The AQS QUILT SHOW

 On Thursday, we went out for breakfast at The Kountry Kitchen Diner. Again, we had homemade corned beef hash and eggs. The food and service were great.

David dropped me off at the quilt show and went back to the campground to spend time with the kitties. 

The show was very nice and there were some incredible quilts. Many, I have seen before. Many were from Japanese quilters. They had a display of Pat Holly's quilts which had so much intricate design and small appliqued pieces. True works of art.

I'll share as many pictures as I can.

There weren't as many vendors participating this year. I did see a few new items but didn't really buy much. 

After David picked me up, we went to Burkholder's Fabrics. They are way out in the country on this side of town and always have a great selection of fabrics. I even came home with a dozen farm fresh eggs from their farms.

Riley and Molly were enjoying the window and dashboard.

Next Stop is Pinch Pond Campground in Manheim, PA

 It was a couple of hours drive to our next stop, but it was not a pleasant one. The traffic was horrible, and we had to take part of the loop around Baltimore (695) and them go north on 83 into PA. Once we were near Lancaster the drive was all small roads with lots of traffic. Our reason for staying here was the AQS quilt show at the sports stadium.

This was our first time staying in Manheim and on this side of town. The campground was actually north of Lancaster. The staff here were very welcoming. The gentleman at the gate was very nice and an ex-Marine like David & he was very friendly & chatty. I went in to get the information and the map . They gave us a gate card without having to pay anything. Another man showed us to our site. It was plenty big; some shade and in a good spot.

After we settled in, we took out the kitty strollers and sat outside with them. I even took Molly for a ride around the campground. 

I went over to check out the laundry room, which is open 24/7. The washers were $1.50 to wash and $150 to dry. Pretty cheap by other campground standards. We will need to do laundry here with those prices. It looks like it's going to be a nice stay here.

The next morning, we went out for breakfast at a diner close by. The food was plentiful and reasonably priced. We both had the corned beef hash and eggs. The rest of the day we sort of did some clean up and relaxed, sitting outside with Molly and Abigail and leaving Riley inside.

Tomorrow is the quilt show.

Rambling Pines Campground in Woodbine, MD

 The drive through Virginia and Maryland was really beautiful with the lush greenery and wide, hilly meadows. It was a pleasant drive,

Our next stop was Rambling Pines Campground. It was our in a rural area and it had lots of amenities listed on their website as I was checking before making reservations. They also had lots of rules, rules, rules. There was a gate and gate house, but no one there. I had to get out of the MH to go and press the button to tell them we were there to register. We got through the gate, and I went into the office. I gave the girl my name and she wanted my driver's license to copy it. That's a first for me. In 18 years of RVing no one has ever copied my driver's license, and no one has ever had a check in time after 3pm. OK. Then they wanted our car tag number, OK, and a complete registration form filled out even though I did that online already. I had to sign saying I agreed to their rules, but they didn't tell me or give me a list of their rules. I asked about a gate card to get back in and the girl asked if I would be coming back about 8pm when the office was closed. I said I had no idea, so I needed a gate card. She said it was $40 CASH and I would get it back if I returned it. She gave me a map with no info about the campground, i.e, garbage pickup, laundry or their amenities. They did not show us to our site, but we finally found it, which was shaded, under trees. When we went to hook up the water, the hook up was in a well like hole in the ground and hard to get to. That's another first for us.

They had cable TV, but the cable was a male end and so was our cable, so we had to find an adapter to hook it up. The setting was very nice, but the rules, staff and lack of information was not. 

We were staying for 2 nights. We had friends nearby that were coming to visit the next day. The kitties had a great time sitting out in their strollers, looking for squirrels. Acorns were everywhere, so there must be squirrels.

We had to make a run to Walmart for a few things, but we did enjoy the campground, minus all the rules and unwelcoming staff. We bought a small carpet cleaner at Walmart to clean our carpets. They haven't been cleaned in a good while and the large cleaner we have at home is just too big to get into some of the tight areas in the MH.

Our friends, Ellen and Mike came over about 6:30 and we had a great time chatting with them. They have a gorgeous Maine Coon named Sid and another beautiful rescue cat named Larry. Ellen and I have been FB friends for a long time, and this is the first time we have met. It was a great visit & I'm so glad they could come over to see us.

The next day, I had to do some laundry, and they did have a nice laundry here, even though it was $4.50

 to do a large load and $3.00 to dry. Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!

Next to the laundry was a game room with was very nice. We noticed lots of things for kids to do here, ever though they didn't share that with us.

Molly says, she's resting up for her next adventure.

Natural Bridge KOA

 We had such a nice stay at the Natura Bridge KOA. It was very quiet and the kitties had such a nice time looking out all of the windows. I'm sure they were just happy not to be riding and we were too.

I was relaxing in the bedroom, watching TV and Riley saw something on the ceiling that got him all excited. My guess, it was a reflection of some sort. Who knows. I guess when you are trapped in an RV, anything is entertaining.

It was a restful night. Our next stop was going to be in Woodbine, MD and we couldn't check in until 3PM, so we decided to go back to The Pink Cadilac for breakfast since we had plenty of time.

Breakfast was good and service was fast. 

As we were leaving the campground I noticed they had a little barnyard thing going on with goats and chickens prancing and climbing all around. I wish I had known, I would have taken the kitties for a walk over there to see them.

Guess I didn't get a picture of the goats climbing on the logs, but they were super cute. On our way to our next stop but we wouldn't most definitely stay here again.

NEXT STOP NATURAL BRIDGE, VA

 On Sunday, our reservations were at the Natural Bridge KOA campground. We stayed here several years ago and really enjoyed it. It wasn't very busy then, but it sure was this time. Since we are driving about 200 miles a day, we get there early enough in the afternoon to relax. And the kitties too. Once all the slides come out, they come out and enjoy getting in the dashboard and getting a bite to eat,

I didn't have my data cable to transfer pictures from my phone to the computer, so we made a trip to Walmart about10 miles away to get a cable and a few other items. I also had forgotten my thin sweater and needed one since it was in the 40s and 50s at night and in the morning. For dinner, we decided to eat out at a local diner, The Pink Cadillac. It was .5 miles from the campground, and the theme was Elvis and his pink Cadillac. The big Cadillac was parked next to the building. The building was bubble gum pink and most of the ladies looked like they were out of the movie Peggy Sue Got Married, without the poodle skirts. They played Elvis music and rock and roll and their food was based on Elvis themes with his pictures on the wall. David ordered their fried cod, and I had a Cubano. It wasn't a Cuban sandwich, but better. It had prime rib, pulled pork, provolone cheese with a pickle and a super delicious honey sauce. It had so much meat; I couldn't eat it all. Served with fries of course.

We had a good night. Tomorrow is Woodbine, VA

On Our Way to Lancaster, PA

 We left Chattanooga on Saturday, 9/6/25, heading towards Greenville TN. We haven't had any significant rain for weeks, but today there was a torrential downpour and thunderstorm. We had taken most everything to the motorhome on Friday afternoon, so we only had the kitties, ourselves and the kitty's essentials to take. Their new kitties' carriers are much bigger & roomier than their old ones, but much lighter in weight. They are still really heavy with the big kitties in them. Our motorhome is parked under an overhang, so it is out of the rain, but we got soaked getting everyone loaded and safe inside. To hook up the car, we decided to move the motorhome out of its space and back the car in and then back the motorhome in so we would have a dry place to hook up the car to the motorhome. That worked pretty well.

After getting gas, off we went to Greenville, TN to the Baileyton, TN KOA campground. As we got closer to the campground the rain stopped. Thank goodness. Even our shoes were soaked from walking through the puddles. All 3 kitties spent the entire ride under the bed. A bunch of fraidy cats.

We stayed at this campground several years ago. It was a nice campground, just East of Knoxville and before the state line of Virginia. I remember a good stay here. They have a nice store in the office. I remember buying some bar b que sauce there last time. Our site was #10, a nice pull through. Hook ups were easy, and we had a nice stay there. Pull pork sandwiches for dinner from David's puled pork we had in the freezer. We were pretty tired. Loading everything up and getting on the road takes a lot out of you. Once you're on your way, not so bad.

The views in this area are so striking with the mountains and greenery. In Virginia, as well. It's beautiful part of the country.

The campground was pretty full, compare to our last stay, but everyone was really friendly, both in the office and other campers. After dinner I walked down to the office to get us an ice cream sundae for dessert. It was delicious. This campground has lot of amenities for kids to play on. We very much enjoyed our stay. The kitties slept with us. Once we stopped, they settled in nicely. 

 

A Short Shakedown Trip

We haven't been anywhere since the beginning of the year. Our MH was still winterized. We had reservations to go to the AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster, PA and needed to check it out, clean it up and get ready to roll. So, we drove over to the storage facility in Soddy Daisy to get to work. When we got there the steps didn't come down when the door opened. HUMMM.. The lights inside didn't come on. HUMMM We didn't have 12 volts that power those things. David called Northgate repair to have them look at it. We dropped it off the next week and they called to say that out inverter had caught on fire. The fire had burned itself out, but the inverter was toast, along with the wiring and our 2 batteries. UGHHH.

David spoke with our insurance company, and they said we were 100% covered. The repair was $4000. Yikes. In a week they called to say it was all fixed and we could come and get it. When we picked it up it looked all better. We made reservations to go camping for 2 days in Cleveland just to check it out. We went over on Friday and discovered we still had no 12volts. UGHH Monday we took it back to Northgate and they called us to say; they had forgotten to put in the converter. The original one had both together, but since they don't make that one anymore, they had to order two separate units. They apologized, put in the converter at no charge and we picked it up and made new reservations.

We were leaving on Sunday and coming back on Tuesday. Two nights, 7 miles from our house, but we needed to check everything out before such a long trip. The good news was we didn't need to take much with us and if we had forgotten anything we could just drive back to the house and get it. Since David would have to drive the MH near our house on the way to the campground, I drove home, picked up the kitties and met him near the campground.

We bought new carriers for the kitties, and they are big. Plenty of room for the kitties, but hard to manage with a 17 lb cat. They come with wheels that move smoothly, but they are of no use when we have to carry them. Riley cries in the carrier so I took him in the Cat In A Bag in the front seat next to me. As long as I am petting him or rubbing his ears, he stopped crying.

Once in the MH and the slides were open, they made themselves right at home. Molly and Riley have only been in there one time before, but they quickly checked everything out. They had their food, toys and poop box. What more could they want? They loved sleeping with us too.

                                     Riley liked laying in the lower bunk, next to his poop box.

                                                                 Molly liked the top bunk.

                                                  And Abigail loved hiding under the bottom of the bed.

This was a very nice campground. The internet was the best we've ever had in a campground had. We could stream off of 2 TVs with no problems. Parked next to us was the biggest 5th wheel we had ever seen. It was a FULL HOUSE, Grand Design. It must have been 46 ft long and was being towed by a Peterbilt diesel truck that could have towed a tractor trailer. I did take a picture or two and a video of them leaving the next morning.

Here's the video.    https://youtube.com/shorts/GkD8SaLdv98

All went well on our 2-day sleep away.  We went home on Tuesday, and the kitties enjoyed being back home. Hopefully, our trip in a couple of weeks will be uneventful.

OUR LAST DAY IN ST. AUGUSTINE.

 On Sunday, the weather was warmer, but not great. At least it wasn't raining all day. The kitties took turns in the strollers. The little red-haired girl in the next campsite just loved looking at the kitties. Riley was very accommodating with all the attention, and Molly, not so much.

Ryan and the family went for a walk in the morning. Najla is practicing for a marathon, so she tries to get in as much running in as possible. They all came over to the MH for dinner about 4PM. We ordered pizza and had a good time talking and just hanging out. Najla really had a good time with Riley. He's just so cuddly. She picked him up and put him in her lap and he just melted into her, along with his catnip pickle.

The kids had a good time playing with Molly and Riley with a feather on a stick, as they tried to catch the feather.  Riley is ferocious about it. When he caught it, he didn't want to give it up for anybody.

On Monday, we left for Kingsland, Ga which was just over the Fla/Ga line. We made reservations at the RV Self Park, which was not really a campground, but an overnight place to park. It was right off I 95 and Highway 40, a great location. They had full hook ups and the best wi-fi we had for the whole trip. No real amenities, but they had live security cameras all around. 

We only stayed overnight, as we wanted to go through Atlanta on New Years Day, when the traffic was better. We also met Debby and Tom for dinner. It was good to see them again and we had a nice visit.

Our next stop was in Forsyth, GA at the KOA, South of Atlanta. We have stayed there many times on our way back home. Check in time is 2pm and we arrived about 3 pm to find the mangers had closed the doors at 2pm (check in time) and left the paperwork outside for us to find our site. The site was not the best. It was very unlevel and the Wi-Fi was terrible. It did however, have squirrels. The kitties loved it.

On New Years Day, we headed for home. The traffic going through Atlanta was good, no accidents, and no stops at all. The kitties are always scared when we are riding due to the noise and motion with all the bumps and jostling. They usually all stay together under the end of the bed. When it gets to be too much, Riley runs, crying from the back of the MH to the front. He loves cuddles and fell asleep in my arms like a baby.

We have a very nice, uneventful trip back home. We had a really good time and a nice rest. It's going to be hard to get back to work, but the kitties will be so happy to be home.

AFTER CHRISTMAS TIME IN ST. AUGUSTINE

 The kitties got a chirping and flapping bird for Christmas, and they loved it. They all played with it.

On Thursday, we rode out to Murabella area in World of Golf community where The Meyers have one of their vet practices. Najla had told us about a new Publix grocery store that was built right across from the one already there. In spite of the competition, they were both plenty busy. The new one was unique. It has an upstairs with a sitting area and a bar called POURS. You can go upstairs, get a beer and take it with you while you shop. It even has a beverage holder in the grocery cart. What will they think of next. 

I stopped by the Outlet Mall to visit a couple of stores there. I really only go to Talbots and Vera Bradley stores, since I usually find something I need there.  At Talbots it was great timing as they had a major markdown on prices and then 40% off that markdown price. I needed some thinner sweaters and a couple of new long-sleeved T-shirts. The Vera Bradley outlet was awful. The fabrics were terrible, and the styles were bad too. Last time, I found a couple of nice wallets that I am still using, so I didn't buy anything there. 

In the afternoon, we hung out with the kitties. They had a wonderful time looking out all the windows at the people, dogs, birds and squirrels.

 Later Ryan texted and said they would be over for dinner, and we could order out or we could cook. We didn't bring our grill this time, so we make beef enchiladas, bean enchiladas, beef tacos and Mexican rice. Najla is still eating vegetarian, so that worked for everyone.  They came over about 4 and we had such a great time, talking, eating and laughing all night.

On Friday, the weather was rainy and cool. Ryan and Najla made reservations for dinner at The Boathouse. It was previously known as the Fish and Oyster House. It's in a beautiful setting with a outdoor eating area in the back.. They also have updated their menu. I ordered the shrimp and pimento cheese grits and it was the best I have ever had. The sauce over it was incredible. YUMMMMMY.

On Saturday, it was rainy all day long. It was a good day to relax and just chill. I worked on my hexie quilt and the kitties spent the day looking out the windows.  Molly was obsessed with the trees and bushes behind the MH. She loved watching the squirrels go up and down this tree.

And Riley spent a long time trying to catch raindrops with his big old feet. We just found out his father's official registry name is Backwoods Alabama Big Foot Bronson. That explains it.

Abigail just enjoyed sleeping on our bed and begging me for cat grass.

David realized he had a prescription to pick up at Walmart, so away we went to the store. Since we were already up and out, we went to the local quilt shop, which we found had changed hands. It is no longer Bees Quilt Shop. She must have retired and sold out to the people that own Cut Up and Sew which is another shop in Palm Coast. They had reorganized and it looked much better and the people there were friendlier.

We were pretty hungry at that point, so we took a chance to go to get a hamburger at Gas Full-Service Restaurant. We had never eaten there, but heard it was very good. It is very near the Bridge of Lions on the Anastasia Island side. It looked like a dive, but the food was fantastic. We didn't have to wait for a table since we were so early. David had a regular hamburger, and I had a Black and Blue burger. Too bad I didn't take pictures. They were perfectly cooked and delicious. However, the man at the next table had a Jalapeno Popper burger and it was a mouthful!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

It was a busy, drizzly day, but we were in warmer weather and that was nice.

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