A visit and two birthdays.

We left FDR State Park heading for Daphne. Ollie and Sam's birthdays were in April and we missed our friends. Our tentative plans for next year will have us staying out west until 2014. It will be hard to do but finances may have to decide it.  Anyway, we stayed at Maher State Park on the causeway, a park right on the Mobile Bay. We stayed there last year and it was quiet and convenient. Here is a view from our site.

This is looking across the bay at I-10. That's a 10' alligator swimming around about 15' off shore.

While we were at the park Ollie came a stayed a day with us, Kim and Barb visited with us one evening for drinks and a sunset and Chuck and Debbie came over for an evening too. (We spent time at their house visiting too.) We also got to spend time with Mo's Mom and she fixed us a dinner salad that was wonderful, while we were there we also visited with Father Deasy, he's always a spiritual uplift. Can't forget to mention Oscar, probably the most known baby in Fairhope, AL! We're sitting in Ruby Tuesdays with Sam, Leah, Ollie and Oscar and Oscar's toddling around the table and some lady across the restaurant comes over and asks if that's "Oscar from the Coffee Loft?" He's one way cool little boy, for sure.
The highlight of the week stay was Ollie's 7th birthday. We celebrated at Debbie's house, of course. Chuck chef'ed burgers and dogs on the grill and Ollie and his friends ran wild for 3 hours in the yard. The adults kinda did too but in an adult way! We did take a few pictures....

the quiet before the storm!

It's started....

Debbie bought some blow up 'light sabres', Seemed harmless until the 'war' started.

Sam and Oscar observing

Father & son mug shot

Debbies neighbor, from Spain, brought over his gueine pig... ON A LEASH!

Ollie finally got to unwrap presents.

Legos will be around forever!

Don't know what Beth could be thinking.......

 So, while Ollie's birthday party was the party of the week, it was also Easter Sunday the next day. Mo and I wanted to celebrate the day a bit defferent so we met Kim along with Mo's mom, and Debbie and Chuck at St Joseph's in downtown Mobile. It was a quiet and reverant Mass that made Easter, and our visit to Daphne extra special.

Monday morning I washed the coach, Mo got the inside ready for travel and we packed up and pulled out, heading west.

Been A While !

Yep. I got real lazy about posting to the blog, taking pictures and calling freinds. Guilty as charged! Working at FDR ST PK was really a great time. We ended up building and installing about 100 signs, Various other jobs as they came up and the last two weeks Mo and I built a set of steps going down to the lake with 6X8 timbers. The steps really turned out well, the park staff was impressed that we did it by ourselves, other then some excavation by the backhoe. I wish I had taken a picture, we were pretty proud of them, they'll be there for many, many years.
Moving along here. Each year since my Mom passed away, the sibs have gotten together to visit, introduce new children, grandchildren and just catch up and socialize. We have missed the last couple since we were on the road. We knew that this year we would be in the area so we volunteered to host the 2012 reunion. What better place, we thought, then FDR Park. We set the date for March 31st, our last day there, (just in case we trashed the place!) and sent out the invites. The reunion weekend weather forecast was iffy for hard rains but we had a plan 'B' for inside fun and games. As it turned out, the weather cleared off Saturday morning and by noon it was a beautiful day. We cooked burgers and dogs on the open grill, hiked a trail close by, roasted 'smores' over a fire that we had going all day and celebrated Michael's birthday with cake. We wrapped it up about 9:30 or so. I think everybody had a good time. We missed Carol and Rose Mary, "The Girls", and also Tim, but we toasted them with a beer or two! Here's a couple of pictures that got  snapped -

Her's Ben and Samantha playing checkers, Ben;s pretty smart so I'd guess he let Samantha win!

Mo and Celia in the kitchen area chatting and toasting a good time.

I think the camera got forgotten from then on, we were having a lot of fun!

Our time came to an end at FDR, kind of with mixed emotions. We were ready to go but we enjoyed being there so much that we were a bit sad too. All the Park staff became new friends and asked us to return, the other volunteers also became new friends we hope to see and keep in touch with on the road.

We packed up and hit the road for Daphne, AL to spend time with BFsF and celebrate Ollie and Sams' birthdays.

Check back soon, I'm working on more........

FDR State Park

We're now in Franklin D Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, GA. That's near Callaway Gardens, if you know where that's at! We arrived and checked in and they were still working on a new site for our RV. It was in the Maintenance compound area, so they let us set up in the campground for a few days.

Here's Mo at the campsite

Mo made us the traditional New Years Day feast of Turnip Greens, Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread. It was DEEELICIOUS!

 We are doing a volunteer job in exchange for a free, full hook up spot. Originally we had signed up to be a park host but somehow the paper work got shuffled and we are working as 'maintenance hosts'. We were a bit leery at first but it turns out to be a much more suitable job for us. In exchange for our site, we work 24 hours per couple. That means just one of us has to work those 24 hours, not bad since originally we thought it was to be 32 hours per person! So I work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8-5 and Mo works with me. The park service then turns in her hours and an organization called 'Friends of the Park' receives $2.00 for each hour she works. And we get to spend the day together, or if she doesn't want to work that day she doesn't have to. Our original job duty was to replace the old wooden park signs with new metal signs. The new signs had to be built and then installed as we removed the old signs. We were told there were about 200 signs! We met with the supervisor and he showed us the stack of new metal signs, the stack of 16' 4x4's to make the posts from and where we could set up to build them. Then took us around and showed us the old signs and let us go.  We would need to put the  new signs in new holes so I got a lesson in driving the tractor and running the auger.

Here I am being shown the controls. This is where our site is, Mo is standing by the motorhome taking the picture. Also this building is where we build the signs and also where we have washers and dryers for our use.

I'm ready to go! In the background you can see the stack of 4x4 timbers for the posts. That is Warren giving the lesson, a good guy.

During the first installation/drilling lesson we hit a 3" water line! Fortunately, even though I hit the water line, I was told where to drill by a park employee. Well we got it fixed and that was about the end of the lessons, we were on our own from there on. We were moving along and had built the next batch of signs while it was raining and were ready to start installing them and were pulled off to help paint a cabin. Mo and I painted for three days and together painted more and better then the state employees all put together! That job finally got finished and we could get back to putting in our signs. But that's only 3 days of the week! we have 4 days off! We hike and visit the areas around the other days.

Here's Mo on one of our hikes.

One of my favorite pictures, This area is covered in these old, mossy rocks.

We have become familiar with Columbus, LaGrange, Warm Springs, Callaway Gardens and I have run lots of the trails in the park. There's about 45-50 miles of loops and spurs including the 23 mile Pine Mountain Trail. One Saturday we did trail work with the PMT Club repairing some of the trail that was damaged in last years tornado, that was fun work. We've been to Atlanta and visited Michael and Carin, did some hiking with Julia and Chris, Mo's sister, and have just had a really good time here.

Here is where we are parked now, basically a gravel parking lot but it's a-ok. We have lots of space, firewood and privacy. We are right on top of a high point with woods all around us. Sun rise is out our bedroom window and here we're waiting on another beautiful sunset.

 Here is Mo driving the dump truck we use, she doesn't like the trailer on the back so we drop it at the shop after spreading the signs out that we intend to install.

 Mo is raking back the leaves and measuring where to bore the post holes.

 Drilling the second hole

 Ready to set, level and plumb the sign and fill with dirt. After we pack the dirt down and respread the leaves you'd never know we were there!

So far I think we have finished about 35 signs or so and we only have about another 30 to go. The balance of the signs go in a group shelter area that was totally destroyed in a tornado last April. The destruction is unbelievable and the area will never be the same. We don't know what we will do next but they assure us we'll have plenty to keep us busy!

Mo had her big 50 birthday this year and she celebrated for about 2 weeks before!

Here is her crown, she didn't want this picture on here but I'm writing the blog sooo.....

That's about all that's going on here, the weather has been very wet but mild temps. I've gotten in some good runs on the trails, we read alot, enjoy the other workkamppers company around campfires and thank God everyday for all of our blessings.

Stay tuned for the next post........

WOOHOOOO Christmas, 2011

OR
Maybe this should be titled;

"How the Jeep Stole Christmas"

First off, let me say, this was the very best Christmas Mo and I have had since the children were all small and all three were home.

So we arrived at Red Top Mtn SP and lo and behold there wasn't a soul at any of the offices. (Course it was Christmas Day!) The gate was locked, it was cold and raining and we were tired from driving. Well some poor camper pulled in behind us and Mo went back and told them if they wanted to get in they would have to give us the code cause we weren't moving. Well we got in and found a good site, set up and rested a bit before we went over to Michael's.....then Christmas really started.

This week had been being planned for a long time....at least by Michael and I! This was to be, drum roll here.... "Jeep Week"! Now if you never had a Jeep, or the desire to have one, then you may not understand, but it was big to us. Mo and Carin were both afraid we would be out in the garage all the time and Christmas would be a flop. We weren't going to let that happen but we had things to do.
Michael had just recently purchased his Jeep, an Impact Orange, 2006 Wrangler Rubicon. Now this Jeep was in near showroom condition but there is always something that needs to be done on a Jeep. He replaced the budget boost spacers with new springs to improve the ride and had the front disks turned to eliminate a slight shimmy. That was a couple of weeks before we arrived. Here's a picture of Michael and his Jeep.

So the plan for my Jeep was to replace the shocks, install Michael's old spacers in mine and get new tires. Also, raise the seats and replace the spark plugs. There were some other things that could be done too but we didn't want to push the time line to close. As it turned out, Michael was so impressed with the difference the springs made as opposed to the spacers, he ordered a set for our Jeep for Christmas. (He's a great person, Carin is blessed to have him. and Vice Versus) We had some challenges removing the old shocks but we got all we wanted to do done plus Michael replaced his speaker in the console that also turned out to have it's challenges. Here's my Jeep in his garage.

Our Jeep ended up with the new tires about 2 1/2 -3 inches higher, Mo had difficulties getting in and out so we got some grab handles for her. The finished product looked great, however, when we left Michael's house to go back to the motorhome we had soom serious driveline vibrations. We'd have to address that soon, (and we did) but on to the Christmas celebration!

Sarah, Josh and Samantha, Sam, Leah, Ollie and Oscar arrived on Monday and Michaels' children all got there on Tuesday. Carin's boys got there from their Dad's house so the house was full. Michael had rented a cabin/duplex on Lake Allatoona for Sam and Sarah's family that was perfect for them to get away from the caous that was sure to be. Having Sam and his family there was extra special for us all. We fixed great meals, told stories (drank beer) and had the great time that could only happen when a close family gets together. We opened presents as soon as everyone was there and together, we took a few pictures but there was so much going on that I missed the good ones.

This was Oscar's first Christmas and he's such a neat child he stole the show with Mo and I. (Sam, Oscar and Leah; Dakota and Shadow)

Oscar opening his present from 'Ginnie'; Mo.

Playing with the puzzle board.....

Oscar figured it right out, he's got his first set of wheels!

Abbey got the paper off, now to open the box. The biggest present there, of course!

Oscar meeting 'Moe' the dachshund.

The next day we were upstairs and the kids were downstairs, doing something, games maybe? Mo opened the downstairs door and shouts went up, 'DON'T COME DOWN HERE!' OK, no big deal , it was kid town down there, she didn't really need to go there. We all continued to enjoy the day and in a while Michael and Carin ushered us adults downstairs, into the dark. Mo and I figured the kids had put together a spook house or something. We were blown away when the lights went on and we realized it was a double birthday celabration for Mo and I!! They had decorated the place all up in black colors and made cupcakes and had presents for us to open. What a surprize! My bday was past and Mo's wasn't for another 3 weeks so we had no idea this was going to happen! The grownup kids had pitched together and bought Mo and I each a 'Nook' reader, we read a lot but would never have bought one for ourselves. (As it has turned out, we love them and use them all the time.)  So again I have to say, this was a great Christmas, we celebrated Jesus' birthday AND both of ours with the people who matter most to us.
We stayed in Canton until Thursday. We were sad to leave but we were scheduled to be in Pine Mountain, GA on Saturday and we needed time to get there and get set up, so we said our goodbyes and packed up to head south.
FDR State Park, here we come

Kentucky and Amazon.com

Mo and I left Daphne and headed up I-65 for Kentucky. We planned on taking 2 days to get there. The first day we would stop in Huntsville, AL and visit with Sarah, Josh and Samantha. We had not seen them since we left last year and just the stories about Samantha make you miss being close to the family. So we met the at a Walmart close by and we then went to Logan's Steak House for a fun meal. Samantha and I ate as many p-nuts as we could and Josh and I drank as many beers as we could. It was a win win for me! We talked and caught up for a couple of hours at least. Samantha had the camera walking around taking pictures of everything and nothing, just having a good time being a kid, Thank You Lord for my precious grandchildren! Josh took us back to the Walmart and we climbed into bed for a nights rest. Tomorrow we would head up the road to an area we'd never seen before.
The drive was amazing, it had been many years since either of us had seen the colors of the leaves change in the fall and we were driving at the perfect time to see it. We tried to capture the colors through the windshield but it didn't work, here is some of the effort...

As you can see, what we saw didn't show up but take my word for it, it was incredible.

We arrived in Campbellsville, KY and got to our campground and registered and got a site. We had visited last year and gotten a tour of the plant and seen the campground but the owner of the campground had expanded the site area by about 3 times more then when we had seen it. It was basically a big tierd gravel parking lot with electric, water and sewer connections.

This is looking from the lower side and if you look close, right in the center, you can see a Jolly Roger flying. That's our spot!

This is from a bit further away, directly behind me is Amazon.com building. 

 As you can see, there were no trees at all. this whole Heartland Campground was built to accomdate the seasonal force that Amazon hires each Christmas. Amazon paid for our site and utilities plus paid us a good wage.

I turned around and snapped this picture of the building, the total distance from our door to Amazons door was only 7 minutes. We walked every day, rain or shine.

We were there to work and that we did! The first week we only worked 5 hours, or a half days, the second week we worked 4 - 10 hour days. Then the same the third week. then the forth and fith week we worked 5 - 10 hour days. From then on we worked 6 - 10 hour days with anything over 40 being overtime. We were so beat when we got home Mo couldn't fix any dinner! We made some great friends there, David & Judy; Eddie & Joyce; Roger & Cheryl and many others. They were all in the same boat as us, beat up bad after work. We found out about the local college, Campbellsville University,. They allowed us to eat in the cafeteria and it was not only great food but very affordable. So that's where we got our nutrition from. The work was fast and demanding, not necessarily hard but we used different muscles then normal. We used hand, wrist and arm muscles to pack and fold boxes etc. We could hardly sleep at night for the soreness, Vitamin I was taken in excess but was needed badly!
We decorated our house for Christmas....

It really looked good at night, there were lights all over and a tiny tree in the front windshield.

Anyway, we survived and finished on December 23rd, stayed until the 24th and rested. We had been getting up at 4am so we slept in until 7am, packed up and drove to Knoxville, TN where we stayed overnight and went to the children's' Mass at 5pm. The place was packed of course but it was a great Mass, the children did a beautiful job of singing and put on a short skit at the end. We hadn't been to Mass in 2 months, since our work schedule included Saturday and Sunday, rare for us, so we were happy to be there.
We left Christmas morning and drove to Red Top Mountain SP where we will stay until Dec 29th. All of the children and grandchildren will be at Michael and Carin's house in Canton, GA on the 27th. It should be a blast!
More about Christmas in the works..........

Traveling back home and beyond

We left Mammoth Lakes heading back to Daphne,AL. We were on a cannonball run, We had a celebration to go to! GrandMommie would be turning 80 years old soon and Julia had planned a surprise party. The party would be a surprise and Mo being there would be an extra surprise too. So we put the pedal down and headed east. we drove about 450 miles for 3 days and then stopped in Tyler, TX for 2 nights to rest and fill our fresh water and empty our holding tanks. We stayed in a State Park that was quiet and peaceful, I got in a run and Mo had a good walk, and we rested. We got back on the road and went on to Daphne where we stayed at Maher State Park on the causeway. We got there two days before the party so we had to keep a low profile so Mo being at the party would be a surprise still. We visited a couple of friends and watched a football game at Debbies and just enjoyed being home. The party was a huge success, Thank You, Julia. GrandMommie was shocked, her friends were there, Fr Deasy and his sister was there, Monette, Kim, Debbie and Chuck and even Sam, Leah and little Oscar were all there. To be 80 and in such good health as GrandMommie is, is a true reason to celebrate, and she's the only grand and great-grand we have! A real distinction, I say. Here's afew pics we took.....

 The cake. The 'Little Cake Shop' made it, it turned out beautiful and tasted great!

 East Shore Cafe hosted the party, they closed off the large dinning room for us. here we are greeting people as they arrive.

 Mo holding Oscar, Leah, Oscar Mom, Sam and me. This picture, to me, is a keeper.

 Just makes me proud....and smile, Mo too.

 Shortly after GrandMommie arrived and recovered some.

 Great GrandMommie and Oscar.

Julia, GrandMommie and Mo unwrapping presents. It was a great party, GrandMommie was surprised and pleased, I think, and we all enjoyed the lunch served and the friendships shared.
We took a pictures while we were at Maher Park, Ollie came and stayed a night with us, which of course was special. here's a few of the pics we took.

 Hoisting the Jolly Roger for the arrival of Ollie.

Solving the problems of the world. While he was there we went alligator hunting and found only one, but that was enough for both of us! Ollie is one cool kid!
Of course Debbie fed us like we were family while we were there,

 Ollie, Chuck and I caught 2 lizards before dinner, Debbie wasn't letting us near the door with those critters.

 The Cajun Witch in her environment.

 We all had this look on our face as we patiently waited for dinner.

 Debbies' cooking is well know to be the best, her witch powers aren't to be doubted either!

 Mo's lending a hand getting it on the table.
Our visit to Daphne included attending the new 6pm Music Mass at Christ the King and a visit to the school on Monday to see friends and teachers, play with Oscar and Ollie and a quick trip to Fairhope to see my running friends. (wish I could have run with them!) We had a wonderful time visiting, the rush and extra expense to get there was well worth it. We loaded up to leave with a little choke but we were off to a new adventure at Amazon.com for a job that would take us until Christmas.