The Learning Curve Continues

The good news is that the water finally was turned on.  The bad news is that our water hose froze in the 19 degree weather and we were without water yet again.  Sigh!!  Another rookie mistake that we should have been able to avoid.  Another lesson was learned about the lock on the trailer door.  Jim had gone to work in the morning and decided to play golf with the Rangers afterwards.  Meanwhile, back at the trailer, Lydia had decided to step outside and check the weather. When she tried to open the door to go back inside, it was locked...no cell phone, no one around for miles, rain predicted for the early afternoon, and in her pajamas!!!  Jim had made an extra key but ... it was in the car with him! When he got home 3 hours later Lydia was sitting in a folding chair, swaddled from head to toe in plastic ponchos and the storage bag from the chair. Things were very quiet around here for the next few hours.  We figured out that when the door is locked with the key from the outside you have to unlock it with the key or it stays locked.  A trip to Lowes and a magnetic box to store the extra key should keep that from happening again. Divorce averted yet again!

The month brought us good news in the form of selling our previous "little trailer" and our golf cart.  We have fond memories of wonderful times in both those vehicles, so it was a little bittersweet to see them go.  We hope the new owners will have the same great experiences using them as we did.  The financial celebration was short lived, however, since Lydia broke a tooth (on mashed potatoes no less!), and had to have a porcelain ($$) crown to replace it. This necessitated several trips back to our dentist and underscored the planning for medical and dental care while on the road.

January continued to have crazy weather with highs 10-15 degrees above normal. We've played more golf in the past two months than in all of 2011. We both wish that the increased play opportunities resulted in lower scores, but, alas, that's not happened so far! There are always those picture perfect shots that keep you coming back, however few and far between they are.  The undulating course terrain here provides plenty of challenges. Seems like you have to adjust your stance constantly and we've done our share of sacrificing to the gods of the water and woods.  It's fun to be out and getting exercise and we do get a lot of strokes for the money, however.

On the 14th we made a trip back to Bent Tree and spent the night with our good friend, Nancy. Lydia took side dishes for the flat iron steak Nancy provided and Jim grilled. It was a treat to have a regular kitchen and bedroom for a change! Thanks, Nance! On Sunday we went to brunch with our last (sniffle!) Suppers Around the Tree gathering. We had such a fun group and we'll miss the camaraderie ... and the delicious meals.  That evening we drove to Todd and Leslie's house for dinner and to watch the Packer's playoff game. The food and company was great but the game was dismal! End of the season for the Pack, but there's always next year.

Upon returning home we discovered we had run out of propane.  We usually heat with two electric heaters but since we had left the cats we turned the heaters off and let the furnace heat the trailer. Good thing those kitties had fur coats because we went through one 30lb. tank in 2 days! Yikes!  So along with our weekly trip to the Wash Rock and Ingles we added a propane refill.

We finally have neighbors, Brad and Kay from Florida.  They are in their first workcamping experience, so we've tried to help them "learn the ropes". (However, as you read this, you may wonder at our ability to "help" anyone!)  With the arrival of Brad, Jim has someone to help him fill divots.  They've worked out a schedule for themselves, so he'll have a few mornings to sleep in.

Lisa and Jimmy came for an overnight visit last Saturday.  They provided a wonderful meal of grilled redfish, caught by Jimmy, with a crab and shrimp cream sauce.  Can you say fabulous?   On Sunday we drove around Madison and Eatonton and visited the Uncle Remus Museum (http://www.uncleremusmuseum.org/ ). The building is two old slave cabins put together and filled with items and information from the experiences that inspired Joel Chandler Harris's stories.

We have one more month here at Hard Labor Creek and then we're off to visit friends and places further south. We continue to enjoy good health, new experiences, and fun times together, and we wish the same for you. 

 'Til next time ....