Savannah

The legend of "Savannah." He has been described in so many ways... who else bites you when the desire hits?  Barks when you tell him no? Described by one as being the "spawn of the devil?"  Has a major underbite that would put a bull dog to shame? My little boy who loves me - Savannah. An AKC registered Pekinese who at one time fit in my pocket but now has hit over 11 pounds in 15 months. That's my boy...if ever you need a loyal friend or companion in times of need...Savannah is the guy you turn to. First used by the ancient Chinese Army to carry messages during battles because they were so fast and low to the ground so arrows wouldn't catch them, Savannah is the epitome of loyalty and goodness...but the underbite? Ouch! Those little teeth sink into skin quicker than a great white...let's put it like this.  If you locked your dog and your wife in the car trunk, then opened it two hours later - who'd be happy to see you?  I rest my case...

But I digress...back to PA and the fun made of the "RV."

Scranton

Scranton welcomes you? Not so much.

We stopped at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport to get a small rental car since we didn't want anyone to drive us all over the place. I took the Garmin and the pups with me and started down the highway. As we got close to Scranton, I noticed the Garmin was taking me off I81 so I thought maybe something else was going on and Scranton had some sort of expressway that would take me to Clarks Summit. My inner Yoda said "Wrong was I. " It took me right into the small streets of the city. Then I get into the wrong lane going left and then taking an immediate right - so I end up trying to get in the right lane and not one person was ready to let me do that...so all of a sudden I'm getting the honking horns, the finger, and more I can't say on a public blog. Needless to say I was glad when I got to Keyser Avenue and headed up to Newton-Ransom Blvd to Aunt Ida's house. Dwight Schrute was all over the city that day...man those people.
We finally made it to Aunt Ida's and Chrissy ( her daughter) who is building a house up the hill from Ida, came out and told me where to park the RV. These things don't do well with hills since everything can't be tied down but I made it up the hill okay. There of course, is where the fun begins. Apparently word got out quickly when it was learned that when I was initially backing the RV into my driveway I got a piece of the RV caught on my mailbox. Fortunately, the mailbox is set in concrete so it just wiggled a little when I hit it. Unfortunately, my lovely wife was on the phone with my mother Alice in Tennessee. Sandra happened to glance out the window to see me backing into the driveway and at the same time heading for the mailbox like the Titanic looking for the iceberg so she tells my mother (rather dramatically) she has to go since I'm backing into the mailbox. That's all it took. Alice now knows about the mailbox incident so Western Union is now in action. Mom Alice calls sista SueAnn in Byhalia, Mississippi (near Ole Miss - which lost rather ingloriously to South Carolina Thursday night), and wonder of wonders the word spreads across the country to the city of Newton within about 20 minutes. So as I drive up, Chrissy's son wonder boy Tim (Timmer), wonders whether I was going to take out part of his mother's house. Ha-ha-ha, he's so funny. "Don't worry," Chrissy said, "the boys will back it in for you." No way was I going to let bus/tractor-drivin' Cousin Kevin and Timmer back it in so I call upon my wonderful wife Sandra to guide me in and do so to keep the RV somewhat level. My girl still has no clue regarding proper military hand signals so she's backing me in with signals that make it look like she's doing the hula dance. I did succeed however, when she went back into the house.

The all time good news is this: For the next 7 days Chrissy is paying my electric and water bill...man that's livin'.

Next - Brother Joe doesn't get the RV thing...Brother Steve's cleaning the Job Johnnies at the Wyoming County Fair...Salernos's and Old Forge pizza, Ameretas in Chinchilla...Calarussos in Clarks Summit, man that's livin.'

Day two - Hagerstown

All was going pretty well as we made our long drive through Virginia to Hagerstown Maryland. I've begun to notice that KOA Kampgrounds have their own personality. While Wytheville was wide and open Hagerstown reminded me of Germany and cozy little quaint places. Very compact. But it was by a very nice stream and very quieting. I again found myself driving through a small town (Williamsport, MD), with people staring and pointing their fingers at me. But thanks to the British voice on my Garmin we eventually found the place.
Wait - before I get to Hagerstown, MD. We stopped for breakfast along 81 in New Market, Virginia at the Johnny Appleseed Restaurant. Really cool looking place with a huge statue of Johnny Appleseed with a pot on his head outside. You can push a button and he'll tell you his story. I don't know but we must have gotten there at a bad time because I swear the waitress thought we were the invisible couple and didn't know we were there. I get a diet coke in a baby's size cup, then the food is cold. Okay- I've dealt with those things before. But when I go to pay, I say to the cashier I have alot of change and can I pay you with that? "Sure," he says. I had already counted it out so I put it there and said "Do you trust a guy in the Army? He says, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I count this all out." So much for being a part of the most trusted institution in the United States. I guess a congressman would have to give blood to pay for breakfast. Needless to say, Johnny Appleseed is off on the next trip North.
To Hagerstown - very quaint spot but I had to back the RV in. Not pretty but we made it. Dogs got out and had a good time running around and we went down to the creek to check it out. Not a bad stay but a short one since that was the long leg on our trip.
Next - Finally make it to PA. But Scranton? Not good.

The KOA in Wytheville

First stop at an RV park in my short life. The drive through SC and NC was uneventful and getting into Virginia was a relief. Virginia is part of God's Country. There are many beautiful places around the world but driving through the Shenendoah Valley is quite remarkable. Thanksfully alot of the farmers there haven't sold out and leased their land to the big billboard companies so much of the landscape is still untouched. Our stop in Wytheville, VA was nice. Beautiful area, nice campground...but it became apparent that my wife was not up for KOA Kamping...it was rustic, but we had TV, water, and best of all, a blue sewage tube that I plugged into the ground outside the RV - yeah - that was just perfect. And I had to ensure that it was inserted in the septic hole at least six inches. In the Army going to the bathroom is either a "Class 1" download or a "Class 2" download. No class 2 download in the RV. We depended on the campground facilites for that. Otherwise, the campground was well kept. There was a place for the pups to go running around. There are no strangers in the RV world. Everyone seems willing to strike up a conversation.
The town was named in honor of George Wythe, the "father of American Jurisprudence" and signer of the Declaration of Independence. The town was known as a polio town during a great polio outbreak.
Wytheville is also known for a handful of UFO sightings in the late 1980s and early 90's as documented on Unsolved Mysteries.
More to follow???

PA - No Elmer - No Rex

Sad to say - this was my first trip back to PA since the funerals I did for Uncle Elmer in January and then for Uncle Rex. Everyone seems to be doing pretty well but I was glad to be able to get to PA without having some sad duty, i.e., officiating over the funeral of one of my Uncles. So this was the first time I made it to PA and two Uncles were noticibly missing, Elmer and Rex. Elmer is in the picture on the bottom in Falls, PA holding his younger sister Lynda. (Elmer is a direct descendent of Robert the Brus of Scottish fame - yes - Brus, not Bruce). Rex is in the picture at the top looking rather annoyed at the carnage of youth surrounding him but who wouldn't be considering it is a bunch of adolescents playing in a kitchen not meant as a playground. Both would die within four months of each other.
So the RV thing was working pretty well until it came time to actually driving the thing. It's like driving a large U-Haul with all the bumps and noises and shaking windows etc. Needless to say when it came to conversation in the vehicle on the road it was tough. But then of course came our first stop at a KOA Campground...Wytheville, VA KOA...Day 1.
More to follow...

PA ROAD TRIP

How nuts is this? I decide that I want the little pups to stay with me rather than be in a kennel for 10 days so what do I do? I rent an RV!!! An RV. I've never driven one...only been in a couple...not sure how I transpired into thinking that my Marriott level wife would handle an RV Trip of over 1500 miles...But what a trip it was. We started out from Columbia, SC to Charlotte then proceeded quite uneventfully onto I81 north and travelled through God's Country (Virginia) also known as the Shenandoah Valley and the Bread Basket of the Confederacy. Most beautiful country ever - and no wonder Lee decided to stay with his "lovely Virginia." However, if you visit most Civil War Museums in the South, the South never "really" lost the war, circumstances beyond their control prevented it. Oh well.

So it was good to see alot of the relatives up North. We don't get to see them much but it was a treat. Barring any flack from sister SueAnn, the Old Forge Pizza at Salerno's was out of this world but we also found that traditional great pan, square pizza at Amerettas in Chinchilla and Calarruzos at the top of State Street in Clarks Summit. The stuff just melts in your mouth and I swear if anyone opens an Old Forge Pizza place in Columbia they will not know what to do with the business. More to follow...but this is a picture of me and my spawn of the devil Pekinese angel Savannah at the RV Park in Wythesville, VA.

More to follow...