North Carolina to Florida with lots of rain...and more rain...and more rain.

For those of you old enough to remember the Andy Griffith show, you will remember that Mayberry was near Raleigh.  Because I am a silly goose and pretty crappy at geography, I didn't bother checking how close the town of Mayberry (Mt. Airy) was, in actuality, to Raleigh.  As a result, we ended up in Selma, North Carolina. Thanks to our good friends Jon and Megan Sellers, we were able to find a great, novel local place to visit.  A couple nights before we left, they gave us a book "Off the Beaten Path".  The pictures below are from Vollis Simpson's Whirligigs.  I can't wait to check out more of the places from the book.

Vollis Simpson is 93 years old and built whirligigs in his yard, some over 30 feet tall.  Many are currently being refurbished to be presented in a park opening in November, but we caught sight of the ones remaining at Mr. Simpson's farm.  They are dilapidated currently, but still a marvel of engineering.  Very, very cool.

Jeff got both a quick road ride and a mountain bike ride, so it was still a fun stop.

We also went to Atkinson's Grist Mill. which has been in operation since 1757.  They still grind using the 48 inch millstones.  The grandson of the current owner, Andrew, gave us a tour.  Fun and informative and I came away with breading mix and hush puppy flour.  Yum, yum.

We stopped one night in Walterboro, South Carolina.  It rained most of the way there, all night long and started raining again almost immediately after we left.  The downpours were torrential!  Looking out the big from window from the RV was a little scary.  Glad I didn't have to drive.

The rain ended about halfway through Georgia and we could feel the temperature rise.  It was in the upper 30's when we left South Carolina.  When we crossed the state line into Florida, it was 78!  Yippee!

We are spending tonight in Jacksonville, Florida and heading to the Tampa area tomorrow.  We will stay there for a week.  Jeff will be riding the Alathia River IMBA mountain bike ride and we will find some sights to see.

And by the way, even though today was gorgeous, we did have torrential downpours again tonight!  Jeff managed to get in a 64 mile road ride (way too flat for him) and I got a good amount of work done.  I even walked a full mile around the lake here!

The storm that we drove through is the same system providing punishment to our beloved friends in NJ.  All I can say is I'm sorry, I hope winter ends soon and I wish you were all with us.

Chore Day

One of my friends posted that his significant other was away for a week. What did he do with his time? He cleaned house, did laundry and caught up on a work project. I had to laugh because that's normally how I spend Jeff's ride days.

Today is a lot of the same but with an odd little twist. The campground is having a cribbage tournament, so I will go meet some new people.

We are at an "adult" campground. Pretty funny because we sure don't feel like adults! However, it saves us a bit of money and it's pretty quiet, very packed with campers though. A lot of the residents drive golf carts or ride cruisers to get around the campground. Many of them have small dogs or multiples thereof. I had to text Kim Fury yesterday because a couple walked by with their dogs in a baby carriage!

Oh well, my laundry is dry and it is time to get back to being a "Domestic Goddess". A very sticky 80 degrees here today, storms are expected tomorrow which will bring back winter temps with highs in the low 70s. Oh my...

How much are airline tickets?

What you expect with a 120 plus gallon tank? With all the idling and generator running early on our first tank, I did not calculate mileage. Who says you can't take it with you, though. Not on a jet!

Farewell to Fredericksburg

We left Fredericksburg yesterday to move on to Selma, North Carolina.  We really enjoyed the town and the people are extremely friendly, but we wouldn't want to live there.  The traffic was too much like home, lots and lots and at all hours of the day.

Jeff met some great guys to ride with through FAMBE (Fredericksburg Area Mountain Bike Enthusiasts).  They were great hosts for him.  I always relax a bit more if I know he is riding with someone that knows the area.  I know it's hard to get lost with all the GPS technology, but it just seems that I am a worrier, lol.  I'm working on that.

Our sightseeing was a little bit curtailed in quantity, but more than adequate in quality.  We ended up spending a lot more time at the Museum of the US Marines.  It is such a cool museum.  I had no idea of the breadth and scope of the Marines during Colonial and Civil War times.  There is a majesty in being surrounded by so much selflessness and courage.

We also toured the Rising Sun Tavern, which was once the home of George Washington's brother.  It is one of those places in which the docents stay in character, in this case as tavern wenches.  It's a cute way to learn a bit about life in the Colonial period and have a bit of fun.  Do you know where the terms "mind your Ps and Qs", "bottoms up" and "kingpin" came from?

On Monday, we had lunch at an old-fashioned soda fountain.  Goolrick's Pharmacy is of a dying breed.  Jeff had a "real" cherry coke, with real cherry syrup and I had an actual chocolate malt.  Very sweet and nostalgic.  When I was a little girl, my Grandma would take me to the soda fountain in the Woolworth's.

So, now we have arrived in Selma, North Carolina, a miscalculation on my part.  I really wanted to see Mount Airy, the town Mayberry is based on (from the old Andy Griffith show).  I thought it was much closer to Raleigh than it is, so we will save that for another trip.  However, I do enjoy kicking back with my feet up while Jeff does the driving.  I can't believe the passenger seat in the coach is a recliner!

Missing all our friends, but having a great time.  Keep the comments coming, makes me feel like y'all are here with us.  See, I'm already getting a Southern accent!

Verizon store

I really should have posted this last week, but things were happening so fast, it just escaped me.

I have been in customer service almost all of my adult (?) life in one form or another and I can be either very understanding of someone in a tough situation or extremely appreciative of someone who goes above and beyond.  I have always detested going into the Verizon store, as I know many of my friends also do.  Jeff actually would make 3 trips so I would minimize my time there.  He would scope out whatever tech I needed, take me there to see it, take me home and then make a trip to buy it.  No wonder I adore him!

Last week, we decided I should have an Ipad.  I am both very new to Apple technology and resistant to change.

I had the most phenomenal experience at the Verizon store in Succasunna, NJ.  Our sales associate was Ashley Fields and she deserves to be their customer service manager!  Anyone needing to visit a Verizon store should see her!

She set  me up with everything I needed with no pressure; accepted it when we didn't want something she offered.  She did not run down the Apple products as I have heard many associates do.  She was patient with me not feeling so well after being there a while and offered me a chair.  She was interested in what we were using the new "toys" for and helped us find solutions to some issues we were concerned about.

Find her, buy from her!

Thank you, Ashley!

Post Sightseeing

After a great visit to the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the Rising Sun Tavern, we are enjoying beer and dinner at the Capital Ale House. Cheers!

Museum of the Marine Corps