The end of October we were leaving Louisville with plans to go to Escapees Raccoon Valley campground near Knoxville, Tennessee for a couple of weeks. Before leaving I looked at the weather forecast for Knoxville and it was to be in the mid 50s, windy and rainy the next week - not good. So I spread out a map of the USA and told Linda to place her finger where she wanted to go and she selected Escapees Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Alabama so we headed south. She wanted to sit a while, relax and do crafts. It is nice being fulltimers and having freedom so we can go anywhere we choose.

Two days later we pulled into Rainbow Plantation and decided to stay through Christmas. This is our favorite park because of the wide open camp sites and the many scheduled activities at the clubhouse. The park was laid out and built by RVers and they did a great job with wide streets, level sites with full-hookups and every camp site is at least 50 feet wide by 70 feet long. The calendar of events from the first of November through the end of March is so long it takes several minutes to read and mark the events to attend. Some of the events are cooked meals, pot-lucks, golf outings, computer group, poker group, Wall Street investors group, billiards group, pickle-ball, exercise, line dancing, dulcimer groups, jam sessions, caravans to group outings, Red Hat Ladies, crafts (beading, pine needle baskets, sewing, quilting, wood carving, wood burning, making jewelry, making greeting cards), daily socials, ice cream socials, entertainers, soup and bean cook-offs, and many other events. I hate to promote the park too much because it was full all winter and if more people go there will not be room for us. A 31-day month cost $356 (or less), plus electric.

The first three weeks I did a lot of projects on the motorhome - washed it and waxed part of it, changed the oil and filter in the generator, lubed the chassis, checked the engine fluid levels, hoses and belts, applied 303 protectant to the tires, straightened out the basement, plus some other work. I enjoy working on the motorhome and it not only saves money, I know the job is done right. I also spent time cooking and doing laundry. I love to cook and I never use a recipe or open cans, everything is made from scratch with fresh ingredients.

While I was doing projects Linda was busy teaching crafts in the clubhouse. Her classes included making items from Wal*Mart bags, pine needle baskets, jewelry from beads, Teneriffe embroidery and weaving. The women at the Plantation, and a few men, were happy Linda was teaching craft classes most days and most of her classes were full. As a “thank you” they threw her a party and gave her a card and gifts. Linda enjoys doing crafts and teaching others and that is only possible because we are fulltimers. I support Linda by doing cooking, laundry and house work to give her more free time. Below are some pictures of Linda's classes and the items they made.

Thanksgiving at the Plantation is always an enjoyable event and this was our third year for the meal. Each table of 10-14 people had a host who coordinates the dishes with those eating at that table. Men and women at the Plantation cooked turkeys and made gravy and each person donates $2 for those items. I was asked to bring dressing and pies. I baked cornbread that I crumbled, chopped onions and celery, added butter and turkey broth and a lot of fresh sage and fixed a large baking dish of dressing, but I bought the pies at a grocery store. About 140 people enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner and the next day we took the left-overs back to the clubhouse and ate again.

A lot of friends dropped by to visit during our two month stay and I will name a few and apologize to those I forgot to mention - Dave and Sharyl Tholen, Bob and Donna Eberly, Doug and Ann Craw, Don and Elaine Phelps, Tom and Tinka Dooley, Darrel and Judy Patterson and Don and Gloria Martin. The Craws recently built a beautiful house at the Plantation and they invited us over several times for snacks and drinks and for meals. Summerdale residents Ken and Diane Dombroski invited us to the home for a delicious meal of gumbo and salad.


A few days before Christmas we drove the Honda CR-V 640 miles to Louisville to celebrate Christmas with family. At Linda’s parents’ house we got to sleep in a real bed and bathe in a real shower. (Our bed and bath in the motorhome are much nicer, but don’t tell Linda’s parents.) It was nice seeing family again and especially the grand-girls, who enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. We celebrated with two large meals, Christmas Eve at Linda’s sister’s house and Christmas Day at Linda’s parents’ house.

Back at Rainbow Plantation my sister Gloria and her husband Don Martin joined us and it was nice seeing them again. Don loves crafts as much as Linda and he volunteered to teach stick weaving classes at the clubhouse. (I actually think he enjoys being around the women.)

After New Years Day and after spending over two months at the Plantation it was time to leave as we had plans in Florida.