On The Road Again
It has been eight weeks since arriving in North Carolina so it was finally time to move on. My dad used to say that fish and company all started to smell at the same time, three days. So Meg and Rusty were dealing with some smelly fish. Living in separate quarters helps keeps the fish frozen. We look forward to returning to Durham for the wedding in five months.
A bit of rust on the Slining Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Fifth Wheel this morning to go along with some frost. But we got it on the road in good order; however it was the wrong road. After living in the same spot for a while I thought I knew more than my new GPS. Well 30 miles in the wrong direction and I had to admit the GPS was right. Nonetheless we arrived in Charleston, SC about 7 hours later and twenty degrees warmer. Have to admit I am a bit bushed after the day behind the wheel. I got out of driving shape while growing Chapel Hill roots.
Birds chirping greeted us along with the Palmettos and the Cooper River Bridge (completely rebuilt from ten years ago) as we arrived in Charleston. Suzy and I had visited Charleston years ago when Tatum was doing a year student exchange at College of Charleston. Our return was mandated when Tom finished reading Pat Conroy’s new book, “South of Broad.” It is a great read and magnet for Charleston. We roamed the city streets and made sure we spent time south of Broad Street. Such a beautiful city with museums shops and houses all mixing together.
Jet and I had a great walk in a swamp where Jet looked unsuccessfully for spots where the alligators were peeing on palmettos.
We are off to Savannah today for New Years Eve there. Should be fun. Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, No More Christmas
The holiday hustle and bustle has come to an end and we settle back into our non-holiday lives at least until next week. Suzy and I had a wonderful Christmas in Greenville, SC with Rusty’s family. Gwen and Pepper Miller had invited us for Christmas after spending Thanksgiving in Durham at Rusty and Meg’s. We looked forward to more good times as the parents of the soon to be married (5 months from today).
Greenville is about 4 hours west of Durham (including a Waffle House stop). After being greeted by Pepper and Gwen in her reindeer horns, we were quickly made to feel at home. I think Gwen had been cooking since Thanksgiving. She admitted to have been decorating since then. Every room was a splendor with Christmas decoration and trimmings, and food was overflowing the refrigerator and freezer when we tried to squeeze in a few of the things we had baked and presented.
Gwen and Pepper’s Dixie, a border collie that crossed the border, was a bit shocked when we all pulled up with three more dogs. Jet, Barley and David, all black labs and all in the holiday spirit more then took over the floor area and up to two feet into the air. Thank goodness the counters were 32” or we would have gone hungry. The dogs got along famously, the three older dogs sharing the spot light with the puppy David. The proud puppy parents, Meg and Russ, were more than modest when their young pup showed off his ability to chew and attempt to eat anything that he could find if no one was looking.
We did some last minute shopping and sightseeing in downtown Greenville, which is beautifully restored and decorated for the holidays. Christmas Eve found us at the 5 p.m. service at the church where Gwen is the organist. It was a nice service and we returned to a lasagna dinner, starting a new tradition. Christmas day found a couple of inches of rain descending on Greenville but we were all snug in Gwen and Pepper’s living room, eating and opening and eating. We sandwiched in a few good walks to stimulate the appetites. A Christmas day dinner set the bar pretty high for future gastromic (new word) achievements. A great run in Paris Mountain State Park capped our visit. It almost capped my endurance as Meg and Rusty convinced me to follow them on the way back to the truck which turned out to be NOT the way back but the way to the bottom of the mountain (the truck was parked on top). I will have to come up with Explorer names for them so they can join Columbus, Magellan, Vasgo de Gama and Ponce de Leon (Tom, Steve, Les, and Dave).
So its on to a new year this week. Cheers
Greenville is about 4 hours west of Durham (including a Waffle House stop). After being greeted by Pepper and Gwen in her reindeer horns, we were quickly made to feel at home. I think Gwen had been cooking since Thanksgiving. She admitted to have been decorating since then. Every room was a splendor with Christmas decoration and trimmings, and food was overflowing the refrigerator and freezer when we tried to squeeze in a few of the things we had baked and presented.
Gwen and Pepper’s Dixie, a border collie that crossed the border, was a bit shocked when we all pulled up with three more dogs. Jet, Barley and David, all black labs and all in the holiday spirit more then took over the floor area and up to two feet into the air. Thank goodness the counters were 32” or we would have gone hungry. The dogs got along famously, the three older dogs sharing the spot light with the puppy David. The proud puppy parents, Meg and Russ, were more than modest when their young pup showed off his ability to chew and attempt to eat anything that he could find if no one was looking.
We did some last minute shopping and sightseeing in downtown Greenville, which is beautifully restored and decorated for the holidays. Christmas Eve found us at the 5 p.m. service at the church where Gwen is the organist. It was a nice service and we returned to a lasagna dinner, starting a new tradition. Christmas day found a couple of inches of rain descending on Greenville but we were all snug in Gwen and Pepper’s living room, eating and opening and eating. We sandwiched in a few good walks to stimulate the appetites. A Christmas day dinner set the bar pretty high for future gastromic (new word) achievements. A great run in Paris Mountain State Park capped our visit. It almost capped my endurance as Meg and Rusty convinced me to follow them on the way back to the truck which turned out to be NOT the way back but the way to the bottom of the mountain (the truck was parked on top). I will have to come up with Explorer names for them so they can join Columbus, Magellan, Vasgo de Gama and Ponce de Leon (Tom, Steve, Les, and Dave).
So its on to a new year this week. Cheers
Monday, December 14, 2009
Holiday Greetings From Tom and Suzy
Holiday Recap of Year’ Happenings
Been another great year, or should I say one of the greatest traveling years yet. Suzy and I have been on the road since June going from Boise to Chapel Hill via the Maritime Provinces and the East Coast. We have traveled over 7,500 miles in the RV so far. We are still thousands of miles and four of five months from our eventual new home back in the Seattle area. We left Seattle in the winter of 2000 and will return again in the spring of 2010 after stops in Europe and Boise.
It has been the year of the “...ments” for the Slining’s. Let me remind you that Webster defines “…ment” as the act or instance of doing something.
Let me take a moment to document a few of the elements of these “doing things”.
Suzy’s retirement after 38 years in education.
Tom’s escapement from work at Resources.
The Slining Family encirclement in the form of a reunion in Manistique, MI.
Meg’s engagement to Rusty Miller (Nuptials in May 2010).
Tatum’s empowerment with a master’s degree and new employment as a high school guidance counselor.
A full complement of Grand Puppies (Rufus and David).
The sale of our permanent encampment in Boise and subsequent storage of goods.
Purchase of Mobile housing equipment (A fifth wheel trailer and diesel truck) for traveling North America.
Tom’s testament of our RV travels, see www.ssawbridge.blogspot.com.
I hadn’t ment for this to go on past harassment to torment but I did. I have been known for embellishment but this year it has not been necessary. Listed below are a few of the great adventures and spots from our last six months.
Bicycling, hiking, and fishing in the National Parks; Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Skyline Drive NP, and the Smokey Mountains NP. Exploring quilt shops and bookstores in every location, for every quilt shop Tom found a coffee house.
Visiting and studying at the Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy and Roosevelt Presidential Libraries. Traveling and enjoying the Canadian Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
Camping, emptying sewerage and doing laundry in the 20 States of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina.
Above all we have continued to recognize our blessings on this great adventure. We have had the support of family and friends and have met numerous great travelers who have impressed us with their kindness and hospitality. This is truly a great country.
All our Best, Tom and Suzy
Been another great year, or should I say one of the greatest traveling years yet. Suzy and I have been on the road since June going from Boise to Chapel Hill via the Maritime Provinces and the East Coast. We have traveled over 7,500 miles in the RV so far. We are still thousands of miles and four of five months from our eventual new home back in the Seattle area. We left Seattle in the winter of 2000 and will return again in the spring of 2010 after stops in Europe and Boise.
It has been the year of the “...ments” for the Slining’s. Let me remind you that Webster defines “…ment” as the act or instance of doing something.
Let me take a moment to document a few of the elements of these “doing things”.
Suzy’s retirement after 38 years in education.
Tom’s escapement from work at Resources.
The Slining Family encirclement in the form of a reunion in Manistique, MI.
Meg’s engagement to Rusty Miller (Nuptials in May 2010).
Tatum’s empowerment with a master’s degree and new employment as a high school guidance counselor.
A full complement of Grand Puppies (Rufus and David).
The sale of our permanent encampment in Boise and subsequent storage of goods.
Purchase of Mobile housing equipment (A fifth wheel trailer and diesel truck) for traveling North America.
Tom’s testament of our RV travels, see www.ssawbridge.blogspot.com.
I hadn’t ment for this to go on past harassment to torment but I did. I have been known for embellishment but this year it has not been necessary. Listed below are a few of the great adventures and spots from our last six months.
Bicycling, hiking, and fishing in the National Parks; Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Skyline Drive NP, and the Smokey Mountains NP. Exploring quilt shops and bookstores in every location, for every quilt shop Tom found a coffee house.
Visiting and studying at the Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy and Roosevelt Presidential Libraries. Traveling and enjoying the Canadian Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
Camping, emptying sewerage and doing laundry in the 20 States of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina.
Above all we have continued to recognize our blessings on this great adventure. We have had the support of family and friends and have met numerous great travelers who have impressed us with their kindness and hospitality. This is truly a great country.
All our Best, Tom and Suzy
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Dog Crap in the Leaves, Cat's Cradle and Used Tires
This blogging is hard when you aren’t traveling to a new place every day. Guess that is a way of saying we lead boring lives when not traveling. No, just less bloggable.
For instance, being challenged by a dog that craps in the leaves and then kicks leaves over the crap before you get a chance to pick it up. A real world conundrum that I pursue daily. Or how not to be frustrated with a freshly washed lab that finds it enjoyable to run up muddy ditches ignoring a perfectly clean road that you are running on. And this is just the dog, don’t get me started on my daily marriage obstacles of living together in 300 square feet. A crucible so intense that we often find one of us making up a reason to drive into town for something we really don’t need.
The other day Suzy and I went to the “Cat’s Cradle” to hear Rusty’s band, “Chiller Filler” open for “Los Straightjackets “ and “El vez”. The cradle is a very popular venue in the NC music world and getting a gig there is a special honor. As we stood in line outside on a rainy night a full hour past our bedtimes, we were impressed by all the folks in line that didn’t know a band member but that were just good music fans. I have to admit that I felt a bit special, having our names on “the list” and getting in free due to our future son in law’s rock star status. Ok, I am embellishing a bit, but Rusty is truly a talented and passionate musician and his band is really good. Couldn’t help feeling a bit “hip” in this audience, at least until midnight when we snuck out just as it seemed to be really getting going.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Rusty and Meghan tonight. They are picking up the new puppy, David, on their way back from a Phish concert in Charlottsville. I agree, Phish, might be a better name for a dog, but you will have to ask Meg and Rusty why you would name a dog after a person. My own list of dog’s names is more traditional, Corky, Crickett, Rufus, Rowdy, Toby, and Jet. I think Meg and Rusty are going for Barley, David, George, Oliver, Michael and Loretta. Who knows?
An exciting day the other day included getting the tires rotated on the truck. After visiting four establishment truck stores where the wait for doing a 15 minute job was 6 to 8 times the length of the job, I settled on a one garage door used tire garage on a country road. Not that much unlike Marty’s in Burien. Only this proprietor spoke only Spanish so we had fun describing the contracted task and then agreeing on the price. My thoughts of getting the job done cheaper were quickly ambushed by a guy much smarter than me as he feigned not understanding anything about money, but quickly took my twenty dollar bill without offering change. The fox being eaten by the chicken gave me good reason to smile all day.
For instance, being challenged by a dog that craps in the leaves and then kicks leaves over the crap before you get a chance to pick it up. A real world conundrum that I pursue daily. Or how not to be frustrated with a freshly washed lab that finds it enjoyable to run up muddy ditches ignoring a perfectly clean road that you are running on. And this is just the dog, don’t get me started on my daily marriage obstacles of living together in 300 square feet. A crucible so intense that we often find one of us making up a reason to drive into town for something we really don’t need.
The other day Suzy and I went to the “Cat’s Cradle” to hear Rusty’s band, “Chiller Filler” open for “Los Straightjackets “ and “El vez”. The cradle is a very popular venue in the NC music world and getting a gig there is a special honor. As we stood in line outside on a rainy night a full hour past our bedtimes, we were impressed by all the folks in line that didn’t know a band member but that were just good music fans. I have to admit that I felt a bit special, having our names on “the list” and getting in free due to our future son in law’s rock star status. Ok, I am embellishing a bit, but Rusty is truly a talented and passionate musician and his band is really good. Couldn’t help feeling a bit “hip” in this audience, at least until midnight when we snuck out just as it seemed to be really getting going.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Rusty and Meghan tonight. They are picking up the new puppy, David, on their way back from a Phish concert in Charlottsville. I agree, Phish, might be a better name for a dog, but you will have to ask Meg and Rusty why you would name a dog after a person. My own list of dog’s names is more traditional, Corky, Crickett, Rufus, Rowdy, Toby, and Jet. I think Meg and Rusty are going for Barley, David, George, Oliver, Michael and Loretta. Who knows?
An exciting day the other day included getting the tires rotated on the truck. After visiting four establishment truck stores where the wait for doing a 15 minute job was 6 to 8 times the length of the job, I settled on a one garage door used tire garage on a country road. Not that much unlike Marty’s in Burien. Only this proprietor spoke only Spanish so we had fun describing the contracted task and then agreeing on the price. My thoughts of getting the job done cheaper were quickly ambushed by a guy much smarter than me as he feigned not understanding anything about money, but quickly took my twenty dollar bill without offering change. The fox being eaten by the chicken gave me good reason to smile all day.
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