Happy 35th Birthday Jared!

August 31 -   Happy 35^th Birthday Jared!  At 9:00 this morning I thought about the fun I was having 35 years ago at this time.  At least he popped out pretty fast and hasn’t stopped since. 

 

The sun was shining and the campers were getting up and around.  It looked like a nice day.  I cooked the last of my scrapple this morning and made Bill 2 eggs and then we headed down to the bathhouse.  It really was not in bad shape.  I think since so many people didn’t arrive until dinner time and later they didn’t use it much.  Of course there were no sites to rake.  Bill needed to use the leaf blower to get the dried grass from the sidewalks and walkways so less would be tracked into the bathrooms.  I came back and put the awning out and our chairs so we could sit out and read.  I read and he went in to watch TV.

 

Bill halfway up the side of the dam

Once Bill rested I told him I’d like to go for a walk up the dam to get some pictures.  Once we got up there I wanted to take the trail walk.  We saw a bear cub partway up a tree.  What a surprise!  He just sat so still and looked at us.  I had been taking photos of the trail so I got some photos of the cub on the tree and then when he got down and ran away.  How exciting!  I finally got to see a bear, be it a small one. (click on my photo album to see more)

 

The creek behind our camp loop

After lunch I went to use the WIFI and see if I received a response from Wal-mart.  Nope!  So I called Radio Shack and Target to see if they had the appropriate AC converter and they did not.  I used my laptop to call Walmart online and was on hold 15 minutes.  I was afraid I’d get down to my call and lose the signal.  She checked the item listing and agreed that the part should be there so the only thing they could do is send an entire new cooler and I would use the box to return mine.  Well, all I intend to do is take out the part I need and send the rest back.  Problem!  Isn’t there always?  They could

My bear cub

only ship to the same store or to my home address.  I explained we are leaving here and need it in Fernandina Beach and she said she could not send it to a different store but she could send to an address so I gave her the address for the state park we will staying at for 4 nights.  It darn well better get there!  We have no place to store that cheese without electricity.  Tomorrow I have to call the park and let them know it is coming and to check the expected date of delivery.  The fun never ends.

 

I called Jared but had to leave him a birthday message.  I posted a blog and worked on some photos.  By the time I got back it was almost time to shower and go out to dinner.  I wasn’t in the mood for a long drive someplace so checked the AAA book and there was an Italian place in Stuart’s Draft that was recommended.  Sanzone’s is a family run place and nothing fancy from the outside but our meals were terrific.  Bill loved his chicken cordon bleu and I had the special of stuffed flounder.  It was stuffed with crab, shrimp and scallops.  So good.  We shared a tiramisu and it was also very good.

 

We sat outside and did phone calls and emails before making a stop at Food Lion and then back to the RV.  I got to talk to Jared before we left.   Bill caught up on fall baseball at West Orange so life is good.  When we got back it was raining and we figured the Saturday night program was cancelled.  It was pretty miserable out.

 

We watched a show and then Bill went to bed and I did my usual reading in the recliner and I dozed off.  I heard some noise and got up and saw all kinds of flashlights and people out by our RV.  I woke Bill and I opened the door to ask if there was a bear and of course there was one, he came through right by our site TWICE and I was reading or sleeping.  Darn!  Bill went back to bed but I turned off all the inside lights and turned on the outside lights and sat for about 45 minutes just watching.  I was too tired to keep my eyes open so gave up and went to bed. 

Trip to town

August 30 -   Light duty today!  No sites to rake just a touch up on the bathhouse since we only had 2 campers last night.  Then I headed up to check the email and it said our cooler was delivered.  I had asked Linda if she’d like to go in with me if it came.  Once I got back I radioed her that I would be ready to go in an hour after lunch and a shower.

 

I made my salad and left out Bill’s veggies and sandwich items, showered and in an hour was ready to go.  Linda and I both had a few things to pick up at Wal-mart but I went to pick up the cooler first.  I had told myself I’d be home in 2 hours so I could cook my roast over the fire pit.  Well, there was a lady ahead of me and we both asked several employees passing by for assistance and finally someone came.  Once the first lady was done it was my turn and they brought out the cooler, checked my ID and gave me the receipt.  Then I had to wait in line at the deli, and I had a problem at checkout with my deli coupon.  The stupid cashier and then her supervisor couldn’t grasp the concept that the deli coupon required a 1 pound purchase and my meat was 1.03.  How often does the deli clerk hit it right on the mark?  The supervisor actually took the meat back over to the deli to check on it.  Finally I met Linda back at the door.

 

We drove to Stuart’s Draft to The Cheese Shop.  Linda wanted a log of longhorn and I wanted longhorn and baby swiss and 10 packages of trail bologna.  That was just from the deli.  I had some other things to get that we don’t really have at home so we finished there and went to Food Lion.  Linda stayed in the truck and made phone calls and on the way home I stopped and filled the truck with diesel.  By the time we got back it was too late to start a fire so I quickly put my roast in the oven.

 

I really enjoyed my time with Linda.  We got to girl talk about our husbands and RV’s and kids.  It was her first real break from Fred so I think she enjoyed it also.

 

Once we got everything out of the truck we opened the cooler.  Bill said it was not as big as he thought it would be and we found that the AC cord that was supposed to be included wasn’t.  That is a big problem.  I put most of the bologna in the little fridge we already have and took the 2 logs of cheese and 1 ring of bologna to the house that the summer rangers live in.  There is only one still living there and she has a full size fridge.  She was just getting back when I arrived and said it was fine to store the stuff there until we leave on Tuesday.  At least the problem is solved until we get to Ft. Clinch.  We have the DC plug to run the cooler off the truck battery.  I tested it for about 30 minutes and it was cooling down really well.

 

While I was out I emailed Wal-mart.online about the missing cord.  I also called the store to see if they have them for purchase which was no luck.  I was tired when I finally got back and it was about 7 so my dinner smelled done.  The carrots could have cooked longer but Bill’s potato and my Vidalia onion were delicious and the roast was very good. 

 

Our campers were finally starting to come in.  We seem to have a lot more tent campers than normal.  By the time we went to bed we still had 3 empty spaces.  The new group couple arrived and the lady, Robbie, stopped by.  She told us our upsidedown bird is actually a Nuthatch.  Mystery solved.

Boring day

Nobody gets by Bill

August 29 – It rained all night again and was still drizzly this morning.  When we saw a bit of a break we headed out to get our work done.  The bathhouse was not bad since there were only 3 campers last night but we needed to change the light bulbs.  While Bill worked on that I raked the one site that left and then went to work on cleaning the last 5 fire pits.  That was a job and a half.  It was all so wet from the rain that it weighed a ton.  Some were so deep that I found broken bottles and cans in them.  While I was working on my job Fred came over to assist Bill with the lights and brought a ladder.  It ended up that the same light was out in the men’s as the ladies and after changing all the bulbs it was decided they were out due to a problem with the timer.  I was pooped so just sat and had a beverage and cooled off.

 

I went to check email after lunch to see if we received one from Wal-mart that our cooler had come in but it hadn’t.  I was able to track it via Fed Ex and it had left Charlotte, NC so who know how long it takes to make it here.  I had planned to do a load of wash but both washers were tied up so I just did some email and headed on back.  I ended up calling Karen via the computer and we talked for an hour.  Bill thought I left and went to pick up the cooler.

 

It was clearing off a bit but not a super nice day.  Word is the weekend is supposed to be hot so will see.  I like the cooler weather since we’ll still have some heat when we get home.  We just lazed around and read.  After dinner I went back up to check the email again from Walmart, but there was none.  Will try again in the morning.

 

We watched our TV show and then read.

Lunch and a Movie

August 28 – It had rained a lot during the night and this morning there were no signs of it letting up.  Since we planned to go to a movie we decided to trudge on and go clean.  Two campers left before we went out and that left only 3 for the night.  It was a good day to clean and pinesol the floors.  I hate that smell but I cleaned my bathhouse and the family one and then did the floors.  Bill ran an errand and was later starting on his.  I walked with my umbrella to check the 2 vacated sights for trash and they were spotless.  One left a mesh bag with some split wood in it that I brought back to use this weekend.

 

After a short rest we got ready to leave about 11:30.  After stopping a Lowe’s for new magnetic vent covers we had lunch at Wendy’s.  The new Panera was open and packed.  Oh well, my berry almond salad was excellent.  Today’s movie selection was Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters.  We were the only ones in the theater so we could talk about it the whole time.  We liked the movie and had a decent understanding about it since we saw the first one.  I love the whole mythology thing so it was right up my alley.

 

A fine dinner

We made a quick stop at Wal-mart with a short list and then headed home.  It was still raining.  It stopped as we got home so while I made dinner Bill went out and cleaned several fire pits.  Bill will finish the rest tomorrow while I rake after we do the bathhouses.  Being there were no more leftovers I had to cook and it was a pretty meal as well as a tasty one.  I poached tilapia filets with lemon slices, made a multi-rice pilaf and steamed mixed veggies and topped them with olive oil and dill krauter seasoning.  Bill was complimentary although none were high on his normal list.

 

The rain started up again after I went to visit the folks from last night to take them the information about our apartment and airbnb.  I sat and visited for a while and the rain was getting worse so I high tailed it home.  Glad I had my umbrella, jacket and water proof sneakers!  Then it was journal time and TV time.

Winery Trail

August 27 – We leave 1 week from today and there are still places we want to go and things we want to do.  Cleaning bathhouses is not one of them but we did our duty.  The campground is pretty empty but will be full again on Friday for the holiday weekend. 

 

Once the raking was done we decided to go on some of the wine trail on the east side of the mountains.  We went up and over the same route we went Saturday night with everyone.  We stopped at 3 wineries and a hard cider place.  The Wintergreen Winery was nice and I was the only one tasting so she didn’t charge.  I left with one bottle.  They were out of several and will be bottling later in the week.  Next was the Bold Rock cider tasting room.  There is no fee for the tasting and I did all 4.  Two were a champagne style and 2 were more like beer.  I went with the first 2 and got a 6 pack of 3 each.  These will be for special occasions (or when I run out of wine).  Then we moseyed up the hill to Hill Top Berry Farm and Brewery.  Their products were fruit wines and meads.  I’d never tasted mead and ended up bringing back a bottle of pumpkin mead.  The wines were OK but I promised myself I’d limit to one bottle per place.  Our last stop, bear in mind Bill stays in the truck waiting, was Cardinal Point Winery.  This was the only place where I was not the only taster.  It was also the only place that did only dry wines.  I normally ask but since the wine list was so long I figured I could just skip to the good stuff.  Nah!  I did buy one as a gift but its way too dry for me.

 

There were more wineries along the road but it was getting late and I wanted to stop at the peach orchard (which was over priced and the peaches were hard as rocks) and this little “country store”.  Bill went in with me and it was full of antiques, jewelry, knick knacks and paddy whacks.  We most enjoyed the candy room where we reminisced on the ones we had as kids that you don’t normally see anymore.

 

Once we got this far we were close to Waynesboro so we drove on it and made a stop at Sharp Shopper.  Muenster was the cheese of the week so I got a whole log to take home.  We didn’t buy much else.  I had Bill stop at the Dollar Tree and was very excited to find in their seasonal section a huge supply of items I could use for our campout in September.  We’re doing a Hawaiian Luau theme so I got leis, fancy straws, wall decorations and table decorations.  Now all we need are the table cloths, plates and napkins. 

 

We made the last stop at Kroger then headed for home.  It was closing in on dark so we hurried and ate our leftovers and went out to rake the site that left early and walk the loop.  We met a really nice couple who are interested in coming to Florida for 2 months this winter.  I told them about our apartment and that I thought it was open for the month of January.  I told them I’d bring my card of with my info and the airbnb web address.

 

I stayed visiting so long that Bill left and our show was half over when I got in.  We watched our shows for the rest of the evening.

Volunteer Luncheon

The elusive Upsidedown bird.  I swear I did not turn the
photo around.  He is quite bizarre.

August 26 – With the luncheon today we weren’t going to get to anywhere.  Oh well.  After cleaning the bathhouse Bill said he’d do the couple of sites while I made my corn soufflé and got my shower.  After putting my dish in the oven, Bill was back and we decided to measure the height again of the RV.  There is an overpass of 13’6” that we would go under when we leave it we could.  Well it’ measured 13’51/2”.  Now we will check if it lowers once we hitch up.  I think it should drop a couple of inches.  The bad new is after the measuring I noticed that on the side of the roof where the 2 tank vents were, there was only one and it was broken off and damaged.  There was no damage to the AC unit so we can’t figure how we could have hit something to do the damage in the middle of the side of the roof.  Then those vents are $60 each!  The vent holes were a mess so we have to take it in for new vent pipes before I can put the vents back on.

 

The invite to the luncheon was a bit sketchy and so I packed a bag of plates, bowls, plasticware, drinks and tablecloths.  Bill and I were the first to arrive after the “host”.  We’re never early, what a shock.  It was not a very organized event, as some volunteers never got the message and some just got it this morning and it was a bit last minute to bring something.  The host brought 8 hotdogs and one couple cut up hotdogs in their baked beans and that was the extent of meat for the meal.  There was plenty of other food items so no one left hungry.  Several brought 2 dishes and that was a good thing. 

 

A couple of the regional forestry people there but no one went to any trouble to introduce them around and there was a couple who used to volunteer but hasn’t for 3 years, so it wasn’t a very comfortable social event.  We did our duty and got home at almost 2.  After putting everything away we discussed if we had time to go into town, but instead we went to use the WIFI and Bill washed a load of rags.  I made some calls through the computer and ordered a new roof vent and called the upholsterer to see when my couch will be picked up.  They are on vacation.  So I hope to hear back from them this weekend. 

 

Dinner was leftover grilled items and leftover corn soufflé and sliced tomatoes.  As we were finishing up Larry, one of the volunteers came by to get my recipe for the corn soufflé.  We stood outside and chatted with him for an hour.  He’s really nice and offered for me to go with him one night on a bear run.  He patrols the areas that bears are most likely and scares them off with a paint gun.  Some nights he’s out til 1 or 2 in the morning.  I’d need to take a nap before I go.

 

We watched the season enders of “Glades” and “Longmire” and I caught up my journal and expense journal.

Work, work work

Better photo of the upsidedown bird, he's blue

August 25 – Sunday is always the busiest day for us.  We finished our Sunday breakfast then headed out to get a start.  That was the worst my bathhouse has been.  There was so much water puddled from the one shower that it sprays too far back and won’t drain.   I swept and swept!  I also just don’t understand not getting your trash in the can but leaving it on the floor 2 inches from the can.  I had to replace 10 rolls of TP, the most I’ve had to do at one time.  By the time I finally got finished Bill was already out raking.  He starts at 1 and I start at 18, but today 18 was slow leaving so I skipped to 17 and worked my way around to meet Bill. 

 

We got them all done but 18 since they were still slow leaving.  I found .03, a door mat and a dish cloth.  As usual Bill came back with .01.  My hip was killing me from the sweeping and the raking.  It was time to sit with a Lipton Citrus Green Tea and relax a while until lunchtime.

 

After lunch I took 2 loads of laundry and headed up the hill.  I learned that when I’m on gmail I can use my connection to make phone calls!  Kam failed to tell me that.  So I called one of the campgrounds we wanted to book for the trip south.  I also ordered a 40 quart cooler by Igloo that runs on AC/DC from Walmart online.  It will be in on Thursday so that works out perfect.  We can put it in the back seat with all the meat and cheese I will be taking home and we can squeeze in drinks for us.  It will actually be used for food storage on future trips due to the shortage of fridge space we have.

I posted a couple of blogs and I emailed Nancy with our final menu for the campout.  Once we leave here I can call her and that will be much better. She’s going to start calling everyone to get the menu assigned.  It will all come together.

 

When I got back Bill said Fred was by and said there’s going to be a volunteer luncheon tomorrow at noon.  A potluck.  I went through the cupboards to see what I had on hand to make.  I decided on corn soufflé.

 

I got a good fire started in the grill pit and we used the metal grate I found a few days ago abandoned in a site to grill on.  It lies right over the pit so it’s closer to the fire.  We grilled chicken, Italian sausage and thick bologna slices.  I put some carrots in a foil packet first and let those cook some before starting the meats.  The meat was all good but I could have cooked the carrots longer.  Now we have leftovers for a couple of nights.

 

I had asked Bill this morning if he’d drive me out to the main road where I saw an abandoned apple tree so I could see if they were any good.  Now I thought if there were any apples I’d make an apple crisp.  We went out and there were apple.  Not the biggest or nicest, kinda neglected but I picked quite a few.  We tried one at home and they are granny smiths.  Not really good for cooking but I made a crisp for tomorrow with some.

 

Nothing much on TV tonight so I finished my book, “Oinks”.  It was a true story and so funny.

Boat Races and Dinner Out

August 24 -  Boy our days here are winding down faster than when we were at C & O.  I think it’s because we have other people to visit with and hang out.   Fred and Linda leave Saturday.  They’re stopping in SC to check out a couple of places for next year.  They’re going to let us know what they find out.

 

We got up late and ate and watched TV late so didn’t start cleaning until 10:30.  The skies cleared up for the most part and our last camper arrived after dark so we are full and had no sites to rake.  Bill did go trim some branches along one path, but that was it.

 

I sat out and tried to get some good bird photos while Bill washed the truck.  I think he had better luck than I did.   Haven’t gotten to look at them yet.

 

2nd Place but best boat

The activities lady’s husband came by and asked if Bill had a stop watch and he said he had one on his watch so he offered to go down and time the boat races today.  They advertised that they would provide cardboard and duct tape for children and adults to make boats for today.  We were told last night that they had 20 participants sign up.

 



1st Place



Bill ate early as he was to be there by 1.  Fred and Linda picked him up.  I ate later and rode my bike down.  It wasn’t to start until 2 and there were only 7 participants.  No one knows who said it was filled with 20.  One of the boats was extremely well engineered.  Of the 7 boats, 1 never got going, 2 died in the water but 4 made the round trip.  The 1^st and 2^nd places were only 10 seconds apart.  It was fun to watch and a couple of those kids were exhausted.  I rode back and Bill was forever getting back.  The lady in charge waited 20 minutes before giving the prizes out.

 

I left right after to get showered and ready to go to dinner with Charlie and Arlene and Fred and Linda.  Bill got ready when he got back and Fred picked us up at 5 and we drove to Charlie’s to follow them.  We were headed to dinner.  We had to go to and over the Blue Ridge Parkway and down the other side and when we arrived at the place they picked there was a beer festival going on and the place was packed.  There was a wait to get on the waiting list and the estimate was over 2 hours.  We loaded back up and tried another place Charlie knew.  It was Wild Wolf Brewing in Nellysford, VA.  It was another micro brewery and it was packed also due to a triathlon in the area.  We were told there was an hour wait so Linda and I went to look in a couple of shops beside it and the others were going to sit outside at some the tables.  When we got back they all had menus and were waiting for us to order.  I had shrimp and grits and it was good but not like in Savannah.  Bill had ribs and he was happy with his meal.

 

There was a discussion on ice cream after dinner so we loaded up and headed into Waynesboro to Willy’s Ice Cream.  It was a soft serve place, well frozen custard, and I had a small and Bill went with a double hot fudge sundae.  Bill and the guys got to meet Willy.  He was leaving to take ice cream home to his wife.  We all sat outside and ate and by then it was getting chilly out and the ice cream was not helping.  It was about 8 when Fred dropped us off.  We enjoyed getting out with everyone.

Miserable Rainy Day

August 23 – What a rainy miserable day!  It slowed long enough for us to get to the bathhouse and get it done before pouring again.  During a second dry spell Bill raked a site and I did 2 and we were done for the day.

 

It never cleared long enough to sit out for even a minute.  The campers were not arriving as expected and we thought some may not show up or wait until tomorrow.  I went up to the Admin office and spent 2 hours on the computer.  I had some things to do for work, for the apartment and for our club campout.  My eyes were blurred out by the time I was done.  As I was leaving I saw 2 deer.  That noisy diesel scares everything off.

 

A couple of units came in but still most of our spaces were still empty after lunch.  I was expecting some email replies so trekked back up to use the computer for another 2 hours.  Managed to get most of the campout meal planned and researched some places in Tucson for our October girls trip.  Bill hadn’t slept well last night so he was napping when I left but up watching TV and had done the dishes when I got back.

 

I made salads for dinner to go with some Italian sausage spaghetti so it was a simple meal again.  I haven’t been much in the mood for experimenting this summer or going to a lot of trouble.  Mostly just baked some things here and there.

 

It was too nasty to go visit Fred and Linda so we stayed in and watch a bit of TV and read.

Happy Birthday Dad!

August 22 – Harry 85^th Birthday Dad!  After breakfast we did our cleaning and shared the raking.  I found a picnic tablecloth clamp and a penny today.  I think Bill pitches anything he finds other than money.  I love the treasure hunt! 

 

Hummer on a limb

I filled the bird feeders and caught up on my journals and my expense sheet.  I hadn’t logged in either for several days.  I should know better as I can’t remember what day we did what.  It was another beautiful sunny day.  We had several leave and several come in.

 

After lunch we did a loop walk so Bill could change the date info he had and we found some sites that had not been raked.  Now we weren’t sure if they were overnighters or prior days that we failed to rake.  We stopped by to check on Fred and Linda and they said there was a bear last night that walked half way around their loop and invited us over tonight to sit around the campfire and wait for it to come back.  Sounded like a plan so we said we’d be over around 10 after Burn Notice.

 

Butters on the prowl

We took a short trip into Stuart’s Draft so I could call my dad for his birthday.  He was busy making dinner so I only had a 30 second talk to him but had a longer one with mom.  I picked up a few things at Food Lion and we caught up on some other calls and headed home for dinner.  I had put a new recipe for tortellini in a creamy tomato sauce in the crockpot and it smelled really good when we walked in.  Made a salad for each of us and no waiting or cooking.  I made a trek to the Admin office to do some computer work and a load of laundry and then didn’t even get anything posted.  The signal was up and down and I had lots else to do.

 

Once our show was over we walked over to Fred and Linda’s and there was no fire going.  They invited us in to watch out the window with them.  Fried said it was too wet and he couldn’t get a fire started.  After 30 minutes of chatting and no bear we took our flashlights and went home.  Oh well!

Another lazy day

August 21 – A lazy day.  So lazy I can’t think of what we actually did.  The bathhouse and sites for sure.  Oh yeah, then I degreased the hitch and chatted with Lower A Loop Bob (as opposed to Upper A Loop Bob).  Then I vacuumed and cleaned the kitchen floor.  After lunch I showered and walked over to C Loop to show Linda how to make scrubbies.  She’s active in her church group and they do a bazaar and she was looking for new items to have the group make for it.  Anyway, they were not home so I came home.

 

An upsidedown blue bird.  I have yet to get one of him
walking upsidedown on the tree.



We read and relaxed outside.  Such a beautiful day.  The sun was out but due to our positioning, in the afternoon we don’t get much sun so it’s a good time to pull out the chairs and read.  While we were sitting there was a loud crash sound and one of the upsidedown birds knocked the feeder off the hook.  Scared the crap out of us.  Of course most of the feed went all over the ground.

 

Bill wanted to go up to talk to Charlie in Group Loop about his recommended route from here to Fernandina Beach.  They live in Florida when they are not volunteering 9 months of the year.  Their last stop before heading home for December, January and February is Ft. Clinch State Park.  So they will be there when we get there in a couple of weeks.  He does the entrance gate.  We ended up being there longer than we planned and then we drove over to Loop C.  Linda and I cut netting and I showed her how to join 2 strips and she crocheted one side for practice.  The guys answered a distress call from one of the seasonal employees. Their water would not turn off.  Then they gabbed and looked at maps.  We didn’t realize how late it was and didn’t get back until about 6:30.

 

I had taken out chicken and now needed to put together a quick dinner.  I cut up some apples and microwaved them, baked Bill a potato in the microwave and steamed pencil asparagus and sautéed the chicken breasts in Badia Sazon seasoning.  It was all good.  Just a dab of apples left.  Of course that was not the dinner I had planned but it was good and quick.

 

As I was leaving to go use the WIFI a couple stopped and delayed me about half an hour.  They were from NC, previously from Tampa, and had some questions about the area.  Then a man in a neck brace stopped and told us all every detail of his several surgeries and various types of equipment he’d been wearing up until now.  Just another day in camp.

 

I only went for about an hour and the signal dropped once and wasn’t a very good one as it was.  When I got back Bill had forgotten to turn on our shows.  We both watched Royal Pains and he went to read while I watched the season ender of Unnecessary Roughness.  I read in the chair and decided to sleep there.  I did until about 5 and after going to the bathroom I came back to the tiny narrow couch but managed to sleep pretty well.  My lower back seems to do better in the sitting position than flat on my back all night.

Day trip to Harrisonburg

August 20 – We didn’t have many sites to rake today after cleaning the bathhouse so we

Small Book Fair building

managed to get on the road fairly early.  Bill had read about the Green Valley Book Fair up near Harrisonburg  in St. Crawford and wanted to go.  It wasn’t what he expected but they sure have a lot of books.  They are all new books that are pulled from bookstores or overprinted.  There are 2 warehouse type building and one is 2 levels.  Even the corridor that connects them has books or crafts.  It’s all set up like a book store by types:  mystery, gardening, sports, children’s, categories I would never have thought of.  Then it’s all alphabetical by author.  Very well organized and plenty of staff.  The children’s/young adult building was great for teachers.  Lots of planning materials and ideas for activities to accompany lesson plans.  Bill did find a few books and I got a couple for me and some Christmas gifts.  It’s only open 6 times a year for 2 weeks each time.

 

We asked where to have lunch and Pano’s in Harrisonburg was recommended.  It appears to have started as a Greek place and morphed into Italian and American also.  I had chicken souvlaki and Bill had a superstacked sandwich that he only ate half of.  We didn’t know the meals came with fries and they were the best I’ve ever had.  I never order fries but these had no salt and were not the least bit of grease and made from scratch with the peels on.  I’d go back just for the fries. 

 

Church across from Visitor Center

The Harrisonburg Visitor Center is in an old home built in 1848.  They have a Civil War movie, display on the building of Route 11, a bakery and small diner, gift shop and tons of literature about the area.  Harrisonburg is the home of James Madison University and a Mennonite University.  Major college town.  We checked out a store called Glens Fair Price Store.  It was mostly a costume and party supply store but had tons of knick knacks and some nostalgia toys.  We got some ideas for the September campout that we are hosting so it wasn’t a wasted trip.

 

Leaving town we stopped at the Shenandoah Heritage Market.  It was interesting and not many people so we didn’t fight any crowds.  There was a bulk food store, antiques, Amish made furniture, fabric shop, toy shop, kitchen shop and many more.  While I went to the bulk store Bill had a red velvet cupcake and a coke.  Then we headed for home.

What a nice surprise!

 

On our doorstep was a bag of tomatoes and they were huge.  We found out later that Fred and Linda left them for us.  Someone gave them a bag of more than they could eat so there shared with us.

 

We walked and talked to several of the campers and had leftovers for dinner. 

Movie Day!

August 19 – Movie Day!  Once we did our duties we showered and left for Waynesboro for a

Hazy mountains on our way into town

movie and shopping.  We stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond and then saw a Panera sign so stopped there for lunch.  Not happening?  There were lots of cars and trucks and we saw there were some workers.  We parked, got out and walked past a couple of guys and when we got to the door there was a non-occupancy certificate.  Then we realized it was being “built” and headed to the truck and then one of the guys said they’re not open until next week.  Buttheads!  One could have headed us off.  So we ended up at Taco Bell where my favorite is the chicken cantina bowl.  

 

The movie we agreed on was “2 Guns”.  It was funny, action packed and had some twists as it went along.  We can’t get over the price of tickets at these places.  We’re spoiled by our little West Orange Theatre.  Good prices and good food.

 

We made stops at Sharp Shopper, Flowers Bread Outlet (that has day old Tastykakes) and Wal-Mart.  We went home by way of Stuart’s Draft to make a stop at the Little Debbie outlet and Food Lion.    We ready didn’t buy much at the outlets, but had heard about them from other volunteers.  We were running low on meats so I thought Food Lion might have some sales on.

 

After dinner and our walk around I went to do a load of laundry and some computering.  I’m hating the hassle of taking everything with me, then forgetting something and have to download things to print.  Then I have to hook up the laptop to print, then unhook to go use WIFI the next time.  Only 2 more weeks. 

VERY lazy day

August 18 – It was a terrible night.  It started raining before we went to bed.  It rained hard all night and the rain caused my toe I broke earlier this year to throb all night.  It had never done that but I guess the chill and humidity or whatever, so I had a miserable night.  It didn’t get as cold as the night before but it was a chilly morning and we both wore jackets out to do our work.

 

After our Sunday breakfast the rain started slowing down and our campers were just about gone.  I certainly understood.  Those in tents may have left during the night.  There was a tent and either another tent or tarps in the dumpster this morning.  Guess they leaked so no need to keep them.

 

We didn’t have to rake the sites as the rain tamped everything down.  After lunch we took a trash bag around and picked up a bag full along with .33 and 2 clamps.  I find all kinds of things I keep that we might need later and we have used things I’ve found.  It’s kinda like a daily treasure hunt.

 

I told Linda she could go through my bag of books so we took them over to Loop B along with 2 slices of ganache.  They invited us in and we must have stayed 1 ½ hours or longer.  They’re going to come to one of our club campouts and might join.  They live in Brooksville so they would not be too far from our camping locations.  They are nice people and we really enjoy talking with them.  That’s the nice part of being where there are other volunteers so you can have someone to hang out with.

 

Bill’s dumb squirrels are all over the place now.  There were 4 this afternoon hogging up the bird food.  I think we will have to move the bird feeder further from the tree.

 

We were lazy today.  Bill did change the bed but we really didn’t accomplish much else but read or watch TV.  Is this was vacation really is?

Dinner Out - Movie In

August 17 – Colder this morning.  Bill even gut up during the night and turned the heater up.  I slept really good for a change, I think I was finally warm enough.  Molly laid at the foot of the bed right in front of the heater all night.

 

We got up earlier than normal and drove into Stuart’s Draft to the bakery.  It was rather disappointing.  They had breads, pies and cookies but Bill was hoping for donuts or Danish.  We didn’t get anything for us but got some cinnamon rolls for the 2 summer seasonals at the front gate and a small loaf of cinnamon raisin bread for Fred and Linda.  Bill wanted some breakfast so we went to Hardees for his and when we got home I had grits.  I called Kerry while we were in town and got caught up on things with our parents.  Mom has dropped out of the Alzheimer’s study.  Not what we wanted but dad is pretty much not in favor.  He just doesn’t understand it all so that’s that.

 

Our crazy grill

There was only one site to rake so Bill did that while I ate and then we cleaned the bathhouse.  It wasn’t bad at all since it cold no one takes all those showers.  I made the ganache for later.  After lunch we both went to do some email and I made sure I had my power cord.  Bill also took his book in case he didn’t last as long as me on the computer.  We left in time to get showered to go into Waynesboro for dinner.

 

We ate at El Puerto and it was very good.  The salsa was not the best but I loved my shrimp cocktail, just as good as Taquitos.  Bill enjoyed his fajitas.  My margarita was terribly lacking but the service and food made up for it.  Bill even brought home leftovers.

 

We did our usual loop walk and said our good byes to some of the campers who will be leaving in the morning.  It’s supposed to be colder again tonight and rainy tomorrow and we have a lot of sites to rake.  Ugh, there goes the hip.

 

“Mamma Mia” was on and we watched it and sang along.

Do nothing day....

August 16 – It was another cold morning.  Bill moved the heater again to the living room before I got up.  We did our work after a hot breakfast.  Slow day. I made cookies and a coconut crust for a ganache.  I finished my book and made lunch.

 

There are 4 birds in our tree, can you find them?

I took a load of wash up to do and wouldn’t you know it there was someone there, so I had a little wait.  I took the laptop but once I got it ready to work on I realized I forgot the power cord and my battery is pretty shot so it doesn’t stay charged very long.  Once the other lady left I turned it on as I knew she’d want to talk and my battery would wear down even faster.   Of course I didn’t get done.  Didn’t even get to post anything and I forgot the camera card to download the last photos.

 

We had leftovers so dinner was relatively simple and then we walked the loop and chatted with the campers.  We walked up to the last parking lot and stopped at the amphitheatre on the walk back.  They were having a couple of children’s activities later.  Elaine told me I had a message on the office machine to call Kerry at work.  Now it was about 7:30.  For Kerry to leave a message I thought it might be important so I went to the office where the wifi is and tried to Facetime her.  She didn’t answer so I Facetimed Karen who called Kerry and she told Karen to Facetime me back and tell me there was no emergency and to call her when I get a chance.  So I chatted with Karen for a while until the mosquitoes starting biting my ankles.

 

There wasn’t anything on TV so we just read.