Boats and houses and beaches oh my!

Honeymoon’s over for sure!  Back to remodeling houses in Tennessee and working on the boat in Florida.  We helped Jesse and Brittany with tiling in their bathroom and did a little more work on the farmhouse to get a rental house ready, then left for Florida to visit and work on the boat (she’d been on the hard for 4 months without attention – longest we’d ever left her).

Before leaving for Florida, we spent some time enjoying October in Tennessee.  We took a short trip to the Cherokee National Forest (one of our favorite sledding and camping places in winters past) to see all the gorgeous fall colors, and I went with our daughter to her tenth college reunion.  The reunion was fun, especially seeing Julie and her friends and former roommates visiting while their kids ran around – seems like only yesterday we were lugging boxes up three flights of steps in the dorm and having ten girls over for hamburgers!

modified camping

what a beautiful sight

no words needed

Carson-Newman

the college girls are mamas now

John traveled with us to Florida, stopping in Chattanooga to tile on the way.  He was ready for a brief vacation, but not sure if traveling in an RV with your parents counts.  We traveled down the west coast of Florida, visiting old haunts from our Bradenton days two years ago and checking up on old friends at Twin Dolphin.  We spent the day at the beach on Anna Maria Island, made memorable by the parking ticket we received months later for parking the RV in the public lot by the beach (no signs, no warning, no ticket on the windshield – just a friendly request for a donation to the police department).  It was impossible to get in touch via phone or e-mail, so we reluctantly paid the piper. 

yikes!

my three guys

Jay and John relaxing on the beach (while getting a parking ticket!)

the outstanding Dali museum in St. Pete

We stopped in RV parks along the way, and much to the delight of John most were populated by grey panthers.  Only a game of horseshoes and a pool kept him from jumping off the roof of the RV.  He flew back to TN from Orlando before we went to Westland Marine in Titusville to work on the boat.  We stayed in the RV at the marina while we worked, and talked Bob and Katie into leaving their boat there while they went back to Cincinnati for Christmas.  Candy and Phred were driving south in their RV for their annual stay in Marathon, and they stopped by also.  We enjoyed a reunion with both couples, and were  joined by George and Terry from Port Canaveral for dinner. 

Jay, Bob, Katie, Candy, Phred beside the mighty Tioga (in the marina yard)

The marina celebrated Thanksgiving with the residents on Wednesday, providing turkeys and side dishes while the boaters brought side dishes.  It was very well attended and very good!  For our REAL Thanksgiving, we took a road trip to Port St. Lucie, where Julia’s (m/v Sea Pearl) sister Rosie lives.  She graciously invited us to join her, Joe and Julia, and Bob and Stephanie for Thanksgiving dinner.  She’s a very gracious hostess, and we had so much fun and SO much good food!  We really appreciated being with such good friends for such a great feast.

Julia and Rosie

patient Salty Dog

the guest of honor

what a beautiful table and what a great group!

NOW we’ll go back to Tennessee to get the farm ready for 16 people to stay for Christmas!

Southbound

We left NYC and spent the night in a lovely Sam’s Club parking lot (landscaped just for us, complete with picnic table).  We’ve decided Sam’s is the best (free) overnight, since they’re not open all night and tend to be somewhat removed from night traffic and activity.
Stephen and Pam (m/v Tide’s In) were in Washington, DC, so we stopped by for a quick visit.  We hadn’t seen them since we returned from the Bahamas in June, so it was fun to catch up and enjoy an evening on Tide’s In.  It was originally billed as happy hour, but as usual we turned it into happy hourS.  But what fun!  We didn’t tour Washington since we’d been there just a couple of years before (and our feet were still sore from stomping all over NYC).

Pam was so excited to see us that she squeezed Stephen's head

We left DC and traveled to Hampton, VA because Bob and Stephanie (m/v September Song) and Joe and Julia (m/v Sea Pearl) were there.  we were able to stay in the Enterprise parking lot near the docks (it’s hard to dock a Tioga), so we were near the boats and able to play.  We hadn’t seen those kids since spring when we left the Bahamas.

Bob about to cry because he's seeing Jay after all this time.....drove Steph to drink

those kids!

our marina slip

been a long time!

Nice visit!  Time to go further south.  Rusty and Nancy were in New Bern, NC, having spent time there after returning from the Bahamas.  They were there for hurricane Irene, but thankfully had no damage.  We parked in yet another parking lot beside a marina and enjoyed a visit and dinner on Summer Wind then a quick tour and lunch in New Bern the following day.

New Bern ahead

so that's where they've been!!

Monday we bade Rusty and Nancy farewell and traveled to Seabrook Island, SC to visit Jeff and Dot, long-time friends from both work and play.  Even though their neighborhood is gated and highly restricted, we were able to park the RV right in their driveway (don’t even ask about the looks we got from passersby).  We enjoyed dinner at their home and took a tour of the newly renovated (with Jeff at the helm) club facilities.

beautiful Ravenell Bridge in Charleston

idyllic back yard in Sea Brook

Jeff and Dot

We left Seabrook and headed for home.  We’d had such a great time seeing new places and old friends, lots of memories and photos, but Tennessee looked pretty good too!!

we're back!

Start spreading the news…

New York!  Other than a quick drive-by years ago, this was our first visit to one of the most exciting cities in the US.  We stayed at Liberty Landing in New Jersey and rode the metro everywhere from there.  The RV park was unusual, being mostly a paved lot with electrical towers and a teeny section for “camping” (a 50x50’ walled section with tiny plots of grass outlined with sidewalks…not exactly back to nature).  But it was very convenient to the public transportation and all we needed was a place to crawl exhaustedly up the two steps of the RV to sleep before walking another 50 miles the next day.

that puppy in front looks just a bit different from the rest...

he's a foster pig!

ah, the big city

these people were obviously captured and forced into the public eye

where did all these PEOPLE come from???

no time to shop

Central Park dude

site of John Lennon's demise

memorial in Central Park

just as we arrived at this carousel, Rocky Top started to play!!

Grand Central Station

this street is named after our granddaughter

this is a big screen, and we're totally touristy in the middle left (Jay with camera and me waving)

We called Joe (m/v Sea Pearl) for advice on sightseeing in NYC, since he spent many years there in law enforcement and security.  He passed on good advice for must-sees (and good vantage points from which to see them) and also gave us the name of a local friend who could advise us.  Oddly, both men always mentioned “and a place to have a cocktail” in every suggested venue.  Even though it’s impossible to see and do everything, we sure gave it a try!  Since we were in NYC in September of 2011, the tenth anniversary of the Twin Tower tragedy, security was very tight, with about 1 police officer for every 5 tourists near the memorial.  There was also a UN meeting taking place in town, so security was tight there as well.

9/11 memorial wall

interesting ceiling in our viewing spot of the 9/11 memorial

One of the must-see stops for us was Ellis Island (sadly it was too overcast to climb the Statue of Liberty so we’ll save it for another trip).  We were amazed at the size of the Island and the compound.  We learned a lot and were very moved after touring the compound and viewing the pictorial and documentary history of the massive undertaking of receiving so many thousands of refugees into the US.

well-maintained and very informative

they must be related

Lady Liberty

approaching Ellis Island on the ferry

oh so touristy on the ferry

As we meandered through the city, we were approached by a young woman who worked for the David Letterman Show.  She asked if we’d be interested in attending a taping and of course we answered in the affirmative.  Even with the reservations, attendance meant standing in line to pick up passes for the taping, then standing in line to gain entrance to the Ed Sullivan Studio.  Took up most of the afternoon, but the chances of us being on another TV show are fairly slim so we were thrilled and had a great time.  We weren’t invited to come on stage (we don’t know why either) but Jack Hanna was one of the interviewees, so at least Tennessee was represented.    No photos were allowed inside the studio, so you’ll just have to take our word for it.  There were “fluffers” in the lobby prior to the show, warming up the crowd and leading pep rallies so the audience would be jovial and receptive during the taping.  There was also a warm-up comedian immediately before taping, and the fluffers danced and clapped around in front of each audience section.  We were warned that if we weren’t a good audience, the show wouldn’t be televised and another (happier, nicer) one would air instead.  We obviously behaved, because we were able to see ourselves on the show that evening (for about 1 second, by sitting 2” in front of the screen as the audience was panned before and during the show).

they forgot to put MY name on there!

interesting picture in the lounge as we wait for the TV airing

After the show, we went to the top of the Marriott in Times Square for drinks and snacks in a rotating lounge so we could get a birds-eye view of the city on our last evening.  Unfortunately, there had been quite a bit of construction since the lounge was built, so we had the disadvantage of some a/c units, upper floors, and an overcast evening, but it was still a great view most of the time.  We ordered our drinks and the Captain saw a table with cheese, crackers, and desserts.  It was time for a snack, so he filled a plate for the table.  If you know him at all, you’ll know how his face looked when the waitress arrived with the bill for the four crackers and four pieces of cheese……$30.  Turns out they weren’t complimentary to supplement the $15 drinks!  What a great laugh for our last night (well, one of us laughed)!  Toto obviously wasn’t in Kansas!!

this is what happens to your face when you find out what that bite will cost