Extended Family

In 1986 my cousin Tami was the second runner up in the Miss USA pageant. In case you are not sure, Tami is on the left. She is one of eight children we always referred to as our Georgia Cousins.

When I grow up, I want to be like my Aunt Irene. Don't let her "Big Mama" smile fool you, she is spunky, sharp and does not miss a trick.

It was a treasure to spend Thanksgiving with all of these dear people. They were as kind and welcoming as they were in 1996 - my last visit with them. It was a loud and raucous day filled with laughter and great southern cookin'. A friendly game of Pit anyone?

Church Roads in Carolina

In North Carolina you need not look far to find a church, and if you are not particular about the flavor, there is no need for GPS either.
The churches were there before the road signs and so naturally the signs explain what the residents already know.

I enjoyed our stay in Conover, NC. It was wonderful to see the Birner family after 11 years - yes, I still look the same. :)

While we have been in this area Fall has peaked and passed. Today there is a wind advisory 20+ miles per hour. Lawns are leaf covered with temperatures in the 30's.

HaRVey in Hickory

So here you have it.
A picture of the road down which Dave had to back the RV. As you can see - he did it.

Here are the happy yellow signs warning you - STOP NOW there is no way your RV will make it on this road.

Last and this part leaves the queasy feeling of being unstable, this is a view of the underbelly of the RV, please note the wood, wood, and more wood, followed by leveling blocks.


Our stay in Hickory, North Carolina was wonderful, thank you Pastor Bob. We were able to view the spectacular peak fall color.

The List of Pro and Con

We have been living on the road since April 2008. Not that long when you count it out, but long enough to know...

When your RV is not completely level - you can feel it. Please note the picture of HaRVey with four boards and the orange ramps, listing slightly, definitely not level. (up one entry)

Every town has a grocery store, but we can't just stop in without a thought because we do not know where it is. Ahh... GPS. Once you have found the grocery store - do not stock up on the sale items, do not buy more than one kind of lettuce, do not buy more canned soup or potatoes than you can use in a week, do not buy a lot of cereal (even if it is on sale) strike that - Dave does that all the time... we store some unopened cereal in the shower when it is not in use. If you must buy beer, think six pack.

Yes, we do let our laundry pile up because until you are down to one pair of underwear, why do laundry - we have met some interesting people at the laundromat. Instead of one load at a time you can use four or five washing machines.. payback is in the careful orchestration of drying time and folding each load as it is finished - I compare it to a meal where everything is done at the same time except in this case you do not want that to happen.

I do miss seeing my friends and the contact of their everyday lives. I am greedy for news of what is going on and consider who I will lose because of the travel. I am working on staying in touch so that does not happen.

The trade off has been phenomenal, telling children about Jesus at school assemblies, singing for kids and adults in concert and in church services, and praying for people by name as we learn of their needs.

Every day in the kingdom is the same - a life filled with God's love and care, opportunities to thank Him for the stuff we have, and a Savior who calls us "friends." Wow.

More pro than con. Thanks be to God.

Docks and Docks

I have attended “putting in the dock” parties as early in the year as possible, conversely, “taking out the dock” parties at the very end of the season - in Minnesota. You have got to check out the docks in North Carolina. The dock never leaves the lake! They have sitting areas, a place for the boat or pontoon, some have ceiling fans, and they have shingles! I have been assured that while putting in and taking out parties are not necessary, the kind folks here need little excuse to get together. So tell me, which one of these do you think is in North Carolina?

On the Delaware Shore

When you watch the sunrise you may as well be warm and comfortable - with coffee close at hand.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

State Highway 13 in Virginia is scenic, beautiful and scary. The Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel spans the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay connecting Virginia's Eastern shore with the mainland at Virginia Beach near Norfolk. There are two underwater tunnels (tall enough for an RV), each about one mile long. The picture of our computer shows the bridge with nothing but water. Off route - kidding. The terrible picture with grass on the shore shows how the bridge disappears, then reappears one mile later.

Along the Shore in North Carolina

We have stepped into several tourist stops and all of them have the Bodie Island Light on postcards or mugs.


Cape Hatteras National Seashore – comes the Bodie Island Light. Pronounced "body," the name, according to long held rumors, came from either the large number of unfortunate drowning victims washed up on shore or the supposed original owners of the land – you decide.

The structure you now see is the classic case of "third time a charm". The first, built on a shaky unsupported brick foundation in 1847, once competed with the leaning tower of Pisa for most vertically challenged building. Abandoned within less than 15 years of its completion, the second lighthouse’s upright time was even less.

Two years to be exact. During the Civil War Confederate troops, fearful of its potential usefulness to oncoming Union naval ships, blew it up in 1861.

The shoreline remained dark, until the present lighthouse was completed in 1872. Now at 156’ high, the light from its black and white horizontal striped structure can be seen for 19 miles.

The Land of Y'all and Sweet Tea

We must be in the South! While in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we were offered Sweet Tea for the first time. When the waitress said, "Would y'all like sweet tea?", I knew I had arrived.