12/26/14 - On 12/24, we went to the produce market and got lots of produce and a few other items.  We got our first taste of fresh strawberries and they are delicious.  We were determined to find some eggnog but had to go to two different stores before we found some.   The rest of the afternoon was uneventful but it was quite windy most of the day and in the evening we did get a little rain but did not last long.

12/25 - we had a wonderful dinner of chicken, sweet potatoes, collard greens.  We then left for Sarasota and attended a local parade with my first cousin and her family.  We went back to her house for alittle over an hour and then went to see the movie "Big Eyes".  It was really good.

Today we are going back to Anna Maria island for a sunset seafood dinner.  Dinner will be early since the sun sets at 5:45pm so planning a very light lunch.

12/23/14 - On 12/22, we went to church and then had lunch with a first cousin and her family on the yutzy side.  We spent the afternoon playing games and then got some pizza for dinner. It was a wonderful day and so good to get re-acquainted with her four girls and the one son-in-law.  They left this morning to spend the holidays with family in Ohio.

Today, we have a dinner date and game night with a first cousin on the Beachy side.  It will be nice to spend the evening with family.  Otherwise, we have not had much activity.  It was predicted that we would have rain for the three days but now it has changed to just Christmas Eve.

12/19/14 - On 12/18 - around noon we finally got the call that the RV was ready for pick up.  It had been 10 days since I put her in the shop.  Aunt Esther and I drove up to Tampa and picked up the RV and then she followed me back to Bradenton to make sure there wasn't any problems.  I needed to get gas so drove into a gas station and on the far right were only two pumps with diesel so I pulled up behind a car that was pumping from the pump next door to the diesel and she pulled out, I started to pull in when this car all of a sudden was backing into my space and he decided to pump gas!! I was stunned.  Well, I waited and then pumped my gas after he left.  Never acknowledged that I was even there.

We got home, parked her and set her up.  The guy came over from next door and fixed my water heater leak.  We did then move some things over but did not finish.  Tired and off to bed.

12/19/14 - Today we finished moving from the cabin, did some laundry, cleaned the RV and checked for leaks and there were none but then had a problem with the commode not holding water so I had an appointment with the mobile repair guy and he had to put in a new rubber plug and we were set to go.  I ran the generator, the air conditioner and the heater to make sure everything is finally working. I hope things will work now for quite a while.  We plan to move to Largo by the end of the month.

12/17/14  - The last couple of days have not been very eventful.  I changed our plans for Monday 12/15 since I thought I would get the RV back but later learned that there were some more issues.  We then decided to go visit Anna Maria Island.  We found a city pier with a restaurant at the end.  It was a very interesting place and a small beach.  We then drove all the way down to south Sarasota before driving back to the mainland.

On 12/16, I spent all day with a cousin of mine that I have been active with a circle letter that includes three of us cousins since 1979.  It was such a good day because she shows me all of her area including places of work, churches, place were people lived, several farm markets.  We had lunch and ended the day with a Dairy Queen blizzard.  It will now make so much sense when she writes things in her letter.  We went back to her house and there her mother and daughter came over and I learned to play a marble game.  We had so much fun and it was a wonderful day for me.

Today, we did a load of laundry and then decided to try the Bradenton Beach.  We got out to the beach with umbrella, chairs, books and drinks.  It started out a nice day but by 4:00pm, the wind arrived and it got very cool so we packed up and came home.  Now the evening will including playing on the computer and crocheting an afghan.

12/12/14 - On Tuesday 12/9, I had to go back to the dentist.  I had another fracture on the upper denture and it needed repair.  We then did laundry and just stayed around the cabin since I had NO teeth until 3:30pm.  I also got the bad news that the RV had a fuel pump/fuel injector problem and it would need to be replace for a LOT of money but still thought that we would be able to get it back on Friday since the pump was in the area.

On 12/10, We went to a place called the Red Barn which is a flea market and large produce farm market.  It was really interesting and we found a lot of fresh vegetables and in the evening we drove to Sarasota for Chinese dinner with some of my relatives that were still here from Ohio but will be leaving this week end. There was eleven of us.  As we were driving around the parking lot looking for the restaurant, we were spotted by a first cousin on the paternal side of the family who did not even know we were here!!.  She followed us through the parking lot and then we found the restaurant and she parked next to us.  We were so surprised because we did not know she was invited to the dinner party.  We soon learned that she was shopping at the grocery store and just by total accident saw us drive around the parking lot.  We talked a short time in the parking lot and made some plans for next week.

12/11 - We drove back to Sarasota and toured the Ringling Museum.  It was very interesting.  There was a circus museum, a building that had a miniture total circus set up with all the "behind the scenes", animals,  workers and the big tent for the show.  There was a mansion on the property which was their summer home and a huge art museum.  We spent all day there.

12/12 - We did not make any plans because we were hoping for word from Tampa regarding the RV.  When I did not get any word, I called to learn that they had everything repair but when they took her out for a spin, she died and had to be towed back to the shop.  I learned that Monday will probably be the earliest.  I just hope that everything will be repaired.  We did run errands then since we knew that we would not be going to Tampa

12/08/14 - Since my last post, I have attended a 90th birthday on 12/6.  It was well attended and the birthday girl was quite surprised because about 9 or so were from out of town and most of them traveled from cental Ohio.  It was so much fun to see her so surprised.  It was very nice to catch up with my Ohio relatives.  On 12/7, Aunt Esther and I had to work all day to move from the RV to the cabin.  I never realized how much stuff we had to carry over for one week. We moved all the freezer and refrigerator stuff and then cleaned it out since I didn't want the truck shop to have to plug the RV in during the time that they  had it.  We had to put our stuff down below in storage since I would be driving to Tampa.  Next was to empty out all the tanks, turn off the propane and get everything ready for travel on Monday morning.  We were so tired but then I went to an ice cream and cake party with my Ohio relatives.  It was very nice to see some of them again before they left this morning.

12/8 - We left this morning for Tampa.  The GPS failed me and I got off the freeway and went to turn around in a parking lot and discuss with Aunt Esther how we should go when the engine lights came on and failed.  A few minutes later, it started and we headed out and were once again lost so I called Kenworth Trucking and got good directions and we finally made it.  Of course, it took a while to get registered and then we left and headed back to Bradenton.  On our way back, we stopped off and did some shopping at Costco.  This afternoon, we just rested.

12/05/14 - On 11/30, we went to church, had a left over family dinner and played some games.  On 12/1,  the two aunts went shopping while I stayed at home with the uncle.  Monday night we went out for mexican food which was very good.  On 12/2, we relaxed most of the day but in the evening my aunt had four tickets to a dinner theatre which was playing "White Christmas".   It was very nicely done.  On 12/3, we left at 7:40am for the airport to catch the plane back to Tampa.  We had a great flight and drive back to Tampa.

12/5/14 - On 12/4, we went grocery shopping since we did not have much left in the refrigerator.  We confirmed that we could have the cabin for the week while the RV is in the shop in Tampa. 

12/5/14 - Today, we did some shopping at Target and late afternoon yesterday, I learned that I had a leak in the hot water tank so now I need to get that repaired.  Today, I made some calls and now have an appointment to repair that after the RV comes back from Tampa.  I am trying to get things repaired since we are thinking about moving to another part of Florida by the first of the year.

12/05/14 - On 11/27 - We left at 5:30am for Tampa, Florida to catch a plane to Phoenix, Arizona for 7 days.  We had a great flight and around 3:00pm we sat at a family table of 9 for a big Thanksgiving dinner.  It included two aunts, an uncle, two first cousins and one has a wife and two second cousins.

My aunt and uncle were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.  On Friday, 11/28 some of us went black Friday shopping and some of us went to a HUGE craft show and then had lunch at a cafe.  It was so nice to spend time with family.

On 11/29, some went to the wild animal park in the morning and the two aunts went back to the craft fair while I stayed at home with the uncle. We got all dressed up for the sit down dinner that was planned.  Dinner was served at 5:45pm.  Their daughter Robyn had been planning this huge event for at least a year.  She did a wonderful job and the dinner and whole evening was delightful.  After dinner we did take some pictures and I have included two pictures:

                                           Lee Schlabach Family.  Two sons, spouses
                                                  and daughter

                                            Two granddaughters that were to attend.

11/26/14 - Since I have returned from the trip, I have just been doing daily things around the RV.  We did set up an appt to take the RV back to Tampa for repair before we start out for the west coast.  We will stay in a cabin at the same RV campground which is great because we can then just take things across the little gravel driveway insteading of having to pack things.  We are planning for a week without the RV and plan to make that trip on 12/8.

On 11/27/14 - We are traveling to Phoenix to help an aunt and uncle celebrate a 60th wedding anniversary and also celebrating Thanksgiving with their family.  Therefore, I will not be blogging until we return on 12/3.

11/25/14 - Early on 11/19, Deborah and I met Mike and DaNita in the hotel restaurant for a good breakfast before heading to the airport.  We had about an hour delay out of Ushuaia but did not matter since we had quite the layover in Buenos Aires.  Deborah was able to get on the internet so we were able to contact family and let them know we are OK.  We later learned that we were delayed almost two hours and that interfered with Deborah's Miami schedule.  She was very proactived and soon had confirmed seats on two different flights.  We finally left Buenos Aires around 1:00am.
Deborah and I split up so she should try to make her 9:30am flight.  Well, I met her in baggage and that give us little hope.  She was suppose to meet an American representative but that did not happen so she missed the flight.  In the meantime, I had to wait to put my luggage in until a little after 10:00am.  I had just put my luggage in when Deborah found me at the counter and informed me that she missed her flight and would not leave until 2:00pm.  So we went for some lunch, wasted time and she finally boarded at 1:30pm and then I took off for my gate since I was not leaving until 3:35pm.

My aunt picked me up and we are homeward bound.  What a wonderful vacation and I made so many unbelievable memories.  Deborah, thanks so much for going with me.  It was wonderful.

11/25/14 - On 11/18 we disembarked around 9:30am and we were able to walk to our hotel but we could not check in until 12:00pm.  There was 6 of us so we had very nice post cruise conversations.  We checked in and then we went out of coffee and lunch. We caught up with 4 other people at the cafe so that was also a nice time.  In the afternoon, Deborah and I went on a train ride up into the mountains in a national park in Ushuaia.  It was beautiful.

                                                       A water fall

                                               Our steam locomotive

11/25/14 - In the evening of 11/15, we started our sail through the Drake Passage.  The weather was not favorable and we were getting prepared for some rough sailing.  Late that evening, drawers were flying open, all things from bathroom shelf was on the floor, all things on coffee table was on the floor.  It was very noisy most of the night and at times you almost fell out of bed!  On 11/16, I would estimate that about a third of the passengers were suffering from sea sickness.  The dining room was almost empty for lunch and dinner.  Those that did try to eat, ate very little and off to their cabins.  During that time there were barf bags about every 2 feet on all the rails in the hallways and staircases.  The elevator was closed.

On 11/17, toward the evening, we finally got ourselves into the Beagle Channel and things got much better.  Later that evening, our ship and another ship leaving for Antarctic had a rendezvous in the Beagle Channel since a staff member from the expedition team on our ship was scheduled on the other ship.  It was very intesting since they use the zodiac to move on the open water.

                                              Taken at 11:00pm on 11/17/14

11/25/14 - On 11/15/14 - we sailed to a bay that was full of ice bergs and penguins and plans were that you could either decide on a landing or you could take a zodiac cruise.  The sun was shining so I decided to put on my other coat on and walk the deck of the ship because I really needed to get some excerise since I was mostly getting all dressed up until I could hardly move so most of my exercise was getting dressed!!  I walked awhile, then had hot chocolate and then walked awhile again.  It actually was a good feeling.  I was able to take some pictures and enjoy penguins on ice bergs.

                                                It is mating season!!

A huge Iceberg with most under water

11/23/14 - On my last post I got the dates wrong so now this info hopefully is more correct.  We boarded the ship around 4:00pm on 11/8.  We had our first dinner and then an orientation regarding what things to expect.  We would be sailing the Drake passage for the next two days.  The passage is rather rough sailing and soon a lot of passengers started getting sick.  For me it really was not too bad.  So actually instead of our first landing on 11/9 our first landing was on 11/10.

On 11/11, 11/12 we would sail around a lot of island and make two landings a day.  Most of the time, we would see lots and lots of penguins.  One day we saw two weddell seals and even saw a baby seal. It took me about 1/2 hour each time to get all of myself dressed for the landings!!

On 11/13, we did two landings and then they decided it would be the night of our camping on the ice!!  We were scheduled to camp in tents or a type of out door bag and the wind was calm so off we went about 9:45pm and set sail in a zodiac to land.  We were scheduled to stay there until 6:00am and then they would come after us.  But about two hours into our night the wind kicked up and we had terrible wind.  I thought for sure our tent was going to blow away but it didn't.  Because of blowing snow, our team leader got us up and going at 4:30am instead.  I was never so glad to be back on the ship in my whole life but I did survived!!

On 11/14/14 - we finally landed on the actually continent of Antarctic and most of the passengers were so excited because it was their 7th continent!!  They took a picture of Deborah and I holding an Antarctica flag but for some reason my camera was in video mode so I am unable to attach it.

11/23/14 - On 11/9/14- we did our first landing and I got my first all cold weather gear on to take a ride on a zodiac and enjoy some penguins.  I was so bundled up that I could hardly move so did very little walking and the penguins would just come right up to you and stare at you as long as you stayed still.  Alot of the passengers would take hikes but I stayed close and watched penguins.

                                             All bundled up

                                             The Ginstrap penguins

11/23/14 - not sure what I am doing but trying to get a picture added:

                                                    The Ship to Antarctic

Thanks goodness, I finally got one picture done.  We are sitting in Ushuaia before departure

11/22/14 - I don't even know where to start but here we go. Of course, I won't remember alot of things since I did not keep daily notes but will confirm the highlights of the trip. 11/4/14 - Aunt Esther took me to the airport and I left from Tampa, Florida and arrived in Miami, Florida to join my niece Deborah for a 17 day trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ushuaia, Argentina and on to Antarctica. We then checked in for our flight to Buenos Aires. We arrived at 4:40am on 11/5/14. 11/5/14 - It took us a minute to figure out how to get to the hotel. We finally got on a bus that promised to get us there. Sure enough. They were very kind and we were able to check in early. We were on the 9th floor looking out over a major street and park. It was beautiful. We then started to explore the city via foot or subway. We saw lots of parks and a really old cemetery where Eva Peron was buried. There were military colonels, government personnel and various wealthy families buried there as well. We toured a catheral which was right in middle of town. We talked to the pink house which is actually like out white house. I did alot of walking that day because at times our subway map would takes us one way and we learned that there was a dead end!! 11/6/14 - We decided to take a fast ferry to Uruguay for a few hours. We landed and walked a very old, old town that still had stones for streets. We had a little lunch and returned to Buenos Aires. As were getting our tickets and passing through immagration, we soon learned we did not have the proper document with us to re-entry Argentina but with some discussion, we were able to pull the document off the computer so finally back on the ferry without any extra fees. That evening we went to a tango show at Cafe Tortino which was absolutely great. 11/7/14 - In the morning, we got a private car that took us to the airport and we are on our way to Ushuaia (city known as the end of the world). When we arrived, we were transported to the hotel by the cruise line and then checked in. We soon learned that some other individuals were at the same hotel that would be on the cruise. When we got to the room, it had a strong perfume type of scent so Deborah opened the window to get some fresh air. We then went to dinner with a group of 8 of us and that started our friendships for the next 11 days. 11/8/14 - We explored parts of Ushuaia with some other friends and then off to the ship for boarding at 4:00pm. The ship is very small and that made it very interesting because we were able to get acquainted with a lot of people. There were 108 passengers on board and I forgot how many crew members but I think around 70. More later.

11/3/14 - This will be my last blog until sometime after 11/20 when I returned from a cruise to Antarctica. My niece Deborah and I will be traveling tomorrow morning to Miami, Florida, then to Buenos Aires, Argentina for 2 1/2 days then off to Ushuaia, Argentina to pick up a 11 day cruise to the tip of Antarctica. I am sure that I will have a lot to blog after that time.

11/1/14 - On 10/30 - we unhooked everything and went next door to a mechanic who informed me that he would put the RV on a computer diagnostic machine to see if he could repair it. Well, we did some driving around town since we thought we might need a motel room. We then spent most of the time in the recreation room waiting for news. We soon learned that it is computer issue and they would not be able to repair. We got her back, re-parked but just did electricity since we had an appointment at 8:00am at Kenworth's. 10/31 -We drove to Kenworth and a technician came out with his computer and said there definitely was a problem but not sure what so we needed to do a ticket and he would need to run some diagnostic testing. We went back to the office to learn that they were so busy because of the end of the month that they could not even start on it until Monday (11/3) so he made some calls and the garage in Tampa told us to drive right over and they would be able to check it out. I prayed all the way and got there at 9:35am. So now we are in Tampa, Florida. We later went out for lunch and they spent the rest of the day in their lounge which was equipped with water, TV, sectional couch and plugs to plug in all of electrical stuff. Around 4:00pm we were told there is definitely a problem but of course it would take another couple of days to finish the computer diagnostic tesing and more if they had to order the part!! So it was determined that we would just try to stumble along and get to Bradenton. We left Kenworth's around 4:30pm and drove about 10 miles to a Walmart that we shared with 3 other RV's for the night. 11/1 - We left this morning and it was very very windy so could only drive about 55 miles per hour but the RV did fine and we finally got to Bradenton. It took a long time to level the RV since everything here is sand so finally found some rocks to put under the boards to see if we could get it stabled. FINALLY!! We got checked in, showered and lunch. Plans are now to make an appointment with the Tampa garage so they can keep it for a week and fix me but will do that after I return from the Antarctic trip.

10/29/14 - On 10/28 we did not get much accomplished. It was just a very laid back day. Today, we left around 11:00am for Lakeland, Florida which was about 90 miles. We decided to stop at a rest stop for lunch before we actually get to the RV campground. Just as I got off the freeway, the engine check light went on and then a red stop engine light when on and before I could even pull into a spot, the engine just shut off!! I made some phone calls to see if I could get someone to come out and check it out. After several phone calls, a mechanic thought I could very slowly keep moving for about 25 miles and we had about 20 miles left. I started the engine back up and we were only 4 1/2 miles from the campground when the light went on again. I drove into an empty parking lot. We unhooked the car and drove to the campground to check in and let things set for a while. We went back and got the RV and started out 4 1/2 mile journey. Then there was an accident and we crept along. One time again in the middle of traffic the engine stopped but before traffic moved again, I was able to get her started. We made it to the campground but then when I was trying to back her into the space, she decided again to shut down. Needless to say, we finally got parked, hooked up and now tomorrow I am looking for a mechanic. My nephew seems to think that I have water in the fuel pump or in the diesel tank. I sure hope it will be that simple to repair. We are scheduled into Bradenton on 11/1.

10/27/14 - On 10/26 we decided to once more try to find a farmer's market but once again it was a flop.  There were three tables that had soap, honey and jams.  We then stopped off at the grocery store and a Dollar Tree so I could get a baby card since a very good friend of mine had a baby boy on Saturday.  I then did some more cleaning underneath and actually got Aunt Esther's suitcase stored.

Today, we went back to the Astronaut Hall of Fame since our tickets from the Kennedy Space Center would get us in for free.  It was very interesting but a lot of reading!!  We got there a little after 11:00am to learn that the museum does not open until 12:00pm.  We were there until 2:30pm.  This afternoon, I got some birthday cards ready for mailing and did some work on the computer.

10/25/14 - On 10/24 we took all day and went to Kennedy Space Center.  What an awesome place that was.  I got to see the Atlantis, walk the original gangway, saw two different launch pads, the transporter that took the missiles and shuttle out to launch pad.  It was just a really interesting day. We stopped off at Walmart on our way home because since I could not get TV with my dish, we learned from neighbors that cable was free here so I needed to get a cable to hook the TV up that way so finally last night we had some entertainment.
Picture attached from space center:

                                                             He would not talk!!

10/25 - today we got up early to go to an outdoor farmers market to learn there was no such thing in this little town.  We then tried to find a post office and could not find that either so just came back to the RV.  I then did some cleaning out from underneath my storage area to make room for Aunt Esther's empty suitcase, we had lunch and now plan to read awhile after finishing this posting.

10/23/14 - On 10/22 We arrived in Titusville and got settled in and everything hooked up.  Thank goodness because now we have electricity.  We then tired to get the dish up but we are in a wooded area and it can't find any satellite so we are without TV for this week.  Oh, well it will gives us a lot of reading time.

Today, we checked things out at the campsite.  They have a great club house, three different pools, pool table and a nice sitting room so maybe we can go and watch some TV tonight. We drove through the historical part of Titusville but it was not very interesting at all.  We then did some shopping, banking and drove along the intercoastal waterway.

10/21/14 - On 10/20 we got to the Ormond Beach, Florida Walmart and there are signs posted again about overnight but we found a place way in the back lot under some trees and decided to park anyway and no one has bothered us so far.

Today, we decided to go to the beach for a while.  It was very nice.  We read our books, walked on the beach, had a picnic lunch.  We decided tonight to go out for mexican food that was really good.  When we got back, we learned that I had very low house batteries since we have been dry camping for the past three days but since we will be plugged in tomorrow, we should be OK.  We had planned to tour a chocolate factory in Daytona Beach but will just drive directly to Titusville since I have the battery problem.

10/19/2014 - Today we moved 24 miles south to another Walmart since the St. Augustine one was not as friendly. We did take time to walk through parts of the historical district an toured the Castillo de San Marcos's fort.  It was really interesting and saw them shoot off guns and cannons.  It turns that way across the parking lot there is another sign about no overnight parking but I came in from the other side so did not see it.  Aunt Esther saw it since she drove the car and I drove the RV.  We did not feel like towing since it was only 24 miles.  So I decided to park anyway.  We have had company with about 5 teenage boys on bikes that had a little meeting by the side of the RV and then I had a lady stop by and thought I had parked to sell the RV and she was interested in buying!!!  I told her I was sorry but not for sale.

                                           At Castillo de San Marcos Fort in St. Augustine
                                                                 Florida
                                   

10/18/14 - On 10/17 we did not do much clean Winnie a little and got ready to move from Woodbine.  

This morning, we filled the propane tank, did some extra cleaning and left Woodbine, Georgia around 11:30am.  Since we only had 84 miles to go, we stopped off at the Florida Welcome Center to get some information.  We drove about 50 miles and the stopped for lunch and read alot of our information regarding Florida.  We did not want to get to the St. Augustine Walmart too early.  When we got there, signs were posted all over that their is no overnight for trucks or RV's so I went in to ask if there was another Walmart but the manager informed me the reason was that they do not own the parking lot and so it is a city ordinance but since it was the week end and she has had others parked and there has never been any towing, that we would be fine for overnight.  So tonight we are safely in St. Augustine, Florida.

10/16/14 - Today, we left a little before noon and headed for Jekyll Island.  We stopped off at the visitor's center and got a map and information.  We had a nice drive, stopped off at a beach and talked with someone from St. Simon's island and were given information regarding where we should have lunch.  We had a great lunch, then took a drive to Driftwood beach and did some walking.  It was rather windy and a little cool but still a nice walk on the beach and on the fishing pier.

Since we have been in Georgia, we have encounter alot of huge trees that are call living Oaks and I have tried to take a picture but pictures do not really portray the enormous tree and the length of their branches but still wanted to try and keep the memory.  On the way home, we stopped for some groceries.  Winnie (RV) got a power wash today right at the campground and is looking very good.

                                                        Driftwood Beach-Jekyll Island

                                             Live Oak trees on Jekyll Island
      
                                     

10/16/14 - This post is going to back track a little since today I finally learned how to move pictures from my text to my gallery so I can put on the blog.  Thank you to my friend Zerna from San Diego for all of her help.

                                                      Aunt Esther and I on the beach
                                                       at Sapelo Island, Georgia

                                                             
                                                      Flowers on sand dunes at the
                                                      beach on Jekyll Island

10/15/14 - On 10/13, Esther and I went to Cumberland Island for the day.  It was a very interesting day.  We left the RV at 7:30am to go to St. Mary's, Georgia to pick up a 9:00am ferry.  We got there, got our ferry tickets and then inquired regarding an all day tour that we had been told was booked but we could be stand by.  We put our names on the list and returned to the desk at 8:45am to learn that we would be able to get on the tour.  The ferry ride was a 45 minute ride.  On the way, the ferry almost stopped because they had to make room for a large military submarine that was coming in to port.  That was really interesting to watch.  We got to the island and then boarded a van with 3 other people for our guided tour.  The island is not commercialized at all so we had to take a picnic lunch, drinks, sun screen, and insect repellent.  We traveled over very bumpy roads, got a little of history, toured a mansion that was occupied by the Carnegie's, lots of slave history and of course because forest area with the marsh land to our west and the Atlantic to our east.  We saw wild horses, wild turkeys, lots of egrets and one little alligator in the middle of the road.  Our guide was very informative.  We then decided to walk to the beach which was further than I thought.  It took me 20 minutes to walk over to the beach to look around and see huge dark clouds coming in so we started back as fast as possible but we got caught about 3/4 back to the building with a porch.  It really had a lot of lightening and thunder with the storm but we got soaked.  We even had rain ponchos but we still got wet.  Back to the RV around 6:00pm and of course immediately changed clothes.

I have attached a picture of a little baptist church on the north side of the island because this is the little church that John Kennedy, Jr got married at!!

                                                                The little church

10/15/14 - Today, we stayed here since we needed to do some laundry and put some items back that we had used yesterday.  It rained really hard last night so today has been a little more comfortable.

10/11/14 - The picture just posted was from our spot in Bloomingdale, Georgia. It won't let me put a notation on the bottom.  Picture attached now is the light house located on St. Simon Island:

                                                            Lighthouse-St. Simon

10/11/14 - This morning we got up and drove to St. Simon Island.  We found more to see than what we thought so only did St. Simon Island. It was interesting with a nice water front walk, pier, lighthouse, old revolutionary fort.  The fort was the first settlement of St. Simon and it was really interesting. We than came back to Walmart to pick up the RV and head for Woodbine, Georgia.  We got to the campground around 4:00pm.  It was rather warm and humid so as soon as we were hooked up, we turned the air conditioner on and so now we have been comfortable.  The parking spot are fairly tight but we hope to put the awning out since there is no shade.  They have a club house and a pool.  We will be here for a week.

10/10/14 - This morning we left at 7:45am to get a ferry to join a tour on Sapelo Island.  The ferry ride was 20 minutes long and we were met by a private tour guide and we had three travel agents join us on the tour.  It was very informative and the guide was very good.  The tour started at 9:00am and we were back on the ferry at 12:00pm.  It is a small island that once had a sugar refinery and a wealthy tobacco merchant that built a mansion.  The population is only 47 and everything is very relaxing.  They have a small store and post office.  Most of the island is owned by the State of Georgia.  We then moved from the Shell Station location to a Walmart parking lot and plan to do two more barrier islands tomorrow and then will be in Woodbine for a week.

109/14 - On 10/8/14 - we did not have any plans but things were rather warm and muggy so we went to the post office and then found an indoor mall (Savannah Mall) and we walked the mall separately since Aunt Esther could walk it twice while I was going to walk it at least once.  We did some shopping and then went back to the campground.  We had leftovers for dinner and played backgammon.

10/9/14 - We had to go back to the post office since I needed to mail a pair of pants to my sister-in-law Ruby so she can shorten them.  I am not sure it will work but she is going to try.  We then came back and started to disconnect everything to leave the campground.  We had to wait to get the electric meter read since it was separate from the rent.  We left around 12:45pm.  Since we were not in a hurry to get to our next destination which was a truck stop for the night,  We want to tour Sapelo Island but the truck stop was about 10 miles south of the place where we pick up the ferry.  We decided to stop off at a visitor's center to learn that it has been moved.  We found a place right next to a Shell Gas Station where I could pull off so decided to have lunch and waste some time since we did not want to get to the truck stop to early.  Well, I checked things out and it appeared that there was no traffic around us so Aunt Esther went in to the station to inquiry whether we could just park here for the night.  We learned that it would be find since many truckers also use the area.  Now we have only 10 miles to the ferry tomorrow instead of 20 miles.  Plans are to do the truck stop tomorrow before heading south to Woodbine, Georgia where we plan to be for a week.

                                                           Aunt Esther at one night free
                                                                   parking space!

10/8/14 - On 10/7 we went downtown and did a city trolley tour where you could get off and on at your leisure.  We saw a lot of squares that had parks, a beautiful restored catholic church.  There was lots of history and very old restored houses. There is a street that has beautiful old oak trees and the limbs hang over the whole street.  We had reservations to The Lady and Son's restaurant which is owned by Paula Deen.  It was very good and we stuffed ourselves.

10/6/14 - On the river front they had this statue which represents a gal waving a welcome to Savannah.  Picture attached:

                                                              It is better in person than
                                                                  picture

10/06/14 - On 10/5/14 we made a trial run into downtown Savannah.  We did some shopping which including finding two styrofoam ice chests and ice since we were having problems with the ice maker. We defrosted the freezer and got all of the ice out and now the ice maker is working again.   We also did some laundry since the small laundry was empty.

Today we went to the dentist office and Aunt Esther is now all repaired and in good shape.  We then drove downtown to the river front area and it is beautiful because of the river walk that they have put in.  There are a lot of restaurants and shops along the river front.  We decided to eat at a restaurant named "The Cotton Exchange" which used to be an old cotton gin building.  They kept alot of the old brick of the building and it was really neat.  We got to sit upstairs by a window facing the river and saw a large freighter leave.  That was really interesting.  We then did some walking, a little shopping and ended the evening with an ice cream.  While sitting on a bench, another huge freighter came down the river. It was just amazing.  It was a lovely evening.  Not to hot and not to cold with a beautiful sunset over the river.  Pictures attached: I am not sure what I am doing wrong but it will not let me write under the picture so will explain here.  This was our appetizer - green fried tomatoes and they were delicious.

10/5/14 - On 10/3 we both now had to find a dentist.  While in Shallotte, my upper brace holding my dentures was loose so had to go into to have it tightened.  It was a great dentist office.  My aunt on Friday had a loose tooth off  her dentures and she was not quite as lucky as I was because her dentures will have to go to the lab.  Aunt Esther did a temporary fix for the weekend and on Monday we are taking in the dentures for complete repair.  We then stopped off at IHOP for breakfast/lunch after the appointment since we did not have breakfast before the appt.  We had known that it was expecting to rain alot in the afternoon so we did not make plans for much else. We did walk around a strip mall to get some exercise and found a used book store so Esther got some books and then it really started to rain so we went home as fast as possible.  It rained all night.

10/4 - Since it was a beautiful day, we decided to pack a little lunch and head for Hilton Head, South Carolina.  We had approximately 50 miles from Bloomingdale.  We had a nice drive and in the process found an parking lot that was close to a beautiful beach. The name of the beach area was Coligney Beach.  We parked and walked down to the water but did not really plan to stay.  Just before you got to the beach, there were restrooms, outdoor showers and a rather large gazebo which had several small tables and Adirondack chairs so we sat in the shade and had lunch.  There was also on either side of the walk way, three swing sets.  On the left, there was a lot of sun so when the right side opened up, Esther and I went and sat in the swing for quite a while and just watched people.  We then left and stopped off at Walmart since we needed a few groceries and I needed yarn to finish the baby afghan that I am needed to finish ASAP.  Well, it wasn't on our list an guess what - I forgot the yarn!!  So now need to stop again and get it!  We got home, had dinner and off to bed.

10/2/14 - We left Mt. Pleasant, S. C. (outside of Charleston) around 10:45am.  We were only going to travel about 120 miles so thought we would take it easy.  We stopped off for lunch in a large parking lot at Burger King and when we got to the Georgia state line, we decided to stop off at the welcome center as well.  We got some coupon discounts for Savannah plus a lot of additional information.  As we left the center and before we actually got back on I-95 South, we heard a rather usual loud noise around the passenger door area so needed to pull over and check out the RV and car.  Before we even got back to the car, Aunt Esther had left her key to the door in the key hole on the outside!! We retrieved the key and took off.  We had the GPS plus directions to get to our new campground call Hollow Oak when the GPS mislead us.  We ended up on very small roads trying to get back to where we could start again but follow our written directions.  Well, that did not work either so we called  the owner several times, to learn that we had past the place twice but it is hidden all the way back off a main road with no signs.  It is a rather older campground and there are quite a few parked here on a permanent basis but definitely a real southern atmosphere.  We even had an older gentleman come over to assist us with a small water leak and he supply a washer thing for the hose to stop the leak.  We are settled in for the week and will do a lot of touring of Savannah and the area.

10/1/14 - On 9/30/14, we left Shallotte, N. C. around 11:30am and headed for Charleston, S. C. It was about 135 miles so we took our time.  Since we had planned to be here for only two nights and one day, we decided to just parked at a Walmart.  Well, trying to find the Walmart turned out to be quite a challenge.  I felt like I was driving all over Charleston but we finally did find it.  We found our parking space, unhooked the car since we need it for today and settled in.  We had dinner and then decided to go for a walk and since Walmart is located in an actually shopping center, we ended up doing some shopping.  Back to the RV, we lit some candles including battery operated ones since we wanted to save the house batteries.  Off to bed early since it got really dark.  

9/29/14 - On 9/27/14 - we went to Holden Beach in the afternoon but it started to rain so we just drove back to Shallotte.  On 9/28/14 - we decided to start try the beach again so we drove back and put up the umbrella, got our chairs out with a drink and some pretzels for the afternoon. We watched the crowd and read books.  It was a little windy but a very nice day.

Today, we did some cleaning of the RV, went to a very nice farm market and then made dinner.  Tomorrow, plans are to head for Charleston, South Carolina.

9/29/14 - On Friday 9/26/14, we drove back to Myrtle Beach and shopped at an oriental market so we could make pancit later in the week.  We met a gal that stated she lived on the beach and I was to follow her and she would get us there.  We parked and watch the ocean for a few minutes.  We then headed off to the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament.  It was quite interesting for me since I had never attended one.  We ate with our fingers while watching the tournament.  At one time the horseman our section was cheering for, threw carnations and I actually caught one.  It is still sitting on the table.  Anyway, he was out in the lobby signing autographs and pictures so my aunt took one of me:             

9/25/14 - On 9/24 we spent the morning not doing much at all.  We left around 2:00pm for Myrtle Beach.  We had reservations for a dinner and show (pirates) which was really good.  We got there too early so went to a shopping mall for a while.  I got some new purple ear rings.  We were able to get into the show place around 4:30pm.  They had an hour pre-show with a sea lion and balancing acts and music.  It was really a lot of fun. During the dinner, they had a lot of acrobatics, sea lions, ducks, and birds in the show.  It was really entertaining.   Today, we went to Wilmington and toured a peanut plantation in the middle 1800's owned by the Foy Family.  The plantation was in operation for five generations.  We had a guide tour of the house and then were invited to walk the grounds to learn that 6 school buses were parked outside because kids came every Thursday to run and complete in races.  What a mess.  We did walked the grounds a little and saw a pot belly pig, ducks, geese, horses, donkey and sheep.

It has been raining off and on since we got here on Tuesday and it appears tomorrow we will have more rain and thunderstorms!!

9 /23/14 - Today Aunt Esther and I left Belhaven for Shallotte, North Carolina.  We had a 200 mile trip and everything went well.  We stopped for lunch and arrived at S & W Campground a little after 4:00pm.  It is a very small campground and is only has one spot left.  We are located in spot #1.  It is all in grass and since it has been raining off and on all day, it is also rather muddy.  We got parked, hooked up and then went to a Walmart super store which was only a mile down the road and did some grocery shopping.  We have 33 miles to Wilmington, North Carolina and 40 miles to Myrtle Beach so plan to do some sightseeing in both areas.  We will be in the area for a week.

9/21/14 - Not sure why I could not finish adding pictures so this is a continuation of last post:

                                             View out our hotel door in Kill Devils Hill
                                               Atlantic Ocean and was raining

                                          Aunt Esther and I are Wright Brothers Monument

9/21/14 - On 9/20 we took off at 8:30am to head for Swan's Quarter to pick up an auto ferry from Ocracoke Island which was 2 1/2 hours.  Then drove a few miles and got on another auto ferry from Ocracoke to Hatteras Island.  We stopped off for lunch and then headed to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It was very interesting but did start to rain.  We then headed further north since we wanted to spend the night closer to our sight seeing in the northern part of the outer banks.  Since it was the week end we had some difficulty finding a room so ended up driving all the way to Kill Devil Hills.  We got a room at the Quality Inn. We then went out for a fish dinner and off to bed.

9/21 - We left the room around 11:00am and headed for the Wright Brothers Monument and museum.  It was really interested and we spend quite some time there.  We then headed for Roanoke Island to tour the lost colony (first settlers from England) and a portion of the Elizabethan Gardens. We then set out to search for a place for lunch to learn that all restaurants were closed on Sunday.  We ended up at McDonalds.  From there we had about 80 miles back to the RV park.  It was a great week-end.

                                                           Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras

9/19/14 - We left Raleigh around 11:15am and our destination was Belhaven, North Carolina.  We are a half  an hour from the outer banks and have plans to drive to Swan Quarters and pick up a ferry to Cape Hatteras and plan to drive north, spend the night somewhere since we want to tour Roanoke Island.

                                          Sitting at Riverside Campground-Belhaven, N.C.

                                            Sunset off little river and intercoastal waterway

9/18/14 - On 9/16/14, I moved from the Walmart parking lot around 8:30am and arrived at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds around 9:00am.  I then found my parking space and was so happy because I was able to unhook the car and hook up everything in the RV before my aunt arrived at 1:35pm from Cleveland.  That afternoon, we did not do much at all.  

9/17/14 - I woke up with streamers and decorations since it was my birthday!!  She had brought some cards with her and gave me beautiful ear rings and a shirt.

Later, we went to a working farm that was on the historical society list.  We saw a beautiful park, pecan grove, farmhouse, cotton mill, barn, goats, a kitchen plank house.  I got to see a field of cotton.  It was very interesting.

Cotton ready to pick

9/15/14 - Today, I left Harrisonburg, Virginia around 10:00am for Raleigh, North Carolina.  I had a very good trip and arrived at a WalMart in Raleigh at 4:30pm.  I found a broken piece on the towing bar but was able to replace the broken hinge on a temporary basis for now.  I did some shopping at WalMart and will go to the the North Carolina state fairgrounds to park for several days while I pick up my aunt from the airport and then we want to see several museums while in the area.

9/15/14 - On Saturday 9/13 I did some cleaning in the RV while Ruby made applesauce.  We also did alot of laundry so now I have everything all clean which is wonderful.  During the week, she completed a new pair of pants for me, we made an old pair into shorts and we put new elastic in several other pieces.  On 914 - we stopped off to say good bye to a nephew and his family and then we had dinner with an aunt, her husband and a first cousin and his wife.  It was very nice.

Oh, forgot to mention that Ruby and I spent some time putting puzzles together.  That was a lot of fun.  I had a great time in Virginia and left with wonderful memories.

                                                                                                                                                                    This page will not let me write underneath so will write on top but here I am sitting at Ruby's house for the past 10 days.

9/15/14 - But will start with some activities that I had this past week with Ruby.  Ruby had to work on Monday and Tuesday (9/8 and 9/9). Ruby had given me a house key since I planned to run some errands.  When I returned to the house, I could not find the key to the house.  So I ended up with lunch in the RV and sent Ruby a text letting he know my dilemma.  She text me back and told me where there was a hidden key so I could get back into the house.  Later in the afternoon,  I went to visit a first cousin and his wife.  We then met Ruby for dinner at IHOP. This is horrible.  I can't remember what we did on Tuesday or Wednesday.  On Thursday, (9/11) we met up with a friend for lunch.  It was so good to see her.  We also went to an orchard and got three different kinds of apples to be used for various types of food.  It was really interesting since I had never been to an orchard.  On the way to the orchard, we stopped off at a cousin's dairy farm and had a little tour.  Wow, that was wonderful. They milk 800 cows in a day.  They only have about 2 hours a day that they are not milking.  The milk goes straight into a larger tanker that is then picked up by a tractor trailer type of cab.  It was just amazing.

On Friday 9/12 we took the day and went to Charlottesville and had a buffet lunch at Michie's Tavern.  It is very old and had a lot of history.  They had several log type buildings that were little shops so we toured the actually old tavern and walked the villages and browsed in the shops.

                                                   Michie's Tavern - Ruby in white slacks

After that tour, we continued up the road to Monticello which is the home of Thomas Jefferson.  We did a tour of the estate and it also included his gravesite.

Thomas Jefferson Estate

9/4/14 - Bethany and I went to a very LARGE children's consignment sale.  It had everything imaginable from infant to teens.  I could not believe it.  She got some really good deals for her children.  The rest of the afternoon was quiet.  In the evening, I played games with the girls.

9/5/14 - This morning Antony helped me hook everything up before he left for work.

                                                Parked at my niece's house

I left about 10:30am for Harrisonburg, Virginia.  It had started to rain a little as I left.  The first thing on the agenda was to put some diesel in the tank.  It started to rain soon after I left and I did finally get into some sunshine.  In Harrisburg, PA, I stumbled upon an accident that had just occurred so took a while to get out of the city.  In Virginia, I drove into a pouring rain, saw another accident and decided to pull off at the very next exit.  Was very lucky and at the McDonald's there was a huge parking lot around the back so waited out the rain.  Soon I was on my way again.  Later, I drove into another pouring rain but a very short time, I could see that I would drive out of it.  I arrived in Harrisonburg, Virginia around 4:00pm.  We got everything set up and soon I was off to see a great niece play volleyball.

9/6/14 - today was a good day spending it with a sister-in-law Ruby.  She was preparing for a family cook out.  There were 14 in attendance and we had great food and visiting.

9/3/14 - Bethany, family and I went to Hershey Chocolate factory in Hershey, PA.  It was very interesting.                                                        
                                                                                                   

Hershey kisses on street lights

                   Entrance to Factory

09/06/14 - Will update using dates:

9/1/14 - My niece, her family and I went to Longwood Gardens.  It was absolutely beautiful.  It was rather warm and humid but a great day.  It was built by Pierre DuPont.  I have attached  a picture:

                                               A large fountain garden

9/2/14 - Bethany and I went to visit another great niece that is living in the area.  We had a nice visit. Otherwise it was a quiet day.

        

8/31/14 - Second post - I left my sister's house around 10:40am from Waterloo, New York to Manheim, Pennsylvania.  I knew I had about a 6 1/2 hour drive. My  nephew and I unhooked things from the RV and hooked up the car all in the rain.  The first half was mostly in the rain.  I stopped at a Pennsylvania Welcome Center for lunch and out the back there was beautiful scenery but it was sprinkling a little so could not stay out very long.  I have attached a picture:

Taken just across the border from New York

After the rain stopped I was driving in the mountains and then it got windy so I had to slow down.  After while I had sunshine and no wind.  I was suppose to call my nephew-in-law when I got to Harrisburg, PA but found myself on the other side of Harrisburg so stopped at a Wendy's and called Antony and got directions to his house.  He decided that I should stop off at a gas station and wait for him since we needed to take the car off at a church parking lot since I would have to back into his driveway.  That all happened and I am safely parked in his driveway surrounded by a lot of woods.  It is really pretty here.  

I went from a cool and rainy New York where I had a little heater running in the mornings to 85 degrees and very humid so tonight am running a fan.  It is really cooling me down so I will be quite comfortable.

8/31/14 - On 8/29 my sister had to get up very early and when she returned we quickly made sauerkraut and spare ribs in the crock pot for dinner.  I then convinced her to take a nap and I did some cleaning in the RV.  We also delivered some canned peaches to son-in-law for her daughter.  She then had errands to run that would make her return very late so I finished dinner for six of us.  When she returned we had cleaned up the kitchen so she ate some dinner and then we played games.  On 8/30, eight of us went to a huge flea market.  It was very interesting and had everything imaginable. Sadly, I ended up buying a lot of food.  I got fudge, whoopie pies and a shoo fly pie so of course on my way down to another niece's house I would have some snacks.

The RV sitting at my sister's house in Waterloo, New York:

8/28/14 - Yesterday I spent the day with a nephew and his family on a dairy farm.  It was very interesting.  I even experience a milk parlor and feeding calves.  Have attached a picture of a 4 day old calf:

My sister has he cutest little dog named Teddy and he is so friendly:

His name is Teddy!

Today my sister and I took it easier and visited a church school and did some grocery shopping.  this evening we met up with two nephews and my sister and her husband and had dinner at Chili's.  We had a very nice time.

8/26/14 - On 8/23/14, I went with my sister to a huge amish auction and they had everything imaginable.  I have attached a picture of horses that were up for auction:

Big black work horses for sale

On Monday 8/25 - I helped my sister work 24 dozen ears of corn to put in the freezer.  Today, I helped my sister and her daughter work 58 dozen ears of corn for the freezer for my niece's family and I have attached a picture of my sister and a granddaughter:

8/23/14 - On 8/22/14 I had planned to leave Croghan, New York at 2:30pm but due to a down pour of rain I was not able to hook up the car until about 3:00pm.  After a break in the rain, I started out for Waterloo, New York.  Soon after I left, it started to rain off and on most of the way down. I did stop off at a truck stop for a break and arrived safely in Waterloo at 6:45pm.  I will now stay with my sister and her husband until Sunday August 31st.

I have attached a picture of the RV sitting at my sister's house in Croghan, New York.

8/21/14 - On 8/18, Charity (niece), Virginia (niece-in-law), Rosie (great niece) when to an American Maple Museum in Croghan, New York.  It was really interesting on how they obtain maple syrup from the trees and get to into the bottles to sell.  There was a lot of history and lots of artifacts.  We stopped and had ice cream at a local shop.  On 8/19, Ruthie, (sister), Virginia and Rosie and I went to a country store where Charity works part time.  Was able to go into the back of the store and observe how large productions of cookies, pies and turnovers are produced.  It was also quite interesting.  On 8/20, Charity and I went to a Mennonite Heritage Farm Museum which has preserved an old farmhouse, grainery, tool shop and milk barn.  That was really interesting since the farmstead started in the mid 1800's.

It has been quite rainy and cool here and they already have some leaves changing color as attached to this blog: