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Friday came and we all wanted to just sleep in but we also requested to see some of the local park and preserved areas. A friend of the church, Jeph, helped arrange this for us. Jeph, his wife, Peter, Tsi Tsi and the 8 Americans known as ZimTeam departed from the BnB by 8:30 for the day’s adventure.

We started on a little jaunt through the Bally Vaughn Rescue and Preserve. Seeing a rescued lion that was 22 years old… which is old for a lion. Then we went to the reservoir and canoed for a bit, seeing zebra along the side of the water. It was peaceful and quiet.

We pulled the canoes up to the launching site and got out, moving along the preserve in a Land Rover safari rig to get some lunch provided by the Preserve.

We were off after lunch to tour with our guide Eden. She found some wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, and so much more.

Ending the superb day with some snakes!

We took Jeph, his wife, Peter and Tsi Tsi to dinner, looking for an “Italian Restaurant”, location unknown but eventually found! Delightful dinner, not exactly what Americans would call Italian, but delicious.

Back to the room to pack and ready ourselves for a LONG travel day, starting at 8:30 am so we can catch a noon flight. Then 7 hour layover in Johannesburg so we can spend 16 hours on a plane to Newark, then to Jen’s parents’ house to pick get a ride to Pipersville to get our car so we can pick up Harley and head home… up for 38 hours, nap for an hour and poked each other to stay awake till 8:30 pm. We just barely made it to 8:30!

Memories to last a lifetime for sure!

Today, Thursday, we opened the activities to the whole village, expecting to be able to share the love of Jesus with everyone. Jen was in charge of relay races, Linda did glitter tatoos, Marybeth and Kim ran a dancing and bubble blowing station, Paul and Kevin were trying to maintain some order on the inflatables (3 bounce houses of different sizes) and I did face painting. Let the fun begin!!!

Organized Chaos…. that’s all I have to say!

We had planned to move the kids from station to station every 20 minutes, so they all had a chance to participate in every game area…. the key word is PLANNED, which didn’t happen quite as anticipated. I was surrounded by kids all day, vying for position to be next at the face painting. I heard a whistle blowing at one point but that’s about it.

At lunch time, we took count of all the kids and there were 187! No wonder it seemed like there were alot of kids… because there WERE!

The children lined up and received and apple, orange and banana along with a bologna sandwich and drink. As they recieved the food, they clapped their hands twice and then held them out. This was a sign of respect for the person giving the food and a way to say thank you. For many of the kids, this is the only food they will get today. Many of them packed up several pieces of the fruit and took it home. One of the sibling pairs came to the day sharing a pair of shoes. One had the left shoe and one had the right. So much is needed here but you would not know it by the kids smiles and hugs all day!

Having fun today was like being at Sesame Place… for free. Games all day, smiles, singing and lunch, what an outreach for the community!

After 7-hours of playing, we went to a Zimbabwean market where the local people shop for everyday items. We were definitely the minority bit with Abigail and Peters help, we got some souvenirs for a fair price. It wasnt a tourist place so we were not harassed but rather helped by the vendors needing to sell their goods.

We were then off to Pastor Peter’s house for dinner. We were introduced to several of the aged-out girls ranging from 22-26 years old. They were all either in advanced school or had completed a course of study, preparing for the next step in their lives.

At age 18, Zimbabwe government says you need to leave and go on your own… That’s not exactly a realistic expectation if you want the youth to be successful. Covenant Church purchased a property with several buildings on it so Peter and Tsi Tsi could have a place for the over 18 youth. Peter and his wife, 4 natural kids and 5 older girls live on this property. There is one building that needs a lot of help to come up to livable standards and this is where the 18+ boys will eventually live. In the meantime, they are at Domboshava, living with the caregiver and working on the property at the Children’s Home.

Tsi Tsi and the girls made a magnificent meal including the traditional Sadza (white corn meal), chicken, beef and greens, potato salad and cole slaw. YUM! and boy were we hungry… no lunch today, just soaked up the joy all day!

We are truly filled with the Spirit!

Well, the whole reason we are here is for the children. And Oh, so many smiling faces here! Monday to Wednesday, we planned 3 half days of Vacation Bible School for the Children that live at Domboshava as well as those at Runyararo Childrens Home in Harare, which was also started by Pastor Peter and his wife, Tsi Tsi. The week’s activities were also opened up to the local community as part of Peter’s outreach initiatives.

We started the day at the hardware store, not knowing what we would be able to find for the next few days’ projects. Countertops, jig saw, door handles and door mechanics, light switches, and something we could use as a basketball hoop… can anyone say laundry basket? They cut the countertops to size and cut the bottom of the laundry basket off so we could use it as a hoop! Quite ingenious Jen!

Once materials were loaded up, we were on the way to the Home, we bumped and jostled along the roads once again to Domboshava.

Kevin and Kim brought some balls (deflated during travel) and a ball pump. When the balls came out, you would have thought it was Christmas! So. Much. Fun. Amazing to watch the kids smile, laugh and run around with the new balls.

We started VBS with a story about Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Kim did a great job with telling the story with books she brought from home. We handed out materials for all to make a paper mache well with sticks from our yard and recycled coffee filters. Since we were only expecting 20-25 kids, and 50-60 showed up, the projects were done in groups of 2-3 kids. They had a blast! We sang some songs with hand motions and then handed out coloring pages… WOW, who would have thought coloring would be such a hit!

Tuesday, we did the story of Jesus bearing his cross. The kids made bead bracelets (which were supposed to have crosses on them but we didn’t bring 60 crosses). Songs followed by more coloring, a favorite activity.

At the end of the day, once back at our BnB, our pastor aranged for Henry to join us and let us know of his work with orphanages in the country. Henry uses a model that teaches the children to take responsibilities and learn how to be a family. The head of the household goes out to work to show the children what it could be like to hold a job, be a family man and care for others. Just the tip of the iceberg but encouraging to see how many people are caring for the children.

The third VBS day was about Jesus’ walking on water and the craft was a picture of a wave which they covered with shades of blue tissue paper… songs and more coloring!

While we were busy with VBS, Paul and Kevin were coordinating projects and removing the existing countertops and measuring the sink hole in the new countertop in the first home. They enlisted some very willing Zimbabwean help, teaching them how to use the jigsaw while Marybeth and I taught Farai and others how to install the new door handle assembly and toilet seats.

It has been an amazing couple of days. After VBS and finished countertops, door handles and toilet repairs, we were off to Domboshava Rocks with some of the kids and staff. It was a nice hike to the top so we could see all of the surrounding area and stayed up top for another amazing African sunset!

This evening, our pastor arranged for Regina to come with her husband. They work with kids who have been in traumatic situations, many of them in orphanages. She told us that there are over 2 million orphaned children in Zimbabwe, and only 3000 spaces in orphanages in Zim. A sobering statistic!

What a magnificent 3 days… we are tired! And Blessed!

8/7/22 – It is Sunday, and we are ready for our introduction to the Children’s Home and to experience a Zimbabwean church service….

The road to Domboshava is an experience in itself. People walking everywhere, handmade huts from sticks and thatching all along the road to sell goods, holes and gullies like you would not believe (due to the rainy season washing out the roads), another world that we are about to dive into headfirst.

Yes, another world but I have to say the Zimbabwean people are by far the kindest, most gracious people we have ever met. Genuinely interested in what you have to say.

Church service at the Children’s Home was amazing. Pastor Peter oversees 8 churches, and they were represented here at the service on the property of Domboshava Children’s Home. We got out of the van and were greeted like long lost relatives, so happy to see us and front row seats were in order for the “friends from the United States”. Children, oh so many children, were present and smiling ear to ear in anticipation of the visitors and the week to come. Many people walked from the village, walked miles along the roads and some drove 80km to be here. Prayers, songs and presentations by the youth were among the treats we were about to receive.

Every moment was moving me to tears just trying to absorb it all. Then they asked the American visitors to take the stage and learn some Zimbabwean dance moves! OK, we’ll go for it. I never saw so many cell phones appear to record our ridiculous attempts to dance… Zimbabwean style! (Sorry no videos, thankfully)

After 4 hours (which by the way didn’t seem like it) the service concluded, and we got to meet all the people that traveled so far to be with us and the Lord.

A tour of the homes were in order so we could see what our building tasks would be for the week. We were there to be with the kids and provide Vacation Bible School for 3 days but also to improve the homes where we could, in the short time we were there. Paul led the construction projects for the week.

There are 2 buildings where the 13 children live with a caregiver and one building for Lovemore, Everjoy and their 2 children along with Farai, a 19-year-old boy that lives with them until Peter can finish the building on his property for age-out boys to live.

A very full first day with the kids and staff of the home. Oh, so many blessings already!

“The Smoke that Thunders” – Victoria Falls

8/3/2022 – We got our flight on FastJet (a Zimbabwean airline) in the morning and arrived at Victoria Falls,, Zimbabwe, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. When Pastor Bruce let us know this may be an option, we all jumped at the chance to extend our trip and see what we can see while we are there.

We got to the Vic Falls airport and were greeted by African dancers outside the terminal.

It is a VERY small airport with only 3 gates, and they take their security checks seriously! Paul and Marybeth had many tools that they brought, in anticipation of helping repair some things in the children’s home while we were there. Many questions were asked by the security guard: ” why are you bringing tools”, “are you going to leave anything there?”, “what is the address that you are going to” and several others. We were nervous since we had a visa for tourists, and it was advised that we not tell others we were there for missions work. Once we said we were going to Domboshava to help a friend, the guard said his grandfather was from there. He packed up the suitcase for us and let us proceed. Whew! A tad nerve-racking!

We booked some activities in Vic Falls through a tour agency and they came to pick us up at the airport right on time. Off to Kingdom Hotel… OMG, such an elegant place!

Pinch me… are we really in Africa? The staff at the hotel were amazing, such sweet people, genuinely interested in talking to you and couldn’t do enough to make our stay superb. By and large, the Zimbabwean people are sincerely gracious, super friendly and the most wonderful people we have ever met in our travels.

After a short rest in the Kingdom Hotel, we had booked a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River. We puttered down the river and saw some hippos playing in the water (thanks Kevin for the close-up shots), tons of birds and an African sunset which lights up the sky with orange and red every single night.

What a way to start our African adventure!

Day 2 in Victoria Falls started with a leisurely breakfast and a stroll around the hotel, looking for lizards and crocodiles in the ponds and just trying to absorb where we are! It is winter in Zimbabwe which means the days are 75-low 80s and the nights are around 50. Love it!!!

Our team went on a lunch tour of Victoria Falls and learned some of the history and culture here. Victoria Falls is the largest natural waterfall in the world. It got this honor when you combine the width of the waterfall and the length the water drops. In high water season, the mist is so abundant that you cannot even see the falls.

After lunch in Vic Falls we relaxed and had cocktails by the pool.

We made dinner reservations at Boma Restaurant, which is an African feast and drum show. We all received an African wrap to wear for the evening and ate Kuzu, crocodile tail, many other unusual items including Mopani worms!

We started with an African tradition of hand washing followed by a toast with a local Chibuku beer (tasted sort of like sour beer combined with kombucha tea)…

The drum show was energetic, and we all got drums to participate in the festivities. Linda and Paul got to test their African dancing skills. Such a delightful evening!

Day 3, and our last full day in Vic Falls, was an early start with a pickup at 5:50am for a game drive in Zambezi National Park. It is winter in Zimbabwe which means it is 50 degrees at night and 80-85 in Vic Falls during the day. We got picked up in an open-air land rover and drove through the dark to the Park, quite chilly! We started driving towards the river hoping to see some animals at the watering hole.

The first animal we saw was a giraffe and when the guide stopped the rover, and pointed toward the bush, we had a hard time seeing the giraffe. Even when we knew where to look, it was camouflaged.

As we went along the day, there were numerous birds to see and our guide was good at looking for signs of animals. We came across some tracks of a water buffalo and a calf so while we were tracking them, we saw signs of a lion tracking them as well. It was kind of exciting to follow the tracks in the sandy road and eventually we stopped to listen and heard the roar of a lion. The guide said he was calling for back up so they all could corner the pair of water buffalo. He estimated that the lion was about 1.5 miles away… his roar can be heard up to 5 miles!!! Happy to know that he was a distance and not interested in us 🙂

We weren’t very successful in seeing the lion and water buffalo but did see other animals including a warthog, scrub hare, Black and hooded vultures, goliath heron, weaver sparrows the make nests on the west side of the trees (so the tree protects them from the easterly winds), Lori birds, Impala, Jackels, Kudu, banded grouse, Waterbuck, Western banded snake eagle and several more. A crazy bumpy drive in the bush and a great way to learn about the native landscape.

After the Game Drive we went back to the hotel, had lunch and rested. Later we were lounging by the ponds and did see a crocodile sunning itself right outside our room! The later afternoon was for more animal observing at the Siduli Hide. It was an observation blind built to look like a termite mound which was located next to a watering hole. Our guide parked the land rover and we walked silently to the blind as he protected us with his side arm and rifle, making sure we did not disturb any animals thinking about coming to the blind.

Once at the blind, he checked it for snakes (THANK YOU very much!) and we took our seats to see what we can see. It was a quiet night at Siduli Hide and we saw tons of birds including Guinea Fowl as well as a family of warthogs. Our guide has been doing this for 20 years and was a wealth of information about the wildlife. The person that picked us up and took us back to the hotel had just finished his rounds in the park and was able to arrest a poacher today. Poaching is apparently a huge problem in game preserves, and they frequently find 20-30 snares a day placed in the preserve by the poachers.

Tomorrow, we leave Vic Falls and we are ready for our next stop, Harare, Zimbabwe, where we will stay for the next week while we get to know the kids and caregivers at Domboshava Children’s Home.

August 6 – We caught a noon flight to Harare and here is the airport bar…

Not exactly and RV trip but definitely an adventure!

As many of you know, Paul and I have a passion for mission work. So far it has been a gentle relationship and geared towards construction type projects like Appalachian Service Project (ASP), Hurricane Katrina rebuild and Habitat for Humanity. Our previous church youth group participated in ASP every summer so Paul and I had several opportunities to participate with our youth group and our kids Jen and Jeff.

Our current church, Covenant Doylestown, supports a Children’s Home in Domboshava, Zimbabwe. The relationship has been strong but Covid put a pause in our ability to physically be with Peter and TsiTsi who started the home less than 10 years ago. Peter and his wife also oversee Runyararo Children’s home in Harare, Zimbabwe and have 5 aged out kids (over 18) living with them due to the limits placed on ages in the orphanages in Zimbabwe. One of Peter’s visions was to have a place for the over 18 young adults to live and a place to call home while they learn how to do adulthood, get jobs, go to college and figure out what to do next. Covenant Doylestown Church purchased a property in 2021 to accommodate Peter, TsiTsi, their 4 natural children and 5 aged out girls. There is much to be done to the last building on the property so the older, over 18 boys can also have a permanent place to call home but Peter has been able to do much of the work with fundraising in his network of Christian supporters.

There is a statistic that there are over 2 MILLION orphans in Zimbabwe and only 3000 spaces in orphanages! Peter and TsiTsi spend their lives trying to change and improve this statistic.

This year, Bold Hope partnered with Covenent to send a team to Domboshava to reconnect and strengthen the relationship with Peter, TsiTsi, the caregivers (Everjoy, Lovemore and Loveness) and especially connect with the children.

When Paul and I heard of this trip our response was… “why wouldn’t we go?” “Sign us up!” We ended up going with Jen, Linda, Marybeth, Kim, Kevin and one of our pastors, Bruce. The eight musketeers, otherwise known as ZimTeam, are ready for an adventure!

8/1/2022 – Our journey started at 1:45 pm

We drove to Pipersville to meet our ride to Newark and drop Harley off at ”Uncle Bill’s” on the way. We met Kim and Kevin on time, loaded our luggage and off to Newark where our teammate, Jen, has family that will drop us off at the airport. By 5:30pm we made it to the airport and checked our bags… fingers crossed that they all make it to Johannesburg, South Africa… on the same plane as us!

Our Newark 8:45 pm direct flight to Joburg was delayed for an hour and thankfully we took off at 9:40. After almost 16 hours of an intermittently turbulent flight and about 5 hours of interupted sleep, we landed at 6:30 pm, South Africa time. The airport was deserted, and it felt like we arrived in the middle of the night, but it didn’t matter… We are in AFRICA!!!

ALL of our group’s baggage arrived in one piece and passed customs with no problem… even the 48-pound small bag with Paul’s tools came unharmed.

Once we went through customs, we walked through the airport to the City Lodge Hotel, where we stayed for the night. Our next flight to Victoria Falls was only scheduled once a day, in the morning, so we grabbed dinner and headed to bed… up early to get breakfast and head back to the airport for our morning flight.

Did I mention we are in South Africa? Who would have guessed that would happen!?!

As we prepare for our next venture, I thought I would update this blog so I can reflect on where we’ve been this spring/early summer. (This is late posting because I couldn’t get the pictures to upload)

5-12-16/2022

Upon returning from MerleFest (and might I say, we will surely return to NC), we had 10 days to reorganize before we headed out again. Our next destination is Virginia Beach to ”camp” in our friend’s driveway for a few days.

Tom and Nancy Jo invited us to their home along with mutual friends, Neil and Lori. We picked Neil and Lori up in the RV and drove south. What should have been a 6 hour ride, ended up to be 9 hours and ridiculous traffic south of DC. We were a little itchy by the time we arrived since we opted not to do the Bay Bridge, not knowing the wind conditions at the time we were going to cross. So Happy to park the rig at our spot for the weekend.

We spent some time at the beach, riding the golf cart (and being caught in the rain on the cart), having some lunch and drinks watching the storm pass from the top of the building.

While at Virginia Beach, we attended the Wine festival on the beach. great band, good company and the surf, who could ask for more?

After 4 nights of hanging with wonderful friends, it was time to bid adieu to Tom and Nancy Jo. We cant forget Pearl, Harleys buddy for the weekend. They were so well behaved and had a lot of fun together.

We ended the long weekend by coming home via the Bay Bridge. It saved tons of time and was such a pretty sight! Fortunately Paul is an expert driver through the tunnel!

Our next outing is scheduled for the end of June for Creation Festival in Shirleysburg, PA. Until then, we are going somewhere most days including piano recital, spring concerts, dinners with friends, soccer games, ballet recitals and meetings to prepare for our Zimbabwe trip.

6/28-7/3/2022

Creation! This year is a smaller group than the past, 27 instead of 75. It was nice to be with the smaller group, and have some quality time getting to know people better, especially the new members of the group. This gathering is always rejuvenating in spirit and faith….but WHY does it have to be so hot!

Come Sunday morning, we are physically tired but spiritually uplifted.

Home for a few days then off to…

7/7-10/2022 Ricketts Glen with Lee and Lorraine

You know when you meet someone along they way and just know they will be friends for life? Lee and Lorraine are just that, friends for life. We cannot see them for a bit and just pick up where we left off. Camping with them was relaxing, filled with laughter and just plain fun! We camped at Grassmere RV Campground, just down road from Ricketts Glen State Park. We had some issues with the electric hook up but Lee, an electrician by trade, hooked the campsite up with a new breaker. The humidity subsided so we didn’t need the AC after the first night.
The first full day, we had a leisurely morning, did a tour of the area, bought a breaker for the campsite, found a winery and cidery then headed back to make dinner.

Theres nothing like a campfire each night to finish the day.

We did get to Ricketts Glen and did the lower falls trail, seeing 3 waterfalls on the way. Unfortunately the water level is very low but the waterfalls were still flowing, just not at their optimal volume!

This brings me to Mid July, filled with friends and family, trying to see everyone before we quarantine in preparation for Zimbabwe. Its really hard to go back to social distancing and masking after taking a break from it since the early spring.

What’s next??? Zimbabwe!

April 25-May 3, 2022

MerleFest has always been on my radar, as festivals go, but the timing just didn’t seem right or too many other places to see! This year is the year for MerleFest 👏👏👏🎶 . My folk music roots are placed in bluegrass, a genre that has always made me feel happy. With Covid still around, this festival, like most others, has been moved, cancelled, rescheduled and now, back at its normal place and time so winner winner! Doc and his son Merle Watson played at the philly folk fest many times together and Doc is listed as playing 15 festivals from 1964 to 2007. Merle died young in a tragic accident in 1985 and his family started MerleFest in his honor. Let the banjo picking begin.

Wilkesboro, North Carolina here we come! A total of 9 days dry camping (without any hookups) but solar panels and generator ( and VERY quick showers) will get us through 🤞. Stay tuned!

We started our day early… 8 am! We wanted to get on the road so we could arrive at our destination by 5. The day was beautiful and after heading west we made our way down I-81 into Virginia, so lovely. Our first stop was a harvest host, Whitebarrel Winery in southern Virginia…425 miles under our wings today. Just in time for a wine tasting then making dinner and enjoying it under the veranda as the sun sets.

Since we were ”dry camping” with our upgraded Fleetwood Bounder for the first time we had all the manuals out…several times, figuring out what’s what. Thank goodness for our RV sales person, Dan, who was able to talk us through an issue. Indian Valley Camping Center is Amazing!

After dinner, Paul was relaxing on the bed and I was playing cards in the semi-dark and heard a sound to my left…low and behold there was a mouse sitting 2 feet from me 😳 All I could do was shreek and scare the pants off Paul … and the mouse! We were not towing the car so the next day on our way to NC, we stopped at the hardware store and picked up some mouse traps.

Not knowing what to expect at MerleFest, we got there soon after the RV lot opened and found our spot for the week. We arrived on Tuesday and the music starts on Thursday afternoon so we had some time to scope out the grounds and relax.

We listened to some of the sound check music and relaxed for most of Wednesday. Paul got to know some of the other RV campers and we pulled out some more manuals to better understand our rig.

Let the music begin 🎶

There were 12 stages and the weather was amazing! My kind of weather…upper to mid-60s during the day and wonderful sleeping weather in the 50s at night. Great snuggling but did miss the campfires we have at the Philly fest. Friday morning we laid in bed for a bit and listened to the sound check, clear as day we could hear the main stage from our RV and enjoyed a morning serenade by a guitarist.

Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Emmy Lou Harris were among the many on stage.

And SUCH FUN at the post show dance parties every night! YES, we were hopping and dancing with the youngsters, great time with We Banjo 3 and Scynthian providing music for the dance tent.

Sunday it downpoured for about an hour but we came prepared and after clearing the festival grounds, we headed back up the hill and listened to the closing act from the RV.

Monday we said goodbye to our new fest friends armed with a ton of ideas on how to upgrade our dry camping experience. Off to northern Virginia to another Harvest Host, Backroom Brewery. We had a great dinner with home made beer bread and a glass of wine and beer. After the place closed we had the acreage to ourselves and had nothing else to do but sit on the swing, watch the bees in the wisteria, birds in the meadow and watch the sunset. A perfect ending to our 9 day excursion.

We are home for a week then off to Virginia Beach to hang with dear friends.

Well since it’s Fall already, I figured I should update the blog with our summer adventures… mostly so I can remember where we have been!

If you read these posts, you know that we returned from our ‘Colorado and beyond adventure’ on June 12th. Tuesday June 15, our dealer called and said “ opportunity is knocking” and let us know there was an RV with our desired floor plan coming in the next weekend…it came in Thursday 6/17 and after scrutinizing it for 4 hours, we put a deposit on the rig! It’s all about the timing! We got the major things fixed on the Storm and dropped it off on 6/24 to sign the paperwork for the new Bounder (2018 Fleetwood Bounder with 7,000 miles on it… like new)!

We took off to Virginia Beach to stay with friends for the 4th of July holiday weekend and once home, we picked up the Bounder on 7/6, Sweet!

LAKE ANNA 7/15-18/2021

We decided to camp at Lake Anna in Virginia and the first picture was our first sunset viewed from the campsite. We were camped right near the lake and had a grand time with the Wetherbees getting to test out the new rig!

It was a very sweaty hike 2 miles down to the waterfalls and then two.miles.UP! OMG, what a climb in this humidity…but we all made it with the pup’s help! The next day was perfect for kayaking and swimming in the lake. The skies gave us a light show once back at the campground. Wonderful day!

CAYUGA LAKE, NY 7/29-8/1/21

Since 2020 pandemic life is still around, we gifted Chris and Cristina, at Christmas, a weekend in the finger lakes with us and the RV. We camped on the west side of Cayuga Lake at Spruce Row campground. It was nicely maintained and had a large portion of seasonal campers. We were among trees but quite close to the neighbors. Everyone was super friendly and there were family activities and a great pool.

The first full day we had kayaking scheduled but the wind was not making the lake kayak friendly… I don’t think I would venture on the water in any craft! Fortunately the kayak rental outfit was able to move our reservations to the next day which was perfect for playing on the lake.

In the evening we were off to find some live music. We started at one of our favorite breweries…Two Goats, on the east side of Seneca. Live music and ‘beef on weck’ sandwiches while watching the sunset and listening to music on the outdoor deck.

After Two Goats we stumbled upon the Grist Iron brewery, which was hopping with live music.

For late July, the weather was fantastic and we ended each night around the campfire. It is always special to spend some quality time with family. 💕

GRANDKIDS 8/10-12/2021

This year we ventured out with the grandkids a little further from home than usual. We ended up at Elk Neck State Park, Maryland on the MOST humid few days of August. Thankfully we had full hook ups and could bask in the air conditioning after playing and exploring outside. Addie started the trip not feeling her best but didn’t want to miss the trip so fortunately we are in an RV with all the comforts of home.

After checking out the swimming area and Chesapeake Bay, Owain and Addie went with Poppy to do some fishing while Emma and I played some games. Owain came back from fishing so excited, said he said they saw snakes and caught a big fish… and I believed him! In reality, no snakes and no fish 😏

The last day, we had time to walk to Turkey Point to check out the lighthouse and the point where Elk River and Chesapeake Bay meet. It was a great weekday excursion to Elk Neck. Love those kids.

FOLK FEST- 8/20-22/2021

Well, the folk song society tried to have an in person gathering at Spring Mountain (with no camping) but the week prior to the festival, the folk fest was changed to a virtual venue! Chris and Cristina were able to switch gears and host the second annual Rock Hill Folk Fest, virtual style. We moved the RV further up the driveway from its storage spot and commenced with the festivities.

Can’t have Folk Fest without crafts….

And Tie Dye 🌈 Yahoo!

This year we were joined by Joe and Judy as well as the Reilly clan and enjoyed every minute of festival family time. There is something to be said about camping in the shaded woods rather than the hot, sunny field of Old Poole Farm. This is the 60th annual folk fest and our 45th!!!!

SENECA LAKE 8/26-29/2021

Our second trip to the finger lakes brought us to Back Acres Campground which is the only private campground on Seneca Lake. It was wonderful! Small campground with a gravel road to the lake, private beach and dock with an area for bonfires along the water’s edge. Peaceful 😊

We came with Jeff and Becca and the dogs and were in site 17 with some space around us. There were awesome tent sites tucked in the woods and an array of cabins overlooking the water. Super clean and well maintained and friendly owners. The campground was about 1/3 of the way up on the west side of the lake.

Our first venture was to Watkins Glen State Park. As many times as we have been in this area, we have not walked the waterfall path in this park! The upper path was dog friendly and way more strenuous with 300+ steps to climb. Beautiful views and less crowded than the lower path. Next time we will do the lower path to see all of the waterfalls!

It started to drizzle a bit but it didn’t stop us from exploring the park. Then back to the campground to let the dogs out, dinner and a fire.

We had a leisurely morning then Paul and I went to Climbing Bines Brewery, recommended by a friend.

What a lovely day! We picked up Jeff and Becca and did some cider tasting…

After dinner, we stopped at the Finger Lakes Brewery and sat by the fire, listening to a live band and enjoying the view of Seneca. Later we ended up in Watkins Glen town and walked a bit, finding a solo guitarist that was playing in a pub. We were able to score some outside seats right by the open windows and enjoyed the music.

Off to Maine in September to use our timeshare points then One more RV trip planned in October to Chincoteague, Virginia with 2 other couples. Love retirement!