Multi Chapter Rally ~ Marion NC

Multi Chapter Rally Report   April 28-May 2

Everyone seemed to be in agreement that the first Multi Chapter Rally was a huge success. Bryan and Jane Rose and Larry and Marilyn Forbes did a fine job of organizing the rally, arraigning tours, gathering door prizes, and setting up catered dinners. We are all thankful for their many, many hours of work.

Final tally was 85 rigs in attendance with 156 Escapees attending. Some members drove in while their rigs were being serviced, a few just drove in, some members bought NEW rigs, many shopped at Tom Johnson’s RV store with a 10% Skp discount, while others just browsed through the many RV’s on display. Chapters 3, 6, 15, 16, 20, 26, 27, 29, 36, 41, 42, and 51 were represented. Many members from the Solo’s and the Boomers were also there.
We had some new Escapee’s sign up as well as new members to local chapters. Chapter 20 had 15 rigs and 30 members present! Way to go!
Chapter Directors Denny and Susie Orr attended the rally and we were also fortunate to have many club VCR’s in attendance. The VCR’s present were: Bryan and Jane Rose, Larry and Marilyn Forbes, Bob and Betty Bear, Stan and Betty Bober, Tom and Mary Ann O’Bryant, Bob and Molly Pinner, Keith and Shirley Murphy, and John and Janie Sloane.

The Rally Park at Tom Johnson’s Camping Center was more than adequate for our needs. We all enjoyed having a full hook up, a very nice pavilion, super clean rest rooms, and a great little restaurant nearby. The Tom Johnson Café served many of us a great breakfast and at lunch time the onion rings were said to be legendary. The prices were very reasonable.
Chapter 20 was responsible for the parking. Phil Devonshire was in charge and he wants to thank Rudy Mager, Bob Iles, Ira Hanks, John Strasbaugh and Jack Mulhall for their assistance.

The weather for most of the week was outstanding, Sunrise over the campground was beautiful to see, if you were awake to view it!
Early arrivals had a good time catching up on news and going out to eat. Is that a surprise? The Biltmore Estate in Ashville was toured by a large group on Friday. The azalea and other flowers in bloom this time of year really added to the beauty of this day.
A Behind the Scenes tour was also available at the Biltmore Estate and got great reports by all. The spectacular Blue Ridge Parkway was visited by many as well. Friday evening Chapter 20 hosted a Pot Luck Dinner. There was a total of over 50 hungry Skps that attended. Saturday and Sunday evenings were highlighted with catered dinners and Tom Johnson supplied wonderful bon fires for us on both evenings as well. Happy Hours were well attended every evening. A 50/50 drawing for CARE was held during Saturday’s Happy Hour. Paul Reed won the 50/50 and donated his winnings back to CARE.  CARE’s share of the 50/50 was $164, so the total sent to CARE from the 50/50 was $328. A couple of sun catchers were sold for $8, so the total check sent to CARE was $336.

Crafters were not to be denied. A small group of quilters managed to find each other and work on some cutting and stitching. Sue Spahn taught a class on One Stroke Painting and everyone left with a completed project, either a wine holder or a visor. Patty Mulhall instructed an eager group on pin prick card making while Phil Devonshire shared his knowledge of making aluminum can spinners. A fun time was had by all.
There was also a presentation on Thursday evening about the Blue Ridge Parkway. Dan Brown, a former top executive of the National Park Service, supplied us with driving tips, places of interest, and some wonderful history of the parkway. Vendors from MASA, Magna Shade and Fantasy Tours were on site as well.

Monday arrived with some VERY HEAVY rain, our only bad weather day. Most everyone was able to find an umbrella or two in their rig and make it to the pavilion for coffee, doughnuts and hitch up hugs. Many people left as scheduled but there was a fair number that decided that departure could wait for a sunnier day.
On Sunday afternoon anyone interested in continuing the Multi Chapter Rally next year had a preliminary meeting. It was decided that there was enough interest to continue planning for next year. So on Sunday evening committees were formed, officers were elected and serious planning began. Janie Sloane coined the acronym of Skip ACRE (All Chapter Rally East). So, the Tom Johnson Rally park, Marion, NC. has been reserved for next year 2011. The same time frame too, being April 28 - May 2, 2011. Rumor has it that the Bear's (Betty and Bob) are going to do their famous Sausage Gravy and Biscuits next year at this Rally.....Oh boy, we can't wait!!! BEAR GRAVY!!! Should be a great time for sure!!! Stan Bober, webmaster has already been busy updating the Rally Info Site and adding pictures of this year’s rally. There will be more to come I am sure, so keep checking the website at: http://sites.google.com/site/rallyinfosite/ .
As with all Escapee events, it was the fellowship, the caring and sharing, the willing volunteers, and the Skip hugs that made this a special event. Every Skp that attended made the rally special in some way. Thanks to all that planned, contributed and attended. See you next year!

Pictures contributed by Bob and Molly Pinner, Jack Mulhall, and Phil Devonshire

February~March ~April

  Good friends, lots of eating, bluegrass music, crafts and more. We had a super time and we were very busy. We stayed at the Escapee’s Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale Alabama until March 20, 2010. We heard bluegrass music at the Plantation, at Wales West Campground, at The Biscuit King and at the Gulf Shores United Methodist Church. We thoroughly enjoyed each performance. We also went to an excellent stage production in Gulf Shores called Red Hot Hollywood. This featured song and dance from the early days of movies to the present. What a great show that was. Staying at the Plantation is so much fun because we have made so many good friends that travel through the park during the winter.

   Of course we went out to eat often, enjoying the seafood that the area offers. We also made a couple of visits down to Billy’s Seafood and bought shrimp that was freshly caught. What a treat. They boil it and ice it for you right here.

   Bryan’s son Matthew had a school project that he shared with us. We were asked to take Matthew’s shadow, Flat Matthew to a few places with us. We were asked to take a few pictures, write a short journal and send Flat Matthew back to school. What fun we had with that! After Flat Matthew had been to the train, the beach, the bayou (to see an alligator), a scooter ride, a visit with Flat Tony Stewart, a ride on the trolley, and finally to the Mississippi River bank in Natchez MS, we sent him back. We enjoyed that assignment.

   I continued to do beading projects, I also learned to do pin prick card embroidery, and silk ribbon embroidery. I will have to keep practicing these crafts at home so that I don’t forget how to do them. It is wonderful that everyone is willing to share their talents with others. While I kept busy Phil kept us with his walking every day. He has walked at least 450 miles this winter.

   Phil and I went to the computer group on Thursday morning of each week. We have fun with this group and usually learn a lot. Toward the end of our stay I was asked to do a presentation on using Picasa. Wow! I quickly brushed up on my Picasa skills and got permission to use a handout that I had gotten at a computer workshop earlier this year. I had fun presenting this workshop to over 30 people. The fact that the Park had bought a projector this year really made the presentation easier.

   My Tennessee friends, Pat and Nancy, were vacationing in Natchez and then over toward Tallahassee Florida. We met them in Mobile Alabama. We had a great lunch and then we toured Fairhope Alabama with them. It was great to see familiar faces.

   On March 20 we said good bye to all of our Alabama RV friends. Then traveled to the Chapter 26 Rally in Hattiesburg Mississippi. Here we spent a wonderful week with lots of music, campfires, games, crafts, and good eating. A fun time was had by all.

   Toward the end of March we headed toward Natchez Mississippi. This is the third spring that we have visited this beautiful city. We toured the antebellum homes of Melrose and Elms Court. Next we traveled up to Vicksburg and toured the museum, the battlefield and the city. This is also a lovely city and we had a good day.

   Finally in early April, spring seemed to be here at last! The azalea and the red bud trees have been late to blossom. We left Natchez and continued up the Natchez Trace Parkway until we reached Pat’s in Tennessee. The spring flowers and trees are beautiful and we enjoyed the Easter weekend here.

 

   We were planning on staying out until early May, but I felt my home calling to me. So, we will be leaving tomorrow for home. We have had a wonderful winter, although cool. We will be taking several trips to RV rallies throughout the spring and summer, but it is time for us to be home to see family and friends there.

  I am not sure when the next entry will be. Probably after our trip down to Marion NC the end of the month to the Eastern Multi Chapter Rally. Until then, stay safe and healthy. God bless you all.

Good Friends, Beading and Bears

Sorry to be so late with news. I have not posted because we really have had a pretty quiet winter. A good deal of the time we have been snuggled up in the RV, trying to keep warm. The first two weeks in northern GA were quite cold, as they were everywhere. We were running heat a lot. We did get out in the wonderful sunshine, when it was there. While we were trying to keep warm, I taught myself how to make the quilted Christmas ornaments. They were a challenge.

We visited with friends, went out to eat, saw a couple of movies, and so on....We saw AVATAR in 3-D. It was all that the media said it was. We also went to see SHERLOCK HOLMES and we were not as impressed with that flick. Our friends, Cathy and Larry, came down from South Carolina to visit on a weekend and we had a great time while they were there. Phil and 'the guys' went shopping at the tool stores a couple of days, so naturally 'the girls' went to lunch and shopping as well. Country Oaks remains one of our favorite places to be in the winter.

In February we headed to Alabama and back to the Escapee's Park in Summerdale Alabama. This is always like coming home because we have made so many wonderful RV friends here. Phil was busy for a while helping our friends Jon and Pat La Pointe insulate and sheetrock the ceiling of their shed. I was busy beading and building a teddy bear. He is sewn together by hand and his head, arms and legs are jointed.

Every year I try to learn something new here. There are always craft classes going on. I have worked with some people on their computers and we have gone out to eat A LOT. Of course, then there is always someplace to go to listen to Bluegrass Music as well. Last Sunday we were invited to go to the Gulf Shores UMC to hear Stained Glass Bluegrass. When we arrived (an hour before the performance) there was already a very large gathering waiting for the doors to open. They are able to seat about 750 people and Sunday was the fourth night that this event was sold out. Quite impressive. We really enjoyed the performance. Yesterday we traveled down to BILLY'S SEAFOOD and bought two pounds of jumbo shrimp, right off the boat. They even cook it for you. We came home and our friends Jean and Tom shared their Italian Pasta Salad with us while we all peeled and ate shrimp. It was a treat.
Spring comes early in this part of the country. We are eagerly looking forward to the wonderful displays of azalea and red bud trees. The good news is that there is no drought wherever we travel!
Phil is still walking about 5 miles each day. I am feeling fine and hope to stay that way! Next update will come toward the end of March, we will be on the road again at that time. We hope that this finds everyone well. God Bless until next time.
Cindy and Phil

December - January 2010

Well, we enjoyed our Christmas and New Year’s Eve at Bushnell FL. This is our table for Christmas dinner.

During the month we played cards often with Dave, Karen, Jean, and Tom. We got a bit rowdy quite often. We also had a great movie night and watched Australia.
We took off on a couple of afternoons and went to the Rails to Trails Of The Withlacoochee. This was a great trail that was paved over the railroad.

Dave and Jean were the walkers, Tom and Phil rode their bicycles and I took my scooter. The scenery was great and we did over a mile each day, that is two miles because of the return trip! Of course, afterwards we had to go to lunch, which kind of made it all a wash…
The biggest news of December 2009 and our best Christmas present of all was the news that our son, Craig was now home from his second tour in Afghanistan. He will be on terminal leave as of the end of March 2010, so he will not have to be away from his family again. Denise and the kids are really excited to have him home again.


On December 31st we were delighted to have Jim and Dottie McIntyre, friends from Rainbow Plantation, pull in. It was great to see them and do a quick catch up on their family news. Hopefully, they will get to the Plantation later this year.
 
On January 1 everyone got up early to wish us Godspeed on our way.

Karen and Dave Long


Tom and Jean Forney
We traveled through some very heavy rain as we traveled north to Kingsland GA. Shortly after we left Bushnell, we got off of the interstate to wait for about 30 minutes before the rain let up enough for us to travel on our way. We arrived at Country Oaks around 3:00 in the afternoon. We set up quickly and we were happy to see many of our friends from past years. At about five we traveled down a few sites to join everyone at Sid and Jeff’s Pub. It was great to see everyone again and to catch up on recent happenings.
We have been to the movies twice. The first time it was to see Avatar in 3-D. It was great, everything that the ads have said it would be. The second time we saw Sherlock Holmes. This movie was good as well, but not as outstanding as Avatar. We had beer and pizza afterwards, which made it all seem worthwhile!
It has been very cool here, as it is in most of the south. We have had several nights that were below freezing, but it the sun comes out it warms up nicely during the day. Here is a picture of some ice that has built up from the sprinkler system down the road from us, a real happening around here!

Phil is still walking every morning, he does about five miles each day. I get out and do a little bit each day, sometimes it is through Wal-Mart to do grocery shopping!
Other than that, things are pretty quiet. We are keeping busy and keeping warm. I’ll let you know soon when something exciting happens.