(+2 insets)

This is the Life!
We are nearly through our second full-week of camping now and life is great! Everything we'd hoped this trailer would be for us has been realized. It's spacious, well-made (ok, within reason…heh…trailers = shoddy builds), totally comfortable and has more storage that we need so we aren't having to repack everything when we are getting an item we're after.

Happy Animal Family!
Our animal family is doing great! Pumpkin, our darling parrot, is as happy as a clam with mom and dad usually close by whenever we're in the trailer. One way to tell that she's at ease is the amount of food she eats. Perhaps she needs a piggy tail as she's chowing like a 700-pound porker, yay! :) Meanwhile, our near-20-yr old frogs are content enough that they are hooting at one another and eating crickets with wild abandon. We are joyfully amused that they take turns soaking in the little pool we have for them, it's such a cute sight! And last but not least, Snakey McSnakerton started the trip in pre-shed condition with a gray sheen and opaqued eyes. We offered him a mouse a few days ago but as we expected, he didn't eat it--he rarely eats just before he sheds but we wanted to give him the opportunity. Yesterday Steve turned Snakey's light on and found a bunched-up shed up against the glass--for the next while he stood cooing beautiful, gleaming sentiments at our lovely boy. Snakey really is extra pretty just after he sheds! At lunchtime I got a mouse ready for him (they are frozen so I thaw and warm one for him before offering) and after dancing it around in front of him and placing it nearby, I was happy to find him swallowing the last of it when I checked in a bit later. So it's official--all of our animals think the RV lifestyle is fantastic, just like we do! :)

Steve's Injured Leg is Nearly 100% Better!
I didn't mention that just before we left on our trip, Steve seriously hurt himself. A ladder he was on shifted and fell in the gravel driveway and he sustained a terrible sprained ankle and badly-twisted knee. For the entire week at Humbug Mountain State Park, Steve was barely able to walk around without being in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things he needed to do which kept him from resting his leg, all of which prolonged the injuries. However, as he was able to rest and elevate his leg, it very slowly began to get better. In the past few days the rate of recovery has really sped up. In fact, for the first time this trip, we went on a bike ride a couple of days ago! It was such a gentle trip around the three campground loops that Steve added another mile down one of the bike paths! And last night he was able to walk up and down the three stairs inside our coach without using the handrail or going down one step at a time. We lit up the coach with our beaming smiles of relief and happiness, isn't it just wonderful?!

Time to Relax and Enjoy our Stay
We learned last year that short stays at a campground are a bummer. Just when you've really relaxed and begun to feel at home, it's time to pack up and leave for the next spot. These 2-4-day stays made us feel hurried, unhappy and stressed-out. We decided that the perfect length of stay would be a full week if possible, with five days being a preferred minimum. So, for this trip, we've aimed at 7-day stays at our chosen campgrounds and the result has been fantastic! We have time to do what we want to without feeling like we must plan our days carefully to fit everything in. We just enjoy ourselves and whatever happens, happens! Time to be lazy and take naps, swing in the hammock or sit in our lounge chairs just watching folks walk or ride by. Time to read, do crosswords or cruise the 'net (if it's available). Time to go on my daily morning walk, or go out later with my macro lens and creep around for cool shots. Time to listen to the birds singing or maybe even watch them doing their thing. Time to cuddle Chicken (Pumpkin) and look at our frogs and snake. Time to go on bike rides or go on hikes. There's even time to play video games if we want! Finally, Steve and I can stay in these beautiful places and really relax and soak up all they have to offer. We are at peace.

Today's Pictures
I've got piles of processed pictures building up but today I've decided to share the blue jay pictures I captured last week. One day when we were at Humbug Mountain State Park, Steve saw a flash of blue and looked out to see that a Steller's Jay had landed next to the trailer. He called to me so I could see and then exclaimed, "Oh wow! It's sunning itself!" I looked out and we stood watching the beautiful bird warming its wings, a second bird landing nearby a moment later. I didn't think I'd be able to get pictures before the birds flew away but Steve reminded me that it's worth a try. I'm so glad I got my Sony because I was able to get a whole bunch of pictures before finally the pair flew away. I'm sharing two insets as well--one shows a nice side view and the other is a feather close-up! ENJOY!

I hope everyone is doing well!! I'll be posting again in the next few days with some really neat finds! *BIG HUGS ALL AROUND*

Explored on 7/12/20; highest placement #1.