“And, just like that…two became three.”

It was a very long day yesterday. I ended up pulling the camper myself with my truck and it did fine. Mr. FixIt is pretty sure the problem was a rock in the brakes. We’ll get it checked before we head anywhere with it. That was a big relief. 

The weather yesterday was terrible driving home. We came through some torrential rain and as soon as we got home, the weather channel gave a tornado warning from the same storm. There are thousands without power from the wind. It seems I got home just in time for some wintery weather. I’ll have to winterize the camper after all…something I was hoping to avoid by heading south. We’ll still get there, but there’s quite a lot of work that needs to be done here at the Ponderosa before we can leave. The cold weather just caught up with me, I’m afraid.

“Sitting on a red carpet of maple leaves, the 2020 R-Pod 196 is one of my favorite campers.”

You know the story of the toothache going away as soon as you get to the dentist? Well, Mr. FixIt is here (YAY!!!) and we took the truck for a long drive…all round the park, up and down hills, around and around curves and…..nothing. Not a sound. Except, when I very first pulled out of the campsite, the brakes squeaked. A long time ago, I was driving over a dirt road in the boonies of Colorado and suddenly the car started making this horrible grinding, screaming noise. When I stopped…the noise stopped. I had no idea what to do. Finally, a couple stopped and asked what was wrong. 

‘Visiting a Pioneer Farm is a step back in time.”

Yesterday was a strange day from the get go. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning knowing something wasn’t right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. After determining I hadn’t eaten anything that would cause such a feeling, I got up, wrapped my camp jacket around me and stepped outside to look at the stars. The sky was crystal clear and the stars looked so close you could just reach up and touch them. I stood there for awhile in my bare feet letting the energy from the earth seep up through my body. When I was sufficiently chilled, literally and figuratively, I went back to bed. But I couldn’t get back to sleep until dawn.

“The camper is the kitchen, bath, and bedroom…the great outdoors is where I live!”

I got to my new campsite in the middle of the afternoon. The mountains I drove over yesterday weren’t anything like the ones last week but man, the road up into the campground here at the park is really, really steep! This truck did a great job pulling the r-pod in these West Virginia hills. When I arrived at my site, I was amazed to have this entire mountaintop to myself! I didn’t have any concerns about that, but I was pleased to see two more couples come into the campground with trailers. 

“Bluestone Lake is gorgeous this time of year.”

Today is moving day so that means I get to tell you where I have been the last few days. I arrived at Pipestem Resort State Park on Thursday. I’ve been here before, but never camping. There’s a tram that takes you down in the canyon to the lower lodge that sits on the Bluestone River. There is a restaurant, gift shop, and artisan center on the canyon rim at the top of the tram. There is an equestrian center, golf course, pool, recreation center, nature center and a main lodge with every amenity you could want.

“Sitting by the river is soothing to the soul.”

Being a writer is a wonderful thing. I can get lost in a blank page, creating worlds from my thoughts. It’s like magic…making something from nothing. I pray over my keyboard. I ask God to bring me words to say and people who need them. I am humbled when someone reaches out and tells me how my words have encouraged them or helped to ease the pain of their particular loss. I am quick to tell them…it is not me. I am merely the transcriptionist.

“Coffee and sunshine and a little nosh!”

As I explored the latest West Virginia State Park on my camping itinerary yesterday, I took a king sized jump back in time. The last time I was at this particular park was with Hubby #2. I can’t tell you the year, but my guess is it was the summer of 1979, although it could have been later. I remember bits and pieces of that trip. I remember feeling so extravagant to travel to such beautiful places. We stayed a night in this lodge I am sitting in as I write this post. Oh, my…so much water over the dam since then.

“Kicking back in my Vasques at the campsite at the end of the day makes all the challenges melt away!”

Yesterday saw its fair share of challenges. First, I was wide awake at 5:30am. I drove over Droop Mountain on Wednesday and frankly…I was a little concerned about pulling the camper over it. At 3060 feet elevation with a 9% grade, it is a considerable piece of real estate to cross over, especially hauling a camper. 

“My favorite boots.”

Ok…you all know me. You know I have something to say about…you know, everything. I’ve been known to turn a phrase. I’ve been able to paint pictures with my words. It’s not me…it’s all God. But, as I sat down last night to write this post, I was at a total loss for words. Yesterday was just about the most beautiful day I have ever seen and I didn’t have anyone to share it with. Not in real time, anyway. Mr. FixIt is still at home, picking pears and cleaning out the last of the garden. And there’s all of you. And Kaye and her fella, “Not John Hancock” (sorry, I’ve forgotten his first name but it’s definitely NOT John). I met them on a hike in Beartown State Park.

“The many colors of Autumn”

I was pouring my coffee yesterday and my mom popped in my head. She often does, but yesterday she “came” to have coffee with me. Mom loved her coffee…hot and black. She had a Pyrex coffee pot and I was enamored with the way you could watch the coffee brewing…bubbling up through the center tube into the glass handle of the lid then seeping down through the grounds. There was never a time when there wasn’t coffee on the stove.