As always, the scenery was just beautiful - lots of white board fences, rolling hills, Blue Ridge foothills off in the distance, and farms dating back to 1747! This is certainly some of the prettiest parts of Virginia, but we know how chilly (COLD) it gets here in the winter, and it wasn't really all that warm this past week, and it's JUNE! As I recall, when we lived here, we always went strawberry picking on the last Saturday in May, then we made jam on Memorial Day, after attending the ceremony down at the courthouse.
We did have a few days of overcast skies, and even a pretty heavy rain storm, but so far, we've not had the water intrusion we experienced down in South Carolina. Good thing, too, 'cuz that was really nerve-wracking and unpleasant. The porch light remains a mystery - sometimes it comes on, sometimes not. Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it....just whatever strikes its fancy at any given moment. We have called and given the Newmar factory our list of warranty repairs, and it's on the list. It's a short list, thank Goodness, nothing like the Holiday Rambler! We just have the porch light, the possible water intrusion, the hole that was punched in the generator hood, the gash in the bay door and a couple of minor door adjustments. Easy peasy stuff!
I also took a couple of days for sewing - remember that baby quilt I was commissioned to do? Well, it finally got done and all quilted up!
Turned out pretty well, considering I only have the dining room table to sew on. Nice view though! Eventually, Driver is going to make me a leg brace for the table and I'll be able to set the machine square on the table, giving me a little more room to the right, and a little more table to support the weight of the quilt without drag. And to make things even easier, I ordered a magnetic hoop to alleviate some of the shifting and registration issues inherent in putting thicker material sandwiches in my current hoops. And a hat hoop! Don't you want a customized, personalized embroidered ball cap? Now I'll be able to make them without difficulty. Time to place your orders! Well, you might want to let me practice on one or two first...
So what happened today? Thankfully, not much! (Here's my favorite barn again, viewed through the light rain)
We left Shenandoah Crossings RV Resort, and headed south to Tanglewood Park, in Clemmons, NC. We navigated out of Charlottesville with no problems, said goodbye to Lovingston & Lynchburg, and took a short pit stop for fuel just inside Danville. Hit the NC border and it was smooth sailing from there on out. Surprisingly so, because we remember Rt2 29 going thumpity thump thump for miles and miles. Not any more - it's been well paved and is smooth asphalt most of the way. Traffic was pretty sparse, too, so we made really good time. And NO HIGH BRIDGES!! (thanks for the photo Gail, I won't miss it!)
Made our way through Winston-Salem, with a virtual Toot Toot as we passed Staples' and Tim's neighborhood, and easily entered the park. We we a bit skeptical, being as we are longer than last time, but we really had no issues. Doggie and I were both glad to get out and stretch our legs, too.
Once we were all set up ( I had to laugh when the lady in the site across the street came out to supervise; she "helped" by showing Driver which way to turn his wheels to avoid her car (which he was already well past...)) I texted Staples and she and Tim came right on out, bearing gifts of no-salt Boar's Head turkey, bread, chips and spicy guac! They offered to bring us a half gallon of their special recipe mint julep, but we declined, as Driver is still on antibiotics for his sinuses, and I really don't drink much. Unless there's a margarita involved, then I might have a whole one. Maybe another half one, if it's available....
They had a previously scheduled picnic to attend, but we got in a call to Judy (of Judy & Robert fame), and we set up a few play dates for the next couple of weeks. We'll try to attend an Advanced dance or 2 this week, and then Judy & Robert will come up and see us at Pride, during the International Camp-o-ree next week.
Heavy rain and high winds were expected in the area tonight, but it looks like it's going to be a nice, but chilly, night ahead. With all the technology available, why is it so hard to accurately predict the weather now-a-days?
Up until yesterday, we had an appointment for early Monday morning, in Mocksville, to get our Magne-shade and invisible tire screens installed. What are they, you're asking? Well, they are sunscreens for the windshield and tires, but specially made for our coach and tires. The windshield screen will have magnets sewn into pockets (that's the Magne part of the name) and corresponding magnets glued to the inside of the windshield. There will be a long metal rod to push/hold the screen up, and once the magnets get close to each other, they are supposed to snap together and hold the screen tight to the windshield. It will allow us to see out, but no one can see in, and even more importantly, it should help keep out some of the heat and UV rays once we arrive in Phoenix. Being as we are going to be facing West, it's really going to come in handy! (No, it is absolutely NOT for use during travel) The tire screens are a new style for us - we've always used the kind that drape over and around, or on the old bus, we had flat screens that snapped to the body of the coach and just hung straight down. We didn't think either of those styles would be aesthetically pleasing on this behemoth, so we opted for the invisible ones. What's that gonna look like, I'm sure you're wondering. Well, we don't really know yet. We know they are donut shaped, and supposedly the same size as our tires (soooo, BIG), and wired edges, so they fold up similar to the way a car's sunscreen twists and folds flat. I dunno, we'll see. They called us yesterday and suggested that we wait until Wed or Thurs to bring the coach in for installation, due to the expected inclement weather. Maybe we can use our new-found spare time to find a pet store and get a couple of new bowls for Bailey.
Yeah, you read that right. We've had Bailey for about 9 years now....and we've taken her and her bowls all over the country for all those years. And yesterday, we lost said bowls. Don't ask - I don't know. I have a hunch, but since it involves a restaurant that is now a couple hundred miles away, it really doesn't matter. Suffice it to say, we came home with her can of food, bag of dry, the plastic spoon, and her water bottle and its holder. No bowls. Luckily, we have others she can use, but they don't fit the wire frame that holds them in place on the floor. New ones are definitely in order.
We have started looking into our current reservations and travel schedule, and we found an extra day, unaccounted for. That's gonna matter! It's not like we can just go anywhere and fit in, so we have to start looking around for spots to park. We have our eyes on a Harvest Host produce farm, down the road from Pride, so I'll call them tomorrow. Plus, I'll want to confirm our next Harvest Host winery spot, down by Commerce, GA, on the way to the National Convention. I can't remember if I've made that reservation or just picked out the spot. (old age kickin' in, I suppose)So I guess we've got a plan and The Great Food Truck race has started (airing, on TV). Who knew they kicked off on the beach, right by the Ferris Wheel in Myrtle Beach?! How did we miss them? Guess we don't follow the right peeps on Facebook and weren't there at just the right time... Oh well, it'll be fun to watch anyway. After I go get the laundry out of the dryer! (I love this coach!)
Y'all stay well and dry till next time!
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