Visiting With Friends

Visiting With Friends, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
 February 22, 2012

From Florence RV Park we drove 76 miles to Myrtle Beach. Along the way it there were many homes, advertisements of Myrtle Beach, swampy areas and farmland. It took us 2 hours and on arrival the GPS took us into Surfside Beach's residential area's narrow streets. We stopped on one of the streets and Randal checked the information again and entered the corrected address.

The KOA was right on #17 and 5^th Avenue in Myrtle Beach. Very easy to find if your in the right town so we checked in for a 3 night stay.

After a lunch we drove around to see what this place was all about, going down 3 blocks to Ocean Blvd. It is a very commercial place with a lot of restaurants, hotels, amusement places, mini golf parks, shops and entertainment places. Good for families.

The next day, I was up early to start preparing for the 10:30 brunch for long time friends, Jacqui and her sister Noreen. Their winter holiday brought them to Washington and Myrtle Beach for a week. Jacqui, a nursing and travel colleague from many years ago, is from Halifax and Noreen is from California.

Randal had gone for a bike ride so he was able to meet Jacqui and Noreen at the KOA gates, get a visitor’s pass and show them where to come in.

It was great to see them again as I had not seen Noreen for many years and Jacqui since a couple of years ago when we visited Marion at Candle Lake.

We had a good time reminiscing, looking at picture on the computer, catching up with we had see and done.

We then went for a walk down to the beach, continuing our visit. It was a warm sunny day, so the afternoon was pleasant.. We talked to some others there who were from Canada.

We stopped at Friendly's for ice cream before we returned to the RV for tea and more conversation. Jacqui and Noreen left at 5:00pm.  

A Military Experience

A Military Experience.

On the last few days of February we visited with Geni's parents, Gil and Phyllis in Columbia Georgia.

We arrived on Sunday, February 26^th at Lake Pines KOA RV Park www.lakepines.net and settled in before the visit and after Phyllis got back from feeding her horses Gil made us a light lunch and we sat around the kitchen table until 8:30pm talking. They live in a large home, just 2 miles from Lake Pines. We noticed that the addresses were placed on the curb in front of homes! We were greeted warmly by them and their dog, “Rag-a Muffin”

The next day started with a light rain, and a temperature of 12ºC. We took it easy early in the morning, had breakfast before going over to Phyllis and Gil's home. Each morning Gil goes to a Fitness Centre and Phyllis drives to a farm not far from their home to feed them her two horses. We were invited to go with her to see them.

Before we left, however, Phyllis wanted Randal to show some computer things. Geni gave her an old lap top and she is just trying to understand it.

She drives a little Ford Ranger truck. She takes Rag-a-Muffin with her when she goes to the farm. The dog needs a step stool to climb into the front seat. There is an old barn with a few other horses in the pasture. Her horses, Butter Cup and Av Bas Nova, were in a penned area that was locked with a chain.

Phyllis has the stalls decorated with pictures of her riding over the years. Her love for horses goes back to her childhood when a cousin of hers got a pony and she did not! She was a good horse woman however does not ride them now due to her recent stroke and heart condition. But for a lady of 82, she is doing really well.

Randal helped to clean up the horse manure and dump it out side of the pen. Rag-a-Muffin likes to eat it and Phyllis has to call her off from doing that.

When we returned to the house, she took us to see the back yard and her three hens, who lay green eggs. There is a law against raising chicken in the city, but she does it anyway. Phyllis has a very artistic way about her and she loves nature. She has fall coloured leaves, drift wood and sea shells decorating the house. She has also done very good sketches of her children when they were young. She has drawn horses as well.

Gill was home, making dinner. He has quit a flair in the presentation. He made chicken breast, greens, beans, onion rings, toast with melted cheese and salad. He served white wine with the meal. It all looked very nice but he apologized that he does it from the freezer or cans, to the stove, to the table. .

He told us about his army days and then we were shown some pictures of their youth, his football career and travels in Europe.

During the night we heard the train go by a few times and woke up to the sounds of the Military Base artillery shooting off. It is just over a fence near the Lake Pines Campsite. We went for a walk and saw signs saying US Property No Trespassing

On Wednesday Gil took us to the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, Columbus Georgia, www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com .

We met Sgt. Major James Lee, a retired Infantry comrade of Gil's and a volunteer, who gave us a tour. We spent a couple of hours looking at an amazing display of the Wars the United States have been involved in.

The last day of our visit Gil and Phyllis came to our RV for lunch. The corn muffins, salmon loaf, rice, and stirred fried veggies were well received. Randal showed them some pictures of what Leon has been doing.

It is so nice to spend time with new people. The visit was very rewarding, indeed. 


Until next time "Discover It and Live It"

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain, Georgia 
- February 24 & 25, 2012

When we left Myrtle Beach, it was 16ºC February 24^th. for Stone Mountain, a 301-mile journey. It was cloudy, with a chance of rain and wind coming up from the south and heading east. So we hoped to beat the conditions.

We were on the 501 at 7:45am heading for Florence SC. It was humid and partly sunny with temperatures of 21Cº. We stopped at Bishopville for fuel at 10:15am and then it started to rain. The skies opened up with thunder and lighting, for the rest of the trip, at times making it difficult to see.

We took I-95 at Florence and got onto I-20 By 12:30pm we were over the South Carolina/Georgia border, stopping at the information centre to sit out some of the rain. We picked up some information brochures and maps and were on our way again.

We turned off at one place looking for diesel, but had to turn around when we could not find a station. We drove into a church parking lot, which did not allow trucks! There was a sign in the middle of the road, which I had to move out of the way. Back on to I-20 and going further down the highway to Madison GA.

Stone Mountain Park http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

The traffic got heavier as we got closer to Atlanta. The GPS took us through the shortest route going through narrow streets of a village. The RV just made it around a corner! By the time we arrived at 5:00 pm the rain had stopped. We were leveled and set up in a very efficient manner.



Tour of Stone Mountain 
I got up leisurely at 6:30am and went for a walk at 7:30am. We met a few early risers and had nice conversations with them. Some were form North Carolina, near Hendersonville.

We walked around the camp site and down to the Stone Mountain Lake. There are a few camper here for the weekend and we were told by the staff that 200 boy scouts will be arriving this evening for an event.

We returned to our RV, had breakfast and then drove to see what the park had to offer.  Stone Mountain   Museum features artifacts and stories that span 12,000 years, from ancient civilizations that lived on the mountain to the present-day park. Learn about Native Americans and pioneer settlers. See how the community was affected by the Civil War and how Stone Mountain granite helped build the local economy.

The Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain is the largest relief carving in the world.  Learn how it came to be through exhibits featuring original designs, scale models and the 11-minute feature film The Men Who Carved the Mountain.. Stand beside full-scale replicas of some of the elements of the carving while enjoying a grand view of the memorial itself.

We took a ride to the top of Stone Mountain in the Summit Skyride. This high-speed Swiss cable car provides a stunning view of the Confederate Memorial Carving as it transports guests more than 825 feet above ground to the top of Stone Mountain.

From the top, experience amazing views of the Atlanta skyline, the Appalachian Mountains and more up to 60 miles away.

Until next time "Discover It and Live It"

Chicken Dance

Over the last week we have seen chickens come and go and move to and fro.

Home on the Range/ Farm

When we arrived here and parked the trailer between the Zendo and the new building foundation. There were chickens right beside us, fenced in with a three foot high square wire fence on a semi flat field this side of the creek. There was another chicken run set up south west of us across the creek.

Meditation Zendo at sunrise

Broken Vertical Wire

I have since learned, from Leon of coarse, that there are two designs used when making the square wire fencing. One has continuous lengths of wire running horizontal and the other has vertical lengths that allow the fence to stand on it's own without bowing or bending in the middle. The later is the one that Leon prefers. Also it doesn't use as many posts to keep it upright as the horizontal.

Solid Vertical and Horizontal  Wire

The chickens are moved so the field is cleaned of unwanted seeds and grasses. The chicken droppings are good fertilizer.

A week ago the oldest flock was sold. The fencing was removed. Posts pulled from the ground and the square wire rolled into sizable bails.

The bails were hauled over to a field south of the corn field. This field already had three lines fenced so only one had to have the post put in and wire attached. This would be the home of the remaining flock from across the creek.

Last night after dark with all the chickens roosted in their coop. Leon attached his two wheeled tractor to pull the coop with the rest of us pushing it. We moved the thirty or so chickens up the hill, past the trailer, down the road past the corn to the next field. This all happened in pitch black conditions, not even the moon to guide us. So here we were Leon and Randal with their head lamps shining and Lorraine with a smaller flashlight showing the way. The journey took us about fifteen minutes.

This morning it was business as usual when the chickens exited the coup in their new home. Let the chicken dance continue.  

Winter on Full Circle Family Farm NC

Beside the out-door kitchen there is a flowering fruit tree called the Japanese Plum (ume) Tree. On warmer sunny days the Russian bees from Full Circle Family Farm are heard buzzing around the tiny pink flowers. They love it! The Une tree is very popular in Japan, where is can also been seen in winter with pink flowers covered with frost and iscles. Ume is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a ume but is actually more closely related to the apricot. When the friut is ripened the plums are made into Umeboshi a type of tsukemono, or traditional Japanese pickled food. Umeboshi is literally "dried ume" are pickled ume fruits.

Cover crops on the vegetable beds are of rye, clover and peas. Freezing temperatures can occure as low as -4C will kill these crops so they can be dug back into the beds in the spring before transplanting the plants that have been started in the green house. The garlic was planted in the fall and are already growing in the straw-covered beds. The garlic has been in the ground since fall and have been covered up with straw.


In the green house there are lettuse, cabbages, leeks and brussel spouts, collards.






The tea plant does not lose it's leaves and remains green all winter.

The red and white corn fields are bedded down with straw and green cover crops. The harvested corn was milled into grits and corn meal.

A lemon tree is growing in the living-quarters green house. These organic lemons take a year to develop and ripen. It can flower anytime of year and is now in full bloom.

The remaining summer vegetables are still in the plastic cover. In the new green house that is built on the south side of the barn is full of healthy lettuse, collards and leeks. They will be ready for harvest in the spring.


The ginger was dug up, stored in pails of soil and brought into the green house that is in the family home. Their tops will die off and the ginger roots will then be taken out of the soil and washed off to be used.

Even if the leaves have fallen from the trees, the hemlock, rhododendron and bamboo are still green. It is so nice to see green all winter,. The snow has not come yet this winter, but when it does it will not last long.

January 1, 2012 New Years Day

Woke up this morning to 9C in the RV and 1C outside, clear skies and a colourful sunrise. Randal & I have been here since November 15^th on Full Circle Trail Family Farm near Black Mountain, North Carolina. We have been enjoying our first time living in the Open Range Travel Trailer in warmer climates and helping out on the farm. It was a high of 14C in the afternoon. I wore light shirt and jacket.

It was dark when we wake up in the morning at 6:00am. Randal is always out of bed first to dress and go outside to start the generator to re-change the RV battery and so we can get on the computers. It is much lighter outside than we can see, as the windows are tinted, making it seem darker outside. He turns up the thermostat to 68F to started the propane furnace to make it fell comfortable.

At 7:300am we see Leon walk by swinging a pail in his hand. He has been to feed the chickens. He has already milked the goats and is back at 10 to 7 to ring the Zen bells for mediation. The Zendo is just a few feet from our RV so it is easy for me to get there. We meditate for 40 minutes every day. There are five participants every morning who partakes in meditation.

During my meditation I am learning to focus on the present. I mentally think of the an affirmation from Louise Hay Book "You Can heal Your Life", In the infinity of life where I am, all is prefect, whole and complete. I recognize my body as a good friend. Each cell in my body has Divine Intelligence. I listen to what it tells me, and know that its advice is valid. I am always safe, and Divinely protected and guided. I choose to be healthy and free. All is well in my whole" . Forty minutes of meditation seams to have flown by when Leon rings the chimes to end the mornings session.
Geni wanted some pictures taken of her and I meditating in the Zendo, so Randal took them. She is going to sent them to her teacher in Japan.

Randal & I walked with Geni and Kayla on "Hidden Valley Trail" from Leon and Geni's property to Earthaven passed by the pig yard , along leave-covered trails, crossing over Taylor Creek bridges,and over a few fallen trees. Randal has captured some awesome picture of the area. The dogs, Soxs and Leila, follow us, going at their own pace. Today Sox reached her nose into the pig yard, through an electric fence and received a shock. That sent her quickly back to house. She was not going to finish this walk. It will interesting to see if she will come with us again along this path!

Today at 12:30pm we walked over a tall ridge to Sally and Randy's place for a New Years get-together of games, drinks and food, (black-eyed peas and collards); a tradition of the USA News Year celebrations. There were at least 60 adults and children there enjoying renewing acquaintances and conversation. I met more people who live in the neighbourhood of Eearthaven and Rosie Branch. We were there for 2 hours and than walked back home going along the Rosie Branch Creek into Earthaven arriving back at the RV at 4:30pm Kayla walked in bare feet. Her feet most be very tough!

Geni accompanied Carol, a former resident of Earthaven back with us and then she walked back with there to Sally and Randy's, making her walk of the day double. She did not get back until 10 to 7pm, just in time to meditate with me until 7:45pm.

Kayla came to the RV to watch a movie. She enjoys that and is now feeling comfortable to join us in movie watching.

Before going to bed at 8:30pm I played my usual game of Spider Solitaire.

November 11, 2011

Bridge over the Ohio River

A day earlier, on Thursday Nov 10, we left Granite City early in the morning and took I-255 that skirted St. Louis to get to I-64 East and then South on I-57 and then I-24 towards Nashville. We passed over the Ohio River and through the Shawnee National Forrest area and over the Tennessee River.

Nashville stop over 

Randal likes to drive only 4 to 6 hours so we selected a Good Sam Camp Ground of Two Rivers, Nashville Tennessee. It was much busier KOA with more people using it that the one of the night before. This may have been because it is the Country Music Capital of the the world.

The drive was interesting with the elevation getting to 1821 feet in some places and the forests colours gave a pleasing view. The trucking business sure keeps us alert as they passed us going 70mph. We travels somewhat slower so we can feel comfortable while pulling the Open Range.

It was a sunny cool morning with temperature of +3 C as we started out to take I-40 East towards Knoxville, Tennessee. It took us 30 minutes to drive through Knoxville on the 4-lane Interstate and 5 hours to arrive in Dolly Parton Country in the Great Smokey Mountain State Park, Tennessee.

This is where DollyWood and Ober Gatlinburg Amusement Park and Ski Resort are.

Cars and people arriving for the Veterans Day

The traffic was heavy for hours coming in on Highway 66 to these areas for the Veterans Day weekend. Cars lined up all day, moving slowly through road construction, all going to the festivities in the area.

This is a great place for family entertainment from white water rafting, Nascar racing, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction, Ghost & Haunt Tours, Electric Ziplines Rides, Helicopter rides, musicals and now that it is going into the Xmas season there are lights and The Smoky Mountain Opry Christmas Spectacular show to go to. In Gatlinburg there is a Hollywood Star Car Museum where over 400 best star car collection are on display.  

Wall of places to go and see!

The Ripplin Waters Camp Grounds, Sevierville, TN is off I-40, on #66 near Little Pigeon River that flows towards Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We found the campsite not very busy and a quiet place to spend the night.

The time changed so now we are on Eastern time.