Spanky News

My mom is back to her old tricks. You may recall a post a few months back where she was trying to make me walk on a leash. Will she never learn?

My Daddy said he was getting harangued cuz the blog hasn't been updated recently. Since he's not feeling too good, he asked me to do it.

Rally's Over

GEAR is finished and we're back at home for a couple of weeks. Saturday was filled with a geocaching seminar, down time in the afternoon to stay out of the oppressive heat, dinner with friends and evening entertainment.

We didn't really learn anything from the geocaching seminar but that's not really why we were there. Following the seminar, we took a " want to be" geocacher out to learn the in's and outs of geocaching. It's a fun activity but it's definitely too hot. Temperatures are around a hundred.

After a couple of hours of down time in the air conditioning, it's time for dinner. La Casita , as usual, was good. Dos Equis , chips and salsa seemed to make the heat more bearable. Following a good Mexican meal, it's rush back to our rally for the final entertainment event of the rally, an Elvis impersonator.

He's billed as the best and lived up to the billing.

Carolyn seemed to be particularly infatuated.

Greater Eastern Area Rally (GEAR)

What a week! We're at the GEAR rally this week which is being held at the Richmond International Raceway complex. So, we're not far from home distance wise but we are a long way away in terms of environment. Our week started with volunteer work, albeit not very difficult work, greeting new arrivals for the couple of days prior to the start of scheduled activities.

Days start with doughnuts and coffee, then seminars on a variety of subjects throughout the day followed by happy hour, meals out or a pot luck with chapter friends, evening entertainment and finally sleep, much needed sleep. Interspersed between these activities is some time for viewing the latest motor homes displayed by numerous vendors and browsing the vendor booths that sell solutions to problems that I never knew I had. Some people must have these problems though since vendors seem to be selling their wares. Oh well, it's fun anyway.

Exciting day on the home front

Tree trimming and tree removal was the order of the day. This all made Carolyn so nervous that she decided it would be a good day to go to visit her parents in Portsmouth. So, I imagine we can guess who was left behind to deal with the horrors of having huge 100 foot tall oak trees that tower over the house removed one limb and one section at a time. Click on the photo below to enlarge it. The guy in the tree with the chain saw is about 60 feet above the ground. Since all was completed without incident, it doesn't seem so bad now. What a difference the removal of 8 big oak trees has made. We now have sunlight in the back yard.

Sunday, June 1, we leave for a week of motor homing fun. We'll be at the FMCA Great Eastern Area Rally (GEAR). We volunteered to do a little work to help with activities during the week but other than that, it should be a a week dedicated to having a good time with friends. More on this later.

Spanky Duff

It's hard to believe a year has passed. It was one year ago today that we adopted Spanky and brought him home. He was a cute little fella and began his quest to dominate the household right from the beginning. It's taken him a year. He now manages every aspect of life in and around the Duff household with the self confidence that only a cat can have. Those with cat's will understand. He lets us write this blog but insists on editing before publication.

Grand Children !

Daughter Lara and family are moving to Houston, TX. Jeff ( Lara's husband ) has already started his new job at Rice University. Translation, Lara is in Richmond with two children in school and working a job with hours that don't always mesh with school hours and other activities. Lucky for us, this provides a little extra time for fun with grandchildren. The local Chevrolet dealer had a Corvette car show today so Mann and Matt got to check out Corvettes from 1956 to date. The only ones for sale were 2008 models. We can only guess where this may lead.


As much fun as the Corvette show was, it couldn't compare to the fun of happening across a local church with a sign outside that, as unimaginable as this is, mentions the name of a friend who's currently in AZ. This illustrates clearly the expected long distance benefits of prayer.

You may recall previous mention of Larry and Gerry Clark on this Blog. While we can't speak to or otherwise validate, or for that matter, invalidate information contained on the sign, we have noticed that our Larry seems a bit irritable of late.

Mothers Day

Today is Mothers Day and it's off to a great start. Nice weather, everyone is in a good mood. Did I mention that we're spending the weekend with Carolyn's parents.
Our plan: go to Outback for lunch to celebrate mothers Day and then go out for a ride to survey the damage from last weeks tornado's in Driver and Suffolk (about 15 - 20 miles from here). National news provided good coverage but a first hand survey is better.

The meal was rated A+ by all of us and the service was excellent. All of this after just a short wait made for a really nice occasion. The wait for a table was made even easier by the unexpected arrival of friends Kathy and Tom Crew along with Kathy's parents and her brother and his family.

Driver, VA was the first stop. Damage in this area is fairly localized but significant. This house is directly across the street from the Hogs Breath Saloon. There was no damage to the saloon.

Then, on to Suffolk. The path of the tornado is pretty well defined. Many areas are blocked off by police, presumably to avoid looting. Across the street from this home is a foundation with no house on top.



Photo below is of remains of a small Suffolk, VA shopping center. Like many things, photo's can't convey the extent of the destructive force of a Tornado.



What we didn't expect were today's late afternoon storms and tornado warnings in the area where Carolyn's parents live. Local TV is dedicated to the weather and surrounding weather patterns showing the circular movement of wind indicating that tornado's may be near. We're in VA, not OK or KS!

Weather warnings have passed and all is well now. We're thankful for small favors.

Cat Training

This may have been mentioned here before but it's probably worth repeating. Last year we picked up an adorable kitten at the local pound. Carolyn thought that in addition to his above average good looks, he also showed signs of above normal intelligence. More on this later. Some people thought his ears were a little large given his size but most seemed to think that he would probably grow into them much like teenage boys eventually grow into their feet. From the beginning, Carolyn had plans to exploit Spanky's extraordinary intelligence. Wouldn't it be fun to impress friends and neighbors by showing off the well trained cat. For those that wonder, this is the reason for the pink harness. Spanky has worn it since his first day with us. The plan was to teach the cat to walk on a matching pink leash. Picture this: Carolyn walking through the campground with well trained handsome cat on a pink leash, nearby dogs cowering (they sense the power of this beast) as she passes.

Well, the best laid plans and good intentions often lead to the same place.

Trust your instincts

Several years ago we were considering the purchase of a supplemental breaking system for our Toad (for those that aren't RV'ers, a toad is the car towed behind the Motor Home (MH)). There are good arguments for having one, it's like insurance. You never know when you might need it. There are good reasons not to have one, they cost cost a lot. We'll, we finally gave in to reason deciding to err on the side of safety.

Today, that decision paid for itself. A Canadian couple from Ontario were traveling ahead of us on RT 17 heading toward Fredericksburg VA. We were traveling along about 55 mph approaching a green traffic signal. They apparently couldn't decide whether to turn or not so they slammed on their breaks skidding to a halt in the middle of the intersection under a green light. Everybody knows that big trucks and motor homes towing a car can't stop as fast as a car, right! Well, we proved that assumption wrong today thanks to our Brake Buddy. Mann managed to stop with almost two inches to spare. The Canadian couple couldn't figure out why the Air horn was blaring. Go figure!! We love our Brake Buddy!!!!

Diesel at Flying J was a pleasant surprise today, only $3.99 a gallon. The good news is that the credit card company seems to be getting used to the prices and no longer calls us when we fill up.

We're back at home safe and sound. We think that's important.

More Fun in South East PA

These last few days have been filled with interesting activities. As usual, our geocaching has taken us to interesting places that we may never have visited otherwise.


I've mentioned here before the grass, farming and flowers in this area of PA. We were out a couple of days back on one of the beautiful country lanes in this area when we happened across

an old farm home with beautiful gardens. We stopped by the roadway to view the gardens . Tom, the owner, invited us to come in and view the grounds of his 19th century home. Conversation revealed that he has seven acres of gardens. He planted over 7000 new bulbs last year. My photo's can only attempt to portray the beauty of this place. Check them out!



Another stop found us at the Hershey Cemetery. We needed to pick up a couple of quick caches that turned out to be not so quick, but in the process we happened upon the grave of Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey Chocolate.




Several caches later we happened across a local car clubs' show at one of the local hang outs.





Pennsylvanians do love their cars.


Today we were out again doing some more geocaching and enjoying the PA countryside. In the process we discovered Quinton, a small unincorporated Township named after Quinton Roosevelt, Son of Theodore Roosevelt. It an interesting story.



Down the road a few miles we found Cornwall Furnace, an ironworks that operated from 1742 to 1883. It's fascinating to learn the story of places like this. Most of the laborers here were indentured servants from Europe and slaves from Africa. The last record of slaves working here was around the end of the 18th century. The furnace was fired by locally made charcoal. In order to create enough heat from wood to melt the ore, a bellows powered by a water wheel on the nearby stream was used . We also learned the origin of the term pig iron which is used to this day. This is a nice stop for anyone traveling through this area.

Tomorrow is a road day. We think it's time to go back home. It's spring and the grass is calling!

Hershey, PA

The South East corner of PA is always a nice place to visit. This time is no exception. Weather has been better than forecasters predicted, flowers and trees are in bloom and the grass is green. Speaking of which, we're always amazed at how nice the grass is here. Pastures in this area look better than our lawn at home.

Since our arrival, we've spent quite a bit of time just riding the back roads and marveling at the beauty of this area. Of course, we do this while geocaching.

Yesterday, we met friends Al and Lynda Barone for lunch at the Barn Door, a restaurant in Millersville, PA which is about midway between their home and Thousand Trails in Hershey where we're staying. Friends and good conversation occupied most of the afternoon.

We went to the Barone's home for desert after our meal. This provided the opportunity to inspect their new roof which was just installed a few days before.

There are lots of ducks, geese and birds in this area. Spanky seems well satisfied just watching. He brings new meaning to the term "Scardy Cat"

Delaware Friends

It's only 250 miles from Providence Forge, VA to Newark, DE but rain, fog and some narrow roads make for a long day on the road. We arrived at our friends Rufus and Susan Barbour's home late afternoon. Their big driveway makes a perfect camping spot for Shamu.

It's always great to sit back and catch up on things. Mann and Rufus have been friends since high school and were roommates in college for a year. Long term friendships require lots of catching up. Susan prepared a great steak dinner which we finished up with ice cream and Susan's home made cookies. Mighty good!

Mann was awfully impressed that Northern Equipment sent Rufus a hard bound catalog. It was only after inspecting Rufus' new truck that he understood. Note the bed mounted tool boxes, ladder rack, bumper mounted lift etc. The catalog came with a price!

Tuesday morning we gave Rufus an introduction to geocaching by searching out a couple of caches close to home and then visited Barbour Automotive, son Joe's auto repair shop.

It's time to leave now. Next stop, Hershey, PA

FMCA GeoCoachers

We belong to a FMCA Chapter called GeoCoachers. The focus of this group is geocaching which we're actively involved in. Many of the members of Dogwood are also GeoCoachers so it's easy for us to add an extra day or two to a Dogwood rally and do some geocaching together. Sunday was spent searching for and finding 11 caches during the day with friends Wilt and Barbara Greenwood. All of this activity worked up quite an appetite so we all went out to dinner at The Blue Herring, a local seafood restaurant with waterfront dining on the banks of the beautiful Chickahominy river. The shrimp and oysters were excellent and the restaurant is one that we can recommend.

Monday is a travel day. On to Delaware where we'll visit with friends Susan and Rufus Barbour.

FMCA Dogwood Chapter Rally

It's been a while since we've updated the blog but not because we haven't been busy. Just doing things around the house.

We belong to a chapter of FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) called Dogwood. There are a total of about 60 member families. This weekend we attended a Dogwood rally at Rockahock with about 22 member families attending. Rockahock is east of Richmond on Rt 60 about mid way between Richmond and Williamsburg. Mann's friend Dan Elkins and wife Francis decided to attend with us and by the end of the weekend decided to join our chapter. Friday started with the usual greeting of friends that haven't been seen for a while. Most of us are snow birds and travel to warmer climates during the winter so this is the first time we've been together since early December. Friday evening started with "happy" hour and then dinner at a local restaurant. Saturday morning we had a huge breakfast prepared by the men of the group. Saturday afternoon was taken up with preparation of barbecue for the evening meal, then "happy" hour and dinner followed by music from local talent including one of our own members. Threats of a terrible storm forced an early end of the fun around 10:30 pm. A re-reading of this post reminds me that there's entirely too much eating and drinking at these affairs. Sunday morning, the fun was ended with a continental breakfast and goodbyes till we meet again All good things must end!

Professional Base Ball

Well, maybe not yet but you have to admit, this 8 year old can keep his eye on the ball. Note the concentration. OK, so there's a little prejudice. He's our Grandson, Dustin.


The game was on Saturday. It gave us both the chance and excuse to get together with daughter Amy and her family.

Coming home is never fun

Coming home is never fun. Boxes of mail to sort, dusty house, overgrown yard riddled with sticks and leaves left over from the winter storms; in short, lots of work. We've been home for three days now and slowly but surely things are falling into place. The Jeep is home from the shop with new inspection sticker, fresh oil , rotated tires and a couple of minor repairs, most of the yard work has been sorted out, and now it's time to go to Portsmouth to see Carolyn's parents. We'll leave tomorrow and return early next week.

We must hurry! Mann has a "honey do" list a mile long and it's not long before we need to hit the road again. We have Motor Home rallies starting April 25 and granddaughter Sara has a cheer leading competition in Hershey, Pa May 3 that we plan to attend. We enjoy PA Amish country in the spring so this will be a good opportunity to visit the PA Amish country and combine the visit with attendance at the cheer leading competition, visit friends Rufus and Susan Barbour in DE and hopefully a visit with our Keys friends Lynda and Al Barone in PA.

Spring and Summer will be busy this year filled with lots of Motor Home activities. We have a Dogwood FMCA Chapter rally at Rockahock April 25 thru 27, a Geocaching rally April 27 through 28, and the FMCA GEAR rally in Richmond June 5 through 8. Mann is a National Director for FMCA so we'll need to be in St.Paul, MN for the International rally and FMCA Governing Board meeting July 14 through 17. By the time we add in a few days for travel and a few more days for fun, it looks like we're scheduled for most of the summer.

Back Home In Virgnia

Three long days on the road bring us back to our home in Virginia. The drive from Little Rock happened faster than planned but as we all know, the best laid plans...................
The weather was beautiful while we were in Little Rock but prior to our arrival there had been massive amounts of rain in the area and and also upstream in all of the surrounding states to the north and west. The area around Little Rock had almost ten inches of rain. We got to watch the Arkansas river rise over a period of four days. By Sunday when we left Arkansas, there was a huge flood in progress, particularly along the White River. Fortunately for us, Interstate 40 was built well above the flood plain so we weren't personally affected. By the time we arrived in Nashville, TN temperatures were dropping. Monday morning brought snow which we drove in all day. The snow finally stopped well past Bristol, VA. We thought we were going to spend a few days at Claytor Lake on the way home but found there was no water in the camp ground due to damage sustained as a result of freezing weather. We decided to travel on toward home rather than deal with the water issues.

As we all know, prices at the pump have started to seem awfully high. The worst (highest) diesel price we paid since leaving home in December was $4.15 per gallon in northern AZ. You can only imagine the concern our credit card company feels when we fill our 100 gallon tank. Feeling the squeeze, Mann decided to see what could be done to improve the situation. The first step was to slow down believing this would likely improve fuel mileage. Given that we were already one of the slowest vehicles on the road, we weren't sure how this slow down would be perceived by others. The good news is that only a few people are honking and we're getting record high fuel mileage now thanks to reduced speed (about 60 on the interstate). We're up to over 9 mpg. This may not sound like much but will represent a savings of over a thousand dollars a year in fuel cost. We're thinking of slowing down some more. Is it legal to drive 55 on interstates?

William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library

We visited the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library today. The building is magnificent and sits beside the Arkansas river (currently at flood stage) in downtown Little Rock, AR. The library offers a detailed view of the accomplishments of the Clinton administration. As might be expected, President Clinton has a recollection of his Presidency that varies a bit (only by omission) from the recollections of this writer. This was a very interesting place to visit and time well spent.

Road Time to Little Rock

We arrived in Little Rock, AR yesterday after a couple of days on the road and some down time in Amarillo, TX and Oklahoma City, OK. Travel across North Texas was trying thanks to fog and wind. We spent a night in Amarillo waiting for weather to clear then on to Oklahoma City where we stayed two days waiting for the torrential downpours to stop. Oklahoma City to Little Rock on Interstate 40 made for a long day on the road thanks to windy conditions. We're in Maumelle Park, a beautiful facility operated by the Corps of Engineers. We'll stay here for a few days and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. Today we did some geocaching and visited the State Capital building, the Governors Mansion, Little Rocks Central High School and the National Park Service facility across the street from the school that documents the desegregation of Central High in 1957. We also visited the Big Dam Bridge.

The Big Dam Bridge is supposed to be the longest and most expensive pedestrian bridge in the world. It crosses the Arkansas River above the Murray Lockand Dam, thus the name.

Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park

What a fascinating place! The log I'm leaning against is petrified wood. It's Rock!!! I think we may have to take some classes to get updated on the geology and geography of this part of our great country. It seems that some 225 million years ago, this area was about where present day Peru resides and was a vast flood plain. The trees fell (or were knocked over by dinosaurs) and were covered by water. A mix of mud, silt and volcanic ash buried the logs thus cutting off the oxygen and delaying the decay of the logs. Silica laden ground water seeped through the logs replacing the original wood with silica deposits. The silica crystallised into quartz and the logs were preserved as petrified wood. In the ensuing 225 million years, thanks to continental drift, the petrified logs ended up near present day Holbrook, AZ. Petrified Forrest National Park is a must see for those visiting this area.

Another part of this park is the beautiful Painted Desert. In many ways, it reminds us of the bad lands of South Dakota. The weather today was very windy, so much so that the Ravens had a difficult time flying. We saw one that had a crash when trying to land. I've included a couple of photo's with this post. Lots more photo's are included in our photo album of the park.