Diane and I are presently and pleasantly parked in site 196 at Sunshine RV Resort in Vero Beach. Previous to that we were enjoying a wonderful week at Disney's Fort Wilderness campground and cabins resort. The weather at Fort Wilderness started out a bit cold but after four days it became just about perfect, which means it iwas not too hot and not too cold. Horse drawn buggies and wagons made the circuit in front of our coach, which caused Teddy Bear to have a barking fit. That was followed by the boom of fireworks and then very loud music from somewhere close by. None of these things bothered me, oh I forgot to mention boat whistles as well. It is a very sensory experience at Fort Wilderness and I love it.

I do have a blog in the works about Disney World and some other things but I want to first post the second half of last year's story in pictures. Here goes nothing:

JUNE

June was a very busy month.  I decided to try to improve my cooking skills (or to learn some). We took hikes with our friends including one group hike on the Black Ridge Trail at Rocky Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The first week of the month  I surprised Diane with late Mother's day present,  an iron glider for our lot, which she loved. 

June is one of the best months for music in Galax for one reason. HoustonFest. Its a memorial concert created in memory of Houston Caldwell, a young man who died at age eighteen who left behind a huge passion for the music in our area. We listened to the music of Ricky Skaggs and Carson Peters and other great performers. Diane and I made another trip to West Jefferson, certainly one of our favorite little towns. We met my parents there for lunch and a little shopping. During lunch I presented my dad with a very special Father's day gift. you can read about it here: Gold Watch and Chain.  

There is always an opportunity to catch up with friends both the two and four legged ones, first thing on a June morning, or any other morning for that matter.  We continued to improve our lot in life and lot number 3 (did you notice the goats?). The flowers on our lot were busting out all over. They looked so good we decided to add more. To that end we made a trip to Davis Boxwoods and Daylillies in Low Gap North Carolina, to do a bit of day lilly shopping. We were overwhelmed by all the choices. 

June was a month to make many improvements, to our lot and our coach. The first thing we did was repair the Deer Creek creek bank located next to lot number 3. This required some much appreciated help from neighbors. We also finished installing our coach shades. 

We managed to get in a second group hike at one of our favorite places on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Doughton Park

JULY

July would turn out to be a very, very busy month. The first day of July found Diane, Teddy Bear and myself back on the Music Center Trail. The flowers we planted continued to shine. We had parties galore celebrating personal birthdays and our nation's birthday as well.  There was the Smoke on the Mountain BBQ festival in Galax. More hiking. The Blue Ridge Music center Concert Season was in full swing. It was a great time to be living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Audrey's surprise 60th birthday party. It took a bit of doing for all those involved to pull it off. I was just the photographer/videographer of the event. I didn't have to keep any secrets, which was a good thing. 

We at Deer Creek Motorcoach Resort know how to put on a good party, and our July 4th bash is the best of the year. We play games (I hosted the games which didn't give me time to take pictures) we have a golf tourney and we eat and drink till we are stuffed. It is a really great time. I am already looking forward to 7/4/17.

July is a hiking and excursion month for Diane and I. Any place we can get a good walk and a good meal (not necessarily both at the same time) we will go there.  Mabry Mill provides both, a place to hike, learn some history and get some really good Chicken Pot Pie. 

We had monthly things to do, like wash the coach and  groom the Bear. With the help of Bob our neighbor, we improved our coach by adding an awing over every window. The month ended with the Smoke on the Mountain BBQ festival, and a concert by Colleen Carter at the Blue Ridge Music Center. The weather threatened the concert goers but most of us stuck it out.  .  

AUGUST

Diane took me to Galax's Twisted Fork Restaurant for their wonderful Shrimp and Grits for my birthday. We also had another surprise party in the clubhouse. Diane and I took a trip to Mt Airy and discovered really good burgers at The Loaded Goat. (Do you know where the name comes from? You should if you are an Andy Griffith fan.)  

Hiking is our passion so it is no surprise that Diane, the Bear and myself made a number of treks along the Music Center Trail. I decided to do a bit of close up photography and see what I could see. 

August brought great music. It is the month of the Ole Time Fiddler's convention. The best concerts were during the day. My favorite was the performance by Carson Peters and the Iron Mountain Band at the Rex. I didn't take pictures of the Convention itself..due to operator error. I forgot to charge my camera batteries. 

June, July, August. I took a lot of pictures because our life in the mountains provided a lot of great opportunities to do so. The rest of the year was even better...you will see!

Derrick