East Coast Bound--Day 9

Sweet, sweet sunshine!

We are down to the last day of the rally and are winding things down. Yesterday morning, after a small rain shower, the sun came out and we had a good breeze. We've had about the same today although the temperatures have only been in the 60's. This is drying the ground out very well so we should not have a problem getting out of here tomorrow. Many of the people here are going up to Perry, Georgia, to another RV rally and they will go in a long caravan. We've been asked not to plan to leave until the caravan has set up and pulls out. We probably won't be able to get on the road until 9:30 or 10:00 tomorrow.

Last nights entertainment was to be a lady doing a tribute to Patsy Cline but she had fallen ill and, at the last minute, the rally organizers hired a Country and Western band to perform. The lead was the same guy who lead the Dixieland/Pops band we had last Tuesday night but this was strictly country last night. To be honest he was better doing country than the Pops music he did the first time around. As usual the music was loud and after awhile Joanne and I decided to retire to the coach. We did have a great meal last night. The caterer served a choice of BBQ brisket or fried chicken. Both were wonderful.

This morning, following breakfast, the club had their bi-annual business meeting. This one included the election of officers for the next year. Our friend, Lew, was the head of the nominating committee so the job of running the election fell to him. This was a bit drawn out since this club has several more officers to vote on than our Monaco America club that we are much more involved with. Afterwards I retired to the coach to read while Jo made a run to Wal-Mart. (This is about the fifth trip one of us has made over to Wal-Mart this week.) While she was gone our dogs stood watch for her return. At 1:00 we went back over to the new coach display area (where they have a bunch of brand new motor homes for sale) and enjoyed an ice cream social. All that is left is dinner and entertainment tonight and then unhooking tomorrow morning and heading northeast to Savannah.

East Coast Bound--Day 8

Rain, mud and more rain!

We started off yesterday with rain. As the day went on the rain got worse. Since we are parked in a grassy area by evening our coach was sitting in a large pool with mud all around us. We are having to carry the dogs to dry ground before letting them "do their business". The rain did move out during the night, although we did have a very light shower this morning. Since then the sun has come out and we have a light breeze. This is what we should see for the rest of the week so everything should be dry by the time we start pulling out of here on Saturday. Otherwise we'll see a 100 or so luxury motor homes stuck in the mud.

Last night the caterer served a great pasta dinner. We sat with our friends the Anderson's and Grich's. A great time was had by all. The entertainment was a stand up comedian from south Louisiana. Some of his jokes were dated and a bit corny but he did a good job and the crowd pretty much stayed to hear him. Above is a picture of Murry, the comedian, on stage. This picture is our dinner table. Seated facing the camera is Lew Anderson, Joanne, Dottie Anderson and Peggy Girch.

East Coast Bound--Day 7

Great food and entertainment.

The first full day of the rally is passed. Spent most of the day yesterday hanging around the coach waiting for the repair techs to show up. Not only does one of our bedroom slides not work but we've been having trouble with the electrical transfer switch. The transfer switch controls the electrical power that comes into the coach through the power cord. When we plug in to the shore power the transfer switch must set before we can get power. The last couple of times we hooked up we've had to "adjust" it by banging on it with a hammer. The techs showed up in the afternoon and replaced the switch. Surprise to us they did not charge us for the new switch (a $241.00 item) so we only had to pay $50.00 for the labor. They were not able to fix the bedroom slide since the motor is out and they did not have a replacement motor on their truck. I went on line and found the motor, from the manufacturer, will be $530.00. Guess I'll have to order one and have it shipped to our friends house in Savannah and try to put it on myself next week. We sure are tired of having to shinny around the bed to get around in the bedroom.

Last night we had a catered dinner and then the evening entertainment. We have met a few couples that are also members of Monaco America, our other owners club that we are more involved with. (I serve as the Treasurer of Monaco America.) We sat for dinner with two of those couples last night. Turns out we are all talking up Monaco America and our upcoming rally this May. We've gotten several folks interested so last night I went back to the coach and printed out several rally applications and membership applications. We hope to recruit some of these Monaco International members to join our club also. We enjoy being members of both clubs in that it gives us more opportunities to attend rallies in different parts of the country. The picture to the right is Jo sitting with Monaco America members Bill and Patsy Kenny and Sally and Bob Allen.

East Coast Bound--Day 5

On to the rally.

We moved over to the main rally site today. We are at the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo Center. They have already parked a bunch of coaches since they started parking them around noon yesterday. Due to this we were expecting to be parked way in the back, since they park the coaches in lines. We were surprised when they brought us all the way up to the front row of coaches. Lew (our friend who is working with the parking crew) says he had nothing to do with it but I'm not so sure of that. We are still a long ways from the main buildings where all the activities take place so we will still drive the car back and forth. The rally does not officially start until this evening with a parade and then a hot dog cookout. The theme of the rally is Mardi Gras so the parade will be a Mardi Gras parade.

East Coast Bound--Day 3

It's raining and the windshield wipers don't work.

We were up and out to head on down to Moultrie, Georgia, for the RV rally. It rained most of the night but since we were parked down in the trees we were a bit sheltered. As we pulled out it is still raining but our windshield wipers did not want to work. So we drove all morning in mostly rain with no wipers. Fortunately the windshield on the coach is so straight up and down it was not too bad with the water running off. As I had previously mentioned we stayed last night in Eufaula, Alabama, right on Lake Eufaula. That is unusual since the largest lake back in Oklahoma is Lake Eufaula near the town of Eufaula, Oklahoma.

We arrived in Moultrie around noon and checked into the campground. We'll be staying here for a couple of days before moving over to the rally site on Monday. We have to pay extra at the rally to have electric and water hookups and I had paid that in advance. Had I known where this park was located (next door to the Expo Center where the rally will be) we would have stayed here with full hookups for the week. Many of the rally attendees are doing just that. Oh well, we live and learn. Several other RVer's have told me that is what we should have done but, of course, that advice came a couple of months after I had already sent in the money to register for the rally.

We've already connected with several old friends and have met some new ones here for the rally. Lew and Dottie Anderson are already over at the rally site. Lew is on the parking team and will be helping the coaches get parked as they come in over there on Sunday and Monday. Jim and Peggy Girch are here in the park with us. They are not only Monaco coach owners but also work for a company that make power window shades and other items for the coaches. They are also here as vendors and will be representing their company in the Vendor Area this next week. We enjoy seeing the friends we've made along the way. That is the main reason for coming to the rallies. This picture is of our rig parked at the RV park.

East Coast Bound--Day 2

Another day of travel that was not as uneventful as yesterday.

Original plan was to stop the first night in North Little Rock, about 300 miles from home. Second night was to be Jasper, Alabama, a little over 300 miles from NLR. Well, since we drove almost to Memphis yesterday that put us at Jasper around 1:00pm today. We did decide to stop in Jasper for diesel fuel and to have lunch. Unfortunately we did not any truck stops and not one station that would accommodate our coach in that town. We wound up pushing on to Birmingham and stopped at a Pilot truck stop. After fueling up and spending a little time in their parking lot to eat lunch we were back on the road.

We headed south out of Birmingham toward Montgomery where we hit some pretty heavy traffic. This was where we left the Interstate system and dropped down to narrow, two lane roads. Also, they don't seem to want to spend the money down here to build a shoulder on their two lane roads. Saw a sign at Montgomery that it was only 77 miles to Eufaula, Alabama, which is right on the Georgia state border. I had previously found there was an RV park in Eufaula in our Trail Guide so we thought that would be a good place to press on. This was probably not a good idea. With the two lane road the going was slower and by the time we arrived it was well after dark. (By the way, I hate driving after dark, especially in a 37 foot motor home, pulling my car behind us.) Anyway, as we came into town we did see a sign for the Lake Eufaula RV Park so we turned down what turned out to be a really bad road going down into the woods. We came upon what looked like a bunch of RVs but there was not sign so we moved on a ways and wound up in a large mobile home park. At this point there was no backing up without unhooking the car. One of the residents said we could go on down and the road would circle around and we'd come back out the same way. These roads were very narrow with the residents cars parked in the street. We made the loop but then could not find the main gate we had come in and were at a dead end. We got out to unhook the car so I could turn around when Jo noticed this long electric cable hanging from the top of the coach and being dragged down the road. Soon a local showed up looking for his cable for his cable TV. It had been strung across the road to his house but too low for us to get under. It caught on one of our roof mounted air conditioners and tore it down. After climbing on the roof and cutting it loose (part of it is still wrapped around the back A/C unit) I gave him $25.00 to cover the damages and to get him to go away.

After that we got turned around and out of their mobile home park and back to the RV park. This is an old RV park that was designed for small travel trailers. The new owners, a young couple, were very nice and got us to a pull through site. In the dark I hooked up to their 30amp electric and water, got the slides out and kind of got the coach leveled. Jo decided to heat up a frozen pizza, in her microwave/convection oven, for dinner. Well, I did not realize the electric hot water tank was also turned on. Between the two they drew more than 30amp and blew the breaker in the electric pedestal. Not sure why but I could not get it back on. Fortunately the space next to us is empty so I plugged our cord into the box on that site. After dinner we both decided we were exhausted so we did a little on our computers and now it is time to go to bed. Oh almost forgot, the slide in the coach where the bed is located has decided not to work. We can hear the electric motor turning but the slide is not moving. This means a person can't get around the bed nor into half the closet, the half where all the circuit breakers are located. The rally we are heading to in Georgia will have service technicians there so we can get it repaired but they probably won't be available until Tuesday, the first day of the rally.

The adventures of RVing, they just keep on coming.

East Coast Bound--Day 1

As ole Willy said: "It great to be on the road again".

We rolled out of the driveway around 8:10 this morning, heading east, across Interstate 40. Original plan for the day was to drive to about North Little Rock and spend the night. Well, with an earlier than normal, at least for us, start we hit North Little Rock in early afternoon. So, we just decided to keep going. We wound up stopping for the night at a little RV park that is situated behind a motel where we have stayed before in Brinkley, Arkansas, about 60 miles west of Memphis. Unfortunately, the current owners of the motel have let the RV park go down hill. First spot we pulled into had an open ground in it's electric pedestal so we could not get electricity safely into our coach. Second spot was okay with a good 30 amp so we stayed the night. There were just two other rigs in the whole park when we arrived. Adjacent to this park is a KFC/Taco Bell so that is where we headed for dinner. We could not get any local TV and the parks cable connection was broken. Instead we both just read awhile and then turned in early.

We had a pretty uneventful day of traveling. Part of our curiosity would be to see how well our little Bridgit Jeane did on her first RV trip. Buddy Joe is an old trouper when it comes to traveling in the coach. As soon as we got rolling he went back to the couch and sprawled out. Bridgit, on the other hand, was not ready for that. She wanted to roam around and/or be in on of our laps. She really did not understand why I would give her no attention while I was driving. Eventually she wound up spending most of the day in Joanne's lap, the place she'd rather be anyway. Tomorrow will be interesting to say the least. (This picture is us parked in Brinkley, Arkansas.)

Celebrating the youngest fourth

A lake, some geese and gulls and a fourth birthday.

Yesterday our youngest grand daughter, Cadence, turned four years old. Due to other commitments, both for Cadence and us, we celebrated her birthday this afternoon. We picked her up around 2:00. She had been to church this morning and told her mom that she wanted to stay in her dress because she thought Grandpa would like her in a dress. Our first stop was Stars & Stripes Park at Lake Hefner, the main reservoir for the north Oklahoma City area. This area always has a large number of Canadian Geese, various kinds of ducks and an unbelievable number of seagulls. They hang out here because so many people bring stuff out to feed them. We had stopped by the Wonder Thrift Store and picked up a loaf of bread to feed them. (We have done this in the past with our other two grand daughters, Emma and Aurora.) As is usual with Canadian Geese folks have to be careful around them because they can get mean. These will come up an almost take the bread directly from your hand. The gulls don't get as close but will fly directly above and even hover in the air, like a helicopter, and will grab the bits of bread right out of the air if you throw it up. This is fascinating to watch. After feeding the birds for awhile, until the bread was all gone, we then walked over to the playground so Cadence could swing and play on the slide. Though she really was not dressed for this she had a big time anyway.

I have previously told Cadence's parents that the job of grandparents is to spoil their grand kids and that we take our job very seriously. With that in mind after leaving the park we headed to the nearest Braum's. This is a local chain of ice cream and dairy stores that also serves great burgers and other fast food. Today it was the ice cream we were interested in. Although Cadence had a cup of orange sherbet, Grandpa made due with a double hot fudge sundae. Following our ice cream we headed back to our house so she could get her birthday presents and spend some times with the dogs. After opening her presents she spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Buddy and Bridgit and with the toys we keep in a cabinet in the living room for the girls. She seemed to like her birthday presents. Grandma had gotten her a really nice raincoat, since our rainy season will be here within the next few weeks. She also got her own set of stuff to blow bubbles. When she visits us in the warmer months her favorite thing is to sit out on the back patio and blow bubbles with Grandma. In all it was a great day and we enjoyed celebrating Cadence's big milestone. By turning four she will be starting school this next year in Pre-K.

Clearing the White Mud

Eleven & a half inches of snow and a shovel.

The television weather guessers have been predicting for days of a major storm coming our way. It was kind of hard to believe, especially with their normal track record. Just this past Friday and Saturday the temps were in the mid-70's with no wind and beautiful sunshine. Well, they hit it on the nail this time. The temps started dropping on Sunday and by Monday evening the snow was moving in. By this morning we had a record amount of snow for a single 24 hour period. Before it stopped we had 11.4 inches of snow on the ground. This picture was taken at 11:00 am and the snow was still coming down. I really don't like snow and just feel like it is just "white mud".

I got out this morning to start shoveling off the drive and entryway. We had about a three foot drift on the front walk and another two feet against the front door. I got the entryway clear but with the snow still falling I elected to wait until it quit before tackling the driveway. Later in the day the drive was calling and had to get out in the cold to work on it. Did it in a couple of shifts but got it clear. Not sure why since the street still has about ten inches of snow in it. Also, we have a pretty good hill to get up to get out of our addition so it is doubtful we'll be getting out anytime soon. The snow from the drive is now in piles on each side. That might melt off sometime before Spring. Although it stayed cold all day and the wind kept blowing the sun did come out this afternoon. Another day of sunshine and the drive should dry out. The rest of the snow can just stay where it is.

A sad way to start the new year

Goodbye Uncle Dale. You will be missed.

Started of the new year on a sad note. While visiting with my Dad this past Saturday, January 1st, he received a call from his younger sister, Leveta, to tell him that their brother, W. Dale Stone, had passed away that afternoon. Of the original eight kids in his family only he and Leveta are left. Dad was the sixth child born followed by Dale and then Leveta. Here is the last picture of all eight of them together, taken at my folks house when they lived on the farm at Stratford, Oklahoma, in the 1980's. From the far right, in order by their age, are Maude, Esther, Pauline, Delmer, Lucille, George (my Dad), Dale and Leveta.

Dale was always the character in the family. He loved country music and he loved people. He made his living for most of his life by selling life insurance. He was an unbelievable salesman and made a good living in this endeavor. Prior to that he was a Boy Scout. Actually he was employed by the Boy Scouts of America. After he retired from the insurance business he started a tour company out of Ardmore, Oklahoma. He arranged tours to places such as Branson, Missouri, and Nashville, Tennessee. He did some tours to other locals but Branson and Nashville were his "bread and butter". His tours were great because he took care of everything from the transportation, hotels, show tickets and restaurant stops. Joanne and I were fortunate to make both a Branson and a Nashville trip with him. To keep the bus load of tour members from getting bored while traveling he would entertain by singing, leading the group in songs and his signature yodeling. He could yodel right along with the best of them. Also due to his tour business he met many celebrities over the years. On our trip to Nashville he introduced us to several including Little Jimmie Dickens. Here he is pictured with Bob Hope and George "Goober" Lindsay.

Like all his siblings he grew up on the family farm near Byars, Oklahoma. My grandfather farmed for many years and all the kids had to help work the place, including the five girls. The first six children were born between a year and 18 months apart. There were a few years difference between them and the last two. After my Dad got married and moved away Papa Stone elected to give up the farm and moved into Byars. When World War II came along Uncle Dale was drafted into the Navy. He used to tell the story that he was at the induction center in Oklahoma City in a whole line of men in alphabetical order. The official went down the line pointing at each man and designating which service the person would be going to. Out of the entire line all but two were sent to the Army. Uncle Dale, being a bit smaller than the rest, was one of the two sent to the Navy. He said he was really relieved when he heard Navy. This picture was taken in August 1945.

Uncle Dale was my last Uncle left, including the spouses of my parents brothers and sisters. He was always the one to step up and entertain any group he was with. He will be sorely missed by everyone who ever knew him. He lost his wife, Jo, back in the 1970's. Although he dated other women over the years and even remarried a couple of times none of them lasted long. He always said he would never find another one like Aunt Jo. No one else would ever measure up to her in his eyes. He leaves behind two sons, Dennis Dale and Scott and their families. Rest in peace my great Uncle. This picture was taken in the summer of 2009 at our bi-annual family reunion in Byars.