Friends are Forever…and a Birthday Celebration

                   

Our first stop on this journey was to visit Darrell and Judy Patterson in Crossville, Tennessee.  We arrived Tuesday around 12:30 and got all set up at Bean Pot Campground.  After resting a bit we freshened up and headed over to the Patterson's new home.  Judy and Darrell had prepared a wonderful meal for us but first we needed the traditional hugs and tour of the new home.  God has truly blessed them with a lovely home, neighborhood and community.  We talked for awhile and then got down to enjoying the delicious spaghetti and meatballs with Italian sausage and salad. Then we talked some more.  We made plans to meet again on Wednesday for lunch and a guided tour of Crossville.   Around 3:00 we returned to our doggies to give them a bite to eat and a potty break.  We joined Darrell and Judy at their church for Wednesday evening service.  We ended the evening at their house for a bowl of ice cream and a little more fellowship.  All too early we had to say our "so longs" and head to our next leg of the journey.  We gave our hugs and promised to meet again very soon...in fact Darrell has a great idea for a group of us to meet up for a Tennessee Tailgate rally!!  

                  

Yes, friends are forever!!  Thank you Darrell and Judy for a wonderful two days with you guys!! 

                 

We packed up and left early to head toward Lebanon, Tennessee and the Cedars of Lebanon State Park. This is the closest park to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where Mike's mom is now living.  Mike's brother Pat and family also live in Murfreesboro.  We arrived and got set up and headed to Stones River Manor to pull a huge surprise on Mimi.  She did not know we were coming to help celebrate her 92nd birthday.  It couldn't have been better...she was in a group meeting and one of the helpers there went in to tell her that her son, Mike was there to see her.  She politely said, "no, you mean my son, Pat?"  She got up and looked down the hall and saw us.  Her look was priceless!!  We visited with her for several hours and then planned a return the next day for a birthday lunch. 

                    

Mike's brother and his wife joined us for this lunch meal complete with cake and ice cream.  We sat and talked until they were about to run us out of the cafeteria.  Mimi is doing really well in her new home.  She has made lots of friends and this facility is pristine.  They have lots of activities to keep the residents busy and active.  She looks really great for 92!!  Happy Birthday, Mimi!! 

                   

We left Cedars of Lebanon early Saturday morning so we could make the trip back to James "Sloppy" Floyd State Park.  We stayed at this park on our way to Crossville and it is a beautiful campground, one that we want to return and stay for extended time. 

                   

                        

                         

We arrived early enough to sit outside and just enjoy this beautiful place.  For a weekend, it was just so quiet and peaceful...we sat outside into the night just listening to the tree frogs, crickets and all the night sounds in a campground.  We got a beautiful sunset picture and a few other evening shots of this place. 

                   

                   

We will be back to stay for several days...as soon as the temperatures settle into a nice range.

                   

                   

This has been a great trip!!  Wonderful weather with the temperatures at the beginning of the week in the mountains averaging upper 70s during the day and mid to upper 50s at night.  For those of us in the south these are wonderful numbers for August.  Toward the end of the week it warmed up into the mid to upper 80s.   We wish we could have stayed longer at each place we visited but we had to be home for my INR test on Monday. 

James Floyd State Park

                     

Tonight we are in Summerville, Georgia which is about 20 miles north of Rome, Georgia.  We are on our way to visit some very special folks...Darrell and Judy Patterson.  We are so excited because it has been way too long since we were together.  In fact, it was back when they were on their ERPU lot at Rainbow Plantation.  Since that time they have purchased a home in the gorgeous Cumberland Plateau area of Crossville, Tennessee. 

                     

                

Our first night we stopped a little more than half way at this gorgeous state park.  This is a definite place to return to and spend some time.  The campsites are large, nicely spaced and extremely clean.  The bathhouse is on the older side but just as clean.  We are sitting on our patio listening to the frogs and crickets and it just doesn't get much better.  This is definitely an "it" place but more than that...it has found my "sweet spot." 

                 

                 

I will stop talking and just let you see some of the sights around James "Sloppy" Floyd State Park.  Enjoy the tour!

                 

                

                

                

               

              

We have a Winner!!!

                               

WHERE:  We decided to return to Chewacla State Park in Auburn, Alabama.  This is a nice quiet campground and just so happens to be only about a mile from our son and his wife.  We wanted to have a short visit with them before heading to Tennessee next week.  The other reason, not that I'm being a pessimist, is that this campground is only about 45 minutes from our home.  Just in case things headed south and the dogs decided to protest.  I am still chuckling over Merikay's comment on our last post...tell them it's the floor or the door.  Oh, if only it were that simple!!

                      

                      

We arrived on Wednesday and got all set up on our site...#8.  Plenty of shade which is nice when it is "southern hot and humid" outside.  We have our patio set up with the comfortable recliners and the fan pointed right at us.  Actually, it is quite comfortable.  

                      

We spend most of our time outside..either hiking/walking with the camera in tow or enjoying our recliners for a nap or good book. .  Daytime went very well.  Even when we went inside to see how things would go they were happy, for the most part, with napping in their baskets or hanging around on the floor.  While walking around, we came across bike trails and even bike ramps for the more skilled bikers. From talking with the ranger, there are a lot of folks that come here on the weekends to go biking on the trails…a good reason for weekday camping!

                       

                                          

Bedtime proved to be a bit challenging!!  Let's just say we went to bed late last night!!  We have come up with a few ideas that might make this a "happy" arrangement for everybody so we decided to extend and stay one more day.  

                      

HOW DID IT GO:   Our 17 and half year old Shih Tzu did great.  We put her on the bed with us some while we read/do computer work and when it was bed time, we put her in her basket and she went right to sleep.  Nick, on the other hand, reacted a bit different.  When we put him in his basket, he looked at us and whined. Well, with a stern voice, I picked him up since he wandered out of his basket, put him back and told him no!  Lucky for us..it worked and we all slept good the entire night.  I must say, we have slept in the same bed for our 31 and half years of marriage, and this was a very different feeling….??

                        

                                   

Been a Bit Boring…

                       

With all the house painting and very high temperatures we haven't been doing anything very exciting lately.  You could go so far as to say we have been pretty boring....and bored!!

                  

With that in mind we decided it was time to do something that involved the Casita. 

We have some very good friends, Darrell and Judy Patterson, that have recently bought a home in the Crossville, Tennessee area and we have wanted to visit with them and see their new home.  They are north of LaGrange, Georgia and therefore the temps should be a tad cooler...hopefully!!!  We were set to head out Tuesday morning after I had my INR blood test on Monday.  Well, Monday my INR showed that my number is pretty low and out of therapeutic range.  Those of you that are familiar with Coumadin/Warfarin understand what that means.  The dosage was altered some and I was commanded to return next Monday for another INR to see if the number is heading in the right direction.  I am hopeful that it will be and we will be heading north next Monday afternoon.

                              

So being that we are terribly disappointed, we are going to try and slip away to a campground near home for a day or two and brush up on our camping skills.  We also want to test out a new sleeping arrangement.

                    

In the Liberty Deluxe (our model of Casita), we can sleep either on a full bed, king bed or twin beds.  We have tried the full bed and like it but the negative side is that whenever the "lucky person" in the back wants to get up and use the bathroom, the other person either gets crawled over or gets up as well.  I have a hard time sleeping in the back... I get a tad claustrophobic back there and I also have to lap my leg outside of the covers in order to sleep happily!!  So I am the "lucky person" that has to get up with the "unlucky person" that has to visit the bathroom. 

                  

Then we tried the king arrangement.  We decided to do the king arrangement this way - leave the cushions set up during the day and then at night bring in the 2 inch memory foam topper, arrange the cushions for sleeping and throw the sheets and blanket on top.  We didn't like this arrangement at all.  This was too much stuff to store in the back of the Xterra and bring in at night and then take back up in the morning.  When in the "king" arrangement, there is no other seating...just a bed.  We love the space the king bed allows but not all the hassle in putting up and taking down the bed.

                          

The most popular arrangement for Liberty Deluxe owners is the twin bed arrangement.  We have extended the benches to 30 inch width and have placed a Spa Sensations bed on each bench.  This is a permanent arrangement. 

                    

We have covered them with red blankets and pillows for color.  We set up our round table at the end of the isle.  During the day we use the beds as more of a daybed and then at night we turn back the blanket and enjoy a good nights sleep...we hope!!!  Why would this not work...you ask??  Well, we have two little spoiled rotten Shih Tzus that always sleep with us.  They will have to sleep on the floor in their baskets.  We aren't sure how they will like this set up.  Hence...a trial run is in order.

                       

Stay tuned for the WHERE (we will go) and HOW (it all turns out).

Even though it has been very hot lately we have some beautiful Black-Eyed Susans in full bloom around our mailbox. 

                     

                     

                     

The Angel Wing Begonias have done their job of attracting many Hummingbirds.  We have noticed that we have several "humming" around sipping the sweet nectar.  Our birds continue to enjoy the feast at the feeders and with all the rain the grass has grown and greened well.

                              

Hope your summer is going good!!!  Stayed tuned for the WHERE and HOW it goes!!!

A Little Sneezy

                  

                 

Notice this Red Bellied Woodpecker beginning flight to our feeder.

For the past several months our boy Shih Tzu, Nick, has been driving us (and himself) crazy with this constant sneezing.  We took him to our Vet several times and each time he thought it was allergies.  So he was treated for allergies by taking a small dose of Benedryl.  I washed everything in "dye free, perfume free" detergent, put a new mattress pad on the bed and even changed the rug in our bedroom and front room.  It seems the worse time for sneezing was around 2:30 a.m.......yes, you read that right, 2:30.  He would sneeze and then walk the bed.  Yes, you read that right, too!!!  He sleeps with us.  The interesting thing is that when he went camping with us he was much, much better.  So you can see why we all thought he had an allergy to something....but what??? 

                  

He had a terrible sneezing spell on a Thursday afternoon, the afternoon our Vet was closed, so we took him to another Vet in town.  They work together when one is off or on vacation.  We both thought a fresh pair of eyes might be helpful.  On a whim I asked him if his teeth, or a tooth, could be the problem??  He took a look and noticed very quickly that he had great need of teeth cleaning but then on further observation he noticed one tooth that was loose.  He said it could have something to do with the sneezing because the root goes way up into the sinus cavity.  We returned to our Vet the next day and sure enough this tooth needed to come out and the others cleaned.  Tuesday we took Nick to have this work done.  Today is Saturday and he hasn't had one sneezing spell.  He has slept through the night....and so have we!!!!  He seems so much happier and playful.  It would be so nice if our pets could tell us what hurts them.  I am so glad the mystery is solved.

                  

                  

Nick made a few poses for the camera so you would get to know him.

There has not been much going on around our house lately.  Mike continues to paint but now he is down to just the trim part and the front door.  We had vinyl windows installed so at least they don't need painting.  The end is in sight!!

                

We took this pic at Gulf Shores and this lone boat made for a good setting in the ocean.

We haven't been out in the camper lately.  Several reasons, one of which is the weather.  Just very hot lately.  I know we could head north but right now we are here due to having my blood tested every week.  I was diagnosed with Factor Five Leiden Mutation (homozygeous) last December.  I will write more about that lovely blood disorder later but long story short....I'm on Warfarin.  With this anticoagulant you have to be in a "therapeutic range" and I have not reach it consistently yet.  So the lab has to test my blood, INR count, every week.  Last Wednesday it was very high (for me) at 3.4.  We are working on bringing it down to around 2.0 to 2.3. 

                                 

I was able to get a pic of this Cardinal on our back walkway.  He had a bite of food in his mouth.

As soon as I am "turned loose" we will get back out camping.  We can't wait to try out our new awning and take some pics of it. 

With the Fourth of July approaching we wish each of you a safe holiday!!  Enjoy the fireworks and the gatherings of family or friends.  To all our full-time friends we wish you patients as the campgrounds fill up with crazy "weekenders."  Just remember....this too shall pass!!  Have a great 4th!!

                        

We Now Have an Awning

When we purchased our Casita it did not have an awning.  Many Casita owners choose to leave the awning off when purchasing their new Casitas.  When you purchase a pre-owned Casita you take what you get and adjust or correct.  After almost a year without an awning we've decided to correct. 

               

                   

The Casita is a different type of camper in that it has an all fiberglass curved shell design which makes installing an awning a tad tricky.  You have to use specially designed brackets from the Casita manufacturer when doing the install.  We could have made the trip to Rice, Texas to have this done but that is a long, hot trip for this time of year.  If it had been a different season we probably would have made the trip.  It would be fun to visit the factory. It is always fun to see how your rig is made and visit the "mother ship."

Several weeks ago we purchased our awning from Fiamma in Florida.  It is an encased awning which measures 10ft wide and extends out 8 ft.  This will enable us to have a defined patio area.  We have discovered that in the Casita we do so much more outdoor living.  We love sitting out, cooking out and just enjoying being wherever we happen to be.  Along with the awning we also have a screen room by Paha Que. 

              

               

So who is installing our awning?  Coachcraft by McDonald in Columbus, Georgia. We have had them work on our former Dutch Star a few years ago and they do an excellent job.  They service Bluebird motorhomes among other high end rigs.  They have talked with Victor, the main service man with Casita, and he has sent them detailed instructions on the installation. 

We delivered our Casita to Coachcraft on Wednesday morning and picked her back up on Thursday afternoon.  They had to move this Wonderlodge out of the shop so they could squeeze our Casita in the shop. 

            

            

She now has her awning all completely and correctly installed.  We are looking forward to taking her out and seeing how this new "patio" shapes up.  Thanks Coachcraft!!!

             

On a side note....with all the big rigs in the shop it seems everyone was curious about our little "egg."  Even one customer of a Bluebird asked lots of questions about the Casita and wanted to look inside.  When I asked if he wanted to trade I didn't get an affirmative answer but I bet he would trade our fuel costs. 

Saying So Long…For Now

              

After returning home from our camping adventure last week Mike began his painting of the house. Between the two of us we have scraped and primed the other side of the house.  I scrape and he paints.  There are many times we look at each other and wonder why??  I know, I know we chose to purchase another house but it is beginning to keep us from doing what we really love....camping/traveling!!!!  Don't get me wrong,we love our home, it is comfortable and is truly "us."  Oh well, perhaps one day we will revisit "downsizing" to an apartment or condo so somebody else can do the yard and maintenance.

             

Not long after returning to Lagrange we met a truly wonderful couple that we have grown to love.  We met them, of all places, while eating lunch at Wendy's.  It seems they eat there most every day at lunch.  They not only eat there every day, they eat in the same booth (if at all possible) and they eat the same item(s) from the menu.  In case you haven't guessed by now, they are an older couple.  Older but in excellent shape both mind and body.  We started out by just having a few "small talk" kind of conversations.  Then we realized these two have a keen sense of humor...very sharp and you have to be on your toes to participate. 

Life has a way of moving on and for this special couple they have decided that it is time for them to move closer to their children. So after thirty years of retired living in LaGrange, they will be making a move to Illinois.  Their son has added a spectacular suite for them onto his home.  Their new place will overlook a beautiful pool and they are so excited about being close to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  We are happy for them but will really miss them and their amazing sense of humor and wit.  We've grown close to them over the past several years.

              

Today we invited them over for a brunch.  We cut up some fresh fruit, made some poppy seed lemon bread and banana nut muffins.  That along with orange juice and coffee rounded out our morning menu.  As always, it was the company and fellowship that was the best.  We will miss you Sherman and Patty...may God bless you both!!!

It appears the Casita might be making its way toward Illinois in the near future to visit this special family.  Isn't it a blessing to have friends EVERYWHERE!!!!

“Good friends are like stars.  You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.”