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Saturday, August 27, 2011

Hurricane Irene

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

It’s been a very windy and rainy day.  It had started around midnight and it is now 7:00pm and the wind and rain is just now starting to die down.  I’ve walked around outside and it looks like our shingles are fine.  A neighbor who left town early this morning asked me to check on his house.  He has a big limb broken off from one of his Bradford Pear Trees (they are known for that) but his house is fine.

I must admit that it has been nice to be in a solid brick house instead of our MH.  We’ve been in the MH during a nor’easter and the sound of the constant wind is very annoying.  We hardly heard the wind blowing in the house.  We only have one big tree in our yard down near the pond.  It’s a 50’ oak with most of it’s limbs on one side.  With all the rain and wind blowing against it, it is leaning towards the side with the limbs.  That’s over the pond so if it were to fall, it would make a big splash and scare the poop out of some fish.  It has about a 10 degree tilt and the roots have just about come out of the ground causing a mound in the lawn that may need tending to.  I don’t know how long it will last.  Do I leave it as is and hope that someone will hurry up and buy this house?  I don’t want to cut it down but it is definitely weakened.  I guess we need to contact a “tree guy”.

We’re doing fine, but I sure have been thinking about the folks that are in Irene’s path.  We are about 100 miles inland so I’m hoping this is the last one that we have to endure.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Paddle and Evacuation

Cedar Point CG (site #12)
Croatan National Forest
Cedar Point, NC

Tuesday was our day for enjoying the kayaks.  Gin and I paddled around in the sawgrass of the Intracoastal Waterway near Bogue Inlet.  The inlet is kinda busy but it’s quiet amongst the islands.

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The Charter boats were just coming in to dock so the inlet area got a bit choppy.  Roamin found a quiet place to swim though.

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We beached our boats on our own island and walked around a bit to stretch our legs.

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It was a beautiful day with just the right amount of breeze to be comfortable.  Once we got back to camp, we cleaned up and enjoyed a steak for supper.  The camphost, Julie came around to let the few campers that are here know that the cg will be evacuated by Thursday morning for hurricane Irene. 

So today, Wednesday, we packed up the outside stuff and relaxed some.  We rode over to see the ocean before going out for supper.  It’s still beautiful but I’m sure that it will be very windy and rainy here by Friday.  We will be leaving here a few days earlier than we planned but we need to do a few things at the house. 

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Leaving, Laundry, and Lazy

Cedar Point CG (site #12)
Croatan National Forest
Cedar Point, NC

Sunday morning can be a sad time around an active campground.  We visited with Doug and Carla one more time before they headed back to their home in Roanoke Rapids.  There are 40 sites here and by noon only a dozen were occupied after a full weekend.  Needless to say, it’s quiet.

This was going to be an afternoon of relaxing so Gin stretched out on the couch and I put the laundry in the Suki and went to the coin laundry in Swansboro.  It’s the first time in well over 30 years that I’ve done laundry at a laundromat so it was an “adventure”.  Yes, I had to read the instructions on the washers and driers.  The washers were smaller than I remember, and it was hotter in there than I remember too.  I just sat back and typed a blogpost so that was nice.  After about two and a half hours, I was done and on my way back to camp.  We visited with Gin’s folks and their friends just a bit and called it a day.

On Monday, we slept late.  I don’t think we’ll have any trouble adjusting to our own slower pace when we slide into fulltiming.  Smile We enjoyed a nice ride on our e-bikes, and yes we pedaled most of the time (flat land here).  Gin’s folks and their friends, Mack and Joanne, joined us for dinner at a Chinese buffet restaurant, and we did a bit of shopping afterwards.  After watching a little football, we called it a night.  This week we will be relaxing and setting our own schedule.  Yes I’m enjoying the freedom of retirement.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

More Family at Cedar Point

Cedar Point CG (site #12)
Croatan National Forest
Cedar Point, NC

Doug and I decided to get up early today and take our hard kayaks for a paddle in the nearby sound.  There’s an NC Wildlife Landing near the bridge going over to Swansboro.  He did a little bit of fishing and caught 4 small ones.

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I enjoyed just paddling around leisurely.  There was a working shrimp boat unloading their catch and doing some work.  Once again, the waves make it hard to get a good shot so I didn’t get the full height.

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I loved watching the seagulls near the docks.  One house was watering the lawn and I could tell that this gull enjoyed the fresh water because he was standing right under the spray.

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Romain enjoyed the paddle too but didn’t know which way to go, stay near the docks or go to the nearby islands.  He said the water was awfully salty tasting too.

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One of those islands had a geocache on it in the past but not now.  It also has a large cross erected on one end that leads out to the Bogue Inlet which leads to the Atlantic Ocean.

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After enjoying our morning paddle, we went back to camp and had a quick shower.  We joined Doug and Carla who fixed hot dogs for lunch.  My sister and BiL, Judy and Keith who live in Raleigh, called to say that they were on their way.  Once they arrived, we visited with them a little bit.  Judy and Keith wanted to go to the ocean to swim so I drove them over there since we didn’t know if the public parking lot would be full or not.  About that time, Gin’s parents arrived in their site so we helped them get set up.  They are taking a break from their doctor appointments and have some of their friends here with them to enjoy the beach.  After a little while, my other sister and BiL, Virginia and David who live in New Bern, pulled in.  We all visited some and I went back to the shore to pick up Judy and Keith.

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Hmm…notice how the women were enjoying the air conditioning inside the MH while the men are sitting out in the heat and humidity.   I called a nearby restaurant to see if they would save a spot for eight adults, and we all rode over to Captain Charlie’s in Swansboro for a delicious seafood dinner.  We enjoyed our food, but we enjoyed our family time even more.  Since Judy and Keith had a long drive ahead of them, they left before the rest of us did.  We still lingered in the parking lot before bidding farewell to Virginia and David.  After riding through the quaint seaside town of Swansboro with Doug and Carla, we came back to camp.  We walked our dogs and they came over for a game of Phase 10 cards.  It was a good way to wrap up another wonderful day.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Family at Cedar Point

Cedar Point CG (site #12)
Croatan National Forest
Cedar Point, NC

Most of the campsites filled up for the weekend but Doug and Carla were able to get a site today across the park in #24.  It’s a nice site and we can walk through the open middle area just fine.  After they set up camp and got a bite to eat, we all decided to go for a paddle.  There is a nice shallow water boat launch right at the cg so we threw their Sea Eagle 370 inflatable boat on top of the Suki and drove down the road.  Carla may not know Linda Payne but she knows the paddle method.  It’s best to let Doug handle it.

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We paddled around the cove for awhile and saw some nice houses with beautiful backyards.  Their real beauty was the view of the river they had.  There was a bit of wildlife out enjoying the day.  It’s not easy to get a good picture from a kayak when it’s a little wavy but I saw several egrets amongst the sawgrass.

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Once we finished our paddle, we took quick showers and met at our MH for a nice meal of crockpot ribs, salad, and boiled potatoes.  It’s nice to have the conveniences with you.  We finished the day by catching a preseason Panther football game on tv.  We lost the game but had a wonderful day.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Cedar Point

Cedar Point CG (site #12)
Croatan National Forest
Cedar Point, NC

This is one of our favorite places because it’s close to the beach, only 4 miles from a public oceanfront park in Emerald Isle, and there is so much water centered activities to enjoy here.  We arrived Tuesday afternoon and the camphost, Julie met us as we pulled in.  She told us that we timed it just right because they were going to start using a reservation system starting today (Wed).  It had always been a first come, first served system before.  We paid for our two weeks, and we have a nice site next to a water spigot.  My brother and SiL, Doug and Carla, are planning to camp here this weekend.  I hope they can get the site beside us but any site will be nice.  Here’s our spot, site #12.

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Since we are planning to be here a while, we’ve set up a little more stuff than usual.  This site has a nice open lawn area behind it so we got out our ladderball game and practiced a bit.  It’s a lot like horseshoes.  Boy are we rusty.

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My sister and BiL, Virginia and David, live kinda close by in New Bern and they are planning to come over for the day on Saturday.  In the meantime, we plan to relax and enjoy each day of our life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Moochdocking or WorkCamping?

Rocky Mount, NC

We relaxed a little more at Lake Jordan but left Saturday morning before the weekend warriors got out of hand.  I enjoy the sounds of laughter, water splashing and such, but it was time to go.  We stopped by the dump station on our way out and it was nice to have that all to ourselves so that Gin could do a thorough job.  We are spending a few days here at Gin’s parents.  They have 30 amp hookup in their side yard if your cord is long enough.

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With the woods right beside us, it’s almost like being in a state park.  As we pulled in on Saturday, an awesome hawk swooped out of a tree right in front of us.  That evening there were two deer grazing in the back yard, and last night a fox watched as I let Smudge out.  I made sure to put her leash on because an ounce of prevention…

I’ve heard the term “moochdocking” defined as staying in a friend or relative’s driveway for a few days.  I’ve also heard of “workcamping” as offering some form of service in exchange for your rv hookup.  I’m not real sure where we fall right now.  After getting set up Saturday, we went over to the house that Gin’s parents are having built and cleaned up the work area some.  On Sunday, we went back and swept up some more stuff.  It was so hot and humid that Gin ended up with blisters on both hands.  I guess my skin is a little thicker, kinda like my noggin.  We’ve also enjoyed visiting with them and even played a game of Canasta last night.  Gin’s Mom had a doctor’s appointment today so we did some laundry and used the Flowbee for our hair cuts.  This property will be missed but the new place is better for her folks and it has less responsibilities.  Their house should be finished in about a month.  And as far as our house goes, we’ve had 4 showings in the past 5 days that we’ve been gone.  The right person (couple, family) is going to come along soon.

I want to welcome two recently new followers, Nan and John and Jeff Simmons.  I just recently retired and we are now able to rv a little more frequently so hopefully my postings will be a bit more interesting.  Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Stowaway and a Sylville Kinda Day

Jordan Lake State Park
Poplar Point CG (site E95)
Apex, NC

Meet our little stowaway, Roamin P. Duck (RPD).  We’re not sure what the P stands for, any suggestions?   He doesn’t require much upkeep and he really seems to like water.

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We like the water too and spent most of the afternoon floating in the cove.  Roamin encouraged us to go for a paddle late in the afternoon since it wasn’t too hot so we obliged him.  The water was like glass.  Don’t let Gin get too far away.

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Unfortunately, there are several dead fish washed up on the shore around here and it smells like Smudge’s breath.  I didn’t know that Ospreys would let Buzzards get this close to them, and this Heron screeched at us as he flew away.

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We could get used to this kind of life.  We were so at ease and comfortable all day.  It’s what we like to call a Sylville kinda day.  Serenity personified.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Freedom

Jordan Lake State Park(Poplar Point CG site E95)
Apex, NC

We’ve made a break for it.  It has taken us 4 days but we’ve gotten Wanda packed up tight and have skipped town for a 3 week trip.  When I told our realtor, she asked “how will I be able to contact you?”  With Gin in charge of electronics, that’s not a problem.  My phone rang just as we were pulling out of the driveway.  An agent wanted to show our house in about an hour.  I of course said ok and then just after getting set up here at one of our favorite spots, I got another call from another agent who wants to show the house tomorrow.  Sure, not a problem.  I guess all we had to do was leave and everybody wants to stroll through.  I’m not complaining.  Our house has shown several times and we’ve gotten some nice feed-back.  It’ll sell.

Wanda has a lot of stuff packed in her so she is heavy, probably a bit too much, but she sure did drive good.  I think the added weight helps actually.  She used to porpoise real bad when we would go over a bump and bottom out, but now it’s not so bad.  We only need to add a few small things and she will be good to go!  We plan to stay in our driveway for a few days before we go to SC in September.  I don’t think we’re actually fulltiming yet though.

It has felt just so perfectly right today.  We are so at ease at this CG.  It’s very wooded so satellite tv can be a challenge, but we have a nice waterfront site with a nice private patio area.  When I was walking Smudge down the road, it hit me…I am RETIRED!!  We can go to a nice quiet CG during the middle of the week anytime we want.  Now that’s freedom!

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

First Week

Stix n Brix, NC

What have we done during my first few days of retirement?  Relaxed a bit of course.  Gin has spent a few days in the MH changing out the tv so that she can put her game systems in there.  She has a wii, xbox 360, and playstation 3.  She’s also installed a roku box and digital media player.  Yes, this is all Greek to me.  She does like her electronics.  It looks like an electronics fairy threw up in there.  I’ve put my clothes in there and we have an induction cooktop and new set of cookware tucked in there too.

Yet, we haven’t gone anywhere on it.  The main reason is because I’ve been a responsible 50 year old and had my recommended colonoscopy yesterday.  All’s well and I got that out of the way for 10 years.  I have to take a physical for insurance this coming Monday so it’ll probably be Tuesday or Wednesday before we go to the Lake or somewhere.

Gin’s aunt is coming here tomorrow to buy our lawnmower so I spent the day doing yard work.  I also trimmed some shrubs and burned off some debris.  Did I mention that it was 95* and humid with a heat index of 110*?!  I drank lots of water.  The teenager that lives next door will be doing the lawn from now on.  Sure hope we get an offer on the house soon.  Jordan does a really good job of it though.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.