BACK TO MISSOURI

12 May 2022 2 Comments

by Betty Huffman in Family, Life Style Adjustments, Missouri, Retirement, RV-ing, Traveling, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

We spent three months in Pahrump, NV this winter (see previous posts). We left there March 27 and spent six days driving (high winds forced us to spend two nights in one location). We finally arrived in the Oklahoma City area to visit our youngest son and his family.

We had a good time in Edmond visiting our kids and grandkids. We watched movies, played a lot of card games, laughed, and ate way too much of our daughter-in-love’s great cooking. Our son, Mike, doesn’t do too bad on the grill either.

Next stop: Springfield, MO. Many of you know that my husband’s mom lives here. We spent nearly every afternoon visiting with her and playing Skip Bo (her favorite game). For 94 years young, she is a sharp Skip Bo player and wins most of the games!

We also visited with Carol and Delano, Jack’s sister and brother-in-law. We like to play Mexican Train Dominoes when we visit them at their house. I still cannot remember to put my train up or take it down! It’s so frustrating. However, we really enjoy the game and their company.

We spent Mother’s Day with Lill, Carol, and Delano. We brought carry out chicken fried steak dinners from Cedars Restaurant for a lunch celebration (Cedars has THE BEST food!). After lunch Lill, Carol, Jack, and I played team Skip Bo. It was Lill and I against Jack and Carol. Lill and I won the first game and Jack and Carol won the next two games. They were all very close games, and it was such fun.

Jack’s mom while we were playing Skip Bo. The reading glasses she ordered online arrived, and she was trying them out.

Also on Mother’s Day, Carol, Delano, Lill, Jack and I went to go visit Jack’s brother’s grave site and place flowers. Carl served as a Marine in the Viet Nam War and was VERY special to all of us. He passed away last August, 2021, from COVID. His wife, Sharon, passed away about six years ago after a valiant battle with breast cancer. They are both buried at Missouri State Veterans Cemetery just outside of Springfield. OH! How we miss them both SO much!

One day we took Lill over to see her ONE HUNDRED AND TWO year old sister, Jerry. We had a wonderful visit! For 102 years old, Aunt Jerry is still pretty sharp and has a hilarious sense of humor. I wish you could have heard some of Jerry’s stories from when she and Lill were growing up!

Aunt Jerry on the left and Lill on the right.

This is totally just for fun! The “kids” taking a nap with me! 😴💤

Today, May 12, we are heading to the St. Louis area to see my dad. Stay tuned!

So, for now ….. “On the Road Again” (LITERALLY!🤣)!!!

Betty

Spring 2021 – Part 1

23 Jun 2021 2 Comments

by Betty Huffman in Life Style Adjustments, Retirement, RV-ing, Traveling, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

We planned on leaving Florida on April 1st. However, some friends told us that we really should stop by the Freightliner place in Gaffney, South Carolina, to have maintenance done on our RV chassis since we were going right by there.

We made an appointment for a complete maintenance check for a five year old RV the last week of March. Freightliner Service and Training Center only works on RV chassis. This is why we left Florida a little early.

This place was awesome! The people were so helpful and friendly. They have accommodations on site for you to hook up your RV and stay one or more nights as needed for your repairs. We arrived the afternoon before our early morning appointment the next day.

Everything checked out ok. They did the general maintenance and greased and oiled everything that needed it (even places that a regular RV repair shop might not even know about). They did catch one possible problem that would have stopped us dead on the road had it not been caught. The extra money to replace that part was well worth it! We plan on returning here for regular maintenance every few years. We highly recommend this place if your RV needs general maintenance.

Next stop: Asheville, North Carolina. We stayed at a KOA campground a little west of Asheville for a couple of days. We drove through part of Great Smokey Mountain National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a cloudy, rainy day, but we still enjoyed the scenery.

I can officially say, “I hiked the Appalachian Trail! Well, at least a few feet of it. 😉

One day we went to the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville. We didn’t realize that we needed a timed entry pass (because of COVID) to tour inside the mansion, and we waited too late to get one for the only day we were able to be there. Therefore, we walked all around the grounds and viewed everything outside. There are six (or more) gardens, SEVERAL other buildings, MANY trails to walk, Antler Hill Village and Winery, Deer Park, Carriage and Trail Ride Barns, Amherst, and Lioncrest. Believe me! That took quite a while to do! Here is a photo from our guide booklet to give you some idea how big this estate is:

Here are a few of the MANY photos I took of this National Historic Landmark:

Here is a good look at one of the many gargoyles and intricate architecture.
Down the main hallway to the many tunnels filled with aging wine.

As I said, that was only a few of the many pics I took. I can only imagine how many more photos I would have taken if we had been able to go INSIDE the mansion!

Before we knew it, it was time to continue our journey northwest, back to Missouri.

So, for now ….. “On the Road Again!”

Betty

Previous Older Entries