GOODBYE CAMP RED BAY 2008

Day 17 at Red Bay, AL.... Time is getting close to the date we have agreed to return to Green Cove Springs, FL, so RV and I are going to have to go in different directions for a few days. We just can't leave now - we are so at the end of our service issues as well as the improvements we have made to the coach. We thought it would be finished by now, but things like getting to the paint shop on Monday, completing the install of our SeeLevel gauges, completing installation of a new cabinet in the bedroom, etc. We finally got the convection/microwave vent to the outside of the coach and about 4 slide out cabinets in the galley (kitchen), and new custom matching cherry louvered ceiling fan covers on the inside. Sweet, as Kenneth, our grandson, would say! Anyway, I am leaving early Sunday morning to drive over to Atlanta (Marietta) and spend the afternoon and evening with Chris and Lauren (her 27th birthday) - Monday morning I will continue on to North FL to be with Kristen and Harold for his impending surgery, and look foward to being with our 4 beautiful grandchildren. Unfortunately, RV will be on his own in Red Bay, but we made sure he had plenty from Piggly Wiggly.

We have met many new friends and we just can't put a dollar value on all we've learned. We even met a couple who have been "fulltiming" for over 29 years. They have a 43' '09 Allegro Bus, and spend their winters in Palm Springs, CA. There are stories after stories, of fulltimers, wannabees (what we were in 07 and before, and many part-timers). RVer's are usually a friendly bunch and will share their expertise if only you take the time to introduce yourself and talk to them. No one seems to care how much your rig costs, or what you did in your past life. We met Ronny and Marianne DiGiglia's, who had just purchased a beautiful Phaeton on Ebay, had picked it up on the Indiana/Michigan border and drove through Chicago, and were taking the long way back home through Branson, Red Bay, etc., to their home in Punta Gorda, FL. We just love these stories and their wonderful positive attitudes. Marianne DeGiglia was my geocaching partner for several treasure finds this week. Mike and Sue Rees owned a large 1000- head Hereford cattle ranch in CA. After they sold and started fulltiming, are accompanied by their last of 5 cattle dogs, C.C. (cow catcher). Mike did not part with the hats and cowboy boots.

Red Bay produces some unbelievable craftsmen you may contract with to do work on your coach. We all share our coach experiences, costs for add-ons, and then you decide what you can't live without until next year. It not only updates your coach, but usually makes things more efficient for traveling. When we return for our appointment next year, we'll know who to talk to and what we want them to do. Their expertise involves everything from electronics to custom woodwork.