'11/#48 Does A Bear Poop In The Woods?

Today we spent the day out looking for water falls. The leaves are also changing so the cameras are click, click, clinking their little hearts out. The weather was beautiful & is was shaping up to be a wonderful day. As I was driving the twisting mountain roads there was a sudden squeal accompanied by OOO, OOO, OOO from the passenger seat. Mary was wide eyed, hopping in her seat, & pointing toward the river. Finally one word squeaked past her lips.....bbbbbbear!!!!!!! Sure enough there was a bear swimming across the river. Then he crawled up the river bank toward the road. Mary snaps out of shock & grabs the camera as he crosses the road. I have stopped the truck & grabbed my camera by the time the bear makes it across the road. Now this side of the road has a narrow grass shoulder & a vertical rock wall so the bear is a little frazzled. He then turns to the wall & proceeds to climb straight up using his claws & the vines. We were so close we could hear his claws scratching on the rocks. By the time he was gone into the woods Mary was almost hyperventilating & made me rethink the question. It is now "Does a bear make a tourist poop in her pants?". Well this time maybe just a little.

This week we have more friends visiting. We are really very fortunate that we have so many good friends. Another day showing guests around Dollywood & one more night at the Stampede. It is a great feeling being able to show our friends a good time. When our friends leave we only have a little over week before we hit the road.

That means just 3 more days of work. Then there will be the goodbyes with all of our new friends from Reds. Again we are very lucky to be able to make such good friends wherever we go. We will have to close out all our work & banking business as well as get the rig ready before we go. Time is going to fly by.

So I am going to say good night & make sure Mary is not suffering any lasting effects from her near-bear encounter from our home here in the bear infested Smokys because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'11/#47 Signs That It Is Almost Time

Time is getting short here in Pigeon Forge & as expected it is going by quickly. The week got off to a slow start. Monday Mary woke up not feeling well. She had been dragging her butt for a couple of days & it finally caught up with her. She spent the day in bed while I took care of some projects that needed to be done before we leave. I also did some errand running & just relaxed. Tuesday Mary was feeling much better. I let her sleep in & when we got up we did some laundry. Later on we went to one of the dinner shows on our Dollywood perks list. This one was called The Hatfields & McCoys. The show was a music filled "feud"/comedy that followed the usual fried chicken &/or B-B-Q with the appropriate sides. The show was corny & the food was so-so but it was almost free. We usually have to pay for all or part of the dinner while the show is free when we take advantage of the perks.

Wednesday we had some running around to do. I needed to have my glasses adjusted & the nearest Lenscrafters is in Knoxville some 25 miles away. As built up as Pigeon Forge/Sevierville has become there still is very little that doesn't pertain to the tourist industry. While at the mall Mary did some more "baby" shopping. She is just loving this grandmommy thing. She also found some real bargains for all the kids & managed to make our Christmas shopping almost complete. On the way back we stopped at Walmart & a couple of gift shops. All the tourist attractions are decorating for the fall harvest so there were numerous stops for the obligatory photo-ops. Then it was on to The Comedy Barn. Promoted as wholesome family entertainment it lived up to the claim & was "laugh 'til it hurts" funny. Again it was free as a "Dolly" perk. We tried adding up all the perks we have taken advantage of & figure we have saved at least $2000. Once we leave here I'm sure I will come up with a more accurate total.

The seasons are starting to change for REAL! Highs the past 2 days have been near 60deg & the lows have hovered near 40deg. That means the heat is on & the electric blanket is out. It also means it is time to head for Florida. Hitch-itch is getting stronger, the weather is getting colder, & most importantly we miss the grandkids. By my calculations we will be on the road in less than 2 weeks & will arrive "home" by November 1st. Yes that calculates to 2 weeks to travel some 700 miles. We are making some stops on the way to see friends, family, & just sight-see on the way. That is the joy of being retired & living the RV lifestyle.

Well we have more chores to do & more perks to take advantage of so I will say so long for now from our home in Tennessee because....

Home is where we park it,
Fran k & Mary

'11/#46 Good, Great, & Even Better News

Well we have been as busy as I had predicted, even only working 3 days this week. The rig needed to go in the shop for some adjustments to the suspension. It was a job that the mobile tech couldn't take care of so we had to unhook the water, sewer, & electric then hook up the truck & head on down to the shop. As we were driving with the trailer behind us our "hitch-itch" flared up again. It was tempting to just keep on driving on down the road to our next destination but we have some things to take care of first. Anyway, the rig went into the shop & was taken care of. The adjustments worked just as I had planned & that was good news. The bill was less than I had expected & that was even better news. Again as we headed home our minds wandered to travel on the open road but first things first. Before we backed in to our site we loaded my motorcycle since we weren't planning on using it much & it will simplify our leaving in a couple of weeks.

Thursday Mary had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon to follow up on her MRI results. It seems that the fracture is healing nicely & there is some straining, inflammation, & minor tissue tearing that is causing her pain. It is also something that will heal up with time & some therapy but NO cast. That news was the best we could have heard so we were very happy. Mary has also promised to NEVER fall again. I know she will try but accidents will happen.

We work this weekend & then have 4 days off. Dollywood is going to be crazy these few days so we will enjoy the rest of the week. We also figured that we only have to work 6 more days over the next 2 weeks so we know we will be on the road soon. Our days off are filling up quickly so we can take advantage of the perks we get while working in the "Wood" before we leave.

Well, we are getting ready for work so I will sign off now from our home near Dollywood in Pigeon Forge because ......

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'11/#45 Short Timin'

The summer has flown by & it's hard to believe we will be on the road in just 4 short weeks. With only 2 more weeks of work, more friends coming to visit, & things to do before we hit the road the time will be gone before we know it. Add in doctors visits to get Mary all healed up I guess it will be kind of hectic. Ahhh, life on the road as a full time RVer.

Our friend from the PO came & introduced us to her husband. We all got along & had a good time. We couldn't stay with them at Dollywood because of a previous commitment but promises were made to keep in touch. With DW closed on Tuesdays & Thursdays we decided to do something by ourselves. There is a new attraction that opened just 3 weeks ago. It is called the Lumberjack Feud. Lets call it dinner theater with a lumberjack competition theme. As Dolly employees we got a discount. Another perk for working in the "Wood". It was entertaining, the food was good, & we got to enjoy a night out.

As I said earlier we will be leaving soon. We are getting a case of "hitch-itch" & need to get the wheels rolling. Also I believe we may have stayed a little too long here with the mountain folk. Mary's twang is getting a little more pronounced & it is getting noticed by more & more people. It has even gotten to the point that it bothers her & she can't stop it. Hopefully once we get back to FL she will have that same sweet mildly southern accent that she denies having.

Well I will call it a night & Mary will say g'night y'all from our home in Tennessee because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'11/#44 Me & Gimpy Doin' Our Best

As we hoped everyone had a good time this weekend. In spite of Mary's hand hurting & "Stampeding" again we really enjoyed spending time with our friends. The best part about old friends is meeting new friends & that is what we did. Actually friends this good are really family. Not relatives but family. These are people you care about & know they care about you, not because they are supposed to but because they want to. We did the Dollywood thing after the Stampede & before we knew it it was time for our friends to leave.

Just the other day Mary was contacted by an old friend from the PO who had transferred out of state years ago. She was coming to Pigeon Forge & wanted to get together. We will be going back to Dollywood. I know I sound like I am complaining but it really is fun to take friends to the park & the Stampede. Our perks let us do more & we get to act like "big-shots"! And the best thing is we get to do something nice for our friends.

Monday we went on our train ride through the Nantahala Gorge. We had a really good time. It is not often that we get to ride on a "real" train. I am not talking about the trains that run around Dollywood or Disney or any other private property. I am talking about a train that is still running on the tracks it used when it was used for transportation & commerce. The Great Smoky Mountain RR hauled people, lumber, & minerals into & out of the Smoky Mountains. The train has been running as a tourist excursion since 1988 & provides a view of the Smokys that you don't see from the road. The ride back was relaxing The clickity-clack of the trains wheels was so rhythmic that Mary fell asleep. The fact that she hasn't slept well since hurting her hand helped. She looked so cute that I & our fellow passengers just let her sleep. We also chuckled a little while I took a few pictures of "sleeping beauty".

It was a long day & we called it a night. Tomorrow was going to be an early morning for Mary's follow-up with the doctor. We saw the doctor & a possible fracture was found. Now there was a referral to an orthopedic. There was an appointment that afternoon but we had to go into Knoxville. The ortho didn't like the x-rays so he has ordered an MRI. We are waiting for workers-comp to schedule that. In the meantime our friend from the PO arrived from Indiana with her husband. We met for dinner & made plans for the next day.

I will close & hope Mary hears the clickity-clack that will put her to sleep here in our home in Tennessee because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'11/#43 Crazy Times & Good Times

Let's see, what's new? Well Mary saw the workers comp chick(note tone of disgust) who sent her to the Dr. The doc prescribed her with drugs for the pain & sent her back to work because Dollywood said "they would find work for her". This sounds a lot like the Post Office! The next day Mary took the drugs as prescribed & went to work. By the time we got to work the drugs had kicked in & she was staggering like a drunk. Of course the workers comp chick said she couldn't work like this. She also told Mary not to take the drugs "prescribed by the doctor" & prescribed or suggested alternative OTC drugs. I guess she is a workers comp chick/doctor. Again it sounds a lot like the PO. After Mary, in her drugged stupor, told this broad(more disgust)that she sucked she was sent home where she belonged in the first place. So much for finding work for her.

That evening, after the drugs wore off, I took her out to dinner. Some of the crew were meeting for pizza after work as a farewell to Cassidy, one of the guys from Red's who is moving on to a better & more stable job. It also let everyone see that Mary was OK. We had a good time but Mary was still a little light headed so we went home right after dinner. The next day we woke up, had some breakfast, & Mary went back to bed. These must be some good drugs! Up at 9:30am, back to bed by 11am. I did some wood carving, e-mailing, a little TV, some dinner, & I finally was able to get her up at 9:30pm! She ate a little & it was back to bed by 1am. All this rest with all the drugs & her wrist was still hurting. She goes back to the doctor next week & we will see what's up at that time.

This weekend we have friends coming to see us & do the "Dolly" thing. We are looking forward to spending time with our friend who also just happens to be our family doctor. THIS is one special doctor. She is also one special friend so I know it will be fun. We have the next week off & if Mary is up to it(that means awake)we hope to take the train ride I spoke about previously in the blog.

So l will bid all adieu as we plan to relax & have some fun here in our home in TN because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'11/#42 Just A Short "She is All Right"

The word has gotten out that Mary had fallen & was taken to the hospital. We want to let everyone know that she is going to be just fine. She has a wrist sprain & a severely bruised hip. Yes it happened at Dollywood while we were working in Red's Drive-In. The ambulance & hospital visit were primarily a precaution in case she was seriously hurt. Anytime ambulance & ER are used in the same sentence people think the worst, but as is often the case it was not. Mary will be sore for a little while & won't be working for the next week or so anyway because we have friends coming to town. The time off & good friends will be the best medicine for her.

Again we want to thank everyone in our Red's "family" for their help when Mary got hurt. Also we want to thank them & everyone else for their concern, well wishes, & prayers. We are truly fortunate to have so many & such good friends. We don't want to comment anymore on the incident right now. Just join us in being relieved that it didn't turn out any worse.

Again, THANK-YOU to everyone from our home here in Pigeon Forge because......

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary