Cincinnati to Nashville to Prattville, Alabama and ending in Foley, Alabama

We drove to Goodletsville, north of Nashville for a night at the KOA.  Our reservation was all in order and soon we were set up for the evening.  We decided to drive to Grannie’s Diner a bit out of town for dinner.  It was a pleasant drive and decent enough food but not spectacular for a Grannie!  We left the next morning headed to Terry and Carol’s new hometown.  The park I picked out wasn’t much but was only 10 minutes from them and for just one night!  What a dump!  All dirt strips in uncut grass, no amenities but a public laundry and your neighbor no more than 12 feet away.  We made due but I wrote a scathing report and advised people to look elsewhere.  

Terry and Carol came over and we all rode in their car to Olive Garden.  It was their 61st  wedding anniversary so we treated them to dinner and a bottle of red wine.  Then we went to their new house that they are still working on getting set up!  It is as big or bigger than their last home!  I thought they were downsizing!  Carol has done a great job of decorating and adding upgrades.  She still has a family room upstairs stacked with boxes of audio equipment and a garage with many boxes too.  All in good time I told her.

We went back to our less than desirable campground and got a good night’s sleep for the drive into Foley.  We arrived about 1:00 as I had estimated.  Ira came in right behind us!  Seems they were lost for a half hour but saw us and followed us in.  We are parked next to each other, across from the pool.

We chose to eat at Lambert’s, home of the throwed rolls which is across the street and down just a bit.  There are two others.  One in Sikeston, MO where we have stopped many times and Springfield, MO right north of Branson.

We ate more than our fill and Lee and I had a miserable evening!

On Thursday we decided to look for Bamahenge, Dinosaurs and Lady in the Lake.  It is an unmarked place and takes a bit of detective work to find.  

We found three dinosaurs hiding in the woods but the Lady in the Lake was MIA.  Apparently she was damaged and has not been reinstated!

We came home and made our obligatory stop at Walmart.  Lee was making dinner and I needed Tide and sugar.  For dinner we had BBQ chicken sliders, corn, green beans, baked beans and my contribution, strawberry shortcake.  I brought my bottle of Moscato and Lee and I finished it off.  It was a pretty blue bottle and she kept it.  

We were in bed at 9:30!  Ted got up early and had washed the motorhome before it got too warm.  I hadn’t slept well on my full stomach after Lambert’s, so we both turned in early.

And So It Ends

A month with the kids, two weeks with siblings and friends, now traveling to our one week “vacation” at Gulf Shores, AL with little “stops” in between - picking up chairs, the Ohio National Sporting Clay Tournament, getting yearly service, visiting the lake, etc.  The time has flown by.

Thursday I went to get my nails done and we stopped at Walmart for groceries.  The next day I noticed my motorhome key fob was missing.  The clip holding it to my purse had broken.  My Jeep fob was still there, clipped on separately.  On Friday Ted went with his brother Kevin to see the athletic department building, built at Elder high school courtesy of Kyle Rudolph of the Vikings, and now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, and my half brother Kim Knoppe, owner of Autumnwood Homes.  It was very impressive, rivaling professional accommodations Ted said.

When he left there I told him I had talked to the Wednesday evening restaurant and the keys had not been found.  He tried the nail salon, but no luck!  Our last hope was Walmart; after all, they could have fallen off while walking in parking lots.  Ted went to Customer Service and they proclaimed “we have been waiting for Donna to come get her keys.”  I forgot I had a light up key ring saying Donna given to me by my son in law Larry.  It wasn’t enough info for them to find me but made them memorable and easy to identify!  I owe St. Anthony big time for this one!

That evening we met with the “magnificent nine” Ted’s two brothers, two sisters, a sister in law, two brother in laws and us!  This is the group that all went to Ireland (plus Tom and Jeanne who live in Arizona).  I sure would love to do another trip with them!  We ate at a really nice Mexican restaurant, right up the street from us and then went to sister Peg’s house.  Kevin and Ted kept us entertained with old Enquirer stories.  It was Barb’s birthday so we bought a second birthday cake this trip!  A sangria margarita and an Irish coffee helped me sleep really well.  

Saturday was our normal relaxing morning, church at 3 pm and then cousin Nancy and husband John came for a cookout.  We had an enjoyable meal out at the picnic table and sat around the lake enjoying a breeze.  They left just as it was starting to get dark and we came inside.  

Our Sunday plan was to see Karen one more time.  We needed to pick up a Rx for me, find an ATM that would give us cash and stop to buy some more Cincinnati groceries.  We couldn’t get the Rx, it was lunch time so we went on to find Chase banks and ATMs closed one after the other!  So we adjusted our route, found a “closed” ATM near the facility so gave up and went in to visit.

Karen knew us, but not our names.  She had received a crocheted Queen Elizabeth doll from her friend Judy and she kept telling us you can’t touch the nose, she will disappear!  Then she went into the bathroom to talk to her friend who is her own image!  She carries on a one sided conversation.  She found a peanut on the floor and said Ronnie likes to eat them and drops some when he throws them into his mouth.  She threw it away while saying he was working.  He died last Halloween.  She did remember her great grand daughter Jemma had been brought by “her mother.”  I supplied the name Laura and she said yes!  It was hard to say goodbye because I am afraid that mentally it may really be goodbye.  I know what Nancy Reagan meant when she called it the very long goodbye!  

When we left we took a shot at one more Chase ATM.  Turned out to be another bank’s ATM with a $3.50 charge.  At that point we used it to be sure we got back in time to get my Rx.  Of course it was not ready “because it was ready on the 14th and no one picked it up.”  I said “no, I was told insurance wouldn’t refill it before 7/22.”  She just agreed to fill it!  I never had this problem in all these years with Walmart.  Next year I will make sure WalMart is a preferred drug store!  

I had ordered a LaRosa pizza on line for pick up at the one near us that is under renovation.  That was all they were offering.  We brought it home and ate it outside at the picnic table.  Ted took our Magna shades down, put away the ladder and grill, etc.  I did stuff inside and we are ready to roll tomorrow heading south to Nashville for one night.

We were in for the night when we realized we had missed the grocery so no goetta, brats, turtle soup and Skyline chili to take back to Texas!

Two Weeks Back “Home”

We left before 10 to head to Cincinnati, I-71 to I-275, didn’t even need a GPS!  We made one rest area stop.  I went in to pay our balance while Ted unhooked the car and moved it next to our spot.  When I came out I backed him in with no problems. Nice big spot backed up to the lake.

We quickly set up and then took off to Batesville to visit with Karen.  Dan, Sue, Sherry and Wyatt were already there.  She cried again when she saw us and was overwhelmed at all her company.  We stayed going on two hours when it was time to walk her to dinner.  She was a “star” with everyone gathering around asking who we were and how we are related to Karen.  She said she wanted to go home and Sherry told her she was home.  She said “this is not home.”  She remembers some stuff and her home is one of them.  So sad.  

We returned through Lawrenceburg and stopped at Skyline for our chili fix.  The LaRosa’s pizza is being remodeled so we will have to find the nearest one next to that before we leave.

I did three loads of laundry and we sat outside for awhile until it got too bug-gy.

Tuesday we took the opportunity to buy new step covers for the motorhome.  We had taken the old ones off because they were worn.  There had been a new set left for us but they didn’t fit.  We also went to the grocery and ordered a birthday cake for me to take to my alumni luncheon on Saturday.

Ted went shooting on Wednesday and I stayed home doing some things around here.  After dinner we drove into Lawrenceburg to get an ice cream at United Dairy Farmers, another “must” place on our eating in Cincinnati.  We had goetta for dinner so that is 3 down when you consider our stop at Skyline.  LaRosa’s still awaits!

Thursday my best P&G pal, Karen, and her husband Bill came to dinner.  What a fiasco that became.  First off, Karen came loaded down with food.  We had strip and Delmonico steaks, I was baking potatoes, Karen brought corn 🌽, ambrosia salad and a home made apple pie.  I made cucumbers and tomatoes too.  Ted had gone to have the tank filled for the grill so we were all set, or so we thought!  We have two surge protectors, a built in one and external one.  One of them shut down our electricity due to low voltage.  Ted turned the generator on so my potatoes would finish cooking but asked me not to turn the induction stove on to cook the corn to keep the load light.  When he turned on the grill, the “filled” tank was empty.  He had two portable green bottles that barely finished the steaks.  I put the Texas toast on the hot grates and closed the lid to heat the garlic bread.  We actually ended up with a decent dinner!  When things settled down, the electric was turned back on and it stayed on!  Disaster prevented.  I was just glad they were really good friends who rolled with the punches.

We were to meet Ted’s siblings after they visited the Van Gogh exhibit (I had seen it in Houston) for lunch.  We had put in for a service call to see if our protector did exactly what it is designed to do or was it the campground pedestal.  The Van Gogh folks all stopped back to visit since we couldn’t join them for lunch.  The guy never did show up, his mailbox was full and we never heard from him.  The campground said they were going to stop recommending him if he was going to do business like that.

Saturday started bright and early as a bad one.  I tried my best to get ready for my alumni luncheon but I just couldn’t do it.  Ted picked up the birthday cake and delivered it to the restaurant for Donna.  She face timed me to say hello to everyone and to thank me.  That was a big disappointment.  

Almost as soon as I said I wasn’t going it was like a faucet was turned off!  All was okay!  We were planning church at 3:00 and then right after head to Kentucky to spend the night at the lake.  I stayed OK so we gave it a shot.  We were still concerned about our electric staying on too!

We ate at the winery with Tim and Cindy then went to their house to spend the night.  Next morning Tim fixed a great breakfast, we went by boat to visit Vicki and Eddie plus David was in residence across the cove and came over for a bit.  We spent the afternoon, had lunch and then headed home.  Thank God, the electric had stayed on,  

My niece Ann asked me to help identify people in photos that she had taken from Karen’s condo.  She wants to make a book before that history is lost,  so we spent three hours and finished it all.  There were some of me as a youngster but not too many.  One I was delighted to see had to be a grandma photo from my baptism.  My mother, two grandmas and two great grandmas plus one lady I don’t know and have no one to ask.  

My cousin Jim, an electrician, and his girlfriend Sharon came for dinner.  They had invited us to have Ky Fried chicken with them but they ended up having it with us at the picnic table next to the lake so he could look at our electric connections.  I sent Ted for a bucket of chicken and he came home with chicken, biscuits, mac and cheese, coleslaw and lemonade!  He said it all came with the bucket of chicken!  I had a bowl of cut up fruit and leftover cucumbers and tomatoes plus the corn that never got cooked on Thursday.  Another meal pulled from close to thin air!  LOL

Jim could find nothing obviously wrong so we just visited into the evening.  The next day the  electric tripped off and then right back on.  The campground agreed to replace the 50 amp breaker.  So far, so good!  

My cousin from my father’s side and her husband came for a visit, it has been years since we saw them last.  We ate at an outdoor restaurant in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, right on the Ohio River and had a great visit.  So much to catch up on.  

Today we were at Freightliner in Walton, KY for our annual service.  It was last done in Gaffney, SC on our summer trip last year after leaving Florida, heading to Pennsylvania.  They apparently parked it early morning and worked on it after lunch.  Four hours later it was done with only one hour labor listed!  We decided to fill up at the TA to be all set to leave on Monday.  What a chaotic mess!  Trucks were all over the place until there was total gridlock. We had made it into a fuel line and waited patiently while two arriving police cars started sorting out the “parkers” who had caused the mess.  Eventually we were back on the expressway headed home. Our electric was on.  Yay!  We got set up and left to meet Judy and Joe for an early dinner.  They were our best man and maid of honor 57 years ago and have been married 54 years.  We had a nice visit while eating; we were both starving since we had nothing to eat all day.  

Our Time at Ohio Sporting Clay Competition

We left at 9 am as planned and made our way down I-75 towards Ohio.  There was some construction but no actual stopping.  We were heading to a TA station in Monroe where our TSD price was $4.74 vs. the posted price of $5.99!  0ur biggest savings ever.  I wish we had needed more than 41 gallons.  We turned off at Findley OH to make our way through the countryside to Mt. Gilead.  We have been at this KOA before and I had done EZ check in online before our arrival.  So it was just a matter of giving them our credit card to run and go right to our spot and set up.  

Dan and Sue had arrived earlier and were at the gun club.  We invited them over for a cookout when Dan was finished.  This necessitated a run to the grocery and a bit of preparation.  But dinner turned out fine and we sat outside until almost 11.  Friday was a 9 am start time so it was right to bed for us all.

Ted didn’t do so good on Friday, Dan did better. But I was having one of my “bad” days and chose to stay home where facilities were right here.  After Ted left, I felt better and if I had a way to go to the club, I would have.  Later on, Ted came home to freshen up and we picked Dan and Sue up to go to a restaurant/bar and sat at a high top in the bar area.  The food was good and the crowd enthusiastic discussing the day’s events.

Ted did better on Saturday and Dan had a rough time.  The course is set up really hard.  Some of those targets were so fast, and thrown into the shadows in the trees so dark, I couldn’t pick up the flight of them and I watched them leave the thrower and then they disappeared.  There was grumbling among the troops!  

My brother Kim and his wife Marion came from Powell, about 40 miles away to watch the shooting.  It was about 12:30 when they finished so the four of us went to a biker bar for lunch!  Dan was shooting at 3:00 and didn’t want to eat.  When we returned we couldn’t find him.  We asked around and looked all over.  His truck was parked next to his golf cart but we never did find him.  Ted and I were headed to church at 4:30 so Kim and Marian took off for home.  When we came home we spotted Dan’s truck at their motel.  The truck by his golf cart was not his and he had been napping the whole time!

There was a dinner at the club for participants just as we returned from church so our evening was spent there.  Their friend Mike joined us since he was alone and I watched a robin feed her babies in a nest in the rafters of the pavilion, enjoying a bit of nature in the beautiful setting.  

We returned before dark and Ted dumped our tanks in preparation for heading out on Monday morning.  Here is a little gun humor.

Sunday was ok for Ted but Dan had a great run.  They shoot in different classes and they both ended up in the top 1/3.  Not a fantastic showing but good enough to have had fun.  Dan and Sue took off for home and we returned to the campground and chowed down!  It was late afternoon and neither of us had eaten even breakfast!  

Monday morning we left about 9:00 to head to Cincinnati.  We need to get parked and setup by 1:30 to make our way to Batesville IN to see Karen again.  We are meeting Dan and Sue there, they have not seen her since they went to their FL condo right after Christmas.  She will be so happy to see us all.  I don’t think she could rattle off all our names but I know she will know we are someone important to her.  She had a hernia repaired and has recovered.  This was an outing for lunch with Cindy after having stitches removed. 

Nearing the End

Monday we met Carole and Margo for breakfast.  They are “by chance” friends of a friend we met almost 20 years ago due to RVing.  They travel the world and are so interesting.  We meet each time we are both in Michigan at the same time. I think breakfast lasted about 2.5 hours!  They are looking to move into an independent senior housing complex when a unit they want becomes available.  They admitted they will not be able to travel as much once that happens.  We understand.  Many of our friends have sold their RVs.  

Tuesday we drove west and some Retama friends from Monroe, MI drove north and we met in Novi!  We had lunch then Karen and I shopped while the fellows found a comfortable place to sit and talk.  We had a good laugh when they arrived because Karen and I were both dressed in navy and white while Ted and Dave both had on beige shorts and black shirts!  Talk about “getting the memo”!  After a great visit we said our goodbyes and look forward to meeting up again in the Rio Grande Valley next winter.  

Wednesday I announced I was not “adulting” for the day.  We had nothing planned and I was just going to move at a slow pace.  I did straighten up, made the bed, etc. and later fixed dinner.  We then sat outside in the evening watching the TV on the side of the RV until it got too cold and we went in.  I enjoyed my little vacation day!  

Thursday we had to go into town so I could drive Kara for a medical procedure and Ted could sit with Bill.  When Kara and I returned she fixed lunch and I did two loads of laundry.  Kelly, Bidkar and CeCe came over later and Ted cooked on Bill’s grill to feed everyone dinner.  We eventually made our way home for the night.  

Friday it rained and we went to see Top Gun!  Everyone said it was really good so we saw our third movie this trip.  More than we have seen in the last 5 years probably.  I got out what I thought was a meatloaf for dinner but when I took the foil off the loaf pan container, it was left over pasta!  Yikes, dinner time and my plans went kaput.  I quickly defrosted some tortellini soup, reheated the pasta, put out rolls with ham slices along with cheese and we made do.  Not planned but it cleared out some leftovers.  And I know I have a frozen meatloaf at home when we get there!  

Saturday Ted went shooting and I cleaned some.  That really doesn’t take too long.  We decided to go to Mass in town, eat out and then take an order to Kara and Bill who is still recuperating.  Pat had to read at their church at 5 so I told them to get something afterwards and bring it to Kara’s right around 6 because we would be arriving about then.  They could all eat together.  We seemed to be on schedule until their phone order to Chipotle went to a location “closed for lack of help” sign when they showed up to get it!  And their credit card had been charged!  

Back to Square One and in comes CeCe, Bidkar and Ally.  Easy fix, pizza all around, we had stopped to buy a Boston cream pie for dessert so everyone got fed.

We took everyone to a Mexican restaurant on Sunday for dinner.  Poor Kara has been burdened having  constant company plus taking care of Bill and sleeping in a recliner to hear him throughout the night.  He really can’t come out here or go to Kelly’s because of his cooling machine, and overall comfort.  

It was back to Kara’s for the 4th but everyone pitched in and Kara had 3 friends stopping by.  I made ambrosia, took in the Boston Cream pie that had not been eaten and picked up 28 pieces of chicken from the Chicken Shack.  

CeCe had the most fun!  She loves all the people around.  She will start pre-school this week finally.  The pandemic played havoc with jobs and day care availability so they have juggled her care as safely as they could.  She loves her Pops (her grandpa is Boppa) and climbs up on him as soon as he sits down.

Today we have no plans.  Tomorrow is a grocery run, hair cut and dessert at another Celanese boss’s home  who has invited us for dessert.  His wife sees Kara a lot and I said we would come to them since we are coming into town and Kara needs a break.  Lori agreed with me because she knows about Bill’s surgery.  

And Thursday we are 🎶🎵🎶🎵 On the Road Again 🎶🎵🎶🎵