The End of a Wonderful Month

     What a fantastic month! Julie and I did a whirlwind of activities. We did some highbrow activities: a performance of the Dayton Philharmonic playing the score to the 1935 movie Bride of Frankenstein on the Thursday before Halloween; a community performance of the play ‘Almost, Maine’ at the Middletown Lyric Theater; the comedy play ‘Basement Ladies’ at La Comedia dinner theater in Springboro. We went shopping: Jungle Jim’s International Market, Trader’s World swap meet, Treasure Aisle swap meet. We drove around the area: Caesar Lake State Park, King’s Island, The Beach WaterPark. We ate great food: The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Chinese food in Springboro, Italian food at LaRosa’s. And we hung out: walking the dogs, sharing simple dinners, watching television, soaking in the hot tub with a glass of wine. I met Julie’s wonderful friends, who readily befriended me. I don’t have siblings, and never realized what I was missing until now.
     Yesterday we had early Thanksgiving with all the trimmings and the whole family—three nephews, Del, Chris (who arrived later after working all night), Bruce, Del’s lady Cassie, and Bruce’s sons (my great nephews) Chance and Braden. Only Terry, Julie's husband, who was on the road, and Mackenzie, my great niece, who was spending the weekend with her mother, were missing. I hadn’t celebrated Thanksgiving for several years, and it gave me time to give thanks for all the wonderful things I have experienced this past few months. It was lovely.
     I had some luck with repairs to the Goose. The lights in the slide were not working, so I called the mobile repair man to the park. He fixed the electrical problem, helped me with the awning, showed me where the switch to the water pump is hidden, and gave me a referral for the repairs to the side of the Goose (from the unfortunate encounter with the cement post in California). A quick trip to Cincinnati, a fair cost for the repairs, and the Goose is patched up!
    I have had my frustrations, too. I explored getting my dental problems fixed, but found it is either too expensive or too time-consuming or both. I tried to get a secured credit card to facilitate renting a car, but since I don’t have an income I was turned down. I thought that was the whole point of securing the credit card. I have had the use of a vehicle while here, and it is a great convenience I will surely miss.
    The best part is we had a good time, everything we did, and I have a wealth of good memories and experiences to last a lifetime.
     Unfortunately, it’s getting cold. There are a couple days this week when it will be Indian summer warm, but nights are getting close to freezing. It’s time to get going south. I have my reservations secure for my next spot, Chapel Hill, Tennessee, starting Saturday. A week or two there, and then I think I will head to Gulf Shores, Alabama.