Larry and Patsy Wood (12255-L)
Region Three Directors
The Region Three Rally was held on September 15-19 in Vidalia, Louisiana, at River View RV Park next to the Mississippi River. Vidalia is just across the river from Natchez, Mississippi. The area has a wealth of things to do.
Hurricane Ida had hit southern Louisiana a few days earlier, but it wasn’t finished. As it meandered on up toward Vidalia, it dumped heavy rain on those of us who came in a day early. We woke up in the middle of the night with wet feet. The heavy wind and rain had found its way in. That problem was temporarily solved by hanging a bucket from the ceiling over the bed. Another pan next to the bed and a salad bowl on the floor in the living room seemed to solve the problem.
Although Vidalia was spared by the hurricane, some of the people who planned to attend the rally were not so lucky. One couple was already at the RV park and had to go back home when neighbors called to tell them a tree had fallen on their deck. Another member called to say they wouldn’t be able to come because 50 of their pecan trees had fallen, some of them across fences, which had to be fixed immediately before the cows got out. Fred Walton, the chef for our Welcome Dinner, had lost half of his roof and wasn’t sure if he & Marlyn would be able to come.
The day the rally began, the clouds began to leave, and the weather was good the rest of the time. Fred & Marlyn were able to make it to the rally in spite of having damage to their home. They (along with the help of Carroll & Peggy Thibodeaux) prepared a wonderful Cajun dinner of jambalaya, white beans, salad and French bread. We appreciate them so much for making the effort to be at our rally.
The entertainment for the Welcome Night was comedian Jody Fuller. He was voted one of the fifteen top Southern stand-up comedians that “will make you laugh till you cry.” Our crowd seemed to love him. Like Mel Tillis, Jody has always had a stuttering problem. But, like Mel, he doesn’t let it bother him and was able to use personal stories about his stuttering that kept us in stitches all evening.
The trip to Frogmore Plantation, an 1,800-acre working cotton plantation, was one of the highlights of our rally. It included a tour of the slave quarters. The church (with original pews from the 1800’s) was the setting for vocal renditions of songs from that era.
Always fun, the beanbag tournament and an ice cream social were held inside the large barn at the RV park. The winners of the beanbag tournament were Don Grutzmacher and Dennis Ryan.
The ladies’ luncheon and tour of Stanton Hall was held on Friday. Some of the men went golfing while the ladies were at lunch. Others participated in the Round Table Discussion that was held back at the RV park.
After dinner on Saturday night, we had a rousing game of card bingo, and door prizes were handed out.
We want to thank all of the volunteers who helped in so many ways. With their help, this marks another successful rally in the books.
As Anthony Bourdain said, “It seems the more places I go see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of it, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I still have to go, how much more there is to learn.” Safe travels, friends.
We can be reached at: Larry Wood email: lwood630@gmail.com Ph: 918-630-7470, Patsy Wood email: pwood299@gmail.com Ph: 918-640-9024.
