Happy Acres

Happy Acres

by | Jan 19, 2024 | September 2023

(4th Post) What’s it like driving a 31ft mobile home in the mountains and 18 wheelers are passing you? Hell everyone is passing you!  You tell yourself it’s just a truck and keep pushing forward!

Headed out from the southern Ohio campground, I noticed one of my back tires looked a little low. When I stopped for gas, I attempted to fill the tire, but since the position of the nozzle made it difficult to attach the air hose, I decided to push on and hope to find a service station that could help me or with prayers and faith to not worry; it’s all going to be ok.

I did arrive in Angola, Indiana safe and sound and began setting up camp, which means pushing a series of buttons to automatically have the slide outs move and the stabilizers bars retract into place. I know, I’m really roughing it!

This time though the stabilizer system was not working correctly and after 3 or 4 attempts, I asked the park manager for help as he was passing by. He crawled under the camper and pulled on the problem stabilizer bar and down it came without an issue. Instead of coming out from under the camper the manager asked for my phone, which I handed to him. He took a picture and came out from under the rig and showed me my inside dually tire. It had blown on the way here. I was taken back to how lucky & blessed I was to have arrived safely. Never underestimate the power of prayer.

 

Happy Acres Campground is full of happy campers! It amazes me how helpful and hopeful people are who live in or are just vacationing on weekends in campgrounds.

I was getting the awning out – the one item that isn’t automatic, and at 5’3” it’s a little challenging! Batman and Robin came to help! Seasonal full-time campers, Robin and her husband Bill saw I needed a little help and came over to proceed to open the awning. The park had given them their nicknames, and they certainly came to my rescue!

Mom always said whenever a plane flew over it was Jim…damn if she wasn’t right this time!

Normal people would just drive to your campsite!

Angola, IN

I’ll keep the campfire going for you Randy.

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

by | Jan 18, 2024 | August 2023

(2nd Post) Family Time

I must include my trip to Emerald Isle, NC with my daughter and her family. This was the first leg of my trip out of Michigan, and it was a celebration of my daughter, Tesha’s 40th birthday, her oldest Kalab 20th birthday, and we also celebrated Keven Jr’s birthday too.

I’m not sharing all that we did there, as it’s private and our memories to keep. I will say it held a lot of first for them to see palm trees, dolphins, pelicans fly by, and a whole lot more. We had a ball! The aquarium there is a must see if visiting. Sea food was amazing and the walks on the beach were the best.

Goodbyes are bittersweet as they went back home to the north, and I traveled south on my adventure.

Sanford, North Carolina

Sanford, North Carolina

by | Jan 17, 2024 | August 2023

(3rd Post) Aunt Gloria

 

My stay at Gloria’s was the best. And although I was parked in her driveway, I stayed in her beautiful home. At 90, she is far busier than most people I know!

Monday we went to 2 assisted living homes where she leads the residents in old hymns. She has the songs memorized and knows most of the seniors by name. They light up when she enters the room, and you can tell she’s the highlight of their day!

Tuesday Gloria works at her church in the office. She also helps make sack lunches for the homeless there. She gave me the grand tour of her beautiful Baptist church (which took almost an hour, because it’s so big!) and it ended in the memorial garden where her beloved husband Don peacefully rested.

Afternoon naps followed by cocktail hour – can it get any better than that? Yup! A trip to a good ole southern BBQ family restaurant for dinner! I think she knows them all in a 100-mile area! North Carolina barbecue is known for their apple cider vinegar BBQ sauce. Pork or chicken doesn’t matter, the sauce says it all! Little spicy, not sweet, it just makes you want more! Should have taken pictured. But I just couldn’t help myself, I had to dig in!

Meeting my aunt’s friends is a blessing in many ways. Grateful to see she is surrounded by so many supportive strong people who love her, and who enlighten me on the southern terms they use!

They knew my story from Gloria. One lady commented on how brave I was for taking this solo journey. I leaned forward and thanked her and added, “Or crazy, right?”

“Oh no, we would never say that! We would say brave!”

Line dancing, card clubs and visits to her garden club friends, and of course daily stops to her boyfriend Dr Jeff of 10 years, Gloria’s life is full. May we all be so blessed.

Had the privilege to travel with her to Carey where my cousins live and see their beautiful homes. Celebrated my cousin Rick’s birthday along with his family and brothers and sister. I told them what a blessing that was to have family so close – and not just in distance.

We gathered again at the ‘beach houses’ in Emerald Isle Labor Day weekend. Gloria wasn’t about to let me leave yet so I drove her down to the beach! It’s heaven there.

Walking the beach in the morning with Nella has been so healing.

I can tell this is my cousins’ sanctuary as well. They were all there, with their families and grandchildren. It was a time to play at the beach, cook fabulous meals, watch sunsets together, and just be in the moment. Life is good.

 

Grateful for another glorious day.

So it Begins

So it Begins

by | Jan 17, 2024 | August 2023

(1st Post) August into September

Time flies. 5 months since mom passed, and so much has happened since then.

Sitting in the camper planning my next move, sipping on a whiskey…life is good.

I’ve gone from Michigan to Emerald Island, NC, then to the Villages, FL. Booked my winter stay in Leesburg, FL and then traveled back up to Sanford, NC to visit my Aunt Gloria.

(More on these stores in the next post!)

I’m currently in a campground on the Ohio/West Virgina border and will be leaving in the morning to go Ft Wayne area to visit family there.

GPS has sent me in some wild goose chase directions.

Drove on some death defining roads and bridges.

Have learned a ton about how to make everything work on this rig.

And have managed to go with the flow through it all.

Facing your fears teaches you a lot about who you are. Handling them with grace and a smile is freeing.

Cheers!