Frozen

Due to a tragic death in the family, we are still in WV during the Polar Vortex's cold assault on North America.  On average the temperature gets down to around zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower each night. 

We planned on being in SC or one of the other southern states by this time, but life threw a monkey wrench in to the works and so we are still here, freezing off our behinds.

We are aware that the cold temperatures extend further south than normal, but at least they warm up above freezing during the day, more so then where we are in WV.

Wintering in frozen West Virginia.

Even if we wanted to leave now, I would be afraid to put in the slides as cold as it, that something would break or tear.  I probably should climb up on the RV and sweep off all of the snow off the slide covers.  Twice I have climbed up on top of the RV to sweep off the satellite dish dome so that we could watch TV using our Dish Network.

Satellite dome swept off so we can watch Dish Network.

One thing I had to do was buy an Extend-A-Stay tee to hook up an external propane tank so that we would not have to break camp when we ran out of propane with the on board tank.  

I got it installed fine, but still need to support the regulator by screwing it down so the valves will not break while traveling down the road.

Extend-A-Stay tee installed to the on board propane tank.

With the Extend-A-Stay valve, I can rotate propane tanks and not have to take the RV to get more propane.  Currently I am using two 30 pound tanks.

30 pound propane tank hooked up to Extend-A-Stay tee.

I always fill up the empty 30 pound tank as soon as I hook up the full one.  This way when I run out, I always have a backup.  Depending upon the temperatures and if I keep the thermostat on 65 degrees, one 30 pound tank will last us 3 or 4 days.  Each tank costs right at $28.00 to fill up, so it is pretty expensive to heat with gas.

I supplement with electric space heaters, which this RV park does not have a problem with, but they do not heat the basement of the RV, so you really need to use your propane heaters to do that and if the temperature gets really low, you have to supplement that heat with electric too or at least I do.

My two 30 pound propane tanks used to heat the RV.

When the temperature drops down to single digits I have to put an electric heater in the water hook-up compartment to keep it from freezing up.  I guess since we do not have an Arctic package on this RV, it sometimes need the extra heat to keep my black and grey tanks' valves from freezing up.

Also since the sewer line does not have a perfect elevation from the RV to the sewer, every time I drain either the black or grey tanks, you have to make sure you get all the liquid out of the line so that it does not freeze up.  If it does freeze then it will either bust your line or not let you drain your tanks or both.

Electric heater to keep everything from freezing up when temps get into single digits.

Last year I wrapped my water hose with heat tape, but since the park here does not have their faucets wrapped, I cannot leave my hose hooked up or the park's water faucet freezes up.  So I have to fill up our fresh water storage tank every other day or so.

Filling up the fresh water storage tank the lazy way.

Luckily I can keep the hose in the filler hole by closing the compartment door on the hose.  The reason this is nice is because it takes a good thirty to forty minutes to fill up the tank and standing there holding the hose you get pretty cold and tired.  I just watch the tank gauge and when it shows full, I run out and turn off the water.  When I'm done I take the hose back inside the RV so it does not freeze up.

Filling up the fresh water tank.

Even though the temperature gets below zero at times and we have been fighting frozen water lines, there is still beauty to behold from the hills of West Virginia.

Beautiful hills of West Virginia.

The kids love to pull the ice cycles off of the RV and crunch on them.  I'm not sure if that is a good thing, but I survived eating them as a kid, so I guess mine will too.

Ice cycles on the RV.

I probably really need to get back on top of the RV and clean off all the snow and ice that is building up.  I was hoping for a short warm spell that would do this for me, but it does not look like one is coming any time soon and last night we got another inch of snow.

Ice and snow building up on slide covers.

We went a couple days with no water and four days without hot water during last week's cold spell.  Luckily I got everything thawed out and insulated and now do not have any issues.  Lets hope it stays that way.

Kenny, the owner of the park, came to our aid when he found out we were frozen up, which we really appreciate!  He has offered us heaters, tools, and skirting material to help us out.  He is another great person, like so many other park owners we have met in our travels. 

I will probably put some type of skirting around the RV to keep the cold air from blowing underneath, which should help some too, but just have not done it as of yet.

When we bought the RV we always said that we would winter in warm climates and summer in cool climates, but life does not always cooperate with your plans and sometimes seems to work against them.

We were already going through a rough time with a death in the family and now we get to have more grief with the cold temperatures.  I guess that is just the way it is and that it could be much, much worse, so we will take what we have.

Even though we have to adjust and it may seem like we are struggling with the cold, we still love our RV lifestyle and do not plan on quitting it any time soon.  Once you learn how to prep for the extreme temperatures, that is one more problem beat and then you can concentrate on something else be it good or bad.

It is all what you make of it, so make it good!

Please pray for us and our family during this time of struggle while we pray for God to bless you.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish you a very

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

and  

Happy Holidays!

A Merry Christmas & Happy New Year From LivelyRV.

We hope you enjoy the kids rendition of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" below.  They had fun performing it for you.

America's Got Talent, here we come.  No, not really, we're kidding.

Also lets remember that Christ is the reason for the season. 

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11 (NIV)

We are blessed and hope the same for you.

God Bless you all!

Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...

Staying in Kentucky

Currently we are staying in Campbellsville Kentucky at the Green River Stables Horse Camp & RV Park while Misty does some seasonal work with Amazon.


Amazon pays for a full hookup lot while working for them, which really helps out.


When we first pulled in we were the second RV to reside in the newest section of the park, but that did not last long and now it is full to capacity.

Empty RV lots in the newest section of the RV park.

We are the second RV to move into the newest section.

It is a beautiful place to stay and the owners/operators of the RV park, Darrell & Erin Wise, are second to none.

They welcome you like family and make sure you have everything you need to have a comfortable stay at their park.

Right next door you have the Green River Lake State Park that offers beautiful views of the lake and twenty one miles of trails to hike between twenty three trails.  They also have a nice playground, that the kids seem to love, for some reason.

Just one of the beautiful views of Green River Lake.

The playground in Green River Lake State Park.

We love to get out and walk the trails, but some of them you really have to watch your step since the trails are also used by horses and their riders.  They like to leave little surprises for you, that are not so little.

LivelyRV minus Don, walking on one of the many trails in Green River Lake State Park.

One of the suspects that we believe left us a surprise on the last trail we walked on.

My sister Brenda would love it here.  On the weekends it looks like you are in the wild west due to all the horses in the park.  They come by the tens and twenties with their horse hauler campers just to ride the trails in the park.

Angel is not impressed with the horses and voices her opinion every time she sees one.  That is about the only time she barks, is when she sees a horse.  Now she is even grumpier since we took her to the vet to get fixed.

Poor little Angel after coming home from the vet after getting fixed.

Another nice thing about all the horses and ponies, is that the kids get to ride them too.

The kids getting to ride a pony that is owned by the RV park.

Also while staying in Kentucky we took in some of the local attractions.  I do not know how many times we have driven through Elizabethtown Kentucky and passed the signs for My Old Kentucky Home State Park, but never stopped to visit it.


Its biggest claim to fame is that Stephen Foster got his inspiration for the song "My Old Kentucky Home" while visiting the Federal Hill Mansion.  He is also known for the song Camptown Races and many many more.

Side view of Federal Hill Mansion.

Front view of Federal Hill Mansion.

Trick or Treat was also celebrated while we were in Kentucky and the kids got their night of running around asking for candy.  Since our RV park did not have a lot of kids and a lot of the people work evening shift at Amazon, we had to venture out into Campbellsville to get our treats.

Minnie Mouse, Zombie, Ninja, Lighting McQueen, Witch One, and Witch Two Trick or Treating.

Sometimes though, we just kick back and take it easy and enjoy the day.  The kids are catching on to this too, as you can see below.

Avery, Ian, and Courtney relaxing in the Sun.

While we were here Ian turned seven and so we had a little birthday party for him.

Happy Birthday to Ian.

I'm not sure, but I think he was excited to get one of his presents anyway.  Mostly he got cloths, but the final present put a smile on his face.

Ian showing his delight over his new scooter.

Well I'm going to get ready to finish the blog out now, because it is Saturday and on Saturday Brother's BBQ serves their burnt ends, which are the best we have ever had.

"What are burnt ends?", you ask, they are the burnt ends of the beef brisket that are cut off before the brisket is sliced and served.  If done right, like the way Brother's BBQ does them, they have the perfect amount of fat and crispiness and are a delicacy.

Best burnt ends we have ever had!

Brother's BBQ in Campbellsville, KY on Main Street.

Those are just a few of the things LivelyRV has been up to since staying in Campbellsville Kentucky, but now it is time for us to get ready and go eat our burnt ends.

We thank God everyday for enabling us to live this type of lifestyle and being able to experience such the great things that we do while on this life changing adventure.

So go buy yourself a RV and hit the road fulltime like us.  What better way to see what America has to offer in the way of experiencing different people, food, and places.  We would not change our way of life for anything.

God bless you all and may He watch over you and your families.

If you like our blog please follow it.  I was talking to a fellow a couple weeks ago about how we were upset about a business we used and their customer service.  I said I was going to blog about it and let everyone know not to use them.  When asked how many followers we had I said 18.  I do not think they were threatened at all with my threat.  If we had a bigger following though, well maybe I could make them trimble in the knees.

Until next time.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

Meeting Families Like Us

We have been living on the road fulltime now for just about a year and six months and just last week was the first time we actually met families just like ours.

Now we have met many great families in our travels of which some we really hated to say good bye to, but we have never met a fulltime family with six kids, like us, until this past weekend while traveling to Kentucky.

A while back a lady by the name of Deb left a message on one of our blogs along with her blog address.  Upon reading her blog it was easy to see that they were a family of eight who started out on the road just about the same time as us and for similar reasons.

Of course we started to correspond back and forth trying to see when our paths would cross and Kentucky gave us that opportunity.

While they were staying near Mammoth Caves, we stopped and visited with James and Deb Knabe with their six children, Jay, Philip, Carissa, David, Johnny, and Stephen.  

Bunny, Eric, Deb, James, Don, and Misty posing during our first get together.

Across the street there was another fulltime family who we met too.  They were Eric and Bunny Arnold with their two sons, Josh and Gage.

James and Deb Knabe (right side), Misty (middle), and Bunny and Eric Arnold (left side)

Since we were traveling they offered us dinner, which we gladly accepted.  It was slow cooker lasagna with rolls and it was very very good.  We ate it outside where the nippy temperature made it even better.

Ethan running to the table while Carissa enjoys her lasagna. 

The kids had a lot of fun playing together and it is always nice to see kids of this type of lifestyle, blending in together like they have known each other for years.

That is one example I always use when someone says home schooled children suffer in learning social skills.  I will bet my last dollar that our kids will interact better and quicker than most kids who go to public school.  They meet so many new kids along the way while we travel and love it.

LivelyRV and new friends eating lasagna on a cool Autumn evening.

Misty getting her plate of lasagna.

It is funny how Misty and I thought that we were unique living in a RV with six children fulltime, but come to find out, there are many, many families with six or more children living the same way.

Given the entire population of America it is well under 1%, I'm sure, but still more than we thought.  It was finally nice to run into some families like us.

Misty, Eric, Bunny, and Deb talking while getting their dinner.

We were also discussing how God has a plan for us and that he led us to the Arnold and Knabe families for a reason.  We just have to trust in Him and listen to what He says.

A great group of people who we are very happy to have met.

Our paths will cross again and actually we plan on meeting up with the Jame and Deb this coming Sunday.

If you are interested you can follow both the Arnold and Knabe families on their blogs.  You can either click on the links to their names above or in the Blog Roll on the right of our blog.

The last picture I took before we told them goodbye was one of all the kids.  It was getting pretty dark and my iPhone did not do too well, but it captured the spirit of the moment.

The Arnold, Knabe, and Lively kids.

We are very blessed and thank God for all he does for us.  We love our fulltime RV lifestyle and have met so many good people along the way.  It is a shame we can not always be with everyone we meet, but it's like the song says, we have to keep on moving.

If you like our blog please follow us and/or leave a comment.  If you only want to do one, follow us and forget the comment.

You can also go to our LivelyRV Facebook page and like it too.

God bless and safe keeping.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

Parker's Crossroad Civil War Battle

Today we took a driving tour of the Civil War Battle of Parker's Crossroads in Tennessee which was considered a victory for the Confederate army back on December 31st, 1862.

You can watch a three minute video detailing the battle if you click here and then click on the movie icon under "The story of Parker's Crossroads" for a condensed version of the battle.

Probably the most famous saying that came out of this battle was what General Forrest of the Confederate States of America said when he found his brigade between two Union brigades, "Charge them both ways!"

To start our tour we drove to the Parker's Crossroads Visitor Center
 and picked up our Driving Tour pamphlet, which are also available at every stop of the tour. 

Parker's Crossroads Visitor Center

There are seven stops in the tour which only took us under an hour to drive.  You can easily control your time dependent upon how long you spend at each tour stop.  Below is a map of all the tour stops to give you an idea of its size.

Driving tour map.

As you reach each spot you can read the information provided in the tour pamphlet for that site along with the sign at each one.  Some of the sites also have walking tours which are displayed on the tour map.

Informational sign for The Battle of Parker's Crossroads.

Tour stop one is at the Parker's Crossroads City Park where you will also find the North Loop Walking Trail.  There was a nice playground for the kids too at the park.

Parker's Crossroads historical marker.

To read an account of the battle you can click here.  I'm just going to highlight the tour and not go into any real detail of the battle in this blog.

Tour stop one information sign.

One of the many cannons we saw while on the tour.

Tour Stop two is where it all began with the first shots being fired there.

Tour stop two information sign.

When you stand here looking over Hicks Field, you have to wonder what it was like for the soldiers who were getting ready to meet each other in mortal combat.  You also have to wonder what was going through all the soldiers' minds when the first shots where fired.

The left side of Hicks Field as it is today.

A lone tree at Hicks Field.

The right side of Hicks Field.

A 3 inch Ordnance rifle (cannon) just waiting to fire on the Union Army.

What the Confederates saw at Hicks Field.

What the Union soldiers faced at Hicks Field.

Tour stop number three is located at the Parker's Crossroads where Rev. John Parker's (a Union sympathizer) house was located.  When the Union Army placed artillery pieces in his yard he demanded that they be removed.  

When asked by a Union officer, "What is more important, the Union cause or your house?" he replied, "My house!"

Tour stop three information sign.

Looking north west from Parker's Crossroads.

Another 3 inch Ordnance rifle (cannon) on display.

Tour stop number four is located at the Jone's Cemetery where the Confederate soldiers would get water from its well.

Tour stop four information sign.

The well at Jones Cemetery.

Jones Cemetery.

Tour stop number five is where the Union Army lost their wagon train when the Confederates got behind them and sprang a surprise attack.  When the Union infantry counter attacked, the Confederates melted into the woods and disappeared.

Tour stop five information sign.

Location where the Union Army lost their wagon train to a Confederate surprise attack.

More of the area where the Union wagon train was captured.

Tour stop number six is where the Confederates pretty much had the battle won and were presenting their terms of surrender until another Union force attacked the Confederates in their rear at Parker's Crossroads.

Tour stop six information sign.

Red Mound which is named for the settlers who came from Red Mountain, NC.

A 30 pounder Army Parrott rifle.

You can clearly see the West Point Foundry initials and its size of 4.2 inches (30 pounder).

Tour stop seven is where the main battle occurred with the Union Army taking cover behind a split rail fence which when hit by Confederate artillery, would splinter and create even more deadly shrapnel in additional to the shrapnel from the artillery rounds.

This is also the last stop in the driving tour and is where the South Loop Walking Trail starts along with the Artillery Trail breaking off near the Union burial site.

Tour stop seven information sign.

The spot where the main fighting happened during the battle.

Tia, Ian, Ethan, Chloe, Courtney, and Avery standing on a Napoleon style canon.

Tia, Misty, Ian, Chloe, Ethan, Courtney, and Avery posing on the cannon.

Tia, Don, Ian, Chloe, Ethan, Courtney, and Avery on the cannon.

Below is a picture of the different types of artillery rounds used during the Civil War.  

Mostly canister rounds were used in this battle even though many letters of soldiers referred to them as grape shots, which were not used in this battle hardly at all.

Confederate artillery rounds.

The cabin in the below picture was reconstructed on the site to replace what was once there during the battle.  

It belonged to the McPeake family from Rock Hill, TN and was built in 1851.  The Garner family donated it to the Parker's Crossroads Battlefield Association in 2006.

This dogtrot style cabin was very common in TN during the 18th and 19th centuries.  A dogtrot cabin is a one story cabin where two rooms are built separated by a breeze way with everything being under one roof.

McPeake family cabin.

Side view of the McPeake family cabin.

Rear view of the McPeake family cabin.

Taking the South Loop Walking Trail that starts at Tour Stop Seven.

We really enjoyed the tour and history that was in the area.  It is hard to imagine that brother fought brother and American fought American on these grounds.

The kids were mostly interested in catching grasshoppers, running, and playing, but picked up some history also, which is always a good thing.

If you are ever near Parkers Crossroads, TN, you need to stop in and take the tour. 

Until next time, God bless and stay safe!


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Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...