Wednesday, October 30 thru November 12, 2019, Tile Surround, Move to McKinney, Acworth, GA

Another big moving day - Clark Creek North county campground to McKinney COE campground in Acworth, GA, was 2.4 miles (95,367.5 total). Changing from a county park to a COE park did not seem to be an infraction of the rules when it spanned two different bureaucracies.

While Joani and the kids worked on the tub surround, I had the enviable job of napping with my grandbaby.

Day three of tiling

Time for a break to talk to Katie!

We left Grandpa and sweet baby to fend for themselves.

 By day 52, her personality was starting to shine!

When she was awake she was moving and wriggling continuously...

...making a focused picture a challenge.

I love the action shots that remind me of the photo booths in the 50s.

"I'm taking a picture of you, Grandpa, for my memory banks!"

Day four and we are almost done with the tiling!

Look at the fit on that piece that wraps the tub! Jon has become a master with the tile saw.

That's it! My part is done. Meanwhile, downstairs...

David is busy capturing that sweet personality at 53 days old.

That look is saying "I'll miss you, Grandpa."

We have missed being on the road and our wanderlust must be satisfied. It will, however, be a real test of our resolve to return to traveling knowing our grandbaby will be changing every day. It may not be long before we return!

Wednesday, October 16 thru 29, 2019, Move to and Stay at Clark Creek, North, Acworth, GA

We moved from Clark Creek South to Clark Creek North, the other side of the water and a nice even 1.0 mile (95,365.1 total). We made our reservations online with no problem but we received a knock on the door from the county parks administrator a few days into our stay. He told us the two separate Clark Creek campgrounds were considered one and we were not supposed to stay more than two weeks in the park. He allowed us to finish our stay but wanted us to know we could never do it again.

The fall color was starting to show and we really loved early mornings when the water was glassy and fog was lifting into the cool air.

Finally, the leaves were changing. The fog on the lake was an added bonus.

Our friends, Della and Barry from Washington State, were making a grand loop around the country in their motorhome and were in Savannah, GA. They had some open time in their schedule and drove all the way to Acworth to spend a few days in our campground. Barry helped me get acquainted with our gas grill (the very first time I used it). The weather was nice as we enjoyed good food, good friends and a crisp autumn afternoon/evening around the fire ring until some drizzle drove us indoors.

What a great meal with great friends! Della is an amazing cook and Barry seems to be an accomplished grill master.

Meanwhile, as Joani, Sara and Jon worked on the bathroom walls and tub tiling I was hard at work taking care of sweet little grandbaby.

28 days old

40 days old

43 days old

Are you noticing a pattern?

She's dreaming of sleeping on Grandpa's belly while napping in her Boppy.

Friday, October 4, 2019, Happy Birthday Jon! Alpharetta, GA

Jon decided he would like to have his friends over for a "Taco Night" on his birthday. Joani and I hosted parties many times where everyone enjoyed building their own plate with beef and chicken tacos and all of the sides. We spent the afternoon prepping and quite a few of Jon and Sara's friends joined us for an evening of food and fun. I wish I could remember everyone's name but there were over 15 people and we stayed busy feeding the masses so I will not even try to list them all.

Below you can see Sara, her father holding sweet baby girl, Hannah behind the lens snapping pictures and Sara's brother Joe taking pics with his phone.  

Sweet baby girl stole the limelight at Jon's birthday gathering.

The "other" grandpa (see, I can share baby time) seemed mesmerized by sweet baby girl. I know Ira and Mary are just as thrilled to be grands as we are.

16 days old

Grandpas are just made for napping.

Happy Birthday, Jon! (Daddy 1.0)

Everyone ate their fill, topping it all off with one of Jon's all-time favorite sweets, Chess Bars. We had to call my mom for the recipe. Joani did not remember just how easy the deliciously decadent treats were - they were a hit with only one wrapped up and saved for Jon the next day. I think everyone had a great time especially the new dad!

Thursday, October 3, 2019, Happy Birthday Kate! Kennesaw, GA

When we offered to take Katie out for her birthday she opted for one of her favorite Indian restaurants. I had the spicy Chicken Vindaloo. The owner seemed a bit worried that my dish would be too spicy but it was just right. Kate and Mike chose some milder vegetarian dishes and Joani had Chicken Masala. Since it was a weekday and we were dining very early we had the restaurant to ourselves.

Kate had taken an interest in woodworking and wanted to set up space in the garage as a workshop. We talked about ideas and looked over workbench options. She sketched out some plans and we headed out for lumber. I had Kate do most of the cutting and assembly so she could get familiar with her tools. She did a great job!

You want a plug on the wall behind this one...

...no problem!

With the workbench assembled, ample lighting installed and custom-built storage shelving, Kate was looking forward to getting started on some of the many projects she had been thinking about.

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Wednesday, October 2, 2019, Move to Clark Creek South, Acworth, GA

On the plus side, moving on a regular basis meant the coach didn't sit too long and my driving skills got a little bit of a workout. Today's drive was not long, a mere 3.0 miles (95,364.1 total) along some narrow, winding back roads that barely brought the engine up to operating temperature.

Our site in Bartow County's Clark Creek South campground was very nice. Level and shady and a close walk to a nice bathhouse. The only negative was its proximity to Jon and Sara's house - about 30 miles. I had to count one day and almost wish I hadn't - there were 64 traffic lights on the drive to their house. Some days the traffic was not too bad and the drive was only 50 minutes. Our worst time, during the dreaded rush hour, was an hour and 45 minutes.

As soon as we arrived and I saw the kids and grandbaby all thoughts of traffic vanished.

 By day 22, our granddaughter had learned that grandpa's belly was made for napping.

She has grown 2.25 inches in her first month.