We are home after a delightful visit with our two grandchildren in Charleston, SC. We are so proud of them. Callan, age 17 is a senior in the Charleston School of the Arts. She is an acting major and spent a month at Julliard this summer. Brock is 14 and a straight A freshman in High School. Son Jon is seeing some uptick in boat sales and we had a fun filled dinner with the him, Rosemarie and the grandkids.
We arrived home yesterday, October 16th at 1PM. Spent a very hot and humid afternoon removing a ton of stuff from the RV followed by a stupendous dinner at Joann Kidd's with the Dines as well.
For those of you who may be interested in the statistics of our summer we offer the following.

Days away from Punta Gorda   139 (4 1/2 months)
Days traveling in the RV             37
RV miles                                 9,973
Most miles in RV in one day     551
Fewest miles in one day              87
Average RV miles per day        270
Diesel gallons purchased        1237.5
Average price per gallon              3.93
RV miles per gallon                     8.06
Diesel dollars                        $4868.43
Diesel dollars per mile                  $.488
Miles put on tow car                7571
Average per day                           74
States travelled                             21
Staes visited                                 22  (We visited Alaska via cruise ship. Penny and I can now say that we have been in all 50 states during our married life)

North Carolina has a lot going for it. It is steeped in natural beauty and there is a lot to do here. We spent 3 days in Murphy where we had a summer home a few years ago. We also have a lot that has been on the market for 5 years!!! We had intended to build on it until Dodd-Frank and a Democratic Congress ravished the worth of real estate around the country. It probably has the best long view of the Smokies available and yet no offers, even at a price 20% below our purchase price. Go figure.
The best of North Carolina was yet to come.
This is it. We are now in the middle of a one week visit to George, Cindy and Ryan's place in Concord, the heart of NASCAR country. What a great visit. Ryan clinched the Concord Race Course 2012 championship before we got here with 3 races to go on the schedule. All three final races were held this weekend. Ryan used his back up car ( to save his primary car foe the National championship race to be held in Atlanta later this month) and finished second on old tires in the first race. In the second race he was vying for the lead in the last turn of the last lap when he was wrecked. The car wasn't hurt badly and he won the last race of the season in dramatic fashion after starting in the 8th position. What a blast! It was Ryan's 26th win this year.
Ryan is tied for first place nationwide. This tie will be settled in Atlanta on October 27th. We will be there. The best drivers in the country will be there. If he finishes 20th or better, he will be the national champion. If he comes in last or is wrecked, he will come in second (not likely).

Although we have a 180 degree view of 4 mountain ranges, this is a sample of our view taken on a very rainy day.

"OK Papa, I'll get a win for you."

Last minute check.

In the winners circle!! Yes, I know I look a bit chunky. It was in the low 30s and I have five layers on. (at least that is part of the reason for the chunky look.)









Ryan and his friend, Shawnasee, at a celebration dinner.

Kentucky is horse (and bourbon) country. Today we'll talk about horses. Lexington is the place for show horses and the center of the universe for these magnificent  creatures is the Kentucky Horse Park. This state owned facility has hundreds of fenced grazing acres for horses, arenas, museums and display areas for all varieties of horses. The Park is also the retirement home for some of the world's most famous horses. The Park also has a large RV park with spacious sites.
We were lucky because the Park was sponsoring trials for dressage and jumpers for a subsequent competition. This was big stuff and an amazing experience where we could watch hundreds of very well trained horses and equestrians doing their very best to qualify.

This paint is approaching the circle where dressage judges will score the quality of the ride. The three judges sit in the small shed to the right of the picture.

A beautiful horse, well groomed and ready to go.













Last gate...up, up and away.