Friday - July 31

We left Whispering Pines at 9 AM - woke up to a temperature of 60!   Whoaaa.....when we would wake up in FL at 7 AM, it was already in the 80's.  .....good day of travel with pretty blue skies and puffy clouds.    Stopped in Shelbyville, IN for lunch on Daisy at a Wal Mart parking lot (Brady and Grandpa went inside to pick up a few things while I made sandwiches).

 

Brady is a great traveler - hardly know he's with us but always wants to know when we enter a new state!   NC, TN, KY, IN, OH, IN and IL (that's the route we took)!

 

We arrived at Liam and Connor's house at 3:30.  

 

The cousins are reunited! 

 

 The boys were very happy to see each other and we gabbed with Patrick and loaded up their stuff and off to Kamp Komfort.    While Mark got Daisy settled and other odd jobs, I took the boys to the pool.   Met Heidi and Greg - really nice neighbors who actually live about 1/2 hour away, but love to come here for the weekend

(they are still working).

 

1 - 2 - 3 JUMP!

 

We stopped at a Pilot Truck Stop near Danville that makes cinnabons daily - Brady loves the cereal, but had never had the actual cinnabon,    Same for Liam and Connor, so they practically inhaled the one cinnabon we bought for them to share!

 

Enjoying their first cinnabon

 

When we were still in NC, Brady had asked if he could have some apple pie, cause "IL has everything and I really would like apple pie"!!!!!    Well, tonight we took them to The Busy Corner in Goodfield and they were in 7th Heaven......first of all, our dinners were delicious and then all the choices of delicious homemade pies which the Busy Corner is so well known for.  

 

Trying to make a decision from 2 display cases full of delectable/delicious pies

 

Forget the apple....Brady and Liam chose and shared this big mile-high chocolate concoction. 

Sinfully yummy

 

Connor had blueberry crumble (my favorite) and Mark had triple berry.   I sampled a little from each!

 

On our way home (Busy Corner is 7 miles from campground), we saw the beautiful "Blue Moon".

 

Brady was fascinated by all the corn as we were traveling along - the few times he's been to IL, it's been in the fall/winter (one summer when he was much younger) and so all this corn was quite a novelty to him +++ all the windmills.

 

Comparing how tall the corn was to them! 

Blue Moon

 

Bye bye July - it's been a GREAT month!!!

 

 

Tuesday - Thursday, July 28-30

Time to catch up with our travels and journey to NC....arrived on Tuesday around noon.   So good to be back on Lake James and of course, hang out with Blair, her brothers and Brooke!  Michael was traveling.  We spent the afternoon on the water and enjoyed the boys showing off their talent on the water. They are just like their Dad at this age - so into their water sports!    We got back just in time before a heavy downpour came thru.

 

Brooke prepared a delicious dinner of jambalaya and after the travel and sun and water, we were off to Daisy for a good night's rest!

 

Very overcast when we woke up.   Mark and I exercised, I did 2 loads of laundry and enjoyed "tea time" with Blair.   Back on the water in the afternoon and Mark and I got our very first jet ski rides with Drew - fun!!!   

 

Bob and Judy (Brooke's parents) and rest of us went to Camp Lake James for swimming and dinner.   Always a fun place and we practically had the entire place to ourselves.   Fun just sitting around and visiting.     Judy and I always enjoy comparing which books we've read, ones we recommend, etc.   Both of us LOVE to read!!!

 

This morning, we hooked up Toad to Daisy, packed up Brady's things and left at 9:30.  Always sad to say good-bye since I won't see them till Thanksgiving!!! 

 

We arrived in Georgetown, KY around 5 at Whispering Pines RV Park (been here before).   Nice big park with pool which Brady and I enjoyed.    We ordered a pizza - in the almost 9 years since we've had Daisy, this is the very first time we've had pizza delivered - usually we're out in the boonies!

 

Here are some highlights of the past few days...

 

Beautiful Lake James 

The Princess

Drew is wake surfing 

Blair and Grandpa enjoying the ride

Sweet Brady and our special guest onboard Daisy

Davis is wake boarding

Miss Blair and Grandpa having a tea party 

Grandma's jet ski debut 

 Brady, just chillin'

Oh my....this is so yummy!

The boys playing video games

 

Tomorrow......back to IL and pick up Liam and Connor for a week with their NC cousin.

Brady is soooooo excited!  

 Looking forward to lots of fun and making special memories!

 

 

 

Monday - July 27

It seems that the humidity isn’t as bad in Georgia as Florida…..got the exercising out of the way, had breakfast and away we went at 10:00.    Mark took the scenic route and avoided interstate travel yesterday and today.     So we meandered thru the rural roads of Georgia and saw many Baptist churches, lots of beautiful crepe myrtle, cotton fields, tall pine trees, some Southern plantations and many small, very run-down homes or trailers along the way.     

Most of the many small towns we drove thru all have a town square with beautiful courthouse – saw some really neat architecture. 

Since we were in the Peach State, I thought it would be great to buy some fresh peaches.   We came upon Dickey Farms (the oldest continuously operating peach farm in Georgia since 1897) in Musella.   What a nice place….bought peaches and peach/raspberry jam.  AND, shared a dish of fresh peach ice cream that was delish!     So here we are chuggin’ along in the large state of Georgia and what are the odds we would drive right past Dickey Farms.   We sampled a peach tonight – EXCELLENT!!!! 

 We stopped in Shady Dale, GA for lunch on Daisy and then in Madison (cute little town) for Mark to take a quick snooze (20 minutes does the job) while I hit a few shops. 

Arrived at Ivy Acres RV Park in Piedmont, SC at 5:00.   Weather was threatening, but nothing developed!

There are some nice trails here at the park, so we took off and hiked thru the woods on a nice path to the Saluda River!  

 

We have 120 miles to Lake James tomorrow and fun with Blair and her brothers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday - July 26

After breakfast we packed up our stuff, hooked up Toad to Daisy and left Avalon Landing at 8:50.   Pretty day for traveling and stopped in Dothan, AL for lunch on Daisy and then a few groceries at Publix (last time to shop in our favorite grocery store for several months)!

Pretty pink crepe myrtle

 

Kept truckin' on down the road - well, Mark was truckin' and I read, played solitaire on the I-Pad and took a nap!   Crossing into Georgia, we set the clocks ahead, so back on eastern time.  We stopped at The National Civil War Naval Museum in Port Columbus,, GA.    Very interesting and we had no idea the amount of naval activity that occurred during the Civil War.

Interesting...

Tonight we are on the outskirts of Columbus at the Lakes Pine RV Park and Campground.   Lots of tall pine trees....walked around the park after supper and discovered the events center which consists of 4 buildings for weddings, receptions, corporate outings, family reunions, etc.    Very pretty setting....

 Chapel seats 75

 Pavillion

 The Barn for larger groups

Lillie House for teas, bridal showers, etc.

Yesterday when we were at the mall, we went into Best Buy and bought Fitbits for both of us - now we can monitor the # of steps we take each day, watch the calories, etc.  
 Amazing tiny little device!

Have a great week!

 

 

 

Saturday - July 25

Another sizzler in northwest Florida.....I did laundry this morning and after lunch we were off to the mall to walk (very crowded....should've come earlier in the day)!    Then stopped at Ryan's and finally The Apple Market (LOVE this place).   Back to Daisy, changed clothes and went to 4:00 Mass at St. Rose of Lima.  It as thundering towards the end of Mass and on our way home, the heavens opened up again and another big downpour!

 

I fixed BLT's for dinner and we went for one final walk around the park.   After the rain, it was only 77, but still humid!   We played cards (I was much luckier tonight than usual)!   

 

We've been in Milton/Pensacola for 15 days and tomorrow we are movin' on driving Miss Daisy towards North Carolina.    Really enjoyed our time here (despite the hot, humid weather)!

 

Ryan was the new profile pic for the Blue Angels Facebook page

 

Friday - July 24

Exercised first thing under cloudy skies, but then the sun came out and boy-oh boy.....makes all the difference!    Appreciate that cloud cover for a bit of a break!   Ha!

 

We drove into Milton and I had some pampering....loved my mani/pedi at Natalie Nails!    Off to David's Catfish House for more good southern catfish, shrimp and all the fixin's.  Then I browsed "Fine Things", nice gift shop, picked up a few things at Publix and back to Daisy.   We read, did computer stuff and left around 3:30 for Pensacola to walk at the mall.    Radar showed stormy stuff coming, but thought it would miss us.....WRONG!   It rained sooo hard (what happened to the light little afternoon showers that pop up in FL when it's hot 'n humid)?   We've had some real gully washers since we arrived here 2 weeks ago!

 

Got our walk in, stopped in a few stores and then went to Barnes 'n Noble for iced coffees and browsing.   Hadn't been to one of these in a long time, so jotted down some books that sounded good to put on my Kindle list.   And, I bought my 2016 calendar!

 

When we got back to Avalon Landing, they had not had the heavy rain (pavement was almost dry)!   

 

 

 

 

Thursday - July 23

We were up and out the door at 7:45.....spent the morning at Ryan's.   Mark had some projects and worked in the garage.   I pulled some weeds and walked around the neighborhood.

 

We decided to go back to Jaco's for lunch as there were so many good things listed on their menu from yesterday and loved sitting by the water with that wonderful breeze off Pensacola Bay.    And so....another very good lunch!    Could really get hooked on this place!

My Island Flatbread w/shrimp, crab, avocado, red onion, mango salsa....yummy

Mark's risotto with warm bacon, tomatoes, spinach and grilled mahi mahi

 

After lunch we drove to the historic district and did a bit more exploring of Pensacola and its history.      Here are some pics of the unique balconies and wrought iron in Olde Seville Row...

 

 

 

Mark had the brilliant idea that we should go to the mall and walk - yeah!!!!!    Sure beats walking in this heat and dealing with all the bugs!    Felt so good in there!

 

Back to Daisy and had a light supper of cheese/fruit/crackers, played some 2-handed euchre, read, and wrote some e-mails.

 

Wednesday - July 22

Exercised (try to get outside to do "our thing" between 7-7:30, but already so sticky and humid!)   We left around 9 for the Naval Museum and did some shopping, then downtown (nice area of shops and restaurants with a lot of the New Orleans motif - 2nd story wrought iron balconies.)    We were in the historic district of Olde Seville Row.   We toured the T. T. Wentworth Museum - several buildings and have a week to see it all, ($5 ticket)  so we'll plan to come back tomorrow and see more - sooo much history here in Pensacola.

 

Ryan had told us about "Jaco's" on the water, so that's where we had a very good lunch sitting outside by the Palofax Marina - it was delightful.    Even though it's really warm, there was a nice breeze!

 

Downtown Pensacola on the water....

 

The Blues flying over The Grand Teton National Park 

Mid-air refueling for #6

This was from Beaufort, SC in May

landing in formation

 

Stopped at The Apple Market (a favorite gourmet grocery store) and on home.   

 

Walked this evening and nice breeze, but noseeums were out!   So....walk was a short one!

Tuesday - July 21

Bright sunshiny start to the day (rained overnight as everything was wet, but we didn't hear it!)    Walked 4x around the park, had breakfast, showered and off to Ryan's.    He had some guys come and do maintenance on his air conditioners.    Mark ran some errands and brought lunch back from Jason's Deli.

Back to Daisy - played cards and read.....
Really looked stormy around 5, but nary a drop.

Walked this evening - after a breezy afternoon, it's very still out!





  

 

 

Monday - July 20

Sunny breezy day and HOT like so much of country.   Florida can't have that claim to fame for the  high humidity in the summer as it seems to be so wide spread!.    Flooding, fires, and horrible tragedies making up the news these days....very sad!

 

We exercised, had breakfast and then ran a few errands (think we could fry some bacon and eggs on the concrete these days)!   Ha....

 

Back to Daisy and  did clean out and vacuum Toad and then 2 loads of laundry, but otherwise, a good day to stay indoors.

 We walked in the afternoon and saw the flag here at our park at half staff...

Avalon Landing

Star athletes!!!

Can't wait to see these guys in 11 days!

 

Walked around the park this evening after a fun face time with Blair and family!

 

 

 

Sunday - July 19

BLAIR is TWO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE!

Precious Baby Girl
July 19, 2013

Adorable two-year old

 

 What fun we are having with our one and only granddaughter!

 

 We walked this morning, had breakfast, played some 2-handed euchre, read, did computer stuff, etc.  

 A nice, lazy Sunday....

 

Walked again this afternoon and then the storm came thru (not predicted), but heavy rain and windy!

Things cleared up so around 4, we drove to Pensacola Beach and had dinner at Casino Beach Bar and Grille (a Ryan recommendation).    Fun place with very good grouper.    We could actually "see" the beach today - unlike the day of the air show with all those people everywhere!!!

Liam and Connor won their baseball game tonight - 13-3.
Liam hit an inside-the-park home run - 2nd time this season!

Good night from Milton and wishing you 
a safe, healthy, happy week ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday - July 18

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROOKE 

This is from a while ago, but so precious

Brooke and her sweet little girl

 who just happens to have a birthday tomorrow!

 

Thinking of Brooke and the kids traveling all day from Santa Rosa Beach to Lake James.....

 

We did a brisk walk this morning trying to "beat the heat", but that's not happening!    Ha....

 

After breakfast we had a leisurely morning on Daisy and  moved to another spot here at Avalon Landing.    We wanted to have a concrete pad outside our door and where we were was gravel.    Things stay much cleaner walking on concrete, so there was a spot open and we made the move.  

 

We went to David's Catfish House for lunch around 1.   We had seen this place advertised on billboards and read about it online.    Parking lot was packed and we had to wait for a table....excellent lunch of catfish (fresh farm-fed from Mississippi), shrimp (fresh from the Gulf), delicious cole slaw, cheese grits and hush puppies!   Good southern cookin'. 

 We will definitely go back later this week!

 

Stopped for a few things at CVS and then the Milton Bakery for some pastries for tomorrow's breakfast.    This place had gotten great reviews, too.   In fact, the bakery was the #1 rated restaurant in Milton and David's was #2 by Trip Advisor.   We always laugh how the bakeries and ice cream shops are ranked right up there or before the finest restaurants!    The little town of Milton has some good things going for it with David's and the bakery.   

 

One more thing....the waitresses at David's all wear different colorful t-shirts that have on the front:

David's Catfish House

Milton, Florida

 

and then the back has 3 pictures - a cat, fish and house!   

 Very cute and clever!

 

Bagdad is a small community south of Milton that we've driven thru and it has signs about the Bagdad Museum, so thought we would check it out....well, it is only open the first Saturday of the month from 10-12.    Not sure what exactly was in this museum, so Googled it and here's what it said...

 

Housed in the restored c.1886 New Providence Missionary Baptist Church building, the Bagdad Village Preservation Association Museum contains exhibits on local history including a Civil War exhibit with period artifacts and photographs.

 

 Must not get too many visitors for just 2 hours a month?

 

We went to 4:00 Mass at St. Rose of Lima in Milton.   \

 

After dinner, we went for a walk on a very warm Saturday evening!   

 

Happy to hear Brooke, Drew, Davis, Brady and Blair are back at Lake James with hubby and daddy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday - July 17

What a big day and so much fun!    We exercised, had breakfast and left to run some errands and then to the Naval base where we bought some souvenirs, rode in the 4-D Blue Angel ride - simulation that we were in #4 F-18 and took off over San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.    WOW......being "in the cockpit" gave us a whole new meaning of what Ryan does  (of course, the little bit we got to see and do wouldn't begin to cover all he does)!    Mark and I ate lunch at the "Cubi Bar Café" in the museum.    And then it was time for graduation.

 

Nice ceremony....and afterwards, Davis took us aboard the USS Ambition and showed us where he's been hanging out all week and some of the missions they carried out.

 

Davis's home the past 6 days (replica on land)

His call sign

 

Davis receiving his diploma 

His bunk and room 

 

After the ceremony and tour of the USS Ambition, we left for Santa Rosa Beach.   Drove thru very heavy rain....arrived at 3:45 and had a good visit with Brooke, her parents, Bob and Judy and aunt and uncle, Nate (Judy's brother) and Jane.    Soo good to see Drew, Brady and Blair.....

 

Grandma and Blair opening birthday presents!

 

The Blue Angels are in Hillsboro, OR this weekend.    Tomorrow's show is dedicated to the 4 Marines who lost their lives so tragically on Thursday.   Sunday's show will be dedicated to Harley Hall who was the "Boss" (Commanding Officer) of the Blues in 1970-71.    On the last day of the  Vietnam war, Commander Hall was shot down on January 27, 1973.   There is a building in Vancouver dedicated to him and named in his honor and the Blues did a flyover Wednesday evening.

 

We got back to Daisy at 7:30......have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

Thursday - July 16

We walked around the park this morning - another hot 'n humid day and to be worse over the weekend!     After breakfast, did some inside cleaning on Daisy.

Had an afternoon treat at Tastee-Freeze (hadn't been to one of these in years)!   I did some laundry and watched the tragic news from Chattanooga and the senseless murder of the 4 Marines.

Another walk around the park tonight - absolutely no wind and buggie out.   The mosquitoes have been really bad all over - so much rain brings the nasty little critters out big time!

Played 2-handed euchre....Mark won 3 out of 5 games!

Tomorrow we're off to "graduation" for Davis!
 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday - July 15

FIFTY (50) years ago tonight (July 15, 1965), Mark asked me to dance in Rochester, Minnesota to the Byrds singing "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man" and the rest is history...............we were on a 4-H Exchange trip and our host families took us to this concert!!!

July 15, 2015 we exercised, had breakfast and then took off for Milton where we got our Florida drivers' licenses!   Tah Dah....

We are official

Some pics from yesterday on the Naval Base

Blue Angel practice.  Davis watching Uncle Ryan prepare

 for take-off

Davis and classmates enjoying the practice session

Uncle Ryan stopped by for breakfast and chat with the students

Today....Luke and Mommy feed the giraffe (actually Mommy is doing the feeding as Luke watches) at

Lion Safari Park

Mark and I ran several errands and back for a nice quiet afternoon/evening on Daisy.