A waste of calories

Feb. 7 - 16 18, 2014 (10 days)

David Crockett State Park - Lawrenceburg, TN

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CONTENTS
RV LIFE
HOUSE HUNTING
CRAFTS
BROWSING THE WWW
RESTAURANT REVIEW
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
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RV LIFE:

We extended our stay by two days. The weather has turned for the better and I was actually able to enjoy a walk with the dogs around the campground and also sitting outside reading. 

There definitely is a diversified population in the US. One of my worries about moving to Tennessee is the culture shock I'll experience and the tolerance I must work on. There were a lot of passers by' this afternoon.. Many walking dogs, some walking kids. I met up with a woman jogging. She stopped to pet our dogs. Then mentioned she used to have a big dog, a Collie. Unfortunately, she ran over him with her car. Then she proceeds to say, "Now we have a Maltese. We went small because we wanted a house dog." Grrrrr. Southern chicks married to "Good ol' boys". Large dogs can't be house dogs? Our dogs are not only house dogs, but bed companions also! We saw a dog riding in the back of a pick up truck with his paws on the edge of the truck. Fun for the dog until a sudden stop and thunk, he hits the pavement. But, overall, folks seem to be very friendly towards us.

Another reason I like the East is because I can easily find seltzer!!! Yeah!

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HOUSE HUNTING:

The main reason we have extended our stay here is to find out some details about the area. Actually only looking at one main thing. Is there a decent internet connection way out in this rural area?

So far, cable internet is out. We were really spoiled by Cablevision internet in NJ. It was really fast and reliable.

Once we find out we can get decent internet, then we'll put a bid in. Now that I've had a couple of days to think it over, I'd REALLY like to move into that house. It would be PERFECT for fostering dogs.

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CRAFTS:

I have my traveling projects (simple pattern, heavy yarn), my outside projects (lace work) and my inside projects (either). It pains me to leave my project in the truck, I but can be very regimented. Leave it be...that stays in the truck for next time we travel! 

Well, maybe I should pack it up better than just leaving it on the dashboard. While we were checking out the Lake house, we left the dogs in the truck. No sooner are we out of sight and Lyla just barks and barks and barks and barks...you get what I'm saying. We were touring the house and property for about 1.5 hours. Lyla barked the whole time.

When we get back to the truck, Lyla is very excited to see us. She is moving from window to window dragging my yarn with her. The yarn that is (or was) attached to my project is wrapped around her leg. While I gathered project and needles (well, 1 needle), Scott untangles the yarn. No matter, it is no longer attached to my project. And sure enough, some live stitches slipped off. It's a heavy yarn, so I can fix that. But wait! I found one needle, where's the other. I use circular needles so each needle tip is attached to a connecting cable. Rutt, rho! The cable is chewed and the needle is definitely missing, probably forever. The needle is made out of wood, a perfect chewing toy for Lyla to release her frustration on. So maybe the needle isn't lost forever! I'll probably find it in bits and pieces when I'm poopy scooping. 

Luckily, as I've aged, I've also learned to compartmentalize. Assess in baby steps and deal with each baby step. I do not look at the whole project and supplies as ruined. I break it down. Slipped stitches can be put back on. Broken yarn can be attached again. Broken needle, damn! But I have two and some three sets of many of the same sizes. I've got a good supply of the cables for the needles also.  Take each little problem and deal with each individually. Not to be overwhelmed by the whole fiasco.

My projects are thought through that way also. I only have a few projects going and will not start another until at least one project is finished. It would drive me bonkers to have so many projects in the works, so many that you forget about some and they never get finished. I USED to be that way in my younger years. I USED to have a much shorter fuse for my temper also. That is the good part about aging. Hopefully through years of experience, we learn to deal better.

This afternoon during the sunny warmer day, I fixed all Lyla's work and the project is now stored in it's proper project bag and back in the truck for our next journey.

I finished Mystery Knit-a-Long #2 for the year. It's called "Follow Your Arrow". It is a small shawl that is used as a scarf. There were 5 clues (sets of instructions) and each clue had 2 options. This is not one of my favorite projects, but once it was blocked, it looks so much nicer.

Can you see the arrows from bottom up?

For sale (not the dog) for $50.

This is a wool/silk blend yarn. I guess the Setter hair is included.

Very soft, not itchy.

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BROWSING THE WWW:

No, please! NOOOOOOO! I feel like I'm in a Zombie movie trying to stay clear of them so I don't turn into one. But, I've been caught. My name is Debbie and I have become addicted to Pinterest. I always wondered what all the hype was about. Well...since I'm in nesting mode and we are considering settling down, hopefully surrounded by woods, I've been looking at rustic decorating ideas. Of course that leads to other crafts, home decorating, frugal living, etc. I spent the whole morning surfing. Ahhh, the luxury of being retired.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:

David Crockett Restaurant, Lawrenceburg, TN

Our rating 1 out of 5

This restaurant is inside the David Crockett State Park. This is a beautiful park and I'm sure in the warmer seasons it's busy. They have a large swimming pool, archery, a pond, camping, cabin rentals & hiking. This restaurant is not just a snack bar. It is a sit-down, waiter service establishment. I can only judge this place on the one meal we had...the smoked meats buffet. Gee, we're in Tennessee, let's have some Southern food!

Bleck!!!! 

Salad bar: Small, but decent. They offered mixed greens, not just iceberg or romaine.Quite a few sliced veggies to add, plus cheese and coleslaw. The salad bar (especially the coleslaw) was the best part of the buffet.

Smoked meats buffet: Meats were ribs and chicken. They were not smoked. My chicken was very dry and the ribs were all gelatinous fat. Mushy mixed veggies. Collard greens were ok. Miniature corn bread muffins were dry & bland. I couldn't even finish a mini muffin. Previously frozen corn on the cob sitting in a vat of hot water. Didn't bother trying it. Seasoned steaks fries were decent. $13.00 was not a bargain for this buffet. Instead of going back for seconds for the main foods, I filled up on salad. 

Soft serve: It was not ice cream. It was either "fake" dairy something, or very icy, ice milk. But if you put it on top of the gooey, so-so cobbler, it wasn't bad. 

What a waste of calories. Will not be returning.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure by David Rosenfelt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh boy. I could definitely relate to David and his wife's mission to save dogs from the shelter. I'm not sure some people would understand all he went through to take 25 dogs cross country to their new home. As a dog rescue volunteer, I know many dogs are dumped when a family moves. Very sad and a heartless thing to do.
The author mixes in stories of how they acquired the dogs they rescued while telling of their ordeal, oops, I mean adventure to move from the West coast to the East coast of New England.
I could see myself volunteering to help.
If you are a dog rescuer, this is an uplifting must read.
I have only read one of his mystery novels "Play Dead". I rated it 4 stars. One of his characters in his "regular" books is one of his passed dogs, Luna. Mr. Rosenfelt said he will never kill off Luna in his books. She will live forever in his written word.