We'll Be Back, Muscle Shoals, AL

While Muscle Shoals, AL is likely not at the top of most travelers "must-see" list, it was definitely at the top of ours. Why? Because it is the home of the two other ladies in Nick's life, his mom and his sister.

This was our glamping site for the week. Nick's mom has a wonderful property complete with multiple outbuildings and a pad that was more that large enough for our camper to sit on. We also had the bonus of water all week which was an unexpected surprise and greatly appreciated!

Muscle Shoals may ring a bell if you are a history buff. It was the city that the US Government chose to  begin producing nitrates for ammunition and explosives to support WWI efforts. Millions of taxpayer dollars were used in the construction of a dam that would harness the Tennessee River and power the two nitrate factories that had been constructed. The production factory, powered by steam at the time, began production of nitrates 2 weeks after the war ended. Not wanting to spend any more resources on the war effort, during peaceful times, Congress opposed further funding to the development of the dam and began looking for a private sponsor who would finish the dam. In walks Henry Ford and his visions on urban design. Ford's ideas were never able to come to fruition. Politics, The New Deal and The Great Depression are among some of the reasons that the area never took off.

Muscle Shoals is a small rural city best known for FAME Recording Studio - home of "Muscle Shoals Sound". For us, it is where we can find family, laughter, a great meal, game night and quiet conversations around the fire pit. 

                

Some of our evenings were here, by a fire, telling stories of the past and laughing...a lot. The patio is not decorated for any special holiday. This is my sister-in-law's love of things looking festive and fun. She has such a free spirit that is shared with all of us. Both she and Ellie, my mother-in-law, were the best hosts. We spent every evening somewhere under the back patio enjoying the breeze while we played games and had a drink or two. I could not have had a better time.

The moon coming up behind Diesel, Ellie's horse.

Nick and Diesel have a special bond. Maybe its because Nick always has apple chunks when they are together. 

Nick with his mom, Ellie and his sister, Teresa. I just love this picture.

Nick and I spent a week in this quiet community near the northwest corner of the state. My sister-in-law graciously gave me her office to use for work during the day. Our evenings were consumed with dice games, Dominos, Rubikub, and card games. We ignored the outside world and took in every moment we could enjoying the company of one another. We can't wait to get back and spend more quality time with these two special ladies! 

Hello Pigeon Forge, TN

Our adventure puts us in Pigeon Forge, TN this week. I am sitting here at my "desk" which is actually the dining room booth that I have taken over as my office space. There is a lovely view out the window of the Little Pigeon River. I've walked the dogs past the edge of the stream a few times. I can see our Husky’s wheels turning. I'm certain she will have devised a way to swim in that water before we leave Friday evening. She's a clever one.

We had our first learning experience yesterday. Specifically,  in understanding how the black and grey tanks work. If you choose to travel in an RV and don't want your moving casa to smell like an outhouse EVER...there are things that need to happen before and after use. In our case, we learned the lesson after the literal poop-pouri scent permeated our coach. All better now. Thanks to YouTube. 

After a long work day, my favorite thing to do is sit out by the fire and relax. If I were home, I’d have a list of things that needed to be done. This experience is forcing me to take a breath and enjoy the moment. This never would have happened in the old normal. So, here we are, making lemonade out of lemons! 

It’s not just work and campfires, this week we sampled local TN country cooking, found pottery at The Old Mill and took a site-seeing trip up to Anakeesta by way of a ski lift (minus the snow and the skis).

A cookie that looks like me!

View of Gatlinburg, TN from the treetop at Anakeesta

Nick and I are taking the lift up to the treetop.

Finally, no stop is complete without Nick playing a course or two while I’m at the “office”. Here are some pics from his visit to Island Pointe Golf Club in Knoxville, TN.

Ciao.

First Stop: OBX

Our adventure begins in Coinjock, North Carolina to see close friends and family that were also visiting over the weekend. None of us expected that Tropical Storm Sally would be joining the festivities. All of the planned beach walking, sand dune pictures and lighthouse tours would have to wait for another trip. Instead, we enjoyed a couple lovely dinners, a competitive game of dominos and a spirited game of Exploding Kittens. Sally could do her thing...we were having a lot of fun despite the howling winds and angry surf outside. 

Highlights:

Above all else, great new memories with our family and friends. 

Outer Banks West/Currituck Sound KOA. Its a newer camp site located a the tip of the Currituck Sound.  On a normal day I would have loved to kayak in the morning before meeting up with folks in the afternoon. Unfortunately, not this trip, but we plan go back. 

Coinjock Marina. Really amazing buffalo chicken wings, excellent hush puppies and a pretty nice  Cosmo (of course, I'm going to a Cosmo at every stop). 

 

Dominos (Train). First time playing.  There were 7 of us playing the game. It was a nice number and made it pretty competitive.

The Plan Takes Shape

Purchasing a travel trailer is one thing. Planning and preparing to use it, for a long-term trip...completely different experience. In fact, I'd go so far to say that while the YouTube videos, RV blog sites and Pinterest checklists have helped tremendously, I'm sure we will forget many things and suffer a few mishaps before this trip is all over. While this is sure to be an adventure...I am certain that this will be quite the "experience".

So, after much deliberation, we devised a plan. Here's what we came up with:

PLAN A: Spend the winter months in San Marcos, TX. - Arrive there by mid-October. On the way, we remote work during the week at a single FHU (full hook up) location, with WIFI access. Travel on Sunday morning to the next location, no more than 4-5 hours from the previous location working our way to San Marcos. 

PLAN B: If, at any point on the route we decide that we have had enough of the RV life, we turn around and come back home. 

PS: Can't forget to secure memberships to KOA, Good Sam and Harvest Hosts. I will tell you more about these as we get started.

and now...OUR ADVENTURE BEGINS!

Remote Work Redefined

While the pandemic has put a damper on a great many things, one of the most unexpected outcomes has been the redefining of remote work. Think about it, when in our lifetime will we ever have an opportunity to work literally ANYWHERE we want to? Once we return to our offices, that’s it, we are back to our next “normal”. For many of us, remote work will be a solution that some businesses adopt while others either set it aside or limit it to only certain lines of business.

Remember the two lessons I shared? Life is fragile and NOTHING is guaranteed…especially TIME.

I’m 53 years old. I am an executive that easily spends 50+ hours working each week. I have a home office that is comfortable and provides me with all of the functional needs I could ask for, but it still feels completely claustrophobic. Four more months of this "normal" and I am going to need therapy...and gastric bypass surgery.…and then…my wheels began turning.

I am blessed with a husband who has a penchant for adventure. The mere suggestion that we consider an alternative lifestyle for the rest of this work from home mandate was all it took. When Saturday came, we were touring Camping World and other RV vendors in a 100-mile radius. By the end of the next week we had settled on a 30 ft. Keystone Cougar Travel Trailer. Complete with all the amenities a glamping girl would require, Nick and I pulled the trigger and took our first step on the path of our new adventure. 

Pandemic Lessons Learned

This pandemic has taught me two critical lessons over the past 6 months. The first is that life is fragile. The second, you are guaranteed NOTHING while on this planet. So, whatever it is that you hope to do before you leave this world, you need to get out there and do it! 

These two realities were brought to light most recently upon the passing of my father-in-law. After fighting a battle with COPD for almost 20 years and being cared for by my husband these last 3 years, we said goodbye to him on August 8th. COVID played no part in his death. We had taken every precaution to protect him from exposure and essentially quarantined ourselves since the pandemic began. In the end, it was his heart and the disease that took him from us. Life is fragile. 

Throughout the life of my father-in-law, he had worked hard and managed his finances. He spent many of his last years on a large property in Missouri where he had built a pond, complete with a dock so that he could fish whenever he wanted to. The man LOVED to fish and talked about that property often. He had to sell it a couple years before he came to live with us. His health was declining and his wife, Pat, wanted them closer to a hospital in the event of an emergency. They moved to Harrisonville, MO and that was really the beginning of the end. There would be no more fishing from that point on. You are guaranteed NOTHING while on this planet, not even the joy of throwing a line in the water when the mood strikes you. 

So now what? My husband and I are living a different life. Its not driven by a care-giver's schedule. There are not doctor appointments or Hospice workers coming in to provide support. There are no special meals to make or multiple loads of laundry to do. Life is different. We are like empty nesters again. Now we take the lessons and figure out the next chapter. We are calling it...OUR ADVENTURE.

Memory Lane

I’m spending the holiday visiting my dad on his horse farm in Kansas. The horses have been gone for years. This place floods my memory with long past days watching the kids play hide and seek all over the property. Annual Easter egg hunts were held out on the front lawn when all the kids and cousins were little. The old barn cat is still around. She won’t let you hold her. She showed up years ago and the folks began feeding her. The cat never left. She does her job keeping the mice away and is paid with room and board.

Dad still manages the property on his own. God forbid the suggestion of hiring a crew to mow or trim. As long as he is capable, that man will be on the rider every week for hours and hours. He's a little too proud...and too financially conservative to hire out work. So my visit this weekend is that of a spectator, watching my dad catch up on trimming/mowing that was put off due to a couple weeks of Kansas storms. While I have offered to help, there has been no willingness to take me up on the free labor. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t trust me driving the big mower or handling a weed eater. So, blogging will be my entertainment this morning.

Yesterday Dad asked me if I had an interest taking a trip down memory lane. I guess he doesn’t realize that driving up the long path to his house triggers hundreds of memories of my younger days.  But the invitation was really intriguing so I accepted happily.

The first stop on our trip was near the east side of Wichita. We ended up in a residential area and Dad asked me if I knew where I was. The blank expression left no doubt that I was clueless. He then explained that my lack of recall made sense because I was only one...or maybe two years old when we lived in the house that he had just parked in front of. 

I’ll back up a minute. I was born on a naval base in Pensacola, Florida. My dad had been in the Navy when he and Mom married. Wichita, Kansas had been home to both my parents prior to my dad going into the service. My mom had grown up in Wichita. The youngest of six, and born when my grandmother was in her early 40’s (oops), she was a spoiled and privileged daughter of an ice cream factory superintendent. My dad had been the son of a Tailor who had worked for high end menswear retailer Neiman Marcus in NY and somehow ended up at Henry’s in Kansas. Apparently, as my dad tells it, that line of work was fairly unique and if you were good, you were in high demand. My grandad was a networking genius. He had made contacts all over the US and when opportunities came up in the industry, they called him.  When my dad graduated high school, my grandfather took his talents back to Neiman Marcus in Houston TX. and that is the city where he and my grandmother stayed until his retirement.

So, back to the house. Here it is, my first home in Wichita. Dad says it looks about the same as it did when we lived in it 52 years ago. He remembered the address. Unbelievable!

After we pulled away from the house, Dad began telling me of re-enlisting in the Coast Guard a year later and our move to Wake Island, where we lived for a few years before coming back to the States.

By the time we returned to Wichita, my parents had added a couple additional siblings to the family. Our next home in Wichita was on Chautauqua St.. I actually have many memories in this home. I was starting the 3rd grade when we moved here. I still have friends I keep in touch with, all these years later, who went to school with me at Hillside Elementary, just a couple blocks over. 

Our stroll down memory lane ended in downtown Wichita. The main thoroughfare is Douglas. As teens we would “drag Douglas”. It was the highpoint of the week. Friday night would be bumper to bumper for blocks and then we’d get to the end of the street and go back the other direction. Hours of my junior year on Friday night were spent in my orange Fuego dragging Douglas. Sweet Memories...

As an adult, I love the revitalization of the downtown area. One of my favorite things to do if we are going through downtown is try to find all of the sculptures that have been placed randomly throughout the area. Here are a few of my memory lane finds today.

 

Yak Life

One of my many passions is kayaking. Me alone with my vessel taking on the glassy waters of a lake or the gentle ripples of a stream that guide me to the river. Have I ever done whitewater kayaking? Uh...no, not even close. 

I am a paddler. Rarely at risk of capsizing, unless, by my own idiocy, I do something that puts the boat out of balance. Like the time I tried to get into my cargo hatch out on the lake, emphasis on TRIED.

I find kayaking can be as relaxing or strenuous as I choose for it to be. I usually Try to get a good cardio workout but there is a lot of casual paddling that happens too. I enjoy checking out the wildlife and nature along the shorelines. Most of the time I just “go with the flow”... literally.

If you get the kayaking bug, add an ocean yak trip to your bucket list. One of my favorite adventures was off the coast of Seattle along the San Juan Islands. During certain times of the year you can catch pods of whales hunting or migrating. It’s pretty spectacular. I would not suggest novice paddlers get on the ocean. There are safety precautions a paddler must know for ocean trips. Best to go with a guide the first time and pick up the tips on anchoring, currents and managing when you are around marine life.

San Juan Islands, Washington 

Wearing my spray skirt and cool weather wear

Seals resting on the shoreline

The beauty of kayaking is that it is not an expensive sport to try out. Many lakes have kayak rentals. If you decide it’s something you want to do more frequently, the investment can be as low as $200 or as high as 2K, depending on the style and type of kayaking you want to do. Life jackets, paddles and accessories can add to the investment but those range as low or high as you want to go as well.

A view of Harrisburg, PA from the Susquehanna River

 

This season I upgraded to an Old Town kayak. It’s an Angler. Pretty much means that it has places to put a fishing pole.  Yes, there are times I fish in my mighty vessel, but I mostly read, listen to music and take lots of pictures. Audible is my go-to app when kayaking. I listen to a ton of books. My other favorite is GoPaddling. This app shows me all of the drop in points and launch areas I can use. It also maps the trail so I can find parking. When kayaking streams or rivers I use shuttle services. For about $15-$20 an Outfitter will take me upstream and then I can paddle back. 

This sport is one of the more versatile. You can go with friends or family, as a couple or or your own. You may want to paddle a pond, stream, lake or river. 

Personally, I’ve found that kayaking is the best way for me to turn off the “noise”. I’m out there, on the water, surrounded by trees and nature. It’s calm. I can think. I can breathe. I am renewed...every single time. Well...except the time I fell out of my boat. That time, I was just wet.

If you try it out, send me a comment and let me know how it went for you!

COVID Life - A Look Back at May 2020

Too many realities have set in. Countless events cancelled, no social activities, who knew when the next time we could enjoy a dinner out with friends or go to the theater. My typical level of optimism and positive energy was beginning to dim. I could feel it. 

May arrived and we were informed that we would not be going back to my office before July. Our Governor was on the television daily with new updates to share.  Pennsylvania created a Red, Yellow, Green status for the State and each of our counties. We had been in RED for nearly two months and awaited Yellow status with the anticipation of a child at Christmas. 

As long as we were "red" there would only be access to grocery stores and essential businesses. Fortunately for me, bakeries were considered essential businesses, and that included our very favorite, Pennsylvania Bakery in Camp Hill. Saturday mornings have included a stop for a pastry and coffee before running errands to the grocery store and maybe a stop at Home Depot while trying to convince ourselves that this all feels "normal".

I have become very accustomed to Zoom meetings and while it has been impractical to dress up from head-to-toe, I have kept my commitment to dress from waist up, while, of course, coordinating my lounge pants and socks to match my top. Hair and make-up, yes, its a must. And with my Aveda salon closed since March, I have resorted to Dominique Sachse YouTube videos on styling, blow outs and the best lighting for Zoom meetings.  I am, after all representing my organization, virus or no virus, it is part of my bougie DNA to bring some sparkle to the meeting. 

Fridays have become my favorite day because it is Family Zoom Night. We have been alternating hosts for the call. Each week the host brings the game or activity we will play. All of us have hosted a Scavenger Hunt. These included odd things one would find around the house. The games are fun but the best part is when the game is over and we all sit there and catch up on the past week, the latest TV shows everyone is binging or a movie someone watched. I just enjoy listening and seeing my family. The one-hour calls often last 3 hours. I never would have guessed that everyone would have so much to share and they all look forward to jumping on the call each week. It is the single thing about this wretched virus that I know would not have happened before COVID and it is some of the best times I've had while we have been cooped up at home.

On May 22nd, York County went YELLOW. I was so excited to have a little more freedom to get out and about. While restaurants were still take-out only, it felt like we were coming out of the dark a little bit. On the positive side, the liquor stores would open back up. That was a good thing because I had run out of Baileys Irish Cream and this had become my weekend coffee creamer replacement. 

May was tough for graduates. Thousands of high school and college students finished their semester via chatrooms and Zoom classes. Many accepted that there would be no Senior Prom, commencement exercises or parties to look back on with friends. This milestone would be shrouded in history by the deaths of over 100K in the US alone and the closure of hundreds of businesses.

The end of the month brought the wedding of my son Connor and his bride, Delaney. While the CDC warnings discouraged air travel to certain parts of the nation, OKC was reporting minimal COVID cases and we felt like the risk was low. We would fly in, attend the ceremony and get back home... that is exactly what we did. 

The wedding was held at the Oklahoma City courthouse before a Justice of the Peace. Ten minutes later we were driving to the Wichita Mountains where a few friends joined the family and our newly married couple as they exchanged personal vows they had written to one another. We stood outside under the shadow of the Oklahoma mountains and watched two people, totally in love with one another, help us all to forget what was happening in the world around us.

 

 

COVID Life - A Look Back on April 2020

In April, I watched the news reports of ports closing and ships being unable to dock with passengers who needed medical attention. By mid-month Norwegian notified us that we could choose to re-book our cruise later in the year at a huge savings, or opt out for a refund. After vacillating for two weeks, we opted for the refund. A month of being under the Stay-At-Home order convinced me that the idea of being sequestered in a 12x12 room for multiple days...maybe weeks seemed miserable, regardless of a balcony view. And while my husband and I get along pretty well, there is only so much togetherness that couples can manage.

Our mask brigade, (the name we gave our new sisterhood of mask seamstresses), continued to sew and send masks out like crazy in April. We also started "coffee dates" on Zoom to connect and share secrets about mass producing masks, how to find elastic (nearly impossible to locate), and how we could connect to drop off fabric. We also shared pictures of the masks we had made. A few of the ladies kept their collections pretty conservative with simple solid fabrics, and others (me included) went a little diverse with our fabric choices. I opted for patterns with dogs, bumble bees, PA sports teams, fishing and anything that I thought would be interesting enough for people to "like" their mask and wear them. I also invested in a Hotfix tool that would allow me to bedazzle a few. By this point my girlfriends were well aware of my new philanthropic endeavor and they too needed masks. Theirs would be "special". Coordinating colors to their outfits, prepping of summer with linen colored fabric and black...with a tiny crystal beauty mark...courtesy of my new bling tool!

Work life, a month into the stay at home order, was intense. Multiple new meetings in the week that went through COVID numbers, service issues, PPE (personal protective equipment) shortages and how to get donations to organizations, war room updates (yes, this was a new team to address daily COVID issues), and end of the day meetings with our contracting partner to go over our monitoring efforts. At least 2 hours of new meetings a day, outside of the one-offs and in addition to the regular work that gets done each day. I found myself sitting in front of two screens for 10 hours, often longer, every single day. One thing I did notice was how quickly the days and weeks flew by. Monday would arrive and Friday would be at my door the next day...at least it felt that way.

By the end of April, it was determined that the virus was going to be sticking around for awhile.  After watching business close and flights get cancelled, it was time to get real about the wedding and what to do next. The venue would not agree to a refund. Their contract had language that protected them from having to give up a penny. Our only recourse was a re-scheduling. My son and his fiancé pushed the date out to June 2021 and began notifying their guestlist. I was heartbroken for the kids but I have to say, the way they handled their acceptance of their "big day" getting cancelled, showed such maturity. It was one of those proud Mom moments for sure. 

By the end of the week, we had received a call that the kids had decided to keep their date of May 29th and would opt for a civil ceremony with immediate family-only. The huge event with all of their friends and extended family would take place June 5, 2021. Now we at least have SOMETHING to look forward to.

 

COVID Life - A Look Back on March 2020

March 11th we were told that we would likely be working from home in the next couple weeks. The COVID-19 virus was officially all over the US and the numbers were climbing exponentially.

On March 19th, I was at the desk in my home office, preparing to log on to the first of many Zoom meetings that day. There were twelve more to be exact. At 7:30pm that evening I made my way downstairs, yelled "Honey, I'm home!" and began shopping on Amazon. I had decided that lounge pants would be part of my work from home (WFH) signature wear...as well as comfy socks. I had no intention of wearing shoes while this WFH requirement was in place. The top half of me, that would be "normal". At least I would keep telling myself that.

I suppose, like many, I was naïve to the reality of this virus. I honestly thought we would be back in the office by May, provided that we all followed CDC guidelines and limited exposure. Clearly, I was being unrealistic, given I had never experienced a pandemic, my optimistic nature far extended the realities of our environment. Like REALLY extented the boundaries of reality.

One example of this hyper extended reality was demonstrated in my excitement for an upcoming wedding. My son was marrying the girl of his dreams at a beautiful venue they picked out in Oklahoma City. The wedding date -  May 29th. I spent a lot of time in mid-March convincing him that his wedding wouldn't be affected and the thousands of dollars we had paid would not be lost. Heck, it was six weeks away. Plenty of time for this to get cleared up.

A second example....vacation planning. I pushed out our family trip to Florida over to September, booked the resort and airline tickets and relaxed with the confidence that all of this virus mumbo-jumbo would pass well before the ten of us descended on Orlando for a week of sunshine, golf, swimming and umbrella drinks. With this trip months away, I believed we had plenty of time for stabilization of businesses and all would be "normal" by Labor Day. 

As if two examples are not embarassing enough, a third involved a trip that had sat on our calendar since August 2019, when Nick and I had found a great rate for an Alaskan cruise. It had been on our bucket list for a few years and now, almost a year later, we were anxiously awaiting the June 1st embarkment date. We had set up our cruise dinners and entertainment on the ship and booked our port activities. It was now time to figure out the outfits for theme nights, rain jackets for sight-seeing, binoculars for checking out glaciers and wildlife and other gizmos we might need on the ship. Yes, more shopping on Amazon.  While June was sneaking up on us, the trip was still a couple months away and the cruise lines seemed to be addressing the safety issues. We decided to let it play itself out and not make any decisions about rescheduling until closer to the date. Besides, Norwegien still had our trip on their schedule and all of the ports were opened.

I spent a lot of time surfing Facebook and Pinterest in March. There were two things I quickly realized were happening, people were a bit out of control at the grocery store and overnight it seemed like everyone was selling homemade masks. 

The grocery store issue was disturbing. People were behaving insanely. Shelves were bare. A visit to Amazon verified the stories that people were gouging consumers on hand sanitizer and toilet paper, the two commodities that were nearly impossible to find at the store. I found myself disgusted with the neighbors who shared that they had a garage filled with toilet paper (still not talking to them) and anyone I saw at the store loading their carts with more than any family could possibly need in a given week or even two. 

As for the mask sales, I was disappointed that people were taking advantage of a pandemic while hospitals, nursing facilities and other essential businesses were desperate to obtain personal protective equipment. I have to admit that I have felt incredible disappointment in the monetizing of something that has so much impact on health and safety. While I had not reaction to the "unique" masks being sold, you know, the ones that have bling all over or open up a big teeth-y smile. If people want to have a specialized mask, by all means, pay for it. But a basic mask...for $20.00, when it’s so hard to find...wow, may karma find its way to their capitalistic hearts.

While I couldn't address the needs of the many, I could do my part to contribute to the needs of caregivers in Pennsylvania. The weekend after our stay-at-home order I began making cloth masks. I could solve two needs, help my community and reduce the yards and yards of fabric (unbelievable amount) that I had collected during the few years that I was going through my quilting phase. 

I began making about 20 masks a week and mailed them to one of the non-profit Centers for Independent Living in PA. Within a couple weeks, I had four other ladies sewing masks with me. We were sending out over a 100 a week. To date, we have donated around 1100 masks to non-profit caregiving organizations in PA. 

Here is one of the simplest pattern/instructionsfor mask making. Really quick to sew and could be done by hand if a machine is not available. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647462883917010246/