Llano Grande, Mercedes, TX

Nancy, Gloria and I enjoying the 'Lights of Hildago'. It was a large and beautiful display and a fun filled evening with friends.

Our turn to host the 'happy hour' and, as you can see, we were able to enjoy many 'rent-a-friends'. In all seriousness we really are enjoying the friendships here at this park. Very tempting to return again next fall.

John and Roy had just returned from a cruise where the dreadlocks seemed to bring out their 'secret' side.

Christmas

We flew from McAllen, TX to Ontario, Canada to spend Christmas with the kids. Of course, Papa is just lucky to have somewhere to sleep while Grama was in demand. We took the kids to Owen Sound to see the Christmas lights, which are awesome. Stayed in a hotel and got some quality time in with family. Sheila's mom was delighted to see (sort of as she is blind) the kids and hear them sing Christmas Carols to her. She gave them each presents which they were delighted with. Just a 'totally awesome' visit.

Texas

Went to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Harlington Texas Wed. and were really impressed with the museum. We watched a 35 min video and learned that this was one of the most tragic battles in American history. The marines were sent Feb 1945 to capture the island from Japan in 3days. It took 36 days, 6800 deaths and 23,000 wounded. Will get the movies 'Shores of Iwo Jima' and 'The Outsider' to watch again. Will mean more to us now that we are more familiar with the story. There were articles at the museum about the 'Code Talkers' and that adds to our interest in going to the Burger King in Kayenta,AZ. Larry, at the museum, recommended to go to Windowrock NM and Gallop NM. Also recommended books by Tony Hillerman.

Llano Grande RV Resort, Mercedes Texas

We arrived here October 29th and decided to stay a month to try it out. Well, we soon paid for Dec and Jan to extend our stay. We are loving it here. Sites are a good size, lots to do and great facilities. Web site is www.LlanoGrandeResort.com . We start our day at 7 am with Tai Chi lessons followed by a workout at an awesome fitness center. Then we go to line dancing lessons. Have been to Mexico for pedicure $9. Manicure, pedicure and 1/2 hr body massage is $40. Life can't get any better. Outlet mall nearby. So far weather has been great. Grapefruit, lime and avacado trees around the resort. 5000 people when full and will be by Jan. and everyone is so friendly. Spanish lessons start in Jan. They welcome beginners so we fit right in. Dances every Sat. nite.

San Antonio, Texas

The Shrine at the Alamo. We learned more about American history and about Texas fighting for their independence from Mexico. Then photos taken on the Riverwalk. It was very impressive. The bridge that John and I are standing by was in the movies, Selina and Cloak and Dagger. Will have to rent them. Miss Congeniality was also filmed on the Riverwalk. We took a narrated ride on one of the riverboats but still did a lot of walking. Stopped at a couple of the restaurants for beer and snacks along the way. Def a 'must do' in one's travels around the U.S.

French Quarters, New Orleans

We met Bob and Patsy from Cape May, New Jersey at the rv park and hooked up for some fun times. They are headed to Texas so will likely see them again. Patsy and I bought funky earrings and scarves at one of the shops at the French Quarter so now we are 'with it'. Really enjoyed our new friendship.

French Quarters, New Orleans

We arrived in New Orleans on Thursday and spent Friday at the French Quarters. Really enjoyed walking around the area and are taking the free shuttle from the rv park to Jackson Square again tomorrow. Met Bob and Patsy who are going with us. Bob got us tickets to the House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch. Lots of places to go and most restaurants and bars have entertainment. The man with the dog did not move the entire time we were in the area.

Yes, that's water we're driving through !

We left Canada on Monday October 5th after attending Derek and Amanda's wedding in Owen Sound on the 3rd. Headed to New Orleans but decided to stop in at Tiffin in Red Bay, Alabama to finally get the ice maker fixed. Arrived at the Allegro CG on Thurs, they put us in to the express bay Monday and got us looked after just fine. As usual they pampered us. Left there Tues and drove south on 59 for most of the day. Decided to stop at an Elk Lodge for the nite and found this one in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It was a challenge getting to the site but it was fun. And only $10 with water and 50 amp service.

Ontario Canada

After Woodland, we moved the rv to Bus and Jane's dairy farm in Springmount for two days. Ended up staying a week. Too fun. Lightening hit their phone line and blew out their computer, phone lines, printer and modem. Also hit a tree beside the rv. Good thing the huge branches fell the other way. John and Bus cut up over 4 cord of wood and stacked in the barn. Jane got her computer up and running at a minimal cost so all is well that ends well. Jane and I went to the Keady market Tues morning and I loved it. We went to the Hanover Raceway Wed afternoon where I donated a few dollars on the horses and on the slots. Had dinner at the track and the food was good. Ate fresh veggies from Jane's garden, had a LOT of laughs and brushed up on our eucre skills. Girls still the best. Looking forward to going back next year.

Waterloo, Ontario Canada

Back at Green Acres in Waterloo with internet again. Wow I miss it when we are in Canada. Had 120 email to download when we got here. Have been busy. Before leaving here the first of July, we went to see Jersey Boys in Toronto with Nat and Candy. Loved it. Spent a lot of time with Ty and Tate and attending their soccer and hockey games. We then moved to Spring Lake in Mt. Elgin (just south of Ingersoll) where we spent a lot of time with Abby, Grace, Jack and Sarah. It was so much fun to have the grandkids on board agn. We attended a stag and doe for Derek and Amanda in Woodstock on the 18th. It is their wedding that we are staying in Canada for Oct 3rd. Then July 20th we packed up 5 grandkids (except Sarah, who is too young yet) and travelled to the KOA in Port Huron. Awesome campground for kids. They had a riot, in spite of the rain. After almost a week there, we returned them to their parents and moved ourselves in to John and Charlene's driveway in Stratford. It was good to see them again and we had a lot of laughs. We then moved north to Woodland at Sauble Beach, stopping over for a few nights at Pike Lake in Mount Forest. We stopped just south of Pike Lake to fill up with gas and ran in to Ced and Shirley from Orillia (the couple we met in Florida 3 yrs ago). Great visit. If you go to Pike Lake to stay and golf, ask for a site in 'f' section. Their overnight sites are brutal. Woodland never fails to impress us. We are already booked in next year July 29th to Aug 9th. When we got to Woodland Campground, people on our site had their dates mixed up and were not ready to leave. Their driver was away for the day. They said they would move off the site if someone could drive their Prevost. That was John's excitement for the summer, getting to drive a Prevost. Good lesson for us tho. We will now pay close attention to our check in and check out dates. Bill and Gail booked in to Woodland at the same time (Bill was bestman at our wedding 43 yrs ago) and we had so many laughs together. While at Sauble (which is the second longest freshwater beach in the world) we spent a lot of time at Sprey Lake where our family were spending the week. A friend of Scott and Kathy's (John's brother) had given them their resort to use while they went out west. Scott invited all of our family to stay either in the cabins or in their own campers. We had a great time. The resort was amazing! Hope we get invited back next summer.

Waterloo, Ontario Canada

June 1st we arrived at Green Acres CG in Waterloo. One of the nicer campgrounds in Ontario and centrally located to kids, attractions and friends. Have been to Waterloo/St.Jacobs Farmers Market which is also one of the nicest. Will enjoy this area until July 6th. Then not sure where going. Tony and Jo are coming here from Indiana June 22nd along with new friends, Ron and Lynda who we met in Florida at Tony and Jo's. Ron and Lynda live in Kitchener near where we lived for 10 years. Will be a busy and fun month.

Canada

On May 22nd we received a call from family that John's mom was failing and we may want to go home. We closed up Saturday morning and drove north. By 5 pm, we had reached Sleepy Hollow CG in Buffalo NY area and had a great time with the kids. The folks there were so nice giving us an easy in and out site with water and electric. Not easy to find on a long weekend. The kids enjoyed the playgrounds, a wagon ride and a dance. We were really fortunate to land here as the kids were soooo good on a full day of driving. Sunday we crossed the border and met Bob and Dione in Guelph. They took the kids home and we continued to the KOA in Owen Sound. John was able to spend quality time with his mom before she passed on the 27th. It was such a healthy week with family remembering the fun times and laughing a lot. We all partied for the next few days just as Marg would have wanted. She didn't believe in sadness at a passing. It was nice sharing the love with the family. So many family and friends came out to the funeral home and to the mass on Saturday. She was well loved and will be missed.

Kids in Pennsylvania

We were able to take the kids to the Touch Please Museum in Philidelphia. We had a really fun time and will plan Sesame Park another time..

Friday we leave Brandywine CG and move to an rv park in Hershey PA so we can take the kids to Hershey Park as well as the Chocolate Factory. Everyone is pretty excited.

Yeah ! Kids are here.

We met Dione and Bob at Corning NY which is about half way between Douglasville PA and their home near London Ontario. So fun to have all three for two weeks. We went to print out the info on Sesame Park and found that it does not open thru the week until May 24 w/e. Next time will have to plan time with them after long w/e. They like Brandywine Creek CG that we have booked in to for the first week. Pool not open yet but they have a trampoline that the kids love. Park is down is narrow road for about 6 miles but nice park and nice people. We do get our satelite and internet. Kids like playing Animal Crossing at Smartlnd and visiting Dadville.

Lancaster, PA

We are in a rv park just east of Lancaster. Busy Amish and Mennonite tourist area so parks tend to be full on the weekends. We are close to Norm and Bernice and Bob and Cindy and are getting in some quality visiting. Great to see these friends again. Paul and Ann are coming from Toledo, Ohio on the 13th for a few days. Will be great to see them again. Then on the 16th we pick up the grandchildren who will stay with us as we tour north to Canada for the summer. We will take them to Sesame Park near Philly, Hershey Chocolate Factory and the Train Museum in Strasburg. Lots for them to see and do while we are in this area and as we head north. Haven't seen them since Christmas so looking forward to having lots of fun.

Finally, we made it to New York City. We had conflicting remarks about staying at Liberty Harbor Marine and RV Park, Jersey City, NJ but turned out to be our best choice and we would def stay there again. Just a parking lot at the marina but felt safe and were comfortable. 50 amp service with water and no sewer. We could see the Statue of Liberty from our window. The ferry runs weekdays from 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 10 pm to Pier 11. You can also walk a short 5 blocks to the PATH and catch the Grove St train to 33rd street (Upper Manhattan) or the World Trade Center (Lower Manhattan) $1.75 each one way on the train and $6 each one way on the ferry. Again we did a lot of walking and saw a lot. Ate at Johnny's Fish Grill in Lower Manhattan and were pleased with the food and the price. Upper Manhattan was double the price, food not as good and you didn't get as much.

Washington DC

On our way to NYC we decided to stop at the US Capital, Washington DC. People had referred us to Cherry Hill Park for camping and it was an excellent choice. Located at College Park, Maryland. We were able to book a sightseeing tour, 'Hop On - Hop Off ' thru Gray Line right at the rv park. Buses stopped at Cherry Hill Park at 6:45 am and Gray Line took us to Union Station where we then caught the open top sightseeing tour bus around the capital city. Cost was $35 per person for unlimited off and on for two full days. We then caught the Gray Line back to Cherry Hill from Union Station at 4:30 pm. This rv park caters to tourist sightseeing in Washington and is set up really well. We did a lot of walking and saw a lot. After our tour of the Capital Bldg, we visited the office of the Florida Senator, Mel Martinez in the Russell Senate Ofc Bldg next door and obtained a pass into the Senate. Could not tour the White House as this must be arranged long in advance of the visit.

North Carolina

We left SC and headed north to New York City stopping at the RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads in Roanoke Rapids NC. Will be a beautiful rv park when finished. We were at the back which is not yet finished but still really nice. They have overnite sites with full hook up for only $15 per. We used our Passport America discount. Went to Dionne Warwick concert at the nearby music hall for the evening.

South Carolina

After leaving the Helen GA area, we moved east to a cg just east of Columbia, SC. Stayed at Columbia/Camden RV Park in Lugoff SC which proved to be inexpensive, pleasant and central to our touring the area. We spent an afternoon in Congaree NP and the next day at the State Capital Bldg in Columbia SC. We had planned on staying a couple of days but ended up being at that cg a week and just veg'g out.

Georgia

After leaving Albany, GA, we moved on northeast for a long overdue visit with Dr. George and his wife Sylvia. We stayed in a cg near them but next time we will go to the nearby Unicoi State Park. We drove thru it and sites were full hook up and could easily accommodate a 42' rv. George and Sylvia live on the side of Mount Helen with the most awesome view. They toured us around their area of Sautee Nacoochee and Cleveland including a trip to Woodlands Camp where their son-in-law, Jon, runs a Christian Camp for Kids. www.woodlandscamp.org Jon and Julie work as part of a team who make a difference in so many childrens lives.

Alabama

Thunderstorms and tornado watch here so time to catch up. We read about 'Parks of Chehaw' in the March FMCA magazine so decided to try it out after getting the windshield replaced at Red Bay. Have been here 5 days and we're really glad we checked this place out. It is like camping in the woods although we were amazed that we got full satellite signal. Wildlife Refuge here that is very pleasant to enjoy for an afternoon. Great place for kids. Albany has had some serious flooding recently and we're sure the 5" coming today won't help. Met a really nice couple from the area, David and Edith Ann, and went to Easter service at their church yesterday. Park is not expensive. We paid $16 per nite for sr's for 50 amp and water. Dump station close and easy to get to. Wildlife Refuge was $7 for the two of us and only a short walk from rv site.