Happy Independence Day 2010

Happy July 4th to All…

The past three years we have not been to any July 4th Fireworks. We have been here in Hillsville Va. working at the campground. While some might think at such a terrible thing to have to work every July 4th and miss all the Fireworks… well… not really. I seen a lot of fireworks all my life and nothing… nothing… that I have seen can even come close to Disney Fireworks. It’s not just the fireworks themselves… which are 100% spectacular… but combined with a theme, music, lights, dancing water fountains, lasers, pyrotechnics, and a complete 360 x 360 immersive sensory overload experience… wow… how could anything else ever come close. So no… we really don’t miss July 4th fireworks… even just reminiscing about Disney Fireworks is still better than most actual shows. Here are some samples…

Full-time Rving and Us.

I haven’t written too much lately about Full-Time Rving. It’s not that we don’t enjoy it… just a contrary… It’s a lifestyle that I would not give up for anything. We have been full-time Rving for seven years now. Wow… where has the time gone. We have had more memorable times in the last seven years than it seems for most of my adult life.

We have experienced and been more places, done more things, and created such a wonderful life on the road. It’s sometimes funny when people ask and you tell them that well… we don’t have a job (as in year round employment), we don’t have a house, and we don’t have a car (we have a truck). Than there’s the shocked look, like, what do they say now… and when we explain… it’s like , oh, wow, that sounds so neat! Yep, it is! We work seasonal jobs with Legacy Campgrounds doing Activities and Arts & Crafts… are seasonal cast members at Disney World in Florida… and usually just take 3-5 months off to play… kinda like an extended vacation. Hey, if you aren’t independently wealthy by retirement, this is surly a great way to have the freedom to enjoy a lifestyle… rather than working to support a life of work (the job), the house, the expenses etc… working for those couple of weeks vacation each year and a place to live. Not that there is anything wrong with this… just not for me. We have a stress free lifestyle that just keeps getting better and better. If you want to read more about full-time Rving, just use the feature on the left to access earlier entries by topic… most are located back when I started to blog… which in itself, has been a great way to express our experiences. If the “435plus” doesn’t destroy what’s left of our bankrupt country, we hope to enjoy Rving for many years to come.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER (THIS ENTRY) UNLESS YOU WANT TO HAVE A REALITY CHECK ( or at least as I see it) ON THE DISHEARTENING STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

>>> It may spoil your good mood <<<

>>> Yes… this is a rare serious moment <<<

and one of the reasons why I hate being serious!

The “435plus” is the President, Congress, and all the banking, big business, special interest groups that have a self serving agenda to grab all they can get from the people (aka GREED), and give as little in return as possible. Basically, Government and business that rather than serving the interests of the people, would much rather have the people serve them. How will the top 5% survive when the bottom 95% collapses into poverty and servitude… just like they always have… in luxury and on the sweat and hard of the people. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great country… with great freedoms… but it certainly could be greater without all the greed, deception, and corruption which seems to only get worse with no end in sight. Things have gotten so off track and wrong that it’s hard to believe that it could ever be repairable. Bet that’s how every society felt in the past, just before it collapsed. So live for today, and enjoy it all as much as you can, while you can, life has few guarantees and most of them are not good. So be sure to Thank the “435Plus”… nothing is going to change… and the illusion of ‘Voting”… well… think of it like playing poker… how often would you win if they got to pick your hand? They pick the candidates… ahhh… sound similar? Back in 1776, the people had a better idea… they were known as ‘Patriots”… of a better way of life. A Government… by the People, for the People. Followed their rules all my life and accepted what they said to be was in my best interests. If I had the money that I’ve paid into social security over the years, compounded with interest and investments, hey, I’d be in the top 5%… instead of wondering how much longer I’d be able to afford health Insurance… or when my nearly bankrupt retirement fund will go completely busted.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not political, or have chosen any sides, neither side is honorable or defendable… I don’t trust any of them to do anything remotely resembling the right thing for the people.

The World as we know it today…

No expectations, no disappointments.

Just a Short 3 Day Cruise

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,

a tale of a fateful trip,

that started from an Arctic port,

aboard this tiny ship,

the mate was a might sailing man,

the skipper brave and sure,

five crewmen more set sail that day for a 3 day tour,

a 3 day tour,

the weather started getting rough,

the tiny ship was tossed,

if not for the courage of the fearless crew,

the ship was surely lost,

the ship was surely lost…..

Wow… this kinda sounds familiar…

or perhaps a more modern scenario might be more appropriate… “ The Perfect Storm”…in any event… I surely wouldn’t want to be on this boat out by the Grand Banks in a storm. Photos of a deep sea fishing boat, caught in a storm. Just a little something that came across my desk… maybe something to think about the next time you order fish.

Too extreme for me… but I do like seafood.

Thanks to all the fisherman that make my day.

The Games we play…

Here’s one of the games we play doing Activities here at Lake Ridge… during a little quiet time… sit down and relax… and play the “Eagle Eye Photo Game”. So what is different about the second photo vs the first photo… look carefully… there are ten things that are different. Find all ten. This is the One we are doing for the Disney Weekend.

Bits and Pieces of History

Every once in a while I continue to find bits and pieces of Family history. Words written on the back of old photos that once made no sense, names that had no connections to anyone… just a note that meant something to someone years ago… and than a single strand brings something to light. A name, a place… real or simply a wishful coincidence… who knows. Old scribbling on old photos, old stories remembered only in part, a dozen pieces of a thousand piece puzzle maybe fitting together. Who knows. Perhaps another isolated piece with only a thread of a connection. One branch of the family tree seems to have something to do with Monaghan….Ireland. I remember the Irish part of the bloodline being talked about… Monaghan is a county in Ireland. Lots of first names associated with family passed down over the years…James, Joseph, Sarah, and Emma. There seemed to be some kind of tradition to name children after a relative once or twice removed, so that the name could live on. I’d heard about family coming from western Pennsylvania and the deep south. Maybe another piece to the puzzle, maybe nothing. I like the living to 70 years old part… I was told that the family had a long history of a good long life… although that seemed to skip my parents generation. Maybe I’ll just pay the price and try the ancestry search and come up with a few more pieces to the puzzle. We’ll see. Some old photos sure bring up questions…

There’s always the vague bits and pieces of random memory that come to mind… sometimes things you heard when you were very young… things your parents or grandparents told you. Than there’s the other things that happen to you… like going someplace for the very first time, but you know that somehow you’ve been there before because you know what’s around the corner and recall vivid details about something that you’ve never seen or experienced before. Than there’s that very intense special feeling about places or old photos that you just can’t let go of because there is just something about it that draws you to it… again and again. Like an inherited memory that gives you hints of something or vivid recollections of a time before yours. Like going to a battlefield and an unconscious recollection spills over into the present and is so compelling that you can feel the fear and smell the smoke of the gun powder. So can thoughts or memories be passed down through the generations… maybe hidden in that 90% of the brain that they say we don’t use. Who knows… But there is something to it that can’t be explained away. I’ve been to places that history indicated were more intense and compelling… like Gettysburg… and it’s interesting but nothing special to my inner being. Than gone to lesser battlefields like Yorktown and had some kind of a personal immersive experience that physically touched my thoughts and sense of smell, taste, and emotions. Something is there, maybe calling from the past to make a connection to the present… isolated random impulse of thoughts or feelings jumping past the years to a somewhat hazy consciousness…sometimes vivid… igniting one or more of your senses outside the present. Seems a bit scary, but I guess we all have things like this happen… or perhaps not. Maybe looking for family history is an effort to complete or better understand these connections, thoughts, and feelings. Maybe time will tell.

So are you IMORTAL?

Now for a serious note… a very serious note.

We all hear about it, we all see something about it time to time, and most people think…

“That won’t happen to me” … “not me”.

Well, it could be you, the other person, or both… either way… do you want to risk everything yourself or want the other person to put you and your family at risk because making a phone call or texting while driving?

Article from local fair… Police Exhibit…

This was the result of someone texting on the phone.

Sometimes only a picture can get our attention!
Her last call was from a new cell phone...
Do you see the motorcycle?

The VW driver was talking on a cell phone when she
pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the
motorcycle. The riders reaction time was not sufficient
enough to avoid this accident.
The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them.
The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact
and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.
All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were
killed instantly. This graphic demonstration was placed at
the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department..
A picture is worth a thousand words.

There are those that want to protect your civil liberties and rights and fight to prevent laws from prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. I’m sure this is a comforting thought to all the family’s that have to mourn the tragic death of a family member.

When common sense can not longer be counted on, and there are those that are fighting for this kind of freedom under the banner of civil rights, it makes me glad that we have a really… really huge truck. This way perhaps when we meet one of the “No Common Sense Drivers” on the road and they hit us because they were stupidly talking on the cell or texting, they may loose their life, and we would only loose our truck. The rest of yall in small cars have our well wishes. It may not be your fault, but you will certainly suffer the consequences for other freedoms.

Here’s another look….

I understand the lack of common sense.

I understand the concept of stupidity.

I understand the sense of Immortality.

I understand the “Won’t happen to me”

I understand the thought that “It’s NOT illegal… so it must be okay to do”

But I can’t understand all the fighting against any law that would at least make cell use while driving illegal. It’s a small freedom with a big price tag. And I would jump up and down to defend their freedom to possibly kill themselves…. but not when it involves others.

Isn’t a wonder… they passed the seat belt law to protect “them” from themselves… but will not pass a law to at least send a message or try to protect all the rest of us from them. From time to time we all occasionally make mistakes, we all have a lapse in judgment, but this is just asking for a accident to happen.

NOW ON A SARCASTIC NOTE:

Why don’t we just repeal the seat belt laws, or the speed limit laws, or even the need to have a license or insurance. Don’t they hinder everyone’s rights too? Gee ?!!

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this entry DEFINATELY DO represent the opinions of the writer… and I would hope you too. If you find this offensive… well… right back at ya.

Usually it is not my intention to offend… but if you are offended… than I guess you are among the socially guilty… at least as I see it… and you have no defense… except for the obvious.

Kayla Loves the Waterslides

Kayla at the Waterslides…

So… why aren’t you Blogging?

Fun for you… fun for others…

keeps family & friends informed…

and it can be anything you want it to be…

funny… serous…

thought provoking…

what’s important to you…

what makes you happy…

what makes you sad…

good times…

travelin’ times…

what you did…

what you don’t want no one

to know you did…

your secrets…

someone else’s secrets…

that’s the beauty of it…

it can be anything you want!

and if you don’t like to

talk on the phone

it’s perfect!

You can make your outgoing phone

message to say…

“Hello… check my blog first…

than you can leave a message! “

>>> BEEP <<<

Write as much or as little as you want…

whenever you want…

or just say that you have a secret…

and if I remember… I’ll tell you later.

So why aren’t you Blogging ???

Facebook is here today and

gone tomorrow…

(when it works right)

Twitter is here now and gone sooner…

but Blogging… is Forever!

So why aren’t you Blogging??

Heavy Rains

From the little story to the “Big Picture”.

Heavy rains this past week had the Lake spilling over onto the road like a river. This is our third season here and we have never seen the lake overflow like this across the road. Here’s what it normally looks like vs the overflow. Couldn’t get more pics… started to rain… paddle boat dock is still underwater 7 days later.

The kitchen was also flooded as the rain water run off come down the hill, against the building, and got inside… mops for everyone! Some of the campsites and roads on the main loop have some washout but the lower section where we are, stays pretty much high & dry… no pooling or damage.

Not really what you would call a wet Spring… but when it rains… it pours. Warmer than usual… more humid than usual… less rainy days… but heavy rains when it final shows up. Weather changing year. It was also the worst winter on record this past winter for snow and cold up here on the mountain. My new favorite wish…. Dry & Cool.

Now for the “Big Picture” … who knows…

Natural weather changes leading up to 12-21-2012? and the new climate shifting for the planet … maybe the Mayans we right. It was no doubt easier for them to believe the signs of nature, knowing that they couldn’t do anything about it and they were at the mercy of Nature. Harder for us since we have the illusion that mankind is more capable now than 1600 years ago… and it’s just that… an illusion… we are still at the mercy of nature just as much as the Mayans… we just can’t accept it… and though we may have the ability to deal with it in some small way… it will be too little, too late, and of small consequence anyway. So enjoy each day now, the weather, climatic changes, natural disasters, and the food supply are no doubt going to change the world as we know it. Cheery Day yall.

So Live for today… the times they are a changin’.

Kayla’s first walk…

Kayla’s first day here…

Very first walk with poppy…

Pretty good first day walkabout…

Back to a more personal note…

It’s still a lots of fun doing Activities here at Lake Ridge… when it’s busy. This weekend has been the busiest so far for a non holiday weekend. And than it rained on my parade in the afternoon. Moved the Duck Races inside and made it as exciting as I could… still would have been better on the waterslide. But the rain did stop to do the Hayride which usually marks the end of activities for the day ( for me ) and is one of the most fun things to do. Kids are all finally out of school now so looking for things to pick up. Aside from this… life is pretty much the same here on the mountain.

Quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.

Driving to Brandi’s today after work, a quick visit, the court thing, and drive back Wednesday. A real whirlwind trip. Hoping to bring Kayla back for a summer vacation so she can enjoy all the stuff here at the resort. Than in July Bri will come down for a visit. Both will be with us for several weeks. This will probably be our last season here at Lake Ridge so this summer is important to us with the girls. Have had offers to go to 2 other Legacy Resorts to do Activities. The campground is being hit hard by the economy, so my personal feeling is concern for if there will be a job here for us next summer. We love it here, but the solid offer for next year somewhere else is more important than just a hope here…. and the nature of Rving is to more around, meet new people, see new things, and experience something different. Looking forward to a great summer and hope the campground picks up business. Our only other plans for the area this year is too visit the winery on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we’ve heard that they have wonderful gardens and grounds. Last place we wanted to see up here on the mountain.

Looking forward to something new and different next year. Three seasons in one place is a lot when you consider the lifestyle of Full-time Rvers… it’s their nature to move around and go to new places, see new things, make new friends, and have new experiences. So while staying in one place gives a bit of stability… moving around is the spice of life to keep it all fresh and exciting. While some things are changing, we still plan on returning to Disney as seasonal cast members… not quite ready to give up having fun at Disney every year… or at least until we get to take Lizzi to Disney for several weeks, just like we did with Kayla and Brianna. Can’t wait.

So… do you want to join ?

There seems to be a growing need for members to refine their delivery techniques. As the world becomes filled with more Sinicism, sarcasm is becoming harder for others to comprehend.

Hence, the New NSS handbook.

Filled with tips & techniques.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

No longer can we get the desired effect with sarcasm if it is presented in too subtle a manner. We must be bolder and use more inflections in our voice to convey the level of sarcasm to achieve the desired result and make our position absolutely clear. We want no doubts as to our thoughts and feelings on any particular subject, be it person, place or thing. Remember … Sarcasm is a very effective tool to not only convey your thoughts, but also to make the other persons thoughts, should they be inclined to have a different view, seem reckless & childish, and hopefully leave them with the thought… “ What was I thinking”… and have them mentally convert to your side… or at the least be intimidated. Or…or… it could be all just for fun. I kinda like the just for fun approach… they get a laugh, I get a laugh, no harm no fowl, at least not to any of the parties present. But always be mindful… someone always has to get the short end when sarcasm is involved. Another approach is to effectively combine sarcasm with irony… a double edged sword so to speak… and if clever enough will make others stop and think. Just keep in mind that if “Fun” is not the intent… a little more bolder delivery may be the best approach. If intended as an insult or detrimental statement, subtlety may be a waste of good sarcasm… and there is nothing worse than a good ironic sarcastic remark going to waste by going right over their heads. If they don’t get it… you can’t get them. A good insult is such a waste… if they don’t even realize that you are insulting them… especially when they think its a compliment. So be careful with the whole subtlety thing. Remember, sarcasm is free for all to use, don’t waste it!

So now onto the membership issue.

Join now and get the handbook free.

Do You want to Officially Join the NSS ?

Duh… Didn’t you read the cover of the handbook.

* The views expressed in this entry may or may not be the belief or intentions of this blog and it’s contributors… we haven’t decided yet… but not to fear… you will be the first to know once a decision has been reached. Keep watching your Email.

(Like that’s gonna happen either)

See… this is what I do when Shelly’s still sleeping.

Missing Little Misses…

Just thinking all the week… just like every other week… how much I miss the Grand Girls'. Leaving Sunday afternoon to drive up.

It will be a surprise for them!

Help Brandi a little, visit with the girls, do the court thing, and hopefully bring back Kayla several weeks… than exchange for Brianna for another several weeks.

We’re hoping that some day Kayla’s eyes will straighten out… and the droopy tongue things goes away.

Than there’s the whole shocked face look!

Don’t worry…It’s just a apple… Kayla

and the “Little Miss Hollywood” thing…

“Are we going now ? “

“Are we there yet ? ”

and the “Not another Photo” thing…

and the “I did-dint do it thing”

see my innocent smile…

But I still Love “All the Things”

I can even learn to love those “Big Ears”

and yes, she hears everything…

or at least what she wants to.

Watermelons

Watermelons… the Great American Summertime Treat! Just Chill, cut, and Enjoy! Nothing need be done to improve perfection. Well… along come the Japanese with a idea to help with the with the storage & shipping issues related to watermelons.

( They grow then inside plastic boxes )

After all, they do take up a lot of space and roll around, or roll away. Problem solved!

But there’s just something wrong with…

“Wanta CUBE of watermelon” ?

I’ll take mine the old fashioned way…

a round edge triangular slice…

Thank You very Much!