Month: February 2020

We stay in the Virginia Beach KOA here and are always pleased. It’s a great location and the upgraded sites are delightful. Our old friends are relatively nearby and their are plenty of shops and restaurants in the area.

The sound of Freedom – as jets practice “touch and goes” at VB Naval Air Station

My favorite beach statue – Poseidon ruling Virginia Beach! We spent a day wandering here – it’s a fabulous beach even with all the tee shirt shops and sausage vendors. I love the coastal vibe and we ate great fish here at a yummy outdoor cafe.

A stop in Mount Pleasant to catch up with two of our five grand daughters – Aeris loves her Grampie and below Isla would only pose lying on the floor. So I obliged her with this silly photo.

Aeris and Grampie catching up on their reading while Isla runs away at the thought of a photo….

On Route 17 south, the waters meander out to the bays and finally the ocean – it’s a spectacular view as we make our way south.

Driving south toward Georgia we pass over many rivers and wetlands. I love these beautiful spent trees that offer us delight even after they have lost their leaves.

Our 2019 trip will reach its end in a few days when we arrive at Cypress Gardens Campground in Winter Haven. Our new house will be ours a week later and we will be nomads no more. The excitement has been building and although we know it will be lots of work, we are so looking forward to it.

We will continue to write the blog and post our photos for the almost eight months we will be in Winter Haven. The Taj and her crew will take several trips to the Keys as well as to the Tampa RV Show in January. We plan to be back on the road by May 1, 2020.

Thanks for joining us on this amazing adventure. Hugs to you all.

❤️👩‍🦰

Into the woods again – a very rural campground that rarely sees a rig as big as ours but to be close to the Delaware River and our friends in New Hope, it was worth it. We saw “lightening bugs or firefly” several nights while were were here. Nature’s fireworks are so beautiful and intriguing .

A short firefly video – I’m not great with videos but I tried it this time.

A cornfield reminds us of the wonderful agriculture that is a rich resource in this area.

Fascinating stone architecture – even in the rain…..

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A stately turn of the century (18-19) home that oozes elegance……

The beautiful Delaware River

Some deer near our site one late afternoon.

Can’t get enough of the stone buildings.

Well okay then…we will, and we are pursuing our happiness…..

Another beautiful bridge.

Loved the stone shapes and color combined with the blue trim of this classic home.

Day lilies are so welcoming – hello summer…….

Just a neat shot of an old cemetery along the road.

“. “Oh boy what an exhausting day we had,”

Next stop Virginia Beach and another set of old friends to meet up with again.

Our visit to Utica started at the famous Utica Club Brewery or Saranac as it is called today.

I remembered visiting there, maybe 50 yrs ago with cousins who grew up in Utica. It’s been a vital part of their community for a century. It’s an amazing place that has preserved old techniques while taking advantage of newer processes to remain competitive. A great tour and we would recommend anyone stopping here sign up for this real taste of American success.

The beautiful glass in tasting room – same one used 100 yrs ago.

Fermenting.

Cans in a row as they head toward filling.

It’s a long route to package store…..

Below are mugs from the huge collection in tasting room.

A beautiful place to enjoy a beer.

The older vats have been preserved although newer stainless steel ones are now used.

After a brewery tour – a nap was in order!

We also toured the small boutique distillery that makes Adirondack Bourbon as well as gin and vodka. We were delighted by this experience having toured the huge Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace distilleries – it was so cool to see a small batch operation and talk with several partner owners – one of whom was also a former political operative in Massachusetts like me. Small World isn’t it ?

Barrels in the pre filled stage. Did you know the barrels are burned wood inside – that’s what colors the bourbon and whiskey.

The stills and other equipment are works of art.

Try this boutique bourbon if you can. It was delicious.

They sell their gin and vodka – the first stage of the process results in clear liquor – to keep the distillery strong and allow time for their bourdon to age – a minimum of 3-5 years.

We stayed at Turning Stone Casino RV Park owned and operated by the Oneida Tribe – it was lovely and the casino had a fabulous buffet that we enjoyed one night with our friend. We recommend this RV Park – great price and good amenities.

Toward the end of this visit our 11 yr old Yorkie became very sick and had to be admitted to Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital in Ithaca for emergency care. After three days he was recovering well and was released to his family happily!!! This scared us to death but reminded us to enjoy every minute of every day. Lenny is our family and we love him and his sister Lola beyond comparison. We thank the medical staff at Cornell for their fabulous care.

Next stop a return to Woodstock and Saugerties NY and a visit with my cousin Paula.