Meeting Up with Good Friends

One thing that sets this lifestyle apart from all the others is the people you meet along the way!!  We have met some wonderful RVers that became lifelong friends!!

When we heard Mike and Peggy Evringham we’re heading to Rainbow Plantation (Escapees Park in Summerdale, Alabama) we knew we had to go there.  We found a site and got all set up to meet up with Mike and Peggy.

Our site at Rainbow Plantation

When Mike and Peggy arrived there were plenty of hugs all around!!  We started our week of feasting at the last supper at the clubhouse.  A buffet of all that was left over...you know, you can’t carry this food over the next 7 to 8 months!!  So everyone gathered at the clubhouse for food and fellowship!!             

Our friends at Rainbow Plantation

The eating continued through the week with Big Daddy’s Grill, Saracenos and Mellow Mushroom!!  We enjoyed time with Mike and Peggy, Don and Gloria Martin and Norm and Linda Payne.  All longtime  good friends!!!  It was a lot of fun catching up and sharing travel adventures which included Mike and Peggy’s recent trip to Israel.  They toured the Holy Lands with a group led by Mike Huckabee.  What a wonderful trip and awesome pictures and video!!!

The fun didn’t stop there.  We left on Wednesday to travel the very short distance to Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. 

Our site at Meaher

Our friend's site

 This state park is just outside Mobile right on Mobile Bay!!  This is  where  we connected with John and Ellie Souva!!   We last saw John and Ellie 4 years ago!!  Even though distance in miles separated us we continued to stay in touch and our friendship flourished!!  We had the pleasure of meeting John’s mom, Millie on this trip!!  She is just delightful and traveled and camped most of her life!!  Such interesting stories!!    

Sunset at Meaher State Park

The weather hasn’t been too cooperative though!  Wednesday was beautiful and we all managed to get some walking in around the campground.  This is a very nice state park with full hookups!!

Boardwalk to the Delta

We walked what the gate called “The Gateway to the Delta”.  This is a very nice path that leads to a boardwalk through a delta area.  On this walk we saw a ribbon snake, a Nutria, a Prothonotary Warbler (so pretty) some black birds and ducks.  A nice walk!!         

                

Prothonotary Warbler

See the Nutria in the middle

Ribbon Snake

On the other end of the campground there is a very nice pier to walk and on this day several fishermen and women were catching a few Crappie.

Meager State Park

After a rainy Thursday we ventured down to the pier where we were told there were a couple quite large gators.  Sure enough they were there just floating in the still water.  There were also four gators right out from the shore on our way back to the camper.  We were hoping for more movement from them since it’s mating season but this morning and afternoon they just wanted to float!!

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

A wonderful lunch was enjoyed by the five of us at Ed’s Seafood!!  Delicious!!  We sat on the covered patio overlooking the bay!!!  

Ed's Seafood Restaurant covered patio

Good friends, good food and blessed fellowship!!

It has been a grand week!!!

Life Gets Messy

It’s been awhile....I hope you all still remember who we are!!

The Bellingrath Home

I went back to take a look at where we left off and it appears Mike had just gotten a good heart health report.  It was a scary time and we are so thankful that God led us to a great cardiologist and he was able to stabilize Mike’s blood pressure that apparently was causing the issues with mitral valve prolapse.   We were all set to begin traveling and Mike had a physical therapy session....remember his ruptured disc?  During that visit the therapist must have done something and all of a sudden Mike’s cervical stenosis became horrible to bear!!  The pain is immense....no sleeping comfortably, strength in both arms has diminished and he can’t look up.  We saw a neurosurgeon in Mobile, Alabama at the Coastal Neurological Institute.  He evaluated, including a current MRI to compare to the one done two years ago and immediately said the cervical stenosis was worse and he would need surgery.  So, if it’s not one thing it’s twenty!!  But we are not discouraged because he can get better with surgery!!
There is an 85% recovery rate...not bad!!

I’m not going to say we haven’t thought long and hard about what we are doing!!  Do we get a bigger rig?  Do we get a condo/townhouse?   Do we just stop full-timing/RVing?  What to do??  The neurosurgeon was totally in favor of travel, RVing, walking, hiking anything to stay active!!!              

So we actually chose all but stopping full-timing/RVing.  We actually bought a fifth wheel....a very nice one!!  We were going to park it on a lot/site at Rainbow Plantation and keep the Oliver for travel.  Sounded like a good plan and then along came the dead heat of summer in the Deep South.  We couldn’t keep that rig cool for anything...we brought the Oliver around to the side of the fifth wheel and turned on it’s AC and we stayed inside of it to keep cool.  We have an older Shih Tzu that was really hot and having difficulty inside the fifth wheel..  Then a few other things happened structurally (it was a new rig) and when the slide came in and  ripped off half the slide trim inside, a drawer and the trim under the refrigerator we said...enough!!  Ollie may be small but we never had any of these issues.             

Then we decided to try leasing a townhouse until after Mike’s surgery!!  Once again, this sounded like a great idea!!  The townhouse is brand new and very nice!! Located in a gated area and I even have my own screen porch.  All that was great until they decided to build more townhouses behind us!!  We get our wake up call very early every week day morning with huge equipment doing whatever huge bulldozers do....dig, clear, smooth out and then dig again.  Our walls actually shook and pictures moved.  Needless to say there is no peace and quiet in the townhouse so forget the nice screen porch ambience....you can’t sit out there and enjoy!!      

We found ourselves missing the Ollie more and more!!  Each time we thought we might  sell the Oliver neither of us could do it!!  Do we have a weakness here??    It’s called loving the lifestyle along with its freedom to go whenever or wherever you want, the ability to meet amazing people and visit those we’ve already met.  The peace and quiet and the simplicity of it all.  The idea that life happens no matter where you are or what you’re living in.  It happens!!   And last but not least....we love the Oliver and we are just not ready to give her up yet!!  There seems to be some miles left to experience with us and Ollie so we are going to stay with it...at least for a while longer!!  Maybe another year, maybe two, maybe...never mind you get the point!!  Travel is good for the soul!!        

Since we have missed blogging for awhile I’ll leave you with one of our last outings in Mobile, Alabama.  Bellingrath Gardens!!  It is actually in a city called Theodore, Alabama which is just southwest of Mobile by about maybe 15 miles.  It is a beautiful place and we look forward to visiting in different seasons to see what is blooming!!  Hope you enjoy!!!