Baba Wawa is back on the streets of Anytown USA which we all know is Happy Down in the Valley, CA. I’m just sayin. I happen to be a no opinion editor. All of us no opinion editors have no opinions. I’m just sayin.
My name is Tiny. (This Is Not Yram.)
Baba Wawa…
Happy Halloween every BODY!!!
BWAAAHAHA…Tiny
We had wonderful times with our friends in Indiana and Ohio. I can’t begin to tell you how much we enjoyed both visits. It’s part of what makes RV travel so awesome.
This blog is going to be mostly pictures. I have to show you the scenery as we traveled from Virginia into North Carolina and now begin to drive through the southwestern part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We had beautiful surroundings last evening. We stayed at The Fancy Gap Campground. Today should be an awesome picture taking day, depending on how many stops Kip let’s me make to photograph all the beauty. Our goal is to reach Ashville, NC.
Four years ago while Kip and I were on an RV trip in the northeastern part of the country, we stopped for the night at a little RV park in Ohio. Kip mentioned that he thought Ron Spahlinger’s parents lived in Ohio. Ron and Barbara are friends of ours and live near us in the Mabank, TX area.
Kip decided to give Ron a call and find out where in Ohio his parents lived. As it happened, they were only about a 45 minute drive from where we were staying. Ron’s brother, Rick and his wife, Rita live next door to Ron’s and Rick’s mom and dad. Ron gave us Rick’s phone number. (That’s a lot of Rs.) After talking with him, we decided to stop by and meet everyone. We had no idea what was to come.
During that first visit we sat on Fran’s and Merrill’s porch, which overlooks the beautiful Lake Milton, and visited for a couple of hours. Rita was gone that day, but Rick, Fran and Merrill made us feel so welcome. We talked about our families, current and past events, and a little about politics. By the time we left, Kip and I felt we had been blessed with some pretty great new friends.
This time when we planned our trip, we knew we wanted to stop and see Fran and Merrill along with Rick and Rita.
Rick had a wonderful breakfast including scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and toast waiting for us when we arrived. Fran had set a beautiful table and prepared hot coffee. After breakfast, and since it was Sunday, we all watched the live stream of our church in Mabank’s service. Ron was directing the choir, and we saw Barbara sitting in the congregation. Fran and Merrill watch every week and said they know where Kip and I sit and look for us each Sunday. Since we should tell the truth here, any of us watching from Lake Milton would be stuck for an answer if asked what the sermon was about because we talked all the way through it.
A while back, our church advertised the position of choir director. Fran has a great sense of humor and as a fluke, she sent an elaborate resume and applied for the job. She and Pastor Dan along with Lance, our church administrator, went back and forth discussing salary, housing requirements, and other conditions of employment. The negotiations broke down, but it really was the church’s loss as Fran is an accomplished musician. In fact, the whole family can sing and play several instruments.
Fran told us about her years teaching children with a mental disability and regaled us with fun stories about her kids growing up and their various musical talents. As we were looking at all of the family mementos and pictures, Kip asked Merrill about the photos and other WWII memorabilia he had displayed. Among various other things was a model of a B17 airplane. Merrill was a navigator during the war and flew on numerous missions over Natzi Germany. It’s not often you get to talk with a WWII Veteran these days.
There is an American Association of Rosie the Riveters and Fran is a Rosie. The association honors women who were employed in an industry or agency that was directly related to the war effort or employed in a capacity usually held by a man, therefore releasing a man for military duty. Decendants of Rosies are Rosebuds.
After we were finished not watching the church service, Rick and Rita took us for a drive around Lake Milton. We got to see where Fran and Merrill raised their family and the church several family members attended and some, including Rick’s and Rita’s daughter, were married in. We passed by the farm Rick’s and Ron’s grandfather owned and the house that their aunt and uncle and family lived in back in the day. Rita lived in the area, too and we saw the house she and Rick built before building one next door to Fran and Merrill. Rick told us he had a special surprise and took us to a farmhouse that had a stand full of sweet corn. Kip and I bought several ears and finished it all off in two days.
The day wasn’t over, yet. Kip and I were treated to some first class entertainment. Fran played the electric keyboard…her foot going a mile a minute on the pedal while her nimble fingers flew over the keys. Rick played a mean guitar and Kip and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to old favorites such as, “Has Anybody Seen My Girl,” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
Kip and I brought one of those good old Walmart cakes and after listening to the wonderful music, we had dessert. Much too soon, it was time to say goodbye. When we got in the car to leave, we could see Fran waving to us from her kitchen window. I told Kip I thought I was going to cry. I looked at him and saw a tear in his eye.
It was a wonderful day. Oh, did I mention that Fran and Merrill are the same age. They are a true testament to the fact that 98 is just a number.
I think Baba tried to interview a football and the football said, “I would rather be kicked down a non-grassy field than be interviewed by Baba Wawa.”
Kip and I spent the last three days having a huge amount of fun with two of Kip’s old college buddies. The three of them went to The University of Wyoming, together. Two out of the three are, let me just say, uh… different. Is different a bad word? It’s the best I can come up with to describe those two. I didn’t know Kip was quite so, uh…different until I witnessed him with Cary. It wasn’t an anomaly, either. I’ve witnessed the two of them together several times and it’s always the same, right Molly? Molly is Cary’s wife.
As you know, Kip has been underwhelmed with the Covered Bridge Festival in Rockville, Indiana. Oh, he managed to choke down some breaded pork loin with all the trimmings, a huge frosted sourdough cinnamon roll, a breakfast fit for a couple of kings, and a few bites of Molly’s persimmon pudding.
The thing Kip was missing was the covered bridge that the Covered Bridge Festival was celebrating. Someone told him there are 32 of them. So, just to shut him up, I mean put his misgivings to rest, we took one of the maps available all over Rockville and surrounding communities, and went on a hunt for covered bridges. Cary drove, and Kip rode shotgun. Kip read the map…sort of. Molly and I sat in the backseat and alternated between rolling our eyes and trying to stifle laughter. (We were laughing at them. Not with them.)
“The Bridge is there not here,” said Cary.” “Bridges cover creeks not cornfields,” said Kip. Seriously, we drove by the same house 3 times. The first time there was a guy out front walking his dog. Cary wanted to stop and ask him to direct us to a covered bridge. The next 2 times we drove by the drapes were pulled shut and we noticed there was a for sale sign out front that hadn’t been there before.
After a couple of hours listening to this repeated conversation and driving up and down the same road several times, Molly grabbed the map, and I googled, covered bridges near me. Within 30 minutes we had seen three bridges so we headed back to Rockville. We stopped for some ice cream at Dairy Queen on the way to the Parke County Fair Grounds where we had out RVs parked. We’d had a huge brunch, but we had to get back so Molly could make us all delicious taco salads.
Kip is happy…
Next: Never tell friends you’re having Amazon packages shipped to their house in advance of your arrival. One couple left and went to visit 5 European countries. They said they would be gone for over a month.
Baba snagged another big interview, this time with another star athlete-Bom Trady. WARNING: She doesn’t know a thing about football. She sent this exclusive report via some kind of writing with a quill pen on papyrus!
Baba: Good evening football fans and
all kinds of sports fans. I am here to interview a big name in a big sport.
Welcome to you Bom Trady. I know you’re rushed for time so we will make this swift, quick and fast, just like your arm. How would you evaluate the game of football today compared with say 50 years ago?
Bom: I don’t know because I didn’t play 50 years ago. What a dumb question.
Baba: (Hmm, a real mathematician.)
Well, why do they keep throwing around quarters? I thought betting on games was illegal except in some fantasy games?
Bom: Yes, a coin is thrown at the beginning of games to see who goes first. No gambling. The game is played in four quarters!
Baba: (This guy is touchy.) Ohhh, so that’s why the football announcers keep saying, “Quarterback!” They want players to give the quarters back! I get it.
Bom: Lady, you gotta be kidding me.
I’m outta here. I have to go warm up my arm. Bye.
Baba: Okay, Bom. Thanks for the informative interview and good luck with that heating pad on your arm even though it’s called Football, not Armball. (Personally I would warm up my foot.)
Bye Bom! Good luck and enjoy the game today.
Baba: Maybe sometime they will let me on the field and I can wear one of those cute black and white striped outfits the umpires wear with caps. Wonder why all the players wear helmets and all those big pads but the bravest ones in the thick of the game, the football umps, just wear b and w outfits and caps … not even helmets.
Until next time, rah rah rah from Bababa!
After spending several days in Springfield. Illinois, where we visited the home of Abraham Lincoln, we drove on to Rockville, Indiana.
While we were in Springfield, our little kitty, Dollie, got sick. After she spent 2 days in an emergency animal hospital and 2 more days with us, we had to make the decision to let her go to animal heaven.
Dollie had a good life. She was 15 years old and we loved her dearly. She went to sleep peacefully. I looked into her eyes before she left us and had the feeling that Dollie had an old soul. My cousin, Paul said he didn’t know about humans, but he felt that pets were reincarnated and came back again to give another family joy.
The next day we drove on to Rockville, Indiana where we met Molly and Cary Cline. They are 2 of Kip’s college friends. Kip had not seen them in years until we bought our first RV (SeeYa), and stopped to see them when we passed through Indiana. Reuniting with old friends is another benefit of traveling in an RV. Molly and Cary have since retired and bought an RV, themselves. They spend a few months each year, during the winter, in Rockport, TX and we have gone to see them for several days, twice.
Rockville, Indiana is having their annual Covered Bridge Festival now and we are enjoying all of the festivities. While driving here, Kip said he thought he would see at least one covered bridge. After spending a couple of days here, we still had not seen one. In fact, a guy at the Parke County Fair Grounds, where hundreds of people in RVs are parked, a guy stopped us while we were walking the dogs and asked Kip if he could direct him to a covered bridge. Kip told him we had been looking for two days and had still not seen one. He didn’t tell him the only scenic place we had gone to was Walmart. Molly told him to get a map that showed where all of the covered bridges are or be patient until she got here. He wasn’t able to do either, but they got here last night so he has new hope.
Some of the following pictures were taken on the way to Rockville or on the road to the Walmart in Clinton which is about 10 miles from Rockville.
I’ll take a picture of the first covered bridge we see. We can also watch The Bridges of Madison County. I think they have covered bridges in the movie.
If you happened to be in Happy Down in the Valley, CA today, you might have seen the famous Eddie J out and about. You may have possibly run into him at that place where all of the stars make handprints in the sidewalk, or perhaps he was wandering around the tar pits with all the other dinosaurs. Yes, you could have seen him in these places with all the other ner de wells. (I’ve been reading the dictionary.) As the famous basketball coach for the Lakers once said, “If you coulda, and you shoulda, then you woulda.” Now where was I? Oh yes. You would not have seen Eddie J any of those places because he has been hiding from Baba Wawa who has been relentless in trying to interview him. Like ask him questions and stuff. Anyway, she finally got him on the phone. Get your popcorn ready. Here is how it went down…BTW, MG told Yram (who this is not) that she does not wrap her hair around coke cans…anymore.
Hope you still have some Jollytime left! Heeeere’s part 2
The proceedings have been brought to you by Jollytime Popcorn. (Yram has a new gig. Yeah…she sells popcorn at the movie theaters. She is in the movies for reals. Baba works waaay too hard. (This is not Yram.)
A candid shot of the tenacious Baba Wawa, right before her ratings went down the tubes…Got some Jollytime in your teeth Baba?….(This is not Yram, again)
They used to say a saylor had a girl in every port. They would love them and then leave them. Breaking hearts became a sport.
When looking for a soulmate every girl should be aware. Not every handsome charmer is suave and debonair.
While on a recent road trip I enjoyed the scenes of fall. Times that were forgotten, I started to recall.
I grew up in a place with farms and ranches all around. When harvest time arrived all the combines came to town.
As they rolled along the highway, their arrival long awaited, the farmers waved them in and the young hearts palpitated.
Along with all those combines came all those cute combiners. The girls were heavy handed with lipstick and eyeliners.
As the days turned into weeks things got complicated. The girls fell in love and the guys got twitterpated.
Combiners go from farm to farm and leave out just in time. The girls thought on their fingers, a diamond ring would shine.
The combiners said, honey, there’s nothing here to fear. We’ll talk about it more when I come back next year.
The girls didn’t know that combiners play a game. They never call the girls they meet by their given name.
The combines soon move on and the combiners say honey, I have to go for now and I’ll make us lots of money.
As they rolled on into Murdo, their arrival long awaited, the farmers waived them in and the young hearts palpitated.
This is not Yram would like to add a missclaimer to this for oblivious reasons…read on
Breaking News and Views: By Baba Wawa
I have uncovered a serious question regarding Yram, the sharpshooter from Texas, and sometime reporter.
It seems that MG and her husband Klip have taken Yram on a long trip without her permission. A Quick Klip Trip.
The question is, “Why?”
Mind you, or mindless, whichever you are, this reporter from Happy Down in the Valley cannot be sure but I think Yram is touring in the aforementioned character’s RV. They took off in such a hurry, trying to cover their tracks that they didn’t even have time to paint over the key clue to this crime: It says OUTLAW on the front of their RV. HA! Huge clue there! Plus they couldn’t find a legal campsite the other night and had to sleep at a coyote rescue facility. Personally I think they were hiding behind the building. I saw a picture of their non- campsite. The picture showed one crummy little bush covering up the sign about their site. They put up curtains in all the windows so you can’t see inside their huge Recreation Vehicle. It all looks pretty suspicious. But this reporter and others from our news source called “Who Done It TV” are on it.
We have investigative reporters tracking the perps whereabouts and will keep you informed. Nobody worries about Yram, unfortunately, and the poor gal will be hard to spot since she wears wigs, big scarves, glasses and hats to cover her true identity. She’s the victim this time. We do know MG, masquerading as a navigator, hides under massive crowns and her husband wears pink shirts, so that gives us something to go on.
Baba provided photos of said investigative reporters
Please call our hotline if you know of any other clues. Phone: 999- who- cares (BONUS: Eddie J. has volunteered to man the phone. That is, whenever he’s in between trips to the grocery store or autograph signing sports events.)
That’s all we have for now. Tata from Baba.
Sent from my iPhone
This is NOT Yram summing it up below:
Sent from my iPhone? Give me a break! Tata is a thinly veiled attempt to hide the fact that Baba calls me, I mean Yram trailer trash.
Those 70ish Girls 