Giveaway

Santa Claus has come to town!  One of the the youtube channels I subscribe to  (Just in a Van) is giving away a backup camera on his channel..........

Click here to see his Video.

Southern Christmas Show

For the last eight years or so my friend Cristine and I have formed a tradition of attending the Southern Christmas Show held each year at The Park Expo in Charlotte, NC.  The first year it was just she and I then she started bringing her eldest grand-daughter and then my daughter joined us and the last couple of years we have both attended and our girls along with friends.  It has become a family/friend tradition.  Although the first years we bought all sorts of things but the last couple of years little has been spent, now we still make our purchases but nothing like what we have in the past, it is just a fun day of all of us to get together and enjoy each other and day.  We partake of wine tastings of several of the regional wineries while hearing seasonal entertainment as we are able to purchase and view over 400 merchants sharing their goods, and crafts.

I didn't video a lot but want you to see a little clip of our fun time.

Rose Shaped Apple Baked Dessert by Cooking with Manuela

This looks so yummy, This one with Apples 

Now this is some awesome fun with the video making!

I would like to know how they did this..........

Ok. the closet has begun!

DOWNSIZING

Well, it begins!  Starting off with the smallest room in the house The Master Closet!  OUCH!

I think I am going to have some problems here!  Although I have to say, our daughter did call us yesterday and state that if we needed closet space for our seasonal clothes she was willing to help us out at least for a couple of years so we can decide how we wanted to approach this.

Exploring Repairs Part One

We are exploring the need for the repairs of the roof, air conditioner and water pump on Maycee

RV Travel: Wintering in Florida Pt 1 Osceola National Forest

Dollywood

Hope you enjoy our visit to Dollywood and meeting new friends.

AJ's Jamboree

Enjoyed a few hours spending time at the Grandbaby's Jamboree Game.

Dan River Campground = 4 5 stars

We took Maycee out on her maiden voyage to Dan River Campground.  While we camped at the campground we did go tubing down the river.

Use Old Smart Phone as an RV Security Camera

A New Look!

Check out the video of Maycee's NEW LOOK!

We Did It!

We made our purchase back in May of our RV (Maycee)

Last evening we had our monthly dinner with our two youngest children and some friends to celebrate Budhi's upcoming birthday since they weren't able to join us on our upcoming birthday camping trip.  Budhi didn't know but the restaurant they chose slammed him with a surprise.

Cane Creek Campground Waxhaw, NC

We took a visti to Cane Creek Park in Waxhaw, NC

Hope you enjoyed the trip!

Wishing you Happiness and safe travels on the wings of God's Angels!
Cyndi

Marking off the Bucket List!

This past May we ticked one more thing off our bucket list!

Budhi and I are both still talking about this event.  We had so much fun, and probably would have had even more fun if we didn't care if we would have gotten muddy are not, but we were careful to only get a little muddy.  LOL

Father's Day Weekend we made a visit to Cherokee, N.C. and stayed at the KOA campground with Aaron, Barbara and A.J.  Budhi had to work and was unable to join us so I did come back on Father's Day to be with him.

Video of our stay at the KOA, Cherokee

Omelet in a Bag

Father's Day Weekend we made a visit to Cherokee, N.C. and stayed at the KOA campground with Aaron, Barbara and A.J.  Budhi had to work and was unable to join us so I did come back on Father's Day to be with him.

Video of our stay at the KOA, Cherokee

Charlotte, NC

Was watching some videos on YouTube and this ad popped up, now I am like everyone else, I wanted to see the video I tuned into and I normally skip through the ads, but this one caught my attention because it is about Charlotte, our current home location.  Charlotte is a beautiful and clean city, love this area really, but the adventurous sides of us wants to travel, and I MUST say the RVing video's are all so consumptions (I know, not a real word), spending a lot of time looking into the life style.  Once our goals are met, full-timing is the ultimate goal.  Anyway, back to the ad, it is from Lennar Homes, but some great shots of Charlotte.

https://youtu.be/4chwDIw2qhs

Divine Guidance!

Divine Guidance!

Whoever came up with this one must have had some Divine guidance!

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...

Z ion waits in glory....where none are ever sad!

"I AM Too blessed to be stressed!"
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is
The distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.
Love and peace be with you forever, Amen..

PS: GOD LOVES YOU........PASS THE WORD ON TO MORE FRIENDS.. JUST THINK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT COULD BE REACHED OUT TO AND BLESSED WITH THESE WORDS.

Daughter got Married!

Our daughter became Mrs. Joshua Davis on May 2nd, 2015,

Second part of this post, is we are all going cruising again.

Just got back off of our daughter's Honeymoon Cruise...YEP, you read that one right.  Why cruise with a bunch of strangers when you can be with family and friends.  We had 17 of us on the cruise, and a nice time it was.

I will share the trip in our travels section as soon as I can get some of the photos scanned.  Love family gatherings and then again we each had the opportunity to spend time on our own.

Eden, North Carolina

This is the location that we have laid my head for the last two nights... Budhi is up here doing his training for his next job in his career, and being that the store is closed for the Easter Holiday I have come to join him for three nights.  Beautiful country side and I would say great outdoors community.

Eden, North Carolina is about one hour due north of Greensboro and only a few miles south of the border between North Carolina and Virginia. Eden is close to a number of recreation areas--including Hanging Rock State Park, where hikers will find rock precipices, waterfalls, and thick forests. RV campers will find several parks within a 30-minute drive of Eden.

Local camping can be fount at:

Dan River Campground

Dan River Campground is 20 minutes southwest of Eden. This campground offers 51 RV sites, some of which come with full hookups. The campground also provides tent campers with primitive, shaded sites with tent pads. Some RV sites are pull-through, and most have 20-, 30- or 50-amp service. Mayo River State Park is 20 minutes north; hikers can walk along the Mayo River, which afford views of wildlife and fish.

Dan River Campground
724 Webster Rd.
Stoneville, NC 27048
(336) 427-8530
www.danrivercampground.com/

Indian Heritage RV Park

Indian Heritage RV Park is located in Martinsville, about 20 minutes from downtown Eden. This park offers RV campers 30- and 50-amp service, paved lots, free wireless Internet, full hookups, and some riverfront lots. This park is also open year round. Indian Heritage RV Park is located about 15 minutes from Fairy Stone State Park, where hikers will find the Little Mountain Trail System, a nine-mile network of trails.

Indian Heritage RV Park
184 Tensbury Dr.
Martinsville, VA 24112
(276) 340-8524
http://indianheritagervpark.net/

Geography

Eden is located at 36°30′23″N 79°44′42″W / 36.50639°N 79.74500°W (36.506434, -79.745092). The Smith and the Dan River have their confluence on the south side of Eden. The Dan River flows along Eden's southern border while the Smith River flows from the north bisecting the city on its route to meet the Dan River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39 km), of which, 15.0 square miles (39 km) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km) of it (1.12%) is water.

History

Eden was a 70,000-acre (280 km) estate owned by William Byrd II, a planter of Virginia and North Carolina. The estate was originally called "The Land of Eden".

During the last years of his life, William Byrd II dreamed of bringing large numbers of Swiss Protestants to the "Land of Eden", which eventually included over 100,000 acres (400 km) in Virginia. He envisioned an industrious, self-sufficient colony that would thrive on the abundance of the frontier. Byrd's dream was not to be realized. After years of negotiations, at least one boatload of Swiss did sail for "The Land of Eden" from Europe, but it was shipwrecked in a December gale off the coast of Virginia, and none of the few survivors are believed to have reached Eden. Byrd died August 26, 1744, as the "Land of Eden" began to be surrounded by the settlement of Scotch-Irish, whom Byrd had compared to the "Goths and Vandals."

On the third weekend of September; Eden hosts The River Fest each year to celebrate Eden's history.

Industry 

Miller Brewing Company runs a brewery in Eden. It employs nearly seven hundred people, producing nine million barrels annually.

Again, May your travels be on the wings of GOD's Angels!

Cyndi

Dreams DO come true (May 2010)

Back in November of 2011 we posted the purchase of our Bridal Store.  Well as of the first of this month (April 2015) we have sold the business.

This was the original post on our original blogs...

Now that we have purchased the bridal store......a cute little Dutch style cottage............well actually we don't own the building, but the business is ours free and clear, and once we make a name for our ownselves we hope to get the building too.

.......YES we now work for ourselves, but this too has brought on new challenges, I am very busy and I haven't much time for writing, scrapping or sewing.  Actually my scrap-booking supplies and projects have not even been unpacked from the April retreat.  We were in negotiation of the purchase of the bridal store since the end of January and closed on the deal the end of May and have been non stop ever since with exception of a family vacation/reunion and a four day trip to visit my brother.

Although I will still be involved in the Bridal Industry, I will not be in a brick and marter store. My time should allow me to post as I wish now....hopefully I can at least get out a monthly if not weekly or daily post from this point forward.

Again, May your travels be on the wings of GOD's Angels,
Cyndi

Following post were Originally posted in 2010..........

Reed Gold Mine

In reading through all the travel blogs of the RV blogs I follow I am seeing a lot of write ups of California, Arizona, Florida and The coast of South Carolina.  I thought I would take the time to share some of the local trips that we have also taken to places of interest within the area we call home.
North Carolina has a lot to offer and from the sounds of a lot of the writing I am reading there are a lot of you that like history.  I hated history as a student but love to actually go to and experience the places.  So here I go, I want to start with Reed Gold Mine.  Reed Gold mine is actually only about five miles from my front door.  Beautiful area.  i have had the experience of being able to visit Reed Gold Mine  with my youngest son on one of his field trips from school.  What a wonderful place.  

The Mine was putting on a re-enactment event and had solders and settlers on the premises.

Reed Gold Mine is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. From this discovery, gold mining spread gradually to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states. During its peak years gold mining was second only to farming in the number of North Carolinians it employed. The estimated value of gold recovered reached over one million dollars a year. North Carolina led the nation in gold production until 1848, when it was eclipsed by the great rush to California.

The Mine is named after John Reed, a Hessian soldier who left the British army near the conclusion of the Revolutionary war and came to settle in Cabarrus County (the lower Piedmont of North Carolina). John Reed was a simple farmer until one Sunday in 1799 when his 12 year old son Conrad found a large yellow rock in the Little Meadow creek on the farm.  this rock reportedly weighed in at 17 pounds, about the size of a small iron - but VERY heavy, and for three years was used as a doorstop at the Reed house.In 1802 a Fayetteville jeweler identified the gold nugget. He purchased it for the asked price of $3.50—one-tenth of one percent of its true value it was actually worth about $3,600!

"Placer," or creek, gold mining led to underground mining when it was learned in 1825 that the metal also existed in veins of white quartz rock. The search for underground or "lode" gold required much more money, labor, and machinery. Underground work at Reed was not begun until 1831. Four years later a family squabble resulted in a court injunction that closed the mine for a decade.
John Reed was a wealthy man when he died in 1845. Soon the Reed mine was sold at public auction. The mine changed hands many times through the years until 1912, when the last underground work took place there. Placer miners found the last large nugget at Reed in 1896. The yield of the mine in large nuggets alone ultimately totaled more than one hundred pounds.

Portions of the underground tunnels at the Reed mine have been restored for guided tours. A visitor center contains exhibits of gold and historical mining equipment. An orientation film highlights the first gold discovery, and tours of a restored ore-crushing stamp mill are offered. A picnic area is available, and trails wind through the historic mining area. There are Free tours of the mine and stamp mill; gold panning is $3 per person (includes two pans of sand and instruction) -  Picnic area.

Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

Again, may your travels be on the wings of God's Angels..........till next Time!

Dreams DO come true (May 2010)

This Dream was on the Carnival Dream Cruise Ship. I have wanted to take a scrapbooking cruise for several years now and was able to do so with a FANTASTIC group of ladies. On April 23rd Heather and I left North Carolina bound for Cape Canaveral, Florida where we meet up with part of our SBC Cruise buddies for our Pre-Cruise nightly stay. The following is a picture of those that stayed at the hotel and had breakfast together before our ship.

The following is the first view of our ship:

This is a formal picture of most of us:

St Lucia Island

It was a privilege in December 2010, to travel to the island of St. Lucia with a group of other travel agents to learn of what the island offered to our clients. With young lovers and the young-at-heart in mind, the resorts of St. Lucia offer many romance-inspired packages. The all-inclusive offers are found all over the island. You can chose to stay at any of the many renown Luxury Resorts or for a true island getaway, pick one of the many Boutique Resorts. St Lucia has many British characteristics and, although English is the official language, French patois is widely spoken by the locals. In spirit, the island is influenced by many cultures. Saint Lucians drive on the left and have a passion for cricket. But the Caribbean influence surfaces in the drinks - rum and locally brewed beer, in the music - calypso, soca, reggae, in the richly flavoured Creole cuisine, (and I must say the food is delicious, and this girl was raised with the Creole cuisine of New Orleans) in the carnivals, festivals and days of national pride, and in the open-air markets.
When you first arrive, it can be a bit intimidating with the island buzzing in the tropical sights, sounds and colors. I would like to share a little general information about the island that I hope will help you get to know a little about what a holiday on the Island of St. Lucia has to offer.
Before you head out on your journey of touring this beautiful island here's a few things you might want to know. The temperatures are mild all year round with averages moderately higher in the summer. June to November is the rainy season when gusty showers may occur. My visit was Mid December and the weather was absolutely PERFECT. Saint Lucia is located within the Atlantic Standard Time Zone which is one hour ahead of EST in the US(except during the Daylight Savings months in the Us when it is the same.)
English is the official language of Saint Lucia with a French-based Creole patois being commonly spoke by the locals (made this old girl feel at home being raised in the south of New Orleans) Local currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$) with a fixed exchange rate of EC$2.70 - US$ (as of this posting) Although transport is easily obtained and they do drive on the opposite side of the road from the US you can obtain a Temporary Driving Permit (of which is required at the cost of US$22 for a 3 month period if yo plan on driving. Your international drivers license will not be enough). Permits can be obtained at Airport Immigration offices, local Police Station or from Car rental companies, and while most people holidaying in the Caribbean tend to anticipate lazy days on white sand beaches and a quick splash to the palm-fringed swim-up bar as the nearest thing to adventure they will encounter, St Lucia can offer numerous wonderful attractions and a whole lot of nature. For those willing to venture off the beaton track foregoing the organised tour and opting instead for a hired car, or better yet 4WD jeep, many rewards are just waiting to be discovered. Independent traveling also means you can still hit the tourist hot spots but at the same time outside the peak hours avoiding the crowds and at a pace that allows you the opportunity to linger truly experiencing each little haven, uncovering its charms.  Casual apparel is acceptable nearly everywhere on the island. it should be noted that swimwear is generally inappropriate away from beaches, resorts and hotels.
The tourist hub on the island is focused predominantly in the north at Rodney Bay, so this is a good place to start when it comes to exploring.
The Rodney Bay area has St. Lucia's greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants and other tourist offerings as well as Reduit Beach, the Island's most popular. The inner marina harbour is a hive of yachting activity and the area features several of the most popular nightlife options. A drive or walk along Reduit Beach Avenue will introduce you t numerous eating and shopping options sure to enhance your holiday enjoyment. Be sure to visit "The Avenue" both during the day and at night as many establishments are only open at one time or the other. This is definitely the hot spot for late night fun.

Above is a picture of one of the many Villa Options that is offered at the Cap Maison Resort and Spa. I must say one of my favorite places on the island. The Resort is farely new to the area and is built on the location of an old sugar plantation. It sets atop an ocean bluff, with majestic views over sparkling blue waters. Many of the terraces are home of private pools and a vacationer can have a private butler service to see to every need. The Resort's popularity has tripled since the filming of the popular TV Bachelor Series elimination rose ceremony was held on the bluff overlooking the beach at this resort.
The above picture is taken from the Jade Mountain Resort on the island of St. Lucia. Another one of the many filmed island locations of the popular TV Bachelor Series. Jake asking for Vienna's hand on The season's Finale of the Bachelor: "On the Wings of Love" took place on the Celestial Terrace of Jade Mountain. From my visit here I would say if you never left the room at this resort I wouldn't blame you. (Each open-air suite only has three walls fourth wall has been replaced by a huge infinity pool with a to-die-for views of the Pitons). Absolutely Beautiful! And I must say a Honeymooners dream.

May your travels be on the wings of God's Angels..........till next Time!