Tiny Update - Day 1429 (Year 4, Day 335)

Augusta, GA

Wow, 10 days since I've posted.  You know that means only one thing:  nothing!!!  Life has been extremely uneventful, which could be a good thing -- no crises, nothing breaking down.  Then again, nothing really exciting to do or report on either.

The last 2 weeks at synagogue services were special events, but this past week was back to "normal," which meant we were able to see what the place is really like on a typical Shabbat.  It was very nice and inspiring, and we met several very lovely couples with whom we hope to form a special bond with.

We haven't ventured off after our last visit to the Savannah River.  Today is Mother's Day (thank you, dear children, for remembering me!) but we spent the day doing our regular Sunday stuff -- shopping, Mitch puttering around fixing things, laundry, cooking, cleaning.  The highlight of today was that while we were going to one store, we saw a sign for an Asian market.  We've been wanting to buy sushi nori (roasted seaweed) and miso paste for quite a while but haven't been in an area that sells it (kind of like finding kosher meat).  So it was awesome to stumble upon this place.  I enjoyed using the nori as my "bread" for lunch (and it's a great snack food as well, with zero calories and 1 carb) and I'm looking forward to this Shabbat's soup: tofu miso.

Our "garden" is also growing very nicely.  We needed to stop at a garden center (Home Depot) for another pot to replant the zucchini (in retrospect, that wasn't a very good choice for planting as it is going to take up way too much space!).  I see buds forming on the pepper plant and there are already cherry tomatoes formed (still green but may be ready this week)!  I'm so excited!  Don't know why it took us 4 years to do this (of course, when we're ready to move again, it's anyone's guess where we're going to put these pots.  Hopefully they will fit in the shower.  But that's a worry for another time).

The temperatures for the last few days (mid-May) have been in the mid 90's so we're very grateful that the a/c is working!  I suspect this will be a very brutal summer (wasn't it just  a few weeks ago that I was complaining about the freezing cold?)

Down by the River - Day 1419 (Year 4, Day 325)

Augusta, GA

Yesterday was a lovely, albeit somewhat warm day (it should be noted that we have had absolutely no rain since the day we landed here on 4/22.  Not that I'm complaining...!).  Mitch had morning training and was free in the afternoon.  My workload was extremely light, so we decided to do something special rather than wait until Sunday.  We went on a riverboat tour.  Very glad we did, as it would have been very difficult to find parking in the very small lot, and the boat & river would have been much more crowded.

With the exception of the Masters golf tournament, the Savannah River is pretty much the only other attraction in the area (the river is about 10 miles from our campground).  The middle of the river is the dividing line between GA and SC.  There is a huge park that borders the river, called the RiverWalk, featuring sculptures, a playground, and an amphitheater among other things.  At one end is a marina, which is where the boat tour begins.  It reminded me very much of the Missouri River bordering Louisville, KY and Clarksville, IN and Austin Lake in Austin, TX.

We passed some very beautiful mansions and were told that many high profile celebrities own homes there which they visit during the Masters (as well as hold huge parties, which can be seen during the sunset boat tours).  Photos of the river and some homes follow.

What I found rather interesting, and somewhat shocking (to this "Yankee") was the history lesson we got from the captain, which was extremely anti-Union (among many other things, citing that General Sherman was a terrorist, that the "War of Northern Aggression" was NOT about slavery, and that President Lincoln was the enemy of the people).  I'm very certain that this is how American history is taught in the South, just as our extremely anti-Confederacy viewpoints are taught in the North.  No wonder we have such a great divide in this country.  Although we are all Americans, we have such diverse backgrounds and cultures.  What I enjoy about this lifestyle is learning about all our differences and coming to be aware that what I've been taught is only one of many viewpoints.  Sadly, however, there are too many people in this nation who don't or can't respect differences and see them as a threat.  Granted, it takes a lot of effort to see things this way.  I confess when I heard some of what the captain was saying, I immediately thought it was nonsense and revisionist history (which he says is what the Yankees teach).  It would have been very easy to call him out on it rather than respect that these were his sincere beliefs and what he was raised on and taught, just as I was raised on and taught the opposite point of view. 

Anyway, getting off the soap box, and apologies for the political digression.   Here are the photos of the river:

          

Back in "shul country" - Day 1416 (Year 4, Day 322)

Augusta, GA

Having really lovely weather here so far, although this morning I had to put the heat on and wear 2 long sleeved layers again (it was 42 degrees).  Of course, an hour later, it was 64!  Supposed to be about 90 in a few days.  I do wish this was a resort-type campground with a pool.  Oh well.  At least I have air conditioning (which, please G-d, will work all summer).

This place was really hopping on Friday.  We went from about 50% capacity to nearly 99%.  I was told there was nothing special going on in the area, just a nice weekend when a lot of weekenders go camping.  Yesterday and today I am watching many of them leave.  I am rather curious, however, what brings folks here for weekend camping.  Other than the Masters golf tournament which took place a few weeks ago, there really aren't a lot of touristy things (or much of anything) to do in the area.

We are once again in an area where there is a Chabad synagogue within travel distance (about 10 miles away).  We went there on Saturday and there was a bat mitzvah.  We knew it would be a bit challenging meeting people because we wouldn't know who were the "regulars" and who were family guests, and likewise, the regulars wouldn't know we were new versus guests.  Interestingly, we did meet a few regulars and were welcomed by their "Southern hospitality."  It was a very pleasant experience.

Next week, the rabbi's son is having his bar mitzvah, so it may once again be a big event rather than a small, informal Shabbat service.  But I'm sure that at some point we will get to meet the regular crowd alone and start forming friendships.

The campground - Day 1411 (Year 4, Day 317)

Augusta, GA

So far today, it has been a beautiful day out (sunny and about 73 degrees), so I decided to take a walk around the campground and then work outside.  I'd be happier if there were pretty flowers, or a river or beach to look at, but this is still very peaceful and lovely.

Met a little friend along the way:



Other views around the campground.  All the RVs and sites are very well kept and there is lots of room between sites.  This first photo is the view from my outside "office" and the view out my back window:

     
This is us:

     

First time out in Augusta - Day 1410 (Year 4, Day 316)

Augusta, GA

Mitch was off work today, as his new regional boss can't meet with him until tomorrow, to get him set up with new equipment and maps.  There were still some non-grocery items we needed to buy. My workload was fairly light, so I suggested before running errands, we go to the Visitor Center to pick up a bunch of brochures (about 15 miles away in the downtown area, a few blocks from the river).  The building also houses the History Museum, so we thought that would be fun for an hour or 2.  Unfortunately, the museum was closed today, but at least we did get a few brochures.

It actually turned out to be rather exciting anyway.  When crossing the street, we noticed tracks running in the middle of the street.  We know they have trolley tours, so we thought these were trolley tracks.  The photo on the brochure, however, showed it to be a bus.  We asked a staff member about it, and she informed us those were live train tracks!  Normally, train tracks run parallel to a street or highway.  We never saw them in the middle of a business street before!.  What made it exciting was a train actually went by!!!  Mitch captured it on video, which you can view at these links (there are 2 videos)

Watch this one first (click)

Watch this one next (click)  (I wanted to take a still photo, but you can hear me screaming in the background "how do I take this (#&% thing off selfie mode?"  Needless to say, I didn't figure it out on time, but the videos are much better anyway).

Driving through the downtown area, there were a few interesting murals on the buildings.  One thing that captured my eye was this toy piano outside of an empty storefront, painted and inviting people to stop and play (you can click on the photo to enlarge it):

Afterwards, we went to Walmart and then Lowes; the main goal being to buy a treatment for the fire ants.  I've also always wanted to start a little vegetable garden and finally figured out how to do it (just use pots and put them in the shower when traveling).  So we picked up some cherry tomato, green pepper and zucchini plants, pots and soil.  When we returned home, I had some work to do, and Mitch has been outside doing the potting.  Here's my "garden" and gardener.  I'm sure the pots will be much larger by the time we leave here.



My overall impression so far is that Augusta looks like "Anywhere USA" with highways and lots and lots of shopping.  But we really haven't ventured out very far yet, so this may very well change.

The Next Leg - Day 1409 (Year 4, Day 315)

Augusta, GA

We made it here safely and without incident (thank you, G-d, who hears prayers).  We actually did decide to push ourselves and arrived yesterday, as the thought of setting up in torrential downpours and thunderstorms was worse than the long drive.  We were on the road for 10 hours: left at 9:00 am and arrived at 7:00 pm.  We didn't have a chance to stop to meet our friends as we didn't feel we had the time to spare -- wanted to get here before dark.  Mostly the drive was smooth, except for 1 little traffic jam (construction), and then a pocket of rain.  No mountain driving.  It should have been a 7 hour drive non-stop, but we stopped at pretty much every rest area along the way -- approx. every 50 miles -- to change drivers and stretch our legs (about 15 mins) and 1 stop to eat lunch at the picnic table at one of them (1/2 hr).

Although this campground doesn't have any amenities (not even a place to seek shelter in severe weather), it's a fairly pretty park.  Due to the rain, I haven't had a chance to walk around yet but driving through it, it had some aesthetic appeal.  The sites are very spacious, the trailers are well kept (many with lovely lawn decorations), there's nice landscaping and many trees, although it's not in the woods.  Only drawback so far is that there are hundreds of ant hills - fire ants!!!  We were warned not to go outside barefoot or even with sandals without socks. So much for wearing flip flops all summer 😞.  Next trip out to the store, we'll see if there's something we can put down on the ground.

Anyway, so much for the torrential downpours and t'storms today which were forecasted with 100% chance, all night through the evening...  it rained pretty hard for about an hour this morning and now it is bright and sunny, with the rain chance at 20%.  You'd think that nowadays the forecasters could get it right!  We needed to pick up some groceries.  The rain had let up around 11 am, so we decided to run out at that time.  By the time we finished the the aisles (about 1/2 hr later), it was pouring.  By the time we got back to the campground 5 minutes later it was down to a drizzle.

I think this will be a pleasant place to stay for a while.  There are even bike lanes that run a few miles down to the shopping area.  Perhaps I'll be able to invest in that foldable electric trike I've been eyeing....

Marching orders - Day 1405 (Year 4, Day 311)

Williamsburg, VA

This is probably the last post I will be writing from this address.  Mitch got a call this morning and was told he needs to be at his next assignment - in Augusta, GA - on Monday.  Gotta love how they don't give much notice!  He's off work tomorrow and will get as much accomplished then.  Augusta is on the eastern side of the state, literally over the border of South Carolina.  From here, it is about 475 miles.

The hope is to finish up packing on Sunday, leave in the morning, travel about halfway.  We have a friend who lives near that halfway point (St. Pauls, NC) who has a large property where we're invited to "moochdock" (or there's a Walmart up the road where we can park overnight as well).  We'll travel the rest of the way on Monday morning. Not looking forward to that, as the weather forecast is for rain and thunderstorms in the area.  Not fun towing, let alone setting up in the pouring rain.  But no other options with the timing unless we push ourselves all the way on Sunday and arrive after hours (it's about another 3 1/2 hrs).  We'll PIBE (play it by ear).

What's really sad is that a couple just moved in next to us yesterday (they are "workampers").  They not only seem like a real fun couple to hang around with, but are also Jewish, which is a rare thing to find when camping.  I do wish we had more time to spend with them.  Sigh.

See you on the other side!