Ohio, snow, rain, brrrrrr........

Our Location: Punderson State Park, Newbury, Ohio

(Thursday April 6, 2017 post)

I slept very well last night, Riley apparently woke and fell back to sleep often. The rain, the wind and the occasional flapping or banging of something seemed to be the culprit for her. I woke to steady rain, and the sound of a diesel big rig pulling out of the lot. It cooled off during the night enough that I got up around 3 am and closed the living room window but had no trouble falling back to sleep.

With the rain and the wind looking as if they might continue all day we decided to pull out and at least give it a try, if it wasn’t good traveling we could always back off. At 9 am we pulled in the slides, locked up, chugged our way over to the gas bar to fill up with diesel. About 15 minutes later we were on the road.

Still in Kentucky, in Covington actually, heading down the long grade to the bridge over the river into Cincinnati, Ohio

The day passed rather the same as yesterday except rain was pretty much an annoying mist and slop from the passing vehicles. Not enough to turn the wipers on fully and to much to turn them off completely. The temps however were much lower coming in at a high today of 43F/6C  and at times it dropped lower to about 37F/3C. A steady side/head wind buffeted us pretty much the whole day. The wind was from the north and we traveled north east all day long. We were also in the foot hills which made the roadway almost like a wind tunnel at times. However it was not dangerous and at no time did I feel unsafe. We travel with the Dogsled in tow mode, I set the cruise at 55 mph/85 km and with the engine brake we stayed pretty much right there.

We stopped a few times but with the cold temps they weren’t long stops. ~laugh~ I even pulled out our mittens, we wore heavy sweaters and I think Riley has also pulled her footed tights. With the heat cranked inside the cab we were pretty toasty.

Heading into Cincinnati, Ohio but still in Covington, KY

Riley managed a nap for a bit this afternoon. I’m sure it must be difficult to sit there for such long periods but she brings things to occupy herself as well. She’s turning into quite the GPS expert and can usually find whatever we’re looking for if she’s not rushed. She’s the go to person while we travel, she’s the water boy, the snack giver, the navigator, the sign watcher and the communications expert. She wears a number of hats each time we start out in the Dogsled. She is becoming very good at road signs and helping me to determine which lane we should be for upcoming changes, she also have figured out the ‘exit only’ signs and will point out I should get over one lane. ~laugh~ I tell her in advance which is our next city (for directional purposes, even if we aren’t going to go that far or thru that city) and she’s pretty good at determining from the signs what we need. It’s something I’ve been encouraging every day that we were out and about in the Dogsled. I’m not sure how much she will retain when we arrive back on the island where road signs are few and interchanges are non existent. However it’s something she’s picked up over the past few months and I’m very proud of her for doing so.

Today while Miss Riley was napping I saw a car in the medium against the wire banged up on both ends, no ambulance but a couple of state troopers with flashing lights were on scene. Traffic was backed up a bit on the other side but not our side. Ohio is the one state in which speeders are ticketed on a pretty consistent basis. I don’t think we travelled for more than 50 miles at one stretch without seeing someone pulled over. At one of the rest stops it was a tight squeeze between the back of a state trooper’s vehicle and the big rig parked along the edge of the parking surface. The trooper obviously followed a trucker into the lot and was giving him some grief, in fact he still had his roof rack lights on while sitting in the rest stop parking area. I counted 7 different sets of blues whirling in the air in less than 10 minutes. Smokey never sleeps. ~laugh~

Crossing the river into Cincinnati,Ohio

Our arrival at Punderson State Park was at about 3:30 pm EST as we crossed back into our own time zone yesterday. The park is very nice and I’m sure lovely in the summer time when the leaves are out, the air is hot and the sun is shining. However right now it’s cold, windy and damp. The forecast is calling for snow and I’m certain it’s falling outside now. Full hook ups in the RV world means water, electric and sewer, here at Punderson it means water and electric and according to a fella I spoke with camping here the new water spigots don’t work properly, the springs aren't heavy enough to keep the handles up and the back pressure causes the water to blow out the valve and releases the handle back to the closed position. Needless to say that’s not a good thing. The ranger told this fella that it’s to encourage people to fill their fresh water tanks and not just rely on the water hook up. I thought that was rather foolish. Some of the sites have the new water connection that stands about 3 feet out of the ground, with a feature that allows them to drain back out in the cold weather so there is no need to winterize them. They’ve had either a huge snow melt or lots of rain here as the ground is very soft everywhere. One has to be very careful about not getting on the grass or one might need some assistance in getting out. ~laugh~

Riley set up the inside of the Igloo including turn on the heater (brrrrrr) while I was outside setting up the electric and water. I wrapped the water line in insulation foam to hopefully keep it from freezing. I then gathered our garbage of which we had a lot walked off to find the dumpster.  I also found the Iron Ranger (pay station) with the little cards to fill out and drop in the box. Like the fella I chatted with earlier, I thought the price was half the regular price right now but he said no, it’s a full $34/35 per night, plus $10 for a dump fee. I disagree with the dump fee since I’m parking here and paying to stay and so I didn’t include that fee in my payment. We’re only staying two nights and we won’t have to dump here. I’m looking for a spot closer to the border in which to camp with full hook ups and I’ll dump there.

Some green here in the rolling hills of Ohio.

I called my dad tonight to tell him of our arrival here. He worries and it’s a small thing to call him and let him know we’re safe and sound. It sounds as if they are getting the same kind of weather there as here but with a bit warmer temps there. They are just finishing up the maple sap run for the spring. Everything is boiled and needing to be strained/cleaned but their season is now complete. The buckets and spiles are being removed, cleaned and put away for another season. I’m looking forward to having some McMurray Maple Syrup in the near future.

The long range forecast is cold for Friday with some tricky weather for driving, and we’re staying put. Saturday the temps are going to reach mid 50F/10C, and Sunday, Monday they are pointing to 70F/20C, so we just have two nights and one day to get thru before the weather is decent again. Tomorrow I’ll hook up the propane heater to help keep us toasty.

Some cloudy skies overhead

Due to the weather I’m not sure if we will venture into the Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame, it’s 30 miles away. We shall however see what the day brings.

As I write this it’s snow/rain mix but with the drop in temps I’m sure it will be snow before much longer. To think we left 80F/25C just a few days ago makes me shiver all the more. I’m sure the Big Dog is wondering what the hell is going on, it’s been a southern truck all it’s short life. ~laugh~

Further north from Cinnci there is little signs of spring.

Once again the Dogsled did great on fuel consumption with having traveled todays 320 miles on about 2/3’s of a tank of fuel. Considering the conditions I think it did great and I’m very pleased with it.

So on that note, I’m going to sign off. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Stay warm, stay out of trouble and stay in touch. Until next time…be safe, take care…

A full travel day, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky....

Our Location: Walmart front yard, Carrolton, Kentucky

Woke this morning ( I'd just dozed off from being awake since 2 am) in the early wee hours just before dawn to the sound of rumbling thunder, police sirens, and flashing lights, along with the sound of hard rain pouring down. It was torrential, you couldn't see anything outside. It sounded as if it were going to pound it's way inside. ~laugh~ The cop was sitting beside a big rig a few rows over from us but I don't know what the issue was, he never came by our door but the big rig left within about 5 minutes of the cops noise makers going off. 

Rainy start to our day

The temps were warmish, in the mid 60 F range, that's about 18.3 C for the Canuckies in the crowd. The rain was wet, I know hard to believe but it's true. It stopped long enough for us to get ourselves into the Dogsled and headed out. It started raining again when we got on the Interstate. Not much, just enough to have to use the wipers on about mid delay. Pretty soon it was just sloppy from the road and not falling from the sky any longer. Not long after we just ran right out of it, the roads dried up, the sun came out, the skies turned blue, the temps were soaring and leveled off at 82F/27.7C. Not too shabby at all even though we were driving. I can tell you that we wrestled each other for the control of the AC, Riley was cold and I was hot, she would turn the blower down and the heat gauge to half blue, I would sneak it back to ALL blue and inch the blower up a notch or two once in a while. Finally she just put her sweater on. ~laugh~

Starting to brighten up

We left Alabama behind for Tennessee and then later in the day traded that in for Kentucky. The vistas were beautiful, the early morning fog truly was like smoke wafting thru the trees, over the road and along the hill tops. Spring has reverted to it's pre green stage the further north we come. Here in Kentucky some trees are out in bloom and just a few hints of green can be seen around. We chatted off and on about the things Riley has experienced during our travels, the different people, the different cultures and mannerisms of those she met and those she just observed. She made some very astute observations, connecting the ideas of why she enjoyed some parks more than others and why she truly enjoyed some areas more than others. Her favourite parks were easy to guess and she enjoyed them because of the people and the experiences. It was an interesting conversation.

Look where we are now.

We managed to contact Miss Laura at Southern Chevrolet in Foley, Alabama this morning to work on our issues with the truck papers. She is a fantastic lady and I truly appreciate her assistance in this task. I'm hopeful we can have it all straightened out in time for us to cross by Wed or Thursday next week. A case of one hand not telling the other what needs to be done.

Could that the smoke of the famed Smoky Mountains we see ahead?

The Customs Brokers have been in touch giving me information about what I need to supply and will then give me more detailed instructions about how and what to do when I cross. I'll be honest, it's not a day I'm looking forward to except that when I leave the border area it'll be all behind me. Yeah!!!!! ~laugh~ 

Look at all that green on the hillside.

The Dogsled was running in fine form again today. The route was very different than yesterday with many more rolling grades, hills and even bigger hills at times. We also had the rain to contend with which makes it difficult to use the cruise. We had more cities to get thru today as well, plus many interchanges to connect with, all of those things combined to make the gas mileage a little bit less than yesterday but still very good. I used the engine brake today and it works amazingly well. I think the Big Dog was feeling pretty proud today when he was rolling along and not making any effort at all in the hills and the downgrades, he was just running along nice and easy. A steady sure pace all day long and not once did he seem to struggle or pant, hell he didn't break a sweat. ~laugh~

This big T-Rex fella was starting at us as we hurried past

We travelled 420 miles today, a total of 9 hours but that included about 6 or 7 stops along the way some for as long as a half hour at a time. The time was 8:30 am CDT to 5:30 pm CDT but when we stopped for the night we were in EDT so it was actually 6:30 pm. That would be 10 hours but due to the time zone change it was actually only 9.  Did ya get all that? ~laugh~  We are now back in our own time zone. Last fall we travelled 'back in time' for a total of 2 hours getting to do ONE hour over again when we left Eastern Time for Central Time plus another hour when we moved the clocks back when daylight savings time ended ( we were in South Carolina at the time). Now heading home according to Riley we've 'gone back to the future' losing those 2 hours....we've already lost an hour when we changed to daylight savings time and today when we crossed the time line we lost another one. No wonder we're tired and have no idea what time it is. ~laugh~

Home state of the famed Kentucky Derby, not just Honest Abe.

Diesel food for the Big Dog ran the scale from $2.29 to $2.59 per gallon according to the signs I noticed. I managed to squeeze a fifty dollar bill into the tank around 12:30 after running approximately 5 hours this morning. That's about $10 more than yesterday but the gauge was lower today too. So the Big Dog is eating at a consistent rate if I keep him checked in at about 55 mph. I think he's found his groove. ~laugh~ 

A Mercedes motor home towing a Saturn.

We settled in for the night on the front yard of Walmart in Carrolton, Kentucky on I-71 North between Louisville and Cincinnati. Lots of others around tonight but we're parked with the big rigs due to the tip in the landscape where the other RV'ers are parked. It all slopes down to the drain and I was worried Riley would roll to the back of her bed and not be able to get out so we opted for the company of the Really Big Dogs. ~laugh~ It rained when we were just arriving, then stopped and has once again sprinkled while I write this post, but can you believe it's stopped again? 

Pretty shades of green on the hillside.

We strolled over to Subway for dinner in a bag. Riley ate her whole foot long, I managed to eat half of mine which I'm sure will be all I get of it because I could see Riley eyeing it up thinking about lunch tomorrow. ~laugh~ We also headed into Wally's to pick up a few munchies for the road tomorrow. They help to keep the sugar levels from getting too far out of whack. Of course we always have lots of water available too but that causes other issues such as having to potty break often and toss a coin to see who gets the first seat. ~laugh~ We even give the kitty a potty break when we have one, of course we have to leave the Igloo for her to do her business after coming out of the Dogsled. She's not happy about having to leave her home and be seen in the company of a DOG!!! ~laugh~ I think it's truly embarrassing for her. Oh the shame of it all. 

I love the contrasting colours.

So after dinner I did some emails, some work for the broker, checked in on facebook, called my dad, and managed to write this post. It's now pushing on toward 9 pm and I'm getting pretty tuckered. I think I may just fall asleep early tonight. Hopefully I stay asleep which seems to be my problem of late. I'm tired and fall asleep only to wake up in 2 hours and not be able to go back to sleep. It's so frustrating when that happens. Makes for a long day the next day.

I believe this might be Louisville, Ky (it may not be though ~laugh~)

We're hoping to check into a state park near Cleveland, Ohio tomorrow and stay there a couple or three nights, depending on the border situation or we may find a campground closer to Buffalo for a night or two just because it will make the day we cross shorter without having to drive from Cleveland first. Anyway, we'll see how it goes tomorrow and the next few days. Hopefully everything works out according to plan, if not we have a back up plan. Always good to have a back up plan, don't ya think? I even have a back up to the back up. Damn I'm good, huh? ~laugh~

On that note, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed your visit to my little neighourhood. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time.....be safe, take care...

On the road, more bumps than just construction....

Our Location: Exit 108, Burke Outlet Shopping Center, Bessemer, Alabama

A cooler night last night but still nice enough to leave all the windows open overnight. This morning dawned with only a slight chill in the air but warmed up significantly throughout the day. The high temps today 84F/28.8C. It was a warm one. ~laugh~

Up at the fire it was Mac and I for a bit, then Bobby showed up followed by Swilley, then we added Robert to the mix as well as Mike, Pete and Paige. A bit later on Pat and Billy also showed up but I had left at that point. 

US 49 North out of Gulfport, MS heading toward Wiggins, MS

Mr. Swilley came with the news that the river was rising and moving might be in order. Then there was the 'it's not rising very fast so we don't have to worry' followed by ' Butch says everyone has to go" and then 'well it seems to have crested'. We went to the Wolfe and looked for ourselves, it was 6 ft and surging a bit. We left there went to Walmart to get some fuel and dry cat food, came back to the Wolf River once again and it was over the 6 ft mark with no visible signs of any part of the 6, which meant it was still rising. We came home and packed up deciding that it was easier to just hit the road and not hem and haw about it for a matter of a couple of days. Mac left about 10:30 am, and we pulled out about a half hour later. Trish and Mike were also heading out today. 

We said our goodbyes, gave and received hugs from those wonderful folks there that we have come to know pretty well. It's always sad to leave but it's nice to be on the road again. Hopefully we'll see them all again at some point down the road but if we don't our lives have been enriched greatly by knowing them even for the short time we have. We have been fortunate to meet such wonderful people in our life time. Thanks to Mac, Billy, Charlene, Swilley, Mike, Trish, Paige, Pete, Pat, Robert and Amanda for seeing us off today.

Noticed this old timer along the way.

We pointed the nose of the Dogsled north to reach I-10 EAST, then chased our tail to get on to US49N in Gulfport, from there it was a straight shot to I-20/59 NORTH. We passed thru or near the Mississippi towns/cities of Saucier, Lyman, Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Meridian. We crossed over in to Alabama and continued our trek North East until we came to rest here in Bessemer, a bedroom community of Birmingham. We arrived here about 6:30 pm. 

I filled up the Dogsled's food bowl this morning at Murphy's USA on US 90 at Walmart, the price for a gallon of diesel food was $2.19, I was thrilled with that price. I filled up again at Knoxville, Alabama after 5 straight hours (55 mph for a total of 240 miles) of driving. I thought the gauge was faulty, we left before noon and were still driving at 5:30 pm on the top half of the tank. I pulled in to a fuel stop, filled the dog bowl once again and you know what? It was right on the money, used 17.6 gallons of fuel to travel that distance. I am very impressed. That's just under 14 miles to the gallon fully loaded/towing and driving in tow mode as well. I used cruise so I know I stayed consistent at 55 mph with few variations. The big dog did good. ~laugh~ 

His older brother, or maybe just more USED brother.

We pulled into the Walmart here in Bessemer, Alabama went to customer service asked about spending the night. Negative, nada, nope, no. The Walmart does not allow anyone to stay over night. It's not a city ordinance, it's a Walmart decision. The nice young man told us to try the Burkes Outlet just down the hill and so we did. The nice sales clerk told us it was fine and so we tucked in here at the bottom of the hill under the streetlight for the night.

We walked back to Walmart to get a rotisserie chicken even though they wouldn't allow us to park. I walked Riley back to the Igloo and then I walked over to Sonic to get some fries (it's been a long time either of us have had fries) to go with our chicken. We should have skipped the fries, they were awful. It was our first time to eat anything from Sonic, I think it may be the last one too. The chicken was good though. I added an orange to my dinner and we were finished. 

HRH looking around on her travel day in some time.

After that I called my dad to chat for a bit, brag a bit about the Dogsled's great performance today and to tell him where we can be found tonight. After that I started on the paperwork for the border crossing. This is when things started NOT going according to plan.

 I was not aware the brokers needed 5 days to do all the paperwork( I was under the impression they needed the paperwork just 72 hours prior) and I was not aware that the state of Alabama does not give the TITLE to the vehicle in the 'parting' package they gave me. They need to mail the title which will not work in my case and I'm kind of in a dither about that. I need that title in hand no later than Tuesday so I can cross the border and I don't know if a copy will do for me. They can email the title to the broker (a copy if okay for that) but the broker needs to have it for 5 days before I can cross. I also need a copy of the vendors NAFTA certificate to do my dance at the border which Mr. Manley said they would email tomorrow to the broker and a copy to me. 

Military presence here in the south, NO plates.

We will be in Cleveland for a few days and I'm hoping I can pick up the title at a Chevy Dealership there, maybe they can fed ex the thing there or something. I don't know if I could get it at a campground in Cleveland as I'm not sure where we will be staying yet. Hell I don't know if they can even have it in 5 days. See what I get for procrastinating? I need to stop doing that, this will be my lesson for certain!! So instead of sending any paperwork tonight I'll be on the phone in the morning trying to figure this stuff out!

So now you're caught up with us. Are we having fun yet? ~laugh~ I'll just bet you're saying, How come she didn't know she didn't have the title, how stupid can she be? Well I'll tell ya in Ontario you walk out with the title, you know that's the piece you take to renew your tag, they stick one piece on the back of the title and you put the other piece on the plate. They gave me everything I needed to get the tags so I assumed that meant it was the title. Oh how wrong I was and how foolish do I feel now? VERY VERY. 

We have been in and out of this state for a half times this trip.

However there is nothing I can do about it now, I'll deal with it tomorrow and we'll go from there. We can extend our insurance for a couple of days if we have to and I can extend the truck insurance for a month as well. Riley's first appointment isn't until the 14th so hopefully we get everything worked out for that. Stay tuned for the rest of.....yes, she's blonde!!! ~laugh~
 

It's after 11 pm and I'm tired so I'll sign off. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time..be safe, take care..   

Water, walk, and the Wolfe River......

Our Location: Magic River RV Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(all photos taken in the campground with the Nikon camera)

The morning started off loud and flashy before there was even a hint of morning light in the air. The long awaited storm came upon us with a vengeance around 5:30 am or so. The thunder was loud and seemed directly overhead, the lightning was flashy and often, the rain poured down in buckets at a time. This carried on for some time, probably close to an hour. Finally the skies lightened, the rain tapered off, and thunder along with his pal lightning moved off to annoy someone else. 

The water was laying in many places but also running in other places. If you know anything about the park here you will know that the swamp is easily filled and the water usually flows INTO the ponds, today the water was flowing across the north road between the maintenance shed and the bath house, thru the middle playground area, going thru the tile at the end of the row then making it's way across the back of the row to the EAST pond, from there it was flowing thru the tiles back to the west north west direction into the swamp. ~laugh~ A circle for sure. 

There wasn't much damage, a few loose branches came down but other than the water there was nothing to talk about. A few campers had leaks during the storm but of course anytime you get a strong wind and rain it's possible to have a leak due to driven water. I think it's a tougher kind of thing to solve as you're not certain if it's actually a leak or if it's a case of being driven into a vent opening, etc. Ah well our Igloo was dry, we're happy campers. 

No fire this morning, too wet, too windy, to loud, too flashy, and you get the idea. However we did manage to all come out after the water stopped falling from the heavens, we assessed the water situation, discussed a number of things but basically just patted each other on the back and glad we managed the storm with such ease. 

Monday is cleaning day as you know but part way thru the work I grabbed the Nikon camera put on my new rainy boots and headed out to take some pics. I know you're thinking I left Riley to do all the work but it's not true, honest it's not. ~laugh~ I was able to get tonight's pic while enjoying the cooler air. Even managed to chat with Mr. Swilley for a bit at the maintenance shed. He assured me if we get flooded out I'll have a spot up by the office. I told him I appreciate it but if we get flooded out we'll just head out and start our trek north, but otherwise we'll be leaving here Friday morning. 

After a quick stop to feed the camp cat I headed home to finish up my part of the housework. It was a deep cleaning day today, I emptied the area under my bathroom sink, cleaned, tidied, sorted, tossed and kept a number of items there. Same thing in the medicine cabinet, the closets, and my dresser area. Next I tackled the pantry, rearranging and making note of the things we have. After that it was time to wash the floors. That done I had to have some breakfast as Riley had eaten earlier. The time was now 10:45 am. It was a late breaky. ~laugh~ 

Finished eating and decided to tackle a few housekeeping chores of a business nature. Having trouble paying my Verizon bill on line, I have no zip code to attach to my credit card so it refuses payment. I know rare for a company to refuse payment but you get the idea. ~laugh~ I ended up on the phone to Customer Service getting this issue fixed for future payments. The nice young man explained the plan to me again which wasn't anything like the plan I originally signed up for but we discussed a newer plan that might work better for us, we'll see when reach the island if we can use our mifi or not. Then we'll discuss our options. 

As I"m on the phone with the man from Customer Service I see Charlene & Billy heading out, and I realize it's Red Beans and Rice Monday but I'm just starting to get my issue resolved, hmmm...what to do.... We opted to miss it today even though its to be our last one of the season. I didn't want to lose my place in line with Verizon and I couldn't take the guy with me. ~laugh~ 

After that phone call I had to make a call to Southern Chevrolet in Foley, Alabama  to ask about fees I may have paid while using the debit machine. I spoke with Miss Kim in the finance department and she assured me there were no fees attached to the machine but that I had been over charged when I purchased the truck. Today they have credited my debit card over $1000.00 US, yes that is a thousand! That made me smile. ~laugh~ Now I"m waiting on a letter to state the the price I paid is not what's listed in the paper work so I won't have to pay extra money on it. 

From there I decided I couldn't do anything more until I get this information so we stomped out the door into the Dogsled and with the crack of a whip we were soon rolling over to the sports complex for me to walk. Riley read her book while I put in my 3 miles today. It was pretty warm walking at noon thirty!! I enjoyed it though, it reminded me of my running days when I would run at 1 pm in the heat of the day!!! I just loved it, I'd be warm and the run would come easily as did the sweat. ~laugh~ 

The Dogsled spun out of the parking lot on a mission as we headed north up Beatline to the Passport America office, today was also pay day for them and we left them some good old US dollars for the privilege of staying a few more nights here in the campground. They wished us safe travels and invited us back next year. Nice folks up there. 

Back to the Igloo we realized it's definitely lunch time but I first headed next door to explain to Mac why we hadn't been at lunch. Well it wasn't actually to Mac's yard but to Mike and Miss Trish's yard where they were all standing around chatting. I of course just pulled up a bench and joined in. They are such a nice couple. Miss Trish is from the deep south and has such a wonderful accent and some interesting sayings as well as a way of saying things that you just don't find anywhere else. They are heading out tomorrow morning and we wish them safe travels, good tailwinds and sunny skies. Perhaps we'll meet them again in our future travels. 

After that I really did come home and have some lunch. It was almost 3 pm before I finished. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading both inside and outside as it warmed up nicely, drying up a lot of the still water but not doing much to lower the depth of the flowing water. 

 

 

I heard Robert over at Mac's talking about the Wolfe River and moving up, river watch, etc. so I headed over to listen, it seems as if the river is at about 4.6 but dropped to 4' even. It seems they think it will rise again due to weather further north and west of us and they just want us to be aware that we may have to move, not that we have to yet. So something to keep in mind. When it reaches 8' it's time to move out. If that happens we'll just point our noses north.

Around 5:30 pm Billy hollered at me, they were up at the fire pit, no fire but just around the area. I headed up finding Mac, Billy & Charlene as well as Mr Bobby chatting in the circle. Some of the stories are priceless and I enjoy listening to them. Some people lead such an interesting life!!! ~laugh~Riley came along shortly after Mac departed and we all chatted a bit longer until the bugs started coming out. Magic the camp cat used both my lap and Riley's lap for quite some time while we were sitting there. 

Home again Riley had left over pasta and I munched on a few Triscuit crackers as I wasn't too hungry having just finished lunch pretty late. After that it was back down to a game of Yahtzee. I know you can see my happy face and my happy dance. Yes, yes, yes I won again. ~laugh~ And I rolled a Yahtzee, of course so did Riley but I rolled mine FIRST. ~laugh~ 

After that I finished my book and then headed up here to edit pics, do the blog and check mail, face book, etc. So a busy type day, an enjoyable one as well. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to comment. Until next time..be safe, take care...

Overcast, busy day....

Our Location: Magic River RV Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(all photos taken with my phone)

A nice night last night, a different kind of dampness in the air this morning. More just the early morning kind of feeling to the place today. The day was overcast and pretty breezy with the wind continuing to pick up as the day went on. This evening the wind is almost steady as it blows the storm into our area. Our temps were moderate today, about 75F/23.8C, so a nice day temp wise. 

Seal Avenue, a new to us street.

I told Mac yesterday I was going to sleep in today and I didn't get out of bed until shortly after 6 am. I was up to the fire by 6:15 am and Mac had the coffee going, the fire raging and was singing to himself. We had a nice chat about nothing important but it was quiet and easy. I like those kinds of morning chats. The usual faces didn't show up this morning but Billy's face appeared along with the rest of him as well!! He was hyped on pain meds and talked a mile a minute for a while. Just the three of us for the duration of my stay, but I'm certain others showed up later.

Ugly rims on this Seal Avenue Car.

Back to the Igloo for breakfast, we both had a bagel this morning. Riley has some French Toast Swirl thing, and I have Cinnamon Raisin. As if hers isn't sweet enough she adds Honey Peanut Butter to it. I have mine dry. ~laugh~ Pulled out some sausage for dinner tonight, even though it's pasta night. 

After breakfast we hit the road running, well not really, we drove but you get the idea. First we headed out to the walking path so I could put in my time there. Riley didn't walk today but I managed 3 laps in 58 minutes. ~laugh~ I'm two minutes faster than last time. It was warm walking but I found an easy stride and just kind of zoned out letting my mind run over all kinds of topics while I walked. At this point there is no need for comments from anyone about my mind. ~laugh~ 

Interesting sticker on the back of this car. I won't explain why the writing is backwards. ~laugh~

I've noticed on my walks that the greenery surrounding the path is getting thicker, the wild flowers or weeds are blooming and some are spent, their foliage turning brown already. We have similar wild flowers or weeds in Ontario that I've seen here, some kind of purple bell shaped flower with lots of flowers on each stem, a variation of dandelions, some clover looking type ground cover, and so on. I've seen a tree there that has bark like a cedar but spines or needles like a pine tree, but it's just coming into green now. I posted pics a few days ago. 

From there we headed the big Dogsled down Beatline Road, taking the left turn onto Pineville Road on two wheels we managed to keep it between the ditches all the way to Froogels Grocery Store. We needed some things such as veggies, a few canned goods, and some drinking water. The prices at Froogels are much better on some items than at Wally's but the fruit prices aren't nearly as good. Froogels is very much like Piggly Wiggly which states that it sells everything at cost plus 10%. 

Interesting paint job on a truck at the Flea Market

 

From there we let the Dogsled have it's nose and simply followed where it wanted to go which in fact lead us to see some new roads, possibly so new they haven't been named yet. ~laugh~ No, I'm sure they've been named but they had no name signs on them, nor did they have 'dead end' signs on them which at least one of them should have. We managed to find at least 3 new roads we've never travelled on before. Not that they lead much of anywhere but it was new to see. It was almost like the Dogsled was chasing a drunk rabbit!!~laugh~ 

Busy at the Flea Market, this one of 4 double rows, and you can only see half of it.

 

Finally with it's nose to the ground following some kind of scent, (I think maybe Rotisserie chicken) the Dogsled managed to find Wally World for us. We needed a few other things here that we couldn't get at the last store. Of course we found a few things that weren't on the list but picked up anyway. If I had been carrying a pen I would have just added them to the list!!!! Some interesting people shop at Walmart. Some interesting clothes they wear to the store as well. ~laugh~ We'll leave it at that. 

Upon leaving the store we noticed the wind was getting stronger and steadier, so the wheels took us down to the East bound lane of US 90 and a couple of pics of the Gulf of Mexico as it churned and crashed onto the white sand beach!! Pretty ugly looking colour it was.

Looks like this guy is living in his truck, see the front seat? (That's a house in the background, not something on top of the vehicle. ~laugh~ )

 

Hooking a U turn on US90 back toward the Wally's World we managed to find the road to take us home. Between Riley and the Dogsled figuring out the way we ended up right back at the Igloo with no trouble finding it!! Cudo's to both of them for making the right choices and turns. I'd say they followed the scent but that indicates something stinks, so I'll just say they did well. ~laugh~ 

We unloaded the groceries and I climbed back into the Sled to head to the Flea Market while Miss Riley stayed home and took care of the groceries. Yes you see we didn't buy EVERYTHING we needed at Froogels or Wally's and we required yet another trip out to spend more money on groceries. Damn but we seem to eat a lot of groceries, don't we? ~laugh~ 

This Caddie had rims exactly like a pick up just a few spots away.

I think I need an extra step on the running board of the Dogsled or I need to climb in and out less, it's a big step and I have short legs. ~laugh~ Letting the Dogsled find it's own pace I reached the Flea Market in short order. I wasn't interested in any fleas today just green beans and carrots from the vendor there. He always has fresh stuff. The beans have a nice snap to them and the carrots are huge, one carrot will do us in our veggie packet. I spent a total of $3.50 on beans and carrots, big spender huh? ~laugh~ 

Home again by about 1:15 - 1:30 pm I then began making my lunch which of course is a large garden salad. I also chopped up the veggies for the veggie packet for dinner at the same time. It took me 45 minutes to do 2 garden salads and a veggie packet. Almost seems like too much work for me cause I"m lazy. ~laugh~ 

 

Think they have enough Jerky at the check out line?

 

Reading and eating at the same time I managed to enjoy the start of a new book. I'm reading John Grisham's Pelican Brief. I know I've read it before but I can't remember the ending, so I'll read it again. I probably still won't remember the ending next time....however not being able to remember isn't a bad thing. I can just keep reading the same books over and over always being surprised at the end. ~laugh~ 

I sat outside for a while but wore a sweater with my short pants. The wind was too cool on my bare shoulders but not on my bare legs. The overcast sky kept the temps down, and the wind kept it down even further but it wasn't too bad. Since tonight is pasta night I cooked the sausage and veggies on the grill this afternoon in case it rained later in the day. Riley cut up the sausages, then dumped both veggies and sausage into the pasta sauce, all to be served over Bow Tie pasta. She said it was delicious and I took her word for it, as I wasn't hungry. 

Not a nice looking sky is it?

 

I noticed Mac sitting outside on the swing by the Log Cabin all by his lonesome looking like that kid that waits patiently for his friends to come outside to play, just hoping and hoping that someone will come out. I slipped on my shoes, walked up, sat down and chatted with him for a bit. Soon along came Pete, then Billy & Charlene and finally Mike. We all moved over to the fire pit area, but no fire as it's too windy. About 45 minutes of BS we finally called it off and all headed home. 

Back at the Igloo Riley was washing dishes when I got home, why couldn't I have been 10 minutes later? Dang it all!!! I grabbed a tea towel and started drying dishes upon dishes upon dishes upon dishes. I'm not sure we had any clean ones left. ~laugh~ 

Over the Gulf of Mexico

 

Riley walked the trash to the dumpster while I finished up the kitchen doing all those things we do every night, wiping counters, stoves, tables, sinks, shining up the faucet, etc. Wiping everything down with a Lysol wipe to keep the germs under control is always the last step for me at the end of doing the dishes. 

We brought out the Yahtzee game again tonight. Since I won last night Riley got to roll first. I'm doing my best to hide my smiley face and my happy dance, how am I doing? ~laugh~ I won, I won, I won. I even rolled a .........You guessed it, a Yahtzee! Yeah me....~laugh~ Documentation is very important as I don't win often!!!

 

Kind of brown coloured water as the sediment is churned up today.

 From that game we parted ways and each took off to do our own thing. I called my dad to chat but he had company so we talked maybe 5 minutes however it was nice to chat anyway. We'll be seeing him in about a month's time when we head north for the summer months. We see him then pretty much every day, sometimes twice or three times a day. 

I paid some bills on line but of course had trouble paying one as I have no Zip Code but it accepted my Credit Card with a Zip Code last time. ~sigh~ It's a lot of trouble that just doesn't seem to get any easier. It's one of the things I love about going home, I have no issue with that kind of stuff, nor do I need to enter a zip code to buy fuel at the pump. However you can't beat their weather. ~laugh~ 

 

Looking West toward Pass Christian

 

So there you have it, our day while not life altering was busier than most days here. We enjoyed it and look forward to a few more days here. Tonight and tomorrow will be stormy though so I'm not sure just how much we'll do tomorrow, it may be a watch movies kind of day but we'll see how it goes. 

 

A Happy Birthday to my Aunt Eileen as today is her big day. I think she's 29 today, although she may have turned 30 this year, I'm not sure. ~laugh~ She's my dad's youngest sister and just recently retired in the last year. So Happy Birthday Eileen up there in on Manitoulin Island!

Truly not nice looking..

 

Also birthday greetings go out to Miss Trish, the wife of Mike that I refer to often. I'm sure she is about 25 or 26 today. They spent last night at one of the local casinos for her birthday, arriving home some time in the early afternoon. A pretty lady she hails from the state of Mississippi, not Long Beach though. Happy Birthday Miss Trish!

A number of folks pulled out today leaving the campground with about 4 or 5 empty spaces. I doubt they'll be empty too long though as the folks just seem to keep those wheels turning and pulling in here pretty often.

 

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. Until next time..be safe, take care...

Blue skies, lazy day, and fixing the shade...

Our Location: Magic River RV Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(pics today are just random pics from the many we've taken)

A cool damp overnight brought drops of moisture from the trees that seemed to be oddball drip, drip, drip, all night long. Not steady enough for rain, but loud enough to make one think in a half awake state that perhaps it was raining. You know the kind I mean. The morning was cold and damp but not the fog kind of damp a more penetrating and invasive dampness, one that made your clothes feel damp just sitting outside. The day however warmed up and was very comfortable with a nice breeze and lots of sunshine. The temps reached 82F/27.7C this afternoon but it wasn't too hot. 

 

The morning fire consisted of Mac and I until Paige and Robert came along. Mac headed out to have breakfast with a long time friend Tom ( used to camp here, now has a house in the area) at 8 am at the local VFW which left only 3 of us at the fire pit. Pete dropped by after a bit and Robert left. After that I headed home myself as the cold dampness was just too much. Magic the camp cat didn't help, she would sit up on the picnic table, get her paws and fur wet from the dampness there and then want to snuggle in my lap. ~laugh~ She's quite the little vixen!!!!She's a tease to be certain. 

 

Dogsled and Igloo at site 3 here in Magic River RV Resort.

 

Home to have breakfast, we decided to just do nothing and we were very successful for most of the day. ~laugh~ However at some point last night the clock came off the wall and crashed to the floor. Neither of us heard it, so I guess I must have slept pretty soundly for a while. I rehung the clock with a different type of hook and hopefully that does the trick. Time will tell. ~laugh~ I've been waking up between 3:30 and 4 am most mornings and today it caught up with me so I dozed off this morning while reading my book. I can't tell you much other than it was a good sleep. I felt much better the rest of the day. I have no idea what Riley did this morning but I know she didn't go anywhere cause she doesn't drive. ~laugh~ 

  

Riley BBQ'd turkey dogs for lunch, they are quite good, we like them better than beef, they have less fat and salt in them. We kind of just did more of the nothing this afternoon, although I read my book instead of napping. So that was something different. ~laugh~

 

Sitting on the swing looking out toward the west pond and Bells Ferry Road

 

Lots of things going on around the area so we opted to avoid the traffic issues and just stay  home. US 90 would have been jammed and the roads leading anywhere close to Gulfport/Biloxi and Pass Christian would have also been too busy for us folks just putzing around. We didn't even walk today. We were just that lazy. ~laugh~

 

My dad called this afternoon, it's nice to chat with him. Always enjoy that. They too are expecting a change in the weather up there in the great White North!! It sounds as if the nights are still coldish but the days sound like they are warming up pretty nicely. Glad it won't be too cold when we finally arrive there, hopefully at the beginning of May. 

Sea oats and the Gulf of Mexico on the south side of US 90 at Pass Christian.

 

Riley prepped dinner tonight, she did an excellent job. Since I was sitting outside reading I BBQ'd instead of her which had been the original plan. It's easy to cook while I read, and I don't mind doing it if it's warm and dry outside. Tonight I needed a sweater just because it was cooling off quickly as darkness was coming on. Dinner was Dill Potatoes with onions, Orange Zest Veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, celery) and Brown Sugar BBQ sauce on our Chicken Breast. It was all very good. 

 

I usually pull the night shades just before we sit down to dinner and so as I was doing that of course the dining room window shaded decided to come down crooked. We couldn't get it back to it's original state so left it until after dinner. Mac came home as we were eating and come over to see what happened to the shade. I explained it of course came off track just as it was time to eat dinner so that's why it was so lopsided in the window. I'm sure it must have had a funny look from the outside. I should have gone out and taken a picture but I didn't. This shade has needed to have this same repair already once and I think it will continue to do so in the future. It's been taken off before we bought the Igloo and I think the shade must have been damaged in some way and now it will be pain in the ass until I get pissed off and get a new one. ~laugh~ Oh well, the joys of home ownership!!!

 

The beach here in Long Beach, south side of US 90

 

After a quick clean up, I walked to the dumpster, and back home Riley was getting out the Yahtzee game. Can you see me doing my happy dance? I rolled a Yahtzee and won the game. Yeah me!!!!!!!! Since I win so rarely I feel the need to document my victories. ~laugh~ 

 

So as you can see, nothing exciting today but stay tuned for tomorrow we've got lots of things planned. A big storm is heading this way as well. Should make the day more interesting trying to dodge the raindrops. ~laugh~ 

 

The blue skies, dark waters and white sand seen all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast

 

Thanks for stopping by, it's much appreciated. Feel free to leave a comment, always nice to hear from folks. Hope you have a great rest of the weekend. Until next time...be safe, take care...