T@B Blue Ridge Rally
Spring Beach Trip 2012

In May we joined other T@Bbers in north western North Carolina for the biggest and best T@B Blue Ridge Rally ever. The week was filled with fun and friends. Attached is our Blue Ridge Rally Smilebox. It has a long video in it which shows how much joy and excitement Eileen brought to all of us. In the video Vickie, Norene, Janet, and Eileen show the men just how to play Corn Hole with style and skill. You can’t help but smile when you watch this four minute video.

Eileen’s passing was a great shock to the entire T@B community including all those at the past Blue Ridge Rally with her. Norene and I miss her already but are grateful for all the camping trips from South Carolina to Cape Cod we had the pleasure of sharing with her and Bob.

This Smilebox will take a while to load due to the size of the video. It is worth the wait. The music was written and performed by Andy Squint from his Down By The River CD which is for sale at www.andysquint.com.

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Tybee Island with T@B Friends
Spring Beach Trip 2012

This year on our trip to the ocean and Tybee Island we were joined by other T@B owners for a wonderful week of fun and friendship.

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* New Trailer at Sandy Pines

This summer has been busy at our Sandy Pines lake home. We decided to update the trailer and porch for our summer place. Since May we have been working to have all looking new and fresh. We thought you might like to see how the park model trailers are taken out and new ones put in. The following Smilebox shows some of what took three days to accomplish.

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Spring Beach Trip 2011

Spring Beach Trip 2011
In late March, after a 'long' winter, we set off to spend time on the beaches of Georgia and South Carolina. Norene was ready for the sun and heat. During the trip we visit three of our kids and the grandkids. We had quite an exciting time during the two months. Everything from quiet beaches to large storms. As you can see Mike is packed, loaded and walking off into the ocean. Where does he think he is going?

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* Sisters on the Fly

Spring Beach Trip 2011
While camping at River's End campground on Tybee Island, GA we had the pleasure of spending a week with many members of the Sisters on the Fly camping group. These ladies travel in vintage trailers which are decorated. Enjoy the pictures.

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Our 2010 Fall Trip West

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip
This fall we decided to take the T@B west for the first time. We will visit Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before we head back home.

During our first week out we experienced some wild storms in Nebraska and Kansas. So much so Norene thought we needed to get a little black dog and some ruby red slippers to make sure we could get home. On this trip we will be attending the Winfield Flat Picking Festival & Championships in Winfield, KS; the first New Mexico Dulcimer festival in Albuquerque, NM; the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, then visiting family and friends in Arizona.

Watch this Smilebox to see how our first week went.

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* Some Views of New Mexico

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip
While in New Mexico we saw things that we would like to share with you. Enjoy the Albuquerque house tour, the Sandia Mountain, and plants of the desert. The night view (last in this Smilebox) of the Albuquerque valley with a rising moon is one of our favorites.

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* Arizona Sights 2010

2010 Fall Balloon & Music Trip

Exploring Arizona we found a few places to share with you. These range from the historic town of Tombstone, to the only campground in the U.S.A. with its own observatory, and a few other interesting views thrown in. Perhaps you will enjoy these also.

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* Oklahoma & Texas Parks

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip

On our way to and from the southwest we stayed in Oklahoma and Texas at two most interesting and beautiful parks. Foass State Park in Western Oklahoma was the most restful place to stay with thousands of acres of prairie and water. We needed the calm after the two big storms we were in during our stays in Nebraska and Kansas.
In western Texas we found a large area of sand dunes just like those on Lake Michigan. We knew west Texas had oil but never knew they had sand dunes. This was a great place to camp in October. I don't think we would stay there in August.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_bb_001.phtml

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* Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music trip
While in Phoenix Norene had to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, Taliesin West. We have visited several FLW homes during the past years. Norene had a great time at Taliesin West and she hopes you will enjoy her pictures in the following Smilebox.

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* Walnut Canyon AZ 2010

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip Just east of Flagstaff Arizona is Walnut Canyon National Monument where cliff-dwellers lived around 1200 A.D. Visiting this site is a wonderful way to learn about history and get a feeling for what it would have been like to live in this canyon. The following Smilebox gives you a peek into this national treasure. (click title * to visit web site)

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* Painted Desert & Petrified Forest

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip
On a warm and windy day we explored the painted desert. Upon entering the park we met a fellow T@Ber. It is unusual for us to meet another T@B trailer on the road. The petrified forest national park is in the same area so we spent a day exploring this wonder also. Mike liked the petrified wood the most and took so many pictures of all the rocks. Thank goodness he didn't use all of the pictures here.
Enjoy our view of these two historic national parks.

* International Balloon Fiesta

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip
Attending the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta with the Good Sams camping tour was a week of non-stop fun and amazement. In addition to camping by the balloon field and seeing the balloon launches, the tour guides took us on several trips to visit the sights of the area. The tour directors were great. The balloons amazing, the people friendly and the excitement all day long. We made new friends and enjoyed many new activities. The following Smileboxes show a few of our adventures. The balloon fiesta Smilebox is large with several videos so it will take a while to load. If you like hot air balloons it is worth the wait.

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* Santa Fe NM 2010

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip
Santa Fe is one city everyone should experience. History, culture, art, and shopping waits for the visitor in Santa Fe. We enjoyed a day exploring the town.

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* Sky City New Mexico 2010

Fall 2010 Balloon & Music Trip
While in New Mexico we visited Sky City, Acoma Pueblo to learn more about how life and tradition has continued here for over 1000 years.

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* New Mexico Dulcimer Festival

Fall 2010 balloon & music Trip
For our first time camping in New Mexico we were lucky to attend the 1st New Mexico Mountain Dulcimer Festival. We have been to dulcimer festivals in many states and this was one of the best we have attended. The people were wonderful. Norene and I leared many new tunes and tips. We may just have to come back next year.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the dulcimers.

* Palo Duro Canyon Amarillo, TX

Fall 2010 balloon & music trip
While on our trip west we stopped in Amarillo, TX for a few days. While over powered by the flat land and strong winds we did enjoy good weather and no big storms. As we explored the area we came upon the Palo Duro Canyon which was such a contast to the surrounding land. The following Smilebox will give you a little glimps of the beauty there. They have nice campgrounds on the canyon floor.

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* Walnut Valley Music Festival, Winfield KS

Fall 2010 balloon & music trip

This was our first time attending the national flat picking championships. Being mountain, and hammered, dulcimer players we have met several champions at dulcimer festivals around the country. This year we were lucky enough to see the contests. It was an exciting few days, not to mention very hot and humid.

To our surprise we knew the top three mountain dulcimer winners from other festivals during the past few years. Deciding who to root for was not an easy task. Another surprise was that the 2010 hammered dulcimer winner was from northern Indiana. That doesn't happen often. He was from North Webster and is the second person to have won this contest three different years. I guess we picked the right year to attend. We came away with one conclusion, BOY we need to practice!

The following Smilebox has a few pictures of the contest, winners, and some music groups at the Walnut Valley Festival.

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* Garrison Keillor's "A Summer Love Tour"

As long time fans of "Prairie Home Companion" we had the chance to see Garrison Keillor and the "Summer Love Tour" live at Conner Prairie Indiana. Camping at Mounds State Park we learned the history of the mounds and enjoyed hiking the trails. Conner Prairie has an interactive prairie village where history comes alive at every building. The weather was HOT...HOT, yet we had fun and may have even lost a pound or two.

Enjoy the Smilebox pictures and listen to a part of "Frankie & Johnny". The video is over two minutes long so the video may load slowly.

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* Visiting With Friends in Middleton, MA 2010

After leaving Cape Cod we joined Tom & Vickie at Janet and Earl's house in Middleton, MA for time with friends. Spending time at Earl's cottage, and seeing the sites of the area, was a great way to relax and end our trip. The weather was wonderful for sight seeing. We enjoyed the time with our T@B friends.