Flowery Branch family

We have been spending the day at home and going to see Renato, Jody, Brianna and Dustin in the evenings for supper.  We have gone out a couple times to eat and Renato has cooked a couple times.  This morning we all went to Krystal.s for breakfast.

Judy doing the R and R thing with Jody& Renato shoving off in the background to return home and pick up Dustin & Brianna.  It's a 10 or 15 minute trip to their place from our campsite.

Lake Lanier toon ride!

Today Jody and Renato came to our campsite on their pontoon, beached it in front of us and loaded the old farts onboard and took us for a ride. 

                  Checking out a houseboat crossing in front of us.

We stopped at Fish Tales for lunch.

Tonights sunset.............. 

Old Federal COE campground

Today we made the 140 mile tow to Flowery Branch, GA to see Jody, Renato, Brianna and Dustin. We arrived about 1:30 at Old Federal Corp of Engineers campground about 10 or 15 minutes from their home.  We are on Lake Lanier until October 1.  We spent a couple hours visiting with them in ti evening.

Here's the view from our site.  It's late in the season and the campground closes in 17 days so it's pretty empty......good!  It's quite quiet, peaceful and dark at night.  

Waynesville, NC

We are in NC for 3 nights as we head south to Flowery Branch, GA to visit Jody and family.  We really have not done much here; went out to breakfast, washed the truck, went to the campground church service, and did a little grocery shopping.  Judy wanted BBQ for lunch but alas......one was closed today and the other stopped serving BBQ as their cooker doesn't work.  At least we got to use a membership park even though it was $19 a night.  The site isn't as nice as it looks......there is a busy road right behind us and the site is small.

Big Stone Gap, VA

Another 200 mile day from Ohio through eastern Kentucky into Virginia and Big Stone Gap. This is new territory for us.  We are in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia.  

Here's Judy with a 500 pound block of coal, the other 500 pounds is outside.

The house was built in the 1880's for Virginia Attorney General Rufus Ayers over a 7 year period at the cost of a whopping $25,000.  Rufus was also the private secretary of President Calvin Coolidge. The woodwork was very impressive and all three stories had 15 foot ceilings.

                                                    Judy has found her new convertible!

While I sat in the truck Judy went into a Appalachian Mountain craft store which turned into a personal tour of the old home museum.  Having never seen one before she was impressed by the birthing chair.......something she will never have need for.

 

     

Stout, Ohio

We made the 200 mile trip to a small campground on the Ohio River with Ron & Roberta and Mel & Dee.  We will hole up here 5 nights over the Labor Day holiday.  We are 20 miles from a city so it's pretty remote and quiet.  $10/night plus electricity, a good deal.

                    How about this building we passed towing down here, it was in the shape of a basket.

                            Dee & Judy enjoying the day and the view.  We all did a lot of this.

                                                               Barges headed upriver.

And down river.  The river is not as big or busy as the Mississippi but there were 4 or 5 barges a day passing by.

Mel and Dee brought some good Kansas beef with them,  In Berlin they made steaks for us the day we arrived from Onsted.  Here in Stout he cooked some good burgers made into sliders.  Judy and Roberta turned the days dinner into a potluck. 

Berlin, Ohio

Sunday 8/30 we pulled out of Onsted and headed to Berlin, Ohio in the Amish community.  After a 200 mile tow we hooked up with Ron & Roberta and Mel & Dee at Scenic Hills Campground.

 As the Amish families tend to grow they build another home in their complex so many of the homesteads are quite large with several homes for their kids as they marry and start a new family.

Here's Judy and Dee after using hammers to make an "eching" by pounding thin metal on a form.

                                                         Elaborate wood carvings.

                                        The carver takes about 3 months to make each one.

We spent 4 nights here exploring and RnRing.