North Carolina, Marion - Saturday, May 30, 2015 - RV Dreams Rally

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY TO GRANDKIDS JACKSON AND BRAELYNN (sorry grandma didn’t write a blog on your birthday)

We are kind of dressed up for the Hawaiian Luau tonight J.

 

 

They were setting up for quite a feast – Hawaiian shrimp skewers and drumsticks, Hawaiian rice, sweet potato casserole, pineapple and orange salad, rolls and cake.

Plus a whole roasted pig.  I’m a little squeamish about this, but this looks better than the “after” picture would have. 

 

 

I think it looked better on the plate.  Everything tasted great.

We’ve had a good time with old friends, Roger and Dianne.

 

 

And, new friends:

Joe and Carolyn

Bob and Lindy

Tom and Linda, hope they get their house sold soon.

After the luau they had a hard time finding volunteers for the games.  Beach ball relay might have been easier on the knees than the Frisbee relay I participated in earlier in the week – I have bruises from that.

Lazy man’s volleyball had a few takers.

Howard has a fire ready to go but we headed home before they got it going.  We need to get ready to leave in the morning after breakfast.  We have to make a stop at Wal-Mart before we go too far we haven’t bought any groceries in about ten days so we are getting pretty low.  We may make it as far as Roanoke, VA tomorrow, we’ll see.

North Carolina, Marion - Monday, May 25, 2015 - RV Dreams Rally

This is the first gathering of the group, we have people from previous RV Dreams rallies from 2008 through the present.

 

 

We enjoyed a catered barbeque dinner Saturday evening.

Our “ice breaker” event Saturday evening involved teams of six trying to shoot marshmallows into cups from one end of the table to the other.  As we were supposed to be picking up the marshmallows, things escalated (or deteriorated, depending on your point of view) into a marshmallow fight.  It’s hard to catch on film those little marshmallows flying through the air.

Sunday most people stayed home and watched a day of racing on television.  The evening ended with an ice cream social.

Monday has been a busy day.  We started out with a full catered breakfast.  Fun and games started at 1:00.  Some people tried the hula hoop relay.

 

 

I tried the Frisbee relay – we didn’t win, but we didn’t come in last either J.

Our friend Roger, on the left participated in a water balloon relay.

The water balloon relay ended in another free for all.  Notice I backed off for some picture taking.

 

 

The evening ended with a pot luck dinner - lots of good food.

 

 

North Carolina, Marion - Saturday, May 23, 2015 - RV Dreams Rally

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO GRANDSON KYLE

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO DAUGHTER DESIRA AND SON-IN-LAW DAN

This is where we will be until next Sunday – The RV Dreams Rally at the Tom Johnson Camping Center in Marion, NC.  This is a reunion rally for people who have attended previous RV Dreams Rallies.  We’ve already had people from Minnesota and Alabama stop by for some lengthy discussions on living fulltime in an RV – good times.

I got the itch for a marathon cooking session on Thursday before we left Asheville.  I made ranch crackers, seasoned ground beef filling for some sandwiches we will take to a pot luck tomorrow night, cheesecake filling for some potential dessert, dried bread crumbs for future meat loaf, chocolate mayonnaise cake with a new recipe for brown sugar icing (yum) and a couple of crocks with Hawaiian ham and cheese spread.  It occurred to me as I'm writing this that if I am going to publish food pictures I should get better at food styling to make it look pretty.

When we left on Friday the weather was great and the scenery was beautiful.

 

 

Right before we got into Marion we came to some 6%-7% grades for several miles.  I won’t lie, these steep downgrades scare me.  Truck emergency ramps one after the other just don't give me confidence.   Greg and the coach both handle them well, we never have any trouble but I still hold my breath most of the way down.  I do that even in a car.

Lots of people are starting to gather for the rally.

This is the view from our front window.

Beyond the trees is a quiet river.

This morning everyone is getting registered and there will be a catered dinner this evening followed by a campfire.  The rest of the day is going to be spent just hanging out.  We didn’t sign up for any of the day trips some people will be taking.  We decided we would rather just get together to cuss and discuss the lifestyle we have chosen with other people who have done the same.

Indiana, Anderson - Thursday, May 8, 2014 - Timberline Valley RV Resort

Beautiful day in the high 80s, low 90s.  But once again the winds are blowing pretty strong.  I dusted this morning and after having the windows open all day, it’s hard to tell I did anything.  I just can’t resist the fresh air – and it helps to keep the electric bill down.  I did enough to boost the electric bill without having the air conditioning on, I did laundry most of the day.

I’ve mentioned previously that we were at an RV-Dreams Rally April 29 to May 4.  If anyone reading this is thinking about living fulltime in their RV, I would definitely recommend attending one of these rallies put on by Howard and Linda Payne.  Nine years ago this couple dropped out of corporate life, sold the house and furnishings and went on the road.  Even though we have lived fulltime in our RV for three years now, we still pick up some good pointers.  The most fun for us is talking to people who are considering this lifestyle and answering their questions.

One of the things they have at the rally is an Open House of RVs, it’s strictly voluntary and we signed up.  We’ve made several changes in our coach to better reflect our preferences and people seem to want to see what you can do to make the RV a “home” rather than just sticking with what the manufacturer put in there.  They also like that the things we have done have been do it yourself projects.  Our coach was full of people for the two hours we had it open, all asking questions and taking pictures.

Two of the items that drew the attention of the ladies were some projects our son-in-law Michael helped us with.

We took out a front television and backed the space with wood that matched the rest of the wood in the coach and then we added a photo gallery.

 

 

I wanted some cubbyholes to corral small things I like to have ready access to while we go down the road.  It started out as a place to put my camera and grew.  I told Greg what I had in mind, he drew up the plan and Michael executed the plan. 

Tennessee, Lebanon - Monday, March 5, 2014 - Visiting with Friends

We left the RV Dreams Rally in Sevierville after breakfast on Sunday.  It was a great rally and we made some new friends who are in all different stages of RVing.  Sean and Christine have been RVing for a few years and are just now starting to think about the fulltime lifestyle.  Guy and Sue are picking up their brand new coach in Indiana this week and will be fulltiming before too long.  Rick and Teresa have been fulltiming for two years now – what a great group of people.  We had lots of wonderful conversations.  We look forward to keeping up with them and their travels.

 

 

We headed toward Nashville to meet up with our friends Barbara and Ann.  The traffic wasn’t too bad.

But, the roads were kind of rough in spots.  The teddy bear took a tumble from the shelf above the fridge.  He usually travels just fine, today got the best of him.

 

 

We parked the coach in a WalMart lot and Barbara and Ann whisked us off to Monells at the Manor for lunch.

This beautiful manor home was built in 1893 by retired railway president Col. E. W. Cole.  After a 1929 fire, his daughter rebuilt it for her home.  After a couple of other changes of ownership it became the New Orleans Manor seafood buffet restaurant in 1977.  Monells opened on Easter Sunday in 2011.

The entryway is breathtaking.

 

 

The dining experience takes place in dining parlors where tables of twelve are set up.  Monells is all about the shared experience of dining with others so the food is served family style.  We shared our meal with a delightful young couple from the Chicago and Fort Wayne area.

 

 

Sunday is “Chef’s Choice” lunch.  There was apple pie, tea, sweet tea, fruit tea, lemonade, water, cornbread muffins, biscuits (so light you wouldn’t believe), peach preserves and butter on the table when we arrived.  Tossed salad, slaw and cornbread salad came next.  Fried chicken, pork roast, Cajun catfish, pot roast, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, turnips greens and corn pudding were passed around several times.  What a great meal!!

This is us after the meal, ready for a nap.

 

 

We followed our friends home, back through their woods.  Their drive is eight feet wide – so is our coach.  There were a few times I just couldn’t look, closed my eyes and held my breath, but we made it.

The horses seemed to be glad to see Greg.  Once they found out he didn’t have any sugar cubes or carrots they went on their way.

Here is a picture of their newest baby

When we woke up Monday morning, this was the view from our front window.

We saw several tom turkeys out strutting their stuff as we headed up to the house for breakfast.  Barbara and Ann just spoiled us during our stay – such amazing ladies.  We always enjoy our time with them.

 

Here we are following Barbara and Ann (little red car) out of Tennessee.  They took a “shortcut” we wouldn’t have been aware of.  Once we got to Kentucky we  took separate ways back to Indiana.

Before we left they asked if I liked reading.  I answered “yes, I read a lot”.  They were redoing their office/library and this is what they sent home with me.  Since we don’t have a “library” in the coach, it’s a good thing we have some extra storage in the
basement.

Tennessee, Sevierville - Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - RV Dreams Rally

Monday morning we pulled out to finish our trip to Tennessee.  I wanted to stop at Hobby Lobby and see if they had any good Spring items on sale since it was after Easter.  I did pick up a few things for our decorative trays at the front of the coach.

 

 

We also noticed there must have been something special going on at Sportsman’s Warehouse.  Greg said you usually don’t see guys standing around waiting for a store to open unless it is on Christmas Eve and that last minute shopping needs to be completed.

It was rainy and overcast most of the day.  We noticed the further south we got dogwoods were starting to bloom, the redbuds were fading and the new leaves were coming out on the trees in much greater quantity than they were in Indiana.

 

Jellico Mountain here we come.  The coach did remarkably well going up and down the mountain.  I was glad that the weather cleared off and we actually had some sunshine while we on Jellico.  I understand that the town of Jellico had some really strong winds earlier in the day so I’m glad we missed that!

 

 

 

We are staying at River Plantation RV Resort.  There are 175 people registered for this rally and naturally all of the rigs are situated in pretty much adjoining sites.  It’s fun to talk to other people who are living full time in their RVs and those who are just now thinking about the full time lifestyle.  Greg is always a magnet for guys asking questions.

These are some views of our site #430.  We are located on the outside edge of the resort next to the Little Pigeon River.  The river is just beyond the tree line.

 

 

 

I did manage to sneak up on a group of turtles and get a picture before they went diving for the safety of the water.