A lot to catch up, after a few days without wifi.

Wednesday Randy and I each picked some seminars to attend. I walked into one about RV cleaning, decided they were just selling their own product, left and went to a Geneology seminar, where I actually learned something. After that I was done with seminars, so I got a free ice cream sandwich and walked back to the RV. Randy spent his time at seminars on remodeling (mostly sales) and maintenance. We met up afterwards and went through the vendor buildings and RVs again, because that is all there really is to do here. But the Texas Tenors were the entertainment that evening, and they were really good! I don't watch America’s Got Talent so I didn't know that in 2009 they were in the top 4, which made them the highest-ranking vocal group on the show. Since then they have released a couple of albums, done tours, and have a PBS Christmas special which was sponsored by the FMCA.  
The FMCA had a contest going on where everyone had a number on their badge, and if you found someone with whose number matched yours, you won a price. The blond Texas Tenor headed out into the audience to flirt with a few of the ladies and to his surprise, they kept asking him to read their number over the sound system. Every time he did, the whole audience laughed, knowing what they were looking for; he never really understood the game but he was a good sport and played along.

Thursday morning we took one more turn through the Vendor building. The vendors were ready to reduce what they had to take home, so we went through that building like kids going through a neighborhood at Halloween. We filled a bag with freebies, and when that bag was full, they gave us a new one to fill! We got candy, seasoning, air freshener, small net backpacks - all sorts of things. We looked again at a couple of the new RVs, but after that we were ready to leave. FMCA members have parked over 2,500 RVs on the fairgrounds (most of them on grass), vendors have brought in an additional 500, and they all have to leave by noon on Friday. Already some of the lanes were muddy ruts; we could just imagine what this place will be like when everyone leaves. 

We decided we did not want to be part of that exodus so we packed up and headed out on Thursday, but not too far. We drove back to Metter and checked in again at Beaver Run Campground. We were there last Thursday, and it seemed like a nice place to stop and get caught up on a couple of things, like laundry. We had been living without water hookups for a week, which meant conserving water, and I was about to run out of clothes. Randy recalled that this RV park has a pot-luck dinner on Thursday so this time we came prepared. He made a big pot of mac-and-cheese, which we put on the table already loaded of broccoli salad, beans and weiners, creamed corn and other goodies, and had a nice dinner with some friendly people. 

Friday morning we left Metter. We want to see Fort Sumpter before we leave South Carolina, so we went to the Charleston area and checked into the Lake Aire Campground. This is a rustic campground with a lake, gravel roads and pull-through sites. It has full hook-ups, the Passport America price is nice and the wifi actually works, so that makes it a nice home base for a Charleston visit. The first thing we did was go see a man about fixing our jeep. We had a malfunction with our new braking system and now the jeep brakes need to be replaced. In Perry we talked to the guys at Tire Plus, but they seemed to be interested in selling as many parts as possible. Bob, a friend we met at the HHI Motorcoach Resort, lives on nearby John's Island, and he suggested we talk to Rubin at Davis Auto. Randy has a lot more confidence in Rubin, so we will get the brakes fixed on Monday. 

In the meanwhile we will see more of this area. For starters we went to Perfectly Frank's in Summerville for dinner. This restaurant was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; it serves hot dogs with all sorts of toppings, as well as other sandwiches. But we can't go to a hot dog restaurant and not order hot dogs! So Randy ordered one with chili, blue cheese slaw and fried onion rings
and I got mine with sliced ham, bacon and pineapple. Both were really good, so this DDD restaurant is as good as advertised. We stopped to get a few groceries on the way home, and I think I found another sign that I'm in the South - camouflage cake mix!


One year ago: A Southern Tea Party

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