A Good Day Mr. Willis, A Good Day indeed!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love hearing rain on our aluminum roof during the night?  I heard rain on the roof all night long, and woke up to rain around 9 am.  The best rain is at night, which usually leaves the next day sunny, or partly cloudy.  In the case of Tuesday it was very heavily overcast all morning long.  This worked out well for me as I had some insurance to do, as well as two blog posts to complete.  Since I got such a late start on the day I wasn't finished until after 12:30.

It continued to drizzle on and off all morning, so we thought Tuesday would be a great day to take in a movie.  We haven't seen a movie in a long, long time....since Campbellsville I think.  One movie we wanted to see, which is a continuation of a great movie franchise, was "A Good Day to Die Hard".  These movies are best viewed on the BIG SCREEN, so we found a local theater in nearby Pooler, GA that had a 1:40 pm showing.  There were only 4 other people in the theater besides TLE and I.  Thank goodness it was only an hour and a half long....I don't think my heart could have taken any more.....lol.  We were not disappointed.  I think the original Die Hard movie was released in 1986.  I remember renting the VHS tape to watch in our hotel room back in the summer of '87 when we were at a soccer tournament in Mission Viejo, CA.  My mother was with us that weekend, and so she joined us to watch it.....at one point near the end she begged me to pause the tape as she though she was having a heart attack......:-).....needless to say my mother survived the movie......I think that is one of the things that keeps us coming back movie after movie is the intensity of each "Die Hard" movie.....and, of course, who does not like Bruce Willis?

Just after we got back on I-95 to drive home I saw a sign advertising the "Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum" just a couple of exits down, so I turned to TLE and said....."let's get off here and take a look...what do you say?"  She said...."yeah!", so we exited and found ourselves walking into this cool museum essentially dedicated to the B-17 Flying Fortress that really formed the backbone of the U.S. and Allied bombing efforts in WW2.  I have always wanted to see one of these babies up close.  The damage these planes could sustain and still remain airborne was and is still amazing.

It wasn't as big as I had imagined, but these planes were built like flying tanks.  Since we got there pretty late in the day....just before 4 pm we didn't have long before closing at 5, but we can go back today using the same tickets we bought yesterday.  There is a lot to see in this museum, and I could easily see us spending several more hours there.  This plane is currently undergoing a complete restoration, which is why you see the front, and some of the rear pieces missing.

We hit the Kroger supermarket on the way home for some fresh vegetables to eat with the chicken we were going to BBQ that night and then headed for home.  While I burned the meat TLE prepared some sauteed vegetables, and steamed rice.....yummy, yummy, yummy!  What a great way to end a very fun day.

Thanks for stopping by!

No Reservations

We pulled anchor around 10:30 Monday for the "long" 41 mile drive up to Savannah.  We wondered if we should make reservations, but it just goes against the grain for me to succumb to that temptation, so we rolled the dice once and again arriving at Red Gate Farms RV Campground with "NO RESERVATIONS" around 11:30.  Both TLE and I forgot that this coming weekend (March 16th) is St. Patrick's Day, and, APPARENTLY, the associated parade in downtown Savannah is a really big deal hereabouts.  People started arriving at Red Gate this past weekend for the festivities next weekend.....wow!  

So, now you're probably thinking "his luck has run out....there is no way Lady Serendipity can overcome Clarke's stubborn refusal to make reservations".....if you were thinking that you would be wrong!  Since rain was forecast for Monday evening, and running into Tuesday we hoped to snag a full hookup spot for a couple of days until the sun comes out again for 4 straight days, and we were able to do just that.  There was one back in spot left for Monday and Tuesday nights, so we took it.  On Wednesday we will move into the field across from us to "dry camp" for the next 5, or more days. which was our intent from the beginning.  We stayed here last year for 3, or 4 days, so we knew they offered dry camping.

Once we were in our spot we needed to dump our BLACK tank, which I wrote about yesterday.  The problem was we are in a back in spot, and since we left the trailer on we were toooo far from the sewer connection to use the regular 4" diameter sewer hose.  That's okay, because we have that portable macerator pump which we can use to pump our sewage up to 150' if necessary, so that is what we did.  The long connections for electric and water were no problem either.....as you know we have multiple hoses and extension cords to reach even the furthest connections.

Once that was done we put out all the awnings, and then I took a shower so we could head into town for a late lunch at one of our favorite Savannah micro breweries, The Distillery.   I hadn't eaten all day, and was getting really hungry.  We arrived at The Distillery around 2:45.  I ordered a 22 oz bottle of Rogue Brewery's Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, and TLE ordred a 22 oz bottle of Rogue Brewery's Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir.  For eating I got the Bootlegger Burger, and TLE had the Craft Beer Bratwurst.....OMG!  Again, you are most likely, and deservedly so, wondering why we are ordering "BOTTLED BEER" in a micro brewery......regrettably, their tapper system was broken this day, so we had to improvise, and I think we chose well.  I particularly loved TLE's beer selection....even more than mine, but they had the "YUMMY" factor.

After a delightful lunch we walked half a mile over to the local USPS to mail off our Beet Harvest employment applications, and then back to the 'Bird for the drive home.  On the way (TLE was driving) I called my oldest son, Chris, to talk about a new HD satellite dish he had installed on his Fleetwood motorhome.  It was so great to talk with him.....it has been a long time.  I am really, really beginning to miss our kids a lot.

We arrived back home around 4:30 and I decided I needed a nap......almost 2 hours later I woke up.....yep, I guess I did.  As it  turned out it was a good thing I took that long nap as we stayed up until 2 am watching the final episode of  "The Bachelor" on ABC.....I know....I know......but we do enjoy watching it, so give us a little slack, okay?  It began raining as we were going to bed, and rained on and off all night and was still sprinkling when we got up at 9 am.....yes.....9 am!

Tuesday looks like a good day to visit some museums, and maybe even take in a movie....it will be drizzly, and cloudy all day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Newell Rally in Spearfish, SD

Site of our next Newell Mini Rally

One of the amazing, unexpected benefits of owning a Newell coach are the many friends we have made over the past 5 years.  Friends who also own Newells of varying vintages.  I'm not talking about casual friends, or friends who are friends just because we own the same motorcoach, but friends who are true friends in every sense of the word.  I know from reading blogs of other folks who own Airstreams, or GMAC's, or Bus Conversions, and other RV's made by many other manufacturers, all feel the same about the people who have come into their lives because of their choice in RV.  All I can speak for is my particular users group, and they are an amazing bunch of people.

 Austin, TX

When I was in the process of buying our 1982 Newell I joined the only users group that existed at the time, www.newellclassic.com, and introduced myself.  I was immediately welcomed by half a dozen people who were regulars on the website.  I found out one of them, Michael Day, lived part time in his 1992 Newell in Newport Beach, CA, about 50 minutes from where I lived in Ontario, CA.  I was anxious to meet other Newell owners so I suggested to Michael, while online one day, that TLE and I drive down to meet he and his wife, Georgia, one weekend.  He was very enthusiastic about our visit.  As it turned out another of my eventual good friends, Tom McCloud and his family were on an extended trip in their 1990 Newell that summer and were going to be at Michael's RV park, Newport Dunes, that same weekend.  Little did we know that we would become close friends starting that weekend with not only Michael and Georgia, but Tom, his wife Darlene, and their daughter Heather.  

Tom (Encantotom) and Darlene at Creede, CO

David and Denise - Creede, CO

Since that weekend we have spent time traveling with Tom and Darlene twice on the way back from a Newell Rally held in Austin, TX, and then a second Newell Rally held in Creede, CO, and we have spent 12 days at their home in Arizona at the beginning of our current journey.  We have spent a week at the home of Georgia and Michael in Austin, TX.  Just this past summer our good friend Tom McCloud started a new users group called www.newellgurus.com.  I still visit the other site, but all of my friends have migrated over to the new site, so that is where I spend my most time when online.

Steve and Patricia (Prarieschooner)

This is a story that has repeated itself over and over again on our journey the past 13+ months.  We have been invited into the homes, and on to the properties of Newell owners all across the U.S.  There is just this immediate kinship.....a feeling like I have known these people all my life.  

Denise and Elaine - Austin, TX

This summer from June 22nd to June 29th we will be attending another Newell mini rally....the first since August of 2009.  The location is in Spearfish, South Dakota.....smack dab in the middle of the Black Hills.  The rally was the result of an e-mail conversation with a new Newell owner Todd Flickma, who lives in Sioux Falls, SD and myself.  He recently purchased a 1984 Newell Classic from a guy in Texas.  Over the course of several phone conversations, and many, many emails we have become friends, and we are so much looking forward to meeting him and his family this June.  At first we were just talking about our two families getting together in the Black Hills.  Subsequently this gathering has grown into a 19 coach Newell Rally.  Many of the folks coming I have met in person already, but there will be new people I have not met before, and am looking forward to becoming closer friends with them, too.  We will even have a representative from the Newell factory there at our rally.  

Richard, Rhonda and son - Creede, CO

Information about the rally can be found here: Newell Gurus Mini Rally.  We don't charge a registration fee for these informal rallies.  The only money you will pay is for your RV site at Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort, and your travel expenses to and from the rally.  Now, if you don't need, or want any new friends, then please just ignore this blog entry, because if you come you will gain a whole new family of friends.

TLE and I - Creede, CO

If you have found this blog entry through a Google search, or some other search engine, and are thinking about owning a Newell, or have a Newell and want to get together with a bunch of really cool, genuine folks  who also happen to own Newells, please come and join us in Spearfish!

Black is Black.....

We have been enjoying our present location so much these past few days, and had thought we might even extend our stay beyond a week, but then TLE opened the water bay door of the coach Saturday (only 6 days into our stay) and saw our BLACK TANK had other ideas.  We have water and electric in our current spot, but no sewer connection.   Under normal conditions we can go 10-12 days before we must dump our black tank.  Since we were both under the weather for a few days last week we apparently used the restroom facilities a lot more than we thought while we were coach bound.  Based on the current effluent levels Saturday afternoon we had a couple of days left at most before we must dump to prevent a possible "HAZMAT" situation.

So Sunday was to be our last full day at Eagle Neck.  I still had some work to do on Elliott's Raleigh bicycle, and needed to change out the rear tube on Ann's bike as the inner tube had a catastrophic failure when I applied 90 psi to it the other day.  I was working to complete the tuneup of the Raleigh when I discovered the reason I could not get the rear wheel trued........a spoke was missing!  Normally this would have stopped me in my tracks because I don't carry a supply of various length spokes, but as it happens the wheels on the Raleigh are 27", and so are the wheels on our tandem, and  I still had a few spokes left over from when I replaced its broken rear spoke many months ago.  It took a few minutes to get the new spoke into position and tightened up, but once it was in I was able to finish truing the wheel.  Next I changed out Ann's rear inner tube, and then TLE and I walked the bikes back over to the hangar where we found Elliott close to finishing up the replacement of a solenoid on his Piper aircraft.

He said he would need some help eventually re-installing the engine cowling, so I told him to give me a ring when he was ready for us.  Eventually the "ring" came and we headed back over to help.  It turned out we really needed four sets of hands to properly handle this task, so Ann was also there to provide assistance.  Once we had the lower cowling properly positioned, and Elliott had re-installed enough screws to hold it in place we were dismissed from our duties.  

TLE needed to do a load of wash so she headed over to the house at Ann's invitation, and I headed back to the trailer to begin straightening up the trailer for departure the next day.  

While was putting away the many tools I had been using the past few days I noticed some that I had not been using had corrosion on them.  This is not unexpected as we have spent the better part of the last 2.5 months near the ocean.  Since I had the time I gathered the ones together that need to be cleaned.....the three vintage pipe wrenches needed some attention, as well as a couple of pairs of needle nose pliers, and the 5 "C" clamps I carry all needed to be cleaned up, too.

Once all the tools were cleaned and put away for travel I turned on the PGA golf tournament being played at Doral Country Club in Miami (now owned by Donald Trump).  Tiger had the lead at the end of Saturday's round, so I was interested in how he would do Sunday.  Well, he did just fine, leading by 5 strokes at one point.  Ultimately he won by 2 strokes.  Only a few weeks until the Masters Tournament......one of my favorite golf tournaments.

Around 6 pm we headed over to Ann and Elliott's home to walk with them over to Charlie and Pat's home, just a few hundred feet away, for cocktails.  Charlie and Pat had just driven down from the Atlanta area for a few days at their vacation home and had invited us over.  We sat talking for a couple of hours, sipping beer and munching on flat bread and a delicious hummus dip.  The evening ended with TLE giving Charlie a quick tutorial on how to utilize his new I-Phone 5.....he previously had a Droid phone like TLE and was having a difficult time making the transition to the new phone.  As I watched and listen to TLE I began to realize what a great teacher my wife is....she is way more patient than I am. I could almost see her in a classroom full of students.

Our plan for Monday is to head north about 40 miles to Savannah where we will spend a week to 10 days site seeing hoping the weather up north continues to warm as we edge toward the first day of Spring.  Our stay here has exceeded our expectations, and we both really wish we could extend our stay, but with no accessible sewer line to unburden our black tank we must move on.

Our last sunrise at Eagle Neck......

Thanks for stopping by!

Rusty Gold

As Elliott was dropping us off last night at our "home" he invited me to join him in the morning for coffee at the local McDonalds where he and a few of his neighbors gather every Saturday  at 8 am for coffee.  I love this kind of stuff.  I always thought if I settled down again in a single location I would want to live in a small community where there was a local cafe, or watering hole where locals gathered to exchange news, information, etc.  So, around 7:50 am Elliott called to inquire as to my readiness, and within a few minutes was at my doorstep to ferry me out to the local McDonalds near I-95.  There were about 7, or 8 neighbors in attendance.  Of course, one of the main topics was aviation, but we also talked about the "racing scene".

Elliott has a vintage Raleigh "10 speed" road bike that he acquired a number of years ago while attending language school in Monterey, CA from its 2nd owner, and asked if I would be interested in bringing her back to life.  As is typical in coastal areas, there was a lot of rust from the salt air, and a few years of road grime built up.  Of course I am interested!!  I picked the bike up Friday afternoon intending to work on it Saturday after our coffee clatch, and got to work on it around 9:30 am.

Meahwhile, TLE and Ann decided to make a run over to Jekyll Island to do some shopping, etc., so I had the coach and trailer all to myself for the day.

I put the bike on the bike stand and began to remove its components for cleaning, greasing, oiling, etc.  I forgot to take a picture of the bike before disassembly, but here are pictures of it mostly apart.

Essentially, the bike could be ridden in its current condition, but it needed to be cleaned up, tuned up, and some grease, and oil applied where necessary.

I put my XM Radio on channel 6 to listen to 60's music, and then dove into the bike.  The hours melted away as great songs from the 60's serenaded me, and before I knew it 1:30 had arrived.........I hadn't even had breakfast, or lunch yet, so before I began to reassemble the bike I took a lunch break for about 30 minutes, then started to reattach the components.  TLE and Ann returned from their excursion around 4 pm, and as luck would have it I was just about done.  All that remained is some adjusting, and a little truing of the front and rear wheels and this green Raleigh will be ready for its 4th life.  That will get done Sunday morning.

Here is what she looks like put back together with a little shine added to her appearance.   She will never be perfect again, but she is ready to ride again.

We stayed in for dinner, and I relaxed by taking a long hot shower, then watched some college basketball.  My home team, UCLA prevailed over Washington, but #4 KU got hammered by Baylor....a big upset.  Duke won to maintain their #3 randing.  Just a week until March Madness starts!  This will be my second year watching March Madness on the road.

Thanks for stopping by!

Back in the Saddle!

Hard to believe we have been coach bound for over 4 days.  Finally, Friday morning I woke up thinking we should go do SOMETHING.  The overnight temperatures were frigid again.  It got cold enough that the middle gas furnace came on even set at its lowest setting....50 degrees.  The middle furnace, which heats the bathroom, also heats the water bay were the fresh, gray and black water tanks are.  The sensor for that thermostat is located in the water bay, so if the thermostat is in the "ON" position it will come on once it gets below 50 degrees in the water bay.  That works well because it keeps the bathroom warm enough at night so that you don't  find yourself "stuck" to the toilet in the freezing early morning temperatures....lol.

I messaged Ann that we were feeling much better and ready to do a little exploring.  She suggested we take a walk around the neighborhood and then head over to Hunter's Cafe in Shellman Bluff for lunch.  The homeowners association for this "fly in" community has their own community dock that extends way out into the wetlands so they can access the tributary you see below with kayaks, boats, etc.  They also have a community tennis court, as well as pool.  A number of the homeowners also have private docks for this same purpose.

 The community dock has a nice screened in porch area....just behind TLE

 A view of the wetlands with some of the private docks in view

At high tide (they have a 10 foot tide here) the wetlands are completely covered with sea water.  What you are seeing here is low tide conditions.

After pleasant walk we got in Ann's truck and drove about 10 miles over to Hunter's Cafe for lunch.  This is the kind of place we love!  A very funky, out of the way, "off the beaten path" kind of place that mostly only locals know about.  

From there we drove over to Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge which is a nesting habitat for the Wood Storks, among other birds.  As we walked out Woody Pond Dike we spied this young alligator sunning itself....I would say it was only about 5-6 feet long.

You can see  in the picture below that the Wood Storks are starting to arrive....when they are here in force the area in view is blanketed with white.

We are hoping to ride our bikes down there in the next couple of days.....all told it would be about a 14 mile round trip ride.....just about the right distance for our slowly recovering health.

Ann dropped us off at the coach and I took care of some insurance business, and then took a nap.  We were slated to go out for dinner at a new local restaurant owned by one of Ann and Elliott's neighbors called Clay's Sapelo Station in Townsend, GA.  It used to be called Sapelo Station, but ownership has recently been transferred to Clay, the aforementioned neighbor.  Yelp gives the former ownership a 4, and I would say that the new ownership deserves at least a 4, too.  We were there with a large group of Ann and Elliott's neighbors...I would say there were around 15-16 people in their group.  I had the Fish Tacos chased with a Blue Moon. The food was good, and the ambiance was very warm and homey.  The gathering of the neighbors for dinner is a weekly tradition.  A very interesting and entertaining bunch to say the least!

So, we're back in the saddle and as of this morning I am still feeling good, so I think I recuperated just long enough before seeking out adventure again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Safe Harbor

One question that must be in the back of your mind when you think about living full time in an RV is what happens when "I" get sick?  It's not "if", but "when" I get sick, because you will get sick if you are around enough people in a variety of locations, so the odds are high you will catch a "bug" at some point.  You wonder, can I be sick "comfortably" in my RV, whatever type it may be?  I know, I know.......sick and comfortable seem to be opposing forces, but I think you know where I'm going with these questions.  When you're sick you want.....no, you need to know you've got a safe, comfortable, warm place to let your illness run its course.  You would want to have access to a pharmacy, or well stocked super market for any necessary over the counter medicines that might ease your symptoms to any degree.

These are things I have been thinking about since we hit the road 13+ months ago.  Every time I would wake up with a cough, or scratchy throat I would think "how will I deal with this on the road?".  Well, now I know.  In this specific case we found a "safe harbor", if you will, with our friends Ann and Elliott.....a place where we could sit still for a week, if need be, have access to electricity, fresh water, and time to recuperate.  In this case we were a long ways from a supermarket, or pharmacy, but we had some of the basic over the counter stuff available for the short term, and a host willing to make a "drug run" for us to resupply.  We do carry a basic decongestant, as well as Motrin, Aleve, and Ricola cough drops, but if the illness goes on for a week, or so, we would need to restock some of those items.....after all there is only so much room in an RV.

Well, after a week of being "sick" I am on the mend, and in fact, I feel much, much better this morning (Friday) than I have for the last 4 days.  My cough has gone away, and I have not had to blow my nose but once, or twice in the last 24 hours.  I have had two good nights of sleep back to back.

Thursday we just decided, once again, to not go out, or do anything.  TLE was pretty much past her stomach ailment, and I was feeling much better, but we just did not want to exert ourselves in anyway....we want this to be over, and not end up with a relapse.

I spent the day doing insurance work, writing my daily blog entry, napping, and then watching some "bad" TV......by "bad" I mean programs I would not normally watch, but did so yesterday to pass the time.  I had just finished reading a book, and I like to have a day in between books to ponder what I just read, and to let my head clear from the last one.  When I read an intense book like "wild" I get emotionally involved to a degree and it is hard to just move on to another book immediately.  

After 5 pm I got a call from Elliott saying we had mail.....mail?  I wasn't expecting anything, but then I remembered I had left this address on a voice mail at the offices of the Sugar Beet Harvest people in North Dakota so they could mail us an application, and that is exactly what was in the envelope.  To explain, the Sugar Beet Harvest occurs in October, and lasts about 3 weeks, give, or take a few days.  They hire folks like us to help supplement their staff.  The pay is good, and we are in and out quickly.  Essentially we would work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for up to 3 weeks.  This is not stoop labor...we would be taking samples from loads that come in, checking trucks in through the gate, etc.  We know what it is like to be on our feet for 12 hours at a time, and we can do anything for 3 weeks.  We chose this as our next workamping experiment as we have met some people who have done it, and they had nothing but good things to say about the employer, and the work.  We will be working at their site in northeast Montana near Sydney, and just need to be on site the last few days in September.  

Looking forward to what Friday brings.....we've been cooped up for 3 days, and are ready for some action!

Thanks for stopping by!