Now what can go wrong?

We like to report our travel days as being uneventful.   We are not the real adventurist RVer's who like to travel the smallest, most narrow back roads where you are not sure if you will encounter a low bridge or herd of cattle in  the middle of the  road at the next curve.    However, we do  like the secondary roads that are also listed as truckers routes.    But things can happen anywhere as we found out on our trip from Gulf Shores to Red Bay, AL.    About 20 miles outside of Birmingham our driver's windshield wiper flew off. We were 2 exits from a Camping World and thought....we must be living right!   We found our way to the Camping World only to encounter 2 gentlemen in the parts department who had no clue of their inventory and were basically no help.   After wasting 45 minutes there we drove away without a new wiper.   We laid over in Birmingham  and drove 150 miles round trip the next morning to a RV Superstore that had our size and type of wiper.   Ron put it on, we headed out, stopped for fuel on I 65 then made our way to US 78 and poof.....there it went again.    We had bought 2 new wipers and stored the old  one.   So we stopped and put the old one back on and limped our way to Red Bay, slowing to 25 mph each time we had to use the wipers.    Luckily we did not encounter a really hard rain.

Can you see how the left wiper is bent?    I don't know much about it but I don't think this is what it's suppose to do???

Our main reason for visiting beautiful Red Bay, Alabama (not) was for a repair to our clothes washer.   We had a Whirlpool tech look at it in Gulf Shores, but he was not fond of working on units in RV's and made it very obvious.    Since we were in southern Alabama heading for STL we thought a side trip would be in our best interest to repair the washer and now the wiper.

Of course, we didn't have an appointment, and this is there really busy time with all of the Tiffin snowbirds leaving their southern roost and stopping at the  service center as they head home.

These are the coaches waiting for repair in our row.   There is one more full row on the left.

AND these coaches are along the back waiting for repairs.   Plus there are a few more on the other side of the building in the dry camping area.

We were just happy to get a spot in the campground with full hook ups.   The other times we were here we had to dry camp for a few days waiting for a site to open.

We have been here since last Sunday and our first appointment is Monday morning at 6:45 am.    What an ungodly time to have to get up and moving, but whatever it takes to get us in and out.

We are trying to get to STL for a bridal shower, wedding,  graduations and Mother's Day.    Our initial travel plans were to spend a couple of days in Tennessee to visit friends we had met on the road a couple of years ago.    We were really disappointed we had to cancel those plans but will make it a point to visit in the near future.

Here is what STL looked like last week....so I guess we shouldn't be in too big of a hurry to head north!

A view of my sister and brother in laws yard from their kitchen window.  

Wish us luck!    Hope all is well.

Catch up....

Wow... it has been over a month since my last update.   I follow about 20 blogs,  mostly RVers and a few of them blog faithfully everyday.   I have a hard time blogging about common everyday things...like eating lunch and doing laundry, but they don't seem to mind.   I read them, but I think most who follow our blog would not be interested.   I might try it one day, but for now I'm  just going to try to catch up.


Other than the massive number of live oak trees (so we couldn't get a satellite signal) and the streets & sites were all sand (which conveniently transferred to every corner of the coach) we liked the campground we stayed in while in St. Augustine.

The best part was the location.   It was within walking distance sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the St. John River and I really miss my daily walks on the miles long, unoccupied beach.

This is one of the best shelling beaches I have been on.   It's hard to take a walk and enjoy the water, sky and airborne birds...I find myself having my eyes riveted to the sand in front of me looking for shells.

After leaving St. Augustine we spent a month at a nice campground on the outskirts of Brunswick GA.    Just a short trip to St. Simon Island and Jekyll Island were we toured several times.

St Simon is a nice community of 17.9 square miles and a population of 13,400 and the largest of the Golden Isles which consist of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island, privately owned  Little St. Simons Island and Historic Brunswick.  We beach hopped, ate, shopped and toured the island.    We also visited Jekyll Island  - 5,700 acres, 7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, with 8 miles of beautiful wide beaches.   One of the unique beaches is Driftwood Beach with its amazing array of driftwood and trees that resemble a tree graveyard,

I added this photo for my cousin, Charlie, who is an accomplished equestrian.

The Brunswick GA area  is a great area for geocaching so a day was spent finding 7 out of 7 caches...a first for us.   There is usually at least one that eludes  us.

What I'll do and where I will go to find a geocache.  Ron thinks I'm crazy, but he almost always comes with me, even if he waits in the car.   I guess he wants to be close if he needs to call 911.

Some are very small....

Others are pretty easy to find....wow that's pink.

We are back in Foley, Alabama - 10 miles north of Gulf Shores.  We wanted to head north out of Brunswick, Ga but kept watching the weather and it never seemed to improve.   So to bide our time until our arrival in St. Louis the first part of April we thought we would come back to Bella Terra.

We celebrated my birthday at Bahama Bob's with a heaping plate of crab legs  and red rock shrimp.   I loved the crab legs but will pass on the shrimp next time.   They are served whole,  head/eyes and all and by the time you peel them you have nothing left.  It's a quaint, little place, nothing fancy, but good food and a casual dress code.....jeans!!  Since it was the day we arrived, I didn't feel like dressing up.

Also had an enjoyable evening with an  Italian dinner at Franco's with cousins Jim and Elaine who were down here for a month long retreat from the cold, cold St. Louis weather.

We spent one day in Mobile, Al visiting  Hank Aarons' childhood home and museum.    It is the original family home built by his father in 1942, recently relocated to the Hank Aaron Stadium home of the minor league Mobile Bay Bears, AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.    It's filled with mementos and artifacts donated by Hank Aaron and his family as well as items from the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Negro League Baseball Museum .  Although baseball dominates the tour many family heirlooms reflecting the modest life he lead are also featured.

Childhood home moved from north Mobile to Hank Aaron Stadium

Personal artifacts

Hank Aarons' handwritten inventory of his bats.   Date it was  manufactured, model, weight, number, date it was placed into service, dimensions etc. 

Ron got started chatting with the curator who brought  out a bat used by Hank Aaron that they keep behind the scenes, to let  Ron swing it.   He was a happy little boy......again.

                           Trophy  of Aaron's 715th lifetime home run in 1974.  One of many on display.



On to our next museum - Mobile Carnival Museum.   This museum highlights the history of Mardi Gras in its birthplace of Mobile, Alabama.  Display after display of the elaborate robes, costumes, scepters and crowns worn over the history of the carnival.  The Mobile annual carnival celebration started in 1703 (15 years before New Orleans was founded, although they are more widely known for their celebrations.

One of 2 Jesters that grace the front porch of the museum.

Some of the robes on display.   Very, very elaborate!!

We ate lunch at Wintzells Oyster House, known for its "Oysters-fried, stewed or nude".  The restaurant was founded in 1938 by the Wintzell family who are  still active in the business even though they sold it in the. 1970's.

Some accolades include being named in Willard Scott's All American Cookbook for best oysters and crabs.  As well as the Taste of Mobile, Southern Living and Coastal Living.

Of course I had to try the fried oyster which were very tasty and what else when your in the south.....cheese grits....what a comfort food!!

Ron had their seafood gumbo and crab cakes and equally enjoyed his lunch.

The original interior, with its walls covered with Oliver's homespun saying.

Original entrance. 

We ended our day in Mobile at a visit to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception built in 1830's.

 We have visited more magnificent, elaborate architectural churches but this one was established in 1703 and  is the oldest religious community in the entire state of Alabama.

Ornate dome over the altar

Pipe Organ.

                                          Circular stairs leading to the lower level of the church.

                                                                  Chapel in the lower level.

                                  Statues housed in the foyer at the bottom of the circular staircase.

And, of course, you can not have a historic Catholic Church without stain glass windows.




The campground has daily activities which we pick and choose from.   We attended a performance by Matt
Barber Experience, a young man who sings songs from the 40's, 50's and 60's.   He calls himself a modern day crooner.   The campground provides wine and soda...so a couple glasses of wine and an hour and a half of entertainment is not too bad for $7.00 per person.  Matt was excited because he just got a gig in Branson.
He will fit in perfectly there, but has some real competition.




Sunsets taken from our coach at Bella Terra RV Resort.  We are the last spot in Phase II and construction has begun on Phase III.  These palm trees were just planted and have not opened yet.

Comments welcomed....hope all is well.