2nd Sticker on the Map!

Even though this is a business-type of trip, we are booked for a week and will get to drive around to see some sights. We are staying at at Pine Cone Resort in Freehold Township, NJ and it's name is very apropos as we are surrounded by beautiful pine trees. The roads are all hard-packed clay, but the sites have grass, gravel, a picnic table and a fire ring. There are millions of pine needles spread out under the pines and they resemble a Christmas tree skirt.  It seems like a very nice place, but I will offer my official verdict during daylight hours. So far, I've only heard different sounds from different people, different rigs and different cars, I'm guessing it will take the whole week here before I feel more "at home."

Our space just for the night. Pull-thru w/o water.

Lucy struggled with the ride for most of the trip down. It took us about 2-1/2 hours and only the last few minutes were spent quietly sitting on my lap in her carry bag. I felt like she knew something different was going to happen even before we pulled out of Croton Park, because for the first time, she actually tried to claw her way out of her bag and tore up the towel liner.

She was quite verbal, right from the start, so I let her out to seek a comfy spot. She immediately made a beeline for the bed where she remained content until we hit a rough patch of road. We could hear her crying and whimpering, which broke our hearts, but she was brave enough to walk all the way up to the front of the rig.

Lucy starting to unwind.

In the bag, out of the bag, on my lap, in the bag, under the bed, under the covers, in the bag. It was just sad repetitive actions until the last 20 minutes, when she decided that sitting in her carry bag on my lap, wasn't so bad after all.

As soon as we parked, the happy clam emerged and acting like nothing ever happened. She has food, water and a clean litter box. For Lucy, Life is Now Good. Tomorrow morning will be another story.

"G" and I are both tired tonight and we need to be up bright and early to get Allie over to the next town for her "look-see." It will be an early-to-bed night, but not until we get out the New Jersey sticker and place it on our map of the USA. A milestone, an accomplishment, a minute one, but memorable for us.

U-turn

One of the funny things that "G" does, that keeps me rolling my eyes, is his frequent u-turns. It seems we can't go anywhere without needing to make a u-turn. This trip afforded us just one, but I decided I shall torture him with posting a "u-turn" photo log from this point forward. I feel this is going to be a noteworthy item to track.


Deep thought for the day:  Lucy, just like "G" and I, does not like bumps in the roads. They can be unpleasant and scary and we prefer to avoid them at all costs.

Breaker, breaker...bump in the road....That's a 10-4 good buddy.

The Master Chess Player is again moving our pawns to a different square than we had planned. Tomorrow, we shall be headed down to Scott RV, in Lakewood, NJ for a service call to repair our electrical panel box, grounding wires and breakers.

We were supposed to be there anyway, on Monday, for the electrical hot water heating element. Apparently, there is some reason we MUST be in New Jersey on December 1st. Perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket while there.

"G" and I spent the day tying up some loose ends before hitting the road tomorrow. A car trip or two, back north, will be required, but Allie and Lucy will wait for us at Pine Cone Resort, in Freehold, NJ. "G" has a dentist appointment on Friday, and we need some time to close up the house and pack the last minute items - like my pile of summer clothes and North Carolina Christmas gifts. 

We are taking the disruption in stride. There is nothing we can do to change our situation, so we will just "go with the flow." This will be Lucy's first extended trip in Allie and we are looking forward to see how she manages with my new travel plan, thanks to my new "Oregon-RV-friend-with-a-cat," Paula's suggestions. Lucy will start off in her carry bag, and then, once we are on smooth road, I will open the bag and let her go wherever she likes. My guess is that she will end up under the covers of our bed, but her bag will be close by, if she chooses to crawl securely back inside.

An update will follow.

Deep thought for the day:  Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu

Thanksgiving Day 2014

The best profession must be that of a Meteorologist. It seems to be the only job where you can guess what is going to happen, take credit when you are right, blame someone else when you're wrong, and not get fired. Poor Mother Nature, for having to take the rap, so often, and from so many.

Thanksgiving Day 2014

I'm grateful this day for a multitude of reasons, but especially for my #1 guy, for our Tiffin Allegro, and of course, Lucy! I'm thankful, too, that all the predictions fell short for our immediate area and we were only teased with about an inch of snow, at most. The photos that follow are time-lapsed from Croton and a few shots from our ride up to Washingtonville, NY this afternoon, where the predictions were more on target.

9:30 am Wednesday

12:30 pm Wednesday

Thanksgiving morning

9:30 am Wednesday

12:30 pm Wednesday

Thanksgiving morning

9:30 am Wednesday

12:30 pm Wednesday

Thanksgiving Day

Driving along the Palisade's Parkway

Deep thought for the day:   "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." ~~ Oprah Winfrey

There must be 50 ways to leave your…RV park?

Well, we are on the brink of an impending “snow event,” that has been forecast to hit our area tomorrow and continue into Thursday early AM, which is Thanksgiving Day.  

"G" had both symptoms. 

Besides the much publicized and news-worthy snow event, “G” had the unpleasant malady of a severe toothache this weekend. Thankfully, his dentist was able to see him Monday night and a root canal was started and is scheduled to be completed on December 5th. The timing was actually good, since the last thing you want to do, when in a lot of pain, is see a dentist you don't know and trust.  

Tomorrow, I shall contact the campgrounds I had booked for our trip down to Florida, which will be an easier task than having to postpone our North Carolina trip for one week. As Kermit the Frog, so wisely said, “It’s not easy being green,” so is it true that it’s not easy asking parents of three youngsters to swap a weekend when they are all so involved with extra-curricular activities, have many friends, parties, plans and celebrations, especially at this time of the year. We planned the original weekend over two months ago.

Thankfully, “G’s” tooth feels much improved already and the NC weekend was easier to reschedule than anticipated. Now, all we really need to be concerned about is the snow. “G” had a fleeting thought of going back to the house to weather out the storm there, but when we realized how much stuff needed to be packed and transpored, it didn’t make sense to attempt such a feat. Therefore, we have decided to stay put, pull in our slides (to protect them from the weight of the snow) and wait out the storm. We already have the little Sentra tucked away in the garage and a full tank of propane on board Allie to keep us warm and cozy.

We are in-between the 3"-5" and 5"-8" prediced area.

I'll be sure to provide a photo update of our first snowstorm in an RV, that is, only if the weather people are on target.

Paul Simon sang it well...50 Ways to Leave your Lover...Here is my version of "50 Ways to Leave your RV Park:"

"The problem is all inside my head" he said to me,

"This tooth hurts so much, that I can hardly see.

I'd like to help you, in your struggle to be free,

with fifty ways to leave this RV park."

He said, "It's really not my habit to insist,

and I hope you don't act up or bother to desist,

but, I'll repeat myself, if you really must insist,

There ARE fifty ways to leave this RV park."

You just release the brake, Jake

Make a new plan, Stan.

Reprogram the GPS, Les

And get this rig free.

Hop of the bus, Gus,

No need to discuss much,

Just dump the black tank, Hank,

and it will get us all free.

He said, "It grieves me so that I am in such pain.

I wish the dentist would prescribe a litttle somethin' to make me smile again."

I said, "I'd appreciate that, but would you first explain, 

about those fifty ways to leave this RV park?"

He said, "Why don't we both just sleep on it tonight?

In the morning, after the Vicodin, we both will see the light. "

Then he kissed me, and I realized he probably was right,

There are fifty ways to leave this RV park!

Deep thought for the day: Go ahead, I dare you. Make all the moves you want in the game of life. If the Master Chess Player chooses to NOT move your pawn, then you remain put, until He/She decides to move you to another square. Deal with it! vc

10 Days until "G's" and "V's" First Great Big Adventure

I realized today that we only have ten more days until we pull up stakes and head south. Weather permitting, we will be hitting the road on the morning of December 1st. Since "G" was able to repair the hot water heating element issue, we don't need a detour to New Jersey for service!  Thank you "G!" With the weather so cold and blustery here, we just want to get as close to our first big stop in Raleigh, NC where today, the temperature is 46 degrees, opposed to 32 here in Croton. I should mention, that although I complain about the cold weather, we are actually nice and cozy inside Allie.

Last night the temperatures dipped to 25 degrees and of all nights, at 2 AM, our little propane tank ran dry and "G" needed to change out the tanks. Apparently, I slept, quite soundly, through most of the incident.  Guilty feelings today are at an all-time high.

We spent most of the day yesterday packing up the remaining items at 223. It had gotten to a point where I just didn't know where to start first, so my organizational skills kicked in and I decided to start from the top down, boxing up or removing all possible items and moving them to either the garage or living room. The next step will be to box up what remains in the living room and garage.

My goal had been to slowly, methodically, and with determination, sort, pack, donate, and sell. Not all goals have been attained, but progress is evident to anyone who sees what little remains.

Today finds us scheduled for our last check up at our doctor's office until spring. My little Sentra just had her oil changed and tires rotated, "G's" Jeep is scheduled for Monday and Lucy, has an appointment with her vet for some last minute blood work before we head out. One of my dad's favorite sayings was, "Make sure you get all of your ducks in a row."  Ours are lining up quite nicely.

"Mom, please don't disturb me while I write MY blog."

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and we will be spending it with "G's" family up in Washingtonville, NY (a place colder than Croton, but with good food and family). Christmas is just around the corner and just thinking that we will be in Bradenton by Christmas warms me up...a little...

Deep thought for the day:  Gee, it's rather early for "deep thinking," but here goes: "Stop wishing your life away. Instead of counting down until December 1st, I shall enjoy today for what it is - a gift!" vc

Water, water, everywhere.

Well, it has finally occurred. The "glitch," the "inconvenience," the "malfunction." or the "holy $%&#*!" Last evening, "G" noticed water on the bathroom floor near the washer/dryer unit. His first thought was that the washer hose had leaked, but after a careful inspection and finding even more water under the adjacent vanity, he concluded that the leak was coming from the water heater area.

Well, it turned out to be a perfect storm, because, as luck would have it, the weather was in the 20's, it was 10:30 at night and "G" needed to fix this issue from outside. Once bundled up and braving the cold, he found water leaking from the hot water heater area, down into the last storage bay, which is just under the wiring for the hot water heater. Just yesterday, "G" attempted to fix the electric hot water heating element that had quit working again! Although we were scheduled to have it repaired in New Jersey on December 1st, he attempted to change out the element himself with the hopes of "making it out of Dodge" sooner due to the predicted continuance of cold temperatures.

Well, he found that the seal on the new element was damaged, thus causing the leak. It could have been a faulty element, or my Superman tightened the bolt too much, but either way, water spurt out all over him when he changed out the new element for the old. Now, if this was a job I had done, the old element would have been in the trash, but "G" had it close at hand and used it as a stop-gap in the meantime. Poor "G," cold, tired and wet from a gush of water, finally came in to call it a night. Unfortuante for "G", I had a night of dreams and talking in my sleep, which kept him awake for a portion of the night. He reported that I talked about "putting rocks into a wheelbarrow" and snored most of the night, as if I had put in a hard day's work.  LOL

Today, turned out to be another cold, damp day, and "G" spent most of it futzing with the hot water heater and a couple of suspicious-looking wires. At 2 pm, after some re-wiring and a lot of patience, we had hot water from our old heating element! Go "G," go!!! He discovered fried wires that he snipped and spliced and got us up and running on electric power once again.  Hooray! We can save some propane!

I was able to pull a bit of my weight by helping with the dumping of the black tank. It made me feel somewhat useful in the face of all of "G's" accomplishments and hard work.

Even though it wasn't a great day to walk, I observed quite a few people braving the elements, and decided that a nice walk was in order. I accomplished just a mile, but at least I got myself out and about. Yesterday was spent mostly inside cooking up a batch of wickedly-good chicken soup. My motto has been cook some, eat some and freeze some. I want to have a nice stash on hand for when we hit the road.

Here are a couple of pictures of the day.

Mr. Patience.

The "scene of the crime"

"G's" water hose insulation job!

Still smiling after a tough day.

A view from the top of the hill. Looking east at the Hudson River

Feeling as though I was on top of the world.

Deep thought for the day: Totally unrelated to the events here at the park..."We are all victims or heroes of the consequences of life's choices. Try to make the best choices as often as possible and when you don't, remember to love yourself in spite of your human imperfections."  vc

Back on line.

My last post stated that I wouldn't be posting for about a week, and as it turned out, I was unable to anyway, due to a hard drive failure. Thanks to my handy-dandy computer-geek friend, Charlie, he got me up and running with a new replacement hard drive. Wouldn't you know...my computer came off it's warranty in June.

Last night, it took over an hour with a "virtual assistant," to remotely fix all the little glitches that remained and, voila, here I am! It turned out he was a cool guy who has only been doing this work since May. We had a nice chat while we waited for "plug ins" to load. 

Last evening, we had a cold snap and it continued throughout the day and tonight. The temps are forecast to drop into the 20's, so "G" had prepared ahead of time, winterizing the rig for the inevitible cold conditions. We have heat tape wrapped around our water intake line, a portable heater in the holding tank bay and a piece of plywood covering the stairwell, which is blocking the cold air from seeping in around the door. We are trying to reserve propane, so our fire place and an electric floor heater will reduce the need for the furnace to kick on.

Yesterday, I took a lovely walk around the park, knowing it would be a few days until I would get a chance to enjoy the fall colors. Once this snap passes, the leaves will be past their prime and not be a very attractive site to behold.

I did have a very interesting thing happen to me yesterday. Back in 1967, I began collecting Kennedy half-dollars and Eisenhower silver dollars. I decided that there was no sense storing the coins and after discovering that they were they were only worth face value, I decided to rid myself of the weight of all that metal. I held on to the full-silver dollars and the full-silver half-dollars, but the rest were brought to the bank and exchanged for warm soft cash (opposed to "cold hard cash"). I first paid a visit to the bank to get wrappers, and discovered that they actually had them for half-dollar and dollar coins. 

I didn't get rid of any of these babies.
Just the ones that were part copper.

33 of these left my hands,
yet about 20 older ones remain in my collection.

The "interesting thing" occurred when I brought the coins back to the bank all wrapped, sans the dollars, because the wrappers were too small. Turns out, those wrappers were for the Susan B. Anthony coins. I showed the teller the type I had and she asked me what they were! She "had never seen one of those!" She didn't know what to do with them, so she brought one over to the bank manager and asked if "we can accept these in exchange for cash?" I suddenly felt quite old and a bit shocked that a bank teller, albeit on the young side, didn't know what a silver dollar looked like. 

The other two tellers came over to look at them - ooohing and ahhhhing. I just wanted to get my money and run. The other bank patrons were now looking at me with sideway glances. Eventually, I did get to walk out with a whopping $108 dollars in paper money. I didn't amass a fortune collecting the coins, but I did have fun, and I did give some people "somethin' to talk about." So, I guess it was all worth the time and effort.

Here are a few photos of Lucy, the day, "G" and Willow (with her new haircut). 

"Can't you tell I'm napping."

Willow with Uncle "G" - I'm going to miss her.

Almost the end of peak season

The multi-colored carpet during my walk

Such remarkable beauty.

Deep thought for the day: When you surprise someone without even trying, they can actually surprise you more, and yesterday, for me, it was with sheltered innocence. I hope they knew who Dwight D. was.

Lucy's progress

This will be the last post for about a week. The next few days will find "G" and I making daily trips back to the house to finish boxing up household items and taking photos of furniture so I can upload on a Facebook Tag Sale page and Craigslist. Once all packed, we just need to do a good cleaning and get the outdoor furniture stored for the winter. It will feel like a huge weight lifted once this has been completed. Christmas gifts are packed and ready to ship out, or hand out, before hitting the road. A lot of work, planning and organizing has been accomplished over the last couple of months and getting away from the cold, dank, ice and snow will be our reward.

I did want to end, just for now, with a "Lucy" update. A quick readjustment to RV living was made by Missy Miss, and as I had suspected, someone enjoys living in Allie as much as I. There have been no hissing fits or growling and she is spending more and more time socializing, playing with her toys and enjoying her surroundings. She even comes out when Charlie pays a visit! Space 40, although bothersome to us due to the acorns hitting the roof, it has proved to be a hot spot for our bushy-tailed friends. Squirrel-watching has become a regular part of our morning routine.

Here are just a couple of moments that I was able to catch on camera. The others, of her lounging on the ledge by the table or eating her meals on the dashboard, found me without my phone or camera handy. 

Couch potato

"Squirrel central"...it's nap time right now.

Finally relaxing in her basket, making mommy happy.

Deep thought for the day: There's no place like home and home is where you park it.

Comfort food...

Although I was afforded a good night's sleep last night, poor "G" had to listen to my on and off snoring and alert me every time my insulin pump alarmed. I can't believe how I am able to sleep right through the siren that sounds once my blood sugar drops too low or spikes too high. The lows are the more dangerous and it's the main reason I opted to commit to using a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGM). The annoyance is worth the benefit, so onward, ho.

I paid a visit to my littlest niece and nephew today and both were "nap-ready." Lil' Jack is thriving wonderfully, eating very well and and being loved immensely. After being swaddled and fed, he rested in his Pack 'n Play to dream of worlds beyond our imaginations. There is a great song by The Bare Naked Ladies, called, "When you Dream." It is such a soothing song and its lyrics are so poignant -  enough to lull you to sleep. Click here to hear it.

Tonight, Charlie and I took a walk around the park, and to my amazement, I introduced him to a walking path and a secluded beach that he never knew existed - go figure...he, who knows everything was introduced to two things today by "moi."  I included a couple of shots from our walk.

It was a spectacular day today.

My best "girlfriend," Chuck, Charlie, Joe, Charlutz. 

Whatever name I call him, I can depend upon him to be there for me (and "G")

This evening's dinner consisted of the "best-ever" homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn, which, is the meal my kids would consider their childhood favorite. A nice bottle of Dolcetto d'Alba rounded off the meal to make it near-perfect. The only thing that could have improved it was if the dishes washed themselves. I am my own worst critic, so if I give myself credit for a meal done right, it is one you would wished you had tasted. Impressively, since being here, this is the second time I've made something that I considered "my best-ever," making me wonder if Allie gives me super-cooking powers? Ha...if "G" could only be so lucky.

The day is done. The dark has settled in far too soon for me since we began Daylight Savings Time. It will take me several weeks to adjust to the new sunrises and sunsets. Perhaps in time for it to return to normal in March????

Deep thought for the day: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn: made with love and served with pride = "The Best Ever American Comfort Food."

What day is it?

Last night, the winds howled while rain, big branches and acorns fell. It was a night that Lucy would much rather have done without. She meowed incessantly this morning, verbalizing her discontent with the weather and her situation. Even breakfast didn’t assuage her irritated state.

I spent another night tossing and turning, and each time, I saw that Little Miss was at the foot of the bed keeping a ear on the happenings above her head and outside the coach. We were fortunate that nothing too large hit our coach, but our friends, three rigs down, had a bit of damage from a large branch breaking loose and another rig down the path had water leaking in during the night.

It continues to be a blustery day – the day of the New York City Marathon. I think I feel worse for the spectators than I do for the runners. It would take a lot of dedication for me to stand on the sidelines waiting hours to watch my loved one cross the finish line in this weather. I guess I should be grateful that I socialize with the more lazy type of folk.

My chicken soup was delicious and it truly hit the spot on this chilly day. I actually think it’s the best I’ve ever made. Too bad I didn’t have American cheese to make a grilled cheese sandwich, thus the makings for the perfect lunch.

It is Sunday, but it feels like a Thursday. Thursday’s usually feel like Mondays, ahhh, retired life. I’m so glad I have my “Day of the Week Clock,” to keep me up to “day.” Well, whatever day it is, what follows is a video and photo montage to document its beauty...

If you listen close enough, you will hear the acorns hitting the roof.

Lucy's friend, leaning against the tree as he eats an acorn

Lucy with her iPad,

Lucy's little squeaky voice...she never spoke with  long meows.

Deep thought for the day:  The Purpose of Owning a Day Clock: “When the day of the week is more important than the hour of the day.”

Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

The Three Witches from MacBeth

Quite fitting, that I should steal a quote from Shakespeare's MacBeth to title this post, with it being the night after the witches favorite of all nights of the year. We find ourselves with a bit of trouble, we have toiled and I have a cauldren bubbling - albeit it's only chicken soup, it did make for a grand entrance. No?

We experienced another night of intermittent sleep due to the pitter-patter of the rain, and occasional acorns pinging off the roof. At first, the acorns were dropping down like Cherrios being poured into a cereal bowl. I pictured impish squirrels, laughingly throwing them down at us as a Halloween prank. I’m glad they were sent to bed before us.

This morning we were greeted with the continued rhythmic sound of falling rain. It is a soothing sound, and one that makes you want to just stay inside and watch it all from the windows. The weight of the rain on the remaining leaves in the trees is causing more and more to find their eventual place on the ground, making for a beautiful, multi-colored blanket that covers the green grass.

My accomplishment for the day was to prepare a big cauldren of chicken vegetable soup that will be able to feed us for a week. There should be no hurry to venture out, my pretty.

As hard as he tried, “G” could not determine a cause for the electric hot water heating element failing to work, thus requiring him to schedule an appointment with Scott RV for another look-see and repair or replacement. This has now caused a small kink in our previously scheduled road trip south. We will be detoured much further east and it will necessitate some route tweaking to get our repairs completed and then back on track for at least the first important stop - Raleigh, NC, where we shall be celebrating an early Christmas with my son and his family. 

Following a schedule is a not an option, but a requirement, when you have three kids all under 10 years old, who are all involved in extra-curricular activities. We had planned to meet up the first weekend in December over two months ago, and being flexible won’t be an easy or pleasant task for my son and daughter-in-law. Besides, I have parks booked straight through from that stop until March 1^st. I DO NOT relish the idea of rescheduling any of them.

So, today, while the soup simmered and filled Allie with delicious aromas, I amended our original itinerary to accommodate a nagging “necessity.” It wasn't too bad. No reason to put a spell on Scott RV, this time...

Deep thought for the day: I have come to realize, that you can’t plan your life; life plans you.