Busy day and a great dinner with friends.

Up at 7:30 a.m. today. What is up with that????? Before breakfast John and I took a long walk around the park. It is too hot here. I think Mississippi has a twin when it comes to heat and humidity. Kentucky is hot.

We have been on the go and busy today. After breakfast John tackled the DVD player problem. We have not been able to play DVDs or watch movies since we switched out the TV. Since it is too hot to do much outside today was the day to fix this.

John hard at work on the DVD player problem. Yeah, he was successful! I knew he could fix it. He is so talented.

This afternoon we have a massage scheduled for both of us so we left early enough to eat lunch out. John found a place on the internet called Four Little Pigs BBQ located in the nearby town of Benton. Anyone who knows John knows he loves him some BBQ.

John waiting on his ribs.

The mural behind John was painted by a local artist. Isn’t that cute?

Ok so now lunch is over and we are too early for our massage appointments so we went to Wal-Mart. I needed a new battery for my watch but was told that Wal-Mart cannot put batteries in Seiko watches because of the tool needed to remove the back plate. John was successful in finding an air hose reel so I guess it wasn’t a wasted trip after all. After leaving Wal-Mart we still had time to kill so we were riding around and noticed a fine jewelry store down by the town square. Now I know they should be able to fix my battery problem. LOL Yeah! Now my watch running. I guess people wonder why I need a watch. Well, it was a gift from John a few years ago and I just like wearing it. Sounds like a good enough reason to me.

Still early for our appointment so we rode around some more. We pulled into an auto parts store and John got an air filter for the Ram. Still had time on our hands so more riding around. John saw a sign at a beauty salon advertising $10.00 haircuts. My hair is looking a bit shaggy since the last hair cut I got in South Carolina so in I go.

Touch of Class Salon & Spa. I forgot to zoom in the picture.

Me before the haircut. I look kind of creepy in this picture. LOL

Me after haircut. Ok. Not much different but at least it feels better. I still look creepy in the picture though. Note to self: Don’t take pictures of yourself…get someone else to do it. LOL

Finally, it is almost 2:30 and time for our massage appointments. The name of the place is The Cup & Stone Bodywork Center. John found this on the internet also. Two one hour massages for $80.00 with a coupon, which John printed off when he was searching on the internet. Now that is a deal. He is so smart.

John’s back and my neck were screaming for some pampering so this was a treat. We recommend this place if you are in the Benton, KY area and want to be spoiled. Well worth the money.

Tonight we met our friends Betty and Joe at Mr. Bills Restaurant which is part of Patti’s Settlement in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. Our reservation was for 7:30 and we were promptly seated. The restaurant is famous for their two inch pork chops so that is what John ordered.

This is John’s plate. He got a few bites before I was able to get a picture of it. I guess I was too slow. LOL

Ok this was just too good to pass up. I think he is enjoying his pork chop.

I ordered tonight’s special which was a 12 oz. rib eye with three large shrimp and baked potato. I cut my steak in half and took the rest home for tomorrow.

Our friends Betty and Joe enjoying their meal. I think Joe ordered the one inch pork chop and Betty got he tropical pork chop.

We had a server with a good sense of humor which is a good thing because John likes to joke around with people in restaurants. She even took a picture of all of us together.

It was dessert time and the list was a long one. Our server asked if we would like a dessert menu or if we would like her to recite it. Of course John wanted her to recite it just to see if she could. We all had a good laugh. There were 17 desserts.

The lady in the background was our server, Beth. She was great to put up with us. LOL

This was John’s dessert. The three layer coconut cake.

This was my dessert. The Sawdust Pie. This almost tastes like a bananas foster with coconut added. Yummy. I could not eat it all and brought the rest of it home also.

This was Joe’s dessert. Chocolate Meringue Pie. Betty did not want any dessert.

After our wonderful meal we all went back to our RV and played a round of 10 Penny. What a way to top of a great evening.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Sending hugs to Savannah.

Today was moving day. Don’t know why but we did not get up until 10:00 a.m.   WOW!! Wonder why we can’t seem to get up early anymore.  This retirement stuff must be hard work. LOL

We arrived at our next destination, Canal Campground in Grand Rivers, KY, around 2:30 p.m.   The temperature was 93 degrees this afternoon and the humidity made me think I was back in Mississippi.  Hot Hot Hot!!!!!

Front view of our site. (Site #24)

Rear view of our site.

After everything was set up we rode into town to look around.   We rode around the Kentucky Dam.

We also stopped in at Patti’s to made dinner reservations for tomorrow night.  Patti’s was booked so we will be dining at Bill’s which is part of Patti’s.  John and I walked around the Patti’s Settlement area and stopped for ice cream and pie.  Our friends Betty and Joe told us about this place last month when we were visiting with them.  We did not get to go then so we will be meeting them tomorrow night.  Can’t wait to see them again.  We always have a great time together.

Later this afternoon our niece Shannon called to give us an update on her daughter Savannah’s hyper-extended shoulder.  She had a doctor’s appointment today and it did  not go as she had hoped.  She will have to see an orthopedic surgeon in August and may have to have surgery.  This will mean no cheerleading for her for a while and she is very upset.  Our thoughts and prayers are with her.  Savannah, we are sending you hugs through the internet.

Here is Sockey sending Savannah a hug.

When the temperatures finally dropped a  little John decided to sit outside and chill out for a while.

I think he has it down to a fine art. LOL

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Rain, rain go way……I want to go play.

Not much going on today but rain, rain and more rain.  We woke up to thunder and the rain moved in and did not want to leave.  It makes for a very boring day.

Fred gave up on getting a long walk.

Sockey was about to go out of his mind. LOL

Miraculously around 3:00 p.m. the sun came out.  Not wanting to waste the sunshine, John and I jumped in the truck for a ride through the countryside. We did not see any wildlife to photograph but we did see this cool Dodge Challenger.

For all the MOPAR fans out there.

By the time we returned to the campground it was dinner time.  I steamed some fresh corn in the husk and some broccoli and re-heated the left over turkey meatloaf.

I can’t believe it but it looks like the rain might be gone for the night.  John and I decided to take a walk through the park.

This is the beach area at the front of the park.

Ladies bath house at the front of the park.  The sinks were clean.

and the floors were too. 

 

This is at the bottom of one of the lakeside sites. 

A view from the back side of the park.

Tomorrow will be moving day. We will travel on to Barkley Lock and Dam (COE park) in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Slept in until 9:00.  Are we getting lazy????? The satellite was not working so John relocated it and now it works. Yeah!  Later on in the morning we jumped on the bikes and rode through the park.  Our site has 50 AMP with water and electric.  We noticed the sites on the other side of the park do not have hookups and must be for tent camping.  That is not for me.

After lunch we made our Wal-Mart run.  Fred was running low on dog food and we needed a few groceries.  I guess you could say we stimulated the economy today.

While I was cooking dinner, John replaced the blown bulb in the Ram’s right rear brake light.  Then he replaced the step light on the RV stairs.  He’s just so multi-talented.

 

Corned beef and cabbage, steamed carrots and cornbread for dinner.

Sockey wanted to know why he didn’t get any. LOL

After dinner as I was walking with Fred I met a lady who is cycling her way from California to Virginia on her own.  All I can say is she is braver than I.  I thought her story was very interesting. In case anyone wants to check out her travels her blog is www.fueledbyfood.com. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

On to McDaniels, Kentucky

Today was moving day. Got up early and began getting the RV road ready. Pulled out of the campground after 10:30 and headed over to Shannon’s to pick up our lawn chairs we forgot.

Our trip today was uneventful. We stopped at a rest area to eat lunch and made it to McDaniels, Kentucky around 3:30 p.m. We are staying at Axtel Campground which is a Corp. of Engineers park.

After getting everything set up we decided to go in search of dinner instead of cooking. John googled the area to see what restaurants were available and found one named Rubbies. He keyed the address into the Garmin and away we went. As we pulled up to our destination we soon discovered that Rubbies did not exist. Instead there was McDaniels’ General Store & Restaurant at that address. Since we were both starving we decided to go ahead and eat there. John and I ordered burgers, potato wedges and cole slaw. Very tasty food! The owner told us that the restaurant has been open for about two months and that they were hoping to expand and are hoping business in the area would pickup. This little store has groceries, hardware, propane, produce, a meat market, restaurant, free Wi-Fi and a consignment shop and tanning beds upstairs. I guess they could call it the everything store.

Upon returning to the campground the winds started blowing hard and the sky turned black. Rain was on the way.

Our site at Axtel Campground, McDaniels, KY. (Site #1)

Fred is all tuckered out from the ride.

John taking care of business on his computer.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Chillin Out, 10 Penny & Green Beans.

Slept in late today and did not leave the RV until after 10:00 then it was on to Shannon’s.  John cooked up another batch of blueberry pancakes while I cooked the bacon.  We had breakfast or I guess you could call it brunch at lunch time. Oh well, we enjoyed it just the same. Afterwards John worked on the computer and we all chilled out for a while.

This is one of the big cats with the little cat. They were chillin out.

Fred and Lester were chillin out.

We found Sockey the Sock Monkey hanging out in the dining room on the curtain rod.

Then later on we found him hiding in the flower pot.

A little while later we went shopping and picked up a few groceries for dinner.  Shannon loves green beans so I promised  her I would cook her another batch. 

For dinner we had some left over fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, fresh green beans and rolls.  As soon as the meal was over it was time for another round of 10 Penny.  Before long it was time for us to pack up our stuff and head back to the camper.  We will be leaving out tomorrow morning and heading out toward Kentucky. 

We have enjoyed our visit and will miss Shannon, Lester and Savannah very much.  It is always a joy to visit with them.

Fred just loved hanging out with Lester. 

John and I with Savannah and Lester.

John and I with Shannon.

Shannon doesn’t like teary goodbyes so we agreed to just say “see you later”. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Laughing until you hurt.

Woke up this morning to thunder, lightning and heavy rain. Luckily it moved through quickly and the sun came out.  Mid morning we headed over to Shannon’s to spend the day.

We played a couple rounds of 10 Penny then loaded up and went in search of some lunch.  Our choice today was O’Charley’s.  John and Shannon ordered the steak and ribs.  Savannah ordered the sirloin steak.  Lester chose the burger and fries and I finally decided on grilled shrimp.  After lunch it was on to Wal-mart for a few groceries and a bulb for the Ram’s rear brake light. 

Upon returning from lunch Shannon and I got on my laptop and worked on her resume.  While Shannon and I worked on the resume John went to check out their computer to see if he could get it up and running.  He cleaned the disk, defragged and removed programs that were not being used.  It looks like it might be ok now but we won’t know until the internet is back up and running.  As soon as we were finished with that it was time again for more 10 Penny.  We began playing and Shannon decided to call the cable company to see if they could re-activate the internet so she could determine if the computer was fixed.  Poor Shannon, while she was on the phone John did his best to make her laugh.

This is John with my bracelet hooked to his glasses.  His attempt to make Shannon laugh was successful.

Believe it or not she actually got a real person on the phone who did not talk like they were from Pakistan or India.  John will check the computer in the morning to see if it will work.  Savannah was very excited at the possibility of getting her computer up and running.

By this time it is dinner time.  John and Lester drove over to the local KFC for a bucket of chicken and some sides.  When they returned we opened the bucket and ……you guessed it.  It was all wrong.  John ordered a twelve piece bucket.   There were 13 pieces of chicken……none of them were breasts.  I sure hate dark meat chicken.  We ate it but after dinner John called them to let them know about our order and told them his short wife was angry because she did not have chicken breasts.  They told him to come back and they would give him four chicken breasts because of the error.  The funny thing was the man told John that the girl behind the counter has a hard time distinguishing chicken breast from chicken thighs.  By this time I am thinking…..”People how hard can it be”.   Maybe I am wrong but look at this picture and tell me which is which.  It is a no brainer. LOL

Ok…..time to stop talking about the chicken.

Once the chicken fiasco was over it was back to our 10 Penny game.  Lester suggested playing the rounds backwards.  We tried this and the laughter started.

Shannon was laughing so hard at John she had tears rolling down her face.

Then Savannah started cracking up.

Then Lester.

 Then me.

It was like a row of dominoes falling….once one person started laughing we all started.

After we all stopped laughing we noticed one of the cats hiding behind a plant next to where we were playing cards.

Looks like he was trying to get away from all our noise.  Poor thing…..there was no escape. LOL

One round ended with everyone holding the same numbers.

By the time we the last round was played it was 10 o’clock and Shannon’s clock started chiming.  This is a clock that Harold and John had worked on two days in a row.  We think the chimer is now fixed.  To make sure Shannon counted the chimes.

Yeah….it chimed ten times for 10 o’clock.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Blueberry pancakes and 10 Penny

Got up this morning and headed over to Shannon’s for breakfast. John made blueberry pancakes I while cooked bacon. Yum Yum!

After breakfast I started cooking some green beans I purchased from a local farmer’s market to go with the pulled pork we would have for dinner. Shannon loves green beans and I promised I would cook her a large pot of them.

We brought Fred with us again today. This time Shannon’s cats were all in the same room. We weren’t sure how they would get along but everything was fine. I don’t think Fred had ever been around a cat before. I was surprised …….he did not even bark.

Two of the larger cats. It’s a good thing they like each other since they decided to get into the same basket. LOL

Fred was so comfortable he made himself at home on the top of the couch and settled in for a nap.

Shannon, Lester, Savannah, Harold, Sandie, John and I all gathered around for …….more 10 Penny. Today was not my day with cards LOL Before long it was lunchtime so Shannon reheated the leftover lasagna and garlic bread. It was just as good the second time around. After lunch we went right back to playing 10 Penny. I was determined to improve my score. LOL I think Harold and I both were at the bottom of the scoreboard for a while. Even though we were on the losing end we still laughed about it.

Dinnertime arrived and we had pulled pork sandwiches and green beans. We played one last round of 10 Penny before Harold and Sandie left for the night. They will be traveling back home to Jacksonville, Florida tomorrow. I know Shannon, Lester and Savannah have enjoyed their visit and will miss them. This week has flown by.

Shannon with her dad Harold.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

More 10 Penny at Shannon’s

Slept in until 8:00 this morning then read blogs and caught up on emails. After lunch we headed over to Shannon’s. Fred went along with us today.

We played a round of 10 Penny then it was time to go to the Dairy Queen for banana splits and other treats. Every year Harold and Sandie have a tradition of going to Dairy Queen for treats on Lester’s birthday. Yesterday was Lester’s actual birthday but he wanted to wait until today to have his banana split.

When we returned to Shannon’s we resumed our 10 Penny playing. After the the first round John and Harold relocated to the living room.

I think they both fell asleep but in this picture Harold was watching TV while John slept on. That last 10 Penny round must have worn them out. LOL

Fred, Savannah and Lester also relocated to living room. Savannah is hidden in that zebra blanket.

Later Savannah modeled her new cheerleading uniform for us. Go Peake!!

For dinner tonight Sandie prepared lasagna with garlic bread. It was very tasty. Thank you Sandie. Of course, after dinner we resumed playing 10 Penny. On the round when you are trying to get a set of four Sandie and I were not having any luck. When someone finally went out this is what I had in my hand.

Now looking at all these cards you would think that I could get a set four cards of the same number. I ended up with 155 points. After I had counted my points Sandie said, “ I thought we were trying to get two sets of four.” This is what she had in her hand. Yes, that is five 6's in the upper left.

She realized at this point that she had had what she needed all along. We all laughed because…..what else can you do but laugh. We had a good time.

Laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.