Resting n Relaxing

Has it been two weeks since we arrived?  I have been enjoying sitting in my screen room, reading and listening to my cd's.  Gene is much more active and walks over to the bathhouse with his tablet for wifi, up to the Pavillion to watch TV and on some of the trails. 

My last post was typed in the ladies room of the bathhouse.  Can you imagine the surprise of the ladies coming in to use the facilities and there I was by the shower stall?  This week I'm at the Trading Post and have a much better connection.  Last Sunday and today we attended the church service at the Chapel here on the Ranch and then had lunch at the Ranch House - delicious, melt in your mouth roast beef.  Gene is at the Pavillion and I'm eyeing the swimming pool.

This past Thursday we drove to Dawt Mill - about 30 miles from here.  They're located on the North Fork River and have canoeing, kayaking, cabins, RV Park and restaurants.  We ate our lunch looking out onto the River - really beautiful.

The weather has been hot - 90's - and we retreat to the RV and AC in the afternoons for a nap.  By evening it  cools down so that we can open the windows and hear the crickets and frogs.  I forget from year to year how beautiful the fireflies are flitting among the trees.

Tuesday evening, when it cooled down, Gene built a  fire and we cooked our hotdogs over it.  Afterwards I sat and watched the embers and fireflies and listened to the gurgling of the stream.
In the morning and evenings there is a thick mist over the water - looks eerie at times.

So, that is our current lifestyle.  We get to stay for another two weeks before heading home.

Until my next post, God's blessings to all of you.

We Are Happy Campers!

We are in our happy place -  Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, MO. 

 We left Thursday morning, stopped in Tallahassee to have lunch with my sister,  Faith and brother-in-law Len at Hopkins Eatery and a great visit, then on to Fountain, FL and spent the night at Pine Lake RV Park, an RPI park. 

Friday morning we got an early start as it was 6 hours to the next stop.  We have a talent for turning a 6 hour trip into 8 hours on a regular basis.  We stopped at a roadside stand for fresh tomatoes and oranges,  Don Walker's Western Wear in Troy, AL where Gene found a new shirt (he was looking for Wrangler jeans - black, but none in his size),  Sikes & Kohn in Pine Level, AL where he bought new Carhartt work gloves,  gas in Montgomery where the pump showed 35 gallons pumped (not so, our tank only holds 31 gallons and we weren't even on empty).  When he questioned the clerk, he was given a  small refund.  He called BP & Circle K to report gas pump fraud.  There's no telling how many people haven't noticed  the discrepancy.

We finally arrived at Hidden Cove RV Resort, another RPI, in Arley, AL at 4:00 p.m.  We settled in for the evening & the air conditioner cut off three times.  Gene switched to the 50 amp outlet and we had no further problems.

Saturday was a short drive - only 3 hours, which we turned into four and a half.  We stopped in Russellville, AL at Jack's for lunch, then Dollar General.  In Corinth, MS we stopped for gas at the
Chevron station for $1.89 per gallon.  We arrived at Big Buck RV Park in Hornsby, TN at 3:00.  Gene went to the Lodge to watch TV and I went to bed early.

Sunday was another long day.  We drove through Memphis, crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas, and finally into Missouri.  Although we have traveled Hwy 63 before, Gene said he didn't
remember there being so many curves and hills.  It was tedious for him (and me), but we made it to Cloud 9 safe and sound by 3:15.  We found a perfect spot in Wilder Springs campground which looks out onto the stream.

Yesterday Gene set up the screen room, put the hammock and my chair in there, put out the awning and moved the picnic table under it.  I put the tablecloth on it and spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading and watching the water flow by.  At 4:00, I heard a splash & looked across the stream to see a doe and her two fawns drinking from the stream.  This morning I saw the groundhog that lives in the brush by the stream.  Ah, yes, this is truly my happy place.