3-4 weeks to go!!

The time is getting closer for departure into the vast "forgotten lands"!!  LOL! I'll be headed into the Blue Ridge Parkway mountains! The temperatures in that part of the land is passable (for me) to have a pleasant time & see the sights!

I've been spending a fair amount of time down by the river here in town due to the fact that there is a breeze for the majority of the time there.

There seem to even be "tiny-homes" that float!!!

I'm also so taken by the birds there! I love the herons, egrets & the little "swiftlets" (at least that is what I call them!) 

  




This young hawk was still hanging around for several days after he made his first flight out of the nest! He was still trying to get his "sea legs" and kept forgetting that the bushes were NOT a good place to try to land!!  LOL!

And it is also quite fun to watch the boaters go by! Everything from the bass boats to the kayaks to pontoon boats to mini-cabin cruisers!

Just a few pics of remembering being back on the road!


Soon....Soon!

I'm down to about 12 days and the kids will be out here. They are in the middle of final packing for the move...which with the kids is quite an interesting task!

Have gotten about half of my "Europa list" completed. Have several more projects to do, but will have to get a helping hand from Cary to get them done. But getting closer each day!

So stick around, there will be a lot to see, places to make note of, possibly places to not make note of....and just lots to do! Hopefully!!

C'ya out here soon!!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

🐸      🐶      🐱

  

Toby Keith - Made In America

Toby Keith - Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue-The Angry American

Story of The Star Spangled Banner

Out & About....A Little!!

Took a couple of days to drive around some in the area! Felt good to just drive around the county some. Have not done that in several years! And it is amazing how much stays the same from year to year.

Even the turtles dragged themselves out to get on a log and soak up some sun. 

But there are also changes...just have to look close to see some of them. The one thing that seems to not ever change is the wildlife! There are still waterfowl, turtles, etc all around the area. Even though they are hard to catch on camera most of the time...urban life keeps them on the move in most of the areas. 

And I know that this will sound a little bit on the strange side...but there is just sooo much green here!!! LOL!  It makes it a bit difficult to keep the solar panels in the sun...there's shade all over the place!!

It is nice that the river runs thru here! There a views and scenes that are just so pleasant to be able to sit and just gaze out over.

  

And the scenery is pretty...if you take the time to look around, there will almost always be spots that are serene and easy on the spirit!

But I do have to admit that it makes me long for the desert even more each day!

But as I travel around the area more I keep coming across spots that a just so pleasing to see. And even though it drives my allergies nuts...it is so very pleasing to stop and sit and look at some of the spots the have such great colors and shades of color!

And a drive in the country will get you mind cleared out and opened up to be able to look forward to the future when the day returns that you are back on the road again.

 

 So to all our friends out there that are in a spot or location which affords them the opportunity to get out and drive around their areas...so...get out there! There is NO better social distancing than to fix up a picnic basket and a cooler full of drinks and load up the kids, pets, a blanket and maybe a map (?) and get out and see what is around you! Can't put much more space between people than that!

And I think you will be surprised at just how much better you will feel! How much "less dark" the days will look. There really is so much you can see when you get out of the house, out of town and into the country!

Try it!!  You might just really like it!!

For my part, I will be back on the road in a few weeks...along with Abbie and Snickers...looking for those places on the backroads that our fast paced lives have left behind! Maybe that is one of the bright spots of all this pandemic thing...it made so many people slow down and think....

"...is this all there is to life?"

There's soooo much more!!!

C'ya out there soon!!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

Is it May???

The Vest?

In May?

In Alabama?

All I can say about this is .....  WOW!

And they are saying there could be a light frost Sunday?!?!

Hope this finds all of you in good health!

And still in good spirits!

Hope to be back on the road in a few weeks, back to the West!

Hope to see you out there!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

SIP - Cold War Leftover

 I've heard it said that those who ignore History are destined to relive it!!

Well, we're reliving some of the "speech elements" from the Cold War Days!

But I have been SIP'ing for so long that I needed to do something to break up the days...so here is a little video of our run out to Alabama!

Hope you like it!!!!

How are you doing??

Just a quick check in to see how everyone is doing! Hope this finds all of you in good spirits and being able to "enjoy" this down time we all have been driven into whether we want it or not!

I'm still in the middle of my 3.27 acres of "social distancing" and trying to keep occupied! Still doing odds & ends "repairs & updates" to Europa.  Will soon be adding a storage rack and storage bin to her mounted on the 2" receiver on the rear. If my measurements are right, I'll have space for my generator, the storage bin and the 2-2gal gas cans for the generator. It will allow me to get quite a bit of the things inside that are on the floor and more-or-less in the way out and into the bin.

I don't know how you guys are doing it, but I just set up camp for 14-18 days at a time, stationary camping! I break camp every couple of weeks, do what runs I need to do to "re-supply", go dump, park by the river for a night sometimes, then make my way back to my "site"! It breaks up the being in one place for so long. 

 

The other day I saw these clouds and I can't remember seeing clouds before that showed such a definitive rainbow colors effect!  

They were just awesome to look at...and the wind was moving so fast at that height that they were not here for very long!

So soon we'll all be out and about again, getting ready for summer trips, time off (as if we'll need any!), visiting family and friends...so just remember...this too shall pass!

See you out here soon!

C'ya!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

🐸    🐶         🐱 

How are Y'all!?!?

 Hi Gang!!  Just thought I would take a minute to see how everyone was getting along during the "social distancing" days of today!

 I am in full "anti-social" currently!  With my 3+ acres of buffer area!  I'm hoping that all of you are doing well and taking care of yourselves!

 

 I'm still in the middle of lots of buffer...working on Europa, planning my escape route West when summer gets here, spending my spare time watching the pollen settle on EVERYTHING! So needless to say there is just all sorts of excitement here!!

Been thinking back to the road...and a few of the places we've been!

 

And back to the days when it all began....

And some of the pictures and thoughts of those days.....

Both the good and the sometimes frustrating days....

Just remember that when things start too look like they can only get worse...

the good days will always return.....

We just have to have the patience to wait on them!

Hope to see all of you out there real soon!!!

C'ya!!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

🐸 🐶 🐱

 

 

How Are You Doing??

I've been slow to get an update on here...and I am so sorry! But with all the CoViD-19 activity it has put a sobering cloud over activities. And, when I am parked for an extended amount of time, there is not always much of interest to "impart" to you!  🐸😉

 I'm setup at the family home place...and as my little video shows, you can often find your own little piece of "the woods" no matter where you happen to be! Which is one of the things I want folks to learn. Always look around wherever you happen to be...there are "woods" available almost anywhere!

As for the act of  "Social Distancing" I am sitting almost in the middle of 3.27 acres of buffer land!!  If it weren't for the traffic it almost feels like being in the middle of the woods!!

 

I spent the weekend at a friend's place up on the mountain here. It was a great weekend. It is so nice to be able to take a couple of days and visit with a good friend that you haven't seen for almost a year!

He had been working on straightening up his basement and rearranging when he found something that I ended up with! 

It's a "Caloric Cub" camp oven! It is only, probably, 55+ years old...and I believe still in perfect working condition! A little of the vinyl trim is gone, but other wise seems to be perfect! The company also made kitchen stove/ovens. It is really neat. It cooks by "infrared"...and uses a 1lb propane bottle. I'll be testing it in the near future.

      

From what I've been able to find out, the company was started in the late 1800's. Over the years they were swallowed up by larger companies that bought it for it's "technology".

 I watch NHK World quite a lot. It is the Japan National Broadcasting company. Sorta like BBC, but Japan. The main difference is that it has really superb coverage on Japan/International/US news, weather and also Japanese Heritage & Culture. I have enjoyed watching it for years! Their news coverage is very good and very balanced. And from what I see, at least in my opinion, they are about the most balanced coverage I've seen in years. And if you spend some time watching the programs that deal with heritage & culture it becomes very deeply interesting very quickly! If interested, here's the link...

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/live/

Like I always say...everywhere you can go there are sunsets & sunrises that are beautiful! You just have to slow down and take the time to soak them in!

I'm looking forward to getting back on the road in a couple of months and sharing the sights and sounds. And I do so hope that you will have a chance to take the time to get out and see this beautiful country!

And always keep in mind our acronym...

AYNTSI

America, You Need To See It!

Hope to c'ya soon!!  

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

🐸🐹🐱