4th of July etc

After our short trip south to see friends near Charlotte NC, and to get some yearly maintenance done on the Roadrunner, we found a campground in the

spent the 4th of July camped in Newports News city RV Campground.  It was the closest campground to Virginia Beach under $40.  $36.04 in fact.  So, that was a plus.  We drove over to Kelly and Jon's place in plenty of time for the Thoroughgood neighborhood parade.

Kelly did a put some planning and decoration into the chariot the boys were going to be riding in.

The boys were ready to go and we were all decked out.

Brooks tried out his hat before he changed into his parade clothes.  The hat didn't last long so papa, the wagon-puller wore it.

The boys got loaded into the wagon at the drop off area.

Brooks stayed in the wagon for a few hundred yards, then was excited to see a pal of his riding his tricycle.  From that point on around the parade route Brooks ran ahead of his buddy on the trike.  Those little guys sure have a lot of energy.  Harrison had a more reasonable approach and enjoyed the proceedings from his seat in the wagon.

It was fun chatting with the parents of Brook's friend and taking the long walk around the big block.  It seemed as if families were gathered at every couple or three houses and they waved and talked as we walked by.  On group were sitting across the front lawn in their fold-up chairs and having a good time and had a giant jar of water set up.  They invited paraders to stop by and get a drink of water which was a nice thing to do.

About 100 folks stayed at the Thoroughgood House for the hot dogs and noon day meal/picnic.  We returned to Jon and Kelly's house.

The boys had a bug earlier in the weak but got over it fairly quickly.  Jon got up early that morning, put pork butts on the Big Green Egg and promptly went back to bed where he stayed all day long.  The time or two he emerged from the bedroom he didn't look too good.  Kelly started feeling poorly shortly after the boys went down for naps and then the bug hit her.  Pam and I were on our own when the boys woke up.  Gladly, it was no big deal, we just played with them and fixed dinner, read some books and put them to bed.

Kelly and Jon felt better on the 5th though not 100%.  They got better as the day progressed and Brad and Sue arrived a little after 4:00 PM.  Kelly lived with my brother Brad and wife Sue for a few months when she was looking for work as an Interior Designer about 10 years ago.   They were here in Virginia Beach five years ago for Jon and Kelly's wedding, and it was great to spend the evening with them.

We started with a tour of Goldmanor (Kelly's name for their house and property) and tried to convey the transformation that has happened since they got the property in October.  Brad is an architect (retired) so it was fun to talk about the house and the renovations.

We went inside and continued the conversations while dinner was being made.

We had broccoli salad, pulled pork (from Jon's two pork butts on the BGE the day before), cole slaw and finished it up with Key Lime pie.  After dinner Pam and I cleaned up the dishes while everyone went out front and enjoyed some more time together.  It was a long day for everyone so we left shortly after and drove back to our campground in Newport News.

Since Brad and Sue are also early risers, we decided to meet for breakfast in East Beach, just off North Shore drive at Sand Piper Cafe.  We had eaten there a few times before.  In fact the morning after the rehearsal dinner for Jon and Kelly, a large group of us had breakfast here.

Those selfies in the direct sunlight are tough

It was good to hear a little more of their vacation and road trip, specifically their time at the Biltmore and the Outer Banks.  Sue is due to retire any time, but she hasn't given an indication of when that might be.  She is a high school counselor and it gets real busy for her at different times of the year, especially near graduation.  She is the best at what she does, so her co-workers are dreading the day.  

They headed on down the road to the Duke/UNC area to visit those campuses.  She wanted to see Coach K, but reported back that he was not available...

Pam and I went back to the Roadrunner and things started to deteriorate.  We both started feeling puny with the bug that Kelly and Jon were plagued with.  Pam got the worst of it and was up often during the night.  On Saturday we pretty much just rested/slept and got over it.  Pam's lingered a bit but I was much better on Sunday.

I was able to keep a lunch appointment with Kris and Bill Osborne.  The are former full-time RVers that ended up in Williamsburg, VA.  They were on the road for four years and I they follow the Roadrunner Chronicles.

On Sunday,  I (Pam didn't want to take a chance and pass along the bug), sat down with them and got to know each other face-to-face.  That is one of those unique and fun things we get to do as bloggers and RVers - meet people who we've been friends with for some time.  If that makes sense.

It was a great time to get to know them better and hear about this chapter in their life in Williamsburg.  I think they love it here!  Bill is working in aviation again which is his passion.

The next morning, we got up bright and early, hoisted the jacks and were on the road a little before 6:00 AM heading toward Richmond for our 7:30 AM appointment with Cummins.  We arrived 15 minutes early and were met by the Service Manager and lead mechanic promptly at the appointed time.

We discussed the general maintenance they were going to be doing on the generator and explained the fuel issue on the generator.  We then left, got some breakfast and coffee and returned to the customer lounge.

The fuel issue was a fuel line filter (an extra added item by Tiffin).  The normal schedule of maintenance items was completed and everything was running great.  We left before noon and got back to our campground by 1:30 PM.

That gave us enough time to head over to Virginia Beach, have dinner with Jon and Kelly and the grandkids.  Jon and I went to a men's cohort meeting and Pam and I spent the night at their place.  Tuesday morning we returned to our campground and took it easy for the rest of the day.

Thats about all for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us!

Holiday Greetings to You!

Pam and I have landed in Virginia Beach for the next few months to spend the holidays here and to await the arrival of grandson number two.

Brooks - Grandson #1

We are settled in at the Sea Mist RV Campground.  It's been a bit cool but we've spent the winter here before and are looking forward to it.

We want to wish all our friends and extended families:

Happy Hanukkah 

and

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday ~
Randy and Pam

Roadrunner Rewind: Seven Thanksgivings on the Road

It gets to be a challenge remembering where we were for the last 6+ years on the road.  We get some of the years right --- but others don't seem to match up and we get confused...

Anyone else have that problem?  

I decided it might be fun to highlight where we have been for each Thanksgiving since 2009:

2009
Our first Thanksgiving on the road we were with Brad and Sue in Fort Worth, TX.  We stayed at Benbrook Lake at the Army Corps Of Engineers campground nearby. Six months into our new lifestyle and we were loving it.  We were told we'd probably want to see everything the first year and it seems as if we were trying to do just that.

We had been as far west as Santa Fe, down to Mexico border at Nuevo Progresso, up north to Canada and the Bruce Peninsula and Lake Huron and back to Texas for Thanksgiving.

2010
Our second Thanksgiving on the road found us back in Fairfax VA.  We were able to spend time with good friends Jeff and Tiffany.  Adam was back in D.C. from India where he had volunteered for 3 months and  Kelly had landed a new job in the Virginia Beach area.

Jeff and Tiffany were very generous to include our family in theirs along with his brother and wife and son for a big Thanksgiving meal.

We left the Roadrunner in Virginia Beach at the Sea Mist RV Campground and drove up to Jeff and Tiffany's place and stayed with them.

2011
We were back in Virginia Beach for Thanksgiving. We were able to spend it with Adam and Kelly and her friends.  Adam drove down from DC and Kelly was living in the area.

We actually cooked Adam's vegan and took it over to have the Thanksgiving meal with a bunch of Kelly's friends who were all getting together and were nice enough to include us.

2012
This was an unusual Thanksgiving for us.  We were not near family and didn't want to join some of the people who we barely knew with their families.  So we ate turkey TV dinners after leaving our

our Habitat for Humanity Build in Bowling Green FL.  We decided to head toward the Everglades and didn't even take a picture of the meal.  Our first stop in that direction was at the Big Cypress National Preserve.

2013
We were out on the West Coast that year near San Diego.  We got to spend time with nephew Rob and niece Chris.  Marty and Elena were there was were Matt, Sierra, her parents, Elena (Chris' mom) and her sister.  It was a big crowd and lots of fun.

We also got to share a Thanksgiving weekend meal with cousin Kevin and wife Sue which was a real treat.

Two their four boys were home and it was nice to hangout with them and watch the Detroit Lions on TV.

2014
We were in the area after spending some time in Nashville and Murfreesboro and spent Thanksgiving with Mike and Joan.  I did not take any pictures of that event but had a blog post here. 

We stayed on site at their place where we have an RV pad.

2015

One happy bunch here... Don't know why I didn't stay with it to get a photo of everyone smiling and enjoying themselves?

We had already eaten most of our meal and Joey and Angela came by to say hi which was nice.  More on our time there here.

So there is my recap of the places we've enjoyed Thanksgiving as full-time RVers.  Seems like the majority have been in Virginia Beach with Maynardville, TN a close second.

Wonder where we will be next year?

Thanks again for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  As always, we love reading your comments so feel free to leave some...

Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope this holiday season is a good one for you.  

I love Thanksgiving!  I love how we are reminded of all the things we have to be thankful for and most everyone seems to be in a good mood.  Its a fun time of the year.

This time last year we were in Florida enjoying some warm weather and heading from central to south Florida.  At that time, we were away from friends and family.  

This year it is quite different.  The weather is nice again, but we are in southern California and seeing friends and family.  And we are very thankful for that.  As I have said many times, this is one of the big benefits our the RV lifestyle and life on the road.

We have already seen quite a few nephews and nieces and will be at Rob and Chris' here in the San Diego area (actually Del Mar) for Thanksgiving.  They will have quite a houseful with family and extended family so we are looking forward to seeing everyone.

And Thanksgiving Day this year also falls on the first day of Hanukkah which will not happen again.
Read about the reason here. 

Be safe and enjoy the long weekend!

Until next time...

Weekend in Calaveras County

My brother Marty has had a cabin in the mountains for over 30 years.  It is Arnold, CA high in the mountains of Calaveras County.  Over the Labor Day weekend Pam and I joined him and wife Elena for some fun times.

It was only 132 miles but took us over 2 1/2 hours each way.  But it is a nice drive and we saw a lot of the California countryside and the mountains.

We were a little early so we stopped in Angel's Camp which is home to the Frog Jumping Contest each year.  This is the one and the same place made famous by Mark Twain in "The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".  The town is a tourist destination with lots of shops and history from the Gold Rush  days.   I didn't take any pictures thinking we'd be back during the long weekend.

Next, we made it up to the cabin and it was sporting a new roof and a half-way repaired deck.  The cabin has always been a novelty of sorts.

Marty wanted a dome and my brother Brad the architect found a way to add some room extensions.  I have never seen another one like it.

And it has a great big deck that is currently under repair/reconstruction.  At 1400' sq ft it is quite a project.

We spent quite a bit of time on the unfinished deck enjoying the mountain air and refreshing atmosphere.

Labor Day weekend was a busy time in the mountain resort community of Arnold and the Lion's Club had their annual pancake breakfast.

The area where they were set up had a steady stream of customers all morning.  It was  a good fund raiser for a good cause.

The fall Craft Fair was underway nearby so we had to check that out.

There was some unique things there including:
(Pictures taken by permission)
Sculptures by Mark Ross (775) 815-1845

HarvJan's Crafts

This was 'like painting in wood'.

Whittle Sister

Fiber Art

Sun Lover's Place

He heats steel, copper and other metals to get the right color, then puts a fancy lacquer on his creation.

Carllynn by Design

Wood products/tables and furniture

thebigheartbakingcompany

Gluten Free Baking

Later Saturday evening, the Home Owners Association had a pot-luck down near the basketball courts and picnic area.

It was a busy couple of days, but we got to see a lot and enjoy time with Marty and Elena in the mountains.

Hope you are having a good week.

Thanks for joining us on this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles! Until next time...

A 4th to Remember!

We are in Wisconsin with our friends Tom and Cathy who used to live here before they started full-timing 3 years ago.

One of the great traditions in Cedarburg, WI is the annual 4th of July parade.  We got there in time for the start of the parade and it was everything we hoped for!

It started with a big tribute to veterans

Tractors.  Lots of tractors and old tractors.

And many of the fire engines from all over the surrounding counties.

And beauty queens and politicians and businesses

And folks along the parade route all through town.

The drum and bugle corps from Madison was in the parade and gave a performance over at the city park after the parade.

Hundreds of us went over there and had a picnic and saw them play again.

It was a fun time!

Hope you had a good Independence Day also!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...