Text Box: North Central Georgia in July!

Text Box: Smith Family Newsletter July  2010 - 1

Text Box: Our pre-rally was from 7/12 to 7/16 and the HRRVC Rally was from 7/19 through 7/23 in Perry, GA.  Bob & I arrived in Elko, GA on Saturday, July 3rd.  Our friends and rally co-hosts were already there, Terry & Jerry.  They had already begun preparations.  I always wanted to know how hot it was in mid Georgia in July and now I know!  This is one of the only time in memory that we have had to run our AC all night.  The pool at the campground  was almost warmer than bath water.  When we got to the Fair Grounds on 30amp service it was just short of ‘brutal’!  People basically ignored the ‘ban’ on generator use so they could run more than one AC at least part of the day.   We had a good group of people at our 400 rally and had a good time in spite of the heat.  The campground was great with the accommodations and helpfulness.  Then there was the ‘kitten adventure’ which “carried” over into the larger rally, but I will talk about that again later.  Some of the tours in the area included Lane Southern Orchards, where we had a great tour as well as a wonderful lunch in their restaurant. I think this was by far the best place in the whole area for lunch! They also had a gift shop and produce center with all kinds of local products.  I think I have eaten more peaches this month than I have in our entire time on the road these past eight years.  We also visited Andersonville National Historic Site, and National Prisoner of War Museum, that housed Federal prisoners during the Civil War.  This was awesome!  We also visited selected sites in Jimmy Carter’s Plains, GA.  Because of the heat and shortness of time we were limited in what we could see.  We wouldn’t mind coming back again but during cooler weather.  The rally was on the small side which made it more intimate and definitely very fun!  Instead of playing games at night, we all went for a dip in the pool in the cooler part of the evening.  We just floated around and talked until we all began to feel like prunes!  We celebrated two wedding anniversaries during the rally, appropriately with cake and ice cream. Bob & Dot were one of the couples and they even provided Champagne for everyone to join them. Besides our rally room, the CG also had a nice sitting room in the registration building, with a TV and tables with puzzles.  We made use of this. We had our usual Pot Luck, but I tried to put more focus on ‘healthy eating’, by challenging the group to produce tasty dishes, while displaying the ingredients on an index card near by.  After dinner we had a door prize drawing for some calorie counter books I bought.  Everyone seemed to enjoy this and said we should continue the practice.  My main reason for doing this was that people often didn’t taste things because of allergies or dietary concerns.  The end of this rally also marked the end of my Bob as president of the HR 400 Chapter.  Bob Bragg officially took over as President following our general meeting.  The group gave him a certificate of appreciation for all Bob does for the chapter and a gift card for Applebee’s.        

Text Box: Some folks left for other parts of the country and some of us moved up the road seven miles to Perry, GA for the International Rally.  It was held in the State Fairgrounds which is a very nice facility, large and air conditioned with full hookups.  There were about 274 units at this rally, becoming the smallest International Rally ever.  There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is the down turn in the economy.  Like so many things in life today, this industry is in the midst of change.  The survival of our larger club will depend on it’s ability to make the changes necessary for survival.  We shall see.

Text Box: Kittens, kittens, kittens!!

Text Box: Well, here is my story about the animal adventure.  You all know I am a real softy when it comes to animals.  When we were at the campground in Elko, it came to our attention that a mother cat had a litter of kittens a few weeks before.  We were in the pool one night when we got a glimpse of them flitting by at dusk.  They appeared to be hanging out around Donna & Abe’s coach on a fairly regular basis.  We found out some time later that there were four kittens originally.  What happened to two of them no one knows.  The manager felt a camper had dropped off the mother.  I don’t think so as the mom behaved like a feral cat.  There was an orange kitten and a black and white kitten.  They got fed through the mercy of the campers in the park which was sporadic.  Naturally, I joined in.  It appeared the mother did not have enough milk for both and the black and white one seemed very sluggish and was not being fed by the mother.  It would fall asleep anywhere on the grass or campground road, rather than take cover.  The mother and one kitten would jump up under the coach.  The second one was not strong enough.  I tried to bring the black and white one into my coach, but Whiskers wanted no part of it.  I was afraid he would hurt it or it would get lost in the coach.   The morning of our move to Perry, I was careful to feed them away from the coach and we saw the mother and one kitten head toward the cabin in the back, which was another hang out of theirs.  When we were parked in the fairground a short while later, Abe came in and said “I have good news and I have bad news!”  The orange kitten was under his coach, very much alive.  It had ridden over somewhere on the frame, hanging on for dear life.   Needless to say, we had to get the kitten out from under the coach one way or another.  It took me two days, but I finally got it out.  I had to let it get hungry just giving only some liquids. Then I planted Whisker’s case with food inside in such a way that it could not see me coming to close the door.  Just like the mother, this little one was on the wild side.  It was not happy being in that case, but did find time between ‘hissy fits’ to finish the food I provided.  Bob got the car and we brought it back to the campground, releasing it near the cabin.  The bottom picture is of the kittens reunited on the steps of the cabin,  The mother, being feral was hiding under the cabin.   When we moved back to the Elko campground after the International Rally, I watched and took a picture  as seen on the bottom.  I sure hope they are big enough and strong enough now to make it.    When we left here we headed for Elkhart, IN  stopping first in Heiskell, TN and Renfro Valley, KY. Close Window

Text Box: Smith Family Newsletter July  2010 - 2