Glass Half Full
Brasstown Falls, South Carolina
I am a strong believer that if you look for the negative side of any situation, you will find it. That also holds true for seeking the positive side of a situation. I try to live each day looking for the positive. No time for negativity, it seems to just lead to more negativity. I also like to think my glass is always half full. Unless I’m with my brothers (Bill, Kevin, Glen, Greg) then my cup is usually empty and needs a refill. That being said, our positive outlook on our new adventure had a little plot twist in January.
We knew in October that our new home needed some maintenance prior to us really hitting the road for good, so we decided to schedule that service in Spartanburg, SC, which is not too far from Robyn’s family. We were planning to spend a few weeks in that area and we were lucky that both of Robyn’s brothers offered up their lake houses on Lake Hartwell as our home away from home while the RV was in the shop. Lake Hartwell is a man made, 56,000 acre lake that borders South Carolina and Georgia and their houses are about 25 minutes across the state line from one another. We were very grateful and thought…”Perfect, we can spend a week or two on the lake in January while our new home gets some needed TLC”. I will spare you all the details, but we dropped our rig off at the service center on January 9th 2025. After quite a bit of nonsense and lots of phone calls and emails, the work on our RV was finally completed and ready for pickup, 3 MONTHS LATER on April 8th. We were running out of projects to do at Glen & Amy’s place to “pay” for our free accommodations and we honestly couldn’t possibly put into words how much we appreciate their generosity. We felt as much at home in their cool lake cabin as we have ever felt anywhere else. Morning sunrises are just stunning at the lake and they became part of my daily walking routine. Three months of waiting gave us plenty of time to either bitch and complain or explore and enjoy. We chose the latter…for the most part. (Haha)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/981098290533969
Lake Hartwell… Fair Play, South Carolina
Silver Lining During RV Repairs
Apparently, many RV owners have this same unfortunate scenario in common: you hit the road, ready for adventure, only to face unexpected repairs that leave your rig sitting in the shop for weeks—if not months. Instead of sulking about our misfortune, we turned this setback into an opportunity to explore all of what is called Upstate South Carolina. We re-discovered our love of hiking at Hartwell State Park, Paris Mountain State Park and Brasstown Falls, to name a few. South Carolina is loaded with parks, trails, waterfalls and amazing scenic views. Morning hikes or workouts were followed by afternoon lunch and drinks, often followed by Robyn's new favorite hobby… visiting antique malls and thrift stores. I had given up alcohol for Lent so my drinks were always non-alcoholic beer and I think I tried every one under the sun. They’re actually pretty good and I enjoyed quite a few of them. Every beer seems to have a NA version now and Blue Moon, Athletic, and Sam Adams were some of my go to choices.
My Top 3 Non-Alcoholic beers
Winter in the South
I was expecting shorts and hoodies but instead we got snow and a planet fitness gym membership. After it warmed up a bit I was able to turn the lake house carport into an outdoor gym. Robyn and I were able to get back to being consistent with our training. The entire process of packing to move and traveling south had us training sporadically at best.
Planet Fitness
We brought the NJ snow to the South Carolina
Small Towns of the South
As we explored SC, we developed a love for the Southern small town. We visited some amazing towns with tons of character like Walhalla, Seneca, and Anderson, to name a few. We also crossed the border into Georgia to enjoy Toccoa, Hartwell and Lavonia. Greenville, SC with its busy downtown, also became a frequent stop. Not only is Greenville an amazing town/city, but it’s where Robyn's parents now live and where Glen and Amy have lived for the past decade or more. We spent as much time as we could up there, visiting family and checking out the town itself. We walked along the Reedy River, visited local shops downtown, and enjoyed some delicious meals. We had a few favorite stops but our top two are definitely Tacozinni and the Big Rinkowski, which are both owned and operated by Amy and Glen. The Big Rinkowski is a combination of New Jersey, Philly and the south. They actually get their rolls shipped to Greenville from Liscio’s Bakery in Glassboro (about 5 miles from our old house in NJ) and their cheesesteaks and pork roll sandwiches taste just like home. Tacozinni has a creative pizza and taco menu as well as a fabulous Sunday brunch (Robyn says that their monte cristo is to die for) with seating inside or out on a really cool patio. We, however, prefer to sit at the full bar and chat with the staff while enjoying our food and drinks. This place has been a family favorite since the day it opened 6 years ago. We took a trip down there with Brendan and Matthew the week they were opening so we could help out and be the first to try the food. It's one of our favorite memories with Glen, Amy and our boys. The restaurant has a super friendly staff who take pride in their work, just as Amy takes pride in the restaurant's vibe and menu. Boom Magic! Exploring Greenville, hiking the trails, and eating and drinking was amazing, but Robyn getting to spend so much time with her parents and siblings was definitely the silver lining in our long RV repair.
Robyn’s family in front of the Big Rinkowski
Another favorite town of ours was Travelers Rest, a quiet town known for its friendly atmosphere and it’s proximity to the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Fun fact…when I was getting ready to retire from teaching in NJ, I applied for jobs at two colleges in or near Travelers Rest. Unfortunately, they required a masters degree to help run the fitness center. Oh well, I guess I wouldn't be traveling now if they had hired me then. (Glass Half Full) While we were in town we walked the scenic trail, stopping along the way at a few shops and restaurants. The community vibe, shops and walkable downtown put this town on the list of possible landing spots for us down the road . We even met a realtor who was eager to give us some relocation advice while we were eating at a fun mexican restaurant called Farmhouse Tacos, .
When one margarita is not enough, you get a flight
Speaking of Family
We mentioned last time that Brendan got engaged over Christmas and we were so excited to be gaining a daughter. Brendan & Melania were quickly putting together plans for a small and intimate celebration as opposed to a big wedding. They arranged a courthouse ceremony for February 14th with both sets of parents, the grandparents and all of their siblings. It was absolutely perfect! We flew to New Jersey on the 13th with Robyn’s parents who were just as excited as we were to see everyone and celebrate their marriage. Brendan and Melania drove both of their cars to Philly to pick us up at the airport and took us straight to the my mom’s house so we could spend some time with her before going to the hotel. It was so great to see both them and my mom for a bit before the wedding festivities so we could really catch up. Matthew had dropped his car off at her house earlier so we would have a way to get around for the few days we were home which made everything so much easier.
The morning of the wedding I woke up early and went straight to Village Bagel to get breakfast. If you are from Mullica Hill, you know that you can’t come home and not get a porkroll, egg and pepperjack on an everything bagel from VB. The rest of the day was busy with pictures, the ceremony and then a luncheon. Melania looked absolutely beautiful in her dress and Brendan cleaned up well too and looked equally handsome. Tugboat (their dog) wears his black and white fur tuxedo every day so he was already dressed for the part. Matthew had many jobs that day, including carrying the bag of important documents, signing the marriage certificate and even helping a young man from another wedding tie his tie, but no job was more important than taking care of Tugboat. The ceremony was beautiful and the kids asked me (Robyn) to present the rings to the officiant, which totally made me cry even more. After the ceremony was over and all the pictures were taken, we got to sit for hours with Brendan and Melania and both families at the restaurant. This is where you really appreciate a small wedding. At a typical wedding you may get a few minutes with the bride and groom but we were able to spend hours together just talking and laughing with this wonderful new (and loud) family. It was the absolute perfect day and one we’ll always remember.
Love this!
Brendan, Melania, & Tugboat.
It’s Official
Until Next Time…
While we missed our RV and looked forward to hitting the road again, our three months being squatters at the lake turned into unforgettable, much needed family time. We discovered beautiful waterfalls, met some great people, and created memories with family that we wouldn’t trade for anything. Sometimes, life’s detours lead us to the best destinations.