Enroute to Michigan Upper Peninsular

We started our trip to the Upper Peninsular of Michigan the latter part of August. We stopped in Glasgow to visit with Jerry's aunt. It was real nice to see her again and she looked like she has not changed a bit.

From there we went to Indiana and stopped over Labor Day to see John and Sheryl. We had a wonderful time visiting and sight seeing with them. John showed us a pit where the granite used in building the Empire State Building was taken. We had a real good time with them and also discussed our plans for a trip out west in 2002.

From there we went to Elkhart, IN. and were there during the tragedy of "9-11". We toured the area and saw a lot of Amish towns and homes. We also toured a lot of the RV manufacturing plants. Elkhart is the largest area for manufacture of RVs. We went to a large flea market in Shipshewana and it's BIG. We ate some Buffalo chili that was out of this world.

We'd like to go back to the area again cause there are probably a lot of things we didn't get to see and do. If we do go back we'll try to find a better camp ground. The sites were dirt and had some "ruts" in them and it was hard to level the coach. The streets were not too bad but when you pulled into the site that was another story.

We left Elkhart heading to Michigan about mid September. While driving we received a call from our Realtor asking if we could get to a fax machine cause she had a CONTRACT for us. YEA, YEA, this is the first contract or any other offer we'd had in over two years. We pulled into the first rest stop in Michigan and I went inside and asked the man where I could find a fax machine. He ask what I wanted a fax for and I told him about the contract. He gave me the fax number for the rest stop and said have it sent here. I called the Realtor and gave her the number and in about 30 minutes we had the contract in hand. We reviewed and signed it and went back in to have it faxed back to the Realtor. When I ask how much I owed he said nothing glad to be of help.

We drove to Frankenmuth to see the large Christmas Store and have dinner at some of the famous German restaurants. We found a real nice quiet camp ground not too far from town. We stayed there about three or four days.

On our way to Mackinaw City we got a call from our Realtor saying she was setting up a closing date of October 5, 2001 and wanted us to be home by then. We assured her we would be there.

Smokey's and a New Baby

At our OLC camp out we had about 40 rigs from all over the country. We had a wonderful time seeing friends we hadn't seen in a year or so. Our beloved Judi was there and she had accumulated a huge amount of medical bill due to her fight with cancer. The group decided that any money raised from the auction would be given to her to help with medical bills. We raised about $1,600 and of course she didn't want at accept it. After a little discussion she finally agreed to accept it.

On Saturday, Jerry and Sheryl were at the flea marked "doing their thang". One of our friends ask Jerry if she'd seen the Chihuahua puppies. She said no and they took her to see them. There were two ladies holding this little dog and he was paying no attention to them. They put him down and left. Jerry picked him up and he began to "give her sugar". She called me saying "honey I've found this little dog and he's giving me sugar, can I please bring him home?" She knew I couldn't say no. When she got him home he weighed about one pound and was about the size of a rat. I picked him up and he "gave me sugar". Needless to say he'd found a good home. Since we bought him in the Smokeys and he was a smokey color, we named him "Smokey".

He was paper trained when we first got him. He was so small Jerry didn't want to leave him when we went to supper so she'd put him in a canvas bag and take him with her. When some of our friends learned she had him in the bag, they had to get him and hold him. You know he's got to be spoiled. He really has filled a void in our hearts. He'll never be able to fully replace Poncho, but then he has a different personality. There are a lot of things Poncho used to do that Smokey does. He has us wrapped around his little paw.

We came back home to take care of some business before our next trip. We did some work on the house so we could hopefuly get it sold. So far the Realtors haven't shown it all. There was a house on our street that was "Sold" after only three days on the market. I contacted the Realtor and changed to her. She recommended some things we need to do in order to get it sold. Reluctantly we agreed and got those things done and placed it in her hands.

Great North American Rally

In March 2001 we left to attend the Great North American RV Rally in Perry, GA. We met Jim and "Torchie" at a camp ground so we could get into the Rally area together. The weather was cool and cloudy. Guess what??, the next day it started raining and rained each day for a week and stopped the day we were to leave the Rally. It sure was a lot of fun walking in the "mud" and cold. There was a man parked down the hill from us and the next morning he started out of his RV and stopped cold. He was in a "lake". It had rained hard all night and he was flooded. They had to put some boards down so he could get out of his rig.

The entertainment was GREAT and well worth walking in the mud to see. The Oak Ridge Boys put on a show that was SUPER, they were the only act that got FIVE standing ovations and call backs. They responded too.

There were several RVers that wanted to leave early due to the rain and mud and they had to be "towed out". There was a man with a wrecker that was towing people out. He charged $75 to hook up and another $75 to tow you out. A lot of RVers complained about this and it turned out that he was working a "SCAM'. Sue Bray of Good Sam Club was notified and she said they had a contract with a towing company but their rigs had a 'Smiley Face" on them. She notified the Sheriff and he contacted the unofficial tow man and had him come to tow him out. When the man arrived he said if would be $75 to hook up and $75 to tow him out. The Sheriff gave him the money which had been "marked". When the man took the money the Sheriff arrested him. The man asked about bail and the Sheriff said that the Judge was at the Rally somewhere but he wouldn't be back in court till Monday and this was on a Wednesday. He told the man not to "fret" cause they served the best "fried Bologna" and he could have all he wanted.

With all the rain at the Rally we had some water leaks at our bedroom slide. We had to go to the Monaco booth to see if they could help. They did send a service tech down but there was not a lot he could to at the Rally. We borrowed a wet-dry vac and got it cleaned up.

We went back to Montgomery to wait for the trip to the Smokeys camp out. While there tragedy hit our home. Our beloved Poncho got killed. He had been outside playing and had come back inside. He wanted to go back outside again and Jerry let him out. About an hour later a neighbor came over and said our dog was dead. He had been attacked by a larger dog that was around a dog in heat. We were sure we'd never get over the loss. He was our baby and we'll miss him a lot.

Family Reunion

Carmichael Home Place

On October 20th we headed to Meridian, MS. for our first visit at the "Carmichael Family Reunion". This has been going on for several years but this is the first time we've heard about it and been able to attend. My mother was a Carmichael but since she died when I was 3 years old I didn't really know very much about her side of the family.

The first night we met at the old Carmichael home place which strangely enough is located in Carmichael, MS. I had a chance to meet several cousins that I have never seen and even had the opportunity to meet my "Great Uncle" whom I've never seen. In about two years there will be a big reunion of the Carmichael Clan at the ancestral castle in Scotland. Jerry and I would love to be able to attend

Carmichael Clan Members

Smokey Mountains

We came to Sevierville TN in the Smokey Mountains to visit with our good friends Jim and "Torchie" who were leaving shortly for parts unknown. Jim had just retired from the U.S. Postal Service and they were making plans to see the country. Jim favors using the "red roads" in his travels cause he can see more of the country that way.

The fall decorations in Sevierville were beautiful and every place of business had some form of decoration.

We're now heading home for a while to do some things around the house that need to be done to hopefuly get it sold. I'm getting too old for painting, cutting large yards. I'm ready to get into a nice soft hammock and relax for a while, that is until the urge to get "On The Road Again" hits us.

Williamsburg, VA

We arrived in Williamsburg about a week early for our camp out and were surprised to find our friends Trish and Mickey there early as well. We planned to take some trips to Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.

We spent a couple of days seeing some of the sights in and around Williamsburg and Jamestown.

The Williamsburg OLC camp out was hosted by James and Roberta Ringstaff and it was a big success. We had about 25 OLC members there from all over the country. There was a lot of good fellowship, food and of course an old time bond fire each night. The weather was not bad although we did get a few showers but not enough to dampen the spirits of the campers. We had a chance to put a face to those we had talked to and become friends with in the OLC chat room. That was great and well worth the time to travel to the camp out. Roberta is already talking about having another one next year. When the time came to leave it was like leaving "family".

We left and headed to the Smokies to see an old friend before she and her husband left to hit the "red roads". She was really glad to see us and each night we got together around a camp fire and talked about all sorts of things. The fall decorations were beautiful.

On the Road to South Carolina

After leaving Georgia we headed to Aiken, SC to visit two more grand children for a couple of days. The drive and weather was nice and it's nice to be "On the Road Again".

We stayed in a small but nice camp ground in Aiken. We met a couple of "full timers" from Ohio who were going to spend the winter in SC. They said they had spent several winters in Mission, TX and really liked it. They said they had stayed in an RV resort for an annual cost of $750. That included everything except electricity and their power bill was never over $30 to $35 per month.

We spent a couple of days with the grand children and then the urge to get on the road hit us again so we took off for Williamsburg, VA. We drove from Aiken to the border of North Carolina. We spent the night in a nice camp ground. We don't like to drive too far a day, maybe 300 to 350 miles. Hey we're retired and don't have a schedule to keep. We'll stop at least every other rest stop to let our "baby" potty and "mark the trees".

Highway Through South Carolina

The drive through SC, NC and into VA was beautiful. The leaves had just begun to turn a little and the mountains and foot hills were alive with color. We really can't wait till the time comes when we've sold our house and can go where ever and when ever we want and stay as long as we feel like it. We envy those who are doing it now.