Thursday, September 2, 2021

The insidious rumble of a factory got me up early today. What the heck it’ a mulch grinding company! 😳 No one else seems to notice it. 

Anyway, good morning. Mark is just taking the dogs for their first walk of the day at 8:10. We have a few errands to run today. The most important is picking up prescription eye drops for Wayno. Both years that we’ve come to the mountains from Florida, his eyedrop  medication has diminished in the plastic bottles. Could this be caused by a pressure change in altitude? Weird eh? 

We’re going to look at an RV park we’ve seen signs for that’s halfway up a mountain. It’s called Trail’s End.  Pics online look pretty nice. 

No one has to cook tonight … we’re going out to J. Arthur’s for dinner.  

It’s now 7 o’clock and we’ve had a lovely dinner. LaDonna had brown trout, Wayno ate chicken Parmesan, Mark had salmon and I had onion soup and a Cobb salad. Everything was delicious.

 It was a beautiful clear evening, no mist around at all and the humidity very low. It was a beautiful view of all the mountains as we drove back to the RV park. 

Tonight? Well, Waynoe bought more firewood so I guess we will be having a bonfire and some drinks. That’s what we enjoy, something we can’t do in Florida at this time of year.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Good morning and happy September! My favorite time of year is arriving! Here in Maggie Valley it’s raining and the creek is now a fast flowing river. 

Misty rain ☔️ 

The rain cleared about 1 o’clock and it was a beautiful afternoon. Mark cooked a taco meatloaf for dinner along with a salad. We sat outside at 4 o’clock for happy hour and then came in for dinner about 530. Now, it’s 7 o’clock and we have a happy little fire going Creekside. Actually, it’s more like a fast flowing river, but we’ll manage it. 😂

This afternoon, Sue and Wayne went to see Marlene and Harry’s new cottage they are building at falcon. It looks beautiful, and they are hoping to move in in 30 days.

Gorgeous view of Falcon Lake, Manitoba. Congratulations folks, 🥂🍾🤩 Enjoy!

Jonathan Creek is flowing tonight as we sit outside enjoying a fire. 

Robbie and LaDonna having a chat 🥰

Colored flames for fun! One packet lasted a long time … no bonfire envy here tonight. 😂

We put the kids inside when rain started … and grabbed our umbrellas. It was a fun night with lots of laughs. 

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

It’s a cloudy morning here in the Valley. Ida’s wrath is forecast for Western North Carolina today in the way of downpours. We’ve pulled away from Jonathan Creek so our jacks aren’t clinging to the bank like they were. (That’s how management wanted us … and I wasn’t happy about it from the get go.) 😬

Mark walked the kids at 12:30 and I missed it … so a solo walk for me, and a few stormy day pictures. 

The 125 year old barn is picturesque! Yesterday a big rig was parked here and I couldn’t get the correct angle. The massive silo is quiet testament to building products back in the late 1800’s. 

There’s the silo to the left. Note the length of the old barn! Massive. That’s the steel roofed community room, laundry and several private bath rooms. All spic ‘n span clean. 

Many RVers have fled the area … more than half of the creek sites are empty today. Even in the misty sky the mountains are lovely. 

These folks are here for the season and beautifully setup. Two years ago we had Halloween 🎃 here! It was nice! 

It was LaDonna and Wayno’s night to cook … and it was great. We had a big salad 🥗 and a cheesy casserole done on the Pizzazz. Yum. Afterwards, we played a few rounds of chasing marbles. LaDonna and I couldn’t get a darn card. We were beat sadly again by the guys. LOL

We check the water level of the creek before turning in tonight. I will set the alarm and check in about 2 o’clock in the morning as well. The rain is supposed to continue until tomorrow at 6 o’clock in the evening. 

Monday, August 30, 2021

Good morning. It’s a bright beautiful sunshiny day here in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. We four are going to Waynesville for lunch and a walk about town. Rain, from hurricane Ida, will affect us tomorrow and Wednesday, and we are only in a slight marginal area for flooding. We will, however, take precautions and be ready to move if necessary. Meanwhile, today is going to be a fun one. It’s our turn to cook dinner tonight and Mark has sausage peppers and onions planned. 

At noon we went downtown shopping in Waynesville! We found a few things we needed … like doggie raincoats. Tomorrow and Wednesday are going to be wet! I said to Mark how affordable the raincoats were … but, alas, I didn’t have my glasses on. 😂 We spent so much the lady threw in a bag of treats. 🐾💕 

Lunch at the Sweet Onion was planned … but, alas, it’s closed on Mondays. 🙄 Boojum was open so we all had craft beer and started with an order of  fried green beans! Yum yum. LaDonna had veg soup and a salad.while we 3 had wings. It was a good lunch.  

Lookin’ like tourists in downtown Waynesville. 

On our way back to the RV we stopped at Ingles grocery to pick up a few things. LaDonna and I were sitting in the truck waiting when she realized Wayno didn’t have his phone, so no way to pay for the grocery. We had a laugh, then she ran into find him. 😜

I just checked the weather and as you can see, we are out of the cone in the Maggie Valley area. Yes, we will continue to monitor it.

When we got back to the RV I checked with the Creekwood office. They will be monitoring the rainfall and river height. If necessary they will move us to a pull through site away from the creek. You don’t have to worry, she said. 🤨 

Meanwhile, Robbie and BeeZee wanted to try on their new raincoats. They fit perfectly and I’m going to send a picture to the lady at the dog bakery in Waynesville.

After our Italian sausage dinner and salad we sat creekside for an hour while the guys enjoyed cigars. Then, they moved both rigs forward several feet for a margin of safety. 

That’s it for tonight. 🥱 

Sunday August 29, 2021

Good afternoon sunshine and all y’all. 😂 Listening to the locals yak while LaDonna and I paint in the community room off the laundromat has me goin’ wit my Suthun accent. 😁 Hey, we’ve mostly had the place to ourselves. One patron stopped to look at our art and proclaimed “I cain’t ev’n drah a steeck peeeple.” 😜

LaDonna’s painting for her friend Rene. (Nice!)

So, after painting, we had poured a drink and sat Creekside. LaWayno is doing the cooking tonight… so that means that MarLie can misbehave. We came in at 4:30 to feed the kids, and Mark sat down to watch golf. Dechambeau was in the lead and doing a critical putt when I dropped the tea towel down between Mark and the TV. There was no response, hence someone was asleep during the final moments of the golf match. LOL Life is good.  

We are thinking today of the folks in harms way with hurricane Ida. We are carefully monitoring its travel to see if we need to get out of the way here in the mountains of North Carolina. Meanwhile, we are sure enjoying sitting Creekside with temperatures in the upper 70s. Tomorrow, we’re planning lunch in Waynesville and will take a bunch of cool pictures there. It’s a charming town.

Tonight LaDonna is cooking zucchini boats for dinner. Hey, if it has the word boat in it, I’m there. Ha ha. As always, the kids are invited over to drink their water, and mop LaDonna‘s totally clean floors with their beards. 😏 They are lucky pups to have devoted aunties and uncles who love them. 

No picture so far, but Mimi and Cheeky both had grooming appointment yesterday in Kenora. I think Shorty hot pants has to be groomed at home. Randy named him Shorty hot pants during our 2013 RV trip. If you want to read about that trip in detail it is twowaggingtales.blogspot.com It was a fantastic 44 day trip across the southern United States, north along the Pacific coast, and through the Canadian Rockies all the way to Winnipeg. We avoided disaster by two or three days all along our trip. LOL

Great dinner … good food (Zucchini boats) and boozie drinks. Robs and Beez had some salad leftovers. Yum yum. 

Here’s the dogs dinner 

Chicken, rice, broccoli and apple chunks. 🐾💕

And THIS is why we RV …

Hahaha

Siting about the fire tonight loving life! Wayno fixed Mark’s phone glitch! 👍🏻

Look at this cool web!

Wowsa! 

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Good morning sunshine! I checked in with friend Nancy and her tough as nails Kachina. Both are hobbling around today … Nancy twisted her knee at Zumba yesterday! Kachina defies the worried vets and carries on despite the cancer diagnosis. 🐾💕 Kachina is a great reminder that no one is stamped with an expiration date. 😇

I had a terrible calf cramp this morning … too much sitting … so today, more walking about. I’ll take pics of this gorgeous RV farm for y’all. 

LaDonna joined me for a walk … 

The ancient barn is 125 years old! 

The barn rafters are hardwood trees! 

The chicken coop is beside the barn. The hens enjoy visitors and cluck clucked to us.  😂

LaDonna, always with the artist’s eye sees a Wonderbra on this camper. 😂 Nice! 

The sign posts are so pretty … and everything is pristine! 

Eagle Park is a place for Tenters, right along the creek. It’s a beautiful spot. There’s a little side creek that flows into Jonathan Creek. 

Bear Park is a large community gathering area at Creekwood Farm.  Sometimes there is music in the gazebo. And at night, it is all lit up with beautiful fairy lights. 

This is the larger gazebo …

And the waterfront gazebo with the open air deck and glider beside it, creekside. 

Jonathan Creek is deeper here, and would sweep you off your feet. Once in a while you’ll see a rafter go by.

There are several cute cabins for rent! It’s a great spot to chill-lax. 

Beautiful rocky creek view from Bear Park deck. 

Our Site 70 with LaWayno next to us on #69. (Last summer there wasn’t a site to be had in here! This summer 🤷‍♀️ there’s plenty! COVID19???)

Although Site 70 allegedly is long enough for us (42’) we overhang the bank. That’s all fine and dandy right now, but we are watching Hurricane Ida closely. The last hurricane, Fred, a couple of weeks ago wiped out a campground on the Pigeon River in Canton, just 10 miles from here. 21 people perished.

So, as the Cat 4 hurricane approaches New Orleans, we will be watching its path closely. (It could come right over the mountains here in North Carolina.) If it looks eminent, we will be pulling out of the mountains. 

So, that’s a little tour of beautiful Creekwood Farm RV park. It’s address is actually Waynesville, not Maggie Valley, North Carolina. However, it’s in the valley. What ever! 🙄 

It’s noon now and LaDonna and I are going over to the laundry house, and will set up our painting. It’s a lovely large room, air-conditioned with a big TV. I imagine the guys will be doing a little fishing in the creek.

Ducks following Wayno while he fly fishes. 😀

Dinner tonight was porterhouse steaks and sautéed mushrooms complements of Mark. (He cooked them perfectly.) We were all full so enjoyed a walk around the park with Robbie and BeeZee. 

Beez and Robs with their dad … 

Tonight Mark wanted to watch the NASCAR race so we’re having a Telly night. G’night all. 

Friday August 27, 2021

Good (earlybird) morning y’all. I conked out and slept great til 3 o’clock. What’s that all about? Anyway, we’re going out for breakfast at nine and I’ll be ready! 😂 It’s nice hearing Jonathan Creek rushing past in the quiet darkness. At this CG there’s a rumble that just started at 6 a.m. We think it’s a sawmill … hear it weekdays. I’ll post pictures from around here today. It’s an old farm complete with barn and chickens … and Creekwood Farm RV is clean! 

We’re on sites 70 and LaWayno on 69 … creekside. There’s quite a bit of space between our rigs as you can see from last night’s fireside picture. 

Hangin’ o’re the crik. 

The weather … we love it! Depending upon where home base is, in our case Central Florida, it’s cool and misty in the morning … warm by noon … 80ish by 2 o’clock … and coolish by 8 p.m.  If it rains, it doesn’t put out a campfire! True story. 

FLORIDA NEWS FLASH …

👍🏻 for children’s safety!

So today, we took a ride to Maggie Valley and fueled up the truck. Afterward we went to the buttered biscuit for a delicious breakfast. After that we went to Ingles, grocery shopping. Mark and I love that store, it’s huge! 

The guys went fishing, and Mark caught a rainbow trout, about 12 inches long. Yes, he kept it. LaDonna and I painted for a couple of hours before having happy hour down by the creek at 4 o’clock. It’s been a nice day here, a high of 81.

After happy hour, LaDonna wanted a picture of the creek taken through her crystal ball. (Hey! Doesn’t everyone have a crystal ball aboard their RV?) 😂

Cool, eh! (You should have seen the video made while LaWayno negotiated the slippery rocks.)

Dinner at LaWayno’s was shish kebab with steak … 

with drinkies and followed by a game of Chasing Marbles. The guys won, again. We girls really gotta catch up. 😂

We had a beautiful evening with a bonfire til 11 o’clock. The stars were amazing last night … plus 1 shooting star!