Glenwood Acres, Concord NC

We had to bid a sad farewell to Ebenezer Park today since our two weeks were up.  It looked like we weren't the only ones leaving as there was a steady stream of campers pulling up stakes and leaving.

I filled up the motorhome with gas at $3.49/gallon to take advantage of South Carolina cheap gas.  I guess cheap is a relative term.  Just a year ago it was about a $1.00 cheaper.  Here in NC it is $3.79/gallon for comparison.  At least I won't have to pay that price for the next 550 miles or so.


We pulled in the campground and called Phillip to see where we should park.   He asked where we wanted to and said to go ahead and park and he would be by later.  Later can be up to two weeks for him.  We hooked up everything and turned on both a/c to cool the MH down in the 98 degree heat.  Thank goodness they worked fine and we were taking it easy in cool comfort.


All of the campers from the Coca Cola 600 have departed and the only things left are the souvenir trucks from the various race car drivers.  They have 52 ft trailers that they sell all the coats, hats, shirts and whatever from.  I imagine they will be on their way to Kansas City tomorrow for the next race and peace will once again reign.


Now for a restful evening and getting a good night's sleep.  Good night all!

Happy Memorial Day

We hope everyone had a very happy Memorial Day weekend and had a good time.  We certainly did with Grant being here and Larry Jr. & Jane coming over for a cookout.  We had some delicious Lowes Food spareribs, corn and Gerry's baked beans.  

Grant decided to go back home with them this evening and I don't think he will make it a mile before he is asleep.  A new found friend of his appeared at the door before 8AM this morning wanting to play with him.  He came into our bedroom after getting dressed and brushing his teeth and told us the friend was waiting for him.  Ugh!  8AM on a holiday.  It should be against the law to let kids out that early.  The played until the friend had to leave the campground and go back home.  Grant continued to ride his bike and wore himself down to a frazzle.

Tomorrow is moving day for us and we will be heading back to the area by Charlotte Motor Speedway for  two weeks and then on to the cabin for the summer.  It will be 8 months since we've been there so we don't know what lies in store for us.  Wish us luck.
 

Memorial Day

We wish to thank all those who served our country and made it what it is today.  I was a Foreign Service Officer and served 10 years overseas and was only in places a couple times when guns were being shot, including the bombing of a building, so I sort of fit in there somewhere.  

Gerry and I were telling our grandson Grant how we used to sell poppy flowers for Memorial Day to raise money for the veterans.  We would get a handful of the artificial flowers and then go out and sell them to neighbors, family, strangers or whoever would buy them.  Grant had a funny look on his face like why in the world would you do that.  It was the patriotic thing to do when we were young and Memorial Day meant a lot to us.  Now it is all about partying and having a good time.  We were surprised to hear Grant explain what the holiday was all about so maybe there is some hope for the future.

We are still at Ebenezer campground in Rock Hill SC and will have to vacate our spot on Tuesday morning.  Grant suggested we stay here as long as we could since he liked it here.  He has been riding his bike and made some friends, so he is happy.  One of his friend's family has one of those golf carts that are in abundance around here and Grant got a ride around the campground on it.  Now he thinks we should buy a golf cart.  

Ebenezer Park is on the south shore of Lake Wylie and has some beautiful homes situated right on the lake.  Across from the swimming beach looking north are some huge homes that look like they could be condos, but they are private homes.  What a view they have and most have a dock for their motorboats and jet skis.  As they say, rich or poor it is nice to have money.  I can't imagine what the upkeep costs would be for these homes. 

The park is very heavily used by locals and others; however, it is a very civil group of people here.  Most of the campers have at least a boat, golf cart and some have jet skis also.  The road gets crowded in the evening since they can't leave the water crafts in the lake overnight.  Even given, this it is a very pleasant place to stay and we love it here.  Too bad it is so far from our children or we would stay here more often.

Many people avoid camping during the big holidays since they fear the drunks and loud people.  This hasn't happened here at all and the most loud noises were fire works being set off.

Ya'll come on down and set a spell, ya hear!

Rain, rain go away!

Friday sure was a washout for us at the campground.  It rained on and off all day and the campsite was covered in water for a good portion of the time.  Perfect excuse to do absolutely nothing, so there isn't anything to write about.

Grant is coming over today to spend a couple days with us and maybe we can find something interesting to do with him.  Building a fire is out since all the wood is soaked, so that takes away one thing he really enjoys.  We don't have cable tv here and the local channels aren't that good so that is out.  No children's movies available to us.  Anybody out there have any suggestions what to do with a 10 yr old boy that likes to keep busy???

Larry Jr, Jane & Grant joined us at the Olive Garden for lunch today and we all enjoyed the meals very much.  In fact, we stuffed ourselves so much that we may skip dinner.  

Grant brought his dirt bike along with them and has been riding it up and down the campground road.  It is hilly and rough in places so he is having a ball.  He will be staying with us until Monday at least and possibly Tuesday.  I am sure he will be worn out and ready to go back home by then.


His other grandparents will be flying in from Oklahoma on Tuesday and visiting for 4-5 days with them.  His grandmother still works and can't get off for a long time at any one time so this will be a quick trip.  I know Grant will be eager to see them and show them around the house.  


The rain did go away and we have enjoyed a bright, sunny day for a change.  Now to get rid of the tornadoes out in the midwest and all will be well.

Card Crafting & Racing

Barbara belongs to a card & scrapbooking group and they had a session at her house this evening.  We beat Barbara home and when she got there she and Gerry were hugging and dancing up and down like little kids.  I didn't hear what was going on, but figured out there was some good news like a promotion or Stephanie passing her nursing boards on the first try.  I was right.  Stephanie checked and she did pass the boards.  Congratulations Stephanie.  We are both proud of you for the accomplishment.   

I took my computer along to update Windows 7 and a few other programs to take advantage of their high speed internet.  It was nice seeing the files download so fast and finishing up the tasks quickly.

Henry came home from work and we went into the "man cave" and chatted and watched TV for a while.  He really likes the NASCAR racing and there is a big race in Charlotte this weekend so they were having time trials for the race.  We watched that for a hour or so when a weather alert signal flashed across the bottom of the page.  

The alert caught my attention since when we left the MH 45 miles away at the campground in Rock Hill SC, it was sunny and nice.  Not a cloud in the sky.  We switched over to the weather channel and they were calling for possible high winds, hail and a severe thunderstorm for Rock Hill.  Whoops, time to go and rescue the awning before the storm hit.

I told Gerry we had to go and to finish up what she was doing which was in the middle of the session.  Not a happy camper, but I figured we could buy the 6 remaining cards cheaper than replace the awning.  She finished the one she was working on and we hit the road.  I was driving so fast that I passed Kyle Busch on the way to the campground.

We ran into some heavy winds and rain on the way here and when we entered the campground everyone was gathering at the bath house.  The ranger had sounded the storm alarm and directed everyone to get out of their RV and seek shelter.  We went to the MH and brought the awing down and put the outside stuff under the MH so it wouldn't blow away.  Since there are so many trees around us, we decided to head down to the picnic parking lot near the bath house down there and watch what happened.  As you can tell by me writing this, nothing serious happened.  It cleared up and we went back and went to bed.

See, there is excitement out there if you seek it out.

Card making session

We had a really nice day with Barb, Larry Jr. & Grant.  Barb came over to work on making cards with Gerry and they were as busy as beavers all afternoon.  They made about10-12 cards and had the motor home a mess with all the supplies and stuff out.  They both enjoy card making and had a blast.  

Larry Jr. and Grant came by for a visit and Jr. and I went to a bike shop to pick up some parts for Grant's bicycle.  One of his pedals broke off and needed replacing.  There is a bike shop about 5 miles from the campground and they had the needed parts. 

We all ate lunch together outside on the picnic table and enjoyed the nice weather.  It was a little warm but still comfortable.  They both commented that is was 10 degrees cooler here at the campground with all the shade trees and lake nearby.  Even though it got up around 92 degrees, the large a/c on the MH kept it cool inside.

Larry and Grant left so they would be home when Jane got off work.  Barb stayed and worked until around 6:30 and we went to a local seafood restaurant for dinner.  I had all you can eat catfish and managed to stuff myself and the ladies had crab cakes, flounder and shrimp platter.  Nobody walked away hungry.  

Barb went back to the MH and collected her stuff and hit the road for the 1 hr drive back to her house.  

Cassie and Lexa called today.  Lexa aced her algebra finals and if she can do well on another test, she will most likely have straight As for the grading period.  She takes pride in her school work and put forth a big effort to be at the top of the class.  We are very proud of her for working so hard and doing so well.  Keep it up young lady.


Cassie has been having health problems and she may have found a Dr who can help her.  Once we get back to MD after the wedding we will be helping her get some needed treatments.  She deserves some relief for all the problems she has had the last year or so and we are hoping and praying this procedure will work.  


Jack also has to go in for an operation the end of June and will miss some work. We may have both of them running back and forth from Drs and hospitals.  Guess I will be babysitting the Redhead.

GPS Directions

We had to find a post office today to mail a letter that had to go out soon.  I pulled out the trusty Tom-Tom GPS and searched for the nearest one.  There were a number of  USPOs showing up and we hose the nearest one,  8.4 miles away.  I told you we were in the boondocks.  The GPS did very well getting us there until the last mile or two when it decided to route us off Rt 21 into a neighborhood and took us in a semi-circle.  We finally made a right turn onto Rt 21 and went a couple blocks to the post office.

None of the above is particularly interesting except that the GPS routed us so we wouldn't have to make a left turn on Rt 21.  We went about a half mile out of our way to avoid that turn.  It should have kept us going straight and it would have been much simpler.  Of course, if it had done so, we would have missed seeing some very nice older homes with beautiful lawns and flowers.  It was worth it.

I turned on the geocaching GPS to see if there were any caches in the area and low & behold there were a number of them.  One cache was by an old Chapel on the grounds of Winthrop University.   The students have left for the semester so it was easy parking and retrieval of the cache.  The Univ grounds are very pretty and neat with 4 statues in an area with chairs raised about 25 ft off the ground.  Gerry thinks the graduates have to climb them to get their degrees.  

We managed to find 4 other caches and each one was interesting and challenging to find.  In fact, two others were beyond our ability to find and will go in the DNF column.  ( Did Not Find ).  While caching we ran into three other cachers who were trying to act inconspicuous and looking at their phones and we guessed correctly that they were cachers.  I asked if they were muggles or cachers and they got a big laugh.  The five of us were successful in find that one and we went on our way.

That was our exciting day, how was yours??

Sunday Picnic and Golf Cart Parade

The golf cart parade is in full swing today with people on golf carts riding through the campground constantly.  They drive very slowly and check out all the campsites looking for friends, leftover firewood and whatever it is that attracts them to ride the carts.  Very interesting to say the least.

We are all set for the arrival of our company for a picnic here at the campground.  There is firewood in the fire pit compliments of our intrepid firewood gatherer, Grant.  It seems odd to be having a fire when it is 92 degrees outside and humid, but what is a picnic without a fire?

We had the picnic and everyone had a great time.  While it was hot outside, we had enough cool drinks to help us get thru the day.  Larry Jr, Grant and Barbara managed to play some catch and work up a sweat later in the day.  Barbara was a very good softball player when she was younger and misses the game very much.  Family duties kept her from playing after she started her family.  It was nice seeing her and Larry Jr. throwing the ball around like old times.

Rush Hour & Campfires

I was lucky enough to capture rush hour here at Ebenezer park today.  Golf carts seem to be a very popular toy to have here and there is usually a parade of them at various times during the day.  I never have understood the need to have one in a small park like this, but to each his/her own.  It is hilly so maybe many people can't deal with walking up and down them.

People come and go multiple times setting up their tents and RV and then leaving and coming back again.  It is quite different here than other campgrounds since so many locals use the park and live nearby.  They are claiming their sites for the Memorial Day weekend a week in advance and paying for site rental even though they may not be there.  At $13/day for York County residents they can afford to do that.

Grant has been collecting firewood around the campground since he got here and today was the big day for a campfire.  Since we were one of the first to be here this season, there is a lot of firewood around the site.  I cut some larger logs into fireplace lengths to help with the fire.  After dinner we went out and roasted some marshmallows over the open fire.  I think Grant likes marshmallows given the number of them he ate.

Slow day in South Carolina

We have been taking it easy the past couple days and trying to recuperate these old bodies.  The campground is quiet so far and we feel like we are out in the woods.

Larry Jr. & Grant came by today for a visit and lunch with us.  We had subs from Jersey Mike's and they were delicious.  I folded up the aluminum foil into a ball and played catch with Grant.  He does very well for a 10 yr old without a baseball glove.  I showed him my famous throw with my left hand while winding up with my right hand.  Hard to explain, but it is fabulous.  I used to throw it to Larry Jr. when he was younger and he remembered it well.


We went shopping for groceries after they left.  I checked Google Earth for the closet Food Lion grocery and drove a convoluted path to get to one.  We were surprised at the high cost of food out here in South Carolina compared to Tucson.  We sure do miss Fry's Grocery ( Kroger ) and their great prices.


We then went to a really cheap liquor store in the area for some bottles of wine.  Once again, the prices were considerably higher here than Tucson.  I'm beginning to really appreciate the low cost of living in Arizona.  We could buy 6 bottles out there and get a 10% discount while here you have to buy 12 bottles of wine that cost more than $10.99 a bottle to get the discount.   

Then to add insult to injury we drove by a Food Lion about 5 miles from the campground and a lot closer than the one we went to earlier in the day.  Rock Hill is more of an area than a downtown type of town.  All spread out and not that well laid out.

Ebenezer Park, Rock Hill, SC

We extended our stay another day at the campground and had to vacate the space today.  The RVs were rolling in the last couple days and the activity around the racetrack was booming.  It is hard to imagine all the preparation that goes into a race.  Glad I am not in charge and have all those headaches.

We moved 55 miles today to Ebenezer Campground in York County, South Carolina and have a nice site with trees all around us.  It is more of a campground setting than a RV resort or trailer park and is very nice.  We have a fire pit and can burn some wood when Grant comes to spend the night with us.  Maybe some marshmellows and hotdogs will be on the menu.

It has been raining in the area the past 3-4 days and we are ready for it to stop.  They get more rain in a day than Tucson gets in 6 months.  Enough already.

We are looking for a relaxing couple weeks and just taking it easy.  May even find some time for geocaching.  

Grant's 10th Birthday

We've been in Concord almost 2 weeks now and have gotten a countdown to the big birthday celebration a couple times a day from Grant.  I think he was a little bit excited and anxious for the big day to arrive.  Well, today was the big day.  He spent the night with us in the motorhome and we finally ( his words ) went to his home to begin the celebration.

Aunt Barbara & Uncle Henry showed up and Cousins Ryan & Dee came a little later.  We sat around and chatted for a while and then had his special dinner of Tacos and such with all the fixins.  As usual I ate too much and paid for it later.  Ooops, this isn't about me.  He was getting more and more anxious by the minute and finally the cake was cut and devoured by everyone.  Still not the big moment for him, he wanted the gifts opening session to begin.  He only asked for a few things like a watch, Beetle shirt, legos and Star Wars stuff and that is what he got.  A lot of gifts from the Hagadorns, Clarks, and the McClures.  You would have thought it was Christmas morning with the number of gifts.  Keep in mind that figurines, legos and such aren't that expensive, but he got a big haul to say the least.

After the gift opening everyone began to leave and then we took him back to the MH with us for another sleep over.  He was plumb tuckered out by the time we got back and fell asleep a few minutes after he got in bed.  We were right behind him and hit the hay early for us.  Tired and stuffed would best describe the feeling.

Lunch Date

We got up early today and took the MH over to the RV repair shop to finish the repairs.  They said it would take until the afternoon to finish the job so we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  We got there after 9:30am and still had to wait for a table.  They were very busy and remained busy the whole time we were there.  The breakfast was good and very filling.

We had intended to stop at Bob Evans but when we drove to the restaurant it was boarded up and closed.  That is a shame because we always have a nice breakfast there.  I hope they reopen soon.

Gerry, Grant, Larry Jr. and I joined Jane for lunch today in Charlotte at Big Daddy's Burger Bar.  We had a 15 minute wait at 12:45 and got seated and enjoyed a great meal.  We took a tour of Jane's office and met most of her staff.  It looked like a very nice work situation for the people with large open rooms with windows for the most part.

We picked the MH up around 4:00 pm and went over a few things.  It looks like they did a good job but the proof of the pudding will be when it rains the next couple days.  I hope they sealed it up real tight on the roof.

Grant is spending the night with us and his parents will be out on the town on a "date".  It will be the first one since they arrived here in early October.  I think they are in dire need of a night out for themselves.  Have fun guys.

Birthday & Lowes Motor Speedway

Our camp ground is within walking distance of Lowes Speedway in Concord, NC.  We have to be out of here by Monday morning since the sites are all rented out for the next two weeks.  Two big races coming up and the spots are taken a year in advance.  The last couple years we camped near the dragstrip and dirt track here, but changed to a more traditional campground this year run by a private family rather than a Corporation.  Much nicer atmosphere for us and we do have shade trees all around us.

We run into many people who say they are going to follow the NASCAR circuit when they buy a MH and retire.  If anyone looked at the NASCAR schedule, they would have second thoughts about doing this.  There have been 10 races so far this year and if a person started in Charlotte, NC and attended all of them, they would have driven approx 12,500 miles.  Even at 10mpg, that would 1,250 gallons of fuel at $3.90/gal for a ball park cost of $4900 for fuel.  Then camping is charged by the week in most places and a conservative estimate would be $500/week plus ticket prices of $300 for two tickets.  That would be about $13,900 for ten races and there are 28 races to go.  WHEW!  That throws a whole new light on the plans.   Not for me. 

We attended a birthday celebration for our son-in-law Henry this evening.  Gerry prepared spaghetti for him as that is what he requested for his dinner.  It is traditional in our family that the birthday person gets their choice of meals on their special day.  

All the parts for the MH have come in and we are scheduled for 9am on Friday for them to complete the work.  It is interesting to see how informal businesses run around this area.  More laid back and casual compared to where we lived in MD for so many years.  It is nice in some ways but a little uncertain in others.   As along as they do good work then it is great.  Report to follow.

Birthday & Lowes Speedway

Our camp ground is within walking distance of Lowes Speedway in Concord, NC.  We have to be out of here by Monday morning since the sites are all rented out for the next two weeks.  Two big races coming up and the spots are taken a year in advance.  The last couple years we camped near the dragstrip and dirt track here, but changed to a more traditional campground this year ran by a private family rather than a Corporation.  Much nicer atmosphere for us and we do have shade trees all around us.



We run into many people who say they are going to follow the NASCAR circuit when they buy a MH and retire.  If anyone looked at the NASCAR schedule they would have second thoughts about doing this.  There have been 10 races so far this year and if a person started in Charlotte, NC and attended all of them they would have driven approx 12,500 miles.  Even at 10mpg, that would 1,250 gallons of fuel at $3.90/gal for a ball park cost of $4900 for fuel.  Then camping is charged by the week in most places and a conservative estimate would be $500/week plus ticket prices of $300 for two tickets.  That would be about $13,900 for ten races and there are 28 races to go.  WHEW!  That throws a whole new light on the plans.   Not for me. 



We will be attending a birthday celebration for our son-in-law Henry this evening.  Gerry is preparing spaghetti for him as that is what he requested for his dinner.  It is traditional in our family that the birthday person gets their choice of meals on their special day.  



All the parts for the MH have come in and we are scheduled for 9am on Friday for them to complete the work.  It is interesting to see how informal businesses run around this area.  More laid back and casual compared to where we live in MD for so many years.  It is nice in some ways but a little uncertain in others.   As along as they do good work then it is great.  Report to follow.

Birthday & Lowes Speedway

Our camp ground is within walking distance of Lowes Speedway in Concord, NC.  We have to be out of here by Monday morning since the sites are all rented out for the next two weeks.  Two big races coming up and the spots are taken a year in advance.  The last couple years we camped near the dragstrip and dirt track here, but changed to a more traditional campground this year ran by a private family rather than a Corporation.  Much nicer atmosphere for us and we do have shade trees all around us.



We run into many people who say they are going to follow the NASCAR circuit when they buy a MH and retire.  If anyone looked at the NASCAR schedule they would have second thoughts about doing this.  There have been 10 races so far this year and if a person started in Charlotte, NC and attended all of them they would have driven approx 12,500 miles.  Even at 10mpg, that would 1,250 gallons of fuel at $3.90/gal for a ball park cost of $4900 for fuel.  Then camping is charged by the week in most places and a conservative estimate would be $500/week plus ticket prices of $300 for two tickets.  That would be about $13,900 for ten races and there are 28 races to go.  WHEW!  That throws a whole new light on the plans.   Not for me. 



We will be attending a birthday celebration for our son-in-law Henry this evening.  Gerry is preparing spaghetti for him as that is what he requested for his dinner.  It is traditional in our family that the birthday person gets their choice of meals on their special day.  



All the parts for the MH have come in and we are scheduled for 9am on Friday for them to complete the work.  It is interesting to see how informal businesses run around this area.  More laid back and casual compared to where we live in MD for so many years.  It is nice in some ways but a little uncertain in others.   As along as they do good work then it is great.  Report to follow.

New Windshield

We are now the proud owners of a new windshield for the motorhome.  They called us this morning and said to bring in the MH around 12:30 for them to replace the bad windshield.  We got there right on time, however the glass company crew was a little late.  They finally showed up and went to work with the repair.  We left then since it was going to take about 3 hours before we could drive out of there.

Larry Jr.  & Grant came by just before we went to the repair shop and Grant spent the afternoon with us.  He likes to geocache so we went out and picked up 8 caches.  He found many of them and was quite excited about his detective work.  It is great seeing him get so excited and the look of satisfaction on his face for a job well done.

We took Grant home and he guided us the whole way.  Keep in mind that he is 9 yrs old and just moved to the area.  He was able to give me directions before we got to the turns and knew the way perfectly.  Great job Grant.

Larry Jr. has turned into a very good chef and fixed all of us a great chicken with Parmesan cheese dinner, potatoes and a nice salad.  He sure showed up his old dad in the cooking department.  We had a nice dinner chat and then dessert later.  Man, I am getting fat.

Since we don't have cable at the park, we stayed and watched Survivor and chatted some more before we left around 10pm.  They both have busy days ahead and we have to take the MH in for the rest of the repairs in the morning.

I am tired.  Good night all.

Mothers' Day

Sunday was Mothers' Day celebration and Henry fixed a ham and all the fixin's for Barbara, Elizabeth ( his mother ) and Gerry.  We sat outside on the patio and there were some board games with bean bags and such.  Much like horseshoes but they call it cornhole down here.  Don't ask my why they call it that.

We left late in the night again and were completely worn out by the time we got back to the motorhome.  We had a great time the past 4 days and it was worth it to attend all the functions.

Wedding Shower and Party

Sean & Taylor are getting married in June so a wedding shower for the family was scheduled for 1:30pm and that made it imperative that we leave Rocky Mt and make the 220 mile drive back early.  Whew!

The ladies went to the shower and the guys managed to entertain themselves.  Larry Jr, Grant and I went geocaching and managed to find two of them before it was time to go to the graduation party for Jared & Stephanie.  We got there on time and the party began.

First, we created a pool for the Kentucky Derby and my horse came in second.  Gerry made Mint Juleps for all those who wanted them and we cheered on our horses.  It was a good race and everyone got into cheering for their horse.

The two proud graduates had a nice cake that they shared with all of us.  They both worked really hard and did very well in school and we are very proud of them.  Aren't they the cutest people you have ever seen?  Congratulations you two.

The party continues into the night and everyone had a great time.  The Nascar race from Darlington was on tv and another pool was formed.  I wasn't even close with my driver.  Sandy, Henry's sister, won the Nascar pool.

Once again we left around midnight and the youngins continued partying in the morning.  You have to know your limits.

Jared's Graduation - East Carolina University

We got home late from Stephanie's pinning and managed to catch some sleep before we had to get ready for the drive from Concord, NC to Rocky Mt, NC.  We had a motel room there and left our luggage in the room and kept on driving to Greenville, NC for the Friday night graduation.

We stopped by the home Jared rents with his roommates and had a quick beer before going to dinner.  There were 12 people for dinner and the waitress took everyone's order without writing it down.  She had everything correct except she gave my salad to Sandy.  I quickly recovered it and enjoyed the salad very much.  We ate in record time and then headed for the graduation site.

The family photos with the graduate were taken outside while the sun was still shining and we entered the basketball arena for the actual ceremony.  450 graduates filed into the arena and the ordeal began.  Each name was called out and many had little stories attached to them.  That wasn't the ordeal though, the seats were the smallest seats I have ever seen in an arena and there wasn't enough room for our legs.  Everyone was cramped in the seats for over two hours and moaning and groaning.  It was worth it to see Jared graduate.  He threw his graduation cap into the air like everyone else and he was the only graduate who didn't recover his cap.  It sat there by itself among the sea of empty seats.

The photo to the right is:  Sean, Henry, Jared, Barbara and Stephanie.  Ryan was unable to get off work for the graduation.

After the ceremony we drove back to Rocky Mt and left the youngins to celebrate at the party in Jared's home.  We got some needed sleep and they partied all night.  I was whipped.

Pinning Ceremony

We didn't do much on Wednesday other than visit with the family.  Thursday we went to Barbara & Henry's home for a light dinner and then drove out to where grand daughter Stephanie was getting "pinned" after her graduation from nursing school.  She worked a full time job and attended school in between work schedules to get her degree.  It was a long, tough road but she hung in there and graduated.  Now she has to take her "board exams" to get her RN certificate.  Just a few more months to go for her.

Concord, NC Glenwood Acres CG

We left Walterboro, SC this morning and had an uneventful day until we got to Columbia, SC.  We were behind a very small car at a safe distance on I-20 when the woman driver decided to come to an almost complete stop to allow a dump truck on the entrance ramp get in front of her.  All she had to do was continue at the speed she was driving and both of us could have cleared the ramp with a lot of room to spare.  I hit the brakes and locked up the car brakes ( Thank God for our Brake Buddy ) and the motorhome brakes slowed us down in time to come to an almost complete stop from 60mph.  If we would have rear ended her, she would never have survived the crash.  Why do they allow stupid drivers like her on the highway?

Then we stopped for gas at the FlyingJ.  We had to prepay for it even though the gas pumps had a place to swipe your credit card.  Gerry went in to get the receipt and was talking to me to get the correct amount when a redneck shrimp behind her told her to get off the phone and take care of business.  If you know Gerry, this didn't go over too well with her.  She had a few choice words for the guy and then they had further conversation that I could hear.  I was ready to go into the station and defend her from this idiot when she started walking out.  She said she could have whipped him with no problem.  I believe her!

The rest of the trip to Concord was quiet and peaceful.  That is our story and we are sticking to it.  

We are now waiting for Barbara and Henry to drop by for a drink and possibly Larry Jr, Jane and Grant.  Doubtful that Jr and family will make it but we will see them on Wednesday. 

I have a cold beer waiting so have to take care of important things first.  See ya!

Walterboro, SC

We are slowly working our way to Concord and should be there on Monday or Tuesday afternoon.  Today was a short drive of 265 miles, however we are now on the infamous I-95 section of the trip.  The traffic was heavy as usual and at the northern end of Georgia there was an accident involving a pickup truck and travel trailer.  They were upside down on the guard rail in the outside lane.  I am not sure if anyone was injured, but TT sure looked like it was totaled.  We worked our way up to the accident in about 40 minutes of stop and go when a trucker announced I-95 was closed.  I jumped on the shoulder and went up to the exit ramp and then got back on and bypassed the actual stoppage.

That was our excitement for the day.  It was also the first time we spent over $200 for fuel in one fillup.  Doesn't take long when gas is $3.80/gallon.  I take Paypal, Cash and Checks in case anyone is interested.  Yeah, fat chance. 

Thank God we are close to home.