Day of Waiting; Day at the Beach

After having a couple days of cloudy days & some sprinkles/rain, I think we might be back to the nicer weather, just a little cooler. Of course, the natives love it!

Let's get the serious stuff out of the way first, then I will tell you about our days.

Bill's sister, Carolyn, had her open heart surgery this morning. We got the call this afternoon a little after 3 that she had 4 bypasses done & everything went very well. The surgeon sounded very optimistic according to her daughter, Brenda. We were very relieved! I thank all of you for your prayers & your support. It means a lot to have a feeling of being uplifted. And we all know, in Aaron's words, God Is Awesome! Continue those prayers for the next few days as we all know, the next 3 days are the most critical. Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Latest update at 9:30pm --- Carolyn has the ventilator off! GREAT NEWS!

Yesterday we spent hanging out around the trailer. Mark came over in the afternoon & installed our new part for the fireplace. We now have a working fireplace again. No more noisy fan or non-operable fan. He picked up Samuel from school before coming so we got to see the little guy too. Mark was dead tired on his feet. Tues. was a pinning ceremony for Chiefs. He had to attend the ceremony besides being up until 5am that morning doing the initiation stuff. Crazy traditions!

These were pictures I took while hanging out at the trailer. Those darn jets go so fast you can never get a good picture. Maybe this weekend when we go to the Oceana Air Show I'll get some good ones.

Prickly Pear Cactus at Holiday-Trav-L-Park parking lot at the beach. Cactus no matter where we go!!!

THOSE FAST JETS!OUR PESTY LITTLE SQUIRREL FRIENDNAVY ALL THE WAY

Today to keep us busy from dwelling on Carolyn's surgery, we walked the beach and met Mark for lunch at.............OK TOM & PHYLLIS..............ARE YOU READY FOR THIS>>>>>Murphy's, A Grand Irish Pub & Restaurant. It was very good. The food was great & not really that expensive considering it is one block back from the beach. Now Bill & I want to go back some evening to see what the entertainment is like. If you come & meet us we will take you Tom, along with your bride!!

INSIDE MURPHY'S - A GRAND IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT

Mark inside pub - badges all over walls

Mark's next ship insigniaBadges of fire departments & police departments from all over the country

After eating we walked the 20 blocks back to our truck. It's nice to walk the boardwalk or past the stores & never go into buy anything. Sales, sales, sales. But still more than I want to pay and every store is the same. I love the "where are you from, want a vacation package for.....". We got on-line & bought our tickets for our Anniversary Cruise for the end of the month & saved 30%. The price online was already less than what they were offering! What a bunch of scammers.

Walking along the beach & the scuptures & sights:

Fishing Pier at Virginia Beach, VA

School of fish sculptures

Artist at Work

Old Coast Guard Station

Band Shell getting ready for music on boardwalk

King Neptune Sculpture looking down boardwalk

Ship at sea

Virginia Beach Naval Aviation Monument - Very Impressive

It Began Here

Pilots Man Your Planes

The Team

Welcome Home

Our legs were really tired by the time we got back from the beach. So we just sat & relaxed the rest of the day. I finished my book & played a few games of solitaire. Since I didn't finish all my lunch, I had that for supper. That open faced Reuben Sandwich was delicious though. Would have tasted better if I hadn't had to warm it up though. Never as good as when it is first placed in front of you. Somethings the microwave just doesn't help.

Well, that about wraps up the last couple of days.


Until next time.......The Traveling Cardinal's

Still Sweating It Out in Virginia Beach

Just to let everyone know we are still sitting around here in Virginia Beach. Yesterday Bill sat & watched the races on TV & 2 Football games. I spent my day at the beach! It was wonderful. When I went to get in the truck the thermometer on the rear view mirror said 100 degrees!!!! Of course, once I started down the road, it went down to 94. A real temperature drop huh? Sitting on the edge of the beach in my chair, reading & chilling out was wonderful though. I left here at 1:15pm & didn't return until 6:30pm! A very relaxing afternoon.

Today we received word from Bill's niece, Brenda, that her mom (his sister Carolyn) not only has colon cancer, but she has to have open heart surgery on Wed. She went to Erie today to have a heart catherization done before her scheduled surgery on Fri. in Warren. They found 2-3 arteries 80% blocked & some others that show a lower amount of blockage. So, they scheduled the heart surgery for Wed. and cancelled the cancer surgery scheduled for Fri. in Warren. This means we will be taking another trip back to PA for a visit with family sometime the middle of Oct. No trailer, just the truck again. We can't believe all that has happened to our families and friends since we have left the area! Please keep them in your prayers. Knowing this is what Bill's mom went through makes things very scary.

Today in my email, I received a picture taken by a fellow camper across the road from us in Maryland. The boys were having a great time with a battery operated bug catcher. Unfortunately there was only two bug catchers and 4 boys. Nick and Noah are on the right, the other little guy is Shirley's grandson, & the guy in the front (Owen) is the owner of the bug catchers.

A note to my blog readers......Look at the counter!!!! I have almost 600 hits! WOW. Never thought that many of you would be reading! Thank You! Not many leave a comment, but let me know if you are the one to hit the 600 mark!

Mark is on leave for the next 4 days so hopefully we will get to do some things with him if he isn't tied up with catching up on his work at home. I think tomorrow he is going to install our new motor in our fireplace. The part came to his house, so now it is here waiting for installation. He and Samuel stayed at the trailer with us on Fri. night. It was fun to have the little guy here. Mark & I sat around the fire until after 2AM. I don't remember the last time I stayed up that late (except of course to read when I couldn't sleep)! I have many of those nights. Sometimes I just wake up around 1am & then have to read until I can go back to sleep. Why is it when you get older you can't sleep????

Well that's about it for now. Will keep you posted on the "highlights" of our life.

Until next time..........The Traveling Cardinal's

The Real Retiree's

Since we have arrived in Virginia Beach, we have really become the "beach bums". Not that we spend every waking hour at the beach, but we have truly become "lazy".

I think this is the first time we have actually just sat all day & relaxed. Reading books, listening to the Sound of Freedom (Navy Jets), & just plain chilling out. I think I "Might" be a little bit bored, but not enough to change my lifestyle! It just seems kind of good not to have to be anyplace at any special time.

Today was overcast & a little sprinkle now & then, but that's all. Spent the morning washing down the kitchen & getting the cooking crud off the shelf tops & ceiling fans. Then washed all the artificial flowers. Hard to get them dried out when it was damp outside. I had them setting on the picnic table & wouldn't you know....a darn squirrel came along & was eating the berries off my flowers!!! They sure are a nuisance! I keep telling the neighbors the park needs to get rid of a few of them. There is a saying....There is too much of a good thing!

Made a trip to Rite Aid & then to Wal-Mart for our monthly groceries. Yikes!!! I miss Aldi's!!! I sat & looked at recipe books before we went & my list just kept getting longer & longer. I hate to cook. If I could bake & hire someone to cook for me I'd be in 7th Heaven! Oh well, we can't have everything. The hardest part is finding a place to put everything in the fridge. How I ever thought I could get along with only one refrigerator, I'll never know! I guess the RV industry is a little bit smarter in some aspects.

Couldn't get our AC to work yesterday afternoon & it was terribly hot & humid around supper time. The circuit breaker was tripped. Couldn't get it to stay on. Called Lime Lake today & then Mark came over after lunch when he got home from work & looked at it. Took awhile, but finally figured out you have to push the circuit breaker all the way down & then back up & it stayed. Jay, from L.Lake, called while we were at Wal-Mart. He said just watch what we have running at the same time. It must have pulled too many amps at once. Hopefully that was all it was. Tonight is a lot cooler, so maybe we can sleep without lying in a puddle of water!

We found a place down on Pacific Ave. near the beach that we want to try out for lunch or supper. We will have to let Phyllis & Tom (The Murphy's) know how it was after we've been there!!! (Keep tuned Foofee!!)

Well, not much else going on. Mark & Samuel are planning on camping with us this weekend. That should liven things up! Maybe grandma will get some exercise!

Until next time.....The Traveling Cardinal's

Post Tropical Storm Hannah

Well, we made it through the storm. Really, it wasn't that bad. We didn't get a lot of rain. We got some wind on Sat. afternoon with some gusts now & then. The trees in the RV park were swaying at the top pretty good, but the trailer never moved. The evening was beautiful.

We did lose power around 1:15pm. It was back on sometime during the night. Our son, Mark, lives right down the road from us & he said they didn't lose it. Half of the park had it & half didn't. The half we were in was toward the beach, & they may have lost it in that direction. Didn't talk to anyone about it to find out.

Went to church in V. Beach this morning & everything looked pretty normal to me. There were several small branches & leaves down, but didn't see anything major. The smell of the pine trees was beautiful though. Had a fresh smell going down the road. Cleared the air I guess.

I talked to my daughter in Maryland & she said they were getting rain by the buckets. I think they got the brunt of the storm. Also, my friend Toni called. She was in Danville, PA & they were getting a lot of rain too. So I guess you could say, Hannah, passed through, said Hi, I've got more places to visit & away she went! I just hope all our visits with hurricanes are just like her. She was kind to us.

Well, since I have no big news, no fantastic pictures, I'll say so long for now. Just wanted to let everyone know we are safe & sound.

Until next time......The Traveling Cardinal's

Fulfilling Promises

Today it is raining in Virginia Beach. We are waiting for Hannah to hit, so there isn't much to do but wait. I got the laundry done this morning & caught up on emails, so now I must fulfill the promise of getting my blog updated with pictures.

We are a little nervous about Hannah, but we are prepared as much as we can be. We have extra water in the fridge, a full fresh water tank, our generator ready to go on the right gas tank, groceries in the trailer & hopefully we won't need any of the above!

Back to pictures from Maryland:

FIRST HAIRCUTS AT BARBER

Noah was first. I'm hanging on, but being brave

Almost done, Handsome!
Nick says, I know I need a haircut, but.......

Handsome Nick

Bar Harbor RV Park in Abingdon, MD on the Bush River

Fishermen out our back trailer window

Papa, Noah & Nick feeding the ducks
Renee, Nick & Noah feeding the ducks
Sorry you can't see them, but 2 eagles in the dead tree across river from campsite just left of left pillar

Ducks in sunset water

Heron caught his fish
Hunter swimming under water
Nick having fun with Mom & not afraid either!
I think it is almost over Nick's head!

Noah & Hunter

Noah just sitting here & splashing - not ready for the deep water yet!

Happy Birthday Tom

#1 Dad with his 3 boys

Tom & his family at his surprise party

Future Bird Watcher - Noah

Future Bird Watcher - Nick

Nobody wants to play with me, but I'll show you football someday!!!

Nick after his first day at Kindergarten

Nick walking home with Mom after first day at Kindergarten

Mommy & Noah first day of Pre-K

Cade, Kenny & Noah waiting for bus to Pre-K

Our baby going to Pre-K. Are his legs long enough to step up that big step? He was sooo proud to ride that bus!

An excited Noah! Nick just coming down steps of bus

Mom, Noah & Nick after Noah's first day at Pre-K

Now we have left Maryland, gone to Virginia Beach, returned to NY/PA over Labor Day. On our return trip to V.B. this is the GPS showing the road where I grew up in Fentonville, NY. The brown road to the right is the Bain Rd. Our house is on the top corner of the intersection. Kind of blurry, but the barn in the background was my grandfather's.

Hazy Blue Ridge Mountains in the background

This ship was going over tunnel when we were going through Hampton Bridge Tunnel

Navy ship in bay by Norfolk Navy Ship Yard

Now that I have caught you up with pictures again, I'll not bore you with more for a few days.....that is unless Hanna leaves us with some special pictures that I just can't resist! Let's hope they are pictures of water only & no damage.

By the way, Lime Lake Marina & RV contacted us yesterday & our fireplace repair part is on it's way to Virginia Beach!!!! One down, one to go! I think this is called progress.

Hope to keep updated more often. I do have Verizon Wireless Card now for laptop. I'm not completely happy with it, but I have it for the next 2 years. It was a tough decision financially, and now I wished I hadn't done it. It is slower than cold tar in January. I could have paid 1/2 the price for the Internet service at the campground. Now that isn't an option. I will fulfill my contract, then cancel it.

Until next time.......The Traveling Cardinal's

Many Days Later

I know I am way behind again & I will get up to date in the next couple of days. I just want to do a brief update to let you all know where we are & where we have been.

Our dear friend & neighbor from North Warren, Bill W., passed away this past Thursday after an accident where he fell from the back of a truck & struck his head on the pavement. It was a real tragedy for the family and the neighbors. He was a very dear friend of my Bill's and his wife was one of my dear friends with whom I had breakfast or lunch with each month along with our friend Judy. By coincidence, all three of us are married to Bills! So.....we had to be out of our campsite in Maryland on the 29th of August & had reservations in Virginia Beach for the 29th, so we brought the trailer to V. Beach, spent Fri. & Sat. here, then drove the truck back to PA/NY on Sunday. We stayed with my sister & her husband in Frewsburg until this morning. We arrived safe & sound back in V. Beach around 7:30 PM tonight.

After we had made our decision to return to PA for the funeral, we received a call from Bill's niece saying his sister had gotten a diagnosis of colon cancer. What a shock. So we were glad we got to come home & see her too. Her next test was done on Tues. & it showed no cancer in the stomach. So that was great news. Now if we can just get her through surgery & be cancer free, that will be a blessing. Please continue your prayers for our family & friends.

As I promised before, I will get some pictures downloaded & into my blog, but for now, this is all the news.

Until next time.....The Traveling Cardinal's