Lake Lure~ "I had the time of my life"

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a true blue Patrick Swayze fan, and a fan of the movie Dirty Dancing. Today I finally got the chance to go to Lake Lure North Carolina and visit the location where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey filmed the movie Dirty dancing. I just can't describe the feeling of excitement I had while I toured that area. My feelings are bitter sweet now that Patrick Swayze has died of pancreatic cancer. However I still "HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE".

I was so excited this morning while I was getting ready to go to Lake Lure. I must have watched Dirty Dancing at least 10 maybe 12 times since it first came out in 1987, and now, I was actually going to see where it was filmed. I would stand where Patrick stood, and I would be in the very lake where dance instructor Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman practiced their dance lifts. Ohhh I was sooo excited.... I packed a bag with our swim suits and towels and off we went.

Getting there was half the fun, the scenery was so beautiful it was breathtaking.

On the highway to lake Lure we could see the Blue Ridge mountains getting closer.

We are now approaching North Carolina. We couldn't have picked a better day to do this, the weather was just perfect. It was not as hot today as it has been in the past few weeks.

As we drove into the Blue Ridge Mountains and Lake Lure, I quickly fell in love with this area. I can sure see why National Geographic calls Lake Lure one of the top ten most beautiful man made lakes in the world.

George enjoying the view.

This is the historic Lake Lure Inn and Spa where scenes of the movie were filmed. The film producers, staff, and actors all stayed at this Inn. Patrick Swayze stayed in room 215 and Jennifer Grey stayed in what is now room 304/305.

George and I walked around the streets for awhile just taking in all the beauty of this beautiful town.

We walked along the boardwalk on the beach. It was absolutely beautiful. This is the beach that was used in the movie.

This is taken from the movie, it is the same beach as the pictures above.

We took pictures and went into a few souvenir shops. I bought a Lake Lure tee shirt and matching hat. We slowly made our way over to the Lake Lure boat tours. We bought our tickets and boarded the pontoon.

The boat tour was amazing. It gave us a guided tour of the whole area.

The tour guide explained everything from how the lake was made to where every movie was filmed in the area. I found out dirty Dancing wasn't the only movie made in this lake. Other movies that were filmed here were, Last of the Mohican's, Fire Starter with Drew Barrymore, My Fellow Americans, a comedy with Jack Lemmon and James Gardner,and A Breed Apart.

Also there have been several commercials filmed here.

As the boat approached the cove where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed, our tour guide pointed out where certain scenes in the movie were shot. I was so excited I could hardly stay in my seat. All I could think of was that I was such a fan, and now I'm in the exact location where it was filmed. I had goosebumps....haaha

These are the stairs in the movie where Jennifer Grey (Baby) delivers the watermelon. Also the same stairs used for the scene where she practices her dance moves alone.

The white deck is no longer there, but the stairs remain the same.

This picture is the point in the cove where the famous dance lift was practiced.

Wow what a day, it was fantastic, like I said earlier "I had the time of my life"

And who better to share this day with then my Patrick Swayze....and my best friend. "Thanks George"

Kudzu....What exactly is Kudzu?

One of the first things I noticed as we drove into Gaffney South Carolina was the Kudzu. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it was growing everywhere. It covered the trees, the fences, the roadsides, and buildings. Hell I think if you stand and look at it long enough it will cover you too. It is a creepy almost scary vine with rather large leaves. It creeps along the ground and reminds me of pumpkin vines. The leaves are very similar looking to that of a pumpkin leaf as well.

I asked the local people what Kudzu was and I got a variety of answers. I heard from some that it is a vine that wraps itself around trees and bushes until it kills them. I heard it was impossible to kill, that even round up or weed kill makes it grow faster. I was even told it has a sap that you never want to get on yourself. Apparently this sap will itch and spread and itch until it drives you crazy.

So I thought I would actually research this mysterious plant and find out what it truly is.


This is Kudzu seed pods.




This is Kudzu vines creeping along the ground. It looks pretty innocent in this picture, just creeping along the ground.















Then it starts to take over. It wraps around and covers everything in it's path.



Now what I actually found out about Kudzu is that it is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China.

Kudzu was introduced from Japan into the United States in 1876 and is now common throughout most of the southeastern United States. Kudzu been spreading at the rate of 150,000 acres (61,000 ha) annually.
Kudzu has been used as a form of erosion control and also to enhance the soil. Kudzu can be used by grazing animals as it is high in quality as a forage and greatly enjoyed by livestock. I t can be enjoyed up until frost and even slightly after.

The Harvard Medical School is studying kudzu as a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings, by turning an extracted compound from the herb into a medical drug. The mechanism for this is not yet established, but it may have to do with both alcohol metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain.

Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent). Daidzin is a cancer preventive and is structurally related to genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the isoflavone puerarin. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate.) It has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headaches. It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea.
Research in mice models suggests that kudzu is beneficial in women for control of some postmenopausal symptoms, such as hypertension and diabetes type II.

In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), where it is known as gé gēn (Chinese: 葛根), kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus, vertigo, and Wei syndrome.

Kudzu has been traditionally been used as a remedy for alcoholism and hangovers in China. The root was used to prevent excessive consumption, while the flower was supposed to detoxify the liver and alleviate the symptoms afterwards. Some TCM hangover remedies are marketed with kudzu as one of their active ingredients (e.g. Hangover Busters.)

The roots contain starch, which has traditionally been used as a food ingredient in East Asia.

In the Southern United States, kudzu is used to make soaps, lotions, jelly, and compost.

Now the negative side to the Kudzu is that vines can also destroy valuable forests by preventing trees from getting sunlight.

The climate of the Southeastern U.S. is perfect for kudzu. The vines grow as much as a foot per day during summer months, climbing trees, power poles, and anything else they contact. Under ideal conditions kudzu vines can grow sixty feet each year.

So this is the story of the Kudzu. Love It, Or Hate It... It Grows On You!

Well it is official! Ladies I am now on strike!

This Morning was the morning I became a man. Well I didn't actually have a sex change or anything, but I have become just like a man. Actually let me rephrase that, I became just like my husband.

The age old fight between George and I is the same bloody fight over and over. Pick up, Pick up, PICK UP!!... Clean up, clean up, CLEAN UP! Don't forget to, Don't forget to, DON'T FORGET TO!.... and yes I am sick of repeating myself over and over and over.

I tell you I have tried everything. I tried being kind and nice. I tried being an out right Bitch. I even tried running away from home. Nothing works!

I am going on strike.

So today I decided to become him.
Lets see how long he can live with himself.

It all started this morning when he was late taking Sadie (our border collie) to the groomer. See for some reason every time he does something wrong it's always my fault. I'll give you a good example, actually I can give you several examples. He left his pop can and crumpled used napkin on the counter the other day, I looked over at him and he was playing Zuma on the computer. I said George move your garbage off of the counter top and put it in the garbage can. His answer was "Yes dear I was gonna put it in the garbage but you were standing there doing the dishes and I couldn't reach it".....Now see how it suddenly became my fault? I was standing there. He does it every time!

One more example here...
Me: "George you forgot to take the garbage out this morning."
George: "Oh I know I was just going to take it out when you called me back in to ask me a question and that made me forget." Oh my fault again. See the pattern now....

So anyway I made an appointment with a groomer in Spartanburg for Sadie to get her hair groomed. We get up this morning and we are having our coffee. He says to me "what time do I have to take the dog"? I answered with "I wrote it on that yellow paper and pinned it to the board right in front of you, what does it say"? He says "I don't know it's pinned backwards, the writing is on the other side". Ok big deal!! I'm thinking, and anyway when he knocked it down he pinned it back up backwards, after I yelled at him to pick it up. See he was just going to walk away and leave it on the counter with everything else he piles up there. But I caught him in the act this time.

Her appointment is at 10:00 a.m. It is now about 8:00a.m

So he gets on the computer and starts playing Zuma. Now that Zuma is the root of all evil. He just can't stop playing it. I think he is a Zumaholic. No I know he is a Zumaholic. It gets him in trouble all the time. Instead of A.A meetings he needs to go to a Z.A. meetings and admit he is a Zumaholic! "Hello my name is George and I am a Zumaholic. It all started when my wife bought me the game for father's day. (See he would have to blame me. )

It is now 9:30 and he decides after playing Zuma for an hour and a half he should call the pharmacist for his prescriptions. The same prescriptions that I asked him to call about 1 month ago. So I said to him, "you have about 15minutes to get the damn dog to the groomer". He says to me "well where is it"? "How the hell do I know"? "I don't live here"! "I put the phone number on the paper instead of playing Zuma you should have called to find out where you were going".

Well, after I told him that the fight was on. He made the statement "why don't YOU start doing something around here". That was the straw that broke the camels back!

I do just about everything around here but wipe his ass!

It's not like I sitting around watching Opra and eating bonbon's all day.

So now the dog missed her appointment because he refused to take her. He refused to take her because now we are fighting over it. I can't take her because she is too big and heavy. I can't control her, or I would have taken her myself just to prove a point.

I'm not stressing out about this shit no more! I refuse to fight about it any longer... So that's when I decided to become him!
I played on the computer all morning. I brushed my teeth I spit in the sink, and I left it. I pulled out the basket from under the sink with the toothbrushes and tooth paste and left it out. I opened the cupboard and left it open. I can't wait till he smacks his head on it!

I used the toilet and I put the seat up when I was finished. I even put some water around the front of the toilet. Lets see how he likes walking into the bathroom and stepping in it. I never cooked supper tonight either. I went swimming today, see I had time to swim because I wasn't cleaning or doing the laundry. After my swim I left my wet towel on his side of the bed and my wet bathing suit on the bedroom rug just like he does. I overflowed the garbage can in the kitchen then I piled the rest of the garbage on the counter.

So now to make up to me, he vacuumed the floor. I was not hungry at all but I made a sandwich with some potato chips on the side and I forced it down. The whole time I was dropping crumbs under the table just like him.

I wonder how long he can live with himself ........ How long until he calls uncle. I have an even better day planned for tomorrow....

It can only happen to me

I know that this could not happen to just anybody. It could only happen to me.

Living in a fifth wheel can mean living in tight quarters. You have to make room for everything you need to bring with you while you're on the road. Sometimes this means being a little inventive.

I needed a shelf put over my toilet. I wanted my deodorant and body sprays, powders, and perfumes at a reasonable reach. I hate getting out of the shower stark naked and having to crawl under the tiny bathroom sink to find my deodorant or my powder.

So over to Walmart we went to find a shelf for the back of the toilet. Now just any old shelf won't do. It can't be a shelf with any weight to it or it will be too heavy to mount to the wall. The walls in these RV's are paper thin and impossible to hang anything.

We couldn't find a suitable shelf anywhere. We searched through the bathroom department and the hardware department, the bedding department and the auto department finally I settled for one of those shelves that stand behind the toilet.

I could hardly wait to get it into the trailer and set up. Ahh no more crawling around the floor searching on my hands and knees under the bathroom sink for my stuff. We get the shelf home and out of the box and it doesn't work. The trailer toilet is set up different than a home toilet. The toilet is closer to the wall and the back of the toilet is actually touching the wall. When I set this shelf up over the toilet you couldn't stand up without hitting your head on the bottom shelf.

I thought of everything to fix it. I thought if we put blocks under the legs it would raise it up higher, maybe even enough to clear our heads. Nope didn't work, it was to close to the ceiling. So we cut off the legs completely and eliminated the first shelf just above the toilet. Now it had two shelves instead of three and it cleared our heads perfectly when we stood up.

George mounted it to the wall using screws and hollow wall anchors. It worked and looked beautiful. I quickly filled it with all my goodies. Everything in plain sight. No more searching. How wonderful this shelf is.Fits beautifully over the toilet.

Last night we went to dinner with Carol and Jimmy. It was Chinese food, with lots of soya sauce, and I drank lots of coke. I knew I should have used the rest room before we left the restaurant. But I hate using restaurant restrooms, I avoid them as much as I can. So I thought I would hold it until we got home.

As I ran from the car to the trailer I was doing the pee pee dance and undoing my shorts before I even got through the door. I rushed to sit, hit the shelf and over went the bottles. At this point I couldn't fix them or stand them back up so I left them. I finished my business and I stood to flush the toilet. Just as I stepped on the lever to flush the toilet, George let the dogs out to do a pee of their own. The weight of the two heavy dogs jumping down on the stairs shook the trailer. The timing was perfect, off the shelf rolled the bottle and down the hole went my Calgon body spray!!

The whole big bottle. It happened so fast. It fell just perfect, straight down and straight down the hole of the toilet. If I would have only thought quick enough I could have taken my foot off of the lever and closed the hole. I was doing up my shorts and I tried to catch it with one hand but I missed. Oh crap!! I ran to get the flashlight to look down the hole. I couldn't see that bottle anywhere. Damn where could it have gone? I looked and looked nothing. It reminded me of I love Lucy.....Oh Ricky.... I pictured myself crying just like her when I had to splain all this to George. All I could think of was Calgon take me away.

The bottle ended up getting caught in the the valve for opening the black water. We couldn't open or close it. Jimmy and George tried to flush it out, but no such luck. The bottle was there to stay. George crawled under the trailer today and worked on it for a few good hours until he finally got that bottle out of our tank.

Time is flying

Friday July 16, 2010

I am writing this post in Microsoft Word and I'm going to have to post it when we get our Internet back up and running. The campground Internet was struck by lightning today and it has knocked everything out.

Time is flying;
I don’t know about you, but time is just flying by for me. I just can’t believe how fast it is going. I had two days off and boom they were gone.

Our first day off I spent just relaxing and trying to figure out what route we will take when we go to the balloon fiesta. I couldn’t believe how fast the day went. I looked at the clock and it was 9:00am. I thought ohhh I should get dressed soon. Next I looked at the clock and it was 9:00 pm and I was thinking ohhh I should get my pj’s on and get ready for bed soon.

I think the world is turning faster or something. That must be what is happening. I went to work this morning for 4hrs. I felt like I just opened the office and it was time to leave. When Elizabeth and Bobbie came walking through the door I thought they came in to get something. I looked up at the clock and it was 1:00pm. Wow where did this morning go?

I know I just said how time is going far too fast, and I certainly am not wishing summer away. However I am looking forward to the cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

There are still places in this area that we have not gone to see, time went so fast and then the hot and humid weather set in.

When we arrived here on the 27th of March the weather was perfect. It was in the high 70’s beautifully warm, no humidity. The Month of May had some hot temperatures and some humidity but not all that bad. But then came June with very high temperatures and higher humidity. It was one of the hottest June’s in history. It had broken the record for having the most days in the 90’s, and July so far has been just as hot.

We stay in the park most of the time where it is cool. The swimming pool and the air conditioner have become our best friends.

I still would like to visit Greenville. I want to take the old trolley through the downtown streets. Visit all the shops, and have lunch outdoors on one of the beautiful restaurant patios. But I just can’t go any where in this heat. It is so humid it is actually hard to breath.

Before I leave here I am going to see Lake Lure. I don’t care if I have to borrow an oxygen mask to breath in this weather. Lake Lure is where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray filmed the movie Dirty Dancing. I was so in Love with Patrick Swayze, just the sight of him on that big silver screen sends shivers down my spine. I remember watching his last interview with Barbara Walters. What a tragic ending to such a wonderful and talented man.

It's another great day at KOA

Spartanburg/Gaffney KOA

Wednesday July 14th 2010

We don't have to work today or tomorrow. So I went to Walmart today to buy some organizing folders and some post-it stickers for the organizing folders. I plan to use all this to organize my trip to Albuquerque.

While I was working last night I met some rather interesting people. That is one thing I love about this job. The people I meet.

The first young man I met was a soldier. He is in the U.S army and he is home on a little leave from Iraq. Such a wonderful young man. A very good looking young man and very interesting to have a conversation with. While I stood talking to him about his time in Iraq, I couldn't help but think that he was some woman's son. Another woman's husband, and a little girl's father. He was about the same age as my own son, and I just couldn't imagine how it must feel to have your young son go off to war. The sacrifice that one whole family must make so we can be safe. "Thank-You".

Then there was a guy who came in and we got into a conversation about toy haulers. I really want a toy hauler bad. I want to trade in our 5th wheel and get a toy hauler to haul all my junk. Like my electric scooters, my washer and dryer, my extra fridge, and my very small freezer and all the new directories and information I recently ordered. He just bought a new toy hauler to haul his motorcycle. He invited me to come see it when he got it all set up.

There is a women in the park right now who has a 42ft inferno toyhauler. She tows it herself. Anyway I was explaining to this guy that it's not that simple for me to go trade my 5th wheel in. I would also need a new truck. Our truck is not big enough to pull a big toy hauler. Somewhere in our conversation he caught the eh.

Well that started a whole new conversation of it's own. He brought up the take off eh hoser from Saturday night Live. He had me laughing so hard. Oh my God, it's been forever since I heard hoser. I actually forgot all about it. Take off to the great white north...Neither one of us could remember who the two guys were on saturday Night Live that did the hoser skit.

Well I looked it up today the hoser's were Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. Better known as Bob and Doug Mckenzie. The movie was called Strange Brew.

I bet you remember them now eh?

Our Great Escape

Tuesday July 13, 2010

Today we are planning our great escape. Almost all the information I have sent away for has arrived. Oh yea I joined every RV club I could find. Yes-sir-eee, it's no more fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl.

I will now know every stop and every campground on the way to where ever it is we are going. I do have to laugh at the poor mail lady, oh the look on her face when I was grabbing at her mail bag to see if any of the mail inside was for me. I don't think she often gets that reaction when she brings the mail around.

Oh and sure enough it was almost all for me. I squealed as I grabbed it from her hands. I was so excited because I am sure that now we will no longer be out there alone, tired, hungry, and looking for that campground to pull into for the night.

You know the one I'm talking about, the one we can never find. The one we just can never find because we didn't look for it ahead of time.

Well with all my new information, books, and maps I'm sure this will never happen again. I received a rather large package from Escapee's it came complete with membership cards and stickers and books and so much more.

Oh then there was another large package from Passport America. It too has all the information I will ever need. More membership cards more books, more stickers for the RV, wow never thought of having stickers for the RV before. Humm I guess it must help or they wouldn't send them to me right?

I also received information on the the three woodall's directories I ordered.

Oh yea and I can't forget the trailer life directory I ordered, because hell a gal can never have too many directories, right?

Then last but not least there was the good ol' good Sam's Club. Well you get the picture.

I now know for sure I will never have to sit through another lecture of how I don't know how to read a map, and how important it is for me to learn. I will never again have to fantasize opening the truck door and just placing my foot just right ...

Well anyway now as I sit this morning with my freshly brewed hot coffee just steaming from the cup, I look at all of my new information that is now spewed all over our RV floor. I turn to look at George who has been up since about 6:00a.m. this morning, and the dear did make the coffee.

However yes it was him who spread all this wealth of information all over the place. As I'm watching him plan our "Great Escape" I can't believe what I am actually seeing! I do have to give my blond head a good shake.

All the money and time it took me to research all this information, and he is using map quest. That's right map quest! Can't help but wonder what campground he will find on map quest.

Oh can't wait till we are out there alone, tired, hungry and looking for that campground to pull into and he asks me "Do you see anything dear?" I can then turn to him and say I don't know DEAR I can't read a map. Maybe you should check your computer.

We are making plans to attend the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque New Mexico. I hear it is spectacular. It will be held October 2nd to the 9th. This means we will have to leave our KOA jobs a few weeks earlier than planned. Well that's just fine with me.

I was working last night until 7:30. I was alone in the office. A man opens the door walks in with his hand in the side of his shirt, approaches the desk I was sitting behind and in his words exactly says to me " Hello young lady I came to take your money" Well he must have seen the frightened look on my face. I thought he was robbing me! I couldn't even breath for a minute or two..I sat frozen in my chair. Then the dumb ass says to me "Oh don't you lend money here?"

All I could think was what the hell kind of idiot is this? He scared the ----out of me. Geez Louise he is so lucky I didn't have a gun of my own under the desk. Anyway all he wanted was to look around the campground for future camping. I gave him a map of the park, told him I didn't know how to read it and shoved him through the door as fast as I could.

So although when I leave here I will miss all the wonderful friends I met, it just might be nice to move on.