Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

A wonderful evening and the one good thing about Fieldridge

Saturday May 25, 2013
Fieldridge Acres
Charlotte, North Carolina

 

 

We’re on a roll of let downs since the COE parks of Alabama and Georgia but I think we just hit the nadir with Fieldridge Acres.

 

Can’t tell you our site number.  They don’t have any.  They are just all back in sites in a row on both sides of  this short street.   At the end, about 4 coaches up from us, is the busy Wilkinson Boulevard.  Right there just beyond that last 5th wheel.  Or what is that thing with the arms?  Overhead we  have the flight path to the Charlotte airport.

Friday in Charlotte 003

 

Here is a closer shot of cars going by on busy Wilkinson.  This is pretty early in the morning so there are only two cars visible.

Friday in Charlotte 005

 

 

Our front yard is the road.  Our back yard is  single line of trees separating us from a construction site where they vrooom and beep beep all day.  Our side yard is Ruby.  Luckily, we won’t be here most of today and we leave in the morning.   Two days here has been quite enough.

 

Friday in Charlotte 007  

 

 

BUT in addition to all its many charms, there is actually one good thing about Fieldridge Acres. 


There are no rules against washing your car or RV.  SO FINALLY both Ruby and Winnona get a bath.   That will take the top layers of grime off before we get back to Charlottesville to give them a wash and wax, an oil and filter change and a general spiff up.

 

David & Heather 002

 

 

About 1:15 we leave for Dave and Heather’s about 30 minutes away from us. 

 

They have a beautiful home in a lovely golf community.  Dave plays golf and Heather tells me she’s trying.   I’m a miniature golf player and not much of a one of those.

 

 

David & Heather 008

 

Dave gives his uncle a tour of these mighty fancy digs.  I get this picture of the two of them. 

David & Heather 004

 


Dave’s the chef this evening and he’s doing his famous Carolina pulled BBQ’d pork for us tonight.  I think he knows that pork was our favorite meat.  We’re looking forward to this foodie time out.

David & Heather 005

 

 

It’s a beautiful day and we sit around in the driveway near the grille so the chef will be close.  We chat most of the afternoon away.  At one point the guys go off to 201 Central for a little craft brew and wine shopping.  I warn Heather how long this might take.

 

David & Heather 006

 

 

Matthew comes to get me to see if I’d like to meet a puppy who lives next door.

 

  Well you bet I would.  Who wouldn’t.  Seems the neighbors have a bulldog puppy and he’s about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.  His name is of course Winston.  Aren’t they all named Winston??

David & Heather 025

 

Matthew is trying to help us get a good picture of Winston and forgets to look at the camera himself.

David & Heather 028

 

But here’s a great picture of Matthew and his Dad.  Heather’s boys!!
What a great looking pair they are.

David & Heather 037

 

 

OK enough handsome men and cute puppies, let’s get back to that food.

Heather makes up some delicious home made slaw.  She and Dave slice potatoes into french fries.  These nearly disappear when Heather takes the first batch out of the fryer and invites everyone to help themselves.  She makes a second batch too but we need to get that BBQ on the plates before those fries are all gone.  I think you might need to fry up an entire bag of potatoes for this group.

 

David & Heather 014

 

 

Now seriously doesn’t that Pinky’s shirt look much better on Heather??

David & Heather 022

 

The two Davids test the BBQ just before serving it.  What do you think?  Are they in heaven?  We actually do sit down and eat this great meal but I am too busy stuffing my face to even think about taking pictures.  mmmmm good!

 

David & Heather 038

David & Heather 039

David & Heather 040

David & Heather 041

David & Heather 042

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now for a family gathering.  Some folks show movies, Heather has pictures.

After dinner, Heather has a box of pictures she’d been given of Dave as a kid.  She wants to show them to David and see if he can identify some of the people and times they didn’t recognize.  Even Matthew has a great time seeing pictures of his dad as a little boy, at school, in Halloween costumes and of his “great uncle David”, as he calls him, on his Harley motorcycle.   HA – how did you get to be so old - “great uncle”??

They discover that David Jeffrey was the cutest curly headed boy ever, that Matthew looks amazingly like his grandfather Jeff at his age, that I didn’t recognize one picture of Dave’s mom, David’s sister Gail and swore she was someone else.   And I knew Gail well.  Is it my eyes?

 

David & Heather 045 

David & Heather 046

 

But all good things must come to an end even nostalgic picture looking.

They are all still going at it great guns when I look at my watch and it is nearly 11:00.  How did nine hours disappear??  We have a half hour drive and need to get on the road tomorrow morning for Virginia.   David probably would stay until the wee hours of the morning, that’s like him.  Be forewarned, if you invite him over, you may have to throw him out.  What is that thing about fish and house guests??

As usual, I get to be the party pooper.  Not a favorite role of mine, but somebody’s got to do it.

 

We had a great time and wonderful food. 
Heather and Dave are terrific hosts!
Thanks to you two and Matthew too!!

High 5 is exactly right!!
See ya next time.

David & Heather 013

Moving Right Along: Georgia to South Carolina to North Carolina

Thursday May 23, 2013
Site A2, Lake Hartwell Campground, Townsend, South Carolina
Friday May 24, 2013
@ no # site, Fieldridge Acres, Charlotte, North Carolina

 

Thursday

 

Lake Hartwell SC

Today we are on the road from LaGrange Georgia at 9:30 for a very long drive, for us.  We have SBS not PDD.  For SBS a good drive is 50 miles and anything over 150 miles is considered extreme.   So today was definitely extreme, 191 miles to a one nighter in a campground near I 85. 

 

It’s an OK place, better than most interstate stop overs.  Certainly not a destination but $19.43 for FHU with Passport America .   Our site is pretty difficult to get to and had I been driving I would have had total white knuckles and would have to pry them off the steering wheel as we go up a pretty steep rutted dirt road to a narrow not level site.

 

Lake Hartwell SC (2)

We are in Site A2 at Hartwell Lake Campground in Townville, S.C.  Well that’s the campground address but there’s no town anywhere near that I can see.  I-85 is near but actually not disturbingly near.

We are here about 2:30 but we really do nothing else for the entire day.  This one night stuff is really unusual for us but we are trying to be in Charlotte N.C. for the holiday week-end to see David’s nephew and his family. 

No lake in the Duckie’s view today or ours either.

Lake Hartwell

 

About 9:30 pm, I post the now infamous Selma to Montgomery Historic Trail blog and shortly after that we turn in.  We’ll be up in the morning and moving on to North Carolina going right out this road.  But the site is a pull through and we won’t have to do anything with the car or the dolly.  Now that’s FABULOUS!

 Lake Hartwell SC (3)

 

 

 

FRIDAY

This morning is an easy pack up although a slow exit from the park because of all the ruts in the roads.  Once back on the county roads we easily slide back onto the interstate for a more reasonable 131 miles.

I discover when I wake up that my post from last night is posted all right but it is no where to be found on the blog rolls which is how most of my commenters find me since nothing I do has been able to make and keep the email subscription working for people who want that notification.  If you have advice about that I’d like to hear it.

Rick Doyle of Rick and Paulette’s RV Travels spends WAY too much of his Friday trying to figure out how I had messed this all up so badly.  Eventually, he does manage to fix the feedburner problem  so the fact that I am still posting is due entirely to him.  No egg throwing now.   This is a very generous man.  Many of you know how ready I was to throw in the towel.

This is a holiday week-end so I booked this site in Charlotte months ago.  In late February actually after looking and looking for anyplace in the area that wasn’t over an hour to the city and didn’t have just scathing reviews.   Fieldridge Acres is what I decided to compromise on.   I knew it was going to be a parking lot but I had NO idea it would be right on a busy street and on the airport flight path.

We back up to a single row of cedar trees beyond which, within reaching distance of the back of Winnona there is a small bulldozer with a brush clearing grinder on the front.   He guns the engine forward, the grinder roars and then he beep, beep, beeps as he backs up to do it again.  ALL DAY LONG. 

All this luxury and FHU for $25 a night in CASH only.  No checks no credit.   And today, no pictures.  I just couldn’t go out there and do it.  I’ll try tomorrow I promise.

 

IMAG0112

 

But here’s why we came - to see David’s sister Gail’s son and his family.  His name is David too.  Gail named her son after her brother.  What an honor to have a child named after you.  And what a great guy he is. He brings along his lovely wife Heather, his son Matthew and Matthew’s friend Jack.  They’ve all  just come from a fun day at Carrowinds.  

They stop on their way home to check out Winnona and of course I forget to get my camera out.  Then we go out to eat at a spot they like called Pinky’s.  Do I take my camera??  NOoooo.   SIGH………

 

 

 

 

 

IMAG0113

But there is always the cell phone right?   Except that when we look at the pictures David takes, they are mighty blurry.  The phone takes “fairly good pictures” outside but inside, not so much.   Those are what you see here blurry or not.

 

We’re seated outside and I’m in shorts and a t-shirt.  Sun’s going down, it’s cooling down, I’m getting cold.  It’s supposed to get down to 44 tonight Heather tells me.  In North Carolina in late May??  So they graciously decide to change tables and go inside.  Meanwhile Dave (to distinguish him from David) goes in and buys me a Pinky’s T-shirt to keep me warm and as a souvenir – in the smallest size they have.

IMAG0118

 

When we get in the car to go home, I give the t-shirt to Heather.  She’s taller it won’t be a dress on her.

 

Dave is looking carefully at the menu.  I’m asking what he has liked best.  Heather knows what she wants.

IMAG0123

 

These boys, Matthew and Jack, are good buddies,   Although they don’t look all that thrilled in this particular shot, they actually did have a good time.  I’ll bring my real camera tomorrow and try to do better in the picture department.  We are going over for dinner at their house.   Clearly I’m going to have do some picture taking or there will be none of the two Davids.

 

IMAG0125

The cloud with the ski jump nose

Wednesday May 22, 2013
Site 44 White Tail Ridge COE Campground
LaGrange, Georgia

 

WEDNESDAY

This is our last day at Whitetail Ridge where we have really enjoyed our site.  We had a lot of visitors today– Killdeer, robin, red bellied woodpecker and the Canada geese family all stop by for a visit.  The robin is my first of the year.  That’s amazing to me since I am used to seeing them starting in February.  David actually thought it was a Rufus sided towhee before he looked more carefully.

 

Slow Wednesday 001A

 

Slow Wednesday 012

 

Slow Wednesday 013

 

Slow Wednesday 022

 

I even finally get a shot of one of the bluebirds that has been here and there and everywhere but not staying still for a minute.

 

Slow Wednesday 050A

  

The killdeer are in abundance for some reason and this one sits for a long time in the road.  What’s up with that?

 

 Slow Wednesday 038

 

We spend most of the day enjoying the site and have an early dinner before heading out in the kayaks for a last paddle.

 

Slow Wednesday 048 

I also give myself a flowbee haircut.  My hair is fine but just a bit too long and whenever I look down the top flops into my eyes.  I hate that.   Above is before.   I didn’t take an after.  You’ll see it next time I’m in some picture.

 

Pretty rough waters today.  Windy.  Not hard to paddle in but the rocking makes taking pictures difficult.  I can’t hold the camera still.  Broad views turn out OK but trying to zoom in on anything results in too blurry to use.

 

Slow Wednesday 069

 

I did paddle over by the osprey who are hanging on to their trees.

 

Slow Wednesday 081

 

Slow Wednesday 101 

 

 

The clouds were wonderful today.  Do you see the face there?  Nose chin mouth.   What’s he looking at??

 

Slow Wednesday 143

 

I just love the nose.  That’s some hairdo.  I watch the cloud for nearly half an hour as it morphs and changes.

Slow Wednesday 145

 

 

Such a relaxing time on the water as the sun slips lower in the sky and the waves calm down.  We just float along wherever the kayak goes.

 

Slow Wednesday 153

 

The moon is out and nearly full, floating along too.

 

Slow Wednesday 165

  

And then the cloud changes into another face.   Do you see the brim of the hat, the straight closed mouth and  lips below.  There’s a closed eye too off to the right. 

 

Slow Wednesday 168

 

It’s just another beautiful evening on the water, just like last night.  I could do this every night I do believe

.

Slow Wednesday 175

 

 

Slow Wednesday 190

Slow Wednesday 178

But we have to move on.  The week-end warriors are coming and we have a date to keep on Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Slow Wednesday 200

 

A few last looks back before saying good night. 

 

Slow Wednesday 209  

 

Slow Wednesday 203

 

Slow Wednesday 208

 Slow Wednesday 211A