A few photos to update you!

We are enjoying our time here in the US, spending time with family and eating all the food treats we can't get in Ecuador (still need to get my Double T Diner Philly Cheese Steak and Rustico's Italian dinner).

Here are a few photos of the grandbabies to tide you over. We are borrowing wifi and so aren't uploading many photos yet.

Jesse (hot pink shorts) takes her soccer seriously.

Her older sister, Olivia, does as well!

The newest, baby Waverly, models the latest hat fashions.

We also took a ride on the new trike over to Ocean City, MD. I had never been and being off-season it was a real treat even though many stores were closed. Thrasher's Fries were first on our list, we walked the boardwalk for what seemed like miles, met some friends that Stu used to work with and talked about living in Ecuador, splurged at Dunkin' Donuts and bought a couple of t-shirts before ending the day at the Frog Bar and Grill. ;) LOTS of photos to follow later...

Tomorrow Stu is going with a couple of buddies to the Dover Nascar races, I hope to get some writing done...or maybe just do a Syfy TV binge. ;) On Monday we move back to our MD driveway home for two weeks before driving the rig back to TN. Still more friends to see, more family time coming and a couple of medical appointments to keep.

We do miss our apartment and our friends. We are looking forward to getting back and starting some Spanish lessons as well as enjoying the upcoming holiday season in Ecuador.

Checking in from Maryland...

We had an uneventful trip from TN to MD, camping in Walmart and Target parking lots, dining in Denny's and McD's for the WiFi and, of course, getting our file of Cracker Barrel food.

We arrived around 1-2pm on Tuesday and the first chore was to unload the trike before we nestled into our spot. Well, the battery was dead. So we turned on our inverter, plugged in the Battery Tender and headed over to Five Guys for a late lunch. There we lucked into WiFi from the next door business. When we got back, the bike started without a hitch and we settled into our spot.

This is a photo our stepdaughter took and posted on Facebook...we're the bums in the back yard. LOL!

We are now comfortable: good Wifi, DIRECTV working and the first couple of medical appointments are history. Another medical appointment in the morning, followed by lab work, a movie or two, some Sam's Club shopping and dinner with our Thursday night friends. (Well, they are friends all the time but we have dinner with them on Thursday nights...LOL!)

Sunday we hope to see two of the grand-girls playing soccer and sometime SOON I will get to meet baby Waverly. Monday afternoon we will load up and move over to another family driveway in Delaware, see family and sort through the packages that have arrived for us to mule back to Ecuador. We'll be there a week, then back to this driveway for another two weeks before heading back to TN.

So much to get done, friends to see, doctors to chat with, glasses to get, shopping trips, movies and dining out...when am I supposed to write? Sigh, but it will all get done - sooner or later. ;)

Sep 14th: Sunday Sundry Photo

Celebrating Local Traditions - Passed on for Generations

USA - Culture Shock?

Everyone has been warning us about reverse culture shock but I have to say it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The worst shock has been seeing the food price increases in the last nine months, that and costs to eat out. A package of the hot dogs we like, almost $5. A pound of 7% hamburg, almost $5. Pineapple, almost $3. I could go on and on....

Truthfully, the toughest thing we have faced so far is NOT KNOWING WHERE TO FIND ANYTHING! I started cooking and had to ask Stu where the pans were. He had to ask me where something else was. We laughed about it but it was a little disconcerting at first. We've settled back in now but we find that we have too much STUFF. So we're downsizing again...things are going into the shed for storage, into the trash, or will get put on eBay.

This is especially true for all our motorcycle gear. Now that I'm not riding my own, I need less gear. I don't need a pair of gloves for every ten degrees of temperature change. I don't need three jackets or two pairs of overpants. Stu has to make similar decisions.

I'll be posting more in our US blog, Back End of Nowhere (Our Prime Years). I also wrote up my Writers' Police Academy conference over at My Write Spot.

Sep 7th: Sunday Sundry Photo

Cloudy sky and Sculptures

Back in the USA

Interesting cloud formation, just before sunset in southern GA

Just a quick note for those not on Facebook, we had an uneventful and comfortable flight back to the US. No issues picking up our rental car, spent two days with family in Vero Beach before heading north to our property in Tennessee. No major traffic since we left on Sunday, no weather issues either.

We arrived around 5:30 on Monday, batteries dead on the Freightliner. Severe storms fried the trickle charger but we could still get inside the RV. Once inside...well, almost wished I wasn't. Not enough ventilation had left a coat of mildew in areas close to the windows or down close to the floor. While Stu worked on connecting everything outside and draining the anti-freeze, I started cleaning inside. 

We had left mouse bait inside and they had about emptied it out, leaving little destruction and lots of turds. Stu has more work to plug entry spots next year. LOL!

Tuesday was errand day, paid the deposit for turning on our water, put in the order to turn on our phone, did some shopping. Yeah, there was the sticker shock. Spent $400 between groceries and a few toiletry items. Gulp! At least Stu had food while I am away till Monday. ;)