Crossing of "To Do's"

Judy and I left Blanton Creek Park Tuesday at 6:00 PM in a steady rain shower.  It continued to rain for about a third of the way we got home at 8:30. 

 The rental prospect for our house didn’t materialize. Judy was a little relieved. Since we are going to be working back at the park next year we will once again have it to return to it by-weekly on our off week.  Our boss Mike is happy that we are returning.

Judy and I have been completing some of our “To Do List” before we leave for our four to five months travel to Florida. We recently signed up for "Passport America", and received their catalog of 1800 campgrounds/parks that offer 50% off camping fees today.

 We also selected a mail forwarding service. Being a simple man, I suggested using  "My RV Mail", Judy agreed to go with them. The mail service is an affiliate of Passport America. Judy and I will continue using our US Post Office Box until mid Sept.

Judy also stopped by the Voting Registrar’s office to make sure our voting status will not be affected by using the mail forwarding address. The registrar explained to Judy the voting process for voters in our situation.

Once we finished up in Milledgeville we went to Macon and joined Judy’s sister Sheila and her son John Mark at the movies. We chose the movie  "2016".  It is a very informative movie. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Saturday evening or Sunday

Last Weekend at Blanton Creek

Time has marched on and we are at the end of our season here at Blanton Creek Park. We have worked our last weekend this season. Although we will work through Tuesday we are pretty much done. If our house is rented (we should know today) we will stay here until the last week of September.

The last week here was great. The campers and boaters seemed to have a great time. We didn’t have any situations to deal with. All of the 51 sites have been booked for the Labor Day weekend.  I am sure Ed and Char will be very busy over the holiday.

 

I am going to climb up on the Cardinal today and wash and condition the Cardinal’s rubber roof.  That is a task that I am not looking forward to.  Judy is going to stay outside to make sure I don’t do anything unsafe.  Monday is a good day to take on a task like this since we will not be busy.  If any campers call she can take their call. I am going to try to be through in a couple of hours. I am going to try to get the rest of the Cardinal washed after I finish the roof completed.  If not, I will wash it Tuesday, another slow day.

 If the house is rented we will have a little more time to get other things done.  I want to have the 5^th wheel packed and organized before we leave for Florida. If we find out today that the house is rented, Judy and I will have to get all our personal items packed and moved out of the house.  We think we can do it within a couple or three day. 

That is all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Thursday

Good and Bad News

Judy and I are back at the park for our last work week.  This has been a great workamper job so we have agreed to come back next March.  Mike, our boss, who we rarely see informed us yesterday that we will be opening the park. The park usually opens Mar. 15^th but next year it is going to open Mar. 1^st.  so we will be opening a full two weeks earlier.

While we were driving to the park Tuesday we received a call from our realtor. He removed the realtor signs from our yard since our contract is up.  He also informed us that the home owner next door was negotiating with his bank to agree to a “short sell” of his house. I know he paid $300,000.00+ for it about five or six years ago. The home was used as an occasional week end place from him and his drinking buddies and girl friends. His wife didn’t like that arrangement so she moved out of their $750,000.00 home in Peachtree City near Atlanta and purchased a home in Alabama. The home in Peachtree City was “short sold” for about half price. Our realtor indicated the lake home would “short sell” for around $227,000.00 with a possible further price reduction of 12%, if it doesn’t sell within 5 mo. the house will go into foreclosure. This is an example of what homeowners who pay their mortgage are competing with. That is why we decided to keep the house because we are not going to a 40%-50% loss on the house. I will be doing my part on Nov. the 6^th to bring about economic change.

The realtor also told us he knew two young men who moving out of their lake rental because the owner had sold it and they need a new rental. Judy told him that we would rent them our house. After more information was exchanged, Judy and I realized that it was the same two men that had contacted us last Aug. to see if we would rent to them. The timing was not right at that time because we were in the process of refinancing our house.  We however check them out. They both had responsible employment and Judy’s assistant actually knew one of them. Our realtor called them and they went to look at the house again. One of the young men wants to discuss it with his girlfriend over the weekend. We should know something by Monday. If they do rent it Judy and I will be very busy getting our personal stuff out. We are going to rent if furnished.

I washed and waxed my truck Wed. and Thur. I didn’t want to overdo it in the heat. I have found I’m not as young as I once was. I plan to wash and wax the Cardinal also. I am not looking forward to doing the top though.

The campground host can always find a shady site to wax and buff the truck

One of my fellow bloggers, Sherry recently underwent a double lung transplant. She and her husband, Charlie, have shown remarkable courage throughout this very complicated process. If you would like to read about their remarkable medical journey and their travels click "here".

Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Sunday evening

Nice Weekend

I went over to the court clerk’s office Friday and was able to get removed from the jury duty assignment. I was prepared to have to remain on it but was very happy things worked out. The clerk didn’t even look at my airline tickets.

SAT.

Judy went to a new spa Sat. morning for a pedicure and I hung out at the Black Bird Coffee Shoppe.  She told me she was very pleased with the service. 

We left Milledgeville for her brother Mike’s retirement party about 3:00 PM. Mike just retired, capping off 34 years as a truck driver. It was more like forty years as he started working for Overnight Trucking on the docks part time at age fourteen.  Technically he retired from UPS because they bought Overnight out a few years back.

The retirement cake

Mike and Judy

SUN.

I did my good deed for the week real early today.  Most of the time I get up way before Judy and today was no different. I got up at 6:30 and went into the kitchen to put on the coffee.  I looked out the window towards the boathouse and saw a boat just off my dock.  On a second look I realized there was nobody in it.  Even though it was raining I walked down to the dock and got control of the loose boat and secured it to my dock. I knew who ever the boat was owned by would eventually be looking for it. They showed up about an hour later to retrieve it. The owner was very grateful.

For  relaxation Judy and I went to the movie. We saw the new Bourne Legacy movie. It was ok, much like the other three. After the movie we came back home and watched a little TV.

The Bourne Legacy

Welcome to new followers Mark and Lauree

Thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: Thursday

Random Thoughts

Our time at the park is down to only one more week. We are using our week at home to get ready for our future travel to Florida. We will have about a month between our current job and the next one in Chiefland, Fl. With only about a month between jobs, Judy and I will be busy. We will be flying out to visit our son during one of those weeks.

Judy has been going through her kitchen cabinets deciding which pots and pans she will be putting on the RV. We hope we can get most of the things we will need on the RV while we are at Blanton Creek Park because once we leave we will be putting it back into storage until we go to Fl.

Wed. Judy had an emergency appointment with her hair stylist.  Judy has not been happy with her last hair style. I did my part, each time she asked me what I thought about her new doo, I said, “it looks good to me”.  When I stopped by to pick her up I ran into my realtor. He told me that one of the houses on my street had just sold for $292,000.00.  I already knew that it had sold but did not know the selling price. The house was purchased in 2009 for $425,000.00.  This reinforces Judy’s and my decision to take our house off the market as we are not ready to “give our house away”.  We will simply pay the house off.  In the event of a medical situation or some other calamity we will have a house to go to. 

When Judy and I picked up our mail at the Post Office  I had a jury duty summons. I am to report the day before we leave to Portland.  I will be checking on this matter today. I hope I can get a deferment since I have already purchased my airline tickets. I’ll let you know how that goes.

UPDATE:  went to see the court clerk Friday and explained my travel plans. I had a copy of my airline tickets, but she didn't look at them. She took my summons and told me she would remove my name from the list. I did not expect it to be that easy, but I was glad.

That’s all for now.

Thanks for stopping by.
Next Blog: Sunday

A Beautiful Day

It has been a beautiful day here at the park. The temps have moderated and the humidity is low. We love Mondays because we pretty much have the park to ourselves. Only one camper (Connie and Don) had a site reserved.  One camper “drive-in” showed up about 2:00 PM. He only registered for one day but said he may stay a couple of more days. 

 Judy got a head start on her “week-ending “routine; washed/dried some clothes at the park washer/dryers. I manned the office and even washed the outside Ice Box, it really needed it. Mostly though we just enjoyed a great day. To top it off I used the charcoal grill to cook my favorite meal – hotdogs & hamburgers. That even tops the steak dinner we had earlier in the week.  I am truly just a simple man and easily pleased.

Day Use Area



Connie and Don checked into the park around 5:00 PM. After getting settled in they launched their boat and toured parts of the lake.

Don and Connie's Motor Home 

 Connie and Don at the park boat ramp

Connie and Don stopped by the office about 8:30 after having supper at one of the nearby eateries.  Judy and I enjoyed hearing about their workamper experiences. We picked up a lot of valuable info and some ideas about some areas to visit.  I hope they enjoy their week’s stay at the park and will come back next year.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Thur. evening

Slowly Winding Down

It is Saturday evening and there is not much going on in the park. Only one site was occupied from last Sunday until Friday.  I think only about one fourth of the sites have campers. A few of the school systems have started back and that probably affects the number of campers.

On Friday a nice couple dropped by the park to check it out.  After touring the park they stopped by the office and visited with us for a little while. Don and Connie informed us that they had spent about five years full-timing. They came off the road to assist with a family health issue. Both of them said they loved full-timing and hope they would have the opportunity to get back on the road.  It was nice hearing about some of their workamper experiences. They worked at a few Jelly Stone parks; one was located just a few miles from where we lived after I retired from the Navy.  It was the park located in Natural Bridge, VA.  They also liked working in Montana. They are going to be coming to the park Monday to stay a few days so we will get to visit with them some more. If they aren’t camera shy, I’ll try to get a pic for the blog.

After we complete this week on Tue. we will only have one more week to work at the park. Time has really passed quickly.  I think the week on and week off worked well. We will start our next job in early Oct. Judy and I are looking forward to only 24 hrs a week at the state park.

I know this is a short entry but I have to go back to the office at 9:00 PM to finish the last hour in the office until I close the gate at 10:00 PM.  If I have any breaking news I’ll put in an update.

Thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: Wed evening

Day Trip - National Infantry Museum

With nothing planned Monday, Judy and I decided to return to the park a day early.  We left a little later than we do when we return on Tues. since weren’t going to be taking over from Ed and Char. Judy and I got to the park around 5 PM.  Ed and Char were a little surprised to see us.

It was nice being at the park as “guest” for a little while.  We had planned to go out to dinner for a sit down meal at Hunter’s Pub instead of getting a take-out meal as we have to do when we are working. That didn’t work out because Hunter’s Pub is closed on Monday.  We quickly came up with plan “B”. Judy and I went to the Texas Road House steak restaurant in Columbus. Both of our meals were delicious. After finishing our meal we drove back to the park arriving just before 9 PM – closing time. Having our own gate key a late arrival would have been no problem! Judy and I sat out on the concrete pad in our lounge chairs and had a refreshing beverage. Ed and Char came over once they closed out the day’s business and Judy got them a refreshing beverage also.

Tuesday morning Judy and I went to visit the National Infantry Museum located at Fort Benning.  It was a great way to spend a rainy day.  The museum has only been open a couple of years. Judy and I found it a very educational military museum. If you are ever close by it is well worth going to see.  It took us about three hours to go through the exhibits. Below are some of the pics of a few exhibits I took with my cell phone.

The Revolutionary War

Civil War

WWI

WWII - D Day

Korean War 

Vietnam War - LZ X-Ray

Desert Storm - Gulf War 1

Iraqi Freedom

UPDATE: Here is a video I found on youtube that gives an excellent overview of the National Infantry Museum. I recommend that everyone take a look at it, it is a must for military history buffs. I hope you enjoy it - let me know. CLICK Here


After we finished at the museum we stopped by Country's Barbecue for lunch. Judy had the four vegetable lunch and I had the more traditional meal that one would have at barbecue restaurant. My meal wouldn’t be classified as a healthy meal, but it sure was good.

Judy slept poorly last night so she took a two hour nap as soon as we got back to the Cardinal. At five o’clock we went over to the office for the weekly turn over.  Only one camper is in the park so not much is going on. We took over from Ed and Char at six.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

All Ready on the Firing Line

Friday
Judy and I wanted to go fire the new Glock 19 Gen four as soon as we could. The clerk where we purchased the gun told us about a new firing range located only about ten miles up the road from where we live. The range is a project of the Federal Govt., State of GA., and the NRA. The Cedar Creek firing range is located in the Oconee National Forest off HW 212W.

We took a drive out to the range Thur. in the late afternoon just to see where it was located. It was closed, so we parked the CRV and went under the iron rail gate. The facility was a very nice. We read the information at the kiosk and found the range was open Thur. – Sun., 10:00AM – 5:30 PM. The hours are also affected by the weather.

Cedar Creek Firing Range

On Friday Judy and I stopped by Wal Mart and picked up a few items – hearing protection, eye protection, and targets. When we arrived at the firing range at 10:45 we were the only shooters there.  Judy was happy about that. The only person there besides us was the range day manager. We found he is one of four retired men employed by DNR to be at the range on the days it is open.  We filled out a couple of forms and then got ready to fire.  I set up our targets about 25-30 feet in front of our firing station. The park maintains two sets of target holders at 50 yds and 100yds. Those targets are used mostly by rifle shooters. I shot my fifteen rounds first. My shot pattern was ok for my first time shooting since I left the Navy. I spent some time going over a few shooting pointers with Judy before she went to the firing line. I thought she had a respectable day shooting.  More importantly than what I think, she was satisfied with her day on the range.

My pattern was only ok

Saturday

Judy decided early on that she was going to stay close to the house.  Before she got up I took down all my Purple Martin gourds and cleaned them out.  That is the least thing I enjoy about maintaining a PM colony.  By the time I finished that Judy was up and getting breakfast ready. I got my shower before she had breakfast on the table.  After breakfast I headed out to get my overdue haircut.  I must say a trip to the barbershop ( Olde Tyme barbershop) I go to is very interesting. Think “Good Ol Boys”.  I can’t complain about the $9.00 cost.  To top it off, there is a hot dog diner next door (Olde Tyme Hotdogs).

After I finished up at the barbershop I went back to the firing range. I can see that being only 15 min away from the firing range could be a problem!   The range was much busier today.  A few shooters were zeroing in their rifles for the upcoming hunting season. I fired three 15 round magazines of 9mm ammo. I thought my performance was pretty good.  I only care to be proficient up 30 feet or so.  My pattern is about 8”X 8” and I hope to tighten it up to 4”X 4”.

That is all for now, thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Wed

Errands and more Errands

Judy and I have been back at the lake for two days.  It seems like we stay in the road and can’t get much done around the house. Wed. we both went our separate ways, she had her list of things to do and I had mine.

Wed.

We went to McDonald’s and had a breakfast sandwich. I stopped by my barbershop to get a haircut but my barber takes off on Wed. I found out. Judy went to get a cut and color at her beauty salon.  I went by the post office to get our mail from our PO box. I guess we really need to get serious about a “mail service” before we head down to FL in Oct.  Next on my agenda was a trip to the Probate Court to apply for a “concealed weapon” permit. I completed the three page questionnaire without a hitch. At the next station the process fell apart. The clerk went to input the data into a terminal with lots of connections and could not maintain connectivity so she couldn’t take my photo. After trying to reboot it several times she told me she would give me a call after the problem was corrected. She gave me the paperwork I would need to be fingerprinted at the Sheriff’s office. I must say she was very apologetic. I paid the $72.00 for the permit. It would be 2:00 PM before I could get my fingerprints taken so I thought I would go have lunch.

Judy called me and let me know she was done at the hair salon.  I told her I was on my way to Chick Fil A. Judy had about half an hour before she was to meet a friend for lunch so she said she would meet me. I got to Chick Fil A first and it was packed. I called Judy and gave her a heads up. Once she got there we went in. She found us a seat and I got in a very long line to order.  By the time I got my food and got to our booth Judy only had about five minutes before she had to go meet her friend. As Judy was leaving I saw two of my teacher friends looking for a place to sit. It was their first day back at school before the students return next week.

Overflow Parking

Standing room only



I got a call from Margret – the Probate Court clerk, informing me that the problem was corrected. I headed back over and got my photo taken and my data uploaded to some state database. I went across the street to my favorite coffee shoppe to have a refreshing iced coffee until 2:00 PM

The fingerprinting went well. There was another person there also getting his prints done for a permit as well.  The fingerprinting took place in the booking area. It was entertaining listening to some of the conversations taking place. I would have liked to video some of the things I saw but thought better of it.

Thurs.

Judy and I got a slow start. We planned to have lunch and pick up a few grocery items in Milledgeville. I called and talked to the Ranger at Manatee Springs SP before we left the house. Judy and I have annual doctor appointments Nov. 6^th and 7^th and wanted to make sure that would not be a problem. Not to mention we want to vote in person not by absentee ballot. He told me that would be ok.  On the way in I received a call informing me that the pistol I ordered was in. We went and had lunch then went by and picked up the pistol. I checked the pistol out, bought a holster and fifty rounds of ammo. Judy and I plan to go to the public firing range to do some “Fam Firing” (Familiarization Firing) tomorrow. I’ll let you know how that goes in the next blog.

That is all for today, thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Sun