Friday morning's breakfast was "Eggs in a Bag". Each person puts raw eggs in a ziploc sandwich bag and before closing adds toppings such as cheese, mushrooms, onions, bacon bits, green peppers, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, salt or pepper. After sealing, the bag is squished to mix the items inside, then dropped in a big pot of boiling water. About 15 minutes later, you have the equivalent of an omelet. Pastries, cookies, bagels, coffee and juice was also available.
Several seminars were held during the day. 4 P.M. brought another Social Hour in the Pavilion, followed by our chapter's pot luck dinner at 5:30 P.M. - lots of good food provided. At 7 P.M., the Tom Sparks "Appalachian Music" group performed once again.
Late Friday afternoon, we received the details of the repairs that the warranty people will cover. They say the slide problem is a missing rivet and will not cover a new lock. They authorized an amount toward a new bed and installation, as well as an amount for the kitchen faucet replacement & labor.
The new bed will take 2 weeks to arrive, so we will have that installed in mid-May. The faucet and slide repair will be made on Monday morning if all goes well.
Saturday morning we attended our chapter meeting. After the meeting, Selene helped with the setup for the afternoon auction for CARE Hank went to Lowe's to find a replacement connector to get one side of the bed working again. The auction at 2:30 was a success and we "won" some useful items while donating to a good cause at the same time. We also won a door prize at Social Hour - Escapee dues for a year ($60 value). We opted out of the optional catered dinner for another dinner on our own at Fatz Cafe. The closing celebration included two large prize drawings and a film - "The Many Faces of Old Glory" which was a well-done presentation of the history and facts surrounding the many USA flags throughout the years.
Today (Sunday) dawned wet. At 11 A.M. we had the RV weighed and were glad to find out we're not overloaded. Many of the rally attendees departed. Heavy rain is forecast for today and tonight. We'll be waiting here for service on Monday morning.
Our life on the highways and byways of America.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
MARION, NC: Rally Continues
The Rally Schedule on Wednesday had 4 seminars. We were interested in one, but were held up by 2 phone calls from the warranty company wanting more information so we weren't able to attend. Still had the usual social gathering at 4 P.M. One of the groups had a pot luck, but we decided not to go. The evening's entertainment was Bernie Burleson's Tru Blu Bluegrass Band. This group was better than the previous one, and the banjo/guitar player was exceptional.
Yesterday (Thursday) was basically a 'free' day since a lot of the rally attendees went to tour the Biltmore House. We spent the morning with our computers, went to the cafe for lunch and was told the warranty company was checking prices for a replacement bed, so we're hoping that means they will eventually honor our claim. We ran a couple of errands and then headed up into the hills...the Blue Ridge Mountains to be exact. We ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a little while and enjoyed the spring scenery.
By the time we got back to the rally park, social hour was half over, but lots of socializing was still going on. One of our chapter members mentioned that they went to Bruce's Fabulous Foods for lunch and the menu included Crawfish Etouffee and Cheesecake, two of Hank's favorites. So off to Bruce's we went. Hank thoroughly enjoyed the Etouffee and Cheesecake, and Selene had the Triple P Sandwich (Grilled pita bread, filled with a thick layer of Bruce’s housemade Pimento Cheese and caramelized slices of pineapple), which was also delicious. Their business philosophy http://www.brucesfabulousfoods.com/story.php is interesting as well as the number and types of cheesecakes they will make http://www.brucesfabulousfoods.com/cheesecakes.php. They had about 7 choices available last night.
We returned to the Rally Park for an ice cream treat (we wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by not taking part), then moved over to the HUGE fire pit for an equally large bonfire. But by 8:15 P.M., the mountain air was cooling considerably, in spite of the hot fire, and we decided to call it a night. All in all, it was another beautiful day near and in the western NC mountains.
Yesterday (Thursday) was basically a 'free' day since a lot of the rally attendees went to tour the Biltmore House. We spent the morning with our computers, went to the cafe for lunch and was told the warranty company was checking prices for a replacement bed, so we're hoping that means they will eventually honor our claim. We ran a couple of errands and then headed up into the hills...the Blue Ridge Mountains to be exact. We ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a little while and enjoyed the spring scenery.
By the time we got back to the rally park, social hour was half over, but lots of socializing was still going on. One of our chapter members mentioned that they went to Bruce's Fabulous Foods for lunch and the menu included Crawfish Etouffee and Cheesecake, two of Hank's favorites. So off to Bruce's we went. Hank thoroughly enjoyed the Etouffee and Cheesecake, and Selene had the Triple P Sandwich (Grilled pita bread, filled with a thick layer of Bruce’s housemade Pimento Cheese and caramelized slices of pineapple), which was also delicious. Their business philosophy http://www.brucesfabulousfoods.com/story.php is interesting as well as the number and types of cheesecakes they will make http://www.brucesfabulousfoods.com/cheesecakes.php. They had about 7 choices available last night.
We returned to the Rally Park for an ice cream treat (we wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by not taking part), then moved over to the HUGE fire pit for an equally large bonfire. But by 8:15 P.M., the mountain air was cooling considerably, in spite of the hot fire, and we decided to call it a night. All in all, it was another beautiful day near and in the western NC mountains.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
MARION, NC: Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Today was the official start of the SKPACRE Rally. But yesterday was an interesting day, so let's start there.
First thing, we spoke with our service writer to make sure the warranty claim would be called in ASAP and the inspection ordered. We expected it would be two days before getting a reply. However, yesterday afternoon, the inspector showed up ,agreed to do his inspection at our campsite, which put us in high gear to uncover the bed, empty the cabinet under the kitchen sink, while clearing the slide area in order to retract it, which meant finding out-of the way spots to put all the things we had to move. We finished just as the inspector arrived, looked everything over while getting explanations from Hank about the problems, and took a lot of pictures. After happy hour, we went to dinner at Fatz Cafe with 3 other couples.
Today, the warranty company asked for precise measurements of the bed, and we hope to hear what they propose as a solution to our problems tomorrow.
The scheduled rally activities for today were:
Tuesday, April 23rd
Registration Day
7:00a-8:00a:
Morning Walk on your own
7:00a-8:00a:
Christian Fellowship BoF
8:00a-9:00a:
Coffee & Pastries
9:00a-12:00p:
Registration
12:00p-1:00p:
Lunch on your own
1:00p-4:00p:
Registration
2:30p-3:30p:
First-Timer's Meeting
4:00p-5:00p
Social (Odd SKP # bring snacks)
5:30p-6:30p
Catered Dinner
7:00p-9:00p
Tom Sparks' Appalachian Music
At 1 P.M., Selene attended an afternoon meeting of the NC/SC Chapter's officers (she is the Secretary) The catered dinner by Countryside BBQ Restaurant inluded pork barbecue with optional red sauce (delicious!), baked beans, potato salad, roll tea, and blackberry cobbler.
The weather continues to be wonderful with warm afternoons, and very cool nights under clear skies.
First thing, we spoke with our service writer to make sure the warranty claim would be called in ASAP and the inspection ordered. We expected it would be two days before getting a reply. However, yesterday afternoon, the inspector showed up ,agreed to do his inspection at our campsite, which put us in high gear to uncover the bed, empty the cabinet under the kitchen sink, while clearing the slide area in order to retract it, which meant finding out-of the way spots to put all the things we had to move. We finished just as the inspector arrived, looked everything over while getting explanations from Hank about the problems, and took a lot of pictures. After happy hour, we went to dinner at Fatz Cafe with 3 other couples.
Today, the warranty company asked for precise measurements of the bed, and we hope to hear what they propose as a solution to our problems tomorrow.
The scheduled rally activities for today were:
Tuesday, April 23rd
Registration Day
7:00a-8:00a:
Morning Walk on your own
7:00a-8:00a:
Christian Fellowship BoF
8:00a-9:00a:
Coffee & Pastries
9:00a-12:00p:
Registration
12:00p-1:00p:
Lunch on your own
1:00p-4:00p:
Registration
2:30p-3:30p:
First-Timer's Meeting
4:00p-5:00p
Social (Odd SKP # bring snacks)
5:30p-6:30p
Catered Dinner
7:00p-9:00p
Tom Sparks' Appalachian Music
At 1 P.M., Selene attended an afternoon meeting of the NC/SC Chapter's officers (she is the Secretary) The catered dinner by Countryside BBQ Restaurant inluded pork barbecue with optional red sauce (delicious!), baked beans, potato salad, roll tea, and blackberry cobbler.
The weather continues to be wonderful with warm afternoons, and very cool nights under clear skies.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Update From Marion, NC: Patience and Flexibility
The last few days have been spent relaxing while we waited on word from the extended warranty company regarding our claim. Of course, they wanted more information, and then decided to require an inspection, which won't take place until at least Monday, more likely Tuesday or Wednesday. Replacement items and parts may require more time. Rather than try to move Little House from the Rally Park where we'd be parked with little room to maneuver, we decided to stay in the campground by the service center, even though it means we'll be across the road from the rally activities and not parked with our fellow chapter members. We'll still take parts in all of the activities, so just it's just an inconvenience not a party-stopper. The site we've been in since Monday night was reserved starting tomorrow, so this afternoon we moved to the next site to our right for the next week.
Today is a beautiful day after the many rain showers yesterday with no severe storms in the hill country, although areas east of us were not so lucky. It's much cooler - highs in the 60's and the low this morning was 39. and we'll have similar weather for the next few days.
We're also becoming better educated due to the fact that the only reliable tv stations we pick up are 3 UNC Public Television stations, thanks to our mountain surroundings. Occasionally we get a signal from an Asheville network station. We spend some time listening and talking on the ham radio as well as listening to our cd collection.
Today is a beautiful day after the many rain showers yesterday with no severe storms in the hill country, although areas east of us were not so lucky. It's much cooler - highs in the 60's and the low this morning was 39. and we'll have similar weather for the next few days.
We're also becoming better educated due to the fact that the only reliable tv stations we pick up are 3 UNC Public Television stations, thanks to our mountain surroundings. Occasionally we get a signal from an Asheville network station. We spend some time listening and talking on the ham radio as well as listening to our cd collection.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Marion, NC: The Waiting Begins
Today, work began on our list of items that needed attention on Little House. We're also eagerly anticipating the SKPACRE Rally http://www.skpacre.com/ to be held next week at this location. But let's get back to what's going on this week.
This morning, we had Little House at the Service Center by 7:45 A.M., so it was an early start to our day for sure. On the schedule was a chassis checkup including oil change, lubrication, and check of hoses, fluids, etc. We also wanted the full wall slide looked at as it wasn't closing exactly as it should, needed a leak checked under the kitchen sink, and wanted the roof caulking checked for any problems, as well as getting the required NC safety inspection needed to renew the vehicle's tag, and having the inflatable mattress looked at to determine why it's not staying inflated.
While all of this was being done, we passed the time with breakfast and lunch in the cafe, computer time in the lounge, looking over the inventory of new and used coaches, getting the car washed, shopping at Big Lots and Food Lion, and getting a towing plug connection replaced on the HHR. After our busy day, we rewarded ourselves with dinner at Fatz Cafe http://www.fatz.com/ courtesy of the gift cards and certificates we had.
More work will be done on Little House once approval is received from the extended warranty company and parts arrive over the next few days - new rear locking mechanism pads on the slide, new faucet in the kitchen, and maybe a new mattress for our bed. Meanwhile, we'll be hanging out here at Tom Johnson's enjoying the sights, sounds and nice weather of spring in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This morning, we had Little House at the Service Center by 7:45 A.M., so it was an early start to our day for sure. On the schedule was a chassis checkup including oil change, lubrication, and check of hoses, fluids, etc. We also wanted the full wall slide looked at as it wasn't closing exactly as it should, needed a leak checked under the kitchen sink, and wanted the roof caulking checked for any problems, as well as getting the required NC safety inspection needed to renew the vehicle's tag, and having the inflatable mattress looked at to determine why it's not staying inflated.
While all of this was being done, we passed the time with breakfast and lunch in the cafe, computer time in the lounge, looking over the inventory of new and used coaches, getting the car washed, shopping at Big Lots and Food Lion, and getting a towing plug connection replaced on the HHR. After our busy day, we rewarded ourselves with dinner at Fatz Cafe http://www.fatz.com/ courtesy of the gift cards and certificates we had.
More work will be done on Little House once approval is received from the extended warranty company and parts arrive over the next few days - new rear locking mechanism pads on the slide, new faucet in the kitchen, and maybe a new mattress for our bed. Meanwhile, we'll be hanging out here at Tom Johnson's enjoying the sights, sounds and nice weather of spring in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Movin' On to Marion, NC
The camping club weekend at the Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy, NC went by quickly. There was lots of time to relax and enjoy friendly conversation. Highlights included a pot luck dinner in the pavilion on Friday night and dinner at The Depot at Cody Creek near Dobson, NC http://codycreek.net/index2.php#/home/ on Saturday. All of our friends departed on Sunday, but we decided to spend one more night and head to Marion on Monday.
The Mayberry Campground has a lenient policy on checkout times, and since it rained all night, we took advantage and waited until the rain had stopped before preparing to leave. We pulled out about 1:45 P.M. for the 121 mile drive to Tom Johnson's Camping Center in Marion, NC. http://tomjohnsoncamping.com/Page.aspx/pageId/30742/-Marion-Campground.aspx
We're having several things looked at, fixed, adjusted, etc. over the next few days. We'll probably be spending a lot of time in the lounge taking advantage of the free wireless internet.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN! MT.AIRY, NC
After a leisurely departure routine of putting things away, and readying Little House for travel, we left Dickins RV Park in Moncure, NC at 11:25 A.M. for the the Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy, NC. After a fuel stop, we arrived about 2:15 P.M. to be greeted by some of the members of our local Good Sam Chapter who had arrived earlier. We're here for the chapter's monthly campout
This is our third visit to this campground. Although not fancy, the terraced sections offer views of the nearby mountains with gravel sites, full hookups including free wifi and cable tv. Our group has the use of the large pavilion with small kitchen for the weekend. Eight of us went to dinner at the Copper Top Restaurant, a down-home type of place with good service and very reasonable prices.
Storms moved in around 10 P.M. and made for a wet night under a symphony of heavy rain and wind. Luckily, the storms system weakened somewhat as it approached, so no severe weather occurred.
We look forward to a weekend of enjoyable company in a scenic setting and lots of relaxation.
This is our third visit to this campground. Although not fancy, the terraced sections offer views of the nearby mountains with gravel sites, full hookups including free wifi and cable tv. Our group has the use of the large pavilion with small kitchen for the weekend. Eight of us went to dinner at the Copper Top Restaurant, a down-home type of place with good service and very reasonable prices.
Storms moved in around 10 P.M. and made for a wet night under a symphony of heavy rain and wind. Luckily, the storms system weakened somewhat as it approached, so no severe weather occurred.
We look forward to a weekend of enjoyable company in a scenic setting and lots of relaxation.
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