Waiting with Ruth

Ruth on her 87th birthday!

I have no idea what to call it. In my mind I say death-watch. Ruth is more resting than anything. She doesn’t seem to be hurting, just waiting. Yes, waiting for her journey of 87 years to come to a close.

I haven’t spent a lot of time there. Many of the family was there. Grandkids were there that she has taken care of and loved. They all adore ‘Nanny’.

I asked a question while everyone was there and Ruth had drifted off into a deep sleep, “Has anyone here ever saw her lose her temper, or yell in any kind of rage?” No one had ever heard her raise her voice in anger. (She was also a red-head in her youth; I thought they were prone to have a temper.)

I told some stories that only I could know, no one else was old enough that was there to know Ruth when she was 19-20 yrs old. Helen mentioned that ‘Nannie’ did get a little excited when little Amy locked her out of the house once while she was baby sitting her! We all got a good laugh out of that.

Helen, her dedicated Daughter-in- law, stayed with her last night and we relieved her for a couple hours today so she could go home and freshen up. During that time I sat and held Ruth’s hand and though back over as much of our lives as I could. She was always precious.
We laughed when I asked if she ever got over her fear of lightening, everyone said, “ NO!”

As a child I spent a lot of time at Ruth’s house, which was MY summer vacation. If a storm came up, She would wake everyone and my Oldest Brother Odis (husband) would drive the A model or whatever car they had at the time, until the storm subsided. Someone had told her lightening could not strike a car. I never understood why it had to be rolling.

Life was different with Ruth, I was just a little older than Howard, her oldest, and she treated me just like a son. I got the spankings the corrections just like the rest. Funny thing about Ruth’s spankings, they only hurt your feelings, she had a way like that.

As I said in the beginning, I don’t like to say death-watch, but that is what it is. I will never again have a conversation with Ruth. I will never laugh again as she makes one of her ‘off the wall’ comic statements, without knowing she is funny.

Thanks for coming by the log

Nite Shipslog

PS:
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.


You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice

Sometimes things go wrong

Things are not always great. Today we left our spot behind Mark's house to make breakfast at Bojangles with Sherry's Brother Vernon, and our dear friends Don & Evelyn. Mark went off to work and Luke went to school.

While we were all gone someone paid a visit and took Mark's Huge TV and my guns. Mark had them in his house. Don't you just hate a thief. But it is done now, the world will continue to turn.

Also we went to dinner with our grand children to night. While there we got a call that Ruth was very low. We had our schedule to go tomorrow, but we finished supper said good night to the kids and went up tonight.

Ruth is low, we stayed awhile, then came home and will return in the morning.

Nite Shipslog

PS: Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

Time out for repairs

Someone mentioned that I looked good thinking! So I was thinking again.

Santa used to smoke Luckies, even brought them for Christmas until the Cigarette nazi's got on to him.

I was thinking how cool those contentinental kits were, looks good on a '56 chev. Convertable.

And then I thought I had better get to work.....

Along with a few things Mark (youngest son) wants us to do here, we will try to catch up with the things we let go on the trip. The awning has been broken since we stopped in Detroit (second stop). It was a little embarrassing, flopping going down the road, but we didn’t pass too many folks that knew us or cared.
I have the awning off now and have scrubbed it good. If I can’t find a replacement on the net, I will have this one restitched . I think I can cut it down without any terrible wrong to the awning.
I have already ordered a replacement mirror for the Odyssey, our Toad. Also we needed to replace all four tires (OUCH) on the toad, the rest were weather cracked, and that is probably what was wrong with the one that blew.
The battery has been giving us a little trouble, but the kid checked out and said it read good!
The one thing that I am dreading is the heater coil. It is a bear to change. I have changed it once and was hoping I would never have to do it again; however, with all the rough roads and treatment, it sprung a leak. Soooooo I will replace it again. There are two or three screws you cannot see, they must be felt and done blindly. I did learn something last time. The Digital camera is great for letting you see what is there rather than just feel. One quick shot and you know whether it is a nut or a screw.
Sherry fixed pintos, cabbage and salmon patties for Mark and Luke. Luke always has toasted cheese cause he don’t like the country cooking meal.
So I got an update on Ruth today from Helen. We hope to meet her up there in the next day or so. Ruth is up in a wheel chair but real weak.

Sherry's beautician and super grand daughter, cancelled on her hair tonight but will take care of it Saturday. She is having dinner with her mom tonight, both are sweet ladies. Yeah, Reece is partly responsibile for Sherry's great hair.

Thanks for stopping by the log,
Nite shipslog
PS:
Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

WE are in North Carolina, OUT TRIP IN RETRO

ITRIED SEVERAL LOADS FOR PIC'S THIS IS THE ONE THAT TOOK, WOW!

Our trip in a nut shell. We were on the Road 84 days. We visited 22 states and traveled 10,937 miles.

We met some wonderful folks and shared some fantastic times. We saw some beautiful sights. Some of the folks were met for the first time. Some were renewed acquaintances and some were even kin. LIKE BEN & ELSIE MAE, COREY, HOWARD & AUNT AGGIE. AND DID I MENTION ELSIE MAE?

In all the miles we had a little trouble to speak of: Two wind storms where we lost an awning and warped a door and two tire incidents. Nothing that called a halt to our odyssey.

We just wanted to report that this was probably the most rewarding trip we have made around the USA. Off the top of my head I will not start naming names, I will do that when I have had a chance to make sure I get it right.
Regrets, yes two or three. We missed seeing Lucy and Joe, plans just did not work out. I missed going to Mexico and getting some dental work done because of the unrest and killings (26,000 murders in the last few years!!!)

We headed home a little sooner than planned and missed San Antonio, one of our favorite places in the USA. Also there we had hoped to meet Paula’s turtles and kiss Shelly Marie!!!!

We are back in Belmont. We passed Shirl as we were driving in and she came down to see us and we had a good visit.

Tonight we are making reservations for our next trip in three weeks.
Thanks for sharing our trip with us.

Nite Shipslog

PS:
A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.


Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR".

The Tow vehicle

(last of the blog first pictures are lucky to be up at all, hahaha!) This is the front of the toad after the blow out. The fender is pulled loose and the black spot on the mirror is where the tire tread hit it and spun it around breaking the mirror base and glass. The black all around is where the tread slapped the body.

Not too bad though, considering it happened at 60-65 mph.

The pictures did not do as I requested, LOL that is news, huh?

We depend on the rear view camera to make sure the vehicle is still back there. We can also see if it is tracking properly, what we cannot see is the tires. We, like truckers, depend on passing cars and trucks to tell us we have a problem with the tires on the Toad (as it is called).

Today we had our first instance of tire problems on the Toad. I happened to catch a glimpse of glass flying from the passenger side of the Toad in my mirror. Quickly I pulled to the side as far as possible and investigated. The front driver's side tire had disintegrated. It tore the fender loose (which is plastic) and the glass I saw was the side mirror that the tire had taken out as it come apart. (If I can get the picture to load, it will be at the top)


This was taken from four roads up looking down at I-85 just North of Atlanta.


A look at Atlanta's skyline.


Every time we cross the Georgia stateline, we sing "Georgia, Georgia, Georgia's oonnnn myyyy mind." Singing along with an imaginary Ray Charles!!


While we lived at Arley, we cdrove down to Jasper, Georgia. We spotted something you seldom see, an antique Armoured Truck.


We are over nighting again way out in the woods. Competing with Clemson fans for a camp site. Clemson is just a stone's throw away, looks like we would have a better signal.

We are on the banks of Lake Hartwell, just inside the SC line. The blow out slowed us down so we will limp in tomorrow. It wasn't too bad. I already have some of the sheet metal work done and the black cleaned off most of the side. Doesn't look like it will need paint, definitely needs the mirror. At least two tires for the front. Don't want that again.

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite shipslog

PS:


Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

Vacationing in Arley, Alabama???

Tomorrow we are ont he road again, but in case you had decided to come to Arley on vacation, here are the facts. Arley is a small but growing town in Alabama. Growth is not like a rocket but there is growth. In 2000 there was 290 souls here. Recorded in 2005 there was a whopping 321 here. So as you can see we have growth.
Hispanic is supposed to be 1.9% of that, they are growing they now have a Mexican restaurant ‘Down Town’.
I’m not really making fun, I love very small towns. It must be nice to know everyone in town. But then that could be a drawback also. Sherry was born in Belmont, NC, which was a much larger town, about 4,000, when she was born, and it seems she and her brother knows everyone in town who was in school back then.

Also got to be careful who you say what to, if it is negative, ‘cause you are probably talking to a cousin or something. LOL. Lot of good things to say about small towns, lot more good than bad. Of course the distance to a real town makes a difference. We don’t like to get more than ten miles from a WAL-MART.
WE lived in one small community called High Shoals, probably smaller than Arley. But I was about 4 or 5 then. Shirley was already in school.
Valdese, NC was the smallest town we lived in, the pop there was probably about 5000.

Most of the towns/cities we lived in when I was a kid was supported by the Textile industry, or cotton mills, in local terms. What do the thousands of folks do now, that used to work in Cotton and Hosiery mills?
Amazing, ain’t it?
Nite shipslog,

PS:
Some folks cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go!

Wind is up again

We treated ourselves to a pecan waffle at Wafle House today. First since we have been on this trip. It is one of our favorite breakfast treats.

And we found some good books at a yard sale. Three james Patterson, a Greg Isles and an O'shaughnessy. It is great to find some from good authors that you haven't read.

WE bought a dog today, it does not bite, bark or eat. More about the dog later, it is a special gift, if it works.

the round trip to the Waffle house was about 60 miles. This RV park is on Smith Lake and is very nice, just isolated and we are lucky to get on-line. Pictures, or downloading files is impossibles because of the tiem involved. Yesterday it gave an estimate of 36 minutes to put a picture on the blog. Whoa!

I enjoy reading what Blogs I can and commenting when allowed to. But I also am catching up on some stuff that I have let go.

Thanks for coming by the Log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.

No time for a title

We are still in Arley, AL. The signal comes and goes. I have tried four times to make the entry. This time I am writing off line so if I lose it I can copy and paste it.

Last night we met with a wonderful young couple I met on another forum. The man goes by the pen name of ‘Poimen’, that alone is interesting. He and his beautiful wife have three delightful daughters. After dinner I was presented with pictures they had drawn with crayons. I always get a kick out of these and have a file full of children’s drawings. Actually two show very much promise in art.

We had a short time together. They are a dedicated couple. He is a young minister. It is a delight to meet good folk, it reflects my feelings that there are some wonderful folk in this world.
It is such a pleasure to list in our minds the great folks we have met on this trip alone. I know everyone has their lives to live. Friends, jobs and families. We are so pleased when someone takes the time to share an evening with us.

It is extremely windy here, but it is also relaxing. We are on Smith lake, out in the woods from ARley, AL.
Take care and thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Ships log.
PS:
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.