Family and fun!

 A delayed graduation party for Emma, who spent the bulk of her senior year in COVID lockdown, brought many of the east coast family to help celebrate! So great to all be together, we enjoyed catching up in addition to playing badminton and ladder ball, dips in the pool, and of course celebrating Emma! 

Emma cuts her graduation cake. 

The little kids playing ladder ball before we big kids took it over! 

Sunday morning we all met at Kimball’s Farm despite a light rain, had brunch, and then hit the arcade. Kimball’s was basically an ice cream stand, which has now morphed into a quasi amusement park, and it’s always on our list of things to do when we visit the kids. It was fun to see the new generation enjoying it so much! We had a blast shooting baskets and playing games, giving our winnings to the little ones for prizes. 

When it cleared, we headed  to the bunper boats, where we just happened to fill all the boats, so were the only ones on the water, and zipped around trying to bump into each other, often getting splashed a bit!

Next on the agenda were the bunper cars, and again, we filled the field!  The smallest, 5 year old Morgan, proved herself an able opponent, holding her arms up high as she spun in a circle!  We all took a second spin! 

Grace and Emma decided to tag team the stuffed dolls! I’m pretty sure that may be considered cheating, but it was for a good cause! 😂

It would not be complete without ice cream, so we all made our selection from the many tempting flavors, and gathered around picnic tables under the tent before those who were traveling had to leave.  We bid them safe journeys with promises to try to do it again soon. We will be staying on for the rest of the week, so after a bit more of a visit, we headed back to our campsite and to bed early after a very full and fun weekend. 

We have touch down!

 Finally made it to Massachusetts, and it felt like coming home pulling into Minuteman Campground! We have been here so many times over the years, and it is truly one of the nicest places we have stayed. Lots of trees and not crowded, it’s like having a cabin in the woods. It feels so good after the last several days to know we are setting up to be here for a while.  

Now we just need some firewood! 

Beautiful drive today with hills and valleys and green everywhere. We always love coming onto the roads that have been cut through the hills, exposing  the layers of rock soaring high above.   Of course, the northeast also affords its share of traffic jams, and what seems like endless road work, and our journey was slowed several  times, but nothing major. 

It’s about time you stopped driving! Now come get me some dinner will you? 

Here for a week, we look forward to visits with kids and friends and of course some exploring! 

Finally back on the road!

 Up early, we readied the coach to close it up and get the repairs done, and I set off for a long walk on a country road perpendicular to the main thoroughfare we were on. Luckily the traffic had quieted the night before and we had a good nights rest.  Waiting in the office we got to meet the owners young daughters, who were covering for Stephanie’s vacation, and their three  dogs, who greeted us happily, pushing their way in to get their fair share of attention. We were also charmed by the father of a customer who drove his big rig in for check up before setting out. When we commented on the coach, the son was seemingly hesitant to chat, but his dad was more than happy to, and we heard all about their family all heading up to Cape Cod for a celebration.  He and his wife will be making the trip in a jeep, and avoiding 95, as after all, it wasn’t even there when he met her, and he sees no need for all that traffic and congestion now!  With twinkling blue eyes and a sweet smile, I can see how as a young Air Force cadet he won her over some 63 years ago, as with that same smile he regaled us, then bid us good luck and farewell.   

The three friendly shop dogs greeted me with much enthusiasm!  The little cocker spaniel is there, hidden behind  the dog on right, having been squeezed out. 

Aw, come on, don’t stop petting me! 

So we were well entertained until Scott, the mechanic,  came in and said we were set to go. He said again how he just hated to give people bad news, and would rather say you’re all set and enjoy your journey, which he now finally was able to do with an accompanied handshake a even a hug!  Nice people, and we have enjoyed them and appreciated  their willingness to help us as best they could. As I said, lots of good people in this world, but it seems the bad ones tend to make the most noise! 

Finally moving again, we crossed over into the rolling hills of  West Virginia, with beautiful farmlands, but a dense haze. We wondered if it was the smoke from the massive fires on the west coast, and at times  it smelled like smoke. Much later we saw a sign for an ozone alert.  Into Virginia , then Pennsylvania, where my navigator decided we should stop, as the next best place was another 100 miles and the day was waning. We don’t drive after dark, and would rather set out early, so we pulled into Western Village, and found our site on Earp  Drive!  So fitting, since he was a childhood hero, and an adult fascination!  Brave, courageous and bold, as the song goes!  

Pulling in, a man offered a directional hand, and struck up a conversation , and it turned out he was from my home town! I never meet anybody from home, and it was fun talking about all the local haunts.  He even knew my Dad’s place of business, describing its location when I gave him the name.  He gave me a big thumbs up for my driving skills, and told his wife I did pretty good, and even better than he did sometimes! I do get a kick out of the men’s surprise that I can handle and back up a coach. I didn’t tell him this one is a piece of cake after that the 40 footer we owned. 

I couldn’t resist this childhood game of  putting the whirligig on my nose! 

This mini golf looks like fun!  Too bad office was closed and we couldn’t get equipment. 

This man found unique campground transport!  He posed the dogs when I asked if I could take a photo. 

After dinner, we walked around the wooded campground, visiting briefly with some  of the folks,  who are usually friendly and ready to chat a bit and share stories of the road or home.  The air is so pleasant, with not a hint of humidity, and the night turned a quite chilly 62, which I discovered when I woke up cold at 3am! We will be hitting the road early to make it to MA today. We need to make frequent stops for Loki, and to fill the ridiculously small gas tank, which is barely a quarter of the size of the 100 gallon one on our big rig. At 13 miles to the gallon, 20 some gallons doesn’t really get you very far! 

Spending another night!

Started out for a walk to get some exercise and explore the other side of this very large park. Clem made it about three tenths of a mile, questioning me continuously about where exactly it was and how far, and I suggested he go back and I would see him later! 

While the other side has RVs , it also had a section of prefab little houses, which were quite charming. 

One of the many permanently set up trailers, with  an especially pretty outdoor living area. 

 

More gnome and fairy gardens! 

This cute little house, one of many, has a great  Lake view. 

I thought instead of  sitting around waiting for the call that the parts were in, we might play mini golf or shuffle board, and Clem agreed to the latter. Though he was soon complaining about that as well!  This game is as dumb as golf! Ahhhh.....you admit golf is dumb! It was getting warm in the sun, so we ended our game and  sat in the shade enjoying the cool breezes off the lake, and an ice cream from the trading post. 

We were just heading back to the coach when we got the call and rushed off to the repair shop. Two hours later the mechanic said they were nearly finished , but he had bad news. Very bad news. He found a leak in the fuel line,  so we would be spending the night here while he got more parts.  It took a minute to understand that here meant the garage!  They were good to send someone off to get the part tonight so repairs could be made in the morning, rather than wait for delivery.  Luckily they were able to plug us in and run a hose, so except for the location, we are comfortable. 

View from feting window is into the garage! 

That’s us on the right, slide pushed out and set up for th night. 

I had the rest of Clem’s birthday lasagna in the freezer, so that and a glass of wine seemed a fitting treat after the bad news. 

Lasagna always make him smile! 

Ironically, we should be in Littleton, MA tonight, but we are in Littleton, NC, with one stop sign, a piggly wiggly, 2 dollar stores, and a Hardy’s.  There is a paranormal museum I had discovered while planning our trip, but figured we would never make it to Littleton, NC!  Roanoke Rapids is 13 miles away and Stephanie, the amusing young woman who keeps things running smoothly at the shop, as well as amusing us  with her tales while we waited,  informed us it has restaurants and even a movie theatre that runs one movie at a time.  She has a thick southern accent, and a turn of phrase that is so unique, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her talk.  She is quite delightful in addition to being an asset to the business, in spite of the fact that she says the only thing she knows about cars is they need rubber wheels and fuel to run!  She has been kind and helpful, and she left a loaner car should we care to go out for dinner and explore, but we’re content to keep Loki company after the stress of his day.  

Waiting for repairs

 Problem finally diagnosed, and parts ordered, we were allowed to return to the coach, and poor Loki, but  we were advised to wait there until the nearby campground was ready for us to check in to one of the few sites available. We were soon  hungry, and I didn’t want to start the generator to use the microwave to thaw the bread, so I pulled out the marshmallow forks and toasted it!  We opted not to bring a toaster along with limited space, but turns out we can have it if we want it.

It was a rainy day like you don’t get in Florida, with a steady fall and chilled air, and seemed like a good day to cuddle up with a good book. We finally pulled into the campground and our first view of the huge lake, even shrouded in fog, was breathtaking!  Heavily treed with tall pines, it was so welcome and pleasant,  I felt like this was our silver lining.  When the rain stopped and it cleared, I enjoyed a few walks around by myself,  dodging puddles and taking photos, but later when the sun came out even convinced Clem to join me. 

The very large and lovely Lake Gaston in NC. 
 

 Funny to realize this is where Judy and Bob’s son Mike owned a lake house until recently, we look across at the houses and wonder which it is.  We could have paid a call! 

I always enjoy the woods and it’s hidden treasures. We spotted what I think was a pheasant running across the road as we drove in. 

 

Gnome City Limits was central to a very large triangular intersection full of creative little arrangements of gnomes!  I saw little gardens of them throughout the park as I walked. Obviously a theme. 

We are hoping for early delivery of parts and repairs to be completed so we can get on the road.  Plans were to arrive in Boston today, which is obviously not happening. 

An exciting Sunday in Roanoke Rapids!

 

All attempts to get our engine problem resolved were met with “closed until Monday.” The one exception was a mobile truck repair who could diagnose the problem, and may be able to correct any simple issues, and arrived with his computerized diagnostic equipment. The problem is, he couldn’t  get his equipment to function! And driving to another tech to perhaps borrow his, found that his was not operational either!

One like we owned on the left, compared to our rental on the right. Fun to have the side by side comparison! 

So the highlight of our day was the great shower, getting the laundry done, and playing some canasta, with several walks around the RV park.  So much for 24/7 roadside repair.  I could walk a mile  and a half to Walmart for excitement, but not even any hiking trails around.  Oh well….at least we have shelter, ac, food, and a bed to sleep, and it’s not like it was an accident or something serious. And we now have another good story to tell! 

7 am Monday, and we’re back on the phone, hoping to get this resolved and get back on the road. 

Waiting at Gaston Lake Auto and RV repair

The repair shop assured us it was safe to drive to them, so we await news! 

,

Travel Day

Since we stayed longer in Savannah, and are skipping Beaufort, we will play it by ear until we reach Massachusetts, still a long way off.   We thought we might make it to Richmond, but traffic was very heavy, at times coming to a complete stop for no apparent reason before starting to move again. Although the last big backup of the day was due to an 18 wheeler  broken down in the left lane. Not off the road, mind you, but squarely in the middle of the lane!  Where in my mind, he should not have been in the first place!

I think it was during that slow down, Clem started looking for campgrounds, and found one short of the days goal. 

I was tickled to see each site had a beautiful crepe myrtle!  The roadways are full of them grouped together or in lines, and they are stunning. 

We were moving along again and I was still complaining about the truck driver not being in the right lane, and pulling over at the first sign of trouble, when the RV bucked and lurched a bit, and I got a hazard light! Great!  I started pulling off to the shoulder, but soon realized it was still operational, and I recognized from my car that the ABS had something to do with the locking of brakes, which were working, so pulled off at the next exit, where it would be safer to explore our problem.  The manual assured us regular brakes were still functional and it was safe to drive, though some other systems would also be disabled. Since they had to do with skidding on  icy roads, I didn’t feel we were in any danger in July in South Carolina, so we got back on the highway.  It apparently disabled the cruise control, though, so I drove the old fashioned way to our campground. 

We supposedly have 24/7 roadside assistance, but that proved a major challenge, as in they never showed up, and here we are on Sunday, figuring we may be spending another night! 

I’m stopped…..I might as well document this traffic….even worse on the other side! 

Clem preferred the game, rather than the water, so we enjoyed shooting some pool  while waiting for return phone  calls that never came! At least we were safely parked and entertained! 

Although Clem has,  I have never availed myself of the campground facilities,  but I am finding this bathroom and shower a bit tight, and with this being a very nice campground, a long luxurious shower in  spacious surroundings was a nice treat. Maybe I’ll do some laundry while we’re stuck here. 

I admit I am spoiled by my big coach with a wide full bathroom complete with washer and dryer, and I miss it. 

Touring the Sights of Savannah

Just a row of the beautiful crepe myrtles that are so prevalent here. 

We started our day at the museum complex and visors center, before boarding the hop on and hop off trolley tour. The history center, located in the old train depot, was full of information about the revolutionary war, where a uniformed docent played out the scenes for the fascinated children, doing a great job of involving them. We listened a bit, but wanted to explore the many exhibits more quickly so we could get on the trolley, as our shuttle from the campground had us limited in time. 

There was some random information I found very interesting, like the beginning of ice cream and the stats on the increase of cooking shows and food availability, and yet the big rise in restaurant attendance! 

A big attraction, the bench from Bubba Gump, which had to be removed from the square where it stood, as so many people crowded there standing out in the street to get a shot for photos, that it became hazardous! 

A collection of Juliette Gordon Lowe and Girl Scouts memorabilia which was astonishingly missing from her birthplace house that we toured!  It would have made that tour far more interesting. 

 Next the Railroad Museum. Clem kind of grimaced and said we will see when I told him it was on the agenda, but was pleasantly surprised by the huge roundhouse and car exhibit. We got to watch them turn a train on the round table, which was pretty neat, but passed up a ride to save time.  I couldn’t help taking what I thought were interesting shots of the old buildings and smoke stack as we explored. 

The roundhouse full of engines 

Boarding the trolley, our first stop was to be at Mrs Wilkes Boarding House, where we would decide if the line was worth the wait. Well, they had closed the line!  A woman told us she got there at 10:30, and at noon was still waiting for her food. Reviews say it’s worth the wait, but I didn’t realize they would actually just close at some point!  The waitress said “he closes whenever he wants to!” 

Next stop, the Cathedral of St John, which was stunning inside and out. The huge baptismal as you entered was beautiful, with small side receptacles of the flowing holy water pumped from the basin. 

We spent some time in contemplation and admiring the surroundings, and as our trolley guide suggested, soaking up some air conditioning, before heading back out. 

We visited Savannah in the spring on our last trip, and any return trips should be the same! 

Since we have been to River Street, we decided to stop at the second most popular, relatively new attraction of City Market.  Mostly bars and restaurants, with live music, but easy access to surrounding shops and restaurants, it seems a fun place for those inclined to drink, which is a big attraction here!  You are allowed to take them along with you, and you see people strolling around with cocktails, like I witnessed in Las Vegas. We did stop at the candy kitchen for some Pralines, and we sampled the Famous Byrd cookies.   Two bachelorette parties were riding around on the pedaling bars, which I must admit looks like great fun! Apparently a popular place for bachelorette parties, I saw no less than 3 additional groups around town, with one on our trolley, complete with veil. Cute. 

Another reason for this stop was the newest museum in town, the Prohibition Museum. Interesting choice for a location!  It was very well done, with wax figures, photographs, memorabilia, and videos.  It was interesting to learn that the population was so politically divided during these times, that they were called and campaigned as the Wets and the Drys!  

 One would never know in Savannah that there was a pandemic. We have seen hardly any masks, and signs still up, like on the trolley, are ignored. I asked the driver when I saw the sign, and he said no…it’s free will. Says a lot. As the Delta variant surges among the unvaccinated, we are now a nation of Vaxers vs Non Vaxers………wets and drys? Yankees and confederates? 

Great video of wild preaching against the evils  of drink and Savannah.  

Clem and the other notorious boys! 

I didn’t take any photos, but a good portion at the end was dedicated to the roaring twenties, with flapper costumes and videos of people dancing the Charleston.  

You rang the bell to enter the speak easy, and a holographic face asked you for the password before allowing entry.  Very clever.  My grandmother owned a speakeasy, and I can’t help to wonder if this is what hers was like. 

The architecture around the squares especially is beautiful, but Jones Street is the most elegant, and apparently most expensive. Iron was a status symbol, and the more you had, the wealthier you were thought to be. 

 

The Mercer House, featured in Midnight in theGarden of Good and Evil.  We toured the inside on our last trip, so just enjoyed the view from outside. 

They are good to their dogs in Savannah, with water bowls outside shops, but I thought these dishes of dog treats was really cute! 

Savannians  are very friendly, and more than happy to help visitors to their lovely city. On more than one occasion, we were asked by passers by what we were looking for as we studied a map, and one woman stepped out of a doorway to help when she heard me say I think it’s that way! A charming city indeed. 

We did our best, but missed our shuttle back to the camp ground, so thank  goodness for Uber, who delivered us back, hot and tired from an interesting day.