It's always something..

............ luckily, one of us is very talented at fixing things. This time it was the waterpump. We can't blame anyone but ourselves for this stupid mistake. We can't say enough about the gorgeous weather up here. It has rained a bit , but mostly in the late day when we are done wandering. We've met several nice couples, and it's fun to share traveling stories.
This is a view I captured on the Biltmore Estates....I just hopped out of the car with my phone and it came out perfect and P hardly slowed down since there was traffic behind us. The rest of the pics are off the web as it was gloomy and overcast and they don't allow pictures inside.
And these are just a glimpse of the awe and wonder.

As we drive along the highways, we are greeted my masses of daylilies......mostly yellow and orange but occasionally deep reds. The rest stops are especially pretty. We thank you North Carolina for brightening up the already spectacular views.
We're changing our itinerary a bit and will leave here on Sunday, early, and head north to Connecticut to the ANDY MASON campground. Probably 3 days or so unless we get ambitious. On Thurs, we will fly to California to be with family and then back on Saturday.

One day, we headed over to Saluda, a historic little main street with nice shops and several restaurants. The Purple Onion was recommended and we had the best BLT ever.....on fresh baked bread with thick bacon and locally grown, heavenly tasting, by far the best tomato ever........we need to go back by but it is Coon Dog Days this weekend and we don't need to fight the crowds.

And, speaking of dogs, we are in the minority here.....almost every motorhome and 5th wheel has a dog or two. Next door is a feisty boxer and there is every color of shitsu....and several small white dogs of indeterminate breed. We see many many yorkies and mixes and they usually come in pairs. By far, the cutest is Riley, an adorable teddy bear of a Pomeranian. He has a great personality and I will get a picture next time he ambles by. Or maybe I'll just go to the store and pick me up one.......but then I'd have to find a new handyman.

Remembering....

Late today, we learned of the sudden passing of a warm hearted and generous man who left us with good memories of good times. Jerry was my sister Maureen's husband. This was on our cruise to Alaska a few years ago. He will be missed by his many friends , his family and especially, his dogs.
He was a great cook and king of the barbeque. We'll plan to fly west when plans are finalized.

July 4th

Just a quick note to let you know that we are here.......the beautiful mtns of North Carolina....we've been here enough that it is all looking familiar and comfortable. We are actually in Flat Rock, about 30 min or so from Asheville. Flat Rock is the home of Carl Sandburg and I've written about the area in the past. We are heading out to see the Biltmore Estate. The Scott's have chastised us for not exploring this in the past but we were saving it for another day, which is finally here......pictures at 11.

Last night we drove over to Brevard for their fireworks display. We had no idea where they were but planned to follow the crowd. We found that crowd at the Ingles grocery store parking lot. People were parked everywhere and sitting all around waiting. So we parked, climbed a small embankment, put down our chairs and had a good show. The parking lot lights remained lit but after awhile, they weren't noticeable. I'd show pictures but forgot my real camera and the iPhone didn't do them justice. There is a Starbucks inside the store and two ambitious barristers came out to serve iced coffees and lemonade and iced tea. It was cute with their rolling bar. I also had a pic of that but your imagination is better.

Altho the weather is cooler, neighbors around the camp say it has been hot and humid and we had arrived after the rain.

Hope your 4th was sparkly and cool.

And we're off...

It seemed to take forever to get going today. Someone was checking and rechecking tires and finally getting the pressure equalized while someone else had one eye on the Casey Anthony trial (yes, it is a very big deal downhere with practically 24 hr coverage) and carrying load after load of clothes, shoes, food, wine and electronics....... For "camping" we require: 2 laptops, 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, 1 Kindle, 1 DirectTV box, 2 Sonicare toothbrushes, 1 GPS, and various sensors and monitors. It's all a bit much if you ask me but what should we leave behind? Actually, we did leave the electric corkscrew behind and the can opener........so that will require some manual labor.


We saw this cute bus at a rest stop....it said Legoland and was filled with teenagers. The new Legoland will be opening this fall at the old Cypress Gardens site. ( click to enlarge)


P is wearing his souvenir shirt from the Clinton museum....it might be more tolerated outside of 'the bubble'.
We're somewhere in Georgia and the campground is resplendant in crepe myrtle blooming in many colors.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Perry, Georgia

Ready, set......

Not quite to GO yet but getting close. We'll head out in a day or so and go to Asheville. It's cooler there, we enjoy the mountains and the views and the art culture is appealing. We have no plans beyond that until about the middle of the month when we will head up to Andy and Mason's house. We also will go up to the Finger Lakes in NY for a meet up with camping friends for a few days. (Dean/Diane, come join us !) Because our travel plans are so fluid, we are packing clothes for all seasons and occasions. Add in bikes, golf clubs, and electronic must haves, we will be pretty full....and yet , we still call it 'camping'.

You remember this cute little dog that we enjoyed meeting at Jeff and Jen's.....Guiness. We'll, he has some issues ..... but cuteness will get you far. Anyhow, like so many dogs, he becomes psychotic during these days of fireworks. At my urging, they are trying out "The Thundershirt" on him and so far they have seen some results. Paul thinks its a quack and a gimmick but I'm hoping that Guiness will prove him wrong. All he needs now are some noise cancelling headphones and soothing tunes and he'll forget all about stress.

I'm aware that some bloggers don't like to advertise that they are not home......thinking that the local burglars are reading all of this dither and just waiting to invade. Well, since we are taking EVERYTHING with us, they are welcome to the rest. Plus we have old and wise and seeing- all neighbors that I wouldn't want to tangle with......and, the killer geckos are always in wait. The other night we left our garage doors open and got a call the next morning from Community Watch to see if we were OK. They should just have a universal door opener so they could just close them all since we are not the only ones. A bigger problem for our neighbor is a rodent that has taken a liking to hoses in his car. It cost him over $400 the first time and now he's finding nibble marks again despite traps and poison.

So, between rodents who can disable the thief's car and roving CW keeping on eye on the old people, we feel comfortable announcing our plans.

Definitely, maybe........

Any plans we had for travel are again up in the air. Not a problem but soon, we'd like to know which direction on the compass we are going to follow. The memorial service for Romayne has been postponed until fall. It will work out better for everyone.

We could stay with Plan A and head west.....or deviate a bit and head North....or combine them into one lonnnggg meander. We'll decide this week when P gets the FAA and simulators out of his brain.

Meanwhile, as I think about this weighty issue, I am sorting and cleaning and packing up Romayne's things. Most everything is being donated to Habitat for Humanity for their thrift store. A beautiful mink coat will go to the Humane Society to be used for beds for wild animal babies. China and silver is being packed up for a niece who is the beneficiary. This is my dining room table....first I had to unpack it after being in this box since the original move....and then I will repack into smaller boxes. Luckily, I don't have to polish this silver

And I'm learning that I know nothing about jewelry. She left some lovely rings, beautiful pearls, assorted pins. I thought I could figure out what was 'real' and what wasnt' but just to be sure, I took it to 2 jewelry stores for a quick appraisal.....well, most of it was plated gold , zirconia and fake ....even the beautiful pearls. But does it really matter? I'm sure that like me, most people can't tell the difference and the recipients will appreciate them regardless.

It's always fun when Jon snaps pictures with his phone as he zips thru the skies and various airports.
It's good to see these familiar colors once again.......yesterday in Tampa.

Transition......

Aunt Romayne gently slipped away this past weekend. She was 98, highly independent, enthusiastic and always with a smile and positive word. She lived in Florida near us for about 3 years, but always missed her Colorado mountains.

So we are in transition as well. Travel plans have always been a bit limited due to not wanting to leave her for more than about 2 weeks at a time. Now, we have a wide open schedule and I think we are finding it a bit daunting.

We'll load up the RV and begin with a trip west for her memorial service mid-July in Colorado Springs. We will probably continue in a westerly direction altho meandering around without too many plans is always more fun.

Weather has been very very hot and dry down here. The golf courses are hurting and restricted to cart path only which makes for a long , hot game. There is a good deal offered of $6 for 18 holes after 5 on the Championship courses. We played last week and it does start to cool off about 7 and with a cold one in the cooler, it makes for a fun evening with friends. I'm loving a new Ping 7 wood that works off the tee, on the fairway, in the rough and would probably do fine as a putter. I suggested that I need a matched set but no one heard me.

Paul is working a bit, making 2 trips this month to Miami for instructing. I hold down the homestead and ward off the geckos.

Back to reality...........

We are fortunate in that we have the option of flying on Continental as non-revenue (read 'free') passengers. We have a long history of this nerve racking style of traveling, beginning with our privileges at Eastern Airlines as an employee and then with CAL as a parent of an employee. It is increasingly more difficult to try the stand- by route due to fewer flights and fuller planes. We can check boarding totals but they change rapidly. On occasion, we go ahead and buy a Southwest ticket to have in our pocket as they have a good change policy. We did this for our trip to Vancouver and we had to use the ticket when CAL fell apart. Coming home, we opted to try the red-eye and there were plenty of seats on Continental and we got 1st class which makes it even sweeter.......plus, add in the new seats that recline into a bed, and I could have flown to China. So, thanks Jon for going to work just so your old parents can recline and relax.
Florida sunshine looked pretty good after our days of rain and chilly but we miss the green views, the excellent food and welcoming charm of Jennifer and Jeff's beautiful home.

(I'm writing the blog on the computer again......the spacing is better and the pictures are bigger but for travel, the iPad is the way to go.)

Raining cat and dog...

It has rained much of the time we have enjoyed being here. Sometimes it is just sporadic and then was a sideways deluge when Jennifer and I were shopping in Portland. We were carrying bright red shopping bags from Nordstrom's big sale and they became soggy and left their color on her white coat and on my pale gold bag. Fortunately, we were able to sponge it off my bag and her coat will go to the cleaners but you'd think someone would have considered the results of red bags and rain.












We haven't been able to enjoy this colorful patio but Jeff braved the elements to finish this perfect dinner prepared by Jen.








I tried to get a decent picture of Kitty but she is a bit shy.








And speaking of shy, here is the cutest but quietest dog ever.








This is Guiness and he is a minature Akita, or a shiba inu. He is about 30 lbs and prefers the solitude of his room upstairs to the chatter down. His coat and markings are beautiful.








Paul and I drove over to Cannon Beach yesterday and it was chilly but bright and sunny













































A pattern in the sand. We'd love to park the RV somewhere along the coast and enjoy the view for awhile.

And.....if you're wondering why I've become such a prolific blogger of late, ( and I know you have been thinking that !), it's because of this easy app on the iPad that makes it a snap to add pictures. They are a bit smaller but most are clickable for enlarging.

Location:Vancouver, washington

On the river

We were invited to go for a boatride last night. I had no expectations until we got to the Vancouver Yacht Club and walked among the boat slips.











These are the 'boat houses' and there are many,many of them along the river. Once the door opened, we gaped in amazement.








John and Louise welcomed us aboard and we had a spectacular cruise on the Columbia River.






















































































I believe the 'boat' was powered by wine.......

Location:Vancouver,Washington

On the road again

We left the searing heat behind yesterday and headed West. With a quick stop in Denver, I had initial concerns about our flight path leaving Florida. It seemed tp me that we would have to fly right thru the nasty weather plaguing the center of the country. But knowing I had my trusty loyal traveling companion to allay my anxieties,I was prepared. As it turned out, my seatmate snored thru it all and the bumps were mostly in my mind.



We arrived early to chilly misty weather but it actually feels good for a change and it's not snow.
Today we pack up the Spanx and head out to search for a non-matronly MOTG dress. Stay tuned.

Location:Vancouver, Washington

Triple bogey

Was not my score but was the name of our team in today's wacky neighborhood golf tournament. It was the 3rd annual Chix 'n Stix event. We played 9 holes of Executive golf in the searing sun with no humidity and a light breeze. I am fried despite a thick slather of #50 sunscreen.


Our team was one short, thus the name. Nina, Joan and I adhered to the crazy rules (putting blind, worst ball, hole in one if you hit the sand etc.) and didn't finish last. Lunch and prizes followed and we all took home some goodies.

Since the world is coming to an end in a few hours, I am now going to eat fresh crusty baguettes with thick butter downed with a chocolate milkshake and chased with a bottle of really expensive wine. Or maybe just a bag of Cheetos.

Location:The Villages, Florida

Back to the high country

Trying to use up some time between flights home and since I can now blog on the iPad, I've decided to share yesterday with you.
Did you know that time spent in the mountains is not deducted from your life?? It's really true and yesterday


we added a few hours to our total lifespan. We headed up the Peak to Peak hwy, a scenic route along the Front Range. We have done hiking up here in the past. Along the way, we happened across
This most unique carousel in Nederlands. The basic structure was rescued and restored and is an original from the early 1900's. The animals were all carved by one man over 27 years. Since my father also carved carousel animals and I have two in our home, we were impressed with the magnitude of this undertaking. Www.carouselofhappiness.org will give more information and pictures. His animals put a smile on your face andthe more you look, the more the little surprises.





We continued on to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain NP.


The elk were abundant, even in town. There is still some snow in the woods and is heavy on the peaks but it was a perfect day for strolling. We miss the mountains and need to come back .


Farewell for now to a most beautiful place.

Location:Houston, Texas

This a test !!

I just found this app that allows blogging from the iPad and all of you are the guinea pigs. Yesterdays attempt was a disaster on the Sony and I found out that the underlined area was a hyperlink and if you click on it, you get lilacs !, a picture I had intended to delete. Have no idea how I did that. The iPad is not speedy to type on and Very easy to make typos but is just so portable and cool in every other way.
Wow, it is so easy to post a picture too. And it captures the location .
This a picture of my favorite little fish in a tank by my chair.


We are enjoying one more day here and hope the sun stays as bright and warm as advertised.

Location:Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Short synopsis..

We left for Colorado on Saturday morning and arrived on Wednesday eve.......1800+ miles and the old car ran like a top. NPR and the views kept us occupied. We unexpectedly came across the horrific tornado damage outside of Birmingham. TV could not do it justice.....it came to those who could least afford to recover. Then it was on to Memphis where the Mississippi grew to over 3 miles and the tributaries backed up to cover the rural areas for miles. Detours were necessary.

One of our goals was to stop by the Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock. It was built in an old industrial area and the surrounding parks and trails are not finished. We found it interesting and efficient in cataloging and displaying the vast information. But I found it strange that in one ever changing section was a Dr Seuss exhibit........probably to keep the people coming back. Won't get into politics here but just let it be known that P brought a tee shirt that says "I miss Bill" .

Continuing along this theme, we stopped at the Truman library in Independence, Mo. It seemed a bit more homey and easier to review his life and presidency

This was an exhibit representing the number of planes used in the Berlin airlift. Over 200 flights daily brought in supplies.

We continued on to Abilene, Ks to visit the Eisenhower Library. It was undergoing necessary renovations and updates so it was a quick stroll around the grounds and library.

We had perfect, warm and even hot weather for most of the trip. Until we hit western Kansas. The sky darkened and the radio kept us updated on the tornado warnings. Most seemed a bit north of I 70 but we expected some heavy rain. Abruptly, we were pounded with hail and had to pull over as visibility was poor. The hail quickly piled up and the snow plows were very prompt. We started out again on the road covered with several inches of the stuff and with a 30 degree drop in temperatures. The tornado sightings were about 10 miles north of us. We opted to take a shorter route to the house, across the prairie for about 50 miles.....a well traveled scenic route but also one that climbed another thousand feet, resulting in driving thru a beautiful snow fall, quickly accumulating. It sure didn't feel like mid-May.

We woke up on Thursday to more snow falling at the house.....temperatures were in the 30's and only got to 50.......my May clothes just didn't work so had to go buy some winter duds.

But, despite our fears, graduation on Friday morning dawned bright and sunny and a bit chilly.

Nicholas graduated from the prestigious Colorado School of Mines with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After a summer working in Tulsa, he will continue his work towards a MS in Petroleum Engineering.........of course he takes after his grandmother.............NOT!

We look forward to seeing the other 3 meet their goals in the near future.

We'll head home on Tuesday morning when the temperature is to climb into the 70's here and in the 90's at home. It's been a wonderful trip. ( I have no idea why some parts of this post are underlined and in blue.......I'm using P's computer as I can't post pictures from the iPad)