Leaving the Snow Behind 2018-2019

We headed out in between snow storms and things didn't go as expected.  Because the grass had snow on it and the temps were around freezing the driveway was slippery.  When loading the motorcycle the back wheel flipped off the ramp and left us hanging!  After thinking for a few minutes I held the motorcycle on and held the brake on while Hubby went for a jack to lift the back wheel.  A few attempts and then I went for help from a neighbor.  If the bike fell it would be a disaster.  Neighbor helped and bike is securely loaded.  WHEW!!

Drove straight through to a FMCA campground (overnight spot) in Cincinnati OH.  Their system has changed since last April and all spots were by reservation only and had to be done on line.  Really?!  I figured it out and we booked a couple of nights.  Arrived on Friday and left on Sunday.  Another 6 hour drive on Sunday to Maggie Valley NC.  Not thrilled with this Coast to Coast park.  They add fees of $20/night on what should be free.  Anyway we were booked to we're staying one week.  It would be hard to find something that would allow us to stay through Thanksgiving.

Monday we visited the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley NC.  It was so cool and had a real history of motorcycles.

The story of the motorcycle behind the wall in Chicago was very interesting.  Google it if you get a chance.

Today we went hiking in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  I think it was Purchase Knob that we climbed.  It took one and a half hours to climb and one hour to descend.  At the top there is a beautiful building that is used for Educational Science.  My fitbit says I hiked 13000 steps and went up 74 flights of stairs.   There were no stairs lol.

View from the Educational Science Center at the top.

This picture must have been on the way up because we're still smiling.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.  We have so much to be thankful for.

New Past Time

Back in January of this year I finally taught myself to crochet.  I have always crocheted a little, just to finish a knit project or something simple but didn't know how to follow a pattern to complete a project all crocheted.  At a craft store I had picked up a book Teach Yourself to Crochet and it was for 18" doll cloths.  Perfect!  It was total Greek to me lol.  But I persevered and now I really enjoy it as much as knitting.

One of the projects had me really confused and I contacted my sister-in-law for help.  She said "Oh, that's just a Granny Square stitch".  Good to know, but how do you do it?  After a few texts back and forth and watching a video or two I learned to really like it and decided when we got home I'd make an afghan with all the colorful yarns I have in my stash.  Have to say I love the finished project.  I made one for myself and my daughter liked it so I made one for her.

My sister-in-law said that you can use any similar weight yarn but to do the outer row and connecting row in the same color.  Traditionally it's done in black but I like the chocolate brown I used. It's still a dark color and but a little softer than black.

The first one just had a double crochet shell around the outside edge to finish it all.  The second one I made I used all the different colors to make the border.

I like to do small knit or crochet projects during the winter and for this winter I found a book using a lot of different knit stitches to make an afghan.  All one color but different squares using different patterns.  I'll post when finished...hopefully next Spring.

Slab City California

I think I've figured out how to add pictures to a post on my Mac.  Still not sure if it will work every time but I'll take this and run with it.

Back in February 2015 we were in the Arizona/California area.  We'd always heard of and were looking forward to visiting Slab City in California.  We kind of knew what to expect but it was still an eye opener.  

Because this was so long ago I don't remember all of the details about the location and hope I'll be able to post on the road when everything is fresh in my mind.

Just wanted to get this out there and see if it worked.

GEORGIA

GEORGIA

December 16 & 17, 2015

Well we’re on the road again. We left home the day after Thanksgiving (11/27/15) and began our travels with a trip to Myrtle Beach SC. A two week stay at Briarcliff RV Resort was a great place to start. We met up with family and did a lot of walking. Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach provided us with lots of fun walking. They both offer lots of high end stores and outside fresh air. Barefoot Landing has 3 bridges that go over water and is peaceful and serene. I found a few things that I haven’t seen before so made a couple of small purchases.

We walked downtown a few times and enjoyed the quiet side of the strip since it is off season right now. The big ferris wheel was running a few times when we were there but we didn’t feel the urge to hop on lol. Walking along the beach on the ocean was an absolute treat. The days were comfortable and we could have stayed out there for hours (actually we did stay out there for hours).

Left there and headed to Georgia. Stopping in Brunswick for a few days we travelled back to Savannah on the 16th. Loved the Historic Downtown area. We took a 90 minute trolley tour and got a good lay of the land. The town is set along a riverfront and goes back about a mile. there are ‘squares’/parks in the center of several intersections. The large oak trees are all dripping with spanish moss and are hundreds of years old. In the ‘historic district’ everything must remain true to its original structure or period. There are new buildings that look just like the old ones right next to them. The brick color is the same and they maintain the general architectural design from that period. Loved this area and one could spend days just walking the waterfront and local streets. Lots of shopping and small dining opportunities.

Today we took in Jekyll Island. Again, the history is amazing! The island was bought by a few wealthy men from the northeast and they formed a hunting club on the island. The homes they built were to be simple since there was no one there to impress. Most of the homes did not have kitchens since they were all to take their meals together at the Jekyll Island Clubhouse. It is said that when they all joined for dinners the room contained 6% of the worlds’ wealth.

Most members came to the island for the winter season from January 1st to March 31st. Families and staff came with them and women were given all rights that the men had on the island. The majority of the homes were built on the Jekyll River side of the island so the evenings could be spent watching the sun set and enjoy a gentle breeze instead of the stronger winds on the ocean side.

We enjoyed a 90 minute tour of the historic area. Because there were only 8 of us on the tour the guide treated us to special viewing of areas that are not on the usual tour. We were permitted to go to the upper floors of the two homes we toured. The homes were beautiful but simple. The time (early 1800’s) was a time when the servant staff was to be seen but not heard. There were separate doors in the back for the staff to come and go from. There was also a separate back stairway for them to travel in. The owners were people of leisure and didn’t want to see anyone else work either lol. They didn’t want to make their own beds but then again they didn’t want to see someone else make it either. It would seem that there was just a bedroom fairy that came in and did the chores when no one was looking lol.

The Island was bought by the State of Georgia and turned into a park. All of the original furnishings and sculptures were put into one building and the buildings were refurbished and then furnished to the best of their knowledge back to the original.

It was such a beautiful day we decided to lunch on the porch of the Jekyll Island Hotel and it took you back in time to the early 1800’s to be sure. So peaceful and being off season there were no crowds.

After lunch we drove around the island and stopped for a walk on Driftwood Beach. This is an experience that you won’t see every day. The whole shoreline is littered with whole trees (roots and all) that have been weathered to driftwood. Again, no crowds.

It was a lovely day enjoying a history of days gone by. The thing that most impressed me was the LARGE oak trees that are dripping with spanish moss. They are IMPRESSIVE!!!

We head to Florida tomorrow. We plan on moving every couple of weeks but if an opportunity presents itself to stay longer in a spot we like then we’ll jump at it.

Belle Isle

Today we took a day trip to Belle Isle. It was my sisters idea but then she couldn't go. Life, what you going to do?

It was a nice but windy day and perfect for the park. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. We'd been there in the past when the kids were little, but that was probably 35 years ago. Time sure flies ;)

We had taken a lunch and ate in the car because it was windy. Then while driving around we stopped at the lighthouse on the island. We parked the car and got out. I immediately found two pennies on the ground. Have you heard stories about deceased family or friends leaving pennies to tell you they are watching you? Pennies from heaven.

The story goes that my Dad who lived in The City of Detroit used to drive around the city and pick up (clean up) cans and bottles on Sunday morning (after the weekend) then redeem the cans for the deposit monies and go buy day old bread to feed the deer at Belle Isle. So I was immediately touched that my Dad was with me on my visit today.

The island is a literal diamond in the rough in the City of Detroit. The whole waterfront is beautiful.

After leaving the island we drove down Jefferson Ave from Grosse Pointe to Grosse Pointe Woods to Grosse Pointe Shores (you get the picture). The homes are BEAUTIFUL and very large. If only they could turn the City of Detroit around. It is the most beautiful city with the most beautiful setting. Get rid of the crime and corruption and the people would swarm to the beautiful city.

Oh and did I forget to mention this gem is nestled between Detroit and Windsor? A MUST visit if in the area.

Yuma Arizona Jan, Feb, Mar 2015

Since I wrote in February we have been very busy. I joined a pottery class thinking I was just going to make a few things. Well, they sell you 25# of clay and you are then committed to using it up. Classes are Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon. Ties up a lot of time, but I'm retired :) So far I've made 9 toys for the kids (one didn't work and so I made a backup and a backup to the backup and a backup to the backup) you get the picture. They turned out really cute can't wait to give them to the kids. I made Christmas Ornaments which turned out okay - they are handmade lol The teapot I made really isn't supposed to be functional just decorative. Two small cereal bowls. A small veggie tray, two small serving dishes, a larger kind of bowl and a small bowl. It was fun, but would have been more fun if I was good at it. I'm not!

I also started going to the knitting class which ended up not having any other knitters but we met in the same room as the quilters so I just knitted and visited. Nice group of women. That ended kind of abruptly because everyone left early lol

There was a vintage car show here at the resort that was very nice and they had a burger bash the same day. There is always oldies music on around the pool and that is where the burger bashes are held. There was another really large vintage car show that we went to. It is a very popular thing for old people to do lol The Cocopah Casino had a lo rider car show on their grounds that was very cool.

We've gone to Thursday night free Jazz Concerts at the Yuma Regional Mall every Thursday night after having dinner at a number of different local spots.

The Yuma Marine Corp had a very cool Air Show for two days. Some of the planes are AMAZING!! The things they can do and how quickly they can turn and respond just boggles the mind.

Sunday mornings found us at the Quartermasters for a Farmers Market and Tuesdays there was a Farmers Market at Historic Downtown Yuma. Roger has done a few hikes without me because I was in pottery or knitting and we've done a few together.

We also took a drive into California a few times. One Sunday we went to San Diego to visit my niece and her family. Jennifer was so gracious and took us touring around like last years visit. This time we went to the USS Midway. It is a large carrier ship with lots of planes on it. We had a good time even though Jackson took ill and Dick went home with him.

The motorcycle also gave us some fun afternoons riding around in this beautiful weather. Roger has since sold the motorcycle to buy a larger one only after ours was gone we reconsidered because a larger bike is heavier and might not travel well on the back of the motorhome. We'll get another one when we get home and figure out how to transport it. Thinking a truck that the motorcycle will fit into.

The resort where we are staying is very nice.  There are two pools and two spas.  I haven't spent too much time in the pool, but some.  I've also really enjoyed the library that they have set up.  You can be as busy or quiet as you want to here.  One morning we got up early and went on a group hike to learn about coyotes.  Let me tell you these old people are in good shape lol  I've done a lot of knitting and reading and I enjoy both.

If all goes well my final projects in pottery will be done on Tuesday and we'll head out. We still want to go to the desert for a few days, possibly visit family in Tuscon and Phoenix and then check out Sedona. If the weather looks reasonable we are trying to visit Rheta in Colorado but only if the weather looks good. It's been a long time from home and I miss everyone more that you can imagine. Look forward to seeing everyone again and just being home.

MICROWAVE MEATLOAF

MICROWAVE MEATLOAF

This recipe was obtained while taking a pottery class. The instructor was making these funny dishes on the wheel that looked like a weird candleholder. It is a low dish with a dip kind of dish in the middle. You can use any low microwavable dish and just put a shot glass or similar microwavable circle in the middle.

HOWARD'S MICROWAVE MEAT LOAF RECIPE

1 - 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp dry mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 med minced onion
1/4 c finely crushed cracker crumbs
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Combine tomato sauce, brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine eggs, onion, cracker crumbs, ground beef, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 or the tomato mixture and blend thoroughly. Place into the ring dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over top of meat.
3. Cook on high (max power) until it reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Approx 15 to 20 minutes.
4. cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

It was really delicious even though my turntable wasn't working at first. I don't usually 'cook' in the micro just heat and reheat. So as soon as I noticed it I fixed it. You could see where it was already cooked in two spots, but I just let it go and it was okay. This is a good recipe anytime, but especially good for 'on-the-road' meals.

Slab City

Our trip to Salvation Mountain was a by product of our trip to Slab City.

Slab City or The Slabs is a snowbird campsite in the Colorado Desert in southeastern California, used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America. It takes its name from the concrete slabs that remain from the abandoned World War II Marine barracks of Camp Dunlap.

Several thousand campers, many of them retired, use the site during the winter months. These "snowbirds" stay only for the winter, before migrating north in the spring to cooler climates. The temperatures during the summer are unforgiving nonetheless, there is a group of around 150 permanent residents who live in the Slabs all year round. Some of these "Slabbers" derive their living by way government checks (SSI, Social Security, and Social Security Disability) and have been driven to the Slabs through poverty. Others have moved to The Slabs to learn how to live off the grid and to be left alone. Still others have moved there to stretch their retirement income.

The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled, and there is no charge for parking. The camp has no electricity, no running water, no sewers nor toilets, and no trash pickup service. Many campers use generators or color panels to generate electricity. Supplies can be purchased in nearby Niland, California, located about four miles to the southwest of Slab City.

We discovered that several people are living nicely in this environment and others are just falling below the lines of livability. The back part was more like a dump and several were observed with no means of water or electricity. The front part you could see the water tanks and solar panels. Interesting and probably a good hide out lol

Sorry for the lack of pictures.