3 days roll by

June 29 – July 1 --  Now it’s kinda a blur what all has transpired!  We got home on Wednesday at around 1:30 after stopping at Wal-mart for a few things.   I did the unpacking and attempted to “settle in”.  The humidity and heat was terrible and our place was overgrown and looked like it was deserted.  The fridge was pretty bare except for what we had in the cooler.  Of course we realized some things that we forgot to pack, but at least we had “duplicates” at home or they were not so essential.  We had no TV or internet, only if I hotspot my phone.  Kerry brought over a bag of mail and Kam left other mail, so I worked my way through it, well, at least pitched what I could and made piles of the rest.  We went to Too Jay’s for dinner.  On Thursday Bill woke up with one eye swollen shut.  He was supposed to get his hair cut at 9:30 but ended up going to the Dr for his eye at 9:30 and got his hair cut at 2:00.  I dropped him at the Doctor and went to Ace, Fastenal, NAPA and Lowes looking for a lynch pin with no luck, then I ran into Target and was walking out when Bill called that he was ready.  I picked him up and we stopped at Harbor Freight and Aldi’s and went home for lunch.  I went to work with Kerry after lunch and worked on a project until Bill finished his hair cut and got the car washed.  He wasn’t supposed to be driving but I guess it wouldn’t hurt too much.  He picked me up from work and when we got home I did laundry and was online and the phone trying to find a mobility scooter for Bill.  We would need to pick it up after his appointment tomorrow.

Friday we got to his appointment at 10:10 and he got his stem cell injection.  The doctor has a very positive outlook on the results but really cautioned Bill on only using his heel to transfer from his knee walker or scooter to bed, chair, crutches, whatever.  He can still use ice on it and Tylenol.  He wants to see him in 2 weeks, so we won’t be leaving tomorrow as “planned”.  We went to two scooter rental places in Kissimmee that had used scooters for sale and we got one.  It’s very simple to take apart and put together and get in and out of the back of the car.  The heaviest piece is 28 pounds.  As soon as we got home one of his baseball players came over to discuss taking care of our “lawn” while we’re gone so Kerry and Jared don’t have to deal with it and we don’t have to come back to a jungle.  Bill got to test run the scooter over the gravel and it did fine.

Kam came over with another bag of mail and she took a spin on the scooter and we had a nice visit.  After she left I moved it to in front of the car as it looked like rain.  I had tried using the Directv receiver from the apartment and it said we didn’t have a signal, so I went ahead and called them to turn on the Genie and turn off the receivers in the RV.  We may not be able to leave for a month so we’ll just see what happens.  That was a major ordeal!  The first call and it was fine, or so we thought.  We had our local channels and our list of recorded shows.  Then the first time Bill goes to pick from the list a strange screen up and we were stuck.  I rebooted it and the same screen came up.  So I called again and when they got it up it was the local stations in Virginia.  It was a long process but she finally got it back on track.  By then it was time for Bill to go out to school to the baseball game he wanted to see.  I dropped him and his scooter off and went to Winter Garden Village then to Aldi’s.  The western sky was getting extremely dark and scary looking so I texted him that I was on my way.  By the time I got there the wind was picking up and people were heading quickly to their cars.  Bill finally came out and I was afraid I’d get wet or struck by lightning by the time he got there and I took the scooter apart.  In the process I noticed a crack in part of the base of it.  Crap!  I know it wasn’t there when I bought it as I had watched her take it apart and I had put it together and would have seen it.

Bill had eaten at the game so I had some leftover salad and lunchmeat and fruit so no cooking tonight.  We did get to watch some TV! I started letting people know that we would be here for at least 2 weeks so we made some plans to visit with some of our friends.

Overnight in Georgia

June 28 – It rained most of the night and we woke to misty clouds along the tree line.  It was rather pretty but dreary when you had to be out in it.  We decided to drive through McDonald’s for breakfast and not create more dishes to wash.  I got the car all loaded and washed up the last of the dishes.  John and Kay came over as they had not seen Bill.  They offered us a spot on their lot also so I think we’re well covered for our return.

We left at 9 and some of the folks were out to see us off.  We left a key to the RV in case they needed to move it or do anything in an emergency.

We stopped at Mc Donald’s and also found a trash can for the garbage we forgot to leave at Sherando and another bag we collected.  Then we headed to I-77 and saw it backed up in the southbound lane so we chose a different route and got on later down the road.  It rained on and off pretty much all day.  At times I could hardly see and had to put the flashers on and really slow down.  We had lunch at the SC Welcome Center and luckily it wasn’t raining but more than made up for it later.  It didn’t really stop until we were near Savannah.

 

Our timing was good as we got off I-95 at Darien, GA and ate at B & J’s Steak

and Seafood.  We’d eaten there twice before and they do make some fine fried shrimp!  Then we only went a bit down the road and got off at a Brunswick exit for the night at Days Inn.  Nothing fancy but clean and no funny smells.  That drives Molly crazy as well as me.  She loves staying in motel rooms and never makes a sound.  I wanted a room on the ground floor with an outdoor entrance since I had to bring in our overnight stuff, the litter box and the cooler and then in the morning haul it out again!

Time to head south

June 27 – Well we finally managed to leave Sherando Lake around 10:30.  I had a lot to load in the car, and then to drain and flush the tanks and fill the water tank.  Then we had to get a tree branch out of the slide topper and then when we went to hook up the car a part was missing and we had to find a cotter pin in the tool box that would work.  We said our sad good byes to Ray and Sue and Randy and Anita.  They were all such nice people and we hope to see them again along their or our travels.

Things went well until we hit Roanoke when the skies opened up and we pretty much had rain on and off until just north of our exit to Galax.  Then it started again in Galax and followed us out to where our camping club friends all have lots on the Big River.  It was great to see everyone but was still nasty out.  We parked the RV in a gravel lane on one couple’s property and he hooked us up to 50 amp service for the night.  We’re going to leave the RV there while we head to Florida and when we come back we will move it to a hook up with sewer and water also.  Several of them have extra hookups.  We hope to spend the 4^th there so we can all cook out and party!

I pretty much got things ready to put in the car for the trip and got the electric cooler out and ready to pack in the morning.  One of the guys came over that we missed when we arrived and visited for a long while and that was nice.  Bill and Chris invited us to dinner but we had stuff I wanted to eat and not leave to spoil while we are gone.

We got great satellite reception and watched a bit of Tv then settled in to read before bed.

Last Day at Sherando

June 26 – Bill got up OK this morning but after breakfast he went back to bed.  I put away our outside decorations and chairs, etc.  I did a little bit of packing up things and putting them in the car to go home and leave there.

Bill was feeling better by lunchtime and we went in at 1.  It was a pretty steady and busy day.  It was a really nice day out with lots of sun but not too hot.  It was nice to have items to sell, except no ice cream.  Oh well, it was our last day and I made sure when we left I took the chair cushions I bought for us and my canister of wet wipes (since there was no sink).  We left the replacements a long note and I made sure the drawer and the money bag were 100% in balance and the keys were all where they were when we started.

I was tired and glad we had leftover grilled chicken and Italian sausage to cook.  I had done up all the dishes this morning so left the dinner ones for in the morning after breakfast.  We packed our duffle bag for the one night on the road and Bill went through the stack of brochures we’ve collected and pitched a bunch.  We’re not planning to leave early, just by 10.  It’s about a 5 hours drive by RV to Galax, and we told them we wouldn’t be in until after lunch.

We love it here, so quiet and peaceful and lots of animals and such a beautiful place, although our neighbor and I both referred to it at the same time as Peyton Place!  But, time to move on!

Bad night for Bill, 2 days left!

June 25 -  Bill had a really bad night.  His foot hurt and he can’t get comfortable with his shoulder.  I made a nice breakfast and Bill went back to bed after eating.  The post office was open 10- 12 and I needed to mail a package so I took a ride.

I did a few things in preparation for leaving on Monday: putting some things away, washing our vests and jackets to turn back in.  By then it was time to pack my snacks, book and crocheting and head to work at 1.  Bill was going to try and get some rest and ask Randy to bring him up later.

Anita came up later and said Bill still didn’t feel good.  She checked the ladies bathroom for me since I was by myself.  When someone needed ice I’d lock the register and take the key, then go out for the ice.  When I needed to go to the bathroom myself, I locked the door and asked some young girls in the big hall to tell anyone that comes that I went to the rest room.

The snack company delivered 2 big boxes of chips, pretzels, candies, etc.  I did the inventory and found several discrepancies and then stocked our shelves. With the new merchandise and the snacks, it actually looks like we have stuff to sell!  The weather didn’t really get nice until close to 5 and I did have a lot of lookers and hikers looking for trail maps.

Bill did finally come down at 5.  I think he was just ready to get out of the RV for a while.  He was pleased to see the snacks and he packed it up for the night while I did the balancing.  He also called the snack guy to let him know we got shorted on several things.

I grilled out enough for 2 meals for sure and after dinner I put the grill away and my outdoor candles and our chairs.  My tablecloths and the grass mat need to dry out more so plan to get them out of the way in the morning.  I packed a couple of bags of stuff that we will take home and put it in the car so I’m making headway.

Only 3 days left to go!



Left is bathhouse, right is our space

June 24 -  It was overcast to start the day but cleared off by the time I was ready to go into Stuart’s Draft and Waynesboro for the last time while we’re here.  Bill wanted me to get cheese curds and liquid yogurt from the farm store on the road into Stuart’s Draft.  We got some last week and last night I made smoothies with it and they were so yummy.  I’ve never seen it anywhere before.  It’s on the sweet side.

In Waynesboro I needed to fill up the car for our trip, get our vitamins and make my last trip to Sharp Shopper.  They have a deal on smoked gouda and Kam and Kerry want some and more Lebanon bologna.  They also had a deal on strawberries!  I will miss that store.

Door to our space

Natalie was at our RV when I got home to let us know 3 boxes of merchandise arrived yesterday and she put it all out.  We also got in some brochures Bill and I ordered 2 weeks ago.  I told her there would be no sodas until Monday.  No one is happy with the management of the inventory in the VC.  When we got to work the snack guy called back from the message Bill left on Wednesday and said he could deliver tomorrow so that will be good.  After Sunday the frustration becomes someone else’s problem!

View from where I stand

The weather never really got nice out, sun off and on and a shower burst here and there.  It was a pretty slow day.  It’s supposed to be nicer tomorrow and really nice on Sunday.  I mopped the floor before we opened and later swept the big covered hall area.  I took some photos of the building outside and our working space.  It’s really a nice building built in the 1930’s by the CCC.  Our space and the fireplaces remind us of the big lodges out in Yellowstone and Glacier.

It appears the little bird nesting in the fence post has babies!  I tried to take a

Look closely in bottom quarter and see the baby with
its mouth open

photo today but it’s difficult to get one with enough light down in the hole inside the nest.  I’m going to try again tomorrow.

We had leftover grilled meats for dinner.  I guess I’ll grill some things tomorrow night and put the grill away.  Then we’ll have food for the first night on the road. 

Tourist, Doctor, Doctor, Shopping, Dinner



Montpelier

June 23 – It started raining before we went to bed and didn’t let up all night.  It was windy out and noisy all night.  It showed no signs of letting up this morning either.  What a nasty day!  We finally set out for Charlottesville around 11 when there was a lull in the rain so Bill could get to the car without getting drenched.  It was a nasty drive and my eye was hurting.  I think since the surgery my eye gets a “headache” from the change in air pressure.  It’s strange.

Montpelier station

We actually drove through Charlottesville to Orange, VA where Montpelier, home of James and Dolly Madison is.  Again, this is a place we’d been before and it has also really changed.  They too have a new fancy visitor center with a café and theatre.  The cost of the tours was a bit pricy and that’s the only way to also see the movie so we passed.  It’s about 20 miles past Charlottesville on some narrow, winding roads, Route 20, and in the

rain and mist, it seems to take forever to get there.  We browsed the gift shop and visitor center and took some photos, then headed back.  We stopped at the Montpelier Depot which is now a mini museum and the local post office.  It was interesting that they restored the building to include the marked doors for entry of White at one and Colored at another.  Just down the road on the way back was The Gilmore Farm, home of a Freedman, c. 1860’s.  It was tiny and we would have liked to visit but it was chained off and we gather it’s part of the tour.

The drive back to Charlottesville was quicker now that the rain had stopped and I was familiar with the roads.  It was lunch time and we had driven past the Riverside Lunch and Bill wanted to eat there so we stopped.  The lot was packed but there were seats inside so we felt lucky.  They have such fast service.  I went with a philly cheesesteak and Bill opted for a burger and fries.  Once again it was good.  They bring the fries straight from the fryer so they are piping hot.  His “half” order was large enough for us to share.  They also do a lot of “to go” but as fast as they are you don’t have to call in, just stand at the counter for 3-4 minutes.  They have they whole operation down to a science for sure!

The rest of the day was spotty drizzle here and there, so it was jackets on, jackets off.  We attempted to go to World Market before my eye appointment but somehow we either didn’t get on the right road or we didn’t get off when we should have so we rerouted and headed to the eye doctor.  I was a little early and that was good as they took me in right away and did the question and answer session and part of the exam.  Then I had to wait a bit for the specialist and he said he didn’t see many floaters and the point of surgery looked good and if I was to have another tear it normally would had happened in the first or second week after the original tear, so he thinks I won’t have another.  He said the light arcing should gradually lessen and it has gotten less and less, I hadn’t actually thought about it as it has been less.  I have to see my Ophthalmologist in 3 months and got copies of all my records for that.

We were done and gone in plenty of time to get to Bill’s Podiatrist on time at 4.  He seems to be having less pain and we discussed with him getting the stem cell injection.  He doesn’t do it and so we will be heading back to Florida on the 27^th.  Bill really likes this Dr. so if we’re ever back and in need of a podiatrist again, we know who we’ll go to.  Once we got in the car Bill called his FL doctor to make sure they order the serum as we learned it’s not something they keep on hand and the nurse assured him it would be ordered an available for his July 1 appointment. 

Bummer that we (I) will have to drive home so soon.  Our plan is to drive the RV to Galax, VA where we have friends with RV lots along a river, and leave the RV there and drive the car home.  We plan to drive back on the 2^nd or 3^rd and stay a couple of days with them and then just wing it!  I had to cancel our CT plans as if they’d OK for us to come and just me work, I’d have to work 3 days a week, 8 hours a day and I just can’t do that and take of care of Bill with his immobility and do all the “normal” daily tasks without being exhausted.  So we’ll see how it pans out!

Tv, no Tv, Tv

June 22 – I got up at 8 and dressed so I’d be ready in the event Directv was at the beginning of the appointment instead of at the end.  Luckily I was ready as the very rude technician arrived about 9.  He had to replace the SWM part and said not to leave it in the rain.  He read us the riot act about all the things that were not up to code like the cable running on top of the ground and said he’d never get all 3 satellites due to the spring growth of the trees interfering with the signal.  He was just a jerk from the beginning because if he didn’t get us at over 90 on all the satellite readings he wouldn’t get paid.  He pointed out a tree that would need cut down behind our dish that had the most branches in front of it.  So when he left we had most of our channels and we were satisfied.  He also got snippy with our neighbor when he just asked a question, so since we are only here til the 27^th, it was OK.

Our neighbor, being the super nice guy he is, wanted to cut the tree down in hopes of getting us a better signal.  Well, his wife was holding the tree with rope and it got away from her and we were watching TV when the signal went out.  I hoped it was only the branch he was cutting and it fell in front of the dish, but no, as his luck and our luck would have it, the whole tree fell on our dish and bent it up.  They were sick over it!  I felt way worse for them than us as they were trying to do us a good deed.  They were so upset and offered to buy us a new dish and then he tried to hook up their dish he was working on to better their signal and we told them just to not worry about it. 

 

We went in to work at 2 and that was disappointing as the snack vendor and the coke vendor neither one had come.  There was a note from Patty but she never addressed our questions about supplies, but she did get the safe open, the battery was dead.  Bill called the snack vendor and left a message and I called the coke people and they said an order was placed this morning but the delivery wasn’t until Monday.  A lot of good that’s going to do over the weekend.  We have no diet coke or orange, and only about 10 cokes left.  They will either drink sprite, Mr. Pibb, water or tea!  This is really embarrassing as we’re the ones the public sees and we have so little to sell and they all ask about ice cream!  On top of that I went to check the soda machine, thinking maybe he stocked it, and the service tech had come, of course he didn’t call ahead as I had asked so I could tell him all the issues.  He left a service tag in it that only addressed the bill feeder and it appears he replaced it and did some changes to the feeding of the drinks, so who knows!

We met 2 nice families, one from NJ and one from FL.  They come here every year.  The FL family is from PA so this is a stop for them on their way home after visiting family.  The NJ family now brings their grandchildren after coming for 15 years when they brought their children.  It’s nice to meet people who have come here so long and listen to what has changed over the years.

One of our almost daily visitors

After dinner Randy and Anita came over and he hooked our TV up to his mobile satellite and we were able to get some channels.  We told him it wasn’t necessary but he really wanted us to have some TV.  I think he made an appointment for Directv to come out and he’s hoping to get a new dish that he’ll give to us.  We told him it wasn’t necessary but I think if the tech comes before Monday we may end up with a replacement dish.  So we watched a bit of TV and didn’t stay up too late as we have an all day trip to Charlottesville tomorrow.

Lunch with new friends and a movie!

June 21 – We had rain again last night.  The morning cleared up nicely and we left in our car and our neighbors in their truck to go to lunch.  We invited them a few days ago to thank them for being so good to us.  He’s helped me with a lot of things.  They really work hard and the park is very lucky to have them here.

 

We met at Doolittles Diner in Stuart’s Draft.  The food was good and basically home cooking.  Bill had a bologna burger and fries and I had a chicken and a beef taco with a side salad.  They have a daily special and today it was chicken and dumplings but they make the flat dough dumplings and I like the round fluffy ones.  Bill and I shared a berry tart and it was OK. 

After lunch they headed on their list of errands and we made a stop at The Cheese Shop for fried pies and then to the movie theatre in Waynesboro.  I dropped Bill at the door to get the tickets while I parked and we were just in time.  I got seated during the last preview.  We saw Central Intelligence with The Rock!  It was super funny and we had some good laughs!  It started raining as soon as we reached the exit door.

Then we stopped at Sharp Shopper and picked up some produce and a block of Farmer’s Cheese and 8 packages of Lebanon bologna.  They’ve lowered the price to $1.99 from $3.49, what a deal!  It’s good until October so I stocked up.  I needed a couple of things at Dollar Tree across the street and then it was time to head home.

I didn’t have a plan for dinner so made a gluten free pizza.  It was OK but I didn’t have any good toppings other than pepperoni.  I also make a quinoa salad for me for this week.

It rained on and off and I was on the phone with Kerry when a mama deer and tiny fawn came racing down our drive.  Of course I was too slow in getting the camera out to get a photo before they headed over into the woods.  Maybe they’ll be back!

Great visit with friends

June 20 – Two days off!  Not that we have to get up early or anything but it’s nice to have a couple of days to do whatever we want.  It was kinda chilly this morning but warmed up to a really nice day, about 88.

We left around 11:00 for Charlottesville.  We stopped at the VC to see if the safe was opened and it was not and no sodas had been delivered.  So, nothing new!  I stopped at the post office in Lyndhurst drop off postcards and mail.  I wanted to stop at Staples for ink before meeting our friends, Mike and Linda, for lunch.  I didn’t know there were 2 Staples and the one Google sent us to was not the one I wanted but I did get my ink.  Then I made a couple of phone calls while I knew I had good service.

The store worked out better in that it was only 8 minutes to the Riverside

Bill, Kelly, Linda and Mike

Lunch diner where we were headed.  This place got rave reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor and we were only looking for a good lunch and nothing fancy.  It was perfect.  We arrived about 5 minutes before Linda and Mike and it was so good to see them.  I grew up with Linda and knew Mike also as his dad and my grandfather were very good friends.  We had the best hand made burgers and little round cheese balls that were deep fried and we shared with them a basket of fries and a basket of onion rings.  Boy, those onion rings were good!  They were sweet and tender and the onion didn’t pull out of the breading when you bit it.  Of course the best part was the visit.  We were there for 3 hours and could have talked 3 more but the guys were getting antsy and Mike was dealing with a sinus infection.  We caught up on our families since all of our parents, except for Bill, knew and/or grew up together in Cartersville.  That’s really home for me and I love that I am still in touch with Linda and Peggy.  Peggy and I couldn’t come up with a good day to meet.  I’ll need to let everyone know much sooner next time we’re in the area so I get to see everyone.

Not a good photo at all of the dead horse

On the way home we filled up the car as we only had 45 miles left to run out of gas.  As we approached our exit I was behind a truck and it dawned on the that the cargo in the back was a dead horse.  It had rigor mortis.  We thought they could have put a tarp over it. I made a stop at Wal-mart in Waynesboro.  I hadn’t planned on dinner but luckily had a chicken breast leftover so we had Chicken Caesar Salad.  It was a nice change and simple to fix.

Breakfast out

June 19 – Instead of Sunday breakfast I thought we’d go to McDonald’s for breakfast and use the wifi to watch a couple of shows we have missed.  Breakfast was OK.  I had sausage and pancakes and Bill had a McMuffin and a burrito.  The place was like an ice chamber.  I had to go to the car and get our jackets and a towel for over Bill’s legs.  We did get a table with an outlet so we stayed quite a while. I watched the last episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” but Bill was doing his mail and setting up a new gmail account. Then it was time to head back for work. 

I packed us a lunch since we ate late and we went in at 1.  It was really packed today.  The crazy thing is people continue to arrive at 3 or later in the afternoon.  We had a lot of volunteers and seasonals working on parking and at 4 there was a group coming to rent the group picnic area and they expected 40 cars so our people were hopping!  The news of the day was the homeless family.  Their children were selling stuff during the children’s movie last night and the ranger reported it to the LEO and she came in today and called for EMT’s and the children were given well checks and were found to be malnourished and sun burned.  Then child protection was called and 3 went to their aunt and 3 were being placed elsewhere I guess.  They arrested the parents, who had cigarettes and beer but no food for the kids.  The volunteers brought food and drinks for the kids while waiting for the various agencies, etc to do their thing.  Those people have 10 children.  One is an adult and 3 have already been taken from them and now these 6.  What a shame!

I made chicken pomodoro for dinner and later Randy came over to see if he could run a cable from his satellite to us and then Sue and Ray came over to talk about us training them in the VC, then Anita, Randy’s wife came over and Bill got up to go to the bathroom and his short fell down!  What a hoot we had!  He forgot he had undone them and as he turned his butt to them to go they just plopped to the floor.  One of life’s most embarrassing moments! At least he was wearing his boxers!

Still no TV

June 18 – Our neighbor got his satellite working but we still have no luck.  We called Directv and it appears the problem in the SWM unit that needs electric is not working.  So we ended up scheduling them to come out on Wednesday morning.  Crap!

We promised Kelly we’d work weekends from 1 to 6, ugh!  It’s just so busy that he wants to accommodate guests as best we can.  We could do it better with something to sell them.  They all want ice cream and we’ve been told they are not having it this year.  I had the pleasure are telling 2 groups to move their tents  off the beach and into the grass and 2 dog owners to take their dogs beyond the signs telling you no dogs past here.  One lady wanted to argue the point but I didn’t give in.    It was really busy today.  I put out 20 rolls of TP and there were 48 to begin with!  The soda machine is still not right.  The water gives a coke and the coke gives water.  The coke dispenser is in front of the water dispenser and I think the drop gear is faulty and it just drops whatever!  I got permission to call Coke and request a technician and I did and they won’t even give you a day to expect them but they are supposed to call me before so I can explain all the oddities of the machine.

I planned to grill and the tank ran dry before it all got done.  I figured it was time to try the connection on the RV and hoped we had the correct hose for it.  The biggest issue was getting out the little table and moving the grill over by the RV.  That connection worked great.  We will still keep our tiny little tank but now we have plenty of gas in reserve.

No TV......

June 17 – We had a terrible storm last night.  We can’t get the Directv working but neither can our neighbor so we guess it’s the satellite out in space. It poured and stuff was banging on the roof all night.  I feel bad for the tent campers, as we get a lot of them here.  We also have what we think is a homeless family.  There are 6 children and 2 adults in one tent and they have a beat up car.  They paid their “rent” but once they don’t they will get booted.  We have instructions not to feed them or offer assistance as they will be recommended to agencies to help them.

We still didn’t hear from our lady so we managed with what we scraped up.  We don’t have a lot to sell anyway but at least we can make change for the soda machine.  My neighbors and I worked on that machine almost an hour today.  It doesn’t give the correct drink in reference to the button pushed.  So we tested every button and drink slot and moved some around and got it all squared away.  Now if the darn machine would take the bills and stop being finicky all would be well!  It was busier today than yesterday as more campers are checking in for the weekend.  I did the floors so they are all shiny for tomorrow but it won’t last long

Whoopie, a whoopie pie!

June 16 – Before work today we drove into Stuart’s Draft as I wanted to go to the Mennonite bakery and they’re only open on Thursday-Saturday and to the Mennonite cheese farm that Mark went to.  That was our first stop and we got curds and some liquid yogurt.  It’s supposedly sweet and we got a recipe for a pineapple smoothie that we’re going to try.  Then at the bake shop we sorta went overboard.  We each picked cookies, molasses and peanut butter, a load of raisin bread and 2 whoopie pies.  I ate my oatmeal one immediately!  They do bake good stuff.  I needed some salad mix and radishes so stopped at Food Lion.  The post office had been closed for lunch but by the time we left the grocery they were open so I got my stamps and we headed home.

Work was steady.  I try to do a sweep of the grounds and pick up trash and always check the bathrooms for TP.  I keep having issues with the soda machine but our lady hasn’t contacted us about getting it serviced.  We also still don’t have the safe open so we asked our neighbors for pennies and they came up with $3, so that’s good.  We just bring all the money home with us.  Oh well!

Back to work

June 15 – By 10 we still hadn’t heard back about the safe and whether to open the VC or not.  Bill suggested I call our volunteer coordinator at the main office and let her know our dilemma and see what she suggested.  Well, she came up with the same idea as I had, to take the ones and quarters out of the soda machine and wing it.  I went a step further; I had $15.50 in quarters and 2 rolls of nickels and scrounged up 50 pennies.  I bought $20 in 5’s from the front gate and fronted the drawer until we started having some sales.  There were 80 ones in the soda machine and another $20 of quarters so we managed.  Our contact called after she got a call from the park lady and said her boss was going to find the extra safe key and send it overnight and we should have it tomorrow. She gave an excuse about not calling us but assured me that she was not blowing us off.

We had a pretty steady day and the snack guy was waiting when we arrived so we had a lot more to offer now.  We thought the soda guy was coming this morning but that didn’t happen so we figured no one called to order, oh well! 

We had a decent crowd for a Wednesday and after all that went on to get the day started the time went rather fast.

After enjoying one of my Bold Rock ciders I grilled some steelhead trout and asparagus to go with wild rice I cooked this morning.  Our neighbors brought over some Heath Bar crackers and some Butter Finger crackers they made today and they are really good.  They are such nice people.  Wish all our co-volunteers were so nice.

Another day out and about

June 14 – It was another long day but we really enjoyed it.  We stopped again at the VC to see if the safe magically was working – not!  Bill left 3 messages for our contact and she never called back.  That kinda leaves us in a pickle as to what to plan on for work tomorrow.  Oh well, we figured we’d deal with it tomorrow.

Front of Poplar Forest

We drove south to Bedford to visit Poplar Forest, the second home of Thomas Jefferson.  His wife inherited it when her father died and he actually had control of it.  They never lived there together on the 5,000+ acre plantation.  He would go there for 2 weeks to 2 months as a get away from public life.  The house is small by plantation standards and he had it built to his specifications.  It’s octagonal inside and out and only 1 floor but

Back of Poplar Forest

with a basement of rooms and a cellar.  The landscaping is symmetrical and a few of the original poplar trees still stand.  One had to be taken down recently and the wood is being used for the renovations to the house.  The house was continually lived in for over 200 years and saw many changes.  When the last owner was going to sell it off to a developer, a private citizen stepped in and bought it due to its historical value and a foundation was formed.  So

One of the 2 Privies

now its renovations are funded totally by donations, fundraisers and admissions.  Jefferson incorporated some unique ideas into the house.  In his bedroom the bed is in the middle of the room with walls the width of the bed at the foot and head, so one side of the bedroom is the dressing and grooming area like a regular bedroom and the other side is a study of sorts. 

By the time we finished the tour and photos we were way

behind schedule.  We bought a dual admissions ticket to the National D-Day Memorial about 20 minutes away.  We had agreed to meet friends back in Waynesboro for dinner at 5:30, so we were clock watching.  Once we arrived at the Memorial the lady

The front of the memorial

said the next tour was leaving momentarily and it would last about 40 minutes.  We didn’t even go inside to check in and they were using a golf cart and there was one space left so Bill got to ride and I walked the hot concrete with 2 other couples.  Well, as impressive as it all was, the 40 minutes ended up being 1 hour and 40 minutes.  The guide was excellent with lots of stories of veterans who have come to visit and told him their stories, but geez, it was so hot out and I was sweating like a pig and had no water.  The site itself was all privately funded and they still have plans for other additions to it.  The planning and thought that went into the design was amazing.  It represents the landing at Utah Beach so well and some of the stories were so sad.

So after a quick visit to the gift shop, we jumped (well, not Bill), into the car and hot footed it back to Waynesboro.  I had texted earlier during the tour that it would be at least 6 and they said OK.  Once we got on the road Bill called and they said they could make it 6:30 but not later and we said that should be fine.  We ended up pulling in just after them so the timing was perfect.  We went to Silk Road again and again it was excellent.  I wanted sushi again but went with shrimp teriyaki.  The had the same drink special as before, the white sangria so Sue and I both had one.  Yum!  We finally finished up at 8 and it was really a nice evening.

They headed back and we headed to Wal-mart to pick up Bill’s script that we just about forgot, then we headed home, tired puppies.  But it was a great touristy day!

Fun Day Off!

June 13 – It was a long day!  We’re off and had travel plans but before we could leave I called Patty our supervisor and told her our problem with the safe.  She kinda blew me off.  I also tried to give her our soda order and she just said she’d take care of it.  So we stopped by the VC when we left and I tried the safe again, no luck.  I tried every key we had and no luck.  We stopped at the front gate asked the seasonal there to look in the Admin office for a key with the lock number and also to let her know we never received a fire extinguisher or the defibrillator that we were told would come 2 weeks ago.  So we headed out and figured we had another day to see what happens.

We went up the really steep road over the mountain, which crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway.   I really don’t like that road!  On the other side we stopped at the Bold Rock Cider facility.  We were there years ago and the tasting was in a huge barn.  Things were quite different now.  They have a beautiful brewing and tasting building on the top of a hill with an incline walkway that’s a nice walk up.  There was no way Bill could make it on crutches or

his knee walker so he waited in the car.  They also now have a restaurant, quite an upgrade from 4 years ago.  Now they only give you 2 small “tastes” of 2 ciders free and it's $5 for a flight of 4.  I went with it so I’d know what I wanted to buy and the flight portions were 3 times the size.  One was too dry for me but I liked the other 5!  I left with 2 6 packs and the knowledge that they are now in 13 states, the closest is Georgia.

Wolf Brewing

We stopped for lunch at the Wild Wolf Brewing in Nellysford, VA.  We’d been there before and this time there was no huge crowd waiting and the weather was perfect so we sat outside and enjoyed it.  I had a Risotto with lemon, parsley and goat cheese topped with sautéed kale and Bill had a burger.  Perfect lunch portion!

Then on to Charlottesville!  First stop, Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson.  Boy, has that all changed.  Now you are parked in the woods, one way going in and one way going out with no view at all of the house from the massive Visitor Center Complex.  I dropped Bill off at the doors and went to park.  We have been here before and knew the tour would be difficult for Bill so we chose to see one of the movies and check out the gift shop. 

The side we entered from - Ashlawn

Next stop was James Monroe’s house, Ashlawn, but now it’s called Highland.  Possibly it’s because the original house is gone and maybe it was Ashlawn and the guest house that was used after was named Highland. This discovery was just recently made through excavations.  Hard to believe that all this time, 200 years, no one knew this wasn’t the house?   Not being as popular, it was easier to park and navigate.  They provided a wheelchair that worked pretty well on the visit into and around the house.  The biggest issue was the door sills were elevated

Slave quarters

about an inch and difficult to get the chair over.  It’s not nearly the impressive home that Monticello is but you see pieces of furniture and art that were the Monroe’s and also learn a lot of history about him, his life and his service to his country.  After the house tour I parked Bill and took a peek in the out buildings.  They had period dress volunteers in the slave quarters providing insight and information of the lives of the slaves there.

Mitchie Tavern

On the way out and down the mountain we stopped at Mitchie Tavern in hopes of a late afternoon sweet but they close at 3:30.  We’ve eaten there before but thought they also served dinner but guess not.  The gift shop was open so we checked it out and took some photos.  Bill learned that this is not the original location of the tavern but we don’t know where that location was.

We headed onto I-64 and soon saw a huge traffic jam in our lane so we got off and took a series of little roads and eventually got back to Waynesboro.  We stopped at the main shopping plaza so I could go to Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target and Aldi’s then we crossed over and had dinner at Applebee’s.  It was OK, nothing to write home about.

Molly was glad to see us as we’d not been gone all day like that on this trip.  It was a beautiful day out and perfect for sightseeing.