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PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS

      This is the first chance I have had to address this group since the terrible events starting on September 11.  I have not heard of anyone in our group being impacted b these events, but our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, and those whose lives had been significantly tossed up in the air as a result of the terrorist actions.  Unfortunately for all of us, our lives will never be the same in the future compared to what we have enjoyed in the past.  At my request, Neil Elkins held a brief business meeting at the Renfro Valley Rally and a resolution was passed to donate $250 to the Red Cross Relief Fund from Discovery International.

      Sarah and I were not able to attend the Renfro Valley Rally, but from the reports I have received, it was another successful event.  Thanks to Otho & Alice Tew for hosting this rally.  It is interesting to  look at those who attended.  At each rally we have a group who has been to most of our rallies and also members attending one of our rallies for the first time.  This makes our chapter very interesting and I keep getting favorable comments about the camaraderie at each of our rallies.  Remember, each of you can host a local rally; it does not have to tie into one of the conventions.  If you are interested, please let me know.  Be sure to check out he pictures of the Renfro Rally on our web site.

      Our next major rally is scheduled for Pine Mountain, Georgia, hosted by Mary and Harry Condrey.  More information is included in this newsletter.  I encourage you to sing up early as we have limited space and based on our past experience, I know we will be sold out.  Mary and Harry have been busy planning a great event.

      Bill and Diana Allen, our newsletter editors, who have done a fine job for us, have asked for some relief.  If any one is interested in preparing our newsletter and doing the mailing, please let me know.  I may need to do some recruiting with the help of our officers at the next rally.

      Here on Cape Cod, the oak leaves have turned brown, all the cranberries have been harvested and the birds are migrating south.  It is time for Sarah and I to follow a particular species of bird, and point our Discovery south.  We will begin the winterizing of the coach by leaving after Thanksgiving for our winter sojourn to our RV lot in Crystal Lake, Naples, Florida.  We will return to the Cape to spend the Christmas holiday with our family.  If you are a snowbird and are in the southern Florida area before the end of April, please come look us up, our phone there is 941-304-0731.

      This is the last newsletter of 2001, and Sarah & I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you the best for all the Holidays.  Let us hope and pray for some progress toward peace in the world as we go into the New Year.

      God Bless America..

Safe travels and be well,

Ron

DUES REMINDER FROM THE MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

      It's that time again!  We are trying to get everyone on the same schedule.  Rather than having membership dues coming in each month, we would like to have January as our membership renewal month for everyone.

      Please mail your 2002 dues to me by January 1, 2002.  If you joined after September 1, 2001, you are current until next January (2003).  Dues for 2002 are $10.00.  I'll be mailing out the new membership cards to everyone in January.  Also, please keep me updated with any new information so we can keep our records up to date.

Thanks,

Janet Livingston

IT IS ALREADY TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE NEXT RALLY!!!!

      Can you believe it?  It is already time to begin planning for the Discovery International Pre-Rally to be held in Pine Mountain, Georgia in March 2002. Our hosts for this event are Harry and Mary Condrey of Cataula, Georgia.  They have reserved campground spaces for us with full hookups and planned some wonderful activities.  The complete itinerary is located at Pine Mountain.  So fill out the reservation form at Pine Mountain Registration and get it in the mail in order to reserve your spot as space is limited.

TOURIST INFORMATION

      Next spring, Discovery International members will be getting together in Pine Mountain, Georgia.  Our hosts for this event are Mary and Harry Condrey of Cataula, Georgia.

      There is lots to do and see in the area.  Pine Mountain's main street is lined with small specialty shops conducive to leisurely meandering.  Spring is especially beautiful at nearby Calloway Gardens which is 14,000 acres of world-class horticultural display gardens with a concentration on azaleas.  For animal lovers there is Wild Animal Safari, a 500-acre drive through park that gives people an opportunity to touch and feed a variety of animals.  F. D. Roosevelt State Park is a 10,000-acre State Park, Georgia's largest.  It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp and offers plenty of activities including access to Pine Mountain Trail a twenty-three mile hiking trail that goes through the park.  We will be having dinner at Butts Mill Farm, a restored 60-acre farm built in the 1800's. It has a fully-operational grist mill, petting farm and many other activities.  Warm Springs, Georgia, is a short drive away and is home to Bullick House, where lunch is a most memorable experience.  While you are in Warm Springs, stop by FDR's beloved Little White House.

      Space will be limited at the campground.  30 coaches will have full hookups, so get your reservations in now, the deadline is quickly approaching!

Suggested websites:

http://callawaygardens.com

http://callawaygardens.com/events/march.htm

http://www.pinemountain.org/

http://www.pinemountainchamber.com

http://www.wunderground.com/US/GA/Pine_Mountain.html

Why is it that when you transport something by car it is called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship it is called cargo?

If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?

MR. ED AND MS. JANE

      Discovery International members, Mr. Ed and Jane Colburn of "Mr. Ed" Badges 'N Signs, missed our pre-rally in Sisters, Oregon.  They had planned to attend, but due to circumstances beyond their control, did not get there.  They were coming from Iowa and blew their air-drier in South Dakota.  Without air the coach came to a screeching halt.  Mr. Ed reports that he now knows that the air drier has to be serviced once a year.  After the air drier incident everything was uneventful until they crossed the Columbia River into Oregon where the alternator failed causing the engine battery to also fail.  They were able to "limp" into Bend, Oregon, by manually holding down the battery jumper switch, effectively using the coach batteries to run the engine computer to keep the "D" running for some 250+ miles to a service center.  As a result of these mishaps, the "D" was in the shop in Bend while Discovery International was meeting in Sisters.

CHAPTER AD IN FMCA MAGAZINE

      As approved at the Oklahoma meeting earlier this year, we have an ad running monthly in the Family Motor Coaching magazine.  This is to make FMCA Discovery owners aware of our chapter.

      On a related note, Discovery Owners Association, Inc. will be revising their ad to delete the reference to being the only Fleetwood recognized Discovery group as it was a misleading statement.

THE VP's SOAPBOX

Neil Elkins

      Well, those of you who weren't able to get to Renfro Valley last month really missed out on a great rally!  Otho and Alice Tew arranged a wonderfully entertaining outing and their efforts were appreciated by all who were there.  The beautiful foliage in the area was a bonus and even the weather managed to save the worst of the rain for times when we were inside!  For a better appreciation of the event, visit the Discovery International website ( http://www.geocities.com/difmca/ ) and check out the pictures.  More than one of us suggested that Renfro Valley should be an annual (or at least biennial) event.  Thanks again to Otho and Alice for hosting this exceptional rally.

      The next scheduled rally is the pre-rally in Pine Mountain, Georgia, before the FMCA National Convention in Perry, Georgia.  Harry and Mary Condrey are hosting this pre-rally.  So if you haven't sent in your registration yet you'd better hurry up!  The deadline is January 1, 2002.

      I promised in the last newsletter that I would nag you readers about submitting items or articles to Bill and Diana Allen for their use in the newsletter.  As I pointed out at the rally in Renfro Valley (did I mention that we had a simply great time?), Bill and Diana will obviously publish virtually anything since they've printed everything I've sent them?  Seriously, they would appreciate your input for the newsletter and your fellow Discovery'ers will no doubt enjoy reading your articles.  Surely you've found a unique solution to a problem or situation which others will likely encounter.  Too many folks think that our experiences are not of interest to others, but think about those many times around a picnic table, campfire or laundromat when you've enjoyed conversation with a fellow RVer.  Writing an article is imply putting down on paper (or more likely nowadays, in a computer!) your "conversation" with your neighbors!  So the next time you remember an enjoyable trip, an exceptional campground, an interesting character, or what ever else may make you smile in remembering it...sit down at your computer and write it out.  Then send the file to Bill and Diana Allen weadja@aol.com and we can later share your experiences in the newsletter!

      Another topic that would be of interest to many is where you spend your winter months.  There are three general areas that attract folks trying to escape cold and snow:  Florida, South Texas, and Arizona.  I know that we have some Discovery'ers who are in each of those areas and some who stay home for the winter.  As one who stays home during the winter and travels during the other seasons, I'm curious why you go to one of those areas and not the others.  Have you tried all three?  Do you have family ties to the one you visit (or those you stay away from!)?  When do you leave in the fall/winter and when do you return home?  Do you go to another area I've overlooked?  What is the best thing about the place you visit for the winter?  What are the shortcomings that you overlook?  Answers to these questions would make an interesting item for the newsletter and I think other Discovery'ers would be as interested as I am in reading about your winter getaway.  How about it, folks?

      That about does it for this time.  I know that many of you are getting ready to head out for the winter, some of you are already there or enroute, and some of you will, like Marlene and I, be spending the winter at home. Whatever your travel plans are, Marlene joins me in sending our best wishes to all of you for the coming Holiday Season and may you all be blessed.

THE FALL COLORS WERE BEAUTIFUL

      Otho and Alice Tew selected an absolutely perfect location for Discovery International members to get together and have a foot-tapping, thigh-slapping, laughter-filled rally.  The fall leaves put on a dramatic display for us and the entertainers at Renfro Valley were at their best.

      Our schedule of shows could not have been better.  There was something for everyone - country, western, blue grass, gospel and lots of comedy.  Who will ever forget the "chicken man" or Betty Lou and her first husband, George?  And what about our own Evelyn Kidd singing for us in the Old Barn?  While we had plenty of time to come together as a group, we also had plenty of time to explore the area and enjoy the beautiful mountain back roads.

      If you have never had a boarding house dinner, you have really missed a pleasant experience.  We had fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, and all the fixins' of an old-fashioned meal.

      Otho and Alice started work on this rally 18 months before it actually took place.  They tell us that the Renfro Valley group coordinator was extraordinarily accommodating to our group.  Discovery International would like to thank you, Otho and Alice for a wonderful rally.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Since one of the purposes of this newsletter is to share information, we would really like to hear from you about subjects that interest you.  So, if you have information about a Discovery modification, service or maintenance technique, funny story, clean joke, or story about a recent trip, please send us "your scoop."  We can be contacted by E Mail:  weadja@aol.com or snail mail:  Bill and Diana Allen, P.O. Box 2430 PMB 1037, Pensacola, FL  32513.  We would love to hear from you!