“USA 🇺🇸 North Carolina ~Monthly Blog Series of….It’s Never Dull!! Happy Thanksgiving ~NOVEMBER 2024”

• December 1, 2024
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

Here We Are in November, Already!

After being on trips for half of October, it was also very nice being back at The Whale and around family, again!

We are having beautiful weather, with lots of sunshine, and the temperatures are finally cooler. I love the cold weather, over the hot and humid.

Because we were on a road trip when Daryl turned 70, and we got to enjoy Indian Fry Bread Tacos on the Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico; after visiting Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona; (our second visit there) BUT, that only made us want more Fry Bread Tacos!

After getting back home, we celebrated Daryl’s Birthday with family, and I made Fry Bread Tacos, and they turned out pretty good. I also made a multi-level fresh Strawberry with pudding-filling cake, as per the request from Daryl.

After the food and with it getting dark so early, we headed down to the water for a bonfire, where we continued to celebrate Grandpapa, and we listened to Christmas music.

Incidentally, all three grandchildren got straight A’s and we are super proud of them for that! McKenzie also started high school math, and social studies, in jr high.

ONSLOW

Wow, it had be quite awhile since Chels and I got to the beach, so we picked a morning with a timely low tide and went. It was very enjoyable, and way cooler. We heard we missed some really great shell beds by one day, but we also had King Tides starting the next day, so it was then, or not at all for another week.

King Tides ain’t no joke. This pool washed up on Topsail Beach, just south of Onslow.

We did not find many shark teeth, and what we did find, were small, but I did find a fossil that was really cool. Maybe part of a jaw  (some kind of fish, maybe)

We actually got the beach later than planned, since, while on the way, Chels noticed something off the side of the highway and we turned around to see. Sadly, it was a Bear cub. It had been hit by a car and killed. It was very healthy, prior and still warm to the touch. (Yes, we were cautious, in case the mama was around, still) This was just so sad to see.

I would end up making a few phone calls to Onslow County and complain about trash pickup bags being left on the side of a busy highway this time of year, especially. Same-day pickup of the trash is essential, as Bears are fattening up for winter and are going to be drawn to garbage.

OR, better yet, how about if each individual, as a decent human, throws their own garbage away in a proper receptacle, instead of littering, so garbage collection on the roadside wouldn’t be necessary!

North Carolina actually has one of the largest population of Black Bears in the USA. Joey has seen Mamas with Cubs in fields, before, on his way to work, early in the morning; not far from where the boys go to school.

***********

I got me a Shark Tooth display, to fill up with teeth, from this last year, in anticipation of winter time coming on and the chance for many more teeth to be found, once again.

“I’m gonna need a bigger Shark!”

Well it’s a start, anyway….Sooooo many more teeth, still in jars!

At The Whale

We also carved some time out to work on our paintings, some more, while pumpkins are still in season, at least.

I continue to paint on my own and am enjoying it, immensely. I like to have a couple of paintings going on at the same time, with varying levels of skill needed for each, so when the mood hits, I’m ready to tackle the challenge!

I recently started a winter scene, with Christmas coming on.

I’m mostly grateful my eyesight has improved, as well as my cataracts have gone away, so I can see to paint again!

I’m hoping Chels and I can do a whimsical winter scene painting, together as well, since it’s getting to be the season and all. McKenzie has expressed an interest in learning to paint, too!

The Move

I think I mentioned, prior, we were given the option to move camp sites. We agreed, but the process slowed, due to the need for gravel, and the manager was gone for a week, so we just waited and that’s okay, since we like our current campsite, too. We are moving because it’s closer to the water, and we will have a patio, and there is a large open area for the kids to kick around their soccer balls in, when they visit.

Well, we got moved, and were quite motivated to do so. We got all the outside items transfer, first. After Daryl ran Baloo the truck, all over the new gravel, to tamp it down, it was time to move The Whale, which weighs about 45,000 pounds….I drove her to our new site, too. She’s so huge, but drives like a Cadillac!

We pulled straight in, so we had our big front picture window facing the trees, water, and our new patio. It was so perfect.

Just before we put the jacks down, to level The Whale, we got a visit from the manager of the campground. We were then told we had to back in. What?

Backstory: Two things…when we were offered the option to move to this new site, for which we were so appreciative, the first question we asked was…. Could we pull straight in to the lot, so our front window faced the water? We were told (by other manager) “it makes no difference how you get set up on the lot.”  WELL, by the time we moved; many weeks later the guy got amnesia or something, and darn, we should have gotten that statement in writing! Why did he say we could?

Secondly, we had agreed to pay the previous lot occupants at our new site, for their patio they put in. This is customary with annual lot moves. We didn’t want their deck or paver walkway, though; as a Class A (motorhome) configures way different than a 5th wheel trailer, so those were removed.

Everybody before us, in the domino effect got moved, (total of two RVs and one tiny home), then we got a delay for over a week, due to the gravel issue, and this made the guy who moved from our new site, and who was all set up at his new site, get testy about wanting money for the patio he left behind, or he would remove it, in 24 hours! Daryl explained we thought it prudent to wait till we actually moved on to the new lot, before we bought the patio ($450…this amount was less than what he had asked for, but agreed to) Anyway, it’s a lot of money, and we felt pressure about it then, and we were within days of moving, we paid the guy, and to his credit, he did apologize to Daryl for getting so worked up.

So, on actual move day, when we were told we had to back in to our new site, we went from elation to deflation! In a Class A we have no windows out the back, so we would have zero view of trees and water when inside The Whale. We had not moved the shed, yet (the big part of this move) so Daryl and I considered returning to our old spot, since this new spot costs more a month. ( because of a prime lot with said view). With the view, we felt it was worth it, but our view was taken away.! AND THEN, we were pressured to buy a patio, before we moved in. Ugh.

We were told we had to back in, so our neighbors had their privacy on their entrance side of their trailer, and by design our entrance side of our RV is opposite from them, and not on the same side. We get this, as most campgrounds are designed this way. This is why we asked permission for backing in, before we agreed to the moved and having to pay $150 for breaking our annual lease at our last site.

The new site is a super long site, off the road, so when we pulled straight in, we were past our neighbors entry and deck, by a long shot. Privacy would not have be an issue, as our entry door was way forward, across from their back yard and our “outside living space” was in front of The Whale… no longer on the side.

Because we are almost 45 long, and the lot has a slight slope on the tree side, we could level with our front tires, elevated, to a certain degree, but this does not work the same, backing in, because our back tires (two axles; 6 tires) can not leave the ground, since they are our braking system, for safety.

In the end, because of the slope we are now, right even with our neighbors front door and their deck, making our large, side window in the living room and bathroom window, look right into their trailer now,… five feet away. So much for privacy for anybody. Ha! Ridiculous.

We decided to stay, and are adjusting our dreams, accordingly. The lot is still gorgeous and though the configuration with a beautiful view from inside the coach is gone, we love and will enjoy our patio and view, immensely.

Yeah, it got complicated.

We finished the move by getting the shed/shop officially over, which was no small feat, and so grateful for Chelsie’s assistance. Now, we will figure out how to make our patio area more enclosed, for inclement weather this winter, so we can still enjoy the view from there; watch movies, read books, and whatnot.

As we get the site organized, I will be taking photos. Right now everything seems a bit unorganized and undone, and now we have hit a cold snap for the next seven days of below freezing temperatures. Thankfully daytime rises above freezing. It will take a little time to get it all together.

The weather was decent for getting the shed/shop moved, but then it was getting close to Thanksgiving and all the business that goes along with it.

At our last site, we had quite a few squirrels, and with winter coming on, we kept them busy, with peanuts in the shell. One day, I decided to up the game and got sone walnuts in the shell. Daryl said now way, we’re the squirrels gonna be able to pack off those walnuts, or crack them open. I said I was sure they could. Have you ever seen a squirrel yawn? They have good sized mouths.  So we put the shelled walnuts out and waited. Next time we looked there was a walnut cracked in half and the meat gone. Daryl said I must have gone out there and done that, because he really didn’t want to be wrong…Ha! I said no way, it was a squirrel, for sure. Eventually, Daryl saw, with his own eyes, that squirrels can handle walnuts, just as easy as peanuts. In fact, most go for the walnuts, first, now.

When Daryl went to the store, next, he came home with a nice bag of a variety of nuts … the kind that would make a nice gift for a human. I thought it to be a bit extravagant for squirrels, but Daryl said. “Come On …It’s the Holidays!”  I couldn’t argue with that!

I knew, by the time we moved from the squirrels at the front end of the campground, they would have had plenty of stores for the winter, and we will get a whole new family of squirrels to entertain us, at the back end of the campground.

I’m not sure what to expect for bunny rabbits, though. I put carrots out every night for them and made sure they had fresh water, Timothy hay and pellets. While I’m sure we will have new bunnies to feed, I feel a little guilty about leaving “Briar” and the gang, where we are, now.

So, on our first night in the new lot, I put our carrots, and waited to see if they got eaten. Sure enough, by the next morning, all but one baby carrot was eaten. It got me thinking… perhaps it’s still Briar and the gang, because who know where they call home in the campground.

As we get our new site personalized again with solar lighting and bird feeders, we are starting to see some birds again. The squirrels will eventually find us too, and by the woods, now, this is the end where the deer are seen.

We have had quite a few squirrels, but not as many as our last place. We realize the big open field might be too risky for them to run across from the woods, as there are chicken hawks and turkey buzzards, overhead. At our other site, they came from another part of a tree-line, but with many rvs to hide and rest under, as they made the trip.

Veteran’s Day

On a cold and wet morning, Chelsie (my Marine) got up and donated/ participated in this….she has such a good heart.

Sadly, there isn’t a Marine or a person, in any branch of the military, who haven’t lost friends to this tragedy….

Turkey Trot

On a way happier note, it was time for the annual Turkey Trot Competition at the local grade school.

Luke won first place in the 5th grade boys’ division, and won the coveted 12-pound Turkey!

Rylan came in third place for the 3rd grader boys’ completion, which honored by a medal.
(Rylan’s best friend, took second place)

Good job grandsons!!!!
💕🤩

THANKSGIVING EVE AND THANKSGIVING DAY

Chelsie is still caring for my Thanksgiving Cactus; for eight years now. It used to be so small. I also had a Christmas Cactus, but it got sick and died a few years back. I think I will get another one this year and while it’s tiny, keep it in The Whale.

For now, it’s great to see this Cactus doing so well and always blooming, right on time.

This was only the third Thanksgiving meal Daryl and I have prepared, stateside, in eight years…… others we celebrated, while traveling, and most places were in other countries, where obviously Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated.

Daryl brined, then cooked a Turkey and I made homemade stuffing on Thanksgiving Eve, which was also, our second Turkey cooked in The Whale!

Chelsie and I hit up Onslow for a few hours. It was a beautiful, sunny and warm day, there. Then, we came home and ate Thanksgiving dinner!

Today, we went to the Richardsons house for official Thanksgiving, so I was busy cooking the ham, baking more dressing, make green bean casserole, Apple crisp, and getting the yeast rolls going.

Thanksgiving, two days in-a-row!

Feeling the Love. Feeling grateful and blessed!

McKenzie really was such a big help. She set the table, helped get food set up, whipped the whipping cream, and even did dishes, afterwards. What a great gal!

Chelsie and I realized the last Thanksgiving we got to spend together, stateside, was when she was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina. She was single and had no children, as yet, and I flew in to be with her. She had the holiday off from work, but many of her friends did not…Back then, Chelsie leased a large house, off-base and rented the bedrooms out to other Marines; essentially making her able to live rent free-so smart. One of her renters was gone for the holidays, so he readied his room for me, so I had a place. How nice was that?

Anyway, this would be Chelsies first Thanksgiving meal she prepared, ever, with some help from me. She did great, and we had a really good time and all her friends stopped by after work, at different times, and it eased their sadness a bit, from not being able to be with their own family that year. The Marine family is very strong, though, and I’ve loved witnessing this, many times, over the kids’ careers.

Here we are, at least 15 years later from that last Thanksgiving, together.

When it comes to Chelsie and cooking, I think back to the time she was in High School. I tried to get her interested in learning to cook, but she always said; “no need, since YOU know how, and that’s all the mattered,” to which I would say… “but you won’t always be living under my roof and one day will be cooking for your own family.” Which fell on deaf ears. Too funny!

Eventually, by long distance; over states or continents, Chels did make contact about certain recipes and we did some cooking lessons. She would do the same with her MIL for some “southern eats,” as well. Chels comes from a long line of good cooks, so she is a good one, too, as I knew she would be. Her daughter has already shown an interesting in baking, so the traditions continue.

Our last Thanksgiving together, was when we flew Chelsie to Sri Lanka, in 2019, to spend time with us, there. She flew out on Thanksgiving, but arrived the same day (due to time zones). We had a blast, and Chels went on her first Safari! We did eat a very nice meal, to celebrate our thankfulness, though other countries obviously don’t celebrate our holiday.

When Ya Make Plans

I had mentioned Daryl and I are putting together an outside living space. I ordered items online with Lowe’s and Amazon, in anticipation of their delivery dates being in December, as they indicated.

Ha!

With the exception of our double lounge and it’s cover, (thankfully) everything delivered on the day before Thanksgiving, with rain in the forecast.

Now, if one has a handy garage to put everything in, this would be no problem, but we live in a campground. Chelsie offered her garage, God Bless her, but the Cabana weighs a ton, which is good actually, because it’s gonna hold up, well, after assembly, but not easy to move around in two boxes.

The good news is, we will get our outdoor space set up way earlier!

On assembly day, the day after Thanksgiving, it was our last day before a cold snap hit us for seven days. It will get as low as 22 degrees st night, and even a chance of snow. We figured to make the best of this last, warm-ish day.

With Chelsie’s assistance, we could knock it out in a few hours, right? Well, it took two afternoons, but it is done and we just love it!!!!

Thx to McKenzie and Chelsie for all their help!

By the time the double lounge is ready for pick-up at Lowe’s, we will be almost done with the cold snap, so perfect timing, in that regard.

Day is done!

See you after Christmas!!!!!

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