FOREVER YOUNG

FOREVER YOUNG
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Huntington Beach State Park… Day 1

 

Monday, 10/28/2013

Huntington Beach State Park

Murrells Inlet, SC



This week we’re taking a break from our volunteer duties at J. Strom Thurmond Lake so that we can attend the Carolina Clan Reunion.  Paul & Marti and Terri and I left the Volunteer Village shortly after 10 A.M. and headed to a truck stop just north of Augusta, GA, to meet up with George and  Laurie.
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Paul and Marti were our fearless leaders with George and Laurie, then me with our rig, and Terri with our car all following.  No problems throughout our travels, and about six hours and 250 miles later we arrived at Huntington Beach State Park.

Terri and I are in site 101.
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That tree in the middle of the photo was a slight obstacle, but I successfully navigated around it and not INTO it!
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Six couples arrived the day before us on Sunday, so we had a nice welcoming committee when we arrived.

After we were all set up, Paul and I went to get some firewood.  I think we were successful!
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We should have more than enough wood for the week!

It was dark when we arrived with the firewood, so Howard used some of his own to get the fire started before we got back.  Soon after our return, we had the fire stoked and everyone gathered for a nice evening around the campfire.
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So far there are nine couples here:  John & Ginny, Jim & Dee, Howard & Linda, George & Laurie, Hank & Selene, Jim & Judy, Paul & Marti, Neil & Nancy, and us.  Ray and Kris should be arriving on Tuesday.

The fun is just beginning!

Thomson “Fall Crows”

 

Sunday, 10/27/2013

Volunteer Village

J. Strom Thurmond Lake

Modoc, SC



Friday, 10/25, we went to Thomson, GA, to view its annual display of Fall Crows.  But first, we made a stop at Dairy Queen and had Pumpkin Pie Blizzards!
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Terri’s small and my medium Blizzard
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They were delicious and very filling!  Terri actually helped me finish mine.  I should have only gotten the small.  Eye rolling smile

After our treat, we headed downtown to see all the Fall Crows which are scarecrows created/displayed by local businesses and themed to their particular type of business.  There were all kinds of Fall Crows including students, medical patients, health care providers, boy scouts, and many others.

Terri’s favorite was this display for a local tanning studio.
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My favorite was this one from H&R Block,
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with special mention of Georgia Power using a street lamp for a head, and insulators for the arms and legs…
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and also this guy from an HVAC place,
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and these two at the salon.
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Here are many more of the Fall Crows.
(click on the collage for a larger image )
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There were many, many very creative displays.  It was a beautiful day and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

Tomorrow, Monday, we’ll be “caravanning” with Paul & Marti and George & Laurie to Huntington Beach State Park for a week of fun with about 14 of our RV friends.

Volunteering and Fun with Friends

 

Thursday, 10/24/2013

Volunteer Village

J. Strom Thurmond Lake

Modoc, SC



It’s already been four weeks since we returned back to J. Strom Thurmond Lake to once again volunteer with the Corps of Engineers.  Time really flies when you’re having fun!  In addition to volunteering, we’ve been busy with potlucks, game nights, and other fun activities.

We had a couple of days to get settled in after our arrival on Tuesday, 9/24.  Then first thing Thursday morning, 9/26, all of the volunteers had a monthly meeting with our volunteer coordinator.  After the meeting, Terri and I went to the Visitor Center to help move a bunch of supplies to a supply room at a nearby location.  Friday, 9/27, we divided up a bunch of items in preparation for National Public Lands Day…
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which was Saturday, 9/28.  Many of the workamping volunteers were assigned tasks at various locations with local volunteer groups around the lake.  Terri was in charge of a group of local people at Petersburg Campground whose task was to spread mulch and beautify the gatehouse area.
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My group of about 14, mostly local geocachers, painted/stained picnic tables, also at Petersburg Campground.
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With the large size of Petersburg Campground, there was a lot of ground to cover, but because of their geocaching background, they had no problem walking from site to site.  Both Terri and I had very good, helpful groups to work with.

After a few hours of work, most everyone that helped out in the morning attended a hotdog lunch.  There were a lot of people that attended!
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Everyone seemed to have a good time, and a lot was accomplished during the day.

On Monday, 9/30, a “new” couple arrived at the Volunteer Village…
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our friends Paul and Marti!
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This is their first workamping gig.  After having had a few weeks to get settled in, they seem to be getting very comfortable with things and are enjoying themselves.  We’re looking forward to having some great adventures with them the next few months.

So far Terri and I have been keeping busy with various tasks.  Just like our last time here, we’re counting the fees collected at campgrounds, boat ramps, and day use areas.  Other tasks we’ve done over the last four weeks include retrieving cash registers, radios, and other equipment from the gatehouses that are closed for the season, performing safety inspections of grills for rust holes and picnic tables for loose/rotten/split boards, receipt to report reconciliations, fee can collections, and a weekly check on the supply and condition of life jackets that are provided for use at swimming beaches.

In addition to all our volunteer work, we’ve attended a couple of potluck dinners and several game nights here at the village.  We also went with our volunteer friends Rich and Jacquie to see the movie “Gravity” in IMAX 3D.  Rich, Jacquie, and Terri were all slightly disappointed, but I enjoyed it and thought it was great.  I think the movie has been over-hyped which may have led to some of their disappointment.

We’ve had several visitors to our humming bird feeder.  The expected…
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and the unexpected!
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On Wednesday, 10/9, our friends George and Laurie
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arrived at Petersburg Campground for a two-week stay.  Paul, Marti, Terri, and I stopped in to greet them and visit for a short while after they had arrived and gotten settled in.  We’ve had some great times during the last two weeks.  We all went out for lunch at Michelle’s Pizza in McCormick on Tuesday, 10/10.
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After lunch we explored downtown McCormick, SC.
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Paul, George, and I “spoke no, saw no, heard no” evil while we waited for our wives outside the local art museum.  Smile with tongue out
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Paul and Marti had all of us over for an excellent meal one evening followed by a nice campfire.
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Terri and I had everyone over for a cookout and a campfire another night.
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And we were all honored to be able to celebrate George and Laurie’s anniversary with them on Tuesday, 10/22.
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We went to TBONZ in Evans, GA, and the food was delicious!
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We all obviously had a great time!

Our first four weeks have been great.  Terri and I are looking forward to the rest of our stay here and the fun times ahead.


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