PIC's from FMCA - Perry Ga.

A better view. Chip

Dry Camping at Perry

Chip and Barbara Massa

Coaches, Coaches, and more Coaches Over 2800 in all

The Fairgrounds

Tiffin Display

2009 Allegro Bus

Rear Bath - 2009 Allegro Bus

FMCA International Convention - Perry Ga.

3/14/2009 - 3/20/2009

On March 14th we left Hilton Head for the Family Motor Coach International Meeting in Perry GA. We spent the arrival night in a campground just outside the Fairgrounds and on the 15th we met up with Chip and Barbara Massa in the Walmart parking lot a mile from the fairgrounds.

This meeting is for all levels of motor coaches. We entered the grounds with with the Massa's following us in their coach so we could park side by side. We had always been told that this was a good rally and we were not disappointed. We were one of about 2800 motor coaches dry camping on the fairgrounds. About 6000 guests which we were told is much smaller that prior years.

There were about 300 to 400 vendor booths displaying everything you would ever need for RV'ing. There were also all the major coach companies with over 200 coaches on display. We went to seminars, toured coaches, walked through all of the vendor areas, and met a number of interesting people. Each night there was entertainment. The weather the first two days was lots of rain, even though many of the areas were flooded, we were lucky to have been parked on a small rise were the water ran off.

The meeting was very informative and we had a good time sitting by the propane fire with Chip and Barbara in the evenings. It was also very nice to be among the youngest folks at the meeting.

I attended a weight and tire safety seminar and had my coach weighed which was very helpful. I would recommend this meeting to anyone who has a motor coach. It was a fun time.

Life is Good!!

Bill and Eileen

Pics from our Hilton Head Visit

Strelcheck Homestead "Marsh View"

Foggy Morning in Hilton Head

Pic from the house tours

Captain Steve

First Mate Kathy

The Casperina

Hilton Head Visit (Kathy and Steve Strelcheck)

3/11/2009 - 3/14/2009

On March 11th we moved on to Hilton Head to visit our former neighbors from Snellville Ga. Steve and Kathy have been retired for just a short time but they have settled quickly into this wonderful lifestyle. They bought a beautiful home in the Moss Creek subdivision and Steve has been renovating almost the entire home for the past few years. What a beautiful home. They are on the marsh with a spectacular view and the ultimate in privacy. What they have done to this home is marvelous.

One day was shopping and looking at houses for the girls and a little golf for the guys. Once again the putting Gods did not shine on me but the company was great. The following day we all went on "Casperina" a beautiful 39 ft. Catalina sailboat. The seas where a little rough, but no problem for this group of seasoned sailors. Steve and Kathy have a wonderful home and a great area for the next 200 years of their retirement.

The campground we picked is an equity type park located just over the bridge on Hilton Head Island. When the people that own the sites are not there, the management company rents their space. Because the sites are owned and relatively expensive, the campground is very very nice. Some of the sites had waterfalls and many of them had numerous amenities. We took a site with a water view and the day we left I wanted to take a picture but the fog blocked our view. Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort and Marina. A nice place. There is also another larger RV park on the Island that is supposed to be very nice. This park was less than 10 minutes from the Strelchecks.

Hilton Head is somewhat crowded but the housing selections are numerous and the amenities are endless. Eileen really likes Hilton Head.

We would like to thank the Strelchecks for their marvelous hospitality. Once again we had a great time. We need to talk about another pinochle reunion after the big wedding is over.

We will see you guys in October.

How could life be better with such great friends!!!

Bill and Eileen

PIC's From Pawleys Island Visit

Campsite

Campsite Huntington Beach State Park

My Bride at the parks beach entrance

Our neighbors at Huntington Beach

Pawleys Island beach

Eileen, Tharleen, and Dick

No tan yet!!

Pawleys Island Visit (Dick and Tharleen Kinsey)

3/8/2009 - 3/11/2009

We stayed at Huntington Beach State Park just south of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet SC. This is a lovely and relatively inexpensive state park that has full hookups on a number of sights and is right on the beach. A real value that the locals have discovered. I would suggest that you make reservations well in advance if your heading this way, especially during the peak seasons. This is probably the nicest state park we have been in and all of the campsites are nice.

We arrived on 3/8 and after setting up Dick and Tharleen visited us at the park for the five o'clock tradition, then we headed to Murrells Inlet for a light dinner. The next day I played golf with Dick and two of his neighbors. While my golf wasn't the best, the company was great. If you are a golfer this is a nice area to keep you challenged for some time. I forget how many courses there are in the immediate area, but it's a load.

In the afternoon Dick and Tharleen drove us all around the area to show us the highlights. If you stay south of the Honkey Tonk of Myrtle Beach this is a marvelous area. Many great restaurants and plenty of beach. The island part of Pawleys Island is old and totally developed and reminds me very much of Emerald Isle. Beautiful beach's and relaxing atmosphere. The following day we continued our touring and had a marvelous dinner at the Kinsey residence. Dick and Tharleen have a great house and a nice active neighborhood.

We were very impressed with the many amenities, shopping, and comfort of this area. I know I wouldn't want to be in Myrtle Beach, but you are close enough that you can use the shopping and dining when the mood hits you.

We would like to thank Dick and Tharleen for there wonderful hospitality. It was great seeing you guys again. Please stay in touch and save some time for a visit up north before we depart for the south. We very much enjoyed our visit.

The next two posts will be a few of the pictures we took in the Pawleys Island/Myrtle Beach area during our brief visit.

Life is Great!!!!

Bill and Eileen

I'm Baaaack!!

I promised I would try to do better with the day to day on the blog this trip but it just didn't happen. We have been visiting friends since we left Emerald Isle and didn't have a decent wi-fi until we bought a verizon card at the FMCA rally in Perry Ga.

Our travels have taken us to Myrtle Beach/Pawleys Island area to visit Dick and Tharleen Kinsey (a former Bard colleague and his lovely wife). We then moved on the Hilton Head to visit former Snellville Ga. neighbors and world class pinochle players (Steve and Kathy Strelcheck).

We then moved on to Perry Ga. where we attended The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) International Convention with Chip and Barbara Massa (RV friends that we met last year in Salt Lake).

After Perry we spent three days exploring St. Augustine Fla. before we moved on to "The Villages" in central Florida to visit former neighbors from Amherst NH (Tom and Mary Ellen Quinn) who own a vacation home in this marvelous place.

Today we moved on to Ft Lauderdale to reunite with Chip and Barbara for some fun on their home turf. When I get the time I will post some pictures from each of our visits and give a brief outline of the campgrounds and the areas we visited.

It has been marvelous rekindling old friendships and getting to know our new friends. We have also been using this trip to explore other areas of the East Coast that we might consider for our retirement home. We love Emerald Isle but we owe it to ourselves to check other areas out. With our wonderful children on opposite ends of the country we could live almost anywhere.

I will start tomorrow with an overview of our SC visits. It is great to be away from the cold I wish we didn't have to go back.

Lovin Life!!

Bill and Eileen