July 11, 2012
We had intended to spend two nights on the road. But when we told the GPS to "go home" and it said that we would be home by 5:53, we thought we'd try to do it all in one swell foop. Our actual time of arrival on Monday July 9th was 5:17. Good work Rick!
It seems strange to be home. SiSi was confused at first, but quickly slipped back into her old routines. She really doesn't understand why she was allowed to jump into bed with us in the mornings in the RV, but is now banned from the bed at home.
It sure is great to sleep in my nice big king sized bed. My first non-navy shower was wonderful. Rick got the hot tub up and running yesterday. We enjoyed a soak under the stars last night while listening to the gators and the crickets.
We'll take a short trip (2-3 weeks) in the Fall. But we're already beginning to plan our "big trip" to begin in January 2013. We're heading west and expect to be gone for 9 to 10 months. Our rough itinerary has us heading out by the Southern route with stops in New Orleans and Alabama before spending a month in Texas. From there we'll hit New Mexico and Arizona and head up the coast of California to wine country and Yosemite. Next we'll visit Nevada and Utah before heading North, hoping to arrive in Yellowstone about July 1st. We'll explore Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota before heading east, arriving in Mystic, CT by early October. We're trying to visit all the national parks as well as all the presidential libraries and museums. We obvioulsly won't see them all in this trip, but we're going to try to make a dent in the list. If anyone has any suggestions for "must see" places along the way, please weigh in. You can send me an email or leave a comment on this blog post.
I appreciate all the positive feedback that I've received from everyone about my blog. Removing the privacy controls and posting the links on facebook has dramatically increased the number of page hits and readers who access the blog. The blogspot website allows me to see where my readers are coming from. Most hits come from the links I post on facebook. But, mysteriously, I seem to have acquired regular readers in Russia, Germany, and the UK. Someone from China logged on yesterday! Who are you guys and how did you find me????
Final Statistics:
Total Miles Travelled: 6113
Average MPG: 8
Highest Price Paid for Gas: $3.99 in Chicago
Lowest Price paid for Gas: $2.97 in South Carolina
Best Campground: Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach
Worst Campground: Cracker Barrel in Fishkill NY where we "camped" next to the septic tank and woke to the sound (and smell) of it being pumped.
Highest Campground Price: $78.40 at Lakewood Camping Resort
Lowest Campground Price: $17.30 at Indiana Dunes State Park
Highest Temperature: 106
Lowest Temperature: 46
Best Beer: Matt's Home Brew
Best Wine: Lockwood at Blob's house
Best Meal: Trenton Lobster Pound
Worst Meal: McDonald's on the Road
Percentage of Campgrounds with trains nearby: OK, someone with better math skills than mine will have to help me, but, not counting Cracker Barrels and people's driveways, we stayed in 17 campgrounds. Nine had noise from nearby trains. Eight didn't. "A bit more than 50%" is the best my Bryn Mawr math can do.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Changing Course
July 8, 2012
Change of plans! Yesterday we were both missing our hot tub. Then Rick was describing the area where we live to someone. All of a sudden we were homesick. We had planned to head down into North Carolina and see the bottom third of The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore mansion, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Instead, we're going home. It will take us a few days, but we expect to be back on Merritt Island by Tuesday afternoon.
We headed down 95 this morning, enduring heavy traffic and slow going in the DC to Richmond corridor. The heat is still really bad. The Liberty's AC could barely keep up with the heat. Poor SiSi was a hot dog with her thick coat.
We've landed for the night at an RV park in Fayetteville, NC called Lazy Acres Campground. It's not much, but I haven't heard a train yet.
Change of plans! Yesterday we were both missing our hot tub. Then Rick was describing the area where we live to someone. All of a sudden we were homesick. We had planned to head down into North Carolina and see the bottom third of The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore mansion, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Instead, we're going home. It will take us a few days, but we expect to be back on Merritt Island by Tuesday afternoon.
We headed down 95 this morning, enduring heavy traffic and slow going in the DC to Richmond corridor. The heat is still really bad. The Liberty's AC could barely keep up with the heat. Poor SiSi was a hot dog with her thick coat.
We've landed for the night at an RV park in Fayetteville, NC called Lazy Acres Campground. It's not much, but I haven't heard a train yet.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Baltimore, Pt 2
July 4 - July 8, 2012
We've been in Baltimore for 10 days. We're ready to leave. From the day we arrived the area has been embroiled in a major heat wave. Naturally it's due to lift tomorrow, the day we leave. We've seen highs in the 90's every day, some days in the 100's. The forecast for Baltimore City today is 109.
In my last post I talked about the party that my friend Susan had last Friday for a bunch of women from my high school class. I left early because I had such a long ride back to the campground in Woodbine. My friends Weezie and Lydia stayed on for a while after everyone else had left. Susan's house is just off Gittings Ave on the city/county line. A major storm hit the area, felling several huge old trees near Susan's house. One of them hit, and totalled, Weezie's car. The other took down the power lines and blocked the road. Weezie and Lydia were stuck at Susan's house for the night with no power. The metro area saw major power outages that lasted for days. Susan didn't get her power back until Tuesday.
The second half of our time in Baltimore was a bit more quiet than the first. We had doctor's appointments, a haircut and color with my old stylist, and a meeting with our financial advisor. SiSi got groomed and we shopped for things that we can't find in Florida. (I now have five packs of Esskay turkey bacon in my freezer.) We saw more old friends and some more family. Completely by coincidence, both of my daughters, Emmy and Abby, came into Baltimore for a night. We picked up one at the train station, collected the other from the airport, and enjoyed the amazing crabcake platters at G & M Restaurant near the airport.
We had a quiet fourth. Mark and Cristin stopped by the campground. They had been in town for the weekend...again just by chance. Here they are with their dogs Chip and Tater. Later we saw Snow White and the Huntsman (I give it a 6) with Rick's daughter, Keriann.
Despite its size, everyone always says that Baltimore, or "Smalltimore" is a really small town. Last night, Rick and I met my friend Lydia and her mother Ann for dinner at Donna's reataurant in the Village of Cross Keys. There are many restaurants in Baltimore, but we chose Donna's because it is close to Ann's apartment. My ex-husband and his wife were seated at the table next to us. And two of my other friends, Susan Baker and Debbie Hebb and their husbands were seated a couple of tables away. What were the chances?
Sally, Debbie, Susan, Ann, and Lydia
Tonight we met my brother Bob (Blob) for dinner at a restaurant called The Manor Tavern. I've been to "The Tavern" many times over the years, and it has managed to stay fresh and relevant. They have joined the "locally sourced" trend, and most of the food is from local farms. They have a new vegetable and herb garden on site which provides much of their needs. They even bought their coffee cups from a local potter. The food was really good and I particularly enjoyed a drink that you only find in Baltimore and that I haven't had in years. It's called a "southside." It tastes a lot like a mojito, only better. The only problem is that they go down way too easily!Here's a picture.
Rick was in much better shape than he looks...Laura would kill me if I didn't publish the best picture of her.
Yo Blob, do you need an exorcism?
We've been in Baltimore for 10 days. We're ready to leave. From the day we arrived the area has been embroiled in a major heat wave. Naturally it's due to lift tomorrow, the day we leave. We've seen highs in the 90's every day, some days in the 100's. The forecast for Baltimore City today is 109.
In my last post I talked about the party that my friend Susan had last Friday for a bunch of women from my high school class. I left early because I had such a long ride back to the campground in Woodbine. My friends Weezie and Lydia stayed on for a while after everyone else had left. Susan's house is just off Gittings Ave on the city/county line. A major storm hit the area, felling several huge old trees near Susan's house. One of them hit, and totalled, Weezie's car. The other took down the power lines and blocked the road. Weezie and Lydia were stuck at Susan's house for the night with no power. The metro area saw major power outages that lasted for days. Susan didn't get her power back until Tuesday.
The second half of our time in Baltimore was a bit more quiet than the first. We had doctor's appointments, a haircut and color with my old stylist, and a meeting with our financial advisor. SiSi got groomed and we shopped for things that we can't find in Florida. (I now have five packs of Esskay turkey bacon in my freezer.) We saw more old friends and some more family. Completely by coincidence, both of my daughters, Emmy and Abby, came into Baltimore for a night. We picked up one at the train station, collected the other from the airport, and enjoyed the amazing crabcake platters at G & M Restaurant near the airport.
We had a quiet fourth. Mark and Cristin stopped by the campground. They had been in town for the weekend...again just by chance. Here they are with their dogs Chip and Tater. Later we saw Snow White and the Huntsman (I give it a 6) with Rick's daughter, Keriann.
Despite its size, everyone always says that Baltimore, or "Smalltimore" is a really small town. Last night, Rick and I met my friend Lydia and her mother Ann for dinner at Donna's reataurant in the Village of Cross Keys. There are many restaurants in Baltimore, but we chose Donna's because it is close to Ann's apartment. My ex-husband and his wife were seated at the table next to us. And two of my other friends, Susan Baker and Debbie Hebb and their husbands were seated a couple of tables away. What were the chances?
Tonight we met my brother Bob (Blob) for dinner at a restaurant called The Manor Tavern. I've been to "The Tavern" many times over the years, and it has managed to stay fresh and relevant. They have joined the "locally sourced" trend, and most of the food is from local farms. They have a new vegetable and herb garden on site which provides much of their needs. They even bought their coffee cups from a local potter. The food was really good and I particularly enjoyed a drink that you only find in Baltimore and that I haven't had in years. It's called a "southside." It tastes a lot like a mojito, only better. The only problem is that they go down way too easily!Here's a picture.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Back to Baltimore
June 28 - July 3, 2012
We're back in Baltimore, this time for ten days. We're staying at the Ramblin' Pines Campground in Woodbine, MD. This is the campground that Rick and I lived in for about 6 months after our house sold while I waited for my retirement date. It's a decent enough place, though it's a long drive to most of the places that we need to be while we're here. It's pretty quiet except, of course, for the nearby train. I actually don't remember the train from when we lived here. There's a good bit of development going on around here, and I wonder whether there have been some trees cut down that have increased the train noise. In any event, the train noise is only part of the fun. On one side of the campground are some fields with livestock. On the other side, about 1/2 mile away is the town landfill. This makes for some interesting smells, depending on which way the wind is blowing!
Coming back to Baltimore is all about connecting with family and old friends. On Thursday night we had dinner with two of my old friends from the State's Attorney's Office, Sherrie Bailey and Debbie Hermann and their husbands Drew and Andy. We spent about three hours in the restaurant cutting up and catching up, much to the chagrin of our waiter. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera, so I didn't memorialize the event.
On Friday night I was scheduled to join a group of high school friends for a crab feast. Crab feasts are very Baltimore and very messy. The crabs are steamed in vats with Old Bay Seasoning. The feast involves sitting around a table covered with newspaper and literally tearing the crabs apart limb from limb and hammering on the claws with wooden mallets. There's usually a good bit of beer consumed, and it takes several hours to clean and eat all the crabs. But being a messy affair means that it's usually done outside, and the temperature Friday reached 106!!! It was only 93 at home on Merritt Island.
So, in any event, the steamed crabs were replaced by crabcakes, and the party moved inside.
The crab cakes were great!
What started out as three friends meeting for dinner every few months has morphed into a group of about fifteen women that get together for dinner every now and again. All of these women, (except one), were in my graduating class at Bryn Mawr. It's a pretty diverse group with regard to politics, professions, and interests.
Gay, Lydia, Clarke, Holly
Susan, Liz, Weezie, Marney
Leslie, Mary Sue, Ramsey
Bunsy
We've enjoyed several more dinners with friends since we arrived. We met my former colleagues Barbara Richmond and her husband Joel, and Mary Cunnungham and her partner Robert. No picture was good of everyone. Sorry guys.
Robert, Mary, Barb, Joel, Sally, and Rick
We had another nice dinner with my former colleague Jeanne and her sweet daughter, Ashley.
We're back in Baltimore, this time for ten days. We're staying at the Ramblin' Pines Campground in Woodbine, MD. This is the campground that Rick and I lived in for about 6 months after our house sold while I waited for my retirement date. It's a decent enough place, though it's a long drive to most of the places that we need to be while we're here. It's pretty quiet except, of course, for the nearby train. I actually don't remember the train from when we lived here. There's a good bit of development going on around here, and I wonder whether there have been some trees cut down that have increased the train noise. In any event, the train noise is only part of the fun. On one side of the campground are some fields with livestock. On the other side, about 1/2 mile away is the town landfill. This makes for some interesting smells, depending on which way the wind is blowing!
Coming back to Baltimore is all about connecting with family and old friends. On Thursday night we had dinner with two of my old friends from the State's Attorney's Office, Sherrie Bailey and Debbie Hermann and their husbands Drew and Andy. We spent about three hours in the restaurant cutting up and catching up, much to the chagrin of our waiter. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera, so I didn't memorialize the event.
On Friday night I was scheduled to join a group of high school friends for a crab feast. Crab feasts are very Baltimore and very messy. The crabs are steamed in vats with Old Bay Seasoning. The feast involves sitting around a table covered with newspaper and literally tearing the crabs apart limb from limb and hammering on the claws with wooden mallets. There's usually a good bit of beer consumed, and it takes several hours to clean and eat all the crabs. But being a messy affair means that it's usually done outside, and the temperature Friday reached 106!!! It was only 93 at home on Merritt Island.
So, in any event, the steamed crabs were replaced by crabcakes, and the party moved inside.
What started out as three friends meeting for dinner every few months has morphed into a group of about fifteen women that get together for dinner every now and again. All of these women, (except one), were in my graduating class at Bryn Mawr. It's a pretty diverse group with regard to politics, professions, and interests.
We've enjoyed several more dinners with friends since we arrived. We met my former colleagues Barbara Richmond and her husband Joel, and Mary Cunnungham and her partner Robert. No picture was good of everyone. Sorry guys.
We had another nice dinner with my former colleague Jeanne and her sweet daughter, Ashley.
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