Final photo addition

Here are some more photos starting with Christmas decorated RVs at the park through the drive home

Day 7: All Quiet at the RV Park

Day 7 consisted of sleep, sleep, a nap, and soon to be more sleep. It really has been a peaceful day.

The happy and healthy dogs awoke me around 830. Their bellies don't seem to take a vacation. It was raining at this point in the morning. The rain sounded like little golf balls hitting the roof. After you got used to it, it was soothing.

Lord Rob was out for the count on the couch. After feeding the kids, I made my coffee and a fried egg. No wonder chefs prefer gas stoves! My egg was delicious! I caught up on silly shows that I had on DVD. There was a break in the rain so I took the kids for a power walk around the lake for our last day of vacation. They were soaked by the end of it, but slept the rest of the day.

After my soap opera at 1pm, I succombed to the lull of the rain and had a severe power nap. It was so deep. I was in heaven.

We spent the rest of the day talking, reading the paper and having cups of tea. Dinner tonight was spaghetti (YUM!). Tomorrow we leave at a decent hour, around 9 and will boondock in Walmart Parking lot again before arriving home Saturday morning.

It's been a great trip. I was thrilled to hear Rob talking about how he'd like to come back here again, also making references to our next RV trip. It's really worked out well for us. It's handy too, when everything is within reach. You barely have to move out of bed to find the toliet and dont' even have to step outside to let the dogs out on the leashes for their business. We've been spoilt with internet connections, the luxury of time to watch my soap opera and the technology to watch the Golden Girls on DVD in the middle of nowhere. How much better can it get?

Hope you've enjoyed our daily updates. Thanks for all your kind words about Ricky. We're both so grateful he's ok. Have a blessed holiday. We love you all!

Annie and Rob, Lord and Lady of the Manor

Day 6: Professional Laziness

Last night we got the opportunity to give the hot tub on our private property a try. It was deliciously warm in the cool climate. I relaxed, gazing heavenward when WOW! A shooting star! That must be a good sign.

The RV has 3 main areas to sleep. In the back of the RV is a queen sized bed, squeezed next to the shower/toilet closet. Area 2 is the kitchen table which transforms into a surprisingly comfortable couch. Area 3 is the "grandma's attic", the part above the driver and passenger's seats. This area has become a makeshift storage area: when we dont' know where to put something, we throw it up there.

After many restless nights on our vacation thus far, Rob and I agreed to sleep in separate areas in order to fully stretch out and hopefully get decent night's sleep.

This began the laziness aspect of our trip that can only be described as "professional".

I slept in the back and was asleep in minutes. Rob, in area 2 on the makeshift couch, stayed up until the wee hours of the night playing on the computer.

Morning brought happy doggies ready to eat and do their business. We awoke around 830am, which is sleeping in for the dogs. After my coffee, I persuaded the sleepy brit on the couch for a continuing marathon of watching all of the episodes of the TV show The Office, BBC version. Rob's job was to sit and hold the laptop. I provided drinks, breakfast and basic maintenance of doggies and the like. This lasted for many hours, up until 1pm, where, of course, we had to watch more TV; my soap opera. Here we are at lunch time. So, it's my turn on the couch while the English Butler does the dishes and reads.

At this point we were unabashedly ashamed at our level of laziness and figured we should at least walk or something. The dogs were happy to lead us. They love it here (now that everyone is healthy!). We walked around the beautiful lake, enjoying the view and a heron that kept running from Sir Ricky. We had a quick stop at the little market on site, where we bought more firewood and souveniers.

The rest of the afternoon we took turns at the local showers. I can't rave enough about the water pressure! WOW. At dinner, Rob made Chicken Fried Rice while I dined on Tomatoes, Blue Cheese with Balsamic Vinagarette and Rice (really roughing it!) and we completed the Office marathon.

Tonight our big decisions consist of whether or not enjoying the hot tub again, watching a movie or roasting marshmellows. Such hard decisions.

Tomorrow may bring excitement. The forecast calls for rain and/or thunderstorms, something we haven't yet experienced in this RV yet. That may also include a long day in the RV. We do have umbrellas which may lead to an exciting walk if thunderstorms do hit the area.

One more day and then Friday we are back on the road. I'm proud of our achievement as Professional Lazy Bums.

Much love to you all,

Annie and Rob, Lazy Bums of the Manor

Day 5 Photos

Day 5: RV Living

I'll start Day 5 with a quote from our friend, Thom:

Remember, $411.00 to pay for the Vet.
Having Prince Ricky back in your arms.....
PRICELESS!

Thom is so right. I awoke at 8am to a very happy Ricky ready to eat. He and Cookie downed their yummy food and bounded outside for a piddle, barking at everything in sight. I'm so grateful he's ok. He's really back to himself. I hope he can now enjoy the trip as much as Cookie has.
After feeding the kids, I made my coffee and faffed around on the computer. The wind started picking up and our awning was beginning to cave in. When we set it up the previous night, we forgot to wind one of the latches and it was blowing all over the place. I had to wake up the Lord and we were able to fix it all.
Breakfast consisted of eggs for me and a lovely diced ham sandwich for the Master. Cookie was very observant and helpful during this process. We left on the switch for the water heater, which uses a pilot light to warm the water. The mix of leaving the heater on a bit longer than we should, followed by the wind outside, concluded with a loud alarm: we set off the carbon monoxide alarm. Well, now we know it works. We ventilated the RV and the alarm calmed down. Note to self: do not leave the water heater on all day.
Today was my first day at attempting the RV shower. Rob's been in there twice. I have been a fan of the showers on site because they are bigger than our bathrooms at home and the water pressure, along with HOT water, is complete heaven. However, it was REALLY chilly outside today and I didn't feel like walking over to the shower area and walking back with wet, albeit clean, hair. Since our adventure with the water heater left us cold, haha, I decided to use the RV shower and risk having a chilly one.
The shower is in a tiny stall in the back of the RV with the toilet. The most you can do back in this closet is turn around. There isn't even room to sneeze. I pulled the privacy curtain by the bed so I could change outside of the closet and took the chance in the shower. It was me, the shower and a bottle of Herbal Essences. I was blessed to have HOT water! It really wasn't that bad, as long as you aren't in there for a half hour like some British folk I know. As long as you are just cleaning and toweling off, it is very doable.
The afternoon began with my soap opera, Days of Our Lives. I found it on our portable black and white and I am on vacation. So, I watched it with a feast of chips and a peanut butter sandwich.
Rob started putting our pictures online and added my blogs to it. You can visit our blog, complete with this stuff and piccies of us at:
http://lordandladyofthemanor.blogspot.com/
It looks really great and the pictures will give you a good idea of what life is like so far. We'll take more of the inside of the RV soon.
I took the kids for a walk halfway around the lake. The wind was still going and I didn't want to walk headfirst into it, so I just went for a short walk. Actually, I was pulled by SuperCookie and SuperRicky. She has really been enjoying this lifestyle all along, sniffing, barking, pooping. Now that Ricky is back in the game, he is enjoying it just as much. I'm not used to being pulled by two dogs that weigh less than thirty pounds combined, but today I was. There were just too many bushes to mark and too many blades of grass to sniff.
This evening's dinner was yummy. Rob made soup on the stove. I made a salmon dip (none for you Thom!) and made Rob and I salad. We watched some of the Office TV Show, BBC version.
Tonight's main event is curling up and watching "Mr. Deeds", maybe with brownie dessert. It's just too cold tonight for a fire, so we might do that tomorrow.
So far, we are doing well. Cabin fever set in a bit for me today, only because it's hard for me to relax and actually enjoy my vacation. Having Ricky better is making a huge difference. I'm so grateful.
Love to you all,
Lady B

Day 4 Photos

Day 4: Vacation at last! (optional title: $411 later...)

Today is Day 4. I'm finally caught up on our trip here. Here we go.

The alarm rang at 6am this morning. We actually did have a few successful hours of sleep, knowing Sir Ricky was stable and on the mend. It was still dark outside as Super Robbie unhooked all of the tools and we headed out to pick up our little guy.

Boy was he happy to see us! $411 later, we received a hydrated and happy dog, blood work showing dehydration and cool x-rays of Ricky's insides. He was just happy to be with us. They were extremely kind to us and we are very grateful for them taking care of our little guy.

The ride back to the RV park was peaceful and quiet. Everyone was happy. This time I got to watch Rob hook up the rig in daylight. First, you plug in the electric, which is basically one big plug. Easy. Your refrigerator, electric outlets and heat/ac run off of your electric. Then, you have your water hookup. This is a long garden hose that brings water that runs through your sinks and shower. We haven't done the septic tank yet. We'll probably empty that when we leave.

We fed Ricky a tiny bit of food and water and waited to see how he handled it. He was fine, so we gave him some more. At this point, around 9:45, exhaustion hit all of us. Naptime! I slept until 12:30. I woke Ricky up and fed more, all the while doing fine. I made myself a tomato and lettuce sandwich, thank you very much. Yum! Found Days of Our Lives on the little portable black and white we brought and was very happy. The Lord of the Rig awoke around 2pm.

I read outside for a bit. We are right on a lake and it's cold enough that there aren't any bugs to bother you. I'm reading Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton. It's quite enjoyable, learning about the Royals and hearing things from Diana's perspective. I hope to get a chance to practice Tai Chi outside. It's the perfect setting.

After Rob ate, we strolled around the lake. Super Cookie enjoyed every single blade of grass and Ricky really seems to be coming around to his old self.

We started getting even more settled then. The Christmas lights are up in the front of the rig. The mini Christmas tree is out. Rob made a fire and baked some potatoes in there. They weren't cooked yet so I suggested a hop in the hot tub on our property. (we are on a Signature site!!!) We'll be using that every day until we leave!

I made a la-de-da apple, bluecheese salad while Rob had hotdog with baked beans. (He's sleeping outside tonight.) Talk about roughing it! I handled the stove fine. It's a gas stovetop and it's easy to light and use. We toasted Ricky's recovery with a glass of the finest Christmas beer professionally made by Dr. Dirk. YUM!Thanks buddy!

Here's the place we are staying at:

Willow Tree

Bedtime is a calling and the alarm doesn't need to be set tomorrow, thank God. Hope you are well!

Day 3 Photos

Day 3: McDonalds is BAD

McDonald's is bad and after this trip I'm going to write them a mean letter. They are bad.

Day 2's night began restless. After tucking everyone into the queen bed in the back of the RV, Ricky, the schnauzer started getting very ill. I was up and down every hour. The good news about an RV is that there are usually plenty of places to sleep. The 'kitchen table' as it were is a great bed as well. I converted it into a bed and got up and down with him all night.

I gave Ricky my chicken from my McDonald's Salad on Day 2. I did not know how unhealthy it was for him. I hoped his sickness would clear up by the afternoon.

We packed up the RV again because we needed groceries and wanted to see the sights of Myrtle Beach before setting up camp permanently for the rest of the trip. The local grocery store was really clean and nice. The fresh fruit looked so appetizing and we had lots of options.

A tour around the beach was fun. Everything seems shut down this time of year because it is 'so cold'. Locals were bundled in jackets, gloves and hats. We were in heaven. We ran on the beach with the dogs and took pictures.

Arriving back at camp, we started setting up, did some laundry and had dinner. Ricky however wasn't improving. In fact, he was getting worse. We were starting to get scared.
Thanks to technology, we were able to call a local vet, who referred us to the Animal Hospital that is open on Sunday nights. Rob packed up the RV really quickly and we set off for the 40 minute drive to the animal hospital. When I spoke to the lady on the phone, she seemed to think it was the Mc Donald's chicken.

I was so glad to get there. Ricky was so sad and sick, which was in stark contrast to Super Cookie with her iron stomach (she had some of the chicken too and is surprisingly fine. This is also the dog who survived mouse poison and a dog attack, but those are other stories).

The vet finally came in and looked over everything. No one seemed overly worried, considering that we had mentioned the change in his diet; eg. Evil McDonalds.

They had us give the OK on fluids, meds, blood work and X-rays. They took him to get the IV and we sat to wait.

This is the curious part, but I guess this is the only and easiest way they work. They don't have the blood testing facilities on site, so it is the client's responsibility to drive the blood to the local human hospital. Luckily, we would receive the results in a matter of hours. So much for another adventure.

As we drove to the human hospital to drop off the blood, we debated about whether or not to drive back to the site or stay nearby. You see, the hospital closes at 8am and we needed to pick Ricky back up, regardless of if he needed more tests or fluids. We would have to take him to a day vet and continue treatment.

The lady at the counter mentioned that it wasn't the nicest of areas where we were. We couldn't tell because it was 10 at night and we didn't know the area. We decided on heading back to site. The results were to be ready in an hour so we could call the vet then and find out how everything was.

Rob is now an old pro at hooking up and parking. I took a shower on site (more on those amazing showers they provide here later) and tried to make the time pass.

12:30 we got good news. All is well. The x-rays showed everything clear and the blood work only showed dehydration. We fell into restless sleep and set the alarm for 6am to drive back and pick him up.

*********************************************************************

I hesitated writing all of this to everyone because I was blaming myself for Ricky's sickness. However, now that we know he is ok and will be ok, I thought continuing to tell the tale would pass along vital information to everyone. I grew up on McDonald's food. You see the signs everywhere and see the commericals. I just thought it was ok food. I never thought it would make my dog so sick and I'm really angry about that. They don't have to cook that unhealthy in this day and age. McDonalds is BAD.

I'll continue tonight with Day 4. Ricky is fine and so are we, now.

Day 2 Photos

WalMart - Lebanon, TN

Day 2: Are We There Yet?

Day 2: 6am alarm.

Rob, I now believe, is a Super RV Man. At 6am, the alarm clock jolted us out of a strange night sleep. He was a man on a mission. Within minutes, he was dressed, fed the dogs, took them outside for their duties, and he was ready to go. I, fulfilling my duties as wife, turned over and went back to sleep.

Ricky started getting restless an hour later, so we stopped for coffee and more gas. Yes, more gas. Our bill will be fun to calculate at the end of this. Rob did another driving stint and we listened to the audio book, Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown. It was beautiful scenery.

I of course get my first experience driving this huge rig while driving through the Smoky Mountains. They are a bit mountainous, I must say. I just took it slow and easy. I drove a solid 4 hours, which was just too much. It's better for everyone's sanity and doggie bladders to stop every 2-3 hours.

Our stop was a McDonald's where we loaded up on food. We estimated our arrival around 6:30pm and realized we needed to call the RV Park, named Willow Tree, to let us know our late arrival.

We did our best, driving along dark roads. Everything was paved and the Christmas lights were out in SC, without snow. Our arrival was exciting for us. Pulling in, we found the main registration hall. They taped a map and our site directions on it. We were delighted to see almost 20 RV's already pulled up and parked. To our surprise, however, most were decorated with Christmas lights and decorations! One RV even has the blow up Snowman and Santa you see in a typical front yard. It was extremely homely, coming in. Rob successfully backed in and we settled in for our first night.

Hope you are enjoying this. We are enjoying being here....more tomorrow about today's events. I'll catch us up completely tomorrow

Day 1 Photos

Day 1: Walmart Sleepover

On day 1, Friday, was where I last left us. We pulled out of the RV parking lot heading downtown at 4:20pm. This, of course, is right around Rush Hour on a Friday afternoon in Downtown St. Louis, driving a RV that we've never driven before. Let's just say it was exciting. A very kind truck driver, after much persuasion, let us into the right lane heading out of St. Louis.

We stopped a few hours later for a bite to eat and some gas. Our first fillup bill? $65 in Kuttawa KY. (This would be why we rented the 29' RV rather than going bigger!)

We reached our Walmart destination around 11:30pm Friday night. This was located in Lebanon, TN. It was right off the highway, a Walmart Supercenter. All of the Walmarts across the US let you park your RV overnight for free. Out of politeness, it is worth having a friendly word with the manager.

I was exhausted. I made an attempt to make the queen bed located in the back of the RV while Rob popped in Walmart. We got permission and took the dogs out for a quick widdle. I laid my head down around midnight, wondering how the heck I had talked Rob into doing this.

RV Trip: The Beginning

Hi everyone,

We are here in sunny South Carolina, writing from a laptop in our RV. I haven't had computer access until now, so I'll catch you up a little bit now. I can't stay on too long, since you know Rob is aching to get back to his computer time. Here's a little bit of our adventure so far:

Our trip began Friday. I dropped off our bird Sunny, also known as Kay-Bob to some, at our local vet. He was nervous, but then was excited when he heard other birdies talking to him. I'm already thinking, upon our return, of adopting a friend for Kay-Bob.

Rob came home from work around 1pm, to find a house in chaos. I packed everything. I packed food, dog beds, pillows, DVDs and a mini TV. You name it, I packed it.

The drive to the RV lot was uneventful for Rob, since he had Ricky in his crate who surrendered and relaxed. I on the other hand had a very unhappy Cookie screaming at me, wondering why she had to ride in the crate when I NEVER let her do that.

The screaming continued as the RV guys gave us a tour of the rig. When we pulled in, we saw it. Our Winnebago. We had made the vacation become a reality. Now the challenge is figuring out how to run the damn thing. The guys gave a very quick tour of the cab, with Cookie still having a tempertantrum in my car. Rob and I tried to understand everything; the LP gas tank, the sewer hookup, the difference between the gray water (bad) and the black water (very, very bad). We threw everything in, including the dogs, who were happy to sniff and smell everywhere. Within minutes, Ricky had found his bed and was happy all curled up in there.

More later on Day 1. I have to catch you up, since we are already on Day 3. I'll bribe Rob for more computer time later...maybe he'll let me if I'm a good girl.