Category: RVing with Grand Kids
May you all have a Blessed Christmas, no matter where the season finds you…
December 24, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · 8 Comments
This year will be our fourth year celebrating Christmas in an RV; the 3rd in this particular 5er. And we couldn’t be happier about it. While we no longer have the 8′ tree, or the strings of lights outlining the rooftop, or the fancy Christmas dinner with a dozen sides like in the sticks n’ bricks, Christmas still holds the same wonder. Sure, we have had to make some changes in how we celebrate, due to our compact abode, but we are finding that we prefer many of our altered traditions. In the RV, we don’t go all out decorating, mostly because we don’t have room to haul decorations around with us (we still love to look at other RVer’s lights!), but we do have a small tree that the kids decorate, and we trim the slides with garland and small colorful balls. We don’t buy gifts based so much on money and number anymore as we do size, and we now prefer ‘experiences’ over physical stuff. We no longer cook on the same scale as we did in our... [Read more...]
Merry Christmas to All
December 22, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
It’s Christmas weekend, the most wonderful time of the year. Season’s greetings fellow RVers, campers, snowbirds, wanna-bes, birders, photographers, hikers, and everyone who loves the great out-of-doors…and all Woodall’s blog readers! Thank you for reading our camping blogs this past year! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season. May the miracle of this wonderful season fill your heart with peace and happiness and bless your life throughout the year. As we approach Christmas Eve we’re on the Alabama Gulf Coast enjoying balmy Gulf breezes, discovering the beauty and diversity of the area, and indulging the palate in fresh from the Gulf shrimp, oysters, and native fish. For me, the ultimate experience of camping and RVing requires a camera. Without a camera I bring home memories. With a camera, I bring home a series of images of the memories that I can return to over and over and share with readers of my posts. Memories become more complete and... [Read more...]
Last Minute Christmas Shoppers Must-Read!
December 18, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · Leave a Comment
Are you feeling stressed out by the mad holiday rush and last minute Christmas gifts you still need to get? It is usually around this time of year, with less than a week to go before Christmas, that I really start to feel the pressure. I feel it all month long, really, but it’s especially bad in the last home stretch, with less than seven days to go, that I really feel the stress. Really, I should just bite the bullet and go shopping for all of those last minute gifts, but this year money has been especially tight and I have way more last minute gifts to buy than normal. So with that said, my goal now is to do my best with what I have and then pray that everyone gets taken care of, just in the nick of time. Read-on for Practical Tips that will Save You Time and Money! My Goal is to do what I can to finish as early in the week as possible, so that by the weekend, all I have left to do is the wrapping (my favorite part!) Here is my Plan of Attack (that you are welcome to follow... [Read more...]
Ringing In The Heavenly! New Year
December 15, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · Leave a Comment
With the weather being downright cold outside, I was sitting here listening to Christmas music with a warm fire burning in the fireplace, thinking it is time to start planning an epic New Year’s Destination Vacation! Our plan this year is to head north for the most ultimate New Year’s celebration in a place we have never been before: Lake Tahoe! While we have been to some great snowboarding places closer to home, such as Big Bear’s Snow Summit, Bear Mountain, and even Mammoth; we have been contemplating checking out Lake Tahoe for the past several years. Luckily, my cousin has a connection so we have a cabin to stay in for free this year. With accommodations taken care of, our next step was to look for a place to go snowboarding nearby. In speaking with my cousin, it sounded like Heavenly and Kirkwood are the two closest places to go near the cabin. Once we looked into choosing from those two, it didn’t take long to choose Heavenly! Just the name itself kinda... [Read more...]
PassPorter’s Walt Disney World
December 15, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
PassPorter’s Walt Disney World – The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake! One of our dream as parents is to bring our kids to Florida in vacation. Not for a week or two but more in the line of a whole month of fun visiting various theme parks including Walt Disney World. Last time my husband and I went it was our honeymoon and let me tell you that by what I am discovering these days via videos Science of Disney Imagineering and the book I am presenting you today, a lot have changed since then! So you want to plan a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. But you feel a bit overwhelmed with all the possibilities and fun things to do. No problem. Introducing the PassPorter’s Walt Disney World which is a travel guide that will help you plan and organize your discovery of this famous theme park. I know from experience that we enjoy our trips better when I plan in advance. Not everyone are like this but let me remind you that in the case of Walt Disney World, you... [Read more...]
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!
December 13, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · Leave a Comment
Deck the Wheels with Bells of Holly! Whether you are traveling somewhere in your RV for Christmas or are a full-timer, there are many ways that you can decorate your RV for Christmas: like you would a house just on a smaller scale. While walking through a campground in Southern California over Thanksgiving weekend, I already spotted a few RVs that were decked out with their Christmas décor. These campers wasted no time in getting their Christmas décor out and up in their RVs. To be honest, I thought it a bit early (being Thanksgiving weekend, I suppose that is not sooo early). Then upon second look, I realized just how nice and homey it made the RV look from the outside. You could see the dash board was covered in some kind of lit-up village and there were lights and garland all around. A small Christmas tree was sitting in a pot in the front and the RV just emanated the warmth and cheer that Christmas seems to bring every year. Decking your RV out with Christmas Décor this... [Read more...]
IT’S FINALLY HERE! (The 2013 Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Camp Ground Directory)
December 12, 2012 by Professor95 · Leave a Comment
The brown box dropped on my doorstep was a surprise. I thought, “What in the world is this, I’m not expecting a package?” I cut open the box. Inside was my new copy of the 2013 Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory. I have been extremely anxious to see what this new book looked like. You see, it is not just a new publication; it is a brand new product. For years, I have purchased both the Trailer Life Campground Directory and the Woodall’s Campground Directory. While they were similar, they were not identical. I would find that one guide would have listings or information that the other lacked. Of course, I was somewhat partial to the Woodall’s Directory – after all, for the past three years my blogs have been published under the Woodall’s marquee. So, how is it that both the former Trailer Life and Woodall’s directories came to be combined? Well, both Trailer Life and Woodall’s are owned by the same parent company – and have been for many years. ... [Read more...]
Some Days Are Diamond: Florida Man Finds 1.95 ct. Brown Diamond
December 9, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The second-largest diamond found so far this year at Crater of Diamonds State Park was certified on the afternoon of November 28. Doug Lay holds his newly found 1.95-carat dark brown diamond. (Credit: Crater of Diamonds State Park) The 1.95-carat dark brown gem is about the size of an English pea, with a round shape and a pitted surface. 40-year-old Doug Lay, a certified nursing assistant from Hernando, Florida, discovered the coffee-colored gem around 1:00 p.m. while wet sifting in the East Drain, a trench along the east side of the park’s 37 ½-acre diamond search area. Lay is no stranger to diamond finds; he has found more than 30 over the past four years, but this is his largest find yet! Lay first learned about Crater of Diamonds State Park from his father, one of the park’s longtime diamond miners. “Dad’s been coming to the Crater of Diamonds off and on for about 17 years. Whenever I’m on vacation, I like coming to Arkansas to spend time with him, and we enjoy searching... [Read more...]
National Parks – A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks
December 7, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 1 Comment
National Parks – A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks By Erin McHugh Published at Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers About the book “During National Parks Week, we reaffirm our need to maintain connections to the natural world.” —President Barack Obama President Obama has shared his views that it’s important for all of our country’s citizens to acknowledge the value of the natural world around us. National Parks helps families explore that world—the diversity, beauty, and history found in our national park system. Arranged alphabetically by state, this fun-filled book tours more than 75 U.S. parks, monuments, and landmarks, from the rocky shores of Maine’s Acadia National Park to the ancient redwood groves of Northern California. Also included is a removable, fold-out collector map to house the 56 America the Beautiful commemorative quarters! Through fascinating text and hundreds of vintage-style illustrations and photographs, ranging from digitally... [Read more...]
Fall and Winter Warning about Blacklegged Ticks
December 4, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
An earlier post, Top 10 things RVers Should Know about Ticks, stressed the fact that ticks can be active even in the winter. That’s right! Adult stage blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) become active every year after the first frost. They’re not killed by freezing temperatures, and while other ticks enter a feeding diapause as day-lengths get shorter, deer ticks will be active any winter day that the ground is not snow-covered or frozen. This surprises people, especially during a January thaw or early spring day. Remember this fact and hopefully you’ll never be caught off-guard. Campers, hikers, and hunters should take special precautions in the woods during fall and winter to avoid this winter-resilient tick that transmits Lyme disease, according the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). “We are trying to make the hunters aware that there are ticks in some of these areas and asking them to check their deer,” said Lindsay Rist, wildlife communication... [Read more...]
