Living Our Dream

Happy Thanksgiving

We try to be thankful for all the blessings we have every day, but we always like to stop on Thanksgiving and reflect on the many blessings we have, to give special thanks to God for those blessings and to wish our readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

This past summer, we had the priviledge travel to Plymouth, MA, which is the place where the Pilgrims established their colony in the New World. The Pilgrims, who were fleeing religious persecution in England, have become an American symbol of freedom. They left all that was familiar to them to set out on a dangerous, two-month voyage across the Atlantic in a small boat to an unknown destination where they would face untold hardship - all so they could worship God as they felt He was calling them to do.

Mayflower II - replica of the Pilgrim's ship

We are blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to worship as we please and to travel without restriction. We are personally blessed with good health, with a loving family and with good friends (both old and new). We are thankful that we have the wherewithal to travel this beautiful country of ours to see its natural wonders and to learn about its people and its history. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy this adventure.

Still Hangin' Around in Lower Alabama

Summedrale, AL - Events of Tuesday, November 19 to Monday, November 25, 2013

RVers frequently hold gatherings in the afternoon where they share beverages, snacks and conversation. The gatherings have several different names, but they are usually called "happy hour." Some of the gatherings are impromptu and some are planned. On Tuesday, we had a planned happy hour at our rig and invited Darrell, Judy, Jim and Ellie. Everyone brought their chairs and beverages of choice, and we provided some snacks.

Ellie, Jim, Judy, Darrell, Margery and Paul

The weather was a little cloudy and cool, but we still had a good time sharing stories about our RVing adventures. Much of our conversation this time centered around residential refrigerators. Ellie is trying to talk Jim into having one installed in their motor home.

We didn't do much for the next several days except hang around Rainbow Plantation. We took a couple of walks, did a few minor projects, read and watched TV.

We got a promotional e-mail from Sam's Club saying their stores were holding their annual "Taste of the Holidays" on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "Taste of the Holidays" meant they would be having more than their usual number of food samples, so we planned to run a few other errands on Friday and then stop at Sam's to pick up a few items and to check out their samples.

On Friday morning when Margery tried to use the microwave, we heard lots of zapping and crackling noises, so she quickly turned it off. At first we thought something metal accidentally got put into the microwave. We checked it out and there was no metal. Paul hit the start button again briefly, and he could see sparks flashing through a grill opening in the back corner before everything went completely dead. Uh oh. That can't be good.

We have a microwave/convection oven. The most likely component to cause that kind of arcing when trying to use the microwave portion of the oven was a bad magnetron. A quick check on the internet didn't turn up any available sources for a magnetron for our make and model oven. Since we figured the cost of a service call plus the cost of the part would be high, it wouldn't be worth investing that much in an 8-year old microwave. Not only that, but we would probably have to pay for two service calls - one to diagnose the problem so a part could be ordered and a second to install the part when it arrived. Therefore, we decided to bite the bullet and check out new convection/microwaves while we were out.

To make a long story short, no one stocks over-the-range convection/microwaves. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's stock some models in their local warehouse, but not at the store. We found one we liked at Home Depot that was in stock at the warehouse, so we ordered it. When it arrives in a few days, Paul will get busy with the installation, and we'll have an update on how it went.

In the meantime, Margery will have to get creative with her menus since the microwave/convection oven is out of commission and we don't have a regular oven in our motor home. She will have to remember to thaw everything in advance, and everything will have to be cooked on the stove top. We'll be roughin' it for a few days. :-)

While we were out on Friday looking for a new microwave/convection oven, we still had time to enjoy sampling all the foods at Sam's. We also had Nathan's jumbo, all-beef hot dogs for lunch at Sam's before heading back to the motor home.

We hung around the motor home on Saturday again. Even though the weather was a bit dreary, we still needed to walk the trash up to the dumpster. The last couple of times we did that, we took Freeway for a walk around some of the roads in Rainbow Plantation where the deeded lots are located instead of going to the dog park. This time, we decided to stop at the dog park so Freeway could play. He knows where the dog park is, so he gets very excited when we get close.

Freeway anxious to get into the dog park

Freeway loves, loves, LOVES to chase balls. He tries to catch them, but frequently misses because his mouth is too small even though we got him a smaller ball.

Freeway trying to catch his ball

The downside to using Freeway's smaller ball instead of a tennis ball is the smaller ball fits through the holes in the fence more easily.

Freeway waiting for someone to retrieve his ball from the other side of the fence

Sunday was sunny, but cool, so after church we stayed inside and watched movies on TV.

Monday was another dreary day. Paul ran to Home Depot to pick up some screws to have on hand in case he needs them for installing the new microwave/convection oven when it arrives. On the way, he stopped at Walmart to pick up some ingredients for a crock pot meal we were planning to have sometime in the next couple of days while we don't have a working oven.

The storm that caused a lot of difficulty in the southwest over the past two days is headed our way, and there will be rain followed by falling temperatures. We'll hunker down in the motor home for a couple of days, but we have some plans for later in the week. We'll tell you what that was in our next post.

More Time for Relaxation

Summerdale, AL - Events of Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, November 17, 2013

We had a couple of cool days with lows in the 30s, and the high on Wednesday did not get out of the 50s. Thursday got to around 60, so we took a walk around Rainbow Plantation and popped in on Darrell and Judy on our way. We happened to mention we were thinking of going back to Big Daddy's on Friday, so they decided to join us.

On our last stop at Big Daddy's, Darrell told us about their new VIP card which entitles the card holder to various weekly specials. The current VIP special was $5 off any purchase of $10 or more. The prices on Big Daddy's lunch specials are good to begin with, but with an additional $5 off, they are a real bargain. That's the reason we decided to go back so soon.

We all had half-pound burgers, which are priced at $6 for lunch (regularly $9) and include your choice of regular fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings or a half and half combination of any two. Everything was delish!

Darrell, Judy, Margery and Paul at Big Daddy's

Big Daddy's is decorated inside with various paintings, wood carvings, stained glass and other artwork, much of which is for sale.

Big Daddy's stained glass mosaic

Another stained glass mosaic

Tropical painting

There was a carving of an eagle that Paul was especially attracted to. If we had a stick house with a good location to display it, Paul would have thought seriously about purchasing the eagle.

Bald eagle carving

Since we went to Big Daddy's in the middle of the afternoon and since it was a dreary day, the restaurant wasn't crowded so we lingered a while after we finished eating to continue our conversation. We eventually headed back to Rainbow Plantation, dropped Darrell and Judy off at their rig and settled in for an evening of TV.

On Saturday, we drove a few miles south of Rainbow Plantation to Bon Secour to get more fresh shrimp. Of course, we realize fresh seafood prices fluctuate depending on the season and on the catch; but we thought the prices at Billy's last time were a bit higher than we remembered them being. This time, thererefore, we decided to try Aquila Seafood, which is  another seafood packing company in Bon Secour that sells to the public.

Aquila Seafood

Aquila doesn't have as many different sizes of shrimp as Billy's, but their prices seemed a little lower.

Fresh shrimp and fish at Aquila Seafood

Since it was a cloudy day, Freeway was able to go along. After we bought our shrimp and stowed it in our cooler, we took Freeway for a short walk to allow him check out the new smells.

We also checked out the fishing boats docked nearby. The oldie-but-goodie in the next photo had a lot of character.

Old fishing boat docked near Aquila Seafood

Sunday brought more clouds, rain, rising humidity and rising temperatures. After church in the morning, we watched the final NASCAR race of the season. We had our shrimp for dinner prepared our favorite way, which is sauteed in a little butter and Old Bay seasoning with a little white wine added at the end. We dip the shrimp in melted butter. Yum!

The weather forecast said the rain was supposed to be ending soon, so we made plans to take advantage of the upcoming, nicer weather. Stay tuned.

Still Taking it Easy

Summerdale, AL - Events of Saturday, November 8 to Tuesday, November 12, 2013

When we go out for the day, we usually drive past the dumpster so we can drop off the trash on our way; but when we hang around the campground all day like we did on Saturday, we usually walk the trash up to the dumpster. The dumpster is conveniently located near the dog park. Freeway looks forward to his walks, especially if it involves a stop at the dog park because he really loves to run and chase balls.

Freeway at the dog park

Freeway with ears flying

It was off to church on Sunday morning, and we watched the NASCAR race on TV in the afternoon. Monday was another day of relaxation around the rig.

On Tuesday, we had a couple of errands to run, and we ended up at Panini Pete's in Fairhope for a late lunch. Panini Pete's is one of our favorite restaurants in the area, and we have been waiting for a nice, warm day that wasn't too windy so we could eat out on their patio.

We were pleased to see they revamped the patio this year. They used to have their tables on the paved walkways, which meant people had to walk through the areas that were meant for planting beds to get around. With everyone walking through the planting beds, the soil was trampled down and barren with only a few scrubby shrubs that were able to survive. During the summer, they built a couple of raised decks for tables on either side of the fountain freeing up the walkways so they could put plants in the landscape beds. We always liked the patio, but it's even nicer now.

New patio layout with new landscaping

Photo from last spring showing the old patio layout with few plants

We both had our favorite - house roasted turkey paninis with baby greens, Dijon, roasted peppers, garlic aioli and house-made mozzarella. The $8 price also includes your choice of shoestring fries, house-made potato chips or the side of the day (usually a pasta salad, but the side this time was wild rice). We both had shoestring fries.

Paul and Margery at Panini Pete's

After lunch, we stopped on the way back to the car for a photo of bananas growing along the main street.

Bananas growing in downtown Fairhope

We usually think of bananas as being sub-tropical plants, but there are varieties that are pretty cold hardy. Lots of people in Lower Alabama grow banana plants in their yards. The plants will die back at the first frost, but the roots are hardy enough to winter over. However, since the plants die back with frost, they usually don't have a long enough growing season to produce many bananas in this area.

When leaving Fairhope, we like to take the scenic route back to the motor home by driving along Mobile Bay. We stopped at a boat launch area to have a look around.

Small beach and docks along Mobile Bay

There happened to be three guys taking what looked to be a home-built fishing boat out of the water.

Home-built fishing boat

Back at the motor home, we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The weather forecast was predicting colder weather, but it should be warming up again in a couple of days. We'll be looking for something to do when it does, so stay tuned.

Hangin' Around in Lower Alabama

Summerdale, AL - Events of Wednesday, November 6 to Friday, November 8, 2013

On Wednesday, we went to lunch with Darrell, Judy, Mike and Peggy at Big Daddy's Grill. Mike and Peggy are friends of Darrell and Judy from their old hometown of Topsham, ME. Mike and Peggy aren't full-timers, but they travel extensively in their motor home, and they pulled into Rainbow Plantation the day before. We met Mike and Peggy and went to lupper with them when we were in Topsham this past summer.

Big Daddy's Grill is located a few minutes from Rainbow Plantation on the Fish River. They serve delicious sandwiches, burgers and seafood.

Big Daddy's Grill

Several others from Rainbow Plantation also joined us at Big Daddy's, and there ended up being 10 of us. We like to eat out on their deck along the river when we go to Big Daddy's, but we arrived around 1:00 at the tail end of the lunch rush, and the only large table on the deck was taken. It was also a little breezy, so we decided to eat inside. Paul was even able to include himself in the group photo thanks to the big mirror at the end of the table.

Our group at Big Daddy's

There are lunch specials before 3:00 that include a burger for $6 (regular price $9), a Philly steak sandwich for $6 (regular price $9) and several of their seafood baskets for $9 (regular price $12). The lunch specials include your choice of fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries or half and half of any two of the sides. We both had Philly steak sandwiches. Margery had onion rings and Paul had sweet potato fries. Everything was delish!

We ran a few errands on Thursday. Because it was cloudy and cool, we were able to take Freeway along. Our errands included a stop at PetSmart, so Freeway was even able to go into the store with us. While we were there, we tried to get him into the Christmas spirit by trying on some reindeer antlers.

Freeway trying on reindeer antlers for Christmas

As you can see from the photo, Freeway wasn't too happy and was squirming around a lot. We caught the photo just as the antlers slipped down over his eyes.

Since we weren't too successful with the antlers, we tried a Santa hat. Although the photo turned out better, he wasn't too happy about that either.

Better luck with the Santa hat

Our errands also took us to Sam's Club. Our friends, Pat and Mike, introduced us to the hot dog combo at the snack bar at Sam's Club. You can get a jumbo, all-beef Nathan's hot dog and large drink for only $1.70. We share the drink and get a second hot dog for $1.30. We love Nathan's hot dogs, so whenever we have to make a stop at Sam's Club, we try to schedule it for around noon so we can get a quick lunch for two for only $3.

Paul enjoying his Nathan's hot dog at Sam's Club

On Friday, we were invited to a fajita fiesta party across the road at Jim and Ellie's rig. Darrell, Judy, Mike, Peggy and several others from Rainbow Plantation were also there. Jim and Ellie provided delicious chicken and beef fajita fixins', and others brought casseroles and side dishes to accompany our meal. Everything was delish! We ate way too much.

Fajita party

After we ate, we all sat around swapping funny stories about our RVing adventures. One couple, George and Joann, have a house on one of the deeded lots at Rainbow Plantation. They are one of the couples who have been here since the beginning and who helped build Rainbow Plantation. It was interesting to learn about the history of the park, which is built on a former sweet potato farm, and to hear some of the humorous stories that took place during the building of campground and clubhouse.

Sitting around swapping RV stories

Late in the afternoon, we headed back across the road to our rig for an evening of TV. We're still taking things easy, but we're planning a few activities, so look for our next post.