Sad news in the camping community.

Today we received the heartbreaking news that our friend Kevin Sullivan passed away suddenly.  The camping community has lost a very good friend. We are so glad we got the opportunity to meet and spend time with him.  I will definitely miss his funny jokes.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Arlene and her family during this very sad and difficult time. 

Kevin

Tonight John and I joined Pete, Audrey and Dick for dinner.  Pete and Audrey will be leaving tomorrow so this was our last night to visit with them.  We ate at Mesquite Mexican Grill in Jackson, Georgia.  The food was delicious.  We have enjoyed getting to know Pete and Audrey and look forward to seeing them down the road again. 

Dick and John.

Audrey and Pete.

Dick, John and me.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Hong Kong Palace.

We were busy with group camp cleaning today.  It was almost 5:00 p.m. by the time we got back to the RV.  We were both tired and hungry so we went to Forsyth, GA and ate at our favorite Chinese place….Hong Kong Palace.   It was just as good as it was the first time we ate there.  After dinner it was on to Wal-mart for a few things.   Needless to say, we were glad to finally get home and chill out.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Happy Birthday Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha.

Today Mom Hatch and her twin Aunt Martha are celebrating their 83rd birthday.   Happy Birthday Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha.  Love you.

Mom Hatch

Aunt Martha

Today was a work day for us.  We hope to finish up tomorrow.  Tonight Dick invited all the work campers to his place for dinner.  He prepared pinto beans, potatoes and cornbread.  It was delicious.  Thanks Dick for a nice dinner.

 

Dick, John, Audrey and Pete.

Mr. Willie chillin out.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Blueberry Pancakes.

Woke up this morning to a cold 34 degrees.  The cold weather really needs to go away. LOL    John made some homemade blueberry pancakes and blueberry syrup for breakfast.  They were yummy.

We got settled in to watch the race and were really disappointed when it got rained out.  Dick and his dog Mr. Willie came by for a visit.

Mr. Willie and Dick.

Of course Fred had to have his picture made  with DIck.

Mr. Willie talking to John.

We can always tell when it is approaching Fred’s dinner time.  He usually starts pacing in front of the food cabinet or starts whining.  Today he was a little more animated.

First he sat at the corner of my chair and started staring.

I guess he thought I didn’t see him so he got a little closer.

Now he made sure I could see him.

Still trying to get his point across.

Ok.  I guess that means he could almost taste his dinner.

John and Fred having a discussion at the dinner bowl.

We look forward to watching the Daytona 500 tomorrow.  

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Cooler temperatures.

No rain today but we had cooler temperatures.  The high today was in the mid 50s.   Maybe next week the 70s will be back.  I sure hope so.  

We watched the Nationwide race today.  What a finish after the wreck at the end. Wow!  You never know what will happen at the last minute.  Of course we will be watching the Daytona 500 tomorrow.  Not much else going on today except laundry and stuff like that.  Even Fred was bored. LOL

He thought if he stared at me long enough we could get his dinner early.

Tonight we went over to Dick’s so John could help him with his laptop.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Cooler temperatures are back.

Bad weather moved in this morning.  We had tornado warnings, rain, thunder and lightening.  Shortly after 1:00 p.m. the skies began to clear up and the rain moved out.  Now we have cooler temperatures….again!   I think the low tonight is supposed to be in the mid 30s. Uck!   I am ready for the warm stuff to hang around.

Since this was Friday it was time to flip the breaker at the group camp dining hall.  John usually goes over by himself and does this but I was up early this morning and went along.   While there John checked the ice maker to see if it was still working correctly.  Unfortunately it wasn’t.   John informed the office and they called the repairman to come out.   This ice machine has a history of problems.  The repairman was just out here less than a month ago.   Luckily the ice machine is once again fixed. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Lighthouse Restaurant

Great weather today.  We had sunny skies and 78 degrees.  Yeah!!!!  I am loving this weather. 

John and I went sightseeing today.  Our first stop was Dauset Trails located just outside Jackson, Georgia.  They have nature trails, picnic areas and animals.  The parking and admission is free.  Donations are appreciated.  This is a really neat place to visit.  While we were there some of the animals would not come out of their hiding places.  Even though some of the animals chose not to come out we were able to see lots of other ones.  Unfortunately, my camera battery needed charging and I did not get pictures. 

Our next stop of the day was Noah’s Ark located in Locust Grove, Georgia.  This is a cool place to visit also.  It is quite a bit larger than Dauset Trails and is nicer than some zoos  we have visited.  Parking and admission is free.  They take donations to help feed the animals.  We were in time to see the tigers being fed.  Noah’s Ark has been featured on National Geographic Channel.  A must see if you are ever in the area. 

Tonight John and I went with fellow work campers, Dick, Audrey and Pete to Milner, Georgia to have dinner at the Lighthouse Restaurant.  This is one of Dick’s favorite places.  We all had the seafood buffet and the food was delicious.  This was the best seafood I have had in a while.  I think we all had a little too much to eat. LOL    Since my camera was still on the charger John took a few pictures with his phone.

Dick, Audrey and me.

Dick, Audrey and Pete.

Audrey and Pete.

After dinner we walked around outside the restaurant before our 35 minute drive back to the campground.  We were watching a group of cats that were hanging out in the parking lot.  John counted eight of them.  It looks like this is a regular spot for them to wait for snacks.  I am sure someone feeds them as they look very healthy.

Here are a few of the cats.  They were patiently waiting.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Today would have been Dad Hatch’s 83rd birthday.  We miss him everyday.

Harold Hatch, Sr.

Great weather today.  It was so warm it must have reached 70 degrees.  My kind of weather.   Since all our work was done we had free time so we decided to drive over to the Atlanta Motor Speedway to check it out.  Of course while we were there we took the tour around the track.  

 

 

 

 

 

John in the touring van.

The next few pictures are as we go around the track.

John standing in the winner’s circle.

On our way back home we stopped off at Lowe’s and John purchased the supplies to build some shelves for the bathroom.

He finished the shelf in the cabinet over the sink.  Thank you John. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Carter Hill

Sunny weather and warm temperatures today. We completed the rest of our work today so now we have the rest of the week free. Not a bad deal at all.

On a sad note…..a couple days ago we received word that fellow retired firefighter Carter Hill has become seriously ill. He has been battling a rare blood disorder and had gone through two bone marrow transplants. Unfortunately he has developed another disease or disorder which has left him fighting for his life. John has received several calls from fire department members and friends updating us on his condition. Carter has spent his life helping others. He has been involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s programs and fundraisers for children and many other organizations. A local Jackson, MS news channel posted a bulletin asking for blood platelet donations from people in the surrounding areas. We are praying that Carter will get better soon.

Carter Hill

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay Safe.

Work day today

Today was our usual work day. We arrived at the group camp area before 10:00 a.m. to start cleaning. As we were unloading our work cart fellow worker Dick came by on the backhoe.

He got an early start this morning removing a dilapidated fence and erecting a new one. Seems like all the work campers were very busy today. We completed the dining hall, infirmary, staff quarters number one and the craft building today. That means we are halfway done. We plan on finishing up tomorrow.

The sun was shining today and I think we might have reached 60 degrees. All in all it was a good day.

We received good news on our sister-in-law Sandie today. Last week she had surgery to remove a cyst and was told it was cancer. The good news is when they removed it they got it all and she is on the road to recovery.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.