The past week was one of beauty, waiting, repairs and moving on.
The beauty was all around us on Monday, as we drove around the mountains for 5 hours, north on US 221 and then back south on part of the Blue Ridge Parkway before making the final winding descent from Little Switzerland to Marion. Some of the trees had already lost their leaves, some were not at peak color, but there was enough variation in elevation for beautiful vistas around every curve. We also learned that our warranty claim for a new TV antenna had been approved, and the new antenna was being sent from Fleetwood (the manufacturer of Little House). The wait began.
The last few years, we've been working with Eric Gray as our Tom Johnson service writer. Eric was currently on medical leave due to serious back problems and awaiting surgery, but on Tuesday he visited the service center to meet up with his wife Susie, who also works there, before going to Asheville for his pre-op workup. We had a chance to speak with him for awhile and wish him well. Our relationship may have started out as all business, but over the years we've come to know Eric and Susie and also consider them to be our friends. We also had a nice visit with Linda and Pat - Linda is a fellow Escapees Chapter 29 member and a fairly new RVer. She was at TJ's to get her rig winterized and we enjoyed our time with her before she headed back home.
Wednesday was another quiet day as we waited for the antenna to arrive. The weather continued to be beautiful and the fall colors continued to deepen day by day.
Thursday, when no antenna was delivered, they traced the shipment and found it would definitely arrive on Friday, so we pushed back our departure plans one more time.
Friday morning, UPS delivered our antenna. Our urge to get moving was intensifying. We wanted to get to Raleigh to enjoy some time with Mike, visit with friends, and take care of doctors' appointments, car maintenance, etc., but also to leave the foothills before possible wintry precipitation and high winds arrived overnight on Friday. With a little gentle pressure from us, the service center started working on our antenna installation about 3 P.M. and finished about 4:45 P.M. We don't usually travel after dark, but with a threat of snow nearby, and high wind conditions forecast for Saturday, we knew Saturday would not be good for Little House to travel, so we left Tom Johnson's RV Center about 5:15 P.M. There was a little rain for the first hour or so as darkness fell, a 15 minute delay due to a construction area, but we moved steadily eastward as the evening wore on. After a fuel stop, we arrived at the NC State Horse Complex Campground about 9:45 P.M.
This morning we went to Golden Corral for the weekly gathering of ham friends and others. We plan to stay in this area until Sunday, November 9 when we'll head south for the winter.
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