Back in the Blogging Saddle

After nine months, I'm ready to resume blogging. Gee whiz, I could have had a baby in that time! YIKES! At my age, that's a frightening thought! Instead, I think I'll just give birth to blogging again!

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

You may (or may not) know but our house sold in April 2020 just as Covid was ramping up. Our plan was that hubby Geo would retire and we would do some full-time RVing. 

Oh, but Covid! 

Before he could retire, his employer offered time off work (a Covid thing) which he took. Turned out, he was off for six months. Perfect time for RVing. 

We departed Texas the day after Memorial day and

meandered to: 

• Sautee Nacoochee, GA for 2 wks, 
• Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area for 6 wks
• Chattanooga, TN for 1 wk
• Clarksville, TN for 1 wk
• Popular Bluff, MO for 1 wk
• Branson, MO for 1 wk
• Wichita, KS for 1 wk
• Dodge City, KS 3 days
• Pueblo, CO for 1 wk
• Bayfield, CO for 1 wk

Not much in Sautee Nacoochee
but there is this quaint, Old Sautee Store
with a deli, gift shop & museum!

In all of our RV stops, it was much too hot to hike. The only way we were really able to explore was by riding around... and around... and around. Dairy Queen and Cold Stone Creamary became our ice cream friends. In fact, we got to be a little bit too chummy with them! Oh, and our canine cuties, Chewy & Elmer, were in heaven because they always tagged  along!

Lots of murals all over downtown Wichita.

Geo was called back to work in September so we returned to North Texas. By this time, we were also rethinking full-time RVing, and it didn't take long to make a decision. Since we're living in a day and age when you never know what's going to happen next, we knew a sticks & bricks home coupled with part-time RVing was the perfect match for us!

Seeing this sign, makes me sing the song,
 Up On Cripple Creek!
Is it just me?
I thought it was Creedence but nope!
It's The Band.

WHERE TO LIVE?

This was pretty much a no-brainer for us. We'd been eyeing a 55+ community since 2014. The huge choices of activities and amenities won us over at every thought because living a healthy lifestyle as we continue to age is important to us. We also didn't want much property (aka yard work👎). That way, we can hit the road whenever it strikes our fancy. We also opted to build so Geo decided to keep working until we close on the house.

A locale at Lookout Mountain
in Chattanooga where
hang gliders and other air flying aficionados  
take the leap.

GETTING STARTED! 

In late October, we put money on a lot in the 55+ community, but due to record sales, we couldn't get into the design center until the last week in January so we waited! Normally, it would have been about two weeks or less! 

Once design week was over, we did some more waiting. Then, last week we received an email stating that they're looking to do "something" at the end of the month.

We hope they mean this month!

😃

The email noted that we should start seeing activity and supplies delivered to our lot, "porta potty, stakes, scrape the lot, those kinds of things" very soon!

YAY!

Hoo doos on the side of the road just outside of
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Once they're ready to pour the foundation, our Superintendent will be in touch. The completion date they gave us is October but according to our sales gal, we should add a month so maybe November. We shall see.

Below is a rough view of the lot.

Not the best pic but there 

will be more pics as we progress.

WHAT'S UP NOW?

We're currently in an RV park in North Texas. We drive around the community and by the lot several times a week and have been since October but now we have something to look forward to! 

Stay tuned.

Smiling & Singing Cripple Creek,

D~~~~

Hiking~Unicoi State Park & Anna Ruby Falls

I'm behind on posting but that's the way it goes sometimes! In May, we spent two weeks in Georgia where we hiked, took beautiful drives, and visited various little towns. 

Some towns, we visited by merely driving through because the sidewalks were too crowded with tourists (most without masks) for us to be comfortable walking around in these Covid-19 times. The truth is that there were so many people, we wouldn't have walked around even if we had masked up! We do try to follow CDC guidelines. In other towns, there weren't many folks out at all so we felt comfortable wearing a mask to do some window shopping and picture taking on the town square. 

Today though, we're taking two hikes, and  

both are in the Chattahoochee National Forest.  

The first one is a 2.2 mile trail around 

Smith Lake, often referred to as Unicoi Lake.

It's in Unicoi State Park. 

Wanna go? 

C'mon!

We love how wide and inviting the trail is?

Don't you?

Check out the cabins that appear 

not far beyond the trailhead.

Let's catch up to George and the boys.

Now Geo can catch up with us!

😊

Look at that walkway over the lake!

We found this magnificent spot to give 

the dogs a rest, and were mesmerized 

by the stunning, aqua-colored water! 

All parts of the lake don't appear 

that color so it was a real treat to see!

💝

Next, we'll cross this beach...

...and pass pontoons too!

We're pretty sure they're for rent.

Moving right along...

...we find an easily navigable barricade.

And let's savor this busy stream 

before coming to the end of the trail!

Here's the trail you just hiked.

Hike #1 Down!

 

We hope you had fun  

BUT

we're not done yet!

Let's take the dogs home so they can rest up.

Then, we'll come back for our second 

hike to nearby Anna Ruby Falls.

Oh, and when we say nearby, 

we mean practically across the street.

Anna Ruby Falls is a one-mile round trip

so it's much quicker.

Let's go!

The stream from the Falls is headed 

to Unicoi State Park on it's way 

to the Gulf of Mexico. 

I can't imagine how many sizes  

of rocks and trees the busy waters 

will pass over and  through

before reaching the Gulf.

They're twin falls and we're here!

Very pretty, don't you think?

These twin Falls begin on Tray Mountain 

as two creeks--Curtis and York Creeks--and 

Anna Ruby Falls is their meet-up spot!

Along the way, we saw quite a few of these 

cute signs encouraging social distancing 

by asking, 

"What Else is 6 Feet Apart?"

They also provide the answer.

It was a very nice hike and 

we hope you enjoyed!

Smiles,

D~~~~

Quick Visits with Family

We recently had a couple of quick visits with family. First, we spent several fun days with hubby's brother and our sis-in-law in Tennessee. 

One day we explored the very pretty Chickasaw Trace Park on the biologically diverse Duck River in Columbia, TN. We discovered a nice array of areas to please almost any outdoor enthusiast as we observed and enjoyed kayakers, swimmers, mountain bikers, RC areas, picnic tables, log cabins and more.

We hiked a trail until a nasty 

mud puddle refused to let us pass!

(l-r, Middy, Jack, me)

Geo was thrilled when we stumbled 

across an RC flying field in the park. 

(An RC car track was in the park as well.)

Geo has a plane in the RV, and if he would

have know this was here, you can bet 

he would have brought it with us!

Yes, he would!

He chatted it up with the RC fellas who 

offered him their cards so when we return, 

he can meet up with them.

We wandered through Derryberry Log cabin, 

one of the first homes in the area.

Another day, we checked out an 

RV park on the clear Piney River.

Notice the people up on the cliff.

I wonder if they dive from there. 

We didn't see it.

We saw kayakers making their way through

the lazy water though which looks like fun.

Don't look for them!

There's not any pics.

We also spent time visiting and hanging out.

Geo is relaxing on Jack & Middy's lovely deck...

... and so are Chewy & Elmer!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After we left Tennessee, we scooted a couple hours up the road to Kentucky where my sister and our bro-in-law recently purchased a lake house on Lake Barkley. They had a trip planned for later in the week so we were only able to spend 1-1/2 days with them.

The first afternoon, Randy & Sue drove us around the nicely wooded area. The next day, we headed out to find an A-frame that Geo's Dad and Uncle built when Geo was a kid.

Found it!

The owners were outside and the 

very kind lady invited us in for a minute.

Geo's Dad and Uncle also 

built this wagon wheel light fixture.

After the A-frame, we stopped at 

Hu-B's Harbor Marina

in 

Kuttawa, KY.

Sue & Randy

Geo & yours truly

We finished up the visit at the lake house where we 

savored the lovely view of the lake and their dock!

Sue & Randy will be putting their pontoon in the water after their trip and we look forward to returning for a boat ride!

Smiles,

D~~~~

Note: The above link to Chickasaw Trace Park is not the park's official website. It was down when I tried to link it.

Bye Wagon Master RV Park & Alpaca Farm

We moved to a new location about a week ago but I wanted to share some pics from the last RV Park:

Wagon Master RV Park & Alpaca Farm 

in 

Sanger, Texas.

It was a quaint and quiet 

little park with friendly folks.

The Old Wash House

The New Wash House & Mail facility

are housed in 

The Wander Inn

Let's wander in.

(I can follow directions.)

Spacious!

Lots of cool space to hang out.

Bath houses through those doors.

A clean and nice laundry facility.

And a rustic kitchen too!

A cute little mail center 

resides just across from the kitchen.

A lovely morning view from our bedroom window.

Without a doubt, for me, the sweet 

alpacas were the main attraction!

They're protected by three 

cute and fuzzy guard dogs.

Here's two.

Hi there adorable!

They're beautiful creatures!

We were there during the Covid-19 pandemic so we didn't get to feed them or spend time with them other than at the fence. We didn't ask but assumed that it was not being offered since the office was closed and all communication was done online or over the phone.

The alpaca page of the Wagon Master website even welcomes non-campers to come feed them ($5.00 per person) and/or you can spend an hour with them in the barn or field. That is something I greatly wish we could have done! Perhaps we will have that opportunity in the future.

Smiles,

D~~~~

Not Full-Timing Yet

It's official, we sold our house.
YAY!

That's a huge step toward full-time RVing!

We are now staying in a local RV park 

which is also an alpaca farm.

The alpacas are very cute so I'm am sure 

there will be more photos to come. 

We cannot start full-timing until hubby Geo retires later this year. Due to this Covid-19 virus, he is off work right now and scheduled to stay off until the end of June. Of course, depending on the virus, he could go back sooner or stay out longer.

One thing is for sure though,

I will be blogging on a more regular basis!

See ya soon!

Smiles,

D~~~~