A Parade and a Wedding

Another nice day although a few more clouds and a little cooler than yesterday. After a beach walk we went to Sam's Club to get my sunglasses repaired. A screw holding the earpiece on came out and Tom tried but couldn't get it back in. Then we drove down to Murrell's Inlet and had lunch at a restaurant, Dead Dog Saloon, that had an outside deck where we sat.
After returning to the campground there again was a flurry of activity as preparations were being made by the horsemen for a parade through the campground. When we walked to the end of our street to find a place to sit and watch the parade we were surprised to see the street lined with spectators on golf carts and chairs. The parade was something to see. I knew there were a number of horses in the campground but I was still surprised at the number in the parade, and not all the horses were in the parade. Many were in costume. The cutest was a horse that had dog ears, a big puffy band of "fur" around each leg appearing as a poodle with the female rider dressed in her poodle felt skirt, they won first prize.

From 2009-10-30

There were other clever get ups- unicorns, an orca whale, Indian war horses to name a few.
Afterwards we walked around the campground being careful not to get run over by a horse or golf cart.




Travis has not been bothered by the horses or they by him. Many of the horses are use to the presence of dogs as dogs are at the campsites with the horses and most are never on a leash, even though rules state that they are to be so. As we were walking we noticed a gathering of horseback riders on the beach and then realized that there was a wedding being preformed with the bride and groom on horses. The attendants (a best man and "man" of honor)were also on horseback and the officiating minster was on one of the decking structures that is used to cross over the dunes to the beach.

From Beach Wedding

Throughout the day horses can be heard whinnying in the campground. Once darkness sets in the horses become quiet and their presence is unnoticed.

A Beautiful Day in Horse Paradise

The weather has been getting better each day. Yesterday we broke out our shorts as the temperature was in the lower 80's even though it was overcast most of the day. Today has been a clear sunny day although a little cooler (upper 70's).
Walking out on the beach this morning we encountered numerous folks and their horses also enjoyimg the beach. Some horses seem a little skittish of the ocean and sand. Others seemed to enjoy wading into the surf.

From Horses Arrive

Of course walking on the beach or even in the campground with horses causes one to be careful where one steps- they don't clean up after their horses. Yesterday I mentioned that there were horses camped beside us and a license plate was from Wyoming- well that was the plate on the truck's front, the rear plate states "North Carolina" which is the correct location.
Tom and I went out shopping today- Bass Pro Shop, Tanger Outlets and finally Sam's Club.
We walked about the campground this evening. There is an area set up with vendors selling their wares of western clothing, tack and even dog supplies.

From Horses Arrive

There are also some food services- a barbeque trailer and trailer selling corn on the cob. The campground is a hive of activity.

The Horses Arrive

This morning (Wednesday) we drove up to Calabash, North Carolina which is just north of the Myrtle Beach area to see about getting some fresh shrimp. We were in luck, the shrimp boats were docked and the shrimpers were selling shrimp.

From Shrinp

When we returned to the campground we were diverted to a different road to enter the campground. The horse trailers were arriving loaded with horses.
After a lunch of shrimp salad sandwiches- boy, they were good- we walked out on the beach. There were horse back riders in both directions. It is unbelievable the number of horses in the campground. Most of the trailers occupy at least 2 campsites. The horses are in portable corrals or tethered to a line strung between 2 trees. Beside our campsite there are a horse and a pony corralled together, neither that likes being separated from one another. According to the truck's license plate they are from Wyoming.

From 2009-10-30

Directly across from us is another corral with 3 horses, they are from Georgia. There has been a steady parade of riders riding about the campground. I believe this campground is the only campground having this beach riding event. Yesterday afternoon big rollback dumpsters were brought into the campground and situated throughout, today signs have been posted on these dumpsters that they are for horse waste only. I'm not sure who is cleaning up the beach after the horses,

From Horses Arrive

it is obvious that the riders are not. This is certainly a different camping experience.

Myrtle Beach

The past weekend started out on Thursday and Friday being cool and cloudy. And then Saturday we had rain all day. The rain would not have been so bad if we had not been parked in the infield of the racetrack that became a huge mud pit. Tom and I did an hour of security duty on Saturday when the rains were the hardest and were soaked below the area of our rain coats. Nothing like wet clothes and then not having the ability to get them dried. We had very limited electric and water hook-ups. Thankfully, we were with friends that made the weekend enjoyable. After the closing program on Sunday we headed south spending the night in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. On Monday we continued on to our destination of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
We are staying at Lakewood Campground that is on the beach. The weather was cool and rainy yesterday, today (Tuesday) it is warmer but still cloudy and raining tonight. We did walk out on the beach this morning. After tonight's rain it is to clear off and be nice weather for the remainder of the week. This weekend, aside from being Halloween, is a time for bringing horses to the beach. From what we understand there will be a parade of costumed horse riders on the beach this weekend. Should be interesting.

A Fall Get Away

The fall Maryland State Samboree will be this weekend in Frederick. We will be going in tomorrow so Tom can go golfing on Friday. Sounds like it should be a good weekend as a number of folks from the Traveling Americans are planning to attend. Hope the weather stays nice but according to the forecast rain is expected on Saturday. You might know it, Travis was groomed today- it seems to always rain whenever Travis is freshly groomed.
Our plans are to go to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for several days before heading back up to the Ocean City area of Maryland for a weekend campout with the Traveling Americans. Getting the motorhome ready to go out is time consuming so when we go I much prefer to stay out for a spell.

A Visit to a Veterinary Internist

This morning we took Travis to Towson to be seen by an Internist. The doctor reviewed the information that our vet had forward to him and then examined Travis. The exam did not reveal any obvious problem, possibly a little enlarged liver. It was then recommended that he have an ultrasound done and a needle biopsy done, if indicated at that time. So the ultrasound was done and we were surprised when the needle biopsy was not done. The ultrasound did not show anything grossly abnormal with the liver. The area of the gall bladder indicated some inflammation but no large stones. The recommendation from this point was to have a liver biopsy (not the needle biopsy) or to treat medically and see if the bloodwork shows improvement. We opted to treat medically so we have 3 prescriptions of medications to give to the little guy, one is a veterinarian medication and the other 2 are human meds but at a much lower dosage. Our local Epic pharmacist is able to prepare the medications we need, how lucky!

A Week of Sad News

In the last post I mentioned that a club member of the Traveling Americans had been admitted to the hospital and was not doing well. On Tuesday we learned that Russ Bishop had passed away. He had been fighting a bone cancer for 4 years ever since Tom and I had learned to know him and his wife, Sandy. Russ was a gentle man with a quiet sense of humor. He was someone you could enjoy being around. Today we attended his funeral with many other members of the T.A. club and afterwards another couple in the club invited everyone back to their house for the reception following the funeral. We will all certainly miss Russ. We are hopeful that Sandy will continue to camp with us on our weekends.
We also learned of another dear friend of long standing that has a brain cancer is losing her battle. By email her husband tells us that she is in need of someone to be with her continuously. She was such a fun person with lots of spirit to be around.
Then there is our little buddy, Travis. After having bloodwork done in preparation for removal of a little growth on his eyelid and teeth cleaning there were some enzymes elevated. So further blood work was preformed that indicated something is wrong that involves the liver. We are now scheduled on Monday to take him to an internist for further evauation and a possible ultrasound study. So far he does not have any outward signs of any problems. The eyelid and teeth surgery will be delayed until the problem is diagnosed and it is felt he will be okay having anesthesia.

A Relaxing Weekend

Well another weekend with the Traveling Americans has passed. We camped together this past weekend at Twin Bridges Campground near Chambersburg, Pennsylvannia. It was a small group of 6 RV units. The weather after Friday's cloudy, misty day was near perfect fall weather on Saturday and Sunday. It was nice enough that we ate our meals outdoors, a little chilly for breakfast but we made do. Friday evening 5 couples went out to eat at a restaurant prior to the 6th couple getting to the campground. Saturday morning the host couples furnished a nice continental breakfast. Saturday evening dinner and Sunday morning breakfast we had pot luck. The campground was quiet with a few other campers. Tom and I drove to McConnellsburg on Saturday, traffic was fairly heavy in the area.
Word was received at the campout that a fellow member that has been fighting cancer for several years had been admitted to the hospital and was not doing well. We all had this man and his wife in our thoughts and prayers throughout the weekend.