Lotsa Photos

Huntington Beach State Park (site #21)
Murrell’s Inlet, SC

We managed to get the bikes on the beach and go out to the jetty the other day.  It’s about a mile and a half one way.  It’s nice to have the electric motor to push us through the headwinds.  Dan and Tricia didn’t have that luxury.

We saw a pair of dolphins in the water and a sea turtle.  I tried to get pictures but all I got was the water where they had just gone back under.  It was a little cool and overcast but we enjoyed the time on the beach and gathered a few shells.

We all went to the causeway in front of Atalaya to see the alligators and I showed Dan and Tricia how easily my camera can zoom in for a close up.  Dan took this picture of the turtle.  Cool huh…

 

We had a couple of cool dreary days that gave us a chance to relax at the MH and recharge our batteries, so to speak.  As soon as we had a clear day though, I just had to get on the bike and spend some time on the causeway taking pictures.  There were tons of birds there.  I think the Herons and Egrets actually like to pose for the cameras.  Here are a few pictures to check out.  Just a reminder, a caption will appear if you put the cursor on the pic and they enlarge when you click on them.

 

 

 

  

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the birds.  This month here is going by so fast, spending time with friends and enjoying the park.  I’m liking this a lot. 

Life is what you make of it…a smile is free to share.

Bike the Neck

Huntington Beach State Park site #111
Murrell’s Inlet, SC

Today we decided to Bike the Neck.  It’s a very nice paved bike path that runs from Murrell’s Inlet, past the CG, and on down to Pawley’s Island.  As we were leaving the CG, I saw this beautiful egret in the tree.  I love the Spanish moss.

 

We first rode up to Murrell’s Inlet.  When we went out to eat Friday evening at the Hot Fish Club, Bill and Nancy mentioned that you can launch your kayaks from the park right next door so we had to check it out.

It’s the Morse Park Landing.  There are a couple of picnic tables and a bench under a tree and a few places to park.  There’s also a memorial to those who were lost at sea.  Murrell’s Inlet honors it’s fishing village heritage.

 

After looking out over the marsh a bit, we decided to take the bike path south.  It goes on down to Pawley’s Island, but we didn’t go that far.  We stopped in Litchfield.  We were getting hungry and it was about lunchtime.  This is really a great bike path.  I forgot to check the e-bike odometer before we left, but I think we went a total of about 15 miles.  I pedaled most of it since it’s pretty flat.

As we crossed the causeway over the lagoon, I spotted two alligators basking in the warm sun 10 feet from the sidewalk.  They were about 8-10 feet long.  Glad the camera has a nice zoom because they are the top of the food chain.

 

After lunch and an afternoon nap, we decided to take Smudge for a walk on the shore again.  She enjoyed barking at the birds.  She is over 13 years old but she walked like a puppy today.  We went out at one boardwalk and walked down to the jetty boardwalk to come back on the paved road.  That was about 4 miles of walking.  Smudge walked about 3.5 miles of it.

 

We will all sleep late tomorrow.  As a matter of fact, I think we will just hang around the campsite most of the time.  If we got this much exercise on a regular basis, we’d feel younger in the long run.  I just love the birds here.  These were right on the causeway across from the alligators.

 

We got back from the long walk just in time for me to step out on the marsh boardwalk for a sunset shot.  Nice way to wrap up another day in Sylville.

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

Cameras

Huntington Beach State Park site #111
Murrell’s Inlet, SC

We visited with Sherry and David a few precious minutes this morning before they headed north to their house in Va to take care of some things.  It was wonderful visiting with them.  They are good people.  We’ll see them again in April at the RV-Dreams rally.

I rode my e-bike around a little bit taking pictures with our new camera.  It’s a Canon PowerShot SX30 IS much like Karen uses for her blog. Wow! It really does have a super zoom feature!  Our other two cameras are also Canon’s.  One is a small powershot that we take when we paddle and the other is an EOS Rebel T1i with a 250mm zoom.  It takes great pictures, but we always seem to have the wrong lens on it.  The new camera is versatile.  I like the fact that you only have one lens so you are always ready.  You do have to hold your breath to get that real tight zoom.  Here’s a few shots to see what you think.  I was still sitting on the e-bike and the end of the boardwalk to the beach for this shot.  No sand in my shoes.  (Remember that all the pictures will enlarge if you click on them.)

I rode over to one of the observation boardwalks over the marsh for a few more shots.  This flock of birds just looked like specks on the water and I could hardly see what this cormorant was doing on the post.

I enjoyed watching this pelican from a “close” distance, and this great egret was enjoying the sun on the causeway.

  

While I was on the causeway, a gentleman with a tripod, camera, and a huge zoom lens walked by.  Some other folks had told me that a rare Bald Eagle had been perched high in a tree for a while.  I spoke with this guy and he was kind enough to point him out to me.  He had been waiting all morning for him to fly but had to leave.  I’m sure he got some nice shots but this one is quite nice and much easier.

While the chicken wings were cooking on the grill, we sat back and watched the NC State-UNC football game on the outdoor tv.  State won.  It’s been a tough year for the NFL Panthers so we have to enjoy the ole college team.

    

This cute little marsh wren kept boppin’ around and on top of the MH tire.  It was interesting to watch.

As the game wound down, Gin got a nice fire going while I walked to the visitor’s center boardwalk to see if I could get a decent picture of the sunset.  I love these two Wilson's plovers reflecting on their day.

As the sun set to the west, the full moon rose in the east.  It was another wonderful Sylville, and Ginville, kind of day.

  

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

Aleve Please

Stix n Brix, NC

Welcome to our newest follower, Margie and Roger.  They have a nice Tiffin Phaeton as their condo-on-wheels.  That is a rig that we have on our list as a possible upgrade.

We got Wanda back in the driveway yesterday!  She had been at Gregory Poole for a week to get the brake recall work done.  Three damaged rotors were replaced also.  I decided not to replace the other one after talking with a technician.  It would have cost me $200, but he said that he didn’t think that it would pull to one side much.  If it did, just using the brakes a few times would even it out.  It wasn’t any trouble driving it home.  I’m pleased with their service.  They are quite professional and will definitely return your call.  They work on all MH chassis and specialize in Caterpillar diesel engines.  If you are near Raleigh/Garner and need help, give them a call at 919-755-7050.

This is my week off but we decided that we needed to do things around here more than taking a trip.  Gin put a couple of things on Craigslist last night so it’ll be good for us to be around.  I really wanted to wash and wax the MH this week also since the weather is perfect.  After it warmed up a little this morning, I got the wash bucket out and crawled on the roof.  I’m afraid of heights but have gotten used to doing this.

Wax on…wax off.  (Gin just wanted to get my good side)

I’m using Rejex.  It should last quite a while.  We talked with Ken at the RV-Dreams rally this past April, and he used it on their MH.  It looked real good so we thought that we’d give it a try.  Gin did some things in the garage like fix a taillight and put air in the bike tires.  We had to take a break and take them for a spin through the subdivision.  It’s a bit hilly so the electric motor came in real handy.

Smudge is 13 years old and her hips are starting to bother her, but she spent the day outside as our supervisor.  I think we passed her inspection.  She is dog tired.  :)

I’m pretty tired and sore too.  I took an Aleve with supper.  Thank goodness Gin cooked a good meal.  I can hardly keep my arms up, and I still have the other half to wax later this week.

We plan to join Gin’s parents at the KOA in Wilmington, NC Monday.  We’re just going to spend the night on their couch.  Odie is there to go to tax prep classes and it’ll be nice to spend some time with Judy.  We’ll enjoy a card game later in the evening.

We’ve gotten a couple of responses on the lift chair that is on Craigslist list so it’ll probably sell tomorrow.  Sorry for the long post but I can be chatty at times.

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

Brake Recall

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC


I worked my last night shift for a while last night.  As soon as I got home, I changed clothes and cranked up the MH.  Gin and I were going somewhere...Gregory Poole for recall repairs to the brakes.  Wanda has a Workhorse chassis and they acknowledged a problem with the calipers sticking in the brakes of their MHs about a year and a half ago.  If your rig isn't driven every few days, this may lead to problems.  They finally announced that they had a fix and had made the parts to supply to the repair shops only a month or so ago.  It seems odd to have an empty driveway.  The repairs should only take a day if there are no other problems, but since we didn't get a call saying she was ready, I'm sure they ran into other problems.  This doesn't surprise me since we had some work done on the brakes this past winter.  They have over-heated a couple of times since then this season.  When we were in Myrtle Beach, I couldn't go over 45 mph because the steering wheel was shaking so bad.  It was a bit scary.  Our ABS light stays on now so I'm sure the sensor has gone bad or something.  This should all be covered by Workhorse so we'll see how it goes.  If the brakepads have excessive wear, I would have to pay for that but I wouldn't have to pay for the labor.  We'll hear from the shop next week.

After getting a good nap, Gin and I spent the day in the garage.  She was putting an e-bike kit on my bike so that I can keep up with her.  I've ridden hers a few times and it's nice to get a boost up a hill.  I'll still pedal most of the time, but I do have bad knees.  While she was doing this, I was going through several boxes of paperwork that was in the attic.  It felt nice to thin down some things, but it makes me realize how much more we need to get done this winter.  The weather has been so nice around here that it's tempting to just play and relax but we have things to do.

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

Dragonflies are Free

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

Tuesday was a recovery day devoted to relaxing.  We mainly hung around the campsite.  I like this site because it’s waterfront and has a nice gravel patio area.  All the sites here are wooded.  I wanted to take a few photos and try to get a shot of a deer.  They were still hiding.  I took Gin’s bike, the one with the electric motor(e-bike), for a ride to the campground’s swim beach.  Not a soul in sight.

If you notice another sandy beach on the other side of the lake, it’s a nice day use area called Seaforth Landing.  There is a nice boat launch there too.  Once again, no one there during the week.  As I rode around, I came upon a private pond within the campground.  There are a few sites that border the pond.  I noticed a fish splash near a fallen log.  There were water lilies all around the edge.  It’s a Sylville kind of place.

 

I noticed several dragonflies but could only get one good shot.  This is for Gypsy G-Mas and anyone else who enjoys them.

Today was "outside pack-up" day.  Of course we enjoyed a couple of hours on the water with the waverunners and pontoon boat.  I think this was our last ride and it was a beautiful day for it.  We got them out of the water before supper.  I plan to take a few photos while they are at the boat launch to put on craigslist in the Spring.  They have been a blast.  We’ll sleep in tomorrow and head back to the house around noon.  It’s getting a little busy here already.  I have to go back to work Friday night so reality will hit hard but I’ll have a nice week to reflect on.  Everyone stay safe and have a good Labor Day.

Cedar Point NC

Cedar Point CG Site #37
Croatan National Forest

I first want to say “thank you” to those who left encouraging words about our yard sale last Saturday.  It seems like such a long time ago but it was a big step.  We are now at the CG in Cedar Point, NC near the beach of Emerald Isle.  It is part of the Croatan National Forest and is a very nice place to hang your hat.  We are on site #37.  It has a very private patio area and is the last site in the park.  It is also close to a water bib.  Our 50 foot hose reel just barely reaches.


Thursday, Gin left the house early with the kayaks on top of the Suki and the bikes in the rack.  Her cousin Pam left Rocky Mount, NC and arrived at the CG about 1:00pm.  It was nice to know that they had a good site.  After paying for our site and leaving the Suki here, Gin and Pam went to the shore for the afternoon.  They enjoyed sitting and chatting.  I left left work a little early and arrived at 8:15pm.  It was a long day.

Friday was a relaxing but warm day.  I moved the vu qube from it's bracket at the top of the ladder to the front of the roof to get it out from under the tree limbs.  Pam and I rode the bikes around the park some and down the nature trail.

While we were busy enjoying ourselves, Gin was busy helping some other campers with their satellite tv.  She’s so helpful that way.  We all went to the shore for a bit so that I could get some salt water and sand on my feet.  Pam mentioned that Captain Charlie’s in Swansboro was a good seafood restaurant so we all enjoyed an early supper there.  I even had leftovers for lunch the next day.

Pam left on Saturday.  I hope she enjoyed relaxing with us as much as we enjoyed having her join us.  Gin and I hung around the CG and napped a little in the afternoon.  It was a windy day but I grabbed the camera to take a some pics.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll post a few.  We may go for a paddle if the weather cools a bit and the wind dies down.  Stay tuned.