March 19, 2024
Today is a day off from work. The goal of the day is to install a TV in our bedroom. Nancy has been wanting one. Her reasoning is that sometimes sitting in the living room, her neck hurts and she needs to lie down to get comfortable. So we searched and found a decent deal on Amazon. I thought a 32” smart TV would be good. She wanted to go bigger. Amazon had a 32” Vizio for $158. But for $1 more you could upsize to 40”. So 40” it is. We already had a mount for it. About 2 years ago we changed the mount in the living room. We kept the old mount for one day when we might put a TV in the bedroom. Today is the day. It actually was very easy and did not take very long at all. The longest part was signing in to all the apps.
March 16, 2024
Today is the day for Phillip. He had plenty of help though. Braxton is now 8 years old. Since anyone can remember he always loved ridging on the zero turn mower. He always wanted to drive. So from time to time, Daddy and/or Grandpa would put him on our lap and left him drive. Well today, the boy drives all by himself. Phillip cut up the tree and Braxton hauled the limbs and brush to the back yard. Just so happens that Michelle was back there burning boxes. And some of the brush. Nothing like a family affair to clean up a mess. Thankful we have such great family to look after the homestead while we travel.
March 15, 2024
After working today Nancy decided she wanted to go out to eat. There is a nice little Mexican restaurant, Mi Pueblito, within walking distance. Shortly before we left for the restaurant, Chris, texted us and invited us to The Inn at Mountain View Bed and Breakfast for a jam session to be held in the parlor. It would give us a chance to meet some locals. The restaurant is about 3 blocks from home. We made the short walk. Dinner was great. After dinner the short walk of 2 blocks was very nice. We got to the Inn and there were a few guests from the Inn, Kevin, the owner, Chris, and the musician Gary Rounds. For over an hour there was music, singing, laughing, and story telling. It was really nice. We met several people. It was a very enjoyable evening. Just before we left, a family came in. The two young girls played guitar and sang. Beautiful voices. Then the brother stood up and played the upright bass. We eventually made our way home. Nice evening.
March 14, 2024
Back to work today. For the next week or so, since we have no guests we will be able to do a lot of cleaning and organizing. We also have no time schedule. We just do what we can and when we can. It is very relaxing.
March 13, 2024
We have a lot of traveling to do today. For the past month I have been having some knee pain, especially while standing a lot. Nancy found a reputable orthopedist and made my appointment for today. However, it is in a town called Mountain Home, about an hour north of Mountain View. My appointment was for 10:00ish so we needed to be an hour early to fill out paperwork. We arrived and took care of all the paperwork. I think it took longer to fill out the paperwork than the time we actually saw the doctor. They took me back, and then on to X-ray. After a few shots I was returned to my room and waited only a couple of minutes for the doctor. He was very nice. My issue is that I have a lot of osteoarthritis. I could even see it on the X-ray. The lower leg was pushing out and the gap between the joint was more narrow on one side than the other. Not a lot of options. I chose the nonsurgical one. The doctor gave me a steroid injection in the knee. The injection was not as bad as I thought. Now that the first stop is complete we need to get on the road to travel 1 1/2 hours to Batesville so Nancy can get her new lens in her glasses. Fortunately right around the corner from the doctor’s office and on the way to Batesville, we found a little donut shop. Interestingly enough they also had sausages wrapped in a dough of some kind. We each got one to classify as “nutritious” for our breakfast. We also got a couple of donuts. Everything was very good.
We finally arrived in Batesville and it took Nancy about 10 minutes to get her lens installed. And then we were on the road again. This time we were heading back to Mountain View to get back in time to pick up a prescription for Nancy. This many miles in one day makes for a very long day. We made it back in time and finally got home to relax.
March 12, 2024
We decided that today we would walk around town and visit some of the local establishments. We are only 2 blocks south of Main Street and the Square. We left Bree at home and took our short stroll. The weather was beautiful. Mountain View is a quaint little town. The shop keepers are all very friendly. We visited various stores just looking at some local crafts, etc. There is a really neat shop called Wallace Wood Works. They have hand crafted wood furniture including swings, rockers, tables, chairs, and some live edge pieces. Absolutely beautiful pieces and I believe reasonable prices. Another place that caught my eye was the Dude Ranch Boots. They carry western boots, Ariat shoes, clothing, and hats. Several shops had tee shirts for sale touting the upcoming eclipse. Haven’t found a great design yet. I did find a neat design on Amazon but it did not have Mountain View on it. The design was an eclipse with a guitar silhouette and the wording is Hello Darkness My Old Friend.
While we were sitting outside on a bench, relaxing, Nancy overheard two ladies talking about a dog. It turned out they found a dog walking on the street downtown. It had a collar so they were calling the owner to come get it. The owner did not drive and the two ladies were dropped off downtown and had no transportation. So, I walked home, got the truck and we took the dog back to the owner. We drove back to downtown and parked. Our next stop was The Urban Forge. They make a lot of items for home decor. One of the coolest I saw was a toilet paper stand. I took a picture. Very cool stuff but you pay for quality craftsmanship. Good thing we weren’t living here when we built the log home. It was mid afternoon and we were hungry. We checked into a few local spots and decided on PJs Rainbow Cafe. It is a cash only spot that serves some really good food. The staff is very friendly and pleasant. They are known for Chicken Fried Steak and Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwich. We each ordered one of them. As we were waiting on our food, others were ordering dessert. Actually pie. The pies are made by Rita on premises. We were conversing with one staff member whom we found out was named Rita. Actually, Rita the Pie Lady. The pies were decadent looking and everyone who ordered a piece raved about them. Fortunately for us they have to go containers. Nancy had the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie and I had the Banana Split Pie. Oh My God!! Was awesome!! We had to walk around a little longer to walk off some calories. We walked over to Mountain View Music.
Outside on their porch there were a few people playing and singing. This is a norm for these parts. We went into the store and introduced ourselves to the owners, Scott and Shay Pool. They showed us around and we talked for a couple of hours. They have some very nice instruments in their store. They used to own a B & B about a block away. They also repair and build instruments there. Great day.
March 11, 2024
Since we have no guests and no one to fix breakfast for, it is time to start deep cleaning and organizing to my tastes. The Ozark was closed for the winter but opened in a hurry for the forestry guys. There are a few projects that Nancy is working on also. She did bring her sewing machine and her and Chris have decided that the beds need saddles. Don’t ask me, I have no clue. Anyway, we are using this down time to do certain things around the Inn. And we do not have to get up early. My favorite part.
Meanwhile, back at home in North Carolina, they had a storm last night. And that storm decided to bring down another tree in our neighbor’s yard. So now Phillip has his next weekend planned. Sorry..
March 8 - 10, 2024
Seems strange being able to sleep in until 06:30AM. Felt good though. Today I am going to wear my new chef clothes. I bought some for this trip. They are very comfortable in kitchen and easy to take care of. The first morning of this weekend we only had 10 for breakfast. The fruit course was a Mixed Berry Cheesecake Fruit Salad. The fruit salad is yogurt, Cool Whip, cheesecake pudding, and mixed berries. The meat was sausage links and the main attraction was a Praline French Toast. Coffee and orange juice are standards. We have a Cafe area with a Keurig where guests can help themselves to various coffees, teas, and cocoa. We also try to have snacks out for the guests and Nancy and I put a few pieces of fresh fruit out as well. Breakfast went over well. While our guests were attending various events at the Festival, I made some homemade chocolate chip cookies for the cafe. They were my Mom’s go to and my favorite recipe. We have a Kitchenaid 6 quart Professional Stand Mixer. When we first arrived, Chris told me it wasn’t working. I took it apart and surmised that the switch was bad. I found one on Amazon and Chris ordered it. It arrived yesterday, so today I am getting the mixer back in service. The switch did the trick.
On Saturday morning, we had 13 for breakfast. Today’s menu was Bacon, Egg, Cheese, Pancake. It was a very big success. We never got a taste. It looked good. Bacon was the meat side and the fruit was a Fresh Fruit Salad. As the cookies were gone, I made brownies, from scratch. I have an easy recipe and they turned out very good.
Today is the last day of the Bluegrass Festival. All of our guests will be checking out. This morning I made a Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole. The meat side was sausage links. The fruit dish was Ambrosia. Had lots of left overs. I will not use that recipe again. We found out that we will not have to be in a hurry to flip the rooms. The forestry firefighters will not be returning. They have been reassigned to another area and their current location is closer than here. So we will not have much to do over the next couple of weeks. Our next biggest time will be the Solar Eclipse on April 8th.
March 7, 2024
Today is going to be a very long and busy day. We are up early for the firefighters. Today is actually my menu. I made them Breakfast Bites, bacon, and a starter of yogurt and fruit mixed with some Cool Whip. The Breakfast Bites are tater tots in the bottom of a muffin tin. Bake for about 10 minutes and then top with scrambled eggs, cheese, sautéed onions and peppers and chopped bacon or ground sausage. Orange juice and a fruit started are served at every breakfast. They went over well.
The firefighters are leaving today and headed to Batesville for the weekend because the Inn was already booked for the Bluegrass Festival. Mountain View bills itself as the Bluegrass Capital of the World. We are expecting to hear a lot of music while we are here. Sounds good to me.
All the rooms have to be flipped. That is to say, beds stripped and remade, bathroom cleaned, floors cleaned. Chris has provided us with another young lady named Jessica. She helps out in situations like this at both b and bs. I worked on cleaning the kitchen, dishes, dinning room. Nancy and Jessica worked on the rooms. Guests could start checking in after 2:00PM. It was a very long day for both of us. I also prepped the breakfast for tomorrow morning. We will be having 10 for breakfast. The nice thing about this is that the coffee does not have to be ready until 07:00AM and breakfast at 08:30AM. I am still getting used to this oven. It cooks a little cooler than the set temperature so you have to give everything a little more time.
Just for grins and giggles, I turned the breaker back on and tried the washer. The time off must have worked. It was working just like it was before. One less thing to have to do.
March 5, 2024
Our first day off. We are scheduled to have off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. While we are off Chris is covering the breakfasts. There is no room cleaning to do as they are occupied. We have been traveling with the T-Mobile Hot Spot. Amazingly it worked great while we were at Huntington Beach State Park. I believe we used it a couple of nights while we were on the road. Once we arrived here in Mountain View we have decent WiFi so we really don’t need to pay for the Hot Spot any longer. So today we are going to go to Batesville, Arkansas. It is about an hour away, as most towns are. The larger cities of Conway is 1 1/2 hours away and Little Rock is 2 hours away. But Batesville has a Walmart and a T-Mobile store. There is also a Kroger grocery store. I want to check it out to see if they carry Boars Head luncheon meats and cheeses. The first stop was T-Mobile. I took the unit in and as the gentleman was processing it we engaged in small talk. As it turns out, he is a retired firefighter also. However, his was through disability. We talked about the fire service. After everything was processed he thanked me for coming in and talking to him about being a firefighter. He said that his coworkers just didn’t understand. I enjoyed spending my time with him also.
Next stop is Walmart. We chose this Walmart as it has an eyeglass section. In January, shortly before we left town, Nancy had a cataract removed from her left eye. After being cleared to travel and allowing the proper time to heal she could get one new lens. So she went into Walmart, had here eyes examined and ordered the correct lens. We will be going back in a week or so to get in put in. The last stop was Kroger. What a bust. No Boars Head. Very small store and not real impressed with it. So home we went.
March 3, 2024
04:00AM came very early. I got my first cup of coffee and headed inside to see what I could do and/or help in any way. Our first service went well. The guys were happy and full. One neat thing is that a blessing is said before each breakfast. Chris was tired as he has been getting up early all week. I told him I would handle the dishes and for him to go home. He was very appreciative. We also set a time to get together to prep tomorrow morning’s offering. As a side note, the dishes are all hand washed.
We checked online about the washer error code. It said to unplug and then then to plug it back in. That would be great if you could get to the plug. It is about 30” in the closet but there might be a total of 2” of space. Unable to get to it. So we decided the next best thing was to throw the breaker. We attempted this about 4 times. So we just turned it off and walked away. Contemplating what the next step will be. It is a total pain in the butt to take it out and then find a Camping World.
March 2, 2024
We woke up this morning and thought what a great day. We will finally be able to settle in and stop traveling. However, Mr. Murphy decided to show up this morning. When we came outside Nancy noticed a small puddle of hydraulic fluid on the ground. I then noticed that the right rear stabilizers were both raised. We packed up and headed toward Mountain View. Once we arrive, we will contact a mobile RV Tech and take it from there. That is not how a good day starts off.
And the day just keeps getting better. Keep in mind that we have a 42’ RV pulling it with a long bed (8’) for a total of 63 1/2’ long all told. We are not traveling Interstates now. We are on state and local roads. We plan our routes using a special program designed just for RVs, called RV Trip Wizard. It will sometimes not be real good if you have to change your route and there is a lack of cell signal. Or if the sun glares on the screen at an inopportune time. Yes, that’s right, I missed a turn. The roads were narrow and curvy. There was no finding a side street and turning around. Some of the roads that we were told to take were only driveways. We looked at a map and took a chance. I made a left turn onto one road. Not the best shape and not very wide. I prayed that I did not meet an oncoming car or worse, a truck. We were in a very rural area. After about 2 miles on this road, we made another turn and traveled another 2 1/2 miles. We finally found our way back on track. We arrived in Mountain View around 2:30PM. We had made contact with Chris, the owner, and he met us at the Wildflower Inn. His other bed and breakfast. We also met his wife, Karissa. She is deaf so we are going to need to brush up on our sign language. It has been a long time. They are very nice. They showed us around the Wildflower Inn. Very nice. They then took us to the Ozark Country Inn, our home for the next 4 months. We were able to walk around and got to see how we were going to get our RV into the provided site. Then they drove us around town pointing out certain interesting places and venues. We got backed in to our site around 4:30PM.
Having been on the road for four days, we had some laundry to do. We attempted to start but ran into an error code on the washer. Fortunately the Inn and the cottage both have washers and driers.
It has been a long day and the night will be short as well. Last week, Chris was able to sell out all 7 rooms to a group of US Forestry Service firefighters. They are from Tahoe, California and are here to assist with some prescribed burns. That is good news in that the Inn is making money. The bad news is that they eat breakfast at 06:00AM. That means in the kitchen by 04:30AM start the coffee and get the oven preheated and the food in the oven. The original plan was to be here before the 9th of March so we could kind of get our feet wet and gradually work our way into the routine. Guess not!
March 1, 2024
We woke to the sound of rain. By the time I had my coffee and we had the RV packed, the rain had subsided. It didn’t take us long to wrap up the electrical cord and water hoses and we were on the way. In addition to planning routes and stops, you also have to plan fuel stops. We have several discount cards to help ease the pain of fuel costs. Unfortunately Bucees is not on the list. As we drove by, it was enormous. Truly unbelievable. The word is that their BBQ sandwiches are good. I guess, we will find out when the one in Mebane, NC is built. There are no truck lanes so we did not stop. Around 11:30AM we stopped at a Loves Travel Center and fueled up. This will get us to our next stop and then some. Our tank holds 50 gallons but pulling the RV we get about 8.7 miles to the gallon. Our route today will take us through Birmingham, AL, Tupelo, MS and Memphis, TN. We entered Memphis from the south in the port area. Was not a nice part of town. Just after crossing into Arkansas, over the Mississippi River, we had only a few miles to go to get to our stop. Tonight we are staying at the Tom Sawyer RV Campground. We are on the banks of the Mississippi. Pretty cool. We get to see several large barges going up and down the river. Tomorrow we will be in Mountain View, our spring home. Again tonight we did not have to unhitch. It makes leaving easier.
February 29, 2024
We arrived safely at the Safe Harbor RV Park in Riverside, Alabama. We get to add to add Alabama to our map. We place the state sticker on the map if we actually camp there. Today was a long day as we had to travel through Atlanta. I hate Atlanta. The drivers were crazy, weaving in and out. If you have ever driven a trailer you know that you need room and time to stop. Then the traffic was very heavy and of course with idiotic drivers you have accidents. We made it through untouched. The weather was overcast and cool all day. We have a nice view of the lake but it is supposed to rain a little later so we won’t be able to enjoy it much. We arrived mid afternoon and ready for some food. As we pulled into the campground, Chris, the owner came out of the office and showed us where our site was. He guided us in, a pull-through. He even helped us hook up our water as it was in a pit in the ground. He said that once we were set up, to stop in the office and pay. We talked about a good place to eat. He recommended the The Riverside Ark. We are only 10 miles away from Talladega and he said that The Ark was Richard Petty’s favorite place to eat when he was in town. Chris has owned the campground for 30 years. He said it was only about a 5 minute walk. Since we didn’t have to unhitch, walking was going to be our only means of transportation.
We got set up and walked to the office. We paid our bill and Chris explained the best route. He then offered to drive us to the restaurant. The Ark is known for its seafood. Neither of us had seafood and the dinner we had was okay but not impressive. We walked back home and just in time. We made it in the door and the rains came. Sometimes very heavy.
We also had crossed into the Central Time Zone. Our bodies were still on Eastern time.
February 28, 2024
Today we hit the road. This will be day 1 of 4 travel days. We got up and of course, I have to have my coffee. We were loaded and hitched up by around 11:00AM We pulled out and swung by the office to turn in our paperwork and Nancy’s vest. Then we headed out. Our stop for tonight is the Heritage RV Park in Augusta, Georgia. It is a pull through but we still were not level enough for me, so I decided to unhook to level for the night. It seems like a nice park. Good WiFi. Tomorrow night we will be in Alabama, if all goes according to plan.
February 27, 2024
This is our last day to work. We only had 20 to do. Since we traded days with Chris and Jim, we were on our own. Nancy thought it would be best if she worked by herself today and I could get some things done to prepare for our trip. So while she checked out the campground, I pulled the propane tanks to get them filled. I loaded them into the truck and took off. It took me a while to get propane. Chris and Jim had invited us to dinner with them and Jim’s brother. We decided that it was going to be some time before we could have a campfire again so we thanked them and made other plans. Nancy said, while I was out to pick up her favorite from Sea Captain’s House. By the time I got back from getting propane, she was just finishing up the campground. I reinstalled the tanks and at the same time emptied our black tank for the trip. I also was able to stow a couple of chairs and a table and generally get things ready to go. Once all of that was done, we had a few errands to run and we decided to go to Sea Captain’s House for one last lunch. Nancy ordered her usual, the Shrimp and Grit Cake and I had the Southern Burger again. The Southern Burger was cooked medium and topped with Gouda cheese, lettuce, tomato, and comes with a bacon jalapeño jam. It is awesome. Of course there were plenty of hushpuppies with honey butter. We ran our errands. I saw a store that I wanted to check out. It was Cannabetter Farms. Like North Carolina you can sell Delta 8 and Delta 9 and CBD oils and edibles. I found one edible that works really well for me for back pain. You can only get it out west. So the girl at Cannabetter looked it up and recommended one of their products that was very close. So I’ll give them a try. I only have 1 of my other edibles left. Cannabetter is a veteran run company. They also give a First Responder discount. It’s a small store with only a few products but it seems very nice.
Upon returning home, it was time to light the fire. We had about 1 1/2 bundles of wood left plus a half dozen logs we picked up doing our clean up duties. It was so nice to sit by the fire, have beer, or some mead, and listen to the ocean. I may have even closed my eyes for a few minutes. Once all the wood was gone it was time to go in.
February 26, 2024
Time has allowed us one more night of dinner and games. This time Chris and Jim hosted. Chris made Beef Burgundy. Wow. Excellent meal. Then it was down to some games. First we played Euchre. Jim and I started off great. We were in the lead. And then it was like hitting a brick wall. The cards went totally cold for us. Chris and Nancy won two straight games. Time to try something else. Next up was a new game for us, Jok R Ummy. It was kind of a cross between rummy and phase 10. You drew a card to decide what you had to have to lay down. I started off great. And then. Wall number 2. I believe Jim won that game. Next up was some cheesecake they had bought for dessert. Yum. Then on to Mexican Train Dominos. Another fun night.
February 25, 2024
After working today I worked on the blog and started our taxes. Meanwhile, Nancy took Bree to the beach for one last romp. Bree was exhausted. But she had a good time.
February 24 2024
Nice Saturday morning. We have plans after work to meet Donna, Karen and Bobby (my nephew) and Beth at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom. We had arranged this via text a few days ago and I had set the time at 1:30PM. However, I, for some strange reason, was thinking that the time was 2:30PM. We were just relaxing and then I see a text from Bobby that they were going to be a few minutes late but they were on their way. Ooopppsss! I then double checked and yup, 1:30PM. So we hurried and got ready and took off. I texted everyone to let them know I messed up. Naturally I heard about it once we arrived. Despite being late, we had a great time. I felt sorry for Nancy as all of us except her were from New Egypt. A lot of the conversation was about the people and the way it used to be. We had a great place to grow up at a great time.
February 23, 2024
Another dinner and some games with Chris and Jim. I made the Loaded BBQ Baked potatoes. They were a big hit. Delicious! We ate around 3:30 PM which would leave plenty of time for games. We played a couple of games and then we had dessert. We opted to introduce them to Nothing Bundt Cakes. We bought 4 small cakes and quartered them so we could try four flavors. We had Snickerdoodle, Strawberries and Cream, Red Velvet, and Carrot Cake. Good food, good friends, and a great time. Going to miss these nights.