Just Whistlin' Dixie....

Friday we had great weather and decided another motorcycle ride was in order. The #2doods had lots of fun playing with Storm so they were ready to nap. We opted to head off in the opposite direction from our last ride and aimed for a little town named "Waverly" in honor of our youngest granddaughter.

Well, we found it. At least part of it, we never did find a downtown area. We even took photos to prove it! LOL!





From there we continued north and then back west before heading south into downtown Folkston. One thing we have come to love are the people here. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly. Part of that is the traditional Southern charm. Another part is a town that survives on a goodly amount of tourism. But mostly, it's just the people. We have made several friends here as we deal with dog boarding, grooming, getting a PO Box and picking up a gazillion packages from Amazon, getting my hair cut and even at the local McDonald's where I had a wonderful chat with the franchise owner and the store manager.

One shop had been recommended to us by the wonderful owner of Wild Rose Pet Care where the #2doods go for day care and doggy camp when we're traveling. I had friended the owner on Facebook but we hadn't had a chance to visit yet. Since they have Bluebell ice cream, today was the day! It was time for Whistlin' Dixie....













The store is FULL of wonderful items perfect for gifts, souvenirs and daily enjoyment. I was so tempted by many things but I was good, limiting my temptation to the ice cream. We signed the guest book and really enjoyed chatting with Dixie and her daughter Millie. They make quite the team. Everyone recommends the lunches there and we just might have to ignore our diet and splurge once more!

Ciao for now!

It’s all up in the air....

...airplane, that is! Stu had a special day, up in the air.

Shortly after arriving at Jennys Ridge RV Park, Donna met one of our neighbors at the dog play area (AKA The Playpen). Jeremiah had just rescued a 7 month old German Shepard and needless to say the Doods were ecstatic. Jeremiah is career Navy and close to retirement, finishing his career here in Georgia while his family is back in Colorado. We thank him and his family for their service. When a member of the family is in the service the whole family is, so we thank them as well.

I met Jeremiah after returning from my retirees reunion and struck up a friendship. Chatting with him while the dogs wore each other out, I found out he has his private pilots license as well as owns his own plane. He invited me up for a flight which I quickly accepted. Donna was invited but she did not want to tempt the motion sickness gods and opted out, having been up in a small plane previously. I suggested he pick the day when the weather was agreeable and come get me.

March the we headed to Herlong Recreational Airport, about an hour away from the campground. I followed Jeremiah as he had other chores to do after the flight. Upon arrival we entered the field through the owners gate and approached his red Piper Cherokee. Jeremiah completed his preflight checks and gave me a thorough safety briefing. We taxied over to the fuel area, filled up and made our way to the runway via the taxiway. Upon clearance, we were up in no time.



At the lower altitudes the plane bounced, eventually calming down as we climbed higher and smoothing out nicely when getting to about 2500 feet.



Jeremiah established a heading that took us over the campground. He explained the controls and what each one did, demonstrating the changes in attitude the plane made. Apparently that was my lesson as he "handed" the controls to me for a while. I was thrilled and even made a few course corrections as me made our way over the campground. FUN!



Our planned route went over the campground, east to the coast, over the Navy Base (but not the Sub Base, frowned on by folks we just hear about), south, and then back to the airfield. We went over a lot of the Jacksonville area. Sure looks different from above. I was able to identify a few landmarks but not many, way out of my element up there.

















I even took a short video of our trip...


All good flights should include a good landing as well as a good take-off. Happy to say this was a good flight. Jeremiah landed in a strong cross wind and the Piper Cherokee "crabbed" to the ground. Jeremiah is a skillful pilot as I felt secure the entire time. Oh, and here is the route we took...via the air, regardless of what the photo says.



I must say, this day was fun. If I were a younger man with a lot of disposable resources I would love to learn to fly. Alas, it's another one of those expensive hobbies I can't afford. I already have a few too many of those already.

Ciao for now!

A little stew....errr, Stu time.

February is the annual Firefighter Reunion for Stu and his fellow retirees from the Anne Arundel Fire Department. He has missed a couple of years but always tries to make it. This year was no exception except for being in Georgia instead of Florida for the winter.

I haven't attended for a couple of years and Stu isn't the best about taking photos...oops. He did take a nice composite shot as he prepared for another DiveQuest at Disney (he did it previously, here are the photos) .

He enjoyed DiveQuest and then went on to the Reunion which is always a great time. A group went and visited Disney Springs together and did the AmphiCar ride with them. Here are some pics from that adventure!

Yes, a good time was had by all and Stu had great motorcycle riding weather as well!


Ciao for now!

A look back at 2018...

What a whirlwind year it was....mostly high but when it was low, it was bad. Here is a little synopsis and review of all that passed in 2018.

• JAN: New toys, cowbells and neighbors moving in
• FEB: Carnival cruise out of Tampa, diet change, sold our property in Jamestown
• MAR: A little randomness & #2Doods have grown
• APR: A to Z Blog Challenge - The Doods Have It!
• MAY: A friend writes about death, Backend of Nowhere Garage build & Run For the Wall
• JUN: It's summer and Stu's back home
• JUL: Blooming time!
• AUG: Grandgirls come to visit & we all go to Pigeon Forge
• SEP: Weight loss, my birthday, C'Mon Inn Trilogy in print, & more
• OCT: Family sadness
• NOV: Family wedding
• DEC: Disney cruise & we FINALLY head south for the winter

How was your year? Here's to an exceptional 2019 to us all!

Ciao for now!

Fall is finally here!

While our weather up here on the Cumberland Plateau is usually not too hot, this summer seems to have been a bit warmer than usual. I remember growing up and Labor Day always marked the start of fall for me as did Memorial Day and the start of summer.

This year, the cool weather has been elusive - well, until this past weekend when the rain moved in bringing temperatures in the upper 60s to mid-70s. A nice change, although we don't need a lot more rain. Stu says the grass is growing an inch a day and the pond is overflowing. The good news is the French drain he constructed is doing its job and the middle-lower section of the pasture isn't a swamp ground now.

He's been busy continuing to prep the Backend of Nowhere Garage for the concrete pour. So busy, in fact, he's behind several blog posts of the steps taken so far.

Yeah, SOOOOO busy!

I'm staying busy just washing his daily work clothes...including leather gloves (which got soaked yesterday). They weren't quite dry when I pulled them out of the dryer so had Stu puff them out so they would dry inside. They look kind of creepy sitting on the dryer now...LOL!

On Saturday our good friend, Earl, came over to help Stu put up the foundation boards for the concrete pour. He was designated babysitter for his four year old granddaughter. She kept me company all afternoon while he worked with Stu. The weather was nice so after an hour of watching "Paw Patrol", we moved outdoors.

She was drawing nature things - the sun, butterflies, caterpillars, bees - then moved on to writing her name as well as her sisters' and mother's. A little dancing for me and I asked if she could draw a ballerina. She did and asked me if I want to tear it out of the book and keep it. It's now on my refrigerator.

She and Murphy hit it off immediately...

Cooper was a bit more shy and she was so good about not pushing him...

She and Murphy watched Pop-Pop and Mr. Stu work for a bit...

Back inside, some fun for the two of them [video]...

Then watching "Ice Age" for a bit...

All in all, a good day. She and her Pop-Pop headed off to Cracker Barrel for dinner.

I've been busily working on defining new characters, plotting the back story, and doing research on life in the 60s on religious cults and communes in both California and Hawaii. Going to be an interesting book. I did a little cover reveal on my author blog if you want to take a peek!

Ciao for now!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Had a great day....dropped the #2Doods off at doggy camp for two days and headed into town for a double movie feature. First movie was Kin and while we both enjoyed it, we are hoping for a sequel. The second movie was Peppermint and it was edge of the seat, kickass action! Wow! Best Jennifer Garner since her tv series, Alias.

While there had been no rain, there was a rainbow in the sky when we came out of the movie theater. Definitely rain in the distance.


After that we went to Logan's Roadhouse for a nice dinner. I got a filet and Stu got shrimp. We both got veggie skewers although I gave him all my mushrooms. Yummy!




When we walked out, there was the most gorgeous storm night sky...I'm still in awe that my phone captured this!


Tomorrow it's back to Cookeville for errands, then pick up the #2Doods and back home.

Thank you to EVERYONE who sent me birthday emails, texts, messages, as well as posts on Instagram and Facebook. I so appreciate the thoughts and well wishes! I also greatly appreciate the donations to my Facebook fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation in honor of my daughter-in-law who suffers from this not well known, debilitating and terminal disease.

Ciao for now!

Ketchup or Catsup or Catch-up?

We're staying busy and time is flying. Before we know it, November will be here and we will be heading south in the RV for the winter. Yikes! Lots to get done. Anyway, here are some photo highlights from the last couple of weeks to ketchup catsup catch-up!

A gorgeous full moon and I got to use my new Panasonic Lumix camera...


The proof copy of my C'Mon Inn Mystery Series Trilogy showed up...


No, not a tire. One reason I dislike washing sheets & blankets in my agitator-less washing machine...

Our roses not only recovered from our trimming, they are thriving...

A cracked windshield, thank goodness for a zero deductible policy and a quick replacement...


Had a wonderful dinner with a motorcycling "sister" and her husband, in the are from CA...

...at, of course, Cracker Barrel where the holiday decorations are out in full force.

Our weight loss journey continues....my excitement was finding out my wedding ring fit again...


The Backend of Nowhere Garage build continues as the dirt pile that was growing flowers disappears...


Enjoying a pretty sunset from our deck...


Attended an amazing benefit for our good friend who is fighting cancer and came home with this...

Loving my new coffee cup...using it every day!


Ciao for now!