Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas.

Well, as I compose this entry, we are parked in a less-than-desirable campground that "G" chose - Fox Swamp RV Park. I'll let the name speak for itself. Until tonight, I have picked the locations or made reservations at the last three places we have stayed, and all of mine were 5-star rated. This one finds us locking all basement storage bins and not planning any after-dinner walks. Even finding it necessitated another u-turn. I give it a 2-star rating, due to the fact that we have a pull-through site.

A lot has happened since my last entry. A quick update of the latest annoyances that are again plaguing us are the electrical hot water heating element not working and the privacy screen stuck 4/5"s of the way up. I am ever so grateful that it's not stuck 4/5's of the way down!  Best to think positively.

We were finally able to legitimately place the North Carolina sticker on our map. We stayed at the Raleigh State Fairgrounds and, although it was about a half hour away from our grandchildren, it was clean, new and quiet.

We spent most of the visit eating our way through 4 nights with son #1 and family. It was a fabulous experience, full of laughter, fun, instrumental concerts, dogs, presents, games and food. The perfect combination for a holiday visit. 

Our first night in NC found us eating dinner at Shuckers, a seafood restaurant where "G" and I ate too much rich food. I had shrimp and grits, and "G" had shrimp scampi...Cha-ching...a couple of pounds into the weight bank.  The next evening, my daughter-in-law allowed me to take over her kitchen and I made chicken cutlet parmigiana with capellini in marinara sauce. Cha-ching.

The next night, we treated ourselves to dinner and a movie with our three grandchildren. Penguins of Madagascar, and Leli's Diner. Cha-ching....more calories. We tried to drive around, looking for houses decorated for the holiday, but we were stuck in torrential rain, and couldn't see or feel much "comfort and joy," so we headed back to the house that had the very best decorations in town!

Christmas Eve was finally upon us and food was at an all-time overload (Cha-Ching). We contributed Italian Antipasti and home-made zeppolis, and it was accompanied by sushi, shrimp cocktail, ham and cheese melts, crab cakes, and piggies in a blanket. We had home-made Sangria and Chocolate Martinis.  Yummy, yum, yum.

It was fun watching family traditions being handed down, new ones being created and everyone having a great time. As much as I cherished and enjoyed the time spent with my family, I did find myself missing my usual Christmas Eve spread and those whom I've celebrated the night with for the last few years - Leah and Charlie, Lisa and Moe, Laura and family, and Charlie. 

Today, Friday, December 26, we pulled up stakes and headed south. Our first stop turned out to be exciting, because something big must have gone down at the Shell Gas Station we pulled into. It had been overtaken by five police cars and we had a little trouble maneuvering to a pump, so a quick stop, wound up being a long delay. We were able to pass the time watching the "perp" empty his pockets!

The next stop we made was a rest area off Route 95 South and wouldn't you know it, but two NC State Troopers had a tractor trailer blocked off in the space next to us. It was becoming a bit unnerving. 

So, here we sit, awaiting sunrise, when we can get back on the road and head towards warmer weather. The temps here are in the 50° opposed to 43 degrees back home and 46° in Raleigh. Not much of a difference, but we are headed towards 70° that can't come soon enough. 

A few photos of the last few days.

Raleigh State Fairgrounds Campground

"G" and his new best friend, Tucker

The girls

My little Miss Color-Coordinator

Daddy and daughter #1

Jolly-Holly, Summer and Savannah

Lucy checking out the tree

Buddy getting in some exercise.

The "Sting" at the Shell Gas Station in Raleigh

Deep thought for the day: The holidays come and go, the seasons change, the sun rises and sets, and the the moon waxes and wanes, however, love continues to grow and flourish, in spite of it all.

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.