April 15, 2026
Travel day today. I prefer to drive so I had Nancy program my phone with directions so I could use Car Play for navigation. As it turns out we landed in Savannah, Georgia. We are staying at a Best Western right on Bay Street and right next door to River Street and the River Walk. The motel was nice enough but we had a good location. Fortunately we were on the ground floor. After settling into our room, we decided to grab a bit of dinner. Poe’s Tavern was across the street from our motel so we went there. I had a cold beer and a very interesting dish. It consisted of a bed of French fries with a hamburger patty, an egg, and chili and cheese smothered on top. It was good.
After dinner, we decided to walk the River Walk for a couple of blocks. We took into consideration that when you travel down hill, you must also go back up that hill when returning. The weather was beautiful and we walked for a half hour or so. Then it was time to head back to the motel. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.
April 14, 2026
For about a month Nancy has told me to plan on not working this week as we were going on a 51st Anniversary trip. She refused to divulge any information about the trip. I’m just going a long for the ride. We were supposed to leave today but Bree, our rescue German Shepherd, spent most of yesterday at the vet. She has not eaten in the last few days and has gotten sick 2 or 3 times. We picked her up from the vet Monday night after work and decided to make sure she was stable before leaving. Andrew, our eldest grandson, will be taking care of Bree and Ashes while we are out of town. Bree did great today so we feel good about leaving her.
April 3, 2026
I received a phone call today from an unknown number but for some reason I answered the call. Good thing. It was Forest River. They will be out the week of May 18th to pick up our RV and take back to the factory. We have some paperwork to fill out and we have some things to prepare for the trip back to Indiana. Time will tell.
December 16, 2025
After a little over a year of emails, phone calls, inspections, etc., Lippert is coming out to repair the frame as a “goodwill gesture”. This is all Nancy’s doing as I have developed a very short fuse when it comes to this subject. We put the hitch back in the truck last weekend and last night we hitched the RV to the truck. The plan is for us to move the RV to the street so they can work. It was determined when we arrived home in 2024 that this RV was not going very far. I waited until the Lippert team arrived to move the RV. It had originally been determined that they would want it in the cul-de-sac. Nancy talked to all of our neighbors and they were ok with the plan. Once Lippert arrived, they decided that the best place for it was in front of our next door neighbors house and not the cul-de-sac. I was able to pull it out and place it where they needed it. In about 5 hours they had made the repairs and even put the underpinning back on the RV. They showed me what they had done and the improvements that they had made. They also adjusted the slides. They were very good.
Once back in the driveway we opened up the RV and what a difference it was inside with the walls and floors almost going back to normal. According to the master plan, the next step is for Forest River to come in the spring to take the RV back to the Sandpiper factory to handle the rest of the RV.
They removed the axles and straightened both main frame beams. They rewelded the center cross members and added a third one. Additionally they added a 2” square tube under the frame onto which the axles will be attached. The hardware was upgraded to heavy duty and the shackle bolts are about twice the size of the original ones. The new bolts are wet bolts which will require lubrication. The last picture in the set of pictures is of the old bolts. Extra supports were welded onto the frame for the axles, as well.
August 24, 2025
For the last couple of weeks we have been working on revamping Braxton’s bed. Many years ago he wanted a bed with monkey bars. So we designed and built his plan. He was young and we had to make sure he didn’t fall out of bed, etc. It was pretty neat. So recently he has decided that he now wants a reading loft in his bed. We talked and we came up with his design again. And the family finally finished the project. We had some things to take off the old bed and rearrange for the new. We built his reading loft perpendicular to his bed and it has steps leading up to his loft. He has appropriate lighting and some storage for his personal items. We were also able to salvage a few rungs of his monkey bars so he still has that feature as well. As you look at the pictures, yes the bed is as heavy as it looks.
August 6, 2025
I had a minor surgery on my right middle finger today. A cyst-like growth caused the nail to grow very funky. It was removed in office today. I will be bandaged up for a couple of weeks but not big deal.
July 12 - 15, 2025
This weekend we are traveling up to Dover, Delaware to spend a couple of days with our friends Jane and George Murga. We have not seen them in a while and just wanted to catch up. Bree got to go with us this trip too. We had a great weekend. We talked, we cooked, we went to the casino and a farmer’s market. Just a relaxing, fun weekend. I even brought one of my guitars and played a little. FYI, I’m not very good but it is a relaxing hobby for me. I am still taking lessons here in NC.
May 2 - 6, 2025
This extended weekend we decided to take a trip to Western North Carolina with some friends. Our neighbors and friends own a B and B in Purlear, NC. So we rented it for 4 days and headed up to the mountains with Heather and Isreal Carter. The weather was beautiful and so was the cabin we stayed in. We explored the area and had time to relax and play lots of games during this trip. A fun time was definitely had. A special mention of our time at Hero’s Axe House. It was a lot of fun. Heather was camera shy, I guess.
#herosaxehouse
February 28, 2025
Today two of our dear friends from Pennsylvania stopped in for a visit. Marie and Denis Schoone. Marie and Nancy worked together back in 1975 right after we got married. Marie and Denis got married and we have been in touch ever since. We had a lot of common ground in that the four of us were volunteers with our local first aid squads. We had a nice meal and great visit. They were on their way to other visits but worked us into their schedule. It was great to see them again.
November 2024
We decided that since we were not able to work camp for awhile, we would seek part time employment for a couple of reasons. The first is that the extra money would come in handy. The second is that it keeps us busy and not just sitting around the house all day. The goal is to keep moving. Slowly but keep moving. The plan was for us to work 3 days a week.
Nancy reinstated her nursing license and got a position with Bayada Health. She will be taking care of children with multiple health challenges such as being on a ventilator or having a G tube, etc. I was able to secure a position with a local O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store as a 'Delivery Specialist'. I drive parts to the commercial accounts around Greensboro. I mostly deliver to the downtown area and southeast area of Greensboro. Nancy makes a lot more money than me but one of my biggest benefits is great pricing on auto parts. We will start doing our own oil changes again.
August 10, 2024
Final travel day. We closed up the RV, said our prayers and headed for home. We were very nervous the entire trip. It felt so good to be home again. But we made it without incident. We got set up in the driveway and pulled our necessities out of it for the night. Gong forward, we will strip the entire RV down of all our belongings. I’ll contact the RV repair shop and we shall see what transpires from there. I’m expecting us to be without a RV for at least a year or more. I’m hoping we do not have to hire an attorney for anything but who knows. We are home. This year we traveled through 8 states and totaled 2,443 miles. Of the 8 states, only 3 were new to us but we did get to add Alabama and Arkansas to our RV map. It is nice to be home.
August 9, 2024
Travel day 3 of 4. Today’s destination is the east side of Tennessee. We are staying at Creekside RV Park in Pigeon Forge. We took Exit 407 off of I 81/40 and decided to make a quick trip into Buc-ees. Actually this was billed as the World’s Largest Buc-ees. There was room to get in and park. Yes, I did take up several parking spots but I was at the very back of the lot. It was a good spot for a necessary potty stop. This was our first time in a Buc-ees. The bathrooms are really clean! The store looked like it sold just about everything. I grabbed a couple of brisket sandwiches and left. It was Nancy’s turn. We had Bree and Ashes in the truck and it was running with the A/C. She eventually emerged with a couple of lunch meat sandwiches and we both agreed. First time and last time. Way too many people for our liking.
After we left Buc-ees we arrived at our campground about 45 minutes later. The traffic was horrendous through Pigeon Forge. We started to set up the RV and noticed a few more items looked out of place. It appeared as though the axle slid toward the driver’s side. The middle hydraulic jacks looked like they were toeing in. Once inside we noticed walls buckling, floors warping, paneling bucking, etc. It did not look good at all. We are praying we make it home tomorrow.
August 8, 2024
Another travel day. Not quite as long today though. We are leaving MO and heading through Illinois and Kentucky to get into Tennessee. We also crossed the Mississippi River again. We have been noticing a couple of issues with the RV. When we set up in Branson, the rear driver’s side slide did not want to fully extend. It lacked about an inch and a half. We figured that we would have it checked out when we got home. Also the bathroom door did not want to latch unless you pulled up on it slightly. Our first Tennessee stop is familiar to us. It is the Grand Ole RV Park on the north side of Nashville. We stayed at this park last year when we stopped at Nashville. We got set up and decided that we have not had Chinese food for several months. We found a nearby restaurant and I placed an online order and went to pick it up. I had General Tso’s Chicken and Nancy had Pad Thai. Pretty good. Two more days and we will be home.
August 7, 2024
Today is a travel day. Our destination is the Hinton RV Park in Sikeston. It was an uneventful day. We arrived after a 4 1/2 hour travel. Our site was fairly level but we still had to unhitch to get level. Check out time tomorrow is no later than noon. Our next destination is just a little north of Nashville. Should only take us about 3 1/2 hours tomorrow. Time for bed. Night Night
August 6, 2024
No alarm clock again this morning. Love it. We got up and I had my coffee. We did get some lunch around 2ish as we have a dinner show tonight. Our first show is at the Hamner’s Variety Theater. It is called Thank You For the Music, An ABBA tribute. The show was very good. The four performers were very good. The costumes matched the music. Not only was it the music but we got the back stories on some of the songs and on the group itself. Additionally there were two large monitors on either side of the stage and they would flash facts and videos of the group during the performance. On some songs they even showed clips from the movie Momma Mia! It was a very entertaining and enjoyable show. It ended just in time for us to leave and get to our next venue for our last show.
The dinner show started at 7:30PM. It was the Who Dunnit Hoedown Murder Mystery Dinner Show. The food was typical banquet food. Not great. Kind of dry. The show was hilarious and very audience interactive. They had chosen 4 audience members to be the suspects and had them on stage off and on. There was some singing and lots of comedy. I really like it when the characters would make each other break. Reminded me of the Carol Burnett Show. Pictures were not allowed there.
We left the show and went to a Casey’s for fuel. Ready to head on toward home tomorrow.
August 5, 2024
We left the RV a little early so that Nancy could have a chance to go to a store she didn’t have time for in May. The shop? Quilt & Quilts. She was a little deflated when the sign on the front door read “No pictures”. She has often visited stores and taken pictures of things she likes so she can try and re-create them later. Not today. She was finished at the appropriate time as we had tickets to go see Dustin Tavella at the Reza Theater at 2:00PM. We had followed Dustin through his America’s Got Talent (AGT) Season 16 in 2021. We both thought he was incredible. Not only for his “magic” but his back story and his ability to combine his magic with story telling. He eventually won AGT for Season 16. Not only did he receive a large sum of money but he also headlined a Vegas show. He and his wife and two adopted sons lived in Vegas for awhile. They then decided it was time to leave “Sin City”. So they moved to Branson, MO. In May while we were in Branson, we saw a billboard that advertised Dustin’s show. We basically came back and this was the primary reason.
There are no words to describe how awesome the show was. It had comedy, meaning, lots of magic, and a lot of personality. At intermission, it was announced that you could do a meet and greet with Dustin on stage, during intermission. One person and her son stood in line. Nancy prodded me to find out how much it cost. I went and asked and they told me. Not only did you get to meet and talk to Dustin, you had your photo taken with him and after the show he would sign it for you. We decided to do it. Dustin was very personable. He seemed very sincere as well, not Hollywood hype type. We spoke for a few minutes and then had our picture taken with him. Before leaving he asked if we could have a prayer together. Absolutely. He led the prayer and then we exited the stage back to our seats. The theater was not full and I would estimate a little less than 100 people. To get an idea of his show, go to YouTube.com and search for Dustin Tavella, all AGT performances. He is one of a kind.
After the show, Dustin was in the lobby signing pictures and posters or other souvenirs that might have been purchased. He took his time with each person. Even taking selfies with them. We got our turn and he greeted us with Hello again. We chit chatted briefly and then asked him if we could take a selfie. He took my phone and took a few selfies, then just before handing it back to me he decided to take some silly selfies of just him. Awesome.
It was food time again. No BBQ today. Nancy found Cheddars Kitchen. It had good reviews and was close by. The reviews were on target. After ordering, they bring a nice fluffy, warm croissant covered in honey butter. Yum! Yum! Nancy had a salmon dish and I had the grilled pork chop special. Very good. What a way to end a great day. Time to go back to the RV. two shows tomorrow.
August 4, 2024
Up at 6:00AM. I had to have my coffee. I was in the Inn at 7:00AM. My first job is to put on a pot or two of coffee. Then I went about fixing breakfast. Today’s menu is Mixed Fruit Cheesecake Salad, Pam’s Breakfast Casserole (the egg dish), Peach Buttermilk Pancake Casserole, and sausage links. Everyone is leaving today so people are moving a little quicker. I was finished putting the leftovers away and dishes completed by around 10:30AM. We changed clothes and got the RV buttoned up and hitched. By 11:40AM we were on the road.
We rearranged our previous Branson schedule to come into town today. We have one show tomorrow afternoon and then 2 Tuesday evening. Then Wednesday we are heading back to NC. It’s a short ride to Branson, MO. We arrived at Branson View RV Park. Nice campground. We got everything hooked up and set up. We have no plans for today so we just tried to cool off and relax. Temperatures are going to be in the mid 90s this week. HOT!!! After a little cool off time, we decided to go out for dinner. Nancy found a great BBQ place that we had to try, Gettin Basted. After exploring the menu we opted on a local cold beer for starters and a half pound of burnt ends. Absolutely delicious!! Then we decided to order their sampler plate called the Judges Plate. It comes with 1/3 lb. brisket, 1/3 lb. pulled pork, 1/2 rack of ribs, sausage link, 1/3 lb. turkey, 1/4 of a chicken, and two large sides. We got the baked beans and poblano cream corn brûlée. It was more than enough for our meal but we’ll have leftovers for a few more meals. The meal was wonderful. After the meal we found a grocery store that sold Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses. We had to get some for our travels. So good to be able to get some good lunch meats.
August 3, 2024
As we are pretty well packed up, and because we will miss one of our favorite restaurants, we decided to go to PJ’s Rainbow Cafe for dinner. It has been one of our favorite places since we arrived. Of course we had our go to meal, Chicken Fried Steak. And obviously we had our pie to go. Dinner is so filling. Fortunately our friend Reda was working. This gives us a chance to say so long to The Pie Lady. Over the last few months Reda is another local that we have made friends with. There are definitely some places and mostly people we will miss.
August 2, 2024
Could be a long day today. It’s time to pack everything back into the RV to get it ready for the road on Sunday. Of course, it is very sunny and the high today should reach 94o. With lots of water/tea/gatorade breaks we got everything packed away. It was a long hot day and with the increase in possessions it was sometimes challenging to find room for things. But we are ready. Krissa and Sherry stopped by to say bye to us. We took some pictures. They came back in town to get Sherry’s car. Then they are off for a vacation.
Tonight at the Possum Club Pam Setser is playing. I have not been to see her live but she is a phenomenal entertainer. She has a very nice voice and can play multiple instruments very well. I told her I would get to one of her shows. Tonight will be my last opportunity. It was a very good show. Good music. I left a little early and decided to see how long the line was for the Music Box Ice Cream. It was not very long at all. So I decided to stop. Nancy had stayed at home tonight. I believe she still had one check in. I got us both some ice cream to go and went home. It was a very hot night and the ice cream was a welcome treat.
August 1, 2024
Today will be my last guitar lesson with Albee. I am really going to miss the lessons and Albee. We have developed a friendship with our weekly lessons. One of the things we were going to do today is look at what Mountain View Music had for guitars and possibly trade mine up for a better one. Albee looked at what was available and only found two. The first was a very small price but it would have been an amplified acoustic guitar. We decided that I really didn’t need that option. The other options was a big jump in price. Like over $500 worth. I did not want to pay that much money at the present time. However, the guitar I first purchased has real good sound and is doing me quite nicely. So I am keeping it.
After my lesson, Nancy and I went over to the Community Center to play Phase 10 with Roxanne. We always have a good time playing games. The local government commissioned a local artist to paint a mural on the wall of the Community Center depicting various stages of the town’s history. He is working on the last panel. It is absolutely beautiful.
Tonight at the Possum Club (The Meeting Place) Albee will be playing mandolin for a young man I met a couple of weeks ago. His name is Tru Brannon. He plays guitar, fiddle, and learning mandolin. Also on stage will be Carolina Mendoza. She has a beautiful voice. Chris Smith, the owner, will be playing upright bass and Jenny (sorry I don’t remember her last name) is on electric piano and vocals. Was probably one of the best shows we saw at the Club. Since I didn’t have a silver marker during my lesson, I took the pen and my guitar to the Possum Club and had Albee sign my guitar.