Easin' Along

Helen, Mortimer, and I left a slowly warming Jacksonville and drove to Orlando. This stop was not on our original agenda, but when we learned that our California granddaughter, Abby, and her high school cheer team won first place in the state competition and thereby qualified for the National competition at Walt Disney World, we quickly rearranged our schedule. We would spend four nights at a KOA campground to support our beautiful red-haired granddaughter.

We attended the 2024 National Championships, where Redondo Union won first place in their division (Large, GameDay, non-tumbling). It was the first year her school fielded a competitive team, and the motto “Why Not Us?” fueled them to take home a Gold Medal. An amazing accomplishment for a first-year program. Abby was a freshman that year, and a few girls from that team remained to compete again.

Helen and I drove out to the ESPN Sports Complex to watch practice on the day before entering competition. I remember doing this two years earlier…it’s overwhelming. I described it then as “an abundance of cuteness and athleticism wrapped in a huge package, held together by a million miles of hair ribbon.” Nothing has changed except the colors of Abby’s practice uniforms (now green instead of red).

Lisa Hedspeth (affectionately known as “Coach H”) is the Varsity cheer coach and makes it known that the Championship is a business trip. Parents, grandparents, and family friends should have limited contact with the team. No distractions are permitted, including visits, dinner out, or even short conversations. When we walked past the team, we got a quick smile from Abby, then went to a balcony to watch practice. Soon, Wendy, our daughter-in-law, arrived to join us.

For this year’s competition, Redondo qualified three teams for the championship. The Varsity would field a large GameDay, non-tumbling team, as well as a team in the intermediate, Traditional, non-tumbling category, a first for Redondo Union. I don’t have the specifics that define each category, but it appears that GameDay is what one sees on a football sideline, while Traditional is a longer performance for the periods between quarters or halves of a basketball game. Don’t quote me. Redondo Union Junior Varsity also qualified a team for GameDay. The Traditional team would hit the floor at 8:40 the next morning, competing against 22 teams from throughout the country. The GameDay team would compete at 9:50 that evening against approximately the same number of teams. We mentally prepared for a long day, but knew that adrenaline would carry us through.

The traditional performance started well, but near the end, one of the girls fell during a lift. The team immediately recovered and completed the program. It was a downer, nevertheless. Two hours later, all of the competing teams assembled in an outdoor arena to learn which eleven teams would advance to the final round. Despite the fall, Redondo Union qualified in second place out of 22 and would perform at 11:00 am the next morning.

That evening, Redondo Union delivered a high-spirited, flawless GameDay performance—optimism reigned. The final eleven would be announced overnight on Varsity TV, a streaming service covering high school athletics. I was up early to check the results. Once again, Redondo Union qualified in second place, just ahead of Maryville (TN) High School, less than thirty miles south of Knoxville. The GameDay final was set for 4:00 pm that afternoon.

The 11:00 am Traditional final was a smooth, polished performance by Abby and the team. No mishaps or falls this time, and the girls felt very good about the results. The awards ceremony was scheduled for 1:00 pm. Helen and I arrived 45 minutes early, but we had to elbow our way through hundreds of Cheer Moms for good seats. The announcers began with the sixth-place team and worked their way down the line. The third-place team received a nice trophy and Bronze Medals for each cheerleader. When the third-place award was announced, only two teams remained, including Redondo Union. Our girls were smiling broadly. Alas, they finished second to a well-deserving team. Many were disappointed, and some were in tears. Nevertheless, they walked off the stage with their heads high, a silver medal around their necks, and carrying the new trophy aloft. Second place is quite an accomplishment for the first year in the Traditional Division.

Coach H refocused the team and mentally prepared them for the GameDay competition at 4:00 pm. When they took the stage that afternoon, any disappointment had vanished. The enthusiasm had returned, and the team went through every movement with precision. When the team finished, some had their doubts about finishing high. They didn’t have to wait long to find out, as the results would be announced 45 minutes later. Helen and I remained in our seats with our fingers crossed. Soon, all eleven teams were seated on the stage, gathered around the trophies and medals. Once again, the officials began with sixth place and counted down to the top three. Our girls were still standing, somewhat surprised. Once again, Redondo Union finished second, but was jubilant at the announcement. Maryville High School finished with Bronze Medals and deserves hearty congratulations.  Abby later told me she was somewhat surprised by the outcome. I knew they had it all along…that’s the grandpa in me.

In addition to the two silver medals won by the varsity cheerleaders, the Junior Varsity also took home a silver for their GameDay Competition. That’s three silvers for one high school out of a 49-page spreadsheet of competitors. Congratulations to all who coached and participated. Competitive cheerleading is a demanding sport, and I’m thrilled that Abby’s team was rewarded for their efforts.

I went back to our fifth-wheel and celebrated by hugging my dog.  We’re Easin’ Along…Panama City and great weather await us. In the meantime, watch this news clip from a Los Angeles television station.

Helen and I had plans to travel to Florida to escape the winter cold and start the New Year off right. We made campground reservations and began packing for an early January departure when things took an ugly turn. My Mother’s health began to deteriorate quickly.

Mom lived in a nursing home and was remarkably sharp for someone who lived to 97. Nevertheless, as sharp as her mind was, arthritis had taken quite a toll on her body. She has been confined to a wheelchair since she arrived at the home in 2022. Mom received excellent care, enjoyed the company of many visitors, and loved watching the birds at the feeders outside her window. Suddenly, Mom began to weaken, losing the ability to speak clearly, and passed away on January 9th. Mom’s death was a “down” for our entire family—three children, 10 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

My Mother was a lovely and gentle person who devoted her early adult years to caring for my brother, my sister, and me. Mom was very active in our church, always volunteered as a room mother at our elementary school, served as a Den Mother for my Cub Scout den, and cheered loudly at every sporting event. She had many friends, though she outlived most of them, including every member of her high school class. We miss her greatly.

After wrapping up the necessary funeral details and planning a Memorial Service for later in the spring, Helen and I resurrected our Florida trip and left Knoxville on January 15—first stop, Cherokee, NC, one of our favorite places. We were greeted by a light snowfall on our first day there. We enjoyed three relaxing days there, as well as a very lovely sunrise on the last day.

Our original plans called for three days in Charleston to visit Collin, Austin, and our granddaughters, but to salvage most of our reservations, we ended up spending only one night there. Collin, an Indiana University alum, had secured a ticket to the National Championship game in Miami and drove down with another IU grad. We didn’t see Collin, but we had a great evening with Austin and the girls. Shortly after we left Charleston, our granddaughter, Bennett, went to her first high school formal with a handsome young man named Sheppard. They looked so fabulous in the picture I received later, I had to share it here.

Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, FL, was our next stop. We have camped here at Pelican’s Roost Campground three times before and, if we’re lucky, we will have a waterfront campsite. Mother Luck smiled on us again, this time—Campsite 11 on the water. Originally, we made reservations for 14 nights. Because the start of our trip was postponed, the waterfront sites were filled for the remainder of the 14-night stay. Helen asked to be notified of any cancellations. We felt that the severe weather to our north might slow down some of the Snowbirds heading south; sure enough, it did. We were allowed to stay in Campsite 11 for two weeks, plus two more days in the third row. Definitely an “up.”

One “down” hit when we connected to the campsite water connection. No water would flow from our faucet on the hot-water side for three days. The campground manager recommended an RV Mobile Repairman, who came and replaced a frozen check valve on the back of the water heater. It’s good that the repairman (Gerald) was a small person because he had to snake his way through the storage compartment to reach the water heater. I asked him to check the wheel bearings while he was here. They were in good shape (”up”).

Pelican’s Roost faces a main channel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Navy and commercial ports in Jacksonville. Enormous Navy vessels and commercial ships pass in front of us throughout the day to entertain us. I love seeing the decks filled with sailors coming home after a long deployment. They hang over the ship rails and wave at all of us standing by to wave back (big “up”).

Mayport Beach is a short walk from the campground and is a lovely stretch of water. The sunrises and sunsets have been exceptional during our visit, and I’ve posted a few here.

Helen and I will leave Mayport on Thursday, 2/5/2026, and Ease Along to Orlando. Abby, our California granddaughter, will compete with her cheer team in the National High School Cheerleading Championship at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Walt Disney World. Readers may remember that her team won two years ago when Abby was a freshman. Keep your fingers crossed for another “up.”

This post will be shared on the Monthly Wrap-Up hosted by my bloggy friend, Natalie the Explorer. Mortimer says to get on the ball and visit her well-written blog, which takes readers all over the world.

Although we didn’t travel as much as we would like, we enjoyed a terrific year in 2025 that included an extended trip to the West Coast, some downtime in North Carolina, and our traditional two weeks in Edisto Beach, SC. The year also required extensive repairs to our fifth-wheel, keeping us on the sidelines for much of the summer. Nevertheless, the good experiences far outnumbered the bad, and I’ve shared some of the best of those here.

Best Campground

Runner-up: Our son, Collin, and Daughter-In-Law, Austin, built a new home in Charleston, SC, with full hookups for our fifth-wheel. We’ve used his water and electricity at the previous home, but during the new construction, Collin ran a sewer connection close to the driveway and gave us a perfect campsite for our Mother-in-Law suite. We refer to it as site #4, next to the pool.

Winner: San Onofre Beach, Marine Base Camp Pendleton, CA. This campground offers outstanding views of the Pacific Ocean as well as non-stop surfing from daybreak to dark right in front of us. San Clemente, CA, is a convenient five-minute drive north for shopping, and the Camp Pendleton Exchange is on the other side of the highway from the beach. While we were there, the Junior National Surfing Championship took place about a half-mile walk down the coast from our site. We attended most days of the competition.

Most Unique Experience

Runner-up: While camping at San Onofre, Helen and I drove northeast to visit the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The swallows had returned from their winter nesting, and we enjoyed visiting the Chapel and the Mission’s grounds, founded in 1776.

Winner: Blue Angel Air Show, El Centro Naval Air Station, CA. When we booked this campground months earlier, we had no idea we would arrive on the day the Blue Angels would hold their final Air Show at their winter home before returning to Pensacola for the summer. We had a perfect view of the high-flying acrobatics from the comfort of our lawn chairs.

Best Desert Hike

Runner-up: Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Holbrook, AZ. How have we passed this National Park on the many trips we’ve taken on I-40 to and from California? We were concerned about problems with our trailer, so we made an extra stop in Holbrook, AZ, to make sure everything was holding up. We hiked through the Petrified Forest on a lovely day after viewing the Painted Desert from the many overlooks. The views were stunning.

Winner: Red Rock State Park, Sedona, AZ. Any time spent in Sedona is always a good time. We camped in Dead Horse Ranch State Park five minutes from Sedona, then drove over on a chilly, but lovely, day for a hike through Red Rock State Park. We snaked our way along some trails to the House of Apache Fire, an uncompleted Adobe House sitting on a knoll above the Desert Floor. We love those Red Rock Mountains.

Best Sunset

Runner-up: Edisto Beach State Park. Sunsets (and sunrises) are not to be missed whenever possible–especially when a camera is nearby. I love taking sunset pictures, and we had a perfect view from our campsite in Edisto Beach this November. Clouds always add to the drama of sunsets.

Winner: Del Mar Beach, Marine Base Camp Pendleton, CA. This picture captured an interesting cloud formation and a waning yellow sky. I got lucky.

I’m throwing a sunrise from Edisto Beach as a bonus.

Favorite Picture

Runner-up: San Diego, CA, at night. Night shots are hard for me — there are always too many settings, and a tripod is a must. This one turned out well.

Winner: Painted Desert National Park, AZ. This one had too much color to leave in a computer file. Hope you enjoyed it.

From Our Family to Yours

As much as we enjoy RV travel, time spent with our family is still precious to us. Because our kids live on both coasts, an RV makes those opportunities possible…especially for someone who hates to fly. Our grandchildren are very busy teenagers (or nearly teens) during their summer breaks, which makes it difficult for us to gather everyone in one spot at the same time.

Abby, our oldest, cheers competitively for her high school team and has little time off. We’re going to Disney World in February to watch her team compete in the High School National Championships.

Bennett participates in both high school sports and a very competitive club soccer program in Charleston. Her club team spends many weekends in state and national tournaments throughout the year, bringing home many trophies in the process. Bennett also had an outstanding school year and finished first in her class academically.

Carter plays volleyball both in the gym and on the sand. He is a member of his school team and also plays on a rec team during the school year. In the summer, Carter plays sand volleyball–that’s what California guys do. He is also an excellent student.

Cason spends three weeks every summer at a camp in North Carolina and loves every minute. Helen and I picked her up at the end of last summer’s session and brought her to Knoxville for a visit with the grandparents. We called our time together Camp BeBe. Cason loves to cook, so I put her to work making fresh Sourdough Bread. We also enjoyed an afternoon in Gatlinburg, TN.

As a family, the Bruners send big hugs and sincere best wishes to all of our readers, hoping that 2026 is a year full of good health, happiness, and an abundance of time with friends and loved ones.

If our fifth wheel (Towanda) holds together, Helen and I plan to be on the road a lot in the coming year, beginning with a trip to Florida starting next week. We hope you’ll join us…we’re Easin’ Along.