Fall Update

We are now well into the fall season and the morning temperatures are sliding down below the freezing point. Although the day time temps are still decent and now into the low to mid 60’s. This is the first time that I have posted in four weeks and even though there are some activities to discuss, today’s blog is more of a potpourri diary of my thoughts. Kind of scary. It has been a very nice quiet and relaxing month. So here is a quick recap of our last month.

Outside Winter Prep

Owning a home always requires some work to maintain the place. While I’m not complaining yet, the condo life is not for us. At this time. Sure, I listen to friends tell me about the zero maintenance places they live and think about the amount of time that I could save. And it does make you consider. But, I still do enjoy the weekly lawn mowing, trimming bushes and trees, and the house repair work. Really. Anyway, how could I accommodate all the hobbies living in a condo. Having a wood shop, a handful of ham radio antennas, a home brewing shop, an art studio, plus others.

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This fall I painted with front porch railing and the back screened in porch. The front was still in good shape while the back was needing a good coat of paint in places. I was a bit shocked at the price for good outside paint. At $70 a gallon I’m happy that 95% of the house is either brick or vinyl, not requiring any paint. Anyway, another checkmark on the list to prepare the home for the long cold winter (while we enjoy the Florida sunshine 🙂

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Most all the bushes and hedges have been trimmed back and now the main project is leaf pickup. We have eight very large trees and another twenty smaller ones that provide some great summer shade, but come this time of year they are a pain. Tons of leaves. Fortunately, the city has three leaf pickups per year. We just need to get the leaves out along the curb. That’s the trick.

I was planning to buy a large backpack style leaf blower, but they weigh at least 25 pounds and I’m getting over a lower back pain issue. So as a great alternative, I found a tremendous leaf blower that only weighs eight pounds, But it is corded. It has great reviews and I agree. It is extremely powerful and will blow chunks of sod loose if you are not careful. I can clear the entire front yard in about ten minutes. The cord can be a nuisance, but this leaf deal only lasts for a few weeks.

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New Church

One of our goals this summer was to find a new church that is local with a bible believing congregation and with great preaching. There are also several other factors that we can usually sort through by reading their statement of faith on website. We found a great one in the Valley Bible Church of Radford, VA. VBC LINK

Our former church in Draper Valley was just too far away for us to attend all the services plus other events. We certainly miss all the people down there, but just needed something close by to get plugged in.

We have attended the new member classes and are getting involved in other small group meetings and bible studies. It has been great to make new friends with other believers.

Charleston SC Trip Cancelled

We had a five day trip planned to this lovely city a few weeks ago, but cancelled first due to my back problem, but soon after it was evident that hurricane Ian was on target to produce a foot of rain on the exact days of our stay. Cancelling was a blessing!

My back is 100% better now due to some therapy and working with a personal trainer. Working on stretching and building up core strength. The back issue is something I do not want to repeat.

RV to Local State Park

This 20 mile RV trip was for a few reasons. I wanted to checkout the new roof sealant coating and it seemed to be fine. And then it was 5-6 mile hikes per day in some great weather. The leaves were just beginning to change into their beautiful metamorphous of brilliant colors. And then it was another attempt to fire up the portable ham radio station and make Parks on the Air contacts. Fun! I made over 700 QSO’s (contacts) with hams from Canada to Florida and as far west at Idaho.

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The Warner’s Visit

We had the great fortune to host an overnight visit from Randy and Pam as they were headed west from their home near Norfolk. We met this couple as full time RVers in Maine about four years ago and have kept in touch since then. Randy used to write a travel blog of their travels LINK. They have since retired from full time travel and blog writers. Safe travels friends. I missed getting any new photos.

Meals on Wheels

Trish and I volunteer to delivery meals to some homebound disadvantaged folks who live here in town. We began doing this after arriving back in Virginia this spring. I tell you it is very rewarding and a good reminder of how fortunate and blessed that we are. Health wise and financially we do not have any serious worries. But that could all change as we all know.

The local MOW is very organized and vets the recipients very well. And the food quality is first rate. I got to sample one undeliverable meal. First class! There are four routes and four drivers so each will take a route to deliver 10-12 meals. Then they have a kitchen crew that makes the hot meals to be delivered. They also have a meal at noon at their location for those in need. Radford Daily Bread Link

Indiana Trip

Trish and I go back to Indiana next week to visit the moms and other family before winter. It is 500 miles and seems to be a longer drive each new year. 500 miles used to be the halfway point of a long driving day. Way back in the day. I kind of hate to admit it but we have discussed splitting this up over two days. Might be getting a wee bit older. Just don’t tell brother-in-law Bob as he drives 2,000 miles in one shot with four stops. Iron Man.

Pat will make over a hundred meals for her mom’s freezer to keep her for a few months. We will also visit my mom in her living facility. Play cards and join her for lunch.

Winterizing RV

This is a process that we did not have to worry about as full time RVers. We would either go south when it got cold or else would have the heat on to protect the water lines and water tanks. The new rigs make it easy. Just drain the water heater, drain all three tanks, then use the on board water pump to pump RV antifreeze through all the water lines and fill the P-traps. We are good until departure from the frozen northern in December.

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Wrap Up

If you made it this far, congratulations! Another month down and our year in Virginia is coming to an end. Prep will begin soon for our RV travel to Florida for the winter. Back “home” to the warm winter weather and abundant fresh seafood! I have a 50 step checklist to prep the house for the long winter that will begin working on soon. Such as replace all smoke detector batteries. Then we set the home alarm and begin our journey south.

I filled up our Ford F-350’s 48 gallon diesel fuel tank a couple of weeks ago at $4.89 a gallon. It is now about $5.00/gal. The one way trip to Florida is now $400 vs less than $200 in 2021. Last year when we headed south diesel was less than $2.00/gal. I will not get into the politics, but suffice to say all elections have consequences. Vote wisely in November!

Take care and God Bless.