Peanuts & the Russians are here!

 

One week we rode out to a peanut farm with Mike & Debra.  We haven't been to this peanut farm before and Mike and Debra like boiled peanuts (yuck!) so they went after some cajun boiled peanuts.  We went to see the old farm down a dirt road and get some roasted peanuts.  $5 for about 5 pounds.
The two large stainless steel tubs in the above picture is where they are boiled in water.  

 

 

OK, here's something you don't see every day.  On the way back from the peanut farm we stopped at a Civil War historical site where the Union Army crossed the Fish River on their way to Mobile.  We were chewing on some peanuts when this old bike with a sidecar pulled up.  I talked with the driver and his passenger, see the red star?  It's a WWII Russian bike.  It was assembled from WWII surplus parts just after the war.

Here's what our site looks like today.  It's been a little chilly the last day and the forecast continues with 50 at night and 60 daytime but sunny.  It should warm up next week into the 70s.  As you can see some of the trees have lost lots of their leaves.  Some will be green all winter and the pine trees will be too, of course.

One of our better Halloweens!

The weather has been pretty good this week, as you can see above.  Another HitchHiker couple, Jenny & Craig, showed up this week.  They spent the summer hiking over 500 miles in the Rockies, they are serious hikers.

 

 

                       I do not know what this bush is but I saw it yesterday in the Publix parking lot.

OK, here's why this is a great Halloween.  After 15 days without a toilet and a zillion trips day and night to the RV park's bathhouses we can now once again, go at home.  After parts problems for a week with our old toilet we ordered a new one over a week ago.  The first one that arrived had a broken china bowl.  The replacement was shipped to Grand Bay, AL.  Today we received TWO toilets.  After installing just one we are happy again.  Judy got new glasses but that just does not compare to a working toilet in our home.
The real reason for getting it installed today is that Judy is afraid to go out to the bathhouse after dark today.....the goblins and ghosts are out tonight!

Into every life some poop builds up

We went out to the Oyster House the other night with Mike & Debra for supper.  We tried a few days ago at 5 PM and they were lined up outside so we went at 4 pm.  Judy posed with a fine fellow outside the restaurant.

                                               Notice anything missing in our bathroom?

Wednesday night 10/16 the pedal broke on our toilet.  Being that we are not affluent we only have one bathroom in our cozy home.  Thursday after checking out toilets at Camping World we decided to use the spare parts we carry and order a new pedal to have our toilet rebuilt.  Thetford said they would ship the part Friday and we'd have it Monday.  I called Friday for a shipping info to track it and was told it would not ship until Monday.  Rats.  It arrived late on Tuesday (toiletless for a week) and the RV tech called Wednesday morning to say more parts are needed and Thetford no longer stocks them.  We ordered a new Dometic toilet Wednesday and it arrived Friday, today, afternoon.  Unfortunately it was in too many pieces.  I suspect we'll see if we can find a local one that fits our  requirements.  As a backup a replacement will be shipped Monday for the broken toilet.

                                                               Like my new sticker?  I do.

Pops concert, scarecrows & toiltless

There was an outdoor pops concert in Orange Beach Sunday afternoon so Judy & I went.  We enjoyed it and the weather.  Good thing it was free, probably why there were LOTS of people there.

It's getting close to Halloween.

 

Notice anything missing?  Our toilet broke Wednesday evening.  We spent Thursday researching new toilets vs. using all our spare parts plus a replacement part for the one that broke.  We ordered the part and was told we'd have it Monday.  I called Friday for the UPS tracking number and was told it would not ship until Monday.  Called today and ETA is now tomorrow, Tuesday.  Good thing our site is real close to the bathrooms.
It's raining right now, good thing we washed the trailer this morning.  All is well. 

 

Hunkered down for the winter in Gulf Shores, AL

We arrived in Gulf Shores this afternoon, we stopped in Biloxi at Newk's for lunch because today was mushroom soup day.  Good soup.  We are in a corner site, as you can see, this year.  Lots of sun and mid 80s today.  OK, are now set and ready for winter, bring it on!

Florence, MS

It was only 234 miles today and Mike & I took turns leading the way but it seemed like a very long day.  After setting up and checking out this CG we agreed we should have made our usual stop at Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, that would have been nicer and cheaper.  AND Judy would have been able to play the slot machines, the advantage to this place is it equals out the distance we travel each day.  All we did this afternoon was cool down, 84 degrees and sunny, then get diesel for $4.47 a gallon.  That's Mike & Debra's HitchHiker beside us.  We are back in the land of cotton, saw lots of it today.

Off to Gulf Shores, 1st travel day

We were up at 7:30 and leisurely packed up.  We spent time saying good bye to our friends, new and old.  Some we have no idea when we'll see next, others we'll be with in Gulf Shores this winter and some next April in the Texas hill country.  We were going to spend the night in Little Rock but discovered the discount Passport America park on the river downtown was full.  Plan B has taken us to Pine Bluff, Arkansas and a nice city park we stayed in back in 2007.  We are 266 miles closer today to our winter home.  We left Tahlequah a few minutes before Mike & Debra but they beat us here, we had a longer lunch/rest stop obviously.  We started out in some serious Oklahoma hills but are now in the flatlands of Arkansas.