South Carolina March 2018

March 18, 2018

Well hello favorite people. I'm back again. What a whirlwind of a month!! We started out waiting for my Dad and Barbara to get to Florida. My sister Starr was driving them down as Barbara had been sick and taken some radiation treatments before they left. Until they got there we were enjoying my brother and sister in-laws Florida condo in Seaside Florida. The condo was about 20 minutes from our camp. They have a beautiful beach out the back down about what seemed like 400 steps. We were able to get the condo ready for my folks, enjoy the beach and use their washer and dryer. Thank you Mike and Sheila!!!

Mike and Sheila's condo

Many Many steps to the beach

Message on the beach-he's a keeper!!

We had some torrential rains while we were here. Richard spent his days working on some buggar puzzles. He loved it!!

Always at it!!!

Richards camping puzzle

Dad and Barbara and Starr got there and the fun began. The first weekend Starr's daughter in law Amy drove over from Clearwater and spent the weekend. The first great restaurant we tried after they got there was the Captain's Table in Panama City. Awesome seafood!! We invited them all over for dinner by the campfire. We were so excited to show them our new discovery. If you take a rubber hose, about 8 inches and put it in an 8 inch copper pipe and throw it in a campfire the flames actually turn beautiful colors, pink, turquoise, blue, yellow.  It's amazing!!!

Sister Starr Arrives

Cook Out at our Place

So Much Fun

Amy comes to visit from Clearwater

Amazing camp fire

After Amy left we spent a day at the Silver Sands Outlet and I got a strawberry screwer which is very excellent. Takes those strawberry stems right out and we ate strawberries almost every night. Not bad for controlling my impulsive spending. I was so proud of myself!!!

Strawberry Screwer

The next week was filled with beaches, restaurants, playing cards at night, talking and really having a wonderful time. 

We played card and ate every night with the fam!!

One day I had been down on the beach. I came back up and was locked out of the condo. I beat on the door. I couldn't believe they locked the sliding door. We never locked it when someone was at home. I banged and banged and was getting pretty upset. I looked in and hollard. No one came. I looked in again and noticed that it wasn't our furniture and then I realized I was at the wrong condo!!! You can see below why I got confused:

They look so much alike!!!

We then took Starr to Atlanta, GA to board a plane for home. It was about 3 hours away from us. The day didn't start out too well. We left at 4:30AM and by 5:30AM Richard was cruising along when we heard sirens. YEP, he got a ticket for speeding as soon as we crossed over into Georgia. It was the last day of the month...you know the rest. His first ticket in 43 years. Not so bad except it was $181.00. Officer said he'd give us a break and not make it due until May. WOW thanks SO MUCH!! She made it to the plane on time and we headed to Pine Road, GA to visit some friends.

Our friends name is Lydia. I've known her since she was born. Her mom was one of my dearest friends when I was very young. She is now married to a great guy and just had her 5th child. I had never met the kids and was so excited to do so. Her baby was only 3 months old. She is adorable but best of all, these are all the sweetest, most well behaved children I have ever seen. They are all under 9 years old. Mom and Dad both work for their own business. They live way out in the country on about 6 acres and what a life. It was so rewarding to see such a well adjusted, happy family. She kept apologizing for the state of her house but OMG, I came from a family of 5 kids. It was totally normal. Those little ones were polite, set the table and then cleaned it off while the adults talked. What a feat compared to todays kids. No whining, no begging and no video games at the table. I was impressed!!!

Lydia and beautiful Carolina Elle

Lydia's and Austin's amazing kiddos

We got home late that night and dropped into bed. I was so happy to get to go home to my own bed with my own pillows and CPAP machines and we slept in till noon!!!

Next my step-sister, Bonnie came in to town to stay with my folks. That was a real treat as well. We went to more restaurants but Barbara and Bonnie cooked most of the time and it was just another relaxing week. They again came out to our place for a cook-out. It was cold so I made a nice beef stew with home made bread and a nice wine by the camp fire. A night to remember!!

Captains Table Ummm Good

Sister Bonnie warm and cozy

One day while we were home relaxing I decided to book some campgrounds for our way home. We decided that since we were going to take more than 1 day to get home, usually we only have to worry about one night. We have an inverter to run our CPAPS and we just boondock but more than one night and we would have to charge the inverter and we would be on the road. So I started looking online and I found a Core of Engineer Park. It was fairly inexpensive for the night, $20, so I went to reserve it and it asked if I had a senior national park pass which I do. It was half price so $10. a night!!! We went crazy!! We started looking for parks and we found them all over the country. Most were about $10 a night with our pass. We couldn't believe it. So when we left Florida we went to Bolding Mill Park in Georgia and stayed 3 nights for $30. Richard said he loved it best of all. The site was huge, secluded and right on the lake. So guess what, I have reservations from here to Maine for when we head out in May. We're going to be a week at Carlyle Lake in Illinois for like $70. And on the way back this summer, we're 2 weeks in Pennsylvania at a beautiful lake 2 hours from Niagra Falls. I am so excited. 

Bolding Mill Georgia

View from my kitchen window

On March 12th, we headed out of Florida and so did my folks. They headed home. We spent the time in Georgia and then headed to a state we have never been in, North Carolina. We should have known when we were stuck in a 2 hour hold up on Highway 20 out of Atlanta, GA. It was grueling but hey, we're not in a hurry right. Wrong, we DO NOT want to be looking for a campground at night or have to park our monstrous rig at night. We have a hard enough time in the daytime. We were doing so well. We were only 30 minutes from the campground and it was 5:00 with plenty of light. Richard felt something weird. He pulled over on a grass shoulder that wasn't that big on a county road. He was sure he had a flat tire and he dreaded it. But WOW, no flat. He got back in and drove just a few more minutes and he said, "something is wrong, I've lost my power steering and power brakes, look and find a wide spot to park in." Now let me explain that our only problems living this dream is travel day when I have to figure out the GPS map. He wants me to go to the satellite map and when I do, I can't figure anything out. I panic and he gets upset and I get upset and a couple of times I've thrown the phone down and said, I'm done, I can't do this. It's not been for a happy ride and thus I dread travel days. We are getting better but now we're in a crisis and you know the best, real person comes out in a crisis. I knew we were in trouble. I said, "I can't find anything. We're coming up on a big intersection where 3 roads cross over. There is nothing around it."  He was quickly loosing it and he saw the intersection and there was a huge triangle where there once must have been a gas station. It was completely open. He pulled in and turned everything off. He looked under the hood and said he thought the serpentine belt broke. He told me to call someone. Fortunately I am over prepared for these things. I have travel assistance on my USAA insurance, travel assistance on my cell phone, travel assistance on our extended warranty insurance and travel assistance on my Good Sam RV Club. I surely should be able to get some help. I decided to call Good Sam first because they would know what to do with the trailer.

While I was waiting for Good Sam to call back with information on help a very friendly guy named Johnny stopped by to give a hand. He looked under the hood and pointed to a part that had come off, the idle tension or something. He tried to call a friend of his at the Ford Dealership 10 minutes away but it was now after 6:00PM and they were closed. We told him we had someone trying to find help for us but thanked him for helping. While we were standing there his wife called and he told her what he was doing. Then we started chatting. Here is his story:

When he was in high school he dated a girl for 2 years. She was 16 and he was 18. They were very much in love but her step-mother was a witch and made them break up. They both went on to marry other people and had children. He was married 22 years when his wife died. He was lost and grieved for a long time. One day he thought of his old girlfriend and he looked her up on FACEBOOK. He found her but her profile said she was engaged so he left it along. 2 years later, he looked again and she was single, not engaged. He sent her a friend request and she accepted. They started Instant Messaging and after a few days talked to each other on the phone. She lived in Louisiana, he here in Florida. After a few months he went to Louisiana to see her. They knew immediatly they were meant to be together. But she had something she was afraid to tell him. He was very patient but he stayed long enough to meet her kids. She had one daughter and as soon as he saw her he turned and said, "that's my daughter isn't it?" And she said "yes." She was 33 years old. He showed me a picture of the two of them and they indeed look like twins. They went on to marry and she was the maid of honor and they have been happily married for 3 years. Is that some story?? I thanked him for sharing!! You know that's right up my ally.

So we went on to wait for help to come. Good Sam was looking for someone to tow both the truck and the trailer. They would drop the trailer off at the park and take the truck on to a repair shop. Richard got on his phone and call the extended warranty people. They said they needed to authorize the repair before they do it if we want it covered by the warranty. So he began looking for a place on his IPAD to take it to. So he was on one phone and I was on my phone and he was looking for shops on his IPAD and I thought. What would we do without these technological miracles? We are so blessed and then I thought, my daughter, Sherry and her husband pay monthly for these devices for us. We have 2 IPhones, and 2 IPads and hot spot for travel internet connection with unlimited data. To the tune of around $500. a month. How grateful we are!! I have to remember to thank her for that as well as the extra money she sends me every month. How did I get such amazing children that take such good care of us. My husband is notoriously a negative guy and I am his Pollyanna, but even he said this week, "I never dreamed anyone would take such good care of me. I thought I would be working until the day I died. I'm so surprised." I said to him, "I told you to be nice to these kids, now you know why." They are the ones that care for us when we are old. A lesson to everyone. I tried very hard not to berate or nag my children even when they made mistakes. They are amazing human beings and I will always be grateful for them.  Now to abandon my soap box!

So we were trying to make the best of a bad situation. Good Sam had someone on the way. We were playing cards in the truck when two police cards drove up pointing at us. One got out and Richard got out to meet him. Richard said we had broken down and we had a tow on the way. The other guy got out. They pulled out rifles while they were talking to Richard and he came back to the truck. He said they were looking for a murder suspect and he was traveling in an RV. He saw me in the truck and figured something else was going on. We sat there while the put on bullet proof vests and we rolled down the window and asked if it would be safer if we got in the trailer. They said to just stay put and they would tell us if we needed to move. OMG I couldn't believe it! Then all of a sudden they got into their cars and sped away. 30 minutes later, they sped back going the other direction. We just locked the doors and waited. 

Johnny Stopped to help

Officers show up

Rifles and Vests ready to go

Finally at 9PM the tow truck showed up. He loaded the truck on a flat bed and attached the trailer to a bumper tow and we headed to the park. We had quite a time finding our spot because it was dark and the spot looked too small but we got in. He left the truck with us as we didn't know where to have it towed and it was so late. WE would deal with it tomorrow. We hooked up and went to bed but in all honesty it was a restless night!!

Got the truck up

Next the trailer

Please chain this good, it's my HOME

Through all of this our kids said, "go stay in a hotel and rent a car." We were grateful but so happy to stay in our own bed!! We did end up renting a car for the week after we called USAA in the morning and having the truck towed to a Dodge dealership 30 miles away. We got the car for a week!!

Good old rental car

By the way all of this happened on Richard's 68th birthday! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!

But we are all settled in to another magnificent park. We have Lake Moultrie on 2 sides of us. We are literally 25 feet from the lake behind us. And everyone in South Carolina have been wonderful!!! As crazy as it was we don't regret coming to this place. Yesterday we drove to Summerville North Carolina and watched 2 movies, Game Night and A Winkle in Time. Both were great! Richard liked Game Night the best. 

Our View from the trailer

Another view

From my front door

So today I am baking banana nut muffins to take to our neighbors for a fish fry. I'm so looking forward to it. 

They came out good

While I was gone my sister in law posted a fantastic picture of my nephew, Luke. They were touring DePaul University in Chicago. He got a full scholarship to this prestigious college. I am so proud of him. When I look at him I see my baby brother Brett who we lost so young to ALS when he was 43 years old. He left Luke and his beautiful sister, Hannah when they were 9 and 11 years old. He would be so proud of these two kids. They are amazing.

Luke Zizza

This blog still drives me crazy. Sherry thinks I should post more often and make them shorter but they honestly drive me so crazy that I couldn't do this more than once a month. Till next time!!!!