A One Day Break

Roger here....  This will be a short post to update everyone on the progress of our work here in Pendleton, IN.  We have several things on our plate right now that we need to work through before our departure on Labor Day weekend.  


Our immediate concern is getting the small house that our daughter lived in, until her move to Florida, ready to sell.  The sooner it is ready, the more likely we can sell it before we leave.  We are hoping it can be ready in a couple of weeks.  We are definitely making progress.  

You already know about the ceiling tile fun and the yard work.  The next task was dealing with a few of the wall boards which had separated from the sheet rock behind.  I reattached the loose places with wood screws and was very pleased that they readily found purchase and pulled back to the wall.  


The next task was to recover the walls to give them a more finished look.  Dianne did some investigation, resulting in a trip to Lowe's.  She put sheetrock mud

on the walls, then rolled them with a loop brush roller to give them a textured look.  She then repainted the main room and the dining area, first with tinted drywall primer and then the finish coat.  She picked a neutral light tan color called "mushroom."  (Dianne here:  I found the idea using Google.  Here's a link to the instructions for the project that I followed:  http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/interiors/paneling/conceal.htm  When I opened the five-gallon can of mud and first scooped some up to spread on the walls, I thought to myself "Oh, my gravy, what have I gotten myself into??!!"  It took a while to get the hang of it, and was a two-day process to get both really small rooms done, but worth the effort.)

  Hours and hours (Rather, days and days.... - D) of work with a good result.  Both rooms look a lot better, and Dianne has finally been able to wash all the mud and paint from her arms, hands, and face.  (By the way, I am not trusted to do interior painting, for some reason.)


While Dianne was working on the walls, I tackled a new floor surface for the utility room.  Last summer we ripped out the old carpeting and put temporary carpet scraps over the sub floor, knowing that we would do something more permanent when we returned.  I definitely wanted a hard surface on the floor, as it is the only pathway into the house from the garage.  It now has a neat looking dimpled-rubberized surface similar to those that you see in school locker rooms.  It looks great, and I am sporting a nasty blister on my thumb from cutting the tiles.  It will heal, but Dianne's lack of sympathy is quite hurtful. (Poor Baby....) 


We faced a similar situation with the bathroom floor surface.  After ripping up the old nasty carpet (why does anyone put carpet in a bathroom?), I cut a vinyl linoleum sheet to fit the floor area.  When it is glued down, it will have the appearance of terrazzo. 


Which leads me to the reason for our one-day-break:  When I pulled the carpet remnant from the toilet area, I noticed that the sub floor was damp all the way around the toilet bowl.  Uh-Oh.  When I touched it, it felt soft.  UH-OH!  We certainly did not need another expense, but what can ya do?  It had to be fixed.  So today we are relaxing by the TV in the house while a very likable and conscientious plumber is repairing the leak and installing a new section of subfloor in the toilet area.  The good news is that the floor joists all look great.  The better news is that Dianne did not collapse with the toilet into the crawl space this past month while doing her business :-).


Our issue of the day is that we have no water until the work is done.  Normally, that would not be a problem, as we would simply use the motor home for water, showers, rest-rooming, etc.  BUT, the motor home is at Mt. Comfort RV (a business that we truly do trust) for its annual service.  We really have no access to water, and we can't leave for the day with the plumber in the house.  So, we are taking turns finding public restrooms in town - lots of fun.  Dianne visited the Village Pantry (convenience store), but felt guilty doing so.  (Dianne here:  I didn't really feel guilty, because I bought a chocolate bar, but couldn't bring myself to keep going back there time after time!)  I (Roger) found public restrooms in the park.  The neighbors must wonder why in the world we keep leaving on foot, separately, every hour or so.  Oh well, gotta get rid of the morning coffee some way.


Dianne again:  Such is the disadvantage of a one-bathroom house!  On the other hand, we mentioned before that this little house has a great location.  One aspect of that is that it is a short walk to the Village Pantry convenience store or to the park (restrooms), library, community swimming pool, and/or downtown shopping area.  This came in really handy today.


Our next blog should be more interesting.   All three couples on our camp-out have Sea Eagle inflatable kayaks, so an excursion down the Flatrock River is definitely on schedule.  Menus are being planned and anticipation is building!  Hope you all have a great Memorial Day Weekend, too.

Oh, to be free of the Stix & Brix....

Hi all -- Dianne here.  Roger is talking at an awards ceremony at his former school corporation this afternoon, so I thought I'd bring you all up to date on our progress.


The first thing we did after arriving in Pendleton was to get the yard cleaned up and flowers planted.  That was actually fun.  I even planted a couple of tomato plants in case the house isn't sold in August.  The part that was NOT fun was cutting back a row of forsythia bushes that had taken over the entire back yard.  (Roger had that little chore.)

 From a "pyro-queen" perspective, one of the bonuses of cleaning up the yard was all of the sticks that we were able to pick up from the yard that had fallen over the winter.  (This is a yearly activity when you have huge, mature oak and maple trees in the yard).   Last fall we had purchased a fire ring, so we were able to have a camp fire in the side yard (backs up to a woods) and pretend we weren't house-bound for the summer.   Burning the sticks and twigs was the most enjoyable chore from our list of 55.   The wine was flowing freely....

One chore that was NOT enjoyable at all was replacing the old ceiling tiles in the bathroom and utility room with new ones.  You would think that it would be a simple matter of lifting the old tiles out and replacing with the new, since the grid was already in place.   Let's just say that with the heat ducts and other overhead obstructions, heat vents, light fixtures, and so on that it took us two-and-a-half hours just to replace three of the tiles!  This was a two-day activity; one day for the small utility room, then another for the even-smaller bathroom.   It looks great now, but I wouldn't want to do it again EVER.  

This little house is 110 years old, and the old ceiling tiles had been in place since 1991.  Twenty years of dust and debris wafted off the upper surface of each one that we lifted down.   Not only that, the very first tile that we replaced had a dead mouse laying on top of it!!!!  (The house is next to a vacant, wooded lot and across from a farm field, so we had put mouse bait out while we were gone last winter).   That gave us a thrill, to say the least.   Luckily, that was the only "surprise" we had while removing the old tiles.  Roger took a photo of his lovely bride,  decked out with goggles, face mask, and shower cap to avoid the dust and debris as it showered down upon us.   (I consented to posting this for a little comic relief.)

  I remember when Roger and I lived in this same little house as newlyweds in 1972, when his parents owned it, and how well we worked together back then.  Well, let's just say that 38 years of marriage has made us both a bit more "lippy" and uninhibited as far as voicing our "concerns" to each other!   You'd think we'd kill each other living in the small motorhome 24/7 together, but for some reason we usually get along just fine in that tiny space. 


Next we will tackle the walls.  That should be a blog unto itself.  We bought this little house about seven years ago for our daughter (a single mom) and granddaughter to live in rent-free, like Roger and I did when we were first married.  I'm pretty domestic:  I bake my bread (even in the motor home) and love to cook from scratch.  My daughters -- let's just say they are not exactly domestic goddesses.   Must be a generational thing.  Anyway, there is much to be done to rehab the walls.  I found a neat project on the internet that will make the old paneling look like textured dry wall.  I'll let you know how it turns out, so check back soon, if you're interested at all.


Next week we take our motor home in for its 60,000-mile maintenance.  We can highly recommend Mount Comfort RV on the east side of Indianapolis for service.  They are a Workhorse chassis repair facility, and they have always done a good job for us.  We trust them and their advice.  We've saved up a list of items for them to deal with.


As soon as we get the motor home back, Memorial Day weekend we have reservations to camp with our friends, and hopefully do a little kayaking on the Flatrock River.  I'm sure we'll be MORE than ready to hit the road for a brief break by then!  

Craigs List Deja Vu

Hi all -- Dianne here.  We've been making some progress toward our goal of being truly "home-free."  Yesterday I spent all day photographing, cleaning, writing ads and then posting on Craig's List for various things such as a lawn mower, snow thrower, hedge trimmer, patio chairs, snow shovels, etc. etc. etc.  (Listed on the Muncie/Anderson Craig's List, for my local friends.)  It was worth it, though, because I've already had a phone call early this morning from a man who is coming to buy our 8-foot step ladder.  


This Craig's List stuff brought back tiring memories of all the work we went through last summer when we sold our main house in Pendleton and almost everything in it.


This time, it's on a much smaller scale.  We're getting rid of things we thought we'd need if we kept this little rental-type house as a summer home base.  Now that we've bought the lot in Texas, we won't need to do ANY yard work, and certainly NO more snow.  


The appraiser came and did a thorough job of appraising this little place.  Kind of disappointing, but realistic nonetheless.  Our next endeavor will be to take on the "For Sale By Owner" task, possibly using Craig's List for the house, too!  

One thing that hasn't changed from our mobile lifestyle to settling in here is that "wine-thirty" comes around every evening (or late afternoon, depending upon what kind of day we've had!)  Jasper has an inner clock and starts badgering us right around 4:30 each day, because he knows that wine-thirty means treat time as well.  Here's the plate I prepared for yesterday's time-out:

It is pleasant to sit outside in the yard and gaze at the farm field across the street.  Roger saw a red fox run across the field the other day.  Last summer when we were here, it was soybeans.  This summer, I guess we'll be watching corn grow.  Pleasant as it is, I know that as soon as we're able to get our chores done here, we'll be anxious to see some new and different views on our way to California next fall!

Back to the Midwest - Bob Evans Farm, Southwest Ohio

Hi all, Dianne here.  This is a quick update blog to catch us up, now that we're back in Indiana.  We will be busy here this summer (my to-do list is up to #55 already!), so we might not be updating as often.  Plus, how much can you really say about yard work and mundane chores around a stix and brix house??


We will update from time to time with progress reports on getting the little house ready for sale, selling off yet more "stuff," etc.  


Friday morning (April 30) we left Pipestem Resort State Park in Southern West Virginia.  

The entire day was pretty much the same scenic views out our large motor home windows.  As we neared Beckley it became evident by the rock face next to the highway that we had entered coal country.  My thoughts naturally went to the recent mine disaster.


I've been through West Virginia several times, different parts, and if there is a flat square mile there I haven't seen one.   After crossing the state north on I-77, west on I-64, then branching off on State Road 35 near Point Pleasant, we crossed into Ohio.  

As part of this new lifestyle, we are struggling to stay out of "vacation driving" mode -- you know, the drive-till-you-drop mindset.  So, as soon as we crossed into Ohio we stopped for the day around 2:30 at the original Bob Evans Farm homestead campground.  It's a small campground with only 12 RV sites, but we have water and 50 amp electric (no sewer).  It's quiet and pretty here except for the traffic on state road 588 out front.  At only $15 per night for water and electric, it's a bargain and perfect for a relaxing overnight stop to break up the long drive. 

 As you can see from the photo, Chaplin found the grass to be very relaxing!  You could almost read his mind:  "Um-m-m, soft midwestern grass!  No spurs, no fire ants, smells so good...."

As soon as we got set up, we drove across the street and down a "bit" to the original Bob Evans homestead to pay for our camp site.  The homestead is open for tours with no admission fee.  We were so hungry by that point that we skipped the tour and made a bee-line to eat at the original Bob Evans restaurant on the grounds.  I didn't photograph it, because it just looks like the normal Bob Evans restaurants you see everywhere. Not exactly gourmet fare, but a fitting start to welcome us back to the Midwest.


Saturday morning we traveled on until we were truly "Back Home Again in Indiana."  We spent Saturday night at Summit Lake State Park (mainly so we could dump our tanks to have them empty), then arrived at our little house in Pendleton Sunday morning.  


Now I understand why Indiana state parks are NOT popular with out-of-state travelers.  Always in the past we have had an annual pass to use for the various state parks.  This time, being South Dakota residents, we had to pay $7.00 just to enter the park, then another $25 or so for the camp site.  Not a viable option for just an overnight stay!  We might as well have found a private campground.  


We're currently in Pendleton, Indiana, parked in the driveway of the little house, plugged into the 50 amp outlet we installed last summer when we thought we'd be keeping it.  (Our two posts from this little house last year can be found under "Pendleton" in the sidebar).  An appraiser is coming this evening to appraise it for us, so we'll have a ballpark figure on what to ask for it as we try to sell it.  Wish us luck!

Unlevel in West Virginia - Pipestem Resort State Park

Roger here...  Level has a new meaning in West Virginia, at least from our perspective.  The definition of West Virginia Level is any angle less than 30 degrees.

After an uneventful drive to the beautiful Pipestem Resort State Park in southern WV, we found the campground office closed.  It appeared that we would have our choice of the 31 paved, full hook-up sites, so Dianne and I set out on foot (downhill, of course) to find just the right one.  We were looking for a great view, a level site, and an open southern sky (so our satellite would work).  We found just the right one on an elevated pad that extended out over a peaceful, wooded valley.

  Lots of privacy, as we could not even see our distant neighbors.  AND, it was level, at least when we backed all the way in.  Great spot for a campfire in the woods!  Gorgeous views from our lawn chairs behind the motor home.

At that point, two hours of "fun" began.  With Dianne's direction, I backed without incident into the site.  We put down the jacks, plugged in the electricity and engaged the satellite.  We decided not to do the rest of the setup until we were sure that we had internet and DirectTV connections.  Good thing we waited. We could not get a connection because a tree was partially blocking the sky.  Sometimes this is not an issue; this time it was. 


 After 20 minutes of messing with the automatic dish, we moved to plan B.  (As it turned out, plan B had about 20 time-consuming and aggravating subparts.).  First, we checked to see if any of the other sites would work better - probably not. 


 Then we decided that if we moved forward about five feet, that the offending tree would not be an issue.  We would have to use some of our leveling blocks to compensate for the upward angle, but that should be easy -- yeah, right.


We moved up, reconnected the electricity, made sure that the satellite connected, and we were in business - not really.  We still had to level the motor home.  I did the driving while Dianne placed the plastic leveling ramps behind the four rear tires.  (Visualize when I do this, I'm crawling under the back of the motorhome to reach the inner dual wheels. --  D.)


When I backed up, the motorhome easily rose to the second level of the ramp - perfect.  Dianne placed additional blocks under the rear jacks before I deployed them so that they would not overextend.  I pushed the appropriate buttons to send the rear jacks down.  (There are lights on the automatic control panel to tell me which jacks to deploy to level everything off.  I also had a carpenter's level sitting next to me.)  We were almost level UNTIL everything moved and Dianne screamed.  The rear jacks had lifted one of the rear wheels off the ramp slightly (a no-no), just enough for one of the ramps to shift from center.  We could not leave it that way - bad for the tires.  So, we tried again.


  This time when I backed onto the ramps, one of them shifted right away.  So we tried again, and again, and again, and again.  By this time Dianne and I were both a little testy - to say the least.  (Ready to come to blows is more like it -- D.)  Dianne suggested (insisted) we give up.  

I got out of the motor home and took another look at the other sites - probably wouldn't be any better.  We (He) decided to try it one more time, and then another, and then another.  Finally, I was able to get all of the rear tires onto the first level of the ramps.  We knew that we would not be perfectly level, but felt we could live with it for our three nights - especially since we would have our TV and internet.  


So, I played with the jacks and the carpenter's level for a while to get it as level as possible.  Then Dianne and I began the long (l-o-n-g) process of calming down.  Two hours had passed since the ordeal began.


One of our favorite movies is Lucy and Desi's "The Long, Long Trailer."  We even have a poster of it hanging in the motor home.  One of the funniest scenes in the movie shows Desi attempting to level their trailer on a hilly forest road during a thunderstorm.  When Lucy tried to fry eggs, they slid out of the frying pan onto the floor.  When she opened the pantry doors, all the food fell out, covering her in flour.  As she was sleeping in the slanted bed, the jack gave way, the door opened, and she landed outside in the mud.


Our experience was not quite that bad, but it did have some of the same elements:  We could not open any of the doors -- refrigerator included -- without them slamming wide open.  We had to literally use our heads to keep the heavy outside door open when entering and exiting.  The last step out of the motor home was so uneven that we had to hold onto the handle so as not to tumble down the hill.  Inside the motor home, any steps toward the back required great care so as not to pick up momentum and end up flying into the bed.

After completely calming down and beginning to enjoy the beauty (and it was magnificent) of our surroundings, the situation began to be funny.  We started a camp fire and Dianne took a picture of her wine glass, just to illustrate how uneven we were, even on the patio.  What the photo doesn't show is that as soon as she snapped it, she lost her balance, bumped the table, resulting in the entire glass of wine finding a new home on my jeans.  (Oops, my bad....)

Leaving all that behind, we had a great time exploring the state park.  It has two lodges, two golf courses, and a myriad of hiking/biking trails, and lots more.  It even has an aerial tram that descends to one of the lodges.  

We did take the dogs on a couple of hikes.  I suggested that we hike the Canyon Rim Trail to a limestone outcropping at the bottom of one of the canyons.  It was only .7 miles, and the views were amazing.  I pointed out the way.  The problem was that it was straight down (no steps or switchbacks here, just a steep trail).  In all fairness, there was a warning sign.  (How does the song go..."When will they ever learn....")

As we were descending, I asked Dianne several times if she would like to go back, but she declined.  Let me just say that, though the views were worth it and I would do it again, it was pure drudgery climbing back up out of that canyon.  (I recall muttering at one point, "What part of 60-years-old do you not understand?"  Oh well, I needed to burn the calories after the visit to Opies Candy Store.)  What a good aerobic workout :-)

After recovering and some exploring from the car, we opted for another hike near the nature center.  It started at another old homestead (we've encountered a lot of those lately).  It was billed as an easy, mostly-level hike of .6 miles.  The first thing we did was go straight down.  What part of straight down is level?  Oh yes, I forgot the West Virginia rule of 30 degree angles.  Actually the hike wasn't that bad.  Dianne got some great shots of a butterfly, a wild flower, 

and a deer in a tiny cemetery within the park.   Dianne here:  I noticed as we drove past the cemetery while leaving that most of the names on the tombstones were "Hill."  Fitting, somehow....

Yadkin Valley Winery Tour + Harvest Host Tryout

Hi all -- Dianne here.

Just a reminder: The photos can be made larger for viewing by clicking on each one of them. Some of the landscaping in this blog is worth a click!

On our final day in Mount Airy, NC, Roger and I visited several wineries. The area, known as the Yadkin Valley Appellation, is developing as an area of dozens of wineries. Some of these are the result of former tobacco farmers switching to grapes as a crop.

We picked up a brochure outlining the various wineries in the area, and ruled out all but those offering dry wines that we prefer.

The first winery tasting room we visited was right in the middle of Mount Airy, the Old North State Winery. We didn't care for the reds, but we really liked some of their white wines. We left with a bottle of "Bare Bones Un-Oaked Chardonnay."

The next day we visited two wineries. The first one was about 25 miles south of Mount Airy. We were excited to see this winery, the Raffaldini Winery, as it was advertised as having Italian-type wines, which are our favorite.

The grounds were absolutely beautiful, and the setting did, indeed, remind us of our trip to Tuscany several years ago.

They have obviously taken great care in the landscaping and ambiance for their winery.

There were dozens of yellow rose bushes, all in full bloom.


My favorite wine is an Italian Chianti. I was very excited to try Raffaldini's Sangiovese; alas, though, even though I really wanted to like it, I just didn't care for it.

We again preferred their white wine selection, and came away with a Pinot Grigio and several fun items from the gift shop, including some Raffaldini spaghetti sauce, which is reportedly heavily spiked with wine. (I also got a new cap, retiring a red one that is now pink -- R.)

After the tastings, Roger also purchased a glass of white wine to enjoy on the lovely patio.

There is a large fountain and beautiful hilltop views. If there had not been as many hardwood trees, it really would have looked a lot like rural Italy!

I'm including a photo taken from our Tuscany vacation in 2004 to illustrate what I mean. This photo was taken from the villa

(a working winery) we stayed in with a group of friends who pooled resources to rent it. We've been hooked on Italian wine ever since!

The next winery we visited was the Shelton Winery, closer to Mount Airy.

Another beautifully landscaped winery! We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the grounds and taking it all in.

There were more beautiful roses planted in the Shelton Winery landscape. I also noticed rose bushes planted next to each row of grape vines in the field. Turns out, this is like a canary in a coal mine for the vintners; the rose bushes act as an early warning system for disease or insect infestation which might harm the grape vines.

The woman who did our tasting was delightful, and we really enjoyed ourselves.

We struck up a conversation with a couple tasting next to us; turns out, they were also traveling in the area in their RV. In fact, they were just passing through on their way north from Florida, and their RV was parked outside in the parking lot.

More "damage" was done at the gift shop (see final photo below). In addition, we also actually liked the Shelton Winery dry reds, so we came away with six very large bottles of Red Harvest table wine. We liked it just as well as their more expensive labels costing twice or three times as much, so we listened to our frugal inner voice and came away with the equivalent of 12 bottles @ $5.99/bottle.

Roger here... The two wineries that we visited poured not only wine for their visitors, but also poured big bucks into their facilities. The Raffaldini visitors' area

was an imposing Italian structure at the top of a hill. The Shelton Winery building was every bit as impressive. One of the friendly employees referred to it as the owner's hobby gone wild.

I'll let Roger fill you in on our overnight stay at the Rag Apple Lassie Winery, part of the new Harvest Host system.

Roger here... We recently joined an RV visitation club called Harvest Hosts (www.HarvestHosts.com). This new club has enlisted the cooperation of scores of wineries and working farms across the country. As members ($20/year), we are invited to park overnight for free (no hook-ups) in the winery parking lots. Since we knew that we would be spending next fall in California, visiting our older daughter, we thought it would be a good way to enjoy a little wine-tasting in a friendly atmosphere. Most of the original participating wineries are on the west coast, but many wineries across the entire country are now participating. It is a good deal for us, the membership pretty much paying for itself after one visit. It is also a great deal for the wineries due to the obvious purchases that are made.

While looking at the Harvest Hosts website, I noticed that one of the Yadkin Valley wineries, Rag Apple Lassie, was a participant, so I called to let them know we would be coming to spend our last night in North Carolina. We thought it would be fun, and it was.

Rag Apple Lassie

was named after the owner's grand prize-winning Holstein at the North Carolina State Fair. When the owner decided to convert many of his tobacco fields to other crops, including grapes, he decided to name the wine-making operation after the beloved cow of his youth. The company logo shows a black and white holstein cow sitting on a harvest moon while sipping a glass of wine - really pretty clever. All the cardboard cases and doors bear the black spots of a holstein on a white background. A modern metal sculpture of Rag Apple Lassie sipping a glass of wine while holding a wine bottle greets all the guests at the entrance to the winery.

The winery was voted as a finalist in the "Best New Winery in US" in 2007 by The Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco.

The building itself is unique. After passing a

silo, guests enter a metal building and find themselves on a catwalk overlooking the wine-making area below. Upon descending the stairs, guests can walk through the production area and into the gift shop/tasting room.

The person who greeted us and poured red wines for us to sample was the wife of the owner's son. She explained that this particular winery was not so much a hobby as part of a large family farm. (It was more of a working atmosphere than the upscale landscaped wineries we had visited earlier -- D.) We purchased three bottles of wine and then enjoyed a glass of Cabernet on the outside patio area in the shadow of

Pilot Mountain in the distance. We did like the Rag Apple Lassie dry reds: we purchased a bottle each of the cabernet, syrah, and red zinfandel. -- D.

I took the boys

on a walk along the outskirts of the vineyard

before we settled in for a quiet night among the landscaping.

Since we had no hook-ups and therefore no TV, it was a great night to read a book, listen to tree frogs, and relax.

I mentioned before that this was a good deal for the wineries - maybe a better deal than we intended it to be. Because of the beautiful atmosphere, we were tempted to purchase a few items in the gift shops - and that we did. We certainly did add to the local economy. Since we plan to utilize Harvest Hosts again when we get to California,

someone should notify the vineyards to stock up on their merchandise!