Camaraderie - Day 562 (Yr 2, Day 181)

Asheville, NC

It always amazes me how catastrophes or any kind of event brings folks together.  Besides how everyone pitched in to help each other out during the river flood on Monday (I never did mention how Mitch lent his truck to help another fifth wheel get out of their spot as they didn't have a tow vehicle -- someone else had to drive it though!), it forms new friendships.

We had a very enjoyable evening around the campfire with 6 new folks who we met during the flood.  Interesting that these people have been here for quite a while and we've never had the chance to meet them before.

I look forward to inviting them to a New Year's eve party tomorrow night!  Hopefully I'll remember to take a few photos for posterity.

Exciting night - Day 561 (Yr 2, Day 180)

Asheville, NC

It all started at almost 1:00 am, when we received a call from Mitch's sister Jane.  The only time anyone in the family ever calls at odd hours is when (G-d forbid!) there is an emergency.  So seeing her name pop up on caller ID gave us both a big scare.  Turns out she is in CA visiting her kids and accidentally pocket (or butt) dialed us.  Big, big relief.

We fell back to sleep and were awakened again around 3:00 am by loud voices and a truck engine.  We looked out the window to see one of the RVs trying to find a spot to park in.  Upon further investigation, we realized that the river had overflowed its banks (if you refer to my previous post, we heard about the flood watches on Friday and decided to move to the other side of the campground then - a decision we're very happy we made.  Even though it remained safe through the weekend, there was even more heavy rain, with more on the way over the next few days).

We went outside to discover that everybody else on the river side had evacuated, either to this side or left the campground.  I'm sure there must have been a lot of commotion, and I have no clue how both of us managed to sleep through it.   In front of our site, the water was a little past the halfway point between the river side and our side (about 10 more feet to go to reach us), but it was up against the pads a few sites down.  The weather reports were warning that the river would continue to rise until about 5:15 am before it would start to recede.  So we had a dilemma: stay put or evacuate?  The owner, as well as 2 permanent residents here (who have a lot of experience with this) said that although it was a gamble, chances were very slim that we would get flooded on our side.  They felt the worst that would happen is the water would reach the front of our site, but even if it did go beyond that (to the very back), it was only standing water, not a raging river, and we were high enough off the ground and the water level would never rise that high.  So we took the chance and decided to stay.

By 8:30 this morning the water had receded back to a few inches below the bank, and now (at noon) it is a few feet below.  The campground staff is busy cleaning up all the debris that the water brought along with it.

Still a lot to be grateful for besides having the foresight to move earlier rather than once the water rose and in the dark and when everyone else was moving, but also this week has brought many, many tornadoes in the southern states (hardest hit: TX and MS) with as many as 25 deaths from those very severe storms.  The rain we've had is part of that storm system, but we only had to deal with the flooding.

Update to previous post - Day 557 (Yr 2, Day 176)

Asheville, NC

Did I mention in my last post about the sun and blue sky peeking thru and the end to the rain?  Well, that lasted all of 5 minutes.  Not only did the rain resume, but now, the warnings we were waiting and watching for came -- that the additional rain was going to affect the part of the river where we are.  In fact, someone from a neighboring campground came by to make sure everyone here was aware of the threat and took appropriate precautions.

So, in the middle of doing my Shabbat cooking, we had to hustle to get everything disconnected and put away, to move 20 feet across the way.

As always, fellow RVers are very friendly and helpful folks, and many have way more experience in doing this stuff than we do.  The folks who live across the way from where we were (Matt & Laurie) - Matt drives a truck for a living and helped us hitch and back into the spot in about 10 minutes (of course, this was after Mitch tried to hitch himself for about 1/2 hr and I finally convinced him to give up; now was not the time to be stubborn and get practice).  Good thing, as the rain resumed just as we finished parking.

Now I have a nice view of the river from my dining room / office table instead of the back window.  But that's ok.  We are NOT moving again until it's time to leave!

Back home - Day 557 (Yr 2, Day 176)

Asheville, NC

I confess I've been a little lazy in getting to write this post.

Tuesday was another busy work day, although not as bad as Monday.  I was able to take a little break at noon and decided to go swimming and in the hot tub again.  One of my clients wants me to give a training session to his reps, so I had to be prepared by 5:00.  Tuesday evening, we met with 2 of Mitch's colleagues (Mike and Kandi), who are also RV full-timers working with Southern Cross and also located in Asheville (a different campground) who were asked to go to Durham for the week as well.  Very lovely couple!  I hope we get to spend more time with them.

On Wednesday, I arranged for a late check-out (1:00 instead of noon) because I had another training session to do.  After that, I moved the party down to the lobby/cafe area until Mitch returned at 2:00.  It was pouring rain and despite his expensive rain suit, he was soaked to the skin and had to change before we could hit the road back to Asheville.  We left the hotel at 2:30 and finally arrived home around 9:00 pm.  The traffic wasn't too bad, but there were some severe storms coming in from the midwest, so we had quite a few bands of torrential downpours to drive through.  I did the first 3.5 hours of driving because I can't drive at night (night vision-where all I see is a blur of lights and I can't judge where those lights are).  Mitch did the last hour.  With all the flood warnings we were hearing about, we called the campground first to determine if we were under an evacuation warning again.  We were told that so far there had only been regular rain (the worst of the storms were expected to hit on Thursday), so everything was ok.  So now knowing we didn't have to rush back to prep to move, we allowed ourselves to stop off the highway for a real dinner out (we went to Chili's).

It's always a great relief to return home after being away for a few days (or longer) and discover that everything is exactly the way we left it (it was the same in our sticks & bricks house as well).  We brought everything inside and just left it there, to unpack the next day (another first for me!  I can never stand clutter and need to have everything in order at all times, but I guess I was just too tired to deal with it right then).  We watched some "tv," had some wine and then went to bed.

The rain started around 5:30 am and lasted pretty much until about 5pm; with several bands of very intense rain and thunderstorms.  Once again, we watched the river level come within inches of the top of the bank, and were on alert to close up and move to the other side.  We thought we were in the clear, but heard about more rain & flash flooding conditions for Friday morning.  There was some rain but not as intense, and it ended around 10am (when the sun and some blue sky peeked through for a few minutes).  Again, we thanked G-d for keeping us safe and for not having to move.

I should also mention that the country right now is seeing extremely unusual weather patterns.  Whereas it's supposed to be in the 30s-40s this time of year, we are having a 72 degree Christmas day.  I understand it hit 74 in NYC yesterday, and it's pretty much in the 60s and 70s all along the east coast.  Not that I'm complaining at all!!!  If only it were this warm and sunny though.

So yesterday (Thursday) and today (Friday) were like vacation days for me as my clients are all taking the time off.  I spent the morning doing household stuff and then convinced Mitch to join me and spend the rest of the day just vegging and watching movies.  Today, in between just playing around on the internet, I'm also doing some household stuff and preparing for Shabbat.  At the moment, Mitch is visiting one of our campground neighbors who is having some computer problems, so he's doing some tech support.  It would be awesome if he could make that his full time work, but I don't think there's enough need to pay the bills (it's good pocket change though, if he even charges.  Sometimes it's nice to just make friends and if they offer something, that's sweet).

Another enjoyable evening - Day 553 (Yr 2, Day 172)

Durham, NC

It was a pretty heavy work day, as expected, and I was working from about 7am until 5.  I did force myself to take a break for about a half hour and went to the fitness center and walked on the treadmill until my hip gave out (about 15 mins).  They also have very lovely grounds here, but the weather wasn't really nice enough to walk them.

Mitch arrived back to the room at around 6 (was on the road also at 7), and took about 1/2 hr to decompress.

We went out for a nice meal at Red Robin where I had a Boca burger wrapped in lettuce and a side of broccoli (I don't know if I mentioned that I've been back on Weight Watchers for the past 3 weeks now.  I don't own a scale so I don't know how much I've lost, but I can tell I am definitely having success).  It's really great that I don't need to go to meetings or even invest in an online membership, as everything I need to know (support groups, points calculators, points lists, even restaurant listings) can be found online.

Mitch also learned that an emergency situation has arisen in Asheville, so we will NOT be returning here next week.  That makes me very happy, and I guess it all worked out well that we didn't bring the rig with us after all.

We wore our bathing suits under our clothes because we wanted to go for a swim but knew that if we ended up back in the room, we'd be too lazy and tired to change.  It was a great idea because I really missed being in a pool and hot tub.  It was really delightful.

Mitch's b'day, driving - Day 552 (Yr 2, Day 171)

Durham, NC

Yes, you read that right - not Asheville!  But no, we're not staying here.  Mitch's company needed some extra hands in the Raleigh/Durham area to finish up the work by the end of year, so they are bringing almost all of their NC workers here to help out. But I think I already mentioned that, as well as the plans for driving 5 hours back and forth, twice.

The highlight of the week was Mitch's birthday, which was on Saturday.  After Shabbat, we went to Bonefish Grill for dinner, and then saw Star Wars: The Force Reawakens.  Other than my accidentally breaking my wine glass (for which the manager not only comped a new glass, but comped our appetizers of $17 sushi), it was a very enjoyable evening.

When we arrived in Raleigh, we hung out at Jessica & Griffin's home for a few hours, and then went out to dinner with them (again, a sushi restaurant!)

The hotel we're staying at is very nice.  It's a La Quinta.  Ok, not a Hyatt or the Ritz, but compared to the places we stay at within our own budget (Super 8, Red Roof Inn), it's luxurious!  Even has an indoor pool and nice fitness center, which I hope to have a chance to use.  Unfortunately, I have a very overloaded work schedule Monday and Tuesday, but I'm hoping perhaps I can at least work poolside.

Update on travel plans - still Day 546 (Yr 2, Day 168)

Asheville, NC

As you know from my last post from this morning, Mitch needs to work during the business days next week and the week after in Raleigh (that's Mon-Tues-Wed of next week and Mon-Tues-Wed-Thurs the following week).  He does not feel confident that we'll have enough time to do all the prep work necessary to get the rig road ready (it will take a good deal of the day just getting the tires inflated).  We also can't afford to pay for the hotel for the non-work days that the company won't cover.  So the plan is that we'll drive back and forth each week.  We will leave here on Sunday and return on Thursday, then leave again the following Sunday and return on New Years day.

Sigh.

Finally some news - Day 546 (Yr 2, Day 168)

Asheville, NC

Finally some news about our next steps, as Mitch's work in Asheville is winding down (may even be finished by the end of this week).

First, they need some extra hands in the Raleigh area, so they are sending us back there next week through the end of the year.  That's for about 2 weeks, so if we can figure out how to make the time to get the rig road ready after sitting for 4 months, it makes the most sense to take our home with us.  Boss suggested we leave the rig here and they'd pay for a hotel (excluding the Xmas, day after, and the weekend -- that would have to come out of our pockets:  no, Jess can't accommodate us) so as not to lose our space.  That's not really a concern though.  We may lose our exact spot on the river, but it's not busy season so I'm confident there will be a space for us somewhere in the park.  Question is whether we really want to move (not to mention that horrible mountain grade again).  We'll need to give this some serious thought tonight.

Anyway, Mitch was told that they really don't have a great deal of work for travelers at the beginning of the year, so rather than relocate us, they want us to stay in this area where they still have some work withinin a 50 mile radius (Hendersonville, Tryon, Mills River, Flat Rock, and so forth).  So we will definitely be here through January.

Amazing weather! - Day 545 (Yr 2, Day 167)

Asheville, NC

No unusual events or exciting adventures to report since Wednesday, other than some amazing weather.  It's supposed to be in the 30's to 40s this time of year, but it has been in the high 60's, with yesterday reaching 72!!!  Today is expected to be about 70.  Many folks around here back to shorts and t-shirts!  It was really lovely yesterday (Shabbat) being able read out back by the river, wearing a t-shirt.  (It's expected to be in the mid to high 60s all week, with rain tomorrow and Thursday).

In fact, the weather was so lovely that we decided to have a campfire after Shabbat.  We met several new folks who arrived within the last few days, and invited them all to party with us.  Unfortunately, they all had plans so we were alone, enjoying each others company.

This morning, Mitch has been spending under the truck, filling the tires.  He also went up on the roof to investigate, as it's been a while and we wanted to make sure it wasn't loaded with leaves (it wasn't).  When he's done with the tires, we'll be heading out shopping -- he needs to pick up some things at Lowes, Harbor Freight and Walmart.  Maybe if we get back from shopping early enough, we can take the urb-es out for a ride to the park.

Mitch's day at work - Day 541 (Yr 2, Day 163)

Asheville, NC

Most of the week had been spent doing surveys (checking for gas leaks) in subdivisions (new housing developments).  Today, he is in the middle of a field, with a beautiful view (he's in Mill River, about 25 miles south).

To get there, he had to pick his way through a forest of brambles:

Beautiful view, nice hike.  That white speck in the background is the truck.

Chanukkah - Day 539 (Yr 2, Day 161)

Asheville, NC

We did indeed have a really nice time at the Chanukkah party sponsored by "our" Chabad (of Asheville), although it was an event open to the entire community.  There were well over 500 people in attendance.  There were so many fun things for the kids to do -- I wish they had something like this when our kids were young!

The event was held at the Crowne Plaza Expo Center, so it was a huge facility.  There were about 5 different inflatable jump houses and tunnels (like an indoor playground), and a lot of crafts tables: painting, sketching, build a dreidel out of legos (plus just a lego play station), play dreidel against Judah Maccabee (with a person dressed as him, and a table full of chocolate gelt (money)).  There was a face painter, gift boutique, and various tables representing the area synagogues and Jewish organizations such as Jewish Family Services and Asheville Jewish Business Organization.

The decor was very nice as well, with lovely centerpieces, balloons and tiny silver and blue stars on each table.

There was a large stage, where they had a nice band playing throughout the event (which was 3-6 pm).  At one point, the kids from the Hebrew school put on a short singing performance.

And, of course, there was the food area. Mitch and I volunteered to help, and we were put to work as food servers (it would have been too chaotic for so many people to be helping themselves).  There were 10 stations in total; 2 identical ones on either side of the area.  The foods were: greek salad, green beans w/mushrooms, latkes (of course!), eggplant parm, cheese lasagna, and sushi, plus dessert of fruit, babka and donuts.  I was in charge of serving the green beans, and Mitch served the latkes.

Of course, the highlight of the day was the lighting of the menorah, which was quite an amazing piece.  Each stem was made of a clear pipe filled with pennies collected by Chabad during the year.  At the end of the holiday, it will all be donated to a local charity.

I took a video of the candle lighting ceremony but unfortunately, it's over 2 minutes long and too large to post here.  If you're interested in seeing it, send me a message and I'll be happy to send you a link to download (which will take a bit of time as it's about 44 MB.

When the event was over, we went home and had our own little candle lighting ceremony.  First, I decorated my kitchen (putting up the holiday pot holders and towel) and we lit the electric menorah for the window:

We then lit the regular candles and opened an awesome gift from Jessica (assorted chocolates in really clever packaging):

And now starts another work week!

Thanksgiving (a bit late) - Day 535 (Yr 2, Day 157)

Asheville, NC

I can't believe it has been a week since we left for Raleigh, NC to spend Thanksgiving with our dear daughter, her husband, my super sister-in-law Doris, and a few friends (Shana & Jared--newly married and Shannon, with Jason dropping by), and, of course, our favorite grandpup Ellie.  Reason for not posting:  up to my eyeballs in alligators with work.  Not that it's a bad thing, but being that November was very slow, it's like everyone was making up for it by bombarding me with a lot of stuff to do this week.  I am finally finding a few minutes to post.

So... the drive to Raleigh wasn't bad.  We left Asheville on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) at 8:00am and arrived around 1:00pm, having stopped for an hour for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel.  We didn't take the CoW as there was no time to do all the prep work for towing, so we stayed at the Red Roof Inn in Cary.

Dinner, of course, was amazing.  I just can't believe I didn't take any pictures of the food or people. :(  This year I wanted to partake of the delicious side dishes made with dairy, so I had the Tofurkey.  Plus, since Jess was expecting a large crowd (which turned out not to be the case), a kosher bird wouldn't have worked as she needed at least 25 lbs and I can never find one larger than about 13.

Friday we hung around the house until later in the afternoon, then Jess, me and Doris went to Lowes Foods (to show off the store), and World Market.  We all love that store!

Saturday, Mitch and I went to our favorite home away from home - Chabad of Cary.  It was great to see all our friends there.  Then we hung around the house, and had a nice sushi dinner.  We met for breakfast on Sunday morning (8:15) and then hit the road.

As I said, the rest of the week has been spent on the computer from dawn until dusk all week, and Mitch working on his gas line stuff.

Channukah starts on Sunday.  Hopefully I will post about the event we'll be attending then.

POST SCRIPT:   When we left Asheville, we wore 4 layers of clothes as it was 30 degrees.  By the time we arrived in Raleigh, it was 70!!!  We had absolutely amazing weather all weekend.  Of course, when we returned to Asheville, we had nothing but rain.  In fact, by Wednesday, we were under a flood warning again, watching the river come within inches of the bank and being prepared to evacuate to the other side of the campground.  Fortunately, the rain stopped in time and we were safe.  Last night, the furnace kicked on as the temps dropped below 30, although the next few days will be sunny and in the low to mid 50s.  I really want to move someplace warmer!!!

Met new folks - Day 527 (Yr 2, Day 149)

Asheville, NC

While taking out the trash, I noticed a new RV (Class A) pulled in and they had a banner on the front window: "Live, Love, Travel" and their website address:  RVLove.com.  Of course, I had to look them up, and it turns out they are also fellow RVillagers.  They are Marc & Julie Bennett and are really wonderful folks.  They also started full timing around the same time we did, but they have traveled much, much more.  Julie is originally from Australia, but they left their sticks & bricks home in Colorado.  They are much younger than we are (late 30's), and both work full time from their rig as well.  I'm glad we had the chance to hang out, even if it was only for an hour or 2 over a glass (or a few glasses!) of wine.

Tomorrow (Thurs, 11/26 - Thanksgiving day), we will be traveling to Raleigh to spend the holiday weekend with the kids and Doris.  Really looking forward to it!  My next post will hopefully have some exciting stuff to share.  If nothing else, a photo of a great feast!  Let's see if Jess can top last year's:  http://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/2014/12/day-155-of-journey-garner-nc.html

Fun Sunday - Day 525 (Yr 2, Day 147)

Asheville, NC

No postings this week, as it was all "same old, same old" -- work, work, work.  Saturday was a nice service at shul, but Sunday we allowed ourselves to take the day off for some fun.

At first, we had hoped to go to the Biltmore Estate.  However, when we added up the cost of admission, tour, food and probably wine from the winery (how can you go there and not buy any???), it would have been in the $250-300 range.  We decided that as spectacular (albeit ostentatious, although there's a lot of art dating to the 1500s - I could enjoy the historical aspect) place as it is, we just can't justify that kind of expense.  Even if we kept a tighter budget, it would still be close to $200.  Maybe we'll change our minds and go some time before we leave Asheville, but it's no longer a burning desire.

Our next choice was to do what's called the Urban Trail in downtown Asheville.  Kind of like the Boston Trail, there are 31 historical landmarks, indicated by a plaque in the sidewalk and a nearby sculpture.  There were a few in previous posts (the turkeys and hogs, as well as a girl watering a horse).  We thought that would be a lot of fun to do with our urb-es (and free) but it was the coldest day of the year so far -- 41 degrees with a wind chill of about 38.  It was just way too frigid for us to be out and about for so long.  That's definitely on our list of things we'd like to do soon.  So after doing a few chores (shul for their Channukah boutique where we needed to buy some candles and gelt (chocolate money to use for betting during our dreidel or poker games), Staples, a car wash (they don't do duallies), Trader Joes (nowhere to park so didn't do that either), we spent the afternoon in downtown at the Asheville Pinball Museum.

Now, this kind of place was right up our alley!  It is kind of a cross between an arcade and museum, with paraphernalia and machines dating back to the 1930s.  Best of all, most of the machines were available to play with the cost of admission ($13).  There were all kinds of pinball machines, old time video games (remember Pacman, Asteroids, Breakout?), and a shooting gallery.  They also had a bar that served beer.  We parked about 10 blocks away, so we rode the urb-es anyway.

Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Grove Arcade, where we looked in the windows at the gorgeous craft items, and then purchased some homemade fudge for Mitch and gifts.  We were going to eat at an Indian restaurant, but it was closed, so we went back home, first stopping at Edna's for some sandwiches.  All in all, except for the cold, a very fun day.  Here are some photos:

Nice Shabbat - Day 517 (Yr 2, Day 139)

Asheville, NC

The highlight of the weekend was a Shabbaton at the shul Friday night.  Basically, it's a big get-together which includes a nice meal, camaraderie, singing and words of wisdom.  We met a new person who is a farmer about 30 miles away -- he raises cattle and sheep for meat.  This is a very diverse community!   A good time was had by all.

Today - household chores and shopping.  Mitch should have his Urb-e back this week, so I really hope we can make time to get to Biltmore next Sunday.

The Day - Day 514 (Yr 2, Day 136)

Asheville, NC

I really wish I had more to report on, but this is same old, same old.  Although I do find it odd that I didn't blog on what Mitch and I did to celebrate our anniversary last year.  I know we were in Garner, NC (near Raleigh).  Did we go out to eat?  Did Jess and Griffin join us?  Can't remember at all, and sorry I didn't write about it.

So, I write about what we did last night, which wasn't very exciting, although we had a good time.  We did as planned - went to the new bar that opened down the road.  Since they don't serve food, we were in time to stop at the cafe there and pick up some sandwiches (very nice vegetarian and vegan choices.  The cafe is Edna's on the River and the bar is the Cascade Lounge.  It is small place with a very pleasant atmosphere.  The owners were there (1 is the bartender) were were extremely friendly.  We sat at a booth and enjoyed each other's company while we reminisced about our lives for the past 37 years.  Went out at 6:30, returned by 8:30.  Mitch had some technical stuff to do, and we went to bed by 9:30.

Today was another gorgeous day weather wise, although I shamefully admit I didn't take advantage of it.  I didn't feel like fussing with the urbe - getting it untarped and unlocked and then retarping and relocking it.  I did, however, go outside and met our new temporary next door neighbors, Phil & Eunice.  They bought a Starcraft TT 3 months ago (first RV) and just started traveling.  They are from Raleigh!  We had a nice chat for about 1/2 hr, then they had to leave to go to the world renowned Xmas display at the Biltmore Estates.  They leave Saturday, so not sure if I'll get to spend much more time with them.  It's been a while since I've been able to meet anyone here since the weather's been so bad and no one's been hanging out outside.

Beautiful day - Day 513 (Yr 2, Day 135)

Asheville, NC

At first it was a mystery. What was that strange color in the sky and that yellow orb?  Figured out it was a blue sky and the sun, something I haven't seen for quite a while!!!  There was no wind and it was about 60 degrees.  A bit on the cold side for me, but still a gorgeous day.  I took advantage and took a ride on my urb-e to Carrier Park where there was a LOT of activity.  So many bikers, joggers, dog walkers.  It's also a federal holiday (Veterans Day), so there were a lot of kids out.  There is a field in the park for English Lawn Bowling, and there was a game going on there, which I stopped to watch for a little while (it's very much like boccie).  The playground was loaded.  There was even a volleyball game going on on the sand court, as well as what appeared to be football practice.  Overall, a nice Fall day to be outdoors.

It is also mine and Mitch's 37th year anniversary!!!  Nothing fancy planned.  We're going to new bar that opened up the street for a drink or 2, just to get away from the house for a few hours.  Hopefully we'll get there before the adjacent cafe closes so we can bring in some food; otherwise we'll run up the street and bring back some Chinese.  As long as I don't have to cook.  Reason for not going fancier: Mitch gets home late, exhausted, and is in no mood to drive very far and have to deal with trying to find a place to park since the best places are in the downtown area.

Very productive day - Day 511 (Yr 2, Day 133)

Asheville, NC

Yesterday (Sunday) was finally a very productive day.  Although very cloudy, the rain stayed at bay, and Mitch told his boss he really needed the day off (he's now required to work 50 hrs/week plus 5 hrs on Sundays).

We got up at 8:00.  By end of day, I had done 4 loads of wash (I do a load every week, but got caught up with towels, sheets and assorted "back burner" stuff).  We started out with me making a very fancy omelet while Mitch did a major bathroom/toilet cleaning.  Around the bottom of the bowl and under the plastic covering was getting extremely disgusting (Mitch calls it "boy stuff" -- you can use your imagination).  It was so bad that the bathroom had a bad odor and it's not something the mop could get at.  It required his getting down on his hands and knees and cleaning it with a sponge.  Nice and fresh now!

The next project was getting rid of those box elder bugs and putting up screening so nothing can get into the vent areas again.  We took a trip to Lowes and bought a spray bottle and fine mesh screening.  Some folks suggested that a solution of Dawn dish soap and water would work on killing those bugs without the fear of spraying flammable insecticide into an area heated with propane.  Oddly enough, it worked wonders!!!  We had a huge pile of seemingly hundreds of dead bugs immediately after spraying.  Mitch then spent some time cutting down the mesh and affixing it to the inside of all the open vents where bugs could creep in.  Well, not all -- still need to do the refrigerator vents (which requires a ladder) and go up on the roof where I'm sure there are tons in the a/c vents.

The next big project was cleaning out and organizing the truck.  For our friends and family who remember what our garage in the sticks & bricks house looked like -- well, that's pretty much what the truck had become, with all Mitch's tools and junk strewn all over the place.  It was really time to clean it up and reorganize stuff.  I think we can finally find a place for someone to sit in the back again!  (If the previous owner ever saw this, he'd have major conniptions!)  In addition to cleaning the inside, the truck has gone thru a few mud baths and we haven't had the chance to bring it to a truck wash, so Mitch tried to clean it by hand.  He got 1/4 (back door) done.

There were still a few other projects I wanted to accomplish, but by now it was getting late and we were both exhausted, so we called it quits.  We treated ourselves to some nice cocktails and got a little drunk (one of us, no names mentioned but of the male gender, much more than the other).

Today was yet another rainy day and the river is almost at the top of the bank again.

Regarding Mitch's work, I already mentioned that he has to work a mandatory 10 hour/day Mon-Fri plus about 5 hrs on Sunday.  This is because there is a legal requirement that gas lines be inspected within a certain amount of time, otherwise the company will face major fines.  It must be accomplished by the end of the year, which is why they're revving up the hours.  All the rain hasn't helped at all either.  At least we know there's an end in sight.  We will most likely be moving by the end of the year.  To where is anyone's guess at this point.  When we started this lifestyle, it was with the plans that the work would follow us.  It is quite the opposite now -- we have to go where the work is.  But we are extremely grateful and blessed that there is work.  In 2 years we'll be able to collect from our 401K plans, so we just need to be patient.

More bugs, and this week's musings - Day 508 (Yr 2, Day 130)

Asheville, NC

It has been a very slow week for me, business wise.  Unfortunately, I'm not at the point of feeling confident enough to try to take my urb-e on a bus, which pretty much means just riding around the greenways.  The weather has also been pretty lousy, so not much incentive to even sit outside by the river.  This, too, shall pass so I'll just try to enjoy the peace and quiet and calm while it lasts.

I made a little investment this week ($15) -- a Dirt Devil stick vacuum.  Although I love my central vac, it really is a royal pain to take it out and assemble it, just to suck up a small area.  It's great when I need to do a full house vacuum, but for a quick pick-up, I think this will work out much better.  And being a stick, it shouldn't take up much space.

As for Mitch, he learned today that he will now be required to work 10 hour days M-F because the surveys are incredibly behind in this area.  They are trying to bring in more folks, but the constant rain this past month has set things even further back.  At least it's good money, but it will definitely put a damper on evening plans, and I don't even know how to handle Friday nights (Shabbat), especially now that candle lighting is in the 5:00 time frame and he won't get home until after 6.

And now for the title about the bugs.  We still have some stink bugs, but I'm only killing 2-3 a day instead of about 15-20.  However, they are now replaced by box elder bugs, which swarm and get into every crevice.  They are now outside, getting into the furnace and refrigerator vents, as well as covering almost every surface area.  This is just a small sampling.  Unfortunately, I don't think it would be very safe to use insecticide as it's flammable and the appliances they're getting into are propane.  I'm trying to explore other options.

Musings - Day 501 (Yr 2, Day 123)

Asheville, NC

I can't believe it's Friday, again!  Every week, one of my clients greets me with "Happy Friday," and I try to talk to my Dad on Fridays.  It just seems like this is happening every other day.  Where is time flying to???

This has been very slow week for me, work wise.  The weather has also been rather nasty, so I've been stuck indoors and bored.  Mostly I spent the time researching this and that and practicing my crocheting.  Today looks like it'll be a very  nice day, so I'm looking forward to taking my urb-e out.

Speaking of urb-es, Mitch's died.  Support (actually, the CTO of the company) spent about an hour on the phone with him, trying to troubleshoot the problem.  After trying every possibility, they suggested he send it back for repair or replacement.  Thank goodness we kept the box and packing materials!  So last night, we went to FedEx to deliver the box, stopped for a bite to eat at Chipotle's (they have braised tofu on the menu -- sofritas) and then went shopping at the new Publix that opened.  It's the 2nd store in Asheville (1st is Harris Teeters) that has a small frozen kosher section, with some chickens - both cooked & prepared - frozen gefilte fish and Tabachnick soups).  Still, I do miss Shoprite Kosher Experience in NJ!

Along our travels, we witnessed a magnificent sunset.  This pic was taken from Mitch's camera.  Not bad, but still doesn't do it complete justice.  I still can't say that I've seen any breathtaking fall foliage.  I've seen some colors, but nothing that took my breath away.  They say people come from all over the country this time of year specifically for that, so they're either in for great disappointment this year, or the best is still yet to come.

Better weekend - Day 497 (Yr 2, Day 119)

Asheville, NC

On Friday night, we had some friends from shul join us for Shabbat dinner (Doris and Bill).  They live 6 months near Orlando, FL and 6 months in Shannonoa (about 15 miles east of Asheville).  This was their last week here before heading back south.  At shul, they seem like such an interesting couple (and they are!!!!), that we just had to spend more time with them.  A wonderful evening was enjoyed by all.

On Sunday, Mitch was asked to put in some overtime, and I had a pretty big project I needed to get a head start on, so it was a full, billable work day for both of us.

Today, and for the next 3 days, the nice weather we've been having has broken and there will be lots of rain yet again.

Our friends from "next door" (Kathy and Allen) will also be leaving this week, heading back to their FL home.  They have a lot of family in this area and it's been non-stop for them for the past month.  Tonight is the only night they have free, so we decided to try to do something special, even if it's just happy hour (be nice if in front of a campfire).  But due to the rain, it's anyone's guess what we'll end up doing.  Will post tomorrow on the outcome.

Oh, there's this awesome place opening very soon just down the road (and within urb-e distance):  www.ashevillefoodpark.com.  There's a great cafe (with quite a few vegetarian choices on the menu and they roast their own coffee beans), a bar with music, a farm stand, and lots of food trucks (and of course, in this area, I expect to see a lot of natural and vegetarian options there as well).  I'm really looking forward to their opening.

Again counting blessings - Day 493 (Yr 2, Day 115)

Asheville, NC

A little rain must fall....  a few bad things happened to both of us today, but surely God has been watching over us.

Mitch -- started out his day, with 3 gas tanks totaling 105 gallons - ran out of gas!!!  He wasn't paying close attention.  As luck would have it, it pulled into a place where there was a truck carrying diesel fuel to fill school buses.  He was able to negotiate "buying" a gallon of gas -- enough to get to a gas station.

Later in the day, he parked on the side of the road, not realizing it was a drainage ditch and got stuck in the mud -- up to the top of the tire!  4 wheel drive, which as helped him out of a difficult spot in the past, only sunk him deeper in the mud.  He needed to wait for a tow truck to pull him out.

Cheryl - was out riding Urb-e, and took a path down an isolated dirt road.  Didn't see the hole in the ground.  Scooter struck the hole and I went head first over the scooter.  It was nothing short of a miracle that I didn't hurt anything (although my left shoulder is a bit sore).  It was a bit of a challenge getting up off the ground without something to lean on or pull me up, but after about 10 minutes, I finally did it (holding on to the Urb-e, which wasn't steady to begin with, and which I also had to lift up to a standing position).  Counting blessings that the fall didn't dislocate my hip again!

This evening, a new couple pulled in next to us with a tear-drop type trailer (Gary & Wendy from CA). They do a lot of traveling - hardly really stopping to enjoy the places they stay.  They had a great campfire going and I joined them for a bit.  They are a very interesting couple.  I am really enjoying getting to meet all these interesting people and am happy I'm coming out of my shell to intrMitch (understandably) was feeling very anti-social and didn't want to join us.  I was going to stay for smores, but I felt guilty leaving Mitch alone in such a mood so I came back inside to keep him company.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a brighter day.  But again, things could have been so much worse and we have so much to be thankful for.  In fact, as I'm writing this, Mitch just fell off his stool, but fortunately was not hurt.

Fun show - Day 493 (Yr 2, Day 115)

Asheville, NC

Not sure if I mentioned that the computer chaos has mostly died down.  Mitch still has a bunch of wires, cables and components laying around, and my machine still hasn't been migrated, but at least it's up and running and I've recreated most of what I need, so at least I'm not panicking where work is concerned, and I can work at my "desk" again.

People continue to come and go for only a few days at a time here, and I have been getting much more comfortable with walking over to folks and starting up a conversation when they are outside.  I've shared a few "happy hours" with some, and am really meeting quite a lot of interesting people, most of whom are vacationers or part-timers.

So we went back to the Asheville Community Theater last night (first had dinner at Mellow Mushroom) to see "Olde Virden's SuperHappy Trivia Challenge."  Olde Virden is actually the sponsor who makes "Red Hot Sprinkles" (a spice mixture of chili peppers).

This was not so much a performance as it was an interactive (audience participation) game show.  This had a Halloween theme.  The theater seated about 50 people, and it's like everyone knew everyone else.  Guess they have a cult following!  Basically, there were 2 teams of 2 players who sat at their own tables in front, with the "MC" at a podium in the middle.  They took turns having to answer all kinds of questions to do with the holiday, superstitions, horror movies.  There were also other types of games thrown in, such as tell a story and the audience has to figure out if it's true or not, or fill in the blanks.  I'd say it was a cross between Family Feud, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Ask Me Another, and of course, just good old-fashioned improv.  All in all, it was hysterical and such great fun!  Even the program they had specially made had me rolling on the floor!  It's 6 pages, so not very easy to take a photo of to post here.

I said audience participation, right?  For those of you who know Mitch, you know how chatty (putting it nicely) he can be.  He actually got an award:

Fun day out - Day 479 (Yr 2, Day 112)

Asheville, NC

We followed our plans and spent the day in downtown Asheville.  First, we visited the HardLox Festival in Pack Square Park.  Kind of like the Organicfest, but with a Jewish theme.  We needed a new mezuzzah for the bedroom and found a very nice, yet inexpensive one.  We had our urb-e's with us, although I did more walking with it than riding (particularly on the narrow and/or crowded streets).  We must have been stopped at least 10 different times by folks wanting to know what it was!  We stopped at Gourmet Chips for a quick snack before going to the Asheville Community Theater's production of Young Frankenstein.  That was an awesome show!  Then again, anything by Mel Brooks has got to be hilarious!

The show was over at 5, and Mitch still had a bit of work to do getting the computers fixed, so we headed straight home.

We have another show at the theater on Wednesday evening, which I'm greatly looking forward to.

Weather was sunny, but didn't get up past about 55 degrees and windy.  There have been frost warnings around, and we've been waking up to temps in the 40s.  Winter is definitely around the corner.  I hate the cold, but it looks like I'm going to have to get used to it this year.

Computer chaos -- Day 477 (Yr 2, Day 110)

Asheville, NC

This week has been very stressful with regard to the laptops.  I thought it was a matter of just taking it out of the box, pressing a few buttons, and viola, it's ready.  Nope; especially not when you're working with an IT professional.  For one thing, he needed to replace the router (which required a lot of rewiring of the RV) because the new ones weren't up to date with what we had.  There's just so much technical mumbo jumbo that's beyond me to understand, so you'll just have to accept that this has been a major undertaking, trying to get my new machine up & running.  One of the things holding us back is that Mitch wants to migrate my old machine to the new one, but the system he needs to make the backup also crapped out (Jess - if you're reading this, we need to take the UPS's back).  Bottom line is that, although Mitch told me to hold off, the ONLY way I could get any work done is by starting over.  At least I was able to get the critical work files off the old hard drive.  Personal stuff I'll just either need to recreate from scratch or wait until Mitch has more time to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, it's been a major stress event for me because of the clutter.  He's working on about 4 machines at once, so there are all kinds of cables, wires and components laying out on every inch of free space (counters, tables, chairs, floor).  You know my OCD kicks in when there's a single paper clip out of place, so you can imagine what it's been like living like this all week.  I'm especially freaking out right now because we're having a guest for Shabbat dinner tonight (I already warned her about the mess; she's going thru a difficult time and I thought it was more important to give her a little respite and a warm shoulder than worry about having her sit on cables).  That's a really big step for me, although I'm still freaking out.

We didn't get to the bluegrass music on Tuesday because that's the day the laptops arrived and Mitch only has a limited number of hours after work that he can deal with this.  We do have plans on Sunday -- the Jewish festival and then the community theater (Young Frankenstein). 

New laptops, goodbyes - Day 474 (Yr 2, Day 107)

Asheville, NC

I had forgotten to mention that both mine and Mitch's laptops finally croaked.  Mind you, they once belonged to the company I used to work for -- purchased about 8 years ago.  About 4 years ago, they bought a few new ones and gave one of these older ones to me to replace my very old desktop model.  They also had another older laptop that they had no use for, and being old and obsolete, it wasn't worth anything to sell, so they gave that one to me to take home.  When the company closed, they let me take my laptop with me rather than try to sell it (being 7 years old by then, it was also pretty much worthless to sell).  Well, in our home downsizing and moving into the RV, we decided to keep only one tower computer, which is being used as our server, and use the 2 old laptops.  Over the past year, they have been slowly dying.  Mitch has "band-aided" both several times (by which I mean doing surgery on them -- taking them completely apart with screws and parts all over the counter -- or spending hours and hours formatting and reformatting).  Last week, both machines decided it was time to go to computer heaven.

Of course, this put me in a somewhat difficult position since I need my laptop for work.  Mitch was able to remove my hard drive and connect it externally to the server in order to copy the files I needed.  This machine doesn't have Microsoft Office, so I have to use and convert from a different set of programs (Libre Office).  Not happy about it, but it's a good temporary solution and gives me the ability to continue to work.  I should mention what my current setup looks like.  I use my laptop on the dinette table, but am currently hooked into the server machine, which is a tower that resides inside the cabinet next to the fireplace.  The "monitor" is our 42" flat screen tv.  I have the coffee table turned sideways (parallel to the fireplace) with the table top lifted to its full height to form a desk, and am sitting on a dinette chair.  This makes for a fine desk, although I'm not happy about it being in the middle of my living room!  Oh well, another test in patience and a reminder to count my blessings that at least I have a computer to work with for now.

Meanwhile, we found a very good deal online for new laptops (actually a combination laptop/tablet).  The giant box arrived yesterday.   Believe it or not, Mitch doesn't want to open the box yet!  He says there's still way too much to do first before we can get them up & running (first he needs to repeat what he did with the hard drives to remove all the files we need), we need to wait for a new router to arrive that's compatible with these machines otherwise we won't be able to access the internet, he needs to do file migrations, run a junk remover and do some other installations.  In other words, we can't just take it out of the box and start using it.  At least not the way he feels we should.

On another note, Barbara & Larry left this morning but we said our farewells yesterday afternoon.  I had a "tour" of their 1995 Blue Bell bus which was just amazing on the inside!  I also discovered that Barbara makes jewelry which she sells wherever she can (not for a living; just for fun and spending cash).  I was in need of a new black & white necklace to replace the one I lost, and she happened to have a beautiful set (black & silver necklace and matching earrings, for $18, which I bought).  They live in N. Ft. Myers so if we ever get back to that area, we'll be sure to visit them.

Nothing to report - Day 473 (Yr 2, Day 106)

Asheville, NC

Sorry; I didn't realize that I hadn't written after we moved the rig to the other side of the campground due to the threat of being evacuated as the river was about to overflow its banks.   We were very blessed in that it only came about an inch below the bank but did not overflow.  We actually did move back to the other side on Sunday (after writing the 10/4 post) - naturally with help from about 3 people to back in!  We're snugly settled in our favorite spot once again.

Last Monday and Tuesday were synagogue days - the last in this long holiday season.  My workload was pretty crazy on Wednesday and Thursday due to some of the backlog from those 2 days.  Today, however, I am totally caught up and have nothing to do (yet -- it's still early in the day).

Campground continues to get many people who stay a day or 2, or less than a week.  We met 2 very nice couples (who parked on either side of us):  Barbara & Larry from FL, who are staying 5 days just passing through on the way to a rally in Greensboro SC, and Cathy & Al, also from FL but with a lot of family in the area.  We also had the privilege of getting to know Betty & Tom from shul.  They are also Floridians and come up this way for a few months during the summer to early Fall.  They are leaving NC this week and I will miss them.

We have some upcoming plans for the next week or 2:  maybe tomorrow night, there is a restaurant nearby that has live music and a lot of vegetarian choices.  Tuesday nights they have bluegrass, so we're thinking of going there.  Next Sunday is the "Hardlox Festival" in Pack Square Park (where Organicfest was) which is a large Jewish festival (sadly, I inquired about their food and learned that it is only kosher style, not certified kosher, so the pastrami sandwich I was looking forward to is out).  Also next Sunday, we have tickets to see the musical version of Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks) at the community theater which is only a few blocks away from the park.  Since parking is very difficult in the downtown area, we're looking forward to bringing our urb-es.

On Wed. 10/21, there is another event at the community theater -- a trivia show, very similar to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (our favorite NPR radio program).

There's also a 6 week class starting next week at Chabad which I would like to attend.  It's at night and Mitch has no desire to go.  I can't drive at night, so unless the rabbi can either arrange a ride for me, or they can have someone bring a laptop with a webcam, running Skype or Google Talk, I won't be able to go.  They're also running the same class at Chabad in Cary, so I've inquired whether they'll be live streaming the way they do with their Lunch & Learn programs.

As for the gorgeous fall foliage we've been told about - nothing yet, although I'm starting to see patches of color here and there.  We still haven't had a chance to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway or visit Biltmore.  Hopefully there's still a chance.

In terms of travel plans (remember - plans are made in jello!), ideally, since we have the campground booked on a month to month basis (cheapest that way), and it's now reserved until 11/3, it would be nice if they would let us relocate for the remainder of November back to Raleigh, and then move south or to AZ after Thanksgiving for the winter.  But it all depends on Mitch being able to make contact with his boss, who has yet to respond to him.

All OK - Day 465 (Yr 2, Day 98)

Asheville, NC

Yesterday (yes, we had to break some Shabbat rules, but I think it's ok where safety is involved), as the threat was getting more severe, we hitched up and moved to the other side of the campground where it's a bit safer.  We were told there was still no guarantee that it would be completely safe if the river overflowed significantly, but there was still less of a chance the flood waters would reach this side.  We decided to take our chances on this side, staying hitched in case we were evacuated, in which case we would go 5 miles down the road to the empty supermarket parking lot.

Fortunately, the river did not overflow, although it came very close.  Remember, the water was about 15-20 feet below the bank before this storm.  Here's a picture of Jessica at the bottom of the steps a few weeks ago, and Mitch near there today.  You can see how the water is at the 4th step from the top now!  Also following are a few more photos of how close to the bank the water is.

There is still a warning out that the river is still rising and can still overflow the bank, although not significantly.  We will stay on this side for a few more days.

Tomorrow is another major holiday (Shemini Atzeret - 8th day of Sukkot) and we plan on attending services.  Guess we'll have to unhitch and then hitch up again if we want to move to the other side.

REALLY bad weather - Day 463 (Yr 2, Day 96)

Asheville, NC

Not much time to write a lot right now as I'm heading into Shabbat, but a quick update.

As my previous posts stated, we've had a lot of rain.  Well, there's a hurricane off the Atlantic coast whose effects are being seen as far west as the mid-West.  The mountains of NC (where we are) is being hit especially hard with flash floods; the worst is yet to come tomorrow into Sunday night.

Being right on the river, it's been interesting to watch how much the river has risen in the last day.  Usually there's about 10 feet from the water to the top of the ridge; now it's about 5 feet.  We're under a flood watch and were warned there's a (good) chance we'll be asked to evacuate some time tomorrow night when the heaviest rains arrive, as the river will overflow its banks and we'll get flooded.

Currently, we're packing up everything that we can.  We put all out outdoor stuff away yesterday and currently Mitch is disconnecting the sewer and water, so if we have to pull out, all we'll need to do is unplug the electric.  We already filled the fresh water so we have enough to use the sink and flush the toilet for at least a week.  The evacuation plan is there's a supermarket that closed down (they moved to another location) on the main road about 5 miles away.  That should be a big enough space for us to park for a day or 2 or 3.

Watch for the next post to see what happened!

Sukkot, Urb-e riding, stink bugs - Day 461 (Yr 2, Day 94)

Asheville, NC

The holiday of Sukkot is here.  It's an 8 day festival, with the first 2 and last 2 days being days for attending services.  I explained more about the holiday last year (http://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/search?q=sukkot).  Again we felt very bad about not having a sukkah, so we're really going to try to make one next year, even if it will only fit a bridge table and 2 chairs (and we'll throw away the wood as there's nowhere to store it).   We did attend services both days (Mon & Tues) which were very lovely and inspiring.  The custom is to "live" in the sukkah, or at least have meals there.  We did so on Monday but couldn't on Tuesday due to a downpour.  Still, it was a very nice luncheon and the rabbi's words about the holiday were insightful.

After having such a great spell of amazing weather, it was time for Mother Nature to balance things out - with non-stop rain all week.  Monday was the first day it actually stopped for a while (although it was cloudy) so after services, Mitch and I decided to take the urb-es out for a spin.  I'm very pleased that it didn't take me long at all to find my center of gravity and be able to balance well.  It was great fun to ride and I'm looking forward to the freedom it will give me in going longer distances when my hip starts to give out after walking a while.   First we explored the greenway, which was only about a mile.  There were a few picnic benches along the river with a somewhat scenic view (not much different from our "back yard" however), but other than that, it was very disappointing to find nothing else worthwhile to see or do there.  I guess it's just a path for bikers, dog walkers and joggers.  Having gained confidence, we returned and went in the other direction to Carrier Park down the road (Carrier Park is one of Asheville's premier parks (near French Broad River Park) and offers volleyball courts, a giant playground, a roller-hockey rink, a basketball court, a multi-use track, a lawn bowling court, a paved trail and a multi-use sports field for baseball and soccer. It also includes a picnic pavilion, river overlooks, a wetland interpretive and education area, and more trails. The French Broad River Greenway Extension, a 2.8-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail that connects Carrier Park to Hominy Creek Park in West Asheville has on-road and off-road sections and winds along the north bank of the French Broad River, providing pastoral views of the historic Biltmore estate. Located on Amboy Road and Michigan Avenue in west Asheville.)  With all the twists and turns and a few steep hills, we got some really great practice in.  We're almost ready to ride where there are people now!

On a down note, remember the annoying gnats (fruit flies) we had last month?  They've now been replaced by shield bugs, aka stink bugs.

There are hundreds of them outside, and every time we open the door, they wait in ambush and fly inside.  If you squish them, they give off a very unpleasant odor.  I would prefer to just collect them in a napkin or on a fly swatter (they're slow and easy to catch) and let them back outside, but for every one I set free, 5 more come inside.  So I'm squishing and spraying Fabreeze all day and night.  Hopefully their season will end soon.

I've noticed that the leaves have started to change colors.  We're told by many about how amazing this area is in the fall -- in fact, it's the height of tourist season: people come here specifically for the fall foliage.  I suspect within the next week or 2 things will be in full bloom.  I hope the weather will allow us to take a nice drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway or visit the Biltmore Estate then.

Urb-e's at last! - Day 458 (Yr 2, Day 91)

Asheville, NC

After a year and a half wait, while this start-up company finally got their act together and worked out all the bugs in their very unique product, it was manufactured, shipped and finally arrived at our doorstep!

Here it is in the box:

Here it is inside the box:

Here is Mitch assembling it in the living room (only needed to attach the handlebars):

Here's a video of Mitch's first ride on it.  He took one of me, but I was a bit less coordinated and am ashamed to post that one.  Don't worry - hopefully you'll get to see me ride in a future post!  By the way, mine is white with a yellow insert.  Mitch's is black with a light blue insert.

We were hoping to take them out for a ride to the end of the greenway.  We haven't walked it yet because we don't know how far it goes; we're told about 2 miles.  Unfortunately, it's raining today (forecast is for rain all week).  Maybe if it lets up for a while, we'll go out anyway.

Week in review - Day 456 (Yr 2, Day 89)

Asheville, NC

I can't really say anything exciting happened this week.  I closed my office on Tuesday at 3:00 to prepare for the holiday of Yom Kippur, and we stayed in shul all day on Wednesday (from 9:30 until 8:30 pm).  For the 3 hour break in between services, we stayed in the truck and napped or read our magazines.  Of course, having all this time off, I was "up to my eyes in alligators" for the past 2 days, with every client needing stuff.  Even the one I terminated asked me to stay on a bit longer as the VA he hired (for me to train) isn't a good match for him.  I told him I'd finish this round of monthly reports, but after that I'm done OR he'll have to pay me double plus communicate better.

The campground has had a great deal of turnover this week -- a lot of small weekender type campers have come and gone; most staying just overnight or 1 day, so I didn't really get to meet a lot of folks.  Some of the "regulars" such as Kurt & Kristen, and the guys in the van, and of course, Critter, have left.

Weather has been awesome until today, where it is just a non-stop rainy, dreary day.  But Shabbat approaches, so I'm busy preparing.

OH - the most important item of the week - OUR URB-E's are here (ordered July 2014)!!! (www.urb-e.com).  Currently they are sitting at the office until Mitch can pick them up.  Since it's raining so hard, I doubt he'll have a chance to unpack it (which I insist be done outside) today.  Will have to wait until Sunday.  I promise next post to have photos of our new electric scooter experience.  Hopefully it won't take too much time to get the coordination down-pat!

High Holidays - Day 448 (Yr 2, Day 81)

Asheville, NC

Before  backtracking over the past week that I missed posting, let me share the serenity of my "back yard" once again:

Once again, it is the time of year for introspection and atonement as Rosh Hashanah, which was this past Monday and Tuesday, and Yom Kippur (next Wednesday) come around.  It's hard to believe this is the 2nd year that we were not in NJ.  Last year we were in Cary, NC and were lucky not to have to drive to services, as they were held in a banquet hall where we could park our home in the far corner of the parking lot.  This year we don't have that luxury as there's hardly even room to park our truck.  But we are very grateful to be in an area where at least there are services!

This is the first year, however, that we didn't have the privilege to be with any family members.  In NJ, it was always Doris who came out to join us, and last year, Jessica joined us for diner on R.H. evening.  I'm sure I've mentioned Ethylin Morgan in a previous post -- someone Mitch originally met on one of his survey jobs who we learned was Jewish and attended the synagogue we planned to.  We've become friends (she is recently widowed).  We invited her to join us for Rosh Hashanah dinner and we all had a very lovely time.  It was a completely vegetarian meal:  I made a veggie loaf (stuffed with apples & nuts), tsimmes (a sweet casserole made of sweet potatoes, pineapple, raisins and marshmallows), a curried carrot/sweet potato soup, our usual mushroom dish and a salad made with lettuce, pomegranate seeds & orange slices in a balsamic vinaigrette.

Services were quite nice, uplifting and spiritual as well, although I really do miss the beautiful cantorial voices of the Blesofskys in NJ.

It was great having all that time off, but Wednesday was non-stop busy, catching up with all my clients' work.  It is great how God always provides, and to use another cliche - one door closes and another opens.  Last week I decided to fire one of my clients.  I decided that the pain and aggravation I derive from this account doesn't come close to justifying the work.  Although a steady client, the number of hours per month was usually less than 10 and did not make up for any substantial amount of income, so I didn't feel bad letting him go.  Working for him has just been a constant headache, as IF he answers my questions (which is rare), it's usually one word answers or very vague ones.  That means I have to make a lot of judgement calls, and about 10% of the time they are wrong.  There was a recent major screw-up, causing me to redo at least a month's worth of work.  At that point, I decided enough was enough; he's just not the type of person I want to work with.  I still think I'm the best person for this job, and if he realizes that and wants to hire me back, it'll be twice the cost and I'll demand better communication.  Meanwhile, he insists I stay on at least another month to train someone else (that should be fun, since it took me months to figure it all out and I had somewhat of a background.  She has no skills and no background.  I don't think she's going to catch on at all.  But.... not my problem any more, is it?)

But the door that opened is that I almost immediately took on another client, who I will be starting with after the holiday next week.  We've spoken a few times on the phone and there's a great chemistry between us.  I think we'll make a good team.  This job will entail mostly setting meetings, organizing her calendar and making extensive travel arrangements.

Back at the campground, a few folks we've hung out with have left (Critter and Kurt & Kristen), but we met a few other nice ladies -- Kathy and Jane.  Kathy is a solo and Jane RVs with her female partner.  We're hoping to maybe do a pot luck and campfire some time next week.

Time with Jessica & Ellie- Days 439-441 (Yr 2, Days 72-74)

Asheville, NC

What an awesome few days!  Our darling daughter, who is between jobs now (she got a very nice job offer with another company and starts next week so has 1 week in between as vacation time), decided to drive 4 hours, puppy in tow, for an impromptu visit with us.  We felt so honored and extremely grateful that that's how she'd use some of her free time.  It was really a lot of fun as well, and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it.  If nothing else, she got a kick out of just how hipster this place is!  It was also interesting for to compare this place (scenic with only 25 sites) to where we've stayed in Raleigh (either in a mobile home park or a 200 site fairgrounds) with only sites to look at.

She brought Ellie with her (our grandpup - I can't believe we didn't take any photos of her while here!!!) who seemed to enjoy herself as well.

This was only the 2nd time that we had a sleep over guest (the last time was Mitch's sister Doris at Thanksgiving last year).  Back then, we discovered how horrible the sofa bed was (not even fit for a dog), so we invested a small fortune in a high quality air mattress (the same one we had in the house when we sold the bedroom set -- no clue where that disappeared to so we had to replace it). Of course, to accommodate a guest, the coffee table has to be put on top of the kitchen counter and the bed takes up the entire living room floor.  I'm not sure I could live with a guest for more than a few days at a time, although it certainly worked out well for 2 nights. I should have taken some photos for posterity.

They arrived around 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon.  We pretty much just hung out and walked around until Mitch got home and then decompressed.  I think Jessica was impressed by the river.  I showed her the stair case down to the water which I'm too afraid to climb, but she was very brave.  Here she is, coming back up the steps:

 

In the evening, we went downtown to the Grove Arcade district, where we had dinner at a very exclusive place called "The Marketplace."  This restaurant, like just about every place in Asheville, boasts about how everything there is from very local sources (even the soap in the restroom was made in Asheville!).  In the nearby forests grow many types of exotic edible mushrooms (there's actually a tour that takes you there to learn how to identify the stuff, and then sources the finds to the local restaurants; the Marketplace is one such place).  We ordered the mushrooms as an appy; Mitch got a curried cauliflower dish, I had trout, and Jessica had quail.  I admit I've never seen one before.  I expected something around the size of a small chicken, but was really surprised to see how tiny it was (and rather adorable!)  I'd love to see a live one!  Some photos of the inside of the restaurant:

And our meals:

Curried cauliflower

Quail

Trout with black quinoa

After dinner, en route back to the car, we heard some music and decided to walk in the other direction to check it out.  Apparently there's a group that specializes in hula dancing with LED lit hula hoops, who perform every Tuesday night in a small park.  Here's a photo and video of their performance.  It was pretty awesome!

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at a local ice cream parlor.  Of course, it was all homemade with a sign stating that it was made from the milk of local cows (and to wave hello to the cows).  It was adjacent to a mom & pop video store - something I haven't seen for a long time (even the big box Blockbusters haven't been around for a while).


The next day (and the only full day Jessica had to spend), she and I did the tourist thing (unfortunately, Mitch had to work).  At least he captured a nice sunrise before he left:

We decided to take the Gray Line trolley tour, which had 10 stops in the various areas of Asheville and let us on and off wherever and whenever we wanted.  The day started and ended with storms, but we had a good few hours of dryness.

We started out at the visitors center which was loaded with brochures and had a gift shop (I didn't go in there).  A fudge shop set up a samples booth there (with a special discount coupon), so we decided to make that one of our stops to buy some for the boys.

Here is the bus and driver:

The first part of the tour took us through historic Montford which is the Victorian area of town.  Here is one such house, as well as a photo of the rolling hills and mountains one sees from the road:

There were 2 major benefactors of Asheville:  George Vanderbilt and Edwin Grove.  You can read about Grove here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Wiley_Grove.  Personally, although he had great talent, I don't like him as a person, as he was very self-centered.  He hated the poor and sick.  In fact, he purchased up a bunch of hospitals near his area and turned them into upscale apartments so that the sick would be as far away as possible.  He built his property in areas where only the rich could access it.  He even built the Grove Arcade in the downtown area so his guests would have their own special place to shop.  Reminds me very much of Robert Moses who built parts of NY for the rich & famous.  Here is a photo of the Inn:

Next on the tour was Pack Square Park, where Mitch and I attended the Organicfest a few weeks ago.  What a difference when the place is empty!  We came upon another plaque and statue.  I didn't take more photos of the surrounding buildings such as the art museum or city hall, although it was interesting history behind them.

We walked around the area a bit; even stepped inside Magic Mushroom to take a peek at the unusual decor.  We had lunch in a place called Farm Burger, where the meat is (of course) organic and only sweet grass fed without chemicals or antibiotics.  Jessica was surprised that she really could taste the difference.  They also make their own vegan burgers, which I had.  It was very tasty although it didn't hold together all that well.

We got back on the trolley and got off at the next stop, which was the Grove Arcade.  That is a building that takes up a large square block and is filled with all types of stores, including the fudge shop and this awesome place, which is on my bucket list to spend some time in:

The next 2 areas that the trolley went to were the Biltmore Village which is on the outskirts of the Biltmore Estate.  It was built for folks who work at the Estate and is totally tudor style and incredibly upscale.  The area houses the Grand Bohemian Hotel which, if the Ritz is 5 stars, this would be 10.  It also went through the River Arts District, where there are over 180 fine art and craft galleries and antique shops.  Since it started to downpour and we were rather tired by then, we just listened to the tour guide but didn't get off the bus to explore further.

In the evening, we visited the farmers market where we went last week (we bought more roasted peppers which I will use for Rosh Hashanah dinner, more of that awesome seeded bread and some homemade balsamic vinegar.  We then brought back some Chinese takeout and watched a movie (Big Hero 6).

This morning, it was very sad to say goodbye to Jessica and Ellie, but again, I'm so grateful for the time we had and honored that she made the trip special for us when she could have stayed home and spent time with her friends.

I will probably not be posting again for a few days.  Tonight we're going shopping to pick up groceries for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah.  The holiday is from Sunday  night until Tuesday night, so I may not post until Wednesday.

Shana Tova (Happy New Year)!