Days 1 and 2....

We have been wanting rain at the house and it finally arrived in substantial amts.....on the day we needed to move our stuff from our stationary house to our moving house. A side benefit however, were the cooler temps that made the trips a bit soggy but tolerable.

Our destination the first day was somewhere near Savannah, about 300 miles. Feeling energetic, we kept going and ended up near Columbia SC.(432mi) The Camp ground was totally forgettable but made for a quick and easy stop for the night. The drive was uneventful but pretty hot. Fortunately, we can run the generator as we are lumbering down the roads and it does the trick to cool us.

We needed to stop for gas....this is my least favorite part of the experience and I always dread it. Finding a station that we can get in and out of , towing a car, requires some quick assessments as we drive by. We got off the exit, knowing that there was a station at a Walmart and they are usually OK. But, right across the street was a BP which looked wide open and a more comfortable fit. Until we got to the pumps and then realized that the quick drive back out to the road put us onto a smaller road .....it was separated from the main road by a concrete strip that was all but invisible until we had already pulled in. The smaller road went to a private business, too small to maneuver in. Sooooo, we had to disconnect the car, back up the coach, turn it around and reconnect. It was 90+ out and we were not happy.

Today, our destination was Boone, NC, tucked high in the Blue Ridge Mtns. Because we never know when or where we are going, we usually don't make reservations ahead of time.....and today, our luck ran out and there was nothing in the Boone area. But, we found a place in Hickory about an hour from Boone. The very nice owner gave us explicit directions on how to get there....we had no trouble but happy for a GPS and her hints. We turned into a residential neighborhood, no signs marked the way and proceeded down a paved road until ....we came to the formidable gate.

The the road turned to gravel and had a very steep grade.
After twists and turns , we came to the bottom of a lovely valley and it was
worth the trip. Indian Springs Campground is a small (20 sites) sitting along a creek. We didn't explore much but plan to in the morning.

After getting settled, we headed up to Boone and Blowing Rock. We visited the two CG's and found that one had a cancellation so we will pack up and move up there tomorrow. There is more to do, it is much cooler and the scenery is even more spectacular than where we are.

Checklist almost complete........

Daughter-in-law to be , AKA the BRIDE, put a smile on my face today...... I love quirky ideas and she filled the bill with these wine coasters.....little boas with a choice of sexy, flirty, sassy and naughty labels. Now, one would think that the elderly might not feel the need to announce their current mood, but you would be wrong.!! Very cute and fun. !! Thanks Jennifer !!Today we drove over to Tampa to meet Jon for breakfast. He had a short layover but enough time for a quick bite and to

give him this duffle full of pictures.
It was jammed with zip lock bags filled to the brim with pictures going back decades. Once I had good intentions but then it became overwhelming and they gradually accumulated in Rubbermaid tubs. I have always admired those who could get them all organized and then bring them out at family gatherings, ( and giggle over that picture of dad in a mustache and mother in a bikini..... did we never look in a mirror ???? ) Anyway, we are impressed that Jon is willing to preserve them for posterity on a disc.

The time is finally here.........................one more time , we will load up and ship out. The slides and manual retraction system are fixed. The generator is working properly. Systems I don't understand have been checked. Front tires are shiny new. On Tues we will stow a mind boggling array of 'must haves' into the various compartments. The 4 inch heels are going.....they passed the 3 hour test with no discomfort or falling!

So, stay tuned and don't be surprised if we turn up in a campground near you........and bring your wrench.

Randomness

It's still all about the shoes...........here are some better pictures, stolen from my friends at Zappos.....BTW, Norma said that she is also a VIP and has only purchased ONE pair of shoes.....so looks like they are not too discriminating and are just throwing around fancy titles....Here's SHOE #1.... a favorite. Walking is OK but haven't tried for longer than a couple minutes.
SHOE #2 OK but a bit matronly and horrors of all horrors, I will NEVER be matronly if I can help it.

The BRIDE wore her lovely 4 inch heels around the house for 30 minutes and ended up with numb toes. This does not bode well for my success. She is switching to different shoes but still 4 inch.

Speaking of matronly, I read this morning where the average woman has $800 worth of cosmetics at home and $100 in her purse. Now that makes me feel really old and out of step....... in order to boost my self asteem and attempt to put a glow in my cheeks, I am investing in some pretty packaging for myself.......$21 just for eye liner ! But it promises so much, as does the lip color, the blush, the primer, the mascara and the age-reversal foundation. Then there's the teeth whitening, the hair color, the waxing, oh my....it never ends. I'll show you the after pics when we attend the big EVENTS and suspect I'll look exactly like ME !! Just short a few coins.........

Surprise, surprise, it's still hot in Florida. The golf course are busy busy busy. I think they are all crazy. I just don't know how they play in 112 heat index...especially when they are OLD. !! I keep waiting to have to use my Advanced Life Support skills out back while I am watching from the comfort of the pool.

We've taken to having dinner on the lanai.....in order to do that comfortably, we are sure to have a cold bottle of wine and a dip in the pool prior to sitting..... another dip after and we can sit and watch the golfers sweat.
We tried shrimp, scallops, pineapple, onions with a teriyaki marinade....delicious.
And speaking of the weird and unusual................ how about wall decals!!

What are the chances...........

...that I will be able to wear these for an entire evening....? Actually, what are the odds that I can even WALK in them?

A VIE (very important event) is coming up in exactly one month. To that end, I have had to find a dress, find shoes, find jewelry, think about the hair and the make-up, and worry that it all goes together and fits......mostly that it fits. Meanwhile, the FOTG, had to get fitted for a tux, try on shoes and then work on his golf game. Sometimes life is not equal or fair. Anyway, this VIE is NOT about me or him and for that we are grateful. The BRIDE will be stunning and the groom extremely handsome and a great time will be had by all.

So, I find a dress....its a great color....plum, grape, aubergine, eggplant...or something like that. I try on the comfortable black shoes from the closet....Nope, doesn't work. I thought about DSW and there is one near by but what are the odds they carry that color in the appropriate shoe. So, I went to my favorite online place where I am considered a VIP (because over the years I have ordered TWO pair of shoes !), and searched their site for size 8.5, purple dress heels with an open toe. Four pair fit the bill and I tapped the Send button........shortly, an email arrived and said "WHOA, Nellie !! Have we got a surprise for you ! Because you are a VIP shopper, we are sending your shoes 2nd day Air !! And with Zappos, it is all free shipping, both ways and with returns up to a year. The large box arrived today.... all 4 pairs fit perfectly. Two are not a good match, one is a possibility and one is perfect (pictured above) EXCEPT, it has 4 inch heels. I will have to prance around in them for a month so I don't make a fool of myself or break something. I'm not sure that a woman of my age is even allowed to wear 4 inch heels......unless you're Tina Turner.

This is probably more information than you ever wanted to know about my search for shoes....plus, its very hard to take a decent picture of your own foot.

But, remember, when one is the owner of a blog, sometimes you have to dig pretty deep to keep the troops coming back for more.

Addendum: Thanks to Norma, Rian and Robbie for the comments on the previous blog......a good chuckle !!

Plagiarizing in my spare time

Yes, I've resorted to stealing photos from other people's blog because I have nothing interesting to talk about. I would credit this but since it's from the world wide net, I could have found it if I had made an effort.

But isn't this just a colorful descriptive imaginative piece of work....??
Here's another stolen image titled "Self-portrait in a dark cockpit".....or,
"Proof that we stay awake in the dark"............. ( Both are clickable to enlarge)

So, a fair warning for the rest of you out there......if you see some of your pics on this blog, I hope I don't need permission to plagiarize your work. I might give you credit and because of the thousands who hover on my every word, you just might become famous.....or not.

And because I'm so bored, I played around with the blog look......I'm always cautious and a bit timid about doing this since sometimes it just disappears when I start going places I know nothing about. It may stay or not.

Still waiting for the moving house to be put back together. We had more work done, things that weren't critical but would need to be done eventually. Hopefully, we can get on the road by next weekend . It will be just for a couple of weeks as we have major commitments at the end of the month and have given up the idea of driving to them.

Played golf a couple times at the crack of dawn and it was still uncomfortable. So it is now officially our 'winter' in Florida and time to do the inside things.

Have a good weekend out there ......I'm going to clean my oven.

Wish we were there.................

Because we are still laying around the non-moving house waiting for repairs to the moving house, we have no pictures or adventures or witty repartee to regale you with so I'm happy to share these lovely photos shot by my brother Tom. Now that he is happily retired, he heads to the hills (Sierra Mountains in California)
for some back country camping (not at all similar to his older sister's style of "camping") and generously shares the gorgeous views.


He has a good eye for this sort of thing and it's nice that he shares.

Doldrums

Back home again late on Saturday night. Decided to try the cheap route on Continental and it actually worked altho a couple times we thought we might be staying at the local inn for the night. But , we even managed to get 1st class out of Houston, so a glass of wine, a nice meal and a short nap helped forget the stress of it all.

So, now were back to where we had not planned to be and the blahs have set in. We'd much rather be on the road, along side a stream or viewing the distant hills. The vehicle is still in repair and later in the week, will have more work done. It's too hot for golf, altho there are a lot of people who don't seem to mind the heat. Friends are traveling, the neighborhood is quiet and so are we. Hope you are doing something exciting !

Wine and Roses

Arrived before noon yesterday. Weather perfect but brain confused with 3 hour time difference.
Had a 2 hour stop in Las Vegas. I resisted the urge to capture on film the motley collection of characters passing thru. People watching in Vegas has to be about the best of anywhere.












We are staying at the beautiful Wine and Roses Inn just down the road from Mother's. This is our 3rd stay here and thru all seasons, it is lovely. Some of the rooms have a very contemporary feel but this time we are in a more Tuscan-inspired decor. The rooms are large and the bathrooms are even larger. It is in a vineyard and the restaurant is exceptional. We had Thanksgiving here last year.
We had a fun family gathering last night outside at Mother's. We have spent many many hours over the past 50 years in that lovely setting.

Location:Lodi, california

Back where we started.........

We're home after some long grueling hours ....we did over 500 miles on Monday , even driving after dark which we never do. Loading up the coach is kind of enjoyable, knowing that a trip is coming up, but unloading is a whole different ball of wax, especially when it is near 100 degrees and humid. How good the pool felt afterwards. The beast is at the repair shop for an undetermined time.

Here is a picture of P waiting for his lunch at the Biltmore. They have many restaurants, this one called "The Stables" for obvious reasons. They had up to 25 horses housed here as well as carriages. It was a huge room but converted nicely for the restaurant.

We spent a couple of hours enjoying the beautiful formal and informal gardens. There is a large conservatory, several water features with lotus and water lilies and koi. And roses and more roses and gorgeous lilies of all kinds. I'm not a gardener and only know the most common flowers by name. Tomorrow we will head to Sacramento for the memorial for Jerry. It will be good to see family once again.

If its not one thing, its two more...

We are currently going south from Virginia. "what you say??... SOUTH ?"
Life is never predictable,especially when it involves large moving parts.
We had a major mechanical issue last evening after we arrived ar a lovely campground in the middle if the Blue Ridge Mtns. With a flood of red hydraulic fluid, our slides ground to a halt part way out.......and it left one with an ominous sinking feeling. Luckily, there was some familiarity with this issue and along with a few choice words, the on-board mechanic was able to figure out a bandaide solution. We retracted them manually, after removing everything from drawers and closets, and will not be able to open them again. It takes specialized garages to do this andwe felt thebest place was the one at home.
(pardon my typing....we're moving down a rough road)

We are disappointed and frustrated and will miss being at the ANDYMASON campground especially. But, stay tuned......




Sent from my iPad

Location:On the road