September 2008

(NOTE: View a larger picture by clicking on the photo(s) above.)

First and foremost, let me say that Carolyn is on the road to recovery from her bout with pneumonia. It has been a slow go, but she is much stronger now, but not yet 100 percent. Soon!

I wanted to show you a picture of Miss Kitty, but I don’t have one. I took one, actually I took three, but none turned out. Either I was moving or Miss Kitty was. So it goes.

I returned to the trailer one day from visiting Carolyn at the hospital and found that we had company in the only other site in the Picnic Area. The second site was occupied by the Park Manager’s parents for the Labor Day weekend. As I approached our trailer Eric (the Park Manager) asked if we owned a cat. I told him we didn’t. He said that there was a gray cat hanging around. I didn’t see a cat at that time.

The next day when I got home, the gray cat was lying in the middle of the activity of Eric’s two young boys and the rest of the family. The cat seemed to hardly notice the activity of the two rambunctious boys, content to stare off into space. The following day our new neighbors left. That evening when I got home I went outside to relax in the swing beside our trailer. I glanced over to the vacant site and saw the cat preening itself on the bench next to the picnic table.

The cat looked at me for a moment, jumped off the bench and began a slow amble toward me. It reached a pine tree near the swing and began to rub the trunk. It came closer and rubbed the six-by-six post holding the swing. It next moved to the other post and soon began to rub on my legs. It looked at me for a moment then jumped onto the swing next to me and began rubbing my arm with great fervor. I talked to the cat and it began to lick my arm, then to nibble on my elbow. “Hey, watch that! I‘m not your dinner.”

The cat was obviously a young female. I guessed it to be less than a year old. It would hang around most of the day, then go off to hunt in the evening. When Carolyn got home from the hospital, we spent more time relaxing in the swing in the company of the cat. For want of a better name, since it was obviously a female and a young kitten, we dubbed it “Miss Kitty.” It continued to lick and nibble at us.

The cat developed the habit of waiting for us to come out of the trailer each morning. At first it laid under the picnic table out from the door. Then it progressed to the rug in front of the steps. Next it sat on the lower step, then the upper step waiting on us. Finally, it began knocking on the door for us to come out. Really! It would stretch upward on its hind legs and rattle the handle at the door, and meow.

Several days later I told Eric (you remember, that’s the Park Manager) that the cat was still hanging around our trailer. He said, “Jennifer (his wife) really wanted that cat. We came over looking for it the night my parents left and couldn’t find it.” I told him it was still there and he could come and get it. They came one evening, but the cat didn’t show. He said he would bring a cage to put it in if I would. Eric and his wife brought a large dog travel cage over and we agreed to put the cat in it and give him a call when it was done.

The next morning the cat was “knocking” as usual. I went out with a bowl of tuna, we had never fed it before, and walked it to the cage. I put the food inside. The cat followed. I shut the door. She didn’t like that one bit, but she ate the food and soon Eric and Jennifer came to take their new family member home. I checked on her later and she was adjusting to her new family and eating well. I don’t know what they named the cat, but we sort of missed our “Miss Kitty.”

We have enjoyed our time here at Fort Yargo. Our campsite (another picture of which you see above) by the lake has been most favorable. We like to watch the activity on the lake. The second picture above shows a group of students from the University of Georgia sculling on the lake. The University maintains a warehouse of sculls and sailboats at the park and use the lake for their activity regularly.

The animal quackers (Canadian Geese) also favor us with their presences on a regular basis, as you can see from the picture above. Their loud “quacks” get our attention early in the morning and late in the evening. The drawback to this beauty is what is left behind in the form of duck “poop.” But, nature will be nature.

The Park is a good place to live, but apparently good also for the dead. The Park surrounds an old family graveyard that is still preserved. The graveyard is located only a short walk from our trailer. Above you see an old grave marker from long ago.

We are scheduled to leave Fort Yargo in two days, September 30th. We were not sure that we would be able to leave because of the gas shortage in this area. Most all stations are without fuel. I was lucky enough today to fine one that had some diesel, for $4.79.9 per gallon. So we will be leaving on schedule to Stephen C. Foster State Park in the U.S. Game Preserve in the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia, bordering Florida. We are not sure if we will have any cell phone service there. So, if we don’t answer your call, you will know why. We will be there through the end of the year.

We will let you know how we and the alligators get along next time. Until then, keep good thoughts.

P.S. In case you want to know, our address for the next three months (Oct - Dec) will be at Stephen C. Foster State Park, 17515 Hwy 177, Fargo, GA 31631.

August 2008

(NOTE: View a larger picture by clicking on the photo(s) above.)

It was bound to happen. One cannot travel as much as we have without it happening. What, you ask, am I talking about? The truck! As I told you last time we have been helping Don (our Son) out at his house. It was a Saturday. The truck was parked in front of Don’s house. We went out to drive down the road to Lowes and the truck would not start. I cranked and cranked. No luck. The engine would turn over OK, but it would not start.

Now, you know that the Chevy dealer is not going to have the garage open on a week-end. So, what next? Try and find a mechanic that is open. I called our emergency towing service to get a tow, but didn’t know where to go. They suggested I try Pep Boys. I called one which I thought was nearest. No, they did not work on Diesels. I called a second Pep Boys. “Yes,” they told me, “bring it on over.”

The tow truck driver arrived in due time and told me he was there to give me a battery boost. I told him nothing was wrong with my battery. The truck would crank but would not start. He was a little skeptical and requested my key to try it himself. He got the same results I did. “Well,” he tells me, “I will have to contact the office because I was only authorized to give you a boost, not a tow.” The office, of course, had to contact the Insurance Company again, then had to get back to the driver before he could move the truck.

The authorization came and we loaded the truck onto the wrecker bed, with some little trouble since my truck was the same width as the wrecker, eight feet wide. We managed the transfer. I gave the driver the address of the Pep Boys. He put the address into his GPS and we were off. The distance was only about nine miles, but the GPS couldn’t seem to find the location. We went around the same place twice without finding it. The driver asked, “What is it we are looking for?” “Pep Boys,” I say. “Oh, I know where that is. It’s just up the road here. I didn‘t know it was Pep Boys.” Never assume people listen to what they are told. Lesson for the day.

I went inside to arrange the paper work while the driver deposited the truck in front of the garage. I explained to the gentleman behind the desk why I was there and he told me they would have to do a diagnostic on the truck to see what was wrong. That would be $101.97. OK. I signed the paper and waited and waited and waited…..you know how it is. I went outside to walk around while I waited. An hour passed. Nothing happened.

I walked to the truck. Two guys were standing near the truck talking. One with a Pep Boys uniform, one in street clothes. They asked me what was wrong with the truck. I explained the situation again. The guy in street clothes said, “I used to work at a Chevy dealer. Do you mind if I look at it?” “No,” I said, “go right ahead.”

He got into the truck and tried the starter. Nothing, as usual. He got out, opened the hood, went to the right side near the back of the engine and did a pumping action with his hand somewhere under the hood. He then stooped down, put his hand up under the fender and fooled with something there. He told another guy standing around to try and start the truck. Vroooom! It started immediately.

“So,” I asked, “what is the problem?” He tells me that the fuel filter has a leak and possibly the water sensor too. Someone may have kinked a tube when the fuel filter was last replaced. He came to this diagnoses in two minutes flat. I was pleased that the problem was that simple. This would not be bad at all.

I found the Service Manager and asked about how long it would take to get the truck fixed. He tells me they do not work of diesel engines and the truck should not have been dropped there. However, he is willing to work on it since I am there, but he can’t do anything until Monday because he has to get parts from the Chevy dealer. We argue about the situation a while and since nothing can be done until Monday he agreed to have the truck towed to the Chevy dealer at his expense. I thought that was the best solution we could get under the circumstances.

On Monday I called the Chevy Service Manager. He said they would check out the truck and let me know what they find. I had already explained to him what I (using the information the mechanic had given me) thought was wrong. The Service guy called back after a while and said that was exactly the problem and it would take a couple hours to get it fixed. I marveled at the young mechanic’s ability to diagnose the problem so quickly. He would be a handy person to live next door to.

That was one problem out of the way, but little did we know that a larger problem was coming our way. I’ll share that with you in a minute. But first, you need to know about all these pictures above. The first picture is showing turtles on a log. I guess that is no big deal, except it is interesting to see turtles lined up shell-to-shell. At times they cover the entire length of the log extending out into the lake.

The big event at Fort Yargo State Park this month is the inter-tribal Indian Pow Wow on the week-end of August 23 and 24. There were two days of drumming, singing and dancing. Visitors come to witness the spectacle and buy items from the many vendors selling Indian wares. Since the event takes place in the Picnic Area in which we are living, we are right in the middle of the activity. An interesting experience to say the least.

The second picture shows a typical Indian dwelling. Inside you see a dance participant putting on his black-face in preparation. Next you see some of the dancers parading in the dance circle. The dancer you see alone in the colorful outfit with long head feathers is an Aztec Indian from Mexico.

I mentioned a bigger problem. I don’t wish to burden readers with our problems, but some of you want to know. At this writing, September 1st, today marks Carolyn’s eight day in the hospital with pneumonia. She caught a nasty virus that would not go away. She endured for more than a week before deciding she needed something stronger than over-the-counter medication. When I got her to the walk-in clinic in the little town of Winder where the Park is located, she had a temperature of near 104. The doctor took x-rays which clearly showed the lower half of her right lung full of pneumonia. We went straight to the emergency room at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA, about 22 miles from the Park.

She is being pumped full of antibiotics and is on constant oxygen. She is improving slowly, but her oxygen level is not as high as it needs to be to be free of the hospital. Hopefully a few more days will do the trick. Our internet availability is a little sporadic in our current location, but we will keep you posted. Until next time. Keep good thoughts.