Out with a Bang

We are so sorry, but this post has been removed because it is a part of our book Napkin Dreams that details our trip around America!

The Power of the House Plant

We spent half of Mother's Day at in Birch Run, Michigan. Here we gave Patsy her presents. Now taking five boys shopping for their mom is actually a little fun. Their ideas for what to get her are interesting to say the least! We had votes for candy bars, Nerf guns and light sabres. It took most of my energy just directing them to the candle aisle!

I did have one special gift in mind though. Patsy loves house plants and she used to have a bunch of them. She gave them all away when we started our trip 21 months ago. I know this was sad for her, but in our rig with seven people and two pets, live plants were just not practical to haul along. 

So I knew that she would love to have one for Mother's Day. Sort of a thank-you for putting up with a husband who is part gypsy and fancies himself as a real life Indiana Jones! The plant represents the sacrifice she made, the love she showed her family and the next chapter of stability in our life. As I thought would happen big tears welled up in her eyes as she took the plant. It was as if she knew what the gift meant and that more would be coming once we truly "settle in" to a stick house.

Once in awhile a guy can get it right, and after seventeen years of being together, I guess a simple gift can say a whole lot and bring tears of joy better than diamonds or gold! To a great mother - my wife Patsy Martin.

We stayed at Pine Ridge RV Park during this time. Here is the campground review.

Staff - 6 - For the most part the folks were nice here, but one guy was a bit gruff. He told our kids not to go in the bathroom . Huh?

Natural surroundings - 8 - Mature trees and not in any city.

Roominess - 10 - Very big lot that we stayed in.

Facility Fun - 7 - Playground, club house, horse shoes, basketball court.

Facility usefulness - 7 - Laundromat, propane, dump, pass card security, picnic table at our site, dog run, wifi.

Bathrooms - 5 - Decent, but the showers were coin operated.

Cleanliness - 9 - Very clean.

Nearby attractions - 9 - Close to Frankenmuth, Birch Run outlets, Saginaw, Bay City and Flint.

Value - 8 - Paid $34 a night for a pull-through site with full hook-ups.

Overall - 7 - Gruff employee, coin operated showers and lots of room to walk and ride bikes!

National Museum of Play

We are sorry, but we have removed this post becuase it is a part of our new book entitled Napkin Dreams.

 

 

 

 

Higgins Armory Museum

We are sorry, but we have removed this post becuase it is a part of our new book entitled Napkin Dreams.

 

50 McDonalds - Connecticut

We are hitting the Golden Arches faster than a greased pig on a water slide! This stop in the Constitution State of Connecticut was an ice-cream sundae stop. We're mixing up our stops in New England so we don't get too many of the famous fries! We made this stop in Plainfield, Connecticut.

Noah Webster House

This post has been removed because it is part of our new book - Napkin Dreams!

Crayola Experience

The Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania was one stop I had been secretly excited about showing our kids. Not only did the boys learn about how crayons and markers are made, they got to explore the world of crayon art in a myriad of ways.

A life-sized dry erase car, doodling in the dark, and a host of other activities. There were plenty of take-home gifts including a four pack of exclusive crayons. We also got to see the world's biggest crayon, which is blue, which is fitting.

The Crayola Experience was cool, but a bit too crowded and expensive. No parking close to the museum for a big rig motorhome, so if you go, find another parking place nearby and drive your auto over.

Campground Review - Delaware Jellystone

We stayed for two nights at the Jellystone Park in Lincoln, Delaware.

Staff - 9 - super nice ladies gave us the royal treatment.

Natural surroundings - 8 - trees surround the park, not many big trees in RV area, but this is nice for the satellite!

Roominess - 8 - Normal sized lots.

Facility Fun - 10 - Pool open during the warm months. Big playground, mini-putt, BB court, planned activities on weekends, game room, big use styrofoam blocks for kids to build with.

Facility usefulness - 10 - Laundry, dog run, propane, large camp store, dump, fire ring, exchange library, key card security, free Wifi and picnic tables at each site.

Bathrooms - 8 - Bathroom is clean and up to date, showers were push-button type and a bit luke-warmish.

Cleanliness - 9 - Clean and well maintained.

Nearby attractions - 7 - Close to Dover, DE and Delaware beaches.

Value - 7 - Paid $50 a night for a back-in graveled site with full-hook-ups including cable.

Overall - 9 - We love Jellystone Parks, just wish they were a little more affordable.

Fort McHenry

This post has been deleted because it is in our new book entitled Napkin Dreams. It can be found on Amazon.com

Washington DC

This post has been deleted because it is in our new book entitled Napkin Dreams. It can be found on Amazon.com

Shenandoah National Park

We are so sorry, but this post has been removed because it is a part of our book Napkin Dreams that details our trip around America!

 

 

 

Star City

Our visit to the Roanoke Valley has been great, visiting friends and catching up with what has been happening in their lives! So many of the kids that were once young children when we moved here in 2003 are now young men and women! It always warms our hearts when they remember us and give us hugs and even seem excited to see us. This makes all the hard work and panic Sundays looking for volunteers all worthwhile!

We spent time with David and Chase's biological family, including their little sister Ana. We visited with Brendan's family last time in town and we had so many people wanting to see us that we didn't get to see them this trip. We spent evenings with our good friends the Knicks, the Beechers, the Arthurs, the Poes and Pam and Zach O'Neal.

Blake had his two best friends, Camden and Kobe Gibson over to Howard for a day of video games. They are all three looking like young men, but I still remember quite clearly the days when we would have sleepovers and they were all little munchkins running around with plastic swords and batman costumes! Blake and Tanner were also invited to a birthday party for Bryce Knick and had a great time with them.

No trip to Roanoke is complete without a trip to the top of Mill Mountain. Even on a rainy day the view of the city of Roanoke is breathtaking and the huge star is a familiar and sentimental favorite of our family. Plus it is free - which is always a bonus for our family.