I was all ready to post about the debacle of a trip…how I forgot the blanket and the memory card for the camera…how I had to make a $100 trip to Wal-Mart the night that we got to the campground and all the improvisations (is that a word?) that we made throughout the weekend…like using unfolded hotdog buns for hamburger buns, etc…but I can’t get past the kids growing up…

This is the third year that we’ve visited this campground for the 4th of July…so that means that the first trip, Matthew was 7, Sam was 4 and Regan 3….

Wel…Matthew now just takes off on his bike…helping out where he can and just playing hard (and helping when he can…) this year, Matt and Tim went to the dirt track races…after they left the girls took off to go on (another) hay ride…and there I sat…just me and the dogs…and I began to think just all that had happened the 2 days that we were there…

the training wheels had come off both Regan and Sam’s bikes…they aren’t hanging around bugging us anymore…they are making their own friends and we never see them…they are going down the slide at the pool without me waiting at the bottom to catch them…Samara without floaties…she’s swimming underwater without holding her nose…and then Matthew…well, like I said…we didn’t see him all weekend…

so I could tell you all the stuff that went wrong, but right now…with the kids just leaving 2 hours ago with my parents, I won’t…I’ll just tell you that I feel like I blinked once and overnight, they grew up…

i wonder how many more summers we can get away with camping trips that EVERYONE wants to go on? My guess is not many…but that’s okay too…we have the memories of these (Which are currently being developed at WalGreen’s one hour photo lab…can I tell you how long it’s been since I’ve taken ACTAUL pictures on film and had to get them developed???????)

Until next time…

Heather

PS…everyone had some sort of BIG news this weekend…while the girls ditched their training wheels, and Matthew ditched the girls, I started a campfire all by myself and Tim won the 50/50 at the dirt track races….$924….

First off, I’m asking for my money back…

I’ll tell you why…

“Newly remodeled” my butt…

Our accomodations….

The “business” center

The common area…and a crappy little 19″ TV…that had the NASCAR race on…

The coffee nook…obviously, you can see where all their money goes…it was probably the highlight of the trip!

Secondly, the brochure said romance. HA! How can there be romance when there is golf and not one, but TWO NASCAR races on??? That channel shouldn’t be allowed on the satellite line up…

Thirdly, I was promised deers, bears and turkeys…We saw one deer, 2 turkeys and no bears. What wasn’t on the brochure was a dead rabbit (that we later found out was a shot cat), a dog eating a turtle and lots of BUGS!

Fourth…I was told there was a pond with LOTS of fish in it, perfect for someone who’s not good at fishing. Yup, I caught no fish! What I did catch were trees and cat tails and lots of slime. I still had the same half of a worm an hour later!

All joking aside, it was a beautiful trip. I had planned on coming up here and being bored out of my skin but I wasn’t. I turned into a total sloth even though I had a lot of writing to do. I did manage to get three articles done but other than that I was out riding with Tim on the Rhino, fishing, eating, or sitting in here playing computer games. I did steal one of Scott’s books too. Luckily it was one that he had already read.

I’ve decided that if Tim wanted to kill me and get rid of my body, he could’ve done it here. No one would’ve ever found me, I’m convinced of that. We found a bone in the creek today and I just said “that’s from the last guy that brought his girlfriend out here.”

I’m still not exactly sure where we are. I know that we’re about 20 miles from Parkersburg, I know that it’s off 77, and I know that the town is called Elizabeth, but it’s not really in the town. If you remember the ex POW Jessica Lynch, she’s from Elizabether. It’s back this road that I’m not sure what happens when two cars have to pass one another. We haven’t run into that problem, and I don’t think it’s a highly travelled road, but it was interesting to drive on it to say the least. I speak as if I’ve driven on it, but I haven’t. I wouldn’t. I’m too scared.

That’s another realization that I’ve come to since arriving at the Outpost. I’m getting girly in my old age. While I realize that getting older is normal, I’m also a little dissappointed in the lack of the thrill seeking that I used to have. For example, I woke up Saturday morning at 8:30…Tim was already up, coffee was made and after my second cup, he asked me if I wanted to go to the pond. We take the Rhino. There are seat belts, I put mine on. Getting to the pond wasn’t so bad, but it was when we left the pond and went exploring through the 135 acres here that we are free to roam. I was scared to death! What’s wrong with me????

But here are some pictures that we took while riding around this morning

Here is where the trail ended. So guess what we did? Well, first we turned around and try to get to the meadow another way but couldn’t find one. So we went back and just went through the creek!

We headed to Parkersburg for the day on Saturday…

We took a ride on the Ohio River to Blennerhasset Island…this family had the worst luck! I was amazed!

And there was a wedding! Had I known, I would’ve dressed nicer. But the bride was on the ferry with us on the trip over and as we ate our lunch, we watched them tie the knot! I think the whole island did! It was quite the spectacle.

There’s the house from atop one of the many hills we were on…

and you really can see forever…it was gorgeous!

I think what I liked the most were the sunsets. We played with the camera alot to get the best pictures and I think we have more pictures of the sunset than we will ever need. It really was breathtaking…

Tim on the Rhino

I even told Tim that we should come here for vacation…I’d come back anytime. It really was a nice escape from reality. There’s no one for miles, and it’s amazing. It just is. Tim even asked me if I was bored and said that we could go home early. Even if I was bored, which I was not, I wouldn’t leave. He loves this nature stuff. But I managed to find my groove here too and I really do love it here.

Now I think I’ll be finding all kinds of weekends for Tim to come up and help Scott so that I can come too. I promise I won’t be underfoot. I’ll just hang out in the business center or on one of the many porches taking it all in.

Thanks Scott for giving us your place for the weekend…we had a wonderful time…

Until next time…

Heather

PS. If you’re REALLY bored…we took LOTS of pictures (there was nothing else to do but take pictures of every tree known to man…) you can see all of them in the gallery.

Tim’s really booking….

Here’s my second big window. It’s really that dark. It was the middle of the day…the storms were coming.

Another view of my big window! Now there are 2 and I’ll have LIGHT!!!

He got the glass in and then the sun came out….

A view of both windows….

I’m wondering where Tim learned to wire things…I KNOW that can’t be safe!

This is the picture of the floor that I’ve picked out…no, I’m kidding…it’s what was under the carpet…isn’t it pretty?

It’s all insulated….

and a few of the kids….

Here’s Matthew on the phone with Nana…

More pictures later….

Until next time…

Heather

Today Tim pretty much worked on the dining room/new office all day…here’s what my new windows look like!

We were both so productive today! While he worked on that I finished the eBook that I was contributing to and got it off to the editor and worked on a website that I need to get finished by Wednesday….in fact, we were so productive that we skipped dinner and went right for ice cream!

Until next time…

Heather

…tell him your mother is coming!!

You may think I’m kidding, but I’m serious!

I’ve proven it!

Case #1:

I tell Tim my parents are coming and the next day he decides that he’s going to move the front door so when my parents arrive, there is a hole in the front of the house…

Case #2:

I tell Tim my mother is coming and he begins work on the dining room and living room, leaving me with no dining room table. We eat off TV trays when Mom arrives.

I tell Tim that my parents are coming for Matt’s first communion and he GUTS the dining room. When I say GUT, I mean it…I have no walls and no ceiling….

See there you have it! Just tell him your parents are coming and he’ll get right on it!

And you know I’m only kidding! I’m so very greatful that I have someone that can do all this stuff around the house…the house is going to be great!!!!

I’ve posted more pictures of today’s remodeling efforts in the Gallery…you can see them by clicking here.

Until next time…

Heather

I was walking up the driveway at my Mom’s house this evening and came to a dead stop. There on one of the dozens of birdfeeders Mom tends, was a Downy Woodpecker….or a Red Bellied Woodpecker…..or maybe even a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker……I’m not certain. They look the same to me.

Anyway (which should give you a clue as to who is writing this because I didn’t say “Anywho” thankyouverymuch), I began to creep like I was stalking the poor critter. I was just trying to get a closer look. That’s when it dawned on me. I could only imagine what the neighbors must think if they just happened to glance out their window. Then again, if they’re at all familiar with my family, they wouldn’t give it a second thought. I got within 20 feet of him (or her, I wasn’t close enough for sex determination). And, of course, as always, it flew off. Which led me to this question….Why is it that all the pretty, interesting, and/or colorful birds are so elusive? Have you looked at a starling latlely? Looks like a Crow on crack. Every once in awhile I would like to see a flock of Gold finches come through. But then again, they wouldn’t have anywhere to land because the feeders would be full of Doves, Finches, Sparrows, and Wrens. It was then that I remebered the Orange rubberband bracelet I always wear. It simply says, “I am part of the Change.” If I can’t accept Doves, Finches, Sparrows, and Wrens as a gift too precious for words; I’m not being “part of the Change.” I’m knee deep in the “Problem.”

So, after I received this apparent divine enlightenment, I stopped in the yard to just take in scenery and pay a little gratitude to the Big Guy. Feels good sometimes just to get out of me and shake off the dust.

Now that you’ve had a taste of “why Tim shouldn’t post”, I hope you will all urge Heather to lock me out of the blog and never let me post again.

There Honey, I did it! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!…..now may I go back out and play? LOL

Til next time……yeah right….

T

Ok, so more people are overly interested in what’s going on in our lives than I thought….

So here goes….a long over due update on what’s been going on with us….

Tim:

Well Tim’s pretty much been gone every weekend. He’s either been in West Virginia helping Scott with his house (you can see some pics here at the blog that Tim installed for him www.outpost19b.com) or he’s been in North Carolina visiting Regan since she’s had soccer games. Which means I’ve been left to my own devices way more than I should be! But he’s been busy.

He’s also been working on the house here and there as time permits and last weekend he replanted my sunflowers and my tomatoes outside.

Let’s see…oh! in March, he bought an ‘02 Dodge Durango. He’s in love with it and I will admit, it’s a nice ride…I got to take it to Tennessee the last 2 weekends. But it’s nice. Now we can take all of us (and the dogs) camping in one vehicle. It’s sweet…gotta DVD player and everything in it! Much fancier than I’m used to!

Me

Well, I’ve been busy. Work, work, and more work! But I have taken some time out for myself. I’ve been to get a manicure and pedicure, and I’ve gone out with the girls and with Tim.

Last week, I joined the gym. I don’t know why. I did. It seemed like the thing to do at that time. I’m enjoying it though. I have a little routine, kinda. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday is Jazzercise. That’s the only class that I really like that I’m not dying when it’s over and I’m bummed when it ends. I like it. There are other jazzercise classes but not ones that I can get to. So I’ll have to stick with them. Sondra joined too and so we’ve gone together. I went to the step class on Friday night by myself and I thought I would DIE by the time it was over.

I think that they should post a warning outside the step class that alerts people who lack coordination that they should proceed with caution. I don’t think that I could keep up because I didn’t know where that step thing was when I was jumping all around. Either that or I was tripping over my own two feet!

But that’s the gym. The kids like going as well. They have a pretty nifty set up for the kids and each of them are in their own room and have some space, so that’s good.

What else have I been up to?

Um….I think that’s about it. Work, work and more work, but now that it’s summer (or at least getting a little warmer) I’m starting to scale back a bit. There’s just no point in sitting inside when it’s so nice outside. In fact, 3 times in the last month, we’ve gone to the park to eat. Twice we picked up a bucket of chicken and then this past Sunday, we took the kids and grilled out…and that was very nice. I have Tim to thank for this. he’s the one who’s very into being outside. I like it. Maybe when I get older, I’ll like it too…

Matthew

Matthew participated in his first Destination Imagination competition the end of March and I think he did really well, but he’s my kid. They didn’t win anything, but they had a good time and I think he’s going to participate again next year.

He spent a week with Mamaw, Nana, and Papaw over Easter Spring Break and he’s come home a “man” complete with a belt, hankerchief, and knows what all the pockets of his jeans should hold. He’s also decided that he’s going to play football this fall and is rather excited about it. And since I’ve joined the gym, he’s very excited about losing some of his gut as well.

He’s taking his first communion at church sometime soon. He’s shooting for Pentacost and he has his books and his notebook to jot down the questions and he’s excited about that as well. He’s also goingto be an acolyte starting in June. He’ll start out as a torch bearer and then work his wa up. I just hope he doesn’t get wax in his hair like I did when I was a torch bearer.

He’s been having some trouble with spelling but we’re working on that now. Of course, I’ve threatened him within an inch of his life to get the grade up and he wants to go to Camp Bethel this summer. He wants to go for at least a week, maybe two…so we’ll see.

I think that’s all that Matthew’s been up to!

Samara

Sam is still Sam. She also participated in Destination Imagination this year and wants to do it again next year. She also started cheerleading but between being sick for 7 days, getting in trouble, and then spring break, she’s not been in 3 weeks. We’ll try again this week…

She was sick for 7 days and missed 5 days of school. She just had a fever that wouldn’t go away and now she’s fighting allergies…poor kid. We just went and stocked up on the Claritin for her. It seems to help and not make her as hyper as the Benedryl.

She’s going to cheer for Hidden Valley this fall and shes excited about that, but in all honesty, Sam’s still Sam. Still doing the same stuff. She did get enough money at Easter to pay for 1/2 of her ticket to see Kenny Chesney this summer. Now she says she just needs $5 more so that she can buy a key chain….

Regan

We haven’t seen a whole lot of Regan since she’s had soccer and Tim’s been going to NC. She was here last week for spring break but stayed with her grandma. She spent Thursday with me and we had a great day at the mall and she helped me pick out 2 new pairs of flip flops…she’s doing well in school and seems to like it. We’re looking forward to getting back to normal with the kid schedule… I’ve missed her!

I think that’s about it…to catch you up over the past 6 weeks…I’ve got some pictures that I will put up soon and I promise (Julie) that I will try to post a little more often!!!

Until next time…

Heather

and they’re BEAUTIFUL!!!

It’s rough, but you an see how it will all look…and it opens up the room so much!!!!

Tim’s good…

Until next time…

Heather

I left the house for 4 hours Saturday…

just 4…

it was snowing hard, but not sticking to the roads…I went to get my pictures taken.

I left Tim in charge of the house…

When I came back…

Here’s what I found…

Yup…that’s the wall between the living room and dining room and it’s gone…

See that nasty plaid wallpaper? Yes…it’s finally leaving after almost 2 years!!!! YIPPIE!!!!!

These doors (that we got for free…) are replacing the wall on both sides…

But to put the left wall up, the brick had to come down…

Here’s the left side…(and yes, all of that brick will eventually go…)

And here’s one of both sides…he’s got the other door in now and it’s wired and he’s putting up the paneling…

I’ll keep you udated as it progresses…

man, i love remodeling!

Until next time…

Heather

There’s a funny story about ShopVacs in my family and I’m not involved at all…

Well, kinda…

See…I found the Christmas presents one year. Included was a ShopVac for my dad. He really wanted one.

We got caught. But we only got caught because my younger bro “lost” his $5 and mom found it in the closet…

Fast forward to Christmas morning. All of the presents had been opened but one. A big box with Dad’s name on it.

As he ususally does, he started shaking it and saying “I wonder what it is?”

Before you know it, John yells “Open it Dad! You’ll love it!! It’s a Shop Vac!”

In the middle of the snow storm, Tim and his buddy head to Lowe’s.

He returns with a ShopVac and immediately assembles it like a kid at Christmas. I said to him, “I didn’t know you wanted a shop vac.”

He looks at me and says, “Every man wants a shopvac.”

I wish I would’ve know that. It would have made at least one birthday or holiday a little easier to shop for…I know what ShopVacs are, where to get them, and know that I would’ve bought the right thing.

But now he’s happy, and he’s not eating up my vacuum…

So there you have it…in case you were ever in doubt….

Every man wants a shop vac.

Until next time…

Heather

So I trekked up there and low and behold…I find him.

Now I knew that he had temporarily fixed the roof up there yesterday afternoon and that he was cleaning it out and organizing it…however, I didn’t expect to find such a nice workshop up there…

Look what he’s done!

Yup, he’s installing the vice we got from Mamaw last December…(like over a year ago December)

I guess I’ll never see him now…he’s got a place to escape!!!

Until next time…

Heather

Here are some pictures of our outing….

Tim and Delta

Last week, the kids were at Nana’s and Papaw’s and we were dog sitting for Tim’s Mom. Jack’s never a problem, however, we had strict instructions not to let Jack on the furniture or in the bed because he’d come home expecting to be able to. Try as we might, Jack was adament about being right next to us wherever we went! Poor Tim couldn’t even read alone!

And of course the dogs became our kids for the week and I snapped pictures. I actually have proof that Jack gives kissies…he doesn’t normally!

Until next time…

something happened with the old template when I added the 4th of July pictures. Not sure what, but I didn’t like what it was doing. Our address is still the same, just a new look…until I get bored with this one. I’m tickled because the template only came with 2 boxes on the side and I figured out how to make another one for our photos…=) It’s the little things I know…So here I am at 1:45 AM fiddling with a blog that serves no purpose other than for me to broadcast those important in my life to others, some who know us and some who don’t…

Oh well..it was important to me to make it right.

With that, I’m off to bed…

Until next time…

Heather

Or is it? I always remember the camping trips I went on as a child and how much I really liked them. As soon as we got there, Dad would tell us to get lost and we pretty much stayed lost unless it was time to eat.

I was in search of boys and my brother just rode his bike around and found other little friends.

I’ve figured out that as an adult there’s alot more work involved in these trips and getting lost as soon as you get there really isn’t an option! However, depsite the work involved they are rather nice.

We went to the Wytheville KOA and were in the same site that we were in last year. What are the odds of that happening? Tim got there first and by the time the kids and I got there (there was an accident on the way down so the hour trip turned into two!) he had the tent and screen porch up. I had the bikes with me, so we got there, took the bikes off and told the kids to get lost while Tim and I finished setting up.

The first “I’m bored” came about 30 minutes later. How can these children possibly be bored? We were literally right across from the playground, game room, store and there are a gazillion other little heathens running around! And they have their bikes! We put a stop to that real quick, but the bottom line is that “I’m bored” translates into “I want to go to the pool and nothing else!”

Tim got our campsite set up really nice…

Like I said, it’s the exact same site we were at last year!

Friday night, we didn’t do much, the kids rode their bikes, and Tim and I relaxed a bit. Tim didn’t even get a fire going…but it was a long day…

Saturday morning the people next to us were up early…and so was Rhoda, so I got up with Rhoda and Matthew and putted around. Tim got a new camp stove for his birthday last week so I made coffee on that with our new coffee pot that we bought last camping trip.

The girls got up and since Tim was still sleeping, I took the kids down to play putt putt…thank goodness I didn’t play, I would never have been able to concentrate.

We got back and Tim was up so I took the kids to the pool. They were so excited. The slide wasn’t open yet, and it really wasn’t that hot, so we didn’t stay that long. We came back and had some lunch and then headed back to the pool to leave Tim to his horseshoe tournament.

This time the kids got on the big waterslide. Matthew just goes. He doesn’t care…face first, feet first, sitting up, on his back, on his belly…and he loves to make a splash. Most of the time I had to catch the girls. They did brave going down without their water wings as long as I promised to catch them. They would go down without being caught if they had their wings on. I attempted to teach them to doggie paddle, but that didn’t go over real well. There’s always next time.

We went back to the site to watch Tim finish up his tournament…

While watching Tim, the girls decided to pose for a few pictures…

What hams!

Tim won…he’s now the proud owner of a tee-shirt that says “I’m a winner at the KOA Wytheville”…i confiscated it for a sleep shirt since I forgot Sam’s pajamas and I had to give her my shirt…

Tim took me to play putt putt for my annual butt whooping…I only lost by 2, but I lost…and then Tim discovered the quarter game, where you stick quarters in the machine and try to get more out…I finally left the game room…I was out of money…

Back to play…Tim read and eventually we had dinner and headed down to Kareoke…well Sam, Regan and I did. Somehow I got swindled into singing “Dancing Queen” with the girls. I’m not sure how…but there we were…and then all of a sudden I see Matthew in front of the stage screaming “Tim said it was you!”

So, since I sang a song with Samara, I had to sing one with Matthew…well we all got up there and sang “When the sun goes down…” Yes, I do believe we won’t be able to show our faces in Whytheville anymore…

The girls were tired, so I got them bathed and into bed, and Tim and Matthew guarded the fire and made s’mores.

Sunday I slept in a little…not much..the people next door were loud. The girls didn’t get up until almost 10…and then they were off playing.

Tim took them up to the pool for a bit…and I snapped a few pics of them…

I got ready for my volleyball tournament…and yes, now I have my own “I’m a winner at the Wytheville KOA” tee-shirt!

Tim comes back and says that he needs to find an ATM since his money mysteiously dissappeared…I start freaking out, only to learn that the money mysteriously dissappeared into the quarter machine! So he goes and comes back and gets Matthew to go go cart riding.

We had dinner and then putted around waiting for the fire works to start…we went on a hay ride…

And Sam tried her hand at horseshoes…

And Tim relaxed…

Then the boys got the fire going and the s’mores set up…

Once it was time for the fireworks we all went up to the bon fire and the girls entertained us…

And then the kids and I had fun taking pictures of ourselves…

Then the owner thought we were off our rockers and took a picture of all of us…

I snapped one of Tim and Regan…

Then the fireworks started…and Rhoda took off…so did Tim…not voluntarily though. Poor thing was scared to death, so Matthew, Samara, and I stayed for the show…not too bad…but poor Rhoda…scared the pee right out of her…all over the tent…it’s funny…we’ve used that tent twice and twice she’s gone to the bathroom in it…

Matthew reached his limit and he went to bed and the girls and I sat around the fire…

Off to bed and up this morning to pack up and head home…

Happy 4th…

Until next time…

Heather and the gang…

Tim’s working on putting up the new siding. Right now, the front of the house is pink with the Pink Panther plastered everywhere, as he’s gotten as far as the insulation.

Matthew’s outside riding his bike and the girls are enjoying some ice cream. I’ve been sitting here patiently DYING to assemble Tim’s father’s day gift (it’s used, but new to him) but can’t. I offered to give it to him today, but he said he wanted it tomorrow. So, I guess I’ll wait until tonight to assemble it so that he can be suprised in the morning.

The girls had issues with cleaning this morning. They were in there for 45 minutes cleaning and nothing and so I finally asked Tim what I should do. He told me to put one on the couch and one on the chair for 15 minutes then send them in there again.

I did that, and they still weren’t cleaning so I went in there and said they had 45 minutes and then I was coming in with a trash bag. When the buzzer rang I went in there and started cleaning. I was so upset that I had to get rid of things they didn’t have very long and weren’t cheap, but it’s all on the front porch now. Of course, they don’t care that it’s gone. I can’t blame them, I didn’t care when it was done to me. I guess the old “what goes around comes around” is true and if that’s the case I’m in BIG trouble…

However, it wasn’t an idle threat. One I wish I didn’t make, but I did…and followed through. Maybe I’ll put the stuff up in the shed and give it back to them eventaully. Tim isn’t thrilled with this idea as he wants it to go to the trash now. Maybe I’ll take it to the Goodwill. I wanted to run by there today anyway…

Sigh…

Until next time…

Heather

The James H. Drew Expo rolls into Roanoke the Tuesday after Memorial Day every year. You can bank on it. They set up in the Civic Center parking lot, draw tons of people, and some other creatures that I’m not sure how to describe…and take all your money.

This year was no different…

On Monday, I told the kids that if they could be good all week, that we would have a suprise…well they were good and so we all got to go to the Expo.

Here are a few pictures of our night…

The girls on the flyer…this is one ride that I didn’t think they would get on…

The ferris wheel…my favorite part of any fair…but we didn’t get on it this time around…

Matthew on the flyer

Samara has no fear…her arms were up on every ride

I asked Matthew if he wanted to go on the Moon Rocket. It goes in a circle and stops when you’re upside down. He said no, so I told him I’d pay him a dollar…he decided to do it…

There he is all strapped in…and as they are starting the ride, he’s yelling at me “you owe me a dollar”…

Poor thing…this is him when he got off the Moon Rocket…I think I’ll keep this one to show future girlfriends…hee hee

The only ride I went on. It cost me $2, but I couldn’t pass it up…

I can’t remember this guy’s name…Tim told me…Tim ran into him at the Country Club when he was playing golf…Yes, Tim plays golf at the country club…so Matt’s on this ridge with former Virginia State Senator What’s His Face…

The next big event will be the Salem Fair…look for pictures in about a month…

Until next time…

Murphy’s Law — “If anything can go wrong, it will”

So what happens when two direct descendants of Murphy try to get away for the weekend?

Now, let me preface this post by stating we had a GREAT time!! We just had to improvise a little, and laugh ALOT so as to not get frustrated…

The car was packed and how we got it all in there, I’m not sure. I do know that Rhoda had a very tight ride down (as did Tim and I) however, we got there.

This was the back seat of the car…as you can see…VERY LITTLE room for poor Rhoda

It was about an hour drive and the scenery was beautiful. Of course, all I wanted to do was get there, set up and roast hotdogs…

We get there about seven thirty or so and set up the tent and the screen porch. Before doing so, we each see if we have cell service and are tickled that we don’t! A true escape from reality!! We have a very nice campsite. Since this was the first time using both the tent and the screen porch, we were surprised at how easily they went up. I actually put the tent up by myself…everything but staking it down, but there’s a reason I didn’t do that and I’ll explain later.

This is our site, number 35 looking up…

Behind us were a group of what we originally thought were all German Baptists. As the weekend went on, we were trying to figure out their story. The woman and the girl definitely were, however, it didn’t appear that the men were. They didn’t have on the traditional garb, and by the time they left, Tim had come to the conclusion that the men kidnapped the woman and the girl to cook and clean for them on their trip, or that they bet with someone on the race last week and the winner got to take the women with them.

Up and to the right of us were Tyler and his family. We don’t know any of their names, other than Tyler’s and didn’t talk to them the whole weekend. We were there all of 20 minutes when I hear Tim say, “I already don’t like Tyler.” Tyler pretty much stayed in trouble the whole weekend. The only reason we knew his name is because he kept getting yelled at.

Our new 2 room tent

Our new screen porch…

Tim gets out the air mattress, a Blue Light special from last year and plugs the pump into the outlet I have in the car. Well, the pump doesn’t work. Then he tells me that even if he could blow it up, there is no cap to hold the air in. We just kinda look at one another. I say, well, I’ll go to Wal-Mart and I’ll get another bed and a higher power outlet for the car. He says, “No need to go to all that trouble with the outlet, just get a hand pump. I guess the closest Wal-Mart is in Martinsville, it seems like an awfully long way to go.” Seeings how we have no bed, no sleeping bags and there are ROCKS under the tent, I see that a trip to Wal-Mart is the best thing that we can do.

By this time, it’s 8:30, and I’m starving. But, I know that I need to go to Wal-Mart, so I tell him to finish setting up camp, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. As I’m pulling out, he tells me that I need to get gas as soon as I can. Oh joy…

I stop at the guard’s station on the way out to get directions to the closest Wal-Mart. They just look at me like I have two heads. It’s an older married couple that run the front and she tells the husband to step out of the booth and tell me how to get to the Wal-Mart in Rocky Mount. He comes out and whispers to me, “I’d go to the one in Martinsville if I were you,” as if her hearing him tell me this would cause an argument. He tells me how to get there and asks me when I’ll be back. I ask how long will it take to get to Martinsville and he tells me about 20-25 minutes and then tells me that they lock the gate at 11. I tell him that if I’m not back by 11, there’s a major problem. So he leans in again and says, “If you get back after 11, just come knock on that first trailer and I’ll come up and let you in.”

So off I go…in search of a gas station and a Wal-Mart. I say a little prayer that I find the gas station soon, but I know I won’t find one until I hit the main road, and I know that the main road is at least 11 miles away. (When I say we were in the middle of nowhere, I mean it.)

Of course I get lost getting out to the main road. I wasn’t paying attention while Tim was driving in, and now it’s dark, so nothing even looks familiar. I see a group of trucks sitting on the side of the road and ask how to get back to 220. I wasn’t that far off. I didn’t really want to stop and ask for directions as I’m out after dark, by myself, and in foreign territory, however, I know that I’m on borrowed time. Sometimes I think I watch too much Law & Order.

I get to the main road and about 2 miles later I see a very run down gas station. Well, to be honest, I saw many of them in those 2 miles, however, most were missing the pumps. I see the little sign that says “Pay before pumping” and go inside. She states to me that they close at 9. It’s 9:04. I beg, “please, I’m not from around here and I’m just about out.” She replies, “Oh you’re fine, I was stating it to that guy back there so he’ll hurry up and get out of here.”

I get my gas, and I’m on my way. The sign states 12 miles to Martinsville. I’ve heard many things about Martinsville, although I’ve never been there really. Just drove through once on the way back from sales calls. I find the Martinsville exit that Pop told me to take and went through the main strip of Collinsville. It’s hopping on this particular Friday night and as Tim later tells me, it’s called “Dark Alley” and that’s pretty much all there is to do in Collinsville.

I finally reach Wal-Mart and I’m impressed from the outside. It’s big and well lit and upon entering, I’m even more surprised to find it clean. Knowing that this Wal-Mart will be laid out differently, I attempt to make my plan of attack. I have to be back by 11 and I know there’s no time for looking at the clearance racks. Tim sent me for additional items as well…charcoal, a jug of water, and batteries for the radio, as well as a hand pump. I pick out a new bed, one that comes with the pump and gather the other items on my list as well as some chips and soda for the road. As I’m perusing through Wal-Mart, I begin to see people walking through the store with no shoes on. Then I see other odd people, genetic mysteries included and shutter. I’ve NEVER in my life seen people walk through a store with no shoes on!

I quickly pay for my purchases, use the restroom (which was VERY clean) and be on my way. I was anxious to leave Martinsville and never return.

I head back, worried that I’ll miss the little road I need to turn on to get back to the campground, and suddenly, the “service engine soon light” appears. CRAP! Now, it does this from time to time, but really only when it rains heavily. And it hadn’t rained. I panic a little…only because if I were to break down here, although I have cell phone service, I know that Tim does not. I ask God to remove my fear and just get me back to the campground, which he does. I didn’t get lost getting back.

I roll up…STARVING…and Tim says, “I was wondering where you were.” I was gone almost 2 hours…but when I got back, there was a fire going and the tent was staked down and everything was finished. I roasted a hot dog while he pumped up the bed and by the time I was finished, it was almost 11 and I was ready for bed.

And of course, as soon as he pumped up the bed….Rhoda makes herself comfortable…

Of course, I’ve forgotten my pajamas…so I did have a pair of shorts and Tim gave me a sweatshirt to wear and it was cold…

That was Friday…

Saturday morning, I wake up with a shooting pain in my hip. I don’t know what time it is. I know that it’s early. I then realize that there is very little air in the mattress, and the reason that my hip hurts is because I’m pretty much sleeping on the ground. Great, I think. I decide to just get up and make some coffee. I have a little 4 cup coffee pot that we bring camping and plug into the car. I go and plug it in and NOTHING. Great. The closest store is miles away, and I have no coffee for Tim. I decide that I’ll go take a shower and I took the coffee pot with me.

The showers were nice, and since it was so early (7am) I was alone. There was one outlet in the shower side and a little bench there. I started the first pot of coffee, got in the shower and washed my hair. By the time I had done that, the coffee was done and I filled up Tim’s cup and started another pot for my own. I finished my shower, dried off, and lugged everything back to the car.

I roll up and Tim says, “Where’d you get coffee?” I told the truth…”the bathroom.” I was tickled with myself that I had come up with such a great plan B.

After breakfast, we ventured out a little bit. Mom and Pop at the guard station said there was a little store not far from the campground that sold fishing licenses. So we headed there, but stopped at a little hole in the wall, Philpott Bait and Tackle. We there found a coffee pot that you could put on the camp stove. It was $8. He didn’t take credit cards. We scrounged around and had $11 between us. We paid for our coffee pot (used of course) and headed to the next little store where we would obtain 2005 fishing licenses, ice, and bait.

Yes, I now am licensed to fish for the rest of this year in the state of Virginia. I’ve never had a fishing license, but I do now.

Back to the campsite and Tim takes Rhoda down to the lake. She’s never been in sand before and is funny for the first few minutes. I clean up around the site and I notice this little packet with 2 straws and a tube of something. At first, I think it’s those bubbles that you can blow on the straws but then I see that there is a cap of some sort in there. When Tim gets back, I ask him what it is…he just grins…”that’s the cap to the first air mattress. I guess I just saw the patching kit and not the cap and threw it in the box.” I look at him…I glare at him…”I had to go to the depths of Martinsville last night where people wear no shoes and we had the cap here the whole time?????”

“Well, we needed a pump anyway…” he says…to which I say, “I could’ve figured out another way to blow up the bed. I could’ve taken it to the bathroom, just like I did the coffee.” Now, I wasn’t mad…just ironic, that’s all…and another humorous story to add to our trip.

We ate some lunch, where I realized in preparing it, that we have no knives or forks…just spoons. I remember looking in the camping box while packing it and seeing a box of utensils, just didn’t realize they were only spoons. I start making a store list. T-bones would be a little difficult to eat with spoons.

We head down to the lake to fish. I haven’t been fishing in YEARS and Tim loves it. He gets me all set up and I find the little spot where they are biting. It’s right here where my bobber is…

Tim takes my rod and catches the first fish of the weekend…

There he is with his catch…

And there’s a close up…

So since he’s found my spot, I decide to find a new one. I found a log that I could get up on and be closer to the water and not the shallow part…

Yes, I fell in. I’ll admit it now. Luckily, I had rolled my jeans up before I slipped so really only my shoes got wet. But Tim had a good laugh over it.

But I finally caught a fish…I know I was getting on Tim’s nerves. The fish kept taking my worm and he kept having to rebait my hook, and I believe at one point in time I whined. “This just isn’t fun and relaxing. I keep throwing it out and reeling it in with nothing…it much like playing the slot machines.”

Please note…my fish is slightly bigger than Tim’s…

Rhoda, of course, is bored with all of this…

But she was a very good dog all weekend. We let her off her leash most of the time, and she never ran off…just growled at every other dog walking by.

We get back and read for a little bit and then go in to take a nap. By this time, Tim’s inflated the original mattress with the new mattress on top. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve taken a nap. It was so nice. We got up about 6 and I headed to the store and when I got back, Tim had the steaks on the grill and a nice fire going. He made garlic toast and the best steaks, but then again, his meals on the grill are always wonderful.

After dinner, we picked up our books again, and didn’t put them down until 11 when we took the lantern in the tent and read some more. The bed was interesting again, as it had lost some more air and it was much like a cross between a waterbed and a moonwalk. If one of us moved, the other one had to hold on. We just laughed. At that point in time, it was all we could do.

Up Sunday morning by 8, and we’ve got the new coffee pot in the stove.

While we’re waiting for it to perk, and while shoveling poptarts in our mouths, we’ve got our nose in our books. We were both so close to being done. We finished our books and commented on how geeky we were. Now, I’ve been known to read a book in a day, however, I think Tim set a new record for himself.

We decided to head to Ferrum College to fish in their lake, so I made a picnic lunch and we loaded up the car. Tim’s new job is working at Ferrum so I had the pleasure to see what he’s working on…and I took pictures of course.

Here is where they are building a new residence hall…

This is his job trailer…

This is what the new student center will look like…

These are what the new residence halls will look like…

This is just the sign that says President Bush is paying for the work…

The site of the 2 new residence halls…well just one for now. They don’t have the funding for the second one yet.

And this building they are renovating. It used to be a residence hall, but will soon be offices.

After the job tour, we headed over to the lake to fish.

The lake…

My second of 4 fish of the weekend. Tim caught one here as well, but it was so little and he had it thrown back in the water before I could get the camera.

The ducks…Rhoda liked chasing them, as if they were some threat to her.

After calling it a day for fishing, we went in search of Fairy Stone park to have lunch. An hour later, we found it, however, since it’s a state park, you have to pay $4 to park and since we used all our cash on the new coffee pot, we drove back a bit and found some picnic tables and had our lunch.

We got back to the site and played cards for a bit and munched. I think all we did on Sunday was eat! We then took Rhoda back down to the lake. It was all about her and we attempted to tell her that as a Labrodor Retriever that she should retrieve things, but she just didn’t get it. We’d throw the stick and most times she didn’t even go after it, but when she did, she wouldn’t pick it up and bring it back.

We’re such rebels…notice the sign…

Back to the campsite…the German Baptists were gone, and Tyler was gone…it was just us. I started to read the book that Tim had just finished. We listened to the race. We started a fire and at about 8 decided that we were hungry. We skipped the chicken that I had brought and decided to roast hot dogs and make s’mores. I finished the book about 10.

We talked alot about how we didn’t want to come home and that despite all the mishaps, we had a good weekend. We figured out that it would cost us $105 a week to stay there, and that we could make bulk trips to Wal-Mart (in Rocky Mount…there would be no more trips to Martinsville…) It was a nice dream…but…

Reality came Monday morning. We slept the latest that we had all weekend, getting up at 9:30. Tim put the coffee on (we had to leave anyway, we used the last of the creamer) and we started getting packed up. Deflating the air mattress wasn’t difficult…ha ha…

We were all packed up by about 11:30…

This is Tim trying to figure out how the stuff we brought seemed to multiply over the weekend.

We were home by 12:30. We had a great weekend, and one that we really needed. I came home to laundry and 153 emails. But I can’t wait to do it again!

Here are some other pictures from our trip…

Thanks for sticking this one out…

Until next time…