Apricity West

Preparation...

Packing for 4 months was daunting and I now have a better appreciation for what my friends have done over the years to spend the winter in Florida. Of course preparing for Christmas at the same time added to the pressure. But Rich and I make a good team, and methodically worked our way through everything - setting aside items to be loaded into the camper with an inventory list in case we needed something already packed away, deciding what clothes to bring according to the weather (ugh), lists of things to remember at the final moments before we left, putting away decorations on Christmas morning, stripping the cupboards and fridge of food stuffs. Oh and let’s not forget Lily and her needs!

 

Farewells...

It has been a tradition for me to have the four grandkids over for a gingerbread building day before Christmas. This year I changed it up as I wanted them to create something for Mimi to take on her trip. So I dug out all of the scrapbook materials, papers, stamps, punches, pens and pencils that I haven’t touched in years. It is amazing to me how individually creative they can be. 

 

 Lily cozied up under the tree while we crafted.

 

Jacob’s picture started out as a boy and evolved into a sad girl. 

 

Zach used a set of stamps to make this tulip

Lily used the stamps to make a beautiful sunset.

Leanna wrote a special note on paper origami. Lily and Zach put notes in envelopes. 

 

It seems that campers are in the habit of naming their vehicles so we have Road Runner (RV) and Gracie (VW bug). My grandkids made a hushed comment to each other, “Who names their car?” I point out to the boys that they have eBikes named Blue Jay and Yellow Jacket. Somehow that is different… 

 

Me driving Road Runner for the first time with nothing in tow. 

Finally got tow bar on and hooked up Gracie.

 

Glens Falls got 3 feet of snow and it wasn’t easy digging out.

 

Onward...

December 25 & 26, Friday & Saturday

Having said our goodbyes to my family on Christmas Eve, we hit the road. It feels like the moving buggy on The Lorax that was piled high to the clouds in the sky as we head over the back roads to Glens Falls to see Rich’s family. 

 

PJ and Ellie

 

December 27, Sunday  

Finally on the road with Lily kitty pacing and Gracie (VW) following us closely in the rear view camera, Sunday, December 27 at 5:30am as planned, it feels like we can breathe and just ride. 

 

The view from my new office...

 

Thankfully, Rich drove as far as I-81. Thankful because he wisely saved me from the death defying act of driving on the perilous, terrifying construction section of I-78. I know this because we (he) drove it on the way to Florida last month. Actually 81 was easy peasy accept for the tailgater in the rear view camera!! Oh wait, that’s Gracie. This was my first time driving with her in tow. 

 

In order to travel safely and efficiently, we each have our responsibilities. Basically, I take care of the inside organization, cleaning, snacks, provisions for Rich to cook. That’s right - he does it all except shopping. But I also help with hooking Gracie up to the Blue Ox tow kit, confirming that blinkers and brake lights are working and giving the thumbs up when the locks click in place as he starts rolling. Of course, I confirm that she is in neutral too. As far as setting up in an RV park, he takes care of the water, electric, sewer hook ups, leveling, while I go in and open the slide - basically push a button. Our first night out, we were very happy with the way the day went - smooth and seamless. In the morning, we stowed everything away, ran Gracie for a little while, started the camper to warm up the cab. The last thing to do was close the slide. Yikes - no response to pushing the button! Did I break something? Are we stuck here in Natural Bridge, VA? Do we have to call for RV repair? Then Rich remembered the slide won’t move while the engine is on!! Phew!

 

I have learned so many new terms in camper lingo - slide, hook up, rig, black water, grey water, dump, boon docking, mooch docking, full timing, Class A (diesel pusher), Class C, 5th wheel, travel trailer, toy hauler, pull through, dry camping, tow and toad, BLM, sticks and bricks, etc.  I know some of my readers know all about these words as they have been campers too, but for me it has been an education. My motto: if you’re not learning, you’re not living!

 

December 28, Monday

We arrived at Debby and Ted Dutton’s home mid-afternoon for a four night stay in their driveway (mooch docking). They have a beautiful home on top of Cockatiel Way looking out over Parrottsville and mountain ranges including the Smokey Mountains. 

They were very gracious hosts and we enjoyed playing Mexican Train in the evenings with them and Ted’s son, Randy, who is visiting from Massachusetts. We won’t talk about how many times Deb won - who’s counting?

 

After a few days, Rich mentioned that the back of his knee was swollen and sore. He has varicose veins as does sister Cindy the nurse. So I called her and she said if it was her she would go to urgent care to get an ultrasound, especially since he had a history of blood clots. So we dropped him off at Newport Hospital to check it out while Deb and I did grocery shopping for New Year’s Eve. Three and a half hours later, he came out with the diagnosis - acute superficial venous thrombosis of left lower extremity - not life threatening, but something to keep an eye on. They gave him a Motrin and sent him on his way. He has promised daughter Nora (military nurse) and sister Eileen (ER nurse, retired) that he would move his leg frequently while driving/riding and stop often to walk around. He also called his doctor to make him aware...

Stay tuned. Next stop - Tyler, TX

PS - love your comments. Please sign your name so I know it's you...

Historic Whitehall, NY

Historic Whitehall, NY   December 10-12, 2020 

A note to readers of this blog - I enjoy it when you leave a comment. Please sign with your name. Some comments come in Unknown Sender so I can’t tell who took the time to comment. Thanks

A little bit about Rich's hometown, Whitehall, NY located at the end of Lake Champlain’s lock system - Lock 12. It is the birthplace of the United States Navy Benedict Arnold’s Valcour Fleet, built in summer of 1776 in Skenesborough, NY (now Whitehall). This is a village full of history, though it has certainly seen better times. Up until the  late 70’s it was a bustling, thriving town with 22 bars, a gas station on every corner, JJ Newberries, 2 pharmacies, 3 grocery stores, 2 hardware stores. A lot of businesses have closed over the years and more so since the pandemic. 

The impressive Skene Manor, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Judge Joseph Potter’s House, is a historic home located high on the hillside of Whitehall in Washington County, New York. It was built in 1874 and is a handsome Victorian style mansion built of grey sandstone quarried from its own site with a mansard roof.

State Military Armory in Whitehall built in 1899, visible from Rich's home now. It is now privately owned and used for events.

Back in the day, around 1941 a great diner was born, the Silver Diner which his grandfather established and open 24 hours/day, 365 days. No need for a key! Remodeled in 1943, Rich’s father ran it and then Rich did with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Paul Smith’s College.

He then expanded it by adding a dining room and opening the Freight House Lounge as an add on decked with railroad motif. Rich would engrave the pewter beer mugs for the locals who frequented there. They were hung on hooks behind the bar ready for their next visit. It was 75 cents for Heinekens and 50 cents for Schlitz.

Every day glass with Freight House logo

Later, he opened another upscaled restaurant, J. R Egans, which didn’t make it in those economic times. 

Actual 7' x 4' sign now displayed in Rich's home office

Rich’s father’s (“Ekie” Frances Colomb) former home across the street from his.

Approaching From Rt 4

Potter Street front entrance 

But it is important to talk about Rich's deceased wife, Therese Egan Colomb, and her homestead which is still owned by the Colomb family. The house was built in 1865 and now stands with so many nostalgic memories blended with the newest upgrades - modern bathroom with gorgeous tile work, kitchen with more tiles, track lighting, Corian counter and soap stone as well. 

In the early years of this home, in an effort to give Tress's gramma Clute activities to keep her productive, the 3 generations of women opened a travelers lodge (Clute’s Guests) for salesmen who needed to lay their heads down for the night. There was a separate entrance to the second floor which they would enter. Doors were not locked back in those days, so it was open to those in need. Yet there was privacy and security in the layout of the rooms. The house has been added onto several times. Nooks and crannies abound throughout the house - 3 sets of stairs, pantries, laundry chutes with visions of sheets hanging on the clothes line outside waiting to be pressed with the heavy iron which rested on the hot Franklin stove.

Today, this versatile home has an apartment on the second floor now with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen area, and 2 baths. There have been interesting claims of supernatural activity in the house. Both of the Colomb children, Nora and Perry, have lived in the apartment at some point in their adult lives. So you can imagine the memories that come forth while there - certainly those of Tress fill the rooms. 

Old cherished items - a wooden telephone box, standing grandfather cuckoo clock bought at an antique store said to be from President VanBuren's family. The floors in the living room and office are the original wide plank flooring rich with old nail holes, traces of forest green paint, and markings of activities over the last 155 years. 

 

               

 

Rich’s paintings, pine needle baskets, sketches and bird houses adorn every room.  

                             

Amazing attention to details - all hand made and assembled. This is a replica of Walker’s Feed Store near by.

Do you see a common theme here? Southwestern? Thus our next journey travel camping right after Christmas - south to Tennessee, west to Texas, New Mexico, and on to Arizona to see my sister, Terri, and her husband, Jim. Hoping that when we return in Spring 2021, we will be able to see you in person…huge hugs and all. In the meantime, follow my "Apricity West" blog if you’re interested. I will continue to email you an updated link.

Apricity South (week 3)

November 18, Wednesday (addendum)

I neglected to mention that I attended my last BCC Alumni Board Zoom meeting as Secretary and Outreach Chairperson today. The committee members are the most intelligent, kind hearted, caring, and giving people you could know. This is the last commitmet that I have retired from in order to travel with Rich. I had filled the void of loneliness with so many things that I enjoy - family, choir, Christmas Concert, part time jobs at Church on the Hill and Tanglewood, volunteering as church Collector and Pastoral Relations Committee, attending as many live performances as possible, going to movies regularly, old and new friends, etc. They were all there for me when I needed them and I will keep in touch with them, but now I am happy, content and certainly not lonely... 

 

November 19, Thursday

Cindy and Jeff Brett, both retired Army veterans, arrived mid-afternoon and the cocktails and stories of old began. Cindy and I let the guys get a head start, but joined in soon after with the aid of guacamole, salsa, and chips. Remember that they were work campers (did chores around the park for free electric, water, and sewer hook ups) for Rich in North Ranch RV Park in Congress, AZ. 

 

It was a time of celebration on so many levels - new chapters in all of our lives. They had just signed the deal for a beautiful new home in eastern Florida,  having been "full time" campers in this beauty since 2006!! Notice Blanche, their Smart car, tucked away in the middle. 

This rig will be on the market soon and they will down size to a Class C to continue their travels "part time".

 

Much of our conversation included Tress (Rich's wife), and of course they knew Lily the kitty, too. They had been devastated when they learned of Tress' sudden passing as they were all working so closely together not that long ago. 

 

They wanted to know more about me, Bob and my family as well, so there were many heart felt moments.

Basically, Rich and I found each other when we needed each other.

 

They met in the Army band, both being drummers, and formed their family which included Jeff's two daughters. They now have a 3 year old granddaughter, Brooklyn, and 2 month old grandson, Wyatt. 

 

Rich prepared a delicious meal of ribeyes, corn on the cob, and baked potato with butter and sour cream. It had been a long time since we had savored potatoes - yum! The usual keto chocolate mousse was a late dessert. 

 

November 20, Friday

Bagels and scrambled eggs with black coffee for breakfast and we continued chatting for another hour. By the way, Jeff shares a meaningful prayer of grace at every meal. 🙏

 

It was such a pleasure to meet Jeff and Cindy. They are two great individuals who merged into a super couple. 

 

Smart car, Blanche, is so darn cute, too. 

They wear R.E.D. shirts on Fridays to Remember Everyone Deployed. 💕

 

November 21, Saturday

Very low key day today. Went to Walmart early to get some supplies and it was packed. Too many people without masks. 

 

Found out that Bradenton Convention Center did free drive through testing - quick and 3 day results sent to email. That is what we will try to do on Wednesday to give us some lawfulness about our return to Massachusetts!

 

November 22, Sunday

I like to attend church by Zoom at both First Congregational and Church on the Hill. Bill Neil and Liz Goodman are so interesting and spirital to listen to and this week Marcia Eveland stood in for Bill. She also has wonderful stories to tell to connect the dots of our Christian journey. 

 

Another lunch at Acapulco Restaurant followed by a leisurely visit to the pool. 

 

💔 When we got back to the condo, we mourned in disbelief to learn that Gary Dobert died after being in the hospital for Quadruple bypass - followed by mini strokes. Gary and his wife, Judy, just bought a 23 foot Grey Wolf travel trailer for their retirement. They are long time friends of Rich’s sister and her husband. Gary looked up to Rich for his knowledge of RV’s and they wanted him to mentor/guide them through the learning process. Our maiden voyage with them was to Dorsett, VT in September and they joined us in Rhinebeck, NY in October. We really hit if off and hoped to do much more camping over time. That was the only time I knew them except for lunch at Cheesecake Factory the day before we left for Florida. He had a doctor appointment 5 days later to determine when his surgery would be. It turns out that they sent him right to the hospital and scheduled it for the following day. But we had an upbeat lunch confident that all would be fine - they knew a couple of other people who had the same surgery successfully. We are so grateful that we had that lunch together. Gary was a quiet soul who didn’t say that much, but you could see a slight grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye when he was amused. That is how we will remember Gary. Judy will need her family now and we have experienced the same loss that she has, so we will be here for whatever she needs from us. 🙏

 

November 23, Monday

Feeling sad that we are getting close to our departure. Trying to follow all the Travel Restrictions to get back to New England. Will have a test on Wednesday before we leave and again when we arrive without having to do a 14 day quarantine. 

Spent more time at the pool and met a younger couple from Michigan who just bought a condo in the building next to us. They look so young for having twin daughters (fraternal) who are graduating from Michigan State next year arriving today. We decided that they are probably our kids’ ages - YIKES!

November 24, Tuesday

Today the handyman, Chuck, came to replace the garbage disposal. It was time!! It is good to know that he could help with maintenance work if there is a problem. 

I met one of my renters today. We hit it off while she rented from me in August and said we should meet up if I came down. We had a two hour bagel and coffee! Discovering more about each other and our "2nd time arounds"...

November 25, Wednesday

Getting depressed about going back to the cold, but anxious to see our families. 

We went to the Convention Center for testing - people were lined up standing - NOT a drive through! We beat it and drove down the street a mile or so to do Walgreens' drive through. Thank God we knew about it. Easy peasy. 

We planned to go to the beach on Anna Maria, but stopped at Sweetberries for lunch. 

I had the Black and Blue salad which was deliciois.  

On our way to the beach, the draw bridge was up bringing everyone to a halt. We turned around and parked on the Causeway to spend a little time on the sand and put our toes in the intracoastal waters. It was sunny and windy so the water was twinkling like diamonds and the waves were lapping onto the sandy shore. Mesmerizing!

Decided to stop at Sweetberries again - for sundaes this time. It was our last chance to splurge!

November 26, Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! A very different one indeed! No prepping and cooking the turkey to take to Shannon's where we all usually gather. Instead, Rich is making steak, baked potatoes, broccoli with cheese... it's perfect and no leftovers to deal with before our drive back up north tomorrow. 

We had the pool to ourselves again today after packing what we could in the morning. 

FaceTimed with the grandkids, then a Zoom call with my mom and sisters at 2pm.  Ended up talking for almost 2 hours. 💞 

Adios Bradenton, FL. Will miss you until next year!

Apricity South (Week 2)

November 12, Thursday

After a trip to Palmetto to get Rich a flu shot and copies of our Covid test results, we made a stop at Detwilers Farm Market (Amish family owned). My friend Drew told us about how fresh, affordable, and busy it was. He was right on all accounts. We were just going to check it out as we just shopped at Publix yesterday. Well, we came out of there with $50 worth of great food - so much for window shopping!

  

Then we had lunch at Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, Lakewood Ranch which was wonderful. There are murals on every wall. 

 

These margaritas were $3 each (house Tequila)!

 

November 13, Friday 

Friday the 13th was pretty uneventful. 

Went to the pool in the afternoon to soak in some natural vitamin D. 

 

November 14, Saturday

This evening we learned that our new camper friend, Gary, had heart surgery and was not doing well. We had gone over to Albany the week before to have a pleasant lunch with him and his wife Judy at the Cheesecake Factory. They seemed OK with it - pretty calm. Friends of theirs had the same surgery and were doing well. He had mentioned shortness of breath at a recent check up. They did some tests and found that he needed a triple bypass which turned out to be quadruple! He was now on a ventilator. This was surely a time for singing the Lord's Prayer and putting him on prayer lines at 1st Congregational and Church on the Hill. 🙏🙏🙏

 

November 15, Sunday

We went to visit Lynn (Bob's cousin) and Zippy at their home in Port Charlotte/Englewood for dinner. 

 

I assured them we had been tested and they were very conscientious of Covid protocol - seating in their beautiful caged pool area was appropriately distanced while we enjoyed a delicious meal and sharing stories, new and old.

 

On the way there, we stopped for gas in North Port. I heard someone asking Rich where we were from, noticing our Massachusetts plates. I put my mask on and got out of the car to investigate. She said she was born and bred in Lenox!! Her name was Ginger Field and she had worked at Eastover after retiring from the Army. Since I had come to know Sue and Ticki (Bazaka sisters whose father owned Eastover) when I worked at Church on the Hill, we could have talked forever. And the Liz Biasin connection with Mike Field was another layer of this being such a small world!

 

November 16, Monday

We met Drew Golaski and Will Foley at their house to drive over to the Ringling Museum for the grand tour of the grounds and the exquisite museum. 

 

 

It was so nice to visit with them afterward in their gorgeous pool area. 

Will and Rich had a lot to talk about since Will is a professor of Hotel and Restaurant Management at U Mass and Rich went to Paul Smith's College for the same degree. All of us have worked in the food industry so there was plenty to talk about. 

 

November 18, Wednesday

We have company coming tomorrow - Jeff and Cindy were work campers of Rich's at North Ranch in Arizona. He hasn't seen them in two years and they are camping here on east coast of Florida. Getting furniture all set up for social distancing. Look forward to meeting them...