RBP Week 2

Our second week began with a switch to Daylight Saving time. Now when Jim gets up at 7am, he walks the dog in the dark. The morning temps are generally around 60 degrees which is 10-15 degrees above normal temps. The highs moved into high 70s on most days, also above normal. Of course, the trailer heated up as well. Since we try to conserve our energy, we resisted turning on the AC unit. We finally gave up about midweek when inside temp reached 82. It was time for some cooler air. The ac in the new trailer is so much quieter than in our little one.  You can actually hear each other talk without shouting.

The craft classes continued and Lydia learned to do beaded Kumihimo inspired by the beautiful work of Bertha Hawley another Escapee. Next she wants to learn to make the beaded beads like Bertha does. So much to learn ... so little time! We also continued the clubhouse dinners where they served soup or salad, entree and desert for $5-6 per person. The entrees included spaghetti casserole, bratwurst (not cooked in beer), and baked chicken. Did I mention the ice cream social each Sunday night for $1? Naturally, when we did not eat at the clubhouse, Lydia always fixed something good to eat.

One day Jim wandered over to clubhouse looking for a cribbage group. He met Dick from Massachusetts and they decided to play. He was feeling pretty good about playing especially after he won the first game by 3 holes. That changed quickly when Dick won the second game by 47 and the third game by 31 holes. Jim quietly excused himself and slowly walked home wondering what had happened.

We joined Barb and Terry for another road trip on Wednesday and only drove 20 miles but saw incredible things. We walked around the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog and saw the pitcher plant flowers just beginning to open.

 

 

Next, we walked through the Weeks Bay Conservation area, a wooded area and shoreline preserved and studied. Plants and trees were labeled to help us learn. Several observation decks with signs identifying local flora and fauna gave us time to sit and watch. The tree to the right is the largest Sweetbay Magnolia tree in the state of Alabama.

 

 

Barb and Terry had begun a digital camera group and we attended. That day they were demonstrating the use of photo editing software called GIMP. The program is free and it can do lots of things to improve any digital photograph. For example, Terry took the picture at the right and Barb inserted him from another picture. Soooo ... don't always believe what you see!

On Saturday the Plantation held a Craft Fair and Lydia decided to participate. It started at 8am, so we got up at 6am, moved all Lydia's jewelry to a table in the clubhouse. People showed up at 7:30am for breakfast and a walk around the 17 tables displaying a wide variety of crafts by other RVers. It is amazing how many incredibly talented people there are down here.

 

Later that day our new group drove to Fairhope to attend the 60th Annual Arts and Craft Festival. People say it's one of the best in the country, so vendors come from all over the US. Of, course, many are from nearby and we met two from Acworth, GA. The 2012 Dogwood Trail Court made an appearance and, of course, Jim had to get "up close" with one of the belles. After the festival we stopped for a early supper at Big Daddy's Grill  ... great food, great ambiance, great fun!

As our second week ended, we decided we wanted to dip our toes in the Gulf before we had to leave.  Sunday is not a bad time to venture to Gulf Shores – rental folks are leaving and the new ones haven’t checked in yet.  We found a quiet stretch toward the end of the island and set up our sand chairs.  Lydia as usual walked the beach looking for just the right shells to call her name.  This time, however, she decided to just take pictures instead of the real things.  Living in the limited space of a trailer causes many changes in the way you’ve “always done it”. She loves the patterns of these shells.  Broken or not, beauty is everywhere if you only take the time to look.

‘Til next time …