August 29th
On to Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown and more of our American heritage.
August 31st & September 1st
We 1st visited Yorktown which is the site of the last big Revolutionary War battle where the British gave up in a humiliating defeat to George Washington's army. The national park system has done a great job recreating both Yorktown and Jamestown with very knowledgeable people educating you with great true stories. It is well worth visiting.
September 3rd
We spent a good part of the day touring Williamsburg and there is a lot to see. We toured the castle, old homes, watched British generals ride in and try to convince everyone the British cause was the best, toured the art museum which is beautiful and mostly underground. We snacked in an Inn and by the end of the day we were very tired as you have to walk a lot.
September 4th
Jamestown and the Powhaton Indian village were awesome. They have recreated the ships, 3 of them, that the original settlers spent months in while sailing to Virginia. We watched them load and fire long rifles and howizersOnce again a great place to learn about the our history and what the settlers went through to establish themselves in America.We took the next day off and because of the approaching hurricanes we went to Charlottesville to visit the home of Thomas Jefferson.
Our friends, Chuck Waespy and Diane Christian in Washington DC were going to meet us in Charlottesville at the Boars Head Inn but the hurricane changed that so we will have to wait until we get to Borrego Springs this coming March to see them. They are considering meeting us there and we do hope they will. Here is the Boars Head Inn. We had an afternoon snack there and it is really nice place.
September 7th
Monticello is beautifully restored and one of the great places to visit in the US. They have even rebuilt the gardens and have wonderful tours. Jefferson was a very good architect and did things in those days that were not heard of before.
September 8th
We spent this day driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway and coming back through Culpepper and the Virginia horse country. It really is a beautiful state.
The rest of the week we just moulted and relaxed before we headed September 12th for Ohio via Dawson, W. VA.
September 13th
We only spent one night in Dawson and while we were there we met 3 people who were riding 2 Appaloosa horses from Idaho to Richmond, VA. They were starting a fund to support children who were in need of help. They were on the final leg of their journey and we hope they accomplish what they set out to do.
September 14th
We arrived back at the Lazy Village RV Park and little has changed since we were there last. The next day we went to my Step Mother Dot's and with jars in hand we went begging for more of her spaghetti sauce. It's the best we have ever had and she graciously gave us 3 more quart jars. We spent the next few days visiting with Dot, my Brother Don and his wife Sandy and watched while the Eastern and Northern part of Ohio got hammered with very high winds from hurricane Ike.
September 17th
We received the sad news that Kathy's Mom Pat had passed away last night. She had been in poor health for some time and we were very sorry to see her go but she is finally at peace and with her great love her husband Frank. We were able to get a flight for Kathy out of Cincinnati, a 2 hour drive from Portsmouth, on Friday morning using frequent flyer miles.
We also decided Tiger & I should stay with the motor home and head for Red Bay, AL where the Tiffen Motor homes are manufactured. We had planned on doing this as we have some needed repairs and they do it for little or no cost.
September 18th
We were scheduled to visit with my niece's and nephew in Cincinnati over the weekend but they had been out power for almost a week. We decided to meet with them on the 18th for dinner at a Skyline Chile restaurant which you will only find in Cincinnati. I had a 5 way which includes, spaghetti, chili, onions, beans and cheese. It was really good and we had a good time visiting. Kathy & I spent the night at a hotel by the airport and I put her on a plane to Seattle the next morning and then drove back to Portsmouth, OH.
I spent the next day and a half getting the motor home ready for a long trip to Red Bay and took off on Sunday the 21st.
September 22nd
Kathy's in the Seattle area with her 2 Son's and Daughter making the necessary arrangements for Mom's memorial services. We, Tiger and I, miss her very much. I'm now in Red Bay, AL and will be here for at least 3 or 4 weeks. I think the high light of this segment of our journey will be the National Coon Dog's cemetery. More to come.