“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)