work in them.  In one of the stores you could buy Elvis scarves…just like the ones he used to give out to his fans while performing.

This is one of his 30 cars that’s in the museum…a black Rolls Royce.  The white Rolls was sitting opposite of this one.

This is one of his many guitars, a 1956 Gibson.  I took this picture specifically for my son…who owns a Gibson…one of many over the years.

The Meditation Garden is the last thing that you see before exiting Graceland.  That’s when the impact of his life and death really hit you.  The line moves very slowly, almost reverently, as people view not only Elvis’s grave but those of his parents, Vernon & Gladys Presley, his grandmother, Minnie Presley, and a commemorative grave of his twin Jessie who was stillborn.

We left quietly while absorbing all the memories of our lives that included Elvis.  It’s amazing to me that he’s even bigger now than when he was alive.  What was there about him that still draws people?  Is it because there are movies and DVD’s that show him through the years so that people can actually see him and know him?

We believe it’s something as simple as he was charismatic and a dynamite entertainer.  He encompassed the bad boy and good boy look and used those looks to his advantage.  Not in a bad way because he was known to be quite generous and friendly.  We like the fact that he was able to laugh at himself as shown in some interviews. Quite simply, we always have and always will be fans of Elvis Presley.  How could we not when he and his music impacted our lives so much.

We ended our stay in Memphis with a surprise phone call from a Navy squadron mate of the Pilot’s inviting us to dinner.  Rick and Elyse had us over for a glass of wine and then on to their club for dinner.  I must mention that besides being superb people they, too, own a Golden Retriever!  That makes them top notch in our books.

What a whirlwind week we had.  Our Musical Tour Week is indelibly stamped in our memories forever.  Plus…I have a couple of Elvis shirts to prove it.  What?  You thought I’d leave without something Elvis?

Can’t Help Falling in Love…Part II originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 11/13/2011.

We started our tour of the state with Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  There may have been Christmas music at Dollywood but it fit the season and was an appropriate kick-off for our Musical Week Tour through Tennessee as we make our way home to Texas.

Did I mention that it was cold while we were there?  I was holding on to the Pilot’s jacket and didn’t realize I was pulling it to cover me!

Dollywood was lit up in its Christmas finery as our cousins, Donnie & Shirley led us through the maze of people to the different events.  In addition to the different musical acts going on in the park, Dolly Parton could be heard singing in the background, I’ll Be Home for Christmas.

We’d been to Dollywood once before and one of the things that we were looking forward to again was the train ride around the park.  We all piled in, the whistle blew and we were off in a cloud of black smoke and more Christmas music playing while we rode up the mountain.

We finished off our time at Miss Lillian’s Chicken House where the food was home cooked and delicious.  To top it off Miss Lillian greeted everyone with a song while playing a small banjo.

This is our cousin Donnie flapping his wings over Miss Lillian.

Another night in Pigeon Forge was spent at Memories Theatre where performers impersonated and sang the songs of Buddy Holly, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney and Elvis Presley.  We really had fun…especially watching the members of the audience when Kenny and Elvis sang. 

Tuesday afternoon we pulled into the Nashville KOA on Music Valley Road and realized that we’d hit town just as the Country Music Awards were going on.  We decided we would catch up on the paperwork for the business and do the laundry rather than to fight the crowds.  Good decision on our part when we found out the after parties were being held at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum that we wanted to tour. 

We drove past a restaurant called Santa Fe Cattle Company and one of the dishes advertised was fajitas.  That was all we needed to know where we were eating that first night.  We’re still longing for our Tex-Mex fix and figured this would suffice until the real thing came along.  I have to tell you that the food was excellent.  That should hold us for the time being.

That night we attended a KOA production of Kenny & the Krooners singing The Oldies from the 50’s & 60’s.  No need to remind you how we feel about Doo-Wop!  By the way, Kenny sang falsetto songs as well as Frankie Vallie.  Big surprise for us…who knew?

Thursday morning we headed into downtown Nashville to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The workers were busy tearing down the press tents and covered walks from the previous night’s CMA ceremony.

I can’t say enough about this museum and its exhibits.  It was truly a walk down memory lane and a great lesson in the history of country music.

The first exhibit was a room devoted to Chet Atkins (6/20/24-6/30/01) life.  It was filled with a lot of his guitars, photos, awards, and his work room where he recorded and made guitars.  Chet was one of the all-time great guitar players and if you’ve never heard his music, I would suggest that you find it online somewhere and give it a listen.

One of Chet’s many albums.

The above photo is guitars that Chet built that became famous.  He was a design consultant for Gretsch, and they featured a line of electric guitars from 1955–1980 bearing his name.

During the 1970′s he worked with Les Paul, who had a great impact on how he would later play the guitar.  Chester & Lester and Guitar Monsters, were released to great success.  In fact, Chester & Lester was one of the best-selling recordings of Atkins’s career.

It was at this same time that he broke off his relationship with Gretsch because of differing interests.  He then began designing guitars with Gibson and history continued.

The main exhibits start with the beginning of the country sound and bring it forward with the different influences such as religion, black gospel, hillbilly, blues, bluegrass and, of course, the subtle influence of rock.

I love the title of this wall…Sing Me Back Home.  It sums up what music means and how it makes you feel…immeasurable joy. 

Another intriguing aspect of this exhibit is little sound rooms hidden behind the exhibit so that you can listen to some original recordings, such as this one above, Blue Yodel by Jimmie Rodgers, from the late 1920’s.  It leaves you in awe as you hear him sing from over 80 years ago.  This is when you really appreciate how far technology has come.

I was just a bit disappointed that more wasn’t available on the Carter Family who really were country’s first royalty.  Later, Mother Maybelle and her daughters would rise to fame and, one of the daughters, June Carter, would go on to marry another country legend, Johnny Cash.  During the 1920′s the Carter family reportedly sold 700,000 records in one year’s time. 

The above photo shows the cowboy boots of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.  We were surprised at the number of boots and clothing on display from different performers from years past…and present.

Designer Bob Mackie didn’t stop using his talents with Carol Burnett and Cher.  He designed this outfit for Dottie West.  It certainly represents his signature look.

Side Note:  The designer of clothing, and cars, for the country stars in the past was a man named Nudie.  His real name was Nuta Kotlyarenko and he was originally from Russia. 

This is an example of his work.  He designed for Tex Williams, Webb Pierce and Elvis Presley to name just a very few.

People came to a stop when they saw this enlarged newspaper headline declaring that Elvis Presley had died.  For those of us who were around at that time, we all probably remember where we were and what we were doing.  I was pregnant with a future guitar player and folding laundry when the news broke.  I remember the news not totally registering.   It couldn’t be.  And, yet…we all knew that he had been struggling with drugs.  Another soul lost before his time.

The above poster (Porter Wagner and Dolly Parton), one of many hanging on the walls, more or less sums up what the Country Music Hall of Fame encompasses…legends, great music and love.

Part two of this blog will be published on Monday from Memphis.  I’ll explain the title of the blog then.

Can’t Help Falling in Love, Part I originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 11/12/2011.

We’ve had so much fun with our cousins Donnie and Shirley who’ve gone out of their way to make us feel at home.  We visited with another cousin who is 96 years old.

Mabel is one smart savvy woman whose mind is still intact and active.  We should all wish for the same thing when we reach her age.  I have such respect for her and the life that she has lived…and, I believe, based on some of the things she shared with us, that she’s lived it full and well.

As Mabel was telling us about a nephew that she and her husband raised, I was admiring how good she looked and how sharp her mind was.  It was at that point that she said,

“Yes, Denny played guitar with a lot of country legends, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty and Twitty City!” 

She then added that he had a lot of gigs.

Now, my son’s a musician and sometime I have trouble letting the word “gigs” roll off my tongue.  It just isn’t a regular part of my vocabulary.  I never expected to be having a conversation with someone that age telling me about Twitty City and gigs.  I love it…and her!

We later drove over to Floyd, VA to visit another cousin, Sunny, and take her to lunch.  There we sat, all five of us playing catch up and stolling down memory lane.  We’re so glad she wanted to eat at a Mexican restaurant because we are having serious withdrawal from Tex-Mex food!

This is an abandoned mill that we saw on our way into Floyd.  I was pleasantly surprised when I was looking for a good close-up of this building to see bookcases lined with books through a window whose glass had been broken.  I have to say that Virginia has the best landscape views of any state I’ve seen. 

Floyd is an artist’s mecca set in the rolling hills and valleys of southwestern Virginia.  There’s a lot of craft shops with hand made pottery and clothing along with an old fashion hardward store.  The Pilot even found a hat that will keep the hot summer sun off his face when working outside.

This is a sign that hangs beside the stage of The Floyd Country Store.

This might not be significant to you but the Pilot’s uncle used to come over here and dance on weekends.  That was when he was 90 years old.  He would take a break from the nursing home and either borrow a car or have our cousin Donnie drive him over.  We have a great video of him dancing.

We were glad to see this sign after all the walking around that we’d done after lunch.  This is our kind of sign…especially being semi-retired.

One sign we saw, and I thought I had taken a picture of I, was advertising a bakery.  Much to my dismay, I didn’t have the photo for…Grateful Bread Bakery.  I love seeing names like that for businesses.  So, in honor of that name here’s their logo from Facebook:

Leaving Floyd we went back to Donnie & Shirley’s via Mountain Lake.  If you’re not familiar with the name, this is the place where a lot of Dirty Dancing was filmed.  It was a beautiful place.  Was…as in past tense because the lake is no longer there.

Due to a weather pattern change, Mountain Lake has been slowly draining over the last several years.  Now, it’s dry with just a small puddle left.

The explanation on Mountain Lake’s website reads:

Recent years have revealed a pattern in the water level of Mountain Lake that was presumed to be a new phenomenon of water “draining” from this basin. Further study by our researchers has uncovered what has proven to be an ancient pattern of cycles that leave the water level of Mountain Lake both “up” and “down” for extended periods of time. The reason has to do with how much water Mother Nature gives us in the form of snowfall.

The 80 foot drop is now just rocks.  The hotel and cabins are still there and are still doing business. It’s closed for the season right now with the exception of Thanksgiving Day when they will serve dinner.  There is talk about possibly building a ski resort but nothing concrete yet. 

This hotel has a long history, including being owned and renovated at one point by William Moody, of the famous Moody family, of Galveston, Texas.  Read more about the history of this historic hotel . 

On a positive note, a mystery dating back to 1921 was finally solved in 2008, due to the low water in the lake.  A day guest and his son were exploring the dried lake when they discovered a pair of shoes, a ring, some coins, a bone and a cigarette case.  After much research the remains were finally identified as Samuel Ira Felder, a guest who’d gone out for a nighttime boat ride with friends and fell out of the boat, never to be found…until 2008.

In 2010, his great niece was found and she and her family came to collect his remains.  He is now buried beside his wife in Orangeburg County, SC. 

The Pilot also has an ancestor who was a “dining room girl” at the hotel in the early 1900’s.  The history of this hotel just seems to keep on giving and we hope that there is a way that it can survive these shifts of nature as the water fills and recedes.

The hotel is much like life.  People and stories come and make an impact and then go on into history.  Some stories are retold and some stories end for all time.  There comes a time in each of our lives when we decide whether a story is carried on or if it’s time to let it fade away.   Those decisions aren’t always easy and sometimes those decisions are made for us.

Our story will continue next week as we make our way home through musical cities.  So, always keep that song in your heart and let the funeral dirges go with all the negativity that’s attached to them.

Grateful Bread originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 11/07/2011.

 Sunday we toured Appomattox, VA.  The McLean House to be specific, where Gen. Robert E. Lee (Confederate) surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (Union) on Palm Sunday, April 9, 1865.  The photo above shows the house in 1865.

This is the McLean House today.  It was built to the specifications of the original home by the Virginia National Park Service after a company from New York dismantled the house with the intention of moving it to New York. That plan fell through and the materials from the original house disintegrated with the weather and years.

Above are replicas of the desks, in the parlor of the McLean House, where the generals signed the surrender documents.  The marble topped desk on the left was where Gen. Robert E. Lee sat and the spindle legged desk on the right seated Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

If you’re ever around the area, do yourself a favor and visit the park and become a part of the living history as their tour guides retell the battle and surrender. 

This is one of the narrators who tells the history in the dialect and language of that time.  You are asked to request permission of him before you take his “image”.  It was very well done and drew you back into the time period.  The other narrator is a Union soldier.

This is the Clover Hill Tavern (original building) where the living history lesson begins.  The road in front of it is where the Formal Surrender Parade went by.  After the surrender documents were signed, the Union soldiers lined each side of the road while the Confederate soldiers marched in and surrendered their weapons. 

What impressed me about this part of the history is that neither side was vengeful.  The Confederate soldiers marched in with their heads held high and laid down their arms.  The Union soldiers watched respectfully knowing they had all fought a good battle. 

This is part of the Road of Surrender.  Its look of serenity masks the fact that over 500 soldiers died on the field to the right of the picture in just one day. 

This is another battlefield, now at rest, 146 years later.  I sometimes wonder if our country really learned from this war.

I want to compliment the Park Rangers who were at the park.  They were a wealth of information and even provided some information on the Pilot’s great grandfather, Jacob F. Epling, of Giles, Virginia, filling in spots that we hadn’t been able to corroborate. 

Jacob became a part of the Civil War at the age of 23.  He was captured at Hatcher’s Run, south of Petersburg, VA in February, 1865, and in all liklihood, was sent to Point Lookout, on the far Eastern coast of Virginia, until his release, four months later on June 4, 1865.  He, along with every other soldier from both sides, now had to start rebuilding his life in a country changed forever.

We came away from our day with memories that we had only read about before.  Now, we’d seen some of the places and we’re still digesting all that we learned…along with all of the emotions that go with history such as this.

The Surrender originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 10/31/2011.

Our weekend started off with a Saturday gathering that included bowling for those who wanted it.  However, most of the class chose to stay together and catch up and, most importantly, to reminisce.  You have to be careful with reminiscing because sometimes it takes on the proportions of fish stories.

No...50 years? Are you sure?

We saw a lot of leaning over, squinting eyes reading name tags and sudden recognition with the ever famous exclamation, “You haven’t changed a bit”

Of course, they’d all changed in 50 years.  We’d want to know their secrets if they still looked the same.  I didn’t see anything that resembled platic surgery or botox.  That says a lot.  They were looking good!

Then

Now

And, the Music Never Dies originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 10/23/2011.

Our celebrations were winding down and we’d said our goodbyes and were to leave on Wednesday…when pain felled the Pilot.  He’d felt the pain in his jaw coming on a day or so before but didn’t want to spoil the visit with Carolyn.  Tuesday evening we called our dentist back home knowing we were dealing with an abscessed tooth.  She prescribed an antibiotic and called it into a pharmacy close to where we were staying.  We waited for it to take effect while he slept off and on Wednesday.

In the wee hours of Thursday morning I told the Pilot we needed to go to an emergency room and get his jaw looked at.  The doctor in the ER prescribed a stronger antibiotic and pain pills.  Back to the RV for more needed rest.   The antibiotics finally kicked in and we were set to start traveling again Friday morning.

It’s been a rough week for the Pilot and he was certainly more stoic than I would have been.  

Friday saw us heading towards St. Augustine.  Let me say that it’s a beautiful area and has the Castillo de San Marco that sits on the water’s edge. 

This particular Spanish castle has been standing for over 330 years.  If you’d like to know more about this important piece of history go to the Castillo de San Marcos website.

Unfortunately, we got there just as it was closing but walked the grounds and looked around the area. 

Trivia:  Did you know that they heated the cannonballs in an oven (pictured above) over a hot flames before firing them?   Ouch!

By that point the Pilot was feeling worn down again so we headed off to a marvelous dinner at Carrabba’s Restuarant.  It was comfort food from home since the Mandola’s started their restaurants in Houston.  If you ever have a chance, order a glass of their house Merlot.  It’s a combination of Merlot and Cabernet.  The name of this marvelous concoction is Montepulchiano d’Abruzzo from Bisanzio, Italy.

Since we were behind in our schedule, we headed out the next morning towards Savannah, GA.  We decided since that was just going to be a short stop that we would have our first try at overnighting offered by Cracker Barrel.  We knew that we’d be having dinner there followed by breakfast before hitting the road the next morning.

Three cheers for Cracker Barrel and their Southern hospitality.  They were so nice and welcoming.  This was the first time that we would be living in the RV without the slides out…and it wasn’t bad.  As the Pilot reached across the living room to hold my hand, he said, “Look honey, the RV has brought us closer!” 

Sunday, on our way to the Charleston, SC area, we stopped at a visitor’s center that was located in a low country plantation.  It was the Frampton Plantation, c. 1868, located just off I-95, outside of Charleston.

We were definitely in the south when we spotted the flag hanging in the gazebo out back.

But, what really caught our eye was the magnificent oak tree covered in delicate Spanish moss blowing lazily in the breeze.

I fully expected a butler to appear with mint juleps for us.  But, alas, no such thing happened so we moved on.

We are now camped in a surprisingly peaceful place called Jolly Acres RV Park in St. George, SC…just about one hour from Charleston.  It’s clean and spacious and the owners are very accommodating and friendly.

This is the view from our RV.  Not too hard on the eyes, is it?  Oh, and there’s a train that goes by in the distance with its whistle blowing .  I wonder how we can order this type of service at the other camps?  By the way, this is on Passport America’s list.

While eating at Georgio’s, a great restaurant with delicious food, our waitress Nancy, gave us the name of a dentist here.  We may be giving him a call in the morning rather than waiting until we’re in Maryland.  We’ll also be going into Charleston to see the sights. 

This week will be better.  It has to be.  We’re due at the Pilot’s 50th high school reunion Saturday evening and we plan to have fun and dance to the great songs that were popular then.  Doo Wop is calling us…and we’re answering!

Rough Times originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 10/16/2011.

We came to Tampa to visit the Pilot’s daughter, Carolyn, and to celebrate her birthday while here. 

She has shown us around Tampa, Ybor City and St. Petersburg, all filled with beautiful sights, mouthwatering smells and tastes and the culture of Cuba.

Who can ever forget Ricky Ricardo coming home and announcing to Lucy, “Lucy, I’m home,” in that marvelous musical Cuban accent.  Well, that’s pretty close to what we have been experiencing here in Tampa.

One of the first Cuban restaurants that Carolyn took us to was La Teresita, a long established Cuban restuarant.  That was where I tasted my very first authentic Cuban sandwich which consisted of pork, ham, lettuce, tomato, and mayo mixed with mustard on Cuban bread.  It was wonderful and the bread has this marvelous crunchy exterior and nice soft interior. 

I can’t believe I didn’t take pictures inside and of the food.  That’s so unlike me.  I guess I was too enthralled with the tastes and sights.

The next day we went to Ybor City, which is an historic part of Tampa.  I had wanted to visit there ever since reading a great book by Ace Atkins, White Shadow, that is part true history and part fiction.  It tells about Santo Trafficante and Charlie Wall and their roles during the 1960’s and the fight for control of Cuban bodegas…along with the cigar factories. 

The restaurant in Ybor City that Carolyn chose for us to visit was The Columbia which has been open since 1905, with the same family line still operating it. 

The tile work on the exterior is wonderful with all its colors.

The Columbia is a Spanish restaurant who has integrated Cuban influences into their foods.  The fusion works well as attested by our appetites during lunch.

This is the Cuban sandwich served at The Columbia who says authentic Cuban sandwiches consist of pork, ham, salami, and mustard.  Under no circumstances do you have turkey, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.  I’m thinking that this battle of authenticity of Cuban sandwiches is similar to our battle of how Chili should be made.  Regardless, I loved them both ways.

These are the Empanadas that the Pilot and Carolyn craved…and shared.  My bonus to this meal was the Columbia Restaurant cookbook that the Pilot bought for me.  Guess what we’re going to have on the road?

We quickly stopped at a Cuban bakery so that I could buy some Cuban bread to take with us on the road.  I ordered two loafs and when they laid them on the counter I started laughing.  These loafs measure 3 feet long!

I bought both loaves and gave one to Carolyn to munch on…for however long it takes to eat it.

We left Ybor City and headed across the bridge towards St. Petersburg, a beautiful drive and equally beautiful city.

The buildings in the downtown area have great architectural lines and some of the colors are a soft pastel with more of the beautiful tiles that we saw at The Columbia. 

This is the Vinoy Resort and Golf Club that dates back to the 1920’s.  Carolyn told us that it’s rumored to be haunted.  To quote Haunted Florida, The fifth floor is reputedly the most haunted floor of the Vinoy. Most of the ghostly sightings have been encountered here. Some guests have reported seeing a man in a top hat, while others have seen a spectral woman in white walking this floor. Other ghostly stories include seeing two apparitions dancing and of smelling a distinct perfume when no one is present.

We stopped for lattes, frappachinos and gelato at Paciugo’s and sat outside across the street from the Gulf.  Extremely relaxing and helpful with our digestion from our huge lunch.  No one will believe this, knowing how much I love gelato, but I passed on it this time.  I can only hold so much food.

The last place Carolyn wanted to take us before we headed back to Tampa was The Garden Restaurant.  Again, we ate outdoors…only this time it was just tapas since we were still wobbling from lunch.

It you’re getting the feeling that the theme of this blog is food, you are absolutely correct.  We’ve never eaten so much at one time as we have during this visit. 

The previous evening, Carolyn’s roommates, Stephen and Joseph, prepared dinner for us and the table was loaded with food.  Great food.  BBQ ribs…just like home.  We loved the dinner and the effort both Stephen and Joseph went to for us.  We loved them…they are so funny and interesting to talk to.

Today is our last day here and we’re going to a doggie beach to let everyone’s dog romp in the sand and wade in the water.  A nice relaxing way to end our visit here. 

Uh…in case you’re wondering…we will eat…again…light fare only!

Lucy….I’m home! originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 10/11/2011.

Some of it was pretty scary to be honest.  Like driving on a very steep incline…in the dark…that led to a bayou….thinking the coach might tip over. 

The lesson we took away from that story was to never, ever, drive in the dark when you don’t know where you’re going and you’re not familiar with the road.  It makes my stomach queasy just to relay this story to you.

The other story relayed was about people who decided they didn’t want to be behind an RV and decide to pass you.  That part’s okay.  The part where they try to cut in between you and your towed is not okay.  What in the world are these people thinking? 

Now, I understand why there is a navigator’s seat.  Someone has to help keep guard for other people’s ignorance.

We listened to their tales and took proper note of things that could and probably will pertain to us.  We’ve had pretty good neighbors while staying here and we’ll still trying to decide if we’re going to come back to this campground when we return from the East Coast.

I have to tell you about our newest neighbors, Tommy & Angela.  They were angels in disguise.  When it came time for us to connect the car to the RV, Tommy came over and talked with the Pilot and told him some of his experience.  Here’s the best deal though.  He did it in such a way that it wasn’t like he was trying to take over but to just casually share his experience.  It certainly helped calm any insecurities that we might have been feeling.

Once the tow was properly attached, they walked with me down the road to watch that the wheels of the Jeep turned as the Pilot went around a corner.  Valuable lessons that will stay with me.  I hugged them both goodbye and knew our decision to return to this particular camp was now wavering…in the direction of coming back.  You hate to lose good neighbors who are also good people.

A lot of you who read this blog and have already been RVing know exactly what I’m saying as I write….we couldn’t believe the utter joy and feeling of contentment of driving down the highway…in our living room!

We kept laughing about this new experience.  Yes, we’d rented RVs in the past and knew some about the lifestyle but I guess it was different this time because it was our home that was now on the highway.

Mid-day I received a message from my daughter through Facebook asking how our first day on the road was going.  She said she was hesitant to put out to the public that we were on vacation…until she remembered we were still in our home.  We laughed about that one.

Before we left town Saturday morning, we stopped at Flying J and weighed the rig….along with the tow.  To our complete amazement we were still under weight.  We both felt that we deserved kudos for paying attention to what we were carrying and coming out on the positive end.

The drive out of Texas was uneventful and I decided to put on a CD so that we’d have some music.  I had thrown a couple of CD’s in the dashboard drawer that I had unearthed from our car just before selling it.  One was Rod Stewart singing the oldies that my good friend Ro had given me several years ago.  It felt right to hear Rod sing It Had to Be You since we were actually living our dream. 

I then decided to listen to Marvin Gaye’s Gold CD.  I opened the case and discovered that instead of Marvin Gaye, the CD was one from my son’s past band, New Electric Church, Bootleg Tour 2002 featuring songs such as Movin’ Back, Ahead, Resurrection and others.  Oh, the memories that brought.  If you’ve followed this blog you might remember last December that I had his guitar version of Silent Night on the Christmas blog.  Pretty talented kid!

Road Challenge
The roads we encountered as we crossed over into Louisiana were quite a test to how many of the contents in the cupboards would still be in order once we stopped.  Even though I have bars on a lot of the shelves and in the fridge, I was still greeted with items landing on or around me as I opened doors.  It seems these roads have been under construction forever…just like in Houston.

We finally arrived at our first camp, Maxie’s Campground in Broussard, Louisiana.  It’s run by Jason Moresi who was extremely helpful and very friendly…just the sort of person you’d like to greet you at the end of the day.

The camp was quite crowded.  Jason said that the winter RVer’s were settling in.  The camp sits just off Highway 90 and you can hear some traffic if you don’t have on the TV or music.  Not enough to make you antsy though.  I think it was because the birds chirping their songs kind of blocked it out.  Our site backed up to a small bayou running behind us.  This was perfect for an overnight stay.

If you want to check it out, go to www.maxiescampground and feel energized by the Bosco Stomp playing in the background.  We used Passport America and got our stay for $16.86, tax included.   As Maxie’s ad says, “Come visit and have a Cajun good time.”

We were pleasantly surprised to see big clean rest areas once we arrived in Mississippi.  Especially after not seeing any in Louisiana except at their Welcome Center.

This week will see us in Florida for the whole week beginning with Pensacola and then over to see the Pilot’s sister and daughter.

We’re loving this lifestyle more and more…especially when you have cool weather after our long hot summer.

Can you name this tree? 

Mystery Tree in Mississippi

We saw this tree while at the Welcome Center in Mississippi and couldn’t identify it.  However, it was so fascinating because the leaves were almost like ferns.  If you’re ever in Mississippi, stop in at this center.  It’s located on I-10 East and Hwy 607.

Down on the Bayou originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 10/02/2011.

Veggie Wrap

I’m a huge fan of the veggie wrap.  It tastes clean…if you know what I mean.  I spread mine with hummus but one of us doesn’t care for that and prefers using salsa.  Whatever works is my motto regarding this diet.  I will be publishing a recipe for Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls that are healthy and still have a great taste.

Side Note:  If you’re going to do a lifestyle like this it’s important that you eat several small meals a day.  When you’re eating only fruits, veggies and bread you tend to get hungry faster.  This may just be our bodies getting used to not eating meat or diary.

This week has seen us honing in on our departure on October 1.  I made the first of several campground reservations for our trip.  The first winner out of the door is Creekside RV Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  We’ll be stopping there on our way back home.  I’ve been very pleased with how easy they have been to work with via email, patiently answering our questions.  We were in Pigeon Forge at Dollywood several years ago just as they were doing their Christmas Light Show.  We were so enthralled that we decided to repeat that feeling of being a child at Christmas again.

Psst…can I share a secret thrill with you?  Also, on our way home, we are treating ourselves to a stay at Memphis Graceland RV Park…just 5 minutes from the mansion.  You know…where Elvis Presley lived!  We decided that we needed to treat ourselves to something special while on the trip and this is it. 

Another secret that many might not know is that the Pilot and I can hardly contain ourselves and have been known to sing at the top of our lungs whenever a doo-wop song from the 50′s & 60′s comes on.  We love that music, the era and, most of all, still know a lot of the dances!  If you ask nicely, I’ll show you how to do my very favorite dance from that era…The Stroll!

$$$$$:
We were quite astounded, while researching  RV parks around the Annapolis, Maryland area to find that, first, there aren’t that many and, second, what RV parks we found are extremely expensive.  It was kind of like sticker shock.  Of course, all of them boast about how close to Washington, DC they are so I’m sure that plays a huge role in the price.  And, we have planned a daytrip into that area.

Tow, tow, tow your car, gently down the road:
After a ton of research on the web and at RV forums the Pilot finally chose Blue Ox as a part of our tow package. 

 He also got special locking pins that he felt gave some security to our towing investment. 

He spent one whole day at PPL Motorhomes while they put the base plate on our Jeep. 

The base plate and tow bar were two of our big items to get done and now the rest of it should all fall into place.

I have to say that getting all the towing apparatus in place is not a cheap thing.  In addition to the tow bar and base plate, we now have a Brake Buddy as well.  I will admit though that we feel safer now.

We’ve been to the storage units a couple of times to get some items for cooler and/or colder weather while we’re gone.  I went through the closet and took out more than I brought back from storage in way of clothing.  I’m trying real hard to take out as much as I bring into the RV so that we don’t get overloaded.

While we were at the storage units the Pilot found some of his elementary school pictures that he’s taking with him to his high school reunion. 

The Young Pilot

He’s one of the lucky people who went straight through school, from elementary to high school graduation, with a lot of the same kids.  This 50th reunion is going to be a special time for him…and, me as well.  Do you think they’ll give me the dirt on all the things he did while growing up?

Feel Good Moment:  While the Pilot was at PPL getting the tow bar installed, he stopped in to say hello to Nick Watson who had helped us find and buy our RV.  While talking, Nick told him to tell me “Thank you” for sending a client his way.  Evidently, this person had read about Nick on this blog and specifically asked for him when buying his RV.  Wow…I’m happy to know that this blog serves another purpose.  No, my feet haven’t touched the ground yet from that news…and, probably won’t until we return from our trip.

So, folks, this time as I sign off and say, see you on the road…we really will, finally, after all this time, be on the road.  Please drive safely if you’re out because I’ll be driving some of the time and I’ll need all the help I can get!

Narrowing In originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 09/25/2011.

When you reach a certain age some things become more important than others.  Such as walking up and down stairs without losing your breath or balance.  Knowing who you are and, more importantly, where you are…as in keeping your mind sharp and healthy.  And, fulfilling that promise to yourself to never, ever have more than two medications that you take…whether prescribed or over the counter.  Great goals, right?

As the Pilot and I age, we are paying more attention to our bodies and minds.  Yes, we should have been doing that all along…and we did to a certain degree.  However, we also consciously chose to enjoy life without going off on the deep end.

However…we are on alert since watching Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s Your Last Heart Attack.  Not because we have heart trouble…unless you count the increased heart palpitations when we’re near each other.  No…the program made sense to us.  We are also firm believers in preventative healthcare.

Toward that end, I bought Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.  He has done studies and shown proven results that eating a plant based diet will erase heart disease.

Before you ask…yes, it’s a vegan diet.  “VEGAN!” you might yell.  “Are you one of those PETA loving radicals?” you might even ask.  Or, you might just go, “Hmmm…let me know how that works for you” and go on your way.

I read the book in one sitting and have to say I was quite impressed with the foods.  This diet advocates not using any oils in addition to no dairy, meat, fish, and poultry.  It will present a nice challenge for me in the kitchen.

We’re going to try it and see how it works.  The Pilot is a little leery about not having meat in his diet.  Fortunately, both of us love vegetables and fruit.  And, while the Pilot mentally gags, I really like tofu as well.

We now find ourselves looking at food and asking, “Does this have a Mother or eyes?”  That’s part of the criteria that Dr. Esselstyn advocates.  I’ll let you know how we’re progressing.

Side Note:  I know there is a faction that feels (and, perhaps has studies that show) that meat is needed in your diet to prevent health problems.  What a dilemma.  Meat = healthy.  No meat = heart healthy.  We may have to compromise.

This past week has found me endlessly tweaking a recipe that qualifies for oil free vegan.  I’m trying to achieve a quick bread that is delicious and healthy.  I’ve finally got the bread almost to the way I want it…with the exception of its weight.  You see, you could probably use this as a door stop, a book end or a weapon.  It’s that heavy.

I’m researching ways to lighten the load, so to speak, of this bread.  It’s a Maple Oatmeal Quick Bread made with whole wheat flour.  I’m guessing between the oatmeal and whole wheat I don’t stand much chance of it weighing any less than a bowling ball.

Our RV has smelled like cinnamon heaven all week as I made three different types of bread.  I have to tell you that I love working in our RV kitchen.  So far, I’ve never run out of room while making something…even the “Jammers” that I made last week. 

I love making bread and knew that it was always going to be a part of our kitchen and menu.  I’ve been experimenting around with a no knead bread now and the only thing I need to figure out is….how in the world does anyone get anything to brown in a convection oven?  Maybe it was just this particular recipe.

Regardless, the kitchen works well with my style of cooking.  And, I have to share, that I’m in absolute bliss over finally having my beloved KitchenAid in the RV with me.  I missed having it while it was in storage.

I now have a place for it inside the RV.  At first, I thought it would have to travel in the basement when I wasn’t using it because of its size.  I had been looking around the RV for a good spot to put it.  Then I remembered telling the Pilot that I didn’t like the vacuum that came with the RV when we bought it.  It just doesn’t seem to have enough suction to really clean. 

So, out went the vacuum, freeing up a cupboard that now houses my KitchenAid.   In fact, I now use our regular vacuum that we had in our house.  It stores beautifully in the basement when not in use.

The mixer now sits snugly in the vacated cupboard with a box of all the attachments nestled next to it.  The Pilot just shakes his head and mumbles about weight requirements.  There are other things in the RV that I’ll part with before relinquishing my beloved mixer.

I’ll keep you updated about how our diet is going and whether we were able to make it through the week without meat.  Again, we’re open to doing what is best for us and our health.  If it involves keeping meat in the diet, but using it sparingly, then that might be another alternative for us.

Could you become a vegetarian or a vegan?

High Camping:

And, I don’t mean high ground.  Look at what’s across the road from us.

That’s about the classiest tent I’ve ever seen…and a far cry from the ones that we used when I was a kid.

In closing, this is what my longtime girlfriend Barb sent to me, intimating that this is what the Pilot and I have to look forward to.  This is drastic downsizing at its best:

Until next week, always keep moving forward regardless of your mode of transportation!

A certain age originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 09/19/2011.

This past week found us at Phil’s Roadhouse & Grill not once…but twice.  And, for good reason.  Not only is the food good and the ambiance great, but we were able to relax and talk about a week that’s had us on edge.

We’ve been following the weather and news just as almost all of Texas has.  We talk on a daily basis with our daughter who lives in Magnolia…where wildfires, as of Sunday morning, have burned over 21,619 acres in three counties, leaving in its wake 59 homes destroyed and scorched earth as a drawing board for a new life.

Living vicariously through my daughter, as she relays what steps they have taken in preparation for evacuation, I’ve learned a few lessons of my own. 

I’ve found that as the Mother of a grown married daughter, with children of her own, that the pain in my heart over their situation doesn’t lessen with age…theirs or mine.

I’ve found that my family and grandchildren can still find humor in spite of the uncertainty of their future and the possible loss of everything they have.  It’s good that they can still make me smile.  It relieves some of the stress.

And, I’ve found that even though there was never any question of my love for my daughter and her family that my heart has grown fuller with Mother love and is filled with pride as I watch the example they set for us.

It wears you out to worry about kids…even when they’re grown.  I found myself waking up at all hours of the night for a couple of days, wondering if they had to evacuate during the dark of night.  Were they safe?  Did they get everything they needed?  The list is endless of the litany that plays in your mind as you worry. 

Steph & Tim

Timmy (in purple robe)

 Side Note:  I chose this photo of Timmy to show you an example of the sense of humor that has been displayed during the wildfires.  This particular photo was taken months ago when Timmy and his friends found these bathrobes in the store and couldn’t resist a photo shoot.  I crack up laughing every time I see this picture.

When the Pilot and I get up each morning it has become our ritual to look out the windows to see if smoke is still in the air.  And, it has been for over a week.  It’s hard to breathe when you go outside so I find myself holding my breath and running for the car when we need to go somewhere.

One of the places that we went to is the subject of this blog.  Phil’s Roadhouse and Grill sits just up the road from where we’re camped.  We pass it each time we go to my daughter’s house.  We finally decided it was time to try them out.

The roadhouse is built just like it says…it’s a house that sits right beside the road, isolated from other businesses but still a part of the community.

Your eyes are pulled in all directions to the décor that fill the walls of all the rooms.  The biggest centerpiece of the roadhouse is undoubtedly the deer hanging on the wall.  Not just hanging there but with their antlers wrapped in lights and proudly guarding the sign that hangs between the two of them. 

Doc and Deadeye Dick guarding the sign

There is tin along walls that are almost obscured by old signs.  As you go down four steps into another part of the roadhouse, you know instantly that it was decorated by someone with a love and fascination of trains.  There’s even a chalkboard train schedule for the Montgomery train over to Dobbin. 

We think the sign directing you to the restrooms not only is clever but is in keeping with the theme of deer.

Oliver Longbaugh, Evacuation Director

We love the food and the service is great.  But, most of all, we loved the fact that it allowed us to take a deep breath and reorganize again.  If you want to find your way there go to http://www.philsroadhouse.com/PHILS_6222007/index.html for directions…and other information.

I have plotted and replotted our trip numerous times trying to hone it down into a feasible and reasonably priced trip.  I’m learning valuable things as I work our way on the map to our final destination. 

Because it can be so expensive staying at sites up the East coast, I’ve been looking at the Bureau of Land Management and trying very hard to absorb Bob Difley’s suggestions about Boondocking along the way.  Bob has a host of ways to enjoy your trip without feeling compelled to spend a fortune at some of the campgrounds. 

If you’re interested, you can find his website at http://www.healthyrvlifestyle.com/.  I earnestly want him to feel proud of our accomplishments along those lines and I desperately hope that we don’t embarrass him should we fail in one area or another. 

So, we begin another week with higher hopes for all things normal….whatever normal is!  It’s like Phil says, “It’s a state of mind.”

Phil’s Roadhouse, Family & Continuing Wildfires originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 09/12/2011.

It’s always fun having the family over and it was important to me because we’ll be gone for a couple of months and I wanted to see the kids and grandkids before we set out.

We all joked and laughed about how we were going to fit everyone in the RV just in case we got rain.  Okay, we laughed about even getting rain even though the weather has predicted it.  We can always hope!

As it turned out, the weather had dropped from triple digits to a cool 94!  It was extremely windy but everyone was so happy to be outside for a change and the sun was hiding behind clouds.

 The Pilot & The Judge (Roy Bean)       

We pulled another picnic table over beside ours from a vacant campsite so that we could all sit together to eat, laugh and talk.  We really didn’t care how windy it was, we were just happy to finally be outside.

I have a very rambunctious grandson, Luke, who absolutely loves everything about the RV.  His Mom felt it was prudent to get him out of the kitchen while I was cooking.  He finally got settled down and enthralled when his Dad put on a video on his iPhone.

Aunt Steph…doting. 
Luke…enthralled with Diego!

My wonderful son in-law, Tim
Brian, granddaughter Nicole’s boyfriend

Nicole & Steph.  Can you tell how windy it is?

By the way…the Sopapilla Cheesecake was wonderful.  Next time, I’ll do it in the Dutch Oven over campfire coals…when there isn’t any wind.

Back to Fire & Bullets.  Not a good combination when you’re trying to enjoy the good life while RVing.  We’ve been quite surprised at two happenings at our campsite these past few days.

The first incidence occurred when the Pilot was doing some work outside.  He heard shots ringing across the camp.  Being a veteran of a war, he automatically ducked.  I heard them inside the RV and wondered if someone was setting off firecrackers.  The shots kept repeating and we kept wondering what was going on.

We found out from one of our neighbors that the shots were from dove hunters…on the land right next to our camp…right here, where there is quite bit of civilization since this is a favorite get away to the lake.  This town has a lot of people visiting so it’s not like we’re in an isolated place.

We also found out that there is a shooting range right next to us where an RVer was killed a couple of years ago by a stray bullet .  I later found out from a KOA worker that the company who owns that land supposedly put up embankments to prevent another tragedy.

I don’t want to deny anyone their idea of sport but I do want to protect what is ours…especially our lives…and feel that hunting should take place in more remote areas.  Not next to where we’re camping.

The second surprise occurred the other night as we were sitting outside enjoying the cooler weather.  We watched as the campground filled up with people getting in that one last get away before winter. 

I noticed a fire across the road.  There were some tenters who were starting a campfire and it was blazing pretty high.  I watched, concerned, that the sparks flying off would land in the dry grass and start another fire.

I need to point out that the wind was blowing about 30mph, compliments of Tropical Storm Lee in New Orleans.  There are “Fire Ban” signs posted every few miles around here and most people know that Texas is in its worst draught ever.  In fact, it’s been all over the news about sixty separate fires, fueled by strong winds, that they have been fighting this past week.

The next day I saw one of the KOA workers and asked him about the shots and fires.  He said they were all legal and that KOA couldn’t tell campers to put out their fires.  All they could do was make them aware of KOA policy regarding open campfires.  Only the Fire Marshall could ban fires. 

There’s something wrong with that policy.  How is it that a campground can’t ban something that clearly puts other campers in danger…such as fire?  That wasn’t the only campfire.  Another group of campers hauled in quite a bit of wood and, when asked by the KOA worker if they were aware of the high winds and dry grass, they responded that they thought the wind would die down and proceeded to have their campfire.

What if we all died down?  Call me a sissy but I just don’t feel safe about having campfires going with high winds and dry grass and, I don’t particularly feel that I should have to keep ducking in case a bullet goes astray. 

Fire & Bullets originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 09/05/2011.

I’m taking deep breaths and chanting to myself that all doesn’t have to be perfect.  And, yet…there’s a part of me who can’t deal with that lack of total perfection.  No…I’m normally not that anal!

I think what I’m feeling is that this time on a trip we will be taking our house with us.  That’s a heavy statement to mentally deal with isn’t it?  We’re also dealing with more deaths, family changes and friends leaving.  Life keeps smacking us on the back of the head, jolting us into the reality of our own mortality.

This week has seen us researching tow cars.  We’ve finally reached a decision between two actual winners.  As we weighed the pros and cons of both cars, they almost always came out even.  The other decision we mulled over was whether to use our car and truck as a trade-in or, to buy the car outright and sell the present car and truck ourselves.

I will admit that this type of dealing is way over my head since I’m not a high maintenance car person.  As long as it runs and the AC works, I’m good to go.  So, I basically left this one up to the Pilot.  He researched Edmunds, the Blue Book, Car Fax and whatever other resources he found to make the right decision. 

Psst…I will tell this though.  The red jeep really made my heart beat faster because…well, I just love the color red.  Not a great endorsement on choosing a car I’ll grant you but, there’s something about anything in red that just automatically catches my eye.  Glad it was up to the Pilot for the more technical details that actually became our choice.

We finally settled on a like new Jeep Liberty Renegade with low mileage.  We’re quite pleased with this choice and feel very comfortable with our decision.

That had been another mental burden that was hanging over my head.  While researching and making a decision, what if one of the two choices we like is bought?  Then we’d have to start all over again.  This was very reminiscent of when we were looking for our RV.   I think I’m dealing with residual feelings from that time. 

Still Mapping:  I’ve pretty much got our route up the East Coast laid out with just a few adjustments here and there that the Pilot might want to see or do.  I already know that any aviation or battleship museum and/or display will be added to the trip.  This is fine with me as I like seeing them as well and it gives me more insight to the Pilot’s past.

Of course, we were watching the weather with an eagle eye along the East coast and wondered what remnants of Irene we’d encounter along the way.

I have a question.  Did any of you feel the same trepidation that those of us who’ve been through hurricanes felt as we continuously watched the news coverage of the East coast?

Anxiety gripped my stomach as I watched the ocean angrily shove its water out of its home…kicked out of its comfort zone…and spewed everywhere.  I watched in wonder (not the good kind) as I saw people still out in the water trying to defy the odds that they will be hurt.  These were brilliant examples of stupidity in my opinion.  These cities already have catastrophic problems to deal with let alone someone’s stupidity.  You know these are the same people who would have screamed the loudest to be rescued.

Farewell Party:  Last evening we had a farewell party given by our neighbors next to us…Kevin and Sandy.  They are getting ready to go back home to Austin after being here for four months with Sandy’s mother. 

They invited neighbors from across the road who have a camper that is tucked in behind the most brilliantly colored whirly gig.  I’ve used that whirly gig as my barometer to gauge how hard the wind is blowing and when we should pull in the awnings.  They are a lovely couple named Bev and Mary.  I believe they are originally from England.  Bev offered to give me driving lessons and I may take him up on it.  Very gracious people.

The other guests were Mickey, who’s head of maintenance here at KOA and a fulltimer for 16 years, and our infamous Judge Roy Bean.  Roy and the Pilot have a lot in common as they are both retired pilots and both flew helicopters during the war. 

We had great appetizers and wine.  I brought a spinach artichoke dish with crostini.  Great recipe that I got from my daughter when I went to pick up the mail.  The Judge brought a juicy watermelon and achingly sweet peaches.  What a way to say “See you on the road!”

Time Crunch originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 08/29/2011.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty good on putting things in their correct place.  I don’t like clutter…it makes me feel disorganized.  And, in a small space like an RV, clutter creates stress.

I have retraced my steps since we moved out of the house and know that I had the file with me as we lived in the lap of luxury, she said, tongue in cheek, at the hotel.  I have looked everywhere in the RV and we keep going back to the storage units to check.

With the intense heat that we’ve been experiencing, going to the storage units is a lot like going to a sauna….without the benefit of a massage or facial.  I’ve relabeled all of our boxes so that you can read the contents on the side of the box instead of standing on your head while balancing on one foot on the edge of the stored sofa.  So, when 6 AM hits, we’ll be up and at the units before the sun has a chance to bake us to death.  I’ll pull out all boxes marked “Office” and look again.

Our week has been pretty good…because I choose to focus on the good things rather than something negative.  However, it’s been somewhat of a sad week.

We’re experiencing what it’s like to have RV friends.  It appears to me that people who RV fulltime, or even part-time, understand the timeframe they have to either exert an effort to form a friendship…even for a month or so, or to put it off until it’s too late.  We experienced both kinds.

Kevin and Sandy have been wonderful neighbors and we seem to have struck a common cord.  They have been in and out of the campgrounds based on the health of Sandy’s mother who lives close by.  We’ve had dinner together and had active funny conversations.  Kevin and the Pilot hit it off and Kevin has offered us wonderful advice on things that have worked for him with the RV. 

Sandy has shared how she plans their trips and is the one who showed me a wonderful picture filled book of places throughout the US.  That, in turn, has helped me plan our first trip.  Sadly, Sandy’s mother passed away this past week. 

Kevin and Sandy have a home in Austin and it hit me that soon they would be leaving to go back.  I felt a pang in my gut.

Another neighbor on the other side of us, two spaces over, is a quiet man who has a beautiful red semi-truck cab, with a neatly lettered sign that reads, “Not for Hire”, parked in front of his large fifth wheeler.  I always marveled at how he would sit outside the camper and read…in the intense heat.  Yes, he was shaded by his awning but come on…temps over 100?

Regardless, as we were leaving yesterday to run some errands, we noticed that the beautiful red-semi truck cab, with a neatly lettered sign that reads, “Not for Hire” and fifth wheeler were gone.  We’d always planned to walk over there and say hello but never seemed to find the time.  If we were ready, he would be inside and we didn’t know if it was kosher to knock on the door and say, “Hi…we’re your neighbors!”  We don’t quite know all the campground etiquette…yet.

So, now he’s gone and I felt a pang in my gut…again.

Is this how it’s going to be?  Will I always feel sadness when it’s time for either a friendly neighbor, or us, to leave?  It’s like you pack several years of friendship into one week, one month or whatever amount of time you have…and then it’s over…gone…perhaps forever.

Fortunately, with Kevin and Sandy, we’ve exchanged email addresses and phone numbers.  Maybe that will salve the pang in my gut.  I was never good at good-byes.  I’ll have to remember to say, “See you on the road” and let that suffice.

Drought Update:

Drought:  a long period of extremely dry weather when there is not enough rain for the successful growing of crops or the replenishment of water supplies.  

Got any Jerry cans?  Well, that’s what you will need if you’re going to fill your boat up with gas here at Lake Conroe. The water level has dipped four feet below normal because of the drought.  In order to get gas in their boats, people are using Jerry Cans because their boats are too low in the water to reach the gas pumps.

People who live along the shore of Lake Conroe now have boats docked on patches of parched dirt.

They bought their homes and, built second homes up here, because of the beautiful recreational lake.  But, the bottom line is…the City of Houston owns 2/3’s of the water in the lake.  After all, it was built with this purpose in mind…supplying Houston with water during emergency conditions.  And, this drought qualifies as an emergency situation.

For the past week, Houston has been draining approximately ½” of water per day.  You can’t blame them.  No one expected this type of weather.  No one expected soaring August temperatures in June.  And, certainly, no one expected our state to go through a record breaking drought, especially when some other parts of the United States are flooding. 

Most of us now keep a close watch on the tropical storms that are forming out in the ocean.  This time, it’s not because we’re worried about hurricanes, because we are.  No, this time we’re watching closely, hoping against hope that the skies will open and we will finally get some rain.  Of course, our next big worry would be that our dry, hard earth would be able to soak it up fast enough without flooding. 

The week finds us thankful for what we have and willing to make do until better times are here again.

Freak Out originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 08/21/2011.

                 It’s too doggone hot!!!

This past week has been very enlightening.  We finally felt like we were moving forward…sort of…kind of…maybe.  Let me explain.

Last Wednesday saw us getting up early so that we could pack up the RV to make a trip to get the RV tires aligned, balanced and checked.  We did it faster this time because we knew more about what we were doing and needed to do to pack up and get on the road.  This time we were going to a place in Willis…just up the road a piece from us.

When we got there, they told us that it would probably be a couple of hours.  We were already prepared for a wait and headed over to Cracker Barrel to have breakfast. 

Side Note:  Yes…I looked at all the Halloween decorations that were on display  and thought about the Pilot’s brother and his girlfriend.  I think they plan their trips via Cracker Barrels.  We all love the things they have during holidays. 

However, I didn’t buy anything because when you live fulltime in an RV, you think twice before adding anything.

We still had time to kill after breakfast so we decided that we would head over to a Verizon store and try to resolve our computer hook up problems.

Remember when the Moto-Sat guy came out and hooked us up to our TV and the Internet?  Well, we learned that we use our computers too much for the satellite Internet available to us.  We’d found that by the afternoon our computers are running so slow that we were just spinning our wheels.  Something about “FAP” and such…  This would also happen with the public Internet here at the campground.  I hate wasting time…with a passion.

Hence, the stop at Verizon.  The Pilot had researched Internet connections for several days and made the decision to buy a Verizon Mi-Fi hot spot card.  We can’t believe how fast our computers go now.  Lightning Speed!  Beyond belief! What a relief!  Now we have blazing speed for our business and back-up when we’re on the road and, hopefully in remote areas.

When we finally picked up the RV, we were given the good news that everything was working well and the tires were still in good condition and safe to drive on.

We felt so good about those two issues being resolved that we celebrated with a Tex-Mex dinner at Eldorado Jack’s here in Montgomery…where our waiter’s name was Giovanni…and he was from Sicily!  Boy, did we bend his ear talking about where our families were from and such.  He’s from Palermo and my grandmother was from Roccapalumba…just south of Palermo.  We then discussed Sicilian/Italian food while munching on chips and salsa and ordering fajitas.  We love international nights!

Thursday morning saw us calling the first RV repair place to see if they got the parts that were ordered last week…so we thought.  It appears that they forgot to order them.   That left us scratching our heads.  How do you forget?  We’re now waiting another week to get the RV repaired and get an estimate for the scratch on the slide…courtesy of the lawn maintenance man.  They also “fogot” to do the estimate on the scratch last week while it was in.  I hope that this isn’t the usual way these places conduct business.

Thursday around noon saw us losing our electricity to the RV a couple of times.  The euphoria we felt the previous day was giving way to that old feeling of frustration again.  It was the frustration of trying to figure out what was causing it.  To date…we still haven’t figured out the cause.  It hasn’t happened since.  KOA swears that nothing was wrong with their electricity so we’ll just keep an eye on things.

Recommendation:

I’ve been trying to plan our first trip up to the east coast.  I went onto the http://www.irv2.com/ forum to read what recommendations other RVers had for trip planning. 

Side Note:  If you ever have any questions, take advantage of all the RV blogs that have forums.  They have proven to be extremely helpful.  Also, don’t hesitate to ask some of the people that write blogs any questions you have.  Especially, if you can’t find the information on their site.  I have had great guidance by Mark Polk, many times, of http://www.rveducation101.com/.  Pretty good people out there in RV land.

There were a lot of recommendations for trip planners but, the one that caught my attention was Microsoft’s Streets and Trips.  It seemed to have everything that would help me plan a trip without too many complex instructions.  The added bonus was that I could try it free for 60 days.  That sold me right there.

I’ve been using it almost every day trying different routes.  The end result was that I loved it so much that I ordered the software.  It was $34.94 plus tax.  You can also get the same software but with GPS for several dollars more. 

As if this jackpot wasn’t enough, I also found out on the iRV2 forum that there was a free download of a POI (Points of Interest) Mega file that could be added to this software.  It has more points of interest, with accompanying icons, that I’ve ever seen. 

What really sold me on this package was that I could customize it to fit our needs and schedules.  For instance, we only plan to drive five hours a day.  I went into the settings and entered the hours that we planned to drive each day and the trip planner adjusted for that change.  I also changed the types of roads we prefer, entered the average cost for diesel and hit enter.  There was our trip laid out on the map along with the written directions. 

I then added in the addresses of where we planned to stop and visit and those were added into the map as well.  You are always aware of how many hours, miles and days your trip will take. You can continuously add or delete from your trip.  So far, I couldn’t ask for more or feel more confident about planning our very first trip.  I’ll give you our final opinion on this program once we’ve been on the road and back. 

All in all…the week was a good one.  We learned a lot of new things.  That’s the point, isn’t it?  Always learning…always changing…and, always smiling through it all.

Speed of Light originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 08/15/2011.

Have you ever tried to re-arrange an RV?  Well, you really can’t really rearrange.  The ways are limited.  As I mentioned last week, we realized that our desktop computers were oversized for our living/office area.  Back to the store again, we purchased a 17” laptop for me since the Pilot already had one.

Moving out the desktop computers wasn’t an issue and was well received by my daughter and the Pilot’s son.  Thank God for family who will take things off your hands that you don’t want to bother selling.  Proudly sitting in the space previously occupied by my desktop is the new laptop.  Stage one completed.

While the laptop produced the desired effect and gave me more space to do my work…it seemed somewhat non-personal.  I was used to my old office with my tchochkes and photos surrounding me, letting my eye land on whatever pleased me at the time.

Here, in my new small “office” I was limited on what I could add as my security blanket.  So, I put up a favorite picture of my Sicilian grandmother and cousin Frank when he was a child.  It gives me comfort to look at it.  I also added a scrapped picture of the name of this blog, which was also the name of a scrapbooking business I had a couple of years ago.  The final personal touch was my “Cowboy Up” stand that reminds me to stand tall and go with the flow.  With just a few little tchochkes surrounding me, I’m a happy camper…no pun intended.

I had to keep the tchochkes limited so that my desk area can transition smoothly into our dining table.  While it’s mainly used as my office I want the feel of a living area in the evening. 

We had originally wanted a booth in our RV but, of course, this came with a pull out table and stand-alone chairs.  I’m glad now that this is what we ended up with.  Behind the table is a narrow buffet that works as great storage for our files and equipment.  We can work as well as entertain in this small area.  What more could you ask?

The Pilot is still in the process of transferring his files from his desktop to his laptop.  You can see from the size of his screen why we made the decision to use laptops.  On the plus side…we were able to view several movies using our desktop screens.

Maintenance & Repairs:

The middle of the week saw us sitting, once again, at Starbucks while the RV was in for repairs.  During the pre-sell inspection our inspector found the steering wheel was a bit loose.  A bit loose is too much loose for us.  We also needed the air jacks looked at and to top it all off…the previous day someone from the campground was mowing the grass around our RV and mowed right into the side of it.  We heard this loud bang and then the RV shook.  We discovered a fresh long deep scrape on the side of our slide out.  KOA immediately told us that their insurance would cover the repair, which relieved our minds.  However, since we live in the RV fulltime, it’s something else added to be fixed while we’re out of it.

Sitting around was hard.  We missed our house.  The day never seemed to end.  Bella sat in the car with the AC blasting away while we did a bit our business inside Starbucks.  We then drove around the area and discovered a produce stand that had tomatoes and cream peas that tasted just like they did when we were kids.  They actually had flavor that reminded you of when life was good. Just like life is doing now…all politics aside.  Life in an RV is allowing us to slow down and look at America.

While being kept out of the RV, we decided to finally drive up to a building that we can see from ourcampsite.  I originally thought that it was a drive-thru bank because of what looked like, well, drive-thru lanes. 

It turns out that the building was originally built here in Montgomery, Texas in 1982 by Louis Kung, nephew of Madam Chiang Kai-shek, whose husband was President of the Republic of China(1945-1975). 

Kung wanted it for his Westland Oil company but also built a 40,000 square foot nuclear bomb shelter.  This building sits on 52 acres and is very well kept and very well protected and is now underground data storage.  If you want to read more about it go to http://www.westlandbunker.com/about.html..

Best Kept Secret:

We went to the Montgomery Farmer’s Market on Saturday.  I wanted to see what fruits and vegetables were available. When we heard music coming from the front porch of an antique shop, we wandered over.  There sat eight older gentlemen who share their love of playing, singing bluegrass to those of us brave enough to journey out into the blazing heat.  We were pleasantly surprised and felt like we were seeing the America that most of us long for.

Question:  Has anyone used the Verizon card for their computer?  If so, how has it worked for you in different areas?  We’re having some difficulty right now with our Internet connection and working fervantly to get it resolve before the Shakedown Cruise in September.

The Arrangement originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 08/08/2011.

I then used a very advanced method to check and see if we actually were level.  I grabbed one of Bella’s balls, set it in the center of the kitchen and let it go. 

I forgot how fast Bella is at retrieving balls.  I sat her in the living room and told her to stay and repeated the process with the ball.  It rolled to the left.  I told the Pilot that we needed to adjust the level just a bit more.  That done, we proceeded to get that day’s work done.

By mid- day we noticed we were slanting again.  That’s when the Pilot called an RV repair shop.  It seems that we won’t be able to get the RV in until this Wednesday.  I then realized that meant that we probably won’t have a place to live while it’s in the shop.  I groaned as I thought about packing for a hotel again.  Please…not so soon.

Being new to this RV adventure, we are working our way through all the pros and cons.  Fortunately, the pros are outweighing the cons by far.  This is the first problem that we’ve had so far.  We’d already planned on taking the RV in to get a problem fixed that was found on inspection just before buying.

Since we’ve been living in the RV for over a month now, we know what things we want changed and what will work as is.  Last week we replaced the sofa with a reclining loveseat.  We are in heaven with that.

As you can see, the loveseat fits quite nicely in Bella’s doghouse!

I have to tell you that we measured every which way, and then again, to make sure that it would fit in the space allotted.  It does and we’re pleased.  Thanks to a recommendation from our friends, Sal & Patty Gambino, we also bought a new mattress and have been sleeping so much better.  We’re big believers in a good night’s sleep.

We realized as soon as we set them up that our desktops were waaay too big for our living area.  We bought another 17” laptop for me that matches the one the Pilot has.  Transferring the data from the desktop to the laptop was a long process with a call to Quick Books for some help.  I still have some fine tuning to do on mine.

One thing this horribly, record breaking, wretchedly hot weather has done for us was the decision to start getting rid of “stuff” that we had originally wanted to keep.  Such as my desk, our sofa and loveseat, etc.  It’s easy to make decisions like that when you’re sweating, dehydrated and ready to pass out. 

Side Note:  The ground all around the camp is dry and has cracked faults running through it in spots.  I’ve never seen this before.  The fish ponds that this KOA is known for lost 10 bass last week due to lack of oxygen in the water.  The water level is more than a foot below normal.  I really don’t want to break any records that have been set before.  We just want rain.

We’re trying to get everything settled and in order before we begin our “Grand Tour”, otherwise known as our “Shakedown Cruise”.  We thought we’d have time to go up into the Hill Country but it seems as though the days get away from us and now it’s almost time to begin our travels.

We plan to leave in early September and make our way up to North Carolina, into Virginia (family in both states) and end up in Maryland for the Pilot’s 50th high school reunion in October.  The Pilot’s brother and companion also live in Maryland.  We want to take our time and enjoy everything as we set off on our first adventure.  One of the highlights that we’re looking forward to is the different Civil War sites along the way.

I’ve been trying to lay out our trip using Good Sam’s trip planner.  If anyone has other suggestions on trip planners, please let us know.  We will also be looking at new GPS systems to help us navigate and watch out for low bridges, etc.

So far…our dream is still coming true.  We’re more than willing to take the good with the bad.  Shoot…we’re retired and we’ve got time…sort of!

Best Kept Secret:

We saw a little place while in old town Montgomery called “Burger Fresh” advertising the best burgers around.  So, we stopped in to see if this claim was true.  Taking a seat after placing our order, we noticed the condiments on the table.  It was the usual ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and Road Kill.  Wait…Road Kill isn’t the usual condiment on tables…except if you’re in Burger Fresh.  We picked up the bottle and read the label.

We laughed as we read the uses.  Then we bought three bottles of it.  You never know when you’ll run out and not have access to this!

Slanted Dreams originally appeared on Sentimental Journeyz on 08/01/2011.