Semi-interesting day - Day 1255 (Year 4, Day 160)

Williamsburg, VA

Considering what a "day in the life" is like for me, these 2 things are somewhat interesting...

1)  my next door neighbor, Nancy, came over this morning asking for my help.  She has a sliding patio door and while she was outside and her (tiny, overactive) dog was inside, the dog knocked over the bar that locks the door in place, so that she was unable to open the door more than an inch.  She needed something long and flexible, such as a hanger, to slip through the door and push the bar up and out of the way (she also has a back door, but it's locked and the keys were inside).  Unfortunately, I only have plastic hangers so that wouldn't work.  I searched our basement for something she could use (found nothing), we tried some long branches (not flexible enough), some other odds and ends (not long or flexible).  She called the office and they referred her to a mobile RV tech ($$$$, but they would take hours to come out and told her to ask the office to send someone from maintenance). While she was on the phone with them, I was walking around the back of my RV and, lo and behold! - what did I see laying on the ground but a wire hanger!!!  I could swear it wasn't there earlier and an invisible angel planted it there.  In any event, it took a little effort but it worked and she was able to get inside.

2)  I was taking a walk, in a different direction of the campground, and came across this awesome RV (actually a tiny house on wheels):



The man who lives there came outside when he saw me taking the photo.  He is quite charming (says everyone stops and does that) and we had a very lovely conversation.

Rest of Thanksgiving weekend - Day 1255 (Year 4, Day 160)

Raleigh, NC / Williamsburg, VA

I wrote about the start of our little vacation and family reunion for Thanksgiving (https://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/2017/11/thanksgiving-weekend-day-1247-year-4.html)

On Wednesday night, after the Pit, we did not go bar-hopping but rather we all went back to Jessica's house and hung around a little, including playing a few online trivia games (of course, there was drinking involved anyway).  We left around 10:00 pm.

On Thursday morning, I had a little bit of cooking to do: mine & Mitch's vegetarian loaf with accompanying veggies, and a sauteed mushroom dish for everyone.  I started the cooking around 9:00 am and when all was done by noon, headed over to Jessica's house.  In addition to our family of 9, she also had 2 other couples over, for a total of 13 folks.  As always, the food (for which we sat down to eat at 6:00 pm) was absolutely delicious.  We all stayed around until after 9:00 pm.

On Friday, I prepared the food and challah for Shabbat, and on Friday night, we were blessed with the entire family (sans Jessica & Griffin) joining us for Shabbat dinner.  Somehow we did manage to find a way for all 7 of us to be seated (4 at the table, 2 at the pull-up coffee table and Mitch at the counter)

On Saturday morning, we went to services at our favorite shul (they moved their location from Cary to Morrisville, a few miles away).  After kiddush lunch, we went back to Jessica's house, where we did some reading and napping.  At about 5:00 pm, the rest of family came over and we all went out to a lovely Irish pub in the downtown area, which had an extensive menu and rooftop seating (complete with overhead heaters.  Here are some photos taken at the restaurant:

             

After dinner, we returned to the house and played a fun game of Cards Against Humanity.  We all retreated back to our respective hotels and RVs at around 10:30 pm.

On Sunday, Jane & Fred took off for a short trip to Asheville, and Doris returned to NYC.  We went out for lunch with Fred & Twila at Mitch & Twila's favorite eatery: Noodles & Co.  After lunch, we returned to our respective RVs and started prepping for our trips back home (although, in our case, since home is where we park it, back to our work location).  Sunday night, we spent our first alone time with the kids over a nice sushi dinner.

Monday morning we packed up and hit the road at 9:00 am, returning to Williamsburg at 12:30 pm, and were all set up by 1:00.

On Tuesday, Mitch had to take one last exam, so he was home by noon.  I had a little lull in my workload and it was a beautiful day out (sunny and in the mid-60's), so we decided to take a little walk.  Note that this campground is more like a state or national park (as opposed to a large parking lot) which means it's in a much more natural and wooded setting with many nature and hiking trails around it.  Here is a photo of one such path:

I owe a post - Day 1254 (Year 4, Day 159)

Williamsburg, VA

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving extended weekend (from last Tuesday through this past Monday).  I have quite a few details and photos to fill in.  Just need to find some time to update the blog. Unfortunately, taking so much time off of work (as did my clients), I'm a bit inundated.

I promise to try to find some time to update the blog this week.

Thanksgiving weekend - Day 1247 (Year 4, Day 152)

Raleigh, NC

On Tuesday morning, we left our campground in Williamsburg for a special trip to Raleigh to spend with our daughter in Raleigh (grateful to be only 200 miles away to make it possible -- staying at our usual nice place at the NC State Fairgrounds, with Fred & Twila as our next door neighbors).  What's especially wonderful is that this has turned into a family reunion.  The last time all of Mitch's siblings have been together was 4 years ago at Jessica's wedding.  So far, it's turning out to be wonderful!  Here's a family photo (sadly, with Jessica and Griffin missing -- we'll be sure to get one before the weekend is over).



On Tuesday evening, when everyone had arrived in Raleigh, we spent the evening at Jessica's place and hung out over pizza and wine (yes, diet is going to hell again).

Today (Wed.) Jane & Fred and Mitch and I visited the NC Museum of Art.  What an incredible place!  We left around 11:30 am and returned around 1:30.  Jane & Fred joined us, as did Fred & Twila.  Nice time just hanging out in the RV for a little while.  We all departed at 3:00 but will meet up again at 6:00, where we will be going to The Pit (famous BBQ place, where they do have tofu on the menu) followed by a bar or 2.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, where Jessica will be hosting about 16 people.  I need to provide for our vegetarian options so will spend the morning doing some cooking and then looking forward to a great day.  Not sure what the rest of the weekend holds, but it'll be a PIBE (play it be ear) kind of thing.  Either way, great to be with family!!!

2nd weekend in Colonial Williamsburg - Day 1238 (Year 4, Day 143)

Williamsburg, VA

So much exploring to do in the area.  As I mentioned in a previous post, we plan to take things slowly rather than push ourselves past our physical limits trying to squeeze everything in in one day.  That being said... (this will be a very long post).

First, a side note: there is an arctic freeze covering most of the country and temps are 10-20 degrees below normal in most places, including here.  We've had to leave the water dripping and the heat pump switched to furnace.  Very, very cold days and it's not even the height of winter yet.

Mitch was off on Friday so we planned to go to Colonial Williamsburg (hereafter "CW") for a few hours, and focus on just one area, at least to get a feel for the lay of the land.  We made the challah on Thursday night and put the soup up in the crock pot early in the morning, so that our schedule would allow us the time to go out for a little while.  I had a little bit of work to do, so we left home around 10:00 am and arrived at the Visitor's Center at 10:30.  Being Veteran's Day weekend, we weren't aware there was a promotion of free admission to all vets and their families, so the line to purchase tickets was at least 20 minutes.  We bought an annual pass so that we can return as often as we want, without having to wait on line again (the only other options were single, 3 or 7 day passes, but they have to be used on consecutive days, so that wouldn't work).  The cost of a single day ticket is $40, and the annual pass is $65, so it's well worth the investment since we know it will take many trips to see the entire place at the pace we're going (FYI: one of the benefits is that friends & family can get in for 50% off -- in case you need another excuse to come and visit us!!!)

For those not familiar with CW, it's part of the Historic Triangle (with Yorktown and Jamestown) where the history of America began and where the Founding Fathers lived, or at least met, and where plans were formulated to rebel against Britain and fight for freedom (Yorktown was where the final battle of the Revolutionay War was fought).  CW is the actual town where folks lived, drank, shopped, fought.  Properties were handed down between generations, but after many decades, people started leaving and the buildings began to disintegrate.  In the 1920s, John D. Rockefeller purchased all the land and decided to renovate and restore the buildings and streets - to try to keep it as close to the original as possible but in better shape so the history wouldn't be lost.  All around the area, the folks you see walking around are either tourists/visitors or what I would call 18th century folk - character actors/docents dressed in period garb and speaking to us as if we were in the past (they actually rent costumes if visitors wish to really be even more part of the experience!).  There are no cars in the town; but you do see quite a few horse drawn carriages (you can ride for a fee).

There is a shuttle bus that runs around the perimeter of the area, and drops you off at different points.  There was a noon firing of the cannon near the central area - Market Square - and since it was now about 11:30, we chose that to be our starting point.  We looked through the market (hand made arts & crafts), and spent some time visiting the printing press (with live demonstration on 18th century equipment).  Here are some photos of the visitor center and what we saw on Friday:

One of the many billboards inside

The shuttle bus

The armory

A soldier

Getting ready to fire the canon

A real auction in the town square (we didn't bid on anything). They were antiques to us but popular items back then

A fancy carriage

Some homes

Glimpse down a typical street

Inker at printing press giving demo

On Saturday, we decided to check out the synagogue in Newport News, 25 miles away.  For one, I can tell you that was an extremely stressful ride, as the highway is mostly under construction, so the lanes were very narrow and uneven.  Since I have trouble with depth perception, especially driving this huge truck, it was a white knuckle trip all the way.  I can tell you I will NOT be doing that drive again; either Mitch is going to have to drive while I keep my eyes closed, or we just won't do the schlep.

It turns out there are 2 shuls on this JCC campus (which is also under construction and being renovated).  The one we had planned to go to  (which we knew about) is modern Orthodox; the other one was Conservative.  We are more comfortable with Orthodox so decided to wait for another time to visit the other one.  It seems that their original building had to be torn down due to mold so this is just a temporary spot, which is inside the child care (infant & toddler) center.  The women were not very welcoming to me, although the men were to Mitch.  The reason the rabbi only comes once a month is because he is only part-time (they don't have money to hire a full time rabbi, and probably don't have a large enough congregation to do so).  For me, not only was the trip very stressful, but the services were not all that enjoyable either.  The rabbi will be there next week, so we may give it another try (rabbis do tend to make things a bit more inspirational).  After that we may try the Conservative shul, and perhaps if we're brave enough, try out the Reconstructionist shul that's only 9 miles away.  I suspect, ultimately, we may end up acting as if there's nowhere to go.

Another note about Saturday:  it was 11/11, and our 39th anniversary.  We generally celebrate with a fancy meal out and don't exchange gifts, but Mitch decided to buy me a very special (in his mind) gift of a state of the art smartphone (Galaxy Note 8).  Mind you, I don't have a smartphone; I have an old fashioned one with a pull out keyboard and no data plan, which I am very happy with (just to prove what a Luddite I am in terms of new technology, when I saw the box, I didn't even know what it was, when I was supposed to react with great enthusiasm and excitement).  So rather than going out, we stayed in so we could set up my phone and I could become a little bit familiar with it (by Sunday afternoon I think I was mostly comfortable, and as of this writing - Monday morning - I have the hang of most of it).

On Sunday, we decided to make another excursion back to CW.  One of the activities was to hear a speech and then interact with statesman James Madison at 11:00 am, so we planned our timing and destination around that, which was in the Capitol section of the town.

We arrived about an hour early, so decided to take a tour of the R. Charlton Coffeehouse.  R. Charlton was one of the first business owners in Williamsburg and set up his coffeehouse/meeting/party facility a few blocks from the Capitol building, making it a popular stop for Williamsburg elite.  We were greeted by our hostess where we were invited to sit at a table in the main dining area, which was set up with fancy coffee cups, saucers and spoons.  Mind you - we were being treated as if we were back in 1765 so if we asked anything not related to that time period (like, are these authentic cups?) were met with answers such as "these were manufactured just last year, in 1764, and imported from Britain").  We were told that Mr. Charlton always offers a complimentary cup of coffee, tea or chocolate to his guests.  We both chose the chocolate which was out of this world (it was very thick, with a hint of cinnamon)!!!  I asked what brand they used (again: wrong question!).  I was told that "Lotty, the chef (probably a slave), has her own secret recipe and makes each cup individually."

We were the only folks on the tour so pretty much had the whole dining room to ourselves, except for one other guest (in period garb)- who, after we were served, said that he didn't recognize us as folks from the town and welcomed us.  He introduced himself as "Washington" and explained how he was a surveyor and a Colonel in the Virginia Regiment.  I replied "I see great things in your future," and he replied "Oh, I don't know about that."  We chit chatted quite a bit, with him speaking mostly about the countryside and a little bit about politics.  Our hostess then interrupted us so that she could take us on the rest of the tour (which consisted of 2 other rooms, which Charlton would rent out for meetings or events).  We pretended that we were looking for a facility to rent, which guided the conversation to all the offerings of the rooms.

Our hostess

George

Meeting room 1 (Charlton's office)

Fancier event room

After the tour, we walked to an outdoor stage (more like a large platform) where we met James Madison.  He orated very eloquently (although he admitted being very shy and not good at public speaking but much better at the written word -- which, of course, is evidenced by history), giving us pretty much his autobiography through that point in his life (1765, while he was still only a statesman).  In fact, during the Q&A's, Mitch asked him about his relationship with Alexander Hamilton and he said he never heard of him!  Here he is:

  

The next stop along the way was the courthouse, where lesser crimes such as owing money or thievery were brought to trial. Some photos:

  

Next, we stopped to see the jail (spelled gaol).  I can't imagine how horrible it must have been to spend time there.  The room is small with no light when the door is closed, except for what little sunlight comes thru the window, there's no insulation in the wood which makes for extreme temps in the summer and winter.  The thing that looks like steps is actually the toilet and there was only a block of wood to sleep on (you can see a corner of it in the lower left of the photo).

  

Our last stop for the day was the Capitol building, where the Burgesses met until they were disbanded by the King, and where the more serious crimes were brought before the court.  Below is a photo of the main chamber, where paintings of the kings surrounded the room (to remind people who ruled over them).  There is also a photo of a tiny part of the building - I was unable to get a good photo of the entire place, which is a fairly impressive brick building.

  

After being shown the main courtroom, the tour was to continue upstairs to the various other legislative chambers.  It was quite a few steep flights up and by then I did not have the stamina to do the climbing (and Mitch was getting very sleepy), so we chose to forego the rest of the tour and head back to the bus.

On the way home, we decided to have a nice meal out which we had missed the night before. We found a place with a Mongolian grill, Chinese buffet (with quite a few vegetarian options), Thai buffet, and sushi train.  All under $9.00!  I did kind of cheat on my diet (with just some tastes of stuff) but I can certainly have the option to stay low carb there if I wanted to.

First weekend in Williamsburg - Day 1233 (Year 4, Day 138)

Williamsburg, VA

Sorry if this posting is a few days late....

We arrived at the campground approx. 12:30 pm on Friday. This place is actually like 2 separate campgrounds, about 1/2 mile apart from each other.  There's the main area where most of the activities are, and the "quiet" area, which is mostly used as an overflow area and a place for long-termers.  We are in that section.  We were in our spot (pull thru) and set up by 1:30 pm.  I didn't have much work but did need to prepare for Shabbat.  I knew I wouldn't have time to bake challah so we bought some rolls in WV.  After set up, however, I did put up the soup.

My impressions about this place: it's very rustic and set in the woods.  Across the road is a lovely pond (which actually looks like a lake).  We arrived here at the tail end of fall folliage (which we missed on our drive over), so we were able to capture a bit of nature's beauty for a few days, especially the colorful trees reflecting in the pond.  Awesome view.  I didn't have a camera, but the effect was very similar to this:




Otherwise, not much going on in the campground right now, at least not in this section.  Very quiet with nowhere for me to walk to (too far to get to the main section, although there is a 3/4 mile hiking trail which is mostly uphill thru the woods to get there).  So, as always, I'm completely isolated when Mitch is at work.  Today, I did meet my next door neighbors, Carolanne and Chuck, who seem very nice.  Perhaps I'll be able to develop a relationship with them.

We decided to spend the Sabbath davening at home. We're not quite ready to explore a Reconstructionist place yet (which is in the area) and weren't ready to travel the 25 miles to the Orthodox synagogue in Newport News (the rabbi only comes about once a month, when their services and attendance are greater; next time is 11/17), so we stayed home.

On Sunday, the plan was not to go out to explore yet but for Mitch to reorganize the basement.  Needless to say, he didn't do that and I hadn't really done any research as to what, where and when for things to do.  We landed up driving to Colonial Williamsburg Visitor's Center, which is pretty much where everything begins.  I thought we'd just jump in to pick up a few brochures (like what we see at most interstate visitor/welcome centers).  This place was nothing like that!   It was more of a combination of shops and a small museum.  There were 2 short movies: one giving an overview of what to see and do in Colonial Williamsburg and the other was a fictional story, "A Patriot's Story," about one of the first patriots in the early days of the rebellion against Britain.  We landed up spending about 2 1/2 hours there.  There will be so many things to visit in the area, and I will not be able to do all that walking due to the arthritis and bursitis in my hip, so we hope to take 1 day to spend at 1 or 2 sites throughout our time here (will need to purchase the annual pass).  There's also a lot of history I want to explore in Jamestown and Yorktown nearby.  (someday, I also hope to spend time up in Boston where it really all began).

Mitch met his new boss on Monday.  He thought that in order to be certified in this area, he would just be shadowed for 2 weeks.  Turns out he needs to be tested, so he spent much of Monday studying.  There needs to be 48 hours between the study session and proctored tests, so he will be back tomorrow (Thursday) to take the exam.  This means he was home yesterday and today.  We were going to go out to our first site (Governor's Palace) yesterday, but the weather was lousy and I was feeling extremely fatigued (I actually made an appt to see the doctor and was lucky to get an appointment today -- I'm leaving in about an hour.  I want to have another blood workup as I think the almost constant exhaustion could be my iron or vitamin levels very low again).  Today is also very lousy weather-wise, so no plans to do anything after the doctor.

Arrived in Williamsburg - Day 1228 (Year 4, Day 133)

Williamsburg, VA

Again, thank God, we made it here safely and without incident, although we did have a big scare:

We stopped at a rest area about 50 miles from the campground (550 miles from our previous location).  Note that Mitch generally has 2 bosses: one that manages the national travelers and the other who is local to the area he works in.  He got a call from main boss that there was some kind of problem and that we were NOT to proceed to Williamsburg (again, after traveling 550 miles and being 50 miles from there).  Apparently, (1) they, despite numerous status updates from Mitch, local boss assumed we were traveling the 600 miles on 10/27 and would arrive on 10/28 (plan was to leave on 10/31 and arrive 11/2, although due to truck breakdown, we were delayed by one day) and (2) they said the assignment was ending at the end of November (we thought it was March) so due to these 2 factors, they didn't need us.  So instructions, 50 miles from destination, was don't go there!  Boss said he'd check into where else to send us.

He called us back 10 minutes later, and thankfully, explained that there was a big misunderstanding.  For one, the local boss thought that it was US who needed to leave by the end of November, which is not the case.  So... proceed as planned. Thank God!

I'll have more details to share about the campground and setting up after I prepare for the Sabbath.....

Next to last stop - Day 1227 (Year 4, Day 132)

Crozet, VA

Last night we parked at Walmart.  Since we arrived in the afternoon, space was very limited in the back of the lot.  We managed to take up a row of spots but were were at an awkward angle and would have a lot of trouble exiting in the morning, especially if there were cars around.  So we set an alarm for 2:30 am and got up at that wee hour so that we could pull the slides in and move to a better location when the parking lot was mostly empty.  It really did save us a lot of aggravation in the morning as we were turned around and in a position to just pull out of the lot without any turns.

We left at 8:15 am and drove 125 miles through the WV and western VA mountains.  Such beautiful scenery!  I just hope some day I can get over my anxiety of driving (or riding) on the steep grades. We are now in Crozet, VA, a little mountain town about 30 miles from the border.  It's another gem of a campground (although the roads around it are a bit tight).  The location is about 12 miles from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, 14 miles from Charlottesville, 4 miles from the Grand Caverns and 5 miles from Shenandoah Nat'l Park.  There are tons of wineries in the area as well.  A lovely area with a lot to do, but sadly, no time to do it.

Please God, we will arrive at our final destination of Williamsburg, VA before noon tomorrow, where we will be staying probably through the winter (except for a weekend excursion to Raleigh for Thanksgiving).

UPDATE - little tidbit about this adventure here -- I have never in my life seen a SWARM of ladybugs until today.  There were literally thousands of them, almost completely covering my rig!  Many of them found their way inside so I suspect we'll be fighting them for many weeks to come.  No, they are not cute, especially in those numbers!  Just when we finished with the stink bugs.  Gotta love nature...!

Wallydocking - Day 1226 (Year 4, Day 131)

Lewisburg, WV

Thank God, we made it safely to our next destination, which is a Walmart parking lot in Lewisburg, West Virginia, not too far from the VA border. 

We left the campground at 9:30 am and arrived here about 12:30 pm.  There was a lot of mountain driving, including a 7% grade downhill which was somewhat scary as we had to keep at or below 45 mph, and when you have 20K lbs behind you, pushing you, it can be difficult to maintain that speed.  Plus, you're not supposed to ride your brakes as they can overheat.  Our tow haul feature on the truck plus just pumping them helped, but it was still white knuckle.  Going uphill on mountain grades is also stressful as we can't get over 45-50mph.  Have I mentioned how much I hate driving in the mountains?  Not sure how we'll ever get over the Rockies!  Although I have to admit, the scenery was beautiful and I couldn't help but imagine how beyond amazing it must have been 1-2 week ago when fall foliage was at its peak.

We have about 250ish miles to go at this point.  On one hand, we could try to push it, but we put a non-refundable deposit down on a campground (Misty Mountain in Greenwood, VA) which we don't want to lose.  So we will do about 120 miles tomorrow and another 130 on Friday.  Please God no more obstacles!