Darrell's Chair Archives 2009-12

From Darrell's Chair
December 2009 Entries

Home Page	About Us	Travelogues	Fulltime Decision	Articles	Favorite Links

"From Darrell's Chair" Archives

This page will be used to share my thoughts with you as I sit in my chair and contemplate the daily events that take place during our fulltiming journey. Hopefully you will enjoy the entries, learn a thing or two, and have some chuckles along the way as Judy and I continue "Wandering America".

Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
This is it!!! The end of another year. The end of another decade. Tomorrow we start the new decade of 2010, or two thousand and ten, or twenty ten. Unbelievable, as I wrote earlier, it just seems like yesterday that we transitioned into the twenty first century and now we've already put ten years behind us. It all happened in a flash and what seems like the blink of an eye. Before I know it, I will be an old retired guy and hanging around the house being dusted off by the love of my life. Oh, wait a minute, that has already happened!! Honey, when did that happen? That's right, last July when I got my old persons pass.

When I take time to stop and look back over my life, I must say that I have had a good one. Somehow I was born into a great family with loving parents who took care of my every need. I had a wonderful childhood in a nice sized town. My best friend in grade school lived on a diary farm that was right inside the city limits so I had the opportunity to grow up on a farm in the city. We grew up with all the toys; cars, boats, and planes (no trains unless you want to count my Lionel train set).

I hated school until I discovered girls, then I wouldn't miss it unless I was deathly sick. We had a small high school with about 300 kids in all four grades (9th through 12th) located right in town with Ray and Ola's Sweet Shop located one block away (remember Al's Diner in Happy Days - that's what Ray and Ola's was). You could, also, take your best girl to one of two drug stores, that each had a soda fountain, for a Cherry Coke. We had a Woolworth's right in town where you could buy her a "very expensive" ring in order to "go steady" for a while.

Speaking of Woolworth's, that was my first real job; I was the stock boy. That provided the money required to purchase and maintain a 1957 Chevy which was a girl magnet. That was a good job that I wish I could have back but, alas, Woolworth's is no more, at least in Belfast.

My college years weren't as memorable other than my career aspirations. I landed a job at a local television station in Bangor, Maine. I began as a cameraman my sophomore year and was promoted to the control room technician the following summer as a replacement for those going on vacation. When fall came around there was an opening in the film room so I became the "film director", however, I still did camera work, and worked as a producer/director in the control room. That would have been my profession had it not been for an invitation that I received from the U. S. Army to join them for a little get together called Vietnam. I enlisted in the U. S. Coast Guard instead.

That's where my lovely bride came into the picture. The Coast Guard stationed me at an Air Station that is located in Traverse City, Michigan where Miss Judy romped and played (you can read all about it in our About Us Page). We joined forces and produced four children (Brian, Marc, Mary, and Matthew) who have, so far, given us five grand children with another one on the way (Briana, Catia, Lola, Kalina, Rocco and ?) and raised three different dawgs and five different katts (still working on Katie and Alex).

I had a series of great jobs counting the Coast Guard, Electric Boat, Bath Iron Works, Jervis B. Webb, and Morbark while we were raising our family. I've always enjoyed w*rking and always thought that I had the "best job ever". That's not to say that I never had a "bad day at w*rk" because that comes with the territory but, I enjoyed each and every one of them.

Now we have embarked on an entirely different lifestyle; that of a nomad Wandering America. We quit w*rking so we could have more time to travel and spend with our grand kids and their parents. Being that our family is scattered around the country we just didn't have enough "vacation time" to see them as much as we wanted plus go on vacations for ourselves. Things have worked out pretty well except for the "down turn" in the economy last year that put a little crimp in our plans, however, we still got to see our grand kids several times throughout the year.

I finally became officially retired this past summer; that is, to start receiving income from pensions and Social Security. We decided to hold off from starting my pensions until I was eligible to collect Social Security thereby forgoing the penalties associated with early retirement. So here we are, on the eve of a new decade, officially retired, and ready to roll.

At this time we wish "all y'all" a Happy and Prosperous New Year. By the way, we have published the December 2009 Travelogue, check it out.

Happy New Year,
Everyone!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
It seemed absolutely wonderful to not even get in the truck yesterday. We stayed home all day long and played on our computers, updated our 2009 finances (actual expenditures), made some adjustments to our 2010 budget, worked on the December Travelogue, and did some housework. It wasn't necessarily a "fun" day but, it was nice to just spend some time at home instead of running around all over the place.

Each day continues to get colder than the day before it. We are heading for temperatures in the teens but, our "Little House on the Wheels" has stayed nice and comfy. By running our fireplace and the Vornado heater we have had no problem keeping the house in the 70's. Every so often the furnace kicks in which is a good thing since it keeps things in the basement from freezing. We, also, have the tank heaters on to make sure the tanks don't freeze up.

When we first started planning for our fulltiming home we wanted to have the "arctic package" installed mainly for keeping the RV cool in hot weather. We had never planned on spending so much time in cold weather but, that is the way things have turned out. Our family just seems to reside in the colder areas of the United States and due to our workamping schedule we have found ourselves in those places in the early spring and late fall as well as Christmas in Tennessee. Hopefully that scenario will change from now on out, however, bad habits are just plain hard to quit - time will tell.

Mary took this week off from work so Judy has been trying to set up a time with her to look at some outfits for her wedding, however, Mary has been busy with various appointments to make wedding arrangements. So, today I'm going to be a good boy by taking my bride out and trying to help her in picking up an outfit (note: a big emphasis on the word "trying"). This is not my forte and my idea of looks great more often than not clashes with hers - I'm only a husband and I just don't get it!!! I think that shorts and tee shirts would work just fine but the other gender just doesn't seem to agree with me. I'll try real hard to be just as supportive as I possibly can be which means that I'll most likely have to take a walk over to the housewares department and poke around there for a little while.

We may take a ride over to the Normandy Reservoir this afternoon to look at a Tennessee Valley Authority campground that is near by where the wedding and reception will take place. It is about an hour and twenty minutes from Cedars of Lebanon to Tullahoma which would make staying here too far out of the way. Hopefully this campground will be "big rig" friendly as it's less than five miles away plus, the TVA will accept my old person's pass (America the Beautiful - Seniors Pass) for a 50% discount. We'll decide on this trip after we get done shopping for wedding outfits.

Today is Catia's birthday and her other grand parents (and our old best friends) arrive this afternoon. Tonight we will join together for her birthday party. Catia (pronounced Kah-tee-ah) has decided that she wants "drive thru" pizza (that's Little Caesar's Pizza) for dinner followed by cake and ice cream. Sounds good to me - Life Is Good!!!! See ya tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
What beautiful day yesterday was. Frigid but beautiful with bright sunshine and crisp blue skies. We did get the Christmas decorations down and stored and found Lens Crafters to have Judy's glasses readjusted. Then we went to Walmart to pick up Catia's birthday gift.

Yep, Catia has a birthday just five days after Christmas, as if she didn't get enough toys on the 25th. She turns the big oh-five this year. That means she'll be heading off to big girl skool this coming fall but, that's a long way off and we don't have to address that issue for a while yet. Pretty soon she'll be doing a road trip with grandma and grandpa; she's too young right now and too much of a wiggle worm.

The Walmart in Murfreesboro didn't have the Dora the Explorer Mermaid doll so that meant a trip to the Walmart in Symrna - Good Grief Charlie Brown!!! Sho' 'nuff, they had one so there will be rejoicing at Wednesday night's B-Day party.

Well, after running around the country slaying the birthday gift dragon we were hungry so we headed off to Mount Juliet for lupper at Olive Garden. Judy got their eggplant parmigiana while I had my old faithful, spaghetti with Italian sausage - both meals were good.

Guess what didn't get done? You're right. I didn't get the rugs shampooed but, we're "in for the day" so it will happen this morning. Then, if she's a good girl, I may challenge my bride to a game or two of Sequence this afternoon - I might even let her win one!!! It will be nice to have a day at home being that we've not had one since we arrived at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. It's supposed to be another bright sunny cold day, just right for sitting in front of the fireplace and sipping hot chocolate while doing a whole lot of nothing. Remember, a bad day at fulltiming is still waaaaaay better than a great day at w*rk.

Monday, December 28, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
I keep saying it but, this global warming "thang" has got to go!!! Each morning is colder than the one before; by Saturday morning the temperatures will work their way down to the mid teens, that's a double BRRRRRRR!!!!!! Mike and Sheila arrive tomorrow otherwise we would have been outta here this morning - now we will be leaving on Saturday morning. I will get most of the outside work done Friday afternoon in hopes of keeping my assets from freezing off.

Yesterday we got a slow start to the day before assuming "baby sitting" duties for our two sweet adorable lovable little grand daughters. This gave Matt and Jackie a much needed date day for a dinner out followed by a movie. While the little munchkins took a nap, I worked on December's Travelogue while watching some football. Judy did laundry, played on her 'puter, and watched some football as well. The kids were good all day making the "sitting gig" a piece of cake.

Then we came home and had some junk food for dinner and watched television before turning in for the night. Not an exciting day but a good one none the less. Anytime you get to spend with grand children is a good day. Today is a chores day - take down the Christmas tree, vacuum the entire house, and shampoo the carpets.

We, also, need to go to Lens Crafters so Judy can get her glasses properly fitted, "they" didn't do a very good job in Pensacola and she has had a lot of problems with them (the lenses are correct but the fitting wasn't done right). We're not sure that they are the best frames for her but, I think if they are correctly adjusted that they will be just fine. The problem with these kinds of places is that they have sales people just looking to make a sale instead of trained professionals who know how to assist you in picking out the correct frames and properly adjusting them to fit your face.

Hope you have a great day and try to keep out of trouble - I know, what fun is that?

Sunday, December 27, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
We spent yesterday with Mary and Joel visiting the church where they will marry on May 1st. Then we drove over to Cascade Hollow, Tennessee to the George Distillery where the wedding reception will be held. What a nice little place surrounded by a nice country setting. It will be beautiful come May with spring blooming all around the property.

As we were driving over to Cascade Hollow we passed through the cute little town of Normandy, Tennessee. After we passed through I mentioned to Joel that it would make a great photo-op so after visiting the distillery we returned to take some pictures. Right now it's just a "ghost town" of it's former glory but, this spring two of the stores will be re-opening - one will be a restaurant and the other a woodworking shop. I will include some of the pictures in the December Travelogue which I hope to publish before the end of the week.

Joel is a good cook so we don't have to worry about our daughter not getting enough to eat; actually, she's a good cook as well so we won't have to worry about Joel not getting enough to eat. Joel prepared us a nice lunch of ham, broccoli, and some nicely seasoned baked potatoes; it was yummy for the tummy.

It's about an hour and quarter drive from the campground to Joel's house (and about the same returning) so we had a fairly long day. When we arrived home we donned the PJ's and just lounged around until bed time (around 7:00 - it was dark under the table). Then we slept long and hard awaking this morning refreshed - actually, Alex woke Judy up at 5:30 and came back for me at quarter after six.

Today started with some more lounging around while this afternoon will be another grand daughter fix followed by some more lounging around. I kinda like this lounging around inside when it is brrrrr cold outside - it was 29 when we got up this morning and will only get up into the low forties today. So we'll be hunkering down inside most of the time until we head off to Florida next Saturday. Our good friends, Mike and Sheila, arrive on Wednesday otherwise we would have been heading in a southerly direction by now. All I can say is BRRRRRRR!!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
Yesterday was a great day with the family. We started the day by "having the tree" with grand daughters Catia and Kalina (and their parents). Last year Kalina didn't quite understand the whole concept of gifts but, what a difference a year can make. She did get a little saturated at one point and just wanted to play with what she had rather than open any more gifts but, like a good little trooper, she endured until they were all opened. Catia, who will be five on Wednesday, fully understands the concept and had no problem prevailing until the wrapping was torn off all the gifts.

We learned one thing about Kalina these past couple of days; she has absolutely no patience, nada, none what-so-ever. When she wants something, she wants it now, pronto, immediately, no waiting what-so-ever. She received a baby doll from Grandma and Grandpa Patterson and when she saw it she wanted - NOW!!! It was packaged in such a way that it took about three or four minutes to get it out of the box, take the plastic wrapping off, and undue a hundred million tie wraps. Three or four minutes wasn't any where near expedient enough for Kalina. Open came the mouth and out came loud sounds of displeasure with tears running down the cheeks. The louder the noise the fasted dad worked and the faster dad worked the harder it became to free the doll from her plastic prison. Finally the doll was free and the noise subsided and there was peace in the valley once more, until hunger sat in anyhow.

Mary and Joel showed up a little after one and we had a wonderful Christmas ham dinner with all the fixings. After sitting for a while letting our dinner digest, we began to partake in some of the desserts - sin pie, apple pie, mince meat cookies, and fudge. It was all good but the best part was being with some of our family for the day - just wish the rest of the family had been with us. Brian and Marc (Amie, Briana, Lola, and Rocco) are in snow country (Michigan and New Hampshire respectively). Someday we are just going to have to bite the bullet and do cold and snow for Christmas.

Well, now that Christmas is past it's just a matter of a few short days until 2009 is history. I'm hardly ready for the turn of the century and here we find ourselves in the tenth year of it. It just feels like yesterday that the calendar changed from 1999 to 2000 and we endured Y2K. I remember going into the plant at mid night with my good friend Mike Winegarden (now Matt's father-in-law) to make sure that everything was still functioning properly. Millions of dollars was spent around the world in the last quarter of 1999 to ensure everything was backed up just in case the computers burped but, absolutely nothing happened; not until 2009, anyhow, when the bottom fell out. But, that's a memory for ten years from now which, by the way, is just around the corner.

Hopefully things will get back to some sort of normalcy in 2010. We're looking forward to continuing our travels and making a "boat load" of new friends along the way. I only have one New Year's resolution for two thousand and ten and that's to not make any New Year's resolutions - that's the only resolution that I've been able to keep over the past few years. Hopefully, for the remainder of the year you'll stay safe, sound, and healthy. May God Bless.

Friday, December 25, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee

Merry Christmas

and

Happy Birthday, Jesus

Thursday, December 24, 2009 - Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee
The rain did indeed hold off and we had a nice dry travel day, overcast but dry, arriving at Cedars of Lebanon around 1:30. We got set up and lounged around the house for the rest afternoon. Then it was grand daughter fix time last night with a short visit mainly to get Kalina reacclimated to grandma and grandpa before spending the day with us. Yep, we maybe insane, but we are taking care of the little loved ones today.

We had to leave Suncoast RV without our new Winnebago since the stimulus check wasn't in our mail box yesterday morning (darned Gummint Postal System) but, not to worry - we're only four hours away and can get back there in a hurray just as soon as we have the check in our hands. I'm sure Winnebago will build us another one if someone else buys that one in the mean time. We'll be sure to check our Christmas stockings tomorrow morning to see if the Gummint bureaucrats sent our check via Santa Express. Speaking of Christmas -

'Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the RV
The only creatures stirring, was a couple of felines.

Believe it or not, Christmas is just around the corner. Wait a minute, it's tomorrow!!! Are you ready? Do you have all your Christmas shopping done? Are all your presents wrapped? And on the tree? We just need to go next door, to Uncle Walter's, to grab a couple of pies and then we're done. Usually Miss Judy makes her own pies but this year we're letting Uncle Walter's neighbor, Mrs. Smith, do it for us since we will be playing with our grand daughters all day and won't have time.

Miss Judy is going to make mince meat cookies, sin pie (otherwise known as Nestle's Toll House Pie), and her special fudge for Christmas Day. Actually, the sin pie is already made and the cookie dough has been sitting on ice (it has to chill over night) waiting for baking. I'll help her make the fudge tonight (I'll lick the spoon for her) then we'll be ready for tomorrow's festivities.

We'll arrive at Matt and Jackie's house real early morning to "have the tree" with our grand daughters. Mary and Joel will show up later with a ham in hand for Christmas dinner. There will be more than enough to eat; no, this is not gonna be a Weight Watchers dinner. Before we know it, Christmas 2009 will be history; but, in the mean time, it will be a fun time spending the day with family.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Remember, "Jesus is the reason for the season," so be sure to take some time to give thanks to God for His very special gift to us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NIV That's the best gift ever!!!! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - Suncoast RV, Calera, Alabama
We departed our site at 9:01 yesterday morning and moseyed our way toward Birmingham stopping once at a rest area and once at Flying-J for fuel and lunch. We arrived at Suncoast RV just before 2 and set up camp in one of their free level concrete sites with full hook-ups (that's 50 amps, water, and sewer). According to Google Maps, it's 466 miles from Rainbow Plantation to Cedars of Lebanon with Suncoast RV located right at the half way point (234 miles from Rainbow Plantation and 232 miles to Cedars of Lebanon) making this an ideal stopping place - and the price even beats Passport America's!!!

Being that we had some time on our hands we journeyed next door and kicked the tires on some new motorhomes. We picked out our next home - a nice 2010 40' Winnebago Tour diesel pusher with a mid livingroom. It has a nice corner entertainment center with a fireplace, two nice recliners, and a sectional sofa. We'll be picking it up just as soon as our half million dollar stimulus check arrives which should be any day now. The banks got their billions almost a year ago so, keeping the trickle down economy theory in mind, I check the mail box everyday now.

Allan and Jeanne Webster are originally from the Birmingham area and are spending some time here at this Christmas season with their daughters. We first met them last February at Rainbow Plantation when they were doing a church build in Robertsdale. Last summer they were Camp Hosts at a Vermont State Park so they visited us at Lake George Escape and we visited them at Gifford Woods State Park. Anyway, we invited them to stop by for a chat and chew last night (Judy prepared her Taco Casserole). It was nice to spend some time with them again as our paths will most likely not cross again for another year - they are heading west while we are heading east. We have both signed up for a church build in Sierra Vista, Arizona beginning in January of 2011.

Today we hope to beat the rain that is moving in from the southwest. Supposedly, according to the local weather dudes, the storm is slow moving and won't make it to our area until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. It is supposed to bring some heavy rains with it so we can only hope they are right about the timing and that we get set up before it starts.

Being south of Birmingham, we certainly won't rush to get out of here until all the locals get themselves to w*rk; there's no sense of fighting "rush hour" traffic. Besides, we'll only have electric and water at Cedars of Lebanon so I'll want to take some time to empty our black and grey water tanks before leaving here this morning.

It's certainly nice to be on the road again - see ya tomorrow from Middle Tennessee.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
I did it!!! I got the RV and the truck washed yesterday. When we get back to Rainbow Plantation, I will need to wash and wax both but, in the meantime we'll leave town with clean vehicles. Everything has been put away and we are ready to roll with only our regular check list to go through before departing.

We'll drive a little over four hours today and stay overnight just south of Birmingham, Alabama leaving us another four drive tomorrow. The weather is supposed to cooperate with no rain in the forecast until we get set up in Lebanon, Tennessee;Thursday's weather is calling for thunder showers and lots of rain.

Well, the count down has begun so I guess I had better get my body washed and start the check list. See ya tomorrow. "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again!"

Monday, December 21, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
From this point on things will begin to change. This is the "shortest" day of the year; well, daylight wise that is (after all, all days are twenty four hours long). Starting tomorrow each day will gain a few minutes of daylight - Yay, that means we are heading toward summer and that is good news 'cause we're looking forward to warmer weather. It was down to freezing this morning and that's just plain tooooo darned coooold for us "sutheners".

Yesterday began with coffee followed by church. Then I "clumb" up onto the roof and got on my hands and knees to wash every square inch using a waffle cloth and a floor brush. After all of the rain that we've been having "you'da thunk" the roof would have been as clean as a whistle but not so. Now the sides of the RV are a mess so that will be today's task - wash the house and the truck. Once that job is done, we will be ready to roll.

We've enjoyed the past two months here at Rainbow Plantation (as we always do) but, we are ready to be traveling again. Not quite a full case of hitch-itch, however, the bottoms of our feet are itching just a little bit and we are definitely ready for a grand daughter fix so tomorrow morning it will be "on the road again". We'll return again around the end of January or the first of February; depending on what ever whim over takes us.

Katie and Alex don't even "s'pect notin'" at this point since we haven't told them yet. They generally ride pretty well but, after sitting in one place for a while they tend to get settled in. Katie won't like being disrupted but will just sleep in the back seat. Alex will be alright with it at first but he tends to pace. He'll come up front on the console to be petted, then he'll go back to pester Katie, next he'll climb up on to the katt cage to lay down for a while, and then he'll start all over again. After a couple of hours, he'll take a short katt nap before starting his rounds again. He certainly doesn't like to travel back to back days and pretty much let's us know of his displeasure on the second day.

Neither one of them are into grand kids either. When the little dears arrive, they look at those little humaniods, lay their ears back, and head for the bedroom letting us know that our job is to keep the little munchkins in the livingroom. Once the little brats leave, the katts sound the "all clear" signal and come back out into the livingroom area to visit mom and dad. Oh well, they'll just have to deal with it 'cause we need our grand daughter fix.

Sunday, December 20, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Oops, no entry yesterday; what happened? Well, I got up at a little after six and got myself out of the house to help with the Saturday morning breakfast at the clubhouse. After breakfast Norm brought his air compressor and grease gun over to grease the bearings on the rig. Then I started getting things ready to roll - took down the tripod under the hitch, put away the picnic table, installed the Pressure Pro Tire Monitors on the tires, put the lawn chairs back into the rig, took the truck in for an oil change, and filled a propane tank. Therefore, I didn't get around to doing an entry.

Friday we continued to pick up things around the house and cleaned out a couple more cabinets. Judy had a hair appointment and then we went to Pensacola to pick up our new glasses. Once back home, we prepared a BBQ'd chicken dinner for Nick and Terry Russell and Norm and Linda Payne. We had another great evening swapping travel stories; Nick and Norm gave me several ideas for things to see and do when we travel west next winter (2011). Right now we are scheduled to participate in a church build in Sierra Vista, Arizona during the winter of 2011 but, keep in mind, our plans are carved in putty and subject to change at any whim.

Last night we joined Randy and Terry, Dick and Pat, Vern and Barb and Barb's mom at Big Daddy's Grill for dinner and to watch the Christmas Boat Parade. This was a first for us; the boats were all "decked" out with lights and decorations from "stem to stern" (puns totally intended). It was pretty to watch them make their way up the Fish River right in front of Big Daddy's Grill - cold but fun. As always, we had a lot of laughs and a great time with our friends.

Then we returned home and played on our 'puters for a while. I downloaded Paint.net to use for updating our Travel Maps. The program that I have been using was just not all that "user friendly". Being that Paint.net is a freeware program and equivalent to Paint shop I decided to give it a try - glad I did, I like it. I created the 2010 Travel Map that we will update start updating in January. Before we knew it another day in the life ended and it was time for lights out.

Friday, December 18, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
My wife and my katts found me sleeping in the recliner this morning when they ambled out of the bedroom to start their day. I woke up around mid night and couldn't get back to sleep so I brought my "cuddle blanket" out to the w to cover up with while I read for a while. I guess somewhere between page 423 and 424 I must have dozed off with my thumb making it's way toward my mouth and my body assuming the prenatal position. That's the main reason we purchased Lazy Boy recliners for our little home on the wheels - I just love it when a plan comes together!!!

Yep, it's still raining. I'm sure glad that we have four wheel drive in the truck 'cause we just might need it to get out of the driveway. With all of this rain, this Alabama hard packed red clay is softening up and beginning to get mucky. Hopefully we'll be able to get the house out of here come Monday. We were planning to leave on Tuesday, however, it's a two day trip to Murfreesboro and rain is in the forecast again for Wednesday - we don't do rain or snow or fog or wind. We could make it in one day, it would be about an eight and a half hour trip but, we don't like to travel more than five hours (preferably less) a day.

Judy's going to call Lens Crafters to see if our "one hour" has come up yet. They advertise that they make your eye glasses in "one hour", however, they just don't tell you which "one hour" that will be. It's been over a week now and one could have only hoped that our "one hour" would have come up by now. If our glasses are ready we may just have to swim over to Pensacola to pick them up.

Yesterday Judy went to quilting followed by a surprise birthday party for Linda Payne - just how old is she? I ain't telling. Then Miss Judy did some finger painting on a shirt; well, it wasn't exactly finger painting but it was tee shirt decorating. This will be a fun craft to do with Briana this summer; I'm sure that Alex will want to join in on the fun as well - anyone ever seen a blue pawed pussy katt?

Last night was a Christmas dinner followed by Christmas music presented by a local jazz band. The dinner consisted of ham, green beans, baked potato, bread, and a pumpkin dessert. Judy and I came home after the dinner and didn't stay for the music even though they are our favorite group that performs at the clubhouse.

After some reading, it was lights out until I meandered back out to the livingroom to do a little more reading (see paragraph one). In the words of Forrest Gump, "And that is all I have to say about that!" And, in the words of Paul Harvey, "Good Day!"

Thursday, December 17, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Finally, the rain stopped and gave us a sunny day before it returns again tonight. We went to breakfast at the Foley Coffee Shop with Gil and Orma, our next door neighbors. Then the four of us took a drive to Gulf Shores. Judy and I enjoy going and sitting on the beach but haven't been since returning to Alabama. We'll definitely get some time to do that when we return after spending a month in Florida.

After we returned home, around noon time, Judy did some basket weaving while I cleaned out the basement and did some reading. I have one more cabinet over the sofa that I want to clean out before "hitting the road" again on Tuesday. I'm now starting the "check out" list; that is, the things that I need to get done before pulling out. I need to check the batteries, grease the bearings, air the tires, oil change in the truck, get a tank of propane, put away the picnic table and fire pit, etc., etc.. The main thing I want to do is finish washing the rig; the rain should be gone by Friday afternoon leaving me Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to finish everything up and get ourselves ready to roll.

The truck appears to have given up the bad habit of smoking. It still has a half a tank of diesel fuel with injector cleaner left to go. Then I have some "stuff" left that I had bought at an auto parts store to use in a few more tanks full of fuel. Hopefully, when all is said and done, the smoking issue will be history - I think that this may have been the equivalent of a twelve step program.

Christmas is on it's way with only a week left to go. What's Santa going to bring for Darrell and Judy this year? We're not sure but we are looking at a new toy (Santa knows that we would like new kayaks but I don't think his budget will allow for those). If we get the new toy it won't be under the Christmas tree since we're willing to wait until after Christmas to see if Santa can get a better price. Besides, the Christmas tree is for grand kids and we are more than willing to wait until things settle down. So, what is the new toy? You're just gonna have to wait until after Christmas to find out - no peeking or snooping!!!! Besides, who knows, we might just get a lump of coal or a fruitcake (that's what Mikee's getting).

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Rain, rain, go away and don't come back another day (any time soon anyway)!!! We've had so much rain that rumors are beginning to circulate saying that Noah is starting to build another arc. The rain has stopped for the time being but, the weather forecasters are calling for more rain tomorrow - I think I'll start looking for some pontoons for the rig.

Yesterday morning my men's bible study group had their annual Christmas dinner with our wives joining us. There was ham, smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, bread, and desserts - ummm, ummm, good. As if that wasn't enough, we had a pot luck dinner at the clubhouse last night. I won't go into what was on that table but, it was all good stuff; Judy and I just couldn't eat very much after our luncheon.

As always, the socializing was the center point of the day. The longer we stay in the Summerdale area, the more we become entrenched with an ever widening circle of friends. It's a good thing that most of our friends are mobile as well and will all start leaving the area in the spring; otherwise, we might never get out of here.

Even though we enjoy all of our friends here at Rainbow Plantation, we became fulltime RVers so we could travel and experience this wonderful country of ours first hand. We are excited about getting on the road again next week and look forward to our travels this coming summer. It will be nice to travel during the summer months rather than w*rking.

Well, I'm rambling and I guess I had better get my carcass out of this chair and get the day started. There isw still some outside "stuff" I want to get done before we travel next week and it doesn't look like I'm going to get much time with the rain returning again. I sure hope it moves out for our travel days next week.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
I just don't get it!!! What's with all this hoopla over Tiger Woods? I don't consider that news - it's gossip!!! Our newscasters should be totally and unabashedly ashamed of themselves; they're not newscasters at all, just glorified gossip columnists and should be working for the Inquirer or Entertainment Tonight. Tiger Wood's accident was news, beyond that it is really none of our business. How, oh how, did our news organizations get so far off track?

Last summer it was that self absorbed singing dancing child molesting pervert that the "newscasters" blasted us with day in and day out. His death was news while the rest of the coverage was just plain ridiculous and disgusting - he was most certainly no hero and most definitely the worst possible role model for our society. To refer to him as the "King of Pop" was an insult of all the musicians who came before him; he was nothing more than a freak show that should have been in a circus somewhere.

In the meantime, we have men and women who are valiantly serving our country by laying their lives on the line daily in Afghanistan and Iraq; they are our real heroes - why not give them some "air time"? When one of them falls, why not spend some time documenting their life? They deserve the tribute far more than Tiger Woods or that other freak. They are giving their lives for each and everyone of us rather than wasting their time indulging in self debased activities. So, to you news organizations out there; get rid of the gossip columnists, hire some news reporters, and cover the news!!! We really don't care about the sex life of the pro-golfer - we can study that in a biology class.

Oops!! That was kind of a "Bad Darrell" post, wasn't it? Tomorrow I'll get back to the fulltime RVing life - every so often I fall off the wagon and just need to rant.

Monday, December 14, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Finally the temperatures returned to a more tolerable level reaching 72 by mid afternoon, however, it stayed overcast all day. It was extremely foggy in the morning with very pour visibility; when we arrived at the corner where the church is located, we couldn't even see the church. The fog did lift but returned again in the early evening.

We had a busy day starting with church in the morning. Then we drove to Gulf Shores State Park to visit Fred and Jo Wishnie (oh yes, can't forget Boo Boo the wonder dawg). I've followed their blog since they began fulltiming in February of 2006 but, this was the first time we had met them. They are really great folks and we had a very enjoyable afternoon together sharing our past experiences. They will be in the area until Thursday so hopefully we can get together again before they leave.

We came home early enough to join in around the campfire with our East Traveler Street neighbors. This has been the first time we've done that since returning to Rainbow Plantation. It was good to spend some time chatting and laughing while sipping some wine around the fire once again, however, the dampness rolled in early sending us home.

Next it was time for the Sunday Ice Cream Social so we made our way to the clubhouse where we sat with Nick and Terry Russell - yep, they finally made it back to a little warmer climate. They'll be here for a couple of weeks while they get the next edition of the Gypsy Journal written, printed, and shipped. As always, it was good to see them again.

There were several new arrivals to the Plantation. After we finished our ice cream, we visited with a younger couple who are fulltiming with their two children. They are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and have been fulltiming for three months now while homeschooling the kids. I'm not sure if I would want to fulltime with kids, however, it should be a great adventure for them as a family.

We spent a little more time visiting and chatting before heading home for the evening and "thar ya have it", another day comes to a conclusion in the lives of Darrell and Judy. Take care until next time.

Sunday, December 13, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Not much new at the Patterson household. It rained most of the day yesterday, just as predicted by our local weather forecasters. We stayed inside, Judy worked on her basket weaving while I read. I did manage to clean out the cabinets and my drawers in the bedroom. Now all that is left upstairs is the bedroom closet.

There wasn't much to git rid off; like I say, we travel fairly light but I did manage to lighten the load by about 20 pounds. I figure that when all is said and done, we'll probably get about 150 pounds of "stuff" out of the rig - not much but, every pound counts.

Eight of us went out to dinner at El Toro restaurant last evening - here is Terry Guiler's rendition on the evening (I stole it fair and square right from her blog).

This afternoon eight of us, Dick & Pat, Ron & Ruth, Darrell & Judy, Randy & I, went out to El Toro for dinner. All of us are going our separate ways for Christmas and we wanted to have a meal together before that happened. All of us get so busy in our day-to-day lives that we have to schedule time together. :)

The meal was good and we had a nice time chatting during it, but it just wasn't long enough. (I forgot to bring my camera, but Darrell took a picture and is supposed to send it to me. If he does, I'll share it with you.) So, Ron & Ruth graciously invited us back to their home (a REAL house) for coffee. We spent another pleasant hour or so continuing to visit. It was so nice. All of us left saying we needed to do this more often, and hopefully we will!

I'll try to be a good boy, Terry, and get that picture over to you today after we get home from church.

We got home just in time to miss out from walking home in a heavy down pour. It started pouring and lightening and thundering for the rest of the evening as well as off and on throughout the entire night right up until this morning. We are in for a few more days of rainy weather so, I guess, we'll have plenty of time to keep working on those cabinets. I must say, that 2009 has been one of the rainiest years that I can ever recall, however, who can tell, at my young age it's my remember-er that's broke while my forget-er is working just fine.

Well, that pretty much does it for another day in our lives. Hope you are all well and doing fine, see y'all next time.

Saturday, December 12, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Today is definitely a stay inside day with 100% chance of rain all day long. It started raining during the night and continued pretty much ever since. The good thing is that this storm is bringing 70 degree temperatures along with it - Hip, Hip, Hooray!!! However, by the end of next week the temperatures will become more seasonable for this time of year; that is, back in the 50's but, that'll be better than the 40's that we have been experiencing.

Yesterday we did our bi-weekly grocery shopping, packaged up a couple of Christmas gifts for shipping, went to the Post Office to ship them, and continued working on "stuff" around the house. We went to the four o'clock social time where we "bumped" into Glenn Avery - it's been almost two years since we saw him last. At that time he was just thinking about fulltiming and was looking at fifthwheels, however, he ended up purchasing an Allegro Bay motorhome. There were several other new people who showed up for the social time as well and we enjoyed talking them for awhile before heading home for the evening.

Not a very adventurous day to say the least but, before we know it, we'll be on the road again. Even though we're not having an adventure everyday, we do manage to stay busy and each day seems to just go flying by; we keep on socializing and enjoying our friends here at Rainbow Plantation. At this time in our lives, we can't think of a better place to spend a few months each year.

Friday, December 11, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Miss Judy kept herself very busy yesterday. It all started with quilting at the clubhouse followed by a Christmas gift wrapping marathon once she returned home. She got almost everything wrapped before she ran out of paper and tape. It sure looked like someone's going to have a Merry Christmas.

It was fun watching the wrapping session take place as Alex inserted himself right into the middle of everything. Judy must have put him on the floor a dozen times but, he would just keep coming back. His favorite part was when the ribbon came out; he's a katt after all. After they (Judy and Alex) finished the wrapping, I packed all the gifts back into the basement thereby turning our rig into Santa's sleigh - I guess I'll just have to name the truck Rudolph.

While Judy was at her basket weaving time (quilting) I washed the dishes, made the bed, and vacuumed the house. I don't mind doing housework especially in a small house where it only takes about a half hour to "Get-R-Done". Keep in mind that Miss Judy does more than her fair share of housework around here, now if I could just train her to wash and wax the rig (that ain't happenin').

I, also, managed to get the "shed" in the front of the RV cleaned out; there wasn't too much extra "stuff" under there as we tend to keep things pretty well under control. We actually run pretty light when it comes to the "basement" and "shed". It's the inside compartments that tend to accumulate the extra weight; another book here and there, some additional clothing, more basket weaving supplies, and a few more household related things such as kitchen "stuff" (a new electric grill, baking pans, and/or cooking utensils), bedroom "stuff" (a new memory foam mattress, sheets and blankets, etc.), and new toy "stuff" (digital camera, a new router, and so on). So, over the next two weeks, we need to go through each of our closets and cabinets to rid ourselves of "stuff" that we are not using or not using very often.

All of that excess "stuff" will make it's way to our shed here at Rainbow Plantation which means that come spring we'll need to start going through that "stuff" as well to either sell it, give it away, or throw it away. Two facts remain, we came into this world without "stuff" and we'll leave this world without "stuff" (except for, maybe, a suit); therefore, we really don't need a lot of "stuff" in between. This life allows us to live a much simpler lifestyle, however, as you can see, "stuff" seems to still creep in none the less.

We attended the four o'clock social time, came home to have dinner, and watched a movie followed by a little television and then it was lights out. The end of another fine day - until tomorrow. . . . . .

Thursday, December 10, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Yesterday morning I looked out the window and noticed a work party gathering at Clyde and Sarita's house (rig). Sarita, who is recovering from knee surgery, had fallen a few days ago and broke her ankle so the neighborhood guys are building them a ramp to make it easier for her to get in and out of the house. I joined the crew and within a couple of hours we had a six by eight foot deck and a ramp built. Ron did the measuring, Bill did the cutting, and Bob and I did the nailing (actually screwing) while J assisted in several different areas as the need arose. This was a project well done and will be a great blessing to Clyde and Sarita.

After I came home and got cleaned up, Judy and I headed to Lens Crafters in Pensacola, Florida. We found our "favorite" frames which resulted in 30% off the entire price. I just knew we wouldn't find any desirable frames in the 50% off bracket and knew the 40% off bracket was a long shot at best but, the cost was still equivalent to Walmart's. We actually "saved" (saved being a relative term) an additional $50 dollars in that Florida does not tax eye glasses whereas Alabama does.

Eye glasses, as are all medical related products and services, are waaaaaaay overpriced in this country. Our friend, Bill, got his glasses, which are no line bi-focals, over the internet for sixty-eight dollars and they work just fine but, his wife wasn't so lucky and she had to return hers. We have progressive lenses which are very "fussy" in the measurement and alignment; therefore, we are destined to pay the "big bucks" for our eye glasses.

Lens Crafters advertises that they will build your glasses in one hour, they just don't tell you which one hour that will be - Our one hour will be in a week to ten days. Oh well, we'll have them in time to be able to clearly see our grand daughters tearing into their presents on Christmas morn.

On our way home we stopped at Uncle Wally's in Foley to pick up one of their five dollar 12" supreme pizzas for dinner. The rest of the day was spent in front of the television set trying desperately to entertain ourselves with the mindless programming that our illustrious network broadcasting companies have to offer. Mission accomplished, it put us soundly asleep without hesitation. One of my favorite shows is PBS's History Detectives, however, it's only on Saturday evenings (unless you want to get up at weird hours during the night to watch it - which I don't).

In any event, that's it for another day in the life of the Wandering America entourage.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
'Twas a rainy day and would have been a good "jammies" day, however, I got dressed and went to the men's Bible study group. There are twelve men in the group and we are watching a video series on John Eldridge's "Wild at Heart". After the video we take some time to share our thoughts on what was presented. I enjoy attending but, the 7:30 starting time is a "tab bit early" for me.

After returning home, I did a few housekeeping chores and then read for awhile while listening to the rain "pitter pattering" on the roof. Miss Judy went to quilting in the morning and then did some sewing and crocheting; she really enjoys her basket weaving endeavors.

Last night Bill and Kathy joined us for dinner at the Road Kill Cafe followed by attending a performance of the Baldwin Pops orchestra. In the small community of Elberta there's a restaurant called the Road Kill Cafe that opens just before lunch six days a week serving a buffet style "home cooked" meal. They stay open until all of the food is gone and then they close the doors for the day. Once or twice a year Gary, the manager here at Rainbow Plantation, arranges for an evening meal for Escapees only and last night was one of the events.

Bill and Kathy arrived at our place around 4:20 (they just live four sites down East Traveler street) and we made our way to Elberta. Just as we entered the town limits a fire truck came our way with lights flashing and sirens blasting. The truck ahead of us (also some Escapees) pulled to the right and stopped. I followed suit, however, there was no shoulder to pull off onto. I happened to look in the rear view mirror just in time to see a semi baring down upon us and realized that he wasn't going to be able to stop so I immediately pulled off the road almost down into the ditch just in time. He was able to come to a full stop right behind the truck we were following and right along beside of us.

As we were entering the restaurant the other Escapee (I don't know his name) said, "You were lucky!" Well, let me say this about that!! It was by God's grace and His hand of protection that we were spared the fate of a bad accident. Often when a firetruck is heading your way you place your attention (that is, watch) on the firetruck. I "just happened" to glance in my mirror and "just happened" to be able to pull off the road "just" in the nick of time. You can call it coincidence if you want to but, I call it God's grace. Thank you, Lord, for your hand of protection on the four of us!!!

The dinner was good as usual; I like the fried chicken best although the German chocolate cake with soft served ice cream wasn't bad either. As always, we enjoy spending time with other Christians, fellow Escapees, and our neighbors; this time it was Bill and Kathy, who happen to be all three. Did I ever tell you that one of the best parts of this lifestyle is. . . . . . . . . yeah, I did! About a million times so I won't tell you again.

The concert was held at the Foley Civic Center and began at 7:00. It was absolutely, positively fantastic; both Judy and I commented that we enjoyed it more then the U. S. Air Force Jazz Band concert that we attended last month (and we enjoyed that immensely). After the intermission the orchestra was joined by the Faulkner Singers (Faulkner State Community College Choir). It was a great blend of outstanding music and wonderful singing. By the way, our good friend, Randy "Slide" Guiler, plays the trombone in the Baldwin Pops. On top of everything else, the concert was free, however, we did take some "Toys For Tots" as a donation.

The performance really set us in the Christmas spirit even with the 73 degree weather and rain instead of snow. So, on the way home, we did a drive by of a large home that goes all out in decorating for Christmas. I don't know how many lights they put up but, it was "sho 'nuff purddy". We need to go back again before we leave and take some pictures; all it needs is some snow to add to the ambiance (no cold, just snow)!! Thus ends another day in our fulltiming lifestyle - It couldn't get any better than this!!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Holy jumpin' up and down! It seems that whenever I get the "stuff" out to wash the rig we get into a rain cycle - that's what happened last summer and is happening again this fall. I suppose I could put on my bathing suit and go outside and wash in the rain that way Mother Nature could do the all the rinsing.

Yesterday I cleaned out the interior of the truck and took some excess gear out of the tool box. I was "fixinto" start cleaning out the "shed" in the front of the rig but, it started to rain so I put everything away and came inside to read - then it stopped raining. I figured that it would just keep raining off and on and I didn't want to play tag with the rain so stayed inside; it never did rain again. Oh well, I don't have much in the "shed" or the "basement" that needs to be cleaned out; the big cleaning event needs to take place inside - closets, cupboards, and cabinets. We want to get all the excess and/or unnecessary "stuff" cleared out before we head out again.

It's unbelievable that we only have two weeks before "wagons ho!" Yep, that's right, we'll be "On the road again!" We haven't told the katts yet; they tend to get antsy and start meowing, "How many more days left?" They do know it's Christmas time, however, 'cause they have a whole bunch of new toys to play with - ornaments off the tree and the little ceramic people sitting on the coffee table. Alex is real good at getting into everything; he's such a boy. Katie gets into things too but, it's just that she is a lot more sneaky and doesn't seem to get caught as often.

In any event, before we know it we'll be leaving the Plantation heading for Tennessee in order to sit around the Christmas Tree with our precious little grand daughters. What could be better than spending the holidays with your family?
Monday, December 7, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren's opening sentence is, "It not about you." Judy and I have a friend who jokes that after reading that first sentence they put the book down because if it wasn't about them then their was no sense of reading it. We all got a chuckle out of that statement but, the fact is that most of us feel exactly that way - "It is all about me." And that's exactly the way we live our lives., however, Judy and I agree that when we live entirely that way we do not feel completely fulfilled. We feel like something is missing.

I said all of that to say this. When it comes to Wandering America, Judy and I want to give back a little along the way (or "pay it forward", as the movie put it). That's why we enjoy participating in Habitat for Humanity's Care-A-Vanner program. We are preparing to go to Bunnell, Florida to lead another one this January and are looking at other builds that we maybe able to "plug" into throughout the year. It's been far too long since we did our last build (you can read about it here) and we don't want that much time to pass before we do another one. Further, we have joined the Alabama Chapter of Campers on Mission and have "signed up" to participate in a church build in Vista Sierra, Arizona beginning in January of 2011.

Our game plan is to look for areas that where we would like to travel and then see what volunteering opportunities are available - that way we can "kill two stones with one bird!" We will have a few weeks to do some sightseeing while we are also giving back to society. Further, by joining with other RVers we will scratch our socialization itch as well while meeting new folks and, on top of all of that, we will receive a free or reduced price "camp site" (however, these are not always in the most scenic places nor do they always have full hookups).
The bottom line is that, for us, life is more fulfilling when we take some time to serve others, especially those who are in need, as we travel through life. Habitat For Humanity provides good, clean, adequate housing for families that would otherwise have no hope of obtaining a home of their own. They don't give people homes but do provide no interest mortgages so people can purchase their home which is, also, at a reduced price since most of the man hours are volunteered and some of the supplies are donated. Campers on Mission come along side of a local congregations to assist them in building, expanding, or remodeling their place of worship thereby keeping their overall costs manageable.

How 'bout that!!! I ranted on Sunday and preached on Monday - who'da thunk?

Sunday, December 6, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Friday night we got an email from Terry Guiler asking if we would be interested in going to a church bazaar in Silverhills, Alabama with them (Silverhills is only 9 or 10 miles away). Why certainly was our response. So we began our Saturday with breakfast; Miss Judy had oatmeal at home while I had French toast, sausage, OJ, and coffee at the clubhouse (so did Randy and Terry). At a little after nine we ventured northward to Silverhills. The bazaar wasn't what Terry had anticipated, however, it was a nice little bazaar and I have the picture to prove it.

Finding nothing to spend our hard unearned cash on we headed due south to another bazaar at the Catholic church in Foley. Again, we found nothing to throw any cash at. Randy was just like a kid who just received his allowance with his money burning a hole in his pocket so we continued our southward trek to Gulf Shores where he found a place to deposit some filthy lucre. Then we proceeded home deeming the morning somewhat of a success.

Well, the bazaars may not have totally measured up to our expectations but, we sure did enjoy our morning together. It seems that we always find something funny to LOL about whenever the four of us get together and we can turn a "bust of a day" into a joyful event.

After we got home, Judy J and I went to Walmart to pick out our glasses. Well, let me tell you, the frame selection was about as consequential as the bazaars. We only found one frame each that would be acceptable but, they just didn't have the "it" factor. Miss Judy said that she wasn't about to spend that kind of money on something that was just "acceptable". She wants choices, isn't that just like a woman? I must admit, that this time I am totally in her camp so we came home empty handed and went on line.

Lenses Crafters, which has stores in both Mobile and Pensacola, have several frames that we liked, however, they are waaaaaay more expensive than Wally World's but, they do offer 30%, 40%, or 50% off the entire price of the eye glasses depending on what frames you choose (what are the odds of finding a frame that we like in the 50% off category?). Even 30% off brings the pricing back into line with Uncle Wally's but, my question is this, "Why all the games?" Just price the things fairly in the first place and do away with all the hoopla about damned percentage off discounts and rebates. The mark-up in eye glasses is absolutely atrocious to begin with and then to insult us with giving us 40% off an inflated price is just plain exasperating to say the least.

Okay, enough ranting. We'll journey to Pensacola and pick out some over priced frames and lenses, take the discount, still pay too much, then go to Judy's new mecca (A&E Fabrics), stop by the VA Outpatient Clinic on our way home to make an appointment for my annual physical, and deem the day a success.

All I know, is that between doctor's appointments, prescription drugs, eye doctor's appointments, eye glasses, and teeth doctor's appointments it's getting pretty dang expensive. Fortunately this is a once a year event and "it's in the budget", however, it is still a huge line item. Oops! I'm ranting again.

Well, I guess I had better get going. Today is Sunday and the Lord knows, after all my ranting, that I need to go to church and repent. So I bid y'all a fare well from Lower Alabama.

Saturday, December 5, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
We woke up this morning and ran to the window to see if any sn*w had fallen last night - Thank God, none!!! It did rain during the night but, at least we don't have to shovel that out of the driveway (not that there would have been enough for shoveling here in L. A. anyhow). The outside thermometer is boldly announcing the thirty-six degree temperature that we currently have outside - brrrrrrrrrr!!! I may have to put on my woolies and stay inside huddled up under my blankie in my recliner.

Yesterday we went to the eye doctor to get our eyes examined and prescription lenses updated. There is very little change in either of our prescriptions, however, we both need new glasses. Judy's are six years old and mine are four years old - they are both pretty well scatched up. The doctor saw the beginning signs of cataracts in my eyes and possibly the beginning of Age-related macular degeneration in my left eye (something that will have to be watched). Judy has a dry eye condition and will need to start using eye drops everyday. Oh, the blessing of old age - and I have my America the Beautiful Senior Pass to prove it.

Just as we were leaving the eye doctor's office, Judy got a phone call from Linda Payne stating that a group of women were making a pilgrimage to JoAnn Fabrics in Pensacola (the quilter's mecca) and asking if she was interested in going. Well now, does a bear live in the woods? They were gone from 10:30 until almost 5:30; it seems that while they were "in the area" that they decided to raid and pillage several other basket weaving shops as well. Can you imagine eight women (all relatively the same age group) landing in one place at one time - it must have been a little unnerving for some of the establishments to see that entourage entering their doors. Anywhoo, they had a good time and Miss Judy found a great fabric store, however, I must say, I was proud of her; she restrained herself from going "hog wild" and only made a few purchases.

I enjoyed the peace and quiet while managing the home front. I went to the library to return a couple of books and pick up a new one and then stopped by Walmart to price out some new eye glasses (the ones we priced out at the eye doctor's were waaaaaaaaaaaay tooooooooooo expensive). The shop in the eye doctor's office wanted $355 for the progressive lenses and then another $85 for the anti-glazing while Walmart sells the same lenses for $180 including the anti-glazing. That's a major price difference, however, it will still end up costing about $300 a piece for eye glasses.

Once I got home it was time for lunch so I had a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then I sat back in my easy chair, with the katt curled up next to me, and read my new book - True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy. Now don't paint me a liberal; I'm not a liberal, I'm not a conservative, nor am I a moderate - I'm a "vote your own mind" type of guy. I don't agree with a lot of his political stands but, the Kennedy family has had a profound influence on our nation and I enjoy reading biographies.

At four o'clock I went over to the clubhouse for the social time and then spent some time chatting with Norm for awhile (he, too, was abandoned and alone), after which, I came home and started dinner so the missus would have something hot for her tummy when she returned from her shopping extravaganza (shopping's a hard day's work, ya know?). It was a good day, Judy had a great time out with the ladies (she's not had a day like that in a long time) and I enjoyed a nice laid back afternoon.

Friday, December 4, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
"Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you." Yesterday was defrost the refrigerator day and I pulled a real bone head move. Whenever I defrost the refrigerator I use Judy's hair dryer set on the cool air setting to help move the air. Now, the manufacturer highly recommends that you NOT use a hair dryer to defrost the "frig" but, I have always made out just fine in the past.

I started with the lower unit and got the "fins" all defrosted, however, when I put the hair dryer in the freezer section, somehow I hit the switch that turned on the heat. After about a half hour I went to check and see how it was coming along and discovered that I had almost turned the freezer into an oven; it got hot enough to warp some of the plastic on the side of the freezer. Fortunately everything is functioning properly but, needless to say, it would be much wiser to use a small fan rather than a hair dryer in the future. "When all else fails, read (and follow) the instructions!" Maybe some of you reading this will learn from my experience; or not!!!

Miss Judy went to quilting and I worked a little more on our 2010 travel plans. So far, so good! It looks as if we have put enough in our budget to cover "camping" and fuel expenses for our travels - at least through July when we will return to Tennessee for the birth of grand child number six. We just need to put money aside during the non-traveling months to use during the traveling months; it's tough living on a fixed income budget but, somehow we'll make it work. I should have been a congressman or senator for one term then I could have retired at 100% salary with full medical benefits rather than 40% with no medical benefits - what was I thinking when I chose my career path?

They (whoever they are) are working toward making our Social Time here at Rainbow Plantation fun, exciting, and informative. Yesterday Master Fulltime RVer, Norm Payne, gave his famous toilet paper demonstration showing us how various brands of toilet paper, as well as a few other products, effect our black water tanks. It ranged from the special RVing toilet paper all the way up to the corn cob (which, by the way, will most likely never break down in you black water tank). Also included in the demonstration were tissues, paper towels, and catalog pages.

The only two that break down quickly enough for use in an RV black water tank were the RVing toilet paper and Scott's single ply toilet paper. All I can say is that you had better be real fast when using the RVing toilet paper because it will start dissolving before you can say "Jack Russell". We had a lot of laughs throughout the demonstration and learned why certain products should not be "flushed down the toilet".

Larry the cook went and did it again. We had another lovely meal of grilled chicken, a broccoli-spaghetti mix, candied carrots, rolls, and a white cake with coconut frosting. We sat with our friends Stan and Denise and had an enjoyable evening talking about their home town of Burlington Vermont.

Then it was home to continue outlining our 2010 travel plans followed by hitting the hay and watching some television. I couldn't believe it; while watching the news, after the Jay Leno Show, the weatherman actually swore while he was on the air. He said the "S" word right on live TV. That's right, he said that late tonight and/or early Saturday morning the Gulf region is going to get some Sn*w. Now that caused me to shut the TV off and pull the covers over my head - that just ain't right, folks!!!

Thursday, December 3, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
Can ya believe it? It was only December 2nd and we published our November Travelogue. Yep, you read it right, we finished and published the travelogue right on schedule - that's a first in almost a year. So, go ahead and check it out, I'll wait for you.

Yesterday was downright balmy with temperatures in the high 60's. The sun finally broke through in late morning, however, the wind continued to haunt us through out the day. So Judy J and I stayed inside most of the day and brought our budget up to date by adding the actuals for November, projecting our December expenses, and started putting numbers to our travel plans for 2010. We are now living on a fixed income and want to make sure that our 2010 travels will not exceed the dollars available.

Although our travel plans are carved in putty and subject to change at a moments notice we can still estimate our expenses by calculating fuel cost based on projected mileages and checking out campground rates in the areas we will be visiting. We will maximize our use of Corps of Engineering and/or other National Parks since I have the "Old Person's Pass" which allows us to receive half price on their campground rates. Passport America campgrounds also allows us to get half priced camping, however, there are generally restrictions that apply (often weekends are blacked out and there are limits on the number of days we can stay). We fill in the rest of the travel days with state parks, commercial campgrounds, and community campgrounds; that gives us a fairly accurate look at our "camping" expenses.

Then we look on line to see if there are any special tours, museums, or other amusements that we would like to visit in order to estimate our entertainment expenses for the trip. We enjoy sampling ethnic and cultural foods when traveling so our dining out expenses will need to be increased as well, this is a crap shoot since we have no idea how often we'll eat out or how much it will cost so we'll just go back to our actuals history to estimate this expense.

Next, all we have to do is add up the numbers and plug them into our spread sheet with all of our other "day to day" expenses. Hopefully everything will balance; if not, then one of three things will have to happen - increase income, decrease "outgo", or a little of both.

All of this planning takes time and we've only gotten through January which leaves us eleven months to go. We still have to plan for Mary's wedding, Jackie's graduation, the birth of a new grandchild, a vacation with Briana, and assisting our son Brian. If there is any time and money left over then we would like to attend a couple of rallies and travel the east coast along the Carolinas, Virginia, and, possibly, Washington D. C..

With all of that said, planning our travels and expenses is not drudgery but an exciting part of living our dreams. Remember, though, our plans are not cast in concrete but carved in putty. All of this planning just gives us a financial reality check as well as an opportunity to decide what we really want to do and see while we continue Wandering America.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
I like a rainy day every so often, there's just something snuggly about sitting back in your recliner and listening to the rain on the roof top as you read a book while sipping some hot chocolate. Yep, we didn't do a whole lot of anything yesterday but, I did go out to the men's group yesterday morning and Judy went to her quilting group then we came home before the rain began.

Last night some more severe weather passed through with thunder and winds that woke us up. We just laid there wondering if we were going to get blown away but, it really wasn't all that bad. It was just the angle at which the wind was hitting our "Little House on the Wheels" that caused it to do some rocking.

The katts don't like thunder storms or heavy winds so they came up on the bed with us and cuddled next to our legs until the storm passed. Just like a couple of kids who want their mommy and daddy when they are scared. Alex laid there and purred loudly knowing that he was safe and sound being next to us. Katie just curled up and went back to sleep. A good demonstration of the kind of faith that we need to have in our heavenly Father.

By the way, as I mentioned in an earlier post, we put up our Christmas tree so I thought that I would include a picture of it for you. Hope you have a blessed day.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 - Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, Alabama
The RV service guy, Pat Buie, stopped by yesterday morning to clean and tune our furnace. It had never been cleaned and is now four years old. It was dirty, to say the least. The main thing was the electrode had that quite a bit of soot build up on it. Otherwise, everything was still in good working order. Pat told me that a furnace should be cleaned every couple of years so we were way over due. Oh yes, the fan was full of kitty hair, wonder where that come from? He suggested that we get an air conditioner filter to put behind the air intake vent.

Yesterday afternoon I went over to the clubhouse to hear Dr. Jerry Avis give a talk about building and flying kites. You didn't know you could get a doctorate in kite flying, did ya? Well, actually, his doctorate is in Psychiatry. He specialized in teenagers so I guess after hearing enough troubled teens he decided to "go fly a kite" to relieve the stress.

His kites aren't the simple diamond shaped kites that we used to play with when we were kids. No siree, his kites are made from sliced bamboo sticks, rice paper and/or silk, and some have very sophisticated designs. He showed us a series of 27 kites that are linked together and fly from one string. He, also, had two kites that are shaped like eagles that look just like an eagle soaring when they are aloft. Did you know that there is an organization for serious kite fliers? I didn't but it is the American Kitefliers Association whose purpose is to "educate the public in the art, history, technology, and practice of building and flying kites".

We didn't get to see a kite flying demonstration due to the heavy rains that passed through our area beginning at noon time yesterday. Jerry will be here at Rainbow Plantation for a while longer so he will fly his kites again sometime before he leaves.

Judy J had fun at a couple of basket weaving classes/groups. In the morning class she made a poinsettia pin while the afternoon group, which meets every Monday afternoon, does crocheting. She took her crocheting supplies over to the clubhouse in the rag bag that she finished quilting this past weekend. Miss Judy is crocheting some dish rags; last summer, at the fair that we went to in Maine, she bought some knitted dish rags and we liked them so much that she decided to crochet some. They are much better than dish rags that you can buy at Walmart.

Judy and I finished the day by attending the four o'clock social, then came home to have dinner and settle in for the evening so that's it for today.

Go To "From Darrell's Chair" Archives