A Serene Setting

Here we are backed in quite snuggly under the maple trees.  It’s a tight fit, but with a little maneuvering and a shoe horn we are able to slide in there.  It’s kind of hard to get a picture of the whole rig through the trees.

The katts like it here under the trees.  Their two favorite spots are here in Belfast and at Ray and Pat’s in Mecosta, Michigan.  I guess it gives them a sense of “serenity now” being tucked away in the woods.  Here’s a picture of our sweet little kitten, Alex, with his Momma.  Notice the smile on his face – yes, he’s just a little kitty all twenty pounds of him.  In the meantime, Katie enjoys sitting inside and looking out the window.  Her favorite perch is on the back of the sofa; silly kitty.

On Wednesday afternoon the kids and grandkids will begin rolling in.  Mary and family from Virginia.  Shawn and family from Massachusetts.  Marc and family from New Hampshire.  Matt and family from Tennessee.  And Angie and family from Maine.  Counting grandparents there will be twenty four of us at the first ever Patterson Family Reunion.  Unfortunately, our son Brian from Michigan will not be able to attend.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

We’re Up And Running

We did a long haul all the way from the KOA Jonestown, Pennsylvania to the Topsham Fairgrounds, Maine.  It was a little over nine hours.  The main reason we decided to “do it” in one fall swoop was because it was only one o’clock when we arrived at our Connecticut destination.  Add three and a half hours and we wouldn’t have to get up for another travel day.  Plus it would give us a little more time to repair the broken leveling jack.

Upon our arrival at the Fairgrounds, Paul and Linda Odom made their way over to greet us.  Paul and Linda were our neighbors in the ERPU lots at Rainbow Plantation and are currently staying at the fairgrounds.  We’ve managed to “bump” into them several times over the past few years – Once at Raccoon Valley in Tennessee, Once at Shipshewana in Indiana, as well “at home” in Summerdale, Alabama.  After finding a level area to park without unhitching, Mike and Peggy showed up to chauffeur and treat us to a fine scallop dinner at Len’s in Brunswick.  Paul and Linda joined in with us.  It was a great meal with great company – thanks guys for a wonderful travel day meal.

This morning I removed the leveling jack from the rig.  Mike showed up and escorted me and the jack to Mikee’s Lube Change, RV Repair, Shed Construction, and Custom Machine Shop.  The problem was a broken pin.  Because of the location of the pin in the jack, I don’t think it had anything to do with pushing the rig backwards on the jacks.  Mike and I had to do considerable work to get the pin out of the shaft, but the repairs are made and the front of the coach will go up and down again – we’re up and running.  If you’re going to live this fulltime lifestyle, you’d better get adept at making on the road repairs.  It always helps to have friends who have mechanical abilities, lots and lots of tools, and a shop strategically located along the way.

Judy and I treated Mike and Peggy to a shrimp scampi pizza lunch at the Cabin Pizza in Bath, Maine.  This is a pizza made with a white garlic sauce, mozzarella cheese, and topped with shrimp.  The pizza, along with a couple of Sam Adams, is nothing short of one scrumptious meal.  We returned to Mike and Peggy’s for a couple hours of visiting before saying “see ya in a couple of weeks”.   We’ll be back in Topsham sometime around the middle of July.

The weather dude is calling for some nasty weather for tomorrow.  It’s only about an hour and a half from here to Belfast, but that will mean taking down and setting up camp in pouring rain.  We may end up staying put right here for another day – only time will tell.  So tune back in to see when we set up camp in our Belfast digs.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

It’s All About The Grand Kid

Almost all about the grand kid, but first, we arrived at Prince William RV Park (formerly Travel Trailer Village) and got assigned to a site.  It was the same site that we had last year when we were there.  That means that we crammed 10 pounds of RV into a 5 pound site.  I had to park “kitty corner” in the site to keep our back end from hanging out into one street and our front end from sticking out into the other street.  The site was level side to side but was much higher in the front than the rear.  Which caused us to have to raise up the front in order to unhitch the truck and then lowering it almost to the ground to get level.  Keep in mind that the right front jack is not working and we had to use a hydraulic bottle jack on that side.  We couldn’t get perfectly level but were close enough so that we could put the slides out. 

In order to hitch up, we had to let all the air out of the air hitch and air ride system on the truck, jack the front of the rig as high as possible, and back under real slow while the weight of the RV forced the springs on the truck to compress.  Once hitched up, we had to recharge air hitch and air ride system on the truck.  It took about an hour to get everything ready to roll.  It would be a bear on a rainy day so we’ve decided not to unhitch again until we get to Belfast. 

We’re cutting our stay here in Pennsylvania short and making our way to Topsham Fair Grounds where we’ll remove the jack.  Then we’ll take it to Mikee’s Lube Center, RV Repair, Fence Building, Shed Construction, and House Painting Emporium (also home of Peggio’s Fine Italian Restaurant – pronounced Pee-Gee-Oo’s) to repair the jack.  It will probably remain there while we make our way to Belfast for a couple of weeks.  We’ll be back in Topsham for another week later on so we can reassemble and reinstall the jack at that time.

Okay, now onto “It’s All About The Grand Kid”.  Mr. Josiah has grown like a little weed since last September.  As you can see, he’s up on his hind legs.  Not walking yet, however, the day is close at hand when he forgets to hold on and just walks away.  Baby proofing is taking place all over his humble abode.  Grandpa helped install a gate at the bottom of the stairs; he may not be walking but he doesn’t hesitate one iota when it comes to climbing up the stairs.

See Grandma, I told you I could do it!!!

 

“Peek-A-Boo Grandma!!!” as he pulls the rug over his face.  Alex the katt does the same thing thinking that if he can’t see us, certainly we can’t see him. 

Did you ever know of a little boy who didn’t like to be tossed around?  He loves to rough house with dad.

 

Here he is subdued with mom, or is that being subdued by mom?  He didn’t stay there long – things to do, places to go, people to see!

And here he is with a couple of proud Grandparents.  He’s not sure about this guy dressed in purple trying to imitate Barney, but Grandma gets right into the toy box and plays well with others.

 

Next, we can’t leave Belle the granddawg out of the picture.  The first picture is of Belle washing her face like a katt – that broke me up.  And another picture of Belle with Grandma.  Belle is not exactly in love with Josiah, but does tolerate him as he crawls all over her and pulls her fur.  Good Dawg U!!!!

 

Randy and Terry came for a visit.  As always, it’s fun to get together with them.  They are spending the summer in Pennsylvania at a campground in Dover which is about an hour away from where we are at Lickdale Campground.  By the way, Lickdale Campground is now a KOA Jonestown and has increased their fees about ten bucks a night.  Anyhow, Dover is where Randy and Terry’s granddaughter Reagan lives with her parents.  Next time we pass though this area we’ll need to find a place a little closer to Dover to stay for several nights, that way we can visit, visit, visit with Randy and Terry until our little hearts are content.  Also, we’re hoping that they’ll be able to spend some time on our lot at Rainbow Plantation this coming winter.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

Prince William Forest

Okay sports fans, here we are at Prince William Forest in Triangle, Virginia.  No hits, no runs, no errors; in other words, it was an uneventful travel day.  But here’s a picture of the RV on its crutch.  Neat, huh?

 

It was a little bit of work to level the rig using a bottle jack on one side and the leveling jack on the other, but we accomplished it.  The big question is, “Will we be able to raise the front of the coach high enough to get the truck back under it?”  I had to let all the air out of the air bags to unload it.  I think we’ll manage considering that we have another bottle jack to use if necessary.

Anyway, we arrived and managed to get all set up by two o’clock, however, it was a five hour travel day – a violation of the 4-2-2 Rule (No more than four hours traveling, in by two, and stay for at least two nights).  Once we got everything ready for living, it was onto lupper.  This afternoon’s fair was a homemade garlic sauce chicken pizza with mushrooms and sweet vadalia onions.  Yum, yum.

Then we began gathering some tourist information for our itinerary for Joel and Mary’s visit tomorrow.  There’s the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico and possibly a half hour drive to Fredericksburg.  Time will only tell what the four, eh five (can’t forget grandson Josiah) will decide to do.  Somewhere along the way, eating will be involved – isn’t it always?

Today has the longest daylight hours of the year and tomorrow night will be a “Super Moon”.  So lots of astrological stuff going on this weekend.  Maybe we’ll see a falling star to make a wish upon.  Hope all y’all have a great weekend.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

A Nice Visit and On The Road Again

Yesterday, Wednesday, Gene and Judi Curp drove over from Maryville to visit us and go out to lunch.  We drove up the road a piece to Golden Girls Restaurant.  They have lunch specials for six bucks (well $5.99).  Broasted Chicken, Ham, Roast Beef with gravy is on everyday’s special, but there is, also, a daily special – Wednesday was Chicken and Dumplings.  Each entrée comes with two sides that you get to choose.  So, you can get out the door for twenty bucks a couple; that includes drinks, tips, taxes, and title.

It was good to see Gene and Judi again.  I think we first met them at Rainbow Plantation back in the winter of Oh-Eight.  We’ve been bumping into each other at least once or twice a year ever since.  Like all good RVing family members, we pick up right where we left off and talk as if it has only be a few days since we last saw each other.  Gene and Judi love backpacking and hiking.  They have hiked a lot of the Appalachian Trail.  Now that they live in Maryville, TN they spend a lot of time in the Smoky Mountains.  I’d love to see all the sights that they see; only if I could get a car in there – I know, “the hill is your friend!!!”

So this morning we slowly arose to get a leisurely start to our travel day.  We only had about three and a half hours of travel time so there was no need to hurry.  But, as we were preparing the rig to leave, the right front jack failed.  While hitching up I misaligned the truck to the trailer hitch and it forced the RV back about four inches with the jacks down.  Mistake number one was that I had failed to put the wheel chock in place when we unhitched on Monday which left the rig “free to roam”.   Once we got hitched up, I pulled forward about an inch in hopes of relieving some of the pressure on the jacks (not sure if this was a good idea or not).  Anyway, the left front jack raised properly while the right front started to raise and then broke a shaft or a shearer pin and the foot dropped back to the ground. 

What to do, what to do?  In the end, we tied the jack foot in place, dumped all the tanks, and meandered down the highway heading for points north.  Once we get to Maine, I’ll remove the jack, disassemble it to see what the damage is, and make the repairs.  It may take a few days to get replacement parts, but we’ll just play that by ear.  In the meantime we are limping along like a three legged dawg.  We’ll have to use our hydraulic bottle jack to assist in raising and lowering the coach. 

We made it within three miles of our exit in Virginia when traffic came to a stand still.  There had been an accident on I-77 which intersects with I-81.  It must have been a doosy since traffic was backed up for at least three miles on I-81 North (I-77 exits I-81 about a mile further down the road).  Fortunately it only took us about twenty minutes to travel that last three miles. 

We got a nice long/level site at Fort Chiswell RV Park so we didn’t need to unhook the truck.  Who knows what we’ll encounter tomorrow when we arrive at Prince William Forest Campground.  Their sites are small and unlevel – both side to side and front to back.  It maybe impossible to get the rig level (it has to be relatively level to put the slides out).  We’ll just have to see and deal with it then.  Good Grief, Charlie Brown!!!

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

“Movin’ On Up To The East Side”

We did it, we wrapped things up in Middle Tennessee and now we’ve managed to “move on up” into the Appalachian Mountains in “the East Side” of Tennessee.  Yesterday we loaded up the wagons, broke camp, and made our way eastward. After crossing into the “International” Eastern Time Zone we ventured on for another hour arriving at the Escapees Raccoon Valley RV Park at about quarter ‘til one EDST. We dropped our landing gear, put some vittles into the frying pan, and let them simmer on the stove for awhile. We ate lupper around three and lounged around for the rest of the day playing on our computers, doing a little reading, and watching some tele. Not a real adventuresome day, but a good day none the less. We just love it when a plan comes together.

Saturday was a laid back morning followed by an afternoon cookout at Matt and Jackie’s house.  Then we all attended the Saturday Evening Service at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro.  Pastor Jackson had a great sermon on Fathers. 

Sunday Grandma and Grandpa assumed babysitting duties while Matt and Jackie had an afternoon at the movies.  Those little munchkins were exceptionally well behaved for the “Old Folks at Home”.  Radek and Grandpa even took a little nap; Radek in his bed, Grandpa in the recliner. 

Radek, AKA Huck, loves all kinds of sports as long as there’s a hockey stick involved.  Baseball?  Hit with a hockey stick.  Football?  No passes here, just whack it with a hockey stick.  Basketball?  Yep, you guessed it, use a hockey stick to move the ball along.  Soccer?  Well now, he does manage to discard the hockey stick and use his foot for this one.  Anyway, that’s why Grandpa calls him Huck – it’s short for hockey puck.  Here’s a few pictures of Radek being, well, being Radek.  He’s all boy, that one.  Place your cursor over the picture for the caption.

   

It’s always tough to leave the rugrats behind, but knowing that we’ll be seeing them again in Maine for the Patterson Family Reunion on July 5th made it a little bit easier this time.  Also, another grand child fix is in the making for this up coming weekend.  We’ll be getting to see Josiah in his native element.  We were there for his birthday, but he’s now pushing the big “one-oh” as in ten months.  Here’s a Father’s Day picture of him that I stole from Joel’s facebook.

Today we’ll visit the local Wally World to resupply the larder and who knows what else.  It’s a rainy day so most likely it will be a “stay at home and play inside” kind of day.  Tomorrow Gene and Judi are stopping by for a get together, but more on that later.   

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

“Eat Mor Chikin”

Well Ol’ man, how’d ja make out?  We picked up the girls at 1030 hours and headed for the uncivilized portion of Murfreesboro otherwise known as “Stones River Mall”.  First stop was Toys R Us where we managed to bag a Christmas gift for Rocco.  By the time we finished up there, it was time for lunch.

“We eat at 11:30” says grand daughter Catia.  Judy and I dodged a bullet because there was no mention of Chuck E Cheese.  Grandpa and Grandma had thought that we’d take the girls for a nice dining experience at Demos Family Restaurant (one of our favorites), but the girls had other ideas.  “Chick Fil-A, we want Chick Fil-A” (Eat Mor Chikin).  Being that Judy and I had never experienced that fine emporium, we relented.  Ummm, let me say this about that!  Oh never mind, it’s fast food with a playground and lots and lots of moms with their darling little brats running about footloose and fancy free so no comment is necessary, but the girls were ecstatic so that’s all that counts.  Dang, we forgot to take the camera.

After an exquisite meal at “Eat Mor Chikin”, we moved onto our next endeavor – katt supplies.  A stop by PetSmart and that item was quickly scratched off the list.  Then we went on a hunting expedition through the mighty jungle of Penney’s, Sears, and Ross’s in search of those elusive pair of slacks.  These things are becoming quite extinct, ya know.  All I can say is, “Slacks 10, Judy 0”.  All they seem to sell anymore is “hip huggers” and the only one that’s going to hug my wife’s hips is me.  We’ll keep “hunting” as we travel along the way and maybe, just maybe, we’ll bag a pair of slacks somewhere between here and Maine.

Now we never did “shop for shoes” since ice cream captured the imagination of two little girls.  When “they” fixate on something as alluring as ice cream, all else falls by the wayside.  So, grandma being the smartie that she is, decided that it would be best (cheaper and a whole lot less messy) to purchase some ice cream at the grocery store and make a bee line for the campground.  Let’s hear it for grandma.  She saved the day.

We had bought Catia a couple of craft kits for her birthday.  Matt and Jackie attempted to work with her but couldn’t figure it out so Catia brought one of the kits with her so Grandma could teach her.  In the meantime, back at the ranch, Kalina, disguised as a little girl, managed to entertain herself with her Leapster and prancing about the campsite.  Here are a couple of pictures.  Oh no, we don’t have a pole dancer in the family do we?

   

Next it was off to the playground.  When ever the girls visit Grandpa and Grandma’s house here at Cedars of Lebanon they just have to go to the playground.  It’s a great place to spend some time and watch the kids burn off some energy that they have sucked right out of us Grandparents.  First the slide, then the swings, next the monkey bars, and finally the jungle gym.   Then they do it all over again, and again, and again.  We took them home with their eye lids drooping.  Yay for our team!!!

         

Matt and Radek joined us for a hot dawg and bean dinner.  Wow, Chick Fil-A for lunch and hot dawgs and beans for dinner; we’re really living high off the hog now.  Diet?  What diet!!!  Radek played noisely around the house while a subdued Catia continued working on her craft project and a worn out Kalina played games on her Leapster.  The day slowly ground to an end with fun having been had by all.  What a great day, It’s all about Grandkids, ya know?

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

A Good Start

Well, the first leg of our journey has been completed.  It went off without a hitch; uh, that’s not entirely true – we did have to “hitch up” before we headed out.  But it was an uneventful travel day none the less.  However, it was a long day.  We prefer the 4-2-2 rule; drive no more than four hours, be off the road by two, and stay two nights, but we always make the trip from Rainbow Plantation to Cedars of Lebanon State Park in one eight and half hour drive.  Just gotta get those hugs from the grand munchkins.

We arrived at C of L at 3:45, set up camp, rustled up some grub, and then headed over to see the grandkids.  There will be more pictures of the little rascals later, but here’s a couple of pictures showing us tucked snuggly into our site.  Can you see why it’s named Cedars of Lebanon State Park?  We are “camping” in amongst the cedar trees here in Lebanon, Tennessee.  It’s hard to see the site through the trees!!!

 

We came home early and sat outside enjoying the cooler temperatures (78* – sure beats the mid nineties) with a nice cup of freshly squeezed coffee.  I know I’ve told you this before, but here it is again; I enjoy being next to my wife sitting next to me.  Isn’t that something?  After 40 years (the last seven of which we have lived in an 8 by 38 foot tube) and we still like being together.  We’re still sharing our “puppy love”.

Tomorrow will be a fun outing with our grand daughters.  We’re taking them shopping (Catia asks if can we go shopping for shoes?  Is that a typical eight year old girl, or what?) and then out to lunch.  Grandpa knows where there is a Chucky Cheese (he calls it Yucky Cheese).  That ought to keep the two of them settled down for five or ten minutes.  (Shopping for shoes!!!!  How ridiculous!!!) 

Actually we’re shopping for Grandson Rocco’s Christmas gift, some katt supplies, and some slacks for Grandma.  I suppose we’ll let Catia look at ONE (notice the emphasis on one) pair of shoes.  Yeah, right – I don’t think Grandpa, with three girl humaniods, stands a chance.  Do you?

Tune in next time to see how Dear Ol’ Grandpa fairs.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

Random Thoughts On A Rainy Day

Today we got an unexpected reprieve from doing chores.  It is pouring down rain outside.  So, being that we had to play inside, we just sat back in our recliners sipping tea and coffee and reading in our Nooks. 

A while back we had purchased the e-reader edition of the Chronological New Living Translation Bible.  It’ not necessarily the best translation for studying, however, it is very “readable” and reads more like a story than some other translations plus it puts events in a chronological order.  For example, while reading through the book of Acts it brings other books into the historical timeline so that by the time you get to the end of the book of Acts, you’ve read most of the rest of the New Testament right up to Revelation.  For studying, both Judy and I prefer the New American Standard Bible.

Anywhoo, we can download books from our Public Library onto our Nooks as well.  I enjoy John Grisham novels, but we’ve discovered a Christian author, Robert Whitlow, who also writes legal novels.  We both like books that stay away from profanity, explicit sex scenes, and blood and guts.  Judy likes Debbie Macomber books and even I read through the Cedar Cove series.  Another good author is Jan Karon with the Mitford series.  Also, a fun series is the “Cat Who” books by Lilian Jackson Braun.  Even as we travel, we enjoy taking time to read; especially if we can find a nice quiet beach somewhere to plant our lawn chairs (Belfast City Park, here we come) and sit a spell.

The next three days will be a hustle-bustle of activity around the Patterson household.  Things need to be put into “travel mode”.  Other than an oil change, most of the “stuff” on the “Ol’ Ta Do List” has been crossed off.  The wax on / wax off is just about finished; just the top half of the front cap needs to be done.  In order to do that, I have to put the step ladder in the bed of the truck and back up to the rig.  It will be about an hour’s worth of work and then we can cross that off the list as well.

We can’t wait to see the munchkins once again – It’s all about grandkids, ya know.  Family is our main reason for traveling this summer.  We’ll do a little sight seeing along the way, but this year it’s going to be mainly visiting.  We plan to be back to the Plantation by the end of August or the first of September, but who knows.  We’ve been known to change our plans on a whim and do something entirely different.  All our plans are carved in Jell-O.

One of the main reasons for being back at Rainbow Plantation is to get Judy’s shed converted over to a quilting studio.  Also, I want to enclose the “lean to” making it into a sunroom so I can leave my painting “stuff” set up.  Plus, it will be a nice place to spend time with the Lord in the early morning.  We’ve ordered a couple of bathtubs for the backyard so we can sit in them and watch the sunset (we’ll only spend about three hours, or so, in them because I don’t want to seek immediate medical attention for anything lasting more than four hours).

I guess the main purpose of this entry is to get back into the habit of posting blog entries.  We used to post something everyday, then it was a couple times a week, then once or twice a month, and then nothing.  So, anyway, we are about to embark on a summer trip so watch for us as we are Wandering America.  We’re coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)

Wow, It’s Been A Long, Long Time Coming

Gee, have I ever gotten lazy – in posting a blog entry that is.  We have been hunkering down at Rainbow Plantation doing the things that homeowners normally do (even though our home still has wheels).  Slowly, slowly we’ve been striking items off the “Ol Ta Do List” in count down to our departure day.  In a little over a week we’ll be “hauling anchor” and heading out for a summer full of travel and visits. 

Our first stop, as always, will be in Tennessee to have a grandchild fix.  It’s way over due, we haven’t seen those little imps since Christmas.  After a short stay in the Murfreesboro area, we’ll head east for a short travel day to Raccoon Valley (Escapee Park) to meet up with RVing buddies Gene and Judi Curp. 

There’s slightly over a million of us crazy people out here who live and travel fulltime in our RVs.  Judy and I have made lots and lots of friends along the way and it’s always nice to meet up with each other here and there as we are traveling.  Gene and Judi are now “off the road” (that means they have moved back into sticks and bricks), but they still have their RV and will travel from time to time.  I guess you could say that we are “off the road” as well since we now own our lot here at Rainbow Plantation and spend more time here than on the road.

Alexandria, Virginia is the home of our youngest grandson and his parents.  We’ll, of course, be making a stop by there for another grandchild fix.  It’s been way, way, way too long since we last saw him on his birthday in September.  He’s now eight months old and on the verge of taking off on his hind legs.  Wow, time does fly by.

Next we’ll spend a little time hanging out in Pennsylvania to spend a day, or so, with Randy and Terry (more of our RVing family).  Randy and Terry were doing a workamping stint in Bonifay, Florida this winter so we were able to get together with them several times over the past few months.

We’ll continue making our way northeast and eventually end up in Belfast, Maine where Matt, Jackie, and kids (from TN); Mary, Joel, and Josiah (from VA); and Marc, Amie, and kids (from NH) will show up for a family reunion on the 5th of July.  My brother’s kids and grandkids will be joining us as well as other relatives who live in the area.  It will be the first time in several dawg years that the Pattersons have all been together at one time.

While in Belfast, we’ll be sure to look up Gary and Millie, who are the campground managers here at Rainbow Plantation each November through May.  They are originally from Rockland and will be spending time with Gary’s sister in Belfast this summer.  I’m sure that Mike and Peggy will show up from Topsham for a day trip sometime while we’re in Belfast, but we’ll be spending a week in their neck of the woods later in July.

Okay, here’s where things get a little murky.  Somewhere in the plans is a stop by in Litchfield, Connecticut to visit with my aunt Marge and cousins on our way to Michigan.  We’ll be visiting our son as well as Judy’s sister and brother in Michigan toward the end of the summer.  Of course, there are more RVing friends, Ray and Pat in Mecosta, Michigan, where we’ll stay for about week or so.  

There is talk of a trip to Ashville, NC,  Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA on our way home with a stop over in western Georgia to visit with Mike and Gerri (more RVing friends who are now also “off the road”).  Or, there’s also a pie in the sky plan to travel west from Michigan with Mike and Peggy.  That would take us through South Dakota (Mount Rushmore), to Yellowstone National Park, then turn south to Zion National Park in Utah, and then onto the Grand Canyon before heading home.  Anyone have a quarter to flip?  In any event, come September (or October), you’ll find us back at Rainbow Plantation sitting on our front porch in our rockers – the “Old Folks At Home”.

Well, there you have it for now.  Maybe I can get on schedule and do more timely updates as we are traveling this summer.  You’ll probably have to indulge a Grandpa spinning a few yarns about the grandkids, but we’ll be sure to post some pictures of the scenery along the way as well.  So, hang in there, we’re about to “head ‘em up and roll ‘em out”.  In the meantime, it’s “wax on, wax off” as we continue to ready the coach for travel.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (I Thessalonians 5:28)