Catching Up

Sunday evening and Monday morning we attended Bill's viewing and service. He would have been uncomfortable as so many people showed up to pay their respects. He always said he wasn't the popular one. There were over a hundred people each time. In addition to civilians, on Monday everyone in his son Michael's precinct showed up in uniform. More than 50 officers. His son Billy, his oldest granddaughter Emily, his daughter-in-law Amy, and I all spoke. After the service Nancy and I had to skip the luncheon as she had a doctor's appointment.

The good news is Nancy does not have a retinal tear. The floater should absorb on its own and we'll go back for another check in a month.

Tuesday we shopped for a few essentials, Wednesday Jim and I went shooting while Nancy started making pirates costumes for Chukk's wedding next month(it's prayer themed on the Mosholu schooner docked on the Delaware River in Philly.

New Jersey

While we were waiting for our repairs to get finished on Thursday, we contacted our eye specialist in Pennsylvania for Nancy. She started seeing floaters and light flashes in her right eye. They said she needed to be seen right away and to contact someone locally. So we called the retina specialist in Huntsville (91 miles east) I used several years ago and they referred us to their office in Florence, about 40 miles north of us. I told them that would be a waste of time, as they can only diagnose problems there but if Nancy's retina was detaching, they don't perform the surgery in that office. They refer to Huntsville, which was why I was skipping that step. I learned that the hard way as that is what had happened to me. They insisted we go to Florence, as Huntsville wouldn't have a doctor in their office till the following Thursday. I said thanks but forget it, and called our doctor in PA, explained the situation again and got Nancy an appointment for Monday afternoon.

So back at the campground we ordered Subway sandwiches for Friday's lunch assuming we'd eat them on our trip and save a stop.

We got up early on Friday and left Red Bay. The temperature was 16 degrees. We drove 500 miles to Wytheville, VA, stopping only for fuel and a potty break for the dogs. We hadn't eaten our Subway sandwiches, so we had them for dinner. Got up early on Saturday, temperature 10 degrees, and drove non-stop to New Jersey, another 500 miles, arriving at 2:30 pm. The reason for this intensive travel was to get back in time for Bill Boyes' viewing and funeral service.

We surprised Jim Goldsborough, our brother-in-law, with a phone call inviting him to join us for dinner. We met him and Karen Sparks, had dinner, caught up, then came home.

Now we are preparing to go to the viewing. 

All Repaired YAY!

Sorry for not posting earlier. Monday we called our paint contact about the scratches on the side of the RV and also the installer of the slide topper, lazed around till 4pm, then got ready to move the RV to RV Electronics about a half mile away to get our HDMI cables checked and replaced. Two were damaged, but we only needed one to be repaired for our satellite dish to work. Nick Brewer, the proprietor, knew from the description of our problem that at least one would need to be replaced, so he had come prepared. The cable is 54 feet long and gets threaded through the walls of the RV. Within 2-1/2 hours he had the old cable out and the new one in. It pays to go to the best!

Brad, our paint contact came by on Tuesday. The scratches can be buffed out but he is booked solid til mid April. So we'll probably get it done when we return home, although it will cost much more there.

Trevor, who put in our slide topper, wasn't available until Wednesday. Every then it took two texts, 2 calls, and a visit to his shop to get him to come inspect our slide topper (ST). The ST droops and doesn't function as it should.  He came out late in the afternoon, then said have it at his shop at 8am on Thursday and he'll have it done by noon. During the night a severe storm front moved thru the area and popped the entire ST from the slideout. (We were there 5 days, and had thunderstorms and flood watches every day). Anyway, we checked out of the RV Park and got to Trevor's shop well before 8 am, and they decided it needed a new spring. Which they couldn't get until after 1:30pm. After putting it together and reinstalling it several times, they decided they needed to narrow the width of the ST, which is what Nancy and I suggested to them last year when it was installed. After that, it works perfectly. But by then it was too late to go to our next destination so we had to go back to the RV Park for the night.

But the good part is that we are now ready to roll and continue our travels.

A Sad Day

Received a phone call today from our great friend Betty Boyes. Her husband Bill passed away this morning. Bill had been in hospitals and rehab many times this year for various problems related to his liver and kidneys, probably a result of exposure to agent orange during the Vietnam crisis.

I have known Bill since 1989. We enjoyed many of the same things, computers, camping, our kids, etc. Bill and I joined the Masonic Lodge at the same time and we worked together as Secretary and Treasurer of the Lodge for seven years.

He was there during my troubled marriage, my divorce, my engagement, and was the best man at my marriage to Nancy. He did not enjoy country dancing at first, but learned his first dance so he could dance with Nancy at our wedding. He provided counsel to my children and celebrated the births of my grandchildren. All while doing the same for his own children and grandchildren.

When my RV had problems, he would drive to Alabama with me and we'd share stories of... everything. Nancy and I shared vacations with Betty and Bill in our RV, (the picture above was taken at Churchill Downs and the chapeau he is holding was not for him) and their generosity extended to inviting us several times on their vacations to Florida and St. Maarten.

Bill was my brother, a great man with a large, generous and compassionate heart, and I will miss him dearly. 

Red Bay Before The Storm

We left North Little Rock this morning at 9:45 and although we had 14-20 mph winds we had no problems. Until we got near Red Bay that is. But more on that in a minute.

We stopped for food and fuel in West Memphis, AR, and while there, right next to the station was a Blue Beacon. So we pulled in and had no wait. We had the RV and the car washed and waxed, and boy did it look good!

So we were on route 23 North in Mississippi about 5 miles south of Red Bay when our GPS tells us to make a turn. Since we were heading to a new RV park that has only been opened since September, we followed the GPS. WELL... Apparently there are two places with the same address, but miles apart. We went down a two lane backwoods road and when it said we were at the correct place all that was there was a tiny house and a barn. It seems that one of the addresses is in Franklin county and the other in the city of Red Bay, which is also in Franklin county. Go figure!

So there we were in East Jabip with only two lanes, not enough to turn around. But on the right side of the road was a small incline the owner uses to get his truck up to the barn with an exit ramp back to the road, although it would be tight.

So we started up the incline and small (but strong) tree branches were overhanging the incline. We pulled to the right to avoid them and the RV and car got stuck in the shop. They had a lot of rain here last week and the ground was very soft. We were able to back up somewhat (something you can't normally do when towing a car, but the soft ground acted as a track for the wheels) and got back on the incline, but those sttong branches we mentioned earlier scratched the paint all the way down the length of the driver's side of the RV. 

So after a few unprintable words we disconnected the car and with Nancy driving it, and against her wishes, I took the RV down the exit ramp, made the hard left turn back onto the road, and retraced our route back to 23N and kept going north. In minutes we were at the new campground.

All the sites are paved and have a paved picnic area with table...

the park is enclosed, they pick up the trash every day from your site, they have free WiFi, etc. They have a restaurant here and a beautiful fishing pond...

and this is our view at night...

We were hungry so we went to Cardinals, much like Sonic, only better. Them did some food shopping and came home.

So tomorrow afternoon we go to get our satellite cables worked on ( the first of three days) and it will be raining thru Thursday. Floods warnings are out as we are expecting 5 inches of rain.

A Day in Little Rock

Back in January on the way to Texas our windshield was hit by a thrown stone. This morning we had Safelite come out and fix it. There was no evidence of a crack on the outside but we could see a crack inside the glass. They did their repair and then we got ready to go to the"RV" show.

We got the trolley and crossed the river. The first stop was across the street from the state convention center where the show was. This was the Arkansas RV show. It consisted of 15 side vendors and RVs ranging from teardrops to pull-behinds, about 3 class C's and only one class A. Maybe 30 rigs in all.  We got through it in less than a 1/2 hour. What a disappointment!

On the bright side, at another corner from the trolley stop we went into a pizza place, Irianna's. It's been in business for 35 years and my gosh what great pizza!

We had a hamburger and mushroom 🍕. It was chock full of both, not like most pizzerias. The dough was light and crunchy to the teeth. Absolutely wonderful! By the time we were done it was 4:30, and most of the places, except for most of the eateries, close at 5:00.

So we got back on the trolley and took the full route around the city, which left us both saying we need to come back for at least a week next time, so we can visit all those places. 

Our trolley driver had non-stop patter, full of interesting tidbits along with a wonderful sense of humor. Did you know that there is a 4000 square foot glass-enclosed building on top of the Clinton Presidential Library? It is actually the home of the Clintons when they are in town.

They spent $30 million on renovating an old building, and now it's the US Bankruptcy Court. Across the street is the federal court and the statehouse. He said it's the only place you can get married, go bankrupt and get divorced without ever needing to get in your car.

Near the RV show was a Pagoda, in memory of H.U.Lee, the founder of American tai-chi.

 It was made entirely without nails, pregs, or glue, but in pieces like a puzzle. There is a large center where each year 1000s of Tai-chi followers come to a festival to honor Lee.

The city used to have 35 trolleys.

 There used to be 87.4 miles of track, but in the '40s the bus company shut it all down and paved over the tracks. In 2004 the business district wanted the trolleys back, so now there are 5, on 3.3 miles of track. They are made in Ohio of Red Maple and Oak, and each cost $850,000.

The only thing original in each is the speed control and the brake. It cost $3.3 million for each mile of track.

There is enough here to make us want to come back and spend some time.

We caught the trolley back and saw the USS Razorback, a submarine that spent some time in Tokyo at the end of WWII. 

Contrary to common belief, it is not named after the Razorback, a feral domestic pig, but the Razorback whale. We were told the submarine is still mostly functional, and can still submerge --- once! 😂

We also found out North Little Rock is not part of Little Rock, but is a separate city.

We came back, took care of the dogs, and watched streaming TV, finally getting to the end of McLeod's Daughters. It's a good show, all of you should watch it.

Tomorrow we leave for Red Bay. It is supposed to rain there non-stop from Monday thru Thursday, meaning we will be setting up the RV and closing it every day in the rain to get it to service. That's it for now. Have a good day tomorrow.

Downtown Little Rock, AR

We left Sulphur Springs this morning at 10:05. So we slept a little later this morning, but isn't that what retirement is for?

The RV park was bare basics, and it could be nice except for the potholes in the entry/exit drive. No way to avoid them and it threw the RV and it's contents violently from side to side as we left. They should really fix it.

We drove a little under 4 hours to the Downtown Little Rock RV Park, run by the city. It is a big open area right on the bank of the Arkansas River. It is gated and all 50 amp.  We will be staying here for two nights. Our front window gives us this view:

After setting up and settling the dogs we drove a few blocks to a free parking lot to catch the trolley across the river to River Market, where we ate dinner. The trolley is a free service from the businesses in the district. The driver pointed out all kinds of interesting facts about the city and buildings in town.

We met an interesting couple on the trolley. He was a disabled vet, a former tour driver on the trolley, and now a real estate agent. He pointed out many interesting things for us, the most interesting of which was Arkansas' civil war. It occurred during the tenure of President Grant. The story goes that the outgoing governor refused to vacate his office to the newly elected governor. He and his armed friends barricaded the building and shot anyone who tried to enter. About 200 citizens were killed in the stand-off.

We caught the trolley back and completed the trolley tour of both sides of the river. The city lights up all the bridges at night with changing colors and a light show at the top of every hour.

Tomorrow we may catch the RV show at the convention center and go to the comedy club, The Joint. Sunday we will leave for Red Bay.

Sulphur Springs, TX

Temperatures were going to drop last night so we covered the orange and lime saplings. Started sleeting and snowing (lightly), before we finished, then we went inside to warm up.

Couldn't sleep well last night so got up at 4:30am. Sat in the living room till 6, showered, then woke Nancy up at 6:15. Temperature outside was 28°.While she showered, I moved all of our gear into the RV. At 8am, we went to Garcia's for a Mexican breakfast, then went back to the RV to stow everything away.

We left at 9:56am after hugs and kisses with Marjorie and Mom, and 330 miles later we stopped at Shady Lake RV Park. They actually have 4, count em 4, spots for overnight RVs.

After setting up, we drove around and about Sulphur Springs, looking for a place to eat. A very nice, small town, with a church on the town square.

We found a very nice place on one corner of the town square called, naturally, The Corner Grubhouse. Very good food! Afterwards we went back to the RV and watched some streaming TV.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Downtown RV Park in Little Rock, Arkansas, right on the Arkansas River. Our plan is to spend two nights there and see some of the sights, like the Clinton Presidential Library.

Storm Delay

After prepping to leave tomorrow, Wednesday, for our trip to Alabama, we decided to delay by one day. That major winter storm will be crossing Dallas tomorrow with heavy rain, snow, and sleet. I'm just not interested in driving thru that. So we will leave now on Thursday morning, travel for three days, and get to our final stop in Red Bay, AL, sometime on Sunday.

Shoot

I forgot to mention that Marjorie's fish pond has had a major algae bloom. We've been raking out algae every day since we've been here. On Wednesday a company came out, transferred all the fish to a holding tank and started pulling out the algae by hand, then spraying the remaining with chemicals. They fixed a leak in the liner, and the next day refilled the tank, to mostly the same water they pumped out the day before, replaced the fish, and added a UV treatment to the water to help limit another algae bloom. It was interesting to watch and to learn how they maintain ponds.

For retirement dinner on Friday we drove a little north to New Braunfels to a place called BJ's Saloon and Grill. The place was packed with long waiting lines, and justifiably so. The food was excellent. They had a deal that if you purchased a meal worth $11, you could pick up to three take-home meals (from a choice of 5) for only $6 each. We wound up bringing six of them home.

On Saturday Ron, Marjorie and I drove to the Bracken gun range for some pistol and rifle shooting. We started on the rifle range and they enjoyed shooting my rifle so much we spent all afternoon shooting it, never making it to the pistol range.

Ron was good, but it was surprising how good Marjorie is. We were shooting at 50 yards, the shortest course, and once she got the hang of it and some pointers, she was always hitting the target's inner circle. She even scored a dead-center bullseye! The two of them did most of the shooting and then we left. On the way back we stopped at the Bracken Gun Ship and Ron signed up for the Texas Concealed Carry course. We came home, and ate some of the meals we brought home Friday night, then spent the evening with McLeod's Daughters.

Today we spent the entire day working our way thru another season and a half of the show, and then had a dinner of macaroni salad and filet mignon we brought down from New Jersey.

Tomorrow we will begin planning our exodus from here. We are leaving on Wednesday.