16 – 22 October 2010

16 Oct, Saturday:  OK, I wasn’t so good at keeping track of days and what we were doing while here……so, I can’t remember what we did on this day!!!!  I’m sure it was fun and it could have been something I put on a different day….oh well, I’ll try to do better!  I would like to say that our next door neighbors are having the best time…..they have 3 kids under 10 or so and the Grandma is with them.  Two of the kids had training wheels on their bikes and by the second day or so they were riding everywhere without the training wheels…..about day 4 they talked Grandma into going to Wal Mart and buying herself a bike.  The kids sure were excited and looked liked Grandma was having a good time also…..wish we had started camping when our kids were small.  Lots of good memories would have been made I think!

17 Oct, Sunday:  Today the group decided to go to Lebanon, TN, to where the first Cracker Barrel Restaurant was built.  We had already gone there when we met Nolan’s cousin; so, he didn’t want to go but I went anyway.  This restaurant is actually the second as the first is no longer.  Great meal and very good company!  I love looking around in their gift shops, there’s so many cool things.

18 Oct, Monday:  Nolan walked the trail.  The sign said 10 km about six miles.  No one really new if that was round trip or one way.  It ended at the scenic overlook.  Nolan called after about 3 hours and said he was not going to make it back to the park and could I pick him up at the overlook.

After getting to the overlook, I called him again (I’m sure glad he had his cell phone and it had good service).  He wasn’t close yet so I had about an hour wait.  View from the overlook.

I got kind of bored and took a few random pictures that turned out kind of cool or not…..

After Nolan got to the truck we had to go back to the place where he started so he could walk back in and get his coffee cup…..he left it along the trail so he wouldn’t have to carry it?  I waited for him cause he sure looked tired!

That afternoon some of us started playing Hand and Foot

before Gregg started grilling hamburgers.  Another great day at this great place!

19 Oct, Tuesday:  Rained off and on.  Paul and Mary left.  This was the day that we had planned to go into Nashville to Country Music Hall of Fame; but, decided not to go.  Nolan cooked pork tenderloin for dinner and later I went up to sit by the campfire.

20 Oct, Wednesday:  Some more of our friends left today…..Ken and Cindy back to IL; Lynette and Gregg, on their way back to KS; and Kevin and Arlene, on their way to Panama City for doctor’s appointment.  After saying goodbye and walking the dogs, I stayed in the RV all day and played on the computer and knitted.  At 4:00 it was time to get ready to go out to eat with the guys that were left at a very, very good Mexican place.  It was mentioned to the waiter that it was John’s birthday tomorrow and they of course came and sang Happy Birthday in Spanish, gave him this cute hate to wear and gave him this very large margarita.

21 Oct, Thursday: Made stew and didn’t leave the RV very much…..Nolan wanders around a lot so he’s always in and out.  John and Sandy stopped by to say goodbye as they were leaving tomorrow for southern Alabama also.

22 Oct, Friday:  Lucy and Oscar ready to go.

Plans were to stay at the Tim’s Ford State Campground, full hookups and when I called they said they would take Nolan’s Golden Age Pass which would have made it $10 a night.  Got there and they wouldn’t take the pass for a discount so we paid the full price and went in to find a spot.  Not good!!!!  Nice enough campground but the spots were pretty short and lots of trees.  We’re pretty tall and Nolan didn’t think we could get into most of them and the ones that he did think we could get into had low limbs.  Returned to the office and he refunded our money and we had every intention to just go out to the highway and stay at a park I found for $25 a night.  However, he was nice enough and gave me a map to a branch of their park called Fairview Devil’s Step Campground, Winchester, TN.  Got there and no one was at the office.  We drove into the park even though the sign said not to and looked around….this park would work.  Went back to the office

and paid $25 a night and then got set up. 

 

That’s us…..Not bad!

 

View out our back window this time……nice!

A look down the road beside us.

Leftover stew for dinner and relaxing in a beautiful place!

9 – 15 October 2010

9 Oct, Saturday:  Left Roby with the RV around 10:30.  Headed for Sikeston, MO, and arrived around 2:30.  Stayed at the Hinton RV Campground.  Ok place to stop for an overnight.  Gregg and Lynette said the park would take you to Lamberts in their van to the back door and you don’t have to wait in line but we didn’t try it…..had too much laundry to get done before we spent a few days without sewer.

Did laundry all afternoon, we will not have full hookups for the first 5 days when we get to TN.  Didn’t leave the trailer except to take the dogs out!!! 

10 Oct, Sunday:  We didn’t unhook yesterday so we got an earlier start that normal.  Left Sikeston around 8:30 and arrived at Defeated Creek COE Campground, Defeated, TN,

around 2:30.  Wow!   What a beautiful place! 

Our site (picture is without us in it) is really nice except for the fact that we don’t have sewer hookup but we’ll be OK for the 5 nights we’re in this site.  View out our back window…..

Others grilled hot dogs and brats for dinner so those that arrived today wouldn’t have to worry about cooking.  Great to meet up with friends again….

Jenny and Kathy in the middle, and to meet new friends, Ken on the left and Joann on the right.  Nolan even seemed to enjoy meeting up with the guys again.

Other new friends John and Sandy in the middle and others Gregg and Paul and Mary.

Jim and Ellie

Lynette and Arlene and new friend, Lisa on the left who was the individual responsible for us all getting together in TN.

And, it was great getting to meet Jenny’s new husband, Don.  A very good start to our 12 days here! 

11 Oct, Monday:  Today we needed to go to Wal Mart to stock up on stuff to make to take to all the potlucks/dinners we would be going to while here.  We drove around Carthage a little and filled the truck up.  Back home to get stuff ready for happy hour and dinner with the gang…..brought our own meat and a side dish to share. 

12 Oct, Tuesday:  All the girls loaded up for a day out while the guys were back at the park BBQing ribs.  We stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond and I think everyone managed to find something they couldn’t live without.  Then we were off to lunch at Olive Garden……

Miss Lisa, our host, and our driver for the day pointed out that she was really talking about us when she wrote “I love my seniors” on her vehicle windows…..not sure we appreciated it!

Ellie needed to stop in at the Verizon store because her Droid was not working right so that load of gals went in to Verizon and the load of girls I was in hurried over to the grocery to pick up more food…..we’re always planning what’s for the next meal and that means more trips to the store!  We decided we didn’t have enough time for more shopping so we headed back to the park.  Just as we started to gather to eat the rain started….some of us ate a little but some didn’t make it out.  Looks like there will be lots of leftovers!

13 Oct, Wednesday:  Nolan has a cousin that lives in Nashville so today was the day we planned to meet Joe and his wife at Cracker Barrell in Lebanon, TN.  I didn’t get pictures taken but we had a great time while the others ate the leftover ribs and baked potatoes.

14 Oct, Thursday:  Others made a trip to Sam’s and a Chinese Buffett.  Nolan and I stayed around the park all day and went over for happy hour and a campfire.  Most others have been staying out til very late sitting around the fire…..I stay as long as I can stay awake and then I leave them still telling jokes or swapping RV stories.

15 Oct, Friday:  There’s a great road

that circles around the park and I’ve been walking the dogs around it every morning.  When we walked by the site we are moving to it looked like they were packing up so I sent Nolan around again to see if they had left yet…..they had so we moved to a full hook up site

This would be out the back window of this site…..can’t ask for better views!

Gregg and Lynette picked up the stuff to make fajitas today and everyone brought the toppings…..boy were they good!!!!

19 September – 8 October 2010

Wow, I lost track of what we did the last part of September.  One of the major things was purchase a new TV.  The living room TV went out and our TV repair friend said it couldn’t be fixed.  We bought a 32” Samsung that fits in the hole where the other one was just fine.  There’s now a lot of wasted space behind it.  Sure would be nice to close that in some how and make shelves for stuff and mount the TV on the door……not sure Nolan is that handy.  He’s pretty good about fixing most stuff but don’t think I can talk him into that project!

Most things we did were to get ready to leave MO for an extended amount of time, probably 6 months at least.  We voted absentee, renewed the truck license that are up in December, replaced the windshield in the car we had borrowed from Nolan’s brother, replaced the brakes on the truck, checked all the tires out, unloaded stuff from the trailer that was someone else’s or that we didn’t need any more, saw my Mom and Dad before we left, and let’s don’t forget…….I worked up until the day we left!!!!!  Sure hope the next time we come home I don’t work so much……I want to play more!