Winter Excursion 4, Day 121

Cath set a new record for laundry today, eight loads, washed, dried, and folded in 1.5 hours!
After laundry we headed back to camp. I left to wash the truck and pick up Jacob from school. Here he is in one of his usual positions!

We all relaxed in the late afternoon as the weather was perfect. We had a real campfire as Jacob split a bunch of wood (not!). Cath made a yummy dinner of beer can chicken. We played some cards, watched a few shows, and then off to bed.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 120

The highlight of the day happened this morning. Jacob's 5th grade class did a "Wax museum" as they have been studying Black History this month. Here's Jacob acting his character Lewis Howard Latimer. He did a great job and really acted the part. You had to "push" the disc to get the "actor" to Speak, just like in a Wax Museum.

 Here's Cath checking out Jacob's exhibit.

Here's the whole set up, there must have been 50+ stands.

Afterward Cath headed to the hairdresser. Kaylee and I went for a drive and killed an hour. On the way home we did our weekend shopping. Back at camp it's time to relax. Laundry tomorrow...OH BOY! 

Winter Excursion 4, Day 119

As usual it rained last night and this morning.
We took a short trip to Camping World for a few camper supplies. The gaskets in the drain hoses needed replacing.
Spent the afternoon munching some JJ subs and playing cards.
Cath was all excited because we scored some lamb chops yesterday at Costco. She made a nice marinade and we grilled them!
Another DVD night then off to bed.
Weather is supposed to be nice through the weekend (although cold), but I'll believe that when I see it, we are thinking about buying waders......LOL!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 118

We ran a few errands this morning. Cecilia took us to Costco for a few items. Afterward we all went to lunch a Moe's BBQ.
We picked up a new DVD player as the one that came with the camper is junk and we were tired of messing with it. The new one works great. I will redo the sound system when we get home. I want to put in a regular receiver and get rid of the IRV2 stuff.
The weather was perfect today and we spent the late afternoon outside people watching. We watched the Downton Abbey movie and then went to bed.
The weather forecast changed and we can expect rain tomorrow...what else is new!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 117

Camper Bound Again!
The rain started last night and looks like it will last all day. The good news is after today there is no rain on the forecast for a week!
A few snacks, some cards, and a few shows. It was a very lazy day!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 116

Cecilia and Ferdie had the pop-up ready to roll by 1200. We all said our goodbyes and then it was quiet!
Cath and I watched a few shows and just relaxed. Those Kiddos will wear you out!
We have plenty of leftovers for our next few dinners and plenty of DVDs to watch.
A few more shows then off to bed. As usual rain is in the forecast for tonight and all day tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 115

Cath woke me up at 0430 this morning complaining about being cold. I rolled over and checked the thermometer. It was 26 outside and 51 in the camper! Propane had run out so I went outside and switched the tanks over. Jacob never woke up, he was snug as a bug under the "52 pound blanket".
Once again the sun was out for a change and the temps warmed to the low 60s. It felt great in the sun!
Cecilia, Ferdie and the kids went hiking. Cath and I hung out at camp.

After the hike we all had a quick lunch at their campsite.

Another nice dinner, the kids went to bed, and we stayed up late again!

It's been a fun weekend!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 114

We woke up to a beautiful morning. The sun is shining! It's going to be a great day with no rain, although the ground is soaked like a wet sponge!

We got the camper straightened up and we headed out to do some shopping for the weekend. On the way out of the campground we got a phone call we've been waiting for. Which leads to a story I haven't put into the blog yet.

When our friends Ray and Melinda were here we were playing some cards at the table. Melinda mentioned that it was cold at the table and I noticed a draft coming from the floor. The next morning while eating breakfast I looked down at the floor and noticed a half inch or so gap between the slide wall and the floor! I went outside to look under the slide and saw that all the screws had pulled out where the slide wall attaches to the floor. The slide has been acting a little funny, but we didn't think too much about it. To say the least we were shocked and worried. I asked one of the campground hosts if there was a mobile RV repairman in the area and got the name of one from the host. I called the repairman, he was unavailable for the next three days, but said he would get back to us. The repairman showed up around 1200 today and spent almost an hour accessing the damage. This guy used to work in Elkhart, IN building RVs and has over 37 years of RV maintenance experience. He said the damage was not as bad as we feared and to bring the camper to his shop on the morning we leave here (next Monday) and he and his crew would have it fixed in three or four hours. To say the least Cath and I were relieved. We were afraid we were looking a big bucks in repair costs.

We finally were able to leave and get our shopping done for the weekend as Cecilia, Ferdie, Alej and Tapi are coming to the campground with their Coleman Pop-up (deja vu for us). The arrived just before dark, got all set up and then came to our camper for a Taco dinner. A good evening was had by all. Here's a few pics of the boys rough housing with me.

We didn't get to bed until after 2200! We will all sleep good!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 113

As forecasted the rain started last night and continued all day! We slept in until 0900 listening to the rain pound the roof.
We spent the rest of the day binge watching Downton Abbey. I think we watched about eight episodes and we finished the series. We will check out movie next week.
I think we only left the camper once all day.
The rain finally stopped around dusk. The campground is once again a lake. I'm glad we have a kayak!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 112

We left camp this morning to do some shopping and errands. We found a really nice meat market (butcher) not far from the campground. It's name is New York Butcher Shoppe and it turns out the original store is in Mt Pleasant, SC! We have stopped there in past years.
The rain stopped, but it's cloudy, cool, and damp. Cribbage and some TV this afternoon.
A nice steak for dinner, a few shows, then off to bed.
BTW: Heavy rain is in the forecast for tonight and all day tomorrow, just what we need!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 111

We woke up to rain this morning and it lasted most of the day. Camper bound again. Not sure how much more rain this place can take.
After lunch we played a little cribbage and some UNO (Jacob's favorite).
Cecilia came over after work to pick up Jacob. We all had a nice time telling stories about this past weekend.
It's quiet without Jacob around. Cath and I will be looking forward to Friday when he comes back.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 110

We got up this morning around 0700, ate a little breakfast and then headed south to the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.

Here's Jacob and Kaylee next to the bust of Robert Moton, whom the airfield is named after.

We spent about two hours at the airfield touring the hangers, had a quick lunch and then drove into Tuskegee to the National Historic Site at the University.

We parked at the Booker T Washington Home (The Oaks) and then walked over to the George Washington Carver Museum. Interesting places and the college campus is old, but beautiful. And yep, we got all of our passports stamped!
Took the backroads on the way home and stopped at Ray and Melinda's on the way. They have a really nice house and we enjoyed visiting them. We all had pizza for dinner and then we headed back to camp.
It's been a long, but fun day.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 109

We spent the day in camp. Ray and Melinda hit the road around 1030.

We did make a quick trip to the grocery store for a few supplies.

Jacob spent the day running/riding around camp with a few friends he has met. I was able to corral him for a few minutes to get some firewood split up. He hasn't lost his touch.

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We spent some time outside for a change as the weather was nice today. Here's the view from the front of the camper.

Cath and Jacob played a little cribbage and then we had a really nice dinner. It's been a fun weekend so far!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 108

The day started around 0800 after a good night's sleep even though it was a little short. Late nights don't suit us anymore...LOL.
Jacob found a bunch of other kids here and has been in and out of camp all day. He also had a blast riding his bike all over the campground.

Ray did a few repairs on his camper as he was getting some water intrusion on the front cap
I replaced our dump valve on the gray water tank as the handle was broken.
One of the campers a few sites up from us broke the valve on the pedestal fresh water connection. The campground had to turn off the water main to repair it. It just so happened that Cath was showering! She called to me that the water was off and she was "all soaped-up". Luckily the water came back on in a few minutes. We got a good chuckle out of that, but Cath was madder than a wet hen!
Spent the afternoon relaxing and playing some cards outside. The weather is perfect, sunny and warm.
Melinda made a really nice meal for us all. Afterward we played some more UNO. It was the UNO Flip game. By 2000 we were all tired and headed back to the camper for another good night's sleep.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 107

We spent the morning at camp doing some maintenance and prepping for dinner this evening. Ray and Melinda will be arriving later this afternoon.
The weather finally cooperated and the rain stopped and the sun was out! I left early afternoon to wash the truck and then pick up Jacob from school.
Back at camp Ray and Melinda had arrived. Cath had a nice dinner for everyone and then the UNO game began. We had a blast playing and stayed up until almost 2300! Sleep will come really easy tonight.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 106

We left camp this morning and had a nice breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast. From there we drove the backroads to an outlet mall. Cath needed some new shoes and there is a Skechers Outlet there. After that we hit Bass Pro Shop and picked up a new fleece for Cath. We headed south to Camping World as I need a new dump valve for the camper. Stopped at the grocery store on the way home and did our shopping for the weekend. Jacob will be here as well as Ray and Melinda.
In the evening we headed to Jacob's awards ceremony as he received his Black Belt Level II.

Afterward we celebrated at Chow Town.
Back at camp we will sleep good, it's been a long day.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 105

The rain finally stopped for a few minutes, but is supposed to start again!
We drove over to Ozan Winery near Calera and met Cecilia and her parents for some wine tasting.

It was fun to catch up with them, it's been a long time.

The wines were OK. We got a few bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, but we will stick with our West Coast wines!

Back at camp we had dinner and a few shows. We got the hatches buttoned down as it's going to rain heavy again tonight.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 104

It rained on and off most of the night. It finally let up a little this morning, so we decided to go do laundry. We had to get out of the camper as clastrophiba is setting in!
Dropped Cath at the laundry and I ran some errands. As we were leaving the laundromat it started raining again. We have seen a lot of flooding in the area.
Back at camp we got everything put away. Spent the afternoon playing cards and watching a few shows. The rain finally stopped again!
A nice dinner, some more shows, then off to bed.
We wish the sun would come out!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 103

It started raining this morning around 0300 and never stopped. It was still raining when we went to bed. Most of the day it rained hard, sometimes we could hardly see the other side of the campground. There is lots of flooding in the area and many trees down.
We stayed in the camper all day, played some cards, watched some shows and relaxed.
Rain is in the forecast for the next two days!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 102

Jacob's Blog:
OK, so here goes nothing. I (Jacob) woke up around 0700, played some Splatoon 2 until 0800 when Granddad woke up, grandma didn't get outta bed until 0830 and we were lucky it was that early! End of Jacob baloney!

Actually we ran out of propane last night and it was a little cool in the camper this morning. Cath stayed in bed until I got the camper warmed up to around 80! We had a light breakfast of cereal and bananas because all the other food was frozen. Jacob spent the morning running around the campground and saying goodbye to the other kids that had to leave today.
After lunch Ray and Melinda stopped by. We spent the afternoon catching up on news. Took a nice walk with the dogs and got their reservations straight for next weekend.
Jacob and I sat down to do this blog, here's a few pics:

Cath and I did a few shows, then off to bed.
It's been a really fun weekend and it's good to spend time with Jacob.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 101

We left camp at 0730 enroute to the Pepsi Challenge Bowling Tournament. Temp this morning was 36! On the way we snagged a few breakfast sandwiches and saw some hail (what the hail!). Weather continues to be unpredictable!
The tournament was held at Bowlero in Tuscaloosa, about an hour drive. All the kids rolled three lines. Jacob did well, but didn't roll anything like a 129! Here's a few pics:

After bowling we went to BurgerFi. A really nice, non-chain, burger joint that serves craft beers. The burgers were very good!
Back at camp the whole clan showed up. We spent the afternoon waiting on Jacob (LOL) and having a great time. Weather was perfect. The boys had fun at the playground with all the other kids.
Hotdogs for the boys and Cath made a really nice salmon dinner for the rest of us, including Jacob.
Off to bed at 2230. We will sleep good tonight.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 100

DAY 100!
Cath and I went shopping this morning for supplies for the weekend.
Here's an updated pic of Spike and the gang. Spike is getting big!

We drove over to Vestavia Bowl to watch Jacob roll four lines for his league. He got a new high game of 129 for his fourth game! Congrats! After the games we came back to the camper and enjoyed a super good spaghetti and meatball dinner,
After dinner we did some moon gazing as it was really beautiful this evening. It should be even better in a few days when it's really full.

Off to bed early as we have to get up at 0600 to drive to Tuscaloosa for a Pepsi Challenge bowling tournament. 

Winter Excursion 4, Day 99

Today was very interesting! Our day started at 0300 with the phones blasting a tornado warning. We put on our clothes in case we had to leave the camper and watched the local TV station for the latest radar and advisories. Luckily all we had was high winds and torrential rain. By 0430 we were back in bed. After all that we slept in a little!
It continued to rain all morning and most of the afternoon. There is lots of flooding in the area and some damage from wind and tornados, but luckily not in the campground. Almost four inches of rain were reported in the area.
In the evening we drove over to Hoover to watch Jacob test for his next level in Karate. He did really well, I'm sure he passed. We will know on Monday. Here's a few pics.

I got to hold the kick pad for him during the test. He did 10 kicks in 10 seconds!

After Karate we all went to Brixx Wood Fired Pizza for dinner and to celebrate. Pizza was really good!
The rain finally stopped as we headed back to camp. A few shows then off to bed.
It's been an eventful day!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 98

Dropped Cath off at the Riverside Galleria Mall. She wanted to find a few new tops, but had no luck. This mall is huge and is a destination. I wanted no part of it!
Kaylee and I headed back to camp and got a short walk in.
We spent the afternoon playing cards, watching a few shows, and relaxing.
The weather forecast for tonight is not good. High winds, lots of rain, tornado and flood watches are in effective. We will see what the night brings.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 97

Woke up this morning to find Catherine is on strike from making breakfast! The only solution was for me to make my famous "Geez Louise" Omelet with hash browns. Here's a pic.

Later in the morning we drove to the Vulcan Park and Museum in Birmingham. The Vulcan statue is made from iron and was on display at the 1906 World's Fair in St. Louis. After the fair it was moved back here and is a tribute to the iron industry in Birmingham.

Here's a panorama from the park. You can see all of the city.

Back at camp we played some cards and listened to the rain on and off. We are counting the days to the weekend when we get to see Jacob again!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 96

We spent most of the day recovering from 48 hours with Jacob!
In the afternoon we took a nice walk and as usual Kaylee loved it, check out her big smile! After the walk we played some cards and then sat outside. The temp today was 73 with little to no humidity!

A nice dinner, a few shows, then off to bed.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 95

Here's a pic of the new site at OMSP.

After breakfast Cath and Jacob went to the grocery store to get supplies for the Super Bowl. I went to get beer, ice, and gas. I could only get the gas as it is Sunday and there are no alcohol sales before noon! 

Back at camp Jacob and I took a hike. Kaylee loved it as she was off leash!
Here's the Super Bowl wings, they came out really good. Cath made her bean dip and we had lots of other snacks. Cecilia arrived around 1800 and stayed for almost the whole game. She brought some home brew that was really good.

A good time was had by all. Jacob has school tomorrow so we won't see him again until later in the week.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 94

We left Ft Rucker, AL at 0900. Took Rt 231 almost all the way to Oak Mountain State Park in Hoover, AL. We arrived around 1330 and were set up by 1430. Cecilia and Jacob arrived shortly there after. We had a fun afternoon talking and watching Jacob act crazy! He has gotten really tall, but is still silly!
Cecilia left around 1600 and the three of us headed to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.

The Canitias are really good. Cath had shrimp tacos and Jacob had enchiladas.

We headed back to camp for a fun evening and some cards, maybe even a show.
It's good to see him again!

This is my (Jacob's) addition to the blog:

So before I got with my grandparents I was doing my bowling league, my high game is 105 and I hit 105 on my 4th and final game. After that I had to do a private bowling lesson and then I bowled another 105, what are the odds! that's all I have for today, goodbye and don't forget to STAY FRESH!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 93

We had a lazy, rainy morning. Left around 1130 to meet Ronnie and Carol for lunch. We went to Dave's Catfish House in Dothan. The catfish was good and the place was packed.
Back at camp we got the camper ready for travel and played some cribbage. Watched a few shows and hit the rack.
We get to see Jacob tomorrow!