Catch-Up Post...

Oh my.....it's been 46 days since my last post so I'll summarize as best I can...

We left DC on May 14 and arrived in Philadelphia to visit George's family, however, he woke up feeling sick and stayed in the coach a few days so as not to infect the family.  I took Mom, Dad and sister-in-law Donna to lunch and shopping at Peddler's Village, a really fun outdoor walking mall.  Got home around 4:00 and started feeling sick.  We both ended up at Urgent Care.  He had bronchitis and I had Type-B Influenza (even though I had a flu shot, this was a different strain).  I've never been so weak and so sick.  Needless to say, the entire week was a wash.

We left Philadelphia Sunday, May 21 and arrived in Traverse City Wednesday, the 24th.  I rested on the couch 2 out of the 3 day trip then stayed in the coach until the Memorial Day BBQ at the park.  Not too many folks here yet but had a good time.  A couple of days later, I was back in Urgent Care.  Now I have bronchitis.


Rested a few more days then played golf which really set me back and ended up back at Urgent Care who sent me to the hospital.  Ok, I don't have pneumonia but, if I don't rest, who knows.  So, rested for the better part of the next 2 weeks and just started to feel like myself on June 16.  We have had tons of rain since we've been here, making rest easier for me, but also had some really nice days too. 

The Cherry Hut

We've been out to eat at some of our favorite places plus made a day trip to Charlevoix with neighbors, Jan and Tim.  It's been great getting re-acquainted with our TC friends and neighbors plus two new couples who just bought on our block.



Town Club

We experienced the "death wobble" in our Jeep Cherokee on the trip up here (google "death wobble" to see what I mean) and contacted Jeep to get them to pay for the $500 - $600 fix but they refused so we just traded for a beautiful Lincoln MKX.  DONE with Jeeps FOREVER and lovin' our new ride.

Lincoln MKX

The 4th is just around the corner and the weather is supposed to finally clear up so we are going golfing with a few other couples.

A Soggy Nation's Capitol...

Cherry Hill RV Park

We checked into the Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD Wednesday and are looking forward to touring the DC area.  George has been here many times so he will be the perfect tour guide.  We sat down last night with brochures in hand, taking the forecast into consideration, and made plans for the next two days.  We purchased 2-day tickets online from the Big Bus Tour Company.  This is one of many  "hop on/hop off" buses where, you guessed it, you can "hop on and hop off" at any stop on the tour.  

There are 3 tours, the RED which encompasses most of the museums, some memorials plus the Capitol Building and the White House.  The BLUE tour loops around the Tidal Basin and Potomac River taking in the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, WWII Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.  The YELLOW loop covers Georgetown and everything north of The White House.

The Capitol

So, on this rainy Thursday, we donned our raingear, took the Metro into Union Station and choose the RED loop for today.  First stop was the Capitol Building and Botanical Garden, then the American Indian Museum. 


Next was the Air and Space Museum where we "hopped off" to check this one out.  The line was quite long but under cover so no big deal, right?  So glad we did as it didn't disappoint.  Saw the Spirit of St Louis, the Apollo II capsule, the Lunar Rover and much more.





We also went to the IMAX Theatre to watch "Journey to Space" in 3D.  "Hopped back on" the Big Bus to finish the remaining 18 stops on the RED loop.  The museums we wanted to visit had long lines which were outside in the rain so we decided to hold off until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to improve.

Washington Monument

The weather was definitely better on Friday.  It was still cloudy but at least no rain so today we got off the bus and walked around the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; then caught the BLUE loop  around the tidal basin, past the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, over the George Mason Memorial Bridge which spans across the Potomac.  We drove passed the Pentagon and you just can't imagine how HUGE it is until you see it in person. 




Next stop - Arlington National Cemetery.  We walked up the long hill to the JFK burial site and, the closer we moved toward the eternal flame, there was a serene quietness amongst the people.  When it was our turn to walk up to the gravesite, my emotions got the better of me and tears came to my eyes.  My thoughts turned to that day back in 1963.  I was 17 years old, standing at a store front window in downtown Chattanooga, alongside strangers, starring in awe at what was happening on the television in the window.  It didn't seem real...innocence lost and the unthinkable had happened.  Now, here I am, years reversed (I'm now 71) experiencing similar emotions which made me wonder what if....what if this great man had lived, what great things would he have done, how would our lives have changed.  So many thoughts...so many tears, so many years ago.  I wasn't prepared for such an emotional experience, however, George warned me as I was also overcome with tears when we visited Gettysburg several years ago.




Just as heartbreaking, a few yards away, was the lone gravesite of Bobby Kennedy, the lone gravesite of Edward Kennedy and the lone gravesite of Joe, Jr.  It just doesn't seem fair that one family should have had to endure this much tragedy. 






Navy Band




Naval Funeral of a fallen soldier

We then walked toward the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and, along the way, encountered a full blown Naval funeral complete with a band, followed by a horse-drawn carriage transporting the flag draped coffin of a fallen soldier.  Navy cadets and family members were walking behind the carriage.  What a moving event adding more drama to an already emotional day.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Finally making it to the top of the hill, we witnessed the "changing of the guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Honestly, this is the most amazing place and I'm just in awe looking north, south, east and west as perfectly aligned gravestones span in all directions.  Visiting Arlington National Cemetery is a MUST SEE and by far the most meaningful place I've experienced.

Me and George time...

SunTrust Atlanta Braves Stadium

Normally we avoid Atlanta like the plague, however, on this Saturday morning, we took I-75 South from Adairsville, then picked up I-285 NE to I-85 North, careful to avoid the bridge collapse on the southern portion of I-85.  Actually, we blew through town pretty quickly.  Along the way, we saw the new SunTrust Braves Stadium and the Gwinnett Braves Stadium.  Lots of other changes around the Perimeter Highway also...it's been a while.

Driving over South Carolina's bumpy roads is always a pain and this time was no different but we were treated to a view of the Big Peach in Gaffney, SC.

The BIG Peach

Once in NC, we had a nice ride to our destination, Tanglewood Park of Forsyth County in Clemmons, NC and were surprisingly impressed with this park.  A very high-end but inexpensive county park.  There's tons to do here besides RV camping, such as tennis, 2 golf courses, trail rides, carriage rides and hayrides.  Paddle boating, fishing, an aquatic center and a Manor House, cottage and lodge rentals.  Not to mention a ballroom, concert shell and grill room.  There was a Prom being held in the Ballroom.  Once settled in, we drove over to the golf course to make some tee times.  I fixed sloppy joes (one of George's fav's) then we collapsed on the sofa for the evening.

We golfed on the Reynolds Course Sunday and it was quite hilly.  Shot a 95 and, considering that I haven't played in over a month, plus I pulled something in my right knee (on the first hole), I'll take it.  There was plenty of deer on this course and they were not spooked by people.  The temperature only got up to about 69 today so we were able to open up the windows and enjoy the breeze.  Back at the RV, we had a healthy salad and I iced my knee several times throughout the evening to prepare for tomorrow's round.


Monday morning we were down to about 18 campers in the park and it was noticeably quieter.  We made our way over to the golf course and teed up on the Championship Course which was equally as hilly plus has a higher slope and  course rating.  My knee is feeling much better today but my score is going in the wrong direction.  Honestly, I think we were both in at least one sand trap on every hole.   The course is beautiful and in great condition except for the multiple bunkers which are either hard-pan or full of water...go figure.  Another beautiful day with windows open taking in the breezes.  

Championship Course

Bye, Bye (again) for now...

Wednesday we left Chattanooga and moved down to Harvest Moon RV Park in Adairsville, GA for the next three days.  We've stayed here before and it's about a mile off I-75 and as close to Atlanta as we can  get.  Once settled in, I got the laundry caught up, along with some phone calls, and we just took it easy the rest of the day.




Me and Pat

Thursday:  My dear friend, Pat and husband Les, came for a visit this afternoon and it was such a delight to see them again.  Pat and I bought into brand new Bentley Ridge Condominiums  in 1981 and became fast friends.  Hmm...there's a story about us racing over a fire hose to get to John Henry's (our neighborhood bar), but I won't get into that here.  Anyway, we had great times there, one of which was assembling a gas grill one rainy day, over a bucket of margaritas.  Once it was together, we were worried we would blow up the clubroom, not to mention ourselves, if we lit it.  HA!   Buckets of margaritas were the norm at the pool back then.  You actually bought the bucket, complete with tequila, put it in the freezer, then VOILLA!



They had not seem our RV so, once again, the GRAND TOUR, then wine and catch-up time.  For all of you "wine snobs" out there, Pat and Les brought a bottle of BUTTER, a California Chardonnay,  which is a Rombauer knock-off.

BUTTER

Maine Street Coastal Cuisine

George found a restaurant on YELP called Maine Street Coastal  Cuisine in downtown Cartersville.  The menu sounded fantastic so we tried it.  We were a bit worried at first as there was only 2 other people in the restaurant.  As it turned out, we hit the jackpot!  Everyone's meal was absolutely fantastic except Pat's was a bit spicy.  Sadly, it was time to say "Bye Bye for now" but they promised to come see us and take a trip up to Sedona and the Grand Canyon and lots of golf.  It's actually because of Pat that I took up golf.  We first took up tennis because the outfits were cute.  Then, she met Les, and decided to try golf.  Tennis was not fun anymore without Pat so, I tried golf and was hooked forever. 





We drove back to Chattanooga Friday morning to attend Maxine's funeral.  It was very sad losing Maxine, she was such a great and funny lady.   Her husband, Jack, was terribly upset.  They were just weeks away from celebrating their 67th anniversary.   It was good, however, to see her daughter Marta, and son Chuck.  All of my other cousins were there to pay their respects also.

We left Chattanooga about 4:00, stopped by the RV to feed the cats, get changed then on to Bob and Janis's house.   We met Bob at the Atlanta Singles Golf Association and became friends.  He later met Janis and the four of us spent a lot of time golfing together, eating out, etc.  When we moved to Florida, they moved into our house until their new home in Laurel Canyon was completed, which is a very long story.  We had a very relaxing evening  at their house.  Bob cooked some fantastic steaks on his Big Green Egg and Janis prepared a wonderful salad with asparagus, blueberries, bleu cheese and greens; roasted potatoes, rolls and sweet potato pie.    They, too, promised to come visit us in Arizona so, once again, "Bye, Bye for now"...

Moon Pie Birthday Celebration here we come...

Moon Pie Exhibit at the Chattanooga Market

George and I grabbed the opportunity to dash downtown Sunday morning to the 17th season  opening weekend of the Chattanooga Market.  It's located in  the First Tennessee Pavilion with vendors from the area selling their wares such as jewelry, carved wooden items, knitted and crocheted pieces, pottery, photography and, of course, fresh food and vegetables, meats, cheeses and breads.  Also, the Moon Pie Exhibit was under a tent outside so I got to visit there and get my FREE Moon Pie and see the World's Largest Moon Pie made by the Chattanooga Bakery.

Largest MOON PIE...

Afterward, we went to lunch at one of my old-time favorite restaurants, The Long Horn (as opposed to The Longhorn).  They are known for their hamburger known as "The Wagon Wheel".  Well, had that BUT it just wasn't the same as it was in the 60's....disappointing.  Oh well, things change.

Linda's Amarylis

After lunch, George dropped me at Linda's house and we took off to some Open Houses that were advertised in the paper today. 

Found one on Mountain Creek Road called Villages on Greenway which was nice but did not hit all our buttons.

While we were there, she got a phone call from our cousin, Larry, who told her that our oldest cousin, Maxine, had passed.  We were surprised.  She had been in the hospital with an upper respiratory infection and just didn't recover from it.   Feeling sad...

We drove by our childhood home where we grew up and shared a bedroom together...don't know how we made it with only one bathroom!

George texted me that a big thunderstorm was expected to hit about 6:00 so we headed back to the RV and it started to rain just as Linda was leaving.  Fortunately, she got home before it got bad. 

I met Linda at 9:30 Monday morning as she had an appointment with her realtor who showed us five condominiums and we both fell in love with one at Heritage Landing.  It's been up-dated, move in ready and perfect for her plus she has quite a few friends that live there.  Here's keeping fingers crossed that it works out.  After the tour, we met her friend Linda for lunch at the Vine Street Market, which has moved from Vine Street so I'm all confused.  Linda lives at Heritage Landing so we went over to her place to check it out.  Her unit is right on the Tennessee River and wow-ed us. 

George cooked ribs in the crock pot today so he brought them up to Linda's for dinner, plus we still had some left-overs from our first night here.  He did more work on her garage door while we warmed up dinner.

Linda got a call that a ticket became available to the 32^nd Annual Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon held on Tuesday so I jumped on it.  The awards began in 1985 and my sister was inducted into this elite group of women in 1987.  The purpose is to honor distinctive women who set themselves apart through civic and cultural achievements and for their sense of style. It was an honor for me to sit at Linda’s table. 

As we entered the lobby, we were treated to a trio of musicians playing soft jazz music. There were some 800 ladies in attendance and it was a very special occasion, not to mention a delicious lunch.  The event was sponsored by the American Lung Association and held at the Chattanooga Convention Center Ballroom downtown.  A spokesperson for the Lung Association brought awareness to an even greater purpose – fighting lung disease.  Did you know that radon gas is the #2 cause of lung cancer among women?  So, have your home tested soon!

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Thumbprint Cookies

fter the lunch, we stopped at Koch’s Bakery to buy some of my favorite “thumbprint” cookies.  Then, Linda’s friend, Paula met us at the RV park as she and her boyfriend are thinking of buying an RV and she wanted to see ours.  We were happy to give her the grand tour along with a glass of wine.

Later in the evening, we took Linda out to eat at a fairly new Italian restaurant, Il Primo.  We were given a free appetizer called “Arancini Telefono Marinara."  It consisted of risotto and homemade mozzarella cheese, served with a vodka marinara cream sauce.  Linda and I weren’t that hungry so we split a dinner.  The food was outstanding but the noise level was a bit much.

Visiting with Grands....

FRIDAY:  Sydney, my sister's middle granddaughter, flew in last night from DC so my sister planned a little family get-together tonight at The Boathouse...can't wait for that.  Meantime, I made tuna salad and we headed up to Linda's house around noon.  George worked on her garage door opener, switched car tags, etc while we prepared lunch.  Then Sydney, along with her little sister Emma, and their dad, David, rolled in the drive-way with more lunch salads and desserts.  We laid out a smorgasbord of food on the bar, everyone fixed their plate and we ate outside on her deck.
 
George and I left about 3:00 and made a run to the bank and post office to get some documents notarized and off in the mail to Arizona then we met up with everyone at The Boathouse.  We had a little bit of a wait but, after all, it's Friday night and every restaurant in town is busy but it was worth the wait as we ended up with a great table.  David treated everyone to dinner while we caught up with Sydney and Emma's adventures and we pretty much closed the place.

OK, it's SATURDAY in a great Southern town and there's SO much to do....let's see, there's the 21st Annual Cornbread Festival in nearby South Pittsburg where they are having their famous cornbread cook-off.  Would love to go to this as Linda's friend, Marie, gave me my official Martha White apron at The Walden Club the other night. 

Or, there is the 100th Birthday Celebration of the Moon Pie at the Chattanooga Market.  They are giving out FREE Moon Pies and the Chattanooga Bakery is making the largest Moon Pie in history...speaking of which, did you know that Moon Pies are made in Chattanooga? 



Or, there is the Amazing Acrobatic Cat Show at the Chattanooga Theatre.  Their bus was parked in our campground this week and I so wanted to go over and say HI but never found the time...bummer.  All the cats were rescued and trained to walk the tightrope, balance on a ball or blow a trumpet.  Now, who wouldn't want to see that?



Last is the Battle Below the Clouds BBQ Cook-Off at Ruby Falls.  Twelve teams of back-yard BBQ-ers compete in the Third Annual Cook-Off, plus, can you believe that I've never been to Ruby Falls?

Naturally I wanted to attend all of these functions but Linda got a call yesterday from our cousin Larry and we invited him and wife Vera over to our RV for lunch today so, more family time.  They arrived about 11:30 and George and I gave them the royal tour until Linda and David arrived with pizza's.  They stayed several hours and we all got caught up on what's up in everyone's lives.  It's been a few years since I've seen them so it was great catching up.

After they left, I changed clothes and we headed back up to Linda's (sure glad we are only 10 minutes away).  She and I left for our Multi-Class Reunion at RBHS.  Each of us sat with our own classmates and I saw several people that I haven't seen in years.  They served a nice BBQ dinner (notice there is a LOT of BBQ suppers in the South), then more visiting.  Just as we were getting ready to leave, a big thunderstorm came up with lots of lightning and hard rains so we waited about 20 minutes until it passed before driving home. 

Add caption

 

I think I have worn Linda out as she turned down a glass of wine at our place and just wanted to go home and put her feet up.  I'm still raring to go...

Chattanooga,...My Beautiful Home Town

TUESDAY:  Left Callaway Gardens and took the back roads to Chattanooga, after all, isn't that what RV-ing is all about?  Seeing the country-side?  Well, we think so and, every chance we get, that is how we roll.  So, Highway 27N it is through  LaGrange, Carrollton, Buchanan, Cedartown, Rome and Calhoun (GA).  Along the way, I laughed myself silly at all the goofy street names so I have a few for you...(PS:  I DID NOT make these up).

Yellow Jacket Creek

• Hog Liver Road (Really?  I've heard of chicken livers but not hog liver).
• Booger Hollow Road (You can pick your nose on this road...HA!)
• Dug Down Road (Seriously?  Dug down to where?  China?)
• Collard Valley Road (Guess you can pick collards here).
• Short Horn Road (Hmmm...as opposed to longhorn?).
• Booze Mountain Road (Bet you can get some moonshine here).
• Suck Creek Road (Sucks to be here).

The "Hills" of TN

We got into Chattanooga about 4:00 and went to my sisters house to deliver my Lexus to her and she was thrilled with it.  She is passing her old one on to her two youngest grandchildren who will be attending UT Knoxville this Fall.  Then we had hors d'oeuvres outside on her deck surrounded by beautiful trees, bushes with lavender blossoms and her koi pond.  She fixed bacon wrapped water chestnuts with a homemade chili/BBQ sauce for dipping, cheese straws topped with a bottle of 45 North that I brought from Michigan.  Dinner was all homemade as well...chicken/artichoke casserole, Caesar salad, dainty little biscuits followed by blueberry cobbler.  My sister is just the best cook...she gets that from our Mother.  Delightful evening!



WEDNESDAY:  Linda and I went downtown to the Courthouse to transfer my car title over to her, ran a few errands then she treated me to lunch at Nicki's, one of our favorite old restaurants.  In our younger days, it was a drive-in and it's just as popular today as it was then.  After that, we drove around town looking at a few condominiums that has roused her curiosity.  Her husband passed in December and she is warming up to the idea of moving off Lookout Mountain and into a condo, which I think would be perfect for her. 




Nicki's Drive-In

For dinner, we took Linda to 1885, a popular bistro at the foot of Lookout Mountain.  We had drinks at the bar until a table on the outdoor patio became available.  The food was excellent and there was a cool evening breeze to end a perfect day.

The Walden Club Dinner

THURSDAY:  Thunderstorms woke us up throughout the night and it was still raining hard in the morning so, we stayed in the motorhome until the rain passed.  When it cleared up, we had nice cool temperatures throughout the rest of the day.  I met Linda at 5:00 and she treated me along 4 of her friends to dinner at the Walden Club which is a private dinner club on top of the Citi building in downtown Chattanooga.  We started with a bottle of champagne, then a wonderful dinner plus a spectacular view of the city. 

Tivoli Theatre

After dinner, we walked a couple of blocks to the Tivoli Theatre where the Chattanooga Symphony was performing La Mer.  Linda worked for the Symphony at one time and, of course, knew everyone there.  The Tivoli, also known as the "Jewel of the South", is a historic theatre building built in 1921 at a cost of $750,000 and would take millions to replace today.  The Theatre was one of the first air-conditioned public buildings in the United States.  It can seat 1,750 people within the orchestra, upper boxes, loge, upper and lower balconies and currently has a Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ.  This building is a significant landmark in Chattanooga and it was a delight to re-visit this spectacular old building and spend a special  evening with my sis.

Chattanooga Symphony

Program