May 17, 2012 - Traveling to LA

We bid farewell to Topsail and headed West.....100 miles to LA......Lower Alabama! We parked at the Escapees Rainbow Plantation near Fairhope, AL. Escapees is a club founded to give RVers.....most fulltimers.....a club for those with common interest. In the past we have stayed at some of their affiliate commericial campgrounds who offer up to 50% discounts on their rates but this was our first stay in an Escapees campground. The season at Rainbow Plantation is the winter....so the campground was not real busy. They also lease sites and sale...

Mar 26, 2012 - Spike & Claire, Fairhope AL (March 3-24, 2012)

The drive to Fairhope was uneventful, sometimes the best way to go. We backed into Spike and Claire's driveway after unhooking our toad. Perfect fit. Pete is getting to be a backing whiz, but then perhaps it's the Backup Director who makes it so easy. We stayed inside in the visitor wing of their home, in "our" room. The three bedrooms in the wing had been repainted and spruced up after a huge tree fell on the roof and into the attic, ruining the ceilings. Just to remind all, Spike is my older bro and Claire, my sister-in-law. Our...

Mar 3, 2012 - Mobile Bay's Eastern Shore Ride

There are some fun little towns on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, with some equally fun back roads through the countryside that are great to traverse on the motorcycle. A couple times we rode out and explored roadways we'd never been on before - we went over little rivers, past bays and inlets, saw lots of nice boat houses on the rivers and both small and large homes in the countryside. I liked the pecan groves we rode by too, and I always enjoy seeing grazing horses in their pastures. I didn't get to take many photos from the back of the...

Aug 28, 2011 - Beginning of Trip

Well we are finally on the road again after almost two years. Lee still has pain in his shoulder and has not regained total use of his shoulder. He is able to drive the truck but can't turn the wheel to the left without difficulty. I went through a bout of anemia which had me pretty much incapacitated for several weeks. After a week of iron infusion my red blood cell count improved and the Hematologist said I could make this trip. The trailer was filthy and I cleaned every nook and cranny. It took a week and a half because I couldn't work...

Apr 12, 2011 - Pensacola & Fairhope (Feb.12-April 11, 2011)

Greetings Friends and Family, We left The Blue Angel Naval Recreation Area RV-Campground in Pensacola Friday, April 8, and spent our last weekend in Fairhope, AL with Spike and Claire. Blue Angel has been our home since January 20, the day before Pete had rotator cuff surgery at the Naval Hospital. We fell into a lovely easy routine; hence not much to write about. Pete was under the doc's care and in physical therapy three days a week since his surgery. Last week he was cleared for travel and many activities. He is doing excellently and is...

Feb 27, 2011 - Mardi Gras Fun

Did you know that Mardi Gras celebrations did not begin in New Orleans? I always thought they did, but learned here last year that the first city on the Gulf Coast to celebrate Mardi Ggras was Mobile. During the early 19th century, several Krewes began holding parades and balls; the custom spread and now Mardi Gras celebrations are held all over the Gulf Coast and also inland. Ending on Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras parades and balls used to serve as a last “fling” before the abstinence of Lent, but now they are just for fun and no longer are...

Jan 28, 2011 - Fairhope, Alabama

Fairhope is a very pretty town in Baldwin County, Alabama; located on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay, Fairhope is home to lots of little boutiques and shops. It is unusual in that Fairhope was founded in 1894 on the site of former Alabama City as a utopian single tax colony by the "Fairhope Industrial Association." The map of the town explains that "In forming their demonstration project, they pooled their funds to purchase land at "Stapleton's pasture" on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and then divided it...

Jan 8, 2011 - Fairhope AL (Jan. 1-20, 2011)

Happy New Year! "Make 2011 an excellent year", that's what I'm going for. It's started off much like last year, which is an fine way to begin since 2010 ended in a good way and place for me. I certainly missed my Vermont friends over the holidays and was thrilled to hear from so many from there and elsewhere. Keeping in touch! With so many ways to do it, I vow to do so. A resolution? I'm not one for making resolutions, yet will go for this. The time with Claire and Spike continues to go well, with Willie parked in their driveway, mostly...

Dec 31, 2010 - Fairhope AL (Dec. 1 - 31, 2010)

We arrived in Alabama on Dec. 1 and left Willie the RV at Camping World for some repairs, including a new awning to replace the one torn off in the Big Stone Gap windstorm. Then, on to Spike and Claire's in Fairhope, where we settled in their "guest" suite. Since they added a new bedroom area and family room-kitchen, the older part of the house (3 bedrooms, 2 baths) is for guests and family. Soleil, Pete, and I could each have our own bedroom, but we decided to bunk together. For those who don't know, Spike (Robert) is my older brother...

Dec 24, 2010 - Merry Christmas (2010)

On Christmas Eve morning I sat on a pier in Mobile Bay at Fairhope, Alabama wishing all my friends and family could be here too. It's a big pier - plenty of room! Soleil and I watched the pelicans diving for their meal and various ducks and geese fly around. I think they've come as far south as they're coming. I noticed a few that looked like Vermont snowbirds. I guess that's what Pete and I are this year. We're parked at my brother Spike and sister-in-law Claire's home in Fairhope and as we have at all our stops enjoying being with...

Jul 19, 2010 - Lee surgery

Hello from the sunny south. Just to let everyone know there has been a set back in Lee's recovery. He developed an infection in his incision that the doctor feels is serious enough to reopen the incision to clean it out. He is scheduled for surgery today at 5:30 pm. The worse for him is he can't eat or drink anything until after the surgery. He has been experiencing a tightness in his shoulder but thought it was due to the physical therapy. The really weird thing is he will be hospitalized for at least 2 days this time but was not...

May 26, 2010 - Day 1

My doctor gave me permission to travel to Pleasant View, TN to attend our youngest grandchild's (Rachael) high school graduation. He said I could drive a little as long as I did not use my right arm for anything other than holding and steadying the bottom of the wheel. We had planned on departing the Hamlet around 10 P.M. on Wed, the 26th. We were on schedule until Sue tried to start the car. Needless to say, the battery was dead. After pushing the car out of the garage and getting a jump start, we drove to Advanced Auto Parts and got a new...