We finally made it to Florida. The weather for our trip here and now is just perfect. Eighties during the day and mid 50's at night. We are currently at Lazy Days RV in Seffner. This is where we bought the coach and decided to bring it in for some routine maintenance and some minor repairs that the dealer in St. Louis couldn't do. Although Ron doesn't consider not have his satellite TV working to be minor!
Our trip between Atlanta and Macon was a nightmare. It took us over 2.5 hours to travel 25miles due to road construction. I will never understand why they have to shut down 2 lanes for 25 miles when you only see a hand-ful of workers in less than a 3 mile stretch. We tried calling the Georgia Highway Patrol but they didn't know what was causing the backup. We then tried the Georgia Department of Transportation, only to get a recording. We left a message, but have yet to get a call back. Also, their 511 system was not working....probably over loaded from all the angry drivers. It had to happen sometime during our travels, but still we were not happy when it did occur. Although, we were in a better position then those in cars....we have our bathroom and full kitchen with us.
So that days trip took us 6 hours to travel a mere 180 miles. We will be in Seffner for a week then on to Naples. Ron is not a big fan of the gulf side of Florida, but I'm hoping he changes his mind when we get to Naples and the Keys. Will see.
Hope all is well.
Joan & Ron
Thursday, November 11, 2010
WE HAVE A NEW MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY!
We are great uncle and aunt again. But it is the first on Ron's side of the family. Our niece Beckie gave birth Saturday to Layla, a 6 lb, 12 oz beautiful baby.
We are bummed that we will not be able to see or hold her for several months but are happy for Beckie & Chris.
Hope all is well!
We are bummed that we will not be able to see or hold her for several months but are happy for Beckie & Chris.
Hope all is well!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
GEORGIA...on our mind
Arrived in Georgia last Friday. We had reservations at Holiday Harbor Marina & Campground, but when we got there the sites were too tight for our size coach and the roads were narrow, uneven and hilly. After spending a week at the less than desirable site in Tennessee, Ron was on the phone in minutes and got us into another campground very close. We are staying at the Allatoona Landing Marine & Campground.
This is where we are now staying. Sunrise over Lake Allatoona.
Mornings are so cool creating a mist till mid morning.
We are 1/2 hour from Atlanta, but really have no desire at this time to visit. So we stayed near the camp and visited the Etowah Indian Mounds on Saturday, attended Mass today, drove through Red Mountain Top State Park and got ready to hit the road tomorrow.
The Etowah Indian Mounds was home to several thousand Native Americans between 1000 A.D. to 1550 A.D. It is on a 54-acre site and contains six earthen mounds, a plaza, village area, borrow pits and defensive ditch. This is the most intact Mississippian Culture site in the Southeast.
Only nine percent of this site has been excavated, however, many artifacts have been revealed and displayed. The Etowah Indian Mounds symbolize a society rich in ritual.
The largest mound is a 63-foot flat-topped earthen knoll covering 3 acres and was likely used as a platform for the home of the priest-chief. This is supposedly the second largest mound with the Monk Mound at Cahokia Mounds being the largest at over 100 feet.
Temple Mound. We had to walk up 123 steps to reach the top. But it presented a great view of the entire grounds and the Etowah River.
Wattle and Daub construction was typically used for housing. A very complex method in which vertical wooden stakes, (wattles) are woven with horizontal twigs and branches and then daubed with clay or mud. This method is one of the oldest known for making a weatherproof structure. They only used the house to sleep in, spending the majority of their day in the outdoors.
We had to drive to historic downtown Cartersville to see the first Coca Cola sign ever painted on a building. It was first painted in 1894 on the side of the Young Brothers Pharmacy and remains to this day. Whatever it takes to get your name on the map!!
We have a one night layover in Cordele Georgia then will be in Florida. We will be spending the winter travelling around Florida with our longest stay in Jupiter. Can't wait to get to warmer weather. The nights here have been in the high 20's and low 30's ....brrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Hope all is well!
This is where we are now staying. Sunrise over Lake Allatoona.
Mornings are so cool creating a mist till mid morning.
We are 1/2 hour from Atlanta, but really have no desire at this time to visit. So we stayed near the camp and visited the Etowah Indian Mounds on Saturday, attended Mass today, drove through Red Mountain Top State Park and got ready to hit the road tomorrow.
The Etowah Indian Mounds was home to several thousand Native Americans between 1000 A.D. to 1550 A.D. It is on a 54-acre site and contains six earthen mounds, a plaza, village area, borrow pits and defensive ditch. This is the most intact Mississippian Culture site in the Southeast.
Only nine percent of this site has been excavated, however, many artifacts have been revealed and displayed. The Etowah Indian Mounds symbolize a society rich in ritual.
The largest mound is a 63-foot flat-topped earthen knoll covering 3 acres and was likely used as a platform for the home of the priest-chief. This is supposedly the second largest mound with the Monk Mound at Cahokia Mounds being the largest at over 100 feet.
Temple Mound. We had to walk up 123 steps to reach the top. But it presented a great view of the entire grounds and the Etowah River.
Wattle and Daub construction was typically used for housing. A very complex method in which vertical wooden stakes, (wattles) are woven with horizontal twigs and branches and then daubed with clay or mud. This method is one of the oldest known for making a weatherproof structure. They only used the house to sleep in, spending the majority of their day in the outdoors.
We had to drive to historic downtown Cartersville to see the first Coca Cola sign ever painted on a building. It was first painted in 1894 on the side of the Young Brothers Pharmacy and remains to this day. Whatever it takes to get your name on the map!!
We have a one night layover in Cordele Georgia then will be in Florida. We will be spending the winter travelling around Florida with our longest stay in Jupiter. Can't wait to get to warmer weather. The nights here have been in the high 20's and low 30's ....brrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Hope all is well!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
What do you do all day?
We have several people ask what we do all day long. We still have the normal household type chores and we have learned to relax and enjoy a slower pace. We try to see a couple of attractions unique to the area but the cost can really add up. So when we are attractioned-out or want to do something that doesn't cost we love to geocache. Geocaching takes us to places we would never have visited or even knew they existed.
Geocaching at a War Memorial located at the Town Hall of Clarksville, IN.
Every Clarksville resident who lost their life in battle is listed here,
from the Civil War to the current war in Afghanistan.
Ron found a cache hidden in an parking lot light pole.
This was a fun hide. It was hanging on the inside of a parking sign.
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_This was hidden in the tree. Places you sometimes don't want
to stick your hand in....I let Ron do those!
We left Indiana, spent a week in the Nashville area and are now in Georgia.
Good-bye Indiana.
Hope all is well!
Geocaching at a War Memorial located at the Town Hall of Clarksville, IN.
Every Clarksville resident who lost their life in battle is listed here,
from the Civil War to the current war in Afghanistan.
Ron found a cache hidden in an parking lot light pole.
This was a fun hide. It was hanging on the inside of a parking sign.
.JPG)
_This was hidden in the tree. Places you sometimes don't want
to stick your hand in....I let Ron do those!
We left Indiana, spent a week in the Nashville area and are now in Georgia.
Good-bye Indiana.
Hope all is well!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
After leaving Lafayatte we moved a few hundred miles south to Clarksville Indiana. Clarksville is about 20 minutes from Louisville, KY. And...you can't visit Louisville without touring the Louisville Slugger Museum & factory. Weather predictions for that day were up to 70 mph winds, so we pulled in the slides of the coach, packed up some important things & papers, (jewelry, laptop, passports etc) and headed out. We figured we would be safer in the middle of a huge factory than in the coach. If your at all a baseball fan or played using a Louisville Slugger as a kid you would thoroughly enjoy this attraction.
Front of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
Ron swinging Mickey Mantles bat B220 that he used between 1961-1964. Bat is made from northern white ash, is 35 inches long and weighs 32 ounces.
Stan Musials signature die. One of thousands of dies on display. These where used to imprint the players name on their custom made bats.
In the afternoon we stopped by the Schimpffs Confectionery in Jeffersonville, IN. The Schimpff family has been making candy at this location since 1891. It is currently owned and operated by a decedent of the original founders. They have candy-making demonstrations and the day we were there, they were making 3 ft candy canes to be used to decorate one of the local mansions for the holiday.
Another reason we wanted to stay in this area, was to visit Churchill Downs. So on Thursday, we visited the museum and took a tour. Even if your not a follower it is impressive to see. Of course, after visiting here, we had to go see "Secretariat".
Entrance to Churchill Downs.
I took a lump of dirt from the track for a souvenir...not sure what I am going to do with it.
Us posing in the garden with a few sculptures of horses and jockeys.
At the museum you could don jockey silks, hats, goggles etc and get up on a horse in a chute to see how a jockey feels. I'm sure this is meant for the kids...oh well.
Had a nice, short visit here.
Hope all is well!
P.S. As usual the meteorologists were a little off and the winds were maybe 25 MPH.
Front of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
Ron swinging Mickey Mantles bat B220 that he used between 1961-1964. Bat is made from northern white ash, is 35 inches long and weighs 32 ounces.
Stan Musials signature die. One of thousands of dies on display. These where used to imprint the players name on their custom made bats.
In the afternoon we stopped by the Schimpffs Confectionery in Jeffersonville, IN. The Schimpff family has been making candy at this location since 1891. It is currently owned and operated by a decedent of the original founders. They have candy-making demonstrations and the day we were there, they were making 3 ft candy canes to be used to decorate one of the local mansions for the holiday.
Another reason we wanted to stay in this area, was to visit Churchill Downs. So on Thursday, we visited the museum and took a tour. Even if your not a follower it is impressive to see. Of course, after visiting here, we had to go see "Secretariat".
Entrance to Churchill Downs.
I took a lump of dirt from the track for a souvenir...not sure what I am going to do with it.
Us posing in the garden with a few sculptures of horses and jockeys.
At the museum you could don jockey silks, hats, goggles etc and get up on a horse in a chute to see how a jockey feels. I'm sure this is meant for the kids...oh well.
Had a nice, short visit here.
Hope all is well!
P.S. As usual the meteorologists were a little off and the winds were maybe 25 MPH.
Monday, October 25, 2010
BECOME A FOLLOWER OR LEAVE A COMMENT ON OUR BLOG
I have had several requests to post instructions on how to leave a comment and become a follower of our blog. Well...thanks to my sister-in law Terri, I now have the information to pass on to you.
To leave a comment: At the end of each of our posts, next to the time of the post is the word "comment". Click on this and a new box opens for you to type in your comments. Below your message it asks for you to select a profile. If you have one of the accounts listed click on it. If you don't have one of those accounts just click on anonymous. HOWEVER, if you sign in as anonymous you have to sign your message, otherwise we will not know who it came from.
The envelope next to the word "comment" is to send us an email instead of leaving a comment. Everyone can see your comment but not your email
To become a follower: On the right margin there is a white box that says "follow". Click on this box. If you have a google, twitter or yahoo account, click on the account and it will ask you to sign in. Follow instructions. If you don't have one of those accounts, you will have to create a new google account. Click on the link to create a new account and it will ask you some questions. It is free.
Hope we get a lot of comments and new followers!
Joan & Ron
To leave a comment: At the end of each of our posts, next to the time of the post is the word "comment". Click on this and a new box opens for you to type in your comments. Below your message it asks for you to select a profile. If you have one of the accounts listed click on it. If you don't have one of those accounts just click on anonymous. HOWEVER, if you sign in as anonymous you have to sign your message, otherwise we will not know who it came from.
The envelope next to the word "comment" is to send us an email instead of leaving a comment. Everyone can see your comment but not your email
To become a follower: On the right margin there is a white box that says "follow". Click on this box. If you have a google, twitter or yahoo account, click on the account and it will ask you to sign in. Follow instructions. If you don't have one of those accounts, you will have to create a new google account. Click on the link to create a new account and it will ask you some questions. It is free.
Hope we get a lot of comments and new followers!
Joan & Ron
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Odds and Ends
Prophetstown State Park has a Halloween contest in progress. They have several scarecrows that line a section of the road as you drive through the park. Our favorites are the witch and the realtor...of course.
Trail of Scarecrows
Witch titled "Office Manager". I guess they don't think much of
their manager around here?
Rhonda the realtor.
Bob and Terri took us on a short jaunt around Purdue University. We ate lunch at the historic Triple XXX featured on Food Networks "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri. It is the first and oldest drive-in restaurant in Indiana, opening in 1929. An Indiana icon featuring 100 percent unfrozen sirloin, ground on site hamburgers and root beer. Their specialty is The Duane Purvis All-American - A quarter pound hamburger with all the trimmings including thick creamy peanut butter.
No we didn't try it....not sure of peanut butter on a hamburger-but apparently lots of people like it.
We were able to spend an evening with our nephew Steve at our coach. It was the first time we were able to visit with just Steve and catch up on whats going on in his life. We had a great time.
We also had dinner at our nephew Andy and Victoria's house in Indianapolis. They bought a house in one of the historic districts in need of updating and did a fantastic job of refinishing wood floors, molding, doors etc as well as totally renovating the kitchen and master bedroom/bath. We were thrilled to be invited to see their home.
On our way to do some site seeing.
Hope all is well.
Trail of Scarecrows
Witch titled "Office Manager". I guess they don't think much of
their manager around here?
Rhonda the realtor.
Bob and Terri took us on a short jaunt around Purdue University. We ate lunch at the historic Triple XXX featured on Food Networks "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri. It is the first and oldest drive-in restaurant in Indiana, opening in 1929. An Indiana icon featuring 100 percent unfrozen sirloin, ground on site hamburgers and root beer. Their specialty is The Duane Purvis All-American - A quarter pound hamburger with all the trimmings including thick creamy peanut butter.
No we didn't try it....not sure of peanut butter on a hamburger-but apparently lots of people like it.
We were able to spend an evening with our nephew Steve at our coach. It was the first time we were able to visit with just Steve and catch up on whats going on in his life. We had a great time.
We also had dinner at our nephew Andy and Victoria's house in Indianapolis. They bought a house in one of the historic districts in need of updating and did a fantastic job of refinishing wood floors, molding, doors etc as well as totally renovating the kitchen and master bedroom/bath. We were thrilled to be invited to see their home.
On our way to do some site seeing.
Hope all is well.
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