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Thursday, September 13, 2018

C&D Adventures 2018 (Louisiana Bayou) Week 4



9-10-18 Monday

8:30AM,  and we are on our way to Cajun Palms.
Goodbye Florida, we enjoyed it and we have had a great two weeks at Topsail but it is time to move on.
There is a cold front coming and we have chances of rain as we travel.
Doesn’t hurt our feelings as it may keep the love bugs down along the way.
The clouds are really pretty as we make our way to I-10 via 331.






Saw the Blue Angel on a stick. LOL.















Sailing along smoothly until Lupe decides we need to exit the highway.
Lupe has lost her ever loving mind.
As we begin crossing the Mississippi bridge outside of New Orleans she tells us to exit the highway.
We do and she proceeds to take us on a 6 to 8 mile detour.
Absolutely no idea why she got us off the highway.


Traffic was moving and there didn't seem to be any slowing down.
If I had my data I would have been online checking to see what the heck she was up to.

Just another reason to not trust Miss Lupie.
I have to say Diana and Chris stick with us through thick and thin....if we exit, even if they remotely question it, they still follow us.....LOL
Now that's friendship.

We are driving into some pretty heavy duty rain clouds.
Only good part is rain would be to help wash the love bugs off the Taj-Mah-Hauler.


Lupie shows our arrival time of 3:45.
We are at the famous Cajun Palms and checked in and even get wrist bands to prove it.  







The rain has stopped so that helped with setting up.
Love bug cleaning is the first thing we need to do.







I attempt to turn on the air in the trailer and we have no electric.
I am assuming it is the same problem we had last time but nope.
After Chris checks out the pedestals it is figured out that there is a problem with it.
I call up and maintenance comes out quickly.
Ends up we have another pedestal on our site so we just plug in so we can get on with this day.
Finally set, we are on the hunt for dinner.


There is a place that will deliver to our sites but looks like they aren’t open on Monday.
Plan "B" is Chicken on the Bayou.
It is a little place next to Landry's Seafood and as soon as we opened the door into the place, we walked back out.

Not knowing what we would be getting into by eating there, we just go next door to Landry’s.
The food was good but so typical of a commercial-restaurant.
We are back at the RV and thinking about sitting outside but the mosquitoes are terrible.
We walk around the park and check out the pool area.
This place is a ghost town.
No one is out...and there aren't very many trailers even here.
We are thinking that the parties are over and everyone has gone home for the summer.  
Too bad it’s not warmer and I can imagine how busy this place is during the regular season.

9-11-18 Tuesday

Well it looks like the rains are going to plague us for another day.
There is a window of time this morning that shows we will be rain free for a couple of hours.
McGee’s Air Boat Excursion is going to be what we do during this somewhat dry time.
Diana makes reservations for us for the 11AM tour.





I am so excited to get to do this.
Here is the link to Mcgees Swamp Tours
Ends up we are the only fools or customers  that chose to go out today.
We had the boat and the guide to ourselves.  
What a great time.














Our guide Byron, took us to see alligators up close and personal.
The water was beautiful and all the wild life in the bayou were amazing.








Our ride was cut a little short due to our guides concern of the upcoming weather.
Byron tells us a little history about the swamps we are in.
There are 1.4 million miles of them.  Here is a link to more info.  Bayou
Geez, if that alligator had eaten him I think we would have been lost out here forever.
This boat trip was so spectacular.
I would highly recommend it to anyone if they are in the area.





What a fun morning we have had.
We make it back before the rain hits.
Once again we have finished our fun before the rains try to ruin our day.
The ladies at McGee's tells us that Chicken on the Bayou was a good place to eat.
We decide to try it for lunch.
The food was good and at least we got some true Louisiana food.




We made our way to the pool even though the sun refused to shine.
Looks like we have the whole pool to ourselves today.
The bars weren’t open for us and it really looked like a ghost town.
After our dip in the pool we went back to our covered patio and hung out for awhile.

Bronco got to meet Duke the dog.
He was a resident of Cajun Palms it looks like.
He didn’t like to mind his parents and just roamed around a lot.
Duke came back a little later and attempted to be friendly with Bronco but she wasn’t interested.
Dinner was from the local Fast Track that delivers to the park.
Have to say we really weren’t that impressed with our choice this evening.
As the sun sets the mosquitoes start coming out so we say our good nights and go inside.



9-12-18 Wednesday
On the road by 8:30 and heading to Canton Texas.




Lunch stop at the Texas rest stop just over the Louisiana border and Chuck is looking at the trailer and noticed it was sitting a bit uneven.












Looks like we have lost a very large bolt in one of the wet kits on our equalizer.
This was just done on the trailer in June and other than our trip to Colorado, the only miles we have traveled.  
Maybe someone didn't tighten all our bolts like they were supposed to?  







Louisiana has some of the worst roads and bridges I have ever seen but after talking to Chris he has told us earlier on in our travels that he thought something fell off the trailer...kinda like when you follow a Harley...you know what I mean.  :) 
We are 106 miles from our destination for the day and as soon as we reach it we will be looking for a temporary bolt to get us home safely.

The traffic heading south is full of FEMA trucks and trailers making their way east to help with the Hurricane Florence recovery.
It is really expected to be a very bad storm and our hearts go out to the people in her path. 
Florence should make landfall this evening.
We stay in Canton at the Mill Creek Ranch RV Resort this evening.
The Tractor Supply in the town of Canton got some of our business today as it was the only place we could find bolts, washers, and nuts to bandage the Taj-Mah-Hauler back together.
Chris notices a big chunk out of one of his tires, so he changes the tire and puts on his spare.
This was one of those working stops, but at least our guys make sure we are safe.
There is a little Taco Shop in front of the resort, so we walk over and get some Mexican Food for dinner and take it back to the trailers and eat outside.
The sunset was beautiful this evening, and I think I really got a good picture of it. 




9-13-18 Thursday
Packed up and on the road by 8:30 am.
Our final leg of our three week vacation is coming to an end.
This morning it is foggy and have to say it’s one of those days you could really sleep in.
But we have some miles to make so we set out on our final day of travels.

Diana and Chris will be heading to Lake Texhoma so we will travel with them to Pottsboro Texas.





We stopped for a potty break in Leonard TX and Chris was checking his tires and one of them is about to throw the tread.
Although a small town Diana found a place that had their size tire. (talk about luck)

Guess this stop was meant to be because it appears that
all of his tires are either separated or in the process of separating.

As we stood there, a guy came over and started talking.
Seems we had stopped in this same little town on the way down to Florida.
This same fellow had talked to us on that stop as well.  
He was interested in our stain glass windows that are on our trailer. 
His wife was upset the last time that he failed to ask where exactly in Mexico had we purchased them in.
He now knows the scoop on them so his wife is going to be so proud of him.
(I don't think he was really stalking us, just a very friendly guy)  ROFL

The tire shop was quick and efficient and within an hour or so we were back in business.

It is now time to say our final farewells to Diana & Chris.
Pottsboro, TX was  a perfect spot to pull over for a moment.
Diana & Chris will head for the lake and we will make our way back to Yukon.
Sadly this adventure is over.
The real world is calling us back.

Even though Chuck and I are retired, there are always things that need to be taken care of at the homefront.
So much for taking time to smell the roses.
With traveling, there always seems to be only a certain amount of time allotted.
Those places you see along the roadside, you know,
the ones that you see every time you travel that same road.
They are once again driven by without a stop.
Oh well, maybe next time!

When you are pulling such a large trailer those quick stops have to be planned out as there just might not be enough space for you to even get into a parking lot.



We are so fortunate to be able to have the health and well being to be able to experience it.
Not sure what the next trip has in store for us but I know it will be an adventure worthy of me writing about.





What a great three weeks and some change we have spent with our friends Diana & Chris.  
So very glad we get to share our time together.
Thanks to them for participating in another C&D Adventure.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

C&D Adventures 2018 (Gordon's Gone, but I am still suffering without my Data) Week 3

My wifi "hotspot" in the park 
9-3-18 Monday
Well it looks like we have a 50/50 chance of being evacuated from Topsail.
Tropical storm Gordon is bearing down on us.
So what do we do?






We got out for lunch and eat at a little restaurant called "The Local Catch".
It's a cute little place and seems to be pretty busy.











My favorite.  :)



The area we sat at had some local art that was quite funny.
The guys have hamburgers and Diana and I have fish and it was agreed upon that the food was quite tasty.







Back at the RV we turn on the weather station on the TV and start watching the latest updates on Gordon.
Ugh, so reminiscent of last year and our watch on Irma. 
The park is busy with people pulling out.
But we also notice that there are still people coming in.
We also notice that there are quite a few spaces empty, so that leads us to think that a lot of people have cancelled their plans due to Tropical Storm Gordon.

We have begun packing up just in case we actually have to evacuate.
Our neighbors on the other side have done the same.
We haven't been as neighborly as we should but we actually met them when they pulled in, but everyone is going their own direction so it makes it hard to stop and talk.

One of the funniest things we heard from Ray and Maria (our new neighbors) when they pulled in was that Maria cried 3 times on their first trip pulling their new trailer.
She hasn't cried once (that we noticed) so far.
I think they are getting this camping figured out!!!!  

9-4-18 Tuesday
Tropical Storm Gordon watch today.
The rains came around 10AM and basically it has rained off and on all day.
The storm threat has passed us and it looks like the tropical storm is going to leave us alone here in Topsail.
They are calling for quite a bit of rain, so it looks like we will be spending time in the trailers.

We got out this morning and went to the grocery for a few things.
The guys are with us, so the shopping was a little different than usual.  LOL
We also tried to get a donut at The Donut Hole but that wasn’t going to happen today.
They had a line out the door of people waiting to eat.
Not to be donutless today,
Diana uses HER "data" to find a Dunkin Donut instead.
We aren't but about 5 miles or less from it, so this hunt was easy peasy.
Just what we needed on this rainy day...sugar!!!

Back at the trailers we stayed in and stayed dry.
I finally finished my book that I had started while we were in Arizona.
I found a small coloring book page I could work on to pass the time away.
Since it was Tuesday it means it’s Taco Tuesday and we go to a local Mexican restaurant and had dinner.
Chuck and Chris had a Bushwhacker and Diane and I had a Top Shelf Margarita.
The guys said their Bushwhacker wasn't as good as the one they had from Harry T's....and our Margaritas were just so so.
When we left the restaurant there was actually a lull in the rain and we made it back to the RVs before it started raining again
Looks like we are going to get rain all night tonight.
Just glad we haven’t had any of the spin up tornado's they were saying were possible.


9-5-18 Wednesday
Light mist this morning so what a perfect time to hit the laundry.




The laundromat wasn't that busy and we knocked out 3 loads a piece fairly quickly.












There is an area by the laundry that is covered in blooming flowers to attract butterflies.
The Passion Vine that adorns the area is absolutely huge.
It always has a lot of blooms and I notice them every time we walk by.
My Dad (deceased for many years now) always planted a Passion Vine in our gardens every Spring.
I grew up marveling at the site of their blooms.
I hope my sweet Dad can see these blooms from heaven because I think of him every time we are here in the park.

As we finish getting our last load of laundry out of the dryers the rains decide to start.
Laundry is done for now and although we all had plenty of clothes it feels good to get caught back up.





After lunch Diana and I decide we are bored.
What else is there to do but go to Walmart.
Both of us buy new coloring books and pencils so we will at least have something to occupy the time while we watch it rain.
We also stopped at The Donut Hole and got some chocolate angels.

Back at the trailers, the rains let up and we were sitting outside under the Biggs awning.
We are sitting there chatting away when Debra and Craig Dickinson came by to see us.

This is the great part of RVing....you meet and reconnect with people that you have met in your travels.
In fact Debra was the person that told us about Topsails in the first place.  
After they left we decided to walk around the park.
There are a few places in the park you sure wouldn’t want to be parked at because it’s a lake in front of them.

We decided it was a good evening to make our shish-k-bobs for dinner.
Fresh green beans and corn on the cob accompanied our steaks.
The rains held off until we got everything cooked.
The food was cooked to perfection and it really hit the spot. 
After we finish dinner in our trailer we actually find a movie on the FX channel. 
Money Monster with George Clooney was an entertaining movie.
I am surprised that none of us had ever seen the movie.

500 loud commercials later we finish the movie. 
Are we spoiled or what, usually you DVR the movie or watch on a provider that doesn't require you to watch the commercials.
One thing for sure, it gives you plenty of time to talk and move around during all the interruptions,  look at it this way, you now know all the side effects of taking a certain medicine, and all the new products that you can purchase via the "As Seen On TV" commercials.




9-6-18 Thursday
We are going to have another rain day here in sunny Florida.

Out of pure boredom Diana and I make a drive to Walmart and surrounding shops.
Retail Therapy is a cluster of shops under one roof.
It was just nice to get out and touch things...if you are a shopper, you know what I mean.

I bet you can't guess where we headed after we finished at Retail Therapy.
If you said The Donut Hole, you are correct.
Did we get donuts?
Yes we did....chocolate angels for all our friends....well, actually we only share with Chris and Chuck...LOL
And we also got Pineapple Upside down cakes....and they were very good!


Lunch at the trailer and then an afternoon of coloring in our new color books.
I know you see all the exciting things we are doing as comical, but when it rains on your parade,  you have to make due.








We decide to get out for dinner and Diana had been told we need to go to Fudpuckers.
The place was a typical tourist trap,
Guess we are tourist because we really enjoyed it.
The alligators that were on site were pretty cool to watch.














The food and the punch were quite tasty.
Our waitress “Pepper” was a lot of fun and comical.












As we make our way back towards Topsail, I mention something about wanting to look for some shoes.
I guess billboards still work, or at least for this group, cause Chris sees one that says they have shoes and we are very close, so we dive into the parking lot and check the place out.
I didn't find anything but Chris did.
He got himself a new pair of Keen's.
Back at the park we take a walk so Chris can try out his new shoes out. 
He thinks he is going to like them!!

With all the rains it has become a mosquito heaven here so we didn’t stay outside very long.
We make plans to go to the beach tomorrow as it is supposed to be sunny.


9-7-18 Friday
Its a beach day for us today.
But first we have to check out this lizard that has decided to come out and enjoy the sun as well.
We have actually seen more reptiles this trip than we have ever seen in the three years we have come to Topsail.

We pack up our stuff in our little red wagon and head to the tram.  

The tram is pretty full of everyone that is trying to enjoy this beautiful day.
After all the rain we have had, we are ready for sunshine.  
The beach at Topsail is never very busy, but today we have a good amount of people there.








When we found our perfect spot in the sand we started setting up, and noticed the guy next to us had been building a castle in the sand.
Diana asked him how long he had been working on it and he say only about an hour.
It was really pretty cool and he had put quite a bit of detail in it as well.













We notice that Debra and Craig are there flying their new Pirate Ship flag.
The waters are much more calm than our last beach day.
You can tell the storms have passed and life is getting back to "normal".  
Today is probably the best day we have had since we arrived here.











Our Chef Chris grilled steaks for us and Diana and I fixed veggies for dinner.
Nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the evening without any rain.  
Storms has formed but all we got was lightening and thunder.


9-8-18 Saturday
Diana and Chris get up bright and early to go down to the beach to see the sun rise.
Chuck and I don't partake but I know one thing for sure...we will see that sun when it gets a little higher in the sky.














Breakfast with the Ranger is at 9am today so we get on our bicycles and make our way over there for breakfast.
This year they had a pretty full house of people partaking in the breakfast.
It is one of the fundraisers they do for the park to get them some added funding.
It is always nice to have someone else cook for you, so why not go!
Enjoyed listening to the Ranger talk about the area and give us information about the park.


Our breakfast didn't last very long today so now our sights are on lunch.
The little BBQ restaurant down the way is going to be our stop for today.
98 BBQ was a nice change from all the fish we have been having.  

After we finish eating we go by a Golf Cart place that we have seen and wanted to check out.  
We looked at electric golf carts and they even had electric bicycles.
The gentlemen that was there working really didn't think we would be buying anything, so he just let us look around.
Heck for all he knows we were going to buy 4 of those bikes.
Chris was really itchin to buy one but alas we walked out empty handed.  :)


We sit outside and watch some football on the outdoor TV.
Diana and I are coloring in our books and enjoying the time together.



During our afternoon a baby squirrel decides he wants to be part of our day.
This little guy is very small and not scared of us at all.
Bronco is doing good with her "leave it" although you know she would really like to chase the little guy like she does at home. 
Later in the day we see there are actually two babies and they make their way back up to their nest high in the tree that is next to our rig.  
Their mom had let them come down and explore the new world they will be living in.
I bet she was just glad to get them out of the nest for a bit!  









All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye, I see a lizard running under our trailer.
Lordy lordy, there is a large snake chasing the lizard.
All this time we are telling Bronco to "leave it" and she is doing her best to do just that.
The lizard gets away and crossing in front of Bronco and once again she has to "leave it".
The snake has slithered under our truck.
Chuck thinks it's time to burn the truck....LOL
You know Chuck doesn't do very well with snakes....and this guy is pretty darn big.
Diana gets on her phone ( because she can use her data) and finds out that it is a "coachwhip" snake.   
Looks like he has slithered over to the walk area between the Biggs trailer and ours.
Not sure that Chuck will be walking through there ever again...ROFL.

Our neighbor Maria and Ray came over and talked a while.
Ray sits with the guys and watches some football.
Maria sits down by us and we get to know her.
Loved listening to Maria's Alabama accent...such a sweet lady.

They are new to the trailer life so we suggested a few groups on Facebook to learn more.
What nice people.
Think we could have some fun with them but sadly they are leaving tomorrow morning.

Dinner was pizza (from Walmart) on the Traeger grill.
I made a salad to go with it.  
Dinner was pretty tasty!

No rain on us today....great day in paradise.  

9-9-18 Sunday
Diana informs us of another snake in our walking path between the trailers.
Chuck is not happy about hearing this.

Afraid of being eaten by a resident snake we take our little path a lot slower and keep our eyes peeled;) and let Bronco lead the way. LOL
Gosh, that's really bad of us...nothing like sacrificing your dog.

Relaxing morning as we sit and watch the squirrels come and get pieces of popcorn that Diana has put out for them.
The larger squirrels knew just what to do with the food, but the babies have no idea.

We notice that Marie and Ray are getting ready to hitch up to leave.
It was only neighborly to go over and disturb their departure and say our goodbyes to them.
We girls had to share some RV thoughts and also make sure we are friends in Facebook before they pull away.
Enjoyed meeting our new “Alabama” friends.

We will be leaving Topsail in the morning.
I think it has been a nice two weeks here.
Only way it could have been better is if I had "data" so I could keep up with the world. (aka Facebook.)
I feel so out of touch.
It’s probably good for me to not have constant availability of the Internet but it really sucks when you are so used to it.
When we get home we will be checking on some options and attempt to get unlimited Internet without spending an arm and a leg for it.
More to come on that process, but for now, we begin to pack up our belongings so we can pull out in the morning and make our way back west.  




Diana and I make one last trip to Walmart to get some food for the road trip tomorrow.
When we get back the guys are standing over by our bicycles looking at something.
Seems the little baby squirrel has decided that he likes our place.
He is actually hanging out on my bike.
Diana comes up to him and he just stands there.
She extends her arm out and he climbs right on up to her chest.
OK, I am about to freak out right now, and I find out later that she was too.....she has a wild animal on her chest.
The little guy didn't seem to care and finally she got him to walk back off her arm and onto my bike.
This was just really strange to have a little guy like this so tame.
By golly Chris was even able to get a picture to prove it.
Check this out!  (Diana was sooooo brave!)




For our last evening in Florida we go to Pompano Joes for dinner.
The place is right on the beach, and we got a great seat that looks out onto the ocean.
I really don't think there is a bad seat in the place, but people were waiting to eat outside....heck we felt we were doing just that.
What a great way to end our stay here.















Sunday, September 2, 2018

C&D Adventures 2018 (Gordon's Attempt To Ruin Our Vacation & No Data For Diane) Week 2


8-27-18. Monday
We are packed and out of the park by 8:30.
The roads  today will take us to Top Sails in Florida.
We hit several rain showers along the way.
Heavy rains for a very short time.
We get to Topsails around 2:45 and got checked in just before the rush.
As we pulled out from the check in area there were a few people waiting to get in.
We are in the same site as last year.
Diana & Chris are next to us but are on the opposite side this year.
It’s pretty hot and yes it’s humid.
Chuck is getting unhooked and getting us set up.
The rumble of thunder in a distance makes us hustle to get set up before it rains.




Nothing unusual until he plugs in to the electric box.
No electricity.
I call up to the office and they sent someone down very quickly.
The box checked out fine so looks like we have other issues.
Chris comes over and rescues a quite frustrated Chuck.
He takes the plug apart and finds two wires are off the plug.
How this can happen when we just used it this morning is beyond me but sure is nice to have your very own electrician traveling with us.
We sure did appreciate his help.
All good now and the air conditioning is doing a great job and cooling the rig down.
Remember that sound of thunder I spoke of earlier.....well it was just that.
Only thunder.






It was nice to sit back and drink a margarita.
Even more fun to watch Chris grill us some brats on his Traeger Grill.
Enjoyed our first dinner at Topsail.
This day is about over and it’s time to sit back and relax.









8-28-18 Tuesday
We make our way to the beach this morning.
We catch the 10am tram and enjoy the breeze as we ride the one mile trip to the boardwalk.
There is no air stirring at all today.
Going to be hot for sure.

Our first dip in the water felt a bit cool at first but it wasn’t long that we acclimated to it and it felt wonderfully refreshing.
The waves were breaking pretty hard today and first thing, I get hit with a big one and another one right behind it.
Thought I was going to drown. LOL
I told Diana I felt like I had been overdosed with a Neti Pot.
There were just a handful of people on our beach.
Very nice as always.
We pack up by noon and actually were able to catch the 12pm tram back to the trailers.





It is about this time that we are getting notices that we have used 75% of our 15 gig data plan from our cell phones.
It looks like no more surfing on the World Wide Web for Chuck and I.
We haven’t changed to the unlimited plan as we normally have enough but with our travels from last month and now this month we are reaching our peak.  





8-29-18 Wednesday
Lunch at Red Bar in Grayton Beach.
The Bloody Mary's are delightful as usual, and the food was good too.

























As we make our way back west on Highway 30A, we decide it is time for ice cream.
We just so happened to know where a cute little ice cream place is, so we stop and partake.  















We decide to explore the area a bit and drove to Panama City.
The real reason we went that way was to go to Dicks Sporting Goods.
Chuck got him a new rocking folding chair.
Ours from Arizona, although not even a year old are deteriorating.
The piping is flaking away from the sun exposure.

We drove through Rosemary and made our way back to our RV via 30-A.






Air fried chicken wings and drumsticks is for dinner tonight.
I should have brought my big air fryer as it took forever to fix the dinner.
I wish I could say they were as good as the ones I make at home, but they weren't.
Kinda one of those epic fails....seems that always happens when you are cooking for friends.





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I am having withdrawal from not being able to use my phone and check on things on Facebook....LOL

Have I said that I feel like I am in the 20th century.
No data. :(














8-30-18. Thursday
Went to the beach at 9:30am.
Looks like we will have rain later today.
Well our beach excursion was cut short.
The skies look really bad.
We actually get on the trolley and make it back to the trailers just before it started raining.
It rained very hard.











Since the beach was done for today we decide to go to the Growler Garage for lunch on 30A.
Someone on one of my Facebook pages suggested it.
Since I am restraining from using data I didn't really do any investigation of the place.  
Well,  little did we know that it was only craft beers.
No food.
We were in the Santa Rosa Beach area on highway 30-A and the La Plata Tacos and Burritos looked pretty inviting.
The empanadas I had were really great.
They told me when I ordered them they were freshly made. 
I think everyone was pleased with their choices.

Back at the trailer we drop the guys off and pick up some groceries and make a stop at Starbucks and The Donut Hole.
Had to get our key lime pie fix!!!!
Back for the evening we fix steaks for dinner.
Chris again mans the grill, and they were cooked to perfection.
Maybe we need to get Chris a chef's hat!


8-31-18 Friday
Today's excursion will take us to Ft. Walton.
We are going to Harbor Freight.
Chris is getting a flag pole and all the fittings to make one for the front of his trailer.
Its a good day to do this as it begins to rain on us again as soon as we get inside Harbor Freight.
The rains are from the tropical storm Gordon.
I am hoping Gordon doesn't bother us and our stay will be the full two weeks that we have planned.
Don't want to have to evacuate like we did last year for Irma.

Chris and Diana have been told they need to try a drink called a Bushwhacker at Crab Island.
Only problem is to get to Crab Island you have to have a boat or be a crab!
It looks like you can rent a pontoon or even ride a taxi over to it, but since it is a really rainy overcast type of day we decide just to eat at Harry T's.

As soon as we sit down and look at the menu we see they have a Bushwhacker on their drink menu.
You guessed it, we have to try it.
I think we have all come to the conclusion it is kind of like a Wendy's Frosty with different alcohols in it.
Very tasty, but also very sweet, or at least that is what Diana and I thought.
The guys had no problem drinking them.  :)









We had another stop to make on the way back.
Had to find a Home Depot to get parts for the flag pole.
Traffic is terrible this afternoon and it is a steady line of cars all the way back to Topsail.
Seems that everyone is making their way to start the long holiday weekend.

When we make it back Chris works on his flag pole.
Wasn’t very long and he had it up and flying.


























I ride my bicycle up to the "free" wifi that the park offers so I can take care of business and check emails etc.
Although it is a pain to not have the internet when you (think) you need it, there is a little bit of a calm feeling that goes with it.
I know I am very addicted to my phone, and this is just a little trial for me to deal with.
And another way to look at it is Diana has a whole lot of data on her "unlimited plan" so we can just call on her to look up all the trivial things we ask daily.  LOL


Tonight we try a local pizza restaurant we had seen.
 Grimaldis Pizzeria  was a great choice.

This place is just a couple of doors down from Starbucks and I had noticed it several times since I do frequent Starbucks as often as possible....LOL (not for the wifi either)
The wait staff were great and this place was really busy when we arrived.
It looks like they have a great following and also note that they have a lot of take out orders as well.
As we sat and waited for our pie we were somewhat entertained by the guys throwing pizza dough in the air to make the crust.  
The pizza was really good and would be a place we could definitely go back to.

As we walked out of the building, we notice a very old Class A RV that seems to always be parked just down from the restaurant.
I had noticed it last year as well, and made comments about it.
We have come to the conclusion that it is a worker in the area that drives his "home" to work the days he works.
There was a guy outside the unit puttering around and letting his dog walk around as well.
Just an interesting place for a somewhat crusty Class A to be parked.



With full bellies we make our way back to the park, but wait....we will pass The Donut Hole as we go home, so we make a quick stop to see if they have any of the chocolate angels that we think we must eat for breakfast.
They are out of them, but we get a few plain glazed and one cake donut to eat instead.
I think we are addicted to The Donut Hole, don't you!


9-1-18. Saturday
Since it is the Labor Day weekend we will hang around the RV Park this weekend.
Chuck and I watched some of John McCain’s funeral.
Diana and I go to the local fish market and get shrimp for dinner.
Another trip to The Donut Hole to get a chocolate pie.
I tell you we are addicted!





Chris and Chuck work on our trailer this morning.
Our water heater will not work on the electric side.
Chris digs in and finds the problem.
Man it looks like we could have had one heck of a fire looking at the wires he pulled out from under the little compartment.
Thanks to Chris for fixing another one of our problems.











Bronco enjoying Topsail  
I ride my bike to the WiFi hot spot and sit for awhile and get caught up on my Facebook fix. LOL
Have I mentioned that I feel so out of touch with the world due to the lack of restrictions I have placed on myself to attempt to keep our cost down on the lack of data. Lol.
Hey, the struggles are real!

9-2-18 Sunday.
We actually got on the bikes and did a little riding today.
The park is really a great place to ride.
Chris wanted to go to the beach at sunset so we hopped on the bikes and did just that.
The flags say no one is supposed to be in the water but there were actually a few out playing in the fairly large waves.
Another thing we saw was a dog on the beach.
A very large German Shepherd was out with his owner playing fetch.
I guess the rule about no dogs on the beach didn’t pertain to them.
Not the most beautiful sunset but it was nice.
There is a rain storm coming our way so we head back to the RVs pretty quickly.
Our timing again was perfect as we just get back and get inside as the rain begins.
We break out the chocolate pie and eat a slice.
I vote that the Key Lime is better than the chocolate....just my opinion.
Another day in paradise is about to come to a close, and we are still getting rain from Gordon.
The rain is fine and just as long as we can stay here, all is good in our world.