Wednesday, April 17, 2013:  OMG Crazy day!  Yesterday, I left Montgomery, Alabama, headed for Charlotte, North Carolina.  Crossed Alabama, into Georgia, and at around 2:00 p.m., about 5 miles short of the North Carolina border, my engine started rattling - like really awful, something-metal-is-loose-in-there banging.  I drove to the Welcome Centre just over the border and called Good Sam's Roadside Assistance.  They sent a tow truck which arrived in about two hours and towed me to Anderson, Georgia.  With the time change, we arrived at the garage at 5:30, after its 5:00 p.m. closing time.  The owner, when called, came over and said that he could look at it the next day. The tow truck driver said that his garage owner could look at it that evening - so I got him to tow me there. Should really have stuck with the CMS Garage guy - his garage is on the main street of the town.  However, I went with what looked like - and maybe still is - the  better deal.  He towed me to a little street in a little town called Toccoa -and I mean tiny!  Very rural area - residential street with stationary old motorhomes for houses.  Boyd's Garage is accessed by a tiny dirt drive. I spent the night parked on the street, since Billy - the ower who was going to look at it that evening - didn't show up.  Ran my generator to make dinner, but then it stopped - hmm, guess there's something wrong there, too - first time I've actually used it . . .I went to bed early - no wifi, etc. and was awakened around 6:00a.m. by the roosters crowing  At 8:00 a.m. this morning, I phoned Billy and he said that he would be there to check it out - he lives two houses away;  took him 20 minutes to arrive.  He listened and looked and said that I had thrown a rod and that the motor needed to be replaced.  He phoned all around and located a secondhand one with relatively low mileage (although more mileage than my current motor has on it!) and ordered it.  It won't arrive until next Wednesday, which means that I`ll miss the family get-together I had planned for Sunday to send off Gregory and Anna, who are moving to Calgary, and to celebrate Bobby`s and my birthdays and Julia`s emancipation anniversary. Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do here for a week - at least I now have wifi and can blog and email and facebook - and I'll spend time walking around the neighbourhood.  I guess I'm just really, really frustrated to be sitting here when I should be on my way to West Virginia and Toronto to see my kids.

At the Welcome Center in South Carolina

Getting ready to hook up!

Hooking up the tow bar

Beside my rv

In front of my rv

This is me - can't move anywhere, since the drive shaft was disconnected in order to tow me

The yard beside me

And my home with the guts hanging out

The chicken hutch at the top of the hill next to my rv

Inside the garage