Rv Issues, More Critters and Fall Foliage

 

Blairsville, Ga (high 70, low 45) 

We had a cold front a week or so ago which brought overnight temperatures down into the 30’s.  Wouldn’t you know that would be the time our furnace decided to quit?  We don’t have a heat pump on the Cameo, and have been very happy with the furnace which is much quieter than the one in the motorhome.  We never use the furnace in the motorhome because  it’s so noisy. We have been enjoying having a quiet furnace and not having to worry about the heat pump quitting when the temperature got below 40 degrees.

The other morning when I turned on the furnace the fan started right up, but it never got warm.  After a few minutes the fan kicked off.  We re-started it 3 or 4 times with the same results. No heat.  We did a little trouble shooting.  It wasn’t an air pocket and we weren’t out of propane, so we called a new mobile rv service that we hadn’t used before.  Integrity Rv service (for my records). The first thing he did was to turn on the furnace and wouldn’t you know it started right up and warmed up right away?  We turned it off and on a few times and it always worked.  He didn’t find anything he thought was wrong, so we paid for a $100 service call for nothing.  Fortunately, it has been working just fine ever since.  We’re having another cold front and so far so good.

 

In a previous post I mentioned the mama cat and kittens that had been dumped here in the Rv park.  Thankfully, we were able to find good homes for them all.  The mother cat is in a shelter and has recently had another three kittens. 

 

We had been hearing that there was another stray cat hanging around on the other side of the rv park.  The people there had been feeding her all summer and were now worrying about her since everybody was preparing to leave for the winter.  We hadn’t see her, and I figured all these “caring” people that were feeding her would take care of her.   I was wrong!   At that point we realized if we didn’t help this cat, she would be on her own all winter.

We finally realized we needed to intervene or the cat would be on her own all winter.  It turned out a local Veterinarian had lost her cat a few months ago in this area. Apparently it wasn’t the same cat, but she agreed to take this cat if we could catch it and bring it to her.  We figured the cat was pretty wild and would be difficult to catch, but we were wrong. We  quickly located her and in about two minutes she was in my lap,  and shortly after that was in a cage on her way to the veterinarians office and her new home. 

That makes 7 cats and kittens that we got out of our RV park this fall.   We got real lucky that we were able to find homes for all of them.   I hate to think how many cats we would have had here next year after they had a few more litters of kittens.   We feel good that we were able to make a big difference in the lives of these poor little kitties.  I still miss the kittens two kittens we kept for so long, but I’m adjusting and they are happy in their new home.

We still have Baxter but he loves his dad the best.  

 

Mom has been doing ok back in Tampa. We have some new caregivers and our live-in Stacy has been working out real well.  Knock on wood.   We are in no hurry to go back to Tampa and are planning on staying here until the cold drives us away.  The weather has been warmer than usual giving us days in the 70’s and nights in the 50’s.  This is our idea of perfect weather.

We’ve really enjoyed the fall foliage this year.  We have been in a drought all summer so we didn’t know what to expect.  It seemed the reds have been more vibrant than other years and the color has lasted for weeks now.

Here are a few photos from our travels around town.  Our Rv park is situated between several scenic and popular drives, so we don’t have to go far to find beautiful places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne and Heidi who are our part time neighbors in Wesley Chapel and also have a lot here, came for 2 weeks with Heidi’s Mom Madge.  Madge is 80 year old, but didn’t let her age stop her from a hike on the Appalachian trail!

The next picture shows Madge, Suzanne, rescue dog Cindi And Al in the background. 

This next photo is Heidi and Cindi at the top of Brasstown Bald which is the highest mountain in Georgia. 

 

 

Since we are so close to Brasstown Bald, we go there often and on this particular day, it was clear enough that we could see the Atlanta skyline, some 85 miles away.

Can you see it?   The blue haze you see in these mountains is not smog, it is isoprene gas which is caused by decaying vegetation.

On cold days, you have a better change of seeing the Atlanta skyline.   Can you see it now after I zoomed in?

 

We sometimes get up early and drive up to watch the sun rise over the mountains.

 

We’ve been hiking, and were really enjoying it since it had gotten cooler.  Unfortunately, Al hurt his knee the other day so our hiking has been curtailed for now.  We’re hoping a few days of rest will help, but we’re already on day 3 or 4.