Helen and I returned from our trip to the Outer Banks in early October and hit the ground running. The first few days after an RV trip always is a busy time. There are appointments and meetings, family matters to take care of, and the chore of unloading and cleaning the RV. After this trip, Helen and I even gave Dora a much-needed bath. Once we had everything under control, We rewarded ourselves by accepting two invitations from friends for overnight outings in their lovely vacation homes–one in the Foothills of our mountains and one on the lake. Both occasions helped to make our October special.
Blair Branch is a community of mountain homes adjacent to the world-class resort of Blackberry Farm. Our hostess and dear friend, Anne, has a lovely home in Blair Branch with access to Blackberry Farm and its facilities and grounds. Helen and I joined Anne and our friends from our first neighborhood as a couple for two days of fun and food. The highlight of that gathering was a hike through the grounds and gardens of Blackberry on a glorious day. We stopped at the heirloom seed garden, where the Blackberry Farm Naturalist gave us a presentation on the heirloom seeds grown at the farm and their uses as either foods or garden plants. We stood in rapt attention to his presentation but had to move on before his paying customers arrived for their tour and presentation. We thanked him profusely for his time. The pictures below give a glimpse of that day, the beauty of the surroundings, and Helen’s find of the last pumpkin of the growing season.
A couple of days after visiting Anne and our friends, Helen and I joined our wonderful, life-long friends, John and Judy, at their lake home just south of Knoxville. Also joining us were Steve and Catherine from Brevard, NC. Steve served as an interim minister at our church for almost two years and did a fantastic job leading us during that period. Catherine has an incredible singing voice and added another dimension to our choir. Together, they are a delightful couple, and Helen and I are blessed to call them friends.
Although the conditions on the lake were ripe for a boat cruise, John’s boat was a bit cranky that weekend. So, rather than spend time on the water, we enjoyed each other’s company. Catherine prepared a superb breakfast meal for us to enjoy each morning. Judy, Catherine, and Helen worked through a puzzle in record time, and the guys solved the world’s problems in casual conversation. To walk off some of our delicious meals, we took a long walk along the lake and around some of the nearby farmland. At the horse farm near John and Judy’s house, a nosy zebra walked over to welcome us. His horse buddies kept their distance but appeared interested in us nonetheless. It was a great day and a very relaxing visit.
Not to be left out, Mortimer needed his share of attention as well. While we were visiting our friends, we checked Mortimer into an animal hospital to have some surgery on his eyes. The problem involved inwardly turned lower eyelids, irritating his corneas from hair and eyelashes constantly in contact with them. He needed surgery to correct that. I’m happy to report that the surgery was successful, and his eyes are clearing up nicely.
During the third week of the month, Helen and I gave a presentation on the joys of the RV lifestyle at the monthly community luncheon held at our church. I prepared most of the presentation before our trip to the Outer Banks using pictures from our seven years of RV trips. When asked to do this, I was convinced that we would have no more than three attendees–Helen, myself, and the lady selling tickets. Surprisingly, more than thirty folks arrived to hear us speak about the lifestyle we enjoy so much. I can’t be confident that I persuaded any of the attendees to join us as fellow RVers, but we did get them interested enough to ask great questions!
October is not yet over. As I write this, we’re camping with church members in the Big South Fork National Recreation Area. We’re leaving on Sunday for a trip to Charleston (grandchildren :-)), followed by two weeks at Edisto Beach, SC. Retirement is a great gig! We’re blessed, we’re grateful, and we’re Easin’ Along.
I love these adventures. They cheer me up. Don’t ever stop going!!
Hi, Ann,
We’re blessed. Thanks for joining us. Have a great week! Joe
It sounds like you and Helen had a wonderful, textured October. It is fun to hear about all of the opportunities that being retired opens up to people…like visiting friends at their mountain and lake homes. Perfect!
I would have loved to hear your talk about the joys of the RV lifestyle. Obviously, many of us are intrigued by that. Will you be summarizing your talk into a future blog post?
Good Morning, Marian,
We’re blessed with great friends who are very generous to share their vacation homes with us. We had a lot of fun on both outings. I have a link below to the video of the presentation to our church luncheon. If you get really bored, you might want to check it out. Thanks for checking in. Joe
Hi, Joe – Retirement absolutely is a great gig. I love following your adventures.
Wonderful shot of Mortimer!
Donna,
We love having you along and are honored that you follow us. Mortimer was not an easy model, but he managed to hold still long enough for me to capture his “good side.” Have a wonderful week. Hope Richard has healed and doing well. Joe
Joe, you and Helen are poster children for a rich, rewarding and happy retirement lifestyle! You both handle that role well (and rather easily, it seems to me). I agree with Donna – the photo of Mortimer is charming. I’m glad his surgery was smooth and successful. Enjoy your upcoming adventures!
Hi, Mary,
Thanks so much for the nice comments. We’re fortunate that we are able to keep moving even though we’re getting closer to “fossil status.” Hope things are going well with you and Alan. Have a great week and please stay in touch. Joe
I’m sorry I’ve been absent from reading your posts Joe! I’m not getting emails from some WordPress users 😞
In any case, so great to read and catch up with your October! You shared some beautiful pics of your latest adventures. I hear you about the busyness after an RV trip…any long road trip for that matter. I’m glad Mortimer got his eyes taken care of. He is such a good boy and he found himself a wonderful family. Enjoy your autumn 🍂
Terri,
It’s always great to hear from you, so thanks for stopping by whenever you can. Our October was busy, but a lot of fun nonetheless. Our friends are great to share their vacation homes with us, and we’re blessed to have them in our lives. We are back on the road again and Mortimer is at my feet as I write this, looking for his breakfast. Obviously he is doing well, but he has too much energy at times–especially so inside a fifth-wheel. I’m taking him for a walk as soon as he eats. Have a great week! Joe
Joe, I love how you and Helen stay active in retirement. Both the foothills and the lake look beautiful. I’m glad Mortimer is doing well after his surgery. Safe travels and have a great time in SC!
Hi, Natalie,
We’re blessed that we have the ability and the health to stay busy and active, so we do what we can “while we still can!” We are in Edisto Beach right now looking out over a beautiful marsh filled with egrets and spoonbills. I hope to share some of this on a blog post soon. Please come back–it’s great hearing from you. Joe
What a fun October! Your visits with friends look absolutely delightful. As a long time amateur naturalist, I would have enjoyed that walk through Blackberry Farm and the chat with the naturalist. You are an excellent spokesperson on the joys of RV travel!
Good morning, Laurel,
We happened to meet up with the naturalist at just the right time. He was waiting for a group of guests from Blackberry Farm for his afternoon lecture and used us for rehearsal. He was very generous with his time and extremely knowledgeable. You would have loved it! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend! Joe