EAT, EAT and MORE EATING in SOUTH CAROLINA

It seems that our recreation is always eating!!  But we do get a lot of talking mixed in with it!!
Friends that we made here in Lexington, South Carolina in 2008, sure do find a method to visit each time we come through here.
After Gary and Mike's time checking out the Classic Cars at a show, we had our usual dinner before Wednesday Bible Study at church, then my scrapbooking with Sandy, and TOPS with Thrift Shops following.

Sandy and Audrey.
Sandy has tons of pictures to take
care off and I am running out!!  I'll try to get a few printed
to keep me busy for the rest of our stay here in SC.

That did not put a stop to our eating out though.  We met up with Mary and Johnny, Sandy and Mike at Little Pigs for pork buffet.  What a bust!!  Couldn't beat it!!  We sure had our fill and plenty of catching up conversation.  Everyone is always full of stories in addition to the food.

Gary, Mike and Johnny

Sandy, Mary and Audrey.
Looks like the police like the buffet as well!!

And we got Johnny to smile
between exciting stories from his work history.
He sure has had a colorful career!!
He was interviewed for Dateline which
showed on March 9th.

Audrey and Gary in a rare moment!

After we left Little Pigs we went a little north to check out a side road to get us from the camp ground over to I-77 north for when we leave here.  But I think that Gary is staying with the main interstates to connect after riding over all of those curves though.  On our way back to the campground, we stopped in Little Mountain up the road from our camp ground to check out a very full Antiques Shop.  I loved it!!
Saturday, April 27th while Gary and Mike went out doing some sight seeing, Sandy and I found some church yard sales and some home sales also.  So we all had fun and I imagine that we spent less than the guys!! But we did find some bargains!!   I love it when I can find nice shirts and sweaters for $1. or less!!

And Gary and Mike found the alligators - -

And away they go!!

Sunday, April 28th, we enjoyed the afternoon at Sandy and Mike's with Mary and Johnny also Pastor Jack and Vicki joining to enjoy an awesome lasagna and good Texas Sheet Cake!!  Sandy and Mike's carport is great for getting out of the sun to visit, while having the benefit of the breeze!! But I missed Mike and Jack in the pictures - -   Sorry Guys!!

Johnny relaxed and
Pastor's wife, Vicki enjoying the swing!!

Gary & Mike

Molly joins the party!!

Mike with Pastor Jack and Johnny

I love crossing this huge dam over Lake Murray.  I still have to take pictures going the opposite direction though.  We cross it almost every day as everyone lives closer to Lexington.

Approaching the dam while going north. 

Dam on our right going north.

Today I went to TOPS on my own and stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way home.  I then picked up Gary and we went back up the road to check out the Mexican Restaurant with 99 cent tacos.  We've been meaning to do this all month, but forget it on Tuesday when they are .99.  It was worth it!!  Haven't had that cheap a lunch in ages and we sure will not need any dinner later!!
Our time is winding down here and two of the couples mentioned are leaving on cruises this week. One is taking ten grandchildren and six children on theirs!!  And the other couple are going on one in Hawaii for their fiftieth anniversary.  I envy that one!
Gary and I went out yesterday and drove all over the countryside to find a nicer campground for next time through here. And hopefully a little closer to all of the friends and the church.  And we finally found it, the last one that we stopped at!! But I did not think to take a picture of it.
Check back next week and we'll see what we can come up with in the mean time.  Take care and God Bless you all.

VISIT WITH FRIENDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA !!

It is hard to believe that we have been here near Lexington, SC for ten days!!  We arrived on Tuesday, April 8th after our fiasco on the highway with the motorhome, that led to repairs. It was not as costly as we expected, but we now have a NEW serpentine belt and three new batteries.  I guess after eleven years, repairs are to be expected!!  We were just fortunate that Gary was able to get it off the side of the highway to wait for a tow.

Our location for the month!!
We sure don't appreciate all of the trees and their
seeds and pollen!! But Gary is getting it cleaned up some
after all of the miles since leaving Silver Springs, Florida.

We have been spending time with our friends here, Sandy and Mike. Sandy and I are now good scrapbooking buddies and Mike has gone to classic car shows with Gary.  And we so enjoy our church friends here, Johnny and Mary, Jack and Vicki.  We don't get out with them like we do with Sandy and Mike except for dinner after church on Sunday.
Gary and Mike took in a car show last Saturday and plan to go to another one tomorrow.  There are storms headed this way so we are expecting a lot of rain.  A couple just drove through it before arriving for a stay here at the campground.

Enjoy Mike!!

Check it out good!!

Gary knows that I love the beetle!!
But please get me a prettier one!!

Sharp, and a shirt to match!!

Now I wouldn't mind having this one!!

Now Gary and Mike had nothing better to do at Mike and Sandy's.  They have a large lot and have antique farm equipment and parts about the yard and this outhouse has been an addition since we were here last.  Funny, Mike!!

Mike, you'd better dress it up!!

They also have a new car for about home!!
We are envious, as we just might think
that we need one for
our new location in Wauchula, FL.

Including our scrapbooking, which we don't have any pictures of, Sandy and I also attended a TOPS meeting.  Fortunate for us, it was their first meeting after SRD, so we got to hear all about their weekend.  That is always inspiring.  I remember many, many years of that with my Salem, Ohio friends!! 

We hear all about it!! 

This was their two Kings for 2018
And she compared us all to a gal in their
chapter who could easily qualify for Queen
for the year 2019.  

Picture of a Banner made for the
rally by this chapter.

While Sandy and I are out and about and Mike was busy, Gary keeps busy with his colored pencil art.

I will show you pictures as they progress.

Yesterday, Gary and I took a day away and left Sandy and Mike to catch up on their work!!
We drove over to Iva, SC near the Georgia border to visit with Salem friends, Jack and Jan.  It is always great to see them and to catch up on news!!  It is an interesting drive over there and we find our that our car turns around easily enough!!

Jack and Jan are doing very well !!   PTL

HSL gals, don't you think that this sign would
have been appropriate for us at the drive-in??

And such sad news from N Georgetown, OH
We will miss this favorite fish eating
establishment!! 

Our understanding is that the Old Stage Coach is a total loss.  So we will have to look for some place else with favorite foods and good location!!
My scrapbooking plans for today fell by the wayside this morning when Sandy text that she had to visit someone from church who was admitted to the hospital last night.  So I went to Walmart for broccoli and came back home to finish my salad and then bit the bullet and did laundry a day early.  I will probably even start my Calico Beans for Sunday dinner at church by getting the meat cooked early.  I like to keep busy, but have hated the stress of doing too much every day.  We sure can tell that our life-style is not what it used to be!!  Or maybe I should say, "We are not in the condition that we used to be!!"
Hope all is well with you all.  Take care and God Bless.  And remember, He is Risen!!

ANDERSONVILLE, GA CIVIL WAR POW CAMP AND MUSEUM

Today, April 4th, we decided that it was time to do some sight seeing, especially since Gary knew of a POW Camp and Museum from Civil War era near where we are parked for this week.
It is always fun driving through different parts of the country.  This is mostly farm country, so much like Ohio except for the red clay!!

Not the road that we meant to be traveling.
But we followed through!

In 1865 the prison closed and the US government established the national cemetery which continues as an active national cemetery to this day.  The National Prisoner of War Museum opened in 1998 to tell the stories of all American prisoners of war.

Part of a stockade much like that used during the Civil War.

This is a good portion of the interior of the stockade area.

The main source of water was but a tickle much of the time and was estimated to have adequate water for 10,000 prisoners. But it was insufficient for the 33,000 men who were held here at one time in it's history. Much of it was contaminated by human waste leading to thousands of cases of dysentery. 

Providence Spring monument.
As the stockade was constructed a spring on the side of
the hill was covered. During a heavy rainstorm in 1864,
a flash flood knocked down parts of the stockade,
uncovering the spring.  It was considered providential
by prisoners as it appeared at a time of
intense heat and thirst.  The monument was erected in 1901.

While no major escape plans succeeded, prisoners did attempt to depart by tunneling and various other methods.

It would be so difficult to put in words the pictures of conditions at this camp, as were many camps during most of our war histories!!  Unless you've been through it, it would be difficult to imagine the conditions even with these pictures and narratives on film. 

So all I am going to give you are some of the primary captions and historical articles.

There were many physical articles from the era and pictures of such:

As we were leaving the museum to drive through the cemetery, there was a young chap taking an oath to become a junior park ranger. 

As we had seen in other cemetery grounds, there are monuments that different states in our country involved in the wars have since erected in honor of their state's dead soldiers.

Massachusetts monument in the center,
Ohio's monument on the right. 

Wisconsin's monument,
the largest  noticed as you first
enter the park.

Illinois Monument

New York Monument

We could not get close enough to see the state name on a few of the monuments.  Heaven forbid if we get out of the car to walk to them!!.  But it would be me dragging my feet!!   I usually do well with the zoom lens though.

We did drive through Americus GA on our way, but only stopped at Walmart for a few minutes. We did tour Americus in previous trips through Georgia.

Attractive water tower

These next two pictures were from the Resort that we just left in Silver Springs, FL.  I passed this on my walk about the park.  This area had the only park bench!!

Have to honor Canada as well as the United States.

This little church we saw on our little trip north from Ocala, near Hawthorne where we had lunch with my cousin and her husband.  I forgot to put this in that Blog, and it was too pretty and freshly painted to leave it out.  I would have loved to see the interior.

We don't have anything else planned for the rest of the week, but stay tuned.