APRIL 29

well i guess summer has left and it is now spring again...we have had some hot days and yesterday the temps dropped at least 20-30 degrees..i was outside and could just feel the temperature fall...all of a sudden i needed long pants on ....lar was out scouting the turkeys this morning...heard a couple but not near him...

DENISE

this picture was suppose to go with the message but for some reason it didn't

WEEKEND

ok since we've been home we have fallen right back into the swing of things...just like we were never gone...volunteering/exercise classes/fire dept/being busy but then i guess this is what life is all about...we were given a couple of home depot gift certificates when denise passed away and this winter/spring coming home we decided that the "RED BUD" tree was what we wanted to plant in her memory so we have done that...we planted it so if she were home she would be able to see it from her bedroom window and the color was one of her favorites....so now that that is in place we hope it blooms some now that we are home....also lar plowed the garden this afternoon and i even mowed the lawn....spring has sprung and so has the busy time around the home front begun...

NATIONAL PARK STAMPS

if any of you collect national park stamps washington , dc is the place to go to get the 'MOTHER LOAD"...when we were at the old post office tower we were talking to a national park person "susan" was her name so christine and i asked her all about the stamps and she told us where to go to get the most...we did even better than what she told us..she said at washington monunment we could get 18--we got 25-but by then end of the weekend we had gotten over 35 so we were very happy which made tom and larry also happy...christine has just gotten hers this winter and i've had mine for several years but i also misplaced it for several years..there have been places i've been that i could have gotten a stamp but didn't because i didn't have my book...but low and behold a couple of years ago it was found so now it is with me all the time in case we go some where that i can get a stamp...our other friend caroline is on her second book as she filled one already but then she has been doing this alot longer than we have and she lives in the state of washington and there are more national parks in the west...here in the east not so many....right now we both feel that we never were gone for the winter right back in the swing of things...



lar got up early this morning to go out and listen for turkeys as the spring season starts on may 1st which is next friday...

WASHINGTON

now that we are finally home and trying to get caught up..hahaha..i will try to

put some pictures on the blog...we had a good time in washington, dc..the first day we dodge in and out of the rain and at times heavy rain so all the museums were packed full of tourists just like us...we camped at greenbelt national park and took the metro into the city that way we didn't have to worry about parking but we walked and walked (forgot my pedometer)...one day we spent at the monuments walking and walking there's way to much to see in just a few days ...one day we spent at arlington cementry and watched the changing of the guards and also there was a presentation of a couple of wreaths by 2 different groups which made the changing of the guards more special...

then on sunday we went to mount vernon george washington's house and spent the whole day there and didn't see it all ..we missed some of the gardens...saw several movies of the time and george was more than just a president he was also an inventor and loved his gardens...

george build a 16 sided barn to have his horses run around on the wheat to trash it...

the four of us standing outside the barn

all in all we had a great winter and now it is time to try to get caught up around the homestead before we take off again...

HOME AT LAST

we are now home...but i am using the desk top and the laptop is the place where all the pictures are so later i will enclose a couple...arrived home about 5:30 monday the 20th...good to be home almost like we were never away...had a great time in washington, dc with our friends tom and christine...as were were walking to the washington monument i ran into a daughter in law of some very good friends of ours here in Ithaca...funny how these things happen....i won't go into details of our trip until i can included some pictures...but all's well

ANNIVERSARY

anniversary you say no not ours but our country's...it is the day that Lee surrender to grant...we did not know that at the time we decided to go to Appomattox court house but we we got there today we soon found out...they have special events going on all day today and tomorrow...so it made it more interesting...a hilly ride from where we are to appomattax and we sure were glad we didn't have the rig hooked up some very windy-hilly-narrows but we got there...can you just imagine during the civil war they had to walk up these mts and without a GPS but they seemed to find there way and we didn't hear of anyone getting lost...i guess they just followed game trails or the person in front of them hahahah...tomorrow on to lousia for an overnight visit with mem/larry rom our build in dade city where tom and christine will also appear...we will spend the day then the 4 of us will adventure on the dc..so the adventure continues....

RAIN, RAIN,GO AWAY!

Drove all the way to the TN border yesterday, as we drove into VA the weather cleared, but not for long, showers continued off and on untill we reached Lexington,
VA. where we pulled into a passport america campground and will spend 2 nights as we
tour some civil war "stuff"..... It rained most of the night so the area is a mud hole and Mitch and I get in trouble tracking it in, but there is no way around it!
Kids are gonna have a heck of a time looking for easter eggs in the mud!!!











on the water front in knoxville, tn

THURSDAY

i will try to send a picture today but i haven't been very successful..(i think it is the speed of the wi-fi)...and it is a beautiful day...the sun is out no clouds and we are in shorts amen...the mountain top still has some snow in them but not down here on the low land...last night we went to the dixie stampede...over rated we would say but now we can also say done that.....tomorrow on our way to virginia and working our way to meet up with a couple of couples...one lives in lousia, va where we all will spend a night...then tom/christine and us'n will go on the washington for a few days....chances are we will NOT have wi-fi till we get home after tomorrow morning so don't worry if you are reading this and there is nothing new on it for a week or so.....

SNOW

can you believe that when we left in january we had a beautiful day of driving NO snow and the roads were dry..not the case this morning it was snowing and we drove thru some heavy snow on our way to pigeon forge, tn..not a long drive a wee bit over an hr...the sun has been on and off all day but there is SNOW on the mountains tops....we are staying at the same campground we did a couple of yrs ago when we were here and we think it might even be the same site...we need to decide what show we want to go too..tomorrow we will go the the national park (need to get a stamp)..not too much of a day except the weather..but there is warmer temps in the forecast...

FORECAST

can you believe that SNOW is in the forecast...the news this morning said maybe 4-6in..not sure if that is where we are or in the mountains--we left home in between snow storm and it looks like we are approaching home with the same kinda of forecast ugh... but the weather man also said to expect a good weekend...that's what we are waiting for...met doug/iris for dinner yesterday had a good 2 hr dinner at a cracker barrel...today we just had a kinda laid back day...it was rainy out so we decided not to go to the pioneer museum that is mostly outside save that for another time here....our hot water heater thermostat has blown again so we found a camping world to go buy a new one..then a stop at wal-mart and across the street was a sam's ..so lar took me out to lunch for his favorite hot dog and drink for 1.70...but it cost him more than that cause i always can find things to buy....tomorrow the plan is to move on the pigeon forge unless there is toooooo much snow on the ground that we decide to hang out here another day....

AFTERNOON

ok here's what we did today..first lar took me out to breakfast and we found a IHOP...glad we got there when we did as in a matter of minutes it had a line...then we went to down town knoxville of course the first visit was to a visitors info got alot of good ideas and there seems to be alot to do and see around...so off to an old fashioned store which in a way reminded us of a cross between the watkins glen famous brand store and the old forge hardware store....after which we took a good walk around the city which was kinda quiet this morning...it has c commons like ithaca and at 1 there was to be a concert that was to last till way in the night..several different groups..so we went to the women's basket ball hall of fame...most interesting and enjoyable....now it is time to watch michigan and conn men's b/ball game....go michigan.....

SATURDAY

we are now in knoxville trying to find the fort so we can get enough money for gas ahahhaahha...or get the gold......we have had some very heavy rain the other night while watching tv it kept scrolling across the screen tornado watch and the counties that were affected and of course we were in one of them...sure is strange to see that warning...i think i'd rather prepare for a blizzard......not much to report as we having been doing much these last couple of days..did a wee bit of shopping then yesterday we packed up and moved to where we are now...we have seen the news about the horrible tragic happening in binghamton sure makes it worse when it is close to home...no matter where anything like this takes place it is still tragic....prayers go out to the families and victims...

ANOTHER RAINY DAY

so here we are enjoying another very rainy day...it is good for georgia as the lakes are really filling up but no so good for the tourist like us to get outside and do stuff...so what do we do but go shopping..nothing exciting to buy just out and about...then out to lunch which is always good....tomorrow the plan is still a go to move on to the knoxville area and maybe we will be able to get in fort knox and find a bunch of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ haha...don't we all wish...

APRIL FOOL'S DAY

we are now in calhoun, ga visiting some cherokee indians sites...we have gone from civil war history to indians...we have found both very interesting..we have been to the keensaw battlefield-prickett's battlefield-indian mounds-and today we were at the new echota cherokee capital-and the chief vann house...have had several days of rain and if we lived here we would be very happy as the lakes are filling up and on the news they are about the lift the drought band so then everyone can water their plants-wash their cars-etc...but for us we are glad the sun is shinning today..maybe not tomorrow but at least today...here for a couple of days then moving on to the knoxville, ky area where we are planning on meeting up wwith lar's brother doug and iris...they live in the louisville area but the plan is to drive part way to have dinner with them...more and more things are in bloom in the area the red buds are the best along with dog wood and can you believe today we saw dandelions...so spring is really on it's way...