Getting a Late Start

When we got up this morning the ground was snow covered but the temperature was about 34 degrees. We took our time eating breakfast and then preparing to leave. By 9am we were ready to go when Tom noticed that we had a flat tire on the car. Oh,my! Well the spare was put on and we left the campground hoping to find that the local Flying J or Bp stations were equipped to repair the tire. We stopped at the Flying J to fill up with gas but were referred to the Bp station for the tire repair. So it was after 10:30am before we were back on the interstate traveling southwest. We drove through rain all morning. The countryside was not snow covered as it had been yesterday. This was a postive sign for us that we were in warmer areas. The motorhome today was noticeably warmer and more comfortable than yesterday. We traveled through Tennessee stopping at a campground in Chattanooga about 4:30 this evening.
Quietly, we will (or maybe not) see the New Year come in. And tomorrow when all those football games are being played we will be moving down through Alabama after skimming through a corner of Georgia.

On the Road to Warmer Weather

The day to get underway and head for warmer winter weather arrived. We left the house at 9:00am to very very cold temps. In fact it was so cold the heater in the motorhome really didn't keep us very warm for most of the day.

At the West Virginia reststop, yes there are still some still opened, Travis jumped off a chair and hurt his right rear leg. He is not putting any weight on it. If it is not better in the next few days, we will have to find a vet and have his leg looked at. We are hoping he just sprained it.

We have stopped for the night at Fort Chiswell, Va. and are planning to get to Alabama tomorrow. The weather report is for freezing rain changing to rain in the morning. If things are too bad, we will stay here for another day.

We had to contact our son because we left several items in the refrigerator at home and have him stop by and take care of them.

Preparing to Travel

Preparations are well underway to head for warmer weather. It is so cold and windy today that we are quite anxious to make our get away. We had several issues that kept us from setting a definite date until they were resolved. Our health insurance provider was changed so we had to be sure we had our new cards in hand before leaving. I had a questionable medical test that needed further evaluation. Our insurance cards arrived and my medical re-evaluation returned normal so we are now good to go. We plan to leave tomorrow morning making our way southward. We probably will not be able to break the motorhome's winterization until our second day due to the cold weather.

Travis Update

We have received the final report on Travis' liver biopsy. He has a mild lymphoplasmacytic cholangiohepatitis which is an inflammatory condition of the liver that could result in fibrosis of the liver. The copper level was normal. He will be treated supportatively with prednisone and ursodiol to reduce the inflammation. Denamarin and Vitamin E will be used to aid inflammation reduction and oxidation of the liver. Taking pills is not a pleasant thing for the poor little guy and pushing pills down his throat is not pleasing to me but we do what we have to do.

Regrouping After the Storm

A winter storm at this holiday time can really wreck plans. We had been invited to a Christmas party on Saturday evening that was called off and then today (Sunday) we were to have a family get together at my brother, Larry's,that was postponed. Oh my, how to reschedule when so many other things are going on in everyone's life!! Well, the Saturday party may be on Wednesday evening. And after talking with family we will be together during the day Christmas eve at Larry's. It is easy when everyone values being together.
Tom spent several hours this morning with the snow blower cleaning out our driveway and walkways plus a neighbors driveway. According to the report in the paper we had about 17.5 inches of snow, quite a snowfall for this area. Taneytown has not done a very good job of clearing the streets. There were 6-7 inches of snow on the roadways today that I'm sure has gotten icy tonight as the temperature dropped. I hope tomorrow plows get out to clear the streets.

The BIG One Arrived…

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Well, all the weather reports were right, we got hit with the big one.  We have anywhere’s from 18 to 24 inches of snow.  All of the local television stations had there news teams on most of the day to cover the snow storm.  After several hours you get tired of hearing the same thing being repeated again and again.

This afternoon I fired up the snowblower and worked on the walkways and the driveway so it will not be so much to tackle tomorrow when the snow is over.  Now I hope the wind does not get up over night and cause a lot of drifting.

All of the events we were planning to attend this weekend were cancelled. 

It Looks Like the Big One is on the Way Here....

The weather reports for the last several days have been saying we might get a little bit of snow this weekend. Yesterday the reports changed to us getting a 6 to 8 inch snow fall. Overnight the reports changed to between 10 to 18 inches with winds up to 35 mph, nice. Its looking more and more like the BIG snow storm is on the way.

I moved the snow blower out of the storage shed, gassed it up, started it and parked it under the deck by the basement door so I won't have to tromp through the snow to get to it Saturday morning. I guess I know how my day is going to be spent.

We have three different Christmas activities scheduled for Saturday. One has already been cancelled and the other two probably will be cancelled as well.

This afternoon Leah and I went to see the movie "The Blind Side." It had a very good story line and was a very enjoyable movie. We recommend it to everyone.

Preliminary Report of the Liver Biopsy

Dr. Jacob, veterinarian internal medicine doctor, called last evening with the preliminary report of Travis' liver biopsy. It appears that Travis has a hepatitis that has been caught in the early stages. He will be treated supportively at this time. A final report should detail any other problems that are present and should be available within the week. Our worse fear was some end-stage liver problem but that does not seem to be at this time. We are hopeful that we will have our little buddy with us for a long time.

Travis' Liver Problems and Family Time

Yesterday morning we had to take Travis down to the Towson area where he had previously been seen by an internist. The internist was to perform a liver biopsy on Travis. It was hard to walk out of that strange place leaving our little buddy behind. Late afternoon we were able to pick him up after the biopsy had been done and he had been observed for a period of time. The biopsy will be sent to Denver and we should know the results by next Wednesday. Travis was very quiet and subdued all evening and night after getting home. We tried to keep him from going up and down stairs and jumping up on the bed or chairs. Today he is beginning to seem more like himself.
We had a December family birthday celebration today. Maddy, our granddaughter, has a birthday on Monday, Beth, our daughter-in-law, birthday is the 23rd and Tom's the 29th. We took everyone to a greenhouse operation that sells pointsettias at this time of the year. Beth is such a lover of plants that we wanted her to get some pointsettias as part of her birthday present. The inventory was beginning to get somewhat low but we were able to find some beautiful plants to decorate our homes. Afterwards we returned back home for lunch and play time with baby Parker. It was a nice family day.

Baby Sitting Parker

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We have been in Virginia this week baby sitting.  Our son had to go out of town on business for the week and our daughter-in-law had to go into work.

In addition to looking  after Parker we also have our older grandson, Anthony.  Anthony is in school everyday, so we only see him for a little while in the morning and in the evening after school.  It has been a good week for us here and we have really enjoyed baby sitting.

Spending Time with Baby Parker

We have been getting in some baby time with Parker. About 2 weeks ago Beth, mommy to Parker, had to go out of town. Tom and I came down to Virginia to keep Parker while daddy, Todd, worked. This week Todd had to go out of town so we are watching Parker while Beth works. Big brother Anthony gets looked after before and after school, also. I've come to the conclusion that Parker is a little bit spoiled and knows just how to squawk in order to get his way and we are as accommodating as we can be, especially when he gives us that dear little smile. He is a charmer. After the first of the year Parker will be going to a babysitter. And hopefully, we will be going to warmer weather in the southwest. Sure will miss Parker!

Parker Comes for Thanksgiving!!!

 

Our grandson, Parker, came to visit us on Thanksgiving Day.  Oh, he also brought his mom and Dad along with his sister and brother.  I guess he needed to bring mom and dad along because he is not old enough to drive and he could not leave his sister and brother home alone.

 

This year we decided to deep fry the turkey.  We have been hearing for years how good deep fried turkey is so we decided to give it a try as we have the required equipment for the task.

We had looked at various videos on how it was done and felt we were up to the task. After getting the oil hot and slowly lowering the turkey into the hot oil, all we had to do was watch and wait the required amount of time. After removing the turkey, we fried some breaded oysters as well.

From 2009-11-26

As with all thanksgiving meals, we had way too much food and it all tasted great. It just makes us stop and think how blessed we are to be able to have food like this and to share it with our loved ones.

We had a very nice day with Todd, Beth, Maddy, Anthony and Parker and was sorry when it was time for them to make the trip back home.

We hope all who reads this blog also had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Travis' Problems Continue

Tuesday Travis spent the morning at the veterinarian's office having bloodwork done to see if the medication he was placed on about a month ago is having any affect on him. The bile acid was slightly reduced but still very high and the other studies showed little change. Our vet was sending the results to the vet internist we had seen for further recommendations. It is real puzzling as Travis is not showing any outward signs the there is anything wrong. He continues to enjoy walking which we do every day that the weather allows. He gets his little bursts of energy and runs at full speed about the house. And his appetite is good.

Where Has the Time Gone

I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted. The internet hookups has been poor so posting has been next to impossible.
Last Tuesday we spent the day walking the beach. We did go out for a late lunch at the K & W cafeteria which we enjoyed. We watched the rollback dumpsters with the horsewaste being loaded on trucks and hauled out of the campground.
On Wednesday we packed up and left Myrtle Beach driving mostly on route 17. We stopped for the night at Green Acres Campground in Williamston, North Carolina. It was a fair campground. The interior roads were packed sand and and very "dippy".
Thursday we continued on north to Fort Whaley Campground in Whaleyville, Maryland. We had traveled up by way of the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel. We were meeting up with the Traveling Americans (TA) camping club for a weekend rally. There were several TA folks already in the campground and more came after us. We went out to eat as a group to a local restaurant that had a special Thursday night $5.00 burger night. The place was packed but in a fairly short time all 20 or 22 of us were seated.
On Friday the remaining TA folks came into the campground making 15 units altogether camping. We were all parked in fairly close proximity to each other. Again we went out to dinner but this time into Salisbury. Reservations had been made and about 26 went to dinner. A few other folks made other arrangements for dinner.
Tom and I along with another couple, Dave and Libby Hagan, served as hosts for the weekend. Saturday morning we fixed a breakfast of fruit, Danish pastry, English muffins, baked oatmeal and coffee and orange juice. For dinner Libby made a pasta dish and I made barbeque with others bringing potluck dishes of salads, vegetables and desserts.
Sunday morning we had potluck for breakfast. We do eat good at these rallies! The rallies go from Friday evening until Sunday morning. Some of the folks left Sunday but others of us stayed until Monday or later.
Today we came home. We have several things that need to be repaired on the motorhome- an awning was damaged at the Samboree in Frederick, a heat pump is not throwing out heat or cold and our brake buddy stopped working. Since our motorhome will probably need to be away for repairs and the weather could get cold we needed to move things out of the motorhome that could freeze. It was a busy afternoon.

A Quiet Monday

Oh, how quiet the campground is today after the events of the past several days! We walked out on the beach this morning. There were no horses on the beach- just a couple of fishermen and a tractor pulling an apparatus that was raking through the sand. One fisherman had a blue heron standing a short distance behind him waiting for breakfast. Even though the day was cloudy and cool it was enjoyable to walk along the beach.
Tom and I went to the "Broadway at the Beach" shopping at some of the stores and then eating lunch at Landry's Seafood Restaurant. After returning to the campground we took a quiet walk around the campground. Travis just loves walking and sniffing.

Peace and Quiet

Yesterday was another day of much activity in the campground and on the beach. In the morning a 20 mile beach ride took place. Many riders returned to the campground looking like contestants for wet t-shirt contests due to the rain that started after their departure from the campground. In the afternoon/evening Halloween activities with trick or treating and decorating contests were held. There seemed to be some real partying going on but by 11pm all was quiet.
This morning there was again alot of activity as the horses were loaded, some reluctantly, on their trailers to head back to their homes. By noontime, the campground was about back to prehorse arrival status. The campsites where the horses had been were cleaned-up and very little evidence of the horses' presence could be seen. According to the local newspaper there were about 1000 horses and riders involved in this event.

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.