CHESTER ST. PARK …SC.

After we …

were finished visiting with Andy & Barney in Mayberry… spent 2 days there as we did not want to travel on a rainy day…we moseyed on down the highway  ..(not the interstate) another first for me…going to one camping destination to the next on side roads…anyway we ended up at Chester ST. Park in SC…below is my site ..I guess you could call it a lake front site….

The view out my bedroom window…cant get much better!! Unless it was the ocean…but I like this pretty good…

Below is Liz & Thistle’s site..next to ours…this is a small state park only 25 sites..one small loop..very quiet…lazy and sweet!!

We got the kayak…

and the Kayoo out to take a paddle on the Lake…Liz pumping up the inflatable kayak…Since I been having problems with my legs she let me try out the Kayoo since it has more leg room…I think I could get use to it!!!

A couple of pic’s below of the lazy lake..

The lake like glass…

By the time we got out there the wind had kicked up a little…but it was still a very nice paddle…I am a little rusty…this was only the third time kayaking for me and a new experience in the Kayoo..think I could get the hang of it…

Here below is Liz taking a pic of me taking a pic of her….lol

While we we were hiking the trail around the lake we happened on a turtle that was caught on a fishing line hanging from a branch out over the water…like were Liz is in pic below.. we went looking for him … went all over the area where we thought he was but only found a few empty fishing lines…we were pretty sure he got off the hook and line…

Walking the trail around the lake…

Hey Thistle wait for me ….

There were even a few steps to be climbed while hiking the lake trail…we did not see any wild life ….I wouldn’t mind seeing some as long as it isn’t the kind the crawls on the ground.. if ya know what I mean..once we saw deer while hiking…not here tho…

And the rest of the story…

After the Blue Ridge Parkway experience this was a very much needed laid back stop over…finally relaxing after the  harrowing drive up to and on the Parkway…I sure wish I could get over this phobia I have…finally getting over the one kidney stone …but there is still one in the left kidney…drinking a ton of water trying to float it out…lol…went last week finally to craft with the church ladies ..making things for their bazar…going again this week…today Monday 27th I am spending the night at Wickham CG..to dump tanks…I love coming over here…cant wait until later when some of the Women RV girls will come and visit and camp….well all for now thanks for looking and come back soon ..blessings to all G&M

BEDFORD FESTIVAL… AN APPLE A DAY TRIP

A DAY TRIP…

was taken to the Bedford VA street festival…they had the usual crafts, food and dress up…cute couple below..back in the day I would have been interested in the crafts…but those days are gone…would have liked a nice quilt show included….

In stead we found some of the old buildings that made up the town…I should have did this b log sooner..cause now I cant remember what this building below was….grrrr..

We liked this building below…and even liked it more when we found out it was a Civil War Museum …no photos in side so all you get is the building and I am no photographer …it had a lot of civil war artifacts …old stuff …things like that I find interesting…part of all our pasts…think about this…just a little over 100 years ago (not a long time when your are 90 like my dad) the main mode of transportation was horse and buggy…now we fly around in outer space!!!…amazing...think about it…

And then there is the…

stop on the way back to camp…we stopped at pick your own apple orchard / market …we did not pick off the trees…I got mine out of huge bins of many, many differed kinds of apples…I don’t remember the price but I got a bag full of 7 different kinds with at least 2 of each kind some 3.. it was very good price tho.…Liz didn’t get any cause she had just bought a big bag somewhere else…

Inside the market is the pic below…they had a ton of apple items and some other jelly's and jams …I was looking for apple jelly (not apple butter)…they only had apple cider jelly and I was afraid to get it in case I didn’t like it…but after tasting the fresh cider Liz got… that they press with their own apples I was very sorry I didn’t get it!! I love apples straight from the orchard as apposed to store bought…same with the apples ..no comparison

And for the …..

the ” apple a day “ I am not sure this is what the doctor had in mind to keep him away…Fresh Fried  “right then and there” …apple pies !!! Oh my what a treat…was delish…we at them on the way back couldn’t wait…think they were almost go before we got out of the parking lot…

Well that’s about it for now…I am having a hard time remembering everything…getting sick with that kidney stone the day after I got back to Florida hasn’t helped my memory…I will have to be doing a better job of it…if I am going to be doing some trips and traveling …so anyway thanks for looking and come back soon blessings to all…G&M

A NOTE…

Just a note to say I have been ill with a kidney stone and not in the mood or able most of the time to post.but I will be back soon…feeling some what better…go to the Doc in the morning …(again) …thanks for looking and come back soon …blessings to all G&M

MORE ON THE BLUE RIDGE….

This is another ….

view of the Peaks of Otter mountain….Liz ask me if I wanted to go on the shuttle ride to the top of the mountain…”I don’t think soooo !!!”  She wanted to go but the timing was not right…this pic was taken at the lake in the valley…visitor center and lodge / restaurant…the view from here was beautiful and the mountains do look blue..sorry about the fingers…

We hiked the trail the went around the lake…not sure why I didn’t take more pic’s..not a big lake but very pretty…

On this property is this log cabin…Liz ask me if in had ever seen an “Ordinary”  ..nope never heard of one…well the cabin is just that…an Ordinary from the 1800’s

Below is a discription of an Ordinary…basically it was an Inn or a stopping place for a weary mountain traveler…this one was run by Polly Wood…you can click on the pic below to see better…

And the rest of the story…

I am trying to play catch up with my travels…even tho it is a pain traveling and not at all comfortable …..with all this stuff I am taking with me…I am still having a fun  and interesting good time …working my way slowly back to Florida…right now I am in SC visiting with Cynthia aka Miss Mermaid …on the Women RV forum we all have nick names..anyway .. I still have some interesting things to tell about ..like the D –Day Memorial…and Booker T Washington Memorial…I will be done with my fun time …leaving here tomorrow and be in Melbourne on Sun. I will be glad to get unloaded and clean up the rig…and get the doc appointments out of the way…and any things that need to be done …not sure where I will stop tomorrow night…anyway thanks for looking and come back soon …blessings to all G&M

THE HOUSE…..

Finished…

Well it is finally done….here are the pic’s I took just before leaving…the front porch below was done about 10 years ago…really liked it …especially after the trees I planted grew up to shade it…The fixing up ready for sale started in earnest about 4-5 years ago…but I have been working on down sizing for 6 years…starting with the merchandize from my vintage/antique store…then the house items…took a long time selling it at flea markets and doing yard sales…and after doing research and talking with others in the area …I got more out of my stuff than if I had an auction ..but it was a lot of hard work!

The garage was fixed up by my son a couple years ago…he put new doors on it did some work inside and new roofing paper…I used it as a work shop..it has a floor in it and if used as a garage again floor would have to be removed…he also painted the house again (I helped) ..it was done about 10 years ago and just needed a refresh…

The woodwork in the down stairs is all beautiful 6 in. hard wood oak…the house is 124 years old ..built in 1890…It is one of the oldest houses on this side of town…I imagine the oak was taken from the property…below is the front hall and front door..they made to door also because it matches the woodwork…

The pic’s are in no order.. in the dinning room below is a built in china closet made from the same oak as the woodwork…my pic’s do not show how beautiful the oak is…

Below is looking into the living room from the dinning room ..cant see the woodwork as it is covered by the drapes but is the same…you can see the oak arch way between them…

Pic below is the open cheery/oak stair way…you can see the cherry banister, and the cross part below it with quarter sawn oak panels…along with the china closet nicest feature in the house…but really all the woodwork is…When I first bought the house all the woodwork had the black varnish on it..that was used back in the time period…A friend and I stripped it and refinished it natural…now 30 years later it has a beautiful patina to it…

And the kitchen…friend and I knocked out a wall to the back porch and extended the kitchen about same time we did woodwork..the woodwork in kitchen was pine and had been painted…I painted it white this summer to freshen it up…I did a post about it a few weeks ago…we also put on a new counter top and new sink when wall was done…son put down new laminate floor last summer…

Up the stairs…about 25 years ago I put in new wall to wall carpet down stairs and up the stairs and upper hall…it shows ware but is very livable..

The upper hall the wood work is pine but I went a head and refinished it natural..

The bedroom below is the one I used…papered the walls years ago but in good shape so just left it…peach color with shears to match..the bed does not stay..it is a hard wood maple that I refinished again about 25 years ago…I love that bed and want to keep it…

The blue bedroom could be the master because it is larger and has that big closet…I painted the woodwork in all the bedrooms white years ago and did it again last summer…

This is the smallest bedroom…my son used this room..single bed and a nice size dresser..but we put a smaller dresser in on half of the closet and a desk in the bedroom …

Bathroom…a little on the small side …but not bad…son did work in here year before last…took everything out and fixed some pipes in the floor…I went ahead then and put in the smaller vanity..

Below is the upper hall …the wall on the left going down the stairs is where the old plaster pulled away from the lath…(happens in old houses) …finished up that this summer…

And there you have it…what I have been working on and blogging about…(gee won’t you miss those blogs) lol I will not!!! I am praying for a quick sale…I still don’t believe that it is done…hard for me to wrap my brain around it…it was always on my mind even when I was in Florida…there because I needed to get it done…I feel a little sad about leaving it was my home for over 35 years… anyway now moving on…I will post all about my adventures ..my trip back to Florida…it sure got better after I got to Winchester and now traveling a bit with Liz…my Women RV friend….I will now start posting about that…we left the Blue Ridge Parkway…so will pick up there next time..thanks for looking and come back soon …blessings to all…G&M

PS…I did a lot of work in the basement but forgot to take pic’s