Trippin' with Susan Straley

 Hello, Wow!  Life is a trip. I am feeling younger and stronger.  How? You may ask.   I took my trike to the shop in Inverness.   I was slowing down and I thought it was me.  My bike buddies were trying to talk me into getting an electric motor for my trike.  I resisted.   I wanted an annual check up and lube job on my trike before I left on my travels north. I left the trike there for them to work on.  Shortly after, the mechanic called me.  It turns out that my trike chain was a mess. There is a little guide wheel under the seat of my trike.  There is a little bar that keeps the chain from jumping off the wheel when I shift or hit a bump.   Some how the chain had gotten on the wrong side of that guide bar.  The mechanic said that the chain had sawed half way through that bar, the sawing had ruined the chain and my back cog and more. It took a few days for them to get all the parts and fix it.  Boy, did it ride nice when I got it back! Now when I ride with the group, I can keep up.  I

 Do you remember that commercial for the children's toy.  They were little people figures with a rounded bottom instead of legs and feet.  The bottom was weighted so the person-figure would pop back upright if you pushed it over. Well, sometimes people wobble.  I wobble a lot.  Not physically, (due to yoga practice, my balance is pretty good at 68), but decision-wise, I weeble and wobble all over the place. But before I get into all that, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.  Whether you are sad or happy, excited or in dread, may you find yourself surrounded by blessings and experience moments that bring smiles and awe. Let's get you up to date on where I am today. Last Christmas, due to COVID, I didn't have our traditional holiday pot-luck with friends.  And though I missed the fun gathering and seeing folks, I had a great time with my friends, Regis and Cindy.  We did a lot of birding and a little biking and kayaking over on the East coast of Florida near Ti

 Hello, I am glad I went to Jean's to help her with the paperwork.  She appreciated my efforts and she paid me!  There will be more work coming once I am back home. And the frosting on the cake was that I had fun spending time with her and Keith and meeting some of her friends,  The campground that I was going to stay at rejected me because I didn't have a "certified RV" sticker on my trailer.  So I plugged in and put up my portable sink in Jean's driveway.  It worked out well for me, Jean and Keith were very hospitable, and, as far as I know, no neighbors complained. I worry that my winter RV park might have some similar policy that requires the "RV Certified" thing.  I don't think so, though, because my friend is staying there in a re-modeled van. I left Jean's before the sun rose on Monday and crossed the border into Florida by late afternoon.  I saw scrub woodlands, it got hot out, I got bit by no-see-ums, and stung by fire ants.  I thought b

 Dear Friends and Family, What sights!  They take my breath away. After I last posted I searched for a trail near me and found one only three miles away.  Wow, was it ever a pretty trail!  It started out going through a tunnel through Mountain Laurel. Then steps down to a falling creek (or "run" as they call them around here). The ground covered with colorful leaves and some snowing down in front of me.  There were trees and mosses growing on giant rocks. Golden leaves  were floating on a crystal clear stream. There were lots of pretty and interesting fungus/mushrooms. And the walk was just the right length. I hooked up my trailer that night and on Sunday I pulled out of my site 63 at Chestnut Ridge Campground by seven a.m. Google said it would only take me four hours to get to my destination.  I knew better.  I gave my next campground host in Fries, VA and estimated arrival time of two or three p.m.  As it turned out, I didn't even make that.   Why?  Well there were lots