I have done things more stupid, I just can't think of them now!

Today started off great. Derrick stopped by the motor home to wish us well, G-son Matt came out before going to school. We got ready hooked up and said good by tot he slab. Our last stop light in Belmont, who should we see but ROSE! Fancy meeting her here in NC. She didn't have time to stop and talk. We just waved.

Sherry took the wheel to give me a chance to put a battery in my hearing aid

Ahhhhhhhhh, memories! We passed the turn off to Lake Lure where we spent out one night honey moon!

I_40 just passed Asheville is still closed since the Rock slide that detoured us in the fall. So we went the Smokey Mountain Parkway, which turned into a small two lame road through Nantahala Gorge. White water rafting, the small road was tighter than I would have liked, but the scenery was beautiful.

More of the white water rafting, here they are just floating between rapids.

Below is the rapids they just came through. Sonny & I did this with our sons. once.

Just inside the Tennessee the unforeseen happened. US64/74 is blocked by another Rock slide. Detour up TN-68. An absolutely beautiful road, made for model A's and motor cycles. The road was 20 ft wide. subtracting three feet for lines leaves about a foot clearance when meeting a truck. (And I thought the gorge road was narrow)

One of the rustic buildings.

I love this Barn, some of the houses were three feet from the road.

Sherry go this beautiful church, on a quick shot.

Then I thought I had missed a road. the little road opened up to a large wide road at Tellico Plains. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I decided to make a U-Turn. A novice mistake. Yep, here we are folks, STUCK UP! for all the world and Officer Warren of the local Tellico Plains Police to see.

Three hours waiting for a tow truck to come rescue us. Sherry talked Office Warren out of the ticket. (He told her he wasn't going to anyway and kept checking back every 10-15 minutes). Two local Tennessee guys stopped and offered to help us get out, but I knew a pickup was no match for this mess I had gotten us into. One local talked to me for at least 30 minutes. I nodded and smiled a lot and he talked on.

Yep, the dirt was soft. (I did ask Sherry where she wanted the camp fire)

We called the RV park to tell them we would be late. Called and Sherry talked to Frances who reccommented we go to I-75 and leave the back roads. So we took her advice and finished out trip on a BIG WIDE interstate. hahahha!

Today was exciting??? Dang them rock slides!!!! (Gotta blame something!)

Nite Shipslog

PS:

And they ask---Why I Like Retirement?

Question: Why do retirees count pennies?

Answer: They are the only ones who have the time.

Question: What is the common term for someone who continues to work and refuses to retire? Answer: NUTS!

Question: Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic or garage?

Answer: They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.

Just to say thanks.

I wanted to take tonight to thank everyone who takes time out of their schedule (busy or not) to read the Shipslog.
Thanks also to those who take the time to leave a comment, I do appreciate them all, the long the short and the tall. (Tall? It just rhymed, it was also from some marching song from the infantry, but the marching song was XX-rated.)

We leave the beautiful town of Belmont in the morning on vacation. Yeah, its rough having this many vacations, but we will endure the drives. Hahahaha!

(He ain't heavy, He's m'brother, motto to Boys Town. I just thought the picture was cute and we hope to see some wild life in the mountains!)

Hopefully the next entry will be from Tennessee, in the edge of the Cherokee Mountains, or the Smokies. We plan to see Fred Alton and his lovely wife Frances. We were neighbors in a trailer park over 50 years ago. Fred entered the ministry, pastored then found his calling as a missionary. They have served many years in South America and Africa.

I am thinking that I am also going on a search for a gentleman, an author, by the name of Jack Darnell, who lives in the mountain area around Tellico Plains. From what I hear he writes mountain folklore, and types his books on an old manual typewriter. It should be interesting to meet the man whose name I have been using for over 70 years.

Oh, and thanks for ordering the books on Sale here on the Blog. I have a few left, and then I think I will let Amazon & Target do the selling. Am I getting lazy or what?

Thanks again for stopping by the Log.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one-mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

(Being a General, he sold the Interstate system saying we needed a way to move military personel fast incase of a war. The airstrips were also planned in the selling.)

PS2:

Oh, and before I close, I would like to thank everyone for their concern. One of the tornadoes set down about a mile from here. We lost power while I was commenting on Roses are Read, we didn't even know there was a Tornado warning when the first one hit.
(The second round we were safe in Shirl's basement car and all)

Ruth's 87th birthday

The two oldest Nephews still living. Ruth was a Davis before marrying my brother Odis. This is Royce Davis, nephew on her side, and me nephew on Odis's side. I am older than him (I don't look it do I?)

WE gathered in Cherryville, NC for the party. Here is Shirl, Sherry, Royce's wife and part of Smoky! WE are here for Ruth's EIGHTY-SEVENTH BIRTHDAY!!!

I had an entry a few days ago about Ruth, my Sister in law who is the oldest person associated with our family. Well Ruth celebrated her 87th the other day.

The workers came to sing and bring a present.

Beneath the tables were the youngest, Amy's two, Parker and Gracie.

Helen, THE daughter in law, sees to Ruth’s needs. Ruth has outlived her parents and siblings, her husband and her three sons. She would be at the mercy of Social Services if it was not for Helen.

Shirl and I with Ruth.

I loved this shot, Ruth the eldest and Gracie the youngest at the party.

Not all of her grands and greats, but what was there. UP

and DOWN

the big Kid is Michael his wife to his left, Jonathan amd his wife.

Down front is Sheila Mike's sister, Ruth guest of honor and Amy.

Mike and Sheila are Helen & Howard's (deceased) kids. Jonathan and Amy belonged to Cindy and Harry (deceased).

This is Helen and Ruth. Ruth says, "I don't know what I would do without Helen (and we don't either)

Helen is a beautiful, feisty lady very youthful acting. She protects Ruth with a passion. Howard, Ruth’s eldest, picked a jewel when he found Helen. Long after Howard is gone, there is Helen treating Ruth as her own mother.

The party was a success. Shirl and Smoke were there along with Sherry & I. The room was full of grand children and great grand children, to them all, Ruth is known as Nanny!

Sheila preparing the drinks. She was 'Teacher of the Year' in Middle school where she teaches 8th grade.

(Here Michael's daughters show off their handiwork!)

I love Helen’s attitude, “If Nanny Darnell doesn’t make it to Heaven, AIN’T none of us gonna make it!”
It was a great day we got to see Ruth smile a lot.

I know it is not nice to have favorites, but Howard, Ruth's oldest was more like a brother to me. We played together as kids. So his son and dughter, Michael and Sheila are special. Funny isn't it? Kids still to me and they are GROWN!

It was a great time. Ruth is in a nursing home and that is where the party was held. All of us need to visit nursing homes now. It reminds you of life, the good , the bad and the ugly.

None of us wants to go, but if you live long enough, that is more than likely where you will end your life.

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Lord, please keep Your arm around my shoulders and Your hand over my mouth! Amen

Communities, RV'ing and CAmping

We do not really camp anymore, actually we live rather modern. We do love to park this RV in a State or Federal park for the feeling of camping. Smelling the campfires and watching kids enjoy the outdoors. It takes us back when we did camp in a tent, cook on a camp stove or the open fire. IT is sort of a pioneering type life. Of course the campers have hot water showers in most state parks. Many Federal parks do not have hot water showers; cold water showers are sometimes available.


It is a strange community. A tent can be beside the $100K plus RV and both occupants act like long lost friends.

There is a kinship in all communities. Below are three hikers on the AT in Monsoon, ME.

WE do have a very close friend who has had a couple bad experiences with Air Streamers, actually she has now named them Sewer Tubes!

I think I mentioned that our boys raced Moto-cross for awhile. That was a community. Then when we started hiking the AT, we found a whole new world of folks who lived and breathed hiking and the Appalachian trail

(This group is from Framingham, MA)

Perhaps you are in or have been in a close knit group. We sorta wish we were into line-dancing or really any kind of dancing. It seems like it would be such great exercise. Neither Sherry nor I, ever learned to dance, so we do not get involved in that. In Gitmo we did do some Square dancing, of course there I could hear, couldn’t do that now. Hahaha!

Humans are drawn together by common interests. Bowling leagues for example and years ago there was the big CB radio groups.

(This is a small Good Sammer rally, seriously, some rallies go to 10,000 units and more)

RV’rs for example who like the comradere, join others to form clubs. There are the Good Samers, Escapee’s, Escapers, and Road Warriors. It would be impossible to name them all there are hundreds of groups who get together for rallies all over the country.

We are pretty independent. Even though we belong to the Good Sam Club we do not attend rallies. WE pay for their road service and when we stay at a ‘Good Sam Park’ of course use the discount. You don’t have to be an active member of any group to enjoy meeting and talking with campers.
Life on the road is interesting no matter what paygrade you are. You seldom meet the guy who is ‘better than you’; mostly we are on a level playing field whether we sleep in a bed or in a sleeping bag. We are all considered ‘Campers’ whether in reality we are or not.
Take care.
Nite Shipslog

PS:

And they ask---Why I Like Retirement?

Question: How many days in a week?

Answer: 6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday

Question: When is a retiree's bedtime?

Answer: Three hours after he falls asleep on the couch.

Question: How many retirees to change a light bulb?

Answer: Only one, but it might take all day

The last of the presidents I have known!

To finish up with the presidents all of us have known. Yes they all had their faults. They all made mistakes, BUT they all did some good. Continuing with the one some called ‘Slick Willy’.

Bill Clinton… The campaign rhetoric against him was: He was touted as a ladies’ man. The ‘Boy Governor’ cannot be taken seriously. Look, he is a crook, check the Rose law firm ETC. BUT:
1. Some say he was the best Republican president the Democrats ever elected.
2. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 and cut taxes on 15 million low income families.
3. Clinton presided over the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a federal surplus
4. He left office with the highest approval rating of any president.

George W. Bush… It was yelled: He is like his dad, doesn’t have it. Will be at best, a one term president. Etc. Just a wild kid trying to walk in his dad’s foot prints. To dumb to be President, Etc… BUT:
1. No Child Left Behind Act…. With Bi-partisan support.
2. Medicare Act of 2003…. With Bi-partisan support
3. Was applauded for his handling of the Terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon.

Barack Obama… WE all heard the cries that he is a Muslim, He is not a natural born citizen, and he is a talker with no experience. ETC.
1. To date he has successfully passed his Health Care Bill. According to many this is a turn in his presidency. He has done what every president since the 1900’s has tried to do. It definitely does not satisfy everyone. But it is passed.
2. Most commentators agree that this is the first real accomplishment of his presidency.
3. His wife, Michelle is fighting obesity in America, which is laudable. WE are an obese nation and something needs to be done.
Oh well folk, that is the presidents I have known. No, I did not like them all. I certainly did not like many of the things that were done in every administration. But they were elected by my fellow Americans (No matter how mislead YOU GUYS were LOL).
As I have said, many blacks expected more out of our present president. I stated several times when he was campaigning, they will be disappointed as a whole, because black or white he is still a politician. Candidates for the presidency make many promises. They should be held to account for every promise. They are supposed to be smart enough to know what they can reasonably do.
A friend of mine who spent some time in prison, said he had a friend inside who was prone to say, ‘Lie to me man, I love it when you lie to me!’ I think sometimes we voters are like that.

I won’t keep on since this is growing much more than I wanted. But what I am trying to say is no matter who is in, something good will come from it. So fuss about politics if you want to, but it is going to go as our leaders want it, and we the FREE will just go along for the ride. UNTIL we are pushed too far.
And in the end we may go down, but it will not be without a fight, we love our freedom too much.
Thanks for stopping by the LOG.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
My mind works like lightning, One brilliant Flash and it is gone.

********************

Two parties keep our country from becoming a dictatorship, three would be better! IMHO

Life, the way I SEE/SAW it

Looking thru our lives over the years, we know the years will stop for us sometime:


With all the medical advances how long do you want to live?
Most of us answer, as long as we can have a good quality of life. That is easy to answer when you are in good health. But when it comes down to it, we just do not want to die. As I walk by lonely and mentally desolate men and women in a nursing home, sitting in a wheel chair, head hanging over mouth open and sometimes the tongue out, just barely existing; I say, I don’t want that to be me, right?

(Inside the old folk, these young people still exist)

But do we have a choice? My good buddy Sonny told me time and time again, these pills are keeping me alive, is it worth it? I always said, ‘I like having you around Sonny. But the only person who can answer that is you.’ He would smile and say, ‘but I can’t answer it’. That dilemma faces millions of Americans and others around the world.

This is not to seem morbid, it is a fact. We are on Medicare like most seniors and we have a supplement. BUT when do Doctors say this is enough. To be honest I don’t think the majority of doctors will ever say, ‘it is enough’. They suggest one more operation, one more visit, one more prescription; we all know it puts more money in the Doctors pocket, and takes from Medicare.

(This pic. was tken in Fred Alton & Frances' trailer in 1959, USAF Biloxi, MS)

I’ll admit that in the past 20 yrs. I have paid more attention to my health, because I have seen so many die. This is my theory, opinion, or whatever you want to call it. (Some say it is stubborn). I don’t plan to see a doctor until I have serious symptoms. I don’t know of a person my age that goes to a Doctor, who does not leave with a prescription for something. And once they start seeing a Doctor, it never ends. The prescriptions never stop. Once the DR. has diagnosed you, you are afraid to NOT take the medicine.

Sherry doesn’t like it, I love her, and understand how she feels, but ultimately this is my life, my decision. I don’t think it is that irrational.

(Yep inside these older folk all those young folk still live!)

Some folk, including my Sherry, see a Dr. every year for a checkup. Fine, I think if I was a woman, I would. If my family had a history of cancer, I might. My folk die from heart attacks. Therefore I am trying to protect my heart cause I like it. I like to know it is pumping. But unless I change my mind, I don’t plan to see a doctor until the emergency room, or, as a coroner, he says, ‘Jack is Gone’ (then I probably won’t see him, LOL).
Of course in this life I have learned you should never say never, cause you just might change your mind.
Thanks for coming by the log,
Nite Shipslog
PS:
"A man who sits on tack gets point and will surely rise"

"Man who lives in glass house should change clothes in basement"

Back in North CArolina

Well, moving day was today, we are baci in NC to try out our

slab. I had to build steps and ramps to raise the coach up level. But it is done.

To continue how I remember the presidents since adulthood. I mentioned yesterday I try to be positive. I have been most of my life. I have no illusions that all these men were perfect. I know they all made some mistakes, but they also did some good. I am only focusing on that good as I try to remember it. Some I had to go back and check the facts.

Jimmy Carter, Everyone said the p-nut man would ruin the country as a country bumpkin. I will always think Jimmy got a raw deal from his fellow Democrats who would not support him. That said.

1. Carter was the best ‘one on one’ negotiator, we have ever had. The Camp David Accords have brought about the only meaningful peace in the Middle East. That being between Israel and Egypt, which still holds.
2. He has always been considered by polls to be one of the most honest men to hold that office, whether the best president or not.
3. He was a genius mentally; he had the highest IQ of any president, one point above JFK. He also signed the SaltII arms Treaty.
4. And personally, I liked his colorful brother Billy.

Ronald Reagan.. Democrats said he would be an Acting President. It was said he would fill the Washington post’s with actors and make it into a movie! Who could take an old cowboy movie star seriously? But….

1. Quote, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." I loved that statement
2. He is credited with ending the Cold War.
3. He handled the traffic controllers strike like a champ.
4. In 1984 won every state except Minnesota.
5. He is credited with having the Berlin wall torn down.

George Herbert Bush..He received and gave the normal campaign Rep/Dem language.

1. Bush signed a number of major laws in his presidency, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; this was one of the most pro-civil rights bills in decades.
2. He worked to increase federal spending for education, childcare, and advanced technology research.
3. In dealing with the environment, Bush reauthorized the Clean Air Act, requiring cleaner burning fuels. He quarreled with Congress over an eventually signed bill to aid police in capturing criminals, and signed into law a measure to improve the nation's highway system.
4. He presided over the successful Gulf War to re-establish our ally Kuwait.
5. He was a WWII hero.

I will cease with the presidents I have known here. I may continue after a break.
Thanks for coming by the log.
Nite Shipslog

PS:
As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.