Our entire route from the UP to Florida was determined exclusively by where family and friends happened to be.  We met up with Nick in Green Bay, Chris and Amy in Burlington, Andrea in Chicago, and Linda and crew in Virginia Beach.  We continued that plan during the second week of October when we made the long run down to Mom and Tim’s in Wilmington, with a brief stop in Castle Hayne to store Serenity at Jack’s Boat and RV Storage Lot.  This is the same place we used the last two visits to Wilmington, and if you have the need, we recommend him.

PKM not enthused about getting underway again.

The Fords have been trying to downsize from their large historic home for two years now, suffering through a last minute buyer pull out, major hurricane damage (Florence in 2018) and the complicated repairs and insurance issues resulting.  Shortly before our arrival they managed, finally, to sell their old place and move into a spacious townhome in a newly built development nearby.  You can see the palpable relief on their faces finally having a long ordeal completed, and it must be a pleasant change to transition not only to a smaller and more manageable home, but also one in which every single board and fixture is brand new.

Restaurants and other excellent meals always feature prominently in our Wilmington visits, and this time was no exception.  Rosemarie made a fresh shrimp, spinach and quinoa concoction for one of our dine in meals while Tim put his Big Green Egg to use to make sliders for another.  We had a great lunch at Peno’s, a Greek fast casual place in town with fantastic hummus and gyros.  And as always, at the top of our culinary priority was the Wednesday evening wine pairing event at Sweet and Savory.  Six wines matched with six small courses for a very affordable $25.

Over nearly five years of full time RVing, our wardrobes have become decidedly casual, but in preparation for a upcoming formal event, we have been hitting thrift shops and discount stores to make ourselves presentable.  Mom and Tim found us an excellent local thrift shop that took care of most of my outfit in one shot.

Mom and Tim had this crazy plan to rent van to haul a mattress and box spring down to Central Florida to give to Aunt Judy, a venture that would, in my general opinion, have cost more than the value of the items and taken about 18 hours of driving, round trip.  Since we were headed that way eventually anyway, we stuff the mattress and box spring into our rig, living without the dinette for a week until we were able to make delivery.

Next up: Our return to Florida after a brief stop at another military campground.