Tomorrow!!

Tomorrow is the DAY!  We leave bright and early with Jake in the back of Gordy and head up the coast to collect our new darling, Myrtle!  Have you got all of that?  Jake is our dog, Gordy is our new Chevy pickup and Myrtle is our new Fifth Wheel RV!  Well, we aren't sure that her name is going to be Myrtle but for the time being, that will do.  So, it is 2 hours up the coast plus a stop at our new favorite breakfast place, Eggs Up Grill.  Next will be the hook Gordy up with Myrtle and then have the grand farewell to the staff at Carolina RV and we will be on our way to Oak Plantation Campground.  The drive to the campground will probably take 3 -4 hours and then we will be HOME!

Well, not for permanent as I have to go back to work on Monday but tomorrow and Friday will be pure adventure for us!  They say we will have wifi there but we shall see.  I am not counting on it.

I am off to bed!  Pooped from all the packing and sorting.  Too much going on!

Here is a picture of us in 2005 when we did this same thing only moved to a boat.  Always packing and sorting!

For Sale

Our new adventure is getting more real each day!  Click on the picture to see Kirby! haha!

Ready to Take Delivery!

Some of you have asked what our new home looks like on the outside.  Would you believe that I haven't taken a picture of the outside?  I guess I should care but I am more interested in the floorplan and is the sofa comfortable.  So, I went and gathered a couple of stock photos of our new home!

This one really is OUR RV as it is from the dealer's website.

So, on Thursday we will drive to Myrtle Beach, SC and take delivery of our new home.  I am so excited!  Last weekend we went up there and did the walk-through and learned about every system there is.  Kirby will be in heaven. It is just like a boat and every time we head out, we have to have our little checklist of things to secure, put away, lock, check etc. So much to think about until it becomes second nature.  There are lots of maintenance things for him to take care of and multiple buttons and nobs.  What I like is that it comes with 2 TV's, a stereo and DVD player and surround sound.  I have double stainless steel sinks and leather sofa and reclining chairs.  The table chairs have seats that lift up with hidden storage in them.  There is loads and loads of kitchen storage.  Jake will love the fact that at most times he will be able to see both his daddy and his mommy at the same time! It will be hard to be very far away.

So, when we pick it up on Thursday we will go directly to our new home on the other side of Charleston - Oak Plantation RV Park .  We plan to spend at least one night aboard or maybe 2.   I need help thinking of everything I will need to be happy and comfortable those first 2 days.  Sheets, blankets, Tee Pee, dishes, forks, wine, rum, steak knives, barbeque, rum, pillows, towels, wine, wine glasses, charcoal, rum, oh, and ice!  Please help me compose my escape list!  What do I need?  and remember - I am not a rough it person!

We have not named it yet.  The truck is Gordy because he is from Punta Gorda.  The RV could be Ava but we have a great niece with that name.  I kind of like Alice or Allie.  Or it could be Myrtle because she comes from Myrtle Beach.  What do you think?

The Big Purchase!

I don't know about other people but when Kirby and I get an idea it becomes consuming.  Once we decided to do the RV thing that is all I could think about.  And once we had the truck it became even more consuming.  I did research and research and more research.  I designed so many different spreadsheets to help me compare all the different Fifth Wheels that were available in our area.  And Kirby did all the research on what were good ones and which ones weren't so good.  Every spare moment and even a few stolen ones have been spent looking at floor plans and all the different nuances in the various designs.

We selected a favorite from a dealer that we had come to trust and made an offer.  OK, it was a pretty ridiculous offer but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?  Well in this case - nothing was gained!  But we did realize that even though we could have bought that bigger better rig, we didn't want to spend that much money on it.  The price was very fair but we just couldn't do it!

So today I left work at noon and we drove the 2 hours north to Myrtle Beach to visit Carolina RV and our new best friend, Daniel.  Daniel had called Kirby about a deal he could make on a smaller unit by a manufacturer that we weren't as sold on but what the heck...let's go take a look at it.

I didn't like it very much.  I had thought that I might but - I just didn't.  That extra 2 feet in something that small really makes a difference.  So, we asked to look at the Avalanche that he had in stock - new 2013, 38 footer.  We hadn't looked at it when we were there a couple of weeks ago for some strange reason.

No, it was not love at first sight.  After looking at so, so many different RV's they almost start to all look alike so you have to zero in on a few details.  This was a manufacturer that Kirby's research indicated is a good builder and someone we could trust.  It has all the latest technology and a great galley.  The best part is that the carpet matches Jake!  Yea!  And we knew from our research that we could not get a better, prettier, larger or better built rig for the money.

We asked Daniel to please go away for a bit and let us talk.  Funny, we really didn't say much to each other.  I think we both knew this was what we wanted to do.  Personally, I just thought that was the way we should do it - "May we please have a moment alone?"  Following an unwritten script!

So, we were sitting outside the office on the porch (this is the south, very casual) talking this over when the owner came out and Kirby went for one more cut in the price.  You rock, Kirby!!  And by golly we got even more money cut off the price and said - OK, let's do this!

We are pretty darned excited but I have to admit, when we were signing on the line I was NOT excited.  I was nervous as hell!

So, stay tuned for delivery and our first overnight!  Yea!! I am so excited!

Ah, the Choices.........

I really didn't think it would be so hard to select which 5th wheel I want to live in for the next umpteen years.  Just look at some of the overwhelming choices.  Aren't they gorgeous?  Beautiful woods, corian counter tops, leather seating, big screen TV's.....the list goes on and on.  Of course Kirby looks at different things than I do.  He checks the axles, the weight of everything, the storage, the underneath that holds who know what and the leveling mechanism.  Just when I think I have it figured it out some sales person puts a whole new slant on it.  One of my favorites just got eliminated because of de-laminating.  Sure enough, Kirby did a check and the salesman was right.  So, can't buy that one.

Here are some of the items I am looking for that are important to ME!

I want a large refrigerator.  They are almost all very shallow so what looks like a nice normal unit really is half sized or smaller.  The double door units are about 12 cubic feet.  That is small but bigger that the small ones!

I want STORAGE!  Lots and lots of cupboards and closets.  The more the better!  All the bedrooms have a nice closet but some have more drawers than others, some have a small linen closet and some have at least one night stand with drawers.

I want a washer and a dryer!!  I have spent too much of my life in laundromats.  I even wrote a whole blog posting about laundromats during our last cruise - you can read it by clicking HERE.  Many of the larger units have the hook up all ready for a washer/dryer - but you sacrifice a closet.

A large shower.  We can do with a small one as we had that on our boat but a big one for Kirby would be nice.

I would really like to have a desk where my computer lives all the time.  Most units don't have that; instead they have big entertainment centers which are not important to me at all.  And they have "fireplaces" (electric heaters) that may be important later...I just don't know.

I would like a queen bed.  So many already have a king sized bed.  We are not used to a king, don't have the bedding for it and need the space in the room for our dog, Jake. (no, he does not sleep in the bed with us)

I want a pretty kitchen with lots of cupboards.  There are many configurations but my favorite is a U-shape.

So, the shopping continues.  Who knows what we will end up with.  I know I won't get everything on the list and I will have to decide what is most important.  And I will have to let Kirby have a little input on the decision...well, maybe!

I have realized that RV park rates go down this time of year so it really would be fun to have our new home to play in on the weekends.  Just have to find that perfect home!

New Life - New Truck

Kirby and I are getting ready to embark upon a new adventure.  We have lived here in South Carolina now for over 5 years.  I got my 5 years service award at work last week.  Our house has been remodeled to what we think is pretty awesome.  Five years in one place is almost a record for me and it certainly is a record for Kirby and I together.  When we had our boat in Mexico we would cruise the warm waters for 6 months and then head back north for 6 months of work before doing it again.  Always a new home and a new job.  Life was an adventure full of change!  So this time here has made us feel like - I don't know - old farts??  We NEED adventure!

Kirby retired in 2005 when we left California and headed east to buy a boat and sail the Atlantic.  Well, it is almost my turn to retire too!  So when I retire we aren't going to buy a new boat but we are going to buy an RV.

Kirby searched and searched for the perfect truck to pull our fifth wheel (that we don't have yet - which comes first?  The rv or the truck?  The truck!)  He knew exactly what he wanted and the only one he could find was in Punta Gorda, Florida.  So off he went on Monday and returned to Jake and I on Friday with - GORDY! Our new Chevy truck.

Gordy is a Chevy Silverado 2500 - 2 wheel drive, short bed.  I guess that is not in too great a demand but is perfect to pull the rv we plan.

So now the search for the fifth wheel can go into high gear.  It is fun and it is frustrating.  We already had to decide between fifth wheel and motorhome.  For us the 5th wheel won but it was a hard decision as both have great advantages.  We had friends with both and they helped so much with advise and information.

I hope you will enjoy my saga as we find our new home and begin our journey!  Stay tuned.  Finally some adventure!! Yea!

Joan Perry - Charleston Daily Photo

Look who I found at the American Heart Association Heart Walk!  Joan Perry - my blog friend from Charleston Daily Photo.  I knew it would happen one day that we would finally run into each other.

Missing in Action

I think I should tell you that I am taking a sabbatical from my blogs.  I am sure I will be back but for now - I am on blog vacation!  Have a great day!

Mushrooms & Ancient Rituals

Kirby, Jake and I headed out this morning to Sewee Shell Ring for our Sunday Church Service.  It was so peaceful and lovely there.  A short walk through the dense forest lead us to a big marsh and the scene of ancient rituals.  Over 4000 years ago ancient people used to gather for their religious rituals right where we were.  I don't think our morning could have been spent in any better place.  Along the way I gathered mushrooms - but only using my camera.

Jambalaya

Yesterday at work I got a craving for Jambalaya.  Don't ask me why, I just did.  So I looked up some recipes online, got a list of the most common ingredients and stopped at the store on the way home.  Today, when I was ready to begin my cooking I remembered that I had a recipe from my friend, Lucy, that I had never tried.  My goodness, she gave it to me probably 12 -14 years ago. 


So, using Lucy's recipe as a guide, I set about chopping up the veggies and gathering my ingredients.  The recipe that follows is what I ended up doing and oh, my goodness was it good.  I made some awesome cornbread using Albers Corn Meal, which is the best there is. (and I have to order it online because I can't find it in South Carolina.)


So, run to the store, get the easy ingredients and have yourself a feast!  You will be glad you did!  And Thank You, Lucy, for the perfect guide.  You know I can't ever follow a recipe exactly!

Sausage is cooked and the veggies are sauteing.

Everything is in the pot and cooking away.  I know this could be done in a slow cooker so easily.  I will adapt it one day when I retire.

Here is the recipe!

• 1 pound of peeled and cleaned shrimp – either fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 14 – 16 oz of New Orleans style sausage, sliced diagonally ¼ “ pieces (such as Andouille)
• 2 Tbs. salad oil
• 1 C. chopped onion
• 1 C. chopped celery
• ¾ C. chopped green bell pepper
• 1 chopped large jalapeno seeds removed
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 1 ½ Tbs. Cajun Seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 C. chicken stock
• 1 ¼ C. Basmati rice
• ½ C. chopped green onion

1. Place the raw shrimp in a bowl and cover with the Cajun Seasoning and mix well.  Leave to marinate while you cook the other stuff.
2.  Heat the oil in a large skillet that has a lid.  Add the sausage and brown for a few minutes.  Turn each piece for even browning. 
3. Add the vegetables and cook until they are soft.  To this mixture add the chicken stock, rice, shrimp with seasoning, salt and tomatoes. 
4. Simmer, covered on very low until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed – about 20 to 30 minutes.    

• When serving add the chopped green onion – it makes it!
• Serve with homemade cornbread and fresh butter – Yum!
• Serves 8 normal people, 4 hungry people or 2 oink oinks.

And here is the recipe for the best cornbread in the world.  I have been making this cornbread for about 35 years - it never fail - IF you use Albers.  From their website and from my old recipe file - here it is!

Albers® Corn Bread
(Makes 12 servings) 

This moist corn bread can be served with salads, soups, stews, chilies, or southern fried chicken. Try it toasted and spread with butter and jam in the morning.

• 1 cup Albers® White or Yellow Corn Meal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.
COMBINE meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil and egg in small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.
NOTE Recipe may be doubled. Use greased 13x9-inch baking pan; bake as above.


FOR MUFFINS:
SPOON batter into 10 to 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes.