06/01 to 06/12 - Croton Point Park

Getting back into the swing of things once again presented its trials and tribulations. Once the obstacles and hurdles are tended to, the pleasures of what lies ahead make it all worthwhile. Getting Winnie out of storage, returning boxes of "stuff", foods and beverages loaded back into the RV is a two-day job. Once completed, I made the twelve-mile trip to Croton Point Park (CPP) on Sunday, 6/1st to officially begin my "2025 Summer Adventure." The Hudson Islanders begin arriving Thursday for our Summer Rally, 6/5th to 6/12th and will be the subject matter for this blog post.

Prior to the arrival of 13 RVs housing 21 people, the campground was comparatively empty with any nearby RVs seen in the video below gone by the 6/5th. It was this time alone with very few RVs around that I languished in what has become sort of a way of life for me. Birds in abundance complete with their songs, breeze is the pines and a perfect day to relax and soak it all in while freeing the mind of worries, concerns and responsibilities. The coziness of my site 35 is captured below.

On Thursday, they arrived:

Ray/Kathy

Ray/Sue

Roberta

Tony/Doreen

Johnny

Larry

Jack

Walt/Fran

Dan/Melanie

John/Martine

Gene/Susan

Herve/Roberta

And along with their arrival came more memories and good times beginning with coffee in the morning either at my site or Jack's site. Steam rises, spirits lift, and stories flow. That’s the magic of morning coffee with the boys. Photos tell the story:

Pot Luck Supper

On another evening, we celebrated the BIG 80 for Tony and the other May birthdays of Larry and Charlie.  Other Islander May birthdays include Bill, Anthony, Peter, Dan, John D. Sue, Todd, Carole and Martine.

And thanks to Steve, we were able to sing it three times.

Once for Larry,

Once for Tony,

and after adding three more candles, once for Charlie

More often than not, the EZ-ups were a blessing with intermittent periods of rain and drizzle.

From Clermont, Florida, Holley, NY and Wappingers Falls, NY the three brothers squeezed in time to see each other.

L. to R Ray, Fred, Walter

We returned one evening to dine at Pronto Restaurant and Pizzeria

Just about the time we were ready to leave, a downpour decided it wasn't time. After remaining captive, we ventured out and were rewarded for our patience.

In addition to morning coffee get-togethers, the next best event is winding down the day relaxing around the ol' campfire each night. I summoned up an AI poem that shares my thoughts:

Beneath the stars, the fire glows, a warm and welcome light,
We circle close with snacks in hand, and toast into the night.
The day’s long miles are washed away with laughter, wine, and cheer,
And every tale—half true or not—is met with hearty ear.
No walls around us, just the trees, the sky, the glowing coals,
But here we sit like lifelong friends, a gathering of souls.
The crackle speaks, the embers sing, the night feels soft and wide,
With camp chairs for a living room and kindred by our side.
We came in rigs, we came alone—but here, we all belong,
Together in the fire’s glow, where life burns bright and strong.

At some point, twenty-one folks enjoyed the camaraderie...

...even if the weather threatened yet another round of rain.

Nearby campers: father, son and grandson joined us.

Even unwelcomed guests showed up.

In all our Rally years, never leaving food/garbage out, we've never had a recurring visiting critter come by and steal from our table.

Here, it climbed right up and tried to take a package of cups from the table. Another night it made off with a dish of cupcakes...dish and all. As it was chased under a coach, we retrieved the dish only to have it sneak back and get the cupcakes.

And, to conclude. a mention about how when collective minds, knowledge and talent get together, all things are possible. And this includes RV repairs. Others in the group can share their stories but I continue to be grateful for any and all work done on my RV. As a former homeowner, I've added a 15' x 30' screened-in porch to my home, converted a garage into a family room with fireplace, re-shingled a roof and repaired whatever needed repairing be it electrical or plumbing. Now that that ship has sailed, I can give a big thank you to Tony and Gene for their talent and know-how to repair my entry door that didn't quite close right, add the latch to keep it that way and trouble-shoot and replace a check-valve that prevented me from enjoying hot water. It's all easy when you have the right tools and experience. 

Now I am off to Branson, Missouri; 1,243 miles via Bellefonte, PA, Sunbury, OH, Pendleton, IN and Granite City, IL. Next blog post will tell all. Till then, stay healthy, happy and safe.

"Home is where you park it, but joy is found in the in-between."