Florida to Nebraska Summary Blog

 

Now that I've caught up with our blogs, I thought it would be fitting if I did a blog summarizing our journey since we began in January.  Above is our street, but it wasn't quite this bad.  This was 2011.  But, this pic shows that it can get "nasty" even in Virginia Beach.

We did depart the Beach on Jan 11 and headed for Dade Battlefield Historic State Park (DBHSP) in Bushnell, FL.  We had applied back in November to volunteer here and was accepted.

When we first arrived at the Park, our site was a jungle, literally.  I started cutting trees, vines, and palmettos.  I also needed to clear 7 large oak stumps that had been left from previous attempts.

I was fortunate in that the other 8 or so volunteers jumped right in and helped me clear the area.  The Park Manager, Bruce Whiting blessed our work.  :-) 

This is Bruce sitting on his brand new Husqvarna $4500 mower.  Ranger Jim in the background.

Our chores varied widely, but none were insurmountable. Challenging at times, but we just kept busy, and that's what we like to do.

 

 

Miss Kristin (OPS Kristin Wood) was our coordinator, and she kept EVERYONE busy.  She planned & ran most all of the events in the Park.

There were weddings,

 

...old house tear-downs...

Easter egg hunts...and egg tosses...

...bird house making day...WWII re-enactment...

Karaoke...and get-togethers....and Abbott & Costello skits...

...and high school days....and art in the park days...

So, our four-month volunteering at the Park was enlightening, refreshing change of pace to say the least, but educational.  We learned about Incredible Edibles, Swallowed-tail Kites, Seminole Wars, and the surrounding Sumter County communities.  We liked it so much (and apparently this reciprocated because they have invited us back) we will return in Jan, Lord willing of course.  We did manage a couple side trips to Disneyworld with our daughters and Grands.  Making memories!

 

We packed up on May 9 and rolled out of Bushnell and headed home (after a brief 2-day stop at Alliance RV in Wildwood, FL for some necessary repairs) to Virginia Beach.

Bushnell is a quiet little county seat community with mostly depressed economy.

It would be terribly unfair of me to not mention the fun times with my Aunt Dorothy, Cousin Cathy, Cousin Larry & wife Mary Jane, Cousin Chuck & Kay.  My Aunt is a fabulous cook and she loves preparing all kinds of yummy treats.  We spent several days/evenings there enjoying their hospitalities, fellowship and golfing at the Villages with Larry.  (Keep practicing Larry, I'll give you a chance to win your $$ back next spring.)

Above, Kay, Chuck, Nancy, & Larry...below, Cathy & Mary Jane enjoying a glass (or two) of KJ Chardonnay...and below them is Kay & Chuck.

Below, Larry just explained to me that Mary Jane shouldn't have had that second glass of KJ...too funny....

I guess it's obvious, we had a fun four months and we packed in a lot of busy days & events...Whew!  I can't wait to do it all over again...

We made it home and it was a whirlwind stop to say the least.  We were busy unpacking, loosening our load in preparing for our long upcoming journey to Alaska in July-Sept, re-arranged some things as our daughter Natalie and family moved in (and that is a good thing).  I made about 15 corn hole boards, made some little bookcase type storage thingies for our MH (we took out one of our sofas and replaced it with two Lane recliners). and took off 10 days later for Ardmore, PA, Amish Country, US Open, with a whistle stop in Northern VA to visit our Daughter Jennifer & her family.  Whew!  What a pace.  I really think it keeps us going!  Thank you Lord for our health & energy, to YOU be the glory!

We left Amish Country (Stoltzfus RV) June 17 and headed west towards my Sister Debbie's home for a 3-day whistle stop.  While these pics were of the family reunion last year, I thought it appropriate as she hosted the reunion there since 1992.  I have many fond memories of our times there over the past 25 years.  Thank you Sis for those times and being so nice in allowing us to park our home there.  Below, Walt (and thank you too Walt for all you technical support) Debbie's Hubby, and Walt Wolf, both my classmates and nearly life-long friends. 

So, we continued our trek from Oregonia, OH on June 21 and headed west.  First stop was an overnight (Walmart RV Resort) in Champaign, IL, then on to the Amana Colonies RV Park near Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  While there, we had another yummy dinner at Ronnenberg Restaurant.

From there we drove the MH to Lincoln, NE for another stay at a Walmart, then up and on to Sidney, NE and an overnight at the Cabela's RV Park.  And now, we are all caught up.  It is Tuesday, June 25 and today we will head to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO and a stay at the FAMCAMP there.  We hope to spend a day or three here to explore Pikes Peak, Rocky Mountain NP & maybe a few other things in the area.  So, stay tuned for our next journey, RVing Beach Bums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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US Open, Merion Golf Course, Ardmore, PA

I would be remiss if I didn't do a little blog on our time at the US Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA, just west of Philadelphia.  Here I am working hard at keeping the water coolers full of USGA water.  I worked mid-day shifts Tues-Thurs and Sunday from 5:30 to 11:00,  Nancy worked same shifts, except on Thurs she worked from 10 to 8.  Whew!  A 10 hour shift.  She is so dedicated to her duties.

Here she is on Monday morning after the tourney was finished.  It was won by Englishman, Justin Rose.  Congratulations Justin!  In the background is the tough 17th hole, a par 3 that had many of the pros scratching their heads.  There was a hole-in-one here during the tourney, I believe by a Stefani (last name).

Brandt Snedeker walking to the next tee box.

Brandt preparing to hit.

Not sure what holes these two shots are from.

Looking down the 18th fairway.

This is where we wanted to go on Monday morning.  Unfortunately, it was closed so we didn't get any souvenirs from the Open 2013.  :-( 

Lord willing, this is where we will be next year, for both the men & the women.  Both Opens will be here, back to back, in two weeks.

A couple more pics from the course.  The course was in good shape, in spite of several inches of rain on the Friday before the tourney, and on Monday of the tourney.  What was amazing, was the fact that the course is an old established community near Villanova U and the logistics of getting folks in & out of the venue was a real challenge for the USGA and the city officials.  I realize a lot of planning & hard long hours of work went into overcoming that, it just didn't work in my opinion.  It had been 32 years since the last Major here, and I hope it's at least another 32.  The course is way too small to hold 35-40 thousand folks.  They limited tickets to 25K each day.  By contrast, Pinehurst will hold 50-60 thousand each day, and can pack in 75K on the final day. 

Well, we did have fun, in spite of the school bus rides to & fro.  They weren't too bad, averaging about 30m each way.  The parking lots just happened to be on our side of town where we parked the MH.  So we didn't have but about a 10m drive each morning.  Anyway, on to Idaho.  I am writing this blog from Lincoln, NE at a Walmart RV Resort.  It's Sunday, and we are headed for our round-up in Coer d' Alene, ID and the Calgary Stampede our first event.  Calgary has just been flooded.  Hope it's over before we get there in a couple of weeks.  Till the next blog, RVing Beach Bums saying so long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valley Forge & Hopewell Furnace, PA

After leaving Northern Virginia, we drove right on up to Stoltzfus RV & Marine on Hwy 202 in West Chester, PA.  We are having our annual service on the motor home done here, and the general manager has been nice and let us stay there for the week of the US Open.  We stayed here from Sunday June 9 through Monday June 17.  Prior to arriving at the RV dealer, we stayed at the Sam's Club/Walmart RV Resort in Exton, PA, about 10 miles west of West Chester, near the eastern edge of Amish country.  We arrived here on June 6 and left three days later (Sunday).  While here in Exton, we visited Valley Forge & Hopewell Furnace.

On Friday the 7th, we just had to get out see one of America's treasures:  Valley Forge.  It was rainy day, all day.  The old train station converted to the visitor center.

Washington's HQ house.  Below, the back of the house (kitchen area)...

Here a few photos of the inside rooms.

From Wiki:  Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge, was in the Isaac Potts House, located at the confluence of Valley Creek with the Schuylkill River, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. General George Washington made his headquarters here during the encampment at Valley Forge of the Continental Army, during the winter and spring of 1777-1778.

We were told that most of the furnishings are from the original period when George & Martha resided here.

From Wiki:   This small house is believed to have been constructed in 1773 for Isaac Potts, (Pottstown) operator of the family grist mill. Although some sources place the construction date as early as 1759. In 1777-8 the property was owned by Isaac but rented to his aunt, the widow Deborah Hewes, who sublet it to Washington. The General's wife Martha lived here with him during the later months of the encampment and the administrative business of the army was transacted on the first floor.

From Wiki:  The National Memorial Arch is dedicated "to the officers and private soldiers of the Continental Army December 19, 1777 June 19, 1778". The Arch is situated at the top of a hill at the intersection of Gulph Road and Outer Line Drive.

On the grounds of the Potts House (Washington's HQ)

Barracks for Washington's Guard.  Requirements for this service were stringent.

A closer look at the visitor's center.

From Wiki:  The Washington Memorial Chapel and National Patriots Bell Tower carillon sit atop a hill at the center of the present park. The chapel is the legacy of Rev. Dr. W. Herbert Burk. Inspired by Burk's 1903 sermon on Washington's birthday, the chapel is a functioning Episcopal Church, built as a tribute to Washington.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County, near Elverson, Pennsylvania, is an example of an American 19th century rural "iron plantation". The buildings include a blast furnace, the iron master's house and auxiliary structures including a blacksmith's shop, a company store and several worker's houses.

Hopewell Furnace was founded in 1771 by iron master Mark Bird for whom Birdsboro was named. The site's most prosperous time was during the 1820–1840 period with a brief boom in production during the American Civil War. In the mid 19th century changes in iron making, including a shift from charcoal to anthracite rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete. The site discontinued operations in 1883.

While there, the rangers demonstrated how the plates of a 10-plate wood stove were made.  While the furnace does not actually "fire" these days, the demo was how the molds were constructed to pour the molten iron into.

Nancy assisting the ranger in "tapping" down the dirt/sand mixture compressing mold.

Here is a view of a 10-plate stove I borrowed from the web.

The rangers putting finishing touches on the mold preparations.

Cleaning out the openings so the molten iron can reach the mold plate.  And below is the mold after the top part of the mold (packed with the mixture) is removed.

Below are some of the old plates made here many years ago.

Above, two of the twn or so worker's bench where molds were assembled and prepared for the molten iron.

The stove is formed through a process called sand casting. Once sand is hardened into a mold in the shape of a stove, molten cast iron is poured into the cavity and allowed to cool.

When the iron master declared that the hot iron was ready for pouring, he rang the bell (in the bell tower next to the furnace) and the pourers rushed in to take their places with pots and handles.  When the plug was pulled, the iron rushed out and each rushed to capture a pot full and pour into the molds.

More of the work benches.

The iron master's house was comfortable and warm as he made a good living making iron products.

Well, that about wraps up our visit to Valley Forge & Hopewell Furnace.  It was a yucky weather day, but definitely a learning day for the RVing Beach Bums.

During our stay while volunteering at the Open, we found one of our all time favorite eateries:  Shady Maple Smorgasbord.  We ate here a few years ago, and it took us a while to find it again, but once we did, I am ashamed to admit, that we visited here about 5 times during the week.  And hit one last time as we left town on Monday, June 17.  Nancy said the Boston Creme Pie is outstanding.  I say the spinach salad is great.  Now, if you fall for that line, just hang around:  I have more blogs coming.  Enjoy!  RVing Beach Bums in Champaign, Il heading west.