Girls Just Want....

A guy in the park apparently packs and takes a parasail with him wherever he goes. Have you seen one? It looks like a wheelchair topped with a long plane-wing-type contraption with a lawnmower engine. He was ducking and diving over the rows of motor homes, swooping down to wave at us landlubbers. He did make me a tad nervous, since he was near power lines, but it didn't seem to bother him. I think he's had some practice.
Wouldn't that be a lot more fun than a bicycle or a kayak? I think so. Girls just want to have fun!
My husband, however, pooh poohs the idea, so I probably won't be getting one any time soon.

...upand....

You've heard the old saying, "Hurry up and wait"? Well, here at Allegro Campground it has been taken to the greatest possible lengths.
Our "last" window was ordered last week and was expected to be here about 2:45pm Friday. (Too late to be installed, but we were willing to stay another weekend.)
Today, Monday, there appears to be no sign of it. The lady in the office is off today, but her replacement has no clue.
In the meantime, we've developed problems (at least from our perspective) with the air conditioner and with the convection oven. Both have worked in the past two weeks, but now we're wondering.
Is there an evil gremlin who passes through the park after dark and puts hexes on our motor homes? Or is there a Beneficient Father Who is keeping us here so we don't have to deal with swine flu and other bad stuff "out there"?

Third Weekend

This will be our third weekend in Red Bay. God must have a plan for all this.
We are not missing out on any appointments, but it IS getting hotter in southern Texan and other places we may visit.
We have met many people here, and Ray has assisted a few in learning the "ropes". Our neighbor is from Maine, and he is planning to leave early tomorrow heading that way. His wife already flew home, since a new grandchild was expected. He says that she's sounding as if she's "helped" enough, and she is also wanting to get home.
It's very nice to be able to do all these things without having to think twice about it. Retirement has its benefits!

Museum

We went to the Red Bay Museum yesterday. We learned that the town has existed only since the railroad came in the early 1900's. It was named for the color of the dirt and the bay trees. They had a school room, a church room, a bank room, a hotel room, a doctor office room, a kitchen room...you get the idea. All sorts of items from earlier days. The most specific historical items were dresses and other memorabilia from Tammy Wynette, who was from this area. I am wearing my "Dirt Shirt", which was "dyed with 100% genuine Alabama dirt". It is about the color of this ink.

The Day After...

Many campers here found damage from yesterday's storm. The company guy came and climbed on our roof and said we have a little leak, but Ray will fix it himself. Now if we could just get the new windows and the people to replace them. Even if we volunteer to take out the screws, etc, it sounds like 3 weeks. So, we're still "playing it by ear".

Rainy Day Revisited

Well, apparently when you have a rainy day in Alabama, you run the risk of experiencing hail. This afternoon, about 5:15pm, we had Very dark clouds and Very hard rain and, for a minute or so, golfball sized hail! Our jeep has some dents in it, as well as the trailer. Don't think there's any damage to the motorhome, other than one small orange light was knocked off. But, for a couple minutes, it was real Noisy!

Rainy Days

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Now, what do we do with a rainy Sunday? Well, obviously, after eating (sweet potato and chicken quesadilla), we can watch golf on TV. Or we can finish an afghan. Or we can play on the computer. Or we can take a nap. Guess which I'm doing, at the moment. Guess which himself is doing. Makes for a very quiet Sunday afternoon!

Tea Party

Tax Day teaparties are going on all over this great land.
I support the protest, and will be blowing my car horn at noon.
No chance I will be at any of the public venues.
Our political representatives need to know that we are over the top with the taxes being levied...and all the social programs for non-citizens that are bleeding our coffers.
It will be interesting to see what the media say and do about these events.

Comparatively Speaking

Well, this life is different from my "at home" life.
There I seldom meet new people, except at church. And there the extent of it is "Glad you're here. Where are you from?" Of course, there we have a common interest, too. We're all part of the Family. Here, sometimes we figure out that we're kin, but it's more subtle.
Here we put something in our front window to differentiate ourselves from all the similar "houses". (We have a lion from the thrift store and a Cheshire cat from a yard sale.) At home, we're the only house on the block. And even if we weren't, our house doesn't look like anyone elses's.
Here, we walk a lot more. And people are sitting outside their homes expecting folks to stop and talk. At home, we drive everywhere...and no one is expecting us. They're too busy with their own lives and problems.
Here, our "house" can be "in the shop", and we're temporarily homeless. There, the house is always ready to shelter me. There are good points and bad points in every life.

Meeting People

A campground is a good place to talk to people from all over the United States. We've met folks from New Brunswick,Colorado, California, Washington, Alabama, several from New York State, and probably other states. Everyone is here to have some work done on their motor homes, so we all have that in common. Then we start finding other things in common. People from New York know people we know...or have been where we live.... A guy from New Brunswick knows someone who lives about 15 miles from us. Some have dogs....and Ray is all about that. It's a different life, for sure.

Definitely Different

This Easter we attended two different churches, one in the morning and another in the evening. The choir sang a mini-cantata in the morning, so we didn't get to do much praising together. The preacher spoke from I Corintians and I Peter.
In the evening, we sang several hymns and choruses briskly and heartily. I'm glad we had that experience. Jews for Jesus were featured in the evening "community Easter service"...very interesting and educational talk on the Passover meal. Too bad I couldn't understand all that the speaker said.
For our holiday meal, I cooked a meatloaf I had made and frozen at home before we left. It was my first experience with the motor home's convection oven, and I think I approve. It took about half the time, and the taste was as good as ever.

Country

Did I mention Red Bay is in the country?
We just returned from "Swamp John's" eatery...an old gas station, with the pumps still outside...and tables inside, where you order your food and pick up your utensils. Communal tables, where you sit down next to whomever is already there and join in the conversation. We had been told that they serve Lewey's sausage, so we wanted to try it before committing ourselves to buying some at the campground. MMMmmm Good! Just like Mother used to make!
Last night some of the locals brought their guitars (and one fiddle) and had a good time picking and singing. It was so much fun...I even knew a few of the songs and sang along. They do this every Thursday, so I'll be waiting till next week.

Speaking of....

Speaking of Red Bay.....it's a tiny haphazard southern town with 4 stoplights.
It also is home to Sunshine Dog Food and Tiffin Motor Homes and a lot of friendly and skinny people. They have a small hospital, a few eateries (specializing in fried chicken, I think), support businesses for the motor home industry, several churches (I haven't seen a Catholic one yet), and lots of one-story brick houses. The streets have no curbs; the lawns are green, except where there are old cars or other special stuff rusting. We are spending Easter here; our guide at the factory, "Red", invited us to his church, so we'll probably go to the First Baptist Church of Red Bay. (There is no body of water here; the town is named for red bay trees

Allegro

What do you think of when you read that word?
Something musical? Ordinarily, that would be my choice.
But this week I am surrounded by Allegros....and they have nothing to do with music. They are motorhomes created, produced, and manufactured by Tiffin Motorhomes in Red Bay, Alabama.
Seeing so many of them coming and going and sitting is practically aswe-inspiring. It's sort of like the swallows coming back to Capistrano...or bumblebees gathering for a reunion.
Times are tough for the motorhome industry, but you wouldn't notice it here.

Required Reading

Remember when you were in school and had a list of books that were required in order to pass the course? How many of them did you actually read, or did you get Cliff's Notes or talk to the one kid in class who read them? Well, of course, that is neither here nor there, except that the book I just read has apparently been read by many many folks. It is quite special.
I'm speaking of Don Piper's personal experience "Ninety Minutes in Heaven".
If you haven't read this, I urge you to do so. It could be life-changing!

Kathy

Spent time yesterday with a friend of 39 years. In 1970 she came to our church as a "summer missionary" and she and her partner stayed with us for the month they were in town. They helped with VBS and such things. We have kept in touch since then through annual Christmas cards. She, of course, married. Had two kids, both of whom are married. Her husband was also a police officer. He has had physical problems, the latest of which resulted in injuries from a motorcycle accident. We went to church with them Sunday evening for Easter cantata.

Tennessee

Yes, we've been enjoying the Volunteer State.
What's not to like...forsythia, cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, dandelions, red buds...and the people appear friendly, too. Of course, my attitutude has improved 100% since the day dawned bright and sunny. We made it through Nashville's traffic slowdown. Seems like every time we come here, there is something that impedes progress. Perhaps that is the way they catch unsuspecting travelers and store them in the outer regions. Could be worse. They could be home to rock instead of country. (Country Hall of Fame program on tomorrow night, for those who care. Vote for George Strait as Entertainer of the Year.) (<

Gas

We travelers (I love that term!!) notice the price of gasoline and diesel. We left home with diesel at $2.49. Today we just filled up at $2.03 a gallon. Needless to say, it was a welcome change. The weather is back to rotten again...well, I guess I should say "seasonal". I'm sure the locals understand the need for spring rain. It's just that it dampens the ardor for the travelers. But enough of my griping. At least we don't have to shovel it. PEACE from southern VA!