Salisbury Beach State Park.

Yo my friends,

Well, we are at Salisbury Beach State Park.  It is a very nice park - lots of open space and cement pads for the RV's  It is a BIG park with 484 camping spaces!!!!!  I would say maybe 100 are occupied at present - they say in July and August it is full and is like a little city!!

This is more of our KIND of park as we like the open sites and there are NO 30 foot trees hanging over our roof!!!  :>)  

We have WiFi as we are using Melissa's i-phone as a Verizon Hot Spot through our WiFi Ranger Mobile Boost.  Our signal strengthis 5 and clicking right along!!!

The State park is $24 per night which is a very good rate - it includes water and electricity.  They do not have sewer connectins but do have a couple of dump locations.  So 1/2 thru our week we will dump our tanks and then dump again on the way out when leaving next Thursday.

Now for some photos!

DREAMCATCHERS IN HER RESTING SPACE FOR THE NEXT WEEK!

OUR BACK YARD IS VERY BIG THIS WEEK!!!!

The beach roses are in full bloom - I love these roses.

We got here about 1pm and spent most of the day on the beach which is a very short drive from our RV - about 4 minutes!!!

More pictures to follow.

JR   :>) 

OFF TO THE OCEAN!!!!

Yo my friends,

Well, this morning we are off to get the oil/filter changed in the RV and then off to the Atlantic Ocean at Salisbury Beach.  We should be there shortly after noon time or so and once we get set up I'll shoot a few photos and send them out to you guys.  Looking forward to spending another week in the PARKED/STATIONARY position - relaxing and I hope to do a painting or two during this week.  Lots of relaxing and lots of reading.

I need to go up onto Amazon and download some more books - I had three new ones and this week I've read two of them and am now 1/2 way thru the third one.

Sunday we have the family reunion cookout at my sister's house in Dover NH - long range forecast is for showers so I really hope they are WRONG!!!!! 

See Y'all later today with photos of our new location.  This time our back yard will really be huge - the ATLANTIC OCEAN!!!!!!!!

JR   :>) 

Storm on the Horizon

Yo, Blog Buddies

Well, last night my weather alert radio started to buzz and broadcast a weather alert.  A strong thunder storm with winds up to 60 mph, hail and lots of rain was headed our way.  Worcester county which is the county we are in was on the warning list as well as other counties in MA. - CT. - NH

We lucked out in that we did not get the high winds - or hail - but we did get a lot of heavy rains for a couple of hours.  The good side to that, the RV and our car were covered in green pollen from all the pine trees - and now they are nice a clean!!!

I will admit I was a bit concerned about 60 MPH winds - especially with the 30 foot tall pines above our RV.  However all worked out.

Melissa has gone to N. Andover MA. this morning to meet with the class room of middle grade students who read Melissa's novel and emailed Melissa with a bunch of questions.  The questions will get answered and I'm sure more questions will be asked.  A special treat will be the reading of the first chapter of the Sequel!!!!!!  I think the kids will be thrilled!

Next week she does another visit to a middle grade class in NH.  Very exciting!!!!!

So today while she is gone I decided to do a few preparations for our departure tomorrow morning.  I started by completely cleaning the interior of the RV.  Vac, dust, mop. I also did another spraying for ants - the first spraying a day or two after we arrived, seemed to do the trick as we have not seen any ants since! 

I'll put some filtered water into our fresh water tank - so we can wash our hands or flush the toilet while travelling to the next RV campground.  I only carry about 5 gallons of fresh water - just for the purposes mentioned above as a full tank (40 gallons) would represent a lot of extra useless weight to carry as well as cut down on the gas mileage!  Water weighs 8.3 lbs per gallon so 40 gallons would be 332 extra pounds!

Tomorrow morning we need to stop at the Ford dealer on the way out as we have a 9am appt. to get the oil and oil filter changed and a check of all the other fluids as well as any necessary lubrication.  This is the first oil change we've done, as we just reached 5,000 miles - a tad over in fact.

After this, it is onto Salisbury Beach State Park - pretty much "almost" on the beach - we'll be there for a week.  Salisbury Beach is in Salisbury MA. and is only about 1 hour or so from where we are - so a nice short drive and then a nice stay for a week - now this is the RV-ing we like!!!!!!

On this leg of the journey we will visit my sister and her family in Dover NH, as well as my brother, some nieces - their kids, cousins etc will be there as well.  Most of these folks I have not seen for 10 - 12 years or longer - so sort of a family reunion with a cookout this coming Sunday.

Life is good!

Well folks - I've got a few more DIS & DATS to do - which will save time tomorrow morning.

Have a great day and be happy and stay healthy.

JR    :>)

Boston Minuteman Campground

Well on Thursday morning we leave the Boston Minuteman Campground.  It has been a very enjoyable stay here - the park is very well located just outside of Boston.

A very well maintained park with a nice pool, and a section for basketball and volleyball - clean rest rooms and showers.

The laundry is nice and all in all we totally enjoyed our week here.

Most every campsite has the ability to have a fire and the smell of the smoke adds a nice touch to the "camping" aspect of the campground.

From what we could see the campground was fully occupied over the Memorial Day weekend.

It is a very woodsy setting which is not our most favorite - we like more of an open setting - but that is just our preference.

The staff and owners are very friendly and helpful - on a scale of 1 - 10 we would give it a 9 and would certainly stay here again.

JR   :>) 

ICE CREAM

Yo my blog buddies,

Our sister-in-law and her family came over yesterday to see our RV.  They seemed to like it a lot and thought it was quite comfortable!  After a nice visit, we all went out for ice cream - Melissa and I each got a hot fudge sundae with pistachio ice cream Hmmmmmm GOOD - our favorite!!!

Our two nieces Olivia and Elizabeth

Olivia is the one standing - two great kids!

Terry - the husband of my sister-in-law has three old Mustangs - one of which can be driven ( in the photos ) and the other two need some work done to them.

Today they are predicting showers and thunder showers off and on and into tomorrow.  This is really the first wet weather we have had since arriving this past Thursday so all in all no complaints from us!

Sooooo we shall fiddle fart around most of the morning and then go get a few things we need and stop by the relatives and spend some time with them.

It can get a bit dark inside an RV during rainy times and since we are so familiar with this area there really is not too much we can go do - although Boston is quite close, we grew up around Boston and have pretty much seen all to be seen.  The sole purpose of this visit was to see family and visit with them. 

In the meantime Melissa is getting ready for a reading of selected sections of her novel as well as a question and answer period.  She will be reading to a classroom of middle grade students who have read her book and have tons of questions for her.  This takes place tomorrow in N. Andover MA. which is not far from here.

Sooooo all in all a nice quiet day - I think I will lay on the couch and read - I just started a novel on my kindle and am getting quite interested in the outcome!

We put a load of laundry in this morning at the campground laundromat and that will keep us in clean clothes until the middle of next week.  See, RV living is no different than living in a regular home - laundry to do, house cleaning to do - on occasion maintenance to do - of course a lot less of those things but - still needs to be done!

Some folks have asked how we can live in such a small space.  We have always liked cozy - we have about 255 sq. ft. of living space HOWEVER - although our house is small - we have a HUGE backyard!!!!

Later my friends - remember - sit with your back to the wall and when people walk past - smile and say YO - how U do'in today.  Smiles go a long way!

JR    :>)



MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

Yo my friends,

Well - Memorial Day was celebrated yesterday (Sunday) in Princeton MA.  It was a GREAT day lots of sunshine and a wonderful time.  We spent it with my sister-in-law and her family and our 2 wonderful nieces - probably one of the if not the best Memorial Days I've had in many, many years.

A small town - a small community celebration and such a wonderful day.

JR   :>)

BOSTON MINUTEMAN CAMPGROUND

Good morning my friends,

Well yesterday was a really nice enjoyable day - we fiddle farted around all day - relaxing - reading and just sort of day-dreaming.  Later in the afternoon the sun made it out and it was a very pleasant day and evening.

Boston Minuteman Campground is in Littleton MA.  just outside of Boston and for this weekend it is FILED UP.  Lots of folks and lots of activity - although it is still quiet here - just people having fun.  Lots of campfires at night which adds to the "camping" experience.

Some Pics of DREAMCATCHER:

My DW "the author" at work

These are the trees that loom about 20 - 25 feet OVER our RV.  This is the part about woodsy camping that I do not like.  Makes me think of the saying "what goes up - must come down!"  :>o

Well, off to a Memorial Day parade and then a cook-out at the home of  my sister-in-law.  Looks like a nice sunny day - blue skies and life is good!!

Enjoy the week-end and the Memorial Day remembrances and of course the cook-out and family get-togethers.

JR   :>)   

Starting to clear!!!

Yo my blog buddies,

Well, the weather is starting to clear today - some blue in the sky, peak through of sun at times and not too many threats of showers around - a 20% chance for showers today and tomorrow.

We went  out this morning for some more food for the rest of our stay here and now we are sitting outside enjoying the fresh air and the woods.  For being sooooo woodsy, there are very few bugs at all!  There are however ants - so we bought some ant spray that can be used inside as well as out side and gave the place a good perimeter spraying inside and outside!

We are really enjoying this stay and seeing family.  The ball game last nite was fun and although the team our niece is on (the ONLY GIRL) lost, she played a good game - a couple of hits and a couple of tag outs - she plays 2nd base.

Lots of full time RV-ers travel in what they call a 222 pattern - meaning they travel for 2 hours - come in off the road at 2pm and stay in a campground at least 2 days.

We will soon start our 337 pattern - meaning travel up to 3 hours - come in off the road at NLT than 3pm and stay in a campground at least 7 days - upwards to a month.

We will tend to shy away from the woodsy parks as we prefer to be on a cement pad with grass or gravel surrounding the pad and some grass and smaller trees & fields scattered about.  We do not feel any comfort with many OLD very tall pine trees lurking directly over our RV.

The length of time for a stay is important in that travelling each day as we have been doing quite often, we have averaged spending $125 - $175 in gas on a daily basis!
YIKES!!!!!!  Staying in an RV Park for 7 days to a month brings about a drastic reduction in our gas expense - WOO -HOO!!!!!!!!!!!  Additionally the RV rates for weekly stays and longer are discounted from the daily rate.  Sooooo all around it saves a lot of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and a lot of milage on the RV.  It also gives you the chance to go see things in the area which to us is the whole purpose of living in an Rv full-time.  The last thing we want to do is see the USA through our Rv windshield!!

We are getting close to the start of the 337 travel pattern!!!!  Double WOO-HOO!!!!

The RV park we are in is quite full for the Memorial Day weekend - although the yellow pine pollen is covering everything -  I had never been allergic to it during the 55 years I lived in NE - so I hope that still holds true!!

We are going to a parade tomorrow in the town my sister in law and her family lives and then a cookout at their house.

I wish you all a wonderful fun filled and safe Holiday weekend.

JR     :>)

New England = RAIN

Good Morning Blog Buddies,

Well first morning wake up in New England and Yep - YOU guessed it - patter patter of rain on the roof.  When we made our travel itinerary out about 7 months ago I knew we would be spending several weeks in New England.  Having lived in NE for 55 years, I was well aware of the weather.  We moved to the Southwest 12 years ago because of the weather in NE - rainy, snowy, cloudy, ice storms etc etc.

I had a saying when we lived here:

"It's Memorial day - it rained ---- It's 4th of July - it rained - Summer is over!!!!!!!!!!!"

It has been my observation that GLOOMY weather produces GLOOMY people.  I have always found the folks in NE to be GLOOMY.  It is a proven fact that people feel better, are happier and live better in a warm sunny climate.

So for about 7 - 8 months, I've been mentally preparing myself for a bout of the NE GLOOMIES.  I've convinced myself that it will not rain or be cloudy all the time and when those sunny days do come, they will all the more enjoyable!

Today will be a good day to read - we've got our kindles loaded up with books so reading will be part of the day today.  We also have to find a grocery store and stock up on some food as well as a trip to Sam's Club.  My sister-in-law said there was a Trader Joe's in Worcester so we need to locate that as well.

The school musical we went to last night was great and our niece did a great job with her solo - our other niece was in the chorus as well as playing the flute in the band.  Tonight - weather permitting we are going to a school baseball game - both of our nieces play for the school team.

Sooooo all in all it looks like a nice day - weather aside - we will still enjoy ourselves.

Take care and enjoy your day and I think today would be a good day to smile at and say YO to a few people.

JR   :>)

Massachusetts

Yo my friends,

Well - here we are in the Boston Minuteman Campground in Littleton MA.   It was a short drive from CT to here - only 2 hours.  The campground is basically in the woods - a tad too woodsy for us but it is very quiet and I think we will like it here for the next week.  This area has had a lot of rain lately and we are hoping for the most part it is over.  However that said - this is New England and it likes to rain often here.  I lived in New England for 55 years so I remember it quite well.

We are basically here to visit family so rain will not be a big issue - unless it rains often and a lot!!!!  :>(

We are going to a music show tonight that our niece is singing in and she has a solo which will be nice to see.  Other than that, we'll relax - Melissa writing and me painting and the both of us napping!!!!  We'll do things with the family and have a Memorial day cookout as well.

I also made an appt. to get the oil and filter changed in the RV.

Feels real good to be parked for a whole week and as I've mentioned, we go from here to Salisbury State Beach Preserve for a week right on the beach for some more relaxing!

So just a short blog today as we need to have some lunch and get ready for our musical which starts at 6:00 so we need to leave at 5:00

Take care my buddies,

JR   :>)

Old Mystic CT.

Hello Blog Buddies,

Well, we left NJ - drove thru NJ-NY and have landed in Old Mystic CT for one night.

The metropolitan areas of NJ & NY are going to be added to our list of places we will never drive thru AGAIN - NEVER EVER!!  From Baltimore MD to the end of the Tappan Zee Bridge in NY we spent over $100 in tolls - AND the roads SUCKED!!!!  Pot holes - big bumps - in general rotten surfaces.  To go over the TAPPAN ZEE bridge took about 12 minutes and it cost $24.50!!!!!  Yes my friends $24.50!!!!!  I told the toll booth attendant "the ride was not worth $24.50!!"  He agreed!!!
Of course tolls cost more for an RV and they also charge us for the car we are towing!!  In addition, the folks at the Tappan Zee add on additional $'s based on the height of a vehicle!!!!!  Ours being 12 feet tall!  Imagine the State of NY charging for air space a vehicle takes up!!!!  This is what is know as HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!!

Tomorrow we head into Littleton MA. for a one week stay at Boston Minuteman RV Park.  It will be nice to be stationary for a whole week.

I need to set up an appt. for an oil change and filter change for the RV - we just hit 5,200 miles and the service should take place every 5,000 miles.  :>(   MY BAD!!

Last night we stayed in the Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro NJ.  This was a "sweet spot."

A small campground with 88 spaces with a nightly cost of $40 - a tad high but it was sort of an oasis.  Very clean and well maintained - with a pond that yo can fish - catch and release of course.  A nice pool and a batting cage for kids.

It is the closest RV park to Philadelphia and right off I-295.

I would recommend this RV park and we would return there for a longer stay.

Tonight we are in the Seaport Campground in Old Mystic CT.

This is a Passport America campground with 130 spaces.  I've mentioned Passport America in the past and have indicated that we will not rejoin this group as we do not feel it is a good value.

Most Passport America parks have limitations that do not work for us.  Yes, most of them give a 50% discount over the "going rate."  Lots of them only give that discount for ONE night and most times the "GOING RATE" is inflated IMHO.  Also most of the parks will not give the discount during their high season.  Another problem - quite a few of them are like 10-15 miles away from the highway - so when you add back in the 30 miles worth of gas it pretty much negates the discount!

The Passport America park we are at tonight says the going rate is $46 - I THINK NOT!!!  They charged us $23 - but then charged us $5 for one day of WiFi!!!!!

The rest rooms/showers are "girl scout/boy scout " camp vintage in bad need of renovation.

There are no sewer hookups so if you stayed here for a week you would have to unhook your RV and go to their dump station - return and re-hook up the RV!  This is the way State Parks operate and they for the most part are $20 - $23 per night!!!

IMHO the nightly rate of $23 that we were charged is perhaps a tad high when you add in $5 for WiFi which is UNHEARD of !!!!!!!

Sooooooo no big bargain.  Which is why we won't renew our membership to Passport America.

I would not recommend this RV Park for more than a one night stay.  The grounds are nice - mostly grass and some trees.

Yes it is very close to the charming Old Mystic CT - a beautiful seaport with interesting stores and great restaurants and boats etc etc. - however the RV park is in need of some updates. 

Later my friends,

JR     :>)

 

 

New Jersey

Yo Blog Buddies,

Well, after a not quite so good start to the day, we are now in Clarksboro New Jersey in The Timberlane RV Park.  It's a nice park, 80 spaces - a pool- WiFi - cable TV - a fishing pond and 2 batting cages!!!!

Now back to this morning - or actually last night!!!

Rain has been following us for 3 days now and we've had occasional showers - WELL last night we got a violent rain storm that lasted ALL NIGHT - trust me because the both of us were awake ALL NIGHT!!!!!  It was a very hard rain and it just kept on coming!!

Around 5 this morning it stopped and became only a drizzle.

We headed out for I-95N and saw a flashing sign regarding a backup and accident on I-95N.   We could see the backup from our approach to I-95 and it was bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see.  So we turned around and stopped in a shopping center and got mochas and a treat.  After waiting an hour, we went back to I-95 and most of the backup was gone - so off we went down the hi-way.

The drive was not a good one in the sense that there is a lot of repair work being done on I-95 in VA.  The drivers in VA are very "road rage" induced and drive at very high speeds.  The same thing held true for Maryland - and Delaware.

To add to this, none of these states are all that interesting and the scenery is nothing to write home about and the weather was rain and drizzle the whole way!

I can now say with complete certainty that I will NEVER drive in these 3 states EVER AGAIN!!!!!  PERIOD!!!!!!

We grew up and lived in New England - me for 55 years and Melissa for 45 years.
I can say that I'm not a big fan of New England - on average the weather is not very good - regardless of the season - although August and October can be pretty nice.  I've never found the people to be overly friendly and it can be very expensive!
Sooooo why are we headed for New England?  Well - simple - my DW Melissa loves New England - she loves a rainy day - the fog - the chill in the air in autumn - a mildly warm day in the summer 75 degrees. 
I do not like rain at all - the fog is not something I would go look for - I do not like cold or chilly days and I like sunshine with blue skies and temps 80 - 85+
Soooooooo why New England?????   As I said my DW Melissa loves a rainy day - the fog-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will I enjoy New England - of course I will - I enjoy being with my DW - it's that simple!!!
She enjoys it and I like to see her enjoy it.

She spent 7 years in Arizona because I love the desert and the desert weather - so a few weeks in New England - I can do that standing on my head!!!!!!!

OK - listening to the nightly news, I believe we will get some rain showers tonight and into tomorrow.  Rain in the morning can complicate things as there are several outdoor chores to do before we can drive off to the next destination.

Hook up the car to the tow bars on the back of the RV
Disconnect the cable TV connection
Disconnect the fresh water feed
Disconnect the electrical
Dump the holding tanks

Doing these chores in the rain is no fun - especially for someone like me who does not like rain at all!!!!!  :>(

However this is part of the life of Rv-ers and one just needs to step up to the plate and get it done!!!!!

We are due in Massachusetts on Thursday for a one week stay at an RV Park in Littleton MA.  It will be nice once again to stay put for 7 days - no driving day after day and no need to spend $100+ a day on GAS!!!!!!

So tomorrow we will get within striking distance of Littleton MA. and cruise in during the early afternoon on Thursday!!!

Y'all take care Y'hear!!!!!

JR      :>)    

  

VIRGINIA

Yo my friends,

Well, we made it from North Carolina to Virginia.  We are in Dumfries VA which is about 20 miles from Vienna VA where Melissa's brother lives.  We are in a rather woodsy RV Park called Prince William Forest RV Park.  It is just a one night stop over so - a place to sleep is what it amounts to.  When we got here it was raining so we really have not investigated the park. 

We visited with Melissa's brother Tom and his wife Cheryl.  Tom cooked dinner for us a pasta with shrimp and scallops - very - very GOOD!!!!!!  We had a nice visit - their son John was there he just graduated from Columbia University and is now going to Law school at NYU.  Their daughter Claire is in Spain on a college work study program.

Tomorrow we head out toward New Jersey - will drive about 200 miles or so and try to find a place to stop.  The East Coast is not know for it's RV parks so we may end up staying in a motel of looking for a free spot in a Walmart or such parking lot.

Our final destination for which we have allowed 3 days travel is Littleton MA. for a one week stay to visit with Melissa's sister and her family over the Memorial day week.

The circuit breaker for our Heating/AC system went SOUTH - and of course I do not have a spare one - so we need to pick up a few spear circuit breakers 20 amp and 30 amp.  It's not chilly tonight - just a tad damp from rain - but it stays nice a warm in our cozy RV so all should be well until I find some replacements.  A good nite for hugging!!!!

Last nite we stayed in RVaction RV Park in Selma North Carolina.  This is one SWEET RV Park.  It is small - about 68 RV spaces.  However it is clean and neat - it has a pond where you do not need a licence to fish - catch and release only  Lots of ducks in the pond surrounded by grass and trees.  Very good Wifi and we could pick up a lot of TV stations with our antenna.

The best part, it was only $23 for the night - a BARGAIN!!!!

It is right off I-95 so in the rows closest to the highway some minor road noise is present - but we did not have a problem with it - we slept quite well.

We would return here in a heart beat - on a scale of 10  - we would give it an 8

JR   :>)

FORT SUMTER

Yo - as promised some photos of Fort Sumter.

Fort Sumter experienced one of the longest sieges in modern warfare.  For almost 2 years, 46,000 shells, estimated at more than seven million pounds of metal, were fired at Fort Sumter

The walls of the Fort were 5 - 7 feet thick!!!!!!!  After 2 years of constant bombardment they finally started to crumble - they were also 50 -55 feet HIGH!!!!!!

This is the inside of the Blind Tiger Pub we ate in after returning from the Fort

This is my date for dinner - my DW Melissa

JR   :>)

North Carolina

Yo Buddies,

We, after 5 hours of driving mostly on 95N here we are in Selma North Carolina stopped at an RV park - it's nice - trees and grass and a big pond with ducks and you can fish here but you must release.  It is kinda close to the hyway (95) but I'm sure we will be able to sleep OK. 
95N was a good road - on today - Sunday it was not too crowed and not too many trucks but I'm sure tomorrow will be a tad different.  Lots of motorcylces on the hiway in North Carolina it seems - riding in groups of 6-8.

Tomorrow we head out for Vienna Virgina to visit with Melissa's brother and his wife.  We will stay at an RV park about 15 miles from his home, visit and either eat dinner at his home or go out for dinner.  The following day we set out for Massachusetts to visit Melissa's sister and her family for the Memorial Day week.  We've allowed three days to get to MA so we should be able to spread out the journey into nice manageable pieces.  We will be staying in an RV Park in Littleton MA. - which is about 15 miles from the town Melissa's sister and her family lives in.

We've got to plan out our driving route thru NY & NJ as those  states are a NIGHTMARE to drive thru!!!  Melissa's brother drives thru them on his visits to MA so I'm sure he'll have some suggested routes and time of day considerations.

We measured the RV with the car attached and the total length bumper to bumper is 50 feet!!!!  Heavy traffic is your ENEMY!!!!!

Our levelers are acting up again so the manufacturer is setting up to have the system taken out and replaced with a new system - we think that will take place in Merrimack NH during our 2 week stay in MA.

Things are going well and this RV park is quite nice - the scenery is grass and trees and that duck pond is very relaxing and a nice cool breeze is coming off it.

We have a couple of small frozen pizzas in the freezer so that will most likely be supper for us - I think we have some gold fish as well.

Well - take care my friends and enjoy life.

JR     :>)



We Did The Town Once More

Yo my friends,

Well, we went into downtown Charleston one more time - "Play it again Sam!!!!"

It"s about 7PM Saturday and we just got back.  Had a wonderful time - walked around once more - went into a few galleries and then drove down to the place to get the ferry over to the island that Fort Sumter is on.  What a great experience - the Fort is amazing.  This is where the Civil War actually started!!!  On April 12, 1861 - South Carolina Confederate troops from nearby Fort Johnson fired on Fort Sumter which was the start of a two-day bombardment that resulted in the surrender of Fort Sumter by Union Troops.

I took quite a few pictures but WiFi is very slow tonight so I won't be able to download them until we have better Wifi.

I'm sending this tonight as we leave S. Carolina early tomorrow morning and drive we hope to the North Carolina/Virginia border - stay overnight and then on into Virginia on Monday to visit Melissa's brother for one day, stay overnight and head out to Massachusetts.

So as soon as we get a good WiFi connection, I'll continue this post.

Excuse any spelling errors as google blog spell check does not want to work tonight.

We had dinner in downtown Charleston at a place called The Blind Tiger Pub - great pub food - I  had one of the best BBQ smoked pulled pork sandwiches I've ever had ( and I've had a lot of them) --- Melissa had a Strip Steak sandwich which she said was GREAT!!!!!

Later y'all------------------------------------------------

JR    :>)

Another batch of brownies

Yo,

Well, yesterday I made another batch of brownies.  I need to buy myself a GLASS 8x8 baking dish.  I'm sorry but the non-stick pans leave a "taste" on the bottom of the brownies!  Cut the bottom off and no "taste!"

Also trying to get use to the oven as the brownies should bake at 325 and the bottoms on the first batch got scorched a tad so I baked these ones at a setting of about 295 and they came out good.  I'll invest in an oven thermometer!!!!

The brownies will make a good "energy" snack for our 2 day driving trip starting Sunday!  :>)

Well, today is our last day in the small but beautiful city of Charleston SC.  We had hoped for a nice warm sunny day but - it is very cloudy - looks like showers at any moment and a tad on the chilly side - need to wear jeans not shorts!!!!  :>(

However at about 10:30 we will head downtown as we want to spend a few more hours in the city.  Don't know if we will get to go out on the ferry to Fort Sumter or not -depends on if the rain stays away!!!!

We'll roam the cobble stoned streets that have given us so much pleasure during the past week and go into a couple of galleries that we liked the best.  One of the galleries exhibits work by Tony Van Hasselt a very famous watercolorist.  Tony was our neighbor in East Bootbay Maine and has been an idol of mine for years!!!  We own 3 of his original paintings - 2 we bought and 1 he gave to Melissa - a painting of our barn in East Boothbay - a going away gift when we moved from Maine to Scottsdale AZ.

There is also a nice Coffee Bistro downtown that has the most delicious looking cookies so we will stop in and I'll treat my DW - Melissa to a mocha and cookie.  I may buy a few extra cookies for later as well as put some in the freezer for later next week!!!!  :>)

Life is good my friends - Charleston has been a wonderful experience and tomorrow we head out for a 2 day trip to VA - stay overnight there and then a 2 day trip to MA. and stay 2 weeks in that area.  One of those weeks will be at Salisbury beach!!!!  :>) 

Stay healthy and happy my friends - as they say if you have your health and happiness - you have just about everything!

Later -

JR   :>)

Weather Alerts

Yo my friends,

Well, yesterday afternoon while fiddle farting around I setup the NOAA/NWS S.A.M.E. (SPECIFIC AREA MESSAGE ENCODING)  All hazards Weather Alert Radio.  NOW THAT WAS A MOUTH FULL!!!  This unit monitors the local NOAA/NWS radio stations and will sound an alarm when weather hazards are in your area and will start broadcasting the description of said such alert.  :>) 
This can be very important with all the recent tornadoes and violent storms being experienced.

As soon as I got it setup the alarm went off and dam near brought about the need for another form of an additional "Maintenance Drug!!!!!"  Scared the living you know what out of me!!!!  :>O 

Well it seems as tho the NWS just forecast strong thunder storms in the counties near our location - sure enough we started to hear thunder in the distance!!!!

Key to this is of course visual sighting of ill weather approaching as you may not always know what county you are in and the alerts are by county.  So - it is advisable when you arrive at your location, you ask what county you are in!!!!!

I still have to gain some understanding of the various settings which I will read up on  - sooooooo much to learn and sooooooo much to understand.

Yesterday was a nice 'down day."  They are (according to my new weather radio) predicting a cloudy day today with possible showers this morning and then a gradual clearing towards afternoon.  This morning we need to hit the grocery store and "lay in some provisions" for our upcoming departure.  We'll be on the road for two days heading towards VA.  Best to have food on board so you don't start spending all your money at restaurants!!!!!  We will also look for a "free overnight" stay at Wallyland or Sam's Club or the other places that allow a one night sleepover.  This as I've mentioned B4 can save you $25 - $35 a night during the travel from place to place - run that through the multiplication tables!!!!  :>)

Fort Sumter is close by and we hope to get to visit that B4 we leave Charleston - we love old forts - so much history and emotion in places like that.  A ferry from the docks downtown takes people over.  This will also give us another chance to see and pay our respects to Charleston a lovely small city that we have really-really enjoyed!!!

Charleston goes on our list of possible places we would look into settling down in when the time comes to start our P/T RV-ing (5 - 6 months a year.)  Winters are mild here - not much below 40 and the rain is at an acceptable level for the months we would be here.

So we now have 2 places on our "settle in" list:

Gulf Breeze FL (next to Pensacola) and Charleston SC

Well --- shortly it will be off to the grocery store and some looks towards the sky to see if a clearing trend is beginning!!!

Later my buddies and you know what they say --- right????

NO!!!!!  Well I have no idea what they say and I don't even know who THEY are!!!  So my advice would be to sit with your back to the wall - be pleasant to all who pass by, say "hello y'all" and SMILE - a smile goes a long way in today's world.

I digress for one moment - one viewer asked why I had my picture taken while looking at the Charleston Custom House - very simple my friends-------We really like it here and I wanted the ability to weigh into my "settle in" process the customs of the local people.  So I thought the Custom House would be the place to start.  :>)

With that I leave you wondering--------------------------------------------------------

JR    

Down Day (FIDDLE FARTING)

Yo my friends,

Well we have not had a lot of "down time" since starting our journey.  So thus far today has been a "down day!"  We are just fiddle farting around playing with our computers - catching up on emails and the like.

I searched every nook and cubby in our house (RV), and under our house and in the back of the car.  I have located all of my painting "STUFF" and did a couple of sketches as well.

With all the rain last night it is very, very humid out - I'm guessing about 85 degrees with 85% humidity - way too hot and sticky to be out and way - way too hot to be outside painting!  So we shall stay in the house with the a/c on fan only and continue our fiddle farting around - it feels good not to have an agenda!!!!

Yesterday we went to Sam's Club to pick up my "Maintenance Drugs"  Old people are on a Maintenance Drug program for various bodily break downs and wear outs!!  :>)

These RX's are a 90 day supply intended to keep your blood pressure in line, your cholesterol in line, my heart beat not too slow and not too fast, and to keep my thyroid from going crazy.  They can be refilled at any Sam's Club.  I guess it can be comforting to know that your body is being maintained so it will not break down any quicker than it would NORMALLY!!!!!  When all is said and done after thousands of $'s in RX cost one might expect to live a week longer in a HOME - drooling down the front of a new plaid shirt.  :>(   :>(

I go to my DR. once a year for a medicare paid for annual check up.  The DR. says "anything bothering you?"  I say "NO."  Always say NO to that question - otherwise it will cost thousands of dollars, a battery of test to find out that nothing is wrong!!!!  He says "OK get these blood tests done and make another appointment in 4 weeks so we can go over them."
For this he charges Medicare a couple of hundred dollars and they end up only paying him $48.
Four weeks later I go back to the Dr. - he reads the results of the tests and says "Everything looks good - we'll keep you on the same "Maintenance Drugs" for another year."  On the way out I make an appointment for a year beyond the current day.
He again bills Medicare a couple of hundred dollars and they end up only paying him $48.

I should get a sense of comfort knowing I'm being taken care of - I'm working on it and hope to feel that sensation one of these years.

Ok - I forgot to mention that in addition to finding all my painting STUFF I also cleaned the house - vac floors & carpet, wet swiffed floor, dusted all the cabinets and woodwork - we once again have a clean living environment!  :>)

For you folks who do not like house work - buy an RV - it only takes me 15 minutes to clean it!!!

Later my friends.

JR     :>)

THE SKY OPENED

Hello blog Buddies,

Well, after much prediction of showers and very little results all week, last nite the sky opened and WOW!!!!!  It rained real hard for most of the night - thunder and lightening as well!!!
When living in Maine, our first Columbus Day 3- day weekend there it rained for 3 solid days, with over 13 inches of rain.  Our gallery flooded with 5 inches of water and our cellar was a swimming pool!!!  This is but part of my FEAR OF RAIN!!!!!!

Soooo today will be a slow start - we'll wait to see what the day is going to do - plus it is real wet out there - so perhaps we will just sit around and take life easy - not that we have been working hard!!!!!  :>)

I may try to locate my painting supplies and get geared up for some painting.  It's been over 2 months now since I've painted and although I have a small urge to start again it surprises me that I'm not biting at the bit.  I think I'm reaching a point whereby my output will slow down to perhaps 1 or 2 paintings a week.  Lots to enjoy in this RV style of living and lots of FREE things to do - we LOVE FREE!!!

Well - I'm sure soon I will get back into my paints and I hope I'll will be stronger than ever - which is what seems to happen after a long rest - the output is perhaps less but the paintings are stronger.

OK time to make the coffee!!!!!

Take care.

JR    :>)

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

Yo,

We went to the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens today.  The Magnolia Plantation burned down at least twice, once perhaps by lightening and then at the end of the Civil War the Yankee troops went up the river and burned down about 30 Plantations!!!!!

The Plantation itself was very interesting both inside and outside - HOWEVER it did not look like the typical Plantation we see in the movies.

However that said - we really enjoyed the tour.

This guy walked around making an ASS of himself :>)

Lots of pretty gardens and flowers along with very old oak trees with hanging Spanish moss.

If trees could talk!!!!!

JR     :>)