A sun shiny day here today.......

Our Location: Big Buck Resort, Hornsby, Tennessee

(205 Sparks Road)

 

The day started out overcast but progressed to being sunshine filled around the noon hour, and as the afternoon continued it just kept getting brighter and brighter until finally only a few clouds lingered. 

 

Axel visited yesterday and decided he'd wait for us on the table outside.....

 

 We managed to have our hot drinks and read a bit before climbing into the Dogsled and heading into Bolivar with a plan in mind. Actually two things on the list but as often happens we changed our minds and accomplished only one. 

 

Love the little mailbox, sorry for the blurry picture.

 

It was shortly before noon when we left, the little town seeming to be bustling and yet not hectic. A nice little spot with some great folks. Our first mission was to find a rug cleaner that we could rent, as we had a little incident the other day. One of our big drinking water jugs had a leak and we didn't find out until Riley stepped on a wet spot on the carpet. We then discovered the wet carpet, the culprit and with the aid of the shop vac we managed to get most of the water up. It was extremely dirty and we thought we'd make use of having power and do the carpets today. We found the machines and of course you know it was at Walmart, right? We also needed to get a few groceries and since we were already there it was our first order of business. 

 

 

A very patriotic tow company....

 

The days when I remember renting a carpet cleaner are many years in the past but the machines were smallish, a bit cumbersome on those wheels, and lots of hose to let you reach many places. The new ones are not like that at all. They are basically an upright box that even empty would be extremely big in our little Igloo, but to manage it with a full or nearly full water container would be insane. Yes I know there are attachments, etc, but after looking at the thing for a couple of minutes and seeing in my minds eye how small the Igloo is I decided we'd forgo this little venture until a later date. My dad has a rug cleaner of the smaller kind and I'm quite sure he'll let us hook up to power for a night and use his rug cleaner to do our little house. I seriously doubt the one for rent would allow me to reach all of those nooks and crannies I want to reach and moving it around the Igloo would have been almost impossible with the furniture.

 

 

Today's views of downtown Bolivar.......

 

So that idea was a no go, we did however manage to get our groceries before taking a small drive around the little town of Bolivar. Very quaint, very cute and for the most part very clean and well kept. Not a lot of garbage around, not a lot of junk or old cars sitting on blocks, etc. Some works in progress, some old and abandoned buildings, along with some very nice places too. I think it would be easy to get used to Bolivar. 

 

Can you see spring in the picture? It's everywhere....

 

We headed back home, put away the groceries and noticed for the first time today we haven't seen our buddy Axel the Husky. His family must have secured him in some fashion so that he can't escape just yet. I have no doubt we'll see him again soon. A quick note, Axel has appeared once again on the roadway as I was getting ready to post this post.

 

And the blossoms are still coming out.....

 

Last night was my night to make phone calls home to Canada and I managed to chat with my oldest daughter Courtney, my Dad, left a message for my middle daughter Bradey, got a busy signal for my best friend Linda and managed to chat with my SIL Janet (in Indian Wells, CA). So a good night for chatting and catching up. Today I called my buddy Ron whom I've known for a few years. He and his lovely wife Sharon are friends from our time at Magic River Campground, Long Beach, MS. They just returned home from their winter there within the past few days. Mrs. Sharon ended up in the CCU unit of a hospital not far from their home in Kansas. We chatted while they were waiting for the release papers for Mrs. Sharon as they were kicking her out today after releasing her yesterday from the CCU to a room. From 7 am until shortly after 1:30 pm they waited and finally while I was speaking to Mrs. Sharon on the phone they brought the papers around. Hopefully they find out what it is that is ailing the lovely Mrs. Sharon and correct it. Ron is waiting for knee surgery in the near future. So we hope for the best for both and wish them both speedy recoveries. 

 

A most prickly looking water tower here in Bolivar, TN.

 

After that I read my book, another David Baldacci book called Divine Justice. Not nearly as good as the last one but still very good. As I was reading we had the door open but not for long as the cool breeze made it less than ideal but I noticed numerous new folks around, with numerous vehicles as well. I had forgotten this is Easter Weekend and so while some of the Spring Break folks have departed today, the EASTER crowd has arrived. Should be an interesting weekend I think. 

 

The water is high and fast, you can't tell from the picture but the current is very strong as it swirls among the trees...

 

You know that old saying, " You can't fix stupid." Well I can tell you it's very true. I think the entire free world knows that this area has been getting rain, rain, rain and even more rain. After all it's why most of them have gotten off the road, right? So tell me, why would you leave YOUR OWN car parked so that it covers over half of the entrance to the spot you want to back into with your motorhome? Don't you think the idea of MOVING THE CAR would enter your mind so you could back up with ease? I'm blonde but even I figured that out. So what does the fool do? You guessed it, backs up on the grass, completely missing half of the gravel area on which to park. Decides he doesn't like the spot because it's too soft and starts pulling out and get this.....she MOVES THE CAR while he's pulling out. The ruts in the grass are unbelievable.  He was flinging mud for feet as he's trying to get the thing back on the hardtop. Then he just drives away, doesn't get out to even attempt to fix the damage (which will require a lot of work and fill) or even look at it. Honestly, I seriously wonder if people like that are fit to drive on the public roads. If they make those kinds of decisions about parking what kind of decisions are they making about driving. Sorry for the rant.

 

We found out these stately looking buildings are part of the Mental Health Unit here in Bolivar.  They have big no trespassing signs, no site seeing, and no entry.

 As I finish this post the sun is slowly sinking and while I should be out there taking pictures I'm not going to be as I have more than enough pictures for tonight's post. Yesterday I removed 2500 pictures from my computer and will remove some more in the near future too. So I'm going to try to keep the pictures to a more reasonable number and will of course back them up on another hard drive but I seriously don't need that many pictures. I have the best ones on the blog posts so keeping the others isn't that important, I don't think. 

 

As you can see it's well over the banks and still rising. The water is very muddy and like I said before, very fast flowing.

 

Anyway, here I am rambling on and on while I know you all have things to do. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit and your day. Feel free to leave a comment. I read them all. 

 

This to me just says.....south eastern states....Elegant, stately, proud, regal.....

 

 

Until next time..... take care, be safe, 

 

Deb

 

 

A bit of work, a bit of touring and the sun makes an appearance.....

Our Location: Big Buck Resort, Hornsby, Tennessee

(205 Sparks Road)

 

I have to tell you we've been sleeping late here in Big Buck. Due to the fact, at least in my case, that I cover my bed room window as there is a street light just outside my window. So in the morning it's often after 7 before I open my peepers. This morning it was right about 7:15 am. However we have nothing much on the agenda so it doesn't really matter when we get up. 

 

The Bank of Bolivar was once attached to other buildings as you can see by the picture.

 

A bit of tidying up and our hot drinks brought us to the late hour of 9:30 am before we were on our way out the door heading into the little town of Bolivar to get a few parts and pieces for the Weboost. On the way we stopped at the office to check on the mail delivery as we are still expecting ONE package, Riley's charge cords for her Tablet. Bonus, the package arrived and was waiting for us. Since Riley has been waiting for these cords for some time, we came back to the Igloo to check it out, make sure it fit and all that good stuff. At first she couldn't get it to fit, and was in the process of getting upset. I asked if I might try and sure enough with a little effort it fit perfectly. Riley is now a happy camper.  We left it charging and headed off to town. 

 

A nice little hardware store, well stocked with knowledgeable people....

 

Bolivar is a cute little town with a number of businesses and some very helpful people. Our first stop was the Bolivar Hardware Store, I wanted some clips to run some cables and keep them in place (as I won't be fishing them through the walls, I'm not that talented), and I wanted an extension of the antenna cord. The nice fellow there had the clips, a bit bigger than I wanted but the ones he had will work fine. One down, he had no cable of the size I wanted, and he didn't carry any metal plates which also might solve one of the problems. He didn't know anyone that would have the cable but suggested McKnights Welding shop on the edge of town to get the metal plate. He gave me directions and after paying for our purchase we were on our way back toward the east and turned down Highway 18 toward the welding shop. 

 

Brooks Automotive, some nice folks here too...

 

Just a couple of miles away from the hardware store we turned into a yard that was definitely a welding shop even though no name was visible. I explained what I wanted the plate for to the two nice fellows in the shop, and we walked around looking for something to fit the bill. For $5 I picked up a piece of metal plate about 6" X 8" to see if it would improve the signal by bouncing it back to the aerial (as mentioned in a number of videos I've watched). I may paint it a silver colour to help with the reflection. I asked them about the coax cable and they suggested the auto parts store, Brooks Automotive. Back past the hardware store, toward the Walmart, turn right at Joe's restaurant before the big hill and Brooks Auto Parts is right there on the right. I kid you not, those were the instructions. Being a country girl I followed them quite easily.

 

Hwy 18 toward McKnight's Welding.....

 

We found Brooks Auto Parts, right where the nice fella at McKnight's Welding said it would be. They didn't have any cable either, nor did they have any idea where I could get any of that size. I also asked about clips to attach the cables (thinking they may have a better idea than the hardware store) but they didn't have anything that was acceptable for the job. They apologized for not being able to help. How kind is that? 

 

 

We haven't reached McKnight's yet....

 

Back in the Dogsled we headed home once again. It's amazing what the sunshine will do for a person. The clouds had been breaking up all morning and sure enough by the time we were heading back home the sun had made an appearance. The wind was still cold but the sun made it nicer. Arriving home we were once again greeted by Axel the Husky. He settled himself under the Igloo while we were inside and if we stepped out he was right there to see if we were going to fed him, pet him or talk to him. 

Cute little house in Bolivar....

A quick trip up on the roof to set the metal plate there and the antenna in the middle to check it out for increased reception before heading down and using the wire holders to get all these cables out of the way securely. 

Driving down US64 East in Bolivar......

I can't say the receptions any better, but it isn't any worse either. So I'm not sure if the metal plate should be bigger, a different kind, or if the antenna just needs to be upgraded to something more substantial. We also need to order more coax cable from Amazon so we can move the inside antenna further from the outside antenna. We have one light that keeps flashing red and we can't seem to stop that. I'm hoping that the extra cable will allow us to put the inside antenna further from the windows and the outside antenna. 

 

Heading back to Big Buck....

 

After that we tried to sit outside for a while but the wind is too cold, and I moved back inside before too long. We had a nice pasta lunch and I headed upstairs to have a bit of a nap. It was a quick one, about an hour and I was finished. After that I finished my book, and started this post. Edited the pictures first of course.Then to write the post and get it ready for publishing. Always loading the pictures is the longest part. I will admit I've been very lax about reading blogs the last couple of days, I've just not had the energy. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get caught up.

 

The little Bistro here at the park....

 

As I was writing this post someone stopped with a side by side to pick up Axel, I think it may have been his family. He made a bit of noise in the way of talking back but eventually climbed into the vehicle and off they went. I"m sure he'll be back tomorrow.

 

Coming through the front gate....

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. 

 

If you like to fish, you're in luck here....

 

Until next time... take care, be safe, 

 

This is Axel the Husky, greeting me as I get out of the Dogsled.

HRH Miss Kitty is not pleased to see Axel on the patio.....Axel on the other hand wants to know if SHE can be in there why can't I come in?

 

 

Deb 

Laundry, internet, more clouds......

Our Location: Big Buck Resort, Hornsby, Tennessee

(205 Sparks Road)

 

Well I finally got yesterday's post out. The internet was so slow last night and we could barely get on, never mind actually do anything. There is a cabin across the driveway from us with 3 young folks, and I wonder, I'm only guessing though, if they are streaming things in the evening. They are about that age and while they were outside yesterday afternoon the internet worked fine. So it's a guess. 

 

As you can see the ducks kind of make themselves right at home.

This morning dawned with a bit brighter skies but that didn't last long as the clouds rolled in and the air is almost muggy now. The wind has picked up once again as seems to be the norm this spring no matter where we are located. Although I will say this wind isn't anything compared to what we had in Texas. 

 

As you can see there are some more ducks on the other side of the water. The playground over there and the trash dumpsters as well.

 

We enjoyed our hot drinks and chatted about the day ahead. We needed to do some laundry. We could of course use the park laundry but I prefer to do it all at once not one load at a time. There is only one washer, and 2 working dryers in the laundry house here and that would mean constantly running back and forth for most of the day as we always have four loads, three large and one small. So we once again climbed back into the Big Dog and headed out to check out a facility we noticed late yesterday on our way home. It's in the town of Bolivar, not very from here. It's a very small little spot right on main drag, and while I would have used it, Riley wasn't one bit interested. So as to our agreement, if we both don't agree then we don't see it, use it, stay there, etc. Back into the Dogsled we went further west to the town of Somerville, and checked out there facilities. I'll just say we climbed back into the Dogsled and asked a nice lady if there was somewhere we could do laundry other than the local one she'd just walked out of as well. She nodded and said 'Oakland. Do you know where that is?" I nodded and said,'Yes, is it any nicer than this one?" She smiled and said,"Oh my yes, it's very clean, very nice, not like this dump." We smiled, thanked the nice lady and turned left out the driveway. We had been in the Oakland facility yesterday but some one had been smoking inside and Riley wasn't impressed. Today it smelled much better and we managed to do all of our laundry. It's clean, well kept, a bit far from Big Buck but worth the drive. Plenty to see on the way.

 

The park is filling up....

 

We didn't take the camera and so I have no new pictures for today's post, sorry. We did however manage to find our way home by shortly before 1 pm this afternoon. Always nice to be have the morning chores completed. We were greeted by Axel the Husky. He's a very friendly older dog and wanders the campground according to a fellow I chatted with yesterday. Apparently Axel belongs to one of the neighbouring houses and comes to visit on a regular basis. We however didn't see him last fall. Axel is a big dog, although I'm sure most of it is fur. He's extremely friendly and always wants to come inside. I think we'd have a difficult time getting him out and beside HRH Miss Kitty wouldn't like it much so Axel is not a welcome visitor at the door. 

 

Toward the clubhouse....

 After lunch Riley took a walk to the dumpster to deposit our trash and headed on around to the main office to check on our packages. Sure enough Axel was right with her most of the way and when she returned and came inside he climbed up on the picnic table to lay down. Much warmer off the cement I guess. When he got down from the table he broke one of the seat boards which was already cracked and in danger of breaking anyway. It's an old table but for sure it now needs to be fixed. 

 

Riley returned with another one of the packages we've been expecting. Yeah... we've been looking forward to this package for a while. It's our weboost and I can tell you it's working fantastically. We had it out and temporarily installed within a half hour and it's improved our signal greatly. Not just the park wifi but also our own private wifi as well. We're not as fast as 4G but we're pretty fast compared to what we've been getting. I don't believe it's the one I ordered but it's working and I'm happy. It's designed for a car/truck and there is no where to connect the Jet Pack to it, but that's okay I think. It works well enough as it is. 

 

This is our little spot # 18. We're across from cabin 5 with the internet hub.

 

We have one more package which should arrive tomorrow, cords for Riley's tablet. Hopefully they are the correct cords and that will be the end of our needing to get any more packages. 

 

So we've set up the weboost temporarily until I go out tomorrow and get a couple of parts that we need before we install it securely. Those I can pick up at Bolivar or if necessary I could get them from Amazon I guess. Anyway, we're happy with our purchase and I believe it will be a very good addition to our home. 

 

Pretty broken, isn't it?

  The park is very quiet, the rain is holding off but threaten ing, the wind is gusty at times and non existent at other times. We're snug and warm in our little Igloo and all is right with the world. It's a good life!!

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. Nothing too exciting but at least you now know we won't be running around naked since we managed to get the laundry done!!! I can tell you are all relieved about that, and so are we! Feel free to leave a comment!!

 

Our new Weboost....temporary quarters until tomorrow.

 

 

Until next time...take care, be safe, 

 

 

Deb.