Christmas Preparations in Santee

      Frost on the pumpkin!  Yes, believe it or not, this is the 2nd morning in a row where temperatures have dipped below 32,... and we don't think Mother Nature is very funny! Yesterday morning, we were 7 degrees warmer than the boat launch at Chateaugay Lake, and that's just wrong!  But in defense of So Cal, each day, by 10 AM, we've had to open the windows and cool Big Red off, as the morning sun visited us through the front window of the bus.  Nothing like sitting in a nice warming sun, enjoying that morning cup of coffee.

      The Christmas tree is up, inside and outside, and decorations are visible all through the park, as Grammie goes into Christmas mode, in preparation for Santa's arrival in just a few days. No one enjoys Christmas more than Grammie, and even though the entire extravaganza is starting to tone down, basically because of lack of space, Grammie continues with the traditions that make this time of year so special.

     And I think Grammie is having a special time, passing those traditions on to Joanne, and their special little helper, Liam.  Nothing says Christmas like cookies, and with just a little preparation, Liam was ready to go.  If you check with Liam, he'll tell you that apron is a hand me down from his father.  And Debbie loves to continuously remind me about the long line of pastry chefs on the Lagasse side of the family!!

     It didn't take Liam very long to figure out what sugar cookies were, and it seemed like his favorite part was putting on the icing!

     One of the nice things about staying at Santee Lakes, is the close proximity to Ben's house, and being able to coax Ben into bringing Liam over to enjoy the happenings over here.  Last weekend, a pretty big celebration was held here, and that included lost of events for kids.  Most seemed to enjoy tubing down the "snow" covered hill, although Liam didn't seem that interested.  But when he discovered the swing and the slide, his day started to perk right up.  Grammie and Ben did most of the work, and Papa just took pictures.  Consider yourself fortunate that you don't have to sit and look at all of them!

     As you can imagine, Liam has taken center stage this year, and that's to be expected.  Of course Jamo still like to get in some cuddle time with Grammie, and if he can get past Liam, he takes advantage of it.  But I really don't think Grammie minds too much.  

     It is always special to watch the curiosity of a child at Christmas, even though he doesn't truly understand what going on.  Twinkling lights and big blue snowflakes will attract almost anyone.  

And then of course, there's always Papa's lap!

Debbie managed to stay pretty busy for a few days making cookies for Ben and her brother back in Ohio.  Every year, Debbie sends cookies in a tin to Bob, and ever year the tin returns full of buckeyes!  That's a pretty good trade. 

    MaryAnne will be flying in for Christmas tomorrow night, so of course, everyone is pretty excited about that.  She'll bring a little life to the party!  Can't convince her to jump on the Trolley and ride it out to Lakeside though, so I guess we'll have to drive in to the airport and pick her up.  

     

     And of course, no Christmas story would be complete without a picture of the baby on Santa's lap, crying his head off.  I've never understood why parents are so mean to their kids, and why we all seem to get such a chuckle out of it!!
     Merry Christmas to everyone from the Doody's.  And may the New Year brings lots of blessings to your family.  And if not, remember the Golden Rule:  Keep Calm.....Call Mom!

   

Cross Country and Arrival in San Diego

     After leaving MAE and her wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, we headed back to VA to pick up Big Red, which we had left in a KOA.  The weather had been pretty cold all along the east coast, and Debbie and I had taken the extra precaution of winterizing the RV, even though we had hoped we wouldn't have to.  We pushed straight through and arrived after about a 10 hour day to find Big Red sitting patiently for our arrival.  I reconnected the water lines, and gingerly started adding water, cautiously looking for any sign of a broken line.  The system pressurized perfectly, and now it was time to point this puppy west.  We jumped back out on I-40 into Tennessee, and pushed about halfway across the state before stopping in a Passport America campground for the night.
      The next day, we ran into some rainy weather, which the entire area desperately needed. As we passed by Sevierville, TN, the weather started getting nasty with pretty aggressive winds and pounding rain.  Debbie was able to locate a KOA, and shortly after setting up camp, the weather really turned nasty.  The next morning, we read of the terrible forest fires that had been fueled by the winds, and nearly decimated Gatlinburg and Dollyworld. We had skirted just north of the fires, and never even knew it.  The next day, as we settled into our site in Texarkana, TX, we listened to tornado warnings for the areas just to the southeast of us.  This was turning into a very exciting trip!
    The cooler weather had pushed  us south onto I-30 after Little Rock, and then down to I-20 as we headed right through the heart of Dallas and Ft. Worth.   Pushing on, the weather stayed friendly, and we finished Texas, arriving at Lac Cruces, NM on I-10.  There's always a feeling of accomplishment navigating across Texas.

     At the intersection of I-10 and I-8, we took shelter at the  Las Colinas RV Resort near Casa Grande, AZ.  We took Big Red and the jeep through a truck wash and got about 2 months worth of road grime off of them, and settled in for a day of rest.  Ahead of us lay about 300 miles of flat, open desert, and then a 13 mile ride up 3000 feet into the mountains of San Diego county.  And a weather report advising wind gusts of up to 40 mph!  The weather finally won, and we took a day off to wait out the winds.  On Day 8, we made the final push west into CA, and onto our site in Santee.  But not before traveling through some very familiar country.

To celebrate our arrival, we stopped at the Indian Casino in Campo, to top off Big Red with diesel, and enjoy a prime rib lunch for $7.78!  We could care less about the gambling, but the cheap lunch sure perked our interest!
   

      After setting up camp, we headed over to Ben's house.  Grammie had waited just about long enough to see all those boys!  Of course, Jamo went nuts, as he always does when he sees Grammie!  He always seems to remember her, and could care less that I was standing in the room.  Liam stood quietly in the middle of the living room, looking at Dad, and then Grammie, then back at Dad.  You could see his mind working, trying to figure out who these two people were.  Thirty seconds later, he was running to Grammie, arms outstretched, wanting to be picked up.  Of course, she had been out for a visit a few months ago, and as soon as he heard her voice, he knew who she was.
     We brought in a tote full of Ben's cars and trucks that he had somehow managed to leave in our care. But it seemed only right to bring them out to him.  Although, we're not sure if Liam liked the cars or the tote more.  As you can see, Jamo was quite interested also.

      Within a few minutes, curiosity got the better of him, and Liam decided to come over and say hello.  Must be I have a pretty comfortable lap, cause he sat back, crossed his arms and legs, and watched Grammie and Ben going through the new toy box.
     Then it was time to visit with Grammie on the floor, and see what she had to say.

     Joanne was off working, dealing with the Christmas mobs at Target.  We headed back to the "trailer park" as the kids like to call it, to get rested up for the new adventure awaiting our next visit at Ben's house.

Thanksgiving With MAE and Then We're Westward Ho!!

     Oh yea....I remember now why we chose this nomadic lifestyle.  I'm pretty sure the main reason was to stay away from this!!!  But the plan is to make sure we're with one of the kids on the important holiday, and for now Thanksgiving is with MaryAnne in Plattsburgh.  Actually, it probably worked out pretty well for me.  It was a good reminder for Debbie on how nice it is to be chasing 70 degree weather around the country.
    But we've had a fantastic time wandering around the South, and enjoying the sights and sounds that we've been lucky enough to encounter.  Seems like there's a new adventure around each corner.  A little tidbit I just picked up on Mayberry, the site of our recent visit.  Do you know the reason everyone was so happy in Mayberry?  It was because they were all single!! Andy, Aunt B, Barney, Goober, Thelma Lou, Floyd, Howard, Ernest T Bass, the Darlin Family, Clara.....everyone!  In fact, the only one married was Otis, and he was the town drunk!!!  But I digress....
     We arrived in Plattsburgh without any incidents, after driving 2 days in a mild snowstorm.  Just below Albany, we broke out of the nasty weather, and sailed north on I-87.  Of course we were pretty anxious to get together with MAE, since we didn't get to really say goodbye when we left in such a hurry to get out of town.

     We had a great time meeting her new beau, Tony and his son Gage.  We probably should have borrowed a 6 year old for MaryAnne years ago....they seemed to get along splendidly, and she now has someone to play with while Tony makes dinner and does the dishes!!  Kinda reminds us of Bernice!!!

     During our visit, Debbie and I drove up to the lake and checked camp, and swapped a few things out that we wouldn't need the rest of our trip.  We had a nice visit with the neighbors, picked up MAE's Christmas tree, and took a few last looks at the lake before heading back.  It sure looked cold!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

                   

We certainly are fortunate being able to travel as we do.  It will look much more inviting in about 6-7 months.  Back down through Chazy, we picked up a few quarts of maple syrup from Angela and David Swan who run the business Homestead Maple.  They weren't around during our visit, as they have an "honesty bucket" in their sugar house, and trust all their customers.  I would much rather deal with Angela than with Dave, when they're figuring out the bill!.                                                                                   

     Tony treated us to some homemade spaghetti sauce, which we enjoyed tonight as I was writing this blog in Tennessee.  As a payback, I showed him how to fry a turkey.  MAE picked up a nice 12 lb Butterball, and when Tony got in from work, it was just about ready to go.  I injected it with some Cajun Butter to give it some pop, and just a little seasoning for color, and it was ready.  

        From the table, and into the fryer, and then the technical stuff goes on which guarantees a perfect turkey.  That amounts to grabbing a cold beverage, and monitoring the temperature of the oil.  Pretty technical stuff.  

     In the end, a wonderful Thanksgiving meal was enjoyed by all, and MAE put together quite a day.

Mimosa to start the festivities, and to get us through the parade, and a delicious pumpkin pie to finish us off.  

      On Saturday we said goodbye to Plattsburgh, and headed back to Staunton, VA, where we had left Big Red.  We had been forced to winterize the RV because of a cold front passing through, and we wondered if we had done everything correctly.  Upon arrival, we gave Big Red a quick check and everything looked fine.  Today we drove over into Tennessee, putting about 300 miles behind us.  Two days of holiday traffic, sharing the road with a bunch of NASCAR drivers, can certainly wear you out.  The rest of the trip should be a cakewalk.
     We have a little over 2200 miles to go before arriving in Santee, CA, and seeing Liam and Jamo......and Joanne and Ben.  Looks like we've got a pretty good weather window in front of us, so we shouldn't have any weather problems.  I know Debbie is getting pretty excited!    

Visiting Mayberry, and a Little Bluegrass in VA

     What a great visit we had with Kathie and Brian, Brian's mom Elaine, and brother Kevin.  Plus we scored a terrific spaghetti dinner, as Brian introduced us to Bucatini, a thicker hollow spaghetti.  Brian simmered his sauce all day, the wine flowed freely, and conversation around the table was quite tame.  We were all on our best behavior since we had an adult at the table.  We caught up on all the gossip from home, then headed back to the park knowing we had to get ready for our big day tomorrow.
     The next morning, we headed for historic Mount Airy, NC, more affectionately known to my generation as "Mayberry".  Of course Mayberry, home to Sheriff Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee, and a host of other characters, was only make believe, and grew out of the memories of Andy Griffith and his boyhood days in Mount Airy.

     The show, filmed entirely in California, used local Mount Airy landmarks to create the illusion of Mayberry for TV.  Andy could be seen reading the Mount Airy newspaper, common street names were used in the show, and of course Andy and Barney made frequent visits to Mt. Pilot, aka: Pilot Mountain.   Of course we had to visit the Sheriffs Office and the jail cell made famous by the town drunk Otis.  Otis is actually from Massena, NY and we found his classic suit and hat in the nearby Andy Griffith Museum. 

     We found Floyd's Barber Shop, and Guber's filling station. We had hoped to tour around the entire community in Barney's patrol car, but it was down for some maintenance.  Maybe we'll get to do that next time.  But as the song goes: "If you don't know where you're going, every road will take you there."  So we'll continue to visit these unique locations, and enjoy our Going to See America.
     Our next move pushed us northward, and we settled in at the KOA at Staunton, VA.

It is a nice campground, and the office staff was very pleasant and even saved us $50 by reminding us of our KOA points.  As you can see, we do tend to rough it when we're wandering around.  My GMG grill is smoking away in the background with some chicken getting ready to go.  Life is tough.
     The reason we are here is to attend the First Inaugural All American Indoor Music Festival in Fisherville, Va.  The festival, which started on Thursday, included 3 days of bluegrass and country music, and featured various artists from the local area to professional TV performers.

     One of our favorite bluegrass bands, Nothin Fancy, were scheduled to perform 2 shows, and we were looking forward to that.  I've talked about them in previous blogs, but they always put on a great show and you never know what they are going to do.  They really seem to enjoy themselves, and I'm sure we'll travel a few extra miles if we're close to any of their venues.  After the show, I hustled over to their table and purchased their newest CD and later on, I grabbed one of their t-shirts.  Debbie just rolls here eyes every time I come home with a new shirt.

     Rhonda Vincent and the Rage closed out the show on Thursday night, but last night we were treated to a 90 minute show by Dailey and Vincent as the closer.

They put on a high power show, and never faltered for over 90 minutes.  And they really seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that fact was reflected in the response of the audience.  Their 4 part harmonies were pitch perfect, and every member of the show had something to contribute.
     We've got one more music venue scheduled during this adventure, but I would bet that a few more may pop up.    

       As we came out of the show last night, we immediately noticed a drastic change in the weather. Yesterday morning, the weather was a pleasant 67 degrees, but now were were looking at right around 36!  Actually, we knew the weather was going to turn nasty on us, and we had made plans to deal with it.
     We had always planned on leaving Big Red somewhere here down south, and drive the Jeep back to MAE's for Thanksgiving.  But now we were looking at a massive cold front sweeping across the country.  Temperatures were predicted to be in the 20's (yikes!) for the next few days, and we didn't dare leave Big Red parked without doing some winterization work first.  We had hoped that we wouldn't have to, but there was no way to escape this cold.  So yesterday morning, as Debbie made all the preparations for going north, I went shopping for some little gizmos to get the water out of the rig.
      After searching through Staunton for over an hour through Lowes and Aubuchon's, I finally located an RV dealer with a parts store that had everything I needed.  I had decided to use Big Red's built in compressor to blow the air out of all the lines instead of adding RV antifreeze to the system.  The video I watched looked pretty easy.  After finding the connector to screw into the water inlet, Debbie and I spent about the next hour getting all the water out of Big Red.  We also drained the water heater, and replaced the anode.  No problem at all.  Now we can safely leave Big Red without worrying about water lines freezing and bursting and causing big problems.  This morning we headed north from Virginia,...destination Plattsburgh, NY.  And this is what we ran into as we crossed through the mountains of Pennsylvania and arrived in Binghamton, NY.

 This storm even forced a few motorcycles off of the highway.

      So tonight we're hunkered down in a very comfortable Fairfield Inn, The storm is scheduled to wind down tonight, and we'll be up in Plattsburgh tomorrow without any problems, 1 day earlier than we had originally planned.
     Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  And let me suggest that when your family starts arriving for Thanksgiving dinner, you leave a basket near the front door, and have all your guest leave their cell-phones in the basket.  It may lead to some lively conversations around the table!!!
                                                                                         

Our week at Cross Hill, then up to Mayberry

     Today, 11/15/16, we said goodbye to the Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort, knowing that we will definitely be returning.  We came down here with the intention of just relaxing for a few days, and we certainly enjoyed our time here.  The weather cooperated with us, and except for the smokey conditions from the fires up in North Carolina, we have had a pretty nice week.  On Saturday we drove over to the Twin Rivers Landing & Rentals, and rented a pontoon boat for 4 hours, to give us a better perspective of the lake.  The smoke was a little thick on the lake, but other than that, it was a very nice day.  Weather was nice and warm, and the lake was calm.  It was a little interesting getting under a couple of bridges though.  Up north, we tend to pass under bridges in the middle.  Down here they seem to have raised just a section of two of the bridge, sometimes right up against the shore, and that's where you cross under.

We were given a good briefing at the dock, but it was a little disconcerting as we approached the first bridge.  All your instincts said to stay out in the channel, but the instructions were to hug the shoreline.  "Don't worry, they dredged the channel" we were told, as we started out in a boat with a nice new prop.  Four hours later we were back with about 5 minutes to spare, and the prop looked just like new.  We also had a visit from 2 of these guys, and they made Veterans Day just a little more special.

     Sunday we received a nice long rain, which the area desperately needed.  It was too bad the rain did not stretch up far enough to help with the fire fighting up in NC, but they needed it here also. Interestingly, I found a great book down in the library in the clubhouse, and I was able to finish it off in 2 days.  I haven't done that in years.  

     Monday we went out for a ride, making a stop at the local Post Office to mail out a package.  Inside the Post Office, we found this waiting for us.  

It has been quite some time since we've seen these types of PO boxes.  The good old fashioned kind.....with a combination instead of a key.  The Post Mistress thought I was nuts when I asked if I could grab a picture.  Reminded Debbie and I of a simpler time in our lives.  

     Outside the PO, I spotted a monument dedicated to the Confederacy.  If you travel around down here in the South, you get a better appreciation for their feelings toward the "Northern Aggression".  

      This monument was erected in 1902 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.  The UDC, which still exists today, are the continuation of the Daughters of the Confederacy from Missouri, and the Ladies Auxiliary of the Confederate Soldiers Home in Tennessee.  These organizations date back to the 1890's.  I think it's important for this organization to continue telling the story and keep the Southern heritage alive. 

      

     This afternoon we arrived at the Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy, NC.  and got our spot on Opie Taylor Ave.  For those of you who aren't grasping the significance of this particular location, let me explain.  Mayberry RFD was a TV show from the 50's and 60's, still in syndication today, starring Andy Griffith as Sheriff Taylor, his son Opie, and a host of other characters living in small town America.  We learned every lesson in life necessary to make it in this world, along with Opie, as we grew up. So now we are here visiting the town we all grew up in, on TV.  I'll let you know how it all turns out, but I think it's gonna be a blast.

      And as a bonus, our friends from Mooers, Kathie and Brian are here visiting Brian's mother.  So we'll get to have a little visit with them tomorrow over in Mayberry.