08/13 - 08/23 Country Acres Campground - Final

WELCOME BACK 

And so, a full, rich and rewarding week is coming to an end. My, how fast time flies when you're having fun. A reminder for clicking on any links in my blogs; be sure to click on the left arrow of the site to return to the blog. I am fortunate and thankful for being able to capture so many memories in my diary/journal....or, as they're known these day, blogs. For many in our group, it's back home for the break to clean out, restock and tend to business on the home front. Most, including me and those who didn't make this trip, will meet again in Greenfield Park, NY at the Jellystone Park at Birchwood Acres, the subject of my next blog. I, on the other hand, will return to Croton Point Park (CPP) for the six day stay before leaving for Jellystone Park. I'll have my Caddy so I'll 'commute' and take care of my business at home, 13 miles and 25 minutes away.

POT LUCK DINNER

The beauty of belonging to a 'group', especially for RVing, becomes quite evident when "Meet & Greet" and "Pot Luck Dinners" are planned. I've only been a member of this group for four or five years but it's their tradition and history that allows such events to be honed to perfection. The members of this group including those not in attendance have always stepped up with their delicious go-to meals for these events. In addition to the traditional good food, look at the pots, pans, crock pots, trays, dishes and service utensils that RVs can store no matter the destination. Small, medium or large, there's always someone who's got just the right item for the task at hand. Keep that thought in mind as I share more with you at the end of this blog.

I was eager to capture the "before" layout so lots of covered dishes don't do justice to the contents within.

Even Johnny's portable service area was put to use...

...as was this neat little portable "cabinet."

Fresh and hot. To the rear left, Sue's pulled chicken in BBQ sauce; to the right,
pulled chicken in a mustard sauce. Both outstanding.

John and Carol's hot dogs with.....

,,,baked beans and sauerkraut

Doreen's sauce to go with her...

...Baked ziti

Charlie's fresh sweet corn picked up the day
before from a roadside farm stand.

Dawn's tomato mozzarella salad 

Roberta's Sheppard's Pie

Chrissy's mozzarella sticks with salsa dipping sauce...

...and fresh fruit salad

Needless to say, it was a delicious and well coordinated event with enough left over for future meals and snacks. For our last get-together Saturday night, these goodies will disappear thus making our loads traveling home lighter...oh wait, but the people will be heavier. Hmm.

ANIMAL VISITORS

In addition to all there was to see and enjoy in this very quiet campground adjacent to a farm and cornfields, we were visited by this friendly, meowing creature, one of two neighbors.

This visitor, we assume, from the neighboring farm, stopped by a few
nights in a row. She was not adverse to accepting some of
Jack's food. (Roberta's cat)

There was a second black cat that was more skittish but
didn't hang around meowing like this one.

Thank you, Roberta for sharing some of Jack's food.

As you know, 99.9% of RVers have at least one or
two pets as traveling companions. This magnificent
boxer is from down the street.

When asked if it was "friendly", his answer of
"No," was appreciated. LOL

Down in my neck of the woods, I had a more
hare-raising encounter with this ferocious creature.

I had no problem keeping it fed. It seemed to enjoy what I provided.
It was a young one, I didn't see any gray hares..

We do have a motel next door but I knew it wasn't raised there; else
it would've been an inn-grown hare.  Seems she built a new
house cause she was fed up with the hole thing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

And how could any trip be complete if you weren't fortunate enough to catch a
gift from Mother Nature...a sunset.

Jason & Sara

And speaking of Mother Nature, all of her wonders are a very personal part of my makeup and experiences. I would love to share with you the very talented work of Jason Heid. Jason, a very good friend of granddaughter, Sara, is currently in New Hampshire and his work and talent incorporates the use of drones for breathtaking and outstanding footage and stills. Jason has captured the wonders of Mother Nature in an impressive gallery. Check it out on his website HERE. I'll be visiting them on my way back home from Maine in September and staying at nearby Ames Brook Campground.

I mentioned above that when it came to improvising and having something at hand, there is always someone who has what's needed for that problem or task. With that thought in mind, I wanted to share with you how it all ties together in the RV world, especially mine. Yesterday it was coming up on wine o'clock and I went to prepare my chilled glass of Chardonnay. After I removed the bottle, I noticed the fridge light didn't come on. I tapped the switch on the door to see if it was stuck, it was not. I checked the power light on the thermostat, it was not lit; checked the fuse and circuit breakers, all okay. Texted Tony and when he returned home from a shopping run with Doreen, he appeared at my door with his tool bag. Long story short, an in-line fuse had to be replaced. Located on top of the refrigerator, we had to slide the fridge out of its alcove (not an easy task) to replace that section of wire including the fuse. Tony left and returned with the necessary piece which he obtained from fellow RVer, Mike. No trip to Lowes or Home Depot necessary. So, after cutting, splicing and connecting the "new" in-line fuse unit, we pushed back the fridge, re-screwed the six screws to keep it in place and replaced the molding around the door (the most time consuming and difficult part of the repair). I was spared the loss of food, a trip and the associated expense of traveling to a repair shop.

For any problem I could not take care of myself on either of my two RVs, camping buddies like Tony, Mike, Ray, George and Craig had the knowledge, tools, parts and experience to get the job done. Very comforting to know there are selfless, intelligent people out there who have no qualms about helping others. Thank you.

To conclude, I hope you've enjoyed the trip as much as I've enjoyed trying to capture memories and putting them into a blog form for my future. One thought or experience triggered a desire to do further research and that led to more fascinating information that I'll never remember. Someday I hope to master what friend, Vicki, does with her blogs: incorporate a "search" feature that will allow me to simply enter a term, location or topic  (key words) from past blogs and go right to it and enjoy it over again. Someday.

I leave for CPP tomorrow and I'll try to capture even more experiences. We shall see. Till whenever, take care. Continue to practice safe distancing, wear masks and don't...never mind. Oh, and don't forget to share a comment. Besides the gratification I get knowing someone has read it, I also enjoy hearing the experiences of those who've shared similar adventures. For my last two blogs, I've had 160 views and 20 comments. I love it. Thank you. Makes for a nice incentive to continue.
Bye.

Our last sunset at Country Acres