Here, at last!-November 16, 2013

We got up early this morning and made a bee line for Red Bay. We got here before noon and thankfully and fortunately we were blessed to be able to stay in the campground here on site. We registered and we have service #309. Now the waiting begins.

Let me clarify my statement. We are blessed to be here at Tiffin's campground though it is an old airport runway. There are no amenities. The overflow campground is a fenced area with 25 spaces. We passed it coming in and saw it was not full. We just wanted to be here because it is fun and funny to watch these huge coaches being treated like cattle going to slaughter. The service manager is Norris. He holds the cattle prod. He assigns us a time to be in each bay. I am betting if you miss your allotted time you go to the end of the line. We don't intend to try to find out. We will get the recall work done first and then see about some changes we want to make, if possible and if practical.

Now for a couple of pictures.

This is what we found in the space next to ours as we were pulling in. We are unsure if the people croaked while waiting OR if they gave up and left OR if Clint Eastwood brought an extra chair!

It was at least something funny to relieve the tension.

 

Main Street at the Tiffin service center. There's one more street just like this one. It is not a place one would want to come home late at night while intoxicated. They all start to look the same after sundown. I walked to the office and nearly panicked when I headed back to our coach. And I was not intoxicated. Again, we are trying to do all of this with laughter. Otherwise we are going to get very frustrated very quickly.

 

 

As soon as we know our schedule we might be able to play tourist in this area. But if we are on call, we will be stuck here for a very long and boring time. Right now, we are just happy to be here safely. We will wait our turn and hope for the best. 

 

Tupelo, MS-November 15, 2013

The weatherman said last night that there might be a few sprinkles today but certainly no big rain and that it would be warm this afternoon. Dummy. It rained on us all day and we were very cold. We are now parked and have warmed the coach up so we are comfy. We'll get to Tiffin as early in the morning as possible so we can get in line. We are praying they will have a space for us to park. I understand we are about to face organized chaos, so we are trying to prepare ourselves.

We have been to Tupelo before and we have stayed in this park. It is a really pretty park, but it is so hilly and tight that it is a relief when you get in your space. We have played tourists in this city before so we won't be doing that again on this trip. We did enjoy our time here last time through.

This is what we are looking at right now. I reminded Jerry that many parts of the country do not have leaves on their trees at all and here we are looking at this pretty sight. What a treat!

 

The saga begins tomorrow.

 

 

Sunset on the Mississippi-November 14, 2013

Today was a busy but fun day. We knew we had been to the Civil War battlefield before. It took almost an entire day to go through it, so we were not up to doing that again. So, we made our first stop a Kroger store for some fruit. And guess what we found there? BUNNY BREAD!! Oh my we were dancing in the aisle! We were so excited we actually drove back to the coach and ate a piece of fresh, soft delicious Bunny bread. In the middle of the morning. Plain bread. And we just loved it. Then we decided to see where a new road went. Somehow we ended up on the opposite end of town which was fun. We knew they have revitalized downtown. New streets, new store fronts, etc. Sadly it appeared to be a failure because almost all of the stores were empty and/or boarded up. Then we drove around looking for the Annabelle Bed and Breakfast where we stayed once several years ago. We found it and it is still in business. We had a really fun time exploring. There's a lot of history to explore here.

Now changing the subject, I could not resist yet another sunset picture. There is such beauty in a sunset over the Mississippi River. It's just special.

The American flag is just the frosting on the cake for me. I think I probably posted exactly the same picture last year, but I can't help it. I love this sunset.

 

 

And changing the subject one more time, I want to share a picture Derrick texted to me last night.

 

This is him helping his crew. They are so far behind and he needs to learn about the gigantic turbines, so he rode up in one and got into the hub. That's the room that holds the engine. It's about the size of half of Derrick's house. The person taking the picture is actually inside the hub and Derrick is between two of the blades. After I got beyond the nausea caused by this picture I realized how brave he is. He has never liked heights though it was a part of his previous job also. While this is not part of his job description I am proud he was willing to help. It does make for an interesting picture but still strikes fear in my heart. However, he is really happy so that helps me a lot.

 

We have decided on our route and should be in Red Bay on Saturday morning "The Good Lord willin' and the Creek don't rise" as the old saying goes. I always thought that the word creek meant water but it actually referred to the Creek Indians. I'll keep you posted. 

Vicksburg, MS-Novermber 13, 2013

It was not a long drive to Vicksburg, but it was certainly rough. Several parts of the interstate were single lane only. That's a real treat with all the trucks that are on the road. We arrived to quite chilly weather which we expected. There is a freeze warning here tonight which we also expected. We'll survive knowing tomorrow should be a beautiful day. This is another short stop.

I know you should not take pictures facing into the sun. However, crossing the Mississippi River I had no choice.

A barge headed south on the Mighty Mississippi. It is a magnificent and very powerful river.

 

We don't know what's on tap for tomorrow except that we'll be making plans for what we do when we leave here.

Shreveport, LA-November 11, 2013

First, please accept my apologies for not posting a blog this morning regarding Veteran's Day. I am most appreciative for all who have served in our military. Many have returned home and continued to serve this country. Bless them all. Happy Veteran's Day. As Lee Greenwood sings, "God Bless the U.S.A."

We arrived in Shreveport to gorgeous weather. We deliberately avoided Dallas so we saw some beautiful parts of Texas we would have missed. Last year's trip through Dallas about did us both in. When a UPS truck nearly wiped out the side of the coach, missing us by less than the thickness of a sheet of paper, we knew we could not go that way again for a very long time. We felt like he should have offered to at least buy us dinner after he got so close!

After we had connected and put everything inside in order, we got out our computers. I connected to their WiFi in this park. I've never had a problem with anybody's WiFi except sometimes the computer can run slowly but nothing serious. But this time my computer has ceased to work. Therefore I have borrowed one of Jerry's so I could let you know where we are. However, I cannot post any pictures I took today. The pictures today were mainly of the beautiful trees. They are still in full color. I suspect the storm coming in tomorrow will change those colors drastically.

I will post what pictures I can as soon as I get my computer back in working order. We'll only be here two days so it is not a serious issue.

Again, Happy Veteran's Day to all our military personnel.

Catching up-November 9, 2013

We did not realize how far behind we were on every day things that needed to be done. Our first and foremost thing to do while at Derrick's was play with Hannah and enjoy every minute. Trust me, we did that. So, housecleaning and clothes washing was so far behind it was unreal. Today was the start of "catch up" time. I was able to get all of our clothes washed before we headed to Gainesville. I am sure you are delighted to read about this. Not every day is a day of tourism. We need one more day to get the coach itself back in order. In the future any time we get an opportunity to spend time with Hannah we will put everything else on the back burner and never regret it. She is the pot of gold at the end of our rainbow. I also realize that I have pictures still on my phone that have to be transferred and I have pictures on my computer that I have not shared. Please allow me to share just one now. Well, maybe two.

After Derrick spent a week in Arkansas for training he began his new career in the wind industry. It snowed his second day on the job at the wind farm. That was the snow we were trying to avoid. So, he decided to go up a 30 story elevator inside the base of a turbine to the top to see what was going on. This is one of those ultra huge turbines. I think I'm too claustrophobic for this. But he was fine. Here is what he saw from the top.

300 feet in the air. I would not want to be a technician working on one of these things.

And I am glad Derrick is not a technician working on one of these things!

 

This is one of the engines with the top flipped open. This really means nothing to me except that there are men who have to work on these things. This would not be a line of work I would choose.

 

 

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day tomorrow.

We are going to rest and prepare to move on down the road.

 

Gainesville-November 8, 2013

We made it to Gainesville today. So far we have only found the old part of the city. It is interesting but there are lots of stores missing from that part of town. We need to go back to find the new part of the city. The wind moved in here today. The man next door blamed us for it. It does seem to follow us around. Still it was a pleasant day.

I have been meaning to share with you a plaque on the entrance of the Win Star complex. I love this sign.

Call me weird (and I don't mind) but this sign really affects me. I can feel the pride in these people that this sign reflects. They are the most polite and welcoming people anyone can encounter anywhere. They work hard and are happy to do so. They are extremely proud of their heritage.

 

We are sure that this Chickasaw nation is one of many reasons that Terry Bradshaw settled here. Plus the fact they leave him alone. We feel comfortable here, too.