MARCH 19-MARCH 25: Another Busy Week and A New Baby!

We decided to spend another week at the Moose Lodge in Wake Forest.  After getting in position to stay hooked up to water and sewer, this week will have a few more conveniences.   The weeks's schedule included two night meetings for Hank, a mammogram for Selene, and an appointment for Hank with his cardiologist. Our medical appointments are now finished and all results were good.

Friday evening, March 23 we enjoyed hamburger and onion rings at the Moose Lodge, while we watched the dart players and visited with members.

Saturday morning, we met with a group for breakfast at the Golden Corral in south Raleigh.  A low tire warning found us spending 90 minutes at Duty Tire across the street from GC getting a  faulty valve stem replaced.  Saturday eveing we enjoyed a delicious dinner and visit with Mary Jo and Chuck at their home in Raleigh.

Sunday morning, March 25, we got  Little House ready to move before going to the Lodge for an Easter Bunny Brunch - scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, biscuit, pancakes, coffee, juice and milk - all for $6.  This was followed by egg hunts for the children, and we had a front row seat in the RV to watch all the festivities.  After the parking lot emptied some, it was time to unplug, pull up the jacks, say thank you and farewell, before we drove 16 miles to the NC State Fairgrounds and the campground near the Hunt Horse Complex.  We'll be here until April 2 to help with setup and activities for the Raleigh Amatuer Radio Hamfest to be held on March 31.

The big news of the week was the arrival of our second great-grandchild, Melody-Bell Martin on Friday, March 23 in Birmingham, AL. She decided to arrive 2 months earlier than predicted weighing 3 lbs. 1 oz., but is doing well  in the  NICU.

March 13 - 18: Busy Week!

Tuesday, March 13: We were awakened by the sound of construction equipment and dump trucks. The Moose Lodge is in the middle of renovating their building. They also wanted to level the surrounding grounds and so there were many loads of dirt  delivered over the next few days to be spread by a a bulldozer.

Here's a link to lodge photos:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/raleighmoose/photos/?ref=page_internal

Monday night's snow  was gone by the time we had to leave Wake Forest, NC around noon to head to Raleigh and the NC State Fairgrounds.  Hank was expected at a meeting regarding the Raleigh Hamfest to be held there on March 31.  After the meeting, we drove to Cary for Hank's annual eye checkup with his opthamologist. No change in his vision was found so there was no need for new glasses.  After a break at Arby's for a snack, we drove to Raleigh and a radio club meeting, where we met up with familiar faces and some new ones.  After the meeting, we had a late dinner with friends at the Edwards Mill Bar and Grill before arriving back in Wake Forest at 11:30 P.M.

Wednesday and Thursday, March 14 & 15 were relaxing days in the coach. There was plenty going on around us as the deliveries of dirt continued as well as the bulldozer continuing to work.  One side of our coach faces the parking lot and building and the other side faces busy Hwy. 401 so there's always something to look at.  We each have our computer interests to take care of, and the days went by quickly.  Thursday night was 50 cent Wing Night, so we went inside to share a basket of wings and some onion rings. (Moose lodges are known for their good food at reasonable prices.)

Friday, March 16:  No more dump trucks today.  Hank had a 1:30 appointment to have a place on the top of his ear and on his head frozen and scraped. We made a quick visit to our storage unit to get another water hose to replace one that's getting old and bad. ( The sewer hookup we can use is a little too far for our sewer hoses to reach from where we were asked to park so we wouldn't be in the way of getting into the maintenance shed or be in the way of  getting in and out of parking places.) We also got an oil change for the HHR before heading back to Wake Forest.  The lodge was having a chicken dinner which we enjoyed - fried chicken, cooked cabbage, corn and hush puppies.  In the evening, Hank played in a pool tournament and placed third.

Saturday, March 17:  We drove to a Golden Corral in Raleigh for another club meeting and another chance to catch up with old friends.  The Moose Lodge had a St. Patrick's Day party that night with DJ music, games and a corn beef and cabbage dinner...all open to the public.  Since we had a large lunch at GC, we decided to pass on the festiviites and enjoyed a quiet evening on our own.  Overnight, storms moved through the area.

Today, March 18:  The Lodge is normally closed on Sunday although the members who are helping with the renovations start arriving about noon.  We got permission to move the coach a little closer to the hookups so we could empty our tanks (after 12 days), and get caught up on laundry.

The weather has ranged from lows in the 20's to highs in the 60's and everywhere in between. Precipitation included rain and snow but there were sunny days, too. The weather forecast is for aother below-normal temperature week ahead. We plan to stay here until at least March 25.

MARCH 8-12: To Concord, NC & Raleigh, NC

Wednesday, March 8, we left Minooka Park near Jemison, AL for our two day journey to Concord, NC.  The standard route for this trip goes through Atlanta, but we have been avoiding that metropolis for the last 2 years.  We decided on a route that would take us around the north side of the Atlanta area on U S and state highways, adding about two hours to our trek but easier on our nervous systems.  The drive was pleasant and scenic as we traveled through many rural areas and small towns we had never see before in Alabama and Georgia.  Wednesday evening, we parked at the Walmart in Gainesville, GA.

Thursday, March 9, we traveled a short way to get on I-85 well north of the Atlanta madness.  We made a mid-afternoon stop at a Speedco  Truck Lube and Tire business in Duncan, SC between  Greenville and Spartanburg. They tested the oil in Little House and determined we did not need an oil change at this time. They also provided some lubrication service and the bill was much lower than we expected.....a nice bonus!  We finished our journey to Concord, NC arriving at the Cabarrus Arena about 7:30 P.M.  The Arena was to be  the location of the Charlotte Hamfest - our home for the next 3 nights.

Friday and Saturday were spent getting ready for the hamfest, meeting friends as they arrived and the hamfest itself.  Hank sold tickets and tables for the Raleigh Hamfest to be held on March 31. We shared space with Chuck, Mary Jo, and Alan, old friends from our time in Raleigh, and enjoyed a dinner together at O'Charley's.

Sunday morning, we drove about 30 miles to meet up with our youngest son, Mike, for breakfast. That was a nice finish to an enjoyable weekend.  We pulled out of Concord in the rain about noon for the drive to Wake Forest, NC north of Raleigh, and the Raleigh Order of the Moose Lodge.  Some lodges have RV hookups, and the Wake Forest location has one that is available for members to use. We joined the Moose group last October in Celina, OH and were glad to find this camping alternative.  The Raleigh lodge is in the midst of extensive renovations, but the parking spot works fine for us and we were warmly welcomed by the members on hand.

Today, Monday, we had our annual doctor checkups and were glad to hear we're both doing okay.
This afternoon, Mother Nature flexed her muscles and a cold rain turned to snow, with a light covering on the grassy areas around us.

We'll be at this location for at least a week or two, and in the Raleigh area until at least April 2nd.

FEBRUARY 21 - MARCH 5: Final Week at TR and Moving On

Our stay at TR was winding down as we continued to enjoy the wonderful weather, friendly smiles and various activities.

Thursday, Feb. 22, the Travelers Rest Amatuer Radio Club held their annual picnic at the Snack Shack pavilion. Grilled  hamburgers and hot dogs were provided, and everyone shared in the many side dishes and desserts provided by the 36 attendees.

Sunday, Feb. 25, we drove to Brooksville and met with Dave and Charlotte for lunch at the City Buffet. This restaurant has the largest oriental food buffet we've seen, with many seafood items, entrees,  sushi, salads, vegetable dishes and desserts.

Sunday evening's entertainment was provided by the very talented Carol Stein. Widely known as The Piano Lady or Jazz Lady, Carol has entertained folks all over the world and spent 26 years with the Walt Disney Company.
 



Tuesday, Feb. 27 was our final day at TR and it was another busy one.  We went to the morning coffee seminar at 8 A.M. to hear a county representative talk on future developments in the area, the process involved for approval, and how those might affect TR.

Travelers Rest has its own fire department and rescue squad, trained by the Pasco County emergency responders. When there's an emergency at TR, it can take 5-10 minutes for the county squad to arrive, so having good equipment and trained personnel on site is very important. The county replaced the 1982 fire engine with a new unit - a Ford 550 equiped as a Class A Fire Engine.

A 'Push-In" Ceremony was held at 10 A.M. with many county emergency personnel attending as well as the TR first responders. This tradition dates back to the horse-drawn fire engine days when fire engines were much lighter.  The combined company had no trouble pushing the new vehicle into its storage bay and a new era of preparedness has begun.

Tuesday evening, we were treated to a delicious dinner by Kathy and Lacy.  We first met these friends in 2011.  They worked at a campground we stopped at when traveling from Raleigh to Birmingham. Both are ham radio operators, and we've stayed in touch over the years. Last year we visited them in Michigan where they manage a campground during the summer. They came to TR after we told them about the resort, and will now spend the winters there. This was a fitting close to another great stay at Travelers Rest.

Wednesday, Feb. 28, we got Little House moving once again. We traveled to the Walmart in Albany, GA where we spent the night.  Thursday, we stopped for lunch in Opelika, AL to meet up with Hal, another ham we talk to often on the radio but had never met in person. Later that afternoon, we reached Minooka Park, in Jemison, AL, our home until March 7. Our stay in central AL incuded attending the Birminghamfest as well as visiting with family members and friends in the area.

FEBRUARY 12 - 20: Life is Good at TR

We returned to Travelers Rest Resort near Dade City on Monday, February 12  after our stay in Orlando.  There was a delay in getting into our reserved site as another RV was set up there. All of the office staff were at a volunteer luncheon so we turned the engine off, turned the generator and A/C on and enjoyed our lunch while waiting for the problem to be solved.  After about 90 minutes, the  other RV was moved and we settled into the site.  Thi is the first time this has happened to us, but the TR staff worked hard with many apologies to find the errant owners and get them to move even though we told them we didn't mind going to a different site. The big problem was that at least for the last 10 days, there's been no empty sites to speak of here.....the place is sold out for the first time in 10 years!  Hurricane Irma left a lot of damage behind throughout western and central Florida, and a campground or two near here had closed down, so TR is now even more popular than before. Thank goodness we've already made our reservatios for next year!

There hasn't been too much excitement  here lately and that's fine with us after a busy 5 days in Orlando.  We've spent time with friends in the park as well as getting some things accomplished in the RV and on the computer, and shopping for groceries.  Sunday night's free entertainment was comedian Lucas Bohn. His "Lesson Plans to Late Night" program showed the comedy side of being an elementary school teacher.  Lots of laughter from the audience rewarded him for his efforts.



Today, we visited the Government Center in Dade city to update the address on our driver licenses (our mail service has moved a short distance), retrieved the title for our paid-off car, and applied for Passport Cards.  Once again, we dealt with very friendly Florida state & county employees ( unlike some other states we've lived in) and the 3 errands only took 90 minutes to complete.

The weather has turned from spring to summer with highs near 90! At least the evenings are cool and the Florida dry season continues.  We'll be at TR until February 28 when we hit the road once again. 

FEBRUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 12: Hamcation & Rally Combo

Wednesday, February 7, we left Travelers Rest about 8:30 A.M. for the 90 minute drive to Orlando and the Central Florida Fairgrounds for the Orlando hamfest (Hamcation) and the RV Radio Network Spring Rally.  Campsites are on a 'first come' basis at this facility, and the RV's started lining up very early for the 12 noon gate opening. We were #25 and used the waiting time to eat lunch and visit with friends who were also playing the waiting game. The gate opened a little early and we  selected our spot.  Unlike normal campgrounds, the individual electric (30 amp) and water hookups are grouped together in several areas, so you'll have 2-8 RV's hooked up to the same pedastal. 

Our Friend, Dennis, provided this drone video to show the Hamcation layout.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/744xqnk82yhl0q9/DJI_0077.MP4?dl=0

It begins with a view to the north and the lake, then to the east showing the fairground buildings and parking lots, then to the south showing a separate weekly large flea market area on the edge of the camping area, then the west edge of the area.   https://www.dropbox.com/s/744xqnk82yhl0q9/DJI_0077.MP4?dl=0

Because we were directly under the drone, our parking spot didn't show up, but here's a picture of our 'neighborhood'.  We're the second RV from the bottom with the dark blue car by it.




In addition to attending Hamcation, we were hosting the RV Radio Network Spring Rally. Thursday, we joined the RV Radio Service Network (another ham radio/RV group) near the lake for a huge pot luck lunch, and then held several rally meetings by our coach before hosting a pizza supper . Friday morning, we provided doughnuts for our rally attendees.

The official opening of Hamcation was on Friday morning. This event is the 3rd largest hamfest in the world and the second largest in the USA with between 15,000 and 20,000 attendees over 3 days. Hank had an inside flea market table to promote the RV Radio Network and to sell a few items. There were joint Happy Hours late each afternoon.  Friday, Hank won a hand-held radio from the RV Service Net prize drawing.  Saturday evening, the RV Radio Network Rally attendees went to dinner at Golden Corral and we had our rally closing ceremony with 2 prize giveaways.  The hamfest closed at 1 P.M on Sunday.

Sunday afternoon,  we had dinner at Logan's Steakhouse in nearby Kissimmee  with Dee, Jim and Gary....ham radio friends from our time living near Raleigh.  Jim & Dee are former RVer's who now live in Auburndale, FL and Gary still lives in Raleigh.




The weather during our stay in Orlando was warm and windy most of the time, with the only rain coming overnight Saturday. On,Monday, February 12,  after a very full 5 days, it was time to pull up the jacks, hook up the car and return to the peaceful surroundings at Travelers Rest.

JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 6: More Time at Travelers Rest

Upon returning to TR, it was easy to settle back into the lifestyle there.  Sunday, January 28's free entertainment was the Voices of Legends Show  with Eric Kearns.


 Eric provided an enjoyable hour-long show with recorded background music that included impersonations of many well-known singers.

Monday, Hank started feeling ill and by nightfall was suffering from several flu symptoms. The illness put him out of commission for 3 days, and we were lucky that  he recovered fairly quickly, probably thanks to the flu shot we each received last November.  Many TR residents have been flu victims with several needing hospitalization.

Saturday, February 3, there was an indoors flea market at TR where we had a table and sold an item or two.  This was also Selene's birthday, so we drove to Zepherhills for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's.

Sunday, February 4 was Super Bowl Sunday with a party option in one of the buildings, or the usual free Sunday entertainment.  We chose the entertainment  provided by pianist Sammy Lane.  Blind since birth, Sammy's selections are mostly requests from the audience. His talent and musical memory is amazing  Sammy visits TR every year on Super Bowl Sunday.

With our computer interests and getting ready to travel again, the next few days went by quickly. On the morning of Tuesday, February 6, we took part in an oatmeal breakfast for the ham radio club members. The oatmeal is prepared by one couple, with several items for topping, including ice cream! This event has become a tradition with the ham radio group..