Mayberry RFD (Mount Airy, NC)

Okay, we’re going to back up a little bit here and start over.  We, as you already know, arrived at Mayberry Campground on Friday around two o’clock.  That left us with a little time to do a “drive by” to get the lay of the land.  So we headed into Mount Airy, specifically Main Street which is also referred to as Mayberry.  Now, the only thing that Mount Airy has to do with Mayberry is that the shows star, Andy Griffith, was born and raised here.  The show itself was never filmed here, but Andy did bring some of Mount Airy to Mayberry and, because of Andy, the town has brought a lot of Mayberry to Mount Airy.  Here is how Main Street looks today.

We decided to park the truck and do a little walk about to see what we’d want to visit on a later trip to Mayberry RFD.  Floyd’s City Barber Shop was still opened so we stopped by so I could get a haircut.  Russ Hiatt has been cutting hair in this location for “65 years come this July” (I turn Medicare “come this July” so Russ was just starting out cutting hair when I was making my entrance into this world).  Russ used to cut Andy’s hair when he lived here and Floyd’s City Barber Shop was based on Russ’s - “Two Chairs, No Waiting!”

Saturday morning Don and Jenny arrived at our door around eleven o’clock.  We headed into town for a day of tourism with hopes of bumping into Andy and Opie on the streets of Mayberry.  Our first stop was at 711 Haymore Street, just a few blocks from Main Street, to take some pictures of Andy Griffith’s boyhood home.  The home is owned by a hotel and can be rented out as a bed and breakfast.  The Griffith family resided in the home until 1966.

Our next stop was at the Andy Griffith Museum which houses the largest collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia collected by his childhood friend Emmett Forrest.  As luck would have it, Emmett was on hand to answer questions and pass on stories about Andy and himself.  Betty Lynn, the actress who played Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, makes appearances at the museum on the third Friday each month.

And, yes, we did bump into Andy and Opie as they were heading out to do a little fishing.

While in Mayberry there are three ways to get around to see the sights.  You can walk or you can take a Mule Wagon Ride or you can tour by Squad Car.

 

Being that Mayberry only covers four blocks, we elected to walk and stop by a few of the establishments on our way.  The first stop after the Museum was Snappy Lunch which was right next door to Floyd’s City Barber Shop.  Snappy Lunch was established in 1923, and it's one of the oldest Mount Airy restaurants.  It became famous after it was mentioned on the Andy Griffith Show.  The most popular item on the menu is the Pork Chop Sandwich, a delicious piece of grilled boneless pork, topped with condiments such as coleslaw, chili and others.

With our bellies full, we set out to become tourists.

 

Wally’s Service Station, where Goober and Gomer worked, was built in 1937 as a Gulf Station and later became an Esso Station.  Although it wasn’t called Wally’s Service Station back then, it was a place where Andy would stop by to have an RC cola and a Moon Pie.  You can still have those today, however, they are no longer a nickel each and are a lot smaller than those that Andy used to enjoy.

Here are a couple more pictures from along Main Street, Mayberry (Mount Airy).

Unfortunately, the City Jail isn’t opened on Saturdays or Sundays.  We plan to stop by later today so we’ll snap a couple of pictures to be included in another blog entry.  Oh, by the way, Andy isn’t the only “star” from Mount Airy.  It is also home to the old time bluegrass singer Tommy Jarrell and country singer Donna Fargo.  P. T. Barnum’s Siamese Twins, Eng and Chang Bunker, made their home in Mount Airy after their touring days with the circus.

Well, there you have it from Mayberry.  We’ve enjoyed being a tourist and dropping in on Andy, Barney, Aunt Bea, Opie, and the all the rest.  Brings back memories of “a simpler time, a sweeter place, a lesson, a laugh, a father and a son”.

May God Bless - - - - - - - - -

A Great Visit With Good Friends

Yesterday was a great day.  Don and Jenny drove over from Mountain City, Tennessee to visit with us.  It was good to see them again as it’s been over a year now since we last saw them.  We drove into Mount Airy to visit some of Andy Griffith’s old stomping grounds (we’ll add that story and pictures tomorrow).  Don and Jenny have their own lawn care business in Mountain City which keeps them very, very busy so we were truly blessed to have them take time off and drive waaaaaay over here (a two hour trip) just to see little ol’ us.  Thanks guys.

While the four of us were doing our sightseeing thing, Mister Hungary showed up  so we dropped by Snappy Lunch for their famous Pork Chop Sandwich.  It’s chicken fried pork on a toasted bun with chili, coleslaw, lettuce, tomato, and mustard.  Good but messy and, as far as I’m concerned, they could hold the coleslaw (just serve it on the side).  But, ya just gotta try it once. 

We enjoyed spending time with Don and Jenny chit chatting about a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Jenny writes short stories about her family life and growing up in Mountain City.  She brought some of them along to share with us.  Her plan is to publish her stories in a book.  I hope she does, I’ll be one of the first to purchase a copy. 

They had to leave way too soon.  We look forward to our next get together.  You can just never have too many friends. 

This morning we’ll attend the ACC (Arm Chair Church) by tuning into COTES.TV on the internet for the morning worship (Ten Eastern, Nine Central).  This will be the second sermon in the series “If You Had 30 Days To Live”.  Pastor Russ does a great job with his messages which gives you plenty to reflect on.  Hope to see ya there.

Just a thought for the day.  A fanatic is someone who loves the Lord more than you do. 

Be Sure To Worship and May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Honey, We’re Here

It’s Saturday morning and I’m sitting in my recliner sipping my coffee and contemplating the day’s events.  First of all, I’m thankful that yesterday’s trip was somewhat uneventful.  The only “fly in the ointment” was that one of the bolts holding the “new” steps in place broke.  I must have over tightened it while installing the “new” steps.  It had an elastic stop nut on it which made it a little difficult to sense how much pressure I was putting on the bolt.  I suppose it’s possible that the nut was cross threaded or, most likely, it was just a “cheap ass” bolt to begin with.  No big deal, I have replacement bolts on hand so it can be easily replaced.

We arrived at Mayberry Campground around two o’clock and it only took about twenty minutes to “pitch the tent” with all the hook ups.  Then it was “Tea Time” (It’s all Mikee’s fault for instituting this tradition); after which, we took a short drive about to get the lay of the land. 

On our way home we dined at Goober’s where Judy had a nice BBQ’d chicken sandwich and I had the Black Jack Burger – both were yummy sandwiches.  The sandwiches came with a pickle and potato chips or you could upgrade for seventy-five cents.  We both upgraded to “Crispy O’s” which were stringy onion rings – should have stuck with the potato chips.

So, as for today, we’re going to make up the rules as the game progresses.  Don and Jenny are coming to visit us and they’ve never been to Mount Airy either before so we’ll most likely go downtown to visit Andy Griffith’s old stomping grounds.  A lot of the “businesses” in the old television series were based on “establishments” located on Main Street in Mount Airy, however, some of the names were changed.  More about all of that later (with pictures).

In the meantime, Have Yourself A Great Day and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -   

And The Rains Came Down

We hadn’t planned it that way, but it turned out that our hunkering down day was a good day to hunker down.  Nasty weather surrounded us.  East of us there was hail the size of golf balls destroying property while tornadoes were tearing up the landscape west of us.  We just had thunderstorms off and on thoughout the day. 

We “stood” inside and played on our ‘puters, read, and watched the world go by.  I did wash off the end caps in between the rain showers while God rinsed them for me and I programmed Nagy Maggie (our GPS) to guide us to Mayberry RFD (Mount Airy, North Carolina).  But those were the only “big” outings for the day.

Judy created a new recipe for chicken.  She put diced onions, green peppers, and celery into a crock pot with a can of stewed tomatoes.  Then she grilled a couple of chicken breasts and added them to the mixture with a a little chicken broth and pinch of salt and pepper letting It stew for several hours.  I added some Old Bay seasoning to mine, but that’s a little too spicy for Judy J so she just added a tad bit more salt to hers.  It was quite tasty and a “keepah” for sure. 

So, as you can see, it was a quiet laid back day for us.  We could have stayed in our PJ’s, but we did act like civilized humanoids by taking a shower and changing into our “street clothes” for the day.  But, ahhhhhh, that recliner sho’ ‘nuf was comfy.  The three R’s – reclining, relaxing, and reading, who could ask for anything more?

See you from Mayberry RFD tomorrow.  Who knows, maybe we’ll get a parking ticket from Barney, a haircut from Floyd, and a cup of tea from Aunt Bea.  And if we’re lucky we’ll bump into Andy and Opie somewhere near the fishin’ creek.  We’ll keep our cameras on the ready.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - - 

Tucked Away In The Ho, Ho, Ho, Raccoon Valley

We absolutely love uneventful travel days and yesterday was just that.  Everything performed just as it’s supposed to.  We arrived at the Escapees Raccoon Valley RV Park around two o’clock Eastern Daylight Savings Time, which meant that we lost an hour at the Time Zone change.

After getting our tent pitched with utilities hooked up, we headed to Golden Girls for lupper.  We both settled on Uncle Charlie’s Grilled Pork Loin dinners.  Those loin chops were cooked to perfection, you could cut them with a fork.  We each had two sides and a diet coke that accompanied the pork loins and were filled to the brim upon our departure.

Since our bellies were full, we decided to give the truck a drink of good old number 2 diesel fuel.  Praise the Lord, the last two fill ups have been at $3.89.9 per gallon – we’ve budgeted $4.25 for the rest of the year and hopefully will come in under budget.  Don’t get me wrong, we still think that $3.90 is too high for diesel fuel, but whacha gonna do?  You either pay or you stay!!

Once we returned home, a late afternoon thunderstorm passed by forcing us to close the windows and go to the air conditioner.  Temperatures were in the low 80’s to high 70’s before the storm rolled in and dropped off quickly during the storm.  It was warm and humid again after the storm moved out.

This morning another thunderstorm passed by.  “Hail No” you say?  “Hail yes”, and lots of it.  Boy does that stuff make a racket on the roof.  It was definitely a rude awaking.  Fortunately it was only the small (smaller than a pea) sized hail that doesn’t cause any damage.  Maybe it washed the bugs off the front of the RV so I won’t have to.

Today is going to be pretty much a nothing day.  We plan to stay at home and play on our computers, read, wash the end caps of the RV, and, maybe, take a nap.  After a week of running every day, it’s going to seem nice to not even get into the truck.  The katts think that is a grand plan as well.  Katie is sitting on the sofa smiling while Alex is sitting on the window looking out the window purring loudly.  Contented katts are a good thing.

Be Good and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

Readying To Roll

Yesterday we shampooed the carpets so that they are nice and clean.  We may have a small home, but it’s still a lot of work to shampoo the carpets.  Everything needs to get moved around and it makes it hard to move around the house.  But, that task is behind us and now we’re getting ready to head for Raccoon Valley where the front and rear caps of the RV will get washed again.  There are bugs on the front and road dirt on the rear end.  It’s difficult to keep a really nice clean machine and it will need to be done again once we get to Maine.

Once we finished the carpets, and sat around for a bit to catch our breath, we took the carpet shampooer home and to get another grand child fix.  That one has to last us until July when then vacation with us in Michigan.  Those little munchkins sure grow on you and it makes it harder and harder to leave after each visit here in Tennessee.

Our itinerary calls for a couple of nights at Raccoon Valley followed by a stop by Mayberry RFD for some sightseeing and then onto to Alexandria, Virginia to visit with daughter Mary and her husband Joel.  We’ll get to visit a little bit with our new grand baby who is now wiggling and kicking and rearranging the furniture in his/her room (or should we say womb).  From Virginia we’ll be making our way to Jaffrey, New Hampshire for yet another grand child fix.  We should get more grand child face time this time with our new site which is right next to their house.  Yep, it’s all about grand children, born and unborn.  But, for now it’s:

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, To you and you and you!

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Who’s The Biggest Kid In The Class?

Each time that we’re in town (Murfreesboro, that is), we like to join our Grand Daughter, Catia, at her school for lunch.  It seems that G-Pa is a hit with a group of six and seven year old girls.  They like to play math games with me, because I ask them questions like, “if I had two katts in one basket and three katts in another, what would I have?”  They’re fast and all screamed, “Five!!!”, to which I told them that that was wrong.  Of course, they disagreed with me and insisted that the answer was “five”.  I told them, “No, I’d have too many katts, that’s what I’d have!!”  They find those kind of math problems funny.

Anyway, we joined them for lunch and it became real apparent to us that the news of the recent Secret Service Scandal is having a profound affect on these young minds.  One little boy stated that, “The teacher was sick today so we had to have a prostitute.”  That one is hard to let slip by so I asked him if she did any tricks for him.  He said, “No, she just made them read.”  I just let it drop at that point, but did wonder what a “prostitute” would give a bunch of first graders to read.

Having lunch with a room full of Elementary School kids is a noisy affair.  It starts off relatively normal, but as the meal progresses the volume level increases.  It increases to the point that one would think they were at a Sunday Evening Ice Cream Social at Rainbow Plantation with 160 people.  However, we can attest that it was a rather subdued luncheon in that no food was flying this time, but I was ready with a hand full of peas just in case.

Speaking of peas, one kid was trying to eat his peas with a knife.  I got to laughing so hard that I drop a whole handful of mashed potatoes right into my lap.  Yep, we had lunch with our Grand Daughter and enjoyed it immensely, can’t wait to do it again next time we’re in town.

On our way home from school, we stopped by the kid’s to visit with Kalina and Radek for a few minutes before their nap time.  It’s gonna be hard to pull out of here tomorrow morning, especially knowing that we won’t be back until who knows when in this coming fall.  Kalina never wants G-Ma and G-Pa to leave.  “Why do you have to go?”  “I don’t want you to leave, Gramma!”  But, the munchkin had to get her nap to keep her from getting tired and irritable; besides, G-Pa needed his nap to keep him from getting tired and irritable as well.

That storm front that passed by the other day has brought in some cool, chilly weather.  Yesterday afternoon it felt like a fall day in New England.  The wind was howling through the trees outside so we just sat inside with the fireplace going and snuggled under our cuddle blankets in our recliners while reading our Nooks.  It just give one a nice cozy warm feeling while sipping on a cup of hot chocolate.  No need to go outside in the cold, just hunker down and enjoy a peaceful afternoon.  What fun!

We borrowed Matt and Jackie’s carpet shampooer so this morning is shampoo the carpets day.  Then later we’ll return the shampooer and spend some more time playing with the G-Kids for awhile before saying good bye for this trip.  So, I guess that’s it in a nutshell.

Take Care, Have Fun, and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

The Family Outing

Oh, oh!!  We’re heading in a northeasterly direction and “they” just showed pictures from Pennsylvania on the telly with some #%&%# sn*w!  What?  Did you say #%&%# sn*w?  Yep, that’s exactly what I said.  The good news is that we are still almost two weeks away from crossing the Pennsylvania border.  Hopefully that “stuff” clears out by then and the temperatures return to the unseasonably warm temps that they have been experiencing earlier this year.

Yesterday morning we attended COTES via the internet.  Pastor Russ started a new series entitled “30 Day To Live”.  It was an excellent message that went “hand in hand” with the message that Pastor Jackson delivered Saturday night.  Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?  And God’s plan is coming together just as He promised it would.

The kids and grand kids arrived around noon time.  We set fire to some charcoal in the grill and some wood in the fireplace.  Then we burned some hot dawgs and hamburgers on the grill.  Judy made a strawberry J-ello with real live strawberries in it while Matt and Jackie brought some watermelon and strawberries to munch on.  You know that you can’t have kids and a fire without having S’mores. 

                                      

And, also, when you have grand kids near a playground you just know where you’re going to end up.

        

                                

So, we ended the day with another successful family outing with fun times being had by all.  It was a great Sunday with great memories being made.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

The Black Team Defeats The Green Team

“Catia, what’s the name of your team?”  “We’re the black team.”  “But all the girls are white!”  “Granpaaaa, you’re silly!  Our shirts are black.”  “Oh, what team are you playin’?”  “The green team.”  “But Saint Patrick’s Day has already passed.”  “Huh?”  “I suppose it’s because their shirts are green.”  “That’s why they’re the green team, Granpa.”  “Okay then, go play ball.”

The Black team beat the Green team by 16 to 1, slightly lopsided to say the least.  So far the Black team is undefeated.  That’s because they were smart enough to recruit the best super star soccer player in the league, one Miss Catia Patterson (IMHO).

After the game we all went to Publix just to walk the isles and get “stuff” for a cookout that will take place this afternoon at G-pa’s and G-ma’s.  I suppose that we’ll have to take the G-kid’s to the playground, it’s one of their favorite activities when visiting the “Old Folks At Home” at Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

Last evening we attended the World Outreach Church.  The other Patterson’s didn’t make it because Super Star Soccer Player Catia was feeling under the weather.  A trip to Urgent Care revealed swollen tonsils and glands.  Now she’s on antibiotics, sure hope that does the trick. 

Pastor Allan Jackson (not the singer) was right on the mark with his sermon.  WOC is our second favorite church, right up there with Church on the Eastern Shore (COTES) in Fairhope (our home church).  The bad news is that there’s a bookstore right in the church and we ended up buying some books.  Judy bought a nice devotional entitled Jesus Calling and I got an biography on Derek Prince who was our very first pastor’s grandfather.  He was a great spiritual leader and author of many books dealing with spiritual growth.

On our way home we stopped by Subway to pick up a luscious sub sandwich to share for our evening meal, a nice inexpensive meal – “five, five dollar, five dollar foot long”.

This morning we’ll attend the PJAC church; that is, the Pajama Arm Chair Church (AKA COTES) online.  Hopefully our connection will allow us to participate in the service.  Pastor Russ is starting a new series this morning and we’d love to be able to follow along live over the next few Sundays.  We can always login later in the week and download either the video or audio versions.

Okay, it’s bye bye for now.  Take Time To Worship and May The Good Lord Bless You  - - - - - - - -

It Doesn’t Take Long At All

Whachu think?  Is tending grand children all that it’s cracked up to be?  Yep, it is!  The little monsters weren’t little monsters at all.  They were just as good as gold.  Even the dawg behaved itself. 

It’s amazing how fast these little kids are growing.  It seems like just the other day we were witnessing the birth of grand child number six, now he’s a mobile unit who is a very busy little person indeed.  Kalina is growing quickly as well; she’s getting tall and she’s a little chatter box.

Catia is in the first grade and has a reading level beyond anything we’d could imagine.  When I was in the first grade I was reading, “See Spot run.  Run Spot run.”  But not Catia.  She’s reading “chapter books” with words like “astronauts” and “experimental” as well as comprehending what it all means.  Boy, it doesn’t take long at all for these kids to grow up.

So, that was our yesteday – taking care of the grandkids.  Then we stopped by the Publix on our way home to pick up some milk and a couple other things.  Once we returned home, we just “vegged out” while reading, watching the news, and playing on our ‘puters.  Beddy bye came early and here we are sitting in our recliners and sucking down our morning coffee.

Catia has a soccer game today if it doesn’t get rained out.  Right now it’s pouring outside, but it’s supposed to stop any minute now so by nine o’clock the rain should be long gone.  We’ll see.  But, that’s why we’re here, to spend time in our grand children’s lives.

Well, that’s it for today.  So, May God Bless  - - - - - - - - - -

A New RV Parking Spot Just Opened Up

We’re on Monster patrol this morning.  Matt and Jackie are going with Catia on a class field trip which means that G’ma and G’pa are on Kalina and Radek watch.  So Katie and Alex will be home alone all morning and half the afternoon.  They like that better than the alternative – having the G’kids running loose in their domain.

Other than that, yesterday was a fairly productive day.  We took a drive over to Cookeville and Livingston just to see what those areas had to offer.  Not much really, but the area is quite pretty as it is in the “Plateau” which is the beginning of the Appalachian Mountain range.  We stopped at one of our favorite watering holes, Demos’ Family Restaurant, on our way back for another fine “linner or lupper” meal.  They have 78 meals under $7.99 and everything that we’ve ever had there has been very good.

After traipsing around the countryside, we went for another grand child fix.  We were at their house when Catia came home from school so we got to spend time with all three grand kids – it’s all about grand kids.  Once we returned home, we spent a couple hours reading.

Our son, Marc, called from New Hampshire last night.  They have purchased their first house and have already moved in.  They closed on Monday and have been busy, busy, busy moving in since then.  The good news is is that they have a nice RV parking site right next to the house so we now have a free place to stay whenever we’re visiting the Grandkids (and their parents) in the Northeast.  That, also, means more face time with them during our visits – Yay for our team!!!

Well, I must go and wash this pudgy little body of mine and get ready for guard duty.

So, May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

B-Rations

Everyone knows that an army moves on it’s stomach.  The same is true of fulltime RVers.  An army carries K-Rations with them just in case they aren’t able to get back to the chow line in time for swill stroganoff.  Norm felt that the Wandering America entourage needed to carry rations as well.  So he prepared B-Rations for us and he and Linda brought them over on Tuesday night.

Now the B-Rations were labeled so we’d know when we could partake in each ration.  There’s a Ration for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  I guess we’re on our own after Saturday or, maybe, Norm figured we’d come back to the Plantation for some more.

But, there is a B-Ration designated for “For Emergency Only”.  We had an uneventful travel day yesterday making our way to C of L State Park in Lebanon, Tennessee.  With any luck, we’ll still have that ration with us when we arrive back at the Plantation after six full moons.

But something tells me that Mr. Hungry will show up and that would most definitely qualify as an emergency.

We partook in Wednesday’s ration last night after dinner; those brownies were divine.  They were nice and soft and chewy and yummy.  Norm’s going to make someone a great wife.  Thanks, Norm, now this fulltime entourage can move on its stomach just like an army.

Oh yes, we did have a grandchild fix with lots of hugs last night.  Matt and Jackie brought the little monsters over for a little visit.  Needless to say, they were wound up.  They tried to terrorize the katts, but Katie and Alex held their own by “hissing” the kids away.  But, Katie took a liking to Radek.  Catia was tickling him on the floor and he was loudly laughing (kind of a scream).  Katie came running and positioned herself in the attack mode.  We had to tell Catia to leave Radek alone or endure the wrath of Katie who was just about to pounce on her.

We’re not sure what’s up for today, but you just know that at some point it will involve grandkids.

Be Sure To Hug Your Grand Children and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

We’re Leavin’ In An RV

“All our bags are packed and we’re ready to go, we’re sitting here with the rain clearing outside the door, we hate to wake you up to say so long.  But dawn is breakin’ it’s early morn, so as we’re pulling out we’ll blow the horn - - - - - - - -   ‘Cause we’re leavin’ in an RV, don’t know when we’ll be back again.”

Yep, we’re outta here heading for points north and east.  We’ll not get back until six full moons have passed.  That’s the “Oh Boo” part.  We love the idea of traveling and seeing grandkids (and family), but we don’t really want to be away so long. 

However, we want to improve the state of the emergency fund and Obama let us down.  We were never recipients of any of those “Obama Bucks” so we need to w*rk in order to improve the emergency fund status and that will require four months of our summer travels. 

This should be the last year that we do that wild and crazy thing called w*rk.  My bride gets old next year and turns Social Security and, no, those aren’t Obama bucks.  We made premium payments all of our w*rking lives on that little insurance policy and now it’s time to collect.

Oh well, we are on the road now and will be soon holding and cuddling those little grandkid faces.  They are growing like little weeds and it won’t be much longer before they’ll be to big to hold.  This fall our oldest will be entering High School – where, oh where does time go?  And to think, we are barely old enough to be grand parents.  What are we gonna do when we grow up?  Actually, we never plan on growing up!!

See Ya Tomorrow From Cedars Of Lebanon State Park.  May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

See Ya Down The Road

Yep, that’s what the the weather dudes are reporting.  We’re all set to hit the road, but will let this last bit of weather pass by before heading out.  So, today we’ll go through the house and see if there are any last minute preparations that need to be accomplished.  So, we’ll probably get quite a bit of reading time in during the day.

We still have to go to the shed and “Snuggles” it.  We place Snuggles, the dryer sheets, throughout the shed to keep the insects out.  It seems to work in that we don’t have any spiders or any other insects making their home in our shed.  Plus, the shed smells so nice inside.  We, also, spray insecticide all around and under the shed.  Now, we have no idea if this has any impact on mildew and/or mold, but we haven’t had any in the five years that we’ve been here.  “Snuggling” the shed is the last thing we do before locking the door and closing up the shed.

Last evening we had Norm and Linda over for a nice lasagna dinner.  Judy had prepared a fruit salad and some garlic knots to have with the lasagna.  Of course, there was some beer and wine to have with the meal.  It was our “fair thee well, see you in the fall” get together and dinner. 

Norm and Linda were our motivation for living the fulltime life.  Waaaaay back in the fall of 2003 I stumbled onto their website, See Ya Down The Road.  I was so taken by it that I had to go back to the very first post (October 1999) and follow their journey.  Then I would get excited when the next update showed up online. 

Somewhere along the line in 2005 I emailed them and told them that if they were ever in Michigan to let us know so we could meet up with them.  In June of 2005 they did just that; here is the except from their travelogue entry:

“Darrell and Judy Patterson live north of Lansing and are internet friends we had never met. They are planning to retire and hit the road fulltime. We met them at DeLuca's restaurant in Lansing where we ate delicious pizza and talked about the RV fulltiming lifestyle. It was nice to finally meet them and we hope to see them on the road soon.” 

And here is Norm’s picture taken that day.  We hadn’t taken our camera so we didn’t get a picture of them.

We moved fulltime into our fifthwheel at the end of July 2006 and “hit the road” on October 14th.  On the 15th we met up with Norm and Linda, Rich and Diane Emond, Don and Gloria Martin, and Dirk Harrington in Tom Stinnett’s parking lot in Clarksville, Indiana.  It was our first “rally”, impromptu as it was.  We’ve been “bumping” into them several times a year ever since then and have been adopted into their family.

  

So, anyway, we had Norm and Linda over for dinner last night and look forward to many, many more good times with them in the future.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Cousin Lazy Visits

Cousin Lazy showed up yesterday afternoon so we decided to entertain him.  That is, my bride and I decided to take the day off.  We didn’t do any work yesterday afternoon, none, nada.  We just sat in our recliners and read in our Nooks.  “Ruff!”  What really put the icing on the lazy cake was Mr. Humidity’s arrival in town.  It wasn’t extremely hot, but Mr. Humidity made it real sticky outside.  I know, any excuse to be lazy will do, right?

So, it was church followed by a stop a Uncle Wally’s, Lazy’s visit, and the Ice Cream Social.  Then we came home and read some more before hitting the hay.  It rained off and on throughout the night making it nice sleeping weather; just love hearing the pitter patter of rain on the roof during the nighttime.

Today we’ll wrap it up and spend the day tomorrow resting up before taking to the highways.  It’s predicted to be a rainy day on Tuesday so departure will be Wednesday morning.  Then we’ll get to see those little faces again – a much needed grandchild fix.  “It’s all about grandchildren, ya know?”

So, what now my love?  I guess it’s time to put on my w*rking man’s clothes and get busy.  There are quite a few items left lingering on the “Ol’ Ta Do List” but, fortunately for us, they are minor with the biggest being washing the windows.  We’ve given Cousin Lazy the left foot of fellowship so there shouldn’t be any interference with getting our jobs done.

See Ya Tomorrow, Same Place, Same Station.  So, In The Meantime, May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Filling In The Gap

Just a quick entry this morning to fill in the gap.  I finished the waxing and Judy finished her top secret project yesterday.  This morning it will be church followed by a quick stop at Uncle Wally’s.  This afternoon I will wash the windows, apply 303 on the slideout gaskets, and do the Kentucky State Taxes.  Tomorrow we’ll put the finishing touches on the “Ol’ Ta Do List” and have ourselves ready to hit the road.  Tuesday maybe a rain day so we may not get out of here until Wednesday, but we’ll be ready to roll whenever.

Praise The Lord and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

Tradition, Tradition!

Tired arms?  I guess I have tired arms.  Today the wax on / wax off marathon will end.  We’ll need to pull in the slides so I can do above them and that will bring this job to an end.  The coach looks great, by the way.  One of our neighbors was looking over my work and he was surprised when I told him our fifthwheel was six years old.  It’s a 2006 but we took delivery of it in September of 2005 so, this fall we will have actually owned it for seven years.

Yesterday Judy w*rked on shining the inside of the coach.  She took down the bedroom curtains to wash them.  Washed around the windows and dusted throughout the house.  This is what my mom would have referred to as the spring cleaning tradition.  She always did a in depth house (deep) cleaning every spring and every fall.  That included washing the windows inside and out.  It took her the better part of a week to do it all; it would have taken longer if she hadn’t done it twice a year.  So anyway, Judy was in the spring cleaning mode (and still is, I guess).

I hope to get the windows washed after I finish the waxing and, then, when we get to Tennessee, we’ll borrow the kid’s carpet shampooer and do the carpets. Somewhere down the road, I’ll get to wash the insides of the windows.  Yep, traditions like spring and fall cleaning is something that we can live with.  It keeps our home in tip top shape and looking good.  Just like Tevye said, “Tradition, tradition, tradition!”

Our friends, Dave and Jan Verse, stopped by for a visit.  It’s been a couple years since we last saw them.  They were some of the first “on the road” friends that we made.  We met them in the fall of 2006 while we were workamping at KOA Nashville.  They had just bought a Mobile Suites fifthwheel from a dealership in Nashville and were getting some service work done on it.  A couple of years later they upgraded “their ride” to a Phaeton motorhome.  It was a wonderful to see them again and we had a great visit.  Did I ever tell you that one of the nicest things about this lifestyle is the people you meet?

It’s looking more and more like we’ll end up rescheduling our departure date.  The news is referring to the storm making it’s way east as “extreme weather conditions”.  It will stay pretty much north of Rainbow Plantation, but will be passing over Tennessee.  So, we may not get out of here until Wednesday or Thursday.  No sense in driving into tornados.

Until Next Time, May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Happy Friday The Thirteenth

There is not much new to share.  The rig is looking good, shining like a new penny (which, by the way, costs 2.4 to make).  Judy worked on her top secret special project, which she will finish today.   Then she’ll be entering the count down to phase to our departure.  T minus four sleeps to lift off.

Paul and Margery stopped by last night to see if we wanted to go Panini Pete’s.  Is the Pope still a Catholic?  But we had to decline as we already have plans for the day.  Just the thought of a Panini Pete’s muffuletta is enough to make one’s mouth water.  Thanks Paul and Margery for thinking of us. 

I mentioned spending time on the telephone taking care of business.  As it turned out, we are not going to be able to stay at the Petoskey KOA so we had to find different “housing” arrangements for the summer.  We were able to secure another site; or maybe I should say sites.  Right now we’ll have to move around the campground several times because the full hookup sites are fully booked for a couple of weeks in July.  We’ll have to spend a couple of stays in water and electric only sites rotating back to a full hookup site in between.  As time goes on, hopefully some cancellations will occur that will allow us to stay situated – only time will tell.

“It’s comin’, hallelujah, the rain is comin’ down the road.”  My bride likes to keep an eye on the weather and there is a possibility of severe storms rolling in on Tuesday and Wednesday which may impact our scheduled launch date.  We’ll have to keep a watch out and decide on Monday whether we need to postpone our departure.

So, there you have it; the state of the union at the Patterson household this 13th day of April twenty thousand and twelve.  Happy Friday the 13th, by the way.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - 

This, To, Will Pass

Wax on, wax off.  Wax on, wax off.  Wax on, wax off.  That pretty much sums up my morning hours.  While I was doing my duty, Judy was working on a special top secret project.  She didn’t like the way things came out and ended up tearing it out; that happens from time to time when you’re working with needle and thread.  Speaking of her projects, the Scrappy Quilt Of Many Colors is made up of left over material from all her past projects; therefore, it holds many memories of the past.

We did sit outside for a few minutes, but that was it.  Judy had to prepare last night’s meal for our 242 Group meeting and I got busy taking care of business on the telephone.  Our 242 Group is watching videos from the “Truth Project”.  Last night’s was dealing with History and was, in our estimation, the best one yet.  If you get a chance to view this series we recommend you do it.  The videos are well done and very informative.

Today, more of the same.  I hope to get most of the Port (road) side of the coach done.  Then I have to pull in the slides in order to wax above them.  We still have several other things on the “Ol Ta Do List” to get out of the way before Tuesday’s departure – gotta stay focused.  That’s hard when you have A. D. …. look at those pretty birds!!

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

If It Ain’t Broke . . . . .

Then don’t fix it!!!  I wasn’t exactly happy with the finish I was getting with the Nu-Finish wax that I have used for years, so I purchased some McGuiar’s Color Restorer and McGuiar’s Wax with Carnauba.  Now that stuff does a great job, but it takes a lot more work.  And, you’d better not get ahead of yourself because if it dries on too long, it buffs off extremely hard.

So, just out of curiosity,  I grabbed the Nu-Finish and used it with the new waxer/polisher/buffer.  The new machine made all the difference in Nu-Finish’s finish.  And, the Nu-Finish is restoring the shine just as well as the McGuiar’s products.  Cheaper and easier with pretty much the same results, I’d say, “It ain’t broke”. 

Here’s a picture of my new Black and Decker waxer/polisher/buffer in case you were wondering what I bought.

Judy J. worked on her Scrappy Quilt Of Many Colors and finished the top.  Now she has to put together the back, put in the batting, and sew it all together.  She plans on hand quilting the quilt to finish it off.  It will be real “purdy”.  She’s done a great job with it, I’m proud of her. 

Here’s what the Scrappy Quilt Of Many Colors looks like at this time.

The weather has been absolutely fantastic – low 80’s during the day and 50’s during the night with low humidity.  If only we could have this kind of weather year ‘round (I guess we could, our house has wheels).  After lunch, we sat around outside in our lounge chairs reading.  There was just enough breeze to make it extremely comfortable. 

We picked up a couple pounds of Royal Red Shrimp on Monday when we went to Joe Patti’s Seafood in Pensacola and grilled them last night.  Now, I have to tell you, as far as we are concerned, these are more tasty than lobster and a whole lot easier to prepare.  Ummm, ummm good!!  They were better than any grilled shrimp that we’ve had at Big Daddy’s.  Sorry Jason, I think we’ve found our new place to eat – Home!!!

This morning it’s back to the VA Clinic for my annual exam, then I’ll return to wax on, wax off.  I should finish up the starboard side and the front cap today with the port side left to do.  I should finish that by the end of the shift on Friday.  Then we’ll be loading up the bikes and patio “stuff” to take with us on our summer travels.  Everything will be ready to roll by Monday evening and then we’ll be on the road again come Tuesday morning for a grand child fix by day’s end.

Take It Easy and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

Enough Procrastinating Already

We had planned to leave the house around 10:30 to go to Pensacola, but around ten o’clock the VA Clinic called to cancel my appointment – the doctor called in sick.   With the morning already shot, we decided to go to Pensacola anyway so Judy could go to JoAnn’s Fabric.  She’s needed some fabric for a special project (I’m not at liberty to say what that project is).

We had been wanting to get together with our neighbors, Gil and Orma, for a few months now, however, our schedules haven’t meshed.  Yesterday things worked out so that they accompanied us to Pensacola (actually we accompanied them as Gil drove) and we went to King Super Buffet for a good Chinese linner (or lupper).  From there we made stops at JoAnn’s Fabric, PetSmart, and Joe Patti’s fish market before returning home.  We had a great time; need to do it more often.  

Today I must, emphases on must, get back to waxing.  We have one week to get ourselves ready to go as we’ll be departing here next Tuesday and we have more than enough to do.  My doctor’s appointment has been rescheduled to tomorrow morning which means another lost morning of productivity.  The weather promises to cooperate with bright sunny days and comfortable temperatures, so I’ll have to spend more than a couple hours a day w*rking.  I can wax the starboard side in the morning and the port side in the evening – follow the sun (or in this case, the shade).

And, today Judy must, emphases on must, get back to sewing.  She is going with me tomorrow morning so we can make a pit stop a Walmart, which didn’t happen yesterday, to pick up the “stuff” for our 242 group dinner tomorrow night.

Well, Wax On / Wax Off and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?

Whatta busy day.  Judy and I volunteered for the first two services at church and then attended the third.  The second and third services were completely full to overflowing.  There were four services in all with 27 people being baptized and another 22 accepting the Lord throughout the day.  That’s really exciting – Praise the Lord!

Once we arrived home, we (or Judy with a little assistance from me) began preparing our contribution toward our Easter dinner at the clubhouse.  We had twelve people at our table with Norm and Linda hosting.  Gary, the park manager, and Karen, one of the workampers, prepared the hams for all the tables while each of us brought something pot luck style to contribute to the meal.  There was more than enough to eat, that’s for sure.  It was a great meal and wonderful fellowship.

We came home for a little over an hour’s rest and then joined with Paul, Margery, and Freeway (their pup) for a little walk and training time for Freeway.  Next it was onto the clubhouse for the ice cream social.  After that huge meal, Judy and I just couldn’t do it – eat ice cream that is, we were full.  But we attended the social in order to say good bye to the dozen or so people who will be departing the park this week.  Things are quickly winding down for the season here at Rainbow Plantation.

On our way home, we stopped to visit for an hour with Ron and Ruth.  They will be heading out to Virginia tomorrow because her mother is starting to have some hip problems and we’ll be gone by the time they return.  So there you have it.  A busy Easter Sunday, but a great day spending time with a lot of our friends both at church and at the Plantation.

Today is going to be busy as well.  I have my annual checkup with the sawbones at the VA Clinic in Pensacola.  While we are in Pensacola, Miss Judy wants to check in with JoAnn Fabrics to see if there is anything that she needs (or wants).  Then I’ll take my bride out to lunch at a wonderful Chinese Restaurant that the quilting group discovered on one of their pilgrimages to the east.   We’ll stop by Walmart on the way home to pick up the ingredients for our 242 Group dinner on Wednesday evening.  So Katie and Alex will have to mind the fort again today.

Tomorrow it will be back to wax on/wax off; more about that later, but it’s bye, bye for now.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

“He Has Risen!”

“He Has Risen, Indeed!”  Today is the most joyous of all Christian Holidays.  Today we celebrate Jesus’s return to life.  On Friday He was nailed to a cross and then all the sins of the world, from the past, to the present, and beyond, were placed upon Him.  It was such an ugly sight that even God, the Father, could not look at Him.  Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  He died that day carrying all our sins with Him to the grave.  But, it was only Friday and Sunday was coming.

On the third day, Sunday, it was, “Up From The Grave He Arose!”  His Father had no plans for leaving Him in a borrowed tomb.  No siree!  Jesus was raised up from the dead to a new life leaving ALL the sins of the world buried behind.  It’s because of this glorious news that we can now have Hope in an eternal life hereafter.  Good News, Good News!  Jesus is Alive!  Hallelujah and Amen!!

All that is required of us is to admit that we are sinners and lost from God, our Father.  Believe that Jesus lived, that He died for our sins, and that He was raised back to life again .  And then call out in prayer submitting to Him as Lord and Savior.  If you’ve never taken those steps, then don’t delay – do it today.  You’ll be glad you did, we promise.

Happy Resurrection Sunday, Everyone!!  And May God Bless  - - - - - - - - - -        

“You’da Thunk”

“You’da thunk” that after all them rainy days I’da got some waxing done, but I didn’t.  How come?  Well, we needed to go to Uncle Wally’s to restock the larder.  Judy wanted to go early ‘cause she had an eleven thirty appointment to get her hair cut.  By the time we got back with the groceries and put the freezer “stuff” away, it was time for her to head out.  I continued putting away groceries and before I knew it, it was noon time.

I’m using Mcguiar’s Color Restorer and it clearly states that this product is to be used on a cool surface preferably in the shade.  Since I don’t have shade, I will need to work in the earlier part of the mornings before the coach warms up.  What I plan to do is work on all the high areas while I’m here and have access to my ladder.  Then, if I don’t finish, I can do the lower sections as we are traveling and/or once we get to Michigan.

Other than the grocery shopping, Norm and Linda invited us over for a shindig at there place along with Bill and Diane.  It’s always a good time when you can get together for a chat, chew, and chuckle session.  Thanks Norm and Linda for being such gracious hosts and for all the yummy treats.

Well, it’s time for me to get outside and start hanging off the side of the rig with buffer in hand.  See ya on the flip side.  Special blessing on you during this year.  Because of Resurrection Sunday, we can have hope in an eternal life with Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Short And Sweet

I’m short, Judy is sweet.  Finally the rain has moved out and we’re due to get several days in a row of Mr. Sunshine.  Girl joined her friends at the clubhouse to learn about free motion quilting.  What’s that?  Click here.  While she is out of the house, I took the time to make the bed and wash the dishes.  Then I just sat and read for awhile.  I did manage to switch the switches and, once the rain quit for awhile, get the lawn mowed.

Now it’s the “polish on, polish off” “wax on, wax off” marathon.  If anyone out there wants to learn how, I’m more than happy to teach you.  I will supply the equipment, the products, and the RV/truck.  All you have to do is show up.  And, it’s all free.  So, with an opportunity like that I expect standing room only.  No pushing or crowding, please.  Everyone’ll get a turn.

That’s All I Got Today So, May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

Rain, Rain Go Away

Yesterday unfolded pretty much as planned.  It rained until late afternoon so we just “stood” inside most of the day and read.  We did get out and get our eyes checked.  Surprise, surprise cataracts are setting into these old eyes as well as my brides young eyes.  Something that we’ll need to be deal with in the future.

Last night we attended our 242 group dinner, Bible study, and prayer meeting.  It was nice to see everyone once again.  We’ll sure miss this group as well as our church when we take to the road again in a couple weeks.  When we leave, we’ll be gone for over six months.  That’s a great big, “YAY” and a great big, “UGH” at the same time.

Guess what’s for today?  More rain.  A “severe” thunderstorm is headed our way as I write this morning.  Come mid to late afternoon most of the inclement weather will be past us and it “should” be clearing up for the rest of the week.  This is the remnants of the storms that pasted through the Dallas / Fort Worth area a couple days ago.

After all this nastiness gets out of Mother Nature’s system, I’ll be able to get outside and try out the new waxer/polisher/buffer.  I think it was a good choice even though I spent more money on it than I wanted.  Especially being that most of the time I’ll be using it will be on a vertical surface.

Hopefully, I’ll get a few minutes today between the rain drops to switch the switches.  When I installed the switches for the leveling gear I put the switch for the starboard (right) leg in the front position on the panel and the switch for the port (left) leg in the aft position on the panel.  My brain just doesn’t accept this, so I’m always pushing the wrong switch.  It won’t take long to fix this little problem by reversing the switches, then things will work “right”.

Well, “Enuf” is “Enuf” and this is “Enuf” so, May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

Two Weeks To Go

So, where did we end up by the end of the day?  Let’s see, Miss Judy got two more rows of her quilt sewed together and did all the daily indoor chores.  I gave the truck a bath, sanded and refinished two TV tables, and installed the new steps.

Judy has lots and lots of quilting projects that she will be working on over the summer months so she wants to leave her sewing “stuff” set up.  Being that we live in a small house on wheels, the only place where she can do that is the dining room table.  Therefore, we decided to take a couple of our folding TV tables with us except they were a mess from being used outside.  So Judy suggested that I just refinish them which is exactly what I did yesterday. 

First I sanded the tops, then wiped them down real good, and, finally, I applied two coats of Watco Danish Oil which I had left over from another project.  Now they are looking good once again and can be used for dining while the quilting projects are underway.

Fedex delivered the front steps right after lunch which left me enough time to unbolt and remove the old ones a install the new ones.  It was a one for one swap, but the bolting was a little difficult to get to due to a couple of brackets that were in the way.  In any event, the job is done and the new steps are much sturdier than the old ones plus the nonslip tread goes clear to the front edge to help eliminate any chance of slipping.

By the time I finished installing the steps, it was Tea Time so the missus and I sat outside sipping our brew of choice – hers, an iced tea, and mine, a nice mixed drink (my tomato juice concoction).  We spent the rest of the afternoon reclining and reading.  Last night was NCIS night; I think it might have been a repeat, but we hadn’t seen it before.

Today is supposed to be another rainy day.  The eye doctor is coming to the clubhouse this morning so Judy and I are going to get our eyes checked out – this is a freebee.  Then I need to get our 2011 taxes completed.  The Federal taxes are already done.  We owe money so we’ve held off from submitting the taxes until now.  I still need to do our Kentucky state taxes.  Hopefully we’ll get some money back from our Amazon.com stint in beautiful downtown Campbellsville, Kentucky.

Before I can move onto polishing and waxing the coach and the truck, I have to get the gas fired goat out to chew up the lawn.  With all this rain, you can actually see the grass growing.  But it is really nice and green around the Plantation which is a welcome sight.  It’s always nice to have Spring spring forth after the drab winter season.

We’re making good progress, all in all, and will be ready to pull up stakes in two weeks.  Yep, two weeks from today we’ll be “on the road again”.  Time for a grandchild fix.

Don’t Work To Hard and May God Bless  - - - - - - - - -

And The Rains Came Down

Thunder storms moved in just before nine o’clock last night and continued until after two A.M. this morning.  There was no rain at all for the first couple of hours, just thunder and lightning.  And then the rains came down.  They continued until early this morning, but it all has cleared out now.  All this warm weather and rain is causing the grass to grow so there’s one more thing I have to add to the Ol’ Ta Do List.

I returned home from the VA clinic by eight o’clock yesterday morning.  Judy spent some time working on her Scrappy Quilt of Many Colors while I took everything out of the basement, vacuumed it, and washed the floor.  Today is “wash the truck” day.  Black trucks do not like to be washed on bright sunny days.  So, while it’s still overcast outside, I’ll get busy and wash off the dirt. 

Everything we’ve ordered (the steps, the waxer/polisher/buffer, and Alex’s vitamins) are scheduled to arrive today via Fedex.  I hope to get the new steps installed either today or tomorrow, depending on what time they show up.  A morning delivery would be great.

So, there you have it.  Work, work, and more work.  Before we know it, it will be time for us to head down the road once more so we need to “make hay while the sun shines”.

Well Thar Ya Go.  May God Bless  - - - - - - - - 

Off To See The Vampire

Just a quickie this morning.  While most of you were still sleeping, I was on the road heading to the Vampire’s (Pensacola VA Outpatient Clinic) to have blood drawn for my annual doctor’s appointment which is next week.  Fun, eh?  I had to be on the road by six this morning, now that cut into some sleepy bye time!!

Yesterday was a typical Sunday with church in the morning, the three R’s (reclining, relaxing, and reading) during the afternoon, and the Ice Cream Social in the evening.  After the social time, we stopped by Ron and Ruth’s just to say, “hi” and ended up spending an hour and a half with them.  We hadn’t seen them since we’ve been back.  They had just returned from the Spring Chapter 26 Rally which was in Biloxi, Mississippi.  It was a good visit and nice to see them again.

Later today I’ll get back to the chores at hand.  Due to the rain and the Sausage Festival on Saturday, I didn’t get the basement floor washed so that will be on the docket for today.  The waxer/polisher/buffer and the new steps will both arrive sometime tomorrow so, “let the good times roll”.  Those items will keep me busy for awhile.

Have A Happy Healthy Monday and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -

The Balancing Act

Scratch the PJ day; the rain cleared out by ten o’clock.  Norm and Linda arrived at eleven to pick us up for the Sausage Festival.  Elberta holds a Sausage Festival twice a year, one in April and one in October.  The sausage is made locally in Robertsdale and it is quite yummy to say the least.  You can get your sausage on a bun with or without sauerkraut.  We got ours without and just added mustard; wished that they had had some onions, but oh well!

There were plenty of “crafts people” on hand displaying their wares, but nothing called out to us to take it home.  Therefore, we left empty handed having only spent money on something to eat – does that have a familiar ring? 

The festival was fun, but it was more fun to get out and about town with Norm and Linda.  We don’t see them enough socially during the winter season because of all the busyness going on around the Plantation.  And, of course, we took off for Kentucky this past November and December and just returned from traveling in Texas for the month of March.

Today is Sunday, so worship is the first item on the agenda.  It will be good to be back in our church once again.  Being away from our church is another hard part of being away.  I guess we are becoming well rooted here in L. A. (Lower Alabama).  We like to travel and see things, but we like having a place to call home as well.  Now it’s becoming just a matter of striking a balance. 

Twenty Twelve won’t be a “balanced” year because when we leave in a few weeks, we’ll be gone for at least six months.  I think that our preferred mode of travel in the future will be four to six weeks out followed by several months at home.  The other balancing act will be splitting traveling time between sightseeing and visiting family.  Someday we’ll get it all figured out.  Just like the guy said, “Once I got it all together, I forgot where I put it!!”

That’s All Folks.  Have A Great Worshipful Day and May God Bless  - - - - - - - -