Beautiful Homes of Charleston, SC

Al and I went on a horse and buggy ride. Our horse, named John took us on a great tour of the city. Below you will see many of the beautiful homes that we passed by. I wish we could have taken more pictures, but it was difficult from the carraige.

I loved the pillars on this one.

How do you like the huge 2 story rounded porch. Many of these homes have 8,000 to 9,000 sq. feet .

Notice the steps on either side of the porch

Another beautiful home

I think the porch is bigger than the house on this one!

As in any city, the houses are close together!


We arrived in Charleston on Sunday, and had a nice visit with Al's nephew Rob and his wife Vickie at there home in Goose Creek. We plan to get together a few more times while we are here and also get together with the rest of their family one night this week. It is always a good time whenever we get together with them, and unfortunately, it's not often enough.

We had a beautiful day yesterday, so we headed to downtown Charleston. We have been there a couple of other times, but always enjoy going back. It seems like there is never enough time to see it all in one day. We especially enjoyed the carriage ride through the city and the beautiful homes we saw. I will post more pictures on the marketplace and other places around here on my next post.

Simply a Beach!

One of the entrances to the beach here at Ocean Lakes

My new camera lets me take panoramic photos

Just for fun, I erased all the people on this one!

Headed for Charleston today!

Still in Myrtle Beach

Here is where we had lunch in Calabash, NC. Capt. Nance's Calabash Seafood Restaurant

How do you like this bicycle built for four!

Another cute little house at Ocean Lakes. Notice the one next to it is huge. That is how it is here. All different styles and sizes all mixed together.

More residents of Ocean Lakes!

We are still hanging out here in Myrtle Beach. The weather has been beautiful these last few days, in the 70's and sunny. The beach is so nice this time of year. I will try to get some pics up but haven't taken any of the beach yet.

While our friends, Frank and Sandy were here, we wanted to take them to a town 30 miles away and just over the border, Calibash, NC, Seafood Capital of the world (or so it claims to be). It is the home of the Calibash style of seafood which is very popular here in Myrtle Beach. It is a neat experience, because it is such a tiny town with seafood, after seafood restaurant all next to each other. There are nine or ten in all and so it's hard to decide which one to go to. Unfortunately, it was raining hard that day, so I wasn't able to take many pictures and the ones I did take didn't come out well. We had a very nice lunch and more importantly a very nice visit with our friends. We were sorry to see them go, and felt bad that the weather hadn't been better while they were here.

We went to the Tanger Outlet stores today and walked around. I'm convinced that outlets do not offer prices for less. The Liz Clairborne store was going out of business here, so I went in there as everything was 60 to 80 % off. I still couldn't afford the prices for many of the things on sale there. I didn't even feel that the quality justified the price.

Sunday we head to Charleston. Al's nephew Rob and wife Vickie as well as their kids and grandkids live near there. So we are looking forward to seeing all of them, and taking in the sights of Charleston.

Waccamau Indian Pow Pow

Men dancing a traditional Indian dance

This is the beginning of a parade honoring veterans. Notice the American flag on left and the POW flag on right. In the front and middle, is their own flag (which doesn't look like a traditional flag). It was announced that it was supposed to be higher than the American flag. Well, they were here first!

This cute couple were sitting behind us. They asked where we were from and told us they used to own a Campground in the Adirondacks. She looked so great with all her turquoise, and even her nails were painted turquoise.

Veterans marching in the parade.
Loving the colors here!

Another dancer and another great costume.

This is called the Shawl dance.

I liked this guy's costume. There is a whole group dancing here, but it was easier in most cases to get individual pictures.

More dancers

Even the kids get in on the dancing. Aren't they adorable!

Looks like this guy was representing the Calvary.

This poor little guy was exhausted!

Another lovely lady!

Today was such a beautiful sunny day that we decided it might be fun to go to the Indian Pow Wow taking place in a little town about 3o miles from here. We had heard about it on the local news and since Al has always been interested in American Indian history, and we had never been to one before, we thought it would be a great way to spend an afternoon.

We were not disappointed. It was very entertaining to say the least. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The music, the costumes, and the dancing, were all wonderful. Knowing that a lot of it has been passed down from generation to generation made quite an impression on us. It was nice listening to the stories that were told and watching the Indian children as they participated as well.

At every pow wow, they honor the veterans and invite them to come up and march. They have a song they sing about the different wars, and I couldn't help but notice the children were singing them and knew all the words to the song.

There were many vendors there selling everything from jewelry, to toys, to leather goods. I enjoyed looking at the turquoise jewely. After a few hours, we decided to head back. We had a very enjoyable afternoon and look forward to attending another one sometime in the future. These Pow Wows are held all over the US by various Indian tribes. It was well worth the $3 admission fee.

Ocean Lakes Campground, Myrtle Beach, SC

These are our Campsites here at Ocean Lakes, Frank and Sandy on the left and we are on the right.

Our friends, Frank and Sandy

One of the cute houses in the campground.

These people are ready for a big party. Many of the houses are built up on stilts, and the lower part houses their cars, etc. Another use, a huge bar!

Sign above the bar says "Margaritaville"

More pretty houses

There is always new construction here.

We are now at Ocean Lakes Campground for a couple of weeks. We have been here several times in the past as we used to vacation here during our working years. This has to be the largest campground we have ever been to. There are almost 900 campsites as well as over 2500 leased properties. This place is like its own community. There are houses in here on the leased sites, some very luxurious and others very modest. Sometimes they are side by side.

Our friends from Massachusetts, Frank and Sandy arrived on Tuesday. They are leaving on Friday, so we have been spending time with them going out to eat and taking in the sights. We went out to our favorite steakhouse tonight and had a great dinner. We are having such a great time with them both. It's always a good thing when we meet up with good friends. They are headed to Florida for the Winter months.

Will write more later on our stay here at Myrtle Beach.

On the Road Again-Clarksville, VA

View of Lake from our campsite

Pretty little town of Clarksville getting ready for Halloween

I'm sure the kids will enjoy these clowns. These two ladies are really getting into the spirit.

Merchants in Town are all dressed up for the little trick or treaters who came to town on Friday night.

These adorable little ones are checking out their treats. I'm sure they have already decided this holiday is a keeper!

This is a local insurance company. This gentleman says it is his second year living in Clarksville and he really enjoys this tradition.

These shop owners are dressed for the season, though not in costume. The little pumpkin boy makes up for their lack of costumes, don't you think!!

I got a big laugh out of this one. This lady has her treats in a trash barrel. When we came back a little later, she was giving out the treats to the little kids.



So, here is is my first blog on this year's journey

Al and I started out on our trip on Tuesday, October 26. We decided with all the work involved in shutting down the house and packing up the Montana, that we needed to just chill for a few days. So we are here in a Corp of Engineer Park, on Longwood Lake. It is one of many parks located on the John H.Kerr Reservoir, a 50,000 acre lake which extends up the Roanoke River. The Lake is located partly in Virginia and partly in North Carolina.

So we are chillin and getting our little house in order for the long winter. Everything got packed in and needs to be rearranged a little. Yesterday we took a trip to Durham, NC and stopped at a Best Buy. Al decided I needed a Kindle electronic book reader, normally sold on Amazon, but now can be purchased at Best Buy. I had a bunch of books I hadn't read and forgot to bring, so since I had been thinking of getting one anyway, we decided to go for it.

The campground here is really nothing to brag about except it is only $10 per night for us. It does have water and electric and is overlooking the lake, but is very woodsy and rustic. Actually, though, it is just what we need for now. We have gotten very spoiled since we've had the RV and it's just nice sometimes to be in a more natural environment. This afternoon I plan to start reading my Kindle book, but decided I can't until this blog is updated.

Clarksville is an adorable little town here. I wasn't expecting much when we first went into town, but was very surprised at how charming it is. Population is less than 2000 here. We found out the stores were planning a special night for the little trick or treaters downtown. All the merchants get dressed up as well and give out candy. We stopped by and got some pictures mostly of the shops and shop owners. We got there early and the kids were just starting to get there.

Headed for Myrtle Beach on Monday!

Life at Home

Mike and Holly and their 3 kids came for a visit. This is Mikey 12 with his 2 little brothers Christopher (now 6 mos)and Nicholas 2 1/2. Christopher was born on Mikey's birthday, so he chose his name, with some help from the parents. Wasn't that a great birthday present.

This is Alfred at his First Communion in May. He looked really handsome, but unfortunately the picture I took is kind of blury.

Sam and Angie's little girl, Katie at her first ballet recital. Doesn't she look adorable.

Brother Will gives Katie a big hug after her performance. He was so proud of her.

Little Abigail turned 2 yrs old. She loves Lady Gaga and of course Mickey Mouse! She is such a smart little girl, it's hard to believe she is only 2.

Will attended the Double H Ranch. It is one of the Paul Newman camps for kids who have suffered serious illness. We attended the Talent Show on his last night there. I wasn't able to get any pictures of him as he was too busy with all that was going on. He had a great time and we were so happy to see him finally able to be a normal kid again.


Well, I hope you don't mind seeing mostly pictures of the grandchildren. That's what being home is all about.

So, keep reading as I'm finally getting around to blogging again after only 4 months!!!

I know, I know........I said I'd post here from time to time, but for some reason, I haven't been as motivated as I was when traveling. We are keeping busy with the day to day things. I used to hear people who are retired saying "I don't know how I ever found enought time to do everything when I worked." Such is our life lately. I'm not complaining and I'm rather enjoying it. It seems to be all about family, as it should be. Everything from birthdays, first communions, ballet recitals, cookouts and just all the normal stuff people do especially in the summer. It's hard to catch up on everything, so all I can do is highlight a few of the things that we have been up to.

We bought a house last year that was about 20 yrs old. It's in really good shape, but this summer we have been doing some updating. Our nephew, Anthony, who does professional painting for a living, is painting our interior during his spare time. He is doing a great job. My perfectionist husband insisted the ceilings even need to be painted (even though I think they look fine), so that is being done as well. We've been putting up new window treatments, and trying to make it look a little more like a home. So far, we don't have up any wall art and after being here for a year (minus 6 months on the road), I'm anxious to make our little place more like a home. Our next big project is to install hardwood floors in the Great room, hallways and kitchen. Can't wait to see the results. I may not want to leave here in October. I do love having a home to come back to and we are hoping to get everything done, so we can do some traveling during the summer months as well.

The house we bought is in a community of about 60 homes. One of our neighbors recently gave us a listing of all the people who live here. As I was looking through it, I noticed an old friend of mine lived just around the corner from me. I hadn't seen Nancy in over 20 years since I married Al and moved away from this area. I decided I would walk by her house to see where she lived on my way to the mailbox. As I passed by her house and turned the corner headed toward the mailboxes, I saw a lady heading toward me with mail in her hand. Everyone is so friendly here, so of course we spoke and then as soon as she smiled, I knew it was Nancy. It was just so great to see her again and catch up on things. Nancy is a very warm and upbeat type of person who I always enjoy being around. Unfortunately, there is always things that happen during that span of time. We both had lost our parents and sadly, Nancy husband passed away 2 years ago. I felt so sad in hearing this news, as they had a wonderful relationship and he was such a great guy. Nancy and I are hoping to see lots more of each other now that we live so close. It really is too bad that we lose contact with people due to travel distance and busy lives.

Al and I joined a gym and I started a weight loss program through Weight Watchers On-line. So far I have lost over 20 lbs and Al has lost some without trying that hard. I guess it's because I'm cooking healthier and also the exercise helps tremendously. We enjoy going to the gym together and keep each other motivated. My weight is coming off very slowly, but I'm told by the experts at Weight Watchers that that is the best way to loose it.

Last week our friends, Frank and Sandy from Massachusetts came for a visit. They also have a Fifth-Wheel and belong to the Montana Owners Club. We had a great time visiting with them. They had never been to Lake Placid, so we took a trip there one day and also up to Saranac Lake. In our younger years, Al and I used to love going canoeing and fishing in Saranac which is just one town further than Lake Placid.

It won't be long and we will be starting our travels again. There is always so much to do to get ready for our trip. We still aren't sure where we are going, but would like to go to Arizona, New Mexico and California and probably on our trip back, we will stop in TX to see our family there. We are planning on going south first checking out The Outer Banks, and maybe Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head then Florida, and then we will head west. Of course these plans are subject to change as they often do.