Red and white roses.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
The Freeman Round House Museum
Always on the lookout for the unusual, we sighted a round building made of stone and decided to stop by to investigate. What we discovered was that this small home was built by Oliver Nestus Freeman who was a local black stonemason in Wilson. He built about ten homes in the area, two of which are within a block of the round house. Mr. Freeman had originally wanted to build a house all of glass but his daughter convinced him that a glass house would be impractical, so he decided to build a home shaped like the round houses in the train yards of Europe. In a sense, Mr. Freeman was an early proponent of recycling, because he used saplings for studs in the walls and used stones, rocks, bricks, glass bottles, string and anything else he could find to create the walls of the house.
The Freeman Round House Museum is staffed by volunteers and admission is free. Inside you'll find pictures and newspaper articles on Mr. Freeman and other well-known black businessmen from the early 1900s. The volunteers are knowledgeable and friendly. The gentleman working the day we were there also named the spider I found outside--a "writing" spider according to him, which will write your name in its web. He also told us to go to Parker's down the street on Bypass 301 for some really good barbecue. We'll check that out later.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Happy Valley Golf Course
The Happy Valley Golf Course is an eighteen hole, par 72 course that has a lot of trees, several ponds, drainage ditches crossing the fairways and some tricky sloping greens. It is located off Bypass 301 on Nash Road in Wilson, North Carolina and on Mondays and Thursdays in October you can play 18 holes using a riding cart for $13-unbelieveable. The course appears to be well-maintained, however it had received a lot of rain before we played so it was a little soggy in some areas and some of the tees hadn't been mowed yet for the day.
Playing at the Happy Valley Golf Course in Wilson, North Carolina would be an enjoyable experience under normal conditions, but Denny and I had the added pleasure of playing with a couple of gentlemen by the names of Glenn and Billy, who are native to the area. The two of us always manage to muddle through golf courses that are new to us but it's so much easier to play when there is someone along who can tell you where to place your shot (yeah Linda, like you can do that!) and which way a particular hole will dogleg. All of the players we came in contact with were friendly and courteous which was an added bonus to the day.
One of the benefits of playing with folks who are local to the area is learning about interesting places to visit, the best restaurants to try or just bits of local history. Glenn told me that the campground where we're staying was at one time a popular dance club (sorry Glenn, I'm having a senior moment and have forgotten the name of the club after you told me what it was twice--sigh). He said kids would come from as far as Raleigh to dance the shag on Thursday nights and that one of the local couples won a trip to American Bandstand when it was still based in Philadelphia. Glenn said a group of his friends piled into three cars for the trip to watch their friends dance the shag on the show. Dick Clark had the dance floor cleared just to showcase the couple for one dance. Wouldn't that be a great memory to have?
Days like today make it clear to us why we enjoy traveling, playing golf and schmoozing with the folks we run into--we have fun, learn about the area we're visiting and make a couple of new friends. Just don't ask about my golf game, okay?
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Reality Sets In
Someone wrote me a while back asking if the escalating fuel prices affected our travels at all. Certainly we've had to scale back our random wanderings on back roads and consolidate shopping trips to conserve fuel. We've started taking the interstates instead of using state and county routes to get from campground to campground because it takes less fuel to drive at a constant speed than it does starting and stopping at all the traffic lights and stop signs that dot the roadways of the more rural routes.
But the biggest hit to Denny's pension has been the rising cost of our medical coverage. In 2004 our rates rose 966%. We just received our coverage plan for the year 2007 and the notification that not only are the premiums rising but the deductibles are doubling so we'll be paying more out of pocket for standard doctors' visits and any emergency care. The total percentage of the increased costs from 2004 to 2007 is now 1044.5%. Now that is what is going to affect our lifestyle more than rising fuel costs.
So now as fulltimers we're going to have to consider self-insuring ourselves; taking the amount of money that we would be paying for our medical coverage and investing it for any future medical problems. Why are we considering this? Well, Denny is now covered by Medicare and I being much younger am basically healthy (clumsy, but healthy) so we don't foresee any extreme medical conditions popping up in the near future which would cause us to have to pay any medical bills. Our basic wellness checks at our annual doctors' visits will no longer be covered due to the increase in our deductibles so that will all be out-of-pocket anyway. Basically, it's a gamble--stay healthy and bank/invest the money ourselves or continue paying premiums for health care that we may or may not use in the foreseeable future. For the next few weeks until we have to make that choice by the arbitrary deadline set by the pension board we are going to be looking long and hard at all our options.
And to think that when we first started fulltiming our most difficult decision was where to head next...sigh.
But the biggest hit to Denny's pension has been the rising cost of our medical coverage. In 2004 our rates rose 966%. We just received our coverage plan for the year 2007 and the notification that not only are the premiums rising but the deductibles are doubling so we'll be paying more out of pocket for standard doctors' visits and any emergency care. The total percentage of the increased costs from 2004 to 2007 is now 1044.5%. Now that is what is going to affect our lifestyle more than rising fuel costs.
So now as fulltimers we're going to have to consider self-insuring ourselves; taking the amount of money that we would be paying for our medical coverage and investing it for any future medical problems. Why are we considering this? Well, Denny is now covered by Medicare and I being much younger am basically healthy (clumsy, but healthy) so we don't foresee any extreme medical conditions popping up in the near future which would cause us to have to pay any medical bills. Our basic wellness checks at our annual doctors' visits will no longer be covered due to the increase in our deductibles so that will all be out-of-pocket anyway. Basically, it's a gamble--stay healthy and bank/invest the money ourselves or continue paying premiums for health care that we may or may not use in the foreseeable future. For the next few weeks until we have to make that choice by the arbitrary deadline set by the pension board we are going to be looking long and hard at all our options.
And to think that when we first started fulltiming our most difficult decision was where to head next...sigh.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
We're in Wilson
Well folks, we're still offline. Blog entries will continue to be erratic and random until we can figure out the problem with our system and which part has gone kaput on us. Someday we might even get to a campground that has Wi-Fi on the grounds instead of us having to warbird in the area.
We're in Wilson, North Carolina currently which is a new area for us. There's a children's science museum, a town rose garden, a baseball museum dedicated to North Carolina baseball players. I hope to find a couple of geocaches around here too since the rains prevented us from doing a lot in Virginia last week. Or we'll just wander around seeing what there is to see.
Eventually, I'll even get online and tell you about it. Hang in there with us and check back occasionally for updates.
We're in Wilson, North Carolina currently which is a new area for us. There's a children's science museum, a town rose garden, a baseball museum dedicated to North Carolina baseball players. I hope to find a couple of geocaches around here too since the rains prevented us from doing a lot in Virginia last week. Or we'll just wander around seeing what there is to see.
Eventually, I'll even get online and tell you about it. Hang in there with us and check back occasionally for updates.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Montpelier
Visiting Montpelier, James Madison's home, was quite a shock. When you visit a historic site or famous home you envision rooms filled with period pieces and gorgeous antiques, classic styles of draperies, tables laden with exquisite china. What you get at Montpelier is metal scaffolding, walls stripped to the lathe strips and support studs and construction people in hard hats cutting through your tour group.
James Madison's home was originally an eight room square Georgian structure built by his father, James Madiosn Sr. in 1760. James and Dolly Madison added an additional four rooms after they married although the rooms were not open to the original house but maintained as a separate duplex. After James' father died and left him the mansion, James and Dolly added two wings to the home which were to be bedroom/sitting rooms for Dolly and her mother-in-law who remained at the house after the death of her husband. The Madison's only other change was to add stucco to the brick structure years later.
After the death of James and Dolly Madison the property changed hands several times until being purchased by the duPont family who added several wings until the mansion reached its final size of 55 rooms and 37,000 square feet. Marion duPont Scott bequeathed the property to the National Trust along with initial funding to return the mansion to its original size and proportions as the Madisons had built it. And so this is what one sees when you visit Montpelier today. There are archaeology excavations ongoing on the grounds, constant research is being done by reading old letters and documents and studying old paintings for clues as to what the interior of the home looked like during the period that the Madisons lived there since there were no photographs at that time. The duPonts made extensive renovations inside, bricking up entrances, cutting new doors and hallways through the original structures so that a lot of work needs to be done to restore the home to its former glory and original structure. All of this is being done with private funding and donations because the building and all the grounds are under the control of the National Trust which is a private organization.
Access to the main house is limited and you will be part of a group led by a tour guide who will be well versed in the history of the home and the current and on-going renovations. When you purchase your tickets you will be given the option of taking a free acoustiguide wand which is loaded with audio clips corresponding to a map of the grounds. These clips explain the history of the area, of the Madisons, of life on a plantation and much more. There are hiking trails you can explore and also on the grounds is the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, where retired racehorses can live in peace after their careers or be rehabilitated as pleasure horses or hunt horses to be adopted and given a second chance at life. We spoke to a young man who not only owned two of the racehorses stabled here but rode the horses himself in local hunts and was able to explain a bit about the retirement farm.
All in all, it was a fascinating glimpse into history and the dedication of a large group of people interested in returning Montpelier to its original glory. Montpelier may not be what you expect when you arrive, but you won't walk away disappointed by what you see and learn on your visit.
James Madison's home was originally an eight room square Georgian structure built by his father, James Madiosn Sr. in 1760. James and Dolly Madison added an additional four rooms after they married although the rooms were not open to the original house but maintained as a separate duplex. After James' father died and left him the mansion, James and Dolly added two wings to the home which were to be bedroom/sitting rooms for Dolly and her mother-in-law who remained at the house after the death of her husband. The Madison's only other change was to add stucco to the brick structure years later.
After the death of James and Dolly Madison the property changed hands several times until being purchased by the duPont family who added several wings until the mansion reached its final size of 55 rooms and 37,000 square feet. Marion duPont Scott bequeathed the property to the National Trust along with initial funding to return the mansion to its original size and proportions as the Madisons had built it. And so this is what one sees when you visit Montpelier today. There are archaeology excavations ongoing on the grounds, constant research is being done by reading old letters and documents and studying old paintings for clues as to what the interior of the home looked like during the period that the Madisons lived there since there were no photographs at that time. The duPonts made extensive renovations inside, bricking up entrances, cutting new doors and hallways through the original structures so that a lot of work needs to be done to restore the home to its former glory and original structure. All of this is being done with private funding and donations because the building and all the grounds are under the control of the National Trust which is a private organization.
Access to the main house is limited and you will be part of a group led by a tour guide who will be well versed in the history of the home and the current and on-going renovations. When you purchase your tickets you will be given the option of taking a free acoustiguide wand which is loaded with audio clips corresponding to a map of the grounds. These clips explain the history of the area, of the Madisons, of life on a plantation and much more. There are hiking trails you can explore and also on the grounds is the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, where retired racehorses can live in peace after their careers or be rehabilitated as pleasure horses or hunt horses to be adopted and given a second chance at life. We spoke to a young man who not only owned two of the racehorses stabled here but rode the horses himself in local hunts and was able to explain a bit about the retirement farm.
All in all, it was a fascinating glimpse into history and the dedication of a large group of people interested in returning Montpelier to its original glory. Montpelier may not be what you expect when you arrive, but you won't walk away disappointed by what you see and learn on your visit.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Lazy Sunday pictures of Pipestem
We discovered yesterday that the hardware store doesn't fire up its Wi-Fi over the weekend so we're hoping to find another hotspot to send out this morning's Lazy Sunday post.
Today's pictures are of the Pipestem Golf Course at the Pipestem State Park located at Pipestem, West Virginia. As we were driving through the park on the way to the golf course we saw a lady preparing to play her fiddle while a gentleman was pulling his banjo out of a case. They were standing along a ridgeline overlooking a valley and it appeared they were simply there to a little bluegrass jamming on a beautiful sunny fall day. I wish we could have stopped to listen, but our tee time called.
The Pipestem Golf Course is an 18-hole course that is beautifully maintained, heavily treed, challenging and wonderfully scenic. Pipestem State Park is quite large and has hiking trails, an aerial tramway, canoeing, golf, an amphitheather, a lodge, cabins and a setting that is out of this world. We were here when the trees were starting to change color; another week or ten days and the mountains will be ablaze in color. It's an area worth coming back to enjoy.
Today's pictures are of the Pipestem Golf Course at the Pipestem State Park located at Pipestem, West Virginia. As we were driving through the park on the way to the golf course we saw a lady preparing to play her fiddle while a gentleman was pulling his banjo out of a case. They were standing along a ridgeline overlooking a valley and it appeared they were simply there to a little bluegrass jamming on a beautiful sunny fall day. I wish we could have stopped to listen, but our tee time called.
The Pipestem Golf Course is an 18-hole course that is beautifully maintained, heavily treed, challenging and wonderfully scenic. Pipestem State Park is quite large and has hiking trails, an aerial tramway, canoeing, golf, an amphitheather, a lodge, cabins and a setting that is out of this world. We were here when the trees were starting to change color; another week or ten days and the mountains will be ablaze in color. It's an area worth coming back to enjoy.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Dream On
"Regrets, I have a few--but then again, too few to mention..."
--I Did It My Way,Frank Sinatra
Arriving here in West Virginia on Tuesday, we started into our normal routine of parking and unhitching the rig, connecting the water and sewer hoses and the electric cable, putting out the slides, and following our routine. I was inside putting the furniture back into place when I heard the distinct sound of a southern twang outside the window and stopped what I was doing to listen in.
Our next door neighhor had come out to talk to Denny while he was setting up the satellite dish and within five minutes we (because I was eavesdropping inside) knew that David had been married multiple times, bought and raced cars, collected "classic" cars of the fifties and sixties, played and sang in Nashville, yada yada. After about fifteen minutes I went outside to provide an easy way out of the conversation for Denny but instead I got sucked into the whole sad saga of his life; his songs were all inspired by his cruel ex-wife, he had a great pension and lots of stock from his years of working for Phillip-Morris, he owned property, he currently had a much younger wife, he had all these cars he couldn't give up, but the siren song of Nashville still called him. Dave is 68 years old, dyes his hair brown and puts moisturizer (and probably makeup) on his face to stay the wrinkles in case he gets a gig or a record deal in Nashville. He has dreams, you see, that just won't die. But he can't let go of those less ephemeral items in his life to reach for those dreams. Listening to him you hear the background music; cars, property, stocks, pension, money, niece who owned a lens crafting business and is a "tycoon", brother who is wealthy, money, money, money, money. A steady beat that measure his life. Dave says that he wants the life onstage, he misses it, needs it, but the beat drums money, comfort, money, comfort, money and drowns him out. Dave at 68 years old is waiting for that dream to happen because he's not willing to give up those things that define him.
Our music is the symphony of the outdoors; the fluting call of the warbler, the drumming of the flicker on the tree, the tinkling xylophone of water bouncing over rocks in the creek. Our dream is to look out our living room window and have a different landscape to look at every week or two. Our bank account is slender, our property is what we carry in our truck and our rig, but our dream? Oh yes, we're living our dream. Some day, will you?
--I Did It My Way,Frank Sinatra
Arriving here in West Virginia on Tuesday, we started into our normal routine of parking and unhitching the rig, connecting the water and sewer hoses and the electric cable, putting out the slides, and following our routine. I was inside putting the furniture back into place when I heard the distinct sound of a southern twang outside the window and stopped what I was doing to listen in.
Our next door neighhor had come out to talk to Denny while he was setting up the satellite dish and within five minutes we (because I was eavesdropping inside) knew that David had been married multiple times, bought and raced cars, collected "classic" cars of the fifties and sixties, played and sang in Nashville, yada yada. After about fifteen minutes I went outside to provide an easy way out of the conversation for Denny but instead I got sucked into the whole sad saga of his life; his songs were all inspired by his cruel ex-wife, he had a great pension and lots of stock from his years of working for Phillip-Morris, he owned property, he currently had a much younger wife, he had all these cars he couldn't give up, but the siren song of Nashville still called him. Dave is 68 years old, dyes his hair brown and puts moisturizer (and probably makeup) on his face to stay the wrinkles in case he gets a gig or a record deal in Nashville. He has dreams, you see, that just won't die. But he can't let go of those less ephemeral items in his life to reach for those dreams. Listening to him you hear the background music; cars, property, stocks, pension, money, niece who owned a lens crafting business and is a "tycoon", brother who is wealthy, money, money, money, money. A steady beat that measure his life. Dave says that he wants the life onstage, he misses it, needs it, but the beat drums money, comfort, money, comfort, money and drowns him out. Dave at 68 years old is waiting for that dream to happen because he's not willing to give up those things that define him.
Our music is the symphony of the outdoors; the fluting call of the warbler, the drumming of the flicker on the tree, the tinkling xylophone of water bouncing over rocks in the creek. Our dream is to look out our living room window and have a different landscape to look at every week or two. Our bank account is slender, our property is what we carry in our truck and our rig, but our dream? Oh yes, we're living our dream. Some day, will you?
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
We're here but we're not
Some of you may have noticed I've not been here for the past week. We're fine, but we've been unable to get online with our DW service. We thought it might have been because of all the trees in West Virginia, but we're still unable to set up the system here in Virginia. Denny has been working very hard at replacing cables, trying new configurations, moving the dish to try to locate the best signal and more boring stuff like that.
This has been extremely frustrating for us, as it's also difficult to find assistance since officially we're not supposed to be moving our DW dish which means installers don't want to help us. I've had two calls in to service people which have been ignored, so for now our online time will be limited as it's a long drive into town where the True Value Hardware store has Wi-Fi (who'd a thunk it?)
Next week we have reservations in yet another tiny little town, this time in North Carolina so if we don't figure out how to get our system up and running this week we're in trouble. Cross your fingers and wish us luck.
Happy Trails.
This has been extremely frustrating for us, as it's also difficult to find assistance since officially we're not supposed to be moving our DW dish which means installers don't want to help us. I've had two calls in to service people which have been ignored, so for now our online time will be limited as it's a long drive into town where the True Value Hardware store has Wi-Fi (who'd a thunk it?)
Next week we have reservations in yet another tiny little town, this time in North Carolina so if we don't figure out how to get our system up and running this week we're in trouble. Cross your fingers and wish us luck.
Happy Trails.
Belated Lazy Sunday Pics
Did you miss the Lazy Sunday pictures? Okay then, we'll do them today.
Many of the trees in our campground in Pipestem, West Virginia were starting to change colors even if the trees on the mountains weren't quite there yet. So I've tried to show the lovely reds of the maples that surrounded our site.
Here in Virginia I discovered some interesting species of mushrooms while walking Patches in our current campground so I'm tossing in a few of those also. I have no idea what they are and can't research them this week since I don't have a lot of time to stay online (poor Denny feels uncomfortable sitting in the parking lot while I'm merrily downloading and uploading in front of the True Value store using their free Wi-Fi service) so I hope you'll enjoy the color, texture and shape of these unknown species of fungus.
Many of the trees in our campground in Pipestem, West Virginia were starting to change colors even if the trees on the mountains weren't quite there yet. So I've tried to show the lovely reds of the maples that surrounded our site.
Here in Virginia I discovered some interesting species of mushrooms while walking Patches in our current campground so I'm tossing in a few of those also. I have no idea what they are and can't research them this week since I don't have a lot of time to stay online (poor Denny feels uncomfortable sitting in the parking lot while I'm merrily downloading and uploading in front of the True Value store using their free Wi-Fi service) so I hope you'll enjoy the color, texture and shape of these unknown species of fungus.
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