Slower Lower Delaware

I'm finding that Lower Kent and Upper Sussex counties in Delaware have a diverse offering of homes, lots, farms and beaches. I am also finding that things do move at at a far slower pace, much like Memphis. People are friendly and talk to strangers. So far, it has been a very nice experience.

Only one critical item to fix in S Cargo - the cab air conditioning. Apparently it does have a leak and will be fixed when I get back to Memphis in a couple of weeks.

I've been spending time in Milford and met with the realtor who is helping me look for properties. We had seen 7 or 8 so far and I keep coming back to a wooded lot about half a block from a small lake. Homes on the lake are large and quite pricey, but the lot might be something I can afford. The plan for a wooded lot is to clear only enough to allow for a gravel road and a house and septic field/well. In the summer time one wouldn't be able to see the home from the street. It would feel like being out in the middle of nowhere, yet close to many things, just outside the city limits of Milford. Before presenting a bid on the lot/lots (there are 2 and maybe getting both would be a good thing)I decided to check with a modular home manufacturer in Greenwood, DE. It used to be Nanticoke Homes years ago and I know people who have them. They're great. The model I looked at was wonderful, but of course much too large at over 3K SF. Then I tried to speak with a regular builder who was referred to me, but it was Friday afternoon of Nascar race week in Dover and I didn't get him. I'll be staying down here until sometime Monday to try to get a couple of figures on home pricing before I head back to PA.

The second reason for my return to Delaware was to spend time at Sleepy Bay Town with Finfully. But, alas, something unforeseen came up and she couldn't make it. I'm going to stay over tonight anyway and enjoy the rural ambiance. So I am now sitting on the road to SBT at the entrance to St. Jones Reserve. It's on the main road to Sleep Bay Town. On the way here the skies opened up, the wind and the rains came. I'm facing SBT now, watching lightning arrays, probably at the beach less than 3 miles from here, and thunder rumbling overhead. Loads of autos have been driving toward the bay. I'm waiting to make sure it's not a flooding rain, as I wouldn't want to get caught there if it were to flood. Tomorrow promises to be nice again. I'll spend some time on the beach, then head back to Milford tomorrow night.

Not much time to relax since I left Assateague 16 days ago, but am having a great time.

It's Always Something

Sunday was a relaxing day with Cathy and Dave. We had a nice cookout and caught up on family things.

Monday we went to Cathy's friend's for dinner. Her name is Kathy also.(She is also the sister of one of our blog commentors, Gemma!) She and her husband, Wayne (aka Birmingham to me, and you all know why), cooked a great dinner. The weather was perfect as we sat out on their deck eating and imbibing, telling stories and watching the antics of Powder, their white cat. Below is a photo of Dave, Cathy, Kathy, and Birmingham. :-)


Anyone who owns a home knows that the little problems never stop. Today was the day I was to have the coach battery problem fixed at an RV place in Delaware. I got up early to load the RV and get on the road so as not to be late. As fate would have it, when I approached the RV, I saw that the right back tire was totally flat!!! Cheese! I called my new auto insurance company (the Hartford through AARP) to have someone come out to fix the tire. The agent, who didn't know they provided roadside assistance in the policy to RV owners, after putting me on hold for 10 minutes at a time, finally said she couldn't help me, gave me a reference number and an address to which to send my bill, should I be luckier than she to procure a repair person. They might reimburse me.

Cathy again saved the day by leaving me her small tire pump that you use with your car cigarette lighter. After 40 minutes of pumping while loading the RV, I got enough air in the tire to chance driving it to a local gas station. They could repair it, but not until lunch time, as they were doing many state car inspections this last week of May. At 11:00 he had me back the RV around gas pumps and other rows of inspected cars to the garage bay. That in itself was a rough experience for me. In about a minute he had the problem - a cracked valve stem. He put in a new one, pumped up the tire, and I was on the road again. Now to the RV shop and the final repair to the battery wire problem. Done! Yippee! There's something empowering about getting through all of this and still loving the RV.

Lastly, here's a photo of the house in the Demi Moore movie, should you see it. Couldn't get near due to the number of cars and trucks parked around the set. But, hey, that's show biz.

Memorial Day Edition - 2008

This special edition is being brought to you courtesy of the Bally Total Fitness Club at the corner of Fairview Rd and MacDade Blvd in Milmont Park, PA. So far they have not come out and asked me to leave their parking lot, where I have cell reception for writing this brief update.

Since my last post, I have looked at some interesting places, both houses and lots for sale in Delaware. I'm encouraged in that I believe I will find a place I really like there. On the way up to PA where I'm staying with my cousin, Cathy, I stopped to fix my continuing coach battery problem. I was lucky to find Alexanders RV repair. Although they didn't totally fix it, I am rigged up so that I get power until Wednesday of this week when I am promised it will be fixed. Good thing, because I think I also have a leak in the cab a/c. When I bought this RV I expected there would be a few items needing attention; after all, it's 13 years old. So I am more than willing to fix these - I'm having so much fun! I'm also making great contacts in Delaware. And I'm constantly learning about my SCargo.

Saturday I went out to another cousin's house near Oxford, PA for a wonderful dinner and get together. I need to do that more often; my first cousins, once removed, are in their 20's now and lots of fun and my favorite 'cousin-in-law' is a fantastic cook and hostess and general all-around fun person to be with. I expect when I move back East, lots of good times will be had among all of our homes in two states.
I am not mentioning names until or unless given permission by the persons about whom I write. (grammar?) In my other blogs, most all of us were fictitious names and fun to write about in that manner.

Yesterday I had the best morning! I did my usual drive by of my home where I grew up in "Great Memories Park" PA. My dream came true when the owner of the house was out front. I asked him how long he had lived there and he wanted to know why. I said that it used to be my home. He actually blurted out ,"you're ______ ______. He remembered my name! Well, it was the person I sold it to 27 yrs ago. So gave gave me a tour, inside and out and allowed me to take photos. It was the best! I met the folks who bought the home next door (Linda and Ricky Moore's house) and the family who live in Mr. Smith's house around the corner. They spoke of the Spaffords and the Whitmers, etc. I couldn't have asked for more. I also took a photo of Juanita and Finfully's house on the next block and sent it to them. I know they were pleased to see their home so lovingly cared for all these years.

A last note: "Great Memories Park" PA is finally on the map! Not only is it the birthplace of John Morton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but also the location of a film being made starring Demi Moore up on 13th Avenue! I hear that it is really supposed to be taking place in Wisconsin or something. They are using an old house there and I hear they are fixing it up in payment after the film is finished. Now those are rumors, not facts.
A couple of photos of my home in "Great Memories Park" PA

Weekend Edition or Three Heads Are Better Than One

Friday's breakfast at the Victorian Restaurant was quite nice. Among the three of us we enjoyed either the usual breakfast with eggs, or in my and Cathy's case, Russian blintzes with fresh strawberries and blueberries. The rest of the day, after a brief shopping period, consisted of a couple of movies at home and a great dinner. Then off to bed to rest up for the overnighter at a sleepy hamlet on the DE Bay. It was there that I was to meet Joyce's sister, Barbara, and spend the night on her yet-to-be-built-on lot.

Mid morning I met up with Barbara. We checked out the lot, the beach,and the RV. Before the "dry camping" night I was introduced to her realtor, Pat, who is a pro in Delaware and has been selling real estate for over 25 years. We met and the three of us went off to see some land (lots) and homes along the bay and near the bay in several sleepy little beach towns. These areas are still priced almost within the reach of middle Americans. "Sleepy Baytown" (an alias) is a sleepy 'village' with mostly small shacks, probably inhabited over the years by watermen and people wanting to get away from the summer heat in Dover. It has also become a horseshoe crab sanctuary so that migrating shorebirds can fatten up on their way north to their breeding grounds.

After looking at lots and houses, we returned and spent some time on the beach with some snacks and a good bottle of red. Then came dinner and a return again to the RV. As fate would have it, the new RV battery that controls lights inside was showing low; another glitch in getting to know the RV. We tried to figure out what the problem was, but gave up and just called it a night.

Sunday morning was expected to be a better day. I got up shortly before Barbara and went onto the beach to check for horseshoe crabs. None. Barbara passed me on the path and I said I'd be right back. I went to the RV door and grabbed the handle to open it - it was locked! What? How could that possibly have happened? It's a mystery to this day. So there we were, everything we had was locked in the RV. The only thing not under lock and key was my bike. So Barbara graciously agreed to pedal on up to the house of some people she had met there over the past 2 - 3 years. There she would call AAA. Just as she left, I went to the road and saw someone approaching from the south in a pickup truck. I hailed him and asked if by any chance he knew how to open a locked car door. He asked to look to see the distance from the window to the door latch. Barbara had managed to remove the 1/2 window screen from one of the windows, but her arm wasn't long enough to reach the lock. (I expect Winnebago designed it that way.) He was able to peer through the window on the opposite side and see the latch. Now he was off to the truck where he grabbed his claw hammer. After some slips, I went back to the opposite window and guided him in the placement of the hammer until it touched the latch. He opened it!

John, the man who saved us from the agony of AAA on a Sunday in no-mans-land(I say this most affectionately), then drove up to the neighbor's house to tell Barbara. I waited and waited until he finally got back to the RV, where he told me I was invited to the house for morning coffee. So off we went. It was nice because Barbara got to meet another neighbor and to better know a couple more neighbors in her new town. It turns out that John also happens to be the man Barbara hired to keep her lot mowed but hadn't yet met him. What a day.
John, Barbara and SCargo at the "campground"



After a late breakfast we got back to the lot, talked a bit and Barbara headed home to New Jersey. By that time it had started to sprinkle rain. I straightened up the V and headed back to my cousin's place and a nice Sunday evening.

Even though I had the battery problem, we both agreed it had been a nice sleep; also it had been Barbara's first overnight stay on her property.

Moving up the Road

Yesterday was mainly a travel day. I went at a snail's pace up the coast, through Ocean City, MD, then into Delaware; Fenwick Island, South Bethany, Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, then on up Route 1 to Milford. There I met up with my two cousins and we yacked, ate homemade lasagna with some libations, watched a good movie and called it a night.

This morning it is raining and a bit foggy, as I can see from the third floor window of the condo. No one else is up except for Bubba and Spanky. We are planning to go to Rehoboth Beach to the Victorian Restaurant on the boardwalk for breakfast. That could change if there are no signs of life in the next 1/2 hour. Ah hah! The Philly cousin is up! Now the DE one - I guess we're going.

As Promised - Horses

This was a productive day for two reasons: 1- I rode my bike for more than a mile and 2- I was able to get photos of some of the horses. In fact, they came by this afternoon as I was coming back from the shower to see if my grass was greener than that on the other side of the pond/slash puddle.

Please see the slide show to the right for all of the photos. Click on it for page-sized pics.

Today was a great day with little wind, about 70 maybe, and lots of sun. I rode my bike from the campsite out to the main road that goes over the bridge to the mainland. My goal was to ride over the bridge and back. Let's say I 'went' over the bridge and back. I almost made it over. Coming back was not even in the realm of possibilites for this newbie to cycling again after 30 years. But it was fun, except for the exxesive thirst and lack of water anywhere. I had counted on the snack bar at the end of the State park to be open - not. And I lost my money in the machine on the other side of the bridge. It was on, but no drinks! Going back to the V was hard, but I got to stop a few times to look at some birds: a couple of green herons, a warbler I couldn't ID and a sparrow which I also couldn't ID.

At this time there are a couple of fantastic sounding frogs croaking around the vicinity of the V. They almost sound as though they are talking, but I know that can't be true...

Tomorrow I head for Milford, DE to meet up with my cousin, Cathy (also known as my trip advisor) and Eleanor, who lives in Milford. We'll have a little get together, then I will be going around looking at possible spots to live in Delaware. I'll be happy if the reception is a a bit better so that I can post a blog in a shorter amount of time.
Aloha

Tuesday - It's Better On A Bike

You surely can see more when you are moseying along on a bike. Now I haven't ridden a bike in 30 years, so it was a real hoot. They say you never forget and that's right. But your balance isn't what it was 30 years ago, and it's a bit difficult getting over the bar (even the women's bike bar). The worst is what the worst part always was when you were over 20 - the seat! LOL I have to take this bike thing in stages. Today I rode to the end of the bike trail and back to the site. Tomorrow I will go to the bridge (and beyond if possible). Plus, I have my binoculars and camera. Visualize that! I didn't wear my helmet because there were few cars and I rode very cautiously.
I will included a slide show of today's sights which shows a photo of yours truly, if the browser will allow. Although I saw several ponies, I was not able to get photos of them at the time. Better luck on tomorrow's trip. I did run into a couple of deer though, which I wasn't expecting.

Also, now that the rains are gone and the weather is sunny and there are pools and ponds everywhere, the mosquitoes are laying in wait for fresh meat. They swarmed me at the door when I got off the bike, so I left the bike outside until nightfall. I learned my lesson for the billionth time about putting deet on even to poke my head outside. If you want to go somewhere where it's buggy and don't want to be bothered by them, take me along - I'm a biting insect magnet.

I saw several different shore birds, grackles, brown thrashers, cowbirds, black ibis again, cattle egret, lbj, robin next to the RV sitting on a nest with two little fuzz balls, red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, osprey nesting by the bridge and more.

Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be around 70, so I'll be out riding early. I hope to have photos tomorrow of some of the wild ponies.
Ciao

Monday - In The Thick of It

My day was planned for me by Mother Nature. Rain and wind continued , so I decided to take care of the coach battery problem. Just like with a house, it's always something. I headed out to find a place to check the battery. I heard that the correct type of battery could be found at Wal-Mart. Of course, Wal-Mart to the rescue. I'll make a very long day and story short. One store wouldn't do the work because the SCargo vehicle type was not listed in their book. But they would check it if I brought it in. I learned how to get a battery out and how heavy they are. By the time I got the battery to the door of the tire place, they had lost power in the storm and were closed. Off to another Wal-Mart. Second one, checked the battery; bad cell; no replacement in stock. The third store was a charm. They had the battery; brought it in for me, and installed the new one. I was back in business. The day was long gone and the rain and winds were still blowing. I noticed while travelling around upper Maryland that the storm had spewed tree branches all over the place. At times, I had to deviate in my lane to avoid flying debris. Maybe being on the island the night before was safer than I thought. All that was blowing there was sand, and I was back far enough to avoid that.

Choppy Water At The Bridge

I headed back to the island where I was confident I could finally turn on the lights, do blog posts,(a couple of rounds of scrabble)and enjoy the rain and wind, knowing that the V probably wouldn't flip over. It was cold by the time I got back, so I went out and turned on the propane gas, came back in and put the furnace on. All three of us would be warm Monday night.

There were only 3 other RVs as far as I could see. I opted to stay because Tuesday was to be a better day; wind, but no rain. The night was dark as pitch. Not a light to be seen and the RV wasn't shaking.

Dunes From Back Window of SCargo



A small note: Somewhere along the road to Assateague I decided Newbie's name would be Spanky. He's a Spanky for sure, always into something.

Sunday - Good Things Come To Those Who Drive . . .

Again, I felt I had to make a detour. Had I gone to Greenbelt Nat'l Park, the route would have been a much different one. SCargo, Bubba and Newbie headed for Assateague in a different direction. Everyone probably recognizes this one too:



After 3 days on the road, a reward for all of the driving was waiting in Maryland. Yesterday was fantastic and worth the extra time and miles. Sunday was a new experience. I had never been to Assateague Island, but had gone to Chincoteague late one July with family to see the annual swim of the wild ponies from Assateague Island across the Assateague Channel. Ponies are kept to a count of 150 on Assateague, and the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire department herds the extras across the channel for auction to benefit the fire department. One should do it once if she enjoys horses and unusual events. Ponies roam freely on Assateague. The Northern half of the island belongs to Maryland, the southern half to Virginia, with a fence across the boundary.

After several stops and more hours than planned (as usual) I arrived on Assateague Island. There's a nice little bridge that connects the mainland to the island and northern entrance. (BTW, it's called the Verrazano Bridge) Running just beside it to the right is another new-looking bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists, who can park on the mainland side and take the bike path to the island. Wow, I thought, this is a great time to have bought my bike along with me. There are very few cars to contend with and not more than 150 horses.



The first signs of life as I was reaching the island side of the bridge were two wild ponies. Then I checked in at the ranger station and found my site. There was no doubt that horses have the run of this place. Horse poop everywhere. (hey, it's my blog; I can say poop in it) Horse poop welcomed me to my site. By the time I got parked, the wind had begun to pick up, then the rain started, then higher winds. I decided to just hunker down for the night, as it was not the kind of weather most persons go out in. For some reason I was having problems with the second battery, the one that runs the lights, etc. inside the RV. By about 7:30 it was clear there would be no blogging due to very low battery power. By then little SCargo was rockin' and rollin' in the wind. I spent the night wondering if this vehicle was going to stay upright. Then I thought, who cares; I'll just ask someone to help me get it back up and then write about it in my blog! Ha Ha Ha. I finally got to sleep by the lullaby of the storm winds, rain beating on the roof and the rocking of the V. When I woke up Monday morning - more of the same.
Would things improve so that I could explore the island? Stay tuned.
A couple of photos of what I saw on Sunday as I arrived on Assateague:

Day 2 - A Long Day's Journey Into Nighttime

After sleeping in an undisclosed location, I headed out for the next leg of the trip. My plan was to have made it to a state park the night before, but that didn't happen due to the three strikes. So I figured, what the heck, I'm retired - I don't have to be anywhere at any specific time. So, no restrictions and a day-long detour on the planned trip segment was the new program. Day two's end was to have me at Greenbelt Nat'l Park in Greenbelt, MD. Ha ha
Where was SCargo on Saturday? The photo clues are so easy for seasoned North Easterners, but maybe not so for others. It brings to mind something my mother would say on days like I had Saturday - "Panorama Americana". Another that comes to mind is a made-up phrase - "Beautious Maximous". Wonder who can be the first to respond as to where SCargo was. . .
Click on the photos - it's awesome




Don't be tricked: you must be specific in order to win the Million Dollar Giveaway.

As with the night before, I was unable to make it to the next planned location, so I spent the night at another (yet similar) undisclosed location. By 0830 I was on my way again - final stop on part one of the trip -Assateague Island, MD.

Three Srikes and You're Outta There

Things were looking really good for the start of my trip back East on Friday. I spent the better part of a week seriously cleaning the exterior of the RV, then waxing it. This, I decided, is for younger persons, most specifically men, who have upper body strength and enjoy climbing up and down ladders until they can't feel their thigh muscles. But, it seems it was worth it. SCargo looks pretty good for an old V.

Next, I had to figure out how to manage what to put into the V. I decided that clothes would go into 1 or 2 overhead compartments. Dishes and food items would go into the closet and paper products into the microwave. Anything that isn't put away ends up on the floor. So - if it doesn't fit into an overhead, under or beside a seat, or the other places I mentioned, it doesn't go. So far so good. The only exception to this rule in the 10-speed bike that's sitting in the aisle. Oh, and the Coleman cooler. I won't have an electrical hookup for my 4 nights on Assateague, so I thought I could keep a couple perishable items in it.

Strike 1: With the RV arrangements figured out, I was ready to go. Friday I was up at 0630 - extremely early for this retiree. I put the last of the items into the V, cleaned the budgie cage and then attempted to get Newbie into it. (Bubba is used to the drill, so he was already in place) No dice. There was no way in $#@$@ he was going back into that cage. Something was up and he wasn't falling for it. I gave him time to naturally go back in for food.


Strike 2: While I was waiting for Newbie, I turned the furnace off and changed the thermostat for the air conditioner. I would set it high so that if it got too hot while I was away, it would kick in and keep the moisture down. No dice there either - something in the furnace closet was making a noise like water dripping. I opened the door and, no, it wasn't water, it was wires burning from the thermostat, making a crackling sound .So I did what any self-respecting woman 20 minutes from going away for 6 or so weeks would do - I turned the unit off, unplugged it and turned off the pilot light, shut the door, and decided to deal with it later.

Now it's 10:15. Newbie had managed to keep just out of reach, so I had to get out my Dollar Tree butterfly net and go after him until he was exhausted and cried uncle. I'm sure had he known that we were going to MD/DE/PA/NJ/NY he would have jumped right into the cage. Now it was 1030 and I was ready to go. So out we went and got on the road.

Strike 3: I'm driving along with the birds tweeting as they usually do on the road. They really like the V. About 35 miles east of Memphis on I-40 I decided to make a phone call. No dice - No phone! I managed to get on the computer on Skype and call Ed and ask him to call my cell phone to see if I might hear it somewhere in the V. Nothing. Back home and another 35 miles to pick up the phone. Who can live without their cell phone for over 6 weeks? Or six minutes? (Departure time became noon.) As I reached home, I realized that I could have called my cell phone myself from the computer. Thank goodness Ed didn't think of it, or it would have made it into this blog, signed 'Contractor'.

That was day 1 - I didn't quite make it to my planned first day destination, but I did have a nice sleep at an undisclosed location near Knoxville, TN.

Next post: Where is SCargo? See if you can tell.