Early in September 2008 we set off for a three week jaunt. Our first stop was an unexpected stay at our motor home factory in Alabama to install new house batteries.

In route to our first camping we stopped at the Space Center in Huntsville, AL to be amazed again at space explorations.

We headed northeast to TN’s plateau to Ragland Bottom Corp Campground near Smithville. Corp camps have upgraded many sites to 50 amps and sewer on site. Our intentions were to float on the beautiful Center Hill Lake. Instead nature decided to release full sun forcing us inside away from the 95 mid September heat.

After 5 days we headed to East TN to Dandridge 30 miles east of Knoxville. We camped at TVA’s Douglas Dam Headwater campground to be close to hubby’s cousins and our friends in Dandridge. Dandridge is where we really started life launching into that first band job, first home purchase and first child!
It holds very special memories for the three years we were there.

Cousins live in and on the property of an 1804 home, Old Brick, which has never left the family name. It faces the beautiful Douglas Lake created by TVA to coral the French Broad River. We spent one month here in the mid sixties. So, stopping is a cozy touch with our past.

The beautiful porch with glassed walls looks out to the beautiful Douglass Lake.

This trip east was begun to end in Myrtle Beach, SC for a Frustrated Maestro Rally at Briarcliffe RV Resort. Approximately 25 Maestros arrived from many states including NY, TX, CT and TN. The end culminated in a performance to the part time and permanent residents of Briarcliffe


While in Myrtle Beach the Greyhounds found romping on the beach time.
Because motor homes need repairs we are in Wilmington, NC to have a fan motor installed in our engine. We are at a KOA waiting for parts. And what luck…this KOA is in the business of KampK9 with a large dog park. Our Beagle, Lucky, is perfectly Queen of agility as she stands head and shoulders above the greyhounds.

With repairs completed we will head west and find our non-rollinghome. You guessed it…for two months before we fall south to FL.

Welcome back! Our summer-fall adventures are in progress. Because of the current petrol crisis we looked at a schedule that would take us not as far and keep us in one spot longer!

So far our adventure has been fun. We have located Army Corp RV parks using http://www.recreation.gov/ and paid for them online. Old age finally has its perks as we both have Golden Access passport cards.

June 30 we left our home for our destination in St. Paul, MN and our fourteenth FMCA convention. We traveled to Kentucky’s Lake Barkley, a Corp of Engineer (COE) park with full hookups. After one night we were off to a nice stop over at Tin Cup RV Park in Mahomet, IL for a night. July 4th weekend was spent in Hixton, WI at a KOA that has had the same owner 22 years. These folks have gardened every spot available with wild flowers, plants and garden ornaments.

After traveling into Wisconsin we were about to launch into our purpose for returning to FMCA held this year at the MN State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Charles finally joined FMCA’s Frustrated Maestros and we were soon at a pre rally in Osseo, WI (south of Eau Clair) at http://www.stoneybrookrvresort.com/ for a 3 day rehearsal schedule. Frustrated Maestros are members of Family Motor Coach Association who play and sing and perform for events at rallies and conventions. This was a first for Charles who has played or directed most of his life.

We arrived a few days ahead to enjoy this resort. Among the memories are meeting Nibbles, a pigmy goat out camping with his owners. This doll was just 3 weeks old and too young to be left at home. Having been born a twin he was abandoned by his mom so his people mom took up the challenge and had correct bottles of milk for him. He bounced around with his red collar and followed his folks around.

After a 3 day rally we caravanned to St. Paul to the MN State Fairground and parked with the Maestros in front of the grandstand for 7 nights. Almost 2500 coaches arrived from across the states. We had purchased generated power and conserved our water. Luckily we found showers on the fairgrounds.

Again rehearsals were intense for 3 days and performances were for early morning coffee-donuts, noon ice cream and opening ceremonies. The director, Rich Kale, was tops and brought much music out of this group of folks. A former college choral director led the chorus that performed with the band. Dressed in the traditional white and red this group is a favorite at these events. Charles was asked to direct one number during the opening ceremonies evening in the grandstand. He also did a solo with the band.

I signed up to monitor 6 hours of seminars and found there were many things to take care at such presentations. For a week our schedules reminded us of the working days of our lives as we passed in the door.

With the convention’s end on July 18 we headed to our favorite spot at the Seven Amana Colonies, IA. Here we regained our energy, did tons of laundry and biked around the beautiful Lily Lake. You will find another Amana visit in this blog on October 7, 2007. We retraced all of those same steps for 6 days.

Iowa has truly been deluged with rain and flooding. The Amana RV Park was standing in water most of the time. The workkamper who parked us found a spot with the workkampers on ground that was a little higher. We were most grateful for this tiny spot! We drove to Coraville and Iowa City, IA one day and witnessed the destruction of the flooding Iowa River in Iowa City. While national news does not mention flooding now these folks are dealing with mold and mildew, FEMA trailers that are producing mold, relocating to hotels to await more trailers, and business that were flooded up to their one story rooftops. People are still hurting from this natural disaster.

Iowa hosts a traditional bike ride from east to west where the route ends as riders dip their tires in the Mississippi River. This ride was coming through one of the Amana Colonies as we departed. The ride attracts 20,000 cyclists!

We left The Seven Amana Colonies, IA, on July 24 and stopped at a Corp Campground at Muscatine, IA. Clark’s Ferry COE is right on the mighty Mississippi River and twice recently has been a part of that river. The campground was closed for about 3 weeks. Just three days before we arrived a nasty wind storm ravaged much of this part of IA and left unreal piles of trees all over this campground. Many trees were splintered and those sites were closed. We spent 3 nights at Clark’s Ferry.

On July 27 we headed south into Illinois to Rend Lake and another Corp rv park, Gun Creek for one night. Rend Lake is large and a favorite spot of ours. But it was for one night only this time. Because,

…….. we are headed into Lock A Corp campground at Ashland City, TN. This puts us just twenty miles from our son and family. We will be there for a while and hope to have some grandson time.

Our plans are to return to our home the middle of August for a possible three weeks. These plans need to be developed. But, they will end with a stop in East TN to visit relatives and friends before going for another Frustrated Maestro weekend in Myrtle Beach, SC the last weekend of September.

With this jaunt accomplished we will have driveway company from our park in FL and accomplish home chores that will end with leaf mulching at the end of November. In December we will be off to our Florida winter park for four months.

We love to hear from you! Please write us at our E mail address.

More pictures arrived in your invitation to this blog because I have not accomplished inserting more than one picture!!