OCT. 20, 2007 AUCTION

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We had C. Sherman Allen auction off our belongings on Oct.20, 2007. We kept an old table and chairs for the dining room, our bed, an old chest of drawers, and 3 pieces of lawn furniture for the sunporch. We brought 2 recliners in from the RV and borrowed a tv from Bill's sister, Sue. That is the extent of our household contents.
http://www.csallenauctioneer.com.

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The "food wagon" arrived about 7:15 am, still dark out.

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We had nice weather and a good crowd. Luckily it hadn't rained for several days and people were able to park in the field beside the house.
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I have been collecting pottery, mostly McCoy for about the last 20 years, having amassed some 200 + pieces. I had fun collecting it but it's time for it to GO!


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Lawn furniture and garden equipment was lined up to one side of the barn.
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Tractors and other gardening equipment was lined up on the other side of the barn.

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Bill had several tables of hand tools inside the barn. Where did he ever get all of this stuff??

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You can see where all the men gathered!


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That's Bill closing up the barn at the end of a LONG day. Everything is gone. It was a beautiful sunset that evening and the promise of a new beginning.

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As soon as we sell the property we will begin our new adventures......

See ya down the road somewhere.

http;www.kressrealestate.com

MALLARD'S LANDING, PA OCT,2007

A rich person is not the one who has the most but the one who needs the least....

In early October, we went to Mallard's Landing Campground, about 5 miles west of Linesville, PA. It is a quiet, family campground at the northern end of Pymatuning Lake. We went over Thursday night as Bill had a 3-day weekend. (Since I am RETIRED, I don't have to worry about days off anymore, they're all off!!)
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We set up camp under a beautiful maple tree. As you can see, the trees were beginning to change their colors. It was a beautiful fall day and Bill and Ceilidh were enjoying it to the fullest.

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Bill's friend, Mark, (from the big city of Pittsburgh) joined us Saturday after driving around for an hour trying to find the campground! He felt better after I fed him lunch. He wanted to camp with us and to see what this lifestyle was all about. Saturday night we sat out under the stars and marvelled at the beautiful night sky. Mark can't see stars in Pittsburgh because of all the lights.

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The view from my dining room window. We were close to the edge of the woods.

On Sunday morning we went to the flea market at Pymatuning Drive In in Ohio. Didn't buy any fleas, Ceilidh didn't want any......

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Leave it to Bill to find something with which to play. Here he is digging in the sand pit. He always did like big machinery. Eat your heart out, Wilbe. (Our friend who works in a REAL gravel pit.)

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I took a walk in the woods and found this pretty area of the lake. I sat for awhile and enjoyed the peace and quiet while Ceilidh looked for chipmunks.

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Mark and Bill relaxing. Mark decided that this was indeed, "the good life".

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SAMBOREE, CLINTON COUNTY, PA SEPT, 07

.After leaving Black Moshannon State Park, we headed to the Pennsylvania Good Sam Fall Samboree, just about 40 miles to the east.

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We arrived at the Clinton County Fair Grounds around noon and got settled in for the remainder of the week. The fairgrounds sits on top of a hill with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.



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A view of the grounds, buildings and surrounding mountains.

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Those of us who like horses (me) had the opportunity to watch a "Colorado Range Bred" horse show. These horses originate from Range bred mountain horses of the west, although now are being bred on ranches and farms in many areas of the country.

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There's our "rig" at the corner of "Concession Walk and Midway Avenue" at the fairgrounds. This was our address for the time we were there. Notice the beautiful day!

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Here's Ceilidh, standing on Bill's chair, looking out her living room window checking out the activities. (Actually, she thinks it's HER chair!

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This is a delightful couple we met from Canada, Gerald and Nellie. They were so interesting to talk to, having immigrated from Holland 48 years ago. So many fascinating stories to tell... You meet such GREAT people when you RV.

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Black Moshannon State Park, PA SEPT, 2007

. In September, Bill and I took the "Ti" out for a week's vacation in central Pennsylvania. Our first stop was Black Moshannon State Park, near State College. It was quite a ride into the park, over 10 miles of narrow, winding roads. The GMC did a great job of pulling and we arrived safe and sound.


Black Moshannon State Park covers 3,394 acres of forests and wetlands that provide recreational for thousands of visitors. More than 34,000 acres of the Moshannon State Forest surround the park and help create a remote and wild setting. According to local tradition, American Indians called this watershed "Moss-Hanne", meaning "moose stream, thus the origin of the park's name. Appropriately, the "black" in the park name describes the tea-colored waters. The 250 acre Black Moshannon Lake is fed by clear spring and small streams that flow through the bogs that stretch in most directions from its shores.

.As the clear water flows through sphagnum moss and other wetland plants, it becomes colored by plants tannins. In a sense, the bog vegetation acts like a giant teabag to color the water.
This is a picture of the bog area.



. That's Bill, starting the campfire so he can grill supper. This is the view from my "dining room window."

GEOCACHING
After crossing the Bridge overlooking Black Moshannon Lake, our hike took us up the Ski Slope Trail to the top of Rattlesnake Mountain. Luckily we didn't see any rattlesnakes! .


Bill found the Geocache hidden in a hollow log just off the
trail at the top of the mountain. .
Our second Geocaching hike took us to the Viaduct Railroad Bridge over Red Moshannon Creek. The red color comes from the coal mines in the area. This ended up to be about a 4-5 mile hike after all was said and done. Ceilidh ( our mini schnauzer) was a real trouper, but was tired when we got back to camp.
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View looking up Red Moshannon creek. Barb & Ceilidh on the bridge.

. This old railroad bridge may be the highest in Pennsylvania since the demise of the Kinzuza Bridge near Warren in Northwest Pennsylvania. This impressive span is 779 feet long, 119 feet high, with 15 spans supported by 8 towers. Construction on the bridge probably began in early 1884. The "Great Moshannon Viaduct", built entirely of iron with the exception of the ties was opened on November 11, 1884. It was rebuilt in 1902-03 and used until 1994..

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.Bill and I found this cache hidden under a large flat rock, just before the bridge. There was a warning on the cache instructions to "tap the cache site before entering" as rattlesnakes have been seen in the area. As you can see, I let Bill pull this one out!!

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Labor Day Weekend, 2007

Daughter in law, Beth and grandchildren Emma and Donavin visited for the weekend. Here's proud grandpa with Dovavin, age 1 year on Sept. 9.

Emma, Donavin and Grampy on the "Cub".
Donavin knew what to do with the steering wheel.

Hang on!

Around the campfire in the back yard with friends Pat & Gary Praisner and their son Troy and girlfriend Emma.

Good wine, good friends.....

The little guy had a busy day. He's all done in.

Pat & Gary

Visit from Jim & Gail, August, 2007

Bill's brother Jim and daughter Gail visited from Florida in August. We spent a day with them at Niagara Falls. This is Jim and Gail beside one of the beautiful flower gardens.

While strolling along the shops, Jim found his new dream toy.

Looking good, Jim!!

Bill & Barb with the American Falls on the left and the Canadian Falls on the right.

Enjoying dinner at one of the many restaurants.

Good food, good family.

The American Falls with tour boats in the foreground and the Peace Bridge to the left.

The Canadian Falls at night. It was a beautiful, warm evening and the end of a wonderful day. Thanks Jim!

Looking Back

LOOKING BACK-May, 2007. Maryland, Virginia, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina

We stayed at the Pocomoke River State Park in Maryland. From there we took many side trips. One was to "Furnace Town", a 19th century village, museum, and nature trail. The nature trail took us through a large stand of cypress trees. At the village was the huge furnace that was used during the Civil War for making ammunition. (Forgot the camera. Sorry....)

Biking at Assateague State Park.

One of the "wild ponies". These animals were on average about 50" tall, a large pony. They were plentiful in the fields and along the roadways. Many of the ponies are "rounded up" each summer and sold at auction in an effort to control the herd.

Bill on our nature walk on the dunes on Assateague Island.

Bill standing beside "Baltimore Boulevard". 15 miles of asphalt roads were built by developers in the 1950's but was destroyed by a storm in 1962. Developers had also cleared land for more than 130 side streets but abandoned the idea after the 1962 storm. The land was too fragile to support the community they had hoped to build.

Biking on the island.

This is the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. This is a 17 mile link between Virginia Beach/Norfolk and Virginia's Eastern Shore. This bridge-tunnel is the largest complex of it's kind in the world. It was opened in 1964 and was selected as one of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World." Measuring 17.6 miles from shore to shore, the Bridge-Tunnel consists of more than 12 miles of of trestled roadway, two mile-long tunnels, two bridges, four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway, and 5 1/2 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. The two underwater tunnels protect two of the world's most important shipping channels. The highest points of the crossings are the North Channel Bridges. They provide high water clearance of 75 feet to accommodate local fishing fleets.





Heading into one of the two tunnels.

Ocean Waves Campground, Waves, NC, was our "headquarters" for our stay at the Outer Banks.

Bill got up early and took this picture of a sunrise over the Atlantic. This beach was just over a dune from our campsite. (I mostly do sunsets, since I'm not usually up early enough to do the sunrises. Hope that changes now that I am retired. I definitely think I am missing something!)

Sunrise with the dunes in the foreground. Nice shot, Bill !

Gotta love the beach!

The Atlantic Ocean just over the dune from our campsite.

We went to Roanoke Island and visited the "Lost Colony". It is still a 400 year old mystery as to what happened to the group of 120 English Settlers that landed on this island in 1587. A supply boat returned in 1590 and the colony was gone without a trace. Pictured is a replica of a ship they would have used to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Not very big!!

Waiting for the free ferry to Ocracoke Island. This is a free service provided by the state of North Carolina. These ferries can accomodate even the largest motor home or truck/rv unit.

The road to Ocracoke is about 12 miles long with stunning views of sand, dunes, ocean, and barrier waters. No high rises or ocean front homes here!

Ocracoke was voted Number 1 in the country for beautiful beaches in 2005 and 2007.

While on the island, we took a bike ride and found the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the oldest lighouse on the East Coast. We ate lunch on a little nature trail that led out to the beach.

While riding around the island we discoverd a small shop that sold folding bikes. We met the owner/designer who teaches math at a North arolina University. We bought two, which will fold and store nicely in the "basement" of the new RV. Check out "Downtube" on the 'net.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest on the East Coast. The lighthouse was move almost 1/2 mile back from the Atlantic Coast several years ago, due to eroding shoreline.