Another year, another candle on the cake. Or, in my case, another walk along a trail. Thought I would spend my morning on one of the trails here at the lake. Perhaps I will even put the kayak in the river for a while. Later today big brother is coming to visit. Now that's my best present.
Big brother Mike is exactly what every girl wants in a big brother. He has always had my back even when my choices turned out to be really stupid. Mike has always defended my right to make those stupid choices. And he has also been there to cheer me on at the good ones. I remember the first time I traveled to a conference to present a paper in grad school. It was one of those scary, grown up moments that we all have to go through. Luckily the presentation was at UGA and Mike, who probably understood very little of the academia that all us presenters were speaking (it was a sociology/psychology summit), sat through all the presentations and per my instructions, remembered not to applaud at the end of my presentation. But I could see how proud he was and looking out into the audience to see his smiling face sure did help kill some of those butterflies.
My first Navy leave was dinner with Mike and Linda and the babies (hard to believe they're now 30 plus) and of course he was there for my graduation from boot camp. And although he was too far away to attend, he made sure to call and tell me how proud he was at my college graduations (undergrad and grad). How many times has he taken me to find Georgia geocaches? Can't begin to count.
Over the years Mike has been there in the best of times and the worst. When I nearly died from a ruptured appendix in the 70s he somehow found time to get to the hosptial everyday (and I was there a month!). Throughout my dear husband's illness, despite the 300 miles between us, Mike was there. Many a time I called him in the middle of the night from Larry's hospital room and he never once checked the caller ID and ignored the call. In the end he was beside me every step. What more can a big brother do?
Well, he can make me cry just by writing a few words in a blog. Yes, my techno-snob big brother has entered the 21st century and is writing his own blog. And in my own humble opinion, he's doing a delightful job. He makes me laugh and makes me cry. Who knew big brother was the writer in the family? So this birthday I'm spending the day with big brother, and I'm sure we'll be reading about it in his blog. Hope he doesn't make me cry.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Window Treatments
Well, I've had a little more time sitting still so finally got the materials that I needed and recovered 2 of the valances plus installed a new shade. OK, I have to brag on myself here because in the past I never would have dared to try this especially on my own. And I won't say it went quickly, but I worked slowly, backed up and redid one or two steps, but I'm quite proud of the outcome.
Here's the valance over the daybed which has the old day/night shade. This is my next window to tackle (waiting for Sunday when most of my campers are leaving and it's supposed to rain, so I'll have to stay inside anyway.
And here's the window on the opposite wall over the slide which has the newly redone valance and the new solar shade.
Also did the little valance over the door even though I don't have a shade for it yet. I may put a regular set of blinds there just haven't decided yet.
And the really great part was the price for fabric and materials. I had to order more staples for my staple gun which was about $5 with free shipping from Amazon. The fabric was a discounted table cloth at Target that was regularly $20 but marked down to $12. I will have enough fabric to do all the valances with some left over!
After all that work I was ready to rest but the park naturalist was leading a 2 mile hike through the riverside trail at 8pm so I took a long walk. Learned a lot and now feel like I can answer some questions about the trail system and local ecology. But after all that it was time to slip into jammies and have a cup of tea. Then about 11pm I had to slip back into some outdoor clothes and go over to the playground to send some late night teens home before they woke up the whole campground.
Today I may go geocaching with a family that is camping here and has just started caching. There are a lot of caches in this park so I should stay busy. More in a few days with the next updates.
Here's the valance over the daybed which has the old day/night shade. This is my next window to tackle (waiting for Sunday when most of my campers are leaving and it's supposed to rain, so I'll have to stay inside anyway.
And here's the window on the opposite wall over the slide which has the newly redone valance and the new solar shade.
Also did the little valance over the door even though I don't have a shade for it yet. I may put a regular set of blinds there just haven't decided yet.
And the really great part was the price for fabric and materials. I had to order more staples for my staple gun which was about $5 with free shipping from Amazon. The fabric was a discounted table cloth at Target that was regularly $20 but marked down to $12. I will have enough fabric to do all the valances with some left over!
After all that work I was ready to rest but the park naturalist was leading a 2 mile hike through the riverside trail at 8pm so I took a long walk. Learned a lot and now feel like I can answer some questions about the trail system and local ecology. But after all that it was time to slip into jammies and have a cup of tea. Then about 11pm I had to slip back into some outdoor clothes and go over to the playground to send some late night teens home before they woke up the whole campground.
Today I may go geocaching with a family that is camping here and has just started caching. There are a lot of caches in this park so I should stay busy. More in a few days with the next updates.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Making Changes
As you know by now, my copilot Gus is having some physical limitation problems as a result of living to the ripe old age of 14. Keeping his limits in mind and taking into consideration what my needs are for living in Seeker, I have undertaken some modifications to make our home more comfortable for both of us. But since Gus is the senior member (and I am just his servant) the first mods were to help with his needs. So let's get rid of the dinette!
Oh, wait, we can't get rid of the benches because then we'd have inner workings exposed. What to do, what to do? And then one day it dawned on me: turn the dinette into a daybed. When I suggested this to my brother Mike who is a great carpenter and furniture maker he immediately let me know that I could no longer have overnight guests more than 5'6" tall, a figure he is substantially over. Yes, well, he is right in a way, although my guest could take my large bunk over the cab and I, at 5'4.75" can comfortably sleep on the daybed. Perhaps even the guest could roll out one of my sleeping bags on the floor, or pitch a tent outside the door, or wait.... I wasn't thinking about entertaining guests when I bought Seeker. I was looking for a home on the backroads of our country and one that is just enough room for me and Gus and not much else. Brenda rode shotgun on our whirlwind tour of New England last summer (she's well under 5'6"), and the grandkids loved sleeping in the upper bunk when they camped with me. So what's the problem, you say? What about the couch? Oh, yeah, that's gone now too. Since the dinette is now a couch the couch space needed to be a table and chairs to act as my desk/table (more on that next post). So, I guess I have to start picking short friends or camping near motels. Life is full of trade offs. But Gus is very happy with the new arrangement which I call the Diva Daybed since I really feel decadent stretched out there reading a book or computing. Gus also gets his share of decadence there.
So here are the details along with supporting pictures. Hope you like it!
Typically this what the dinette looked like only with more books, papers, etc. and occassionally I would actually eat a meal at this table.
Here is the "bones" of the daybed. The former tabletop is in the bed position and the cushions are layed across for a foundation which is not comfortable for sitting very long. I put a 2" high density foam pad across the top of the cushions. Then I took a down filled mattress topper that I had saved from emptying the house last year and put it on top of that. It adds a little more padding and because it's a queen it rolls up a bit at the back wall to help form a back. I tucked all this together with a simple tan sheet just to anchor it and to keep the front vents of the power supply/fuse box open. The forward bench is mostly empty and I have a large plastic tub that slides in and out of there easily which I use as my junk drawer. Hey, everybody has to have one.
Oh, wait, we can't get rid of the benches because then we'd have inner workings exposed. What to do, what to do? And then one day it dawned on me: turn the dinette into a daybed. When I suggested this to my brother Mike who is a great carpenter and furniture maker he immediately let me know that I could no longer have overnight guests more than 5'6" tall, a figure he is substantially over. Yes, well, he is right in a way, although my guest could take my large bunk over the cab and I, at 5'4.75" can comfortably sleep on the daybed. Perhaps even the guest could roll out one of my sleeping bags on the floor, or pitch a tent outside the door, or wait.... I wasn't thinking about entertaining guests when I bought Seeker. I was looking for a home on the backroads of our country and one that is just enough room for me and Gus and not much else. Brenda rode shotgun on our whirlwind tour of New England last summer (she's well under 5'6"), and the grandkids loved sleeping in the upper bunk when they camped with me. So what's the problem, you say? What about the couch? Oh, yeah, that's gone now too. Since the dinette is now a couch the couch space needed to be a table and chairs to act as my desk/table (more on that next post). So, I guess I have to start picking short friends or camping near motels. Life is full of trade offs. But Gus is very happy with the new arrangement which I call the Diva Daybed since I really feel decadent stretched out there reading a book or computing. Gus also gets his share of decadence there.
So here are the details along with supporting pictures. Hope you like it!
Typically this what the dinette looked like only with more books, papers, etc. and occassionally I would actually eat a meal at this table. 
Here is the "bones" of the daybed. The former tabletop is in the bed position and the cushions are layed across for a foundation which is not comfortable for sitting very long. I put a 2" high density foam pad across the top of the cushions. Then I took a down filled mattress topper that I had saved from emptying the house last year and put it on top of that. It adds a little more padding and because it's a queen it rolls up a bit at the back wall to help form a back. I tucked all this together with a simple tan sheet just to anchor it and to keep the front vents of the power supply/fuse box open. The forward bench is mostly empty and I have a large plastic tub that slides in and out of there easily which I use as my junk drawer. Hey, everybody has to have one. 
Next I used the rag quilt that my sister-in-law Linda made for me as the top cover. I just love all the reds and browns which go well with the tans on the top rails and at the windows (more on window changes soon too). It's all cotton and very easy to take off and wash when it gets doggy prints or a spill.
That space under the center of the "Diva Daybed" is welcome extra storage. Needed a place to keep those extra tiles for the floor as well as some other things. That's my tool box on the corner and yes, Gus has a small bed tucked in front. Sometimes he wants to be at ground level and with his back problems I can understand, so it's there for him when he doesn't want to climb.
I was wondering how I would make bolsters and wandered into a thrift shop where I found this pair of large quilted pillow shams. And for only $4! Again, they are cotton and totally washable so they are perfect. Went next door to Big Lots and spent $20 on enough pillows to really fill them up good and voila! we have a bolster. Well, I like them.
And here is Diva Dog enjoying the fruits of my labor. I added the tan arm pillow for when I get to be the Diva. The French glove pillow is another leftover from my bedroom at the house. But how does he get up there? I mean it is about 4" lower than the couch was, but still it's a climb for an old fella. Just in front of the door to the storage space under the forward bench is one of those storage cubes that was given to me last fall when someone was housecleaning. So I got it for free and we love free. I use it to store some items I don't need very often. It had rolling caster feet which I removed and replaced with felt slides so that it can be moved on the floor, but not too easily. It's bright blue but I keep it covered with Gus' doggy towel which is tan (keep the red/tan thing going) and once again is washable. As you can see he does concede a little room for me to share with him but he doesn't act happy about it.
So, there you have it. The dinette is no more (although I could reassemble it easily if there were a reason to) and Gus and I have a new favorite place to recline and snooze. Ahhh, it's a tough life. Which reminds me, it's time for my 4:30 golf cart ride through the campground to check on things. Gus rides shotgun when he feels up to it.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Touchdown: Newnan, GA
Wow, what a whirlwind month May was!!! I am finally sitting still again which is odd. By the end of April I was getting restless to be moving and by the end of May and all my rushed travels I was ready to get here and sit still again. Can't make myself happy it seems sometimes.
But happy I am tonight. The whiporwill is calling in the woods outside my window. A train whistle is blowing in the distance. Gus is breathing loudly beside me and best of all, it's so cool here that I have the windows open and will sleep under a quilt tonight. I love being in the woods.
SO WHERE AM I AND WHAT AM I DOING THIS TIME?
I'm campground host for campground #1 at Chattahoochee Bend State Park which is about 10 miles from Newnan, GA. The park just opened last July which is good and bad. The good part is how new and shiny everything is. The bad part is a thing called settling. In some cases the ground settles away from utility poles and water lines, etc. which is a mess. In my case the once level parking pad had shifted so badly I couldn't get level and for the first time I had to give up and ask for help. But the rangers here were great and it only took them an hour, some extra boards, and a floor jack from the shop to get me level. I had my doubts but they got it done. Guess I have to stay now since they worked so hard to keep me here. And I just figured out that there are 25 caches in this park so I will be busy hiking the trails soon.
SO WHERE HAVE I BEEN AND WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?
It's hard to believe that a month ago I left Folkston and drove to Winder for Mike's 65th birthday party. I had a good visit there with him and Linda but I had to leave and get to Hohenwald for the Lewis County High School graduation. Hard to believe that Carly and Cole are all grown now and headed off to college soon. Also got to see Addy dance and went to some baseball games - hers and Aiden's (and Denton's, and Mahaley's, and Clay's). Seeker stayed behind in Hohenwald while I drove up to Nashville with Gus to visit with Brenda and take care of some personal business and visited with some friends in the city. Then it was back to Hohenwald to hook up and head north toward Louisville. But first I made a stop about halfway between Nashville and Louisville at a cousin's house. And so began my Kentucky adventures.
Madeline Ruth is actually my mother's cousin since her mother and my grandmother were sisters. But she is only a few years older than me and we share an interest in family geneaology so I told her I'd stop for a day or two if she had a place for me to park. And she had a place for the rig. She also had a house full of kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and all sorts of kith and kin. She apologized for how loud it all was, but I've been to 2 Ogg Reunions so I can handle big family crowds. And everyone is so much fun and so loving. Her husband Jim really is a gem. He does take a little getting used to though but watch out if he offers you some Apple Pie!
Madeline has 4 kids and the 2 youngest are twins. Sherry's 3 boys were at the house a lot and I must admit I had a good time entertaining them (or vice versa). Then while I was there Sarah went to the hospital to give birth to J.W. whose big sister Abigail is still not sure she wants to keep him. Lorie, the oldest girl, has her hands full with 2 teens and a big house in the country complete with lots of animals to tend to. And Jim, the only boy, is his father made over. What a terrific family. I had a great time staying there and getting to know them all but the sudden arrival of JW interferred with our plans to go archive hunting in Franklin, so I made plans to leave Geowoodstock a day early so Madeline and I could have our time in Franklin.
So off to Louisville for the geek convention as Darlene would say. Actually I was camped on the Indiana side of the river at a lovely state park that was filled with geocachers. I thought of my nephews in Hohenwald as the park was filled with wildlife and it was not uncommon to see big, fat turkeys strutting through the campground! I volunteered to help out with registration so most of the actual event time I spent behind a counter, but that was fun too. And I got to see everyone as they came in. Passed on a chance to take a boat out to an island in the Ohio River to hunt caches. Yes, even I have to back down sometimes and it was so hot on Sunday I just wanted to go home and rest in the cool. So I did.
BACK TO MADELINE'S
I broke one of the sacred rv rules and traveled on a major holiday. Since it meant getting across the river and through Louisville before the workday crowds came back on Tuesday, I thought it was the best decision. Besides, I was only going 2 hours down the road and I had a sure place to stay. Back on the farm. This time we carved out a day without grandkids to get to Franklin, KY and do some digging in the archives. We found lots of interesting stuff but my favorite was the copy of my parents' marriage license. They lied about their ages to get married. Imagine that!! Also found some death certificates, marriage records, and a few old photos. All in all, a good day of digging.
HEADING SOUTH
As much as I was enjoying my time on the farm with Madeline and her family, I had an obligation to get to back in Georgia. It was agonizing to leave, partly because I felt so at home there and partly because I got behind an Amish buggy on the narrow highway and had to go very, very slow. Stopped in Nashville for lunch with Brenda and to pick up Gus. He was so excited to be back with me. I layed his quilt between the seats and he was ready to ride. And with some strong winds and rain headed in from the west, I was ready to get out of town. We made it into Georgia for the night and even got hooked up in Fort Mountain State Park for the night before the rains came. The next day I was moving slowly again down the mountain in the fog the rains left behind, but as you can tell we made it fine. Made a couple of stops along the backroads and finally got to the Bend right after closing. I didn't even really try to set up last night. I think the past month has caught up with me. I just want to rest for a few days.
NEXT?
Hope to do some kayaking real soon. Also making some more changes in Seeker. Will post pictures very soon. For now, I just want to be still and listen to that whiporwill.
But happy I am tonight. The whiporwill is calling in the woods outside my window. A train whistle is blowing in the distance. Gus is breathing loudly beside me and best of all, it's so cool here that I have the windows open and will sleep under a quilt tonight. I love being in the woods.
SO WHERE AM I AND WHAT AM I DOING THIS TIME?
I'm campground host for campground #1 at Chattahoochee Bend State Park which is about 10 miles from Newnan, GA. The park just opened last July which is good and bad. The good part is how new and shiny everything is. The bad part is a thing called settling. In some cases the ground settles away from utility poles and water lines, etc. which is a mess. In my case the once level parking pad had shifted so badly I couldn't get level and for the first time I had to give up and ask for help. But the rangers here were great and it only took them an hour, some extra boards, and a floor jack from the shop to get me level. I had my doubts but they got it done. Guess I have to stay now since they worked so hard to keep me here. And I just figured out that there are 25 caches in this park so I will be busy hiking the trails soon.
SO WHERE HAVE I BEEN AND WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?
It's hard to believe that a month ago I left Folkston and drove to Winder for Mike's 65th birthday party. I had a good visit there with him and Linda but I had to leave and get to Hohenwald for the Lewis County High School graduation. Hard to believe that Carly and Cole are all grown now and headed off to college soon. Also got to see Addy dance and went to some baseball games - hers and Aiden's (and Denton's, and Mahaley's, and Clay's). Seeker stayed behind in Hohenwald while I drove up to Nashville with Gus to visit with Brenda and take care of some personal business and visited with some friends in the city. Then it was back to Hohenwald to hook up and head north toward Louisville. But first I made a stop about halfway between Nashville and Louisville at a cousin's house. And so began my Kentucky adventures.
Madeline Ruth is actually my mother's cousin since her mother and my grandmother were sisters. But she is only a few years older than me and we share an interest in family geneaology so I told her I'd stop for a day or two if she had a place for me to park. And she had a place for the rig. She also had a house full of kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and all sorts of kith and kin. She apologized for how loud it all was, but I've been to 2 Ogg Reunions so I can handle big family crowds. And everyone is so much fun and so loving. Her husband Jim really is a gem. He does take a little getting used to though but watch out if he offers you some Apple Pie!
Madeline has 4 kids and the 2 youngest are twins. Sherry's 3 boys were at the house a lot and I must admit I had a good time entertaining them (or vice versa). Then while I was there Sarah went to the hospital to give birth to J.W. whose big sister Abigail is still not sure she wants to keep him. Lorie, the oldest girl, has her hands full with 2 teens and a big house in the country complete with lots of animals to tend to. And Jim, the only boy, is his father made over. What a terrific family. I had a great time staying there and getting to know them all but the sudden arrival of JW interferred with our plans to go archive hunting in Franklin, so I made plans to leave Geowoodstock a day early so Madeline and I could have our time in Franklin.
So off to Louisville for the geek convention as Darlene would say. Actually I was camped on the Indiana side of the river at a lovely state park that was filled with geocachers. I thought of my nephews in Hohenwald as the park was filled with wildlife and it was not uncommon to see big, fat turkeys strutting through the campground! I volunteered to help out with registration so most of the actual event time I spent behind a counter, but that was fun too. And I got to see everyone as they came in. Passed on a chance to take a boat out to an island in the Ohio River to hunt caches. Yes, even I have to back down sometimes and it was so hot on Sunday I just wanted to go home and rest in the cool. So I did.
BACK TO MADELINE'S
I broke one of the sacred rv rules and traveled on a major holiday. Since it meant getting across the river and through Louisville before the workday crowds came back on Tuesday, I thought it was the best decision. Besides, I was only going 2 hours down the road and I had a sure place to stay. Back on the farm. This time we carved out a day without grandkids to get to Franklin, KY and do some digging in the archives. We found lots of interesting stuff but my favorite was the copy of my parents' marriage license. They lied about their ages to get married. Imagine that!! Also found some death certificates, marriage records, and a few old photos. All in all, a good day of digging.
HEADING SOUTH
As much as I was enjoying my time on the farm with Madeline and her family, I had an obligation to get to back in Georgia. It was agonizing to leave, partly because I felt so at home there and partly because I got behind an Amish buggy on the narrow highway and had to go very, very slow. Stopped in Nashville for lunch with Brenda and to pick up Gus. He was so excited to be back with me. I layed his quilt between the seats and he was ready to ride. And with some strong winds and rain headed in from the west, I was ready to get out of town. We made it into Georgia for the night and even got hooked up in Fort Mountain State Park for the night before the rains came. The next day I was moving slowly again down the mountain in the fog the rains left behind, but as you can tell we made it fine. Made a couple of stops along the backroads and finally got to the Bend right after closing. I didn't even really try to set up last night. I think the past month has caught up with me. I just want to rest for a few days.
NEXT?
Hope to do some kayaking real soon. Also making some more changes in Seeker. Will post pictures very soon. For now, I just want to be still and listen to that whiporwill.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)