Wet and windy end to summer

We have often thought that we just don’t get into NYC very often. Given that we are only 80 miles from one of the great cities of the World, we should do it every now and then.

So off we went. Just to make the trip a little adventure we took a different train route to the one that takes us down the Hudson river. We took the “Port Jervis” line, over the Moodner Viaduct, through New Jersey and under the Hudson River into Penn Station. It’s a slow line but a very pleasant journey.

First stop was the B&H camera superstore. I could spend hours there just looking. Lynne was interested in a bag for her new Sony but the check out line just seemed too long so she gently guided me to the exit.

A new section of the High Line Park has recently opened so, as it was a lovely day, we went off to explore. The park has been constructed along a disused section of elevated rail line. Starting at 30th street and going on down to 14th, you get such a unique view of the city . We highly recommend it.

Trains ran this way Note the water towers on top of the appartments

Cross town view Art is a key feature

After a well deserved lunch we went off to explore the garment district and find Mood Fabrics of Project Runway fame. Given that I have no interest in the series it’s odd that it was me that spotted Mondo, runner up from last year, waiting at the counter, fabric in hand. The place is an Aladdin’s Cave for anyone with a creative stitching bent ……. I dutifully followed along at a distance.

The main plaza at Seacaucus Junction We strolled across town and gradually made our way back to Penn Station for the trip back to the sticks. We were quickly away on the first leg to Secaucus Junction where we discovered that we had over an hour to wait for the next train to Middletown (NY). Still, the modern waiting plaza was cool and had seats. The time seemed to pass quickly …. maybe it was the company? It was a fine day out in the big city and we will do it again. Not via that line for a while as hurricane Irene has washed out the tracks in several places.

And that brings me neatly on to the wet and windy end to the summer. Hurricane season is always well reported here but doesn’t often make as big an impression as Irene. The signs were there and people were being warned to make preparations well in advance. Low lying areas of New Jersey and New York were evacuated for the predicted storm surge and flooding. As it turned out, the main destruction came from the very heavy inland rainfall and subsequent flooding as water took any route down to overflowing rivers. Some towns had 4ft of water running down the main street. There are some crazy scenes on You Tube.

Come on Irene The weather radar pictures looked ominous and it was raining hard as we went to bed that night. Everything had been put away or tied down. We knew it would be windy but the worst was expected on the coast, 80 miles away.

We woke up at around 3am and it was raining hard but blowing harder. All the trees were trashing around, the electricity was already out and all we could do was wait for the sun to come up and the wind to calm down. When it did, we were pleased to see that there were no major trees down and apart for some very minor water in the basement, we were unscathed. I got the small generator running and we had the fridge, freezer and some lights going. Our main issue was the lack of 220v for the well pump so there was no running water although we had filled up the bath and stocked up on bottled water. We had radio but no telephone, internet or cable tv. By lunchtime we were beginning to understand how lucky we were.

Truck RV covered in debris

We took a trip out to see how the local area had been affected and to see if we could gauge how long the power was likely to be out. We soon started to see trees down and roads flooded. The river through town was raging but runs significantly lower in the valley so was not an issue there. We travelled to a number of other bridges and road crossings to see the scale of the run off. There was a lot of water!

Walkill river rages The weir is almost smoothed out

The fun started on the homeward loop. Every way we turned there was a flooded road, a tree down or power cable across the street. We were all over the place before we reached home. We eventually got power back by Wednesday.

Route home seriously underwater That should be pasture

Typical tree taking down power situation This one kept us out for more than three days

On a much lighter note. We had a great evening out this last Saturday. We went out with friends to Brian’s Back Yard BBQ for a meal and blues music. So good!

Cute critters in the collection have mainly been deer, hummingbirds and the odd snake. I also saw a skunk scurry through the trees.

Our regular family visitors Ribbon Snake

* All photos by Lynne with her new Sony SLR (except the last two)

Maine coast – New Hampshire mountains

With a break in contracts for Lynne, we were able to get away and explore some more of this great country. After the crazy heat of last summer we thought it would be good to go northeast and towards the cooler coast of Maine. With no other plan than to enjoy ourselves, it was a bonus that we were able to add on some time in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In total we covered 2025 miles.

Maine Trip

I had spent a few days checking over the RV and loading up ready to go as soon as Lynne had delivered her final project. The dogs had an early session with the groomer and we were hitched up and rolling by lunch time. 290 miles on a mid-week afternoon got us into the Kennebunk camp site before dark. That’s important to me as I like to see the space I have to back the RV into.

While I unhitched, connected the services and walked the dogs, Lynne sorted out the interior, pushed out the slide-outs and organised the food. The great thing with having a bunch of solar panels and batteries is being able to have the slow cooker do it’s job while we are driving. Mexican chilli chicken …. yum.

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Cagney and Lacey are great travellers are are quite at home in the RV. Of course they also enjoy hiking with us. For the first week we were on the coast so there were lots of opportunities to get wet in the Atlantic. Generally, the beaches have to be clear of dogs by 9am. This meant an early start each day to make sure we were on the beach by about 7am. It was well worth the effort. It was great to stroll along the shoreline in the early morning sun and watch the girls run amok with all the other dogs.

DSC00394 It’s funny who you bump into whilst walking dogs! As we came to one end of the Kennebunkport beach the girls ran off to play with a group of people coming towards us. They were roundly seem off by the two small yappy dogs and we stopped for a brief doggy discussion. It was only as we walked away that I recalled why the white haired old lady looked familiar. It was the former First Lady, Barbara Bush. As we looked back holiday makers were walking up to her and shaking her hand. She seemed to have time for everyone.

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The village of Kennebunkport was more “arts and crafts” than “kiss me quick” but ready to take the tourist $ none the less.

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The local seafood industry was all around and I’m not sure it would have been possible to get a steak. I’m pleased that we went early in the morning as traffic was heavy later in the day.

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Lynne planed a road trip north to see some other parts of the coast. Funnily enough, it seemed to take in a quilt shop! On route we got to see a truly huge globe at the HQ of Delorme and a giant boot at the flagship LLBean store.

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The main point of the trip was to take in the rocky coastline around Plymouth and to see the first lighthouse in Maine.

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A real bonus was this Osprey family that had built their home in one of the marinas. Apparently dad was out fishing …… typical!

DSC00557 Time came to move on to after another early morning beach run we hitched up and travelled 146 miles up to a site just north of Bangor. The main attraction for us was the Acadia National Park. It was an hour away but we were able to get a much less commercial (quiet)campsite. The hiking in the park was harder work than strolling on the beach but the views were worth every drop of sweat.

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It was hot and painful work at times. We carried lots of water for the girls and they found shade whenever possible. We found blueberries.

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One of our first hikes took us along the coastal path and across this gorgeous beach. Sadly no dogs were allowed so we couldn’t stop.

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The park is best appreciated from the top and we took the long hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was a hot 7 mile round trip rewarded by great views. The only problem is that we were joined by the coach parties and others that had driven to the top.

For our next hike, Lynne managed to find a recommended route up the adjacent mountains of Sargent and Penobscot. That was much quieter and gave equally magnificent views. It ended up being about 10 miles around (we  took an alternate turn on the way down). We all slept very well that night.

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Sea food was everywhere and delicious. There was clearly a curry house somewhere but we never saw it.

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We could have stayed in Maine much longer but we had to begin the trek homeward. We didn’t have a plan but had figured that some time near the Appalachian Trail might be fun. We ended up in a camp site in near the Town of Gorham, New Hampshire. This is right in the White Mountains area.

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Hiking here was a physically tougher but the trees did give us more shade. We did a couple of hikes that took us to the edge of the tree line and the views before retreating back into the cool.

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We took a “day on, day off” approach to hiking. Days off were spent sewing (Lynne), lounging (me and the girls) and general sightseeing. The camp had provided a very interesting map of scenic routes to follow. There were waterfalls and covered bridges to be seen.

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The highest peak in the area is Mount Washington. There are several hiking routes to the top. We wimped out and took the easy way up. Easy, that is, if you are ok with very steep narrow gravel roads with steep drops and no barriers. At the top, we were literally in and out of the clouds as they blew by. As we watched the cog rail train climbing up to the summit, I was reminded of Snowdon.

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Lynne wanted to see a moose ………. I told her she was already living with one but that didn’t cut it. We were directed to a lonely back road called Thirteen Mile Wood, just before dark, as the best place to see them. All told it was a 50 or so mile round trip. We passed many “brake for moose” signs but did we see a moose? Lynne’s convinced that they are a myth made up by the tourist people. It was a lovely drive into wild country though.

And so our road trip came to a close. We packed our gear, hitched up the RV and drove south through Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and back into New York. We saw lots of places we’d like to go back for next time. It was great to get away and see another small part of this BIG country.

Rob’s first post….

It’s a husband’s job to get nagged into doing “stuff” that you promised to do ….. eventually. But when other peoples wives start chirping in … well I suppose I should not have left it so long.

PICT9550It’s only in the last two or three weeks that I can say winter has left us. It’s been a long, cold New York winter. It’s not that we had massive snow falls. We just seemed to get top ups every week and then just as we thought it was all PICT9338 melting away …. down it came again. That means lots of shovelling for me, to keep the back deck clear, and the eventual melt water away from the house. There was so much build up that I had to get up the ladder and clear the roof at the back. It’s a long way down! I always get lots of help with the snow jobs though!

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The snow hangs around on the ground but we do get lots of beautiful blue sky days. It’s still much too cold to go licking lamp posts but it looks great. We try to help out the birds. Well the do put on a fab show for us all year ‘round. The Cardinals brighten any bleak winter day.

Hunter Lynne Winter does have good bits. We are only an hour or so drive from skiing. We really should make more effort to ski more. The resorts do low cost lift passes mid week for locals.

Lynne has been flying off to Florida most weeks this year. The relief from the cold has been tempered by the hassle of flying in the USA. On the plus side, we have a local airport, so avoiding the trek to a major. The down side is the need to make connections – mainly Atlanta. Given the seasonal storms, the journey has been a little incident packed at times. Blizzards, engine failure, wild fires and tornadoes have all played their part in an eventful life as a travelling business consultant. The “sorry” letters keep coming offering more free Delta air miles. It looks like the Florida gig is over now so hopefully the girls and I will see more of her.

PICT9577 After a nudge or two, I was persuaded that I should take a trip back to the UK. Well it had been over a year. Right up to the last minute, the weekly snow storm kept me guessing. The weekly dump had fallen as rain on the coast so the airport was all systems go. Car rental problems aside, it was a good journey. I got to the pub with my brothers and sister – a rare event even when we lived there. As always, a trip back to the UK means a frantic road trip. Up to the Clacton area to see Claire and the girls. Then on to Peterborough to visit Michael and his (now) fiancée Claire. Sorry that I couldn’t get down to Wales but I only had a week. It was good to see long time friends and enjoyed the visit to Sue and Malc, and walking in the New Forrest with the dogs.

PICT0016 Back in Pine Bush, the winter was still ongoing. Our last significant snowfall was in the last week of March. Spring time usually kicks in quickly here. Like somebody flicked a switch. Well not this year. There were a couple of teaser warm days but the cold weather persisted well into April. Eventually the daffs forced their way into the light but the trees didn’t get budding until May. The critters were pleased to see the back of the snow!

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We’ve become strangely social recently, falling in with a local crowd and have taken trips out to “sound alike band” Valentine rosesconcerts, wineries etc. At times, it’s difficult for an atheist, socialist to hold his tongue but they are gracious and allow me the occasional rant while poor Lynne just rolls her eyes. As a result of all this new found congeniality, I was completely unable to ignore Valentines day. We went dancing. There were flowers, chocolates, donuts (hardly traditional, but a commercial reality) and it’s all done for another year.

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With the final retreat of the snow cover, animal life started to become more active. I was surprised to see a coyote in the back garden and, a few days later, a fox sunning himself in the front. Meanwhile, Cagney was just surprised by an encounter with a skunk! Luckily I stopped her from coming back into the house and, as it was gone midnight, she spent the night in the garage. Lacy was upset to be separated but it was for the best. The following morning was bath time for the “fluffy” one. She was not too impressed but accepted her fate and even enjoyed the towel dry rub. Photos were taken by Caitlin who I’d collected from the airport the day before.

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So Caitlin came to visit from Scotland. Meanwhile Kat and Iain were on their way to join us via China and California. We had a plan to do lots of hikes and photography but that was a little disrupted by lots of rain. Still, we did mange to get a couple of trips in and I can definitely see the change in her later photos. Ever the adventurous type, Catlin was keen to get a “different” view! We also managed to get out, on a very misty morning, to visit the home of former President Franklin D Roosefelt. I missed the Library last time so it was good to see some of the history. Hopefully it also helped Caitlin’s school project too.

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DSCF0203With the big spring “switch” just about to be thrown (the daffs), it was time to do some garden work and get the grasses dug up, divided and replanted. We couldn’t get down the front path by the end of last summer, they had grown so large. So we now have four grass plantings at the back to help fill out the beds.

Kat and Iain arrived with treasures from the east and pictures of bulk tankers and other nautical tails (it was a working trip after all). Thankfully, the weather had improved and we were able to get out on a number of good hikes. Iain and I had done over 30 miles by the time they left. It’s a good time of year to walk as the temperatures will make it more uncomfortable in another month. We walked the popular “rail trail” for a lunch at a dog friendly cafe in New Paltz. We also took walks around the Miniwaska Lake and mountains. Young snakes were about sunning themselves. Walking wasn’t enough for some. I’ve never understood this running thing. Their time was soon up and off they all went, back to bonnie Scotland. Come again soon.

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Not wishing to get out of the walking frame of mind, Lynne planned our first walk in the “Bear Mountain” area, south of us down the Hudson. It was a well marked circular trail that took up up and around the mountain for a good view of the Hudson and the Bear Mountain Bridge (completed in 1924). Over the last century this area has been turned over to park land with a small village community gradually being bought up and the houses levelled. There are still traces to be seen. A very pleasant day out.

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As spring has rolled (not really a switch this year) into high gear, and with lots of rainfall, the grass is growing like topsy. (what is topsy?). So have the dandelions. I have resorted to getting on my hands and knees to dig them out but I suspect that it will end up being a thankless task. The daffs may have been first but the remainder of the plants have been following on quickly. The bushes that I had pruned back are full of new growth. The Hostas are suddenly giants and the Allium are all out. We have even made some time to get outside to relax.

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The old camp fire

It’s been a while…….

It’s been a while since I last updated this blog so I thought that I’d better write a bit about the last few months.

We really enjoyed our last outing with the 5th wheel up in the Adirondacks. We had pretty good weather and were able to get out on some fine walks. The photo shows the general views across Lake Placid. The air was good and we could see clear into Canada. The journey back home was a little slow due to holiday traffic but all went well and we were soon back in our own bed.

The hot dry summer took its toll on the lawn whilst we weren’t around to water it. Quite large sections had dried up and died. Rob had to get to work on re-seeding it to give it chance to grow before the cold weather set in. He tells me that the secret is in the straw mulching to stop the moisture loss. Whatever, it seems to have done the trick and we should have a green lawn once the snow melts away at the end of March.

The girls were pleased to get back to their own patch.

Late in the summer, each year, the local car club puts on an outdoor show not more than 3 miles from us. We were determined to go along this year to see what it was all about. There were custom cars, vintage restorations and hot rods of all kinds. There was even a fair smattering of old British cars. They were blessed with a beautiful day at the foot of the Shawangunk Ridge.


It was good to be back at home as far as sewing was concerned. There is only so much I can take with me when we go travelling. I had quite a few things to finish off and a few more items that I’d planned to get started. These are a couple of things that I managed to complete. The wall quilt would eventually give Rob the inspiration for our Xmas card.

One of the very best aspects of living in this rural part of the country is that we have lots of visitors to our garden. Some, like the deer, are pretty regular vistors. From time to time we get a eal surprise. This young Coopers Hawk was sitting up in the tree overlooking the bird feeder. Luckily for our regular feathered friends, he decided not to take up residence.

Our friends Gil and Sara joined us for a Sunday outing to a craft fair at the Woodstock site at Bethel Woods. I can always get Rob to drive me out there. It touches his inner hippy thing (he’s older than me 🙂 There were various crafts and local produce on display but I particularly wanted to see the llamas.

Autumn is always a wonder here. It brings beautiful colours and spectacular sunrises.

Luck was on my side when I had a big wish granted. I picked up a contract that sent me to London for a few weeks. This gave me a chance to see family and, of course, to be there for grand daughter Alana’s 3rd birthday. How can it have gone so quickly. The work aspect was long and hard but it was all worth it to be there to see Alana’s happy smiling face. It makes me so proud to see Sarah doing such a great job with her. I can hardly wait until the next opportunity. Oh well, thank goodness for Skype!

To round out a wonderful year Kat and Iain joined us for Christmas. We managed to combine just the right mix of exercise and eating ….. perhaps! The weather cooperated to allow us to take a couple of good walks on the ridge and then, right on queue, the snow came in to give us a white Christmas. This gave us a chance to use new snow shoes.

We also got to try out cross country skiing up at Mohonk Mountain House. I’ve been trying to get the “grinch” (aka Rob) to give it a go for a couple of years. He couldn’t find any more excuses and ended up liking it. Who’d have thought it. Anyhow, we all had a great time and it put the icing on a really lovely Christmas cake.

A New Year and a new blog. I’m doing so much sewing related things that I have decided to start a new blog at http://sewfarfromhome.blogspot.com/

Rob will keep this one up to date so that we can keep everybody informed of travel related goings on. Happy New Year to everybody.

Fun Guy and Fungi

Tuesday started off a little overcast so we stayed at the camp ground and had an early lunch – there was a break in the weather so we took a quick 3 mile walk from the back of the campsite up around to the start of the Wilmington trail.

At 4.30 Rob decided it would be a great idea for us to walk up to Coopers Pond – It was just over 2.5 miles each way and given the time and the fact that is was through the woods we needed to really step it out so that we could get back before it got dark. Given that the trail was rising 500ft per mile on the way up, it was quite a hike. Good job the view was worth it.

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Wednesday we decided to try the Wilmington trail – we had quite a late start and it was even steeper than the previous days trail it rose 1000ft every mile ! lots of great views and and lovely plant life we ended up doing about 8.5 miles and were exhausted by the time we finished.

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Thursday we decided to take it a little easier and just took a three mile hike around by the bottom of the Whiteface ski resort. Part of it goes along the local river just before it descends into a small gorge.

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Our friends Gil and Sara came up to Lake Placid late Wednesday as Gil was taking part in the national lacrosse championships. So early Thursday evening we went over to the fields to see some of the games. It is certainly not for the faint of heart, very fast moving and aggressive game.

Friday morning was overcast so we waited till after lunch before we took a 5 mile round hike to Lake Placid. In the evening we went over to the house that Gil and Sara were renting and had a very nice evening, gourmet food followed by microwave S’mores .

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What is Black and white and smells awful ?

……. Lacey !! although not her fault. I went to bed early Saturday night and was just falling off to sleep when I smelt the most awful smell. It was a mixture of burning car tyres, garlic and body odor. I went out to the living room convinced the house was on fire to find a very distressed and smelly dog. Rob had taken them out for their last pee break of the evening, when all of a sudden Lacey came running back with her tail between her legs, coughing and frothing from the mouth. Rob not realizing that she had been sprayed by a skunk brought her into the house! you cannot believe how that smell permeates every part of the house, nor how long it takes to go.

He gave her a bath and thank goodness we had already planned to go north in the RV for a week. Hopefully the smell in the house will be better when we get back.

So Sunday afternoon we arrived at our camp site, we are staying in the North Pole resort at Wilmington in the Adirondacks. It is a good ten degrees cooler than our area but that is no bad thing at the moment.

This morning we took a trip down the road to Lake Placid then went for a hike starting at the Wilmington Notch and walked around the Owen, Copperas and Winch ponds. It was about 4 miles in total not too hilly but quite rocky. I had bought the girls their own back packs so they could carry their own drinks and treats – don’t they look cute ?

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The rock they were standing in front of has this amazing tree growing over it – that took some great “will to live” on behalf of the tree.

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Here are some views from our walk

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late in the afternoon we took a trip into Lake Placid to have a look around, we bought some back packs at the outdoor sports shop and then on the way back to the car we spotted a ski shop selling off the ski boots ready to get the new season stock in. I went in to try them on and we were there for 2 hours while the guy made sure I had a comfortable fit. Corey ( the boot guy) was a bit of a character and kept us amused. He also kept dragging Rob into the pub next door to do whiskey shots. Finally we were ready to leave and I got a very good deal on my boots and Rob was very “mellow”. Needless to say i drove back to the RV. Tomorrow we will go for another hike – longer this time though

Esopus river and the Delaware/Hudson Canal

For those of you that are not based on the east coast of America you probably don’t realize we have been going through a heat wave here that has been breaking all records. We have had about three weeks of 90 to 100 degree weather with high humidity. Thank goodness for air conditioning !

Last Thursday they were predicting that the temperature would be in the 80”s so we set off for the Catskills and went tubing down the Esopus river. We started off in the town of Phoenicia, collected our equipment and then got a ride on the bus to a spot about 5 miles up the river.

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It was so much fun, the river temperature was perfect, cold when we first got in but then very refreshing. We had a hoot avoiding rocks, negotiating small rapids, seeing the local wild life and just enjoying the day. We got soaked but guessed we would so had taken a change of clothes.

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A quick walk into Phoenicia to get a giant ice cream and then head on back with a a stop at Emerson country store which is the home of the worlds largest kaleidoscope. It is 65 ft tall and we lay down on our backs in the middle of the room it is housed in and were treated to a 10 minute show complete with music. Very surreal.

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I have been trying to catch up on a lot of my sewing projects, 3 of my mystery blocks, only one left to do. 12 embroidered squares for my crazy compass, bow tie quilt for Sheena, Boogie monster quilt for Alana, cut a 1000 squares for another quilt and completed a few smaller projects 🙂

Today I had a quick lecture on finishing my compass quilt and then an early lunch before we packed up the dogs and headed over the ridge to the Delaware and Hudson canal. There is a project to first get a pathway extended so that you can walk the length of it on the the former rail path and then phase 2 is to get the canal itself dug back out so that it can be used as a waterway again. The weather was really hot but we had a lovely time and probably walked about 7miles. The dogs have slept since we got home.

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18 Miles north of Myrtle Beach

Up early last Thursday to drive a little over 400miles from Northern Georgia to a site just on the border of North and South Carolina. Here is a picture of the rig just before we set off

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The trip was a little challenging for the first and last 75 miles as we were hauling the RV on some pretty small roads. Plenty of time to knit though, I had already finished knitting the bunny she just needs to be assembled and stuffed. So my latest efforts are a shrug for me. Here is the first sleeve and the start of the back.

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Our campsite is right out in the countryside set in a small family run vineyard. They have a pond with a family of geese, who also seem to like walking around the vines and a frame with many gourds hanging of it and lots of baby birds housed in them.

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On the Friday we drove to the town of Calabash, famous for its seafood eateries and then on into sunset beach. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the sand between 8 and 6 during the summer months so we just had a quick look and then headed off down to North Myrtle Beach. We will have to come back here in the off season.

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The main road through the area is wall to wall food and shopping so we stopped at a local diner and i got my first taste of grits, I have to say I quite liked them much to Robs disgust. We had a quick walk on the Boardwalk at Myrtle Beach and then headed back to the campsite ahead of the crowds.

There is no cable connection at this campsite and so we had a nice evening listening to my ipod playing in shuffle mode.

Saturday we were up bright and breezy as usual and drove to a place called Murrel’s inlet, it is a small fishing harbor with a boardwalk and some nice pubs – so after a pleasant walk with the dogs we sat on the patio at the Dead Dog and got treated to some good food and a live band.  It was funny to see a small island opposite the pub that housed a family of goats.

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By the way Rob has not shaved for about a week – so he could have passed for one of the local fishermen – What do you think ?

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Saturday night was one of those times that you have to pinch yourself to believe your own eyes. When we checked in to this campsite they asked us if we would like to join them Saturday night as they were having live entertainment in the park. So there we were with about 24 other people being treated to a 2 hour performance of the local Elvis impersonator. He was actually very good and we had a really fun time – go figure!

 

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He also wrapped his silk scarf around me as a gift and it was still a little wet with his sweat – we are thinking of getting it DNA tested just in case he was the real deal

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Sunday we stayed around the campsite and just relaxed until about 5 then we drove back to Calabash to try the Seafood Hut which was listed in out travel guide. We had to queue outside in the sun for about 40minutes but everyone in the queue assured us it was worth the wait. It was a no frills place with about a dozen cafe style tables inside. The fried seafood was amazing sooo fresh and certainly worth the wait. We had flounder, scallops, oysters, shrimp and crab all deep fried and served with coleslaw, fries and something called hush puppies which are deep fried corn bread balls.

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We walked on down to the shore – watched the crabs dancing on the mud at the waters edge and people starting to go out on the boats to see the 4th July Fireworks

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There was a small public field just off the waters edge where a seven piece band was entertaining a large crowd of people for free. The Carolinas know how to celebrate  Independence Day in style

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Tomorrow we start the trek back to Pine Bush – we will stop in a town called Petersburg just south of Richmond Virginia Monday night roughly about 250 miles away.

Dillard – Georgia

The park here is really nice and it is nestled in amongst a mountain range with fantastic scenery. We decided to go out for a scenic drive in the early evening – First stop was the Popcorn Overlook

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Then a short stop at the edge of Lake Burton to admire some of the houses of the idle rich.

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One last stop, we read that Tate City had good views, the bit they left out was that we had to drive through the forest on a dirt track to get there which in the truck was a bit like being in a dinghy coming down a river. To cap it all this road was nearly ten miles long and the views in Tate City were not as “spectacular” as the write up said they were.

We got up early on the Tuesday to go and hike the Tallulah Gorge – they only let 100 people in per day so we wanted to make sure we could do it. We ended up being the first there. You have to go down over 150 steps cross a rope bridge across the gorge then down another 230 steps and then the adventure begins!

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The adventure begins with a trip back across the river by scrambling over boulders in the river ( which are very slippery when wet ).

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Did we make it across dry ?…….. no we both ended up with one wet foot, luckily the weather is still so warm it was hardly noticeable. We then had a scramble down alongside the river past 4 waterfalls. The last of which is called the bridal veil and people slide down it into the pool below.

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The way back was just as interesting with chances to stop and enjoy the views and also prepare ourselves for climbing back over the river.

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So did we fare better on our return trip over the river ? ……….. well the plan was for Rob to go first, deposit the backpack with the cameras in and then come back to help me a bit. He did quite well, just the one wet foot. Me, not so good, slid down one to the rocks and was wet from the waist down. Rob grabbed my sun glasses then 2 mins later slipped again and dropped my glasses into the river. Ever the gentleman he then went back and tried to retrieve them, without success.

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Now deep joy, we just have those 350 odd steps to climb ! on the way back we passed a shop called Goats on the Roof – and that’s exactly what they had. The roof was covered with grass and they had small goats wandering around up there.

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I also found perfect T-shirts for us in there but the old goat  Rob would not let me get them

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Wednesday started with a slightly overcast day and no internet or cell coverage to the site. So we changed our plans and went for a hike on Dicks Creek it was a gentle mile down to the Chattooga river. They must have had some severe weather last week as we could not join the river trail ( bridge was out ) or the Bartrum trail ( trees down ).

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On the way back to the camp we stopped at a great farmers market. We went swimming in the camp pool and then a nice BBQ outside before packing up as much as possible ahead of our next journey. Tomorrow we head for Tabor City NC, 20 miles from Myrtle Beach and a RV park within a working vineyard.

Allatoona Lake – Georgia

We got up early and were ready to leave the RV park in Virginia by 7 am. We had only got 2 miles down the road when we stopped at the traffic lights only to fine the brakes on the RV had locked on and we could not budge.

Luckily Rob was able to reboot the system ( see even in the world of RV – if you have a problem, reboot ) and we were on our way. This is the longest journey we have done together in one day in the RV. We stopped three times but still made very good time and pulled into the camp at Allatoona just after 5. Honey Bunny did not get a sister but she did get ears, arms, pants, bobtail and a dress. photo

We have been here for 10 days and have had a really great time – we are about 30 miles from Paul, Robyn and the girls. We were sorry not to miss Blake, who is currently cruising the Med. Lucky Boy!PICT8077 P1010959

We have had a great time relaxing at the camp walking the dogs around the lake interspersed with trips over to the Pinto household where we got to swim in the pool (yes dogs as well!) trips out for some retail therapy with Robyn, incredible food ( with care packages for the RV for the days we were not visiting ) even a trip to Church on Sunday. Needless to say we were made to feel like part of the family and had a great time.

There have been some strong thunderstorms here but they have been a welcome relief as the weather has hit the high 90’s on a few of the days.

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We are looking at maybe buying a piece of land on the brow of lookout mountain in NE Georgia – so we also went up there to have another look and see in in the summer months. Rob and Paul went up there on Sunday and took some great views which minus a few tree tops will be the view we would get out of the windows. There is a ledge about 100ft back from the brow so we would look to build the house on that and have it as a architectural feature of the basement.

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They also found the remnants of an old homestead on the land – it will be great to keep it and use the chimney as an outdoor fireplace. We should get a metal detector up there, I bet we would fine some interesting things.

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Today Monday 28th we are going to move the RV to a camp park near Dillard NE Georgia.

Below just a few of the animals we saw and also motor biking for dogs !

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