The Muszynski-Cogburn Project List - Part 2 - Ms Fix It and The Pool Man

Our next stop (with projects) was a return to Sumter, SC to visit our friends Nick and Cindy (Muszynski and Cogburn). Readers may recall that Cindy was managing Pisgah View Ranch during our nine year stint of helping there. They know what our capabilities are and excell at coming up with a great list of things to do.

We’ve finally learned to take our time transitioning between destinations. There are far fewer one-night stops, and we try to limit our daylight driving to about 200+/- miles only. We left C. B. Smith Park on 1 June and stopped at Land Yacht Harbor in Melbourne, FL. Melbourne is near Patrick Air Force Base and our old stomping grounds when we were stationed there for two years in the mid ’90s.

Land Yacht Harbor used to be a WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International) RV park solely for Airstreams. For reasons our greeter attributed to tax improvements, the park club changed some years ago to 75% Airstream and 25% other. The vast majority of the park is full-time residents who have purchased membership shares in the new club and now pay $100/month for their spot. Oddly, many of the sites were vacant. Our greeter explained further that these empty sites had been occupied by Canadians, who were required to return home because of policies Canada promulgated as a result of COVID-19. Most of the remaining RVs were Airstream Land Yachts, a model started in 1960 that has become known as the most elaborately luxurious Airstream Travel Trailer ever conceived (according to Airstream advertising of course).

MFI and I decied to visit three locations from 25 years ago: 5 Azalea Drive (our address when we lived in Military Family Housing), Sun On The Beach (our favorite breakfast haunt), and Bunky’s (a raw bar I was introduced to by my Deputy Civil Engineer and retired Naval Officer, Fred Bailey). While we were in Hollywood, FL, Michael and Sarah had taken a brief get-a-way to Cocoa Beach, and Sarah took Michael to these three locations because they were a part of her history too. She warned us that things had changed.

Our house had been just behind the four palms in the foreground, and our backyard extended to the line of trees and bushes just beyond the fenced parking lot. That lot didn’t exist when we lived there.

Not only was our former house and neighborhood gone, but there was little evidence beyond the palms and other trees that housing had ever existed. Sarah accurately described the feeling of seeing it now as weird. Sun On The Beach had originally been located on the beach east of coastal highway A1A. That was part of its charm. Strangely, they had since relocated into the building that had been Bunky’s. Breakfast and service were okay; however, the place seemed grimier than I would have liked. Bunky’s had relocated into a strip mall nearby and had definitely rebranded itself from popular dive to family restaurant with greatly expanded menu. The meal and service were excellent. But these changes were not at all part of my expectations, and therefore, I admit to being disappointed. So much so, we decided not to visit Patrick AFB and thereby avoid further disappointment. Nonetheless, I’m glad we took the time to have a look.

We made one more stop in Glynn, GA before reaching Sumter and spent three days at the Coastal Georgia RV Resort. This park was fully paved with full hookups and had the unique privacy feature of a hedgerow planted between parking spots. We took the time there to get further organized and improve our on-the-road level of comfort. I washed and waxed Sid with a new spray-on product purchased from a pitchman encountered outside a colocaterd Starbucks and gas station. My Dad would have loved this guy, because his sales skills were so polished. I even unhinged the stainless steel and plastic stone guards at the front of Arthur and washed and waxed everything exposed behind them. We took time to window-tour the histortic district and waterfront of Brunswick, GA. There were also three islands nearby named: St. Simmons, Jekyl, and Cumberland, which were advertised as popular vacation destinations, but we didn’t have the time or desire to get caught up in any tourist crowds.

Nick and Cindy have in the past graciously allowed us to stay at their house when we visit, but this time we were towing Arthur. We decided to park Arthur in the vicinity in order to stay with them and eliminate a daily commute. Poinsett State Park met our criteria. We were at the park only long enough to register, pay, and set up. Despite the location being very scenic, the horseflies were so brutally agressive during set up, we were glad we didn’t stay there.

We weren’t in Sumter long enough to tackle a long and complicated project list, but Nick and Cindy identified the perfect number of projects, with which they needed our help. The two fluorescent light fixtures in the garage had never provided sufficient lighting, so they wanted them changed to LED fixtures. Two exterior electric outlets needed replacing and the dryer vent had to be reattached and leveled where it exited to the outside. The weatherstripping on doors into the garage and onto the back patio was worn to the point of no longer working, and the washing machine needed to be leveled. When we pulled the washer out, we discovered the drain hose hadn’t been adequately secured so there was evidence of leaking. We cleaned the area, restrung the drain hose along with the hot and cold lines and secured them with zip ties, and leveled the washer before pushing it back. Finally, the exterior wood trim on the bottom of patio doors and windows showed signs of aging (four locations). The peeling paint had to be scrapped, the wood needed to be primed and painted, and then all joints resealed with caulk.

We only stayed in Sumter for three days. We had planned our trip to ensure we arrived in Alcoa, TN by 14 June for Arthur’s scheduled maintenance appointment at the dealership where he was purchased. Nick and Cindy were gracious hosts as always, making us feel at home and feeding us as if we were royalty. We are lucky to have such good friends as these.