RV versus Sailboat

I have to admit I WAS VERY nervous about this RVing thing...I have alway traveled by sailboat and traveling on land is something alot different, but I love different...so I tried to be optimistic. When we left this last time we were going to be gone for about 2 month, but it was cut short due to the plumbing fiasco...we ended up only being gone for 10 days, but...I think I am going to love RV life.....of course I love to travel..see new thing and I meet new peeps, but traveling in an RV is ALOT different....so I have  been coming up with things that are the same and things that are different about traveling on a sailboat and traveling by RV

The same thing about them is they both move and you alway have your home with you, your very own bed, you're own sheets, towels, dishes and you know where all your stuff is! You can travel to different places in the comfort of your own home. That’s most of the of the appeal—getting to visit new places while carrying your home with you. 

But that's about all they have in common, of course the sailboat can only travel by sea and the RV by land. 

When you step out of the boat..if you are not at a dock...you get wet and you could drown...when you step out of an RV you land on solid ground, so you don't drown...that is a thumbs up for the RV! 

When we sailed and anchored up for a time or stayed at a dock...getting from one place to another was hard on the feet or expensive, you walked, biked or took a taxi. 

With the RV we pull a small car behind us so when we dock, we have transportation, it is a lot more fun to be able to see more of what is around....that is a thumbs up for the RV!

With the RV we can choose how far we want to travel in a day and we can choose when we want to stop. That does not happen in a sailboat, you are at the mercy of the wind and the weather, on the sailboat, your day is a full 24hrs...or longer..it depends on things you can not control...with the RV If we start to feel the itch to move earlier than anticipated, we start up the motor and move, regardless of the weather or the wind.

When you live on a sailboat weather is a major concern, we do not worry about adverse weather in the RV. We were very concerned when our boat was at anchor and we were ashore if the weather deteriorated or changed, inclement weather does not bother us in the RV, no leaky hatches, no bouncing or swinging with the wind and the waves.

Maintenance is required, of course, in an RV, but the cost is lower, and getting parts is so much easier!
That is just a few things that I thought about when we were gone. I did think up quite a few more, but didn't want to bore my readers (you are out there..right)...but

All in all, we are still having fun and that folks.... is what life is all about! 

Hitting the open highway!

We are planning to leave in January and head for California, we we'll keep to the southern states, Texas, New Mexico and so forth, so we will miss the cold weather.  I want to go to San Diego, there are some sights there I want to see. They have in the San Diego zoo, it is located and it  houses over 3,700 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies. The San Diego Zoo was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cageless exhibits that re-create natural animal habitats. It is one of the few zoos in the world that houses and successfully breeds the giant panda. We did get to see some panda at the zoo in Atlanta..they were spectacular! In 2013, the zoo added a new Koalafornia Adventure exhibit, providing an updated Australian experience. Then we will head up the coast to see the sights in California. Los Angeles, Los Angeles is a sprawling Southern California city and the center of the nation’s film and television industry. Near the iconic Hollywood sign, studios such as Paramount Pictures, Universal and Warner Brothers can be seen.  On Hollywood Boulevard, TCL Chinese Theatre displays celebrities’ hand- and footprints, and the Walk of Fame honors thousands of luminaries. San Francisco, in northern California, is a hilly city on the tip of a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. It's known for its year-round fog, iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and colorful Victorian houses. The Financial District's Transamerica Pyramid is its most distinctive skyscraper. In the bay sits Alcatraz Island, site of the notorious former prison., the Redwoods, Napa Valley and so forth. Oregon I'm told is not to be missed, Oregon is a coastal U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest known for its diverse landscape of forests, mountains, farms and beaches. The city of Portland is famed for its quirky, avant-garde culture and is home to iconic coffee shops, boutiques, farm-to-table restaurants and microbreweries. Highlights include the Native American art in the Portland Art Museum, the Japanese Garden and the Lan Su Chinese Garden. Then it is up to Washington State, Washington has a terrain spanning the snow-capped Cascade Mountains to forested islands in Puget Sound. Its largest city, Seattle, is known for its thriving tech industry, vibrant music scene and famed coffeehouses. Its landmarks include the futuristic Space Needle, century-old Pike Place Market and Seattle Aquarium. Innovative glass art is displayed at Chihuly Garden & Glass, Mount Rainer is also in the mix! Then it is on to Alaska, Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, the 3rd least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oil industries, resources which it has in abundance and one of the things on the bucket list is to fish for salmon and Halibut!  That would take till the summer and then we will be back here for the baby's first birthday in August. After that we are going to try the East coast again😉

check!

Well...after our plumbing fiasco made us cut our trip short and come home...we had made a list of all the things we would change in the RV, so we have been working on that list...it was
1. Washer and dryer....when we lived aboard the boat we hardly ever wore clothes, when you live in a RV ....you have to wear them! lol..check
2. New radio... the one that was in the RV was so old school...it played cassettes...no....really...so that had to go!..check
3. New inverter...magnum...the best!..check
4. The hot water heater was needin work...check
5. Pressure gauge for the water...different places have different water pressure..and check
6. The towing package for the car was not working right ..so we had to change that...check
7. New windshield....awesome..check
 8. I think we are getting ready to get back on the road... check

Oh we are going to have so much fun!

Cherokee, North Carolina

Cherokee, North Carolina is a town on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, in  western North Carolina. Cherokee is located at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Cherokee are a Native American People, originally indigenous to the Southeastern United States, currently there are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, they are also in Oklahoma. We had a great time there and I got to hug a bear!

Bad Bear

We stopped at a few road side viewing and they told things about the area

spectacular!

Event Horizon

The following day we drove over to Brasstown Bald, Brasstown Bald is the highest point in the state of Georgia, located in northeast Georgia, the mountain is known to the native Cherokee people as Enotah. The name in English is derived from a mistaken translation of the term for a former Cherokee village nearby, located along the upper Brasstown Creek (named in English from the same error) feeding the Hiawassee River.
Across the North Carolina state line, immediately North of the mountain, are other places named in that error of English settlers: Brasstown, a community in the Brasstown township of Clay County, North Carolina.
Brasstown Bald is partly in both Towns and Union counties, the peak being divided by the county line. The mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains(part of the Appalachian Mountains), and within the borders of the Blue Ridge Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The mountain consists mostly of soapstone and dunite.
On a clear day, it is possible to see the tall buildings of Atlanta, Georgia from the summit. We could not see that but, the view was quite breathtaking.

Pierre and I walked up the mountain, we didn't take the shuttle, it was a bit of a climb!
We went thru a cute little town named Helen so I wanted to go back there!
It looked like it came straight out of the alps. Helen was formerly a logging town that was in decline, so the city resurrected itself by becoming a replica of a Bavarian alpine town, in the Appalachians instead of the Alps. This design is mandated through zoning first adopted in 1969, so that the classic south-German style is present on every building.
Because of this, tourism is the main industry in Helen, catering mostly to weekend visitors from the Atlanta area and also motorcyclists who enjoy riding the beautiful roads of Helen and its surrounding areas during all seasons.

some of the buildings

lunch with the peeps

Adventure Abound

Started out early Saturday morning on our first long RV trip, we are going with our neighbors Dick and Jane (yes that is their names) to Sugar Mills Creek RV Park in Clarksville Ga to see the leaves change and just hang out. The first day we made it to Eufaula, and stayed in a Army Corps of engineers  camp grounds..it was right on the lake and quite beautiful. In 1963, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created Walter F. George Lake (unofficially named Lake Eufaula) behind the lock and dam of Fort Gaines, Georgia. Eufaula is a beautiful city and has a wonderful history and it is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama. By the late 1850s, Eufaula's advantageous location on the Chattahoochee made it a major shipping center for cargo bound for the Port of Apalachicola and, from there, to major world markets such as Liverpool and New York City.
Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was established along Lake Walter F. George to serve and protect many endangered and threatened species such as the American bald eagle, the American alligator, the wood stork and the peregrine falcon. The refuge is a major tourist attraction for visitors from around the country.

View from the camping spot

The next night We stayed at a campsite called Country Boys.... After dinner Pierre and I went for a walk and we came across a playground so we seesawed and played on the swings..it was so much fun kinda like being a kid again!

.

The next morning we set out early and made it in to Sugar Mills campground.
The drive was breathtaking, at least it was for me, so many trees changing to such beautiful colors. The campgroundis quite nice and they have wifi..yea!
The next day we went to Goats on the roof it is just outside of Clayton Ga and it is a wonderful place. They have the cutest little goats and they live on and off the roof of the houses!🐐Loved it.

We then went to Tallulah, Home of Tallulah Gorge, an ancient, awesome 1000 foot chasm carved over millions of years by the Tallulah River, Tallulah Falls is actually a series of six waterfalls cascading down through Tallulah Gorge. Breathtaking they were! But let me tell you...the stairs! That's right...we did 374 stairs...my legs are twitching still as I write this. It was worth it. The suspension bridge over the gorge was quite fun too..I have never been on a bridge like that and it swayed as you walked on it!

What it means to me to be a Grandparent

I am now a grandma to 4 grandchildren … 2 girls and 2 boys, I am having trouble thinking of myself as a grandma. I never had a grandma growing up so the only images I have are of the television types and they are all old ladies in long cotton house-dresses and glasses with jiggly arms, white hair (ok, blue hair!), bent-over backs, pearl necklaces and earrings, sensible shoes, neat little hats with flowers.
I...on the other hand...love shiny things and pink stripes in my hair.. I wear funky clothes, play Pokemon go..  I have sailed to far away places...and we just bought a motorhome and we are going travel around the USA.
 My daughter is forever getting on to me about the fact that I only wear flip-flops....even when it is cold outside. I love to wear completely insensible shoes.  I love boots. I love to play games...build sand castles..I am easily entertained, I love to walk, skip and dance.
I want my grandchildren to remember LOVE, FUN and SILLY.. that is very important to me because I never had that as a child.
I do not cook, but I am thinking of learning how to bake, that  way I can make cookies, cupcakes and various good things to eat.
I never wear cotton house-dresses, sensible shoes or crooked glasses...(well sometimes my glasses are crooked) I do not want jiggly arms or snow-white hair.  I don’t.  Not yet, anyway.

The two beauties 

Kai

Sammy

The RV with a name!

Kevin from Mo's Graphics came by today with the new name for the RV...we named her Esprit....in French....Esprit means "free spirit." I think that sums it up for Pierre and I...we are real free spirits!
We also became grandparents again for the fourth time...but that does not change how special it is and how excited we are to see our new grandson Kai Orion Nauman. What a beautiful name~right. I am so proud of our daughter and our son in law..... they did good!

Selfie with Kai

What a sweet face!

waiting...post grip

Life continues to throw you curve balls doesn't it? I never thought i would still be here in Panama City this late in the year. Here it is July and we are waiting for the wee grandsons appearance...we had planned to be out of here seeing the country side.. by now, but the news that we are going to be grandparents again kinda stopped us from leaving and the fact that I get to see the birth of this one keeps me here

barn door 

After all the DIY. on the house....it is done now, well...as done as I am going to do!

the new light fixture for thee kitchen

vessel sink

new floor and rug

more pictures from Atlanta

kangaroo

panda cubs (twins)

whale shark

beluga whales

cuttle fish

Shakedown Cruise

We had to take care of some business in Atlanta so we decided to go ahead and take Esprit and make a long weekend of it! We left Panama City around 9:30 am and did not arrive in Atlanta till 5:30pm...traveling in Esprit does take a bit more time so I am going to take that into consideration! We did run into bumper to bumper traffic 34 miles out side of Atlanta..Nuts?? right? I am going to have to get used to seeing more people and cars. We stayed at a campground about 20 miles south of Atlanta and there is so many people it boggles the mind...mine at least!
 There is so much history in Atlanta it dates back to 1836, when Georgia decided to build a railroad to the U.S. Midway and a location was chosen to be the line's terminus. The stake marking the terminus was driven into the ground in 1837, it was called the Zero Mile Post. In 1839 homes and a store were built there and the settlement grew. Between 1845 and 1854 rail lines arrived from four different directions and the rapidly growing town quickly became a rail hub for the entire Southern United States. During the American Civil War, Atlanta, as a distribution hub, became the target of a major Union campaign and in 1864 Union General Sherman's troops set fire to the city's assets and buildings, saving only the hospitals and churches. After the war the population grew rapidly as did manufacturing, Coca-Cola started in Atlanta in 1886 and grew into a world empire! When the Great Depression hit and it was the Coca-Cola Company that bailed Atlanta out of its deficit.
The Coca-Cola Factory is one of the main tourist attractions along with the Zoo, the Aquarium and the Botanical Gardens. went to all of these attractions, save the Coca-cola factory...we ran out of time.
All and all we had a good time and I am getting excited about getting on the road with Espirt, she did not let us down!

elephants at the zoo

Garden Speech

Lettuce all be kind
Squash gossip and bad talk
Turnip to help your friends
Because that Beets everything
Thought that little poem was cute!

We have been remodeling the house on Center Ave and I have come up with a new saying!
FYI I do not like DIY!
Really this house remodeling is for the Property Brothers!
We gutted the bathroom, pulled up all the carpet in the bedroom, tore out the wall that separated the dining room from the living room, repainted and laid down bamboo flooring. It looks so nice!
We had a crew come out and they tore down the carport and laid down a new concrete pad for Espirit.

harold with Harold

She is now home with us and it is a lot easier to work on her when she is right here.We did take off for a long weekend and we went to St. Joe for one night to visit Danny and Harold Raffield at Raffield Fisheries...we walked along the beach. We then moved on down the street to Carrabelle to visit more friends! It was so nice to get out for a while and Espirit did wonderful! we are planning leaving in the Fall for a trip up the East coast then on to Kansas to visit family! We had to get a new computer and we bought a Dell laptop...the only problem is i do not know how to use a PC, but I am learning...

New Land Yacht "ESPRIT"

So how do committed boat people end up owning an RV?
Easy?
Well…not so....When we headed off in Adagio..we kissed our peeps goodby..telling them we were off to sail the seven seas...after a time we returned triumphant..but after all the work and time and effort we put into Adagio last year, Pierre confessed to me that he was tired of working on a boat all the time and he wanted to see more of the U.S.A.
He has worked on ships for 30+years and has been around the world 6 times, seen lots and lots of the world by sea.
So we are starting a new adventure, I for one have never seen the Stature of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, The Redwoods, Yellowstone National Park, the list just goes on and on…I do want to see all these things, I want to fish in for salmon in Alaska, dig for clams and eat lobster in Maine, go to Canada, the more I think about it and the more I read, the list just keeps getting longer and longer!!
We figured we should catch up on the land bucket list for awhile before we buy another boat.
 Planes, trains and automobiles, not to mention hotels, motels, and restaurants would bankrupt us in a very short time before we even began to see some of this great land of ours, so what happened??
an RV…. thats what! We can take our time, hit the hot spots and we have our bed, head and galley with us everyday!!
A land Yacht!
It was not our original plan to buy and RV, but how many of you know how original plans don't always work out? Can I get some hands?? (I see that hand)
Now I did a bit of research, and those of you that know me know how much I love to make plans and research things and we needed a lot of research because we know nothing about buying and RV or the RV lifestyle. I started out by casually "browsing" our local online classified sources, Craigslist, RV trader and local papers…and sure enough, in time, I found the perfect one for us…it was hiding in Seale Alabama…of all places….Who Knew???
We are now the proud owners of a Holiday Rambler Imperial, she is 38ft long and powered by a Cummins 350 Diesel engine with a Allison 6 speed transmission.
We are only the second owners. She's a beauty!
I named her Esprit, in French that means "Free Spirit"
after all.. that is what we are!
I am going to share all the fun we have and all the surprises, mistakes, the whole sha-bang!

Espirit