Pre-Halloween 2011: Wind Creek State Park in Alex City

Arriving at Wind Creek State Park Campground Thursday afternoon, it was obvious to see that Halloween festivities would be in full swing over the coming weekend even though the official holiday is more than a week away.  Turned out this would be the annual Fall Festival complete with costumes, campsite decorations and Trick-or-treat. Our site was nice and wooded but would be right in the heart of the festivities. That didn't cause us to relocate -- satellite reception (or lack thereof) caused it. Turned out to be a blessing as we took a spot a bit farther away from the playground and although it was without sewer connection, it was quiet and had more space.

Wind Creek State Park has over 640 campsites.

Plenty of children playing and riding bicycles -- everywhere!

Decorations for the festival.

More decorated campsites

Still more decorations

There were lots of "graveyards" in the campground!

We enjoyed campfires and walks around the lake with Ozzie and Lexie. There are hundreds of people doing the same thing and almost everyone has at least one dog.  The Auburn / LSU game was televised Saturday and we watched Auburn take the terrible beating. The loss did not ruin our weekend however.

Pop holding the babies

Photographer error caused the blur. 

On Sunday afternoon we heard Ozzie bark for the first time when a chocolate lab walked by where he and Lexie were in the playpen. The bark came after a ferocious growl. 

On Tuesday morning we relocated within the campground yet again. This time we moved to get into a site with sewer as our tanks are full. We plan to continue the short 40-50 mile drive to Auburn for the Ole Miss game on Thursday morning. Auburn allows RV to take the hayfield at 2 pm.

Finished Repairs. Now Friends and Family Matters

Waiting for the slide cover to be delivered to Columbia Camper, we enjoyed fall at Long Branch Corp of Engineers Campground at Center Hill  Lake over the long Columbus Day Weekend.  Leaves were colorful and nightly temperatures were very cool even though the days were still very warm.

Our campsite .Just out of the photo is the dreaded playground equipment
where screams of children were heard until long after nightfall.

We had a nice time at Long Branch but are anxious to get the repair finished so we can move along toward Auburn for October football. Kim called Monday afternoon to let us know the part had arrived and we scheduled a couple of hours to get them done. Meanwhile our mail and some Ozzie's new blue Snuggie (to match Lexie's pink one) had also arrived. Kim and Larry are so good to accept our deliveries and hold them for us.

Jerry checks to be sure the new slide will attach properly.

Jerry (left) and Royce (right) prepare the new slide cover for mounting it to Mona.

Gitten  'er dun.

End result.  The new slide cover is black as the champagne color cover is no longer produced.

Wayne and Royce contemplate the repair strategy of a leaky sink drain. 

Kim and Larry hard at work -- not.

Even after the repairs were finished, we stayed on in middle Tennessee for a week.  On Saturday we'd visit with Wayne's cousin, Betsy and her family who were on a whirlwind trip visiting Vanderbilt with their son, Matt.

Wayne with his cousin Betsy, her husband Steve and their children, Stephanie and Matt.

On Sunday we loaded Mona and Blackie and went to see my brother and his family. It's been three years since I've seen him. We stayed two nights at a county park campground in New Market, Alabama and enjoyed two dinner visits with them.

My brother Macky and me.  Some resemblance, eh?

Donna (Macky's wife), Sherrie (their daughter) and Chelsea (their granddaughter).

Preparing the campfire.  Wayne, Ricky, Macky, Donna, Sherrie, Nick and Chelsea.

With the weather quickly turning from beautiful and warm to cold and rainy, we left New Market on Tuesday morning.  We drove along I-565 through Huntsville to I-65 south headed to Birmingham.

Cotton ready to be picked.

Being brought up in the south, brown and white speckled cotton fields are not an uncommon sight.  But after being away for such a long time, it was nice to see them again and I decided they were photoworthy.  Same for the soybeans.

Soybean field.

Anxious to get out of town before the rain arrived, we drove through Huntsville quickly. I managed to snap these shots of the Space and Rocket Center as we drove by.  I take a lot of these nice things for granted, but a long visit in Huntsville will go on my bucket list for next time.  I'd like to see some of the places we lived and take a day visit to the Space Center. 

Huntsville: Rocket City.
NASA's Space and Rocket Center

Davidson Center for Space Exploration at Huntsville's US Space and Rocket Center.

Our next stop is to visit with Wayne's aunt Helen and her group in Birmingham. From there we'll finally get to Auburn -- we think.  Arrival at Oak Mountain State Park Campground was earlier than anticipated so we were able to get with Helen for a visit the same evening.

Helen and Wayne

We took Lexie and Ozzie with us to Helen's. This is the first visit we've made with the two of them so I was a little bit apprehensive. Helen was completely unconcerned and she was right. The three of them played all over the house all evening. I tried to capture a video but couldn't keep up with them. Helen's tiny back yard is completely enclosed and at one time, she opened the door and the three dogs came and went as they liked.  It was a good night everybody had a good time.

Ozzie

Lexie

Dusty is Helen's baby.

Two mischief makers

Helen is holding Lexie and I'm nervous about all the glass. 

Dog lover she is, Helen can "warm up" any dog.
Ozzie's watching intently.  He's never far from Lexie

The next day we met Helen at Pelham Civic Center where Lynn and Jay work. The complex houses two ice skating rinks and a nice banquet facility.  Lynn gave us a nice tour of the building and the kitchen where we found Jay hard at work on a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Helen, Wayne and Lynn

Clearing the calendar for next weekend.

Today's lunch for Chamber luncheon.

Jay has a new concoction: Sweet potato and pecan pie.  Delicious. 
He's boxing some for us to take..... Yummie.

After our tour of Pelham Civic Center, Helen, Wayne and I drove to Ballentrae Country Club for lunch.  The food at Ballentrae is catered by Lynn and Jay too. It was a "first visit" for all of us to the club.  Lunch was very good and we enjoyed the really cool, slightly overcast weather.  That evening, Jay and Lynn came by Helen's where we had Chinese food for supper. Of course we left Birmingham the next morning with our refrigerator loaded with delicious leftovers.

Our next stop is expected to be Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City, Alabama. It's only a few miles from Auburn where we hope to be early next week.  Helen, Jay and Lynn will join us for the Auburn / Ole Miss game.  Can't wait.

Tennessee In Autumn

Facing the Obstacles With A Smile (or Smirk)

This smug expression photo was take at Mountaindale Campground in Colorado Springs --
amid the stress of being car-less, tv-less, phone-less, computer-less, and insurance-less!
A bad day in retirement travel is better than a good day working! 

Managing The Repairs

We reached Nashville on Sunday afternoon and found the vacant lot across the street from the satellite dealer where we'd been instructed to park overnight. Not in a particularly desirable part of town, we nervously got the dog walking done before dark and stayed inside until the next morning when the technicians came across the street to see us. Surprisingly, our damage was a missing bearing -- probably knocked out out when the dome was struck by the slide cover. The bearing was replaced in minutes and we were ready to go.

The satellite couldn't rotate so it rubbed along one side.

With two dogs now, I need an easy means of shuttling my babies around when carrying or walking them isn't practical so, last week I found and ordered a stroller for them. I had it (among other things) shipped to Columbia Camper where my dear friend Kim would accept and hold it for me. 

Kim with Lexie and Ozzie's new stroller.

Taken at Columbia Campers in Columbia, Tennessee
Wayne pushing the doggie stroller containing both Lexie and Ozzie. 
We have to close the top to keep Ozzie from jumping out.

Along with the doggie stroller, I ordered a set of steps for Lexie to use getting onto the couch where she hasn't been able to go. Now all she can do is bark at Ozzie when he's on the window ledge behind the couch.  It too was delivered to Columbia Camper. Lexie's first attempt at the steps didn't go so well as she jumped down off the top step and hurt her left shoulder causing her to wince out loud when we picked her up. This lasted for just a day.  The following day she was improved and after that, we helped her up and down the steps until she learned to use them.  Ozzie, of course, merely uses the steps as a launching pad or avoids them altogether as he leaps like a deer on and off the couch.  He's also taken to jumping into Wayne's chair immediately after Wayne vacates it.  I think he is a real clown and loves making us laugh.  Here are some of the reasons I say that.

After Jerry, Larry and Nathan examined the damage to Mona and determined what parts would be ordered, we drove over to RP Williams to have the engine serviced.  Wayne asked them to look at the diesel leak and we learned our tank has a crack!  To repair it, the tank must be drained, dried, welded and then replaced.  This isn't a common problem so Mr. Williams isn't sure how long it will take. We were advised to prepare for an overnighter so we took a room in a local motel.

Mona is in one of RP Williams' repair bays.
She looks so tiny and helpless among the big trucks.

Wayne visits Mona in the hospital.

I used the afternoon at the motel as an opportunity to bathe Lexie and Ozzie.  I'm concerned that Ozzie might be getting into some fleas, something he's not had in Colorado.  I want his schedule to be the same as Lexie -- first of the month for both flea and heartworm medications. Ozzie hasn't experienced much in the way of daily brushings either, it seems, as he was really afraid of the whole activity.  I used the baby brush, letting him smell it first, and was careful to gently brush just his back at first. Later on, I'd get to his neck, then his head and other areas. 

Turned out we'd have only one night (two days) out of Mona as she was ready by Friday mid-afternoon.  When we went to pick her up we got an unexpected thrill to run into our granddaughter, Harley, at RP Williams. She had ridden with her grandmother to pick up parts when she saw us.  Turns out to be really good luck to have run into her as she (and Buddy) would be leaving early the next morning with those grandparents for a beach trip during the fall school break. 
We ended up staying on in Columbia over the weekend. We'd get to see Chad and Cole on Saturday for watching football and then a short visit with Cam and Amy on Sunday.  Exhausted, I didn't think to snap a single photograph. On Monday we picked up our mail and then headed east for some well-deserved Tennessee fall foliage.   Oooohhh.
end

The Glamorous Retirement Life Takes A Nosedive

Ozzie on the left, Lexie on the right.
Standing at the top of the steps.

On Monday, September 12th, we left Rifle, Colorado increased in number by one Ozzie Smalley.  Our route took us through some beautiful Rocky Mountain scenes as we traveled parallel to rapids of the Colorado River and the railroad bed.

If not for being so busy with my two babies, I would have snapped a few dozen pictures.  Instead I got this one photo. Wayne took it.

Look closely to see two sleeping dogs on my lap. Lexie on bottom, Ozzie on top.
Ozzie was still afraid of me so he lay real close to Lexie.

Just before rush hour we got through Denver and onto the flat part of eastern Colorado. Exhausted, we opted to stop overnight at a truck stop at Limon, Colorado.  We were moving quickly now as Wayne's college football fever is full bloom. The night air in Limon was cool and sometime during the night, the winds picked up and for the first time ever, I was actually afraid we'd get tossed over. The slides rattled and moved.

Ozzie at the top, Lexie at the bottom.

Ozzie. Posing for the camera.

Next morning we were up before the sun. We walked Lexie and Ozzie and then pulled out, headed east.  The winds were as high as any we've ever driven though and they were relentless. We rocked along and felt the pushing and pulling effect of the wind gusts. Less than five miles down I-70, a cannon-like sound caused us all to jump in fear. Unable to determine the source of the problem the only option was to pull onto the road shoulder to take a look.  I stayed inside while Wayne walked the length of the coach and saw that our largest slide cover (road side) was hanging off the curb side of the roof.  Climbing onto the roof, he found the whole slide cover and the damaged it had caused as it flew off the brackets and flopped around. Although the wind almost blew Wayne off the top of the coach,  traffic was light and he managed to tear the remaining 16" of canvas and remove the entire slide cover. The early morning sun was bright and I feared some tired trucker would be blinded by it and slam into our rear -- killing us all.

In short order, though, Wayne got the huge slide cover off the coach, rolled up and put into the car.  Leaving the rear liftgate glass open, the slide was as long as the car and rested on the bicycle frames on the car's backend.  Near the end of the process, a Colorado State Trooper stopped to see if we needed help. We did not.

We looked at our maps and opted to backtrack about 5 miles on I-70 to a road that would take us to Colorado Springs instead of returning to Denver.  Our destination was Camping World there.

The slide minus it's cover except for the 16" piece of canvas. The nylon strap was in too tight to remove.
It had to be duck taped to keep it from flapping in the wind.

The highway from Limon was a good one and it's wasn't long until we reached Camping World in Fountain, just south of Colorado Springs. We pulled into a parking spot and went to unhook the car only to find the battery was dead -- again. This makes about four times the battery has died while being towed.

A frustrated full-timer.  Dead battery. Charger on the ground.

Wayne is good to start the car every 3-4 hours to let the battery recharge so we can't figure this trouble. We called Ford's Roadside Assistance and they sent a wrecker to tow Blackie to the local dealer.  Our luck seems to be in a bit of a slump.  Wayne rode with the wrecker driver to the Ford dealer while Lexie, Ozzie and I stayed with the coach.

Close-up of a frustrated full-timer.
He really took it all in rather good humor, I must say.
Never lost his cool. 

The tow truck who took Wayne and Blackie away.....

We seem to have gotten the worst of Camping World's service technicans to deal with our slide cover problem.  He seemed preoccupied with telling us all about how bad this was going to be.

The bright spot in all this was about to be realized. Fortunately, there was a good "dog walk" place around Camping World. I took the dogs out several times as we're working on Ozzie's housebreaking. During one of those walks, I saw someone watching me and heard my name called.  The familiar voice and face of Connie, a friend from Tombstone Territories Campground who we met last winter. She and Dave were staying at a nearby campground. We enjoyed catching up on one each other's travels and we shared our miserable bad news with them.  They offered to help us and we appreciated it. It's amazing how much an offer like that can help one's spirits during these anxious moments.

Dave and Connie saved us. 
They are full-timers from Texas.  I always say the people in Texas are the most hospitable.

Waiting for word about the car while waiting in Camping World's parking lot, we decided to make a few personal business calls.  This resulted in the horrifying news that my medical insurance coverage had been cancelled for non-payment.  Interesting development since an electronic funds transfer (EFT) was drafted every month for the payment.  Furthermore, the payment was accepted by the vendor.  Several telephone calls later, we learned that all the medical payment funds had been misapplied to our dental plan (same company) but they refused to reinstate my medical coverage.  That's the thing with these COBRA plans, they look for ways to get insureds off the roster.  We're sure we're being punished today for some unknown wrongdoing.

By the day's end, we had secured ourselves a reservation at Mountaindale Campground where Connie and Dave were staying.  The drive to the campground was longer than we expected -- some 20 miles out of town, but we arrived and got setup well before dark.  Wayne turned on the TV and got a new message "AV FAULT" -- first time for that message!   We tried to entertain ourselves with the computer only to find we have no Internet signal.  Checking the phones, we see we have no cell coverage either.  Horrors! We're dead in the water.

Our friend and neighbor, Dave, climbed onto our roof the next morning and saw signs of the slide cover hitting the satellite and he also found that the thing had punched a hole in Mona's roof.  Ugh -- this is getting worse all the time.  Everything's broken and we can't make a call, send an email or drive ourselves to a cliff to jump off.  Remember, the car's still at the Ford dealer in town. Dave is quite good at DIY fixes and he patched the hole in the roof so well it should last for several weeks until we can get a permanent fix. 

Wayne and Dave surveying the damage to the roof and satellite.

The hole in our roof.

The slide cover surely "whacked" the satellite, although no sign of damage could be seen outside the dome.

Early that afternoon, Dave also helped me get onto the campground wi-fi. We sent an email message to the Ford dealer who responded quickly with our first good news in days.  Blackie's battery is still good -- just drained completely. It's been charged and the car is ready to pick up -- NO CHARGE! Even the tow was paid by Ford's Roadside Assistance. Dave again came to the rescue and drove Wayne into town to retrieve the car. We made plans to move out the very next morning. Originally, our though had been to stay on in Colorado Springs for several days but our "gut" feeling about the Camping World technician changed our minds.  We'll head back to middle-Tennessee to get our repairs done by people we know and trust at Columbia Campers.  Our satellite people are in Nashville, so we'll go there first...