Finalizing Plans for Departure

We have been here at River Vista Mountain Village, Dillard,  in the NE Georgia mountains since June 22nd. That wasn’t the plan but my back issue grounded us as you know if you’ve been reading our blog all summer. I’m thankful for the recovery I’ve been able make to this point. We saw the leaves change and the weather is getting cold so the timing is right to begin heading south. With the rain the past two days, the preparations to leave have been limited to the inside of the motorhome. I believe Barbie has been thru every cabinet and storage area we have cleaning and organizing them all. We got out today to return some library books and pick up some groceries. Barbie was nearly in tears as we left Ingles. She loves that grocery store. The rain is gone so tomorrow we finalize the exterior tasks so we’re ready to pull out Thursday morning. We decided during the past week to leave here a few days early and make a stop prior to us going to Callaway Gardens “Fantasy in Lights.” We’ll spend 3 days in Adairsville, GA at Harvest Moon RV Park before moving on to Pine Mountain. My Microsoft Streets and Trips routing claims it will only be a 2 hour and 45 minute drive. I figure that’s long enough of a drive since it will be my first time behind the wheel since June.

I got a call this morning from the new Activity Director at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park (RCC) in Crystal River. RCC is our “home” rv park in Florida as we purchased a site there nearly 3 years ago.  Judy said she had heard of the dances that I had DJed last year for New Years Eve and Valentines Day from some of the folks already there for the winter that were there last year. Apparently they had a good time and to make a long story short, I know what I’ll be doing and where we’ll be on New Years Eve. Judy asked me if I would do the dance, I accepted, so it’s on the RCC  calendar. Once we get down there she also wants to sit down with me and add some other dates for dances for the park for the season. My agent has already begun the promotion for New Years Eve. LOL

So for those of you who don’t have plans for camping at that time of year yet, come join us on the Nature Coast in Crystal River. If you want more information make a comment at the end of the blog and I’ll get back with you. It is a great part of the state to spend some time. Come check out “Monkey Island,” swim with the manatees, or share some steamed shrimp and a drink with us at The Freezer. It don’t get much better, I’m tellin’ ya. We’re gonna have a blast!

‘Til next time………………….

Veteran’s Day Remembered

You can find many tributes to veterans if you search the internet for sure. Below is one of my favorites:

 

The Best on Earth:
A Veteran's Day Tribute

If someone has done military service,
They earn the title "veteran," and more;
They earn our deep respect and admiration;
That they are special no one can ignore.

They sacrificed the comforts we enjoy;
The list is long of all the things they gave.
Our veterans are extraordinary people;
They’re loyal, dedicated, true and brave.

When terror and invasion were real threats,
They showed us they could handle any storm.
We owe our freedoms and our very lives
To our veterans, who served in uniform.

Our veterans should be celebrities;
They’re exceptional; no other group compares.
We’re grateful for the many things they’ve done;
They’re always in our hearts and in our prayers.

We owe our veterans support and friendship;
Let no one ever question what they’re worth.
These men and women served us and our country,
Our veterans--the very best on earth.

By Joanna Fuchs

 

Thanks Dad and all the other veterans out there.

‘Til next time…………………..

Brrrrrrr…….

I woke up at 5:30am this morn and took a look at the thermometer that shows the outside temp. The outside gauge is located on the back of the motorhome near the ladder to the roof. It read 28 DEGREES for the temp! That is the low that  Intellicast (my favorite weather website) predicted for last eve. Thank goodness the inside temp read 64 degrees. The Vornado was working hard to keep us at that temperature. But, we were comfortable. Well, the projected low for tonight in Dillard is to be 24. Geez, and we won’t be leaving here until the 22nd. We did somewhat firm up the travel plans. I made our reservations for Pine Mountain RV Resort near Callaway Gardens for Nov 22-25. We’ll check out the Gardens and their “Fantasy in Lights” show. Then I made reservations for the Ho-Hum RV Park in Carrabelle, FL, in the panhandle, for Nov 26-29. Ho-Hum is between Tallahassee and Panama City and  they claim “To Cater To Seniors and Adults In A Quiet Relaxed  Country Atmosphere.” Sounded like a good fit to us. It is also right on the Gulf of Mexico and our site is to face the water. Check out their website and you’ll see what I mean. I found this place on one of the blogs I regularly follow. After we leave there it is “home” to Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park in Crystal River.

The paint crew will be back Monday morn to put the final coat on the deck. It really looks great. The knots and grain in the wood are clearly visible through the stain. I’ll post pictures mid-week. We also will have new chassis (starting) batteries installed in the motorhome Monday. We knew they were weak when we arrived here in June and would need replacing but we planned to wait until it was time to move on down the road. We’re told starting batteries in a motorhome last about 5 years and we’ve had the coach since ‘04 and have never replaced them so I don’t feel bad about this expense.

Wednesday eve, we went up to Franklin, NC, and had a “send-off” dinner with great friends, Pat and Sandie, at MiCasa, a Mexican restaurant. They’ve been up at their rv site in Franklin, 20 minutes from us here in Dillard, for nearly 6 weeks I believe. They headed home to Brandon, FL, Friday morning.

Finally, I can also say I finished reading a book on the JFK assassination that Barbie had checked out of the Rabun County Library for me. That subject has always intrigued me. In this book, from witness statements and the documents that have been released, the author pokes holes in and refutes the Warren Commission Report. It addresses how the assassination went down, from where the shots were fired, to the how and when of JFK’s body arriving at Bethesda Naval Hospital, and to the autopsy itself. I’m currently working on UFO’s- Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go On the Record. That’s another subject that has always fascinated me. And finally, Barbie checked out Kathy Reichs, 2006 Bones, for me. She is the author that is the inspiration for the FOX TV series, “Bones”, which is a favorite of mine. So I’d better quit this and get busy reading if I plan to finish all before we leave Dillard!

I’ll leave you with some “cold” pix from here from a few years ago. Stay warm wherever you are AND don’t forget to turn your clocks back tonight!

‘Til next time…………

Gettin’ the Itch

Well, here it is November. It’s hard to believe we have been here in Dillard a little over 4 months. Of course, I feel like I lost about half of that time being grounded with my back issue. But now with my physical therapy ongoing, although cut back to twice a week now, we are trying to tie up some loose ends because we are getting the itch to get on the move. We are kicking around the idea of leaving here and going to the Pine Mountain, GA area to check out “Fantasy in Lights” at Callaway Gardens. “Fantasy in Lights” runs from November 19 thru December 30, 2010. Nestled amidst the wooded landscape of Callaway Gardens, Fantasy In Lights is the Southeast's most spectacular holiday light and sound show with more than eight million twinkling lights celebrating the holiday season.  This spectacular show has attracted almost two million visitors since it opened in 1992.  Now in its 19th year, Fantasy In Lights has become an essential holiday tradition for many families, as much as a part of the season as caroling or attending "The Nutcracker."

Now in its 19th year, Fantasy In Lights continues to be the most incredible holiday light show in the South they claim. Larger-than-life lighted scenes, music, a 22,000-square-foot Christmas Village, holiday decor and more make this one of those special experiences you'll always treasure.

1. Fantasy In Lights opened in 1992 with five scenes. Since then, it has grown to include more than a dozen lighted scenes with music and many with animation.
2. The total show includes 8,000,000 lights. This is equivalent to the number of lights on 26,666 standard 6-foot tall Christmas Trees.
3. To make music an integral part of each scene, speakers are used.
4. It takes a lot of electricity to keep the lights burning. To deliver that electricity they use 3,500 extension cords!
5. To provide sound and power to all the scenes, they use more than 32 miles of cable.
6. 12 million cable ties hold all the cables in place.
7. Three of the scenes are controlled with digital show controls, just like those used in Broadway productions.
8. If you connected all of the light strings used in Fantasy In Lights, they would stretch 731 miles! That means you could outline the state of South Carolina with them or stretch them from Callaway to Baltimore, Maryland!
9. It takes 3,900 man-hours to install Fantasy In Lights, 1,780 man-hours to maintain it during the duration the show is open, and 1,020 man-hours to disassemble it.
10. It takes six weeks to install the entire show. Each scene takes three to four days to install.
11. The newest scene, Enchanted Rainbow Forest, has 410 controlled images. This has almost three times the number of images used in The Twelve Days of Christmas.
12. 99% of the frames used in Fantasy In Lights are custom designed and built just for Callaway.
13. To turn on the show, more than 1,000 switches have to be flipped every night. It takes two workers at least 45 minutes to turn on all of them. Then, it takes another 45 minutes to turn all 1,000 switches off at the end of the night.
14. Each scene receives a major overhaul every three to four years. This process includes rewiring and restringing with new lights.
15. In January, Fantasy In Lights is stored in a 6,500-square-foot warehouse where it remains until the elves visit them again in the Fall to begin another year of the show!

You see why we want to hit this event? If you want more info click here "Fantasy in Lights"

Saturday we went to Waynesville, NC with the purpose of going to a Best Buy store to purchase a new 32” Sony Bravia LCD TV for the motorhome. We’ve been kicking around the idea for awhile now so we decided to get it while on sale. We already had the lumber cut to build a stand to fit over our steering wheel area and Barbie had already stained it. We just needed to assemble it. Well, wouldn’t you know the Best Buy  had no more but “the truck” was to arrive Thursday with 6 more. Of course that was of no use to us so Barbie suggested going next door and check out the WalMart. Wouldn’t you know they had the same tv for the same sale price as Best Buy. We bought it, assembled the stand Monday and were watching “Dancing With the Stars” on the new tv last evening. It is sweet for sure!

Finally, Jamie Avila and his paint crew were finally able to start re-staining our deck, shed and landscape timbers yesterday. He was to have started last week but the rain prevented them from starting. These fellas are efficient. They pressure washed everything first. Then they are sanding everything before applying the first coat. They will add a second coat as well. It looks great now and they haven’t put the second coat on yet. This crew has painted most of the cabins in Falls View and they do a great job. When they finish I’ll post photos.

‘Til next time…………………..

Rain FINALLY Gone

Wow, just realized it has been nearly a week since my long Gatlinburg post. The recent rain days just seemed to make the days fly by. The past week has been fairly busy though. Florida friends, Linda and Steve, were headed back to Tampa from Michigan and emailed us saying they would drop by River Vista last Saturday for a couple days. Steve and Linda were both educators as well. Linda was a math teacher and administrator and Steve was a vocational work experience teacher and coach. As a matter of fact, Linda and I both taught math at one point in time at Coleman Junior High in Tampa in the late 70’s-early 80’s. Then Steve and I both taught and I was an assistant football coach for Steve at East Bay High School from ‘84-87. Steve and I then both moved to the new Bloomingdale High School where Steve taught and was head football coach and I served as an assistant principal. Steve and Linda have been fulltiming in their motorhome, traveling the USA, for the past few years. Steve and Linda were also members of the same FMCA chapter, Roamin’ Rigs, as we were. Oh yeah, Steve and I do share one other thing---we both have back issues. As a matter of fact, when I was at my lowest points in late June/early July, Steve emailed me sharing his issues etc and it really helped me through the mental part of my recovery. Anyway, we were able to go out and have dinner and get caught up with each others happenings before they headed south Monday morn. They left us with some great fudge they helped make while in Michigan.

My physical therapy has continued on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through this week. Next week I begin only Tuesdays and Thursdays until we head south. I am in the strengthening and endurance mode now. I use walking(hiking) sticks to assist me with balance. I no longer use the walker at all. I have no pain in my lower back. My left hip does get sore if I push myself or overdue it a bit. But, both the neurologist and pain management doctor have both released me after being really pleased with my progress.

Tonight we will be going with friends Pat and Sandie to dinner and a production of “Rhythm of the Dance" to be held at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin, NC. The two-hour dance and music extravaganza contains a wealth of Irish talent. The show is an inspiring epic, reliving the journey of the Irish culture throughout history. Using modern art forms of dance and music, this richly costumed show marries the contemporary and the ancient. Combining traditional dance and music with the most up to date stage technology, the show is a thousand-year-old journey executed with all the advantages of the modern day stage show. We look forward to the event.

We have made plans to have our deck, shed and landscaping timbers restained. Barbie and I did the work two years ago but this time we are having a man and his crew do it that have done alot of painting of cabins etc in the park. Their work is beautiful. They powerwashed it all a week ago and were to start the painting Monday but with the rain from that “monster” storm that has crossed the nation this week, they haven’t been able to start yet. I suspect tomorrow they’ll begin.

With the rain and little wind the past last days the leaves are now falling in this area. I’m gonna miss the wonderful colors we’ve experienced over the past few weeks. We’ve really enjoyed seeing our first leaves changing in probably 38 or so years. I’ll share a few more photos we’ve taken.

“Til next time………………………………

Gatlinburg Trip

We are back in Dillard after returning from our trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We left for Gatlinburg Monday morning at 9:45am. We drove through the Arts and Crafts Community Loop when we got there since we couldn’t check in to the hotel until 3pm. We stopped at our favorite candle shop anywhere and stocked up on some more soy candles. They are made with 100% natural soybean base and premium botanical fragrance oils. Unlike paraffin, soy is not made from crude oil. These candles burn longer and cooler than paraffin. They are fragrant, burn clean and you can use the melted soy liquids from the candles burning as a lotion to rub on your hands, feet  or wherever. It makes a great moisturizer believe it or not. Like I said, we have bought many candles in our days and these are our favorites. We discovered these candles 2 summers ago. We purchased the following scents this time: lemon grass, pineapple papaya, evergreen, tranquil breeze, cinnamon orange, eucalyptus mint, coconut lime verbena, and southern nights. It is a tough choice deciding on which fragrances to buy. Barbie and I must enter into intense negotiations to come up with the decisions. Check them out at (click here) SOY CANDLES for different fragrances, sizes and prices. You won’t be disappointed.

Before going to the hotel we stopped at a Subway sandwich shop and had lupper (a lunch/supper combo) and took a quick ride to Pigeon Forge, stopped at a Super WalMart and bought a new camera I’ve been looking at and researching for a week or so. It is a Canon PowerShot SX30 IS digital camera. It is a 14.1 mega pixel camera and has a 35x optical zoom lens plus a 4x digital zoom on top of that. It is sweet and I’ve only started checking out all the features. Oh yes, it takes individual photos as well as videos. The traffic for a Monday was crazy in Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg. By this time we were more than ready to check in at the hotel.

We stayed at the EconoLodge and Suites, one block off of the main drag in Gatlinburg, directly behind the Space Needle. It was also about 100 yards from the Convention Center where the Fall Arts and Crafts Festival was being held.

The top of the Space needle at night or a UFO ?

Tuesday, we got up early, had breakfast at the River Road Pancake House, then drove to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Let me get the stats out of the way first. We spotted about a half dozen wild turkeys, 2 deer and hundreds of people. Much to Barbie’s chagrin-NO bears were seen. Barbie got out of the car to take pictures of the deer and was within about 20 feet of one of them, but when it took a couple of steps towards her she scurried back into the car. This was the culprit.

Following our Cades Cove journey, we headed back thru Townsend (“the quiet side of the Smokies”, as the locals say) and Wears Valley before entering Pigeon Forge. We drove through a couple of the campgrounds while there and found them FULL of rvers. We didn’t expect the crowds but I guess they came for 1 of 2 reasons or both: 1) the leaves changing, 2) the Alabama vs Tennessee football game this weekend. We did see a bunch of Alabama Crimson and Cream gear! After we got back to the hotel, we were too tired to go out for dinner so Barbie went out and picked up some KFC dinner boxes. It rained overnight but by the time we got up and going Wednesday morn the rain had ended and it was turning cooler as we headed over to the convention center for  the Arts & Crafts Festival. We got out of there without spending as much as I had anticipated. We left with 2 more soy candles, a new handmade purse for Barbie and some homemade hand/body lotion. I almost bought a 1 string dulcimer, aka “canjo” (I figured I could handle 1 string), but I fought off the urge-maybe next year.

It has only one string so it is very easy to play. It does have a tin can for the body where the sound comes from and a full diatonic fret scale with real guitar frets. I couldn’t decide between a Mountain Dew can or a Miller Genuine draft can so I passed on it.

We returned to the room to drop off the purchases, catch a break then took off in the car thru the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (one of my favorite drives). It is an 8 mile,  one way road through a portion of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park just outside of Gatlinburg. Check out a few photos below. You can click on any of them to enlarge it.

A mile or so after exiting  the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, our next stop was the Smoky Mountain Winery in Gatlinburg. Barbie went in and picked up 4 bottles of wine which we have had before and enjoyed- 2 Muscadine Red and 2 Muscadine White. By then we were hungry so we journeyed back to Pigeon Forge and a Five Guys burger joint we spotted the day earlier. Doncha just love their burgers and especially their fries? By then this old boy was exhausted-you see other than the trip to the Arts & Crafts Festival, this old boy was using my week old walking sticks and my two legs to get around. It is amazing how much strength and endurance I lost being down with my back issue from June 26th until last week. My RE-newed favorite song is the old Chicago classic, “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day.”

This morning after checking out of the hotel we returned to the River Road Pancake House for breakfast before heading “back over the mountain” for the 2 hour drive back to Dillard. You see I had a doctors appointment with the neurologist that I saw 8 weeks ago at 3:30pm. She was the one that walked me through how the nerve damage caused my issues and how the recovery would go. She was pleased at my progress enough to say she did not need to see me again but to call her if I needed her. Of course, she made her point one last time that I reeded to lose weight for my backs sake.

Whew-I’m beat after reliving the past few days. So….’til next time I leave you with 2 campers along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

An Afternoon at the Farm

Barbie is writing today!!!So, pay attention now as I guide you through a day of adventure and fun!

Jeff had his PT on Monday and felt really good after it. So, we decided to travel to Alto, Georgia, to a place called Jaemor Farms. What a neat place! It took us 40 minutes to get there from Clayton and the travelling weather was just beautiful! We used the GPS and it took us past the place. So we u-turned and came back to it. Jaemor Farms is located on a hill and it was crowded. You first see the big pumpkin patches on the hill to the right of the farm. There is an eight acre maze that is in the shape of the United States. We didn’t start it since it was too late in the afternoon. To be honest, I didn’t think I would be able to find my way out. I feared that panic would set in and my cell phone would die on me and I would be there until morning. haha

I went inside and was amazed at how much I could actually spend in here. But reality set in . I don’t have the room in the refrigerators for all the stuff. So, I just started buying things that didn’t need refrigeration. I bought an acorn squash, butternut squash, pickled beets, black eyed peas relish, pumpkin bread, and some cameo apples.They had some homemade peach, strawberry or vanilla ice cream . I bought us some peach and it was good. They had pumpkins and gourds everywhere. Fresh vegetables ranging from corn on the cob to snap beans to cabbage to you name it , I think they had it! They even had fresh flowers and plants. If this place weren’t so far away, we would be there weekly.

Jaemor Farms was so crowded because it was Columbus Day and the kids got the day off. For my old colleagues in Florida, too bad you didn’t get the day off to enjoy all the festivities that went with celebrating Columbus Day! What a shame! haha

Jeff is doing very well with his physical therapy. He is walking without his walker inside the motorhome to get more strength. Today during physical therapy, his therapist started him on strengthening movements. He isn’t sore or hurting at all. We went to eat at a place called MiCasa Mexican restaurant in Franklin after physical therapy. We had been there once before and loved it. We really enjoyed it today. Jeff had a burrito and a poblano dinner. I had a chicken chimichanga with some fixings and couldn’t eat it all. Afterwards I washed the car in preparation for the rain that was to come this evening. Yeah right, you must wash the car because it is dirty even though you know it will rain. We are headed for Hiawassee today for the Georgia Mountain Festival.The weather should be beautiful with highs supposedly around 70 degrees. The leaves are changing and they are spectacular for these two campers, since we haven’t seen autumn leaves in 37 years. I don’t want to miss a single day of seeing the remarkable change occur.

Until the next time…….remember to enjoy the moment.