A season in Alabama

I guess time flys when you are having fun. It has almost been four months since our last blog entry but we doubt too many folks have been anxiously awaiting a new posting. We are about to depart Alabama for our next adventure and it seems appropriate to at least bring this blog up to date before we go any further. When we arrived here we had planned to spend time with the grandkids (as well as with our daughter Jayme and her husband Chris), catch-up on some RV maintenance, and play some golf. We will leave here knowing we have done all the above and more.
GRANDKIDS ARE GREAT
It has been awesome watching the grandkids grow. CJ, too small to come home with his Mom after birth 4 months ago, has eaten himself into a healthy little chunk. At the rate he is going, he’ll be the little brother only because of the two year difference in age and not because of size. He is a treat to be with. He has a sparkling grin that warms your heart every time you give him the least bit of attention – look at him, touch him, hold him and he smiles just shy of a giggle.
His big sister, Braelyn, loves JC dearly. When she can hold him she beams. When she returns from day care, her first action is to check on JC. She is the little Mommy and we believe she would even be capable of changing his diaper. Her vocabulary is increasing daily. All grandparents think they precious little ones are the smartest, but this little girl can count (not just say her numbers) in both English and Spanish (Let’s hear it for Dora the Explorer), she knows all the letters of the alphabet and when she tries, she even colors inside the lines. Her little brother’s smile is only surpassed by the perpetual pleasantness of his bigger sister. She always seems happy although she is starting to think that a little whining might be a means to and end. While running down the gravel lane in the RV park she took a nasty spill. She got up, brushed away the bits of gravel imbedded in her hands, said “ouch” and smiled before running off again. No child should be this good but it sure makes for fun grandparenting.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
After the 6-month routine maintenance is completed next week, the RV will be ready for travel. We installed a braking system in our TOAD, (the car we tow behind the RV) as well as a screen that stretches between the RV and toad to reduce stone damage. When we sold our old jeep, the windshield was severly pitted, as a result of following the RV.
Jay never did get a position at the Robert Trent Jones golf course but he ended up as a greenskeeper at a local countryclub. Pay was poor but all his golf was free and by playing 3-5 times per week, he has been able to get his handicap down to a 13 and it is still going down. He’s been shooting in the low 80s consistently and has even turned in a round or two in the 70s. That’s great golf for him.
EVERYONE SHOULD GO ON A CRUISE


Although this life style has us on a perpetual vacation, we took a vacation from the RV and flew to Los Angeles where we boarded the Monarch of the Seas for a 16 day cruise with stops in Puerto Vallerta and Alcapulco, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Cristobal Pier in the Panama Canal; and Cartagena, Columbia in South America before landing in Miami. There were too many highlights to talk about but Costa Rica was our best portcall. Toucans, king vultures, and a few sea birds added another dozen birds to Jay’s life list. The food on board – both the quality and quantity will long be remembered. Although Sandi has managed to get back to her pre-cruise weight, Jay has only dropped 3 of the 12 pounds he put on. We did like the food!
In a few weeks we will park the RV here in Alabama while we drive the toad to MD and PA for some family time, celebrate some holidays, and then return only to hook-up and head west. Right now we do not have a destination in mind and have no idea when we expect to get there. We want to pass through San Antonio but the weather will determine if we leave here and head northwest through Branson Missouri before heading southwest or take a more southerly route.
As much as we would like to find a volunteer position at one of the parks in the southwest, most of the positions are already filled and the likelyhood of getting a seasonal ranger position (one of the prioroty items on Jay’s to-do list) is slim because of the timing. We may just bounce around the southwest during the late winter/early spring season. Jay will be trying for a seasonal ranger position in Yellowstone National Park this coming summer.

New grandchild in McCalla Alabama

Now that we are somewhat settled for the moment, we are checking things off of our to do list: doctor appointments, maintenence item,golf arrangements, and the like.

Sure is going to take a while to get used to the heat. It has been 90 to 100 degrees nearly every day since we arrived. I thought it was hot when it reached the 80s in Tuckahoe State park in Maryland.

We stopped in Red Bay Alabama enroute to McCalla to get a few maintenance items taken care of on the RV. Red Bay is where our Tiffin Phaeton was made. They took great care of us and readjusted our slidout and repaired a support under our refrigerator. Driving around in these RVs is like subjecting your home regularly to a 3.5 Richter Scale earthquake. Constant upkeep is essential.

Since Red Bay has all the necessary parts available, I stocked up on 12v light bulbs, and repaired a bad tailpipe and air step solenoid while waiting for the maintenance folks to work on the things that were above my pay grade. I also got to play a couple rounds of golf but they were nothing to write home about. Sandi enjoyed staying out of the Alabama heat.

Once we reached McCalla and got set up our first priority was to see "CJ", our newest grandson. Less than 2 weeks old and less than six pounds he is beautiful and has a lot more hair than I do. He was born on June 26th. Only 5 lb 8 oz he was small and needed some observation time in the neo-natal ICU. Everything came out fine and Chris Gene Cramer Junior, "CJ" and Mom are both at home and doing fine.

Big sister, Braelyn ( 2years old) is as adorable as they come. She gets excited every time Pop Pop and Nana show up and the, "Yes Mam" and "No Sir"s embedded in her 2 year old vocabulary have just won us over. Grand kids are great. ( Think I have said that before.)

I've just about completed my maintenance short list and have fixed a broken wire, repaired the trailering lights in the toad (our car), had technicians come and get the TV and Internet satellites working finally, which only leaves some work on the TV antenna.

I threw my name into the hat for a position at the Ross Bridge Trent Jones Golf Course as a marshal. Pay is not great but golf privileges are superior. I'll find out about that soon.

The heat here is rough, but other than that:

Life is good!

Departing Maryland

Our stay here in the northeast is coming to an end and we are now preparing to head south for a while. Somehow summertime in Alabama violates our desire to follow nice weather by going north in the summer and south in the winter. Call it extenuating circumstances. Our daughter and son-in-law in Birmingham blessed us a few days ago with our fourth grandchild, a 5lb 10 oz, boy, Christopher Jean Junior or CJ. After a few days of dedicated care CJ has crossed the necessary hurdles and will be going home from the hospital. We are so excited. I know we do not need to tell other grandparents who are in the know that grandkids are great.

We have had a great time here in Maryland. We have had Marisa and Sam, our Maryland grandkids, “camp-out” with us in the RV. We’ve taken them to the beach and boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach for a day and also on a weeklong road trip to visit their cousin in Alabama. Our Daughter-in-law, Ann, is finishing up another degree and we had to baby-sit on occasion when our son, Bill, had obligations. It was great to be in the right place at the right time.

We have been staying at Tuckahoe State Park which has proved to be a wonderful state park. They are players in Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tales and Scales educational outreach program. Tuckahoe houses 10 raptors and an assortment of reptiles that the rangers take to schools and events in the area. On every Friday and Saturday Sandi and I would each take one of these animals and walk the campgrounds and provide interpretation to the campground visitors. In addition to being roving naturalists, Sandi did nature craft programs for kids and I got to lead weekly birding and nature hikes as well as do a special bat program for several groups of "Nature Camp" kids.

A majority of the campers that come to this campground are local, travelling generally less than 50 miles to stay at this park. The draw of hiking, fishing, canoeing, and having a place where even young kids can ride bike and run around and feel safe fills this park’s campgrounds every weekend from April to October. The staff is exceptional. This well-managed park is well groomed, park rangers and staff seem very responsive to the needs of the visitors and rank as the friendliest we have encountered anywhere.

When we were not enjoying the grandkids or doing programs in the park, Sandi enjoyed the relaxation and I managed a few hikes and rounds of golf.

We’ll take about a week to travel the 850 miles from here to Birmingham. A drive through the Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive, and several stops along the way for some minor maintenance on the RV will add several days to a normal three day trip. Once in the Birmingham, we will stay for at least a month.

On the road with the grandkids

RVing is a great lifestyle and we expound on the virtues but must admit to some noticeable shortcomings – one being not often in close proximity to family. Seeing grand kids only on occasion is not desirable but a given with our lifestyle. To make up for this shortcoming we fortuned upon an opportunity to take Marisa and Sam, daughter and son of our Maryland kids to Alabama for the 2nd birthday of Braelyn, the daughter of our Alabama kids. All our grand kids together at one time! What a treat this seven day trip was.

Marisa and Sam said good-by to their Mom and Dad with little fanfare and camped in their sleeping bags on the living room floor of the RV at Tuckahoe State Park in Denton MD. We woke before light on Tuesday, dressed, and departed for an 850 mile journey to McCalla Alabama. Anticipated travel problems were soon forgotten as song filled CDs, and DVDs appropriate for these youngsters kept them entertained. Frequent rest stops, play stops, and restroom stops (some with little notice) broke the monotony of 65mph cruising down the interstates. Three and 4 year olds find little excitement in the majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains but found comparable joy in seeing great tractor trailer trucks, and motorcycles pass by. Bridges and overpasses and even signs were recognized and became objects of attention that contributed to the experience.

The mid-way overnight stop at a motel was interesting and after sleeping in on Thursday morning we continued on for the second half of the journey. Our planned stop at the aquarium in Chattanooga was one of the many highlights of the trip. The 3D I-MAX movie on Sea Creatures was awesome. The schools of fish and close up encounters with pre-historic marine reptiles will not soon be forgotten. Sandi and I were amused as the two kids reached to touch the smaller creatures and ducked from the attacks of the larger. Seeing the impending approach of any of the larger predators and sharks would bring on a, “This is not good!” comment from Sam. How could Sandi and I not be entertained?

After the movie, tours of the two buildings let us watch the two youngsters have encounters with butterflies, stingrays, sharks, live Search for Nemo characters, penguins, and turtles. The aquatic life entertained the kids and the enthusiasm and amazement of the kids entertained us grandparents.

We continued on to Alabama for a fun reunion with Aunt Jayme, Uncle Chris, and cousin Braelyn. The abundance of new toys, albeit most for a 2 year old, excited and captivated the attention of the young travelers. The night was spent with the three youngsters sleeping in one bedroom.

Friday became a bit of a challenge as an asthma attack and medication complexities made for a trying day but that passed over night and all were in rare form for the birthday celebration on Saturday. A huge air filled castle that became a trampoline like activity kept our grand kinds, other cousins, and the entire neighborhood going. If that was not enough, sidewalk painting, squirt-gun battles, bubble blowing, and bike riding on the nearly empty street consumed interests and time. Food was great and night time finally overtook the youngsters—sleep came quickly.

Sunday was just time for relaxing and visiting and preparing for the return trip. Our Monday morning departure brought and end to the visit but not an end to the adventure. Two days of traveling with the frequent necessary stops, countless CDs and DVDs and several games of “Cows in the Graveyard”, another hotel stop and finally a most joyous reunion with Mom and Dad. Although there was seldom any evidence of homesickness during the trip, the reunion with parents was loud and exciting.

The trip was over, the memories will last and Sandi and I are ready to take advantage of the next opportunity to go off on and adventure with the grandkids.

Aren’t they great?!