AmerEagle07

Sorry it has taken so long to put another entry on this blog. I must confess that I (Gloria) have been writing Charlie's blog and will continue to write it. As you know, I am traveling with the "Prez." We left home on December 26 and went to Kennedale, Texas, to visit with Sheri Brewer and Gene Miller. We spent New Year's with them along with Rod and Ethel Sartwell who were also at Sheri's house. On January 2 we left Kennedale in Sheri's coach along with Sheri headed for Indio, Calif., and the Western Area Rally. Sheri needed worked done on her awnings and it could only be done at the factory in California. The weather out to California was good and we were ahead of schedule. We stopped in Arizona to visit Sherry and George Tomaszewski. They took us to a car show and it was fun seeing all the cars that brought back memories of days gone by. We also visited with Lloyd and Wendy Holloway and Steve and Beverly Martin in Havasu City. We did not plan on stopping by and they were surprised when we called and told them to look out the window. We arrived in Indio, Calif., and the Western Area Rally with lots of hellos and hugs. We have met so many people we feel we have family all over the country. We were invited to a BBQ with the Overland Trailblazers and had a good time. They are experts at BBQing and trimmings. We even signed up to go to their post rally on the Columbia River after the Redmond Homecoming. The Apollo Amigos also had us for breakfast on Saturday morning. We enjoyed the breakfast and especially meeting and visiting members of the chapter. They have a real "rally in a rally." They set up their own kitchen and have meals together throughout the Rally. What great fellowship we had with them. There were lots of vendors and seminars, and the ladies tea was really entertaining. They had Sarah Getto perform several songs; a fashion show; and Debbie Reynolds' daughter-in- law demonstrated her makeup by doing two make-overs. After the Western Area Rally Charlie went to Pomona, Calif., for a sight visit for the 2015 Winter FMCA Homecoming. I went to Las Vegas with Sheri, Wendy and Beverly. We relaxed, shopped, walked through the hotels, shopped, had good food, shopped, and just had fun laughing and being silly. After eight days in Vegas, Sheri and I met Charlie in Kingman, Ariz., and headed by to Texas. It was quite a sightseeing all the shopping bags and luggage going into the coach. We left Sheri's and went to Bella Terra in Foley, Ala. Tom and Lorna Eller hosted a Wine and Cheese reception for us and Charlie promoted FMCA. Attendance was good. On January 26 we arrived in Brooksville, Fla., for the SEA Rally. It started raining and did not stop until Saturday evening in time for the parade. The rain and chilly temperature did not deter anyone from seeing the vendors, attending the seminars, playing games, and going to entertainment. I enjoyed the vendors, too. They had different types of vendors that I don't usually see at rallies and money was spent. The ladies tea was well attended. The entertainment was a lady who collects vintage clothing. She had several models who wore the clothing well. Clothing from the Victorian era through the 1960s was shown.

You should have been here yesterday. When we got Gucci (the pigmy goat) we did not realize how tame she was. We didn't want her to run off so I kept a rope on her collar so she could acclimate to her surroundings and not run off. She was in the barn out of the weather and had company with our cats and the cows when they get under the shed. She has not paid attention to either. She thinks she is human. As long as I am with her she follows behind and never runs off. I asked a friend to come escape proof a corral that goes into the other side of the barn and to take down an awning to the party barn. We surveyed the corral and went back to my house to take the awning down to get it recovered at the upholstery shop. Gucci almost beat me back home. She got loose some how and was dragging her rope behind her. You have to understand the barn is at my daughter's house across the pasture (about 1/4 mile from my house). We caught her and tied the rope to a tree while we had the awning fixed. When we got back Gucci was not tied to the tree any more. In fact, she was no where in sight. So I get on the golf cart and go looking for her while my friend works on the corral. Can you see me out riding on a golf cart yelling "Gucci, Gucci, come here Gucci?" Some new neighbors are having a house built across the road and I noticed yesterday that Gucci would look in the direction of the noise but would stay close to me. I decided to ride in that direction yelling Gucci and I hear a "baaaaa". The workmen had her tied up to a tree and was I glad to see her. We finished the corral and now she has a new home and I hope she will enjoy the outside as well as the inside. She also is not completely by herself in the barn. A couple of years ago I built an apartment in the barn for an employee who was in need. In return he takes care of the animals when we are gone. He said he always wanted a pigmy goat as a pet and when he is not at work he is there to pay attention to her. Tonight is a good night to stay inside. It started raining this afternoon and we are expecting wind, heavy rains, and maybe some severe thunderstorms over the weekend. It is really warm here and I have seen tornadoes in Arkansas in December as well as almost every month of the year. This weather has been so strange this year. Last week in Cincinnati it was freezing and now in Arkansas it is like Spring on the day before Winter starts. It is only 5 days until Christmas. Gifts are not bought and house is not decorated. I think Gloria is about to go into panic mode. She hasn't been able to drive and I am not a shopper so we have not bought many gifts. But decorations and presents are not the true reason we celebrate Christmas. We enjoy getting together with family and friends and in fact we will have company for Christmas Dinner. When you sit down to eat your Christmas Dinner think of all the military personnel around the world as well as all the emergency workers in our country who give up their Christmas so we can celebrate ours. Our motor home is being packed and the last minute things are in the process of being organized. I washed the golf cart so it will be clean when we start out. I'm ready to get on the road and see more of my FMCA family and the beautiful United States. We will be spending New Year's with friends in Texas (Sheri Brewer & Gene Miller). We hope to see lots of you in Indio at the Western Area Rally. We are meeting up with a couple, (Mike & Cindy Kelley of Richland, WA), at the rally that we met years ago when we were going to races. They were at the Martinsville, VA, NASCAR race and we met one morning on our daily walk. He had owned a body shop so we had lots to talk about. They have been to our house several times and we have been to see them. Gloria went back to the Retina Doctor this week and is doing well. Her sight is returning but is not completely back. He said she can travel and to make an appointment to see him when we get back home from our travels. Gloria and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year. Be safe in your travels and "Remember It is All About Having Fun".

We left home on early Wednesday morning and it was a beautiful day for traveling. We didn't take the motorhome and stayed in a motel. Jon and Sondra came, too. Jon and I conducted some business while there. There is always business to take care of. Our main reason for going to Cincinnati was to attend the office Christmas party. We had good food and fellowship. We played some games such as musical chairs with a balloon between the knees, marshmallow toss, a relay race obstacle course where we were holding a paint paddle with an oven mitt and balanced a balloon through the obstacle course, and a scavenger hunt with each team tied together with ribbon. The average of all games determined the winner. Gloria's team was #1, #2 was Jon Walker's team, # 3 was Sondra Walker's team and my team came in last. I sure was tired when I got back to the motel, but isn't it "All about having fun?" We had lots of fun. Thanks to Gear for donating the money for the party for the employees. We are now on the road back home. We had a wonderful time at the party and I think the staff enjoyed it, too. We left Cincinnati at about 4:30 a.m. and were home a little after 1 p.m. I think it was as cold here as it was in Ohio. It was a beautiful day to drive but rain was expected in Arkansas, so we were pleased when it didn't start raining until we drove into the garage. We are now looking forward to Christmas.

We traveled to Rayne, Louisiana for the Cruisin' Cajun Christmas Rally. They also had the installation of new officers for 2014. I had promised Steve Champagne that if I was elected FMCA President I would install him. You have to keep a promise. Since it was cold it was nice to stay inside and Gloria got her share of playing Hand and Foot. We visited with old friends and made new ones. Gloria and I also did a lot of dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. Thank you Cajuns for a good time. I don't remember if I mentioned it the last time I wrote about having to put Nuk Nuk, the goat down because of old age and arthritis. It was sad because he had been a companion to horses and cows for thirteen years, While in Rayne, Glynn and Jeanette Romero said they had a pet pigmy goat that they needed to give away to a good home. Well, guess what, we brought Gucci home in a pet carrier in the back floorboard of my truck. The weather in Arkansas took a turn for the worst while we were gone and we didn't know if we could make it home from Rayne or not. We made it to the end of our drive way without any trouble. Since not very much traffic comes to the end of the road we live on it was a thick sheet of ice. We made it as far as the incline to the drive and we stopped. The motor home would not go any further. I finally disconnected the truck and tried the motor home. It made it to the edge of the pasture and buried up. That was not good. It stayed there all night with the hydra-hot on and the auto gen start set. I will call Coach Net today and hopefully get it pulled out and back in the barn. This morning I got out with the tractor and blade and have been pushing ice out of the drive way. It is a cold job and I would rather be somewhere warm. Hope the weather improves soon. We are headed to Cincinnati on Wednesday (not in the motor home but car). The Gear Rally gave the Cincinnati office a donation for their Christmas party and we are going to be here along with John and Sondra Walker.

Well, let's try this again. Third time ought to be a charm. I am not good at this sort of thing and I waste so much time when I need to be doing something else. I have so much to be thankful for this year. I campaigned for President of FMCA and thanks to all of you I was elected. I am thankful for all the new friends I have and all the people I have met at rallies all over this nation. I am thankful for a family that loves and supports me and friends that give me advice and support. We have invited guests coming for Thanksgiving dinner and if anyone is traveling through Searcy you are welcome to come to our house for dinner. There will be plenty of food, fellowship, and fun. This past week I was able to go to northern Louisiana to visit with relatives and friends I haven't seen in a long time. My, how the time flies. There were third- and fourth-generations there and I am now the "elderly" part of the family. We caught up on each other's lives and had a lot of fun. We took our grandkids, Dalton and Megan, and I showed them some of the places where I grew up; the school I went to, where the house used to be where I was born, and the cemetery where a lot of my relatives are buried. Gloria has a cousin who lives in the same town, but she wasn't home, so we stayed in a suite in their motel. The grandkids liked that because they had their own room and, being teenagers, they thought that was cool. Oh yes, my grandson, Dalton, had his picture on the front of the sports section of the local newspaper. They won their first playoff game 48-16 (that's 25 games in a row). The next game is going to be a challenge, though. The team that the Wildcats are playing is also undefeated, but we have home advantage. It will be a good game ... then one more game before state finals. Go Wildcats!!

I made up my mind that I was finally retired and why not sleep later. I do stay up a little later. I did go to bed at 8:00 now I go to bed at 10:00. There are a few days I do get up earlier. When I do that I usually end up taking a nap in the afternoon. I guess it is all in the body readjusting to time.

I've been home two weeks and have accomplished a lot. The hay is in the barn, the yard and pasture is mowed for the winter, and I have learned to sleep until 7 a.m. For years I have been an early, early riser. I guess that was left over from my years in the Air Force and being a workaholic. If I couldn't watch the sun come up, something was wrong. Maybe I have finally retired from working, except for FMCA. This past Thursday I took Denise, my daughter, and Megan, my granddaughter, to the final football game of the season for Harding Academy, where the grandkids go to school. We traveled to a place called Barton, Ark. It is down south in farm country. This school in the past has been the most winning team in the United States. In recent years, though, they have lost a few games. This year they were undefeated and Harding Academy was undefeated. The Harding Wildcats (of which my grandson, Dalton, is one) beat them by a score of 24-20 in the last half. Quite a game. State playoffs starts next week. I'll let you know what happens. Last year the Harding Wildcats won state in their division in football, basketball and baseball. We are so proud of them and hope we have another year of championships. Gloria continues to feel better. Her sight is slow to come back, but the doctor seems to think that is normal. We have another appointment this week to see him. I almost forgot to thank all of the veterans of this great country for your service. No matter what war you fought in, you are appreciated for the sacrifice you made so that we can travel the USA and enjoy our freedom. For those who served in Viet Nam, Welcome Home, Brother.

Gloria had her surgery and the doctor said that it went as expected. Now it is a waiting game to see how much vision she will have after recovery. Recovery takes some time and we are both impatient for her vision to return to normal. She looks like she has been hit in the eye. The white is red and looks very angry and her eyelid and cheek are bruised. I promise I did not hit her. Being a nurse has not been bad. I pass through the house and ask what I can do to help her but it is time to let her do a few things in the house. After unpacking the motor home our house looks like a storage unit. We still have lots of things to put away but you all know all about that. After you live in the motor home for a few months you collect new stuff and now you have to find a place to put it. I am looking forward to the holidays. Giving thanks for all we have and all we can do is a special time of year. We give thanks all year long but at this time of year we remember our founding fathers and the struggles they went through to make life easier for the next generations. It is also a special time to be with family and friends and we are looking forward to having both this year for Thanksgiving. Lots of food, fun, and fellowship will be had at our home.

Fall is in the air in Arkansas. We finally arrived home yesterday after two months of traveling and going to rallies and meetings. It rained this morning (which is not unusual for us) and was a dreary day. The colors are beautiful and the coolness in the air tells me we will not have any more hot weather this year. We had a week of meetings for the newly elected AVPs so that they could learn all the things they should know about FMCA as AVPs. The second week of meetings were for FMCA business and the Executive Board. We acted as a team and everything went well. The evenings were spent getting to know everyone better and Gloria and her Support Committee did a very good job with the meals. We had more to eat than we should have and went home every evening full and tired from the day's work. Gloria will have retina surgery tomorrow so I have to be a nurse for a few days. Think about us. I am not one to be still or stay in the house. When my typist (Gloria) is better, I will post again.

We left Cincinnati and it rained on us to Berlin, Ohio. It rained Saturday, and when we left on Sunday it was still raining. We arrived in York, Pa., to cloudy skies but no rain. We got settled in and visited a few people. After dinner on Sunday night, while returning to our motorhome we ran into the Yankee Travelers we had met at Scusset Beach, MA. It was like an old homecoming -- lots of hugs and "I've missed you." It was so good to see them again. It rained on Monday and again on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I heard we had 11 inches of rainfall. It quit Saturday and we had a beautiful sunrise and the rain stayed away long enough for the GEAR Parade. The rally was held in a building that was big enough for everything: seminars, donuts, entertainment, crafts, and food vendor. We probably could have put show coaches inside also. When we left the coach in the morning we didn't come back to it until after entertainment. I want to thank all the parkers, security, trams, and people who had to work in the rain. I know it wasn't fun being wet and cold. We had a sock hop with the poodle skirts, the Marlin Brothers, Sarah Getto, and Jimmy Fortune for entertainment. They were all good and the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves. We had one lady who could really dance. She could shake every bone in her body and everyone enjoyed watching her dance. The ice cream social was great. You got all the ice cream you wanted with toppings, too. We left on Sunday morning headed back to Cincinnati and it rained some more. The motorhome and truck needed a major wash job when we arrived in Cincinnati. The truck did get one, but I'm still waiting on the Wash Fairy to appear to do the motorhome. The next two weeks will be filled with Executive Board meetings in Cincinnati. I'm looking forward to seeing all the Executive Board and getting on with the business part of FMCA. We can have lots of fun but we also have to take care of the business.

Have you ever seen a flooded motorhome? It is not a pretty picture. While preparing to leave Cincinnati, I decided to dump the holding tanks and flush the black water tank. I turned on the water and told Gloria to remind me about the water. Then, I decided we needed to visit a motorhome that just came in to the FMCA Roundbottom campground. While we were enjoying our visit with the Griffiths, the water at our motorhome kept running. Pat and Debbie Branigan came in to the campground to park, and they noticed water dripping from every place where there was a crevice. They called me and I proceeded to welcome them to the campground. They asked me where I was and I said, "looking at you," and Pat said I better look at the motorhome. Debbie turned off the water and we proceeded inside to look at the damage. Thanks go to several people who jumped right in and helped to get the water up. We borrowed a mop and wet-vac from the Roundbottom office and got a lot of the water up. Then we took towels and dried the carpet as much as possible. Two of the campers loaned us fans to help dry out the carpet. Today, it looked different in the daylight. Thank goodness I didn't turn the handle to the black tank; the water that came into the motorhome was fresh from the shower drain. With the incident over, with it was time to move on. That was when I forgot to unhook the electric cord, which I found when I hooked up the truck. No damage done, so on the road we went. RVing really is "all about having fun," even if the fun is at my expense.

After we left Cincinnati our trip was uneventful untill we ran into more water. This time it wasn't coming from the shower drain but from the sky. It started out as a few drops, only to get heavier and heavier until we could not see the 18-wheeler in front of us. It rained on us all the way to Millersburg, Ohio. The rain and wind was causing the leaves to fall like snowflakes and it was beautiful. The colors in this part of Ohio were further along than around Cincinnati. By the time we get to York, Pa., the colors should be in full swing. We met the Ohio Nomads and went out to dinner with them. The restaurant was Amish and the food was delicious. It was hard not to overeat. The area is Amish and there are lots of Amish stores and crafts. I may have to take Gloria shopping or for a little sightseeing. That is not something I enjoy, but after flooding the motorhome, I will do it if I have to.

It is now October and Fall is in the air. The landscape is changing to varying shades of red, yellow, orange and brown.There is a nip in the air that only occurs at this time of year. Motorhomes are traveling from North to South before the first signs of winter arrive. While we have been at FMCA's Roundbottom Campground in Cincinnati, the campsites have filled up every night. Since being elected national president of FMCA, we have been from Massachusetts to Oregon and states in between. We attended the Midwest Area Rally, Northwest Area Rally, the Six State Rally, and the Great Lakes Area Rally, GLAMARAMA. We have met many FMCA family members at these rallies. They have greeted us with open arms and we have made friends that will last for years. We have visited seven chapter rallies and we are leaving Cincinnati Friday to visit a chapter rally in Millersburg, Ohio. Then it's on to York, Pa., for the Great Eastern Area Rally (GEAR).