Monday by Bob

Woke up a little later than usual this morning after doing laundry until 1-ish in the morning. We found a Cracker Barrel restaurant, drove around back, parked the motor home and went to sleep. I woke up to the sound of voices close by. I moved the curtain back and noticed about 15 cars in the parking lot for breakfast. One of the joys of traveling in an RV is finding places like Walmart and Cracker Barrel who let us stay over night for free.

Joy was not feeling well and we went to an Urgent Care for help. While I waited in the motor home I remembered I had to rinse my jersey I wore to the game yesterday out in cold water. I went to the sink, rinsed it out, grabbed a hanger and took the jersey outside. There was a gentle breeze blowing every so often. I thought I'd just hang my jersey on a tree and let it dry while I waited for Joy. Another adventure of traveling I am learning is how to "conveniently" dry things on the go. The jersey looked great in the sunshine and occasionally blowing in the breeze.

There was a 6 x 9 green area type rug we place on the ground by the door to wipe our feet on that was still a little damp after some rain the other day. It was in the trunk space and had that "musty" smell.
I laid the rug over the bikes on the bike carrier hoping for it to dry out. I used a little broom to wack it a few times to knock some sand off it, too.

I grabbed a notebook and lawn chair to sit out and enjoy the sun, watch my jersey and read as I waited.
Joy's appointment was over but we had to come back to the pharmacy in a few hours for some meds. We thought we'd grab some lunch on our way to Fort McAllister St Park.

Lunch was delicious. The Admiral enjoyed the decor. Joy and I enjoyed blackened cod tacos. Absolutely delicious. Our waitress just happened to be from the pacific northwest, too. What a small world. 



We found a nice camp spot. The sun was out so I laid the 6 x 9 area rug out over the picnic table to finish drying. I had a towel and tablecloth that needed to dry a little, too so I hung them up on a metal pole that is used to hang a lantern on at night. What the heck...it can double as a dryer, too. I placed our lawn chairs by the fire pit. There were pine needles and small branches all over so I thought we'll have a nice fire when we get back from running to town. After I had the things outside to "mark" our site we hopped back in the RV to head to the pharmacy.

The clouds moved in as we waited at the store. Not only did they move in but they also dumped. Lots! I thought about my poor 6 x 9 area rug laying out to dry. Oh well, not so much. But then, like on queue the sun broke out. It was amazing. The sun was on one side of us and the rain moved further away on the other side. A beautiful rainbow broke out, too. I thought my rug just might dry out after all.
On our drive back to the state park we called two friends to talk about plans for the next two weeks. One friend lives in Florida but has a cabin in Maine that we will be able to stay at while we explore that beautiful area. This friend is an environmental scientist specializing in all areas of wetlands management. We told him how amazed we are at his job given the vast river and waterway systems was have seen between Florida and Georgia. He reminded us that "Water is life".

Our other friend lives in New Jersey. We'll have the joy of visiting him and staying at his house / farm for a few days as we drive up the east coast to Maine.

After making some plans we arrived back at the campground. The 6 x 9 area rug was pretty wet from the previous rainfall. I thought it might dry out if the rain holds off and the light wind continues to blow. I collected pine needles, pine cones and several fallen branches close to our site and was so excited to make a fire. There is just something so wonderful about sitting by a fire when you're camping (glamping). I ran into the RV and grabbed any paper plates out of the garbage to use as my starter. I ran back out to the firepit with lighter in hand. Just as I was about the light the paper plate I felt a rain drop...then a couple of drops...then several more and all of a sudden it was a flat-out downpour. I ran into the RV dripping wet, like someone squirted me with a hose.

It is now two o'clock in the morning now and it has rained on and off the entire night. I'm pretty sure my 6 x 9 area rug is not going to make the next leg of our journey.

I am excited to see the Civil War Museum, Fort McAllister, and the preserved fortifications that withstood eight Union Navy attacks. It only fell when Sherman's infantry attacked it by land in December 1864. (The Civil War: A Traveler's Guide page 68).

The Cruel War
The cruel war is raging and Johnny has to fight
I want to be with him from morning til night
I want to be with him, it grieves my heart so
Won't you let me go with you, No my love no
Tomorrow is Sunday, and Monday is the day
That your captain will call you and you must obey
Your captain will call you, it grieves my heart so
Won't you let me come with you? No, my love, no.

I'll go to your Captain, go down upon my knees
Ten thousand gold guineas I'd give for your release
Ten thousand gold guineas, it grieves my heart so
Won't you let me come with you? No, my love, no.
Your waist is too slender, your fingers are too small
Your is too to the cannonball
Your waist is too slender, it grieves my heart so
Won't you let me come with you? No, my love, no.
Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, I feel you are unkind
For I love you far better than all of mankind
I love you far better than words can e'er express
Won't you let me come with you? Yes, my love, yes.

I'll tie back my hair, men's clothing I'll put on.
I'll pass for your comrade as we march along.
I'll pass for your comrade, no one will ever guess
Won't you let me come with you? Yes, my love, yes