Steve55's Guestbook

Warm weather trip??
Somehow I missed it completely when you were talking about this prior to actually leaving. I thought the idea was to leave the cold of western NC for the warth of Florida, etc. Guess I or someone made a wrong turn along the way! Frankie and I leave May 10 for two weeks in Italy ... donations accepted $!$! ... just something she has always wanted to do, our son and daughter-n-law have done twice, the "out laws" have done 7 or 8 times ... but then they are retired from the school system so income and medical cost not a conern ;-) Enough bout us ... safe travels home and I hope we can see you sometime soon after your return. I am sooooo glad you did the blog thing! Bro Z

It's great fun seeing your photos (and reading the posts) about this alternate universe you're in. Thanks for taking all of us along on your adventure. Sending lots o' love, Laura.

hi...those "wow" views are spectacular and Steve's lunch is pretty impressive as are Katie's driving skills. Spring is definitely here....almost 80 today...lots of bugs, wasps zooming around in the sunlight. I put screens back in my windows and will enjoy fresh air until the pollen load is too much. I spent a good bit of the day wrestling with my "flotec" pressure tank...had a guy here fixing my garden fence and he offered to help...thank goodness, because we finally made some headway. Tank pressure now back to normal, after emptying it, fixing the valve, adjusting the pressure and filling it again. I still couldn't do by myself...would have to loose about 50 pounds to squeeze into the space (he was a REALLY skinny guy). I'm loading up my truck with STUFF to sell at the FENCE garage sale tomorrow, so I'll sign off for now. Enjoy traveling back this way. (One time when John and I were snarling in tight quarters, he climbed up and sat on a step ladder just to put maximum possible distance between us.)

spring
Temps are finally normal here and Spring is arriving which means you can come home soon. But I'll miss my vicarious and fabulous trip out west. xo margaret

hiya
Your photography is fantastic! I did the US 1 trip back in '84, starting in San Fran, ending in LA. No camping that trip, which would have been my preference, having just finished working a conference where I was inside for 7 days straight. My traveling buddy, a film production assistant, had just wrapped on Testament, which was about a future nuclear holocaust, so had a bunch of $$$ but was emotionally drained. She drove up to get me in SF, and then splurged her way back to LA and I went along for the ride. I like a freebee! We stayed awhile in Big Sur, first at the Ventana Inn then at the wonderfully rustic Deetjens Big Sur Inn which was much more my style. Somehow John channeled that place when he built our "workshop", probably because he was pragmatic and a scrounger, like the guy who built much of the compound back in the 30s. Had drinks at Nepenthe in Big Sur, it was sort of rundown then but the deck overlooking the Pacific was a wonderful place to watch the sunset. As I was on the passenger side all the way to LA, I really was on the edge of that road and enjoyed it most of the time but a few times was totally freaked out!! (Maggie was an LA driver). I also remember that we loaded Maggie's VW bug with thrift store finds and vintage clothes that we picked up in SF and other spots all the way down the coast. Wish I still had some of that stuff. I also remember that by sheer happenstance, we ran into a guy we both knew from "back east" who was on furlough from his post manning a minuteman missile at the bottom of a silo in Minot, ND. That's another story but Maggie wasn't mentally ready to see someone straight from the edge of Armageddon. You can buy old missile sites now and rehab them into homes, which I can't imagine, but it's being done. Would love to hear about your trip there in '74 and more about your current roadtrip when you get back. It's beginning to feel very spring-like. I didn't build a fire last night and probably won't need one today either. That's a relief, isn't it...not having to crank up a fire. You welcome it like an old friend in the fall, but by spring you're ready to see 'em go! In anticipation of 5 days of rain, I spread three truckloads of mulch all over the yard yesterday (erosion problems) and slept "knocked out" for 8 hours straight...that was a bonus! I'm heading to the coop in a few hours, to do some filing, shopping. You guys are missing the Spanish Red wine tasting on St. Pat's Day, but I know you'll be somewhere even more interesting instead. Ciao-Liz

I just love traveling with you! We finally have about a 5 day warm stretch (70 degrees yesterday). Sunny over the weekend and Monday, but rain forecasted the rest of the week. I was at the extension office yesterday where the word from local farmers is: we've got another major cold blast before it's all over. I've been outside nonstop, cleaning up winter debris, taking care of downed trees and peeking under mulched perennials, hello and covering them back up. It's too wet to work the soil (at least in my garden) so I haven't planted any spring veggies yet. I may throw together a rough coldframe and get things started, if I find some old windows when I go to the dump today. Steve, we've had good co-op meetings...you are always mentioned during them...usually as in "when Steve comes back"! Rev. Chad (The Unity Church guy) can't come to a board meeting because of a standing obligation on 2nd and 4th Tuesday evenings: "Truth on Tap"...at Lexington Avenue Brewery...an evening of "out of the box" dialogue and the beer's on Chad. So the board is going to the brewery instead. Thought you'd like that. Looks like Thompson's hasn't found a buyer yet and the grocery/hardware store is getting dismantled. The grill will remain for awhile. You may have more current info from one of your Saluda friends. Enjoy the vagabonding!

Always a treat to hear from you two nature nomads. Love the hotel decor. Keep making memories... Love, Laura

book
Are you ready to write a book about ecology and the food chain? It would make a wonderful nonfiction for children, especially with your pictures.

Straying cat girl do
Hi Beloveds. So glad to have peeks into your adventures. I particularly thrilled that you get to commune with the real people and that Steve has turned into a worm. Love Diane

lucky you!
It's so much fun to follow your travels. One thing I'm curious about- are you happy with your Gypsy Outhouse? Can you write an ode to your abode? miss you margaret ps- it's snowing again!

K's, Q's and hot springs...
I loved this entry with your stories and photos. The "quail for breakfast" cracked me up. I am planning to camp for four days at Merlefest this year (and volunteer at the Lost and Found). Connie is coming down for it too, but she's not studying the volunteering part. However, I will be interested in hearing lots of tips about camping...it has been years for me. Weather is warming up today...maybe 60's but rain tomorrow. This kind of weather gets us antsy for seeds and plants but we are aware of all the false starts we have to put up with until it is time. So, keep us entertained with your Gypsy adventures. We love you, Deb