It has been 6 months since we officially transitioned from Nomads and Full-time RVers to North Carolina Homesteaders, and life on the Ballard Homestead continues to thrill and amaze us. So, “What is a Homesteader?” you may ask. You will find multiple definitions on-line but our definition of choice is: “a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It…
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV This St. Patty’s Day golden Daffodils and Dandelions are popping up everywhere. We didn’t plant them but we are enjoying their unique beauty. The previous homeowner planted daffodils at…
Happy Valentine’s Day! “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” This Charles Dickens quote has been one of my favorites lately. Love and wisdom, two big goals. According to the Bible, God is Love and also the fear (respect and reverence) of God is the beginning of wisdom. Need wisdom? Love. Love God, acknowledge God,…
EXCITING times! There have been many celebrations since our last blog post. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Wachter’s then there was a little holiday gathering at our house with our North Carolina Family. Our septic system is upgraded and we can flush with confidence! Babe and Old Glory have their North Carolina License plates and…
Thankfulness is in the air! We always have so much to be thankful for but lately our transition from full-time RVing to part-time RVing is taking up all our time, $$ AND thankfulness. Yes, we are finding so many reasons to be thankful for this place we now call home! We closed on our North…
We got up early this morning and headed out toward Hickory for a very special day. Today we began a new chapter of life. Along with the Ballards’ RV Life we are also now beginning the adventure of the Ballards’ NC Life! We have jumped back into home ownership and all that it entails. Yes,…
Helloooo Oklahoma! We made our 900 mile journey to see Mom Johnson and other Oklahoma relatives and friends the first part of October. Old Glory was stored at Buck Creek Campground in Marion, North Carolina, to save a little bit on gas. We also didn’t want to risk another break down considering the way our…
After our stay at Ramblin’ Pines, we drove from Maryland to North Carolina and stayed 1 night along the way at Cracker Barrel in Troutville, Virginia. The great thing about boondocking in a Cracker Barrel parking lot is the delicious breakfast the next morning before we hit the road. As we entered North Carolina we…
Ramblin’ Pines Campground in Woodbine, Maryland, has become one of our favorite places to camp. It is located close to our son and his family and we used to live in Maryland for 15 years while Mark was in the Air Force stationed at Andrews Air Force Base. We decided to return to Ramblin’ Pines…
We make plans and I find comfort in having a “plan.” I have a calendar and I make reservations and I like to know where we are going, how long we will be there and how much it will cost. Plans can be good but we have been learning that plans should be held loosely.…
Making the Best of Summer 2020 As we were looking for ways to make this summer special and memorable, we were also trying to add a few more stickers to our US map. When we left The Yellow Lantern in New York we headed to Connecticut to see something new. We drove through the Catskill…
The Yellow Lantern Kampground in Cortland, New York was our parking spot for 8 days while we stayed with Mark’s parents in Syracuse. This campground is very clean, well kept and has a lot of wide open space. We parked in a full-hook-up back-in site and then left to stay with Mark’s parents in Syracuse…
After enjoying several good beach days and surviving 1 tropical storm in Bethany Beach, Delaware, we headed out to the Lewes Ferry Terminal to cross over into New Jersey. For $87 we booked passage on the ferry from Lewes, Delaware, to Cape May, New Jersey, for ourselves, Babe (the Ford F-350) and Old Glory. On…
After leaving Syracuse we hooked up Old Glory and headed toward Bethany Beach, Delaware. Canada will not be opening their border in time for us to visit PEI this year so we decided to try to visit some new states. There is a FamCamp in Delaware that we wanted to visit and they were able…