Charlottesville, Virginia!

We arrived in Charolottesville on Monday, October 7, and spent a week visiting with Jocelyn, Tom, Ronan, Aenea, and Pepper. We had a great time but we had some snafus along the way.

We had to drop some mail at the post office so we went there before going on in to the kids' house. Took our stuff in, got it mailed and went back out to the car and it wouldn't start. It tried, but would just not turn over. So we called our road service, then called Jocelyn. Jocelyn got there before the tow truck driver and had everyone with her. So they kept us cool and collected in their car while we waited. It didn't take long and the tow truck driver sent us on our way and towed the car to the Ford dealer.

Jocelyn took us around to car rental agencies and every one of them wanted $65-$110 a day for car rental. So for 3-4 days it could cost several hundred dollars because, of course, they didn't have any of the "cheaper" ones available. The kids have two cars, but the Crown Vic they don't drive because

they said it needed tires. We decided to cut our losses and take the Crown Vic and put tires on it so that it would serve our purpose and be back in service for the kids. A win-win.

While we were there and I was visiting with the kids, Terry finished the job of hanging the storm door on the front of the house that Jocelyn had started. She is not afraid to tackle anything and she did a great job hanging the door, but needed help with the hardware. Terry was able to get that job done for them.

We had some chilly weather while we were there, so Terry and I didn't do any outside activities with the kids, but they enjoyed coming out to the campground a couple times and we had a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Fun times with the kids for sure. We spent some time at the farm where the kids have a "share." We help pick fruit and pet the farm dogs.

We got our car back in the middle of the week. It was the fuel pump and a fuel modulator. Expensive stuff, but thankfully, they got the job done right apparently because she's run fine every since. It was amusing to a couple of the service writers because they were talking about how they never see any Ford Flex's come in on the hook. . . everything else, but never the Flex. Then they looked up and  saw ours come in under tow. LOL Oh well. She couldn't have broken down at a more opportune time and I am grateful for that. We weren't out in the middle of no where. . . we were where family was just a phone call away.

Our time with the family was soon over and we left on Monday, the 14th of October and headed south to Florida. We took our usual route down 321 through South Carolina, staying off I-95 for this part of the journey. It was an uneventful trip and we arrived in Melbourne, Florida on the 17th.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Charlottesville!

Once again, we are in Charlottesville to visit with our daughter and family. We arrived on time and got settled in our camp and then headed off to town to see the kids. The weather, except for Florida, is still cold and wet, and here the trees are not yet coming out. So the good side of that is that we have satellite at our motorhome, since the trees are not blocking our view! LOL

The week was spent helping with the kids and the dog. Since Tom doesn't work from home, there are times Jocelyn could use a babysitter so she didn't have to drag the kids off with her. So we did that a couple times. Course that is what we are here for. . . to help in any way and to spend as much time with the grandkids as we can. And Tom does actually work from home some. I think about a day and a half officially, but if he is sick, they allow him to telecommute. So that is nice. He is still teaching a programming class to students Ronan's age (12), but he has switched that to an on-line class instead of an acutal classroom. He is enjoying that much better.

We were there to celebrate the kids' birthdays. We were actually late for Aenea's and early for Ronan's. I had sent Aenea's gifts for her special day, but kept back a couple gifts so we could celebrate with her. We also went together with the other grandparents to get Ronan a new VR console and games. Didn't see much of him after that! I knew we wouldn't, so I waited till closer to the end of our stay to gift him with that!

The kids are all doing well and have several activities they attend during the week. . . special classes available through the homeschool network in Charlottesville. They really have an organized effort there to bring education and other experiences to the kids who are homeschooled. They both seem to be thriving in that environment.

They are all doing well and hoping to one day expand their house to make some badly needed extra room! Would like to see that happen.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Charlottesville, Virginia!

We left  the camp in Pennsylvania and drove on to Charlottesville, Virginia, to the KOA. Our site was waiting for us and we got in and set up.

We drove on in to see the kids and helped jockey them around to their various classes and Terry even gave Tom a ride home from work. The kids are homeschooled, but there are many classes offered in the community which the homeschoolers take advantage of. Aenea is currently in swimming, gymnastics, dance and art. Ronan is in art and swimming, I think. The classes take place in an older school which is nicely maintained and creates a good atmosphere for learning. There are places for parents to wait for their kids. It's fun to watch the kids participate in these activities.

It was a busy week staying with the kids. We were there every day to visit with them and share their lives for that week. We even did the "park day" when we went to a park and let the kids all play together while the parents visit.

We took Jocelyn and the kids "over the mountain" one day to the Amish cheese shop in Stuarts Draft. It is similar to E & S in Shipshewana, but a much, much smaller store. But they still have stuff we use. We had a great time with them. I did the driving and there were a couple places we stopped on the way back and I stayed in the car with the kiddos while Jocelyn and Terry did the shopping.

Saturday night Jocelyn and I went into town while Terry babysat. We went to see Tom's band, This Hollow Machine, play. I have never seen Tom perform and he is in two bands, so it's something I've always wanted to do. They performed in a small venue known as "The AnteRoom" in downtown Charlottesville. It was pretty cool and I enjoyed the show. It's not particularly my kind of music, but I enjoy watching good performers do their thing and I was not disappointed. It was a very good performance and the crowd seemed to really enjoy the music, as did I.

On Sunday, we drove out to Crozet to the Sun Cat Tree Farm. The farm is owned by a fellow homeschooler and all friends and family were invited out for a "music festival." I kept joking with the kids and asking if this was "Woodstock" for the "older, family" set. LOL They had three bands play and they were all very good. Everyone took their own chairs and lawn blankets and food/drinks if wanted. We did take drinks and snacks because after a rainy week, Sunday was hot and sunny with nary a cloud in the sky. Eventually, we even used our umbrellas to shade us. That was a good move, because if you can keep your head cool, the sun was tolerable. We really enjoyed the afternoon and the kids got to play while Jocelyn and Tom communed with their friends. We left a bit early because we wanted to get back to camp to feed Duchess and then we were going to join up with the kids for one last evening together before we left heading for Florida.

It was a great week and we really enjoyed our time with the kids/grandkids.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Twelve Days in Charlottesville

The time, it's flying. . . I tell ya'. We spent time in Charlottesville and I was pretty worn out each day and didn't take time to post.

Our daughter had breast reduction surgery. I had it about 32 years ago. Like mother, like daughter, I guess. Let me tell you. . . carrying around the weight of a newborn on your chest for 30 years takes it toll. I was so glad when I had my surgery and so glad now that Jocelyn was able to have hers. In the time since, she has not had a recurrence of the C-spine migraines she had been experiencing for years. Hopefully she will have other problems that disappear as a result of getting rid of that extra weight.

We arrived two days after her surgery. Tommy's parents had been there for a couple days. Our job was to take care of the kids. Tommy needed a break and Jocelyn couldn't drive or lift anything and was spending a great deal of her time resting and recuperating. I was glad that we were able to be there and help with that process.

Since Aenea's birthday was last month and I had sent some gifts, I brought the remaining ones so we could see her unwrap them and get some hugs. Toward the end of our visit, we also gave Ronan his birthday presents since his birthday is the 21st and we obviously won't be there for that. I hope the kids don't mind that we miss these times. By giving them our gifts when we see them it gives them something to look forward to and we get to experience some special moments with them.

I usually tried to get in to their house by 10 a.m. and stayed until around six. Some days I stayed later, if Tom had something on his schedule, and sometimes I snuck out earlier. I took Aenea to gymnastics and Ronan to his friend's house as well as to the park, etc. I took Jocelyn shopping one day, but she overdid that and spent the next day sleeping mostly. One day later the next week, Terry and I took Jocelyn and both kids and went over to Stewart's Draft to the Amish cheese shop on Tinkling Springs Road. We never say we are going to Stewart's Draft, we always say Tinkling Springs. Something about that name, I guess, but we both know exactly what we are talking about. There are a few things we buy there that we can't seem to find anywhere else and it is an enjoyable trip over the mountain. While we were in the area, Jocelyn directed us on a drive back to Sherando Lake which has a campground, the likes of which Phaeton Place will never see. LOL  But MinnieMee would like to camp there sometime.

Their standard poodle, Pepper, was quite the clown while we were there. She still is wary around Terry, but she is great with the kids and enjoys watching out the window for anyone/anything that might go by.

 We took Aenea and Jocelyn out to the coffee shop one day. The one guy there just loves Aenea and talks with her and gives her high fives.

We had a most enjoyable visit and the kids even came out to the motorhome once. I think we helped give the kids a respite by taking care of mainly Aenea. She is not hard to watch, but if left alone to her own devices, she will choose to aggravate her brother all day long. There are like normal siblings, though. Ronan is old enough to entertain himself and also has friends he enjoys being with.












Till next time. . .

Dale

Charlottesville!

We arrived in Charlottesville about 2:30 p.m. yesterday. We started out in Charlotte, NC, in rain and some wind, my too least favorite driving situations. But it wasn't raining hard, just constantly, so I didn't run with the cruise on and kept a good distance back from other traffic in case I had to stop.

We stopped for fuel in Virginia and a short time later stopped for lunch at the Walmart in AltaVista, Virginia. We ate in the motorhome, but they were tacos from Taco Bell. Score! From that point on, the rain was gone and it was a big more pleasant drive on to the KOA. It was a 250 mile day, though, which is pretty long for us and I was tired and glad by the time we got to Red Hill Road. We got checked into one of our favorite spots and walked the girls one last time before heading into town.

We got to see the kids' new car. They bought a 2012 Honda Odyssey with third row seating which is really nice for the kids and the dog. They have space for gear which is a plus. It is a very nice car and I hope they get many years of use out of it.

We had ordered a play kitchen for Aenea for her birthday. We weren't able to be there for her birthday, so I had sent some other stuff then, but waited till we got here for the "big" gift since Terry would put it together. She sat on my lap the rest of the afternoon while Terry and Jocelyn put the kitchen together. It is bright red and really cute. She was very patient while they were working on it but watched the entire build. Once it was done, Ronan helped her put stuff in it and she was still playing when we left. I would have stayed longer, but we were tired from our drive and left around 7.

Since it was Terry's birthday, we stopped on the way home to get Terry some birthday cake. He turned 65 yesterday. It's a bit of a milestone. When he was 47 he had three heart attacks in one week and we didn't know if he would live the week, let alone 17 more years! And he's doing very well. We are thankful for his health and modern technology! Happy Birthday to the love of my life!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Where do I start?

We drove a couple long days after we left Tab and Deanna's, but we wanted to get to Williamsburg to see the kids. Even though we would love to play tourist here, we were here mainly to see the kids. We did visit the Jamestowne Settlement, which is pretty neat. It is a re-creation of the original settlement. It is located just adjacent to the actual location of the settlement. There were costumed interpreters in the buildings and the kids had a good time. There were three sailing ships, replicas of the ones the early settlers used to immigrate here. It's so hard to believe they sailed in those little ships! I'm sure many ships were lost at sea, but I read about people like Ben Franklin who made numerous trips back and forth across the ocean. He had more guts than I!

When we left Williamsburg, we headed back to Charlottesville. We ended up staying about 10 days altogether. The kids had planned to go to Tom's folks on the weekend, but they acquired a new member of the family! They got a dog, a Poodle rescue. Her name is Pepper and she is really cute. The first couple days she was very lethargic because she had just had her spay surgery and they also did a gastroplexy. That is tacking the stomach to the abdomen to prevent it from flipping and causing bloat, which is common in larger dogs and fatal very quickly when it happens. So she was very quiet for about 3 days, then she started interacting with everyone. She seems to be really sweet. She is curious about everyone and everything and she is young enough to still have "puppy" in her. She is getting into things she shouldn't, so they will have some training to do, but they are already doing that. I think she will be a wonderful addition to the family and will enjoy their outdoorsy life of hiking in the mountains.

Terry caught a bug in Williamsburg and got pretty sick with a cold that followed him to Charlottesville. It didn't help that the weather was colder and rainy most of the time we were there either. In fact, most days, he stayed behind at the motorhome while I went in to see the kids. Each of the kids got sick as well, but their's only lasted a day or so. I sat and held Aenea as she slept with it. She slept almost 36 hours straight, but when she woke up, she was fine.

We really enjoyed our time there. I got quite a bit of grandkid time in and have the pictures to prove it! They are both sweet and loved the attention. I learned how to play some video games of Ronan's. . . well truth be told, I didn't learn much, but did try to play. In fact, Terry even took a turn at that. It was an enjoyable time to visit with them all and I hated to leave.

We did leave, though, because we are headed to Florida to see Brandon, Megan and Brynlee. They just closed on their new house and started moving into it on Wednesday. We are anxious to see it and to help take care of the baby so they can get stuff put away. We left Charlottesville on Friday, spent last night in Charlotte, tonight in Darien, Georgia, and should be in to Melbourne tomorrow.

Till next time. . .

Dale

It's grandkids time!!!!!!

Leaving northern Indiana did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. The rear furnace in Phaeton Place went out and we were having problems with the water delivery system. So the day we pulled out of camp, we took her in for repairs. One check valve replaced and a totally rebuilt furnace later, we took her back to the condo where we spent the night and finished loading the next morning before departing.

We made it to Charlottesville yesterday, Thursday, which was also Halloween. We visited with the kids shortly after our arrival because they had a busy afternoon and evening planned. We were so excited to see the grandkids and they seemed equally excited to see us, which is every grandparent's dream.

Aenea is still her adorable self and willingly goes to anyone who offers to hold her. I held her most of the time we were there and she fell asleep in my arms. Ronan showed me his farm he built on the iPad and then explained the things he is learning in homeschooling. He is learning quite a lot of math it seems and is working on reading and writing as well. His friend Stella goes to public school and is already bored with it, but Ronan seems to have fun learning and his parents are conscientious about teaching him.

While we were there, Ronan got dressed up in his Halloween costume because from 4-6, they go onto the UVA campus for Trick or Treat. The university/community participate and the children have fun gathering on the lawn and then can go room to room in the "historic" rooms to get candy. Each room is sponsored because there are thousands of children and Jocelyn said the sponsorships run in the range of $3-4,000, but each child receives treats and it is a fun and safe environment. University students dress up in costume and mingle with the visitors. It is a great time. We elected not to go because we are trying not to leave our "new" dogs longer than four hours at a time. But we got to see Ronan dressed and later when Aenea woke up from her nap, Tom got her into her costume and followed Jocelyn and her group to the lawn.

All is well here this morning

. It was raining here earlier, so we had to bring the dogs in early from their walk, but I am about to take them out again.

Till next time. . .

Dale