MARION, NC; Second Night

This morning started with sunshine, and today was the first day with no rain that we've experienced in a couple of weeks....just a beautiful day.  We met with a service writer about 8:30 A.M. to explain our problem, and then ate breakfast with our 6 friends at TJ's Cafe here at the dealership.  Amazingly, we recieved the call to move Little House to the work area soon after, and we were ready to go in 15 minutes.

The slide wiper seal was replaced and the slide was adjusted once more, and we returned to our campsite about 4 P.M.  This evening we went to dinner with 4 friends to Fatz Cafe.

Tomorrow, we'll return to the Raleigh area.

MARION, NC: Change of Plans

Yesterday (Saturday) was the last day of our Good Sam chapter campout.  The morning started with a pancake and pastries breakfast compliments of the campground, followed by our chapter meeting at 10 A.M.  Two of our couples left after the meeting, and the rest of us had a day of relaxation and conversation as we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon with a nice breeze.  At 4:30, we departed for dinner at Bogart's in Waynesville, NC....a very nice restaurant with good food and service.  We returned to the campground for more conversation, and then enjoyed ice cream with toppings as we watched the evening slip away.  Rain showesr moved in about 7:30, so the group said their farewells and retired to their RV's.

This morning was full of more farewells as the remaining RV's prepared to depart.  As our big slide came in, the wiper seal came loose.  Since we had to go within 5 miles of Tom Johnson's, our favorite repair facility, we headed to their main campground arriving about 12:30.  Coincidentally, two other chapter couples and another couple we've met before we're already here....one for service, and two for meeting up with each other, and they invited us to join them for lunch at the Steakhouse.  Although this stop is due to needing unexpected service, it's nice to share some more time with friends. The afternoon weather has been alternating between sunshine and downpours, and it look like the evening will feature more of the same.

Tomorrow, we'll find out how long our wait for service will be.

WAYNESVILLE, NC: Thursday and Friday

Thursday dawned dry, though cloudy.  The morning was spent getting laundry caught up, and then we headed out for a trio to Walmart after lunch at Clyde's, a local favorite home cooking restaurant.  We returned to the campground  to greet 4 more camping club couples, one of which is staying in a campground cabin since they no longer have an RV.   After a  time of catching up on each other's news while sitting outside in the beautiful afternoon, the group decided to go the Sagebrush Steakhouse for dinner.  We returned to the campground for another conversation circle while enjoying the great evening weather.

Friday morning, the group went different ways to enjoy different activities.  Hank and Selene and Art and Betty Strong headed toward the Blue Ridge Parkway and made a stop for a light lunch at McDonald's.  We chose to head north on the Parkway in order to visit the highest point on the road about 20 miles away.  As we climbed, the air gradually cooled and the clouds moved in, but the view at the high point was amazing and the temperature seemed 20 degrees cooler.

 We returned to the campground to prepare items for the group's Nibbles gathering, and also for another conversation circle.  Our Nibbles gathering offered a wide range of foood items including Chinese Chicken Stew, rice Barbecue Meatballs, pimento cheese sandwiches, fresh fruit and raw vegetables and dip, salads, cheese and crackers, fried chicken chunks, cookies, and banana bread.  After dinner there another circle gathering while we enjoyed the pleasant evening temperature.  A rain shower moved through about 9:30, bringing an end to another full day of fun and friendship.

WAYNESVILLE, NC: First Night

We left Dickens RV Park in Moncure, NC at 9:43 A.M. and arrived at the Creekwood RV Park near Waynesville, NC about 2:30 P.M. after a lunch stop at a rest area west of Winston-Salem. It's nice to see that NC is a very green state today compared to the drought conditions of the last few years, and we were expecting a rainy travel day. We only had a few rain drops to contend with toward the end of the journey, but while registering at the campground, a brief heavy thundershower hit. Eventually we completed our setup on Site 27.  We had some very heavy rain early this evening, and more heavy rain will probably move through overnight.

We're here for our monthly Good Sam chapter outing.  So far, there's only one other person here from the group, but more will be arriving tomorrow and the campout officially begins on Friday. The campground provides free cable tv and wi-fi with good results.

MONCURE, NC: On the Road Again

We've been in the Raleigh area since June 14, working on the house, having a garage sale, selling furniture, and doing other things related to the house sale, and we've made a lot of progress.  We're ready for a break!  This morning, we're headed to Waynesville, NC in the western mountains for a local camping club weekend outing. Further updates will follow.

MONCURE, NC: Out and Back

Last Saturday, we made the trip to New Bern, NC for an extended weekend with a few of our camping club members at the New Bern KOA. There were only 5 couples that made the trip, but we had a great time relaxing, visiting and of course eating out.  Turns out the weather from Andrea was worse in the Raleigh area than it was in New Bern.  We returned to Moncure on Tuesday.

Selene had another eye doctor's visit on Wednesday to check on the "pink eye" situation.  The infection is much better, but the side affects of a sore throat, earaches and cough are not, so an oral antibiotic was added to the mix..  Hank also was checked as he had started with symptoms, and he is now being treated with the antibiotic eye drops as well.  Today (Thursday) we're both doing much better, and will return to the doctor on Monday for another checkup.

Over the last couple of months, tests and doctors' visits resulted in a prostate biopsy for Hank two weeks ago.  Today, we got the good news that all is well and no cancer was found.

As we returned to the RV tonight about 5:30, the predicted storm that has been rolling across the country from the midwest hit our area with extremely high winds and a brief heavy downpour.  No serious damage in the campground that we've seen, but there is a lot of tree damage and downed trees in Raleigh and the surrounding counties and many folks are without electricity. The temperature fell about 20 degrees in about 10 minutes.

We'll be staying in this area for several weeks as we continue working in the house.

MONCURE, NC: Ready to Travel

The last couple of weeks have flown by.  Work on the house has been slowed by some health issues - a bruised leg tendon for Hank as well as the continuing recuperation from the fall in early May, and a serious "pink eye" infection for Selene that definitely slowed her down - but progress has been made. Both of us are doing better and ready to hit the road, or so we thought.  We did most of the prep work on Wednesday in anticipation of heavy rain by Thursday - our scheduled departure day for the camping club weekend in New Bern, NC.  However, Tropical Storm Andrea was scheduled to visit the eastern half of NC by early morning on Friday, so we decided to postpone our departure.  Today, we're still getting periods of heavy rain courtesy of Andrea, and the coastal areas are also dealing with gusty winds, so we'll probably stay put until tomorrow morning. Luckily, neither the wind or rain has been as bad as it could have been. We're ready to get Little House back on the road!