Whirlwind Road Trip

Living on the road, as we do, we don't get to witness our friends' or family's adventures or accomplishments often. Grandkids are growing like kudzu (you know that means they're jumping up a foot a day!), participating in basketball, soccer, gymnastics and other school activities, kids are going through life's ups and downs, friends are getting married and traveling, and every now and then, we find ourselves missing out on "normal" things.  Well, being as we are currently camped in Chesapeake, we thought it would be neat to go on a 4 hour road trip to attend our granddaughter's 8th grade graduation ceremony, since we were "in the neighborhood."

We had coordinated with our daughter, so we could just ride up to her house, visit a bit, let the dog get comfortable (and fed!) then all head over to the middle school and watch the ceremony.  Then we'd spend the night in their guest room and head back today.

So, here's what we saw on the way UP to Charlottesville...

Lots of long, flat road leaving the coast

Going over the James River, west of Richmond

Always our first view of the Blue Ridge Mountains

I'm not a big fan of putting children's pictures out on the web, but, trust me, she was beautiful, poised, and honored to have the highest grade point in her Science class, and we were very proud grandparents.  The ceremony was exactly what you'd expect - in a gym, hot, rowdy, and a little bit chaotic at times. Then there was the aftermath party, you know, where everyone stands around congratulating each other and taking pictures & posting to Instagram.  All very much 8th grade normal.  We got back to the house around 8:30 and were fed a lovely taco dinner.  Watched the end of an OLD movie (Mr. Brewster's Millions, circa 1986?) and retired early.  You know, all very much grandparent normal.  This morning came early, 'cuz we wanted to try out a new route back to the campground.  It's one we hope to take out when we're ready to leave.  And there was a bridge tunnel involved, so we have to make sure it's passable.  By the camper and the campee (me!).

But, on the way out of Charlottesville, we passed my very favorite barn (this is for you, Barbara!)

And one of my all-time favorite-ever estates (I know, it's really hard to see, but it's circa 1800's and VERY stately). And, being where it is, there is likely some rough and not very pleasant(nor politically correct) history behind its walls. But is sure is a pretty place.

Back at the coast, as we approached the bridge-tunnel, we saw mounds and mounds of coal.  Whoever told us no one used coal anymore lied.  Flat out lied.  There were acres and acres covered with the nasty stuff and they were actively loading it into RR cars for transport somewhere. 

 This was taken as we passed Norfolk Shipyards.  I have no idea what's happening here, whether it's a ship being built or repaired, but, obviously there was a ship in the yard.

 And now we are approaching the tunnel part.  I missed the photo op of the sign that advised all Haz-Mat carriers, RV's and trucks to pull over for inspection.  I am sure, even though we are all electric now, we will still need to pull over and have them verify that for us.  Lord knows I don't want them chasing us down through the tunnel (G-d forbid, they CATCH US and MAKE US STOP!).  Oh, my poor heart is having palpitations just thinking about that! Yes, yes, I think we'll stop and let them know we are safe.  No propane on board. Nothing noxious or flammable.  We'll be sure not to eat beans the night before.

 At least it's well lit inside.

Thankfully, the tunnel part was short, much shorter than the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (yeah, the very one that had a truck jacknifed into its side for 8 HOURS last week).  That's the alternative, and more usual route, and that's why we're trying to find another way.

Once out of the tunnel part, we got to go over the bridge section.  It's loooooong, but it's not too high.  Seems like I remembered a REALLY REALLY high drawbridge here, but apparently, that's not on this route.  Suits the heck outta me!!  I can do this one, I'm fairly sure.  As long as I'm not driving.

Once we got this far, it was a piece of cake and I could relax and enjoy the scenery.  Apparently, it's a good day for boating.  Nice, flat water.

We arrived back at the campsite with no further complications, and, boy, did it feel good to be home, in our own home!  The coach is really beginning to feel like HOME, and it's where we both want to be, when we're not out gallivanting.  We opened the sides back up (we'd pulled them in, in the event of storms & wind), started the laundry and put away the VA Diner peanuts (yum!) and BBQ (double yum!!) we had purchased while we were out.  

I'm actually in the middle of making a baby quilt for a lady who does childcare in her home.  We've been collaborating for a few years now, and I've made her several pillowshams and a few houseware items (curtains, mixer cover, aprons).  These are the fabrics, and this is what I've made so far, so now we're to the point of selecting thread colors for the embroidery.  She wants a birth announcement with all the usual stats, and I've got an orange-face, similar to what's been fussy cut in the squares, to add to it, so there are lots of options to add color.

What do y'all think?  I know there's yellow in the backing fabric (polka-dots, shown all the way left, above photo), but does it go with the front?  Personally, I'm not a fan. The bottom row of thread cones will all be used in the embroidery & quilting, it's just the top row in question, for the name & data.  Suggestions, anyone?

So, tomorrow is Saturday, and it looks like the very same granddaughter will be traveling down to Virginia Beach for a basketball tournament, so we get to see them all again!  This time, our travel time will only be about a half hour, so yaay, for that, and YAAAY for no tunnels!  And only ONE bridge!  In the meantime, the laundry beckons. 

Y'all stay safe!

It's All Robert's Fault!

Soooooo, it's been radio silence for a few days, hasn't it.  I'm sure you're just dying to know why and what's been happening.  And why is it all Robert's fault?  (Hi Judy, yes, it's YOUR Robert I'm referring to!) 

After the big bridge incident of last Wed (in case you have already forgotten, you can read all about that here), we arrived safely at Chesapeake Campground, just off the Dismal Swamp canal. I believe this is an old, converted KOA, so immediately you know sites are close, and things might be a bit run down.  There are stables and lots and lots of ponies of all colors, as well as a decent pool and party pavilion that is available for birthday party rentals.  None of which we will utilize, I'm sure.

Then what?  Starting Thursday, we had non-stop dancing, day and night until this morning, at the Virginia State Square Dance Convention, in Virginia Beach.  We had met Soo Jin and her husband, Hall, at a dance down in The Villages, sometime during the winter.  We danced with them a few times, and really enjoyed their company, so when we found out that Soo was singing the National Anthem up in Virginia, and we were planning to be in the area at that time anyway, we decided we'd send for ribbons and attend.  We were NOT disappointed.  She's a fantastic singer, and despite only being about 5 feet tall in her heels, she can belt out the notes and in perfect pitch!

Soo is the tiny little figure in red, white and blue, behind the color guard.

Just like NC State Conventions, this one provided lots of variety of dancing styles, as well as skill levels.  Read:  there were some really, really good dancers, as well as some really, really bad ones.  Nooo, they weren't bad because they were new dancers.  THAT would be excusable!  

But, how is Robert involved?  Well, it was Robert that taught us to mess with the callers, and switch positions, do a Grand Square on the first call of a singing call, pass through on a promenade halfway, and to generally cut up and make fools of ourselves.  Apparently, we found a crowd that is just as willing, and even more so, to participate.  We also have to give credit to Robert for introducing us to hot hash, and Rod Barngrover & Bill Chesnut for really polishing our skills.  Because of them, we were able to participate in the Diehard squares both Thursday and Friday, and we outlasted 6 callers, and 2 other squares of dances!  Not too bad for couple of old farts, I'd say! We danced absolutely non-stop, and pretty much didn't break down for over an hour solid, each night.

There's Soo, again, right in the middle by herself, doing a line dance.

We even got invited into the DBD room, where pretty much, anything goes!  We successfully held our own, there, too, thank you very much, Bill, Rod & Robert! Then we got hooked up with a couple from MIT.  Yes, the college.  Ummmmmm...perhaps we should have considered their proposition a bit before we jumped in.  They wanted to do MIRROR squares.  ???  We'd never heard of it before, but we said Yes anyway.  Turns out, the MIT club gets bored with the same ole same ole, so they come up with antics of their own.  Mirror dancing involves a bit of DBD, with a lot of extra thinking.  Girls are on the left, for starters, and every call is done opposite of normal, or whatever is called.  So, all square throughs become LEFT square throughs, all waves are LEFT handed waves, we courtesy turned to the right, and so forth.  What a workout!  But it was fun and challenging!  At the end of Saturday night, you would have thought we'd be brain dead, but, oh no, we stayed for the Interlocking squares too!  Never had heard of that, either, but we did it!  We collaboratively got the setup figured out, and they said, ok, caller, call something!  While he was fiddling with his computer, looking for something to call, Robert whispered in my ear (and it came out my mouth!), "Sides face, Grand Square!"  So that's what we all did!  Daggum if it didn't pretty much work out, without anyone getting run over or stepped on in the process!  Oh my, it must have been something to see! Sorry, but we didn't think to video those shenanigans, otherwise, I'd share.

So, let's go back in time and finish up Myrtle Beach with Joe and Nancy.  They had some business to tend on Monday, so Driver took me down to Huntington Beach and Atalaya Castle.  You can follow that link to learn more about this fascinating place and Archer & Anna Huntington.  (yes, they are cousins to the Huntington's of California).

First glimpse of the outer structure

He had one of the first RV's ever built!

Those two placards generally trace the history of the couple and their lovely home by the sea.

Our guide (Warren, methinks) is the only one, and he's been serving here for 25 years.  He personally knew a lot of the island folks that lived and served here, and he was full of personal histories and stories. I sure hope someone has the foresight to record his recollections; they truly need to be preserved for posterity!

You can see the Moorish influence in the architecture and ironwork.  (We made the mistake of asking about the bars on the windows, and we were immediately corrected!)

If you ever do get the chance, it's a place well worth visiting in Myrtle Beach.  Definitely not a tourist trap, nor was it highly attended.  I guess 'cuz there's no early-bird buffet or music offered.  But there's great history and interesting stories!  And it's by the sea!

I'll leave you with one final photo before I go....it's Driver and I, in our new ride!  (Ha, ha, NOOOO, it's Joe & Nancy's Beach Buggy...we still have our wheels!)

Y'all stay safe!

OK, So I really AM justified....

So I just sat down and dumped some more photos out of the phone and into my laptop, in order to upload them here to share with you, Dear Reader(s).  (I'm HOPING there's more than one of you!!)

I am just getting settled down from our harrowing ride over here (Chesapeake Campground, Chesapeake, VA) but I did want to share our fun Harvest Host experience from yesterday.  But, what do I hear in the background?  The TV news is on, and they mention something about an 8 vehicle accident and a 3 hour backup.  In the Hampton Roads tunnel!!  Definitely an attention getter.

You all know how much I love bridges and tunnels, right?  OK, so if you're new to Ten Wheels, maybe you don't know.  I HATE THEM!  and the higher and longer they are, the more I hate them!  So you can imagine how I felt when my Google map didn't agree with the RV GPS map.  MY map told me to get off at exit 296, and just go down Hwy 17, about 4 miles to the campground.  Easy peasy, right???  So, why did the RV GPS insist we continue on, go over the Elizabeth River drawbridge (yes, high, long, and a drawbridge grid to boot) to exit 292 (which I couldn't even see!), THEN get off, going down the toll road to Hwy 17??  Toll road?  Ummmmm, we usually don't take toll roads because we're too big, too long or too many axles.  In the words of the Driver, "well, there must be a reason, maybe we're too heavy for a local bridge."  Argh.  Ok, if we MUST.  So, must we did.  Yes, Allen, I was crying on the approach and couldn't get a picture.  Sorry, not sorry.  😱 Allen knows how much I love bridges.

Well, not only is the bridge over the river, high, long and a drawbridge, but I can see on my map, it is WAAAAY past the campground, and if we go over it, we will have to come around and come right.back.over the same river.  ??????  Oh.my.GAWD.  So we followed Sally's (that's the RV GPS's name) directions and back we came, back over the same river, back to the campground.  Thankfully, it was a slightly lower bridge, no shorter, but also no drawbridge grate/grid.  So now you know how we got in here, know that our *planned* route out was the Hampton Roads tunnel.  No, that's not the same as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, but it's plenty bad enough, being a bridge and tunnel combined.  I never cared for traversing it in a car, much less an RV!  We have pulled the 5th wheel through it before, and we even took the Holiday Rambler bucket o'bolts (35 footer) through it, but, THIS BIG BOY??  Oh, I am sooooo not looking forward to it.  And then we hear about the tanker truck that jacknifed and the box truck that stuck in the wall and the other 6 vehicles involved?  I shudder to think about it!  So, yeah, I'm rattled.  And I so wanted to share the peace and tranquility of last night!!  Oh, wait, there's more to today's harrowing!  Yes, yes, there's always more to the story when you're with us!

Typically, when we get to a campground, Driver goes in to register and I walk the pup.  Today was no different.  I go off to walk the pup, and when I see Driver come back to the rig, I know it's time to hightail it back and get in and buckled up.  Ummm, but first, I was told they weren't sure we would fit.  Whaaaaa?  I had specifically reserved a long pull through, 50 amps, when I asked for the reservation.  And don't forget, we have a holiday weekend in the middle here....I even called again and confirmed that we had a loooong, 50 amp pull through, for two weeks.  So to hear that they weren't sure we would fit, and they changed our site upon seeing us, was a bit disconcerting, to say the least.  We looked at the map and traveled down to the site area, weaving among the low hanging tree branches.  No problem, no one was coming out, so the one lane bridge posed no problem, nor did the hairpin turn.  But then, we got to the new site, and, boy did we have a problem.  See, the site is 92 feet long.  Ok, that's good, right?  No, because it's a CURVED site.  We do not bend in the middle, and we can't make that turn into the site or between the trees.  Driver even got out and walked the site to make sure.  And all I can think is, we have no backup plan (the bases were full; I'd already checked!), and there's a holiday weekend in the middle of our stay! So Driver thinks maybe we can make it, but we'll have to disconnect the car and tow dolly, and we may even jut out a bit into the street in the front.  Well, even more bothersome than all of that was the fact that this was a 30 amp site.  We take 50 amps.  ???? What the heck were these people trying to do to us?  I wouldn't be comfortable leaving pup alone on 30 amps, so what were we going to do? 

I'll tell you what *I* was going to do...I called back to the office to tell them they were trying to put us in a curved site, and we wouldn't fit, but the clerk cut me off and said they could put us in site II instead, and Driver knew where that was.  Well, sure, yeah, but we still have a problem, as that new site was still only 30 amps.  Once I reminded her that we were a 50 amp unit, she asked me my name again.  Nooooo, I was not Mr. Jeffries, and noooo, I don't know him!  Whoops, it seems there was a mixup!  We had site M assigned, and it was a long, 50 amp pull through, plenty long enough to accommodate us!  So now we're all set up, laundry is going, dinner is thawing, let's go back to last night's campsite, shall we?  It's peaceful and has a lovely view!

Hinnant Family Farms and Vineyards

You can click on this panorama to enlarge it some.

We even got to park on the gravel, where it was a lot more level than the grassy area they had originally set aside for us.

Here are their award winning wines inside the tasting room.

The grapes are just beginning to form on the vines

This is one of the Harvest Host locations, where you get to spend the night for free (no hookups, usually), and all they ask is that you patronize their store.  Who wouldn't want to stay here, and sip some wine??  It was a lovely store, and we did a tasting.  We did not know ahead of time that we would be charged 10 bucks for the tasting, but, hey, at least we got to keep our glasses.  I guess that's how they keep out the riff-raff.  We bought a bottle of sangria (yes, Gail, we're going to share it with you at Pride!) and a bottle of pomegranate, that we'll mix with a bit of Sprite for a light refresher if it ever warms up along the way!  There was a margarita slushie too, and it went well with our taco salads, let's just leave it at that.  😊

Let me just share one more photo with you....it's sure to bring a smile:

Yup, that's Driver, at the campground check in desk.  We had to go back up there to pay for our stay once we got settled, and the poor man just couldn't resist! Moose Tracks, one of his very favorite flavors.  He said it was pretty good, too.  

So, there you have it, our most recent adventures.  I still want to share some of our Myrtle Beach experience, but that will have to wait till next time!

Did you know...Charleston has the only tea plantation in America?

It is TRUE!  The Charleston Tea Plantation is THE ONLY tea plantation in the USA, and we were lucky enough to visit them last Saturday with Joe & Nancy.  They're going again on Thursday, so we were a bit hesitant to ask them to come with us, after all, we are about an hour south of them (only about 15 miles, but it's bike week, and traffic is horrendous), and then Charleston is about 2 more hours south of us!  So, we knew a long day was ahead of us, but they were willing to make the trek, and so were we. After what seemed a lifetime of riding, we found the road in to the plantation.  There was a lovely tree canopy, very much like the live oaks we found down in Floral City, FL, but this time, we were in the car, not the coach, so we weren't so concerned about losing the air conditioner or peeling the roof off.

They had a complimentary sampling bar (who would have thought there was such a thing?) where we all sipped and found our favorites.  Dick and I really like the raspberry and peach, while Joe and Nancy preferred only the raspberry.  I couldn't choose which one I like better, so we came away with both boxes.  These plants are recently harvested (that's why the tops are all the same height) and are direct descendants of the the original 100 year old plants.  We got to visit the greenhouse, where we learned just how hard it was and how long it took to make a new tea plant.  Now we know why good tea costs so much!

After the tour, we stopped in at the Angel Tree, not too far down the road.  Wow. This tree is purported to be around 400-500 years old.  Local folklore says that ghosts of former slaves can appear as angels surrounding the tree, and as recently as 2018, it was featured in an Allstate television ad saluting the strength and fortitude of South Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

There was more, much more, to our day, but it's getting late and I still have to upload lots of pictures to share. 

Ten wheels turn again in the morning, heading to Chesapeake, VA for a couple of weeks.  Why Chesapeake?  'Cuz that's where they're holding the 31st VA State Square Dance Convention, and we have ribbons!  😁

Till next time, y'all be safe and stay well!

Wow, It's About Time We Got Back

Hello again!  Did you miss me?  Well, boy, oh boy, have we got some news for you!  Last time I posted was years ago - please don't ask how many, just trust it was a lifetime ago!  So, I'll catch you up real quick like.

Lots has happened.  We bought a house in TX.  We sold it.  We moved to FL and bought another house.  Fixed it all up nice, bought furniture (and, YES, another sewing machine), hosted LOTS of friends and family for sleepovers and stopovers.  Visited The Freezer many, many times (but still not enough), watched manatees for FOUR WINTERS, cut grass, revamped flower beds and held many, many lazy river races in the pool.  Traded in the 5th wheel and dually pickup on a Holiday Rambler bucket of bolts.  Spent a couple of years trying to fix the darned thing, including an all-expense paid trip to Indiana (where we made a side trip to O-hio, oh, don't even ASK about that one, but, DeeDee, YOU know why!!!), then sold the house and 5.6 acres!  But, not till AFTER we painted the fence.  Three times.

So, off we go, into the wild blue yonder, all 3 of us, and a boatload of stuff.  Most of the big stuff was sold with the house, but not my sewing machines.  One came with, along with some rulers and embroidery stuff, and thread.  Lots of thread.  But not enough.  Never enough thread.

All crammed into a little 35 footer bucket of bolts.  After about a month, we started shopping around.  That's different than schlepping around, just in case you were wondering.  We were doing that too, schlepping, but now we were shopping.  After an some rude treatment at a Newmar dealer down in Winter Garden, we took our business (and money) up to Georgia, and found a motorhome we both loved.  Trouble was, the eating area was still a booth dinette affair.  NOT what we were looking for.

So we learned we could actually place an order and get everything the way we wanted, including the seating options and fabric choices.  Yeah, really!  Sign us up!.  Dec 5th, we placed our order.  Then we met Molly and her people, Charles and Barbara.  Through them, we met lots of OTHER people, all of whom have been wonderful and fun to be with.

What a wild and crazy winter we had in Silver Springs.  We visited the springs several times, yes, even went to The Freezer on a few occasions, danced, oh boy, did we dance.  Danced every week, often 3-4 times a week.  Met lots of new campers (new, as in, never camped before and are now full-timing), hopefully we passed on a few tidbits of wisdom and some encouragement...and were only cold a few times.  All in a 35 foot bucket of bolts.

So, come March, you can only imagine our excitement when they told us our new motorhome was coming off the line on Driver's birthday at the end of the month.  Charles was there, faithfully counting down our days, and he could hardly contain his excitement on our behalf.  Some backstory - Charles is such a fan of Newmar products, he has been to the factory many times, and is currently in his 5th Newmar, in 6 years.  Not that there was anything wrong with any of 'em, he just likes the innovations and features that keep coming in the Newmar lineup.

We left Silver Springs on Mar 23rd and drove ourselves up to Lawrenceville, GA, fully anticipating our new home would be on the lot, as we'd been promised delivery on the 21st.  Ummmmmmmmmm, Dick luck prevailed, and there was no new home for us that we could see.  And all week, there was still no new home for us.  Finally, the salesman called and found out that the factory had had an unplanned shutdown (probably due to the inclement weather up in Indiana!) for a week, so delivery had been delayed.  So why couldn't he have called to confirm delivery PRIOR to us driving up, we wondered?

So, the coach and driver (not Driver, this one was a pro, hired specifically to deliver this coach to this dealer) set out on a Thursday morning.  About 100 miles from start, the Check Engine light came on, and the coach shut itself off.  Oh yes it did.  Then a tow truck was summoned, the coach was taken to Freightliner, got repaired.  And sat, waiting for the driver to return.  In a week.  Yes, really. While we sat in the dealer's parking lot, freezing our buns off.  But the really fun part was that during this time, we re-connected with Bob & Louise, a couple we had met while we were managing Twin Oaks, down in Perry, GA.  THEY were picking up THEIR new Dutch Star motorhome from the same dealer, supposedly, the same week WE were.  Small world, eh?

Long story short, we finally got the coach delivered, found a few minor issues (some of which were cosmetic and caused by the tow truck driver's carelessness) and have an appointment at the factory to get everything all fixed up.

We've been living in this beauty a month now, and we're more in love with it than ever.  What a difference 10 feet makes!  And yes, it allows for even MORE thread to be aboard.  Teehee, never enough thread.😁

We just spent the last few days on the beach in Mayport, with Gail & Gary, dear friends from Ocala.  We've been dancing and camping (and camping and dancing) with them for about 4 years now, and there has sure been a lot of laughter over that time.  There was no shortage of laughs this week either.  We will surely miss those two!