Thanksgiving in Flowery Branch

Judy and I drove to Flowery Branch to spend Thanksgiving with Jody, Renato and the three kids.  It was chilly outside but we enjoyed spending time with the gang......plus their four dogs.  I'm finally updating the blog on January 7 to finish 2017 so my old memory isn't recalling the details of the trip.
Before we made the trip we went to Underwoods for some pecans like we do every year.  We use to go to a place called Broken Branch but their nuts are not as good so we changed last year.

 

Ten pounds of cracked nuts are $40.  We shell them and put them in the freezer so they last a year.

Before we left for Flowery Branch Judy always gets herself prepared.....

Here's our neighbors Christmas lights viewed from our door and the lights and garland we have inside our RV giving us a little festive mood.  And of course our Christmas tree.

 

 

Renato has really changed their home by working on the basement, he's added two bedrooms, a bathroom, a den, and storage space.  The girls are living down there and all three kids play down there and that has made the upstairs MUCH quieter.  Renato is also working on the back porch (below) by enclosing it and making it into year around living space.

Here I am with the Georgia gang.  That's Bertha photo bombing us.

I had my 71st birthday while we were with them.  Cake, I like cake!

Here's Judy with the kids after making pumpkin and pecan pies.  Pie, I like pie!

And here we are having our Thanksgiving dinner.

The official Brasil 2017 Christmas picture.

After Thanksgiving we went to St Augustine and Ocala.  We stayed with Clayton and Pat for 2 or 3 nights visiting them and checking out places to settle down.  We visited one 55+ community in Satsuma, FL where one of out Gulf Shores snowbird friends just bought a place.  It's on the St Johns River and very peaceful, I liked it.  Judy ruled it out as being too remote.....Publix was 29 minutes away.  We checked out another community in Flagler Beach which we liked but their lot rents are pretty close to those of Coquina Crossing where Clayton & Pat live and we think their community is better plus has an indoor pool.  We stuck around another day so a broker could show us several homes there in Coquina Crossing.  Decisions, decisions and decisions.  After this we went to Ocala for two nights to visit my sister Bev.  She's been there 2 years now and really likes it, even the summers.

 

 

 

 

Judy's getting better

Judy stopped the pain pills a couple weeks ago and is slowly getting better.  Her next doctor appointment is late next week.  We have gone out to eat a few times and she drove the truck to abbreviated water aerobic sessions last week.  She's slower than a rabbit but a tad faster than a turtle.  We put her walker away today.  Here she is on October 17th for her birthday.  She covers her leather chair so it's not so cold.

Our friends are arriving, Don & Zola got here a little over a week ago, Kay & Charlie arrived 3 days ago, and we are parked next to Joe & Sharon.  Craig & Jenny arrived the day before we did.  Ron & Roberta stopped for 3 nights on their way to Florida so we all went to Mikee's to celebrate.

The OWA Indians are building a large park with a Marriott motel, roller coasters and many more rides.  I suspect that their will also be a casino eventually.

 

 

 

Our park's activities started November 1 so I have played poker twice, Judy's water aerobics started and tonight we host the first night of euchre. 

Our RV Armor roof was redone Friday and Saturday.  They have been out twice in the past to repair several small cracks or peeling areas and when it reoccurred they added a fabric mesh and two coats of their roofing material to the entire roof for what should be the ultimate repair.

Diagnosis!

Here we are a couple weeks ago cheering Devyn on.  GO DEVYN!  GO COMETS!   GO OLIVET COLLEGE!!  The ladies soccer team is 7-4 in their conference and 9-5 overall.

We were at South Baldwin Medical Center Monday morning for Judy's first test of the week to determine what her hip problem is.  It was a bone scan.  The techs said the doctor will have something to work with so that was encouraging.  We returned Wednesday bright and early for removal of some hip fluid for analysis.  Prior to the start it was cancelled so we went home and soon after Dr Roberts called and told Judy she has a fractured pelvis. The fracture is in the shape of the letter H, very common.  We meet with him next Thursday for THE recovery plan.  No surgery, time will heal.  We think her winter activities are pretty much shot until January.  It's pretty boring with the days biggest activity being flopping between the bed and recliner.  This medical issue is helping us make the decision to leave the RV lifestyle settle down.

Merry Christmas everyone.  Must be that time of the year.  I stopped in a dollar store for milk and they were placing Christmas decorations on the shelf, we've seen TV ads for Christmas lights, and the TV shopping channels are selling Christmas stuff.  Merry Christmas y'all.  

Gulf Shores for the winter

We left Jody & Renato's place September 26, we braved the Atlanta traffic taking the east side bypass which saved 2 hours and 100 miles if we were to take back roads to avoid Atlanta.  It wasn't bad at all, much better than the direct route through downtown.  Due to the 2 hours saved and gaining another hour entering the Central Time Zone we decided to push all the way to Gulf Shores rather than stop overnight half way.  Seven hours and 396 miles later we arrived at Gulf Breeze RV Resort.

And what was the first thing we did the next day, AFTER breakfast at Krystal's....Judy got to do laundry.  She's outside relaxing below.

We also made a fast pass by the beach.

And that was the end of Judy's fun!  She had an appointment with Dr Roberts Monday morning (10/2) to schedule a knee replacement.  After breakfast and checking out the beach one of the hips that was replaced 4 years ago is causing her lots of trouble.  She's been down (in bed or her recliner) and popping pain pills so when we visited the Dr (using her walker) he focused on her hip.  He gave her a shot and scheduled two tests at the hospital next week to diagnosis the problem.  He also gave her a new stronger pain pill prescription.  We'll return 10/19 to Dr Roberts to see what he plans.  Meanwhile Judy is bored silly staying inside not being able to do the active things she's use to.  And she hurts. 
In the meantime tropical storm or hurricane Nate will arrive tomorrow (10/7) night.  We will close up the HitchHiker by bringing the slides in, fill all the tanks for weight down low, disconnect the water & sewer tomorrow and go next door to the Staybridge Suites motel which is hurricane resistant.  We aren't concerned about the water surge or 6" of rain but the winds are currently forecast to be 65 to 70 mph and Nate's forecast to hit land just west of us as a category 1 hurricane.  Tomorrows forecast should be more accurate.  We plan to return to our home Sunday after it's past us.  Stay tuned for updates!  

Flowery Branch with the Brasils

We spent 9 days with Jody, Renato, Maria, Brianna and Dustin......and Xena, Gabby, Bertha and Charlotte.  Maria, Renato's daughter from Brazil, has now joined the family and we were impressed on how well the three kids all get along.  They tuckered us out.  We enjoyed our time with them and got to see all the work Renato has been doing on their home.  We stayed at Old Federal COE so they also came to visit us on their pontoon and Gretchen, their 71 VW bug. 

The campsite was nice as the kids could play on the beach in front of us. 

We went out twice to eat, the first time was a very good Cuban place and Friday night at Vinnie's for pizza.

The kids were in school so picked Dustin up a couple times and Maria at the bus stop.  Renato spent his days working on finishing the basement bathroom for the girls who now live down there.  We did notice it was much quieter with all three playing downstairs.......and the dogs outside.  With a 71 bug it loves to be worked and tinkered on.  Jody drives it to work sometimes and the kids like to ride in it.  They are planning on trailering it to Biloxi in a couple weeks for Crusin the Coast.

All is well in the Brasil family.  While we were here we visited a few places in the NE Georgia mountains for summer homes.  The one we liked was Paradise Valley in Cleveland where you have to purchase a site and there are always several for sale.  Before we move forward we will rent a site for a few summer months. 
Judy and I were going to Florida for 3 weeks to visit Bev, Clayton & Pat and Tom & Heather. We were also going to investigate several locations to settle down during the winter.  We really like Gulf Shores but Florida has way more 55+ communities.  We are somewhat up in the air about what to do and have to do our homework first.  Well, we were going to Florida.  A few days before we left the kids Judy's bad knee decided to change our plans.  She called her ortho surgeon in Foley, AL and made an appointment for October 2 to schedule a knee replacement.  She had one day of water aerobics and that did the knee in, she's frustrated as the knee is really crimping her active life.

I have to say that Patches really enjoyed being outside and watching the Lake Lanier.

Clayton, GA Cross Creek CG

We made the long 44 mile tow into Georgia to Cross Creek Campground for a four night stay.

We want to accomplish two things while here, kill time until our site in Old Federal COE park in Flowery Branch is open and also check the area out for a summer home.  Perhaps a summer site in the northeast GA mountains would be comfortable.  We wanted to go to Cleveland, GA and see Paradise Valley but were told they were without power and had lots of trees to clean up after Irma so we'll try next week.  We did spend time at River Vista in Dillard and liked the area and park but the sites are small, short and crowded.  We are rethinking purchasing a manufactured home or park model in FL as a winter home due to being chased out last year by Andrew and all the damage last week by Irma.  Two years in a row hurricanes are screwing up our research plans, perhaps there's a message here?  Decisions, decisions, decisions. 
If you think all the campgrounds we stay in are good looking like above......here's the view when I turn around and take a picture.

Meeting Randy & Lisa & GSMR ride

We spent a week in Whittier NC after towing from KY clipping through western TN and VA into NC.  We are at a nice CG backed up to the Tuckasegee River.

While we were here we met Randy & Lisa who were on their Harleys for a 2 week ride.  They were in a motel 10 minutes from us so we had supper and a real good visit with them and returned to see them off the next morning.  Randy made 2 or 3 customer visits and they stopped to spend a few days with Jody & Renato twice.  I hope we can do this more often. 

We also spent 4 or 5 hours on the Great Smoky Mountain RR.  There was a narrator, musicians and a story teller onboard.  I LIKE steam locomotives!

 

We also checked out the model RR layout in the adjacent museum and gift store.

Guess what goes right by the campground road across from us?