2010-12 Winter in Florida at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park

 (Rainbow Springs)

On December 16, we arrived at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park in Crystal River, Fl.  We checked in and were informed that we were on site 147.  A kind gentleman led us to or site and helped us get parked.  It was a challenge to get into.  After backing up and pulling forward several times - and getting out the ladder to cut tree limbs, James finally squeezed into the site.

We were both disappointed in our site.  We did not realize that we would be so close to a busy road.  Then as we plugged in our electric cord, we discovered that we were on site 141 (the number was on the electric post).  Even though it was a hassle, we were both glad to move to the correct site 147!  It was further away from the busy road.

Both sites were next to retention ponds and looked very similar.  So it was an easy mistake for our guide to make. When someone came to park on site 141 a few hours later, we were glad we discovered the error before we had set up.

We liked our site.  The retention pond would get muddy during a heavy rain, but otherwise was dry.  We had a wooded area behind us.  There was a row of trees and some small shrubbery between our site and site 148, the one next to us.  During the four months we were there, we had neighbors for only 2 months - a very nice quiet Canadian couple parked in their Roadtrek.  There were trees between us and the RV’s in front of us, so we felt like we had a fairly private spot!

Since we were parked facing one of the perimeter roads, we had quite a bit of traffic from people who were taking walks or riding their golf carts.  This is how we met Zack - a very sweet black lab who was out walking with his owners.  We enjoyed playing with Zack, and going out to eat with his owners Larry and Anne from Maryland.

One of the first places we went after arriving in Crystal River was to the Christmas Eve service at Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church.  This became our church home while we were in Florida.  We enjoyed Ray Cortese’s sermons and the outstanding praise music.  Larry and Anne came to a service with us and continued going to church there during their stay.  They brought their friend’s Bill and Shirley who were parked next to them.

We had bought Trek Navigator Bikes when we were in Zion, Illinois several years ago.  After our first month in Florida, we started using them.  We biked 2 to 3 times a week along the Withlacoochee Trail a “rails to trails” path.

We entered the trail in Inverness, FL where it went beside beside a lovely city park.

We were on our way there one Saturday when we saw an Antique Car show in process. 

We ran into Larry and Bill while we were looking at cars.

We have a friend from our church in Columbia who married and moved to St Augustine, FL last year.  One Saturday we met them for lunch in Gainesville and then went to walk around the Kanapaha Gardens. 

We were glad to be able to spend some time with Rob and Farhat.

In March we went with Larry and Anne and their friends Bill and Shirley to Rainbow Springs State Park which also has a beautiful garden.

Anne and Larry:

Bill and Shirley:

In February we met up with Dennis and Carol Smith and two of their friends to attend the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL.  We enjoyed looking at the vendor’s booths, the craft displays, and eating a nice big bowl of strawberry shortcake.

Our friends Dale and Cindy Sumner who had fulltimed for ten years bought a lovely new home.  We met them for lunch at Ruby Tuesday in Wesly Chapel, Fl and then enjoyed a tour of their wonderful new home.  They had only been there a few months, but they had the yard beautifully landscaped and the house completely furnished.  They did a good job in making a comfortable, inviting home.

There were many activities planned for the people staying at Rock Crusher Canyon.  We went to a few of these - the Christmas Buffet dinner and our favorite - the chocolate buffet.

Monique took a Bob Ross painting class while we were there and painted this picture which she gave to Dale and Cindy as a house warming gift.

Since there are many trees at Rock Crusher, there are also many squirrels.  They enjoyed the free meals from our “squirrel proof” (ha, ha) bird feeder.  They also went for the acorns on our sire - including the ones under our patio mats.   A mat is no obstacle for an attack squirrel - they just ate a hole through it to get to the goods. 

This started the ineffective “Squirrel Wars” which promted a lot of raucous laughter - from the squirrels.  James researched various squirrel repelling ideas from the Internet.  The small fake snakes did not fool them, and the fake owl with the solar activated rotating head did not fool them.  The large inflatable rattle snake did grab the attention of several people who passed by our RV.  One person even stopped to photograph it.  The squirrels just ignored it.

We put pepper on the mat.  That didn't work.  We took up the mat and raked up as many acorns as we could see.  Then we sprinkled cinnamon (large containers bought at Sam’s Club) on the ground and put the mats back down (another "sure fire" repellant idea from the Internet).  This provided a pleasant fragrance for us and even tastier acorns for the squirrels.

The best thing that came out of this was the hilarious story our friend DeDe Fischer came up with - it included squirrels wearing helmets and watching James through binoculars while laughing at what he was trying next.  In the end we just learned how to patch the holes in the mat.

In spite of the “Squirrel Wars”, we plan to go back to Rock Crusher Canyon again next winter.

2010-05 NC Arboretum

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

We love the NC Arboretum and that was the first place we visited after our arrival in Waynesville.

We wanted to see the latest patchwork quilt garden.  They change the design 3 times during the spring/summer/fall growing seasons.  The current one has very muted colors.

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

But there were other more colorful plants.

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

The bonsai exhibit is always a delight.

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

While taking a picture, I heard Monique gasp.  I turned around to find here staring at this young snake (non-poisonous).

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

He soon slithered away.

From 2010-05 NC Arboretum

This is our 4th or 5th visit.  If you like gardens and forests, do stop by if you are in the Asheville, NC area.

SC Botanical Garden at Clemson University

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

We had an especially nice peaceful day touring the Botanical Garden at Clemson University and then enjoying a great lunch at Clemson’s Madren Conference Center. It really reminded me of why we enjoy being able to tour the country in our RV.

We have visited the SC Botanical Garden several times. Our house in Lexington had a very shady yard. One of our successful shade plants was hosta’s. Clemson has the best collection of hosta’s we have ever seen.

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

The gardens have some other unique features like the Caboose Garden donated by the Class of 1939.

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

Another is the Guard House Bell. It hung in the No.1 barracks and was sounded during the day to announce class changes, etc. A side note - Thomas Green Clemson who donated the land and money to start Clemson directed in his will in 1888 that the University be modeled after Mississippi A&M which is now Mississippi State University. MSU is where Monique and I met and were married. The Clemson founders came to Mississippi State to visit, and I believe some of their first buildings were copied from those at MSU. Both schools were early Land Grant Colleges and started with an emphasis on agriculture and engineering. For many years they were all male military colleges where the students wore military uniforms and were regulated by a military regimen. The Guard House Bell hearkens back to those days.

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

There are many lovely aspects to the gardens. A little waterfall:

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

A bridge over a small pond:

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

Pretty lace cap hydrangeas and ferns;

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

Beautiful rhododendron in bloom:

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

After our tour, we went over the Clemson Madren Conference Center. It is a very nice complex with a hotel, restaurant and conference facilities.

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

It sits on Lake Hartwell and is adjacent to the Clemson golf course.

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

I attended several conferences there while working at BellSouth. A nice garden walkway has been added since my last visit.

From 2010-05 Clemson Botanical Garden

They serve an outstanding lunchtime buffet. We highly recommend both the Botanical Gardens and the lunch at the Madren Center.

10-09 NC Arboretum

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

We left Salt Lick and had a long day's drive to Hendersonville, NC. The trip was about 290 miles, about 40 miles more than we like to travel in a day. Plus it rained much of the way. Midway, the driver's side windshield wiper started tearing apart. So we made several stops looking for a replacement. We finally found what we needed at a Camping World in Knoxville. I need to remember to replace those things about once a year. These were about 18 months old.

It continued raining while in Hendersonville, but Tuesday cleared off. So we went to the NC Arboretum which is on the south side of Asheville, about 20 miles north of the Lakewood RV Resort where we were staying. We have visited the Arboretum before, and it is now a favorite stop when in the Asheville area. What better place to go see fall leaves than an arboretum. (Although we were about a week early for peak leaf color)

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

The NC Arboretum has some pretty flowers as well.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

They have an area they call the "quilt" garden which they arrange like a patchwork quilt. They change the plants several times during the year to reflect the current season.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

I always stop to photograph bees of flowers when I spot them.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

One of the highlights is the outstanding Bonsai collection.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

You can see fall leaves and color in miniature.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

There is a large Bonsai display near the entrance parking lot. But additional Bonsai are in the greenhouses, which are down a pretty woodland walk from the main buildings. Be sure to visit them. (You can also drive to them.)

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

The greenhouses have some other plants and flowers like this Bird of Paradise.

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

Here is a view of the mountains along the woodland path to the greenhouses:

From 10-09 NC Arboretum

As we were walking back from the greenhouse, we met a nice woman who was walking a beautiful red golden retriever. We struck up a conversation with her and found out that she had just adopted Bruester from golden retriever rescue about four months ago. Bruester leaned on us and was very happy to let us pet him.
Bruester is about eight years old. We gave his new owner the bed that Clay had used, a Furminator (grooming tool that gets rid if excess fur), and a small cloth bowl we had used to give Clay water when we walked or went for a car ride. We were glad to find a sweet dog who could use these items.


Be sure to visit the Arboretum when in Asheville. Allow several hours to tour the grounds, greenhouses and buildings. There is also a very nice sandwich shop in the main building. We have enjoyed lunch there on tow occasions.

06-09 Longwood Gardens

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

Monday we drove about 45 minutes from the campground to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. This is one of the premier botanical gardens in the US. It has over 1,000 acres of woods, meadows, and gardens. The gardens stretch over about 80 acres and include one of the largest conservatories in the world with almost 4 acres under glass in the series of connected green houses. The land was originally purchased from William Penn by fellow Quakers in 1700. In 1798 one of the descendants started planting unique trees and by 1850 had one of the best collection of trees in the US. In 1906 Pierre S. DuPont bought the property to prevent the trees from being harvested (I assume because the family had to pay its debts.) The DuPont’s built the initial Conservatory and Gardens as well as a large home to use as a summer retreat. They owned the property until 1954 when it opened as public gardens. The gardens and conservatory have since been greatly expanded.

Here are a few pictures from the grounds.

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

There are fabulous water fountains in the park. Two have special 5 minute shows every few hours. We saw one of them.

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

There is also a beautiful Italian Water Garden. It too has fountains that go through a sequence of different beautiful sprays.

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

The Conservatory and its flowers are breathtaking. Here are a few shots inside.

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

Here are a few close-ups of some of the flowers.

Canna:

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

Bromeliad

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

Orchids

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

Hibiscus

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

Just outside the Conservatory was a water garden with many different water lilies.

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

From 06-09 Longwood Garden

If you love gardens, this is a place you must visit if you are in the Lancaster or Philadelphia areas. Allow at least 1/2 a day. All day would be better. One suggestion, take a lunch break and leave the gardens for lunch. You can get a stamp to return. They have lovely restaurants on the property, but we were very disappointed in the food, especially for the price.