06/25/13 Tuesday We departed home at 7AM heading to Tampa Florida to the 2013 American Association of Woodturners Symposium. We stopped for breakfast at McDonalds. We arrived at Coastal RV Resort in Brunswick GA at 3:00PM for an overnight stay in site 709. We quickly setup the coach and relaxed after 8 hours of travel. Later we got a fairly bad electrical storm and some rain but it didn’t last long. Lena’s sister called to let her know that her mother had fallen in the yard and broken her hip and was in the hospital and was going to have to have surgery. Her sister told her everything was under control and there was no need for us to return home at this time.
06/26/13 Wednesday We departed the CG at 8:30AM and headed for Lazydays CG in Seffner Florida (just outside of Tampa). We arrived, checked in and was setup by 2:30PM. After a few hours of relaxing we drove across the CG to the nearby Cracker Barrel for supper. While we were eating another electrical storm with lots of rain came up but it did cool the temperature down some.
06/27/13 Thursday We walked about 1.5 miles around the CG and then drove over to the Main Building on the Lazydays complex for breakfast. They provide free breakfast and lunch with the campsite every day except Sunday and lunch on the day of checkout. The three days I am at the symposium I will not be able to take advantage of the free meals. Later in the day we drove into Tampa so I could pick up my registration package and meet with some of my fellow club members.
06/28-30/13 Friday-Sunday I attended the symposium starting at 8AM each day. Lena stayed at the CG Friday but she went with me on Saturday as we were both attending the banquet and auction on Saturday night. There were some amazing pieces of wood art at the event. The woodturning club that I am a member of, Wilmington Area Woodturners Association won the Collaborative Chapter Challenge, Best of Show and Fantasy awards with our entry.
07/01/13 Monday After breakfast we did a little shopping. It continued to rain off and on all day and night as it has since we got here.
07/02/13 Tuesday It rained off and on all night so I was not looking forward to getting ready to leave in the rain. I got up about 6AM and got everything ready to leave during a break in the rain. Then we pulled the MH around to the parking lot and hooked up the car and took the Lazydays trolley over to the café in the main building. We departed about 8:45 and arrived at George L Smith State Park in Georgia about 5PM. I checked in and unhooked the car and we drove to the camping area to select our site. The lady in the office was the most unhelpful CG attendant I think I have every dealt with. We selected site 21 and got the MH and setup it up and while we were eating supper it rained hard for about 10 minutes and got the grounds really wet. I wish we could send some of this rain to Arizona and Colorado where they are having so many wildfires.
07/03/13 Wednesday We did our morning walk and had breakfast and later rode our bicycles to the old mill/covered bridge that is near the campground office. The mill was once a sawmill, gristmill and cotton gin for the community. It was built in the late 1800’s and is still in good condition. The water from the 414 acre lake was rushing across the dam and flowing down the 15 mile creek on the other side of the mill. It rained off and on during the day so we couldn’t do much outside. I did try my luck at some fishing at the edge of the lake behind our campsite but did not have any luck.
07/04/13 Thursday We did a few laps around the CG before breakfast and then set our chairs up outside to do some reading. But about every hour a rain shower would blow through and we would have to put the chairs up and go inside until the rain cleared out. Around 4PM I put a rack of ribs in the dutch oven to cook for supper. It rained a little during the time I was cooking but was able to finish them but we had to eat inside since the picnic table was wet.
07/05/13 Friday We drove into Swainsboro to McDonalds to get a biscuit and Latté for breakfast and use their WiFi. The signal in the CG is kind of weak and with the rainy weather I can’t get much use out of it. Then we bought some peaches at a road side stand and went to Walmart to get some groceries. We returned to the CG and I lit the grill and cooked some chicken for lunch while it rained. After lunch the sun came out and it was clear the remainder of the day except for a few sprinkles, so I made a campfire and we grilled hot dogs for supper after we had a mid afternoon snack of fresh Georgia peaches and yellow pound cake and whip cream. Later we rode our bicycles for a couple of miles and then retired for the day.
07/06/13 Saturday We did our morning walk and had breakfast. It just sprinkled rain a couple of times today so we were able to sit outside most of the day and read and relax. I grilled steaks for lunch. Most of our fellow campers packed up and departed today.
07/07/13 Sunday We had breakfast after Lena did her morning walk and then we drove about 10 miles toward Swainsboro and attended church at Old Canoochee Primitive Baptist Church. We spotted the church on our way to Swainsboro on Friday. We were warmly welcomed by the members and Elder Tommy Roundtree and were invited to stay and have lunch with them in the fellowship hall. The church was constituted in 1818. We talked to a lady that was a member there that was in her late 80’s. She remembered riding in a horse drawn wagon there with her parents when she was a child. After a delicious meal at the church we returned to the CG and put away some of our items in preparation for leaving on Monday.
07/08/13 Monday We had breakfast and departed the CG about 8:30AM and departed for home, arriving safely home about 4PM.
