SNOW, NO IT CAN’T BE, BUT IT IS SNOW!  Last night at the Winery was a tough one.  We were parked in the middle of a big grass field with puddles all around us.  The wind was howling, the forecast was for gusts over 30 mph and I have no doubt they were that and higher.  We rocked and rolled throughout the night.  At least we were level and were able to finally get the refrigerator to work.

It poured throughout the night,  I had visions of waking up in the middle of a lake.  Or worse yet our wheels sunk down to the rims.  Thankfully, neither came to pass.  The field is hard packed sand and drains fast.  In addition to all this,the bottom fell out of the temperature.  At 9 pm it was already down to 37 degrees and it showed no evidence of stopping there.  The next morning at 6 am it was hovering around 34/35 degrees with a wind chill of 24.

Then, our four paw friend decided at 4 am he had to go to the bathroom.  Oh, how I hated to get out from under those warm covers.  Then I got the shock of my life, I opened the door to let Marti out and IT WAS SNOWING!  You got it right, April in North Carolina and it was snowing.  Thankfully it didn’t stick.

Morning came and the generator came on so we could run both the propane furnace as well as our electric heater.  In about 45 minutes it was at least warm enough to climb out from under the covers and get dressed.  We were anxious to get on the road and get to Cedar Island and a full hook up site.

This being Sunday and knowing that we were not going to be able to find a church to attend we had devotions once we were up and functioning.

On the road by 8 am we found a McDonald’s a couple of hours later and there was no way we were not going to stop.   I had a craving for a steak, egg and cheese bagel and a cup of coffee.  Barbara got her usual.  Tummies full we were again on our way.

The first part of the trip was uneventful.  Then the closer we got to Cedar Island the more challenging the ride became.  The roads became extremely narrow, full of really tight

curves and the wind was slamming us from the side.  There was absolutely no margin for error, drift just a foot or so to the right and you were in the grass and then the water, if your were not careful.  It was tense for some time.  Add to that the GPS, for the first time, sent us off on a tangent that was a dead-end.  Time to unhook the car, do a K turn with Graybeard and off we went again.

Finally our objective was in sight.  This was the most welcome sign I had seen the whole

trip.  The RV park could not be much further and it soon came into view.  This is where we would be for the next 7 days.   On arrival, we were given a great site, hard packed

sand, perfectly level, and with full hook up.  So we’ve settled in for the next week.  This is

a view of our backyard for the week.  Nice, until the wind picks up, then oh boy!

Oh, almost forgot for some unexplained reason the refrigerator is working perfectly fine right now.  Thank you Lord for even a small miracle such as this.

Though the park was full Easter weekend, and the temperatures were in the 80’s last week, neither is the case right now.  Matter of fact the weather report for the next two days, unfortunately, is not looking good.  Rain and wind both days with temperatures no higher than the 50’s.  We’re going to try to get some sight-seeing in over on the Outer Banks before our time here is up, but it will probably not be until Thursday or Friday.

So that was our day.  It had its ups and downs, it’s tense moments, and it’s scary ones as well – like snow – but we’re here, hunkering down and intending to make the most of whatever God gives us each day.  We’re together and that’s the only thing that really matters.  Together we’ll face whatever comes our way with faith and perseverance.  We trust you enjoyed your day, hopefully it went a bit smoother than ours.  Here is a thought

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

 

Moving Day!  Wouldn’t you know it, we’re leaving and the temperatures are coming up again.  Just our luck.  Ah well, you take the good with the bad, or in this case the warm with the cold.  So it was up and at it this morning, but we were in no rush.  We’ve got this moving thing pretty well nailed down, so much so that we can usually be on the road by 9:30/10:00 am.  Barbara takes care of the inside and I take care of all things outside.  We make a perfect team.

So it was, we were on the road by 9:30 am.  First stop was at the local Shell station for gas.  OK, when it clicked off it appeared to be the right amount, gallons wise.  Furthermore, it would not let me put any more in.  That was odd but I didn’t put two and two together.  That would come later.

So we all settled in for the trip north.  Marti, of course, assumed his normal position in the

front passenger seat on Barbara’s left let.  Try as we might he will not go anywhere else.

While I, the captain of the ship, settled into the captain’s chair and got down to business.

North bound on I-95, it was easy rolling at least for the first few hours.  Then there it

 

was that classic sign that lets one know that you are now leaving South Carolina and heading into North Carolina.   Up until now the trip had been a piece of cake but that was about to change.  First, just a few drops.  Then the down pour began, and it rained, and

rained, and it is raining even now as I sit typing this blog.  Yes, it is definitely wet here.

The next hurdle to come was an accident blocking one lane.  A 6 mile back up crawling

north inch by inch.  It took some time to get through this but in time we were clear and moving north once more at a brisk pace.

That’s when I looked down and what only a quarter tank of gas.  OK, time to find a station and fill up.  Well the only station close was another Shell station.  But wait it clicked off at 20 gallons and would not let me put anymore it.  What in the world was going on?  That’s when we discovered if you use the Shell reward card you can only get 20 gallons at a time.  Want more?  Go see the cashier.  Each time you want more than 20 gallons.  Go see the cashier.  What a pain when you are trying to fill an RV.  And now it became clear why at the first stop it also clicked off so soon.  It also became clear as to why we went to a quarter tank of gas so soon.  The first time it gave me 20 gallons which appeared to be enough to top off – but clearly was not.  Morale of the story, avoid Shell stations like the plague.

Like we stated, home is where we park it, and this is our home for tonight.  As members

of Harvest’s Hosts we are able to park free at a number of Winery’s, flea markets, and farms of all sorts throughout the United States.  So tonight we are in a huge field watching the rain continuing to come down.  Hopefully, by tomorrow it will stop.

After we parked, we encountered the next bump of this trip.  The refrigerator will not run on electric, only propane.  Try to put it on electric and it pops the 12 volt circuit breaker.  Go figure it’s brand new.  Not worried, however, since it will at least run on propane.  Tomorrow when we are settled in for the week at our next stop I’ll try to noodle this one out; or find someone who can for me.

The nice thing about staying at a winery, you get to go to one of their wine tastings.  Barb and I tried 9 different wines each.  Barb tried the dry wines and I tried the sweet.  We found a couple of wines that we liked.  After the wine tasting, we got back home and had supper.  Barb had made pulled pork overnight in the crock pot and we heated it up now.

So we’ve come to the end of our day.  Generator is on and the heater is running.  Early to bed tonight if only so that we can get deep under the covers to keep warm.  It was a frustrating day in many ways but it was still a good day.  We were together.  We made it safely to our stop for the night.  All things considered we’re not going to complain.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Bill Strikes Again!  Honestly I didn’t mean to, but it’s just, well, I sort of have my own weird way of doing things.  I’ll explain in a minute.  This morning was another cold one with temperatures in the low 40’s.  Yet, by noon time we were back in the mid 70’s.  It’s as weird as it gets.  It sure doesn’t motivate one to climb out from under the warm covers.  If only Marti could understand this and hold it a bit longer than 6 am each day.  What do you think sport?

So, the day began slowly with no real rush since we didn’t have anything planned other than beginning to pack up.  After strawberry pancakes – yum- and sausage and a glass of juice and a cup of coffee, I was ready to go.  Yea, your right I am eating like a king thanks to my sweetheart.

After breakfast it was time to start getting things ready to go.  I went outside and got the car hooked up.  Then I received a surprise of sorts.  I went to check the transmission fluid level and to make sure it wasn’t burnt or discolored or whatever.  Get this, you can’t

check it!  It states in the owner’s manual the only time you should worry about it is if there is a leak.  Meaning a puddle underneath.  Let’s get real.  No, I need to get real and get a real car!  How ridiculous.  Who was the knucklehead engineer who thought this up.

Well, anyway, onward and upward.  The only other thing left to do was treat the tires with

Quick, simple and easy enough to do.  Done in less time then it takes to type this.

Now, regarding my opening remark Bill strikes again.  For the past several years, I have been keeping our financial records in Quick Book.  Only problem, I’ve been doing it for years in my own weird sort of way.  Barbara accepted the challenge of finally putting

everything right so that at the end of the year we could run detailed reports of all of our expenses.  I don’t believe she really knew what she was getting into.  I say that because she sat down today with the proclamation that this won’t take long.  I believe it was some 3 or 4 hours later, perhaps longer that she finally had it done.  I’m sure at some point she must have felt like she wanted to shoot me.  Honestly, sweetheart I meant no harm, no foul.  You know by now after all our years together that there is a right way, a wrong way, and a Bill way!  And when something has been done the Bill way for too long, oh boy trying to straighten it out is going to be a project.  Thanks sweetheart for cleaning up my mess and putting all things right at last.

In addition to this, we went through our clothes and decided what to keep and what needs to go.  We started putting things in their cubbyholes in preparation for again getting on the road tomorrow.  The weather report calls for rain in the afternoon so we’re hoping to make the next hop and get settled in before the storms come.  Stay tuned and we’ll let you know.

Once again we traveled through the day together, side by side enjoying each other’s

company and enjoying each minute of the new day given to us by our good Lord.  We hope you had a wonderful day as well.  So now the day is drawing to a close and night is again beginning to surround us.  I believe the last thing we’ll do tonight is watch another episode of  Star Trek.  Here’s a thought that I’d like to leave you with tonight

God’s Kindness Always Meets Our Deepest Need

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

History is all around you, if you want to find it.  First things first though.  Hey, please keep that cold air up north.  Two days ago it was 85, this morning it was just 40 some degrees and during the day it never went above 65 degrees.  Already tonight the temperature is dropping like a rock.  We’re ready to head back to Florida, if only we could!  Bottom line neither of us was anxious to get out from under our nice warm covers.  All things though must come to an end and so with our night’s slumber.  We dragged the electric heater out of the closet, yea, I know, why did we put it away.  Silly us.  Within a short period of time it was comfortable inside of Graybeard.

Breakfast was next on the list.  Mine was juice, coffee, french toast and sausage.  Barbara had her normal, that being oatmeal.  Honestly, she can and has eaten it for all three meals in one day.  Of course, she also had the usual cup or two of coffee.

Morning ritual out-of-the-way it was time to pack up and go exploring.  We had discovered that something very significant regarding WWII had occurred in this town and we were anxious to learn all about it.  Yes, even here in this little sleepy town of Colleton, SC there was history waiting to be discovered.  The what was actually the Tuskegee Memorial.

The Tuskegee Memorial is located at Walterboro Army Airfield Memorial Park which is

located on the grounds of the now Colleton County Regional Airport.  During WWII the

airfield was known as the Walterboro Army Air Field.   The Tuskegee Memorial calls attention  to the Tuskegee airmen of WWII who were dedicated, determined young men who enlisted to become America’s first black military airmen, at a time when many people thought black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism.

The airmen began their aviation training at Tuskegee, Alabama. The program’s trainees, nearly all of them college graduates or undergraduates, came from all over the country. In addition to some 1,000 pilots, the Tuskegee program trained nearly 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engine mechanics, control tower operators and other maintenance and support staff.  As for the pilots, who first received their aviation training at Tuskegee, before they were sent into combat they received their final training at Walterboro Army Air Field.

More history regarding these dedicated pilots was awaiting us and we would discover it

at the Colleton Museum and Farmers Market.  This is a fascinating place which offers exhibits of artifacts and photographs depicting the rich history of Colleton County.  However, we were here to discover more of the rich history of the Tuskegee Airmen.

We discovered that the airmen typically trained each day from dusk to dawn for an average of three months.  They learned to fly three types of aircraft.  The Air Cobra, the Thunderbolt, and the Kittyhawk.  The nose heavy Thunderbolt – nicknamed the Jug – was the most difficult to learn to fly.  Five men died during training exercises.

We also learned that discrimination against the Tuskegee airmen was deep-seated and wide-spread because of their race.  Remember, they were trained in the deep south at a time when racial segregation remained the rule.  Thus it comes, unfortunately, as no surprise to learn that the 150 German prisoners of war held at Walterboro Army Air Field were treated with much more respect than the Tuskegee airmen.  How sad indeed.

In February, 1944, the Tuskegee airmen were formed into the 332nd squadron.  They began flying P-51 Mustangs to escort the heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force during raids deep into enemy territory. The tails of their planes were painted red for identification purposes, earning them the enduring nickname “Red Tails.”

Though these were the best-known of the Tuskegee Airmen, black aviators also served on bomber crews in the 477th Bombardment Group, formed in 1944.

A popular myth arose during the war—and persisted afterwards—that in more than 200 escort missions, the Tuskegee Airmen had never lost a bomber. The truth wasn’t uncovered until years later, when a detailed analysis found that enemy aircraft shot down at least 25 bombers they escorted.

Nonetheless, that was a much better success rate than other escort groups of the 15th Air Force, which lost an average of 46 bombers.

By the time the 332nd flew its last combat mission on April 26, 1945, two weeks before the German surrender, the Tuskegee Airmen had flown more than 15,000 individual missions over two years in combat.

They had destroyed or damaged 36 German plans in the air and 237 on the ground, as well as nearly 1,000 rail cars and transport vehicles and a German destroyer. In all, 66 Tuskegee-trained aviators were killed in action during World War II, while another 32 were captured as POWs after being shot down.

Yes, history is everywhere you just have to look for it.  So we looked, and we found something even here in this small town of Colleton.  We were grateful to again learn about a piece of our American history and culture.

Once again, we had a great day, a day of discovery spent together.  As always we traveled together side by side enjoying the day and each other’s company.  Hopefully, you had as great a day.  Always remember the minutes you are given in each new day can never be relived so always strive to make the most of them.

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before