So here we are back in RI! It seems once we arrive “home”, my laptop gets put away and blogging finds it’s way to the bottom of my list of priorities. Not sure why that happens but every year the story repeats itself.

Anyway, here’s a quick summary of our travels after we left Mt. Airy in April. Our first stop was a familiar place, Endless Caverns in New Market, VA for three nights.

The next night we boondocked at the Hollywood Casino in Grantville, PA. Not only is this a casino with the usual assortment of restaurants, but there is horse racing here as well. Lots to do for anyone (not us) looking to be entertained.

The night after that we boondocked again at Cracker Barrel in Binghamton, NY. Maneuvering our 45′ big rig between all of the narrow islands in the parking lot was challenging but as usual, the captain did an excellent job!

No trip back to RI would be complete without stopping to see Rob’s 90 year old Dad in Albany, New York. Since the usual place we stay at, Arrowhead Marina and RV Resort would not open until May 15th, we were in a quandary about where we would park. Yes, there is a Walmart close by but we would need to stay there for two nights and we would have to leave the coach there unoccupied for the majority of the day, not something we like to do, especially in that area. Fortunately Dad obtained permission for us to stay in the parking lot at Avila, the Senior Retirement Community where he lives.

Definitely a lot more convenient staying right there than the 30 minute drive each way to the campground or worrying about the coach parked at a Walmart. Plus it was kind of fun seeing the reaction of the residents – we felt like we were rock stars! Residents were strolling by to check out our bus and we even had to give a tour to a few of Dad’s friends.

Finally, on May 1st, after a three hour drive, we arrived at our usual spot at Sun Valley in East Greenwich, RI. Have to say, it sure felt good to be “home”! After four nights of boondocking, the first order of business was catching up on the laundry followed by a trip to my favorite store, Dave’s Marketplace. Then of course, there were visits to our favorite restaurants, Gel’s Kitchen, the Breakfast Nook, Jason’s Restaurant and Sushi Bar and Red Stripe. We even discovered a new upscale Mexican restaurant in the area, Condesa Restaurante Mexicano. Info about each of the restaurants we’ve been to in our East Greenwich Area Eateries post.

On our first trip to the Yacht Club, we were astonished to see the majority of the boats still in the yard. Because of the very wet Spring, members were unable to prep their boats causing launching delays. Fortunately we brought some good weather with us so getting Quantum Leap ready to be launched on the 10th wasn’t a problem for us.

Out came the bottom paint, the cleaners, wax and polishing rags. Time to work! As usual I tackled the lower portions of the hull while Rob handled the upper portions.

Before we knew it, the 10th was here and it was time to be launched. Woo hoo!

Over the past several years, the finger pier for our slip had deteriorated so much it was very unstable, rocking back and forth when anyone walked on it. In fact, it was so unsteady only one of us could walk on it at a time. But this year, over the winter, several of the docks (D & E) at the Yacht Club had been replaced including ours. A,B, and C docks will be replaced this coming 2019/2020 winter.  Seeing the new stable and attractive docks was quite exciting! The previous pressure treated (and splintery) 2x planks are now classy looking tight grained hardwood. And even better, to provide a uniform look on all docks, the Club provided new fiberglass dock boxes for each slip. We had talked about buying one over the past few years, but fortunately stalled that purchase because they are expensive.

Now that the boat was in the water, it was time to thoroughly scrub the cockpit, put up the enclosure, remove extraneous items back to storage and start provisioning her so we could move on board. Ah, yes, there’s nothing better than living on the water!

Our plans for the summer? We thought we would do a lot of boating this year but somehow that didn’t quite happen! Stay tuned….