Gene Found An Arrowhead!

Gene's arrow/spear head

View from "backyard" of  RV at Wilder Springs

Gene is so excited!  He's been looking for an arrowhead for years on his walks around the ranch.  Monday,
August 26th we went for a walk to Leo's Crossing.  As we walked down the trail through the meadow, he looked down and there it was.  Just a few minutes before he had said, "Lord, as many years as I've been walking these trails, you'd think I would have found an arrowhead."   He took a picture of it on his cell phone and sent it to family.  Today he took some pictures with his camera, so now I can show everyone his great find.

We moved from Lonesome Pines campground down to Wilder Springs Thursday afternoon.  I can sit outside and see and hear the water gurgling along in Spring Creek while I crochet or read.  I love it!

Gene at Leo's Crossing

Gene wanted to show me how much the water had gone down at Leo's Crossing.  When we were here in
December 2006, we took a bike ride/hike from Hill Country Campground down to a meadow and across Leo's Crossing.  At that time, the water was much deeper and colder.  Gene walked his bike across and said
he'd come back for me.  I, being sure it couldn't be that difficult, started across.  Not a smart move.  I lost my balance and sat, then fell back into the water.  He rushed across and rescued me, now soaking wet.  As it was really cold (40's) I had on several layers of clothing, so peeled off the first couple layers and started the walk back to Wilder Springs Campground.  It seemed to last forever.  We sat down at the first table and took off our shoes and socks and wrung the water out.  Then the hike from Wilder back up the hill, pushing my bike, to Hill Country.  Gene rode on ahead and asked Sally, the camp host, to come pick me up in her enclosed golf cart.  It looked like a chariot from heaven.  Back in the RV, it took several hours before I got the chill out of my bones.  So, in memory of that delightful experience, we made the much shorter hike to see how the course of the stream had changed and water was much, much shallower.  I did not try to cross it even in it's calm state.

I bought some more yarn at the Craft House at Wilder Springs, and spent a couple afternoons with the ladies there working on various projects.  It was reminiscent of old sewing bees - good fellowship and creating something at the same time.

Wednesday we moved up to Melody Lane.  It's the quietest campground during the holiday weekends.  They'll be lots of fun activities all through the weekend - flea market, duck race, ATV "marble" run, etc.  It's fun to watch the "parade" of ATVers going by - all types of vehicles.  It sort of reminds me of driving up and down the main street of town on Saturday night when we were teenagers.

Gene and I walked to the clubhouse yesterday and played mini golf and I put a puzzle together while he watched TV.  Today was computer day for me.  I might try to work in a swim at the pool later.  Ah, such tough decisions.  Love this relaxing life!

Until next time, God's blessings to all our family and friends.

A Quiet Week

It's been a nice, quiet week - almost.  We moved from Foggy Hollow campground to Lonesome Pines campground on Friday.  I did my laundry before we settled in site #124.  It's shaded, near the bathhouse and I have a wifi connection - all very important requirements. 

That evening we went to a potluck dinner in the Patio Room and met Art and Faye.  They are also in Lonesome Pines.  The dinner was delicious with a good variety of dishes. 

On the trip here, we had a little problem with the RV engine overheating.  Gene added antifreeze and water to the reservoir and the radiator (after it cooled down) and the temperature stayed in the normal range the rest of the way here - about 100 miles.   There was water dripping from the engine area, not the radiator, after we parked it.  When we moved to Lonesome Pines, there was water dripping again.  I asked Faye if we could ride with them to the Chapel for the service Sunday morning, which she gladly agreed to. 

Monday Gene called the Chevy dealer and made an appointment for Tuesday morning 9:00.  It takes about a half hour to get to town, so we were up and out of here by 8:15.  It turned out to be the water pump.  I'm so thankful it wasn't something major.  While there we met a delightful lady "over 80" who regaled us with stories of her family, friends and childhood.  Lou Ella could be the next Laura Ingalls Wilder! 

We made a day of it - ate lunch at Skillet Cafe, filled my prescription, bought groceries at Wal Mart, made a stop at Dollar General and finally back to Cloud 9 at 3:00.  After supper, Gene rode his bicycle up to the clubhouse to watch TV.  He cut across one of the RV concrete pads and his tire went off and back on (almost) the pad causing the bike and him to tip over.  I didn't know about this until he came home later and requested an ace bandage and some Ibuprofen.  Again, I'm very thankful nothing was broken, just sprained.

We have enjoyed walks around the campground, reading, playing Scrabble, and last night got together with Art and Faye to play Mexican Train ( a domino game).  I'm making great progress on an afghan I'm crocheting using yarn from other projects and some yarn Jen gave me.  Yesterday Faye & I rode down to the Craft House at Wilder Springs to browse.  They have some yellow, blue and green yarn that I think  I'll get today to make the afghan more colorful and larger.  That should keep me busy for a while.  We'll be moving down to Wilder Springs  campground later this afternoon.  I'm looking forward to another peaceful week.

Until the next post - God's blessings to all our family and friends.  

A Jaunt to Missouri



Water had risen and was roaring after rain 8/10/13



This is how the culverts and roadway usually look (2012)




Several ATVers found themselves unable to get back across after water had risen



Mist rising from the creek

We have come back to our beloved Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, MO.  We left home on August 5th with the intention of taking two to three days to make the trip.  We spent the first night in Dothan, AL at a Passport America campground, Pecan Point.  It was very clean and quiet.   After a morning of packing up the RV and then traveling almost 300 miles, we were "early to bed and early to rise".  Usually we don't get a very early start in the mornings, but we were both in the "go" mode, so hit the road about 7:30 on Tuesday.

Gene asked me to look up the Thousand Trails Cherokee Landing in Middleton, TN on our GPS.  I saw Cherokee Campground and  told him it was only about 3 hours away.  Ahh, a short travel day.  That happy thought was dashed a couple hours later when we stopped at a Rest Area near Jemison, AL and he looked at the map.  Cherokee Campground is near Birmingham and we still had about four hours to drive.  I felt really bad and offered to help drive, which I did later on for about an hour.  That gave him a second wind and we arrived at Cherokee Landing about 5:00 that afternoon.  August is their slowest month, so we had our choice of good campsites.  We spent three days there relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet.  On Thursday we walked over to the lodge and played some pool.  Now when I say I played pool, I use the term very loosely.  Anytime I actually make contact with a ball I consider it a victory!  A couple we met the day before came over later and we shot three games with them.  I was ecstatic when a few of my balls actually went into the pocket. 

Friday morning we headed out a little after 8:00 and arrived at Cloud 9 by 3:30.  When we checked in we noticed the sign posted that said "Do not cross creek until Tues."  They had had a lot of rain and flash flood warnings.  The creek had risen and both Wilder Springs and the lower section of Foggy Hollow campgrounds had to be evacuated.  The water had risen and receded several times.  It would seem safe to cross in the morning, then it would rise again.  Several ATVers had crossed over on Friday morning and were unable to get back across.  The rangers were kept busy locating them and bringing them out the back side of the property.  We usually like to camp in site 91 at Foggy Hollow, which is right next to the creek.  Ranger Rick said they couldn't let us do that in case the creek rose again, so we choose a site on higher ground.  It has actually worked out well, as we're closer to the bathhouse and I have a WiFi connection here in the RV.  (Last year we carried the laptop to the bathhouse and set it on the sinks.)

It rained off and on until Tues. and has been beautiful, sunny weather ever since.  I am always in awe of the beauty of God's creation.  The vibrancy of the green of the leaves as the sun shines on them and then more muted shades of the trees farther away makes me wish I were an artist and could capture all of it on canvas.  A camera just does not do it justice.

Gene has been doing some cleaning/fixing jobs on the RV and watching tennis at the clubhouse.  I have been crocheting an afghan and reading.  We take a walk in the evening down to the ford to see if the water is receding or rising.
The "misty" picture was taken on one of our walks.  It is so beautiful when the mist starts coming in.

Friday we'll move up to Lonesome Pines campground so I can be close to the laundromat and we can go to the potluck that evening. 

So, until next time - God's blessings to all our friends and family.

Journey's End

Gene on bridge at Cherokee Landing



Sand dunes along Hwy 98 near Destin, FL





View of Apalachicola Bay from Caroline's River Dining

 We left Cloud 9 on Oct. 19 and meandered towards home.  We saw fall color in Missouri and northern Arkansas, and some in Tennessee.  Our first destination was Cherokee Landing Thousand Trails near Saulsbury, TN.  It was nice and quiet as the season was drawing to an end.  We walked around Cherokee Lake and across the bridge by Tomahawk Lodge, by the cabins and back to our campsite - about a mile - good exercise.  We met several couples from Mississippi and one from Florida.  They invited us to the central campfire and for the next three nights we shared camping stories.

Monday morning we got an early start so we could stay at Okatoma Resort again in Hattiesburg, MS.  One of Gene's "must" stops was at Donna's #6 Produce in Florence, MS for more boiled peanuts.  As I had developed vertigo the week before, I was not comfortable trying to drive, so Gene had the entire responsibility.  With stops along the way for lunch, fuel and stretching our legs, we made the trip in seven hours.  Usually much more than we like to drive in a day, but fortunately Gene was in the "go" mode.

Tuesday we made a much shorter trip to an Escapees Park, Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL giving Gene a chance to rest up some.

I had a bee in my bonnet to travel Hwy 98 along the coast and Gene agreed it would be a beautiful drive.  As you can tell by the above pictures, I enjoy being close to the water.  The day was sunny and clear, the water myriad shades of blue and green and the drive was as beautiful as we had anticipated.  When we reached Apalachicola, we stopped at Caroline's River Dining.  As we ate our delicious meal in the outside dining area, we watched boats pass by.  A perfect "almost the end of the trip" experience.  We traveled on to Carabelle and stayed in a Passport America park - Sunset Isle RV Park.  Many of the lots are owned by people who also have boats/yachts at Timber Island.  There is a gorgeous swimming pool there, but it wasn't quite warm enough for me to take a swim.

Thursday morning we were both in the "go" mode - only a few hours from home.  We traveled Hwy 98 along the coast, then finally had to turn inland to go through Perry and on to home.

Gene drove the entire trip - a total of 3125 miles.  However, I did all the cooking, so I feel I held up my end of the responsibilities. 

Are we going to stay put for awhile?  No.  Thursday we will get together with our Escapees friends at the Golden Corral in Clermont.  As Orlando Thousand Trails is just a few miles down the road, we will stop in there for a few days, then over to Peace River Thousand Trails in Wauchula .  From there we will go to the Escapees Chapter 57 rally in Bushnell at Paradise Oaks RV Resort.  Then we'll come back home for the holidays and start planning next year's adventures.

So, to all our friends and family Happy Thanksgiving, a Blessed Christmas, Happy Hanukah and a Prosperous New Year. 

Watching the Leaves Change

 This week there has been quite a change in the fall leaves.  On    Monday, I took a walk with  my camera to capture some of the color.  The sun was shining on the trees/bushes and the color was vibrant.  Many of the trees are oaks, so the leaves are various shades of yellow and orange.  They are also dropping their acorns when the wind blows.  This can be hazardous if you are sitting under the tree.  There are a lot of happy squirrels though.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Monday and Tuesday night Gene made a wonderful campfire.  Monday we roasted hot dogs and Tuesday we just sat and enjoyed watching the flames dance.  It is a beautiful and everchanging sight.  

We have enjoyed playing Mexican Train (a domino game) and Scrabble.  Gene usually wins, but every once in awhile I throw him a curve ball and win.  Keeps him on his toes.  Yesterday and today he has gone to the putt-putt golf course to practice and then watches a little TV at the Clubhouse.  I am happy to sit at "home" and crochet - watching the leaves change and listening to the acorns fall.

On Friday we will leave our little paradise and start towards home.  The temperatures will be in the 30's the next couple nights and that always has the tendency to drive us Southward.

My next blog will depend on internet connection.  Until then, God's blessings to all our friends and family.                                            

Cooler Weather & Campfires





We're having beautiful days and cool nights.  Gene & I have taken a couple of hikes to enjoy the scenery.  On our first hike we walked across Foggy Ford, shown in the picture to the left, and up almost to Foggy Lane.  It was up the whole way, which made it easier on the return trip.  I would like to clarify "Fogey" vs "Foggy".  All the signs are spelled "Fogey", but it's pronounced "Foggy".  I wonder if the original speller was trying to be funny.

The second picture was taken at Wilder Springs with the morning mist.  It looked surreal.  I enjoyed sitting in my chair at the campsite and listening to the stream both at Wilder Springs & Foggy Hollow.

My thanks to Margie Woodall, who told me where to find the icon to attach  pictures.

Sunday after Chapel service, we settled in the Melody Lane campground.  Cloud 9 has about six separate campgrounds so one can choose ones close to the Clubhouse or down by the stream.  Melody Lane is close enough to the Clubhouse so Gene can take the laptop to catch up on the news, emails, etc.

We also have WiFi connection at the RV, so I can do my stuff here.

Yesterday we took another hike down an ATV trail and back around to the campsite.  It was a lovely, peaceful hike with birds singing and a slight breeze blowing.  Later in the afternoon I saw a deer by the road.  It didn't stay long enough for me to get the camera.

We met two nice folks from Indiana and they invited us to their campfire.  They are Christians also and it was wonderful to share with each other what Jesus has done in our lives.

Gene has been on a hike by himself today while I have stayed home to crochet and fix stewed apples in the crockpot to go with pork chops and stuffing for supper.  Speaking of which, it's about time to start the chops.

Until next time, God's blessings to all our friends and family. 

Life is Good

My last post said we were going to Fogey Hollow for a few days.  Well, we took the road to Wilder Springs and decided we'd stay there instead.  It's a lovely place and we parked close to an area where we had tent camped many years ago.  The water runs over a row of stones making a soothing sound.  I love to stand there and listen.

One afternoon I sat at our site and listened to the breeze blowing through the trees and watching the leaves dance down to the ground.  There is just a little fall color so far.  The temperature has been in the 80's during the day and 60's at night.

Gene made a nice fire one night and we roasted hot dogs.  They always seem to taste better over a campfire.

The only minor setback was an issue with our toilet.  It had not been holding water in the bowl for a while due to a worn seal.  I could live with that.  Then the cable that allowed the toilet to flush broke.  No living with that!  We made an appointment with E.J. RV Service in West Plains for last Tuesday and a new toilet was installed.    Russ had told me it was a "high profile" which meant it was 4" taller than our old one.  I did not fully comprehend the implications of that until Gene suggested I sit on it to see if it was all right.  I almost had to jump up on it as my little short legs couldn't navigate the extra 4" comfortably.  The extra height also caused Gene to hit his head on the above shelf.   Russ was so kind to remove it and hook our old one back up.
They ordered a "low profile" model and we had it installed yesterday.  Such little setbacks cause one to really appreciate the simple things of life.

Now, if any of you have ever watched the movie "RV", you'll remember Robin Williams had to go to the bathhouse to get a signal for his computer.  Well, here I am, in the Ladies Bathroom, laptop perched up on two sinks and typing away.  I've paid bills, read my emails, etc.  One learns how to make adjustments when on the road.

Yesterday when we came back from town we settled in Fogey Hollow right next to the creek.  Gene is fixing a fire tonight and I'll cook pork chops over it.
Truly, life is good!