ST AUGUSTINE, FL. Yesterday I canceled our reservations for traveling to Eastern Canada.  Betty's back is simply giving her too much pain, so we must wait until after she can have surgery to fix it before venturing off again.   

ST AUGUSTINE, FL.  I have completed my review and processing of images from our North Carolina trip in June and July.  About the only thing of interest worth including here are from our trip to Mt Airy, NC to see the town and Andy Griffith Museum in his home town.  The lighting inside the museum was not good, so note that I did what I could to capture the best of that trip.  The town and museum are of interest to baby boomers who grew up with the Andy Griffith Show.  The young folk in Mt Airy hardly know how to find the museum, so it took us a few tries to get there.

The Museum is Behind the Playhouse

To the right of the playhouse, beyond the bushes, is the statue of Andy and Opie as seen in the introduction of each show.  Hand-in-hand they go fishing together.  We all wish that represented the typical family scene in our country today. 

Father and Son Whistling Along

Like All the Other Visitors, We Had to Get Into the Act

Steven As Well

From the museum, the following images were of interest to me.  There were also old photos of the movies in which Andy Griffith appeared, as well as photos of people and places likely of interest mostly to the locals.

Andy as a Baby

Andy's Early Years at a Simpler Time

Andy with His Family

Andy's Childhood Home in Mt Airy

After visiting the museum, we walked down a street in Mt Airy that harkened back to scenes from the TV show.  Along with the usual tourist attractions selling food and souvenirs, we found the following.

It Was Closed When We Got There, So We Did Not See Floyd

We Just Missed Getting Lunch at Snappy Lunch
Wonder What a Pork Chop Sandwich Tastes Like

And Barney's Old Squad Car Was Parked Out Front

Since the Other Eateries Were Closed by Mid-afternoon,
We Stopped at Walkers Soda Shop for Burgers, Fries, and Ice Cream

ST AUGUSTINE, FL.  My laptop computer now has a new internal hard drive and battery, thanks to the Geek Squad in Jacksonville.  Getting all programs, icons, bookmarks, etc. situated correctly is taking some time, but I am making progress.  Meanwhile the UPS surge protector connected to my desktop computer upstairs started screeching, meaning that its UPS battery has gone out.  Now I had to order a new device because there is no longer a battery replacement for it.  My desktop computer is vital because it has Photoshop resident on it, and I can no longer repopulate my laptop computer with it.  Adobe now requires that you pay them a monthly fee.  Stay tuned ...

Once I get the latest photos prepared, I'll update further.  Our next trips will not be RV trips.  In September we fly to Eastern Canada to participate in two Tauck bus tours, Capital Cities and the Maritimes.  In late December we fly to Israel to participate in a Holy Land tour with Michael Card.

As for the motorhome, in a few days mobile techs will come to fix the washer and a few other things that quit working while we were in North Carolina in June and July.  We are thankful that prior to this year, our motorhome trips progressed without significant mechanical trouble.  We had gotten used to the idea, then came this year.

BOONE, NC.  Sunday night my computer began to act strangely.  I ran several Norton security scans to no avail.  Monday, the 27th, I took it to the local computer "geeks" repair shop and paid nearly $50 for diagnostics. They assured me that they would call me by end of day with their findings.  I heard no more that day.  Not a good sign.

On Tuesday (yesterday) I called them to find that the system and hard drive had serious problems, but that they would try all day to copy data from the hard drive, reconfigure the drive, then attempt to restore as much data as they could to the drive. All for a couple hundred dollars.  I told them to do no more and that I would pick up the computer today, which I did.  When we go to Asheville next month, I shall take the computer to their Best Buy store and have their Geek Squad look at it.  I may end up getting a new computer.

I am typing this on Betty's computer at the library.  She went to physical therapy this morning and is home resting.  They are working her harder now. 

Yesterday afternoon had the kind of weather we had hoped to find here this summer, sunny but with a cool breeze.  We sat outside and read books.  Betty caught a candid shot of me (see below).

Caught Me by Surprise

We would have liked to take a short hike in the pleasant weather, but Betty has been aching in her legs (etc.) and needed to remain less active.  She is trying to get an appointment with a neurologist here, but is still waiting.  We miss having many places to find things we need.

One of the pleasantries here is seeing blossoming plants that will not grow in Florida.  Early this month we snapped a photo of a Japanese Dogwood tree (Cornus Kousa) in flower.  Its outer leaves turn white much as poinsettia leaves turn red, rather than producing actual flowers.  One can barely get a Floral Dogwood tree (ironically named Cornus Florida) to thrive in Florida.  The former tree's photo is below.

Japanese Dogwood in Bloom

Yesterday afternoon I took a short walk through the campground and shot a photo of a Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum Carlcephalum), another plant that will not thrive in Florida.  I have tried.  

Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum Carlcephalum)

I now shall depart here, do some shopping, and return to the motorhome.  Hard to believe that we have been here nearly a month now.  Tomorrow will be the last day of June.

BOONE, NC.  Today we visited nearby Elk Knob State Park.  It is only a few years old and still being improved.  There was no entry fee, which offset any disappointment with the meager visitor center and maps.  Finding it was an adventure in itself, in that it was located off a back country winding road with few signs.   It was only 6 miles from the main road, but seemed many times longer winding along at 35 mph through scenes seemingly from Tobacco Road.  

Finally Arrived at the Park

Betty Shot This Inside the Park

Finding Our Location on Their Map

The sound of an approaching thunder storm drove us out early, but even with the unseasonable heat and humidity it was a nice walk.

BOONE, NC.  I am seated in the Appalachian Regional Library in Boone.  The battery in my computer died, so I need a place with WIFI AND a place to plug in the AC adapter for the computer. 

Betty is back at the KOA doing laundry in their coin laundry since our wunderkind RV washer died early in our stay here.  There is nowhere to service it around here, so we shall have it fixed after we return to St Augustine.  Meanwhile, we must feed the ravenous quarter-eating monster.

On Tuesday the 7th, we drove to Blowing Rock to visit and have lunch with the Rohrbaughs and Mary Ann Hayes from our home church in St Augustine.  After lunch and some sightseeing in town, Betty and I drove to the feature after which the town is named, the Blowing Rock, about which someone made up a "legend" about an Indian princess and her lost love, etc.  I wonder how many such legends exist from as far back as Pocahontas. Below is the rock in question.

Rohrbaughs, Betty, and Mary Ann

The Blowing Rock

 There are other such rocks there, like the one below.  There were few to none in the way of attendants to explain what the significance of these are, and the heat and humidity were so great that all we wanted to do was stay in the snack bar and drink cold bottled water at over $2 each.  We came here to escape the heat and humidity of Florida only to find this.  In a few days, after a few storms, the temperatures should lower.

Another Rock Formation

The view from the overlook (see below) was nice except for the haze in the distance.  

View from the Overlook

At some point influential folk built substantial homes on adjoining ridges. Below is one example.

Private Home on Adjacent Ridge

Below is the Observation Deck, which extends the viewer a bit farther in the direction of the valley below.

Observation Deck

We decided to send our "retired" associate pastor and his wife, who were vacationing in (much cooler) Maine, a selfie of us at the Observation Deck (see below).

A Rare Effort at a Selfie

Betty later took the following not-so-flattering shot of me examining the area.  

Looks Like I am Doing Back Stretches

Betty took the following of me trying to recover from the heat in the air conditioned area beside the snack bar.

After a Couple Cold Bottles of Water

If the weather had not been so awfully hot and humid we might have hiked some trails and had a much better overall experience there.  As it was, it seemed only like one more tourist trap.

BOONE, NC.  Yesterday after church, we visited one of the local "must-see" attractions, the original Mast General Store, established 1883.  I was expecting something like the Vermont Country Store, but the emphasis here was on guns, knives, shoes, some clothing, soft drinks, candy, and a post office that continues to serve locals.  Somewhat nostalgic.  Gone are the days when the featured products were dry goods, livestock feed, fertilizer, and seeds.  I have included a few images below (click on images for a larger view).

The roads around here are narrow, winding, and hilly.  Great care is required when pulling onto these since so many drivers go fast, which is aided by the steep descents from connecting hills, and each way you look tends to be a blind corner.  This is true in the rural areas as well as downtown Boone.

Entry is a Throwback to Simpler Times

Entry Shows the Post Office on The Left

Drinks and Snacks for Tourists

Old Time Coca-Cola Cooler

Filled With Drinks From An Earlier Time

If You Are in the Market for Some Rusty Nails ...

And the Obligatory Pot-bellied Stove

BOONE, NC.  I am seated in the local Starbucks in order to have WIFI.  I was able to enter the June 1st entry at the KOA, but it would not complete the update until the wee hours of June 2, thus the date displayed was the second.  I have now corrected it.  WIFI at the KOA is virtually non-existent, and the cell phone coverage (Verison) is pretty lame.  And there is no cable TV either.  Yet it is a beautiful location.

Once housing costs come back down, we shall find a small house or condo with decent connectivity.  Should also be quieter.  The RVs pulling in and out at all hours was no concern back when we were also doing the same as we traveled cross-country.  This is our first experience staying put for weeks on end.  Very educational. 

As you can tell, keeping this blog up-to-date will be difficult.  I suppose I could come here to the Starbucks every day.  We shall see.

We did get the chance to hike up one of the gravel roads by the KOA to an old cemetery.  Many 19th century markers, along with some presently unmarked jagged stones seemingly from an even earlier time.  Betty shot the following images.

BOONE, NC.  Arrived here just before 4 pm.  We left home on Memorial Day, stopping for the night south of Savannah, GA.  The second day we travelled to Kinard, SC about 50 miles north of Columbia.  From there we journeyed to the Boone KOA where we shall stay for the months of June, July, and August.

This is a first for us in that usually we travel to more places on each trip, staying a night or two at one place, leveling the motorhome, putting out the slides, hooking up electric, plumbing, etc, then unhooking all that, bringing in the slides, attaching the Jeep behind the motorhome, and moving on to the next stop.  If you think that sounds like a lot of effort, you are correct.  When exploring new and interesting places for the first time, it all seemed worth it.  But we have traveled the country enough times that settling down to one really nice place to relax for the summer months is a great new adventure for us.  Besides, the cost of diesel fuel is over the moon, and filling up every other day is far too expensive. It will be nice to spend this time in a cooler place away from any hurricanes.  We also will be afforded so much time in this area that we can visit attractions that we have missed in the past due to limited time.

This also means that we shall not waste so much time on highways waiting in line to pass road construction sites or passing through small towns with more stop lights than you can imagine.

Hence, we may not have daily news to report from different camp sites, but we may likely have something to report on local attractions, along with a few photos.  Speaking of photos, below are attached a few of where we are staying here at the KOA.

 

View from Our Window

Our Camp Site

Bushes Are in Bloom