Bristol, TN

John and Mel

We have enjoyed our stay at Rocky Top on I-81 between Bristol TN and Kingsport TN. Our plan was to spend time with our good friends, John and Melanie. We were able to get together for dinner and an evening of socializing, remembering fun times and catching up to date on what is happening in our lives.  We got to see the video that John's troops made for him in Iraq on his retirement. It was heart warming to see the sincere friendships they shared. It was so good to see them and we are determined to not spend so long before getting together again They recommended we include Harper's Ferry in our trip to the Shenandoah Valley tomorrow and we likely will.

Deer Creek Motorcoach Resort, Blue Ridge Mountains

Enjoying a Pork Chop Sandwich at 'The Snappy Lunch' in Mayberry

Floyd's Barbershop where Andy Griffith got his hair cut in Mayberry NC

A stop along the Blueridge Parkway in NC not far from Deer Creek.

Deer Creek Motorcoach Resort with their log cabins

Deer Creek Motorcoach Resort
We left Chuck and Ruby's with a promise of returning next time in the area and wound our way thru excellent mountain highways to Galax, VA the home of our friends, Mike and MaryAnn. Easy to understand why our friends have purchased rv sites at this resort nestled in the mountains. Cabins are finished with outside kitchens and quaint verandas. We toured nearby Mt Airy and enjoyed touring the town of Mayberry where Andy Griffith is from and the tv show was based on. We went into Galax to listen to a bluegrass and try our luck at flatfooting. John enjoyed golfing with the group from Deer Creek. We went to Bear Creek Motorcoach Resort where the same developer is building rv sites on lots from 1 acre to 3 acres in the mountains. This resort will be beautiful where some of the views look out onto the Appalachian mountains. As Barry lives on an rv, he understands what appeals to us full timers. We had a great time with Mike and MaryAnn and look forward to returning when we pass thru that area again in the Fall. Would have purchased a lot without hesitation if not for our families being in Canada. Right now our draw is to the north for the summer months.

Site 53
This is the site we stayed on and is for sale for $110K
Landscaped with azaleas, roses and multiple evergreens

Louisburg, North Carolina

When we left Fort Wilderness in DisneyWorld, we drove north on I-95 to visit our friends, Chuck and Ruby and their dog, Snow in Louisburg, NC.  They have a beautiful home on a golf course with a full hook up, rv pad beside their home. We had a great time for a week socializing, soaking in the hot tub and enjoying the area.

We did get in an afternoon at the 'Smithville Ham and Yam Festival' in spite of so much rain. John and Chuck got in a game of golf on what John describes as a 'really nice course'. Cost for 18 holes was $15 and included the cart, 2 hot dogs, bag of chips and a soda. 

Walt Disney World

We are at Fort Wilderness Campground since April 15th having an awesome time. Yesterday we went to the Spirit of Aloha at the Polynesian resort with Harry and Jackie and Jim and Carol. We had way too much fun. Food was great. It was fun to see the kids on stage having a good time with the dancers. Today we toured the pools at some other resorts. We've done Epcot and Animal Kingdom. So much to see and do here. Chiko has been to the Pet Spa to be groomed and pampered. Grandkids want to come back. Maybe next year as we'll be back to Florida in the Fall.

Belmont Splash Pad

At the Belmont Kids Park Campaign Kickoff yesterday, the team announced that they have secured $270,000 of the $300,000 goal to build the new Splash pad and Skatepark. Now they will call on the community to raise the difference as they try to schedule completion this summer instead of 2014. We are so proud of our daughter, Dione, and the many hours she has put into this project. Dione took on this effort in an attempt to give back to the community that supported her and her family during their struggles with Jack's cancer. Belmont is def a community that cares.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

We packed up our home after the kids left and moved to Gold Rock Campground in New Smyrna Beach with Dewayne and Nancy for a week or so. We joined the Deer Creek FMCA club for the Balloon Festival and decided to stay on. Clean pleasant campground and we will def return next year for a week or two. Enjoyed the Balloon Festival even tho too windy for the Balloon Burn. Air show was great. Mike and MaryAnn had recommended Our Deck Down Under in Port Orange so we went there for dinner. Excellent choice. Even had dolphins joins us over the end of the deck. We spent time on the beach a few afternoons. Saturday we attended an old car show in historic downtown New Smyrna Beach and were amazed at the large number of impressive cars that showed up for the show. Very pleasant afternoon. Monday, April 15th, Dewayne and Nancy will head to the great white north and we will move to Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground for two weeks.

Belmont Splash Pad

Dione has been involved in raising money to build a splash pad in her community in Ontario. Their goal was to raise enough monies to start build in 2014. Well, the past 3 month have been an exciting time for her and her team resulting in enough funds pledged to start the project this Spring with scheduled completion this Summer. And they haven't even started to campaign for funds from the local area.  The connecting link on this blog about Dione being nominated for the Canadian Walmart Mom of the Year indicates that the Splash Pad was her charity of choice should she win the award. This will provide an awesome play area for the small ones in Belmont and the surrounding community.  We are so proud of Dione.

SOUTH AFRICA March 2013

Time has gone quickly and before we knew it, it was time to take off for South Africa. We flew from Orlando, FL to Atlanta, GA and then on to Johannesburg SA. Long time on the plane but they did have current movies to pass the time. We had pre-booked two nights at Mo Africa Hotel and Johannesburg before joining the rest of the group. When we arrived we found that Mo Africa was full so they had moved us to their sister hotel, The Sarah Club. It was even nicer. Loved the hotel and the rooms. Had gotten a great rate on the rooms as well. First thing was off to find a Vodaphone store and get SIM cards for our iPad minis. Found it was as cheap as Italy. We got the 7 Gb on a prepaid card plus the SIM for 50 Rand (which is approx. $50 US) And was working before we left the store. Wish Canada and US were as easy. And,,,, in the centre of the mall was an ice rink with a hockey game going on. In South Africa no less.  The next day we hired a tour guide to take Rick n Bonnie, John and I on a tour of Johannesburg and Soweta. It turned out to be a fun and educational day. We toured the Regina Mundi RC church, the FNB Stadium, the Apartheid, the Hector Pieterson Memorial as well as driving past the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (the third largest hospital in the world); the  homes of Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela's current home. We stopped at an African buffet for lunch. Our guide was well informed and gave us a lot of information about the area. Even took us to ghettos and explained the different levels of ghetto living.
We moved to the Kopanong Resort and Convention Center to join our tour group. Beautiful resort. John and I tried lamb and were surprised at how much we enjoyed it. Upscale dining room and we ate some interesting foods.
Then onto Bobo's to rent our motorcoaches and get started on our caravan. We stayed mostly in National Parks that were clean and quite nice. The guys soon learned to drive on the left side of the highway with the steering wheel on the right. And stick shift. The trip included 6 nights at Kruger National Park. Two of those nights we spent at Kirkman's Kamp. Very upscale, great service, awesome food and would highly recommend. We did 4 safaris (6 am and 5 pm daily) in open land rovers with a tracker and a guide. Between Kirkman's and Kruger we saw the big five. We saw wild dogs which is rare. It got that giraffes, impala, elephants, zebras and hippos became old hat and we got more excited seeing the leopards, lions and rinos. It was amazing, educational and breathtaking to see the animals, countryside and nature at it's most primitive. We went on a total of 7 safaris while in South Africa. Again, took about 2,000 photos. Nice to be able to upload to Facebook daily. The rv's were small but lots roomy enough for our trip.  Think we can easily say this was our most awesome adventure. South Africa is promoting tourism and we were treated very well there and in Swaziland. Cost was moderate as well.

Pizza place in Clarens with best pizza
and Sangrias

Our new home for a few weeks

Rick n Bonnie, John and Sheila

Toes in the Indian Ocean

Baby Leopard hiding while waiting for mom

Lots of giraffes

Dancers entertain us in Swaziland

Family and friends

Campground even had it's own Zebra

Our land rover for our hunts

Hockey game in middle of mall in Johannesburg

Lots of Hippos

Similar story to the March for Freedom in the U.S.

John looks like original owner of Kirkmans

Spotted Hyena waiting for leopard to drop antelope from tree

Sharing the road

Mom and baby

Many kids on roads walking to school every morning

Dung Beetle - Impressive

Dressed in Zulu outfit at Basotho Cultural Village

Walt Disney World, Florida March 2013

Well the kids came to Florida for our Family Disney Vacation and we had just the most awesome time. Dione and her family flew in March 27th. We had to cancel Michelle's family flights the same day as Tate's hockey team made the OHMA hockey finals and winning had resulted in a final game March 28th. They rented a van and drove to Disney arriving late Friday night. Boardwalk was crowded but we still enjoyed each other's company at the pool and on the Boardwalk. Downtown Disney was a much fun as always. Lou, our neighbor at Deer Creek who also owns DVC points, recommended we consider going to the Polynesian Resort pool for a day. His tip was absolutely the best. We spent the day at that pool, laying on the beach in the sun and taking the kids for a ride in the motorboat. Hardly anyone at the pool although it had the same activities for the kids as other pools. Will go there again. The resort we were staying at 'Boardwalk' had an Easter Scramble on Sunday, Easter morning, and the kids cleaned up on candy. Disney has a fun day planned that the kids enjoyed greatly. As the theme parks were so busy, we decided to go to Blizzard Beach for a day. Turned out to be an excellent choice. Dione, Bob and Jack went down the big slide. Jack was so proud of himself and Dione, who loves thrill rides, said she would think twice before going down again. Have to take a gondola ride up to the top. Everyone had a great time and def want to go back. Dione, Bob and the kids flew home April 3rd and Tim, Michelle and the boys drove north on Thursday morning. Awesome time together.

Deer Creek RV Park, Davenport, Florida

Larry and Glenda organize some awesome parties at Deer Creek using their connections with entertainers in Branson, Missouri. This was taken the night of the hippies dance where we won second prize for costume. We are still enjoying Deer Creek and all there is to do in the area.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our friends and we wish you an awesome 2013. Our prayers go out to our dear friends,John and Suz, who have been dealing with a major struggle in their lives. And prayers to all our other friends who have been given a mountain to climb by our 'guy upstairs'. We are in Baden, Ontario today with our daughter, Michelle and her family for Christmas Day. Turkey is in the oven. We left Davenport, Florida on Sunday, Dec 16th and drove 2 1/2 days to arrive at Dione's in Belmont. We had just taken Dewayne and Nancy to DisneyWorld to tour some of the resorts and show them that there is more to Disney than just theme parks. This picture is of them at the Grand Floridian in front of the ginger bread house. Looking forward to showing them more of Disney once we return in January. In Ontario, we were able to travel and get in a number of the kid's hockey games. For Christmas, Dione gave us tickets to a live performance of 'Miracle on 34th Street" at the Grand Theatre in London. We took her 4 kids and had an awesome time. We love live performances so couldn't have received a better gift. The evening went great and, when we got out after 10 pm, we all stopped at McDonald's for french fries. The kids loved it. This past Sunday we drove to Owen Sound to visit my mom. She is 87, in a retirement home and doing great. Finally found slippers that work for her and some of you may appreciate what a wonderful accomplishment that was. Dione and her family will come to Baden tomorrow for our family Christmas dinner. Friday we have a wedding in Toronto and then Sunday we will take the grandkids to Owen Sound to visit my mom and see the lights. We will stay overnight as the hotel has an indoor pool. This has been an annual tradition which mom looks forward to. She is on the receiving end of Christmas carols by her great grandchildren. New Years Eve at Dione's to celebrate our family's health and happiness in 2012 and ring in 2013. We plan on heading back to Florida on January 2nd.

Osborne Dancing Lights at Walt Disney World Florida

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgsqChJIyKU&feature=plcp

Tried to link this youtube video but still learning how.
We enjoyed a spectacular event at Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, Florida on Thurs evening with our friends, Ron and Carol. Spent about 2 hours taking in the lights, music and ambiance.

Candlelight Processional, Epcot, WDW Florida

Last night we went to Epcot at Walt Disney World to the Candlelight Processional. We purchased the Dining Experience in order to have priority seating and the total cost was worth every cent. We ate at the Rose and Crown Pub which included as appetizer (we chose the Scotch Egg and the Roasted Scallops),an entree and awesome desserts. We chose off the menu and it didn't matter whether you chose the $17 fish and chips or the $30 steak. Of course, we chose the $30 steak with the Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and fried fish. Food was excellent. When we left the restaurant we walked to another area for the show. The WDW Orchestra, Voices of Liberty and WDW Cast Choir were joined by choirs from some schools to present the Story of the birth of Jesus. Last night's show was narrated by Neil Patrick Harris. It was beautiful.

Key West Florida

We left Davenport on Monday Nov 12 and headed south to spend some time on the Florida Keys. First stop was an easy drive to Miami Everglades RV Park where we enjoyed an inexpensive, full hook up, pull thru for the night. We met Mark, Brenda, Gilles and Gerry from the Niagara Falls ON Canada area. Turns out we had a mutual friend, Norm, who is now in Pennsylvania. Small world. Then we drove to the keys to spend the week at Bluewater Keys RV Resort.( www.bluewaterkey.net )which we would highly recommend. If they are full when you phone, try calling Rita, 305-744-0999, who owns 8 sites and rents privately. Not sure if she has free wifi or cable with her sites but she says she is less expensive than through the park. Park is def first class. Ate at Two Friends, Jimmy Buffets, Mamma Mania and Hogfish Grill. All were excellent. Chiko was greeted by a Blue Land Crab under the step one evening and we had a resident iguana outside our coach. Stopped at Ortona South COE park ($12) on the ways home which was excellent. Great trip.

Davenport, Florida

Well we are on our site in Deer Creek RV Resort for the winter. Have already been to wii bowling and cards at the clubhouse and another One-to-One class at Apple. Lots of friends already here and the fun has begun. Will head over to Disney Epcot Wine and Food Festival which is on until early Nov. Special prayers for John and Suz today as John undergoes a regiment of tests. Rain everyday this week but great for lawn and gardens. Plus getting lots done indoors.

Cedar keys

OMG! We just came back from dinner at Steamers. I had fresh steamed clams, fresh shrimp and fresh grouper. My dinner was soooo good. We came to this CG today via 98 to 19 to 345 to 24. Realized afterward that we would have been better to come in the exit and ended up in site 7 instead of 8. Here until Sunday when we will move on to Davenport. Tomorrow going to Annie's for fresh mullet, eggs and bacon. Looking forward to enjoying seafood all weekend.

Carrabelle Florida

We are set up here for the 3 days overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Another Bill and Nancy referral. Beautiful spot. To arrive at this CG, we took exit 174 off I-10 and drove north on 12 (going under 10) for about 2 miles then turned south on 65. Watch for 65 as it's not an intersection. We took 65 south to Telogia where we turned left onto 67. Just above Carrebelle, we turned left onto Lake Morality Rd which is the truck route. Then when we connected with 98, we turned left and Ho-Hum was right there on the right. Well worth the stop and we will go back.

Deer Run RV Park

Bill and Nancy recommended this park and it is an excellent choice. Will use again. $27 with Good Sam 50 amp/pull thru/cable/wifi/easy off and on. Approx half way between Red Bay and Ho-Hum CG,Carrabelle,Fl.

On the road again!

Today we are finishing our work in Red Bay and getting ready to leave tomorrow We had Chris change the valance on the kitchen window as well as the bathroom window, with very pleasing results. Once we get to Florida, we will change the mid tv for a large one. Then the coach is pretty much done the way I want. Fridge is still working great on the inverter. George did give us a hint that, because we did not upgrade to a stronger inverter, when we stop along the road to have lunch we will def want to put the generator on as the batteries will not handle the fridge and microwave at the same time. Good point. We’ll likely stop at Ho-Hum park in Carrabelle Fl for a few days on our way to Deer Creek. Bill and Nancy highly recommend it, it’s on the way and sounds like worth checking out. Will try to stop in and visit Jim and Sophie if they are in Brookside. This past week we’ve had a fun time with George and Sandi who have been at the Tiffin Service Site for the past two weeks. Met their friends, Mike and Mary Ann and look forward to fun times with them in the future. Both couples are coming to Florida this winter so will hook up with them at some point. We are going to use the site in Deer Creek as a home base and will take the rv on short trips throughout Florida. ie Cape Canaveral, Fort Myers, the Keyes etc. Bill and Nancy will arrive toward the end of Oct and Paul and Sylvia toward the end of Nov so looking forward to enjoying their friendships. We already bought tickets to the Singing Christmas Trees Concert in December. Lots of friends in Deer Creek who we’ll enjoy seeing again We’ll travel to the rv parks where some of our friends are staying and get in some fun visiting in. John and Suz are planning on coming to Deer Creek for a month in the Spring again. Then next winter we will look at going west again.

Friendships

After a great visit with Nat and Candy, we moved south to the Elkhart Fairgrounds in Goshen Indiana for a week to hang out with our friends, John and Paula (another Texas couple). It was so much fun. Paula has lost a lot of weight and looks FABULOUS! They were there for a SMART rally so the timing was great for us to hook up while we were heading south. While in Goshen, we got our Splendide washer/driver combo fixed. It kept stalling out when we were drying clothes. Turns out the hose in back was plugged with lint. Westland serviced it and taught us how to keep that cleaned out in future. I have always liked the combo so glad it was an easy fix.