Our Libby succumbed to a mysterious illness on September 10, 2011.  We were at home. 

From Libby-Trixie

While away in Madison,WI for another Frustrated Maestro event at FMCA International Libby got sick and we sought a vet. All tests were passed. We traveled on to a Corp of Engineer Campground outside of Iowa City, IA. Again we had to find a vet and were most pleased with a 24 hour emergency clinic, Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails. http://www.bebt.com/



Again, many test showed nothing. Two days later, in Amana, IA we noticed the result of internal bleeding. Aug. 22 we headed for TN arriving in our driveway on Aug. 23.


Little by little Libby lost ground as our vet tried with us to look for causes and find treatments. We all agreed that this 11 year old greyhound would not be subjected to an exploratory.


Libby was a TDI dog, a therapy dog. http://www.therapydogs.com/


She loved this work and got just goofy when we got our red shirts out to get ready. She wore her therapy dog vest with pride. She did not get to go with us on a last visits. Daisy upheld the therapy dog reputation.


We had Libby 7 years after getting her from foster mom Lynnae. Lynnae always said that Libby was the one that got away. Her innocent eyes and love of life lifted many spirits.


Libby lost her companion Trixie just nine months prior. Finding pictures of just Libby was impossible.

My intentions on August 19 were to post a blog update.  We ended our trip on Aug. 21, 2011 when greyhound Libby began to bleed internally.  The bus landed in the driveway in Franklin on Aug. 23 so we could be in touch with Libby’s vet.  We feel the internal bleeding has ceased but she is not well.  She is on medicine and a special venison-potato diet.  She has up and down days but we still have her. Our vet is looking at an ulcer, irritable bowel, or cancer.  We all agree that there will be no exploratory for this 11 year old gal. 

From Libby-Daisy

We went to Madison, WI  in early August for another Frustrated Maestro performance at the International Convention of FMCA…Family Motor Coach Association.  www.fmca.com  Charles enjoyed playing and some directing.  There were over a hundred Maestros from all over the USA rehearing and performing during the week of August 8-13, 2011.

From Collages

Roxie enjoyed her camera and posting to the nationwide Frustrated Maestro Blog.  www.frustratedmaestros.blogspot.com    Here you will see many slideshows of the Maestros performing.  At the end of the Madison posting you will find a slideshow with Maestro Music.  The mic pic up lacks a little, however.

After the Madison, WI FMCA convention we landed at the Rustic Barn Campground and RV Park in Kieler, WI for two days of recuperation from the intense Maestro rehearsal and performance schedule. http://rusticbarnrvpark.com/

Our site looked out and into a valley filled with a dairy farm. Just across from us was a chapel with a full window at the end allowing us to see the landscape. It made a nice practice hall for Charles.

We were then on our way to Sugar Bottom, Corp of Engineers Park, in Solon, IA on August 19, 2011.  We were just outside Iowa City, IA.  The great distance to the lake in the park required some ingenious effort to get the boat to the water.

From Recently Updated

PeeDee, our wonderful Canadian born cat, always surveys the sites to his contentment!

From Recently Updated

Our Daisy turned 3 on August 20, 2011

From Libby-Daisy

On Sunday, August 21, 2011 we had reservations for a week at The Seven Amana Colonies, Amana, IA  http://www.amana.com/.  We have spent much time there through the years and never tire of its history.  But Libby’s illness determined that we would drive home getting the 600+ miles in two days.

We were away two months.  The week early return just helped us launch into the continued flood restoration of our home and yard. 

Charles is directing the Maestros again in October in Winston Salem, NC.  He has written a show for an evening performance, “Back to Your Senior Year in High School.”   In a capsule the promo on the Internet and in the rally book best states his efforts.

Wednesday, Oct. 19, evening entertainment for the Greater Eastern Area Rally:

The “Back to High School” musical program promises to be a fun trip down memory lane. The Maestros’ music will have you reminiscing about football games, homecoming, prom, field-trip bus rides, graduation and the tunes of your formative years.

The “Back to High School” musical program promises to be a fun trip down memory lane. The Maestros’ music will have you reminiscing about football games, homecoming, prom, field-trip bus rides, graduation and the tunes of your formative years.

Our little beagle, Lucky, adopted us 5 years ago!  When we arrive at our winter home, Holiday Travel Resort in Leesburg, FL Lucky will be infatuated with her beau Rusty and mom Lisa.  Lucky takes many steps to the greyhound and daddy steps but she is still stepping along.  She is likely between 14 and 16 years of age.  She is not telling.

From Collages

We leave Oct. 7 for Music Camp in Galax, VA.  This is followed by the Greater Eastern Area Rally…GEAR…in Winston-Salem, NC the third week in October.  We will spend the last week of October leisurely returning home through East TN and visit Marston relatives and friends in Dandridge, TN.

Leaves will finally fall in November and we will prepare for our departure to FL on Thanksgiving Day.  We will stop first at our son and family’s home in Decherd, TN over Thanksgiving.

Life keeps walking between this blog and my fingers! Here is a bit of catchup.



The Allegro Bus arrived from FL in Franklin, TN on April 10, 2011. It first took us to Brunswick, GA for 5 days of recuperation at Coastal GA RV Resort in Brunwsick from our intense winter schedule at Holiday Travel Resort. There we help manage the computer and volley ball season.

From Holiday Travel 10-11

Next we were on to Gaffney, SC to Freightliner for our usual engine service. On our trek west we stopped in Dandridge, TN to visit with cousins Ruth Morgan and Katherine McNeil and husband Paul and friends Janie and Danny Noe.

Arriving at home meant picking up the recovery process from our flood on May 1, 2010. This slow process has resulted in acquiring some furniture and getting some pictures on the walls.

After much rain Roxie finally had time to spend in the yard which was not groomed in summer 2010 because of constant reconstruction demands. Vinca Minor benefited greatly from a flood but we lost 4 small evergreen trees in our Evergreen Forrest. In May we had the 13 year cicada screaming in our ears and leaving their earthly shells everywhere. They were only harmful to young trees. For our greys and beagle they are a delicacy!



May brought us driveway company! Jim and Chris Guld, www.geeksontour.com are RV fultimers and computer educators. Check out this couple’s site to see their many opportunities. While with us they presented a webinar live to LazyDays Campground and Sales Center in Seffner, FL teaching Facebook right from our driveway!

At the end of April we drove to Jackson, TN to Lambuth College (University’s) final graduation.  Roxie was among those presented with the last ever 50 year medallion of the college.  This 168 year old school was slowly choked to extenction and closed forever at the end of June 2011.  Roxie’s dad had taught there 19 years.  Roxie, at age 6, began growing up on Lambuth’s Campus.  With the help of a Lambuth Vice President she was able to claim her father’s oil portrait presented in 1989.  It now hangs in our home.

From Recently Updated

We left home on July 5 intending to arrive in Essex Junction, VT. Charles was to direct the Frustrated Maestros at the North Eastern Area Rally…NEAR! We had reluctant levelers that Charles and neighbor Ben and the Tiffin call line helped retract with much effort. Deciding to live with unlevel for 2 months we started our trip stopping at the KY Horse Park Campground. While parked unlevel we were just annoyed. The next day as we started toward VT the refrigerator produced a familiar ammonia leak. This we had experience with in our 1998 bus. Up into WV we decided to purchase a small Home Depot refrigerator and fulfill the obligation to let Charles direct the Fustrated Maestros. Finally we realized we were doing the impossible. Reluctantly we gave in, made phone calls, and headed south to Red Bay, AL to our Tiffin Motor Home plant and repair for six days. We were able to have our jack replaced and a new refrigerator installed.


We traveled the Natchez Trace Parkway from Red Bay to Franklin again regrouping our thoughts and plans. After 5 days at home we had a new route planned, food restocked, grass mowed again and a visit to Lucky beagle’s doc for an eye infection.

We are now on the way to Madison, WI for the International FMCA convention and Charles playing with the Frustrated Maestros.  Before we get there we will visit with our FL park friends, Jim and Connie Moore, in Monroe, MI. 

With not enough time to drive from TN to VT we planned a stop at a COE park in Carlyle, IL for a few days.  Part of the campground was under water from intense rains and we launched our kayak at a campsite.  The intense heat wave griping the country forced us on the lake about 6:30 AM and back off by 8:AM.  This large park with a day use area and trails provided us much space to keep our walking feet happy.

In charge in Franklin is Charles’s secretary who answers cat calls.  Lulu belongs to neighbors, Ben and Jill, and is an outside kitty.  Of course, she has all the comforts of home with lights, ESPN talk radio,  AC or Heat as needed.  She comes and goes through here kitty door Charles built.  At night Ben makes sure she is behind closed doors.

Today, April 6, 2011 the motorhome is pointed north towards our Franklin, TN home by April 10. We have spent the past four months at Holiday Travel Resort in Leesburg, FL. We have taken up residence on the same site for the past 8 years.



While there we “go back to work” with our responsibilities to the volley ball season and computer activities for the park. Read about these at www.htrvolleyball.blogspot.com and www.htrcomputerclub.blogspot.com


During the winter the Computer Club hosted traveling computer educators, Jim and Chris Guld of Geeks On Tour. http://www.geeksontour.com/

We each have committee meetings and daily schedules to keep running.   We are amused by our friends who think we sit in the sun sipping sodas.

Our new greyhound, Daisy, has been with us 4 months.  We love her dearly and at times she does not understand that this can be tough love!  She is the most double jointed grey we have ever seen.  When lying down her hind end goes west and the front end goes east.  When sitting on her “butt” her back legs are out in front of her!

Daisy became a therapy dog and is registered with Therapy Dogs, Inc.  Our FL Paws Therapy Dog chapter arranged 3 observed visits for her the third week in March.  She has her graduation certificate and her red therapy dog vest.  She will join Libby making visits.

 Leesburg, FL  Paws Therapy Dog Chapter of TDI  During The Florida time we rolled 50 miles to Brooksville, FL (Tampa) for Charles to direct the Frustrated Maestros of our FMCA organization. You will find this at www.frustratedmaestros.blogspot.com.  To see Charles directing, You Tube, scroll to end of the February 11, 2011 posting.  This is a blog I do for Frustrated Maestros USA. When we arrive at our rebuilt flooded home we have a lot to do to turn the house into a home.  We did get a small couch and matching chair.  We did get mattresses for our two antique beds.  There are no pictures on the walls and these cannot happen until we see what furniture we can find.  We are decorating conservatively as we do not think we have another 43 years in this house!  Our builder did a beautiful job of restoring the house. Our two foot flood was May 1, 2010!



We are making July plans to be in Burlington, VT for Charles to again direct the Frustrated Maestros. In August we will be in Madison, WI for him to enjoy playing with the Frustrated Maestros at the International FMCA convention. October we will be in Winston Salem, N C for him to repeat directing the Maestros at an area rally. For this GEAR rally the Maestros will be featured at an evening entertainment. Charles is writing a show “Back to High School” for the evening.

We think of our many friends over many miles and are grateful for this enrichment.