We rolled out of the driveway at home on July 8, 2009. We plan to glide back in mid September. In between we are scheduled into OH, NY, VT, NH, RI, CT, VA and TN.

Our travels always have goals of FMCA conventions and rallies. FMCA is Family Motor Coach Association of which we have been members since 1988. www.fmca.com We have rolled from Brunswick, Maine to Los Angeles, Redmond, Oregon and Brooksville,FL to attend these motor coach extravaganzas. That should be enough justification for our travels the 12 years we have been retired and upholding the economy.

July 8, 2009 we spent one night at the KY Horse Park Campground. What an amazing industry we learned about on our bike and foot trips around.

July 9 and 10 we parked at the home of Bruce and Pat Everhart, just outside of Springfield, OH. Their log cabin, tucked in the woods, was a wonderful decompression time. Everharts drove us around their lifelong home town. What a treat to hear of Pat’s much respected doctor father and see where Bruce and Pat had lived and worked.

A year ago Charles became a Frustrated Maestro (you understand!) with FMCA.
These vocalists and instrumentalist roll the country, meet for pre-rallies to rehearse and caravan into the FMCA conventions as Volunteers to perform. Dressed in red and white these Maestros regularly perform 3 mornings for Morning Coffee and Donuts.

So…this year’s start of our trip was to Bowling Green, OH at the University. Approximately 2725 coaches also arrived. Of this number only 50 are Maestros. Charles had much performing with the band and a Dixieland jazz group. Prior to this July 17-23 week we met in a campground at Van Buren, OH for the start of rehearsals.

While at the convention Roxie attended many computer seminars present by www.geeksontour.com Go check this out. At this FMCA convention she got to assist with their Computer Boot Camp for three, two hour evenings.

We always conduct much business in the Vendor exhibits clarifying RV needs and wants and making purchases.

It must be said that the Bowling Green State U campus is large and impressive offering many courses of study. Lambuth College, Jackson, TN was Roxie’s home growing up. Thus college campuses are happily greeted. Bowling Green State U is flat with an abundance of sidewalks for our bicycling to seminars, rehearsals and exhibits. These made excellent exercise and stroll walks.

August 24 we rolled toward Erie, PA and a campground facing frantic Lake Erie. It provided a fantastic view and was void of air card for going online!!! Cell service was not much better. A treat of this stop was to visit with George and Pat Younkin. Younkins winter with us at Holiday Travel Resort in Leesburg, FL. George became president of our active Computer Club last year. We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon in their beautiful Lake City, PA home. Pat is recovering from a hip replacement. We did float in a slightly calm bay of Lake Erie at Presque Isle State park. Following this we biked four miles on the bike path at Presque Isle. This weekend day put many folks on that path to attend a large celebration with kayak floats, craft fair, reenactment, sand sculptures and archery.
At our campground in Lake Erie we were treated to a sunset over the lake.

July 27 we rolled into Cuba, NY in the foothills of the beautiful Allegany Mountains. Our stop was to visit with Keith and Stella Wood. These folks winter with us in FL. While we have known this couple a while we have become better acquainted in the late spring of 09 when Woody bought a computer! These spring chickens at ages 82 are delightful. Woody and I even video Skype. And, what fun to do this as we roll. Stella treated us to a wonderful healthy meal. We enjoyed a walk around the property and Charles was treated to a four wheeler ride into some of Woody’s 300 timber acres. Our stop to visit was wonderful.

July 29 and 30 we were in Watkins Glen, NY. Attracting us there is the Watkins Glen Gorge and Seneca Lake, one of the NY Finger Lakes. The race track is there but this is not an interest of ours. We could only reserve 2 nights because of a festival on the banks of Seneca across from Clute Campground. So, this year we gave up climbing the gorge which we did three years ago. We did float the lake and enjoyed the water’s eye view of the marina with the many docked sailing boats. We biked and walked to downtown. The rainy weather and our greyhounds in their bright red rain coats and our beagle in her canary yellow rain coat were much enjoyed by folks on the street.

Our reserved time in Watkins Glen expired and we pulled in the rooms, attached our tow Honda and headed for Fair Haven, NY and Lake Ontario. Our site, with a Lake Ontario view was much enjoyed. We floated in the bay and added another body of water to our kayak float list. This is the first campground that we have ever paid for our three dogs…..at a whopping $3 per dog per day! Stop calculating. That added $18 to our bill.

On August 2 we are headed to Burlington, VT for four days prior to our last Maestro event nine miles away at Essex Junction, VT. This is a FMCA area rally that will only attract 600 coaches. Maestros will rehearse and perform for a week.

At the conclusion of this rally the trombone will be packed in the closet and we will travel on. We will be certain to come back and get you!