Moving Linda's Chair and First Guests

DeBary, FL.

36 deg. clear, NW wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast today - Mostly sunny. Highs around 57°F. West northwest wind 11 to 17 MPH, gusting to 24 MPH.

Tonight: Clear with patchy frost. Lows around 37°F. Wind chill around 29°F. West wind 8 to 15 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.


It felt really cold here yesterday. I don't think the temperatures ever got out of the 50's and there was a 25 to 30 mph wind blowing most of the day. That didn't stop Jim, Lindsey and Denny from moving Linda's recliner over to the house though.

Denny came over around 10:00 and Lindsey and Laura came just a short while later. Within a few minutes, the guys had the legs off of the chair and were very carefully maneuvering the chair down my steps and through my door. With the 3 of them, it went pretty well and soon the chair was in the back of CLT and on its way to the house.

Getting the chair into the house was much easier because of the wider doors and steps, and soon it was sitting in the living room with it's legs back on. : )

By a little after 11:00 Jim and Denny were back here and Laura and Lindsey were back home.

Thanks everyone!!!!!! : )

Denny had seen a little of the house when he helped to take the chair over there, but Bev and not, so  about noon, Jim, Linda, Denny and Bev headed over there.

After taking a tour of the house, everyone sat and talked for awhile. This is Bev relaxing on the love seat,

and Denny and Linda relaxing on the couch.

Both Jim and Linda said that Denny and Bev seemed to really like the house and gave it some very nice compliments.  While they were talking, Jim made the observation that Denny and Bev were the first people to visit the house that weren't family. Later, he said that he's glad that the first guests at the house were Denny, (probably his oldest friend) and Bev. : )

After visiting for awhile, everyone came back here to the CG. Denny and Bev went to their RV, Jim was tired, so he took a little nap, Linda watched some TV. Later in the afternoon, Linda put together a ham casserole and baked some brownies. Then around 6:00 they headed over to Denny and Bev's where they all enjoyed a very nice meal of casserole, corn, warm bread and brownies.

Around 8:00 Jim and Linda came back here and then watched TV until bedtime.

Another very good day with family and friends.

Thanks everyone, for all your help.

Today, Denny and Bev will be leaving. : (   They have reservations at a campground on the coast North of Daytona. They'll stay there for a few days before heading up to S. Carolina to see Denny's sister and then heading back to Illinois.

Did you know that March is "Adopt A Rescued Guinea Pig month"?

Oh!!!! And thanks everyone for the great comments and congratulations that you left on yesterday's Blog!! They are very much appreciated.

A Rough Day and Laura And Lindsey Come Through Again

DeBary, FL.

69 deg. mostly cloudy, SW wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 82°F. South southwest wind 13 to 19 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 50%. Precipitation amounts less than one tenth of an inch possible.


Yesterday was kind of a rough day for Jim. It started out with he and Linda going to Winn Dixie to rent a "Rug Doctor" machine and taking it over to the house. Not too long after they got there, Laura and Lindsey arrived to help.

Again, Laura and Lindsey saved the day!! They were great!! Lindsey helped Jim move the furniture and Laura did most of the rug cleaning!! Even with all that help, Jim's back was bothering him quite a bit by the time they were done cleaning the carpet. : (

By about 1:00 or so, all the carpets were cleaned and Laura and Lindsey headed back home. Jim and Linda stuck around for awhile while a couple floor fans and 3 ceiling fans dried the carpet. Once they were mostly dry, Jim and Linda took the rug machine back to Winn Dixie and then headed back here to rest.

After returning here, Jim sat and relaxed for awhile and then took a nap. He must have been really tired because he slept for almost 2 hours!!!! : O

After his nap, his back seemed to be feeling quite a bit better. : )

For dinner Linda made a delicious ham casserole and heated up some rolls that they had brought home from the restaurant. Then, they both watched TV, read and fooled around with the computers until bedtime. 

Today, the plan is to head back to the house and work on putting up some of those curtains that Linda bought. Once that's done, most of the furniture can be moved back to where it belongs.

Both Jim and Linda again want Laura and Lindsey to know how much they appreciate all the help. Without them, all of this would have been much more difficult.

Thanks!!!!!

A Point to Ponder : Even when you have pains, you don't have to be one.

A Very Good Christmas Day

DeBary, FL.

65 deg. mostly cloudy, NE wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and rain showers. High of 79F. Breezy. Winds from the South at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph shifting to the WSW in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60%.

Hope all of you had a great Christmas Day!!!! : )  Jim and Linda had a great day!!!

In the morning, Joe called from Virginia Beach to wish Jim and Linda a Merry Christmas. He and his family were in the middle of opening presents and had just opened the package that Jim and Linda had sent up there.

Then, Laura called and said that she, Lindsey and the girls were coming over for a little while. In about 20 minutes, they arrived and everyone sat and talked for about 1/2 an hour.

After they left, Linda called her brother, (Glenn), who lives up in River Falls, WI. and her sister, (Nancy), who lives in Plainfield, IL. Both of them seem to be doing well and were having good holidays.

After that, Jim called Jeff out in Portland OR. but got their answering machine, so he left a message. Then, he called Mike in Apex, NC and talked to him for while. He, Gina the girls and Dillon were having a great time opening presents and enjoying the day.

Later in the afternoon, Jeff returned Jim's call and they talked for about 1/2 hour. He and Heather also had a good Christmas and were having a quiet day at home, enjoying each others company.

For dinner, Linda cooked one of Jim's favorite meals of cube steak, boiled potatoes and gravy. That along with the left over rice/vegetable dish that Linda had made to take to Marv and Inez's made for a very nice meal.

The rest of the day was spent snoozing playing with the computers and watching TV.

A very good Christmas.day!    ; )

Did you know that in 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters?

Dinner At Marv And Inez's

DeBary, FL.

48 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 75F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 15 mph.


Jim and Linda headed over to Marv and Inez's house about 10:30 yesterday morning. Again, the meal that Inez put together for her family was just fabulous. There was ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, a couple kinds of vegetables, and of course, deserts like pies, cookies and puddings.

Both Jim and Linda said that there was more food than even that large family could possibly consume!!! : )

After eating, Marv and Inez's family exchanged gifts. Jim and Linda even received some small jars of jam that Inez had made and a scented candle.

It's so nice of Marv and Inez to include Jim and Linda in their family celebration. Jim and Linda really appreciate it and are very grateful. Thanks!!!

About 5:00 today, Jim and Linda will be heading over to Laura and Lindsey's house to exchange presents with them. It should be a fun evening.

If for some reason, I shouldn't post tomorrow, Jim, Linda, CLT and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!!!! Have a great day!!!! : )

Did you know that the Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January? For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Weather, Shopping and Spaghetti

DeBary, FL.

52 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 81F. Breezy. Winds from the South at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


Yesterday was another beautiful day here in DeBary and today looks like it's going to be almost as nice. It's funny how you get used to nice warm days with temperatures in the 70's and 80's and then when the temperatures drop down into the 60's you think it's cold and not good weather anymore.

At the same time, if the folks up north had sunny weather with the temperatures in the 60's, (or even 50's), at this time of the year, they would be talking about how great the weather was.

Why am I writing about this?  Well, tonight there's going to be a cold front coming through this area and the forecast for tomorrow is for high temperatures in the lower 60's with lows getting down into the upper 30's or low 40's!!! The folks down here, (especially the ones who live down here all year), will be complaining  about how cold it is and will be wearing heavy coats, hats and gloves, where as the people up North would be thinking they're having a heat wave and be out and about in short sleeve shirts!!

I find it interesting how folks in different parts of the country look at different weather conditions. I guess it's all what your used to.  ; )

Linda washed a load of laundry yesterday morning and then in the afternoon she and Jim took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and went to the Winn Dixie grocery store to buy groceries that will be needed over the Christmas holiday.

CLT said that the parking lot was almost completely full and he saw lots of people going in and out of the store while he was there.

After getting the groceries put away, both Jim and Linda took little naps and then took CLT again and headed over to Laura and Lindsey's for a great spaghetti  dinner.  Lindsey's parents, (Marv and Inez) were there too so after eating, everyone sat around and talked for awhile.

It was around 8:00 by the time Jim and Linda came back here. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, reading and surfing the Internet.

I think that today, Linda is planning on doing some more baking. She bought stuff to make cookies and cranberry bread yesterday. I don't know if Jim has any plans except to possibly put away some of the stuff on the patio and roll up my awnings. They're forecasting possible t-storms with possible high gusts of winds for tonight when the cold front comes through.

Did you know that  Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr?  He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music, so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.

Decorations and Christmas Plans

DeBary, FL.

45 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 77F. Winds less than 5 mph.


It's been pretty quiet around here lately. Oh, people have been out and about, doing things to get ready for the holidays but nothing much else happening. Jim's allergies have really been bothering him the last few days. He has to be very careful about what medications he takes for his allergies as many of the meds cause him some very undesirable side effects.  : (

He did go out one day and take some more photos of the decorations here in the park. These were taken just before it got dark, but they had already turned on the lights for the evening.

In this photo of me, you can see the little Christmas tree that is sitting on my dash.

The weather around here has been really nice for the most part. The temperatures have been in the 70's and even into the lower 80's a few days. Jim and Linda haven't been outside too much though because the mosquitoes have been really bad this year. If there isn't a pretty strong breeze blowing, it's almost impossible to sit outside without covering yourself with bug spray.

Plans are starting to come together for Christmas. As of now, it' looks like Jim and Linda will be going to Marv and Inez's (Lindsey's parents) house the Sunday before Christmas and then go to Laura and Lindsey's on Christmas Eve. As of right now, there are no plans for Christmas day. They're having a Christmas dinner here at the park. but neither Jim or Linda seem too interested in going to it.

Linda suggested that maybe they could go out to eat someplace, but they're finding out that most of the restaurants in the area will be closed.

Oh well, they can always stay here and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  ; )

Did you know that the first president to decorate the white house Christmas tree in the United States was Franklin Pierce?

Dinner At Laura's and Inside Decorations

DeBary, FL.

64 deg. overcast, light breeze out of the East @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 82F. Winds from the NE at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the ESE in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20%.


Laura stopped by for awhile Wednesday morning. She's had company staying at her house for the last few days, so we hadn't seen her for awhile.  Jim had gone to the Post Office earlier and had picked up some of those Priority boxes, so while she was here, she helped Jim and Linda package up some Christmas presents to be sent off to family.

She was here for a couple hours but before she left, she invited Jim and Linda over to her house for dinner and tentative plans were made for her to come back on Thursday, to help decorate the inside of me.

About 4:30 Wednesday afternoon, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed over to Laura and Lindsey's. Earlier, Laura had put some beef and gravy in a crock pot and after letting it slow cook for a good part of the day, it made for a great dish when served over rice. That, along with some sweet corn and some hot-out-of-the oven chocolate chip cookies for desert, made for a very tasty meal. ; )

About 11:30 yesterday morning, Laura came out here to the park and helped Jim and Linda decorate the inside of me. It really wasn't hard to do and it didn't take very long, but like I said the other day, it's become kind of a tradition for Laura and/or the girls to help, and everyone seems to have a lot of fun doing it. ; )

Today, Jim needs to go up to the office and pay another month's rent for my site. (Can you believe that we've been her for a whole month already? ) Then, because there are a couple boxes of presents ready to sent, he wants to go to the Post Office to mail them.

Linda still has a few more presents to get ready, so I imagine she'll be working on that today. Hopefully she'll be able to get them finished and wrapped soon so that they can be mailed. Once they're mailed, the pressure will be off and she can relax.

A Point to Ponder : We cannot change the direction of the wind ... but we can adjust our sails.

Thanksgiving Update

DeBary, FL

46 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 72F. Winds from the NW at 10 to 15 mph.


About 1:30 Thanksgiving morning, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Marv and Inez's house. Ashley, her friend Travis and Anna were already there and soon the rest of the family came. Before they ate, Jim got this photo of Lindsey, Laura, Ashley and Anna goofing around out on the deck behind the house.

As you can see, the weather was almost prefect with the temperatures in the mid 70's and plenty of sunshine.

a By a little after noon, everyone was enjoying a great Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, ham and all the trimmings. ; )

After they sat and talked for awhile, Linda started feeling like she had an upset stomach. Soon it was decided that she and Jim would head back here as she wasn't feeling any better. By the time they returned here to the park she was quite sick and spent a good part of the rest of the day in my bathroom.

Of course the first thing that comes to mind was food poison, but no one else got sick and she was running a fever, which probably means that she picked up a "bug" someplace. : (

Anyway, by Friday morning, she was feeling better and spent a good part of the day sleeping. So far, Jim has been feeling fine and it looks like he may have dodged the bullet.

Nothing much happened yesterday. Linda was recuperating so Jim spent some time outside, but stayed pretty close in case she needed something. 

So, the holiday was sort of a "mixed bag". A great meal with great people but ending with Linda getting sick. Jim and Linda had to leave Marv and Inez's pretty quick but want them to know that they really enjoyed the meal the the time that they were able to be there with them.

Thank you so much!!!!

Did you know that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 with 400 employees marching off from Convent Avenue and 145th Street in New York City? During this time the parade was accompanied not with the oversized balloons of our favorite cartoon characters, but with live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo -- from camels to elephants.

Happy Thanksgiving From Florida

DeBary, FL

49 deg clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 70F. Breezy. Winds from the North at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

Jim, Linda, CLT and I would like to wish all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!!!  Hope all of you have a great day!!! : )

Jim and Linda are again invited to Marv and Inez's, (Lindsey's parents), house in DeLand for a Thanksgiving dinner today. They'll be leaving here around 10:30 so they have plenty of time to get there to visit for awhile and help out in any way they can before the dinner is ready at about noon.

It's so nice of Marv and Inez to include Jim and Linda. They'll already have a full house with all of their family  but they insist that Jim and Linda come for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.

There hasn't been a whole lot happening here at the park. People are getting ready for the Holidays and are pretty busy. Today, they're having a Thanksgiving potluck dinner over at the Clubhouse for those who don't have family in the area. The park furnishes the turkey and ham and then everyone who attends brings "a dish to pass".

I'm sure they'll have a good turnout as many of the folks here in the park are far away from their families.

Did you know that an estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving?

Shopping, A New Friend and Highbanks

DeBary, FL.

42 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 70F. Winds from the NNW at 10 to 15 mph shifting to the East in the afternoon.


As soon as Linda got up and had her breakfast Tuesday morning, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed for Jacksonville. You see, by accident, quite a few years ago, they had found a shoe store in a shopping center on the North side of Jacksonville.  It's called Rack Room Shoes and they sell all kinds of shoes.

And, they carry shoes in Jim's size, (14). : )

The soles of one of Jim's pair of shoes had split.  So being that we were in the area, they headed over there and ended up buying Jim 2 pair, since the second pair was 1/2 price.  : )

By about 12:30 they were back to the CG.

Oh, I want you to see my new little buddy that came into Kelly's Monday evening.

He's brand new and lives up in the central part of Pennsylvania. His owners brought him  down to Florida to visit family and friends and now he's on his way back home. I wished him a safe journey as he pulled out of the campground yesterday morning.

Speaking of yesterday morning,  it was about 9:50 when we pulled out of Kelly's. Once back on US 301, we retraced our route back to Callahan and then followed US 1 down to I-295. 295 took us around the west side of Jacksonville and joined back up with I-95 on the South side of the city. Once back on 95 we took it South to exit 329 where Jim pulled me into a T/A Truck Stop and topped off my tank with some of that good old #2 diesel fuel.

You see, since I'll be setting in a RV Park for at least 2 months, Jim wanted to get my tank as full as possible so there's not so much chance of condensation. My furnace also uses diesel fuel when it gets colder, so that was another reason to stop and fill up.

From the Truck Stop, we continued South on 95 and followed it down to Daytona Beach, where we turned SW on I-4. I-4 then brought us down here to DeBary and the Highbanks Marina & Camp Resort, where I'll be spending the next 2 or 3 months.

It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us exactly 3 hours to stop to top off my tank and travel the 147 miles down here.

After going into the office and talking to the nice ladies inside, Jim came out and unhooked CLT from the back of me and parked him across the road in a parking area. Then, the park manager led me into the park and to my site. By about 1:15 I was backed into my site, (the same site I was in last year, #198), and Jim was getting a ride in one of the workers golf carts, back up to the office area, to retrieve CLT and pay for my site.

I've only been here once before, but Jim and Linda have been here often enough that many of the folks in the park wave and welcome them back, as was the case as we drove through the park to get to my site. In fact, Jim and Linda both made the comment that it was good to be back in this park and this year especially, it kind of felt like they were coming back home.

Much of the afternoon was spent getting me set up for the long term. Extra attention was paid to getting me real level and getting all the utilities hooked up and looking as neat as possible. Then, because they were both tired and didn't want to cook, they headed over to the Steak & Shake Restaurant for dinner.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  this is where I'll be for quite awhile. There'll be many days where there's nothing to post about, so I won't be posting near as often. But, you can be assured that I'll let you know when there's anything new happening.

Did you know that DeBary Hall Historic Site is the restored winter home of Samuel Frederick de Bary, the first settler in this region? Built in 1871, the 8,000 sq. ft. Italianate architectural style mansion is open to the public with artists. displays, multimedia programs, and docent-led tours. DeBary Hall Historic Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1972.

Nancy's Bucket List and A Disappointing Meal

Virginia Beach, VA.

50 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 75F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.


My Internet signal here at the CG has been really quirky the last few days. As I'm typing this, the signal keeps dropping off and on, but I really wanted to post so that I didn't get too far behind.

Saturday evening, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed where Nancy was doing her fitness show. Well, come to find out, this was actually a local body building contest and many of the participants were really into the strength and body building thing.  

This was on Nancy's "bucket list" and it's the first time that she has done anything like this. She's been training for almost a year, practicing her poses eating only certain foods and doing all the other things necessary get ready to compete.

So, how did she do??? Well, she came home with 3 trophies!!!!  2  4th place and 1  5th place. One was for the "novice class" category, one for the "tall women's class", and one for the "over 40 years old class" !!!  : )

Really great for her first, (and she says her last), competition!!!! ; )

Sunday, absolutely nothing happened except to watch all the week-end campers pack up and head for home. Linda worked some more on her family tree program and Jim watched football on TV.

Yesterday, was another slow day. About 4:30 or so, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Joe and Nancy's and then they and Joe, Nancy, Sami and Amber went out to eat at the Atlas Restaurant near their house for dinner.

The company was great and everyone had a good time, but in the last few years there has been a bunch of changes at the Restaurant and none of them seem to be for the better. Joe's food was cold, Sami's order was messed up and had to send it back, hardly any of the food really stood out and the service left something to be desired.

From what I understand, the Atlas used to be a very good place to eat and many times the restaurant was crowded. Now, there were only a few people in there and I doubt that Jim and Linda or Joe and Nancy will go back again.

Very disappointing. : (

The rest of Linda's prescription are supposed to be ready today, so Jim and Linda will probably be heading over to Walgreens. They also have a grocery list started, so they may pick those items up at a grocery store while they're out and about, but we'll see.

Did you know that on this date in  1915, The first U.S. championship horseshoe tourney was held in Kellerton, IA.?

Reservations, Groceries and Dillon's Birthday

Moncure, NC

38 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 70F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.


Did you happen to notice the temperature posted this morning for Moncure? Yep!! 38 degrees!! You know what that means??? It's time to start heading to a warmer area of the country!!!!

I'm hoping that it'll be a little warmer in Virginia Beach, when we head over there on Wednesday, since it's right on the coast.

Jim and Linda didn't go get groceries Wednesday so I really didn't have anything to write about. They did go to Mike and Gina's for dinner though and did enjoy an very nice pork roast meal. The only other thing that I could possibly have written about was Jim dumping my tanks, and who wants to read about that?

Oh!! I almost forgot!!! Jim called the RV Park that we stay at down in Florida and made reservations for me to arrive there on the 14th of November. But,  ,  ,  ,  I also heard him ask the lady if it would be OK if we came in a week earlier than that if we could get down there sooner.

From what I heard Jim tell Linda, the lady said that it should be OK, but to be sure to call as soon as possible to let them know if we were wanting to come in early.

Hmmmm!!! I wonder what Jim has in mind now????

.Yesterday, Jim and Linda did finally go to the Food Lion Grocery store down in Sanford, and I couldn't believe how many groceries they bought!! I was sure that they wouldn't be able to get everything put away in my cabinets and refrigerator, but they did!! : ) Then after resting up a little, (Jim took a nap), they headed over to Mike and Gina's for another nice meal and more visiting.

Today is Dillon's Birthday, (he's 5 years old today), and Mike and Gina have a party planned for him, (and 16 of his friends and classmates), tonight at one of those places where the kids bounce and play on different  things. There's also going to be pizza served for the kids and I'm sure he'll have a great time. ; )

Jim and Linda have decided not to go though, as both Mike and Gina said it would probably be pretty wild with all those screaming kids running around and playing.

So, instead, Mike is planning on bringing Dillon out here to the Campground tomorrow!!  : ) Dillon has been asking questions about me, so Jim and Linda don't think he really remembers me too well from last year. This'll also be an opportunity for Jim and Linda to give him the birthday present they bought.

The plan for today is to get me cleaned up inside and go through some more of those photo albums to find pictures of family members. There's still one more box of albums at Mike's and he's going to be bringing it out here tomorrow. That means that Jim and Linda will need to be finished looking at these albums so he can take them back home with him.

Did you know that on this date in 1920, construction of the Holland Tunnel began? It opened on November 13, 1927. The tunnel links Jersey City, NJ and New York City, NY.

A Quick Trip To Wally World

Moncure, NC

53 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 70F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.


Well, Jim and Linda did not go to the grocery store yesterday, but in the afternoon they did go to a Wally World in Sanford to pick up a few items. One of the main reasons for go there was to find a birthday present for Dillon, (Mike and Gina's youngest child and Jim's Grandson), who will turn 5 this Friday. While they were at Wally World, they also bought a few H & B items that they needed.

Then, since it was getting close to dinner time, they headed over to the Brass Kettle Restaurant where they had another very good meal.

Other than that, not a whole lot happened yesterday.  It was still only in the 50's, overcast, and it was misting rain much of the day, so it wasn't very pleasant outside.

Today is supposed to be much nicer. ; )

So, since they didn't get groceries yesterday, Jim and Linda will need to go grocery shopping either today or tomorrow. Linda has more laundry to do, plus go through some more of those old picture albums to find photos for her Family Tree Maker program and Jim has some things he wants/needs to do outside, so they could go either day.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. ; )

Did you know that today is "International Top Spinning Day"?

Plan "B" and A Few Photos

Moncure, NC

58 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny, high temp. 79 deg. W. wind @ 5 mph.


It rained most of the morning yesterday and while Jim was sitting outside under my awning and enjoying a cup of coffee, the phone rang.

It was Mike, calling from work, and he was wondering if it would be OK if Jim and Linda did not come over to his house for dinner. You see, he needed to go to some kind of business meeting at a restaurant and wouldn't be home until late.

Of course, Jim told him that would be fine, and he and Linda would see him and his family Friday night.

So, that meant that Jim and Linda would have to come up with a "Plan B".

While Jim was talking to Mike on the phone, the rain let up so he decided he'd try to get a few photos of the RV Park. This first one is of the entrance to the park.

This is a shot from near the entrance looking into one of the sections of the park. As you can see, there's not much vegetation in the area where the sites are located.

This is a photo of me in my site. That's a light pole right next to me, so I'm really lit up at night. ; )

By noon, the rain quit and it ended up being a very nice day. It was pretty warm though and the humidity was quite high, so other than hooking up the rest of my utilities, Jim didn't spend a whole lot of time outside.

Linda had gotten way behind with the laundry, so she spent much of the day trying to catch up.

Sometime during the afternoon, it was decided that for "plan B", they would go out for dinner instead of cooking here, so about 5:00, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Sanford, NC, and to the Brass Kettle Family Restaurant. They found this restaurant last year when we were here and the food and service were very good, so they decided to try it again.

And, again, they weren't disappointed. : )

It was about 7:00 by the time they returned, and soon after that, this is what they saw out of my windshield.

/Today, Linda wants to do more laundry and Jim says he has a few things he wants to do outside. And then of course, they'll head over to Mike and Gina's for dinner, and to visit some more.

Did you know that on this date in 1921 - The World Series was broadcast on the radio for the first time? The game was between the New York Giants and the New York Yankees.

Forest City To Apex and Visiting With Mike And Gina

Moncure, NC

68 deg, mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy, high temp. 80 deg. W. wind @ 5 mph. 50% chance of rain


It was 10:10 by the time left Forest City yesterday morning and headed North on US 64. We followed 64 up to I-40 near Morganton. Then we followed 40 all the way over to Greensboro, where we turned off on I-73, took it down to I-85 and then took 85 east to US 421, where we turned SE on it and took it down to Sanford. At Sanford, we turned NE on US 1 and followed it up here to Moncure and the Dickens RV Park.

It was right at 2:00 when we pulled in, so it took us 3 hours and 50 minutes to travel 212 miles.

The Dickens RV Park is nothing special. Most of the sites are out in the open and there's no grass or trees anywhere near. I do, however, have full hook-ups with 50 amp electric and it's only costing about $15 per night with the Passport America discount. : )

For Jim and Linda, it's the best park to stay at while visiting Mike and his family.

It was really hot and muggy when we arrived yesterday, so after getting me positioned in my site, Jim just hooked me up to electric. Today, he'll hook up the rest of the utilities.

About 5:00 CLT (Cute Little Truck), took Jim and Linda over to Mike and Gina's house. Both Jim and Linda said that it was really good to see them and the grand kids again. It's been a year since we've been here and they both said that all 3 of the kids have really grown. : )

After a very nice meal, everyone visited for awhile and then about 8:00 CLT brought Jim and Linda back here to the park.

Both Jim and Linda were tired, so after watching some of the news, they headed to bed.

This evening, they'll be heading back over to Mike and Gina's again.

Did you know that Moncure once served ast the western-most inland port in North Carolina, linked all the way to the coast by steamships? 

Even Long Time Full-Timers Forget and IN To KY

Berea, KY.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Numerous showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.


That big eraser that Jim has was put to use again Tuesday morning. The plan was to leave Indy and head for KY, but the weather was not looking good at all so Jim and Linda decided to stay another day.

So,  ,  ,  , yesterday morning we left the Lake Haven Retreat CG about 9:30 and headed back up to I-465. Heading East on 465 took us to I-74 which took us over to Cincinnati where we took I-275 around to the South of the city and picked up I-75 heading South. We then followed 75 all the way down here to Berea, KY and to the Walnut Meadows RV Park.

Now, it was just as we were turning South onto I-75 on the South side of Cincinnati that there was a big "crash" sound from somewhere inside of me!! By the sound of the noise, I just knew it couldn't be good!!!! It sounded like some cabinet or drawer had come open and all contents had come out and crashed to the floor!!!!  : O

There was no place to pull off of the road right there, so Linda got up and went back to see what had happened, while Jim drove very carefully so as not to make any sudden changes in speed or direction while she was looking.

Once Linda got up and walked back into my kitchen, it was very apparent what had happened. You see, I have a pantry that has 6 drawers that are completely full of canned goods. Most of it in cans, but some in jars. Well, it seems that neither Jim or Linda remembered to latch the drawers closed before closing the door to the pantry. As we were going around the corner to merge onto I-75, the drawers pushed against the door and forced the door open, letting all six drawers come crashing out as far as possible on their slides.

Well, needless to say, there were canned goods scattered all over the floor and some of it had fallen as much as 6 feet!!!!  : O

Luckily, there was a rest area a few miles down the road, so Jim pulled in and went back to help Linda. Luckily, none of the cans or jars had broken, but there were cans everywhere!!! One of the drawers wouldn't slide back in, but during further inspection, it was discovered that there was a can wedged behind it, and once removed, the drawer closed.

Most of the cans were placed back in the drawers and the drawers were latched shut, but things had gotten so mixed up that Jim finally put some of the cans in the sink rather than trying to fit every one of them back in place.

I don't know just how long we were at the rest area, but I think it was about 15 or 20 minutes. It doesn't appear that anything was damaged, (except a few bent and dented cans), and all the drawers seem to work properly, so everything turned out OK. : )

Whew!!!!

It was 1:30 when we pulled up to the office so it took us almost exactly 4 hours to travel the 223 miles down here and stop at the rest area.

Walunt Meadows is OK. Nothing special, but it is near to where Linda's cousin, Rick and his wife Doris live and Jim and Linda have stayed here quite a few times in the past.

After getting settled in and getting the rest of the cans put away, : )  Linda called Rick to let him know that we were here. Then about 5:50 Rick and Doris came over, took a quick tour of me, and then they all  headed over to the Cracker Barrell to meet Rick and Doris' son, Cory, and his family for dinner.

After eating and visiting for quite awhile, Rick and Doris brought Jim and Linda back here. Then, it was h and h (hugs and handshakes) before Rick and Doris headed home.

It was a short visit, but a very good one. Jim and Linda always look forward to seeing Rick and his family, and I'm sure the next time we're passing through this area, we'll stop again.

Hopefully for a longer visit next time. : )

A Point to Ponder : Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

A Very Good Day

Rantoul, IL.

39 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = High temp. 72 deg. sunny, SW wind @ 10 to 20 mph.


First of all, Jim would like to thank all of you that sent Jim birthday wishes yesterday. He enjoyed reading every one of your comments and e-mails. : )

Jim didn't do a lot yesterday. It was pretty windy and as many of you know, he doesn't much like being outside when it's windy. So, he surfed the Internet, watched some TV, sorted thorough some papers that he had accumulated on our trip out west, and took a nice long nap in the afternoon.

Mike, (Jim's Son), called from Apex, NC to wish him a Happy Birthday and to talk awhile. While they were talking, Jim told Mike that we should be getting there on or about the 3rd of October for a 2 week visit. Mike said that time period would work out great for them and that he, Gina and the kids are looking forward  to our visit. : )

About 4:30, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed down to Urbana where they went to to the Farm & Fleet store. Jim needed some new jeans and they've usually got a pretty good price on them. After purchasing a couple pairs, (they were even on sale), they headed over to an Outback Steakhouse in Champaign for dinner.

You see, a couple weeks ago, Jim was going through a drawer and found an Outback Steakhouse gift card that he and Linda had received, probably way back in December for Christmas. So, it was decided that they would use it for Jim's birthday dinner.

Neither Jim or Linda had ever been to an Outback before. Jim said that he thought that there was a little too much seasoning on his steak, but they both enjoyed the meal and the service was excellent.

After returning back here, they watched TV until the news was over and then went to bed.

Jim said that he had a very good day!! : )

A Point to Ponder : You know you're getting old when you are cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of the police.  

Prescriptions, Shopping and Should Be Interesting

Rantoul, IL.

64 deg. clear, SE wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.


Not much been happening around here. Thursday was just a kick-back day and I'm having trouble thinking of anything at all worth mentioning.

Yesterday, Jim and Linda first went to Walgreen's to get Jim's prescriptions refilled. While they were waiting, Jim bought a new coffee pot that was on sale. The old one has been acting up lately and he was considering buying a new one anyway.

After getting one of the 2 prescriptions filled, (they were out of the one type of eye drops), they headed over to Wally World. One of my day/night shades in the bedroom has broken and being that neither Jim or Linda like those things, Linda is going to make some curtains for all 3 of the windows and get rid of all of those shades in the bedroom.

So, they needed a few things like curtain rods and material.

They found most of what will be needed, but will have to go down to Champaign one of these days to get a few more items.

I overheard Linda telling Jim how she was planning to make the new curtains and I think they should be pretty neat. ; ) 

Oh, and Jim bought a new electric shaver while they were at Wally World. He was just going to get some new shaver heads for his old one, but they didn't have them in stock. He did find out that the new heads would be quite expensive and being that his shaver is getting pretty old, he and Linda decided that it would probably be best to just buy a whole new shaver.

By the time they left Wally World, it was noon, so they headed to the Red Wheel Restaurant for lunch.

Once back here, Jim unpacked the new shaver and coffee pot. He plugged the shaver in to charge up the battery and ran a couple pots of water through the new coffee pot. (As per the instructions).

Then he took a nap. ; )

Well, I hope I didn't bore you too much with this post, but that's about all that happened.

This weekend should be pretty quiet here at Prairie Pines, but the next 2 weekends will be hectic. The first one, of course is the Labor Day weekend and Louise says that all of the sites are sold out. The weekend after Labor Day, there are 4 groups/clubs coming, and again, the CG will be almost full.

Should be interesting.

Did you know that today is "Kiss and Make Up Day"?    ; )

Happy Birthday Bev and Cook-out Plans

Rantoul, IL.

54 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Light north winds.


Jim spent much of the day yesterday visiting with Denny and Dave. Linda worked on her Family Tree program and in the afternoon, baked a cake.

You see, yesterday was Bev's birthday and being that there were already plans to get together with Denny and Bev for pizza, Linda decided to bake a small birthday cake for Bev. : ) 

So, about 5:00, Linda called Monical's Pizza to have a pizza delivered and then a little later Jim and Linda headed over there.

Jim and Linda both said that the pizza was good and everyone seemed to enjoy the cake. I thought that I might hear them singing "Happy Birthday" to Bev, but I understand that she really didn't want them to do that. ; )

While they were eating pizza and birthday cake, quite a rain storm came through the area. It rained really hard for  awhile and we even had some thunder!  Jim was concerned because he had left my windows open, but it was OK as the rain was pretty much straight down, and my window awnings did their job and kept the rain out.

Today, Dorthy and Gordy are coming for awhile. They'll be driving down here in their car and will be heading back home this evening. Since they're coming down today, there's going to be "cook-out" where everyone will bring a dish to share and they'll cook hot dogs and brats over a camp fire.

It should be fun! ; )

Did you know that on this date in1959 - Hawaii became the 50th state?

He Still Knows How and A Sloppy Joe Dinner

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly sunny. Isolated showers in the morning...Then isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light northwest winds. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.


Jut to prove that Jim still knows how to take photos, I thought that I'd post this one that he took the other day. It's not a photo of anything special, but I thought the dark blue sky and the puffy white clouds were kind of neat. It was taken from my site, looking towards the North.

Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to the County Market Grocery store yesterday morning. I though that they were only going to pick up a few items, but when they returned, they had the whole back end of CLT full of groceries!!!! : O

Somehow, they managed to get them all put away in my refrigerator, cabinets and basement compartments. : )

The afternoon was spent with Jim taking a nap and doing some cleaning inside of me, Linda cleaning some too, resting and making a desert for Louise's evening meal.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did I forget to mention that Louise invited Jim and Linda and another couple over for dinner last night?

It was sometime yesterday morning when Louise came over to my site and told Jim that she was having Sloppy Joe sandwiches, home made potato salad and home made slaw for dinner and that he and Linda should come over about 5:30 or so and they would eat around 6:00.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  being that Linda always likes to take something to contribute to the meal, she decided to make one of her sugar-free deserts. 

The one that she made this time, she just calls, "Peach Stuff". I could probably find the recipe if anyone is interested, but I know she uses a cake mix, some peaches, sweetener, and some nuts.

As usual, Louise put together a very good meal. Both Jim and Linda said that her "Sloppy Joe's" were really good and so was the potato salad and the slaw. And,  ,  ,  everyone seemed to enjoy Linda's desert.

After eating, Louise started a fire and everyone sat and talked. Jim and Linda must have had a good time because it was after 9:00 by the time they came back here. ; )

Thanks Louise!!!  : )

Today, Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be coming. I don't know when they'll be getting here, but I would imagine that it'll be sometime this morning or early afternoon. I'm really looking forward to getting to know Denny and Bev's motor home and Dave and Dee Dee's 5th wheel a little better.

It's too bad that Gordy and Dorthy won't be coming with their MH. : (

A Point to Ponder :  Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.