Bueller.......Bueller......

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

After we left Gettysburg, we started our first shoulder season travel blitz.  We spent three nights in Ohio, south of Cleveland.  It was a pretty drab stay, since the weather was mostly overcast, but also because the campground was getting ready to close for the season, so it was virtually empty.  Only a handful of campers were there, and most were just stopping for the night.  We spent our first day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, which was definitely a shrine to the past and present of the sport.  It was interesting, but as with tickets to a football game, the entrance fee was overpriced for what was there and for the actual size of the museum (much smaller than I would have expected).  The second day we drove to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  All things considered, I would definitely want to go back to visit should we ever pass that way again.  It was incredible in its scope of memorabilia, displays, recordings, videos………….and it was HUGE!  We didn’t really get to see as much as I would have liked, but definitely saw the stuff I wanted to see.  The entrance fee (which was the same as the Football HoF) was well worth the price.

From Ohio, we drove to Howe, Indiana for three nights so we could take the rig to the DRV maintenance facility to have some work done.  Some of it was warranty work, some was repair (that pesky glass slider was replaced), and the 3-season door was installed on the ramp opening of the garage so we can have a patio without worrying about escaping kitties.

From Indiana, we drove to the Louisville, Kentucky area for a two night stay, and to visit with a cyber friend who, after our third in-person visit (she visited Boston and NH), now qualifies as an actual in-the-flesh friend!  She and her husband were incredible hosts, taking us to brunch, and then touring several bourbon distilleries in the area (there are a LOT!).  After that, they drove us through horse country to see how the “hoi polloi” live!  Impressive, to say the least.  It was a wonderful day, to be sure.

From there, we drove to Nashville, Tennessee.  Not for any reason other than it was a good stopping off point on our trip south.  We were supposed to stay two nights, but wound up extending it to three as we had a bit of a problem with our electrical system.  Our inverter (it’s what charges up the batteries that run the refrigerator when we’re traveling or not connected to “shore” power – plugged into the campground electricity – died on us and we had no power to the refrigerator at all, our electric fireplace wouldn’t work, two power strips fried, and our five month old coffeemaker also fried.  We wound up having a mobile RV technician come out to look at it (Tim knew it was over his head).  He had to return the next day to replace the inverter altogether, which, unfortunately pushed back our travel by a day.

We next travelled to the Montgomery, Alabama area, and spent one night only in order to keep to our original travel schedule.  It’s just as well.  The campground itself was about as basic as they come, so it would have been beyond boring to stay any longer.

We reached Florida at long last, and are currently in Panama City Beach until Thursday.  We’ve been trying to play catch up with chores and housekeeping tasks, but have taken advantage of the incredible pool here at the RV park.  No beach time yet, since it’s been pretty warm, and because there have been rip tide warnings since we arrived on Friday.  What’s a trip to the beach without a dip in the water?  

We did, however, have a great outing today which required quite a long drive (close to three hours, one way)  to Pensacola.  We drove that far in order to visit the museum at the Naval Air Station.  We were on a mission:  we wanted to donate all of Tim’s father’s Navy mementos, memorabilia, pictures, news clippings, and his flight jacket.  We also had a photo album from Tim’s grandfather from 1918-19, when he was in flight training in Pensacola for the “lighter than air” craft.  It’s all been rather matter-of-fact for us for so long, given the huge process of downsizing and disbursing of family treasures.  When we presented the materials, first to the volunteers at the front desk and then to the museum’s curator, their excitement and awe at the things we wanted to donate hit both of us like a ton of bricks.  To say we were overcome with emotion is putting it mildly.  Suffice it to say that these items are now the property of the US Navy, and in turn, the United States of America.  George Favorite would be very proud to know that his service will be shared with the entire country.  We were also told that the folks at the museum will document all the materials and cross-reference everything, so there is a possibility that the relatives of some of the men who served with Dad may be able to be contacted/connected to his photos.  Additionally, with Upton Favorite’s photo album, which he also documented with names of his comrades, we may be able to, at long last, learn about his service record.  (His records were destroyed by an archive fire, so we’ve never known the length  of his service or where he served/flew.)  All things considered, today was a very good day for us!

Getting back to the first paragraph………..Yes, since my last post, things have changed pretty drastically.  We were primed and ready to get started on the RV inspection business once we got settled in for the winter.  It’s no secret that I was not really thrilled about being involved in it, but sometimes in life you just have to suck it up and do what’s necessary to help your spouse.  Well, it seems that Tim was having second thoughts about things.  At 63 years old, the prospect of having to repeatedly climb up on RV roofs to inspect their integrity was more than daunting – it was terrifying!  Our roof is one thing……he knows it, it’s in excellent condition (read:  no weak spots!), and he only has to go up there once every month or so to sweep off junk and check caulking.  A used RV, especially one that is more than 10 years old, could be harboring a virtual minefield of soft spots if it hasn’t been cared for.  Also, electrical and propane systems are not something he feels comfortable diagnosing.  He’s able to trouble shoot our own rig, but to try and inspect an RV and say for certain that it’s acceptable is a bit of a risk.  Yes, we can get liability insurance, but………. And finally, the inspection software is not exactly intuitive.  He fought with it constantly.  It also requires detailed explanations of each and every item that has a less-than-acceptable rating.  The level of detail required was maddening for him.

So, suffice it to say that, after a lengthy discussion (which I knew was coming, because I could read his frustration like a neon sign – after 38+ years of marriage, he is quite predictable that way!), we agreed that we would chalk it up to a life’s lesson and move on to the next opportunity.  Which, for him, is an interview for seasonal work at Universal Studios!  Yes, life does move fast!  And we’re taking to time to look around as we travel! 

Oh Yeah!