Thursday - October 17

Lots of sunshine, nice breeze and temps in the 70's for our final day of travel.    We left the Loves truck stop around 9:15ish and had a little over 2 hours to Cypress Trail - just the last 22 miles from Punta Gorda to Fort Myers we did I-75.   

Had a nice chat with Connor yesterday - he mentioned he would be voting for the 1st time in the coming election.   Wow....that reminded us that Liam, Connor and Brady will all be voting for the 1st time.   

Next week we'll vote, get our flu shots, and have several doctor appointments.  

Our landscaping  looks good EXCEPT for the bougainvillea which are kinda sad....hope they'll perk up.    With record-breaking amounts of rain this summer, that could be the culprit?  

Went to the Boathouse for supper - we shared the seafood sampler (shrimp, grouper and scallops) and then had the new dessert on the menu - pineappleupsidedown pie which was excellent!

Seafood sampler

Excellent dessert

Oink Oink

We walked around the park and visited with some neighbors and folks who recently returned to CT.

Update on Henry.....he has been diagnosed with mycoplasma - a bacterium that causes infections in different areas of the body.   Although he's still not able to eat, drink or swallow spit, he has a little more energy today.    Prayers most appreciated.

Wednesday - October 16

 Today started out sunny but then mostly cloudy and barely into the 70's.    We left the KOA in Starke around 8:50 and headed on good ole Highway 301 towards the Oakwood Smokehouse in Lady Lake where we met Joe, a high school classmate of Mark's who lives in The Villages.   First part of the trip, enjoyed very little traffic but that came to an abrupt stop when we reached Ocala, Bellview, The Villages, etc.    Crazy......

Had a great lunch and visit with Joe who was with Mark in the class of '65 from Newman High School in Sterling, IL.   They were also in 4-H together, so go waaaay back!  In May, Joe fell and broke his hip so not able to play golf all summer.   But he's doing well and ready to get back on the course very soon,  Joe's wife Maria passed away 6 years ago.    They have 2 daughters who live in Virginia and West Virginia.  Hopefully we'll see Joe at their 60th class reunion next September.

Joe

Onto Auburndale (1 hour, 15 minutes) and after fueling Ruby, I got to our site (they have 10 RV spots here at Loves), found someone in #9.    The staff had to come and ask the young couple to leave - unfortunately, there were 3 other available spots, but no power.    Still problems from the storm but strange that all but 3 have power??   Mark got Big Red some diesel and we got settled about an hour after arriving.   BUSY place right by the ramp for  I-4,   We took a nap, read and then off to meet brother Ron and Vicki and friends at the Miller Ale House.    Good dinner and visit!

Paul, Ron, Sue, Peg, Vicki, Pat, Mark

Yesterday when we were driving thru Folkston, Georgia, we had memories of being here in 2008 (January.....COLD) and I started the blog!    We were here for a week and also visited the Okefenokee (love saying that) Natural Refuge Center.

Tomorrow...Cypress Trail, here we come!

Tuesday - October 15

 Our day started with a trip to Waffle House (Mark loves waffles) - we hadn't been to one of these for a long time.    Good stuff and then back to get Flo and Big Red and away we went on another gorgeous day.    We avoided the interstate again today and once again enjoyed minimal traffic, good roads as we prayed the rosary, I listened to my oldies, etc.    

Stopped in Nahunta, Georgia - since we had a big breakfast, we just wanted a little something around 1:30, and by golly, in this little town, found a nice long parking spot for our caravan and walked across the street to the Frosty Freeze Creamery for some yummy ice cream treats.

Met lots of logging trucks today with huge logs.    Another unique town in South Carolina waas "Stephens Crossroads" but forgot to mention yesterday, the most unusual which made us laugh was "North", South Carolina.

Mark's sister Joan's grandson needs prayers.    Henry is 8 and lives in Arizona.   He's in Phoenix Children's Hospital with some scary symptoms and doctors are puzzled and have not figured this out.    After trips to the doctor, urgent care, on several different meds, Henry asked to go to the hospital?

We are at the Starke/Gainesville NE KOA Holiday Campground in Starke, Florida.   The temp when we arrived at 3:30 ws 83.   

Coming into Georgia, we saw first signs of Helene damage - lots of trees down, blue tarps, etc.   Then miles of everything ok and then more damage...Helene was selective here😞 

Helene/Milton update.....we had heard that 50,000 linemen were in Florida after Milton.   

  And after endless sad, heartbreaking stories and photos from western North Carolina, this morning I was reading (and watching the video) of the couple who lost 11 family members due to mudslides.....what a mind boggling catastrophe.   And tonight the NC folks can expect snow in the higher elevations.   

After supper we walked around the campground.

Today ended Connor's fall golf season - between yesterday and today he shot a 77 and an 80.   His team (Danville Area Community College) won the tournament!    Congrats to all!

Connor (pink shirt) and his golf team + Uncle Tom and Aunt Beth who hosted the team and coach for dinner Sunday night~!

Monday - October 14

Hello from Walterboro, SC (been here 2 previous times - 2014 and 2022) at the New Green Acres RV Park.    It's a pretty park with very long sites and nice 'n wide between sites +++ many very tall pine trees.

Traffic was heavy and after lunch in Columbia, SC, my logistics guy came up with an alternate route avoiding I-95 and all the "red" we could see on google maps!    So we had a very pleasant rest of the way (90 miles) thru the SC countryside (added 1/2 hour to our trip) - drove thru some interesting-sounding towns.....Swansea, Norway (saw first of many cotton fields here), Denmark, Cope, Lodge, Bells, etc.    Bamberg, SC has a population of 3,000+ but the entire stretch of downtown (about 10-15 buildings on both sides of the road) were all abandoned - nothin, zich, sad!!!

When we stopped for lunch at Love's, they had a McDonalds and a Chester's Chicken - decided to try Chester's for 1st time.....very good!!

We got to 85 degrees here in SC, but low humidity and nice breeze.   Opened Flo's windows and so pleasant.   

Went to Cracker Barrel for supper - always good and had some leftovers.

Some fun Halloween decor here in the park

Sunday - October 13

 Leisurely Sunday morning as we didn't go to Mass till 12 at St. Charles Borromeo.    Annie and I played a round of hand, knee and foot.   Mark and Luke went to Flo and got Big Red hooked up.   After Mass we all met at the Camp for lunch and played.some games of Sequence.

Back to Philip's to gather the last of our stuff.    Said our good byes....such a fun time these past 4 days/nights.    Luke and Maeve are off again tomorrow for Columbus Day.   Blair has school.

Mark and I worked on getting settled back in Flo - stored some bins in Michael's cottage basement and think we'll be ready to roll outta here in the morning.

Philip, Annette, Luke, Maeve, Michael, Brooke, Blair, Grandma, Grandpa

Had dinner with Michael, Brooke and Blair - delicious beef tacos and then said our good byes (till Thanksgiving) and outside to spend our last night on Flo.

 

Last night at Lake James

Zoom tonight included 9 siblings - most of the talk was about health issues and how important it is for the siblings to share their medical history.

Enjoy your week - cool weather is coming!

 

\

Saturday - October 12

 The perfect way to start the day - nice cozy fire to take off the chill in Philip and Annette's sunroom!

Warm 'n comfy

Mark and Philip were helping a neighbor with his docks - soo many docks in need of repair!    And with all the debris and other stuff in the water...Lake James authorities are banning pleasure boating for awhile?

Luke and I went for a nice long walk this gorgeous morning - Annie, Annette and Maeve walked in a different direction.  Enjoyed visiting with Luke one on one - he's really growing into a nice young man at 11.   Love hearing what he has to say.

Luke and Grandma enjoying nature

I got our laundry all caught up.    After lunch, Maeve, Mark and I went to Flo at Michael's to return clean laundry and get a few things - chatted with Michael a bit.    Brooke and Blair are at the camp.   Philip, Annette and Annie were visiting friends and watching some football.

Cheerleaders

Blair at the top - cheering on her Liberty Middle School football team

Drew ran a 1/2 marathon today in Cedar Rapids!   Congrats!

Maeve enjoyed some pampering - Annie did her hair and Grandma gave her a mani pedi

And she did this puzzle with very little help from Grandma!

Annette and Annie made a delicious dinner - jalapeno poppers for starters and then chicken enchiladas.  Their friend Steve came for dinner and then some rousing games of euchre.    Also had chocolate mousse desserts from Costco and Maeve surprised us with chocolate-covered strawberries and grapes!

Annie and Annette whipping up goodies in the kitchen!

Notre Dame and Iowa both won today - yeah!!!

 

Friday - October 11

 Last night was spectacular with the Northern Lights - I did not see them with the naked eye.....here are some that Annette got on her phone.    

The kids went to an open field at the camp and could see with the naked eye.   Here are some of our favorites...

Family photo

Below are 2 pics from Annie's phone

3 shades

purple beauty

And these beauties from Bay Village, Ohio

Lake Erie

Annette has been whipping up all kinds of goodies....breakfast casserole (biscuit and gravy style), chicken pot pie, minestrone soup, etc.    Today she made egg salad a whole new way.....baking the eggs in muffin tins (25-30 minutes @325), then putting in ice water and tah dah....easy peeling!   

A whole new concept!

Mommy and Maeve peeling the eggs

Maeve and an armful of Carlos

Annie

Luke

Mommy and Maeve

Start of fall color

Mark, Phillip and Annie got Annie's boat out of the water - damage from shattered windshield.    Annette, kids and I went to the camp and met Amy and her kiddos Miles, Max (twins) and Ivy.   Some played pickleball and some good games of SkyJo.   Beautiful day and the kiddos ran all over the place.

Maeve with friends - Aria, Olivia and Ivy

Miles - Luke - Max

The original plan way back before Helene struck NC, Philip and Annette were going on a little getaway to Asheville and we would have Luke and Maeve.   But that wasn't meant to be - tonight we have the kiddos while the big kids are at the camp which just opened today after being out of power for several days.

SkyJo with the kids and then bedtime!

Thursday - October 10

 Milton did a lot of damage in FL + all the terrible tornado damage on the east coast.    We were very fortunate at Cypress Trail with minimum damage - mainly vegetation debris and tiki hut roofs.   Glad the weather is good today for the start of the massive clean-up.    Mark saw some of our residents walking our property checking for any damage and they either clean up ir report it.   We are so thankful to have a great facility with caring neighbors and staff,

The kiddos were off to school early; Annie did her volunteer duty up in the mountains.   After lunch, Mark took Ruby to town for an oil change.   Philip, Annette and I played 2 games of 3-handed euchre with Philip winning both.    

Mark and Philip got their jet skies out of the water.....the boys have helped with so many docks ariund the lake.

Annette took Luke and Maeve to their golf lesson.  Philip picked up the kids and on home.   Annette had a meeting, Annie came home from her all-day volunteering(unfortunately not too organized).   Philip, Mark and I played 3-handed euchre and then watched the Northern Lights - pics coming tomorrow.

Luke and Maeve have a 4-day weekend coming - tomorrow is teacher's workshop and Monday, Columbus Day

Meant to include this photo from yesterday...

Beeb and Frank's picturesque barn

Wednesday - October 9

 A great winner in the weather department again here in North Carolina.   We moved our stuff from Michael's to Philip's and this is where we'll hang out the next 4 days and all depending on what Milton does as to when we return.    We were told today - do NOT come back till there is water, power and sewer at Cypress Trail.

Mark and I left for Millers Creek with a stop in Lenoir at the 1841 Cafe for lunch which was very good - #2 on Trip Advisor.    And then to see our friends, Frank and Beeb we met 3 years ago in Dunkirk, NY while boating.    Also saw them in Cleveland, OH and Port Clinton, OH as they continued their travels doing the Loop.    We sat and yakked the afternoon away on their nice screened-in porch which was a carport and converted,    WOW....they are doing a lot to their home since they moved from Hornell, NY in August of 2023.   

Frank and Beeb

Hope we can see them again in the near future sometime either at Lake James or meet 1/2 way - very  enjoyable afternoon.

Back to Philip's - their friends Annie and Michelle were there and we (and Annette) played "hand, knee and foot" - totally different version from the hand 'n foot I'm used to.    Fun.....Michelle went on home and rest of us enjoyed pulled chicken sandwiches, collard greens with bacon and green beans with bacon - Annie and Annette both love to cook, so......yeah!!!    Annie is staying with Philip and Annette for a few days till she returns to FL.

Blair, Luke and Maeve were back to school today!   Lots to catch up on.   Blair has a 2-hour delay start all week?

Tuesday - October 8

 A  gorgeous day and thankful all the volunteers, first responders, and many many men and women working in western NC to bring relief to those affected.   Nice weather with no rain is predicted for several days.

Brooke left at 8:30 to pick up friends Amy and Annie and they spent a long day volunteering at the McDowell Technical Center in Marion - Brooke said it was a hopping place.    

We took Blair into town and picked up Bob and Judy for lunch in Valdese at 100 Main - this is a favorite (Mark and I ate here last November when I had to come to the Valdese hospital for my CT scan on shoulder after my fall).    Lunch was excellent and so good to catch up with Bob and Judy.

Blair and her grandparents

Took them home and Mark dropped Blair and I off at Waterbean for treats (macaroons for her and coffee for me), while he went to Rural King to return some supplies.

This girl loves her macaroons - today's favorites were chocolate and raspberry

Mark picked us up and then to Blair's piano lesson with Miss Bonnie and on home to let Jinx and Millie out.

We met so many trucks heading west today with flatbed trailers full of water and other supplies.

Brooke got home at 4 - she was exhausted and showed us pics of all they were dealing with today.....working with 40 + other volunteers + the National Guard.

We took Blair to ballet class and then to Chic-fil-A which was a ZOO!    On home - back to school tomorrow!    Watched the Weather Channel....

Monday - October 7

 Mark and I left at 7 AM for Concord and his appt. with Dr. Justin (our nephew) to have his hearing checked, and making sure all was good with the hearing aide.    Everything (patient and device) are good to go!

We got to Kannapolis a little early so had our coffee fix at French Express Coffee House.    It was so good to see Justin and after the exam, he sat and chatted with us and we caught up on family stuff, hurricanes, etc.    He's a great guy!

Went to Trader Joe's in Charlotte and stocked up on goodies for Brooke and us.   Gas at Love's and lunch at Hardees and on back to the lake.

Kiddos were on the move today.....Michael flew to NYC and then Cleveland tomorrow; Ryan flew to Miami and Anne is walking the course at U of I watching Connor in a tournament.  Philip is to return home late tonight from Orlando......whoaaaa.....Milton is now a Cat 5 hurricane.    Soooo soooo scary for Florida.

Brooke, Blair, Olivia and Aria helped for 2 hours today at the Missionary Baptist Church sorting thru a ton of clothing and supplies to be delivered to the hard-hit areas.   A good experience for these girls helping others in such enormous turmoil.    They did many bags of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, and other personal hygiene items.

Brooke made delicious dish called "Happy Shrimp" with angel hair pasta, asparagus and crusty bread - sooo good!

Brooke, Blair and I played Clue (Blair won) and SkyJo (Brooke won).    

The internet has been out all afternoon, so hoping this blog update goes thru.    Hearing about all the evacuations in FL with Milton coming on strong!    Holy Moly!

Sunday - October 6

 Foggy this morning when we went to 9:00 Mass at St. Charles Borromeo.   Saw lots of downed trees and so many buildings that were ruined (anything close to the Catawba River). Afterwards, we found a new coffee shop "Waterbean" which is a large chain around Charlotte and other places, but new to us.   This one in Morganton just opened in June.

We ran several errands and on home.   It turned out to be a very nice warm day.   I did 3 loads of laundry and helped Brooke load up 4 big bags of blankets, quilts, jackets, etc. to donate to Helene victims.   She delivered them to a drop off point.   

Mark worked on an electrical issue with Flo but had success!    Blair was with friends - no school till at least Wednesday which will make 9 days off.  I've been thinking of all the little people who don't have a school to return to.😞

Michael and Ryan watched the Bears/Panthers game at the camp.   Part of it has power, but mostly not.    Lots of power trucks out and about this morning.

Drew flew from Cedar Rapids to Charlotte to Orlando this morning for training with his job - only to find out it was canceled cause of impending "Milton" which we Floridians are keeping a close eye on......here we go again, less than 2 weeks after Helene!

Brooke and I went to the camp with Blair and 2 friends.    Annette and Maeve were there....I played Sequence with Annette and Annie against Amy and myself.   They won the 1st game and Amy and I won the 2nd.    Lydia and Jim...this is soft-sided gamed you gave Philip and Annette many years ago in FL

Michael grilled burgers and along with onion rings and fries, yum....good Sunday night meal.

Blair is having a slumber party tonight with her friends

Aria, Blair, Olivia, Ivy

Aria and Olivia are sisters

Zoom tonight included only 6 siblings and the main topic was hurricanes past (Helene) and future (Milton)!!!

                                         

 

Saturday - October 5

 Beautiful deep blue skies and a spectacular day in NC.....we left at 9:10 heading to Lake James.    So good to see everyone....got Flo settled - always appreciate Michael being there wherever we park Flo and Big Red - he and Mark put on their headsets and he's a big help around short spaces and curves.

We drove to Philip's as he was leaving for FL and going back to work.    Visited with Annette, Luke and Maeve and then back to Michael's as they were having friends over to watch the Ohio State vs. Iowa game.    Iowa lost 36-7.   😞  Ryan came home this weekend, too.

Happy Grandma with Luke and Maeve

Hearing so many stories of what people went thru and what they're seeing or hearing west of here.    Several homes lost in Morganton, too, and Ingles grocery (Starbucks) has been condemned along with restaurants, medical offices, etc.

Blair 'n Grandpa

Their friends left and we watched more football including big upset of Vanderbilt over Alabama.

I love western North Carolina

(posted by someone online)

 

Friday - October 4

 Philip called this morning and said he saw the first power trucks in the neighborhood from Findlay, OH  -  yeah....definitely a good, hopeful sign!

Mark walked across to Bojangles to get his biscuit and gravy fix and eat here on Flo.   I had my leftovers from Cracker Barrel yesterday.   

We took a little trip to Greensboro (35 miles) and stopped at the Airstream dealer for a part we needed, then to the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market which is a year-round 6 days a week huge area selling everything  and also a drop off point for hurricane victims.....they had a coffee shop (Greenlove Coffee and Tea) so got my fix, walked around and off to Costco.    This place was a zoo!    Costco is always a zoo, but today, folks were buying cartfuls of water, paper towels, etc.    Maybe they are donating to western NC?    We heard that some of the grocery stores by our kids were out of paper products.

Back home (Loves).....we had 3 neighbors last night so only one site unoccupied,   Some folks came in from NC today - they are in the area for his 60th class reunion and decided to bring their travel trailer instead of staying at a hotel + they could bring their dog.    This Loves truck stop has 2 big dog parks - one for the small fur babies and the other, for big dogs.

Around 2:40 AM, while we were sound asleep, all of a sudden, this terrific swishing sound came roaring thru Flo....what the heck?   We had no idea what was happening but then noticed the windows were wet - oh, it's raining, but????    And then the noise stopped only to start again a few minutes later?    Mark went outside and whoaaa...the sprinklers had turned on (mighty forcefully) and hitting Flo underneath making such a weird noise.    We had a good laugh but hard to get back to sleep.    First thing, this morning Mark moved up with Big Red so we weren't hanging over the concrete and having the sprinkler hit - that was one mighty powerful sprinkler!!!

Quiet afternoon reading on our I-pads, updates from western NC and so many more tragic stories.    

We drove downtown Winston-Salem, parked in Davis's parking garage and then walked around the area - Wake Forest University downtown campus is across the street from his building.    He met us at 6 and we once again sat with our phones choosing a place for dinner...- 598 restaurants but wanted something within walking distance - we chose #7 - Jeffery Adams.    It was .4 away and another winner.   We sat upstairs overlooking the busy downtown,    Davis had land 'n sea; Mark, the filet and I loved my pot roast nachos.   Topped it off with chocolate creme brulee.    Walked back to his apartment and passed so many neat restaurants, bars, and very busy nightlife, etc.    Definitely a happening place on a Friday night.

And then around 6:15 we got the word from the kids that "POWER is BACK"    YEAH...

Toasting to "Power is Back"

Tomorrow we are off to Lake James - can't wait to see the kiddos - big 'n small!

Said our good byes - maybe we'll see Davis next weekend before we leave!    Sure enjoyed being with him.

Thursday - October 3

 Today started out foggy and we were glad we didn't have to leave for awhile.   We watched the Weather Channel and more horrific photos of Asheville and the surrounding little towns.   Made me very emotional and cry.....more very sad stories reported and 1000 national guard called  in for search and recovery.

We went to Cracker Barrel for hearty hot breakfast and then back to Flo, get things stowed away and we were off to the Loves truck stop in Rural Hall, NC.    It's only 3 months old and has 5 paved RV spots - very nice with a Bojangles just feet away.    We got settled and had a quiet afternoon catching up on texts and e-mails, reading, etc.

Black Mountain (between Lake James and Asheville) is one of 4 locations for Givens Highland Farms (continuous care facility) and thankfully, all residents are safe with minimal damage to their buildings.    We plan to live here someday.    We've been getting updates and so heartbreaking to hear what their staff is dealing with in their own homes and then taking care of GHF folks.   As one resident said "A little island of wonderfulness in the middle of awfulness".    Today emergency air rescue was able to deliver supplies to these folks.

We drove downtown to meet Davis at his apartment - very cool (perfect bachelor pad) in an awesome area for young people to hang out!   So good to see him and how happy he is with his job, apartment, living in Winston-Salem, etc.    We checked our phones for good places to eat - well................sooo many to choose from and Trip Advisor ranked The Milner American Southern Cuisine #4.   It was 5 miles away and Davis drove - we all loved it....Mark and I started with the she crab soup with sherry; Davis had red  grouper, Mark, the trout and I had salmon - all excellent!    Very good choice!

Davis

This sobering picture was taken at Chimney Rock (southeast of Asheville)    It's a village of 140 people and popular tourist spot.    Some rescue folks climbed the rock and put this flag at half mast as a "Beacon of Hope".

Chimney Rock was pretty much destroyed from Helene.

Back to his apartment and we came on home with some sprinkles.   Possibly more rain tonight.   Planning another dinner tomorrow night with Davis!

Wednesday - October 2

 After a good night's sleep and seeing a spectacular pinkish/red sunrise, we enjoyed a delicious cinnamon coffee cake made by Bob this morning!    We sure never thought we'd be seeing Bob and Donna but then circumstances these past few days are such a mess and happy we could be together.   They are busy preparing for their annual hog roast and planning for 160 people on October 19th!!!     They definitely have the place for entertaining!   Good bye hugs and we were off with GPS showing 314 miles to the next campground.

Donna and Bob

We stopped in Nitro, WV for lunch but the Pilot truck stop was packed and no spot for Flo.    So, went on down the road and parked in a big empty lot and had sandwiches on Flo.   But when we were getting ready to leave, Dad did not have lights, brakes or cameras working on Flo.    We drove to Moses Ford (I followed closely) in St. Albans, WV and the diesel mechanic changed a fuse and did some resets with his computer.    2 hours later, we were on our way.   So, a LONG day arriving at the KOA in Wytheville, VA at 5:15.

Along  the way, we saw very little fall color despite the trillions of trees in WV and VA - such a pretty area.    But in another week or so, WOW!!!!    Jim and Lydia, we were on that winding, twisty I-77 route same as when we came from FL to Matt and Kara's wedding.

There's a cafe here at KOA called "AOK Cafe" and you can go there or have them deliver.    They only have pizza and wings, but that works for us, so we ordered  pizza and wings - all delicious!!!    What a treat having a restaurant right here!    We were tired so this was perfect and then to deliver right to our door.

Update from our NC kiddos.....Annette sent a text and Michael called - their service is sporadic.    Still no power....not sure when school will resume and the tragic stories continue.    Michael said the Town Tavern in Morganton (been there several times) had water up to the roof...but Morganton now has water and power.   

Tomorrow we have just  74 miles to NC - that will be so nice.....my shoulder and hand definitely need a break after all that gripping the steering wheel 😩

 

Tuesday - October 1

 WELCOME to OCTOBER!!!

This might be my favorite month of the year....love the fall colors, crisp air, yummy comfort foods, bonfires, etc.

But today it was all about our round about way to get to NC.    We left KK at 8:05 with our little caravan of Big Red, Flo and Ruby.    Good trip overall stopping in Knightstown, IN for lunch and traveling a total of 343 miles.   Traffic on 70 East was very busy with oodles and oodles of semi trucks - crazy!   We had just a few sprinkles towards the end (naturally after we got Ruby and Big Red washed)!

So, tonight we are out in the country in a beautiful setting on Bob and Donna's farm near London, Ohio (between Columbus and Dayton).   Bob and Donna are our neighbors on "So Blessed" in Port Clinton and Donna is my boat sister.

We are planning to be in VA tomorrow night, then Winston-Salem where Davis lives and then wait it out till the power is back at Lake James.

Ryan has gone back to work in Memphis - I'm sure he and Philip are ready for some much-needed rest after dealing with all those crooked, mangled, out-of-place docks!

We had a delicious dinner (farm-to-table) of steaks, homegrown sweet potatoes, salad and wine.    Bob took us on a ride on their golf cart see their property - 2 ponds, cross on the hill that lights up at night, bean fields and the horses.   It is just a beautiful place.

Topped off the evening with Donna's yummy apple crisp (made from her 9 apple trees) and ice cream.

A good start to our out-of-the-way travels to NC, but so good to be with these folks.