Trish & Anne RV Adventures

We spent most of Wednesday, May 29 to Wednesday, June 12 with Trish’s niece Whitney and her sister Cookie in Aiken, SC. After many years living in Connecticut, Cookie moved to Aiken over a year ago, so we were glad to get to see her. As you know if you have followed our travels, Whitney’s is a stop we make on almost all of our friends and family trips, so we have seen many of the local spots. Whitney has been working to convert her oversized garage into an Air BNB, and there is always something to do to give her a hand — so we spent a bit of time helping with to-do’s around the house. But we also had some fun along the way too!

There was a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy running in the yard when we got there – we asked if it was one of the workman’s – we were surprised that it was Whitney’s new puppy. Whitney had recently lost her Italian greyhound Rudi, and thought she would call one of the breeders that she knew to get on a list for a puppy. Boy was she surprised when one was available right away. Mowgli was only about 2 months old when we were there and she only had him for about 2 weeks. Training was in progress, but he’s definitely a puppy

We had not met Butter either, but at least we knew about her before we arrived, had seen pictures and knew that she was a deaf bulldog mix. And then there is sweet Kousa, who was one of the dogs that Whitney had when she stayed with us 5 years ago.

Before I show you some of the projects we worked on, let me tell you a little about some of the fun stuff we did. We had a picnic at Whitney’s, with folks we have met several times during our travels there, including Dave and Lynda – who bought our original RV from us. It’s good to know that is it still being lovingly used, especially at dog shows, where Lynda shows her English Setters. That’s Brett with Linda in one photo and Sherry with Dave in the other. Lynda left the day after we saw her to take Ellie to a show in Canada, from which she returned with another Championship. So the other photo is of Ellie (aka NBIS AMGCH CANCH UKCCH Pine Hollow’s Eleanor Gee I Think Your Swell CGC JH ) with her handler Jeannette.

We also visited with Caroline and Trish got to hold another baby – Elizabeth was born in February, so she’s a bit younger than Ollie. Caroline and her husband Garret were Whitney’s next door neighbors before they bought a house less than two miles away.

There were baby bluebirds living in this birdhouse on Whitney’s back porch. We enjoyed watching their parents bringing them bugs and seeds from the feeder. They fledged when we were in Greenville, but we got to see the young ones flying in the the yard after that.

There were also other birds around – including these resting hummingbirds.

We took Butter and Kousa on a couple of walks in Hitchcock Woods – a 2,100 acre forested area, with over 70 miles of trails. Because of the sandy soil, it is used by many horse lovers in the area for trail riding, as well as folks walking their dogs, and others just walking. Because Butter is deaf, she wears a bear bell when we are walking. She did wander away once following some dead animal scent, and since calling her is not an option, we were able to follow her by sound. On the way home, she didn’t want to stay in the back seat.

We went out to dinner at the Red Door with some of Whitney’s friends who get together for monthly to try different restaurants – this place had an eclectic Asian menu but we deemed it not worth a second visit. And walking down the street in Aiken we found this appropriate sign.

We went to a 70th birthday party for Whitney’s friend Jill. It was at this interesting venue that is part of the horse history of Aiken. Built in the early 1900’s, it is an example of eclectic Victorian, brick, U-shaped barn design, and was used by the “Winter Colony” to house their horses when they came for their months long visits.

The inside of the U was decorated with an islands theme, and we were all given leis to wear. The Swingin’ Medallions provided the music, even coming out to the audience with their very loud pants.

Although it was quite warm, we all had a great time, including Trish and I doing some kicks along with the band, Whitney dancing with the birthday girl and then wondering how horses ever fit in those stalls.

One night we played Bunco with Whitney’s friends – not only did Whitney try on a wrap around quilt (she was hoping no one would notice and she could walk out with it, no such luck) and Trish get a kitty fix, but Whitney won $80 for Most Games Won and Trish got the prize for Most Funcos (I guess others call them Little Buncos.)

Whitney cooked me a two week early birthday dinner and no, the 4 of us did not finish those two tomahawk steaks in one sitting.

And then, on Monday, June 10 we golfed at the Aiken Golf Club. After waiting out a thunderstorm we got underway. Those steps down from the tee are called the Fred Astaire steps – he vacationed in Aiken and was said to dance down these steps, just like it’s said he danced down the stops of the Aiken post office. That’s Dave (who bought our RV) and Trish showing off their swings.

I know I often say I’m not going to talk about how we played golf, but the highlight of my golf career happened on the 4th hole, which was an uphill, par 3, which the cart GPS said was 135 yards. I hit my tee shot with my 5 wood and was walking off the tee when Trish said, “It hit the pin.” My response was, “I hope it doesn’t bounce off the green.” When we got to the green, one of the players in the group before us said, “I heard it and looked over and didn’t see anything moving” and I found the ball in the hole!!!! My first ever hole-in-one. Trish and I have a ritual for our better holes – a high-five for a par, a double high-five for a birdie, and a chest bump for an eagle — not only was it my first hole-in-one, it was our very first chest bump! Lucky for me, the restaurant at the course was closed, so I didn’t have to pay for a round of drinks. I did give the group ahead of us some money to go get some beers, and I bought Dave’s lunch in celebration.

Now for some of the to-dos that we helped Whitney with. We emptied her potting shed, swept it out, tossed some things, added some hooks and shelving and reorganized everything going back in

We trimmed these trees so they won’t be rubbing on the house for awhile.

I was the fire person as Whitney used a flame thrower to get rid of the weeds in her raised bed, and Trish eventually found the right bolt to repair the lawn chair.

Over a few days, we helped Cookie with the design of her made from scratch, with only photos – not plans – bird-feeder. We didn’t get it completed, but we did figure out a way to get the roof together and mounted. It was pretty funny watching us try to figure out the cuts with the miter saw to make some of the corners, and Trish did a wonderful job using a jig saw to cut the braces for the roof. It’s not perfect, but once it it painted, it should go together and stay together.

I’ll leave you with some pictures of Whitney’s yard. In the back yard she is still working on the trellis, and that is a banana plant that sprouted three new leaves while we were there. There were still some plants that were blooming, though we did miss most of the color.

In the front yard she has more plantings and her Certified Wildlife Habitat sign – a testament to Whitney’s attention to the environment along with her gardening.

It was a great visit, with lots of fun and accomplishments, but it was time to move on. Next up some adventures in Maryland with my cousins.

Until then, safe travels.