With our Canadian crossing completed we arrived back in the United States as planned on 8/23/2019. We had a relatively easy crossing other than the fact that US customs took our only green pepper and tomato from us. We felt fortunate since we had also declared more than our allowable quantity of alcohol. Besides exceeding the beer limit, Claudia has grown fond of some Maple Whiskey that is only sold in Alberta and some Mike’s Hard Lemonade from Canada that’s made with vodka rather than malt liquor as it is in the states. So of course we needed to stock up before crossing. Customs didn’t seem to mind.
After a brief one night stop in upstate New York, we arrived at a campground in New Hampshire where we spent a very busy week. This campground was located within 30 minutes of two of our kids and their families in order to spend as much time as we could with them.
Right away we took a drive over to Manchester, NH where we enjoyed the company of Claudia’s daughter Laura, her fiancé and one of our granddaughters and were treated to a BBQ dinner in their yard. The next day we began with breakfast out with Claudia’s sister and her husband followed by a visit to my son Billy’s home to visit with him, his wife and five more of our grandchildren. The following day was a Sunday with beautiful weather so we invited everyone over for a BBQ and to enjoy the amenities of our campground. We had a wonderful day together.
Over the next few days we were joined by Laura and her family as they camped in another campsite within our campground. During the remainder of that week I was also able to spend a night out with Billy for some one on one time. We also enjoyed a lunch out with Claudia’s sister and brother as well as one final stop at Billy’s home for another visit with them and the grandkids. It was a very busy week but one filled with memories.
Once our week in New Hampshire came to an end we hit the road and arrived at my sister’s home (aka Camp Sawash) in Uxbridge, Massachusetts where we spent a week. In addition to catching up on news and enjoying time with her and her husband we had several appointments that we had planned so we kept busy with those. We also took a drive to an Italian Festival about an hour away in order to enjoy watching three of our grandchildren perform in a musical performance. This is something they’ve been doing for several years now and they really are very good. It was a fun show to watch and we’re so glad we got the chance to see them.
Once the weekend arrived we headed off in the RV for a stay at a campground just down the street from my mom’s home on Cape Cod. Our timing wasn’t the greatest but it could have been worse. Hurricane Dorian was coming up the coast and although it was being downgraded to a tropical storm, the Nantucket Sound area of the Cape was expected to get some heavy rain and gusty winds. We arrived at our campground on the beach of Nantucket Sound on Friday, as the storm was approaching but still a few hours away. After a brief visit with my mom we headed back to the RV and hunkered down. Once the winds picked up we brought the slides in and rode out the storm with lots of rain and some pretty good gusts but nothing that ever concerned us too much. On Saturday we spent the day with my mom. Unfortunately, as I was making some repairs on her garage door, my mom fell on her driveway and we spent the next three hours visiting the ER where we found out for sure that she did indeed break her arm. For the remainder of our stay we did what we could to make her comfortable and enjoy our visit as much as possible. On Sunday night my mom, a big Pats fan, and I enjoyed watching the Patriot’s game together. It was a great game to begin their season as they won in a big way.
Following our visit to my mom on Cape Cod we needed to head back to my sister’s house in Uxbridge. It turns out I’ve been enjoying the sun just a little too much so I required some surgery to remove some basil cell carcinoma from my neck. I think it’s time to take the regular application of sun screen more seriously.
We spent our final weekend at Camp Sawash by spending Saturday enjoying the company of Laura and Billy and their families as well as my sister’s family. It was a great way to say goodbye to everyone before heading off for the winter. Our final day in Uxbridge was spent enjoying another win by the Patriots. Our family members are all big Pats fans and once again it was a lot of fun watching the game together. In Texas, I’m normally watching the Pats alone or with someone who would rather see them lose. It’s always fun but it’s nice to hear other cheering when something good happens.
Next we headed out on schedule towards North Carolina. Our first overnight stay was in Matamoros, Pennsylvania. It was nice to head out and arrive safe and sound at our first overnight stop without any issues. We have an unlucky history of having issues on our first day out of Uxbridge. We’ve had a malfunctioning braking system, a front tire with a bubble that needed replacing, an RV step that fell apart and wouldn’t retract and a blown tire on the NY thruway only an hour down the road. The campground we decided to stay at turned out to be lovely with a beautiful walking area along the Delaware River. It was a perfect spot for an overnight stay.
After two more days on the road and an overnight stop in Winchester, Virginia we arrived at the gate of the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. There we contacted the campground office and they came out to escort us to the campground where we selected our spot for the next 12 nights.
We spent our first night by making the first of many trips to Fuquay-Varina, about 40 minutes away to visit our daughter Melissa, her husband and three of our grandkids. The kids only knew that pizza was being delivered. They didn’t know that we were going to be the ones doing the delivery. By the time we sat down to eat the pizza however we had spent a lot of time with hugs, stories and a grand tour of every room in the house including bathrooms and closets. To say the kids were excited I think would be an understatement. We of course were thrilled to see everyone ourselves!!
While in Fuquay-Varina we enjoyed lots of family time. We enjoyed a great soccer game where our grandson Jon scored the first goal of the day and also did a great job as goalie. We followed that up with a trip for ice cream before heading back to their home. Once there we were able to enjoy playing around with the kids and give them time to show us all the little things that they wanted to share. After being treated to a great dinner prepared by our son in law specially for Melissa’s birthday we participated in the family birthday parade complete with the singing of Happy Birthday.
The following day was a Sunday and we returned in time to play with the kids for a while before kickoff time. At 1pm we sat around and enjoyed watching the Patriot’s win their third game of the season. Once again it was a lot of fun watching a game where everyone was rooting for the Patriot’s. It was a gorgeous day in North Carolina so we completed the day by enjoying a nice happy hour on their front lawn while the kids were off playing. The entire weekend was excellent although I must admit a bit exhausting. I don’t know how they do it with three kids. Guess I’m showing my age.
We spent the remaining week in Fuquay-Varina enjoying some special time with all of them. On one day we spent two lunch periods at the elementary school, one with Grace and one with Jon. The school has a program that allows kids to have guests during lunch so we couldn’t pass up the chance for some great one on one time. We were also able to spend one of the weekdays alone with Melissa while the kids were in school so we had some quality time with her as well. We spent our final Saturday visiting with them at their home and then babysitting for the kids as we sent their mom and dad off for some alone time that night. More quality time, and the kids were so good for us. Our final visit was on a Sunday as we combined some play time with the kids and some football time with the whole family as we enjoyed another Pats game together. Our twelve day visit to North Carolina was so much fun and we’re already talking about our next visit. The kids loved having us there and it was hard to hear them tell us how much they were going to miss us. We sure do miss them!!
Once we headed off from North Carolina our focus was on returning to our winter home in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. We planned a six night trip to cover the 1,740 miles. Our plan was to keep the driving to less than five hours per day and closer to four if possible. We also included a couple of two night stops in order to enjoy a couple of days off from driving. Following an overnight stop in Blountville, TN we arrived in Nashville, TN for our first two night stop.
We enjoyed our day off in Nashville by heading downtown where we walked around for some shopping and some visits to a few honky tonk bars to listen to some live music and have some lunch. Following lunch we hopped aboard a tour trolley to see a lot of famous spots in Nashville we otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Then it was back on the road for a few days as we made overnight stops in West Memphis, Arkansas, where we camped along the Mississippi River, and Texarkana, Texas which lies along the border of Texas and Arkansas and where we found a great restaurant called Scotties Grill that we’ll be back to visit another time.
Our next stop was our second two night stop, this time in Waco, Texas. This was planned more on the fact that our day off the road was going to be on Sunday than anything else. Or maybe I should say because it was going to be on a Patriot’s game day. Late Sunday morning we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings where Claudia and I had lunch together before she left me behind and headed off to shop for a few hours while I was able to enjoy watching the Patriot’s win another game. For those that don’t know, you can watch any football game of any team at Buffalo Wild Wings if you just let them know who you’re looking to see. When on the road during this time of year, I can become quite a regular and they’re located all over the country.
So on Monday morning we were once again back on the road. After only one overnight stop in Elmendorf, Texas we finally arrived back at our winter home in Edinburg safe and sound. When we arrived we spent the next three days unloading the RV and opening up our mobile home. It’s amazing how much there is to do in order to complete this process but it’s worth the effort. Each spring we are anxious to hit the open road and each fall we are anxious to return. As long as that’s the case, we’ll continue to do it.
Now we’re settling in for our winter ahead. I have a bowling league that is depending on me so I need to get stated on that. The RV will also require some repairs and maintenance as well as a new windshield that I need to get taken care of. The list goes on and on but we have lots of time to get it done. The majority of our time will be spent on fun stuff like water volleyball, tennis and pickle ball as well as more social events than we can keep track of. We’re looking forward to ending our seventh year of retirement on a high note. Yup, a relaxing and entertaining season ahead. Yeah!!
After a brief one night stop in upstate New York, we arrived at a campground in New Hampshire where we spent a very busy week. This campground was located within 30 minutes of two of our kids and their families in order to spend as much time as we could with them.
Right away we took a drive over to Manchester, NH where we enjoyed the company of Claudia’s daughter Laura, her fiancé and one of our granddaughters and were treated to a BBQ dinner in their yard. The next day we began with breakfast out with Claudia’s sister and her husband followed by a visit to my son Billy’s home to visit with him, his wife and five more of our grandchildren. The following day was a Sunday with beautiful weather so we invited everyone over for a BBQ and to enjoy the amenities of our campground. We had a wonderful day together.
Over the next few days we were joined by Laura and her family as they camped in another campsite within our campground. During the remainder of that week I was also able to spend a night out with Billy for some one on one time. We also enjoyed a lunch out with Claudia’s sister and brother as well as one final stop at Billy’s home for another visit with them and the grandkids. It was a very busy week but one filled with memories.
Once our week in New Hampshire came to an end we hit the road and arrived at my sister’s home (aka Camp Sawash) in Uxbridge, Massachusetts where we spent a week. In addition to catching up on news and enjoying time with her and her husband we had several appointments that we had planned so we kept busy with those. We also took a drive to an Italian Festival about an hour away in order to enjoy watching three of our grandchildren perform in a musical performance. This is something they’ve been doing for several years now and they really are very good. It was a fun show to watch and we’re so glad we got the chance to see them.
Once the weekend arrived we headed off in the RV for a stay at a campground just down the street from my mom’s home on Cape Cod. Our timing wasn’t the greatest but it could have been worse. Hurricane Dorian was coming up the coast and although it was being downgraded to a tropical storm, the Nantucket Sound area of the Cape was expected to get some heavy rain and gusty winds. We arrived at our campground on the beach of Nantucket Sound on Friday, as the storm was approaching but still a few hours away. After a brief visit with my mom we headed back to the RV and hunkered down. Once the winds picked up we brought the slides in and rode out the storm with lots of rain and some pretty good gusts but nothing that ever concerned us too much. On Saturday we spent the day with my mom. Unfortunately, as I was making some repairs on her garage door, my mom fell on her driveway and we spent the next three hours visiting the ER where we found out for sure that she did indeed break her arm. For the remainder of our stay we did what we could to make her comfortable and enjoy our visit as much as possible. On Sunday night my mom, a big Pats fan, and I enjoyed watching the Patriot’s game together. It was a great game to begin their season as they won in a big way.
Following our visit to my mom on Cape Cod we needed to head back to my sister’s house in Uxbridge. It turns out I’ve been enjoying the sun just a little too much so I required some surgery to remove some basil cell carcinoma from my neck. I think it’s time to take the regular application of sun screen more seriously.
We spent our final weekend at Camp Sawash by spending Saturday enjoying the company of Laura and Billy and their families as well as my sister’s family. It was a great way to say goodbye to everyone before heading off for the winter. Our final day in Uxbridge was spent enjoying another win by the Patriots. Our family members are all big Pats fans and once again it was a lot of fun watching the game together. In Texas, I’m normally watching the Pats alone or with someone who would rather see them lose. It’s always fun but it’s nice to hear other cheering when something good happens.
Next we headed out on schedule towards North Carolina. Our first overnight stay was in Matamoros, Pennsylvania. It was nice to head out and arrive safe and sound at our first overnight stop without any issues. We have an unlucky history of having issues on our first day out of Uxbridge. We’ve had a malfunctioning braking system, a front tire with a bubble that needed replacing, an RV step that fell apart and wouldn’t retract and a blown tire on the NY thruway only an hour down the road. The campground we decided to stay at turned out to be lovely with a beautiful walking area along the Delaware River. It was a perfect spot for an overnight stay.
After two more days on the road and an overnight stop in Winchester, Virginia we arrived at the gate of the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. There we contacted the campground office and they came out to escort us to the campground where we selected our spot for the next 12 nights.
We spent our first night by making the first of many trips to Fuquay-Varina, about 40 minutes away to visit our daughter Melissa, her husband and three of our grandkids. The kids only knew that pizza was being delivered. They didn’t know that we were going to be the ones doing the delivery. By the time we sat down to eat the pizza however we had spent a lot of time with hugs, stories and a grand tour of every room in the house including bathrooms and closets. To say the kids were excited I think would be an understatement. We of course were thrilled to see everyone ourselves!!
While in Fuquay-Varina we enjoyed lots of family time. We enjoyed a great soccer game where our grandson Jon scored the first goal of the day and also did a great job as goalie. We followed that up with a trip for ice cream before heading back to their home. Once there we were able to enjoy playing around with the kids and give them time to show us all the little things that they wanted to share. After being treated to a great dinner prepared by our son in law specially for Melissa’s birthday we participated in the family birthday parade complete with the singing of Happy Birthday.
The following day was a Sunday and we returned in time to play with the kids for a while before kickoff time. At 1pm we sat around and enjoyed watching the Patriot’s win their third game of the season. Once again it was a lot of fun watching a game where everyone was rooting for the Patriot’s. It was a gorgeous day in North Carolina so we completed the day by enjoying a nice happy hour on their front lawn while the kids were off playing. The entire weekend was excellent although I must admit a bit exhausting. I don’t know how they do it with three kids. Guess I’m showing my age.
We spent the remaining week in Fuquay-Varina enjoying some special time with all of them. On one day we spent two lunch periods at the elementary school, one with Grace and one with Jon. The school has a program that allows kids to have guests during lunch so we couldn’t pass up the chance for some great one on one time. We were also able to spend one of the weekdays alone with Melissa while the kids were in school so we had some quality time with her as well. We spent our final Saturday visiting with them at their home and then babysitting for the kids as we sent their mom and dad off for some alone time that night. More quality time, and the kids were so good for us. Our final visit was on a Sunday as we combined some play time with the kids and some football time with the whole family as we enjoyed another Pats game together. Our twelve day visit to North Carolina was so much fun and we’re already talking about our next visit. The kids loved having us there and it was hard to hear them tell us how much they were going to miss us. We sure do miss them!!
Once we headed off from North Carolina our focus was on returning to our winter home in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. We planned a six night trip to cover the 1,740 miles. Our plan was to keep the driving to less than five hours per day and closer to four if possible. We also included a couple of two night stops in order to enjoy a couple of days off from driving. Following an overnight stop in Blountville, TN we arrived in Nashville, TN for our first two night stop.
We enjoyed our day off in Nashville by heading downtown where we walked around for some shopping and some visits to a few honky tonk bars to listen to some live music and have some lunch. Following lunch we hopped aboard a tour trolley to see a lot of famous spots in Nashville we otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Then it was back on the road for a few days as we made overnight stops in West Memphis, Arkansas, where we camped along the Mississippi River, and Texarkana, Texas which lies along the border of Texas and Arkansas and where we found a great restaurant called Scotties Grill that we’ll be back to visit another time.
Our next stop was our second two night stop, this time in Waco, Texas. This was planned more on the fact that our day off the road was going to be on Sunday than anything else. Or maybe I should say because it was going to be on a Patriot’s game day. Late Sunday morning we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings where Claudia and I had lunch together before she left me behind and headed off to shop for a few hours while I was able to enjoy watching the Patriot’s win another game. For those that don’t know, you can watch any football game of any team at Buffalo Wild Wings if you just let them know who you’re looking to see. When on the road during this time of year, I can become quite a regular and they’re located all over the country.
So on Monday morning we were once again back on the road. After only one overnight stop in Elmendorf, Texas we finally arrived back at our winter home in Edinburg safe and sound. When we arrived we spent the next three days unloading the RV and opening up our mobile home. It’s amazing how much there is to do in order to complete this process but it’s worth the effort. Each spring we are anxious to hit the open road and each fall we are anxious to return. As long as that’s the case, we’ll continue to do it.
Now we’re settling in for our winter ahead. I have a bowling league that is depending on me so I need to get stated on that. The RV will also require some repairs and maintenance as well as a new windshield that I need to get taken care of. The list goes on and on but we have lots of time to get it done. The majority of our time will be spent on fun stuff like water volleyball, tennis and pickle ball as well as more social events than we can keep track of. We’re looking forward to ending our seventh year of retirement on a high note. Yup, a relaxing and entertaining season ahead. Yeah!!
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