Chillin' With Me In #43

Looks like I get the honor of wrapping up our SC State Parks week with one more Story.  Normally Momma Sharon is off with Aunt Becky exploring the area, grabbing a bite of local eats, or junkin'. Today they stayed with me all day in #43!  The pups were content to stay close to home too and it was a great way to spend our last day before heading home in the morning.

So what did we do all day?  There were lots of puppy naps, lots of reading, lots of walks, and final photos being taken.

Baby Gracie got in a post-breakfast snooze in Sophies favorite spot

Momma Sharon made great progress on her BRR Book Club selection

It really doesn't take much to make this a true statement

Mom added two more stickers to my door . . . good thing
 they were small because we are running out of room!

What a great campsite . . . I predict we will come back again

#43 is the place to be!

An afternoon nap with Momma Sharon was exactly what the baby needed

Our State Parks haul . . . ball cap, t-shirt, stickers, soap, & a magnet

Aunt Becky loved yesterday's BBQ so much, she went back for more today!

At 1:00 we had a pontoon boat dock on our beach and out hopped Pastor Jane, Mitch, and their friend Janet, for a visit.  They live on the other side of Lake Murray and went on a 45-minute cruise to come over to see us!  What a treat it was to see them again.  Miss Janet said I was "stinking' cute"!!

Mom, Mitch, Aunt Bec, and PJ

PJ, Mitch, & Miss Janet leaving our beach after a terrific visit

Sunset on Dreher Island & one last snapshot of me

Thanks so much for dropping by off and on this week for a State Park Story.  It took us three tries to come to these two parks and we sure missed our sweet Murphy Girl, but it was a fun week for me and my Family.  Once I get home tomorrow, the Blue Ridge craziness will begin as Momma Sharon prepares for our Peeps to start rolling into Fort Chiswell two weeks from today.

Until it's time to start telling Blue Ridge Stores, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Chillin' With

Me In #43"

Camping By The Water

Well, well, well, look who won the battle of the laptop . . . ME!!  That means it's Story Time from the 2nd leg of our SC State Park Trip. After getting bonked in the head by a big limb this morning and waking Aunt Becky up with a start, I was ready to break camp at Andrew Jackson and bug out!!

Our alarm clock, Baby Gracie, gave us a wake-up call about 6:15 and after taking care of business, we were all able to go back to sleep until 8:00.  It was a gorgeous morning, but one thing was missing . . . RAIN . . . LOL.  I was looking especially fine in the morning light and made Mom snap more photos of me.

Team Sigmon/Martin made quick work of packing because they have a system and everything has a place.  Gracie and Sophie waited patiently in the back seat.

We told our new friends Miriam and Kevin goodbye and we hope to see them again in a campground somewhere.

The trip down to Dreher Island State Park was right at two hours, but we all made a stop for a late breakfast, early lunch at Mickey D's in Chapin as we left the interstate.  They even had a nice long spot for me to park and outdoor picnic tables for my Peeps.  From there, it was a quick 30 minute trip to the state park.

Mom got us checked in at the office/camp store and once again, the ranger said "You've got a really great site!"  We are in Loop B, site #43, right on the lake.  Our view is gorgeous and I gotta tell you, Momma Sharon knows how to pick 'em.

Out came our trusty silver awning, Mr. Werner, our new Coleman tables, the dog pen, our chairs and mat, and before you could say "We love to camp!" our lakeside home was set up!  After taking the Schnauzers for a walk, Mom and Aunt Becky headed back into Chapin to get supper fixin's at Publix. Our new Coleman table made the perfect buffet table for serving supper and it was hard to beat the view either!

The late afternoon light on the lake was terrific, so you-know-who strolled around to capture a few choice snapshots.  Lake Murray is a pretty big lake, so there are all kinds of coves to explore, and all kinds of beautiful views.

Our co-ax "antenna" is up in the nearest tree pulling in all kinds of stations, the pups have drifted off, and it's time for "Survivor".  I hope y'all have a great evening out there . . . we sure are.  Thanks for dropping by Lake Murray for a Story and until I compose another one for you, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Camping By The Water"

12 Wet Feet

I told Mom that I deserved to be tonight's blogger and tell my Story because I had to put up with 12 wet feet all day long!  8 of those wet feet were dirty and stinky too!!  In case you haven't figured it out, it was raining today . . . all day.  It never really poured and every once in a while it let up enough so Baby Gracie and Skippy, Sophie could stroll around in the leaves and do their business.  They really didn't seem to mind, but the owners of the other pairs of feet thought it got old quickly.

Here's how the morning started . . . looking out the windows at the rain, naps, and nodding off.

The whole crew gathered up rain gear and headed out to Walmart where Aunt Becky bought us a new toaster oven because the old one died.  Next stop was Best Buy so Mom could buy a power cord for her laptop.  I'll give you one guess why . . . yeppers, she left ours at home. It's hard for me to tell a Story or her to send a Postcard when the MacBook is out of juice!  

They grabbed a bite of lunch, then took a detour to Waxhaw to check out an antique mall.  Like has happened so many times before, it was closed on Mondays.  The trip back to the campground was a short one and they were able to catch a break with the rain and take the doggies for a quick walk.  Here's what happened next . . . more naps!

Instead of breaking open that new toaster oven and heating up Red Bowl leftovers, the camping crew headed up Hwy 521 for a shrimp quesadillas at Salsaritas.

We are all tucked in for the night, the ceramic heater is keeping us toasty, our co-ax "antenna" is pulling in 12 channels clear as a bell, the pups are sleeping once again, and all is well in our world.

Thanks for dropping by for my Story about 12 wet feet and until I have another Tale to share, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Camping In The Rain"

The First Trip of 2018

Happy Sunday evening everyone!  While Momma Sharon and Aunt Becky are relaxing and Gracie and Sophie are snoozing, I was able to snitch the computer to tell you an April Story . . . we are camping! Yeppers, it's the first trip of the season and we are all snug in site #18 at Andrew Jackson State Park near Lancaster, SC.

I was having doubts that I would ever see this campground because Mom had to cancel the first one in March 2017 when Murphy the Camper Dog started having seizures.  We rescheduled for September, but had to cancel that one when we lost Uncle Roger.  Mom was really worried that we would be rescheduling this one too because Miss Murphy wasn't doing well.  My sweet Murphy Girl almost always joined me for the first trip of the season, but she crossed the Rainbow Bridge two weeks ago.

Mom and Aunt Becky had me all packed up and on the road by 11:30 this morning.  Baby Gracie claimed her spot as Queen of the Road on top of Mom's clothes and enjoyed the views during our 1 1/2 hour trip.  

Andrew Jackson State Park is an easy place to get to, doesn't have but 25 campsites, and some of them are lakeside.  The park ranger told us that we have the best one in the campground!

It didn't take too long to get set up in #18.  It's a narrow spot, but Mom threaded the needle between the pine trees and got me settled in quickly.  We brought along our old original awning this time because it does great in the rain and rain is in the forecast for the next two days. YUCK!

Other than the ice maker conking out on us, everything is fine and dandy for our three night stay.  My rear end is pointing towards the lake and it's all downhill from my spot, but Mom has the BAL, chocks, and stabilizers all in use, so I'm safe and secure.

After taking the pups for a little walk, everyone headed to Indian Land for supper at Red Bowl and grocery shopping at Harris Teeter.  On the way, they spotted a gray T@B rolling down Highway 521 and Aunt Becky said, "I wonder if they are headed to our campground?"  Well guess what?  Not only are they camping at Andrew Jackson too, they are RIGHT BESIDE US!!

We are always tickled to meet new T@Bbers, so it was fun to meet Miriam and Kevin from Florence, SC.  This is only their second trip out in their 2014 NuCamp 320.  Everybody chatted up a storm until it was time to put some tuckered out pups to bed.

It's really quiet and dark here, so I predict there will be some mighty good sleeping tonight.  Thanks so much for coming 'round to read my first camping Story of 2018.  I'm not sure who will get the computer tomorrow.  Since it could be me, you are invited to drop by for another Story.  Until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & The First Trip of 2018"

How The Stars Aligned - Chapter 1

Evenin' everyone!  Do I have a doozie of a Story to tell you tonight.  But I am going to only tell you Chapter 1.  I'll let my Camper Mom send you a series of Postcards to share the whole Story of How The Stars Aligned.  It's too complicated and involves too many people for me to keep straight anyway . . . LOL.

Momma Sharon, Aunt Becky, and 2/3rds of the Schnauzer Herd took a whirlwind trip to Hohenwald, TN this weekend.  I watched them pull out of the driveway about noon on Thursday and could tell there was excitement in the air . . . epic excitement.  Their via point for that evening was the Econo Lodge in Lebanon, TN.  A trip that should have taken a little over five hours stretched into seven and a half!!

The first of 3 traffic jams occurred in Asheville & added about
45 minutes to the trip!

Murphy the Camper Dog was joined by Miss Sophie & they shared the
whole back seat . . . stopping for pee breaks, meals, & medicine
added even more time to the travel clock 

Thursday was Tractor Trailer Day on I-40 from NC into TN . . . Aunt Becky
did a fantastic job of driving while Momma Sharon took care of the
nagavating duties

Welcome to Tennessee where the stars would continue to align

The Econo Lodge was a welcome sight for everyone, but the time change from EST back to CT threw both Mom and Aunt Becky for a loop.  They had to be really careful to keep Murphy's meds on schedule. A walk across the parking lot for a couple of Taco Bell dollar meals provided supper. After a quick call back home to let me and Miss Wendy know they were safe and sound for the evening, it was lights out for the traveling sisters.

I know that you are still wondering what in the world this trip to Tennessee was all about.  Be patient y'all and pick up Mom's Postcards so she can finish telling you this Story.  Until I snitch the computer again, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Stars Aligning"

The Easter Bunny Arrived

Happy Easter Monday everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful and meaningful Easter weekend.  I'm not sure that ours could have been more perfect.  Momma Sharon bundled up in her heaviest coat and gloves and walked down the block to a 7:00 a.m. sunrise service at church outdoors in our worship center.  

She told me that the sun was coming up in the east at the same time a big full moon was setting in the west.  There was audio from the birds singing to complete that video.  Toss in the smell coming from the fire roaring in the fireplace and it was a delight for the senses. Holy Communion with friends was quite special and if you throw in sausage biscuits and coffee afterwards and you can easily see why she was a happy camper yesterday morning.

Around noon, a big package was delivered to the front door and she was racking her brain to try to remember if she ordered something for us or not.  But the return address was from Pennsylvania and she recognized the sender immediately. We tore open that box and it was evident that the Easter Bunny, in the guise of Miss Katie, had arrived!! PEEPS!  A big box full of Peeps!!

Look at all the cool stuff she sent!!  Two Peeps t-shirts, a green plush Peep and a blue one too, a box of edible Peeps, a Peeps candy dish, a pair of Peeps socks, and an insulated Peeps bag!!  We hit the motherlode . . . LOL.  I am thinking that Splish and I are going to be so full of peep stuff that we will cluck all the way up I-77 to the Blue Ridge Rally.  I think her Blue Ridgers are going to start calling her "The Peepmeister"!

That wasn't end of our extreme Easter Sunday, but I will leave that portion of the Story for another day.  Until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Peeps From the 

Easter Bunny, aka Miss Katie"