Going RV

 RVing and Going RV are kind of two different things.  Joe and I have always been intrigued by the idea of living in an RV while traveling, and visiting or staying at some desirable spots.  Joe would prefer to be on the move more (Going RV), while I could see settling at three or four different camp grounds per year (RVing).


Sister Jean has been thinking of living a year in an RV and traveling the country, so did a trial run for a few days with Mom earlier this spring.  She posted on Facebook this photo of Mom and their rented RV.

Joe (with my approval and enthusiasm) had a similar idea of traveling by RV the end of this week, to give it a try, and thus came the title of this blog.




The decision to rent an RV was made because we needed to have room to transport six of us from TN to Cincinnati, and back.  It wasn't that much more expensive than renting a large van.  You will read more about this fun adventure at the end of this blog.

Saturday 6/8 - The pool had been closed due to rain since Thursday at noon.  The decision to remain closed again, all day, was made before my 9:00 shift, so I didn't need to rush my morning.  It was dark, dreary, and damp outside, with occasional little showers.  By the time this deer came to get corn, there was none left.








I had the whole day free so mid-morning read, took a nap, and read some more.  My reading/napping 'buddies' joined me.

Monita was trying to get my attention and had been tapping me on the head.  I think she was contemplating bugging Stevie also.

Well, I just about wasted away (not my body but the time) the whole day.

Mid-afternoon it actually cleared off and got fairly nice out so I went out to plant flowers where the others had been eaten.  Then, since I hadn't done my morning shift, I volunteered to go open the pool.  I only had nine customers, but they were all happy to be able to come to the pool.

Joe and I had dinner at Reds and Brian, Joan, and Patty joined us for a few drinks.  Patty and I stayed later than the others, enjoying singing along to the karaoke.  And I was able to enjoy a little bit of dancing.

Sunday 6/9 - I woke to rain and walked the dog in it for the third morning in a row.

The rain did not deter many from Church, we still had a nearly full house out in the pavilion.












I finally saw my first baby deer (fawn) out back right after lunch.  These photos are bad because of the reflection of my glass desk in the window.



It was so sweet how the fawn stuck so close to its mama.

The weather seems to be in direct connection to my energy level and enthusiasm to get work done.  The problem is, I love being outside, so when it isn't raining, that's generally where you will find me.  Therefore, I save all my inside chores, cleaning, and projects, for rainy days.  But then when it is dark, gloomy, and wet out, I don't have the motivation to do anything productive.




I spent too much time here at my computer, procrastinating on cleaning out the bunk room and sorting through all the junk we have stored up there.

Monita likes to be near by, monitors my every movement, and will let me pet her a little bit.  But she does not like to sit in my lap, cuddle, or snuggle.

I decided to do a Zumba class and then lifted weights.  I got home at 4:30, so it was too late to start any projects, and besides, the sun had made a surprise appearance.

So I headed out to do yard work.  Neighbor Steve had a chunk of old concrete in the front of his lot by his house.  I had offered long ago to remove it for him because I needed it down back for fill.  He asked about it when I was walking Maggie, so I decided to get it done.  This selfie shows one chunk of concrete I had struggled to get into the wheelbarrow.  And then I could barely push the wheelbarrow up hill.





Another project was to move and fix the bird bath.  It was also quite heavy.  I scrubbed the basin so I can repair its two cracks and put it in the garage to dry.  Then I got the base situated (and leveled) here in it's new spot out back.









The right photo shows the view I will have of the birdbath from my office window.  I continued with weeding and leaf removal from some of the beds until 7:00, the late end of pet feeding time.

Monday 6/10 - Monday morning gymnastics, jungle gym, and play time.

As soon as Monita saw me stand up to get a photo, she scurried down to the hammock to get a closer look.




And then she tried to engage me in play.





She proceeded to climb around on the wall-mounted cat perches for awhile.








After arriving at the gym for the Dance Aerobics class, I discovered it had been cancelled, so rowed and did the elliptical until Zumba started.

A quick protein lunch and then I went outside to work.  What had been forecasted as a rainy day, turned out to be quite nice.  It was a bit overcast and cool, but perfect for yard work.

I put some caulk in the big crack of the bird bath, and once it had dried some, sprayed the first coat of sealant on it.







I planted these yellow flowers because I had moved the marigolds to this spot where the others had been completely eaten.








I also put the cluster (lighter green) of Hens & Chicks in the lava rock to fill in the hole from where another one had died.  And then it was time to go to my Fitness Evaluation appointment.  I was meeting with Lee, who is a trainer who has occasionally given me little tips for the past few years.  This one hour evaluation is a yearly, free part of our membership to the gym, which I have never taken advantage of.

Well, I must admit, I was surprised at some results.  Standing barefoot with both my heels and toes on specific spots, the machine gave me a body fat reading of 26.9%.  Being 5'6" and weighing in at 121, both Lee and I decided that was an inaccurate reading.  At least I hope so.  I was happy to see how well I did at the crunches but realize I could gain more strength in some other areas, and definitely I need work on flexability.  I was also glad to be able to keep up a slow jog for 12 minutes straight.  I was told to see how far I could go in that time period.  I went just over a mile.  I really felt I was moving along at a pretty fast pace.  Hard to believe when I was 24 years old, I was just 10 seconds shy of running a mile in under six minutes.  Oh to be young and fit.  I was also shocked to be given a 'body age' of 66.  Lee said because of my history of sun exposure and the fat %, it gave me that age rating.  Oh well, you are only as old as you act and feel.  Some days I am in my 30's, other times I'm 99.

Mirror Lake Blast was a blast.  It started with a golf cart ride from the parking lot to the concert location.
The evening's entertainment was the Royal Hounds, a very different three piece band.

They played a lot of original songs, which actually were quite funny, crazy, or a little indecent.  The music was quite a bit of 'head banging' stuff, but with the good beat, many of us got up and danced by the middle of the first set and through the second set.


Michelle, who had just arrived from CA, joined Patty, Shirley and I.

I was exhausted by the time I got home.  Over an hour of dancing, added to the day's gym activities, and I could tell I was going to be sore.  I was already hurting.  A sleep time pain relief pill did the trick though.

Tuesday 6/11 - My early morning visitors.  If you look closely, you'll see four, three of the feathered variety.














I had to rush my two cups of tea and then got myself to the barn just after 8am.

The livery horses were soon brought in, and this one was looking for some action, attention.  I hopped on Amiga bareback and took her out front to graze.  A new boarder arrived while we waited on Tom.





While Tom did Rocky, I rode Amiga out on the trail to help her burn off some energy.

We got back in time to watch Zorro get trimmed.  Patty and Tom discussed shoes for Zorro, and since he is doing so well without, that is what we will continue.  Then Zorro got to watch Amiga get trimmed.









It was cool out, but Tom was still sweating up a storm.  His is not an easy job.  It is no wonder he has a bad back.  I really like the work he does and his approach with the horses and consideration of each of their needs.




I watered grass seed once home because we had not gotten as much rain over the last three days as originally expected.







I worked a very quiet pool shift, which was nice because I was sore from the day before.  I had designated this as a day of rest.  While collecting the trash near closing time, I noticed this bag partly pulled out of the can and shredded.  We have been getting furry, masked visitors overnight.  Darn rascally raccoons.

Wednesday 6/12 -  I was at the Wellness / Medical center complex before 7am to get a fasting blood test to check my thyroid hormone levels.  I finally feel that my body has adjusted to the new (Levothyroxine) medication I started seven weeks ago.








Stevie keeps me company while I computerize.  I had a long 'to do' list and once I was done here at my computer, got to work on it.  I had Joe help me with some things like tying back the Redbud a little better, changing a burnt out light bulb by the garage (it is a two person job), and loading things in the van for Habitat for Humanity and the recycle center.  I saw this across the pond and wondered what it was.


When checking on neighbor Joan next door (Brian had left the night before, for his son's wedding in Hawaii) she said it was a trap.  She thought it was to catch the large snapper.  I was thinking the large ground hog was probably the target.







I worked in the yard some, cleaning and re-filling all my bird feeders.  I also continued to weed and remove dead leaves from flower beds.  And I dead-headed all my flowers.  I was expecting to meet midday with John, Jan, and the bulldozer guy, but thankfully that got cancelled.  I was also staying in touch with Britney who was in route to Nashville from Costa Rica.

I thought I heard baby bird voices coming from one of these bird houses and felt good about that.

By 3:00 when I went to workout, I struggled to get energized and really work it with the weights.  I think 10am is my best body building time.  On the way home, I bought over $100.00 of groceries in preparation for company and our RV trip.













During a longer evening walk Maggie and I checked out the trap across the way, and the entrance to the ground hog's den.  The golf course doesn't want him anymore than I do.

I continued to spray coats of sealant on the bird bath morning and night.  I was also glad to hear Britney made it to Courtney's after a long day of travel.

Thursday 6/13 - The birds were enjoying the re-newed supply of food.  I had washed the windows, but for this photo, drops of rain, from the heavy downpour overnight, are seen.









Before Joe left at 7am to go to Chattanooga to pick up the rented RV, I had him help me move the basin of the birdbath out onto it's stand.  It needs to cure a few more days before filling it.









I had switched shifts with Mike, so went to the pool at 9:00.  I only had two swimmers for their morning exercise.  The air temp was 63 and the water temp 77.  Both warmed up some, but it was still too cold.



Joe honked and waved at me (while I was at the pool) as he was driving by in the RV.  When I got home, he had parked it in the Church lot.








I went in to check it out and did a little extra cleaning.

Some more cleaning around the house and then Courtney and Britney arrived.


We were soon off to the barn, Joe came on his scooter, and these barn shots are the only other photos I took the rest of the day.









Britney enjoyed playing with the cats and dogs and seeing the horses.  No riding occurred, except when I rode Amiga in from way out in the pasture when I went to get her.







Courtney was happy just to see Zorro, and love on him.  We took them both out to graze for a bit because the barn was busy getting ready for the Standing Tall program.








Once back home, I showed the girls the RV, and we discussed sleeping arrangements.  I took food supplies to the RV and made the bed in its back bedroom.

We snacked on the leftovers from Britney's lunch (Nacho Supreme seen in this photo Courtney took at the restaurant) and then Britney helped me with dinner preparation.  Patty came to join us for dinner and we had to show her the RV during our after dinner walk.  Then I tried to concentrate on packing for the trip, but kept wanting to visit with the girls.

Dan and Val arrived at 10:20, and then it was off to bed for most of us.

Friday 6/14 - Joe parked the RV at the end of the driveway and turned the generator on to get the fridge and freezer cold.  After an hour we loaded our drinks, breakfast, and lunch supplies.  Soon we were all climbing aboard with our backpacks and headed down the road.








Joe did a nice job driving, but the big rig seemed to sway more than your average car, so some of us were feeling a little 'green behind the gills.' 




We moved around from seats, to couch, to table benches which I enjoyed being able to do, even though it wasn't very safe.







I got Courtney to play Yahtzee with me for awhile and later Britney played Boggle with me.  This helped to pass the time.




We also did a lot of snacking.
And there was even some naps taken by most of us.  















We stopped for a gas break and then later for a lunch break.  It was nice to get out of the moving 'house' for awhile.  Our biggest complaint was the swaying, which occurred even when parked.




Finally, after seven and a half hours, we arrived at brother Dave's and Patti's.

Sister Cathy and Ralph came and Patti served us a wonderful lasagna and salad bar dinner.  Their dog Creo was so silly, begging for food.  After a good evening walk, we had sundaes for dessert.

Britney, Joe, and I hit the hay early, going out to the RV.  Courtney, Dan, and Valencia took Patti up on her offer for real beds in their house.

Saturday 5/15 - I started the day eating great food, and never really stopped consumption of good cuisine the rest of the day.  Patti had made us a tasty breakfast casserole and yummy coffee cake. 

She continued preparing food throughout the morning, for Michael's big graduation party.  Creo watches intently as Patty was dipping strawberries in chocolate.  Look how beautiful they turned out.







Patty and their three kids left early, and then right after lunch, we loaded up into two cars and drove to Kelly and Mike's house (Patti's sister and brother-in-law).

Kelly had their house covered in decorations, a slide show going, photos posted all over the place, and tons of candy bowls throughout the house.  I had ridden with Dave to help pick up the barbecue pork and chicken tenders.  Food was being set out in the kitchen when we arrived. 



We had arrived an hour before the party began, so sat in the living room and watched the slide show while enjoying beverages.

This is Michael, the guest of honor of the party, wearing his soon to be OSU college shirt.  Guests started arriving and it wasn't long before consumption of food began. 

Even though the food was awesome, is was not really the highlight of the party.  It was so good to meet Patti's side of the family, whom we have heard so much about, and a lot of fun to see Michael's friends having a good time.

Several of these photos are sister Cathy's, including this one of the friendly game of Spud out in the back yard.












We got to meet (and hold) Jayla, my great niece, Patrick and Tamika's four month old baby.  She was a precious, sweet, happy girl.





Us Villhauer's ended up in the garage for awhile, eating again, and visiting with Patrick and Tamika. 
















I had fun helping push a car out of the mud (it had rained off and on part of the day).  And I really enjoyed the water balloon launcher 'game' they got going.


















Towards the end, JJ went out in the pond in the kayake to try and catch the balloons.  The people launching the balloons were actually aiming at JJ.  It was all fun.

A tornado watch on the way home, became a warning, so Britney slept in the house, but Joe and I stayed out in the RV.  It was a bit noisy with the thunder, bright with the lightening, and rough with the wind rocking the RV.

Father's Day Sunday 6/16 - I forgot to wrap and pack Joe's Father's Day gift, so it would have to wait.  The night before, I had intended to seek shelter when the tornado siren went off, but apparently never heard it.  No tornado touched down though.






Patti made us another great breakfast casserole and soon we were on the road for home.  We all settled in for the long day's drive.





We got hit with a torrential down pour shortly after leaving.  This made driving slow and difficult.  We also discovered three leaks that were taken care of with a beach towel and cooler.




We each entertained ourselves with reading, computer games, knitting, and napping.






Yep, that is me conked out on the bed in the back bedroom.








I was woken by a loud clap of thunder and another rain storm.  It didn't last long and finally we got home.

In the flurry of activity to un-packed everything from the RV, I accidently took their mattress cover along with our sheets.  Two hours later when Joe was dropping it back off in Chattanooga, I was asked about the missing item.

Courtney was quick to hit the road for home, and Dan and Val left a little bit later, after Joe left to return the RV.  He has checked this off his bucket list and decided it is not worth repeating.  It took too much effort to drive and got horrible gas millage.

Patty brought Maggie home and joined Britney and I for leftover spaghetti.  Britney packed up for a 2:45 am departure and we both went to bed shortly after Joe got home.

I love my three kids so much, and consider it a great honor, privilege, blessing, and joy to have any and each of them come visit.