Our Chapter Two

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.   John Lennon The fog of excitement and glow of Christmas was over and now it was time to "see" what we bought. Monty and I reviewed what we should have discovered (or been told about) about the Motorhome before we drove it off the lot. I have to say that it is difficult to look at every crook and cranny when the vehicles are squeezed together in a parking lot. The salesman guided us around and assured us they had reviewed the bus and all was well.  * Lower Compartments check One of the main one is rusted through and needs replacing. Carpet only holding it now. * Electric check The battery compartment - batteries not new as were led to believe. It is tight and hard to see but Monty will figure out how to get in there.  * Roof check Seems okay, no rust, holes, bumps. There is a satellite, looks old. CB radio antenna and one for TV. Need to check all seals and make sure no leaking.  We kept being assured by t...

One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get  it.    Sidney Howard Since we were married in 2011 we've been dreaming, talking, and wanting to buy an RV Motorhome or a 5th wheel as a way to travel the United States (maybe Canada) and go where the road takes us. At our age, making the decision to sell our home of 1300+ sq ft and downsize to a home on wheels of about 300+/- sq ft takes thought and lots of soul searching. What are we thinking? Is this the right thing for us? Can I do without 80% of my stuff? Will be adage be true "be careful what you wish for?" The past two years Monty has had heart issues. He had a heart attack and repair in 2016 and open heart surgery in 2017. That has played a big part in our making the decision to go ahead and buy the vehicle and start moving from brick/mortar house to a house on wheels. We both love to travel and as we have gotten older, the days seem to speed by all too quickly.  ...

A house needs a grandma in it -- Louisa May Alcott My middle daughter Becca lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband Chace and two children, Marshall, 7 yrs and Olive, 3 years. It had been about a year since I saw them so it was time for Grandma to go see everyone. We are able to FaceTime, but hugging them in person is the best.  I arrived with no plans just wanting to spend time with the kids and babysit so Becca and Chace could have a date night. Encouraging them to go out, they had two dates. The kids are easy and I love being with them.  Barbie!! Olive is a girly girl who will only wear dresses (maybe pants in the winter) and has a paper crown she likes to don. With her ringlet curls it's adorable.  She likes to sing, right now her favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus". I happen to find her a coloring/sticker book of the song and she enjoyed my help with that. Usually it was mama only but a couple of times I was able to participate in her entertaining her.  Whe...

Campers: nature's way of feeding mosquitoes - Author Unknown Recently we took our motorhome out for a weekend at the Okmulgee Lake campgrounds. This was our first trip since the purchase last December.  Our RV had been winterized, that's putting antifreeze in all the water lines for the winter season if it will be stored. We weren't sure if all the lines would function and if the refrigerator would be cold enough. This was our test trip.  We met another couple that also have a large motorhome and have camped more than we have so it was nice to have them there for advice. Okmulgee Lake is about an hour from Tulsa and we didn't want to go too far in case something happened to our unknown systems.  We arrive at the campground, a lovely lake and lots of places for tents or RVs like ours. There are lots of families here and all the amenities we need. Monty and Trent get the electricity and water hooked up and they go around checking faucets.  The hot water heate...

  “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de St. Exupery BEFORE WE GO Since October of 2017, Monty and I have been planning and anticipating our (probably) last trip to Europe. While waiting for the day to finally arrive I have been collecting travel items to use that don’t take up too much space and are light. I started with a suitcase. When I went to Italy in 2006, my first time out of the country, I did what most do. Try to take my entire closet. I didn’t know what I would want to wear and anticipated different weather. Big mistake. I had a suitcase you could put a 5 year old in and fill it up. My aunt who I was traveling with did the same. I didn’t know until I began the trip that I would have to deal with both cases plus carry ons. I have learned my lesson. I researched and shopped locally to find the best suitcase for me. Rick Steves is a great resource for travel tips and ideas but I can’t travel with just a backpack. I decided the weight of the case ...

Are We There Yet? - Athens Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet   Roger Miller Part of our cruise package included dinner at a 5 star Michelin restaurant, the Kuzina. The reservation was for the evening before we left on our cruise to the islands.  We excitedly got on our best clothes. I am wearing my new leather sandals and Monty had on his fabric Sketchers. I wore a long skirt and top, he's in dress slacks.  There had been a hint of a rain shower approaching but the sun is shining. Miraculously I put my very small umbrella in my new leather purse. Not sure of the distance we stop at the front desk and ask where Kuzina is on the map. The clerk says it's about a 20 minute walk. Still sunny we decide to skip a cab ride. As we get about two blocks from our hotel; crash, boom, here comes the deluge. I pull out my umbrella but too small for us to share. We stop at a corner shop and Monty buys an umbrella for himself.  Monty thinks we can find the restau...

Big Trip, Big  Boat I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.         Mark Twain Part of our excursion to Greece was a three day/four night cruise to some of the Greek Isles (May 25-28). We had never cruised before and didn't know what to expect. Our travel agent thought it would be a good idea to have some kind of a rest at the end of our 2.5 weeks. Rest!? No way.  She set us up with Celestyal Cruise line that sails from Athens. A smaller ship than most, about 1300 passengers plus crew, but a big boat to us having never experienced a cruise.  Ready to board The Olympia  We found our room, met our wonderful cabin steward and got our bearings. We had a porthole so we could see the shore and extremely blue water.  We found a different animal sculpture each evening We left around noon and first stop would be Mykonos, be there around 6 pm. If anyone is my ag...