Experimental Trip #3
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Okay, we felt pretty sure we had this whole “glamping” thing understood so after the 3rd weekend we plan on calling our trips something other than experimental. I mean, how many experiments does one conduct when creating something? We certainly weren’t the creators of camping but we became self made guinea pigs & enjoyed the spinning wheel we were running on.
We hit the road at noon & made the long haul to Ft Yargo again. We were truck weary when we pulled into the RV spot 30 minutes later. And then the 30 minute set up time about did us in. Just kidding. Our adventures have proven to be SOOOO easy to set the travel trailer up & get on with the vacation time. Push button awning, push button slide out, push button trailer tongue – yes, we have it easy.
I made sandwiches for lunch, got the sweet tea cooling in the fridge & everything tucked away. The dogs were taken for a nice long walk on which they peed at least 100 times & we checked out the entire camping areas – hardly anyone else camping so it was pretty quiet.
One of the reasons we decided to “pitch camp” on Thursday instead of Friday was that Ft Yargo is very popular & is used to the max year ‘round – but mostly on weekends, apparently. Now we know to just come EARLY on Friday to lay claim to a primo spot. OR we COULD do our camping during the week when it’s quiet. Now that Perry has RETIRED, we were able to take advantage of this new found opportunity! Although I still operate my Sweet Tea’s Soaps & Stuff business, I am able to just shift my work time to the weekends & go have fun during the week. Cool!
I put some BBQ Beef Stew in the crockpot (one of my freezer to crockpot meals). That & a fresh salad for dinner proved to be perfect. But first we “rested our eyes” for a bit. I love the quiet!
Friday, January 29, 2016
It was a peaceful night & the sunrise over the lake was gorgeous! After breakfast Perry walked around the park for a bit & came across an older fella who had two beautiful ShihTzus. They chatted about those two & our two as my wild girls barked from the window. The fella was from Decatur, out camping by himself in his 30’ travel trailer. He said he lost his wife last year & was learning to “do” camping on his own. This “retirement” hobby has many in his situation. If something were to happen to me, I would hope Perry would continue with his adventures & plans to travel far & wide. If something were to happen to Perry, I feel certain I would not continue camping. I’m a city girl &, although I enjoy the camping thing with him, I don’t think I’d want to do it solo. Something to ponder, for sure.
We had intended to stay in camp all day but changed our minds & went shopping – leisurely – something we don’t do very often. We dropped the pups off at the house & then went to Camping World in Oakwood & then to Hobby Lobby & REI in Buford. We had lunch at Mimi’s Café by The Mall of Georgia & just had fun doing mindless stuff. We went home & picked up the pups & headed back to Ft Yargo. Even the horrendous traffic caused by what I am sure was a really bad accident on Hwy 316, didn’t dampen our spirits. Our normal 20 minute drive took us over an hour. We sent up some prayers for all those involved in the accident & for the other frustrated drivers, too.
We prepped steaks, potatoes, salad, corn & broccoli & then Robby & Lisa arrived with Lily to have dinner with us. We got Lily a firepit fork & she roasted her own hot dogs over the open fire, giggling the whole time. The tasty dinner was further enhanced by the laughter & stories being swapped & shared. I love my family so very much! AND, Lily stayed to spend the night! She & Perry watched a Minion movie while I caught up on my Blog. This is her first camping adventure – EVER!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Lily didn’t stir until 7 in the morning & then had to get through the dog kisses & giggles before she was able to get up & go to the bathroom. That was one of her “must do” things – going to the bathroom in the trailer. It’s got a foot petal to flush & it makes a BIG swooshing noise which made her jump out of her socks. Then she had to do it again to see if it made the same noise every time. Fits of giggles started all over again. Silly things with a grand make life so much fun. Next on the agenda was putting the beds away – the Murphy bed was most fascinating to our little Princess. And then I made breakfast on the stove. That “shattered” the mood for a bit. When I turned off the burner & placed a plate of eggs on the table, the glass cover of the stove exploded! It wasn’t even over the burner I had on just minutes ago! And what a mess! We just sat down at the table & ate our leisurely breakfast & pretended there was not a huge mess just steps away. Then we set about cleaning up the glass that went EVERYWHERE! I did take pictures because it needed to be replaced by the manufacturer or retailer that we got the camper from. That was CRAZY! Perry & Lily watched another movie & we settled back down peacefully in our little world.
Perry & Lily had a VERY long walk about with the pups &, from what Perry told me, they talked about everything under the sun. The bonding with a child is the sweetest thing on earth. I stayed behind & crafted a “love display” for Lily’s enjoyment. There are a few tiny empty spaces on the cabinetry that I filled in with magnetized chalkboard sheets. Lily can write on them & attach her little (think very little) pictures. We can also put up pictures of family & friends to remind us why we love to come home to Georgia after our wanderings. I have another spot (now that I have done the little spaces & know it works) that I may – someday – do at the footboard of the Murphy bed. When the bed is lifted up during the day, it’s just a plain brown wall. And, from what I understand, all these RV Parks & Campgrounds we will be visiting sell magnets, pins & stickers as reminders of one’s travels. That will probably be where we put all of those treasures. And, perhaps by the time we become too weary for these camping adventures, we will have filled the picture box.
After their walk, Lily came in & said her eye was really itchy & she looked as if she had sleep goo in one. We wiped it off & more formed in short order. When Lisa arrived to get her, she said she was pretty sure it was Pink Eye. YIKES! Robby never had that growing up so I had no idea! Her mom, being the most awesome mom on earth, said she had drops at home from Lily’s last episode & would begin treatment immediate. As they were heading out, Lily tripped & scratched up her hand on the gravel. Not a great ending to her otherwise fun sleepover. Poor little Princess.
Soon after Lisa & Lily left, Perry’s former partner in crime at Gwinnett Tech showed up. Perry Hidalgo occupied the office next door to Perry’s for MANY years & the two were major cut-ups together. Perry H. seems to be really missing his buddy but I do not think Perry B. misses going to work at all. Perry H. & his wife Penny brought sunflowers to brighten up our trailer. We had the best time “catching up” & solving all the world’s problems.
We had decided to stay in the campground all day but plans change & we took a little adventure out. We ended up over at Chris & Suzy Humbles house for a fantastic dinner. Chris bar-be-qued some awesome steaks & the best pork chops on earth. The meal was delish but time spent with those two is what makes our hearts happy. We didn’t get back to the campsite until almost 10 so Perry took the pups for their evening stroll & I set up the beds. We literally fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows. This camping is either too exciting / exhausting or we are breathing so much clean air our bodies & minds are more relaxed. I would like to believe it’s the latter. At home we rise at 7 & don’t go to bed until 11 or 12. On the road we rise at 7:30 or 8 & fall asleep by 10. One could easily get used to this schedule.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
The night was quiet & the Canada geese provided the morning alarm as they honked their arrival on the rocks just out from our water’s edge campsite. It’s a pleasant sound of joy. Perry let the pups out into our little fenced yard & then made their breakfast (they get a half a packet of wet dog food & a teaspoon of coconut oil every morning & then nibble on dry dog food throughout the day). I think Perry enjoys the rapt attention they give him as he prepares their plates. It makes me laugh to see the sheer excitement in my pups each morning. I prepared our people breakfast & prayed nothing would shatter. The previous morning’s episode was enough for me!
After washing up the dishes, we sat out by the firepit, sipped on coffee & watched the other campers pack up & head out. At noon, we did the same. It only takes about 30 minutes to get everything secured, hitched & ready to roll. Even the dump station isn’t unpleasant once we figured out what we were doing – & it seems that’s where people chat about any problems with equipment & share tips to make camping easier & more enjoyable. Who knew?!?
It’s fun to go camping – it is definitely growing on me. But it’s so nice to return home. Not all who wander are lost!
