AIRPLANES - OLE SHAKEY

Feb. 6 - Saturday

We are at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. The temp was 46 degrees at 10:15 am. Certainly glad we arrived before the storm. Lou’s daughter sent us a picture of their home this morning with 23 inches of snow. Certainly made Lou and I glad that we had left a day early, or we would have been in the thick of it.

We had several phone calls from our southern friends wanting to know where we were and if we escaped the snow. Nice to have caring friends and family.

This morning we Lou, Estee and I went for a long walk after breakfast, the wind off the lake was cold so we hurried right along. After I curled my hair, we took Estee in the car with us and did a driving tour of the base and out to look for the house that Lou and his family had liked in when they were here. We had assistance from a young fellow that we talked to and he “googled” the address and we were within a few blocks of the house. Lou was pleased to see that it had been given good care, took a picture to show to the kids and we grabbed a sandwich at Wendy’s and brought Estee back to the RV.

Lou and I set out for a visit to the Aviation Museum. It was huge and Lou sort of dragged me through the many hangars, it was absolutely fascinating and I could have spent the whole day there. Lou did get to see his old plane. He called it Ole Shakey, which was actually C-124. It has been brought back to the base to be refurbished. I was amazed at the size of it, was huge. I was also amazed at Lou’s ability to name off every plane he saw without looking at the name pads. Not only did he know the name, but he can recite whatever information you wanted to know about the plane. I have spent the last year listening to all of these stories and it was so fulfilling to see what he was talking about. It is like living with a history lesson each and every day and I love it all. We stayed until they closed at 5:00, and then home for dinner.

I used some of the left over baked turkey and gravy, fixed some fruit and cottage cheese along with more fresh broccoli with lemon sauce.

Tonight we caught up on some odds and ends of things that needed to be done in the RV and we plan to leave early in the AM and

SPARTANBURG,SC

Feb 5th - Friday

We left Spartanburg, SC at 10:30 am in heavy rain with storm warnings of snow and ice. Our goal was to get ahead of the storm, in fact that has been the mission, as there have been warnings of 20-25 inches of snow!! Good reason to go south……

Lou drove 530 miles yesterday, trying to get as far away from the storm as possible, but both of us decided we were too old to do this anymore, the shorter trips are much easier on the old bodies.

We drove past a BMW plant and show room and it was very impressive, this was in Greenville, SC. We also noted that Hartwell Lake near the Georgia line was full and there were many streams that were flooded and of course, the mud was all red clay. I remember the first time I saw the red clay mud, I asked about it and I was told that many southern boys died in the Civil War and their blood was still in the soil. I can remember be embarrassed to have remarked about the color and didn’t know for several years that wasn’t the case.

We gassed up at Flying J and I quickly made sandwiches and walked Estee in the rain, and we were back on the road. We called Warner Robins and made reservations for tonight, so we wouldn’t have problems if it were late with the heavy rain.

We traveled route 129 through Athens, GA and found beautiful green fields that were populated with black angus and horses. The boundaries were all marked with beautiful white vinyl fences.

In Madison, GA we saw large three story homes in rural settings, all looked a bit threatened by the high water and the heavy rain that was still coming down. The temperature was 45 degrees, so we didn’t have to worry about it freezing. There also may well kept pecan orchards and a world of gourds that were arranged many different ways to make homes for Purple Martins.

As we traveled through Ononee National Forest we turned off the radio and enjoyed listening to Johnny Cash’s new release of his mother’s favorite hymns. As we approached Macon in a lighter rain, we saw people along the road selling boiled peanuts. Neither Lou nor I care for them, so we drove on past. I had always thought the only reason they sold them boiled, as they had to get them clean somehow, so why not add some salt and them sell them?

Noticed a sign that caught my eye.. “Trails End Taxidermy”, now doesn’t that just about say it all?

We arrived at Warner Robins Air Force Base at 4:30 pm and the rain had just about stopped; however, traffic on the base was heavy and the police told Lou they would give us a police escort to the RV Campgrounds. So with flashing blue lights ahead of us, we started to the campground; however, one police car didn’t know what was happening, he simply saw us run a red light and he was in pursuit of us from the rear. I was busy trying to get a picture of the escort and I should have turned around and have a picture of the red lights flashing behind us. The two cars got together on the radio and cancelled the pursuit and we continued on to our campsite.

We have a lovely campsite in the pine forest with a beautiful lake, running trails, and anything else you could ask for. We quickly unhooked and while we were doing that we heard “Taps” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” being played, Lou jumped to his feet and saluted, before I realized what was happening. Old habits die hard!

We decided we needed to stay an extra night, so we could look around more in the daylight. This is the Air Force base Lou retired from in 1966.

As I went out to walk Estee in the evening, I heard Peepers!! That made my day, and with Lou’s new hearing aids he could also hear them.

On The Way

 

We left Mansfield this morning about 10:30. It was a cold morning to get water hoses and such in working order, but mission was accomplished and we were on the road. As we were driving towards route 15, I noted the clock told me it was lunch time, so I suggested to Lou he stop at Arby’s for a quick sandwich and some coffee. Lou did that and while he was at the window to pick up the order I noticed the clock still said 12:10,then I realized that was the station number the radio was set on, so we laughed at the error and enjoyed lunch very early. Like Lou said, we had a very early breakfast.

The further south we came the more snow we saw in the woods, but the roads were fine and it was 45 degrees when we hit Carlisle. The car looked like it had been in a mud fight. We unhooked the car, but found the doors to the car wouldn’t open and once we used my key to open the doors the car wouldn’t start either. The problem was -- I pulled the wrong fuse in the control panel in the car. Another lesson learned. Lou was very gracious and told me not to feel bad, as the men at the Saturn dealership has put the fuse puller on the wrong fuse. Thank goodness, Lou had a battery charger, so we were able to get the car started and to the Base Pharmacy before they closed. Now the drugs have been delivered and DH was able to get a hair cut.

Estee was a good traveler as she always is. She sits with me in the co-pilot seat and looks out the window. She got out for exercise at the Flying J when we stopped for gas. We paid $2.57 for gasoline.

We are going to meet Lou’s daughter and her husband for dinner at Cracker Barrel, and then back to Western Village RV Park for a good nights sleep so we can leave early in the morning. I don’t have any internet service here tonight so will have to wait until later to post this.

Just found out I do have connection, but can't find my pictures, so will post it and practice tomorrow.

Leaving Early

Krista presented Estee with a new toy, before she travels south and she has had a ball with it. It is a monkey with very long legs, so another little item to pack for the puppy.

After viewing the weather going south, Lou has decided that we should leave a day sooner, so we are off first thing in the morning.

Lou got the RV out of the barn for me this morning and we got the heat hooked up, came home and had a quick lunch and while he installed the hitch on the car I put things away in the RV. He later met a repairman at his friends house to work of the tractor. I stayed at the RV until all was put in order, then came home and finished up a roast beef dinner and started cleaning up our house here before leaving.

DH came home for dinner and was just about frozen. They had worked outside on the tractor for almost three hours. I quickly wrapped him up in an electric throw, that Susan had purchased for me a few years ago. Gave him a cup of hot coffee and he enjoyed his hot dinner in the living room snuggled under the electric throw.

Krista came down to help me make some changes on the laptop and if all goes well we will be off bright and early in the morning.

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Please keep us in your prayers for a safe journey. God bless all of you.