Homeward Bound; W-Holy You; Window Adrift! “Voices”… Tuscumbia, Alabama; “You Can’t Talk to Females”; Franklin, NC; Hardeeville, SC; Home!

Suzanne’s “Gong Bath” has been a new favorite at her recent events. The sounds that she creates with her gongs and crystal bowls is stunning; some sound just like humpback whales that I am used to listening to on Navy destroyers’ and frigates’ passive sonar receivers.

The final part of Wholy-You is the Angel Wash, one of the most spiritually moving experiences imaginable. 

This next photo is a reminder that one can never get complacent… we were driving down the Interstate near Oklahoma City at 65 mph when Suzanne said, “Ty, it sounds like a window just opened!” We could hear the engine noise of the semi we were passing, an unusual experience… She got up and shouted, “The fixed window over the sink is flapping open!!!” I pulled over at the next exit and found that the sealant holding the window closed had failed, and that it was only being held on by the hinged top. So, being a very technically proficient RVer, I selected the appropriate material to hold the window shut… Duct Tape! It held until we could get the window repaired properly a few hundred miles later.

While cleaning the counter the other day, I noticed a present that Janean Quigley had given me… It reads, “I only do what the Voices in my wife’s head tell her to tell me to do”… Janean, you are in so much trouble!

Next Stop Memphis! We camped right along the Mississippi River in West Memphis, Arkansas. The view of the barge traffic was spectacular! Suzanne got to the Memphis Drum Shop and acquired two more gongs, so it was a great stop!

On Eastward to Tuscumbia, Alabama, to visit our dear friends Judson and Donna Jo Emens, and their daughter Nadia. 

The Emens family took us to Big Spring, a beautiful waterfall and park in downtown Tuscumbia…

But we were getting hungry, and Judson and Donna Jo knew of this famous “hole in the wall”… Rattlesnake Saloon… The food was very good, but the highlight of our meal was talking to one of the locals who made a comment that, “Well, you know, you just can’t talk to females.” (The context here is important, but we can’t divulge it for privacy reasons…. and I don’t want to get my head broken or be declared Persona Non Grata in Tuscumbia!) In any case, we got a good laugh out of it after we left…

From Tuscumbia, we moved on to Franklin, North Carolina, where we spent two days hiking in the Nantahala National Forest. On one trail we found this lovely waterfall, one of My Lovely Bride’s favorite things…

One of the characteristics of Dachshunds is their exceptional sense of smell; this picture shows Rusty following Nellie’s path through the grass from the night before. The dew on the grass made his track obvious…

This next photo from a grocery cart ad made me laugh; I learned after reading it that Tinder is a dating app.

Our last stop before arriving home was in Hardeeville, SC, just a half hour from home. “Why not just go home?” Well, some anti-social whiners in our community protested that people shouldn’t be allowed to keep their RVs in their driveways overnight. So, we delayed our arrival so we could get home first thing in the morning and have a full day to unload and clean the bus. It also allowed us to visit a local park that we had never heard of and get a hike in alongside this beautiful lake.

Back at home now, Rusty and Nellie like having the run of the house rather than just our bus. However, Rusty has learned that he also likes to roll in the grass and take the sun. Here he is “on strike”, eyes closed, refusing to get up and walk…

Nellie, on the other hand, prefers to snooze by Mom’s side…

Our Summer 2021 Tour has ended, after about five months and 11,500 miles. We are happy to be home, catching our breaths, and hope that you have had as good a summer as have we. Love to you all, Suzanne, Nellie, Rusty and Ty.