Good News, Bad News

The cooling unit for the motorhome refrigerator arrived Tuesday afternoon. Tom had talked with JR, the repairman in Gettysburg, and JR advised that we should not bring the motorhome to his garage until Wednesday morning. We have been having lots of rain and JR is located in a low area prone to flooding so he didn't want us have a flooded motorhome. So Wednesday morning we had the motorhome to JR by 9am. At 3pm JR called to say he had the cooling unit installed and it was working. We were 2 days late getting to Myrtle Beach and were anxious to be on our way so we threw all our "stuff" in the jeep, went to Gettysburg, loaded up the motorhome and took off south.

 We hoped to get south of Richmond, Virginia but as darkness set in the rain began to really pour. Also about at this point we heard a noise that sounded like an exhaust problem had developed. (We had had a problem with the exhaust system before that due to the heat had melted the starter leaving us stranded at a gas station in Western Maryland and having to be towed to a garage. The garage, a Ford dealer, installed a new starter that when we had stopped along the street by our house again the starter had melted and we needed to be towed to our local Ford dealer to have the exhaust system worked on along with another new starter.) After having this problem previously we were really anxious about what to do. So Tom spied a Flying J gas station near Fort AP Hill, Va. and we elected to stay there for the night. It is not the most ideal place to stay but it is free and as safe as any area to spend the night and if we were unable to start the motorhome in the morning finding assistance might be easier here than even at a campground, plus there is a restaurant that we were able to catch a late bite to eat and breakfast in the morning.

 This morning the rain had stopped when we got up so Tom did some checking further into the problem and determined that indeed the exhaust system had a problem in the same area as before and we decided at that point we needed to go home before we were stranded somewhere. So we traveled back to Taneytown, pulled the motorhome in the driveway and didn't dare turn off the engine, unloaded it and then took the motorhome to our local Ford dealer where it will stay until the problem is fixed.

From Gibson Header 9212011

The good news is that the refrigerator is working great, the bad news is that our motorhome is not and we had to cancel out reservations in Myrtle Beach.

We were planning to leave for the Labor Day weekend campout with the Traveling Americans on Friday.  Leah started the refrigerator on Monday evening and discovered that it did not want to work.  It appears that the cooling unit decided it no longer wanted to function.  What to do, What to do?????   Tuesday morning we called JR's RV Repair in Gettysburg, Pa and spoke with him about the problem.  We concluded it was the cooling unit that needed to be replaced. The unit is twelve years old and the average life is ten.  We ordered a replacement cooling unit Tuesday morning but it did not get shipped until Thursday.  We were hoping to have by Friday, but it will not be until Tuesday after Labor day before we receive it.

As soon as we receive the new cooling unit we will take it and the motorhome to the repair shop to have the work performed.  The next big question is "will the new cooling unit work?"  If it does not, we are back to square one.  But, we are going to think positive and know that it will work better the the unit it is replacing.

August 28, 2011 Surviving Irene

The hurricane's coming, the hurricane's coming! We had been hearing that for well over a week. Yesterday morning we woke up to cloudy skies. By noontime showers of rain were beginning to fall with mild winds. By evening the rain was steady and the winds were stronger and this continued throughout the night. This morning the rain started to slack off and by 1pm we had bright blue, sunny skies once again. Other than leaves blown off the trees everything else appears to be in tack. We consider ourselves lucky as areas south and east had some flooding and property damage.
We are hoping that the hurricanes quiet down for a spell as we prepare to go to Myrtle Beach next week.

Family Togetherness, Earthquake and Irene

Last Friday, August 19th, Tom and I along with our granddaughter, Maddy, drove from Taneytown to Stafford, Virginia where we met up with our son, Todd, and his wife, Beth, and grandsons, Anthony and Parker, to travel down to Duck, North Carolina on the Outer Banks. We had rented a beach house in the Schooner Ridge section of Duck for a week. We had the use of club house that included 2 outdoor swimming pools and an indoor swimming pool. The sun shone brightly most of the week. Tuesday was cloudy with a few showers. A lot of time was spent on the beach soaking up the sunshine.

From 2011-08-20- Outer Banks

We did ride down to the Jockey's Ridge Park and walked up the huge sand dunes and then continued on down to the Hatteras Lighthouse on Monday.

From 2011-08-20- Outer Banks

From 2011-08-20- Outer Banks

We cooked most of our meals. Barbequed ribs, low country seafood boil and seafood pasta to name a few.

From Drop Box

Maddy and Anthony enjoyed bogey boarding in the ocean. Parker liked to play in the sand but preferred swimming pool water to the ocean.
Wednesday, August 23rd, Tom and I spent that morning on the beach. Around noon we returned to the beach house along with Parker, Maddy and Anthony. Some sandwiches were made for lunch and Anthony carried some down to the beach for Todd and Beth. While sitting at the kitchen counter area Tom and I felt the house swaying and looked at one another saying we thought we had just had an earthquake. Maddy and Parker were on the lower floor and Maddy also felt the house sway. A little later Todd, Beth and Anthony returned and Todd said we had an earthquake- they had received a phone call from Beth's mother telling them about the quake and its location was close to Todd and Beth's home in Virginia.
During the week we were hearing about Hurricane Irene that was moving across the Atlantic Ocean but was not predicted to make landfall until late Friday or Saturday. By Thursday it was apparent that this strong storm was going to hit the Outer Banks area and a mandatory evacuation for all visitors had been ordered. We had hoped that we could stay until early Friday morning but were told that we had to leave or we would be escorted off the island by the sheriff. About 11am we had packed up and left our rented beach house a day early on a bright sunny day. The storm was not predicted to hit until Friday afternoon or evening. As we were leaving a mandatory evacuation had been ordered for all residents on Friday.
Tom and I are now at home awaiting the effects of the storm in our area.

A Weekend in Lancaster, Pa.

Last Thursday, August 4th, we left home about noontime and traveled to Lancaster County, Pa. to a campout with the Traveling Americans. We were east of Lancaster in Kinzer at Roamer's Retreat Campground. Two other rigs from our camping group were already at the campground and then more followed on Thursday and the remainder arrived on Friday. We had 9 units in attendence which is a good turnout. Thursday evening a group of us went to Plain and Fancy restaurant for a family style meal. Friday evening a bigger group went to Country Cupboard and Buffet restaurant- some ate at the buffet but Tom and I opted for ordering from the menu.
Saturday morning our hosts for the weekend had a nice continental breakfast. In the evening we had an Italian style meal with the hosts providing pasta dishes and the rest of us bringing a dish of salad, bread or dessert. I made a dessert called "peaches and cream" which was like a cobbler. Sunday morning the hosts prepared pancakes and sausages and others brought dishes to share, I took a bowl of cantaloupe. We had campfires on Friday and Saturday nights- Friday night the weather was fine for a campfire but Saturday night we had rain. In spite of the rain, several of us sat around the campfire with our umbrellas anyway.

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

During the day everyone does their own thing. Tom and I went to several of the shops and stores in the area.
Some of the folks left the campground on Sunday. Four of the units, including us, stayed until Monday. Tom and I rode over to the Strasburg area, stopped at the campground that the group will be going to in October, and registered for that weekend. We ate a nice late lunch/early dinner at the Iron Horse Cafe in Strasburg before returning to the campground.
Monday morning we returned home. It was a real nice weekend. The weather was fairly good for most of the time, had some hot days and a little rain.

July 11, 2011 Arriving Home But Not Without Incident

This morning we left Bulltown campground and continued our travels toward home.  The day was hot and humid and the traffic was fast moving.  About noon we were just east of Hancock, Maryland on I-70 when a loud bang occurred- we had blown a tire.

From 2011-07-12

From 2011-07-12

  Luckily, it was a rear tire and not a front one but that was scary enough.  Tom quickly pulled to the side of the road close to an entry ramp.  After getting out and seeing which tire had blown- the inside duel on the driver’s side- Tom called our road service.  As luck would have it there were no mile markers in sight and we weren’t sure of the ramp that we were at .  After taking the necessary information road service said they would locate someone and call us back.  When we were called back we were told someone from Interstate Tyre would be out within 30 minutes.  As Tom was placing the caution triangles outside the truck pulled up- less than 15 minutes.  The young man quickly went to work changing the tire having us back on the road by 1:30 pm.  The basement compartment near the tire was damaged with a large raise area. 

From 2011-07-12

From 2011-07-12

From 2011-07-12

From 2011-07-12

We were home by 3:15pm without any further problems and without lunch so we made a trip to our local Pizza Hut for a late lunch/early dinner.

We received a phone call from Larry this evening.  He and Joanne were in Natural Bridge last night and then they came home also today.  They also had some problems with tires.  A tire blew out on the 5th wheel trailer in Virginia causing a need for road service and then just before getting home another trailer tire went flat but Larry was able to get it pumped up and get home with it.  We’re just thankful that with these incidents that damage is no more than it is and that there was no personal injuries.

July 10, 2011 Heading Home

Last night, Saturday, we enjoyed a show at the “New Barn” at Renfro Valley Entertainment Center.  David Church was the main performer singing many songs much like the late Hank Williams.  His wife and granddaughter also did some singing.  The 2-plus hour show was very entertaining.

This morning we got back on the road again.  Larry and Joanne decided that they would stay out on the road a few more days so they went a different route from Tom and me.  Tom and I were going to return by the same route that we came to Kentucky although we would not be going up into Pennsylvania but across I-68 to I-70  through Maryland and onto home.  Tom has been teaching a computer class at the local Senior Center so we felt a need to get home in order to not have to cancel a second week of classes.  Tonight we are staying at the same campground, Bulltown campground of the Corps of Engineers on Burnsville Lake, we had stopped at last Monday.  This is a beautiful campground and it seems to have a high occupancy rate.  We drove around the grounds this evening and a little fawn complete with spots ran out in front of us.

Some thoughts about Renfro Valley-  We were surprised that the campgrounds were so empty.  We thought for sure that the weekend would bring in campers filling the sites- while there were a few more on the weekend there were many vacant sites.  The entertainment was very good.  Every day but Sunday there is a show with local performers.  The shows that we saw on Thursday and Friday are formatted differently but featured some of the same talented performers.   We had to question local folk about things to do during the day-there seemed to us  that there is a need for tourism promotion in this area.  We found that the prices in restaurants and the shops were very reasonable.  Prices for shows ranged from $12.00 to $25.00- Thursday’s show was $12.00, Friday’s was $15.00 and then the David Church show $25.00 on Saturday.   This area is in the pretty green mountainous area of Kentucky with locals that still talk with a southern twang- how wonderful that there are still parts of this country that has its own uniqueness.

July 9, 2011 Last Day in Renfro Valley

This morning we went out for breakfast at the Historic Lodge Restaurant that we had eaten dinner at last evening.  We all enjoyed our meals and were well fed – they had mistakenly made a 5th  meal which was brought to our table if we wanted it- some, not all, was eaten from it.  We then drove south to the town of London to a large flea market.  As most flea markets there were all things for sale including puppies, kittens, pot bellied pigs, chickens, ducks, and rabbits.  The animals did not seem to be taken proper care of, some were in need of water and to be out of direct sun.  We returned back to the campground and then walked to the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center.  We first walked about the Bitter Sweet Cabins, old log cabins that were relocated here and made a museum depicting life in this area some years ago.  We enjoyed a late lunch at the barbeque restaurant in the Entertainment area- another nice meal of local barbeque style food.  After eating we walked about the area of the shops seeking bargains or whatever.  After the rain of yesterday, today has been sunny and less humid but still quite warm.  Tonight we will be going to our final show which is a headliner show in the “New Barn” with David Church.

July 8, 2011 Renfro Valley, Kentucky

On Wednesday, July 6th, we continued our travels through West Virginia and into Kentucky, a very pretty drive through the Appalachian mountains.  Most of our travels were west on I-64 until we were near Lexington, Ky. where we then took I-75 south to Renfro Valley.  We were surprised that the campground was so sparsely inhabited.  We had stopped for lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant so we just chilled out once we got situated in our campsite.  We did walk to the Renfro Valley Entertainment area thinking we might find an ice cream store opened in the evening but was unsuccessful.  A music store was opened so went into that store and talked with the clerk about the area.

Thursday morning we stopped at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

  Many well known country musicians have roots in Kentucky and now are in the Hall of Fame.   We, then, drove up to the town of Berea a little north of Renfro Valley.  We had seen signs for Boone’s Tavern along the highway on Wednesday.  Our thoughts were that this was probably some historical small building which it wasn’t.  It is an old hotel and restaurant still in operation.  A beautiful white building with wide porches adorned with flowers.

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

  We decided to eat lunch in the restaurant.

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

  The food was real good.  Tom and I both had a dish called Hot Brown- turkey on sour dough bread with a cheddar cheese sauce over the top-that Tom remembered hearing Diane Sawyer, a native Kentuckian, on TV talking about at one time.  It was delicious. We were told at the restaurant that a craft festival was being held nearby but after driving out to the location we were told the festival would not be until Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  We drove around a little more finally finding a Wal-Mart where we stopped to pick up a few groceries before returning to the campground.  In the evening we walked over to the entertainment center for a show in the “old Barn”.  The show, “Front Porch Pickin’”, was an hour long with 6 local musicians taking turns singing or doing an instrumental solo much like a jam session.  Very entertaining.

Today, Friday, we awoke to rain and the rain showers continued throughout the day.  We did return to Berea to the Berea Craft Festival that was held at Historic Indian Fort Theater- not sure of the history of the area but the theater was a amphitheater and the festival was staged through a wooded area.

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

  There were well over 100 artists from 20 states selling their wares of pictures, jewelry, pottery, clothing and other unique items.  Some artists were demonstrating their craft as dying yarns with plant dyes, working with pottery and black smithy.

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

  We had a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches and stopped to listen to musicians that were performing throughout the festival grounds.

From 2011-07-07 Renfro Valley

  A nice day even with the occasion showers of rain.  Before leaving the Berea area we stopped in the “old town” section where there are shops selling area crafts of local artisans.  One lady made Santa Claus’ by making the head and face from polymer clay which is attached to a body form and then attired in Santa clothing- very detailed and interesting.  After returning to the campground and catching our breath, we went to  the Historic Lodge Restaurant across the street from the Entertainment Center and all of us ate the catfish special- catfish, hushpuppies, fries, Cole slaw and biscuits.  The catfish was especially good and plentiful.  After dinner we went to the Entertainment Center to see another show called Tribute to Legends.  Some of the performers from Thursday nights show along with others performed singing familiar songs of well known artists- another enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011- A Day of Traveling

This morning Tom and I along with Joanne and Larry left Buttonwood Campground and travelled a southwestern route through picturesque hilly Pennsylvania.  We were headed for Renfro Valley in Kentucky.  We went 30 couple of  miles on the Pa. turnpike before dropping down to Cumberland, Maryland to pick up I-68 that took us into West Virginia where we then caught I-79 that travels south.  After about 290 miles of travel we stopped for the night just north of Charleston, West Virginia at a Corps of Engineers campground- Bulltown campground on Burnsville Lake.

From 2011-07-05

From 2011-07-06

  Since we have Senior National Park passes the camping fee is 50% of the costs so we are staying here for $13.00 for the night with full hook-ups that include 50 amp. electric.  Quite a bargain- and the sites are spacious and fairly level and the campground is beautifully located along the lake.

We did stop on the Pa. turnpike for a lunch break about 11am.  For dinner this evening we ate in our RV’s.  After dinner we walked about the campground and Sadie, Larry’s dog, got a chance to swim in the lake.

From 2011-07-05

  We are unable to get television reception so Tom and I sat outside until it was getting dark before coming in to read and write the blog.  Tomorrow we plan to get to Renfro Valley, Kentucky.

July 4, 2011- Celebrating the 4th

Happy 4th of July!!

Friday, July 1, we left Taneytown and travelled north almost 100 miles to Mifflintown, Pennsylvania and Buttonwood Campground for a weekend with the Traveling Americans.  Six club units were in attendance plus 4 of Thelma Higgins’ family and friends.  On Friday evening Larry, Joanne, Tom, Linda and Ken Rouzer and I went to a local diner Juniata Junction restaurant for dinner, not a fancy  place but good food reasonably priced.

The Higgins family and friends, having camped previously with this group, had requested to be the hosts for the weekend.  On Saturday morning a breakfast of sausage patties and pancakes were prepared for the group.  And then for dinner a good old 4th of  July picnic dinner of hot dogs, hamburgers and salads with ice cream and cookies for dessert was fixed.  Then Sunday morning everyone helped with preparing breakfast as it was pot luck.  After that we were on our own for meals.

Buttonwood campground is located in a beautiful area of Pa. with rolling green hills surrounding it.  The campground has well maintained grassy areas and beautiful flowers.  This is a rural area with small towns and farms which many are owned by Amish folks.  Tom and I went out riding around the area and stopped at a couple of country markets that had large assortments of cheeses, meats, produce and bulk  foods.  Our coffeepot quit working Monday morning and we had had to go about 15 miles to a town with a KMart- Walmart was 10-15 miles further- to find a replacement.

Today, Monday, the 4th the campground has emptied out and now there are a few RVs scattered throughout.  We, along with Larry and Joanne, the Woodruffs and the Perrys, are staying until tomorrow. 

June 9, 2011 House of Interest

Larry, my brother, had a painting business from which he retired. A property near Gettysburg, Pa. was in need of painting and Larry had been asked by a friend if he would do the job. Being the person that Larry is, he agreed. The house is quite unique and intriquing. Larry had told Tom and I about this place and said that we should come up one day to see it. Yesterday morning we arranged to meet Joanne so she could show us the way to this place. Driving into the property there is a large barn and other farm buildings with the house located at the top of a hill beyond the farm buildings. The house was built in the 1930's but outwardly looks newer than that time. It is a stone structure on one level plus the basement. Inside the house there are, I believe, 4 units each consisting of a bedroom with a fireplace and a bathroom and several, also, have a living room. The exterior walls looked to be at least a foot thick, exterior doors were 2.5-3 inches thick. In a central area was a large kitchen. In the basement there were a large walk-in freezer and refrigerator and a huge water tank probably 3o feet long and 8-10 feet in diameter. One side of the basement had garage doors that cars could be pulled into the basement. The basement windows were all bricked up. The known people that lived here when first built were a German man and wife by the name of Lovejoy. Pictures have been found of Lovejoy in German military uniform. Aerial view of the house looks very much like a swastika. The Lovejoys were said to stay to themselves not having any interactions with the neighbors. Mr. Lovejoy died of a sudden heartattack and Mrs. Lovejoy ended her days in a nursing home. The last owner was a Sterner connected to Snyder's of Hanover. The present owner/group is rehabbing the property for a business venture of some sort.
There seems to be a mystery about this property and just what it was used for. Speculations are there was some sort of spy operation from here. The structure suggests that they were prepared for a major distructive act should it occur. The prior owners had painted the rooms very bright colors that often did not contast well together. The colors that Larry is painting are various shades of browns and terra cotta reds. It will be a beautiful house once the renovations are completed. The location is beautiful- situated on a hill the views are of rolling tree cover hills, wildlife is frequently seen and this will be a haven for them.


The property is loaded with security. As soon as we drove into the driveway of the house we were followed. Larry working in the house heard reports of our driving up the driveway and knew we were on the way up. Throughout the house are security cameras and a sophisticated system of cataloging folks that come onto the property.

June 7,2011- June Traveling Americans Weekend

Friday, June 3rd, Tom and I left home once again for a weekend of camping with the Traveling Americans. This was the 5th weekend straight that we had been away for the weekend. We went about 160 miles to Sandy Hills campground on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Sandy Hills campground is an old facility with many permanent sites but it is located on the Nanticoke River which is quite a picturesque area. Larry and Joanne had gone down earlier in the week to attend Joanne's granddaughter's graduation from high school. Before we arrived they had contacted us and said not to stop for lunch that they had lunch for us when we got there. So shortly after noon when we got to the campground we had a lunch of steamed crabs and corn-on-the-cob. How nice! There were only 5 units in attendence this weekend with 1 of the units being guests of another unit. Several of the members had graduations of grandchildren this weekend. Friday evening Larry, Joanne, Tom and I went out to dinner at a local restaurant Boonies which had an outside patio area called the Tiki Bar that we were seated.

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

It was a really nice evening for eating outdoors. Good food, good company and a nice atmosphere could not ask for anything better.
Saturday morning the Hagans, Libby and Dave, and Larry and Joanne, hosts for the weekend, had a continental style breakfast of hard boiled eggs, doughnuts, English muffins, fruit and juice and coffee. During the day we all went in different directions exploring the area. Tom and I went down to Crisfield, Maryland by way of a road that crossed a river at Whitehaven with a small 6 passenger, up to 3 cars free ferry.

From 2011-06-05 Eastern Shore Weekend

Crisfield is indeed a fishing area. We stopped at the town pier and watched folks fishing and crabbing before grabbing a bite to eat at a restaurant in town.

From 2011-06-05 Eastern Shore Weekend

From 2011-06-05 Eastern Shore Weekend

For dinner Libby Hagan had made reservations for the group at another local restaurant, the Red Roost. Unfortunately, it was only the Hagans and Tom and I that went since others had other plans but we still had a nice evening with good food.
Sunday morning we again enjoyed a continental style breakfast and then the others packed up to go home. Tom and I decided to stay Sunday night and leave on Monday- we felt the traffic crossing the bay bridge would be better. After the others had left Tom and I again went for a drive out to Deal Island, and again we had to take the ferry at Whitehaven. Before getting on the ferry we stopped at an old school in Whitehaven that a flower sale was going on and I purchased a Bleeding Heart and a small pot od basil.

From 2011-06-05 Eastern Shore Weekend

From 2011-06-05 Eastern Shore Weekend

After our drive to Deal Island, we drove into Salisbury for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. As we were heading back towards the campground we saw signs about blueberry picking and decided to stop. It was late afternoon so we were told that we only had 15 minutes to pick as they were closing at 4pm. So we took a little bucket and picked for 15 minutes and had all the berries that we wanted. The bushes were really loaded with berries and they are real tasty.

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

After returning to the campground I walked out to the waters edge to see a very pretty sunset.
Monday morning we packed up and headed for home. It was cloudy on the Eastern shore but sunny on the Western shore. The traffic was light going across the bay bridge. We hit some areas of congested traffic around the Baltimore beltway which is not unusual.
We are now home for a spell. It was fun going out these past several weekends camping with the various groups of folks but it feels good not to be facing another weekend for a spell. We now have time to do other things besides mowing grass at home.

June 1, 2011 Maryland Samboree

A week ago today, Wednesday, we left home and traveled the 25 miles to Frederick Fair Grounds in Frederick, Maryland for the Maryland Good Sam Samboree. We went in early to help getting things readied for the weekend. Woody and Linda Woodruff, members of the Traveling Americans, also came in on Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon we walked around tables with pamphlets and trinkets filling the "goody bags" that are given to the Samboree attendees upon arrival. In the evening a group of about 12or more went to a local restaurant, Mountain View Diner, for dinner.
Thursday was arrival day for "early birds". We made a run to Sam's Club to pick up some items for ourselves. More of the Traveling Americans arrived on this day- Art and Joy Welsh, Bill and Rita Fordham, Bruce and Cricket McGinnis, and Ed and Barb Perry. In the evening our group walked across the street to the Moose Club for dinner. A husband and wife retired schoolteachers provided the entertainment in the evening. We won a door prize of a $25.00 gift certificate to Lohr's Diner.
Friday morning Tom, Bruce McGinnis, Bill Fordham and Ed Perry went to play a round of golf. So without husbands around the wives just spent a leisurely morning. In the afternoon Cricket, Rita and I joined a walking 2.5 hour tour of Frederick. We had taken a tour with a different tour guide once before that we felt had done a better job with keeping the tour moving but it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. As we were headed back we passed an ice cream store, the 3 of us decided that we were leaving the tour at that point and stopping for a treat. As others saw what we were doing they also opted to make the stop. Returning back to the fair grounds the golfers had returned and then we went to a local diner within walking distance for dinner, Lohr's Diner, (we used our $25.00 gift certificate). Opening ceremonies were held in the evening in which Tom and I carried the Traveling American flag.
Saturday and Sunday we had various activities at the Samboree- flea market, a parade of sorts with folks dressing in costume according to the theme of "Nursery Rhymes", a Chinese auction and a few seminars and fewer vendors. Sunday morning there was a pancake breakfast which I got up early (6:15am) to help with the mixing of the pancake batter. Tom and I received patches for the Triboree (attending West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland Samborees) as well as a flower patch for attending 10Samborees. Patches are the awards given out by Good Sams. We have accumulated quite a few but have not decided just what to do with them. Most folks have vests that the patches are sewn onto and then worn at Samborees. Bill and Rita Fordham unfortunately received word that a family member had died causing them to leave on Sunday.
Monday morning was closing ceremonies and then we all departed scattering to all directions to home or elsewheres. We came home to a yard that needed to be mowed.
Again this week we will be home until the weekend and then we will be going camping with the Traveling Americans.

Monday, May 23, 2011 The Virginia Samboree

Thursday, the 26th, we drove to Urbanna, Virginia to BethPage Campground for the Virginia Samboree, our first time of being in this area.  It was about a 200 mile trip taking about 4.5 hours.  Driving into BethPage Campground almost took my breath away with the beauty of the campground.  Pretty ponds or lakes were at the entrance way, a huge water park and an overall neat and clean environment.  Other members of the Traveling Americans, the Woodruff’s and McGinnis’,

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

arrived a little later in the day.  We were fortunate to be able to be parked together.  Thursday evening the McGinnis’ and us , the Woodruff’s did not arrive until late, went into Urbana for dinner at Cafe Mojo.  Dinners were very good although a little pricey.  Tom and I each had a shrimp and scallop pesto penne pasta- very flavorful, had 3 scallops and 3 shrimps- for $24.00. 

Friday we walked about the common area of the Samboree checking out the vendors and talking with other attendees.  The 3 couples of us went into Urbana for lunch at a cafe.  In the afternoon, Tom and I and the McGinnis’ and about 40 others took a boat ride offered by the campground. 

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

The boat ride took us from the campground to the town of Urbana’s marina

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

and along areas of some big beautiful houses. 

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

For supper we had hot dogs, beans, and chips and drink at the Samboree.  The official opening ceremonies was held after supper.   Our entertainment was to have been a talk about “Dogs for the Deaf”, an organization that Good Sam supports, but the spokesperson was unable to attend.  A teenage girl entertained with her guitar and voice unfortunately the sound system was only a PA system.

Saturday morning started with a biscuit and gravy breakfast which Tom and I choose to skip eat our own food.   There were some seminars offered but it seemed that all were product oriented (can you say informercials?) so we did not attend.  The vendors were open for business – we had our names embroidered on denim shirts and jackets that have our club logo on.  We also purchased a picnic table and bench covers. And I got a new purse.  A flea market was held around lunchtime with folks trying sell off unwanted goods.  For $2.00 we bought 2 large plastic containers – something that I had been looking for to store my Wii.  Several Virginia Chapters were selling food for lunch.  We had a pulled pork sandwich with chips and cole slaw.  A Chinese auction was held and we did not get anything – just another donation made.  Mid afternoon there was to be a parade – we went and found that we had missed it- but we were shown 2 pictures of the only 2 groups in the parade.  Parade contestants are expected to dress in costume for the rally theme, the theme for this rally was the Samboree’s 35th Anniversary, not an easy theme to costume.  After missing the parade we went to the cakewalk which is really not a walk at all.  Participants sit in a circle and for a quarter given a paper plate with a number on it, the plates are passed around in time to music, the music stops, a number is drawn and the person with that number on their plate wins the cake or cookies. 

From 2011-05-21 Virginia Samboree

Tom was not a winner but I won a pineapple upside down cake.  Bruce McGinnis won a gingerbread.   We had a dinner of barbeque chicken, beans, corn, salad and corn bread and dessert  in the evening.  The entertainment on this evening was the Larkin Family- Dad, Mom and 2 daughters- from Nashville, Tenn.  Good entertainment. 

Sunday morning after eating breakfast in the motorhome we packed up and got ready to get on the road.  We did not stay for the closing ceremony as it would have been after 11am before we would have started our 4 to 5 hour drive home.  The weather was nice all weekend, just a few sprinkles of rain at times.  The campground was very nice but we learned is quite expensive- we were charged $49.00 for Thursday night.  Some folks wanted to stay over on Sunday and were told it would be $75.00 for that night but the campground did back down to give the $49.00 rally rate for Sunday also.  I know there are wonderful amenities at this campground but $75.00 for a campsite seems out of sight.

Next weekend the Maryland Samboree in Frederick, Maryland- much closer to home.

West Virginia Samboree

Last Thursday, May 12th, we traveled to Mineral Wells, West Virginia for the West Virginia Samboree. Mineral Wells is about 300 miles to the west near Parkersburg, W.V. and Marietta, Ohio. Our route of travel was through mountainous regions of western Maryland and West Virginia. It was interesting that one area in Maryland along Keyser's Ridge near Frostburg had trees that had not produced leaves yet. All other areas had trees in full foliage. The rally was held at a fairground near Mineral Wells. Because of the recent rainy weather in that area the grounds were a little soggy. Luckily, we were parked parallel to a roadway on solid ground. For dinner on Thursday a potluck meal was planned so I hurriedly found some chili beans in my food supplies, added some smoked sausage, green peppers and onions and had a dish to take for potluck. There are always so many interesting foods to sample at these meals.
Since the Samboree does not officially start until Friday evening we went exploring the area during the day. Coldwater Creek, a line of women's clothing, has a distribution center in the area so we stop at the Clearence Center so I could do a little shopping.

From West Virginia Weekend

Parkersburg had a farmer's market in the downtown area but since it is early in the season there was little to choose from. From the market we walked to a Jimmy John's sandwich shop for lunch. After lunch we drove a little north of Parkersburg to the Fenton Glass Factory. This factory continues to make beautiful glassware as it has for many years, piece by piece, some molded and some blown.

From West Virginia Weekend

It is a dying art as glassware is being mass produced and sold for less money. We took a tour of the factory which is free, and then we browsed through the gift shop.

From West Virginia Weekend

After returning back to the motorhome and eating dinner in (a soup bean, yes that is how it was named, and cornbread supper was available), we went to the opening cermonies and evening entertainment, The Steve Hussey Band, a local Parkersburg group, performed with a variety of music.
Saturday morning we had a pancake and sausage breakfast, went to a meeting for first timers to the West Virginia Samboree and then went out again to explore the area. We drove across the Ohio River to Marietta, Ohio. Along the river a tow boat was being restored.

From West Virginia Weekend

At one time the Ohio river had quite a bit of commerce boat traffic. The tow boats were used to tow barges on the river. The underground railroad was active in this area as slaves crossed into Ohio, a non slave state. After a lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Marietta we went to another area along the Muskingum river, a tributary of the Ohio, where an old railroad bridge has a pedestrian bridge that we were able to walk on.

From West Virginia Weekend

Crossing the bridge took us into the old section of Marietta originally called Harmar. There were a few shops in this old section. We went into the soda shop that had Coca-Cola memorabilia and a old fashion looking soda shop where lunches could be purchased. We opted for an ice cream cone.

From West Virginia Weekend

Back at the Samboree in the evening we ate a baked steak dinner and then had entertainment by another local musical group that also had a variety of music.
Donuts and coffee were offered for Friday and Sunday breakfast but we choose to eat our cereal instead. After eating breakfast on Sunday morning we packed up and left before the closing ceremonies. Possible heavy rain was predicted and our motorhome has problems with water ingestion in heavy rain and we had almost 300 miles to travel so we didn't want to hang around until after 11am to start home. As it was we did hit some showers of rain but nothing real heavy that caused us any problems. The weekend was a nice time. The West Virginians are a friendly, fun group of folks. The area is a very pretty, green, hilly area. The weather was cloudy for the most part, warmer than we expected,with a few brief showers of rain.

May 11, 2011 Derby is Over, On to West Virginia

Last weekend we were in Lancaster, Pa. at the Old Mill Stream campground with the Traveling Americans group. Thirteen rigs were in attendance, a nice turnout.

From 2011-05-07 Kentucky Derby Weekend

Friday evening we were on our own for dinner. Tom and I along with my brother, Larry and Joanne, went to the Revere Tavern for dinner. Saturday morning the hosts for the weekend provided doughnuts and coffee for a continental breakfast. After breakfast we all scatter in different directions doing whatever. But we started gathering together in the late afternoon and then for dinner we had the derby specialty, Burgoo, a stew type dish in which we all contributed to the ingredients.

From 2011-05-07 Kentucky Derby Weekend

It was tasty and quite filling. Most of the ladies donned their fashionable hats and the men also had some interesting toppers.

From 2011-05-07 Kentucky Derby Weekend

From 2011-05-07 Kentucky Derby Weekend

Prior to the derby some bets were placed but no one placed a bet on the winner.

From 2011-05-07 Kentucky Derby Weekend

Sunday morning we gathered together for a pot luck breakfast that was supposed to be prepared by the men because afterall it was Mother's Day.
Tomorrow we are leaving again for the weekend. Because of the distance we are allowing an extra day to get out to the far reaches of Mineral Wells, West Virginia near the Ohio state line. The West Virginia Samboree is being held at this location and we have never been to their Samboree. The number of Maryland folks going out has dwindled because of the distance. I'm looking forward to this trip as it is in an area that we just passed through but have not spent any time at. The weather has just been about perfect the past several days and I'm hoping good weather will continue through the weekend.

Preparing for the Derby

Our feet are itching to get out in the motorhome. We've spent a couple of weeks home and now it feels like its time to move again. We had a nice Easter Day with family. Todd, Beth and Parker and Larry and Joanne came to our house for the day. Parker had an Easter egg hunt and then kept Grandpa occupied outside much of the day.

From Easter 2011-04-24

Last weekend Tom and I went down to Todd and Beth's to be with Parker Saturday evening as they went to Richmond for the races. So we have gotten a pretty good grandparenting fix. We were sorry that Maddy and Anthony were not there but they had other family to be with.
This weekend we are going to the "derby", no not the Kentucky Derby. We are camping with our Traveling American group near Lancaster, Pa. and the theme is the Kentucky Derby. Saturday evening we are having a derby meal(a stew called Burgoo and I'm supplying the potatoes) and are to dress for the derby. This evening I made a hat to wear. I'm anxious to see the hats the other ladies will be wearing. Tom has located an appropriate hat for the occasion, also, but his lacks the charm of mine. The weekend should be especially nice for the ladies as Sunday is Mother's Day and the men are preparing the potluck breakfast. That seems only fair when the ladies do most of the fixing at the other times.