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. 

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.

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.

Hello Nashville Good-Bye

Hello Nashville!

Barely a week ago I had Middle Tennessee in my headlights for the first time since Christmas.  Now I look out my rearview mirror to see the Titans stadium fading into the distance.  It's been a whirlwind visit but I have things to do and places to be so I've pointed Seeker north on I-65 and put the gas pedal down.  The past 10 days were filled with doctor and dentist appointments (all good) and visits with family and friends.  Never enough time to see and do it all.  Gus is not riding shotgun on this trip.  He's staying in Nashville with his other mommy and resting.  I worry if the trip back to Georgia will be his last or if he'll even make the trip.  Gus will be 14 next month and he has been moving a lot slower the last few months.  The vet in Hohenwald confirmed the reason:  most of the cartilage in his spine is gone.  His eyes are very cloudy too.  Hoping that good meds and a good rest at Brenda's will help him feel better, but time is not on his side.  So I'm leaving Nashville with tears in my eyes this time as I try to look up the road ahead of me to new adventures and not what is behind me that I can't fix.  Good-bye Nashville, for now.

So Where Do You Live?

So, I left my homey little campsite in Folkston and drove up highway 15 to big brother's house.  Unfortunately he has no place for me to set up so Seeker sat in front of the house for a week.  It was great to spend some time with Mike and Linda.  I always enjoy my time there.  Mike even took me geocaching one day at 2 state parks not far from the house.  Each one was a short hike in the woods.  The next day he complained I had made his calves hurt.  I just laughed and reminded him that he was getting old.  In fact, we had his 65th birthday party while I was there.  I met several of his friends and found out that many of them read this blog.  One lady asked me where I was going next.

"Tennessee," I replied, "then on to Kentucky and Indiana, back through Tennessee and a short pass through north Alabama on my way back to Georgia."

"But where do you live?," she asked again.

"Where I'm parked," I answered with a smile.

"But don't you have a house?"

"Yes, but I don't live in it.  I live in my motorhome.  It's a home with a motor and wheels under it."  I thought this would explain it, but she still looked puzzled.  Some folks have only one definition of a home, and it includes bricks and mortor.  I have happily traded in my bricks and mortor for wheels and a motor. 

So where do I live?  This week in Tennessee.  Next week?  Kentucky.  The next week?  Indiana?  And after that?  Georgia.  And after that?  I don't know for sure yet.  Perhaps my brothers were telling the truth when they said I was a baby left on the doorstep by gypsies!

Roll Up The Awning and Pull In The Slide

Well, I have mixed emotions about leaving my idyllic little spot beside the pond here.  This afternoon I was sitting at my window reading when my next door neighbor, the Great Crested Flycatcher, perched on the path sign beside my site.  His crest blew lightly in a soft breeze and he held a large cricket that I'm sure he was on the way home with to the family.  But he took the time to sit and stare at me through the window as if he too were a little sad to see me folding up my chairs and taking down the party lights over the picnic table.  He also assured me that it wasn't him but surely must have been the mockingbirds that were leaving big purple blobs on my roof.  Well, I won't take it up with the mockingbirds around here.  I've seen them chase half grown dogs off the property.  Perhaps Steve, the owner, is a bird whisperer. 

OK, this place is a little quirky, I admit.  So am I which is why I made such a perfect fit here.  And although I have so many plans made for places to go and people to see, I am a little sad tonight.  And I think I'll carry a little piece of the place with me when I go.  Goodbye Okefenokee Pastimes and thanks for some really great times!

Traveling With Friends

I know I haven't posted in 10 days but it has been a full and busy 10 days.  I thought I would take the time this morning before going in to work to catch you up on my activities lately.  It has been really busy at the campground but is gradually slowing down for the season..  We have had time to go through each of the cabins and do a thorough cleaning before new check-ins arrive.  This means getting into corners with a toothbrush, moving beds out and wiping down wood paneling with Murphy oil soap, cleaning lamps and ceiling fixtures, and well, you get the idea.  I have decided that the innkeeper life is not for me.  It's a lot of work with very little time to play.  Although that is what we did yesterday.

Thursday was a rare day in that we had no campers here and didn't expect anyone to check in until late in the afternoon.  So early in the morning we loaded up the kayaks, locked the gates behind us, and headed down to the refuge.  We put in our boats around 8am and headed for the orange trail.  What a rare opportunity for us to get a guided paddle tour with Steve and Jo who are so knowledgeable about the swamp and all its wildlife.  We heard the prothonatary warbler several times but only saw it once (and I was in the wrong spot so missed seeing it) but, I did get to watch a red shouldered hawk feeding a nest of its young.  It was a little cool early on so we didn't see many alligators at first.  There were a few and Jo and Linda heard one bellow.  Herman was close enough to see the bellowing fellow (he probably was the cause of the bellow).  We went through an area where the vultures were circling low over our heads and you could see lots of white feathers around, so I figure they had ibis for breakfast and were maybe considering one of us for their next feast.  Keep paddling fast here!!

The pace was faster than usual because Steve wanted to take a loop trail down the orange trail and see some areas he can't get into with the motor boat.  Of course, with the heat you have to be sure and keep hydrated along the way.  And for those of you who are wondering, there are restrooms along the way.  I didn't stop to try this one out, but I'm sure you need to check for snakes before sitting down.  Lucky for me I still have the bladder they issued me in the navy.  It's good for about 4 hours which meant I made it back to the campground just fine.  The entire paddle was a little over 7 miles and by lunch we had returned, cleaned and re-stowed the kayaks and equipment, and everyone was resting.  A great trip!!!

Speaking of trips, this weekend was full of travel.  My buddy Ann, who has just retired from the school system in Nashville, came down this way for a beach holiday.  I drove over to St. Marys, GA where she was staying in a nice B&B for a few days.  We had a delish dinner at Seagle's Saloon and got caught up with things Saturday night.  Then Sunday morning we got together and drove up to St. Simons Island to see some of the sights.

 We did a few geocaches also and I introduced Ann to the new Geocaching Challenges which she really loved.  I think she completed 7 challenges while she was here.  We did a lot of running, squeezed in some shopping, and finally on Tuesday when I had to get back to work Ann moved to Amelia Island where she could just sit at a table by the beach and relax.  I think she's getting the hang of this retirement thing now.  I have a few pictures to add to this post but will have to wait for some that are on others' cameras.  Check back later for those.

My Boob Job

Sorry I haven't written in nearly 2 weeks.  I've been a little busy.  Seems I have been remiss in my yearly visits to the women's clinic and this year I decided to catch up.  But what caught me by surprise was a couple of dark, shady characters that appeared mysteriously in the mammogram of my right boob.  Probably nothing the medical folks kept saying, but still we should look a little closer.  So I scheduled an ultrasound of my boob.  Imagine my surprise when I learned they now use a warm gel on the ultrasound wand.  Well, that picture didn't tell them anything more so the next best thing is just to go in a take a piece of it.  And then?, I asked.  Well, then we will know what it is and how to proceed. 

I just love an answer that really isn't an answer.  But now I had to know so I scheduled the biopsy for this week.  I mean, heck, I've got a retirement schedule all planned out, well at least the next 6 months, and no where on that schedule did I have any down time for medical procedures.  It was killing me to have to wait a week.  But I was confident.  There's no history of breast cancer in my family.  And back in 1992 I had a large lump removed from the same breast which turned out to be a benign non-cancerous tumor.  Besides all that, I just kept telling the medical staff I am old with fat, scarred boobs.  They are overreacting.  No, they said, we are erring on the side of caution.  Whatever.

So Monday my camper buddy Linda and I got lost and found again in Jacksonville traffic but somehow got to the clinic on time.  I will say that the staff I dealt with at Jacksonville Memorial were all very kind and understanding and did try to make the whole ordeal as pleasant as a thing like this could be.  But you try laying on your side with foam wedges shoved up into your back and your arm raised up and behind your head for 45 minutes while 2 grown women are sticking needles into your boob and pressing down really hard ("Sorry Dear but we need to get a really good image of what we are aiming at.")  When it was over and the doctor said I could put my arm down I had to confess that I couldn't feel my arm anymore.  The tech was kind enough to move it down to my side for me. 

Then they closed the holes with surgial super glue, bound me up in an ace bandage and stuck ice packs in the bandaging to keep the swelling down.  And then I went home to wait.  I pretty much just layed around for 2 days feeling like the loser in a bad bar brawl.  But this morning I went on over to the office and back to work.  We had to wash windows and screens in all the bathrooms and the empty cabins before the weekend rush hits.  About half way through the morning the nurse called with the biopsy results:  BENIGN Fibroid Adenomas.  Non-cancerous.   Guess that means my original retirement schedule is still on target.  Still, I do have some left overs from this:

2 small scars from where the biopsy needle was inserted.  I doubt I'll be showing those to anyone.
Lots of bruising but not as bad as I thought it would be
2 titanium tags

If you're doing a WTF reaction on that last one you're not alone.  I didn't read anything about that in the literature I was given.  But I have since learned that it is standard procedure for any breast biopsy now days.  Basically the doctor inserts this tiny titanium marker into the site where the mystery meat is removed from so that should they need to go in and remove that area they don't have to look too hard for it.  In my case there were 2 mysteries so I have 2 new pieces of hardware.  One is shaped like the breast cancer ribbon and the other looks like half the ribbon.  And they are mine to keep forever.

So of course I wondered if I would have to explain setting off the metal detectors at the airport.  My mind came up with some really strange scenarios there.  But it seems that so far they don't set off the systems in use today.  In a way I'm kind of disappointed. 

And that's the end of my boob job story.  I hope it made you laugh or at least smile.