Summer trip to Tucson

I had been communicating very regularly with my friend John in Tucson.  I had considered going to see him around the time of my birthday (July 24th), but left it so late that the airfare would have been outrageous.  Additionally, at that time he was still living at his sisters, so I would have needed to book a hotel room as well. 

Since then, John had moved into his own apartment and I found a less expensive way to get to Tucson (by flying from Detroit to Phoenix.)  I decided to actually go, over the Labor Day weekend. 

John's usual days off are Sunday and Monday, and his boss approved his request to take Saturday off, so we would have 3 full days to be together.  I flew down on Friday and back on Tuesday.

One of the perks of going in the summer is that courses that charge over $100 a round in the winter are considerably less in the summer, which means I got to play three of them, Oro Valley with his friend George, Omni Tucson National, Sonoran Course 18 holes, Catalina Course an extra 9 holes on our own:

A dramatic hole, this one a down hill par 3.

This is one of the most amazing golf holes I have played.
Very up hill.  Lots of bunkers.  Par 5
The flag is about 3 times longer than a normal one.

and Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol with his friend Shane: 

John made home cooked breakfasts and dinners for us like beef burritos, tacos and flat enchiladas. 

We did a shopping trip to Walmart on the way back from golf on Saturday for items John's apartment like: a microwave, small dining table, etc.  I had hoped John would help me shop for a dress for the wedding, but I ended up doing that successfully on my own, while he prepared dinner on Monday night. 

I think there were too many preconceived expectations for our short time together on each of our parts, which resulted in it not being a totally blissful time, but it is nothing that can not likely be overcome, with some additional communication and time together. My plan is still to spend most of the winter in Tucson, in order to be near him.

Aufruf Trip to the Greater Toronto Area

As I have posted previously, this summer I have been staying within a shortish drive of Oakville, the hometown of my niece who is getting married September 10th.  I was figuring there would be a number of events leading up to the wedding that I would want to attend, so being relatively nearby would make doing so less arduous.  

This past weekend, August 24 - 27th was one such case.

My neice and her future husband were being called up in synagogue to recite a blessing over the Torah during the Saturday morning service, followed by a luncheon at what is called an Aufruf.

In order to make the most of the trip, I scheduled a few other events during that time frame. 

I booked myself into the Bronte Creek Provincial Park, in Burlington for 3 nights.  I hadn't stayed there before, but seeing as I was not very happy at Milton Heights, and it is quite close to Oakville, I though I would give it a try.  I had to rally a couple of other campers to help me get backed into my site, because it required backing up on the "blind side," something my instructor said was unwise to ever do.  Other than that issue, I enjoyed the park and will plan on staying there again in a couple of weeks for the actual wedding.  I did scout out other large sites where backing in from the other side is possible. 

Once the trailer was situated, I drove into Toronto and visited my cousin Judi to see if she might have had an outfit I could borrow for the wedding.  We came up with something, but it isn't exactly what I had in mind, so I may or may not wear it, time will tell.  As my schedule permits, I may look for something else.  After "shopping" her closet and doing a load of laundry, the two of us and her husband went to a nearby Middle Eastern restaurant for a bite of dinner and a good visit.  It was a very enjoyable time.  I look forward to seeing them again at the wedding. 

Early Friday morning I dropped the bicycle I had purchased at Rock and Road Cycle in Burlington off for a little check up that they had offered when I purchased it.  I then drove to Scarborough to have a massage with my registered massage therapist Janice.  She had helped me tremendously with the last massage, relieving most of the pain I was having in my right knee and a few other spots.  After the massage I treated myself to a Chinese buffet for lunch.  After that I went to several shops looking for a different wedding outfit, but left each one discouraged. On the way back I picked up the bicycle, which passed its check up with flying colors.   

Saturday I attended the Aufruf followed by lunch.  I was given the honor of opening the arc in order for the others to take the Torah out.  My brother Peter got to carry the Torah around, I then undressed it in order for it to be read.  My brother Stanley and his wife Shirley were honored with re-dressing and putting the Torah back.  The lunch, catered by Pickle Barrel, was very nice and gave a good chance to visit with cousins Larry and Marleen and my brother Peter. 

Later in the afternoon/early evening I played a round of golf at Millcroft Golf Course, a course in Burlington I hadn't played before.  I played with a friend.  After golf, we went for a bite of dinner at Ricky's All Day Grill. 

Sunday, I packed up the trailer and got to play Heron's Point Golf Links with a different friend.  The course was a real challenge, (I didn't score very well) with several blind shots, lots of strategically placed bunkers, fescue grass and challenging greens.  There were players walking, which would take good conditioning as the course is very hilly, up, down and sideways.  I was glad we were riding, otherwise I would have been too tired to drive back to Appin.  I would like to have the opportunity to play the course again.  

60th North South for Senior Women at Pinehurst, North Carolina

I made a quick trip to North Carolina from Appin, Ontario in order to attend my 2nd Senior Women's North South Tournament at Pinehurst from August 10th - 18th.  The main draw for attending this year was that the famous course No. 2 

was part of our rotation, along with No. 5 & No.6.  No. 2 is the course that has hosted US Open's for both Men and Women over the years.  The most recent was in 2014, when they hosted both on back to back weeks, the first time that was ever done.  I think they found it to be a little hard on the course. 

The evening before I departed was a fun night and dinner for the Wardsville Ladies' league.  My partner (selected at the last minute) and I were fortunate enough to win the event, for which our picture appeared in the local newspaper.  We enjoyed a nice dinner of Ceaser salad, garlic bread and meat lasagna after the round. 

The trip is about 14 hours each way, driving, which is too much for me to do in two days with the trailer, so I broke it up over 3 days.  On the way down I arrived at PInehurst early enough in the day to get some practice in the day prior to the official practice round day.  On the way back I headed out directly from the golf course, rather than having to go back to where I was camping to pick up the trailer.  I spent the night before and after the tournament at Jomeokee Campground, which had a great view of Pilot Mountain (too bad the weather wasn't clearer.)

For the duration of the tournament I stayed with a nice couple, who I met via the Boondocker's Welcome website, more than a year ago.  They weren't going to be home during last years tournament, but were willing to let me stay at their place anyway.  Not knowing what it was like I declined, but was excited about meeting them and staying at their place this year as they were going to be home.  It turns out their home is in a country setting with lots of space around it.  They had a full hook up for me along side of their home.  I was able to get in and out quite easily.  We had several good conversations about our respective travels.  Knowing well in advance where I was going to be staying, and with their permission I was able to order a few items for the trailer to be delivered to their place.  I was happy to pick up my outdoor mat and a suction cup toilet paper dispenser.  

At registration we were presented with two lovely gifts:

I had played No. 5 in last years event, so chose to play No. 6 for my practice round on Sunday.  For that I only had to pay a cart fee, whereas if I wanted to practice on No. 2 it was going to be an additional $200.  I though that was a bit too much, seeing as we aren't playing to win anything but trophies.  I had a nice group for the round and really liked that course.  Following the round was the welcome cocktail party and buffet dinner.  Both were as I remembered from last year, very nice. 

Day 1 we played No. 6.  I'm not that good at playing first thing in the morning, so the 7:30 tee time didn't please me. I wasn't totally on my game, I shot 87.  Day 2 we played course No. 2 following a 60 minute fog delay, Canadian Geese were at the tee to greet us. 

I shot 86, which I thought was pretty good for my first time on the very difficult course playing without the benefit of a caddy (and additional $100).  On day 3 we played No. 5, the course I was most familiar with and shot 80.  I finished 19th out of 37, last year I was tied for 20th.  Two of my Canadian friends finished tied for the lead, with Mary Ann Hayward in her first appearance, defeating the twice defending champion Judith Krynis on the first hole of the sudden death playoff. 

Short Trip East

In late June, I travelled from Appin as far east as Kingston.  On the way to Kingston I stopped in London for a couple of hours of driver training at the Ontario Truck Driving School.  I was hoping specifically to improve my skills at backing up the trailer into a simulated campsite.  I had a very patient instructor and during the two hour session, I had many opportunities to drive up and back into a designated spot.  Based on his instruction, I had previously been over-steering the rig.  He introduced me to an easier way and also showed me how to properly set the rig up to begin backing up.  It was time quite well spent.  After that I ventured onto Toronto where I stayed at Glen Rouge Campground, a place I have stayed a few times before.  It is very convenient for being in the east end of Toronto.  I collected some items from my storage locker to sell at the upcoming Canada Day at Silver Dove Estates.  I also had great visits with friends from the area.  I also visited my family doctor, podiatrist and massage therapist.  

From Toronto I headed to Kingston to play the Field Day at Cataraqui, a tournament I have played quite regularly over the last number of years.  Several usual participants were skipping this event because the Provincial Senior started right afterwards.  I wanted to do both, especially because Cataraqui was celebrating their 100th Anniversary.  I stayed at the same campground near the golf course I had last year, Rideau Acres.

I had booked a back in site, but my new skills eluded me and weren't really necessary as that part of the campground was quite empty, which allowed me to pull through instead of backing in.  I hadn't felt that I played well in the Field Day, but I guess the course was playing tough for everyone given the rather soggy conditions, the result of a very rainy spring throughout Ontario.  I placed 7th, which got me seeded in the Eastern Provinces Match Play Tournament.  I won my first match easily 5 & 4.  The second match was closer 3 and 1.  Winning twice on Sunday meant I had to play Monday, which was practice round day at the Senior.  I lost Monday morning in a close match 1 down.  The gal I lost to lost in the final, so I basically came 4th, the furthest I had advanced in all my previous efforts in this event. I was pleased with this accomplishment, even though it wasn't the strongest ever field.

Before the morning match, I had packed up the trailer and driven it to the golf course, so as soon as the round was over, I spent my winnings in the pro shop, grabbed my voucher paid lunch from the half way house and headed towards Wild Fire.  On the way there I spoke to the owners of the campground I was intending to stay at for the tournament and they were O.K. with me shortening my stay by a night.  I contacted the golf course and they were O.K. with me staying in the trailer on their property for one night, so seeing as I was arriving latish in the day and had an early tee time for the first round I changed my plans and stayed at the course.  When I arrived they were off the course due to lightning in the area so many players were disadvantaged by a reduced or no practice round.  I was able to preview Wild Fire last summer as it was on the GTA Amateur league schedule. We played from shorter tees at the Senior than I did playing the A flight on the GTA Amateur tour.  I had also played the course as a stop on the GAO Member Days tour, so I knew it pretty well.

The first day I didn't play my best (90), I was likely a bit tired from the 4 rounds in 3 days in Kingston.  Day 2 I played a bit better (84) and made the cut.  I improved a further one stroke on Day 3 (83).  Once again the course was playing extra long due to the wet conditions, that got worse as the event went along.  Most of my third round was played in the rain.  At one point play was suspended for about 30 minutes as the greens were flooded and needed some time to dry out.  I finished 18th, which was a ways from my goal of top 10 in order to make the Ada McKenzie team, but such is life.  I'm not that disappointed, because there is a chance that I will be a long way from Ontario in the spring of 2018 when that event will be played. 

It as nice of Wild Fire to host us, but the prices for carts, food and drink are quite high, and the head chef seems to have free reign with the menu and prepares things that are quite out of the ordinary.  Many of the players didn't appreciate his creativity with the banquet offering.

Being in the Lakefield area will give me a chance to visit my high school friend Keith McIntyre and his family, as I did last year.  I had dinner there my last night in the area.  The menu was pretty much the same as last year, BBQ steaks, baked potatoes, grilled veggies, mushrooms, etc.  very yummy.  

On the way back to Appin I stopped in Toronto for another massage, managing to find a place on a side street near my RMT's office to park the truck and trailer combo.  My right knee had been bothering me quite a bit since early March in New Orleans.  I had an MRI done on it in Sarnia in late May.  My family doctor had given me the report on it (arthritics), which I shared with the RMT.  Armed with that information she worked some magic and it has been much better for about 5 weeks so far.  Well enough for me to commit to playing the North South in Pinehurst in mid August, which will be my next trip. 

When I arrived back at Silver Dove Estates, one of my neighbours offered a little guidance while I back the trailer into my site, quite expertly, with my new skills. 

1 Year Anniversary

The end of May, 2017, marks the one year anniversary of my beginning the RV lifestyle, and what a year it has been!  It has all been fairly well detailed in the chronology that precedes this post. I've traveled a bit in both Canada (4 provinces) and the United States (19 states plus Washington D.C. I stayed in and 6 others I passed through). I've put a bit over 33,000 km on the truck (Ann). I've stayed in some interesting places, seen sites, met lots of people, played many different golf courses and eaten a few great meals, all those things I was expecting to enjoy, as I traveled with my new home on wheels (Shelly), able to sleep in the same bed every night, and have my things neatly put away. I've been on a land cruise.

I've learned quite a bit along the journey, both about myself, both countries and my new equipment. Thankfully, I have not had anything more than a few minor hiccups along the way. (I've seen too many Facebook posts about tire blow outs and RV fires.) I've also never felt unsafe or threatened, another concern documented on Facebook by other women looking to set out on a similar journey.

My travel planning has been assisted by my memberships in: Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, KOA, Good Sam, a few Facebook Closed groups for RV'ers, Google Maps (though it sometimes leads one astray), Roadtrippers, I-exit and Gas Buddy. 

I want to thank my brother Peter for all his support in this endeavor. I'm looking forward to having my new friend John along on some more parts of the journey ahead.

I'm ready for year two. I'm not entirely sure at this point where I will be going (Tucson, Arizona is a good bet), but there is plenty of North America yet to see, and I will endeavor to keep the blog going to document what lies ahead.

Thanks for reading.

Settling Into Life in the Country

Shortly after returning to Silver Dove Estates, I went to check out and play Wardsville Golf Club.  It is about 15 minutes west of the campground.  They have 27 holes.  Each 9 is named after one of "The Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore."  I ended up deciding to join after conversations with the co-owners, Laura and Carl.  I also joined the Ladies League that plays on Wednesdays.  I've met quite a few ladies and have already have games set up for Monday's, Wednesdays and Fridays, something I never had at my previous club.  

Alvin and Simon are the older 9's with small greens and well treed fairways.  There are also a few ponds around to make things interesting.  The greens have some contour to them, which can make putting interesting.  Theodore is newer and a little more links style, though the outskirts are treed.  Overall the course is kept in very good condition and the greens run true.  Compared to the courses in Arizona, the bunkers are excellent, though that is not incentive to hit them all the time.  I am enjoying my time at Wardsville very much so far. 

I contacted the London District teams coordinator and will be trying out for their team to play at the Provincials.  They are conducting two qualifying rounds, one at London Hunt and one at West Haven.  Getting to play those two courses for cart fees will be a treat in itself.  I have played West Haven before, but I have not played London Hunt. 

In my travels, I came across a notice for a nearby church roast beef supper.  I had 11 people interested in going, but by the time I was getting the tickets only 5 were left.  I parred the numbers down to the original 5 and we went and had a lovely dinner.  I especially enjoyed the HOT horseradish and Yorkshire pudding with gravy.  On the way out I noticed a sign outside the church across the street for a similar dinner in a couple of weeks time.  I'm not sure I will go to that one.  

I'm enjoying my time in this part of the world.  This weekend will be the busiest so far at the campground as Victoria Day weekend signals the official start of summer. 

First Month Back in Ontario

It has been over a month since I arrived back in Ontario.  I wasn't sure that I would keep writing the blog, seeing as I figured most people are interested in the new and different places I visit, and time spent in Ontario would seem mundane, but I will do some writing just so no one will think I fell off the face of the earth. 

Upon leaving the McLarty's farm, I went to Silver Dove Estates, a campground I was trying to get into last fall, instead of being at Milton Heights.  At that time they said they didn't have any sites available but would be creating new sites over the winter.  I asked for them to save one for me for early April.  I contacted them in late March and according to them all was in order.  When I arrived, they had sort of forgot I was arriving that day, and due to the relatively mild winter, they hadn't been able to build the new sites.  They did have some newly vacant ones and suggested #52 for me, but the road to it was blocked by a pile of gravel and the whole area was quite wet from snow run off and spring rains.  I was planning on staying about 6 nights, so they allowed me to stay next to the clubhouse, where there was a full hook up available.  

Camping next to the clubhouse.

Part of my purpose of being there at that time was to see if I might like to spend the better part of the season there, as I didn't have a burning desire to do much traveling over the summer months, partly because my niece is getting married in September and there are some events planned in advance of the wedding I should be in the area for.  

Silver Dove Estates had a number of year round residents in park model homes.  They have a series of social activities planned both winter and summer, which give the park a real sense of community, which I have only previously found in the USA.  During my 6 night stay, I enjoyed coffee clutch most mornings at 10:00, they only have regular coffee, so I have to bring my own, but it isn't so much about the beverage, as the conversation and camaraderie.  Wednesday at 11:00 is exercise to a video, Friday is Xbox bowling league, Saturday evening was a pot luck dinner and hearts. Everyone I met was so friendly and welcoming, I couldn't help but decide to plan on spending the bulk of the summer.  The seasonal fee seems very reasonable to me, compared to other places I have stayed, so it seems like an easy decision.  In the summer there are horseshoe games, a pool, bingo, tennis, live entertainment on holiday weekends, and other planned activities.  I'm looking forward to meeting more people here. Photos of the site I will occupy for the summer:

Left side of site, viewed from road.

"Street View" Trailer goes on gravel, fire pit on grass to left.

My next stop was to take the trailer in for some routine maintenance and minor repairs while I was staying at my brothers and celebrating the first couple of days of Passover.  On the first night my entire immediate family was in attendance, which was a treasured time as it doesn't happen very often.  

After that it was back to Milton Heights for a couple of weeks, in order to deal with all my stuff in the Toronto Area and to co-host a bridal shower for my niece. 

I was not satisfied with the work on the trailer, so I returned to the dealership on my way to Stratford for a couple of nights.  I was able to find a nice farm to stay at nearby and the owner of the farm took me on tour of two others.  That was fascinating.  I saw a dairy barn set up with a robot to do the milking and an egg farm that was high density, yet humane and very highly automated.  I was given a free tray of freshly laid eggs, 30 of them:

I saw the play Guys and Dolls, which was very well done, with great singing and dancing.

After all these activities, I was happy to be returning to Silver Dove in order to relax a bit and settle in for at least a couple of months until my next short trip. 

Final Portion of the Journey back to Canada

Packing up and moving onward on Thursday was somewhat difficult.  I had become reliant on John's help with things.  He picked up on it very quickly and was a great help.  

Sever weather was in the forecast so I was looking for a safe haven from potential tornadoes and large hail.  I spent two nights at the Sumner Crest Winery, members of Harvest Hosts, in Portland, Tennessee.  They have a large selection of wines and an amazing antique and gift-ware shop. 

These are a few of the things I liked, but didn't buy:

I did buy some cheese and raspberry/jalapeno jam. 

The next stop was the golf course at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa near Lexington, Kentucky, a member of the RV Golf Club.  I believe this is a place where my deceased friend Ted Diakun visited on business.  As I recall from his time spent at this hotel he always came back with a little gift, be it a suit bag, business card album, letter opener, shoe bag, there was always something and this was the only hotel he visited where he got this kind of stuff,  It is in the Eastern time zone so I loose an hour as I get close to it.  On this trip I spent quite a bit of time in the Mountain time zone and then the Central time zone. 

My final stop in the US is at Fulton Farms in Troy Ohio, who are members of Harvest Host.  Although their farm stand is closed at this time of the year they still offer their yard for overnight stays.  If I was a few weeks later I would have been able to pick and eat asparagus.  While I was there I had a look at their sow, turkeys, goats and cows.  This would be a great place to bring young children. 

I crossed the boarder again at Windsor/Detroit and spent my first night in Canada at the McLarty farm, where I spent my last night in Canada, 144 days ago!

This, my first winter trip as an RVer was a great experience.  I visited with old friends, met wonderful people along the way, saw some amazing sites, played lots of golf and enjoyed wonderful libations and foods.  The weather wasn't always perfect, but was better than Ontario has to offer between mid November and early April.

Yom Kippur

I guess I somehow missed posting this back in October, so now it is a little out of sequence.

With a plan to spend Yom Kippur in Hamilton and my brother being willing to let me stay at his place for a couple of nights, I was able to return the trailer to the place I bought it, Ruston RV, for a bit of service.  There wasn't anything really major, but rather a little list of small annoyances.  I have been quite pleased with the service they have provided me, so if anyone is in the market for an RV, I would recommend Ruston for both sales and service.  I dropped it off on Tuesday morning, with the plan to pick it up Thursday morning.  

While I was in Dundas I was able to pick up the items I had selected to use up my Air Miles that were going to expire at the end of the year.  Christmas or Hanukkah came early this year.  With trailer life in mind I purchased walkie talkies, a crank radio/flash light and a waterproof still/video camera.  The ax I ordered must be on back order.  

I headed back to Milton Heights for another stay.  The number of parks that remain open past Canadian Thanksgiving is quite small and the number that stay open past the end of October is even smaller.  

At this point I am biding my time until I head out for my winter trip, which is to ultimately get to Arizona.  The trip can not be longer than 5 months in order for me to stay within the rules, so I am hoping to hang out in Ontario until a bit into November.  Last year I returned from Portugal in early April and the weather wasn't very nice.  Additionally, very few campgrounds in Ontario open as early as April 1, a few open April 15th and more open May 1 or later. 

Nashville Tennessee

My trip northward began with a big driving day from Milton, Florida to Nashville Tennessee on Monday March 27th. It followed a restful final day in Milton Florida, and with John by my side we made it.  Our destination was an RV parking area, with full hook-ups at the Nashville Fairgrounds.  I knew from the online reviews that the place was nothing special, but the price and location were better than the more traditional or military campgrounds, which were a much further distance from the Downtown tourist area, but seeing as we don't tend to spend much time in the trailer during the day, it would be fine, similar to the place I parked in Philadelphia.  I also knew all the sites were back in, not something I was looking forward to after a long days drive and with a lightning storm obviously heading in our direction.  With John's help directing, we were able after many maneuvers to get the trailer onto an empty site.  (I really do need to get much better at backing the rig up!)  We did so just in time as the rain and lightning bared down on our location.  We relaxed for a while and then went out for a late dinner to the nearest restaurant, Smokin' Thighs, one we had noticed on our way in.

I was near Nashville in September of 2015, but all I had time for was the Johnny Cash Museum, and an organized Pub Crawl.  John and I had one day full day to explore the city.  We didn't get off to a very early start, but that was O.K. as we wanted to take in some night life.  Finding a parking spot for the truck was a bit more problematic than I had expected.  There is a lot of construction going on in the downtown area.  We counted no less than 7 cranes in the skyline, which likely meant fewer on grade parking lots remain.  We though we had found a good one, but then realized you could only pay by the 24 hour period and that was around $35.  At first I didn't think we would be able to fit into the Convention Center parking lot, but upon further calculation we did, just barely, only the top of the antenna was hitting a few low pipes.  The bill came to $12.

The Convention Center located across the road from the Bridgestone Arena, where the Predators play, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, our first destination.

We spent several hours at the County Music Hall of Fame.  

John is a big fan of the older country music, and I'm renewing my interest in it from days gone by when I liked Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and a few other country musicians.  They have a new display about Brad Paisley, the singer of "our song," "Forever and Ever, Amen," which in 1987 won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Song and an Academy of Country Music award for Song of the Year.  John always selects it when we are in a bar with a jukebox and sings it to me. 

The museum is large and a bit overwhelming, so many artists are recognized, many sound bites and artifacts like, stage costumes, instruments, awards, and some cars. 
There is a little Canadian Content:

At the end of our tour we had a look around the gift shop and tried on some hats:

Afterwards we took a walk along the riverfront and went part way over a bridge that is for pedestrians only.  

All this walking around had helped us to build up a thirst so we did a little bar hopping looking for good live music.  We walked both sides of Broadway and 2nd Ave.  At one of the bars on 2nd, I noticed a tour group come in and recognized the guide as the one that had taken me on my tour about 17 months ago.  He was able to suggest a venue for us to check out that would have music John would like.  We stopped for a bite of dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery.  Tuesday nights they have their beer sampling on special so I gave it a try:

  

Beer comes in many colors.

Tasting notes.

We had a fun day in downtown Nashville. 

This was our last full day together as Wednesday afternoon John was scheduled on a flight back to Tucson by way of Los Angeles.  We will keep in touch and meet up again, possibly in Canada, and otherwise back in Tucson is about 6 1/2 months. 

I spent one more night in Nashville.

Florida Pan Handle/Brewton Alabama

Our third base stay was at a joint Navy and Air Force base in Milton Florida, which is about a 40 minute drive to the Country Club of Brewton, Alabama.  

This is a small RV park with only 10 sites, which is why we had to wait a few extra days to get one.  They also have some tent camping sites, none of which were being used at this season of the year, due to the cool nights.  All the sites are back in and have full hook ups.  The campground is also located just outside the gate to the base but we still feel very safe as the base is pretty much in the middle of no where and the Navy police patrol it regularly.  We can only faintly hear revelry and the anthem in the mornings as there are no speakers located in the RV Park.  

Many of the people I met in Arizona have spent time in Florida and say part of the reason they go to Arizona now is that Florida has too many bugs.  I would have to agree, as there have been a few that have gotten inside the trailer and lots outside as well.  

Each day we have been making the trip to Brewton to play with the group I played with previously.  John has enjoyed the course and the fellows we have been paired with. 

The course has some pretty holes, with more trees and water for John to enjoy:

Our nearest neighbors in the campground are a couple with a 6 week old baby and two dogs.  He fellow is a pilot working at the base.  One of the dogs always barks at me when I am working on their side of the trailer, where all my utility connections are located.  They quickly hush him up.

We played every day from Saturday to Saturday, with the exception of Tuesday, when it seemed there would be a smaller than usual group and I had arranged for a local service man to come and check out a small water leak that was causing me concern.  The leak turned out to be very minor and was easily fixed. 

We continued to follow the U of A games until they lost on Thursday night in the sweet 16 to Xavier.  

Sunday we relaxed, did chores and prepared to move on.   

Next Stop Gulf Port

The next main stopping point was supposed to be in the area of Brewton, Alabama in order to see my coach and friends that play at the Country Club of Brewton, however there was not a campsite available at the nearby base for a further 4 days, and my arrival date there was flexible, so we decided to stop at the Naval Base in Gulf Port. 

On the way there we stopped to play the Diamondhead Country Club, Pine course, in Diamondhead, Mississippi, which several people from the New Orleans area recommended.  This was John's first taste of hilly, forest lined golf as we will experience in Brewton.  They had this neat carving next to the first tee:

From Diamondhead to Gulf Port the drive offered John lots more views of water and travel across causeways. 

The base has two campgrounds, the old and the new.  We were on a site on the old one, which was perfectly fine with me.  It was closer to the entrance gate and had mostly pull-through sites, whereas the new one is way into the base and has mostly back-in sites, but is next to a lake, which might have been nice.  The old campground is also bordered by two exterior roads and a cemetery, but our site was in the middle so none of those things were close enough to bother us.

Another benefit of staying on the bases is access to their grocery and department stores, which offer good pricing and no added sales tax.  I'm getting a bit spoiled with access to these.

On Tuesday we went to another nearby base that had their own golf course, as some of the better courses in the area are closed on Tuesdays.  The course was pretty flat and mostly wide open but did have a couple of holes near the gulf that were pretty:

And other holes that ran next to the runways:

On the way back we took the coastal highway, which offered great water views for John.  We stopped at a seafood bar for a snack and to watch the sunset:

On Wednesday we went to play Windance a course that was recommended to us by the starter at Diamondhead.  I really enjoyed it.  There are some really pretty holes:

I found it to be very similar to Grand Bear a course in the area I had played previously, which is more expensive.  

On Thursday we relaxed and did chores during the day, and then went to the base bar in the evening to watch the U of A Basketball game in the March madness round of 64.

Next Stop New Orleans

John is going to continue on traveling with me.  For the next campground we are going to take advantage of his past military service to utilize a campground on a military base a bit outside of New Orleans in Belle Chasse.  The Military RV park on the base has full hook-ups and is only $20 per night as compared to the commercial campgrounds I was looking at in the area, which run $50 - $65 per night.  

The drive from Lafayette to Belle Chasse isn't very far so we had time to stop at the world renowned Tabasco sauce factory on Avery Island.  It is set up starting at a museum and then a self guided tour of the plant.  At the end of the tour they give you some product samples, which makes the admission pretty much free.  

The original sauce.

Giant sized bottles of all the flavors.

Mash aging in barrels, covered with salt.

They produce a lot each day!

When I tour plants like this, distilleries and wineries, I am always mesmerized by the volume of inventory that is on hand being aged.  It is quite a waiting game.  I wouldn't have the patience for it.  This is still a family owned and run business, presently in the 5th generation.

Shortly after we arrived and were set up the couple from a site close to ours came by and introduced themselves and their rescued greyhound.  She was a retired major and nurse from the Army.  They live near Baltimore and travel part time in a very small travel trailer.

We learned the first morning on the base that we would be awakened to revelry and the National Anthem at 8:00 a.m.  It is the fastest played version of the anthem I have ever heard.  Mouthing the words to myself, they did take on new meaning while on an actual active base.

Thursday we went to play the nearby Timberlane Country Club (golf, tennis, swimming, beach volleyball), which I played when in New Orleans previously. Since I last played there they have switched the 9's around and are in the process of moving the pro shop from a separate building into the clubhouse.  The Tulane beach volleyball team had a long practice.  They were there when we arrived and still there when we were leaving!  After golf we returned to the base and went to the bowling alley (10 pin) for a few games, and then we went to the bar to watch the University of Arizona basketball game, as well as taking advantage of the free air hockey, pool table and darts.  John and I are both competitive.

Friday we had a really big day.  We started off by playing golf at Oak Harbor, another course I played at while at college.  To get there from Belle Chase we crossed Lake Pontchartrain on the causeway.  Being born and bread in Tucson, Arizona, he had never seen that much water or ridden over anything like the causeway.  For him it was HUGE!  It turned out that my former team mates were practicing/playing at Oak Harbor, while on Mardi Gras break.  Before we teed off I had a visit with a couple of the guys and at the turn I visited with several of the girls.  After golf we headed to Pascal's Manali for happy hour and raw oysters (another first for John).  After that we went to the service at the shule I attended while at Loyola, Temple Sinai (another first for John).  It was probably a good week for me to attend because the new Rabbi was away, so the service was conducted by the Cantor, who I was familiar with.  His sermon was about turning 60 recently, something John was able to relate to.  Many of the congregants I knew were in attendance, so I was able to have a brief visit with them.  We then got a ride down to the French Quarter with a couple from the synagogue who go there after the service every week for dinner.  Getting the ride helped to solve the problem of where we would park the truck in the Quarter.  We walked up and down Bourbon Street and a couple of the side streets for John to get a feel for it.  He noted it smelt bad (urine and vomit).  I think being so close to the end of Mardi Gras they hadn't washed everything away yet.  I didn't remember it smelling that bad when I have been there previously.  We stopped in at Daisy Dukes for a bite to eat.  I had the Bloody Mary, alligator sausage with a cup of gumbo, yum.  

When we were done in the quarter the rode the historic St. Charles Street Car back to the shule, where the truck was parked.

On the weekend we relaxed on the base.  After supplying us with various edible treats throughout the week, like orange bread and home cured bacon we hosted our neighbors for their final dinner in Belle Chase.  John made tacos, re-fried beans and Spanish rice.  They brought steamed asparagus with home-made mayonnaise as a starter and rice pudding for desert.  The dog was included in the visit and was well behaved, laying down by the couch while we ate.  For his good behavior he was allowed to have two tacos, which he devoured as happily as the rest of us had.

Monday we played Stonebridge Golf Club of New Orleans, another course from my college days.  They have 27 holes and we played them all.  On the way back to the base I felt like a frozen daiquiri and John wasn't, though he had never had one.  The shop we went to was not busy, despite their sale on large ones on Monday's, so the hostess was willing to give him samples to try.  He tried all 10 flavors and it turned out he, "Loved it."  He selected Mudslide for his full sized drink.  I had Pina Colada mixed with Amaretto and Pineapple. We spent some time chatting with the hostess and listening to the jukebox. 

Tuesday was my first big day visiting Loyola.  On the way to campus I stopped to visit one of my faculty friends who is recovering from cancer.  We had a nice visit at her apartment.  Her recovery is going well, but slower that she would like. She hopes to be back at work for the summer semester.  From there I went to the Mass Communications department just before a planned staff meeting.  I was able to visit with many of my former professors, adviser and the director of the department.  It wasn't until then that I learned that one of my favorite professors has go to work at National Geographic in Washington, DC full time.  Good for him, sad for the department.  They have renovated a few spaces since I left in order to provide more hands on training in the new environment.  The current students are very lucky. From there I went to the library, but I didn't see anyone I knew.  I did go up to the top floor to have a look at the current art exhibit of print making and only saw one piece I liked.  This was it:

Next I was interested in a bit of lunch and was hoping for Chinese from Tulane's food court. I was dismayed to find they had made major changes to the space and the outlet I was hoping for was no longer there.  I ended up going to a small cafe on their campus for a Muffaletta, but it wasn't totally authentic, somewhat disappointing.  After lunch, I headed to the Athletic Department.  I had a brief chat with the Director, and a longer one with the office manager.  On my way back to the car I encountered several former classmates and chatted with them. 

It rained hard on Tuesday evening, which put a kibosh on our plan to play the newly reopened Joseph M. Bartholomew Sr. Municipal Golf Course in Pontchartrain,

as they were playing cart path only.  Actually, it was kind of scary on the base as the severe weather passed by, heavy rain, thunder and lightning, with no announcements, and then later in the evening there were announcements saying to "shelter in place until the all clear was given, and to shut off your mechanical ventilation systems."  The all clear took about 90 minutes to arrive.  In hindsight we felt that message may have been part of an emergency preparedness test, because thankfully no further bad weather came our way. 

As it happened there was less rain on the opposite side of the lake so we went back and played Oak Harbor again.  On the way towards the base gate, John noticed this little guy next to the drainage ditch.  

I guess he made his way there in the rain, overnight.  This time, my friend the owner was in the Pro Shop at Oak Harbor, so we had a nice visit before we went out to play. Unfortunately, I twisted my right knee in an unusual manner during my tee shot on the 7th hole and it remained sore for the entire round, inhibiting my play. 

Thursday morning I was to play with some of my former team mates at Audubon Golf Course but my knee was too sore.  As it worked out the players didn't make it to the early morning tee time either.  At a more reasonable hour, I picked up a knee brace and went to meet the new coach as planned.  We had a nice chat about the past, present and future of the program and he presented me with my final collegiate golf award, a plaque bestowed upon my for my academic excellence as a student athlete. After that I dropped off a couple of bags of beads we didn't want at Arc:

On the way "home" I stopped by Pascal's for another dozen oysters.  

Friday the play was to meet my Religion Professor for lunch in the faculty dining room, where I eat most of my lunches my second year at Loyola.  Friday is a traditional seafood gumbo, catfish (fried and baked) and hush-puppy lunch, my favorite of the week, so it was great that she was available Friday.  The staff on duty there were the same as before and they recognized me and were happy to see me.  We had a great visit and a nice lunch.  Afterwards I met one of my former classmates, who graduated last year and is working at being a freelance photographer for coffee.  We had a good visit on Magazine Street.  Finally I stopped at Frankie & Johnny's for some chilled boiled shrimp before heading "home." 

Saturday we relaxed again while waiting for the next U of A Basketball game.  

Sunday we went to visit one of my former classmates who graduated last year at her job at a local television station.  She gave us a full tour of the station and introduced us to everyone.  There are quite a few current and former Loyola students working there.  It was interesting to see behind the scenes and to be on the set.  Afterwards we went to Rock 'n Bowl for their Zydeco show.  This was the first time I had been on a Sunday as I used to regularly go on Thursday nights.  The crowd was much smaller with fewer good dancers.  It worked for our purpose as the music was still good and there was room on the dance floor for us to shuffle around.  Afterwards we went for a bit to eat at Superior Seafood.  Even at around 8:00 on a Sunday evening there was a wait to get a table. This was where John had Char Grilled Oysters for the first time.  He prefers them to the raw ones because as he says, "anything made with butter and cheese is good."  We also created our own surf and turf, splitting a hamburger and a shrimp po boy. 

I accomplished most of what I had in mind with this visit to New Orleans, it was nice to go back after a couple of years.  The vibe of the city has a way of getting into your system.