Florida

We finally did get finished in Red Bay and headed south to our site at Deer Creek in Davenport FL. Great to arrive Sunday and start setting up our new home for the next 7 mos. John's been busy spraying red ants and has those pests under control. Went to Downtown Disney Wed nite for dessert, wander around and to Skype the kids. It was dark when we got home but did see two racoons scampering out of our way when we arrived. John and Chiko have spotted a possom a couple of times while out for their walk at nite. I (Sheila) went to a seminar at the club house on Medicare and am now more confused than before. So will use a rainy day to see if I can figure that out. Will make a list of questions and then find a Medicare office to get them answered. John has John W's golf cart up and running and is having fun with it. Took Chiko to his first of six obedience classes and John and I did really well. Went to a murder mystery dinner in Frostproof Fri.nite and that was fun. Lots of live theatre near here so look forward to enjoying many performances over the winter.

Red Bay Alabama

When we got to Red Bay, without an appointment, we were advised we could be

here until into November. This was pretty discouraging as this is the 3rd time we need to have the rotting floor replaced on the driver's front slide. John talked to them and they worked some things around so we were able to get in Friday. The service techs will finish up Mon or Tues. Such a relief as we have doctor appointments Nov 3rd in Florida to check a couple of spots for skin cancer. While here we have met some more friends for life. I had heard at the rally that my gungy microwave could be cleaned with Bartenders Friend. Peggy told me not to buy it as she had and it didn't work. She gave me hers, I boiled a lemon in it and then used the Bartenders Friend. Could not believe the results. It looked band new! So Peggy tried the same process, using the lemon, and her microwave looks great too. We are passing around the BF, scouring pad and the lemon for others to clean their microwaves. Awesome. I had two couples over for dinner Wed as trying to learn to use the foreign buttons on my microwave. Made the Mexican Potatoes and Pineapple Pork Roast according to the Sharp Convecton Microwave instructions. I was so proud of the dinner. Everyone was impressed. I'll keep trying receipes using CompuRoast, High Mix, Sensor Cook etc. VERY pleased with how this microwave cooks. Can't believe I've had one for 10 years and just starting to learn. Peggy had invited all the Canadians over for the Canadian Thanksgiving dinner and served turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes etc. Awesome dinner. Life is good.

Alabama

We left the rally on Friday morning and drove 495N to 90W to 84S to bypass the New York traffic and we were able to make it to a Walmart in Chambersburg,PA. Worked out great as was tucked back in from traffic and quiet. We were up early then next morning and made it to a Walmart in Kimball, Tenn., just outside the Alabama State line. This Walmart is used by a lot of transports who leave the truck running all night and tend to be really noisy. Won't do that one again. It was an easy drive into Red Bay to have Tiffin work on our coach. We had set the month of Oct aside to get some major warranty repairs done. Took Chiko to vet Tues to be neutered and have his dew claws removed. He's doing just fine with his little bright green bandages on. We take him back Monday to have the stitches for the dew claws taken out. No stitches for the neutering. Pleased with the job the vet did. Went to Mr.J's for pizza last night with neighbors and food was excellent. Going to Rattlesnake Saloon tonight.

New England

Monday, Sept. 26 we left and drove I-95 north to the rally. We weren't there 10 minutes when we got a knock on the door. Free generator oil and filter change compliments of Bob Tiffin. We were given a sheet when we registered and asked to write down 3 items we would like the Tiffin Service Techs to look at and possibly repair for us. The list was put under the windshield wiper and the reps looked after everything. What they couldn't fix, we will get done at Red Bay next week. Tues we attended seminars and picked up some great tips. The Cumins rep advised us that 2,000 rpms is the sweet spot for the Cumins 360 that we have in our rv. When climbing, downshift and keep the tak as close to 2,000 as possible. Will make climbing hills much easier. Letting the coach lug up a hill is hard on the engine. John has been doing this and notices a big difference. Michelin put on a tire presentation and then visited each coach to tell the owners about their wear patterns and how to make corrections, if needed. Lucky for us our tires are wearing perfectly. Air pressure and alignment are right on. I (Sheila) had made a committment about a month ago to start learning about and using all the bells and whistles on my convection microwave. It was great to learn more about it at this seminar. The dog park at Normandy Farms is the biggest, nicest and most amazing one we have ever seen.

On Wed. we took a cruise to view 10 Lighthouses and take a complete tour of Newport Harbor. Cool but sunny and just beautiful. We ate lunch at the Quonset Officer's Club at the U.S.Naval Complex and it was (actually a dinner) one of the best John and I have enjoyed. On the way to the cruise, our bus (one of 4) toured Providence RI when we learned the effects that the Gaspee Affair, the Great Depression, the Civil War and the New England Hurricane of 1938 had on this capital city. Thursday was "Sports Day' and, although it rained a lot of the day, we had great fun socializing. And lastly but most important, we met some new friends for life.

New England States

We headed east on Hwy 2 to take the scenic route thru upper New York State. It was pretty but before the end of the day we had switched to I-90 east. It was much faster and the toll cost was minimal. We called Normandy Farms in Foxboro, Mass. to see if we could get in early and do our sightseeing from there. Turns out they had a 25 % off for Mass. campers so were full. We called a member of the Nutmeg Allegro Club (Connecticut) and Jennie recommended Aces High RV Park in Easy Lyme (Flanders/New London area). It turned out to be an excellent referral. We are getting rain off and on but have managed to enjoy the Mystic Seaport area and Jamestown RI area along with the Foxboro Casino. The park is not big but clean with nice sites and walking trails along the water. We even have a Five Guys just down the street. Took Chiko to the vet in Groton Tues as he has been licking and scratching his one leg where we believe he was stung by a wasp the first of Aug. Turns out the vet, her assistant and the second vet at the clinic are Canadian. The Dr. believes Chiko was stung by something and, because he has been at it, he has a bacterial infection on the leg. So he is on antibiotics for 12 days to clear it up. We are so relieved it is not allergies. We had been giving him a half dose of children's Benedryl but she said to increase it to the full dose of 12.5 mg per day. The half dose had been the Canadian Benedryl which is only 6.5 mg strength. So we really increased it but she says it won't hurt him and will stop the urge to scratch more quickly. Will be happy to see him healthy again and will pay closer attention to where we walk him. Other than that, he is doing great. Turning out to be an excellent breed as a housepet. Still not barking and still no interest in people food.

Back in the U.S.of A.!

After leaving Ontario, Canada, we travelled southeast thru Fort Erie to Holley NY to visit Skip and Lana. They recommended we stay at the Hickery Ridge Golf and RV Park just down the road and it turned out to be an excellent choice. They very graciously took us sightseeing in the area and we were pleasantly surprised at how scenic it is. Easy to see why they love living where they do. They took us to the Dinosaur BBQ where we had the best ribs ever! Apparently Airforce 1 gets their bbq here when in the area. Awesome food. Skip and John golfed at Hickery Ridge Wed. for $18/18 holes incl cart. Both liked the course. Thurs. Skip took John out on the Erie Canal boating with friends. We didn't realize the canal came this far inland and it is beautiful. It was cold out but John enjoyed himself. Lana and I shopped both days. Good friends and we enjoyed the visit. We hated to leave but it was time to move on. We are booked into the Allegro Rally on Sept 26th so will spend time touring New England States before we get there.

Summer with the Kids

We stayed long enough to see our last grandchild go to school for her first day. Sarah, who turned 4 on Aug 31st, said it was a good day at Jr. Kindergarten as she didn't get sent to the office of principal at all. We had taken all 6 granchildren on our traditional 'back to school' shopping trip. We were really successful in buying outfits that they all liked and were happy to wear to class. It's another fun event for John, myself and each of the childen. They enjoy trying on clothes and then presenting a fashion show for ours and their parents enjoyment.
We then took Michelle, Tim, Bob and Dione to the Elm Hurst Inn in Ingersoll for a goodbye dinner Sunday evening. Food and ambiance were excellent.
Then early monday morning on Sept 12th, we were packed up and on the road again, heading south. First stop. Holley, NY.

Summer with the Kids

We had planned on spending our 'in between time' camping at Spring Lake RV Resort in Mount Elgin as we have done previous years. We really enjoy this park, it has the lake and splash pad for the kids, lots of kids activities and good friends we have made after camping there for the past 5 years while visiting Canada in the summer. When we first arrived there in July, we realized that the electrical power was going to be another struggle for us. We knew we could run our generator to run the air conditioner on hot days but this was not something we like to do. So we gave up on Spring Lake and moved to Willow Lake Park on the north edge of Woodstock. It turned out to be a good move. We were able to get a 75 ft pull thru with full service including 50 amp power. It's a smaller park but very friendly, clean and with a nice pool and hot tub. So this became our home base and will be again next summer. It is close to Woodstock for shopping, half way between both Michelle and Dione and close to Stratford. I was able to enjoy a Shakespeare play, Twelth Night. We tried to buy tickets to 'Jesus Christ Super Star' but it was sold out the entire time we were in Ontario. Early in Sept. we were awakened at 4 am to pounding on the door. It was the man next door and he wanted to warn us to get up and out of the way as his motorhome was on fire. We threw dog, clothes, purse, passports and laptop in the car and drove a distance from the rv. The fire dept was there quickly and did an awesome job containing the fire but were unable to save the coach. The man had purchaed it new last year and this was his first time using it. His dog woke him up to fire and smoke in the front area of the coach. The smoke detector did not wake him so not sure it went off. He was able to drop the dog and then himself out the bedroom exit window. We haven't heard the results of the investigation but wonder if he knew to check the furnace for a nest made by wasps or mice before starting it up for the first time. Good reminder to all of us to check our smoke detectors, furnaces and exit windows. It was a pretty scary situation for everyone watching.