South Carolina with Friends

Roger here...  We can now say that we have spent the night in a southern mansion, actually three nights.  

Sharon, Brett, Dianne and Poquita

Our friends, Brett and Sharon have built a beautiful home in a spectacular
and secluded wooded setting.  Our friendship began at Cinderella Pet Rescue in Mission, Texas where the four of us are volunteers.  Brett and Sharon provide so much support for the rescue dogs in south Texas, as well as those in their South Carolina community.

During our visit, multiple daily walks around the lake were the norm.  On the first day Brett and Sharon's daughter, Beth, and grandson, Lee, joined us for dinner and a walk.  We had met Beth before when she visited south Texas.  Lee just finished his first year as a cadet at The Citadel.  

Beth, Desi, Lee, Lucy, Sharon, Poquita, Brett

The views of their property with the lake in the foreground were so beautiful.  What a lot of work Brett and Sharon put into the development of their home.

Our little Airstream enjoyed a 30 amp connection in front of their covered motor home while we (including Bandido and Poquita) stayed in a guest quarters in their house.

The multileveled decks provided wonderful places for both the adults and the dogs.

I'm more excited than I look....

Bandido was so excited to have a large space to run and play.  

Poquita was just happy to have lots of time to sit on Dianne's lap.





A highlight of the visit for Dianne was reuniting with Desi.  Desi was the first dog that Dianne walked when she began volunteering at Cinderella Pet Rescue.  We were both thrilled when Brett and Sharon adopted him.  The video below shows that Dianne and Desi still have a special bond.   Click the link to view it:

Desi and Dianne

Sadly, Desi has lost his sight over the years.  However, that does not affect his happiness.  His nose and his ears make up for his loss of sight.  What a lovable galute!



Dianne's Teensy-Weensy Trailer Tip:

The inside of our bathroom door was prime real estate in the trailer, but it started out as just blank space with a towel bar.   So, in addition to the hanging toothbrushes (described in a previous post), I added a full-length mirror and Command hooks to hang a grocery bag for our trash.   The mirror is actually not a real mirror, but a stick-on sheet that I found on Amazon.  

There is virtually NO room for a trash can, but by hanging grocery sacks (I line or tape them if they have holes) on the command hooks, it has worked out really well.   We empty the trash frequently anyway as we travel, so I have not really used the large trash bags I brought along, and I have ended up storing them in the car in case we ever need one.

Close-up of trash bag on Command hook

A Visit to Camden....

During the first full day of our visit, Brett and Sharon showed us the nearby town of Camden.  It is a well-known location in the world of steeplechase racing.  Imagine horses thundering around the track in the photo below surrounded by tents, catered meals on tables with chandeliers, and ladies with large flowered hats.

Camden was the sight of battles during the Revolutionary War --- a very historic place.  Fortunately, the many old mansions were not destroyed during the civil war.  The drive through the old residential areas on the narrow roads was really interesting.  Such southern charm!

After the auto tour we walked the main street in town where we had lunch.  

The spire rising above the store fronts added to the charm of the town.

We did not stop in any of the shops along the street, but we did get a kick out of the display of flying pigs next to the sidewalk.

A Visit to the Camden Revolutionary War Site...

I had forgotten the history that I learned in school about the Revolutionary War battles.  The visit to this site awakened some of that history in my brain.

The British had their way with our revolutionary troops at Camden.  This museum highlights the British encampment and the nearby battlefields.  

British General Cornwallis headquartered his troops in the southern region in Camden.  The renovated mansion in the photo below was taken and used as Cornwallis's headquarters.

The inside of the mansion was painted in the original colors.  Bright, huh?

The quilt on display in the  photo below is identical to one that my grandmother Hays made years ago.

The portrait over the mantel below is the earliest painting of former president Andrew Jackson.  He was held as a prisoner in Camden during his late teen years.  (I've only seen his ubiquitous image from the $20 bill, so I was surprised to see that ole' Andrew was actually a handsome guy in his youth -- D.)

Floating in the Pond...

Roger and Lucy

The weather was great during our stay.  During our last afternoon with Brett and Sharon, we spent some quality time floating on their pond.

Brett and Lucy

Salud! ...

Brett and Sharon took us to a great Mexican restaurant in town -- Salud! -- during the last evening of our visit.

The food was amazing...

.... as was the company!



Thanks go to Brett and Sharon for taking such good care of us and our pups.

Good Times with Good Friends! -- D.

The pet picture of the day is an old photo of Dianne and Bart (now Desi) taken when he was at Cinderella Pet Rescue.   What a lucky dog he is to have found such a perfect forever home after being at the pet rescue for several years!

Such a good boy!

For our next stop, we traveled to North Carolina to a place that our dogs LOVE.   Stay tuned!

Spring in South Carolina - Short Update

Hi all -- Dianne here:

Just a quick update, mainly because I wanted to show just how lovely spring is here in South Carolina! 

 We spent one night at Magnolia RV Park and Campground outside Kinards, SC on our way to our next stop.  The flowers were SO pretty here that I just had to take a couple photos.  This is a nice, quiet campground; fine for an overnight stop.  It's a Passport America campground, so with the discount it was only $12 per night.  It is convenient to I-26.  They do have some pull-through sites, and the site we are in (site 39) allows our satellite to work.  (It is an issue in many of the sites here, though).

It's obviously a former KOA and is under recent new management.   Nice, shady sites, with some pull-throughs.  

 Check back soon as we return to Four Paws Kingdom in Rutherfordton, NC.  It's a very unique campground for dog lovers.  We stayed there on vacation once, back when we had our little Sunline travel trailer.  At the time, Four Paws was brand new.  It will be fun to make a return visit to see how the place has evolved over the past years.  I'm sure "the boys" will have a great time!   They deserve it, after being cooped up in their crate much of the time during the rally.  Gotta hit the road, so bye for now!

Nothing Could Be Finer Than to be in Carolina.... RV Dreams Rally

Hi all - Dianne here.  Roger and I had an uneventful trip to Longs, SC and got settled in at the Willow Tree RV Resort, site of the 2010 RV Dreams Rally.


South Carolina is beautiful in April!  The azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom, and everything is my favorite shade of spring green.  The weather has been perfect.

Willow Tree RV Resort is a beautiful facility.  The sites are large,  private, and beautifully
 landscaped.   It's very quiet; I love hearing the wind rush through the tall pine trees, the mockingbirds singing, and the woodpeckers drumming.   Last night I listened to Whip-poor-wills singing their evening song.

There is a lovely lake with a paved one-mile path for hiking, biking, and walking our dogs.   Fishing and paddle boats are available, along with a swimming beach and large pool area.

There are even some sites at this resort with individual hot tubs!  We are getting a special rally rate, so we're not in the deluxe sites, but even the site we have is large, private, and very, very nice indeed!  We opted to stay a few days after the rally just to enjoy this beautiful place.


 Howard and Linda Payne, who have the RV Dreams web site, are hosting the rally.  Howard and Linda hit the road back in 2005 after quitting the corporate rat race in their early 40s.  I came upon their web site in 2006, because that is about the time Roger and I started thinking about his retirement and how to hit the road ourselves.  


Howard does a better job of 
describing the events here, so if 
you would like to learn more about
 what we've been up to this week, 
check out his blog by clicking on
 "RV Dreams" on the left sidebar.  There's even a photo of Roger helping out with registration on the first day!


Here are a listing of seminars we've attended:

• Emotional Aspects of the Full-Timing Decision
• Selecting a "Home Base" and Insurance Considerations
• What Does it Cost to Full-Time?
• TV Options for RVers
• High Speed Internet for RVers
• Buying an RV - Pros, Cons & Must Haves
• Boondocking/Solar
• Working on the Road
• Manage Your Digital Photos With Google's Picasa 2
• RV Tire Safety
• RV Weight Safety
• (Roger: I have now been to three of these presentations.  This one, including the tire safety, by Walter Cannon may well have been the best.  Loved his sense of humor and very clear explanations.)
• Choosing a Camp Site
• Every RVer Needs a Blog

Even after a year and a half of full-timing, Roger and I learned some very important things in each and every seminar.  It also helps to refresh our memories on things we had already heard.  I had already taken the "blog," "Picasa," and "internet options" seminars last fall at the Gypsy Journal Rally.  These were presented again by "Geeks on Tour."  Their tutorials are available on line for everyone, not just RVers, so if you need help on computer issues, you can click on the link in the left sidebar and go to their web site.  I highly recommend them!   They are also living this lifestyle and traveling and working from their RV.


In addition to the educational seminars, there were social activities as well:

• Catered Welcome Dinner
• Chili Cook-Off
• Roger here...  Dianne won't tell you this, but the organizers of the rally had her stand up for an ovation for the chocolate eclair dessert that she brought.  Mmmm!  I married a good "cooker"!
• Favorite RV Gadgets "Show and Tell"
• My anal-retentive system of storing and finding "stuff" drew a lot of comments from the other RVers.  People from my former employers (Hamilton Southeastern Schools) will probably not be too surprised by this.  By the way, Dianne referred to me as anal in front of the entire group.  Very embarrassing!  (Dianne:  If the shoe fits....)
• We did a blog on Roger's organizational system when he did it; if you want to see that, click on "organization" in the left sidebar to bring that blog up.
• My "show and tell" included two of my favorite gadgets that save weight and space in the motor home.  I'm including a link if you want to learn more:  
• Potluck
• Dianne's BLT salad was scraped clean before we got in line.
• Family Feud (what a blast that was!)
• Open Rig Walk-Throughs
• Catered Steak & Shrimp Dinner
• Golden Oldies Sock Hop
• Dianne actually danced with me several times.  What fun!  Felt like I was in college again.
• Catered Full Farewell Breakfast

As my friends will testify, I'm not usually all that "social," but I have to say, we really had a lot of fun at each and every activity!   I'm usually one to try to cut out early or skip, but I found myself wanting to attend every activity and staying to the end.  Roger even got me to dance at the sock hop!


We loved meeting and talking to folks who are going through the same process we just finished.  We actually felt like so-called "experts" as we answered some questions!  The people, including Howard and Linda, were great - fun people with common interests who felt like friends. 

All in all, it has been a great experience and we're really glad we came.  We have met some real characters and wonderful people this week and hope to stay in touch and follow their progress as they begin their own adventures.

Hiking, Edisto Beach, Southern BBQ

Hi - Dianne here. On Thursday, Roger and I took the dogs for a hike in Edisto Island State Park. It's sure different from Turkey Run! Palm trees, pine trees, and marsh grasses. It's very pretty in its own way. (Still looking forward to Turkey Run next summer). The only wildlife we saw were some gray squirrels, which got the boys' attention, and some marsh birds that I added to my birding life list.

All our hiking on beach and trails worked up an early appetite, so we traveled to check out the BBQ place Roger mentioned the other day. Wow, what a spread! I'll let him elaborate on it below.

We have been really lucky here, weather-wise. The local newscasters keep saying it's about ten degrees above the normal temp of 61. It's actually been in the mid- to upper 70s each day. It was so nice Friday, that after our morning beach exercise-walk, we packed up our beach chairs and walked back over to spend about three relaxing hours watching the waves crash on the beach, reading (Roger), and reading and Sudoku (me). The dogs even enjoyed laying on the grass mats at our feet and made no attempt to leave. We need to enjoy it now, because it's supposed to become more seasonal next week, with a

high in the 50s.

We've heard that sand fleas can be a problem here, but evidently not in December, because we've not been bothered by insects at all, even mosquitos. I can believe they'd be a big problem part of the year. This afternoon Roger plans to watch the Purdue basketball game on CBS, and while he's doing that, I think I'll take a beach chair, my bird book, and binoculars to the beach and try to add some more birds to my list.

Tomorrow we pack up and head for Skidaway Island, outside Savannah, GA for two weeks. We'll have to find a replacement for our beach walks. I was mortified to learn that in the motorhome I only manage to get a couple hundred steps a day, as opposed to about 5,000 just walking around in my three-story house in Pendleton! There will have to be some major compensating for that.

Roger here... The Barbeque place was great. (Gary Z. - worthy of driving through five states for dinner.) We had been reading about it and saw that it had been rated as one of the top ten barbeque places in the country. Because it was in a little room attached to a gas station, miles from nowhere, it was even more fun. It was definitely a mom and pop place. For $9.25 you got a barbeque buffet that not only had delicious pork barbeque, but also 29 other "southern" foods. At the table there were five different barbeque sauce choices. My favorite was the Carolina Red. All the other customers were local. Quite an experience.

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC

Hi all - Dianne here again. Yesterday we zipped up the dogs in their crate, and Roger and I drove over to Magnolia Plantation, outside Charleston. Turns out, we could have taken the dogs with us (we were just touring the gardens), but it was too far to go back for them. What an interesting, beautiful place! We were there in probably its worst season for the gardens, but they were lovely anyway. The camellias were just starting to bloom. Parts of the garden date back to the late 1600s! I definitely recommend touring this plantation's grounds if you're anywhere in the area. It's $15 each per adult just to tour the gardens. We spent three hours walking around the grounds, so the admission price was well worth it. We didn't pay extra to tour the house. We didn't care much about seeing it, because the house had been burned to the ground by Sherman's Army during the civil war; this one wasn't the original plantation house.

Last night we attempted another campfire. There is such thick fog off the ocean every morning, that everything gets soaked overnight, so we've been dealing with wet firewood. As you can see from one of the photos, our normal setup is three chairs around the fire pit: One for Roger, one for me, and one for Jasper! He requires a chair, not a cushion, because after all, he's NOT a dog. (Just ask him) Chaplin prefers to lay on his dog bed next to us.

I hesitated to include the full length photo of me at Magnolia Gardens, because part of my goal this winter is to lose 10 pounds, all of which show up in the photo. We've been walking down the beach every morning for exercise. I'm wearing my pedometer, and it's about a mile and a half each way. It takes us about an hour to walk down to the tide river and back. Walking the dogs in the sand gives some good aerobic steps, according to my pedometer. If I do lose some pounds, I'll update it; if not, I won't mention it again!!!!!

Every day on the beach is different. Yesterday on our walk, we passed by a 3-foot shark that had been washed way up on the beach by the tidal waves. It was dead, of course, but was creepy anyway.

Roger has strung some Christmas lights on the bushes at our camp site, and we have our little LED-lit tree in the front window. I'll include a photo, but not sure how well it will show up. We'll set them up again when we drive to Skidaway Island next Monday. After New Year's at Skidaway, we'll pack them away in the deep recesses of the motor home until next Christmas.

Roger here... It has taken a while to adjust to the time frame of retirement. For awhile, I continued to wake up at 5:00 a.m. every morning. I tried (usually unsuccessfully) to get up and have some coffee without waking up Dianne. As the days have passed, I have eventually gotten to the point of not waking until the sun rises. However, this morning the harsh realities of our old life surfaced when the cell phone rang at 5:15 a.m. and then again a few minutes later. When I answered the phone, I was greeted to the familiar sound of my friend Jim White, school transportation director, who had sent an automated Honeywell message to the HSE constituency announcing a two-hour delay for the start of school, due to ice in the neighborhoods. I need to figure out how to disengage from automatically receiving those messages for as much as I miss hearing Jim's voice, 5:15 a.m. is now for me very early in the morning :)