It was time to move on. The days have been warm enough but we had quite a few chilly nights in Maryland. It was a reminder that winter is on the way!
We traveled through Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It was a beautiful ride. The leaves here are a little past peak but still lovely. We have always loved driving here. We used to say that we could feel our blood pressure drop as soon as we passed over the Bay Bridge. Many of our earliest adventures were here. We vacationed with my family for many years in Ocean City. Beginning on my thirtieth birthday, we started visiting various towns and inns and bed and breakfast establishments all along the shore.
Our destination today was Cape Charles, Virginia. Cherrystone Campground was the very first place we ever camped in a rented RV. We had always said that someday we wanted to buy an RV and travel the country. That year, about 20 years ago, Tim surprised me with the gift of a week in a Class C Camper. It was here at Cherrystone that we fell in love with the RV lifestyle. We were immediately hooked.
It is the off-season and so there were just a few other rigs in the campground. We had a site overlooking the bay. We walked the piers and the park, enjoying the sunny evening. We are glad to be back!
We had to drive to Snellville to get our RV out of storage and then we were traveling north. We went as far as Henderson, North Carolina. We stopped at Skipper’s BBQ for pulled pork and hushpuppies and green beans and lima beans and collard greens. Tim and his family are from Henderson. He grew up eating BBQ from Skipper Forsyth’s. It smelled delicious and Tim was starving. When I came out with the bag, he had set the table and poured the wine. We ate right there in the parking lot. We drove a couple of miles and stayed overnight at the Cracker Barrel.
On Tuesday, we arrived in Reisterstown. We stayed in the RV at Kyle and Allison’s house. Every night, I had dinner ready when they got home from work. Tim and I took care of the yardwork. Kyle and Tim stripped the dining room carpet and then spent days prying the linoleum from the kitchen floor. We got it all prepped and Kyle was able to finish laying the hardwood. I did some painting too. Another thing that we always have to do when we go home is take care of our healthcare. We had some appointments and we got caught up on all the recommended vaccines for “seniors.” We tried to do as much as we could but we also had lots of fun visiting. I got to spend lots of time with my mom. I had lunch with she and my sister. I saw several friends for lunch dates and we saw many of our couple friends as well. It was nice to go home and see everyone!
We also took a short three-day road trip to Mansfield, Ohio to visit with family. The first evening, we had dinner with my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Ken. The next morning, we drove around the town visiting various spots that I knew from my childhood. We saw my grandparents’ houses, my grandfather’s workplace, the church where I was baptized, and the Mansfield town square. That afternoon, we went to visit Aunt Kathy and Uncle Don. My uncle is undergoing chemotherapy. He has the most amazing attitude. I sincerely believe that attitude has a lot to do with healing and wellbeing. He is a man of faith who prefers to lead by action and example. He is an inspiration. We were grateful to be able to spend this time with loved ones that we rarely see.
The most exciting news is that Kyle and Allison are expecting a baby boy in March. This is bound to change the way we travel! Right now, it means that we will not be going west this winter but instead, we plan to stay on the east coast this fall and then after Christmas, we will go to Florida for a while. We want to be in Maryland in March to help!
1040 September 13- October 9, 2023 Atlanta Staycation
After months of travel and weeks of frustration, and then driving lots of miles in a very short number of days from Edmonton to Atlanta, it was nice to be at home with David and his family. The day that we arrived, the kids got home from school and saw our Jeep parked along the curb. They charged into the house full of excitement. We welcomed all the love and hugs!
On Friday evening, the kids begged us to sleep out in the roof top tent. We set up in the driveway. We packed the sleeping bags and pillows and blankets and lovies and snacks and books and we had a wonderful evening. Grandma and PopPop and Oliver and Austin all cuddled together in our nest. On Saturday, we baked gingerbread cookies and then I had a sleepover with the boys in Oliver’s room. Austin sleeps in the trundle bed every non-school night. I slept with Oliver in his big bed. We read lots of chapters of Captain Underpants. Sunday was swimming lessons. It was great to see how much the boys had gained in their swimming skills since our last visit in the spring. The afternoon was spent doing all sorts of painting and art projects.
The boys were off for fall break the following week. On Monday, David and Dre, the boys, and us drove into the city to the Atlanta Aquarium. The highlight of the day was the dolphin show.
On Tuesday, Dre had to go back to work. David joined us and we took the boys to the zoo. I fed the giraffe hoping that the boys would do it too…but not this time!
Wednesday, we had tickets to the Braves game. We all made it all to the end of the game. It was a disappointing loss.
Thursday, Tim and I took the boys for an overnight camping trip in the Jeep and tent. We went to Stone Mountain and the boys practiced casting with their new fishing rods. We got a couple of nibbles but no fish. We had fun at the playground. We cooked quesadillas on the grill and roasted marshmallows and enjoyed the campfire. It was a great first real camping trip!
Saturday, we hiked in the woods where the kids splashed in the creek.
By Monday, we were all happy and tired and the kids went back to school.
We spent the next two weeks helping with carpool and swimming and doing some household chores and yardwork. In the evenings we played games and read books. Austin really likes to cook and he helped to make spaghetti and meatballs. He also liked to help cut strawberries and stuff for salads. Oliver doesn’t really like to eat and other than making cookies, he didn’t join in on our meal prep. We had more sleepovers and went to the playground. The boys are 5 and 7 and so much fun!
We were all very sad when it was time to leave but we are all already counting the days until December!
