Another fun day in Georgia Friday May 24, 2019

Valerie's sister, Gayle and her husband Carl, came up from Florida to attend their grandson's high school graduation.  Before going to their son's house, they stayed a couple of days at the lake house.  We were invited there Friday for another pontoon cruise and cookout.  Couldn't turn that down!

But as The Bobaries' luck goes, the boat wouldn't.  Evidently a control switch was left on after last week's cruise, and that drained the battery.

So while Bobby and Bob went into town to get a battery charger, Valerie went into the house to prep dinner.  Carl was trying to fix Bobby's computer, and Gayle and I sat on the boat and chatted.  Carl and Gayle were long time neighbors and friends of Bobby when he lived in Largo.  She is a very sweet and fun person, and it was good to see her again.

Carl thought their portable charger might work, but it didn't, nor did the charger that the guys brought back from the store.  Bobby found out the next day that there is a "kill switch" that has to be reset  or the motor won't turn over.





While "Papa Bear" got the Big Green Egg going, Gayle and Valerie teamed up against Bob and me for pinochle.  Gayle hadn't played in years, but with a little coaching from Bobby, it all came back to her and they ended up whooping us.

But that doesn't mean we still can't be friends!

 

Ship Ahoy! Friday May 17 2019

 The Bobaries invited us over for an afternoon of pinochle followed by a brat cook out and delicious sides, but the kick off to the day was a cruise in their pontoon on Lake Hartwell.

There is a boat dock at their lake home, which makes it oh so easy to go sailing. 

The captain gives us permission to come aboard.  His daughter, Jenna, bought the hat for her dad so he could be a bona fide captain.

Lake Hartwell is in both Georgia and South Carolina.  Green buoys signal Georgia water and red are Carolina's.

Nothing is much more enjoyable than being on the water...

...especially with family and friends.

Bobby lets Bob take the helm while he refreshes with a brewski.  I think it's obvious from Valerie's kicked back pose that she is thoroughly chillin'.

It is a rather narrow entry back to their landing, but Bob executes a perfect docking.

Bobby makes a few casts before we head back to the house.  There are quite a few fish around the dock...catches have confirmed sunnies and bass, and there is always the hope that something bigger will be enticed by a sparkling lure.  



Hiawassee, GA Tuesday May 14, 2019

A good day for a road trip...off to Hiawassee,  Georgia, with the hope of touring the renowned Hamilton Gardens there.  It is under 70 miles from our house to Hiawassee, and the ride is very scenic with little traffic along Rte 76.

 There is a nominal $2 "voluntary" donation to enter the gardens which are located on the Hiawasssee Fairgrounds.

Beautiful flowering shrubbery

and intricate sculptured art at the entrance are an enticement of more to come.

But not for us.  Once again I did not pay attention to the fine print on the Gardens' website.

However, the trip was not a total loss.  After a very tasty lunch at Steve's Place in town, we stopped to view Lake Chatuge at Lloyd's Landing.  The lake was created in 1942 as part of the TVA water project.  This man made waterway consists of 7500 acres with 132 miles of shoreline.  The beauty and popularity of this region has given rise to its nickname "Enchanted Valley".  It is ensconced between the Nantahala and Chattahoochee National Forests.  

And before arriving home, we made another stop at the bridge over the Chattooga River.  We are on the South Carolina side with the Georgia state line on the other side of the bridge on Rte 76. 

 

 

 

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Book Sale Thursday May 9, 2019

The main library of Oconee County is located in Walhalla.  Periodically, Friends of the Library have a book sale in the library's basement.  There is such an incredible amount of books available, and some as little as 5 for $1.  We liked to go from time to time, especially as summer nears, and I need paperbacks to read in the pool!

This is at the entrance to the basement sale.  In addition to hard-and paperbacks, audio cassettes and compact discs are also on sale.



The book shelves in this section continue  all  around the room.  Most here are hardback fiction with the highest price tag being $3 for newer selections.

It wasn't possible to get a full picture of all the books in this room on the other side of the basement.  There are other shelves behind and to the left of me.  Here, in addition to all genres of fiction are every conceivable non-fiction subject. I asked how the library happened to have so many for sale.  Some are discards from the county branches, but most are donated, including ones from us. 

 

Doggie Sitting May 2 - 8th 2019

The Bobaries needed to make a trip to Florida to attend a memorial service for Valerie's father and stepmother and asked us to look after their shiatsu, Honey, while they were gone.  Roscoe wagged his tail like crazy when he heard Honey was coming for a visit.  She was not a problem at all, and is welcome back at any time.  Roscoe says the sooner the better.

Roscoe has several beds, and Honey likes them and his toys

and Roscoe likes Honey's bed.

and they both love Bob's lap.

Who could resist this face?

 

 

 



RV Repairs May 2019

We have not had a lot of luck with tires on the travel trailer.  Bob discovered that one of the trailer axles was bent which was part of the tire blow out problem.  He had attempted to realign the axle last fall, but that wasn't successful.   Estimates to have new axles installed were quite costly.  Bob was able to buy parts on line, and felt that he could do the work himself.

 First step was to get the trailer elevated.  Jacks, cinder and wood blocks accomplished that.

While Bob was under he trailer, he found  a wire that controls the RV brakes had been shorting out.  The brake was locking up the wheel so it couldn't rotate.  This was another reason the tires wore  unevenly and eventually blew.  Bob put  new wiring in a protected conduit to hopefully avoid this happening again.

The old axles were removed.  

New bushings, bolts, springs,  axles and tires were installed.  I have no idea how he managed to do all of this by himself, but he did.  Now all that's left to do is figure out where to head to next and when!

 

 

 

Calabash and Friends April 22-25 2019

The long time friends from Jersey, Plish and John, were staying at their condo in Brunswick Plantation for Easter week.  They invited us to stay in the "lock-out unit", basically an efficiency apartment, that is connected to their condo.  Our RV was still in sick bay, so we gladly accepted their offer.  We left Monday, April 22nd (HAPPY 75th, BOBBY) for a 3 night stay. The plan was for all of us to get together with Paul and Jay, two other long time friends who have a home there.  Unfortunately, Jay had not been feeling well, and so our visit with her and Paul was very limited.

Paul and Jay with daughter Erin in the kitchen background at their home Monday evening.

Bob and Plish

Bob and John

Plish marveling at the oven gloves, one of Jay's many culinary tools.

 Sunset Beach on The Grand Strand.  Ocean was still too cool for us, but it was a pretty spot for sunnin'.

It was Easter vacation which accounted for the crowds at the beach. Not as bad as The Jersey Shore can be, but more crowded than it usually is when we've been there.

And sand space was more limited than usual. A  portion of the beach was roped off due to repairs being done on the pier.  We left  Thursday morning...a little over 300 miles to get back home.   Jay ended up in the ER Friday and in ICU over the weekend, but is now home and hopefully on her way to recovery.

 

 



Day Trip to Hurricane Shoals Park April 2019

Time for another outing...this time to a park outside Maysville, GA, about an hour southwest of us... Hurricane Shoals.

One area of the park contains a recreated pioneer village

including a church

A covered bridge leads to the village, beach and picnic area.  The park's website boasts that is a wonderful place for a family outing.

However, I didn't see the fine print that prohibited pets until we got there.  Now I ask you, how could a park be family friendly yet not allow pets???? 

Spring Arrives March 2019

Although there are some days of stormy weather in between blue skies, white clouds, sunshine, and balmy breezes, it feels as though spring has finally arrived.  It looks that way, too....

The wild cherry tree in the front yard has blossomed.  The pink flowers will turn white and then the tree will have green leaves, but no fruit.

A bush with very shiny green leaves that was in front of the mudroom window has flowered and revealed itself to be a camellia.  And we had been threatening to cut it down since it hadn't "done anything" in the two years we've been here.

Brilliant colored full petalled  tulips have pushed up from their bulbs..

...as have dainty irises.

The azalea are beginning to bloom and the hydrangea and day lilies promise to appear soon.