Calamity Jane and Her Goodwill Adventures

 Hello Family and Friends. I took a side trip to see my friend Cathy and her family in Northern North Carolina and then onto Virginia to see Kristina and her family. I'm visiting very special people in Virgina. Kristina and my son Steve were the best of friends in the Navy and always had each other's backs, laughed at jokes together were at the same command in Washington. The banter and jokes were always in play. I am so grateful for her to have been his friend. When Steve passed, I reached out to his Navy friends and she was the first to call me and we bonded. She has so many great stories about Steve and for that I am extremely grateful.  This part of the country wins the "Most Beautiful Rest Stops." At this rest stop, there are vending machines. I was surprised to see a hot dog. No way to cook it, but there nevertheless. So, here's my bonus granddaughter Kennedy in her "Anna" dress (from the movie Frozen). She did a few dances and twirls to the music ...

Hello Family and Friends, I'm learning the ways of the South. There are several different traffic/road rules here for sure and people don't mind g o i n g  s l o w on the roads. It's a way to enjoy the stunning scenery. I love the license plate. Papaw has six grandkids - he's fixin' to get a few more I betcha. Chillin' at my sistah's place. She is doing well and managing. For now, she and I are enjoying being together. DID YOU KNOW there are white squirrels that are NOT albino? And there's a festival in its honor, "White Squirrel Weekend"! Over the course of generations, the town of Brevard, (prounounced brah-varrd) just outside Asheville, NC, has been defined by one small creature. It is the white squirrel, and it populates the quiet and rustic crossroads of Brevard.  I t may be easy to assume that these special white squirrels are albino, which is the absence of melanin, but this is not correct. According to studies, the vast majority of whi...

Hello Family and Friends. Here are some highlights of my current stay at my sister's place. I sleep in my camper van so I don't have to schlep everything inside. I am very comfortable, as the evening breezes are cool and I keep my windows open.  I couldn't keep everything in the van. I had to clean out all food and anything scented because of..... BEARS! Wait, what? Yep, I brought in my food, but everything else is fine and not attractive to the forest animals.  Fresh eggs every morning. They said, "You're welcome"! My sister makes a new, special cocktail each Friday, along with a long-distance best friend. This one has ice cream and creme de menthe as the main ingredients. So fancy.  Here's the cleanest show in town.  You know what? I seem to keep running into manikins. The guy in the middle is obviously dancing and saying "YESSSSSSSS"! My sister's ornate door knocker. Beeeeautiful. This is my brother-in-law Michael, or at least the back sid...

 Hello Family and Friends!             (If you have had trouble commenting....try now - I changed things up) I stayed overnight in Knoxville and then headed East. I arrived at my sister's home in Asheville, NC. So happy to see her! I have a few stories for you. As you know I am often staying at Cracker Barrel Restaurants overnight in their parking lots for free. I showed up at the one in Memphis awhile back. Well....I walked up to the hostess station and told the young girl that I didn't see any signs that I usually see, ones that say you can stay overnight. She said it would not be a good idea to stay over. She thought I was asking to stay INSIDE the restaurant to sleep!! I quickly clarified that I was in a CAMPER VAN and it was the PARKING LOT I was interested in, not pitching a tent and roasting s'mores inside. Ha ha. She asked her manager about me parking outside in the back and it was fine.  I have learned about semi-truck etiquette on t...