Chats on the Farmhouse Porch: Valentines

Good day to all of you! It is time to join Patrice and many cyber friends for a chat on Patrice's porch. Today my "porch" overlooks a beautiful meadow surrounded by trees, in Piedmont, SC. The meadow begs to have a split rail fence around it with some horses or donkeys in it! Speaking of horses, Wendell would like to have some valentines. Here is one that Doc 'gave me' years ago. Now, some of you might find this offensive, but I think there is nothing nicer than the big, bountiful butt of a beautiful horse! I'll pass it on to Wendell with lots of love and kisses!

Happy Valentine's Day

You can join the chat, too. You can respond to the questions on your own blog, and link to Everyday Rurality, or you can respond to some or all of the questions in a comment. 

Patrice asks:

1. Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day?
2. When you attend something that isn't totally casual, are you likely to wear dress pants or a dress?
3. Do you use a regular toothbrush or one of the battery run kind?
4. Did you have valentines in school when you were a child?
5. If you could learn a new craft tomorrow, what would it be?

Here are my responses:

1. Do you think having the chassis of our motorhome serviced counts as something 'special'? We will be "homeless" for the day and have to entertain the dogs and ourselves. Maybe, if the weather is nice, we can find a dog park so Tucker and Gypsy can play. I do love the motorhome - so I guess maybe it is a nice thing to do on Valentine's Day!

2. I am more likely to wear pants, but I have been dying to share pictures of this crazy dress I found at the Jockey Store Outlet.... for all of $6.99.

The dress came with 4 black straps with snaps that can be used to gather the sleeves together. It also has a long black scarf that can be criss crossed over the top, worn as a shrug, a belt or draped over the shoulders. The length can be adjusted with snaps, too. I bought the dress, which came with an instruction sheet showing 12 different ways to wear the dress, but have never worn it. I must confess, it doesn't look nearly as nice on me as it does on the model in the picture!

3. My dentist recommended that I use an Ultrasonic Toothbrush. I alternate between using that and a handheld, old fashioned model.

4. One of my fond memories of elementary school was making Valentine boxes for the Valentine Day Party. I think I enjoyed the process and anticipation far more than actually getting valentines.

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5. I would love to learn how to paint - either with acrylics or water color. Some day I just may take some lessons.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Imagine an early morning,  snuggled under the down comforter in your bed. Your sweet slumber dreams disintegrate into nightmares of monsters roaring, and bearing down on you. You awake with a start, and realize there are no monsters, just a few dozen large motorhomes on the move on every side of your motorhome,  heading for service appointments in Red Bay, AL....

The Allegro Campground and Service Center was built around an old airport. While waiting for service,  owners "camp" along the runway. There are full hook-ups for power, water and sewer. But, no picnic tables or other amenities.

The Service Center has 49 bays. When 6:30 AM rolls around, one engine after another roars to life. The motorhomes are on the move by 6:45. It is busy and noisy!

The motorhomes line up at the appointed service bay and wait for the door to open.

The service building is huge. Each bay can hold a motorhome up to 45 feet in length. The center "road"  allows for the transport and distribution of parts and materials. There are motorhomes on both sides of the central highway. There is a lovely waiting area, and dogs are welcome. Tucker and Gypsy settled into the routine without a fuss, although Gypsy was at first intimidated by the huge service area and was a bit hesitant about walking on the slick surface of the "road". It took a bit of encouragement, but she soon became a champ at it. Or rather, I suppose, managed to slink warily along the highway!

Our service was performed faster than we had anticipated. We had a punch list of items we thought should be checked out. We pulled into the service bay at 1:00 PM the first day, then returned the next morning. The following day we had work completed just outside a service bay and a TV technician visited us at our "camp site" one afternoon. We were on our way out of town before we knew it. Thank you to all of the folks at Red Bay who made our trip memorable for the right reasons!

On with our adventures!

Scene Along the Road: Stonehenge

Here is a scene along I-4 just outside of Tampa. 

Stone.... er.... Trailerhenge!

(And of course, I didn't have my camera at the ready - so had to resort to finding a picture online.)

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Dreamy Drives

Dreaming was in Tampa for a few days. She and Mr. Dreamy attended a "rally" with other owners of the same type of RV. Rallies like this usually have a number of get-togethers and activities... often involving food and/or libation. This particular Rally was held at a huge RV center and campground. The RV center offers a beginner's RV driving course. Mr. Dreamy and I were lucky to get reservations to attend the course. The morning classroom session involved the basics about driving an RV as opposed to driving a car. For example, the RV is 2 1/2 feet wider than a car and much longer! Since the driver is sitting on or just in front of the front axle, turns have to be made at different points. Our motorhome has an "at the hip" turning position. We have to wait until the path we want to follow is at our hip before we negotiate a turn. The instructor explained that it was like sitting on the hood of your car and trying to turn it.
The rear wheels of motor homes are so far forward that the tail end of the RV can swing out two to three feet - so not only does the driver need to think about where the front end is going,  but she has to consider the back end as well. Evidently this unlucky owner didn't know about this and was a bit too close to something when he turned. Note the wire holding the back trim on the motorhome.

In addition, we were cautioned to know how tall our RV is. This is why....



Ouch.... I'd hate to have that happen!

This particular training shows us how to put dots on our mirrors and windshield to help us determine where we are in space. So, a red dot on the mirror shows me where the rear axle is. I can use this to judge when to turn out of a parking space, for example. A dot on the windshield shows me what is15-16 feet in front of the RV.  I can use that dot to keep me in my lane when I am making a sweeping turn to the left or the right.
In the afternoon we all had the opportunity to drive around the campground in a 38 foot motorhome, negotiating left and right turns.  I managed the course with ease. It was a wonderful experience. Hmmm.... I wonder if Mr. Dreamy will ever let me drive?!

It's Not All About the RV's

We visited the Florida RV Super Show in Tampa.
If you look up "Too Much" in the dictionary,
it just might be illustrated by this show!

It was HUGE!

There were RV's inside (in several buildings)....

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And out....

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 There were old RV's...

(I do not know this person... I snagged the picture off the 'net)

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and new...

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There were big RV's...

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and small....

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There were two buildings of vendor booths...

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There was music...

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There was fair fare....

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and a parade....

and cowboys to make me feel at home...

(Look closely and you can see the horses they are riding!)

We walked.

and walked....

and walked some more.

We walked until our feet were sore.

We bought a tire gauge,

and a reel for hose.

We passed by the doggie strollers,

we don't need those!

Despite the walking,

The day was fun,

It's fun to look at options!

When all is said and done

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch: Enjoying a WiFi High

I'm on a WiFi high! We are at the factory campground (for our motorhome) in Alabama and they have WiFi... and the WiFi is good!

I feel like somebody again!

I can read about what is going on... 

and I can put up posts... 

and I can email...
and I can open posts with pictures...

and I can leave comments....

and I can participate in Patrice's "Chats on the Farmhouse Porch"

Hooray!

Patrice gives us five questions every week so that we can respond and then check out the responses from others who link up to her site. This week we are only imagining we are on Patrice's porch as she says it is very cold. (As if we don't 'imagine' the porch visit every week.... geesh, this is beginning to seem so real!)

Here are this week's questions:

1. What is your favorite time of day to read? If you don't enjoy reading, then what is your favorite time to watch TV/movies?
2. Did you watch the Super Bowl? If so, what was your favorite commercial? If you didn't watch it, what did you do Sunday night?
3. Have you been watching Downton Abbey?Who's your favorite character? If not, have you seen any interesting TV or movies series lately?
4. Do you enjoy home parties for selling items? (like Pampered Chef, Southern Living, Mary Kay)
5. Please finish this sentence. If I work very hard, I can__________________.

Here are my answers:

1. I enjoy reading at any time during the day when I don't feel like I should really be doing something else. As I have aged I have found that I have a harder time keeping my nose buried in the book. I find my mind wandering and thinking of distractions... usually things that need doing. Generally I will read in the evening if TV doesn't interest me and very often for a few minutes in bed before falling asleep.

2. I am not much of a football fan, but I did watch the game and I enjoyed it. Since my son lives in SF I was really hoping that the 49ers would pull it off. As far as the ads go, hands down my favorite was the Clydesdale ad, followed by the ad for the RAM which celebrated our farmers.

3. My son introduced me to Downton Abbey when he was visiting at Christmas. We watched 5 or 6 shows from the first season. I did enjoy them, but haven't watched any since. I am tickled that my son and his wife consider this one of their favorite shows. If I had to pick a favorite character I'd pick Violet. She reminds me of my MIL!

4. I do enjoy participating in home sale parties.... but I usually feel that I must buy something. I have a few things in my cabinets that I never use because of that. I have hosted a few parties, but prefer not to, because then I feel that my friends will feel pressured to buy. Although I often like the products offered for sale, I feel that the prices are a bit steep.

5. If I work very hard I can..... lose some weight and get in shape! Here's hoping (she says as she sips a beer and eats more potato chips!)


Visit Everyday Rurality to see other responses to the questions by clicking on the link below. You can play along, too, but responding in a comment or, if you have a blog, by putting up a post with your own answers and linking them to Patrice's page.

This Week on "Me"

I feel so out of touch. We have not been at a campground that has had WiFi, or any other form of Internet connection for that matter, for a looonnnnggggg time! I haven't been able to read any blogs and I haven't been able to post to my blog.  So, in the manner of "Glee"....

Here's what you missed on "Living a Dream":

The Dreamers leave Florida and Mr. Dreamy's family after a wonderful family dinner, where the matriarch (Mr. Dreamy's mother) agrees to dinner out, despite the shiner she is sporting from a tumble a few nights before, which resulted in a trip to the hospital and some glue and steri-strips to put her back together again. The Dreamers enjoy drinks and dinner near Savannah with a delightful young man who used to play with their son when they were young children and find it entertaining that while the friend seems all grown up, their son will forever be their 'boy'! The Dreamers visit their hometown of 30+ years, which they haven't seen for a while. They gawk at all of the changes and growth and agree that although they miss some things about 'home' they don't miss all of the hustle and bustle and bigness. Dreaming bakes a cake, successfully, in the convection microwave and invites lots of friends  to come by for "Coffee @ the Coach".  The Dreamers go out to lunch with other friends, Dreaming takes a walk with her former walking buddy and another friend comes for breakfast. The fuzzy family members work hard at camping.  The 'coach' gets buttoned up and begins the trek west and the Dreamers discover that although "Hot-lanta" may be big on Braves baseball game, burgers at the Varsity, Coca Cola, CNN, the Martin Luther King Center and the home of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, it is not big on camping! Our campground choices were very limited.

And, that's what you missed!

We are heading to Red Bay, AL for some warranty repairs and service. From there? Who knows! We'll have to see how the wind blows!

Cranberry Tea Cake before applying the glaze

Gypsy and Tucker hard at work!