Betcha' ya thought Albany Georgia was just another wide spot on the road we're travelling this winter. Au contraire mon frere'. For those old enough ... you will remember Harry James. That great band leader and trumpeter of of the 40's through the 80's was born here and ... what about soul singer Ray Charles ... who doesn't remember him? And did I mention that lady pro golfer Nancy Lopez still lives here. (We were going to invite her over lunch but we just couldn't fit it in our schedule) And what about singer Ray Stevens ('Ahab the Arab' and 'Little Red Riding Hood') was born here as was famous southern cook and TV star Paula Deen. I think I going to have to get an autograph book if we stay here any longer.
The weather here is near perfect with the highs today in the low 70's and a cloudless azure blue sky. I just returned from the fishing pond where I was feeding the local ducks and geese and seeing the spring flowers starting to emerge from the ground. This is great.
I almost forgot ... yesterday we headed over to the Monaco pre-rally in Moultrie. What is a pre-rally you ask? Well I think it is a gathering of people who have the same make of motor coach who meet prior to a larger rally ... in this case the FMCA rally in Perry. Since we're still a little dumb on all these things we thought we'd attend one to find out what happens. We were suppose to pay a visit on Thursday but because of our delays, Friday was our only option ... the last day of the rally.
We did get up early again and made the 25 mile drive to Moultrie only to find the place almost empty. All but one of the vendors had already left for Perry; many of RV's had pulled out already but at least admission was free. Like I said ... only one vendor was left and it was one of the Monaco dealers with maybe a dozen new coaches still parked on the grounds. We had a chance to tour the new Vesta model. A snazzy 32/35 footer with a front placed turbo diesel engine and, according to the manual, comes standard with a chrome tipped exhaust pipe. That was enough for me. How cannot I not own one? A real chrome tipped exhaust pipe. I'm not sure who writes the copy for these brochures but my guess if they have never owned a motor home. Anyway it was a pretty radical design that will surely take advantage of the apparent trend of offering these slightly smaller coaches.
So I still don't know a thing about these pre-rallies. I didn't learn of any special hand signals, secret words, or about clandestine rituals held under the cover of darkness. No badges, ornate hats or vests to earn or buy. Maybe I should try some other pre-rally in the future. All the people that attend these things must surely be as sane as I am.
We off to find a place for lunch. So you know ... we're still livin' the dream.
Phil
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