REFLECTIONS

Most people take time to reflect on the past year on new years eve.  For us, it's been more than a year since we were active in this lifestyle.  A lifestyle we grew to love in the short time we full-time.  So perhaps a short reflection might be in order.

Where did we go?  We returned to a permanent home, a sticks-n-bricks as it is called by many.  We needed to take care of some family type things that we felt then and still do were God's calling.  

Much happened in those 6 years but to sum it up....God healed and all was taken care of.  

Why return to full-timing?  Now that explanation might be a little harder. The good part is those reading this will probably "get it."

Gerri was diagnosed with cancer August 2015. She underwent surgery and even though the pathology report was a great one with all margins clear and no lymph node involvement she underwent 12 chemotherapy treatments.  Those of you that have experienced chemo either personally or with a loved one know how difficult it can be.  We are happy to report she finished March 14th and all scans and blood work since has been clean and clear.  

Because life is short at its longest we decided that sitting in our home with little or no real activity was not a healthy idea.  We needed to be more active.  That is when the thought came to both of us to return to the RVing lifestyle.  Something we truly love and enjoy.  A place we can explore, hike and become more active with photography again.  After all, God's creation just screams to be photographed and shared.  

So, you know the rest of the story. We purchased an Oliver this time around to do our living and exploring in.  Yes, it is quite a bit smaller than our previous Dutch Star but it is an awesome little machine of double hulled molded fiberglass.  The good news, we haven't killed each other yet!

WISHING EACH OF YOU A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS

                  FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, 

                  TO US A SON IS GIVEN,

                  AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE ON HIS SHOULDERS.

                  AND HE WILL BE CALLED

                  WONDERFUL COUNSELOR,  MIGHTY GOD,  EVERLASTING FATHER,

                  PRINCE OF PEACE.

                  ISIAH 9:6

                                 MERRY CHRISTMAS

About Our Oliver

The Oliver is a “full custom molded fiberglass interior and exterior insulated shell” rv.  The windows are thermal pane and it is a true 4 season rv.

The best way to explain this rv is to go their sight and read about how it is made on this sight.  www.olivertraveltrailers.com

Since this is a build to order rv, we had the opportunity to add whatever options we wanted. Below is a list of those options:

320 watts roof mounted solar panels

2000 watt power inverter

4 trojan T-105 wet cell batteries

hard wired surge protector

mobile 4g cell phone amplifier

wifi ranger elite

Fiber-granite counter tops

4 reading light package

an awesome Truma Aquago Comfort Tankless Water Heater

Front and rear propane quick connects

Additional electric outlets

Dexter E-Z Flex System

The Anderson Hitch

Gerri and I have been in our new Oliver now for 5 days and we are adjusting quite well.  Thursday night the temps got down in the upper 20’s and we had no problem staying warm.  One of the best things we added was the tankless water heater.  That enabled us both to take long back to back hot showers and not worry about losing the hot water.  We are sorting through where we want to put things and get them organized, and we are getting there.

This is at the Campground in the town we picked up our Oliver

Our Dinette

This is definitely different living quarters than our motorhome, but we are pleasantly adjusting…besides there are some amenities in our Oliver that our Dutch Star didn't have.

Kitchen / Dinette and the wet bath behind the mirrored door.
Closet is just to the right of the mirrored door.

Our sofas and night stand between the twin beds at night.  The cabinet on the right with the red
towels is the pantry.

We're Back

After several years of taking care of family matters and living in our home in LaGrange, we have decided to return to the lifestyle that we love.  Gerri and I found ourselves becoming less active and more sedentary in our life.  This time around, we will be full-timing in a smaller rig than our previous 40' Dutch Star.  Sunday we will be going to Hohenwald, Tennessee to the Oliver Factory and picking up our new Oliver Legacy Elite ll rv.  Are we crazy...maybe, but we consider this to be a challenge and an opportunity to get into sights than we were unable to in our 40' diesel pusher.  We want to be in more natural settings and do a lot more photography.
In our next post, we will go into detail as to what an Oliver Travel Trailer is and what options we will have on the rv.

Looking forward to re-connecting to all our friends in the rv lifestyle.

The interior hull to be finished

Part of the inner hull

This is the inner hull of the rv

T

Reflections…

                        

“Nature is the art of God.”

Dante Alighieri

                        

We spent the afternoon walking in the woods reflecting on the magnificent artwork of God.

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.

              

As we reflect on all the blessings God has given us, Gerri and I would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Fall in Callaway Gardens

                         

It was a sunny but brisk day and Gerri and I decided it was the perfect day to re-explore Callaway Gardens..especially at the fall peak here.  So off we went.  Since it was a week day, we had a lot of the Gardens to ourselves…just the way we like it.  God has truly painted a beautiful picture in the colors of the leaves.  I will stop talking a just show a few pics to share the beauty with you.

                    

                   

                   

                   

                    

                 

Of course, we could not go to the Gardens without taking a picture of the chapel that is nestled in the woods by the lake.

                 

                

Callaway Gardens also has a Fantasy in Lights drive through the gardens show.  It is rated one of the top ten in the world and is truly worth the visit.  It is not only a visual show but also different Christmas music themes throughout the Gardens.  We took a couple of pics along the way in our drive through.

                

                                   

                 

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.