Peeps Gone Wild

Greetings friends near and far!  Tonight I've got a boatload of snapshots to share with you so I can tell you a Story of Peeps Gone Wild at my Blue Ridge Rally.  Momma Sharon and Carol Mac decided before they had even left the rally last year at Big Meadow, that 2018 would be the Year of the Peep.  

Free range Peeps were encouraged to help in the t-shirt creating, site decorating, sign making, rock painting, food fixing, coffee hosting, and party planning.  And boy did they ever!  Everywhere you turned all week, you saw yellow Peeps!!

Aunt Becky & Momma Sharon acting silly 

Liz & Frank were a couple of Canadian Peeps

Highway Bob, Dave, & Momma Sharon gave a
Whisper Creek toast to Randy

Best Peep friends Katie & Fran were chillin'

First year Peeps Lewis & Dierdre joined in the fun

Would you believe that pimiento cheese Peep sandwiches showed up

Miss Pam used Peeps to decorate her site sign

My outside table was filled with a great variety of Peep collectibles

Pete & Beth taped pink Peeps on their caps for the Peep Show

Miss Lois found the perfect holder for plastic utensils at meals

Momma Sharon painted 5 Peep rocks to hide

I never knew there was such a thing as Cotton Candy Peeps

Miss Katie brought boxes & boxes of Peeps to
give away to every Blue Ridger

Marvin sported a nifty little Peeps cap

Crystal & Beth got caught up in the Wednesday night Peep Wars

Dave & Sheila set the Peep standard all week!

Aunt Becky shared her little solar Peeps with me

Guess who is behind the rooster mask . . . it's Sue!

Big Roo hung out at D'Nise & Bill's pad all week

Bet you've never heard of Pancakes & Syrup Peeps!!

Liz used a roasting pan to create her site sign holder

Here a Peep, there a Peep, everywhere a Peep Peep!  Momma Sharon's motto has always been "We have so much fun it should be illegal" . . . no truer words were spoken at the 2018 BRR!!

Thanks for dropping by this evening so I could tell you the ultimate Peep Story.  Until tomorrow night, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Peeps"

Crystal & Mary, a pair of Girl Campers of America Peeps

2018 Blue Ridge Rally By The Numbers

Hey everyone!  I am back in my dry T@Bport after 9 days of camping with the greatest Blue Ridgers on the face of the earth.  Momma Sharon told me that I could "have at it" this week and tell as many Stories as I want to.  And do I ever have Stories!!

I thought I would kick things off by sharing my BRR by the numbers.  I hope you will find this as cool as I do . . . 

 1 . . . kitty cat belonging to Miss Lilou

 2 . . . Canadians who have attended the BRR (Frank & Liz)

 2 . . . Blue Ridgers who surprised us with a Friday visit (Diane & Mary)

 2 . . . bottles of Whisper Creek TN Sipping Whisky to toast Randy

 3 . . . morning Coffee & Nibbles

 3 . . . suppers at Happy Cinco de Mayo Restaurant

 4 . . . campfires despite the rain

 5 . . . days of rain

 7 . . . Blue Ridgers who haven't missed one single rally (Momma 

           Sharon, Aunt Becky, Bob & Susan, Geo & Liz, Diane)

11 . . . Blue Ridge Rallies that Momma Sharon, Aunt Becky, 

           and I have hosted

12 . . . gatherings that involved food!

13 . . . pups hanging out in the campground

19 . . . states represented by our Blue Ridge Peeps

23 . . . Newbies who were with us for the very first time

55 . . . Blue Ridge alumni Peeps

49 . . . trailers that rolled into Fort Chiswell RV Park

78 . . . the number of Peeps having the time of their lives

800+ . . . the number of miles that Frank & Liz traveled from 

               Marmora, ON, Canada

100,000 . . . hugs, kisses, laughs, & tears

Pretty impressive, huh?!  That will give you an idea of how many Stories I have to tell.  So you are invited back each evening for a week or so to read all about it.  Until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & My 

Incredible Blue Ridge Rally"

Spic and Span For The Blue Ridge

Howdy everyone from the T@Bport where I am so clean and shiny, you need sunglasses to look at me!

This morning, Aunt Becky got out her bucket, soap, hose, and brush, then gave me a most excellent bath.  Momma Sharon followed up by washing way up high on my roof and giving me a good rinse.  Next she took a soft towel and hand-dried me so I wouldn't have any water spots.

The spa treatment was complete when Mom pulled out the Plexis and cleaned all my windows, inside and out.  They are so clean you can see yourself in them!  That stuff is magic.

If you don't know, it's Blue Ridge Rally time and we are rolling out of my T@Bport on Saturday morning.  Our destination is Fort Chiswell RV Park up in Max Meadows, VA.  It's the first time the BRR has gone to Virginia, so I am totally excited about this year.

My Camper Mom has just about worked her way through the massive to-do list, hoping to be finished by the end of today and then just take it easy tomorrow.  She has a little bit of packing to do in Splish and some fun decorating projects to finish.  Aunt Becky will be following us up I-77 on Saturday because we have so much gear to take, we need two vehicles . . . LOL.

I'm not sure if I'll be writing any Stories next week or if Momma Sharon will be sending any Postcards.  We both want to kick back and relax and enjoy ourselves.  I told her that she should at least post photos in a BRR album on her homepage and I think she likes that idea.

Until I'm back with Stories from the Blue Ridge, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & BRR Spa Day"

How The Stars Aligned - Chapter 7

Greetings everyone!  I hope you are having a groovy day.  Momma Sharon's whirlwind life continues believe it or not and I have a Short Story today about how the stars are continuing to align!

Our SC State Park trip last week was oh so fun, but I knew the respite for my Camper Mom was short-lived.  This week and next have been and will continue to be HECTIC (notice I put that in all caps)!

Just when you thought all those stars were aligned and you knew the whole Story, there's another Chapter!  This one involves the old girl, The Coffee Cup.  Mollie (Murphy's Ollie) won't be ready to roll out of the factory in Tennessee until mid-July, but our seasonal campsite at Raccoon Holler is ready and waiting on us right now.  The Cup has had leaks (Uncle Rob fixed those), she needed brake work (Jimmy took care of that at Newsome Tire), but she desperately needed new tires and a battery.  Plus sitting in the Javaport for months, she had accumulated quite a bit of dirt.

On Tuesday, Mom pulled out the hose, ladder, bucket, soap, and wash cloth and gave that old girl half a bath.  Yes, you read that right . . . half a bath.  This morning, she got out the dolly and rolled the little Scotty out into the driveway to give her the other half.  Then it was time to hitch her up to Splish for a date with Jimmy to get new tires and a new battery.

It was a little scary seeing her perched up in the air so high!  She couldn't have been in better hands though.  Mom reluctantly left her there until it was time to hitch a ride back over and pick her up.  By 3:00, new higher-rated trailer tires were on and a new battery was installed.  Then it was time for Splish to get some TLC . . . inspection, oil change, and tire rotation.

Everyone is back home now and tomorrow, packing will begin for the trip to Raccoon Holler on Saturday.  It will be Uncle Rob to the rescue once again.  He will be towing The Cup up the mountain for us because Splish doesn't have a brake controller.  He and Momma Sharon will get her all set up in site #86 and I predict it's going to be a glorious two and a half months in The Holler for everyone.

Tomorrow will be a fun day going through all the Cup's stuff and picking just the right items for her vacation in the mountains.  I think Mom has kinda forgotten where everything is . . . LOL.

Did you know that The Coffee Cup has a blog too?  Yeppers, but it's been a very long time since anything new was added there.  On Saturday night, I guarantee there will be a new post and you can check it out HERE!

Until it's time for the last Chapter of How The Stars Aligned, always remember . . .

"Peace, Love, & The Coffee Cup"

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"