E & R's Travels

Tornado Watch, upgraded to Warning and Possible Evacuation!!

2012-03-03T18:16:00.000-04:00

Thursday:

Had a slow lazy morning-we headed into town in the afternoon to pick up a weather radio, and do some shopping. We had a nice supper at Cracker Barrel on the way home. Boy I love that place they have the greatest food. We had new neighbours all around us- Pit Masters in town for a competition in Pensacola. Mike Hallman from NC stopped over to visit and have a happy hour drink with us. He was a vendor and judge at the competition. I got two different rubs from him and 2 bottles of sauce. yum...we watched tv and hit the sack early.

Friday:

Up fairly early, checked the computers, the weather, and enjoyed our coffee. Showered and dressed and off we went to the Gulf Breeze Zoo. Had a super afternoon there...I can't upload pics as wifi is too slow but will add them all later. The skys were turning so we made our way back home. We turned on the weather radio and I thought the sirens were going to drive us all crazy during the evening. Poor Tucker howled a few times. Rick went to the office to check out what procedures were in place as our county was upgraded from watch to warning. The office said as soon as the siren went off we were to all leave our rigs and come to the office/club house for further instructions. We prepared for that possibility. Packed a small bag with dog food, bottled water, our medications, toothbrushes etc etc. Packed up one laptop, made sure the cell was charged..laid our rain coats on the front seats, and made sure all our keys were in my purse with passports etc. and flashlights on the dash. And we sat back and continued to listen to our weather radio with bated breath. Thankfully the tornado went around us altho the warning was extended from midnight to five am!! We did sleep some, but it sure wasn't a restful sleep, waiting for that radio to screech at us. In Mississippi our daughter was at work under a stairwell for 45 minutes. We were pretty worried about her. Thankfully she is ok.

We got up early this morning packed up just before the rain hit and we pointed the rig toward Pontchartrain Landing in New Orleans-we arrived around 2:30. Traffic was a bit heavy but the roads were good and other than a few showers all was well. This resort is lovely-has a nice marina-honors PA and Good Sams. Gated community and very secure. They even have a trolly to take you into the FQ. The resort is new since Katrina..tomorrow we plan to head into the French Quarter and tour around. Ok we're off to the resort bar, for wings and pizza and who knows what else :)...they have live entertainment tonight also...catch you all later...and be safe out there..thanks for stopping by...
Home is where you park it

Wednesday Travel Day and Dinner with Friends in Pensacola!

2012-03-01T12:42:00.000-04:00

We left Ho Hum Park in Carrabelle, around 9:15am yesterday morning heading up the costal route to Pensacola. Traffic was fairly heavy, but the worst part of it all was the 'stop and go' as we ventured through many little towns. We couldn't see the coast for the fog anyway so when we got to Panama City we changed routes over to Interstate 10. I do need to mention here that during a fuel stop "Ossumer" played payback with Rick for hurting him the day before. He burped a diesel fuel spray all over Rick while he was gassing up. At $4.14/gallon. So on top of the high fuel charge it cost us one teeshirt, one pair of shorts, and a pair of socks and sneakers, because you'll never get the smell out no matter how many times you wash em.
We arrived Pensacola around 3pm (according to my watch) and rushed setting up and showering as we had a dinner date with Marti and Paul :). Then I noticed my phone and computer showed the time to be an hour earlier than my watch...yes we woke up in eastern time zone yesterday and went to bed in central. With only around 270 miles of travel.
We had a great dinner and evening at Carrabbas with Marti and Paul. We could have sat there all night, and it was hard to say good bye. Great food, great fellowship and lots of story swapping and laughs. Funny how after following fellow RVers blogs for so long when you do meet theres an instant bond. Travel safe dear friends and we will meet again for sure.

I can't upload pictures of our meeting today as the wifi is a major struggle here in this park but I will add them later when I have a better connection. I've lost this blog 3x just while writing it.

Just before we left for dinner, a big DP coach pulled in. It was bright purple and gold. It was a 'Crown Royal' bus..towing an enclosed trailer..humm wonder if that trailer was full of crown royal? We will never know because they were gone when we got up this morning.
We leave here Saturday and head toward the New Orleans area for a couple of days and I'm quite excited to see that area. Then its over to Mississippi to visit our darling daughter and her husband! And I can hardly wait.
I think today will be a shopping day while here in pensacola-its time to add to my 'yellow box' flip flop collection!! Just wait till I break that news to the Mr. :)

On a sad note-yesterday we lost a dear r'ver friend suddenly. Kevin Sullivan-may he rest in peace. Our hearts and prayers are with Arlene and her family during this sad sad time. We are still in shock after hearing this news. We were with Arlene and Kevin (and Donna and Ralph) for a day just a couple of weeks ago. We had met Arlene back in January, and visited with them in Largo. So so very sad. We all sure need to live in the moment because we sure don't know what tomorrow will bring.
Take care all and be safe out there, thanks for stopping by!

"Home is where you park it"

Our First OOPS!!!

2012-02-29T00:11:00.000-04:00

Monday: We got up early, had coffee did out putering, cleaned the rig and took ourselves out for supper. We went to Tony's for an early supper in Cedar Key, which was fantastic. They are world famous for their clam chowder and rightly so.

After supper we walked around the pier and decided to have coffee and desert here-we had pineapple upside down cake and it was delicious. We sat out on the water and watched the pelicans and ducks.

Cedar Key Fl

I finally got a picture of Buddy the resident aligator at Cedar Key Resort :

After returning to the park we stopped for a chat with folks Rick had met earlier in the day when he was out walking the dogs. Beverly and Boyd are from New Brunswick just an hour away from us. We had to leave to get the furkids out for their walk..so we agreed that Bev and Boyd would come over and join us for a drink. We had a lot of gum flapping going on, and many laughs, come to find out Boyd and Rick knew a lot of the same people :)...as did Bev and I-so it was just like having company from home. Around 10:30 after we were sure we were making too much racket we all said our goodbyes, had hugs all around, exchanged phone numbers and emails and promises to meet up again back home, and they headed back to their motorhome and we headed into bed. I wanted to set the alarm for the morning but Rick said your always up with the birds so don't worry about it. And off to dreamland we ventured. We were so busy talking and laughing I didn't even think to snap off a picture!!

Tuesday: As luck would have it neither of us woke up till 8:45 this morning and we wanted to be on the road by 9. Well that isn't going to happen..(should have set that alarm). We had coffee checked our emails, and readied the coach for travel. Janna, Mike and Matt came out to say goodbye (Gail was away to town, sorry we missed you Gail)..and we got on the road around 10:45am heading for Carrabelle and our destination of "Ho Hum" park. Travel was good today, traffic was light and the weather perfect.

We pulled into this boat ramp which showed to be a nice rest spot. Paved loop to swing around in etc.

There was a class C MH already in there as well as a fiver and truck. All of a sudden we heard a big 'crunch and bang'...needless to say my heart stopped..I was sure the car swung into something. Rick immediately stopped the coach and we barrelled out to check things out. You can figure out the rest from the pictures. Once we realized the car was fine we both looked up toward the roof-Yup the tree was too low, and we were sure we had torn off the a/c units...Rick got out the extension for the ladder and up my brave soldier went, not knowing what he would find. Lucky for us it only tore the back shroud off the back a/c.. Why it missed the front a/c and the fan covers is beyond me.

Yup We lost one shroud the back one!

And up he goes to access the damage!

Now do we go ahead to unhitch the car and back up?

doesn't look too bad

There is a dent

All fixed up with a Red Green Special

We carried on going ahead did the loop and got parked-I made a lunch while he did the patch job. During lunch another class A pulled in and we were running out yelling 'don't go that way'...good thing they heard us and stopped. We didn't have to share our duct tape!! Altho we would have if necessary. So all in all it could have been a lot worse and we are heading to Pensacola tomorrow and will see about getting a new shroud cover! We arrived here around 3:00.

Upon registration we were coming out of the office when I heard "hello are you Elaine"?-Elaine and Rick who were at Cedar Key Rv resort? I turned around and there was Joe of Joe's Journey. He invited us to pop over after we were all set up. We popped over on our way out for supper, and promised to drop in after we got back.

Here we are parked up on lot 11

A cute park right on the water

We went to the 'Fisherman's Wife' restaurant and it was delicious.We jotted over to visit Joe and Carolyn after walking the furkids. Thanks Joe and Carolyn, for the laughs and the great visit. After hugs all around and well wishes for safe traveIs with our new friends-we headed back home-it is so nice to meet blogger friends-it seems like you've known them forever! They are heading out tomorrow also. We took a walk out onto the pier before heading back home it is definitely a must do while here.
Tomorrow is hopefully an 'early' travel day (yes I will set the alarm as we want to be on the road by 9) so I am heading to bed. Now I am 2 days behind on blog reading so that will be my job for tomorrow evening, to catch up with you all! Take care and 'be safe out there'....
"Just another wonderful day in Florida"-our next post will be from Pensacola.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A Rainy Day!!

2012-02-26T21:58:00.003-04:00

It rained on and off all night and was raining most of the day today, now while I do love the patter of raindrops on the roof, I don't enjoy the pounding rain-it wakes me up. It was a good day to stay inside toasty warm and perform some deep cleaning in the coach, and fill the cookie jar with baking. So it was a cleaning and cooking day. Rick took the furkids out for walks between rain showers-Lilly does not like the rain at all-then theres Tucker who loves it. Trying to get them to wait inside the door at the mat till they're dried off is a challenge. But they are catching on to towel drying. Lilly loves the attention the little diva and tucker has no patience for it, he just wants to barrel on in.
After a nice visit with our daughter and g/daughter via skype, we had a nice steak dinner with all the trimmings. Then another great skype visit with one of our sons. We settled in with our coffees for an evening of television and blog reading. I feel bad for all the folks who traveled to Daytona from far and wide to watch the race only to have it postponed, hopefully it will get underway tomorrow.
Have a super week folks, and stay safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Travelling Laundry!!!!

2012-02-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

First thing on the agenda today, after coffee and computers time was get the laundry done. There are two washers and two dryers here at the resort but they were in use, and where as I had 3 or 4 loads to do we thought we'd drive up toward the pier where we saw a laundromat! Upon arrival we saw that over 1/2 the machines (both washers and dryers) were out of order and the other 1/2 were moldy and yucky.. even the change and soap machines were out of order. After some travelling looking for another laundromat and change we ended up back at the resort and the machines here thankfully were not in use..so we got it all done.
Around 4:30 we headed into town with Matt, Gail, Janna and Mike to the Low Key Hideaway tiki bar for happy hour. What a great spot, it is 'low key' and quite a quaint place.

This is the Tiki Bar-behind the hotel

A shot from the Tiki Bar area

The signage

The low key Hideaway-and RV park

The owners Cindy and Pat toured North America with an RV for almost 4 years then settled down here in Cedar Key. There are only 4 RV lots so I'm thinking reservations are definitely required for this quaint spot. Rick and I headed into the pier for a walk, then up to Robinsons seafood for supper. Today warmed up really nice and the sun was shining:)...tomorrow we will work on the get ready to travel "ta do list" as we head out of here on Tuesday in the direction of Pensacola. We will do Tuesday night at Ho Hum park in Carrabell. Have a wonderful Sunday folks and stay safe out there. Thanks for stopping by.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Sun and a bit of Wind-a good day!

2012-02-24T21:22:00.001-04:00

After coffees and computer time today, we tidied up the mh, hit the shower, then the road. We headed into Chiefland to tour around that area. It was cloudy leaving the park but approx 10 miles down the road the sun was strong and shining. We drove firstly down to see where manatee springs was located, then into Chiefland. Chiefland is a nice little town. We made a quick stop at Wally World.There was a big flea market setup alongside a rundown Rv park.
We decided to tour that-and that was an experience. Not anything we'd do in a hurry again. It was pretty much all junk but they did have a discount grocery area (and any food I looked at had expired dates on it)..so we sure didn't shop there. We arrived back home chatted for a few mins with Janna and Mike and Gail and Matt then took the furkids for a walk. I made an early supper because we wanted to hit the pier in Cedar Key and watch the sun go down. It wasn't as spectacular as it could have been because of the cloud cover but we enjoyed walking around the pier and having coffee and watching the sun go down.

Coffee on a deck

These guys were just hanging around!

This park (Cedar Key RV Resort) is a great place to stop and rest for a week. It is a beautiful resort with large sites, cement pad to park on and nice patio. It is very clean and well maintained. Not sure what we have lined up for tomorrow as the weather is suppose to be wet. We do want to visit the The Low Key Hideaway Tiki Bar before we leave here next week. And hopefully see some manatees!! We did see the resident aligator today sunning himself on the bank of the pond.
Take care all have a super weekend...and be safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Lots of Fog-but At least no Snow-A good Snuggle Day!

2012-02-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

Today was wet and foggy although we didn't have any rain to speak of today. It is warm and we don't have to shovel the fog so we won't complain. We didn't do much today, took the furkids for a few walks around the park, read blogs and emails and pretty much lazed around. The furkids snuggled in for a nappy afternoon on the sofa. Sometime the bond these two share scares me. I worry what would happen to her if anything ever happened to him. As some of you know Lilly is almost blind. She has PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) which is a genetic disorder that the breeder apparently didn't check for, and dear Lilly inherited :( So Tucker is her seeing eye dog. And he takes his job very seriously. He watches out for her constantly and is never far from her. He seems to know somehow that she is blind and feels it is his job to take care of her. She is only 5 and he will be 2 in May.

Tucker and Lilly napping

Snuggled up napping

The resident chef put on a Jambalaya Dinner at the clubhouse this evening and we attended. Banana cream pie was the desert and it was very good also. I had never had jambalaya before and I loved -it it was delicious. Janna had warned me that it could be somewhat spicy-and it was- but not as spicy as I had expected it to be. We are now settling in to watch some tv, and are hoping the weather is good tomorrow so we can get out and tour some more.
Have a super weekend everyone and be safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Rain Rain and more Rain!!! Cedar Key Fl

2012-02-22T21:28:00.001-04:00

Its a fact that Fl needs rain and wow we got some today. The day started off very nice weather wise-we had our coffee, read blogs and emails, cleaned up the MH, walked the dogs, showered up and headed into Cedar Key to tour the area. Quite a quaint fishing area. We walked around and visited on the fishing pier. There were a lot of people fishing!! A very nice area -

little islands on the way to Cedar Key

Fishing Pier

This guy was just hanging on the pier waiting for someone to give him some fish I think

I wonder if this was his wife hanging out waiting for him on the Pier to bring home the bacon? (Fish)

We did see some dolphins playing but no matter how quick I was with the camera I couldn't catch them in mid air. We strolled the streets and into the shops.

A shot of the main road....

A lot of places are built on Stilts

hummmm..

These guys were just hanging around

Before leaving we toured the cemetery over in Cedar Key-a beautiful old cemetery. We stopped at the store and then the post office as I needed boxes to fill up to send home the easter presents to the kids. We then ran to the dollar general to buy some packing tape-that store has pretty much anything you would need.

We took the furkids for a walk upon our return and just managed to get back home before the heavens opened up!! And wow did it rain for a few hours. I checked emails, made us a lunch, watched some TV and took a nap..I just got up an hour ago so I hope I can sleep tonight.

Take care all thanks for stopping by, have a super evening and be safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Arrived in Cedar Key RV Park Safe & Sound

2012-02-21T22:40:00.001-04:00

We left Port Richey around 11am today and arrived at Cedar Key RV Park around 2pm. We were booked to be here for 3 days but the place is soooo nice we signed up and paid for a week. So we are here till next Tuesday. What a lovely park-nicest one we've been in so far on this trip!
We got setup and settled, then Janna and Mike stopped over for a few minutes and we all introduced ourselves. They were heading out to supper with friends of theirs that are leaving tomorrow.
Tucker and Lilly met "sweet little Emmi" and of course Tucker was flirting with her. He was standing on the sofa watching their rig..he knows that pretty little girly is in there.
I made a nice supper of pork chops and potatoes and veggies, and Rick tossed up a garden salad.
We took the kids for a walk, had coffee outside and relaxed for a bit then came in to check blogs and watch some TV. The park is beautiful....full cement pads to park on plus big patio.

Our lot before we pulled in-I'm sure you all recognize that pretty redish rig off to the right :)

We are parked

Jacks down, Slides out sitting on a chair with a happy hour drink in my hand:)

Now that we have a good (free) wifi signal here at this park I am hoping I'll be able to comment on all your blogs instead of just reading them. I was able to post on a few of them but my wifi was so bad it was booting me off all the time. And the verification issue was a big deal.

Lori and George it won't be long you'll be retired it will be here before you know it!! Teri we truly enjoyed Tarpon Springs-and can't wait to tour Cedar Key-Suzie I find it is now taking me quite a while to read all the blogs it is almost like a job-but I love it..Ron sorry we missed you the other day at Tarpon Springs..we could have met up for sure! Donna thanks for the compliment on Hannah she is our darling grand and we sure do miss her..,thank heavens for skype.Sue the Tuckman didn't get to meet tiffy but he sure sniffed her on me when we got home :) Allen and Lolita just about every place we've been in has been beautiful. Contessa and Jeanette unstructured sure does = perfection and fun. Donna-Rick was "un" really fast..I think it took him an hour last June 10th me it took quite a bit longer for me as I struggled with it..going from the speed of a race car to a bicycle (without pedals)..but I just kept practising and am now settled into it all :)..Your turn is coming and heaven knows you sure deserve it!! It will be here before you folks know it.
I want to give a big welcome shout out to our new followers-I try to follow everyone who follows us-but blogger doesnt' seem to have an 'alert' stage as to when a new follower hops on board with us..so hello and welcome to you newbies-hope you enjoy following us. And if you have a blog we will be following you!
I just had a great skype visit with relatives back home in Cape Breton-and it sure was nice to catch up with that side of the family.
Take care all & thank you for stopping by, and be safe out there! I'm off to catch up on blogs on this nice fast wifi.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Super Fine Monday at Tarpon Springs!!!

2012-02-20T20:14:00.002-04:00

Is Gingee in there Mom? Huh Mom Huh? Or that pretty Tiffy girl you saw yesterday? Huh?

Tuckman trying to pick up women

I guess I'm gonna have to enforce the parental lock downs with the boy!!!

Dontcha just love retirement? Get up late (7:30am)-drink coffee and read blogs! What a great way to start the day-and to be able to do it in the sunny south of Florida is definitely a bonus. I am getting pretty used to this lifestyle.
I do need to point out to you all that I'm struggling trying to comment on most of your blogs with this new verification (yeah yeah everyone is having the same problem so I won't whine too much)..but I just want you to know I am still reading your blogs and trying to comment! So behave cause I still know what your all up to!
Today was a great day-Rick and I took off with a plan to visit Tarpon Springs and Honeymoon Island. Tarpon springs was great - what a neat place and I'm pretty sure I ventured into each and every shop that was there. The water was beautiful the day was beautiful and what more could we ask for.

Marina area at Tarpon Springs

Pretty much every store had the same thing but I loved it anyway

We had lunch here at Yanni's - great food

costal waterway

Sponges anyone?

Boats across the way in the marina

gorgeous area

It was a pretty hopping place. A lot of tourists there. We spent the whole afternoon there and never did make it to Honeymoon Island. But I figure that's ok because we're on a permanent honeymoon anyway :)
Tomorrow we are heading down the road (or maybe its up the road I'm not sure) for Cedar Key RV Resort in Cedar Key (Thanks Janna-I never know where I'm going and can never keep the names of places straight-looking forward to seeing you folks) for a few days..not sure where we're off to after that. Apparently that is still to be determined. And Karen I'll keep up the safari 'spy' mission for you :)
After having lived a life of structure raising five kids-and working in our business being structured for years..and taking care of an aging parent-I'm ready to be unstructured!! Now does that make sense to anyone?
Tucker by the way is as right as rain and totally back to normal..thank heavens.
After returning to the resort, Rick ran to the laundry room and threw in the laundry for me. So he now informs me that as soon as that is done we need to make a run to Wally World and pick up some more groceries. Where did we ever find the time to work and make a living?
So y'all stay safe out there, thanks for stopping by, and enjoy each and every day we are blessed with! Cause I sure don't think it can get any better than this!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Super Fun Sunday Met more Bloggers!

2012-02-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

We left here today shortly after noon...with all intent to stop in Largo and visit Donna and Ralph (Our adventures with Tassie) and pop into to see Arlene and Kevin (Roaming when we can) (we had met Arlene last month:)..then head on up to Tarpon Springs and have a looksee. Well time definitely has a way of flying by when your having fun!! Arlene came over to Donna and Ralph's and visited with us there then we all walked over to Arlene and Kevin's and had a visit there. What a great afternoon we had. We just arrived back at our motorhome in Port Richey around 8PM. When we walked back to Donna and Ralph's..the lady next door came out of her rv calling out to us..by name..here it was friends from home (she used to work with Rick at the phone company and curled on his curling team)..what a small world!!! We didn't even realize they were in Florida, let alone parked next door to our new found friends Ralph and Donna.
Needless to say we didn't get back in time to tour Tarpon Springs so if we feel up to it we may do that tomorrow. We head out of here on Tuesday up to Cedar Creek Rv resort. Donna and Ralph and Rick and I ended up going out to supper at a restaurant right next to their resort and the buffet was excellent.
Thank you Donna, Ralph and Arlene and Kevin..for your hospitality and a great visit. Donna and Ralph are heading to eastern Canada this summer and we can't wait to see them again and return the hospitality. We may see Arlene and Kevin again down the road in April if all goes well.

Arlene, Myself, and Donna

Kevin (Arlene's hubby) Ralph (Donna's hubby) and my Honey

Donna :)

Me and Donna

Ralph and Rick

Donna and Ralph and darling 14 yr old Tiffy!!

Safari - Just for you Karen!!!!

All in all it was a wonderful day..it is so great meeting fellow RVers and bloggers its like you've known them forever-thanks again Donna and Ralph and Arlene and Kevin for the wonderful afternoon. And Karen heres a couple of pics I snapped just for you!! Saw this coach on our walk to Arlene and Kevins. :)

A safari for Karen and Stevo...

Be safe out there and thanks for stopping by everyone~

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Rick Ate Gator!!!!! A Wonderful Saturday with Friends

2012-02-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a great day-we went shopping at a large mall in the morning! Found quite a few of those 'must haves'..and finished up the easter packages for the kids. Then we hopped in the shower and drove into Palm Harbour to visit and have supper with friends Eda and Tom and their two adorable little boys. They took us to the Azona Blue restaurant not far from their home. We actually travelled there via their golf cart. It was right on the water, we had a great table outside, they even had a swimming pool and hot tub in the restaurant area. It was at a marina, what a neat place and the food and service was excellent!! We hadn't seen Eda since 2008 so there was much gum flapping going on. So as you know Rick held a gator last week at gatorama well last evening he ate gator...I didn't eat any, but he said it was good and tasted alot like chicken. Just knowing what it looked like 'alive' -nothing could entice me to even taste it.

One of the many piers at the Azona Blue

Eda :)

Eda and I

Tom and the boys

Myself and Rick

Sweet Boys at the restaurant

The wifi here in the park is not the best-but it is free so we can't complain. I cannot blog or comment while on it-so I have been using my air stick to do up the blogs. I can read your blogs and am keeping up with you all but sometimes I cannot comment on your posts-so please don't think we are ignoring you. That would never happen!

Today is looking like a nice day so we may possible hit the Clearwater beach. And meet up with some family I have in the area. Have a super Sunday everyone! Eda and Tom thanks so very much for the wonderful evening!

Be safe out there yall..thanks for stopping by!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Safe and Sound in Clearwater -Port Ritchey Area!!

2012-02-18T11:31:00.005-04:00

We arrived safe and sound yesterday afternoon, and it was a good drive in from Palmdale. We will be here until moving on day which is Tuesday and we are heading up around the Panhandle :)..to check out that area.
We crossed the big scary bridge (as most of you know I'm terrified of bridges)-the Sunshine Skyway Bridge- and you will be impressed this time I stayed in my seat and took pictures, even tho my heart was pounding.

The RV resort is nice lots are a bit tight but everyone seems very friendly. And they honor good sam and passport america :) Here we are setup for the next few days.

This morning we are hitting the malls..I need a few things to add to the grands easter packages before I mail them off. Then we are meeting with friends who live in the area for supper. The sun is trying hard to peek through and it is warm.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend folks. Wifi is sketchy here (good thing its free) so I'm doing this off my airstick.
Be safe out there

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Great Vist on Wednesday~Sad to say Goodbye!

2012-02-16T15:34:00.000-04:00

Due to the fact that we are leaving this area tomorrow (Friday) we packed up the firkids yesterday, packed a bag, and headed on into Cape Coral to spend the day and night with my sister Julia and her husband Kit and their friend who lives with them Phil.
I had cooked some party mix up and a nice casserole of lazy man's cabbage rolls (quick and easy and I will include the recipes)..so we loaded everything in the car and headed to their place.
We spent a nice afternoon visiting, and we had a combo supper-Kit made a nice salmon dinner, with alfredo linguini, and salad, brocolli, and asparagus. I popped the lazy man's cabbage rolls into the over and we also had that. For desert it was chocolate valentine cake yum.

Lazy Mans cabbage rolls, asparagus, broccoli, salmon with sauce and alfredo

Rick, Julia, Kit and Philip

We visited until bedtime out on their Lanai by the pool. There was alot of gum flapping going on I tell you and many 'remember whens'.

Tucker, Kits legs, Phil Julia and Rick

My Brother in law Kit and Philip

My sister Julia

Their pool on the Lanai

The furkids had free run of the place and they also enjoyed their visit. Tucker is still having some issues but I think it is getting somewhat better. We will keep him on his rice and chicken until his bm's are back to normal. Other than this issue he is truly his regular goofy self and very active.
This morning my wonderful brother in law was up and out and back with coffe for us before we even got out of bed. What a wonderful surprise.
Here are some morning pictures taken from their dock, they live on a canal.

Looking up the canal toward the neighbour

Looking down the canal

A shot of their Lanai and House from their dock

This morning we visited some more,having our coffee out on the lanai...eventually I finally made myself gather up our things - get packed up and ready to roll back to our Rv resort. It was sure hard to leave as I had not seen my sister (my only sibling and only 9.5 mos older than me)..since 2008. After hugs all around a few times, and some tears between her and I we finally managed to ourselves get in the car. I promised we would be back to visit the end of this year. Hopefully her health continues to improve between now and then.

We arrived back at our resort Sable Palms and what did we see out for a walk?

Both Pictures are through our windshield-tucker & Lill sure thought that was one big dog!

Now we must get busy and start our cleaning of the MH prepping to head out tomorrow to Port Ritchey as we have friends in Tampa we will visit with on the weekend. From there we're not too sure, we may spend a few extra days in Tampa, and then we plan to head up around the panhandle to the Cedar Keys area. Rick has always wanted to tour up around the panhandle.
Take care all, be safe out there and our next posting will be from our next destination. Until the next time....thanks for stopping by.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Lazy Man's Cabbage Rolls: Quick and easy

1 lb ground beef

1 onion chopped

apprx 3 cups chopped coarsely raw cabbage

3-4 TBSP long grain uncooked rice

1-10 oz can tomato soup (I use spaghetti sauce)

*if you use the tomato soup you will also need one can water

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Method:

In frying pan sear beef for couple minutes, add onions, salt pepper and rice. Stir, cooking about 5 minutes-Add soupe and can water and mix (If using spaghetti sauce no water unless you do not have enough sauce then add a bit of it)

Put cabbage in greased casserole. Pour meat mixture over cabbage evenly. Do not stir. Bake covered 1 1/4 hrs at 325F

Party Mix: Quick and easy

stick pretzels

cashew nuts-peanuts

crushed potato chips (plain ripple chips)

melt white chocolate in microwave and stir all together. Spread on wax paper on cookie sheet and put in fridge for 20 minutes. Break up into bite size pieces and enjoy. There is just something about the salt and sweet taste.

We have a Sick Boy :(

2012-02-14T10:44:00.003-04:00

Tucker and his Nurse

Tucker started feeling peekish Sunday evening ...we are thinking he picked something up at the groomers on Saturday after being there for 7 hours or they possibly fed him treats he was not used to ...he had diarrhea Sunday night and yesterday-we took a drive to LaBelle to see where the vet's office was located in case we had to make a fast run in with him. I took him off his feed and cooked him chicken and rice and he ate well last evening and again this morning. We will keep him on the rice and chicken for a few days. I also picked up some kopectate but didn't dose him yesterday because if it is something intestinal I wanted him to pass it.

This morning his movement had some form but it wasn't normal by any means-but better than yesterday-he ate his chicken and rice with a gusto.

We will keep a close eye on him and take him in if necessary or if he doesn't continue to improve. Hes still his goofy active self..thankfully...say a prayer he gets over this..we are suppose to leave here on Friday...

Have a good day all and Happy Valentines day to each and everyone of you!

Saturday/Sunday Spa and visitation!

2012-02-13T00:39:00.000-04:00

We headed into Cape Coral Saturday morning, to drop the furkids off at a spa for a good grooming, and to visit my sister and brother in law. We dropped the kids off at 12:30 and they didn't call until 7pm that they were ready. Wow was I worrying and calling and checking on them every few hours. Apparently they were totally over booked and didn't bother to tell me this when I made the appointment and took them in. Regardless after a long day for them and $110.00 smack in the wallet for us, we did get gorgeous kids back.

We headed over to my sister and brother in law's and she was resting and not having the best of days so we left her to rest and we headed out shopping. The boys got a haircut and I did some shopping while waiting for them. Found a nice pair of sandals and a cover for my kindle. Because I complained about Rick's last haircut 3 weeks ago not being short enough-when he told the 72 yr old barber about my complaints-he buzzed him right off. Is it really possible to have a hair cut shorter than a brush cut...yep it is. But like my dad always said "its only a week between a good haircut and a bad haircut"..or in Rick's case it will be more like 8 weeks.
When the guys were done we met up and headed to publix and picked up some ingredients for me to make my famous 'fish dinner' for everyone for supper.

Hows that for a nice kitchen to work in..2 ovens :)

Kit my bro in law and Me

My Special Fish Dinner

Making my special desert here-butterscotch dumplings

So for dinner we had "tilapia fish" steamed asparagus, mashed whipped potatoes, tea biscuits and butterscotch dumplings with vanilla ice cream for desert. We spent a lovely evening sitting around and chatting and it was a great visit.
(Yes for all of you wondering how to make my fish dinner I will include my recipe at the end of this blog)..
This morning Kit was off to work and the rest of us got up had coffee my sister felt pretty good so we hopped in the car and headed off to a diner for breakfast-then to Beals and JCPenny's to do some shopping. While shopping in Beals, I saw a lady going from rack to rack with tears streaming down her face-the other shoppers around here didn't seem to notice. I finally walked up to her and said "Are you ok? Are you sick? Did you lose something" The tears we flowing big time at this point. She had lost her 'wedding ring'. After describing the ring to us, we proceeded to help her and her husband search for it in every department she visited in the store, including the dressing room :(...we did not find the ring and come to find out her husband gave it to her for a very special occasion and although it was insured and could be replaced the memory could not be ..I felt so bad for her..her husband told us it was valued at $30,000.00 and that she had lost weight and it was a bit big on her. They were from out of state on vacation and it was their last day in town. We continued to help them search a long time but to no avail. If she lost it in the dressing room anyone could have found it there and pocketed it..sadly not everyone in this world is honest.
We got back to the house around 3:30 visited a bit with Kit when he got home from work, then we sadly loaded up the kids, packed our overnight bag and headed back to Palmdale. Today was quite a chilly day here in Fl and this evening as I type this the furnace is kicking in and the electric heater is up and running. But tomorrow is promising to be around 71 so we can live with that. I don't mind the cool nights for sleeping as long as we can have warm days.
Take care all, have a super week and stay safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Fish Dinner:
Fish-Tilapia, sole, haddock (pretty much any type of white fish boneless and skinless)
Brush some butter on all pieces of fish and place on cookie sheet in the oven @ 350 degrees until its 1/2 cooked.
Transfer to casserole dish cover with chopped up onion (raw)..a couple of handfulls of shredded cheese (Cheddar works good) Pour a can of "Campbells New England Clam Chowder" over it all (chunky style)..another handfull of cheese and pop it in the oven till done. Quick easy and delicious!! Enjoy

A Great Day and A Visit from Family and Friends!!!

2012-02-10T23:06:00.002-04:00

Thursday was a nice warm sunny day-my sister Julia and her husband Kit arrived early in the afternoon to visit with us! I had spent the morning prepping for supper..bbq steak, toss salad, potato salad, coleslaw, tea biscuits, shrimp, mushrooms and onions and apple pie to top it all off. We had a lovely visit, and it was nice catching up in person. She left Canada in 1992 and relocated to the Fl area, and mostly due to health reasons she doesn't get back to Canada to visit too often, so its nice that I'm in her area.

Julia, Kit and Rick

Today Kenny and Debbie our friends from our last park (Avon Park) came to visit and we had a great day. So much chatting and fun I forgot to take pictures today. We toured around Mooe Haven, Clewiston, and La Belle...we stopped and picked up pizza for supper and the four of us came back home here to eat and visit some more. It was great to see them again. They are from Maine which isn't too far from us in New Brunswick, so we will meet up during the summer months. I think Tucker and Lilly were as happy to see them as we were. Here are some pics of our current park (Sable Palms)

The view from our patio toward the dog park and pool

fence to the dog park

Sand Hill Cranes just hanging around-the babies not with them for this stroll

I need to be quicker on the draw..there is a new family here in the park. The momma sand hill crane and the daddy and the kids..they just stroll thru the park walking around and don't seem to be afraid of anyone. The babies are yellow in color. I'm trying to keep the camera handy to snap of pic of them all while out on their daily strolls.

Last but not least...heres a couple for you Karen, I also passed along that group url and info from you -to them so they can join. This Safari MH is owned by Pete and MJ from North Carolina.

Ok yall am off to read up on your antics of today, then off to bed. I didn't sleep well last night so hopefully I will tonight. Tomorrow we are off to Cape Coral to my sisters and if she feels up to it I may take her shopping. Thanks for stopping by, and be safe out there!!!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Gators Gators Everywhere!

2012-02-08T21:21:00.004-04:00

Hopefully it never comes to this but its nice to know there is a setup in place should we ever need it~I figure I'll get to ride in the little rig like a queen :) !!!

This morning we arose around 8am..took the furkids out for their morning business, then got down to our morning business of coffee and putering. Dropped in on yall..and nice to see that everyone is doing fine :)..

After a bit I said to Rick what time is it (thinking it was around 10am) he said its almost 1pm...wow -guess we got lost in the blog reading. We hurriedly tidied up, made the bed, passed the vacuum, hopped in the shower, got dressed and headed out to Gatorama. Now that was an experience and not one I'm in a hurry to repeat. I think I saw on Marti's facebook (R Sanity RV Adventures) 'Love is going to a military aircraft museum, because that is what HE likes to do..now I can say "love is going to hang out with a bunch of gators and crocs because that is what HE likes to do"..all I can say Marti is there better be some good 'valentine memories' coming our way :)..

Gators and Crocs do not amuse me in fact I'm petrified of them unless they are incorporated into a nice pair of boots or a nice handbag.

I loved the birds, panthers, macaws, and other small animals. But alas most of the 'livestock' were gators and crocs.

Gators laying around

This bird really wanted that piece of bread

If there is such a thing as a 'nice' gator maybe this is one?

The bread landed on his head he didn't move

This dude was cute and very interesting

She was darling wish the pic was better I could have snuggled her right up

Of course theres vultures everywhere

These Macaws were gorgeous and quite chatty

Pretty Peacocks

Young Gators just laying around

Feeding time (with chicken)

I can't believe Rick held this 'thing'..he was pretty interested in it..I didn't touch it..I stayed on the other side of the camera.
The sun came out and it was hot and sunny, so we headed back to the campground, visited with neighbours and took the furkids for a walk to the dogpark. After supper we took a run into Labelle to the win dixie to pick up a few special things for supper tomorrow -my sister and brother in law are coming to visit us for the day!! Thanks for stopping by folks...stay safe out there...

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Monday Tuesday Trip and Happy Hour

2012-02-08T11:37:00.003-04:00

We had a bit of rain earlier today (Monday)..Florida definitely needs rain-it wasn't enough to soak the ground but it was enough to break the humidity thankfully. As I write this blog tonight it is pouring, and has been for a couple of hours. How I love to sleep hearing the rain patter on the motorhome roof.
We popped the furkids and ourselves into the car and headed into LaBelle today to have a look around the area. Popped into the win dixie for a few things..(nice store and I think the only food store in town)..
We came back and Peter and MJ next door invited us over to meet some other folks and have happy hour under their awning. Thanks Pete and MJ...
After happy hour we came in and I dished up our spaghetti supper, toasted up the garlic bread..and Rick did the dishes. I've been reading blogs this evening catching up with you all, and watching tv.
Some Palmdale History:
It seems like in the early 1900s Palmdale was a booming town, tourists came from all over the country to experience the wilds of Florida, and stay at the Majestic hotel built by Otto Fog. Up until the 1960s Palmdale was home to several favorite eating and drinking establishments and even had a gas station or two. All that remains now of its thriving town is the post office and the Sabal Palm Campground. Palmdale was never destined to become a tourist attraction and the cabbage palms reclaimed her, perserving its beauty for us to enjoy today! Now the community of 300 is indeed so small you might never know it existed at all if you didn't go looking for it. Once upon a time, Palmdale was a fashionable destination. It is now a hidden treasure of peace and tranquillity. Monday night it rained all night which was good as Fl sure needs some rain.
Tuesday we headed on out late morning for Cape Coral and a visit with my sister. My bro in law was off so the four of us went out for supper. We had a nice visit, and got back to the resort around 9pm..wouldn't you know the gate was in place and we forgot to ask at the office for a swipe card. Rick walked in and our next door neighbor drove him back to the gate and swiped us in..here are some pictures of our current park:

The mascot I believe

Entrance to the Park

Camp Office and Store

Pond where you know who lives-I don't want to meet him

Ossumer parked and setup

Community bonfire area

Yup Gator lives in there too just a small fellow

Ossumer on other side of dog park

As you can see the park is country and rustic although it has all the amenities you would need including free strong wifi. A nice clubhouse, shuffleboard courts and a nice new pool, and cement patio. The closest town is LaBelle 13 miles away. A driving time of approximately 45 minutes to Ft Myers/ Cape Coral area. Quite a fair size park, and you can be parked in the open area or the shaded area if you choose. We like the rustic country atmosphere in the open (no shade for us thanks), and all the folks are very friendly. They have a busy calendar of events so you sure don't get bored here.

Tuesday was warm but overcast and today the weather is calling for a high of 81 and cloud cover. I guess we can live with that for a day or two.

So have a super day folks, and stay safe out there..until the next time - thanks for stopping by!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Landed Safe and Sound!!

2012-02-05T22:48:00.001-04:00

Today was moving day for us - we were packed up and ready to roll out by 10:30am or so. Jon and Kathleen stopped by this morning to wish us safe journey and to say so long for now. I truly hope we all meet up again someday down the road. We've met some very nice people in Avon Park. Deb and Ken saw us off-and with a blow of the air horns we were on our way. We are sure going to miss yall.
After filling with diesel we hit the road. It was a great drive down and traffic wasn't very heavy..once we were through Sebring we seemed to have the road to ourselves. I think everyone was home prepping for the superbowl.
We Arrived at Sable Palms RV resort in Palmdale around 1:30 or so. Everyone we saw welcomed us and introduced themselves. Very friendly folks. The furkids love the dog park we are parked right across from it. There are dogs of every kind here in the park. I dont' have any pictures today but will be sure to take some tomorrow. It was a very very warm day, to the point where we had to turn on the a/c and close up the motorhome. But we are not complaining at all. The Sandhill cranes just stroll up and down the roads here..and yes folks there is a resident alligator who I hope NOT to meet.
There was a big superbowl party at the club house and everyone who stopped by invited us to attend-I am not much into football (neither is Rick)..and I had a headache from the heat so we opted to just crash this evening. Upon arrival and before parking the mh and car Rick sprayed the lot to prevent red/fire ants and sugar ants from invading us. Hopefully it works!

Hope yall are enjoying your superbowl and that your team is winning. I've been flipping back and forth as I do like the commercials and what not!
And as Maxine would say~~~

On another note I do have to say-for all you animal lovers out there check out this book-you can find a link to it on Russ and Donna's (Travels in Therapy) blog-I think her brother wrote the book..I downloaded it on my kindle and its quite a read and a great book. Be sure to have tissues handy. Very well written!!

Our tucker is very impressed with all the squirrels around here-he was on 'point' all during his walk this evening. As aggravating as it is having to hold him back from the chase, I wish little girl lilly was able to see them and feel his excitement. But she seems to be perfectly happy in her own little darkening world.

Have a super week folks, and everyone stay safe...I'm looking forward to visiting with my sister and brother in law in the Ft. Myers area and travelling around seeing the sights.

Until the next blog..thanks for dropping by.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Friday / Saturday Moving Time

2012-02-04T23:36:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a nice laid back day, we cleaned the MH, got the laundry all done up, and I made dry rub ribs, Potatoes, Veggies and rice for supper. I put the ribs in the crock pot early in the day and just let them cook all day. They were delicious. We took a few walks..had coffee outside with Debbie and Ken then watched some tv..

Today we headed over to Maxwells (they have the best fresh squeezed OJ) to pick up some of our favorite Orange Juice-and have that one last swirl vanilla/orange ice cream. Boy are we going to miss them. Maxwells has been in operation since 1935-we met the owner again and he gave us all a good lesson on orange growing, etc. This place is nothing fancy..it could be hard to find if you don't know where your going..but boy it sure is famous. Anyone and everyone knows about Maxwells. They offer oranges at 4.95/bushel..juice and produce. Orange candy sticks, orange taffy...orange everything..its quite the country store..you can find everything there from nuts to honey. We sat on the rockers on the porch to eat our ice cream.

Maxwells Grove Avon Park Fl

After our visit to Maxwells we toured a golf course area in Bonnet Lake..talk about some nice homes in that gated community..This house was solar powered and solar heated..what a place it was. Gorgeous!! Deb Ken Rick and I of course fell in love with this house. It was their open house model home.

Heres a few pics of the inside..the Lani in the back even had a putting green in there...wonderful layout..but too big a stix and bricks for my taste at this time in our lives..Three bedrooms 3 bathrooms -but how could you not find it fun to entertain in this Lani?

Across from the cooking station was a bar and seating area

It was fun to tour tho..and was furnished beautifully...I can only imagine the cost and the fees to live there...I was happy to come back to our MH.

Upon returning home, we were visited by Jim and Dee they came down to say so long for now..thanks guys for the fun times during our stay here. We had coffee outside with Deb and Ken..we will miss all the great friends we met here but hopefully we will meet up again down the road.

Well this evening we started our tear down in preparation for tomorrow's travel, down into Palmdale. We have enjoyed our month here at Adalaide Shores RV Resort and all the friends we've made. I can't believe we've been here a month today!! Wow time sure flies in Florida.
So everyone be safe out there...our next post will be from our new park!!! Take care!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A Thursday Travel Day!!

2012-02-03T11:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our beautiful baby girl's birthday, Happy 33 Becky!!!

Our beautiful daughter Becky and Rick on her wedding day in April 2010

Had a great day yesterday-we headed down to Estero and Ft Myers area had lunch with friends in Estero, stopped at Camping world to see if our mirror and wiper covers were in yet..but they were not. We could hardly find a parking space, CW was so busy.We had lunch at Applebees with our friends and it was excellent. We sat out on the patio and the server stated our furkids were also welcome on the patio, so that was much better for them versus sitting in the air conditioned car. I had prefilled their kongs with peanut butter and cookies so that kept them pretty busy while we ate.

On the way down we stopped at Sable Palms RV park in Palmdale to see if they wanted a deposit on our reserved lot which we will move to this sunday, but she said nope see you on Sunday. We went to Cape Coral while in the area and visited with my sister and brother in law. We were late heading back (too much chatter me thinks)...and traffic was very heavy for a Thursday evening. All in all it was a great day. Now today is a cleaning and laundry day but that should take too long. Then we will decide on the fly what to do with the rest of the day!

The beauty of retirement..you don't have to make plans or set up schedules..I love it...

I'm trusting the traffic for our move on Sunday won't be heavy as it is Super bowl Sunday. The only football sports we've ever taken part in was when one of our sons played in high school. I do not understand the game..but we attended each and every game as his top cheerleaders. I do like to see the commercials during the superbowl. Here is my take on the superbowl...

Yesterday I felt pretty sorry for this little guy...he only works one day a year but the pressure he has to endue is way up there...

Have a super weekend folks...and be safe out there!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Tuesday and Wednesday!!!

2012-02-01T21:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a super day..we spent the morning putering and drinking coffee..in the afternoon we went and played shuffleboard with Deb, Ken, Dee, Jim and Don. Kathleen came also and joined us for a few games. We went to Checkers for supper. Not a very busy day...but a good day.
Today we were up early, and it was a gorgeous hot sunny day so it was a pool day for me. Went to the pool around 10 chatted with the other ladies there and came home after 3pm..Debbie came and joined me after she returned from her golf lessons. Even Rick came over in the afternoon for a swim. We came back walked the furkids, hit the a/c for the dogs and we took off to the post office, then down to Sebring to Publix for groceries. We stopped at Wally World on the way back for a few other things. Had a late supper, sat outside enjoying our coffee then came in to watch American Idol. So all in all two laid back days..but fulfilling none the less. We leave here Sunday and head further south toward Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area to a place called Sable Palms resort in Palmdale. Its hard to believe we have been here a month already. But we are loving every minute of it!!
Be safe out there folks..

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Monday! Monday! Met another Blogger Today!

2012-01-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

I used to totally hate Monday's rolling around, now I look forward to them because when you are retired every day is Saturday!
Up fairly early-I'm finally learning to sleep in if 8:30 is early to me-coffee outside and putering. A nice slower laid back morning. Then I got myself onto a cleaning tear like I do everyday. Rick started up the Motorhome for a spell, and the generator. The he was outside puttering around, and he found a leak around the water heater. He came in to announce he was possibly shutting off the water. It was more of a drip, but water leaking anywhere usually sets me to worrying. Come to find out the plug was loose but after getting out his trusty tool box (that has everything in it that anyone in this park would require or need)..and tightened up the plug..but there must have been a crack in it so into the car we hopped for a quick trip to Steward's RV repair and picked up a couple of new ones. Now we have a spare. No big deal and an easy economical fix.
This afternoon Dee dropped by with Arlene another blogger :) She goes by the nickname Leno in the chat room. It was so nice to meet her and put a face to the name. Her husband was with her (Kevin) but he was in a hurry to head back so we didn't get to meet him. We do plan to meet up with them down the road in the not too distant future. Thanks Arlene for taking the time to stop by and meet us!!

Arlene, Rick and myself

After they left we gave Miss Lilly a grooming outside on the table and then a shower. Tucker might get his turn tomorrow.

She was very well behaved and made mom's job much easier. After dad gave her her shower I made supper for us. We had coffee outside with Debbie and Ken then came in to do the blog, check on you all and watch some TV...so all in all another great day under the sunny skies in Florida...be safe out there folks..

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

The Hotel Jacaranda!!! BRUNCH

2012-01-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

Today we were invited to brunch at the Hotel Jacaranda in downtown Avon Park. What a gorgeous place. Construction began in 1923, the official opening was in 1926 and restoration is continuous. It was named after a 150 year old Jacaranda Tree that had to be felled to make room for the building. The property at the time cost $4.00 a running foot right on Main Street. The architect was William Heim who also designed the city hall and Sebring Fire Station and the architecture is out of this world. The hotel and restaurant has been in continuous operation since the day of opening in 1926.
The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It has been home for hundreds and hundreds of young pilots training in '41-'45 and baseball players (including Babe Ruth) lived at the Jac from 1926 to the late 30s.

Lobby Area of the Jacaranda registration desk is just off to the right-entrance to restaurant is right beside the fireplace

Lobby sitting area with beautiful antique furniture

Beautiful old wooden piano

Lobby Corner library area-many older books available for guests to read

Rick and I at Brunch

Claudette and Ernie at Brunch

Thank you Claudette and Ernie for treating us to such a special brunch. The food was wonderful as was the company!

A great variety of food choices was offered. So if any of you are ever in the Avon Park area it is a 'must do'. It is so busy for the Grand Buffet on Sunday (11 am-2pm) I would suggest you call ahead and make a reservation. All inclusive, soup, salad bar, beverage and dessert for $10.99/per person. They also offer Monday-Friday Buffets so don't let this gem of a restaurant slide by you when you are in the area.

Upon our return we took the furkids for a walk, sat outside and read our books for awhile, then came in and had one of those 'retirement' naps. Took the kids for another stroll, visited with neighbours, had supper, and now we are settling in to watch some TV.

Just another wonderful day in Florida!! We are blessed. Stay safe out there!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A Relaxing Friday!

2012-01-27T23:26:00.002-04:00

We didn't' get the forecasted thunder storms but we did have a misty grey day. A great day to relax. We headed off to the post office then to the grocery store. After lunch I made some chocolate chip cookies, read my book for awhile and had a nap. Yup I had a nap in the middle of the day!! I must be retired. After supper Deb and I took the furkids for a walk around the park. I love walking and just might get back into power walking again. So it was a quiet day, reading eating and sleeping.

We are now watching some TV and looking forward to tomorrow! Have a wonderful weekend folks..be safe out there...

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A great Thirsty Thursday!!

2012-01-27T12:18:00.001-04:00

I came across this RIG yesterday I think this is what you and JB need Brenda -Its a horse hauler and motorhome combined :)

Yesterday was another great day here in the state of Fl...had coffee did our putering...then Deb myself and Dee took off to walmart. We hurried back and spent the afternoon in the sun at the pool..day was nice and hot. Sat around happy houring for most of the afternoon. I cooked a roast beef dinner..(wow did that heat up the mh but I was craving)...it was delicious..then we headed over to the dance at the club house. There was a large crowd there and a good time was had by all. There was a one man band who was really good. He played country, and alot of rock and roll from the 60's.
Luckily on our return home we found 'american idol' on west coast time on our sat dish..so we didn't miss it after all. They have some amazing talent lined up this season so far.

Suzie and Rick

Rick and I at the dance

Phyllis and her sister

Judy and Ernie

Aunt Debbie and Tucker

Kenny deep in thought

Rick -that is suppose to be a smile-

Pretty Lilly girl

The handsome boy Tucker sitting out with us all

All in all its been a great day! The weather, company and fun was super fine. What more could we ask for. Be safe out there and have an excellent weekend.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Hump Day! Lets wear food today

2012-01-25T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today was a busy day! We were up and out by 9:15am off to Sebring. I had a hair appt for 10am. I liked the stylist :)...then it was off to petco for food for the furkids..and walmart for a few necessities.
Upon our return home, we walked the dogs and tidied up the MH..Rick orange oiled all the woodwork and cupboards for me today..thanks hon..not only are you handsome but your also handy :)
At suppertime we headed over to the monthly spaghetti supper with Jim and Dee and Deb and Ken..I borrowed this picture for y'all from Dee and Jim's blog.
Upon picking up my plate of supper, I headed to the salad table and what do you think happened. The whole plate of spaghetti slid right off the plate and all over me the floor etc. It was even between my toes.Thank you Debbie for helping me clean it up and getting me another plate.

Yup folks you can dress me up but you can't take me out!!

It doesn't look like a big stain but trust me it was. It just doesn't all show up..thankfully for the clorex pen I got it all out. Whew...Of course Dee was quick on the trigger of her camera, on the way back to our place after supper.
After visiting outside with Ken Deb and Dee we came in and watched American Idol..wow they've go some good talent this year.
Thanks for all the comments on the sunset pictures on last night's blog-I have to confess they aren't all mine my next door neighbour took some of them. Good job Deb.
So as you can see it was just another regular day in paradise. Not sure whats on for tomorrow only tomorrow will tell. Stay safe out there everyone!!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Sun Sun Sun Pool and Sun and the big bug reveal!!

2012-01-24T21:50:00.004-04:00

Today was another wonderful hot sunny day here in the floridan paradise. After coffee and putering Deb and I took off for the pool and had ourselves a sun day on this wonderful Monday. Rick puttered around the rig, shining, polishing and cleaning. Company arrived to visit this afternoon for a spell, then we took off and went and picked up supper. Thankfully the company was late leaving and I wasn't expected to cook:)....
Tomorrow I'm going for a hair cut and I'm nervous because I'm pretty particular about who cuts my hair. But like my dad used to say its only a week between a good haircut and a bad haircut.
As for the bug on last night's blog...it is a "mole cricket" totally harmless and come to find out great for all you fishermen out there. They apparently make great bait on the hook. Now I almost feel bad about snuffing him out :(....but how was I to know~he sure didn't look harmless.
Ok time to hit the shower, watch some TV and read some blogs. Sorry no pictures today~I was busy sunning myself.
Have a super day folks and stay safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

An OH OH day....

2012-01-23T23:29:00.004-04:00

Just to let you all know how tired I was last night-I took my laptop to bed (something I've always said I'd never do)..and read blogs. I just couldn't sit up any longer.

Well today was an oh oh day. Oh oh she is rooting in the cupboards..is she bored? Nope..shes just.. having 'cooking' with drawls. Not that I'm not still cooking daily, but at home I often would take a day and just cook cook cook..so thats what I did today. Well for part of the day. I cleaned the rig after coffees and blog reading, then cooked for a few hours. Made meatballs, and a big spaghetti sauce which I simmered on the stove for a few hours. When he found me rooting in cupboards Rick jumped up and said what do you need I'll do a walmart run-and he had the keys in his hand. I think he was worried that I was bored and might say "lets go home or I miss home"..so he was willing to do whatever it took to keep me happy while I cooked :)..bless his heart.
Dee from Tumbleweed wasn't feeling good so we took a walk up to see how she was doing.
This afternoon we took off to Maxwell's Grove..a gem of a little place, a local secret! The have a little country store with everything in it, and all kinds of finds, fresh fruits and juice jellies wines etc. and the best orange vanilla twist ice cream I ever tasted. I even found 'beaman's chewing gum there' I haven't seen that in many years.
Upon our return, we sat outside with Deb and Ken for a bit then we all came in and had supper. Heavens knows I had enough made to feed the whole park. Then we had coffee out under the awning and chatted the evening away. We found this working its way toward the furkids xpen..not knowing what it was we soon put a halt to his journey. Anyone know what it is?

sorry hes missing a back leg on the right

not the cutest creature I ever saw

To offset the not so cute creature above-here are a couple of cute ones. Who love to call out to auntie Debbie next door every day!!!

Hey Aunt Debbie you home?? Its Treat time

And here are a couple of really nice sunsets in Avon Park..

Just another wonderful day in the Florida sunshine....have a super week folks...be safe out there..

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the

courage to spread your wings and fly"

Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!!!

2012-01-22T22:53:00.003-04:00

Well it has been a large weekend. I might need to sleep all week. What a great time we had. Our company arrived early afternoon on Friday and departed today. We were sad to see them leave-but glad they came to spend the weekend with us. Friday we missed the wine and cheese party at the clubhouse. We 'over ran' on our happy hour here at the MH with friends and neighbours:)..which carried on through out supper and well into the evening. A good time was had by all.
Saturday morning we girls headed out to get the 'shopping' trip behind us. We all found some great buys-came back changed into swim suits and grabbed the boys and headed for the pool. The weather was hot and gorgeous so we spent the whole afternoon poolside. Until it was time for happy hour again. With a nice supper of bbq'd salmon, salads, with all the fixings and apple pie behind us it was happy hour again. We sat out most of the evening, enjoying each others company.
Today our friends left to go back to the Estero area to their place and we headed over to the clubhouse to partake of the Avon Park hosted 'car show' here are just some of the cars on display. I fell in love with the '56 chevy-and apparently others did also because it was the people's choice for 1st place.

1956 Chevy-and isn't she a beauty-she was the winner of the People's choice 1st Place-and she had my vote as soon as I saw her..

The owner let me sit in it-As long as I didn't have anything sharp in my back pockets-heck I would have taken my shorts off to get to sit in this beauty-thankfully I didn't have to!

How pretty is that!!

Yuppers- I got to sit in a 1967 Chevy Nova SS- I used to have a 1975 SS !

So there is a sampling of the cars registered for you all to drool over :)...there was a bbq at the club house during the event and also an ice cream social. The music was excellent and not being able to hold ourselves back we showed em all how to Jive!! Dee and Jim from Tumbleweed also have pictures of this event on their blog! So pop on over and check out their pictures.

After the car show, we headed back to the mh to walk the furkids-then took off to wally world to get some laundry detergent and graced the laundry room with our presence and managed to get all the weekend bedding and towels all done up. Now I just spent over 3 hours due to slow wifi - uploading pics and filling you all in on our weekend. Tomorrow will be a blog reading day to see what all of you have been up to for the last three days.
Have a great week~and be safe out there!!

May joy and peace surround you, Contentment latch your door, And happiness be with you now and bless you evermore.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

I Almost Bit off more than I could Chew!!

2012-01-20T09:11:00.002-04:00

Thursday morning was 'scrub the carpet' morning..then I thought well I should scrub the ceramic in the bath, shower room and kitchen before getting out the little green machine and doing the carpets. I sure will be glad upon our return to Canada to finally have the time to have this carpet removed and more ceramic installed. As I love ceramic. During our renos in our home this year we put in ceramic and used a colour grout-looks so nice-which is what they did when they did this MH...or so we thought.
Was scrubbing away on my hand and knees, and noticed under the slide humm the grout there is white-so since June I've been travelling with a dirty floor - mind you I was washing it every couple of days. And I never noticed this before.
So after 3.5 hours and bleach and 7 Mr. Clean magic erasers the floor is now clean and sealed. And the carpets are all scrubbed and looking fine.

A work in progress after elbow grease and before

This is how it should look-who knew?

Needless to say, I am a hurting unit today! So for all you folks out there the best best thing to clean the ceramic grout with is Mr. Clean Magic erasers and lots of elbow grease. Needless to say I will not be on my knees today praying or swinging a tennis racket with my elbows. . We have company coming today for the weekend and I'm pretty excited-hopefully the elbows will work for 'happy hour' -humm might have to use a straw.

After cleaning yesterday we showered up and headed over to the pot luck supper. And what a good supper it was. There was a great turn out and tons of good food. I took a taco salad and it was a major hit and it received great reviews. I chose this for the potluck because it makes a large batch.

Richard and Kathleen

Dee, Jim in the hat and Jon

Some of the folks at the pot luck

After the pot luck we headed back to our rig, had coffee with Kenny and Debbie, then watched American Idol and Greys. It was 10pm and I was ready for bed. I resealed all the ceramic on my way to bed, so it would dry overnight. Upon reaching the bedroom area I wasn't totally sure I could get back up off my hands and knees.

Today I'm cooking- tidying up and prepping for my company which should be a great time. So it is looking like a busy weekend. There is a wine and cheese party today, and a car show tomorrow, and good hot weather forecasted. So wine, food, great company, excellent neighbours, good food, excellent weather, and many happy hours - what more could we ask for. I'm excited.

For those of you who attend potlucks here is how you make 'taco salad'...

1 lb ground beef, cooked, 1-chopped head of iceburg lettuce-1 large onion chopped (not cooked)-2 chopped tomatoes-shredded cheese-1 large bag of broken up nacho cheezy dorito chips, and toss it all together with a small bottle of ranch dressing. voila-your done :)

Have a super weekend folks..I probably won't be putering until Sunday-but I will be thinking of you all.

Stay safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Tuesday and Wednesday Excitement

2012-01-18T20:47:00.001-04:00

We got up fairly early (8 am or so), did the coffee thing and puter thing, walked the dogs..showed and did the usual household chores. Debbie and I headed over to the pool for some sun and a swim. We stayed there a couple of hours, came home changed and met Jon over at the shuffleboard area and played a couple of games of shuffleboard. Then we came back sat around for a bit, and hopped in our cars and headed up to the "Clock family Restaurant" for supper. What a great little place it was. Good home cooked meals.

We came back to the resort, stopped in to check on Dee and Jim and see how she made out at the doctor then came home sat out and had coffee with Deb and Ken. The kids called us,so we hopped on skype for a quick visit. Then it was read some blogs and off to bed. Not a very exciting day, but it was a fun one.

Wednesday:
We got up fairly early this morning (around 8). rick took the dogs out and I made the coffee-I figured that was a good trade off-then we checked emails etc. After showers we were off to Sebring to pick up dog food for the furkids at Petco-then over to Tanglewood Park to meet up with friends from home.Rick and Ernie used to work together many years ago. They have a lovely home and the Tanglewood Park is beautiful. Ernie and Claudette thanks for the lovely afternoon. We went to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch-another excellent eating spot. We plan to all get together again in the near future.

Elaine, Rick, Claudette and Ernie

We arrived back at the mh around 4ish and walked the furkids-visited with Deb and Ken outside for a bit until it rained. We didn't get much rain just on and off. Suppose to go up to the 80s for the next few days. We are just getting back from WalMart from picking up some groceries and are now settled in to catch the fist episode of American Idol.
Hope your all having a super week...be safe out there..

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

“Life is like a party. You invite a lot of people, some leave early, some stay, some laugh with you, some at you, some didn't come. But in the end, after the fun, there would be a few who would stay and help clean up the mess with you. And most of the time, those were the ones who didn't even make the mess: ) How true this is!!! “

Monday Monday.....

2012-01-16T23:18:00.002-04:00

When we were still working in our business I used to go to bed on Sunday night dreading Monday morning. I used to call every Monday "Mad Monday". It tended to be the busiest day of the week for us..new projects usually always started on a Monday..we all needed to regroup after having two full days off etc etc. It just wasn't a day I looked forward to. Now I seem to love Mondays..because to me every day is Saturday!!
This morning after coffee, putering, house cleaning and showers and two loads of laundry done, we headed off to Wally World to pick up a few necessary items. And I needed a new SD card for my camera. Now theres a story for you.
I had purchased a pack of (2) sd cards (pny brand) last week and my mac wouldn't read them :(...my previous memory card was cracked at the top and I thought it was time for a new one. But Rick's PC would read them humm...strange..my mac would still read my old one tho my lexmar. Very strange..so while at walmart today I picked up another one an SD san and my mac still wouldn't read it but Rick's machine would. So I concluded its not the card reader on the mac, because it still reads the old beat up card..it can't be the new cards because Ricks Acer laptop reads them..humm is it a Mac thing?
Rick, being the brains of our equipment, got a flashlight and looked in the little slot and sure enough, there was a piece (the top) of the old beat up card in there. Hence why it would read the old, but not the new. The new card apparently wasn't getting in all the way, and the old one was because it was now 'shorter'..who would even think to look for that problem. He fiddled with it somewhat (while I prayed please don't break my macbook) dug in there with a toothpick trying to dislodge it-(while I prayed please don't break my macbook)..then being from the old school, whittled the toothpick to make it skinner (wish he was able to whittle me)..and ta-daaaaa he got it out. Now my macbook reads all these new cards. Yipeee hes not only good looking he is handy.!!!! Personally I think he was just getting tired of uploading my pics to his machine them downloading them onto the external hard drive so I could load them on my mac. So I ask you how smart is my man??
Debbie and Ken came for coffee after supper and around 7pm Dee and Jim arrived to play Euchre. They just left a while ago-and we are settled in for the night. And where did the day go? Who knows..I sure don't.
Sorry I don't have any pictures today, you wouldn't want pics of walmart, or laundry so we'll save the pics for another day.
Hope you all had a great Monday and that you all have a great week. Stay safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A Nice Laid Back Sunday!

2012-01-15T22:51:00.007-04:00

Wow after not sleeping good for a couple of nights I sure made up for it last night. I didn't arise this morning until around ten..which is really late for me.

Rick said there was some frost on the MH and car when he got up earlier around 8. But the sun soon took care of that.

We had coffee and read blogs and emails-then I had coffee outside with Debbie, and after that I had a telephone visit with my sister. Then we came in and cleaned the rig from top to bottom, and front to back.

I had been wanting a new bed set for our bedroom and found one while out shopping the other day. Our valances have palm trees on them and monkeys, hence why our rig is a tropi cal I guess. This new set was perfect as it also has palm trees on it-but no monkeys. I even incorporated some of my original set pillows which match the valance into the whole scheme of things.

The new set just makes it seem more 'homey'...

This afternoon I sat in the sun for awhile then we went and played a couple of games of shuffle board with Debbie and Dee. Ken and Jim were home watching the major football games on TV.

After shuffleboard we came back here for a drink and I made supper. After supper we chatted with some of our kids-and watched some TV. Thats about it for our laid back Sunday..who knows what tomorrow will bring-we don't make plans we just let the days happen.

Be safe out there everyone!! And have a super fine week! The temps are climbing here.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A GREAT Visit with FAMILY!!

2012-01-14T23:26:00.005-04:00

Well we just arrived back not long ago from a day down in Cape Coral area visiting with my only sister, whom I have not seen in almost 4 years. And what a great visit we had!
We left here this morning around ten and headed south-stopped at camping world in Ft. Myers for our tire guards and a few other things..then over to my sister's place.
They kept their tree up so we could see it and had presents under it for us :)..then they took us out to supper to a nice chinese restaurant!
Our plan is upon leaving here (Avon Park) in early February is to motor down closer to them and spend a couple of weeks visiting. The afternoon was not enough time to catch up.
We didn't even think to stop talking long enough to take a picture~ but we will get together again really soon and will be snapping away for sure.
Hope you all had a wonderful Saturday!! Stay safe out there.

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

What a fun Girls day out!!!

2012-01-13T22:38:00.000-04:00

We had a great day today! It was nice and warm and sunny..Dee, Debbie and I took off late this morning on a girls day out..we headed down to Beals and did some shopping there-tied up the dressing rooms for almost the better part of an hour. Then down into Sebring to Lakeshore Mall-We hit Belks first..wandering along chattering and laughing and the cosmetic ladies roped us in. Well roped in Debbie and I..Dee was smart enough to stay on the other side of the camera:)..they offered us free makup (a ten day supply) and tested us for color etc and gave us samples of pore closers or something like that..but free is free right?

I'm watching her Debbie to ensure she gets it right !!

Are we Pretty Dee????????

After Belks we toured the mall, payless-yes I was trying out the new runners...to see how they felt and looked..and of course Dee snapped a picture-and not of my better side either.

Now heres a novel idea...Debbie purchased (at the big K no less) 'leg warmers' in a nice cream color for the arms of her MH chairs. They slide on as they are open at both ends and they protect the arms of the leather driver and passenger seats..isnt' that a great idea and they look excellent..I might look for a couple for our chairs. Just another bright idea from another rver.

We had some great laughs today the three of us-Dee is definitely the sensible, quiet one of we 'three amigos'...which just makes Debbie and I want to be bad kids-hope we didn't embarrase you too much Dee :)...it was such fun..I'm going to hate to leave this park come Feb. 5th.Then it will be just the 'two amigos' as they are all staying for 3 or 4 more months. I sure wish there was room for us to stay longer. Its hard to leave fun people who you have bonded with.

We came back home, met up with the husbands, waited for Jim to get back from his medical appt in Tampa, and then we headed off to the Orange Box Restaurant for supper. They had a seafood buffet..and a two man band. Kenny and I just couldn't resist so we got up right in the restaurant and jived and two stepped.

Tomorrow we are heading down to the Ft Myers/Cape Coral area to visit my sister and look at some RV parks down there, as we are planning to head there for a week or so after we leave here. We plan to be back before dark for sure so as we do not like to travel unfamiliar roads in the dark. We hope to do some of the pan handle, then over to Mississippi to visit our daughter and son in law. I think Alabama is in the plans somewhere also. I just let him lead and Tucker Lill and I just follow along.

I'm off to bed early tonight..last night was a late one..be safe out there everyone...

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!-Chilly Day Today!!

2012-01-13T02:12:00.003-04:00

Well its been another wonderful day in Avon Park. I have a new routine..get up go on the 'ant' hunt..then have coffee, and puter time. Rick sprayed all outside today and I have to say the count is down today. (As you all know I'm a counter)..so now we have thingys inside and spray outside..its hard to find a place to put the stuff where the fur kids can't get into it. It was a gorgeous hot sunny day. Deb, Dee and I made a quick run to Wally World because it was someone's birthday~and we needed a cake and what not. We picked up lunch on the way home for the guys.

We played a few games of shuffle board with Dee, Ken and Deb this afternoon (Jim was busy getting his high speed installed)..then we all went for a swim and Jim joined us.

Debbie, Rick, Elaine, Dee and Jim

the pool and bar area-you can click on the pic to see it bigger

We rushed back to our rvs showered and dressed and it was off to pizza night at the club house. After supper we came back home and we skyped with Tracey Todd and the grands Hannah and Caitlin for a bit. It was so nice to see them all and have a chat. The wonders of technology.

At 7pm Debbie and Ken, and Dee and Jim arrived and we surprised Ken with a birthday cake, ice cream and some cards. Happy birthday to our new friend Kenny!! May you have many many more.

Ken with his cake and singing candle

happy birthday friend

Tucker and Lilly finally made friends with Jim

We sat around talking, laughing and just being our usual crazy selves.

Elaine Debbie and Dee

And now for the title explanation! Chilly day..it sure was -every time I opened the freezer to get ice from the ice maker for our drinks I got a chill. Don't ya just all feel sorry for me. Back home they are experiencing a major snow storm tonight and freezing temps. I almost feel guilty. Tune in tomorrow for our latest antics!

Dee Elaine and Debbie

the 3 amigos again-Dee Elaine and Debbie

Be Safe out there!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A Great Wednesday!!

2012-01-12T00:23:00.001-04:00

Today was a great day! We were expecting a severe storm-according to the weather forecast-we had maybe 10-15 minutes of rain if that. No thunder as forecasted-we were all prepared with awnings put away and chairs folded up. Now had we not been prepared it would probably have hit us hard. My only sadness today was my forever 'present' accidentally got broken. Rick was batting down the hatches and it fell off the table outside and smashed to smithereens.

My forever present is no more :(

Tomorrow we are forecasted to be sunny and warm at 78F. We can sure handle that.

I cleaned the MH this morning, did all the closet, reorganized all the drawers in the dresser, linen closet and kitchen drawers. Rick took a trip to Wally World to get a hair cut and pick up a few things.

I cooked a Cape Breton Jiggs Dinner-(boiled dinner) and today was a good cloudy day to eat a Jiggs dinner. Ham, potatoes, carrots, turnip, onions and cabbage all cooked in the same pot. Instead of water I do it 'Cape Breton' style and cook it in 'orange crush pop' or 'soda' for you american friends. I made biscuits, and we had triple layer coconut cake for desert.

Jiggs Dinner Cape Breton Style

Dee and Jim, and Debbie and Ken joined us for supper. Of course we had happy hour before supper, with yummy Friday's mudslides over ice.

Happy Hour Refreshments

Rick, Jim and Ken discussing world affairs

Ken Deb Dee and Jim chowing down

We had a great visit, lots of laughs-and I found a couple of teeny weeny ants strolling across the kitchen from under the slide and of course I freaked. Then they turned the discussion to stink bugs they've seen, and coral snakes, bugs etc - hummm wonder what my chances are of having a sound sleep tonight-not too great I'd say. I do not like bugs,snakes or creatures of that nature, including ants.

Debbie and Dee :)

After everyone left for home-of course Rick and I headed directly to walmart and picked up some 'stuff' and 'thingys' to take care of these ants. Plus a big fat jug to spray the outside around the tires and perimeter tomorrow. Bless Debbie's heart she arrived over after we got back offering us some ant thingys. I sent her home with cake for Ken because he didn't have his at supper. There were two pieces left. Before Rick could get the last piece Mr. Tucker helped himself when we weren't looking. Now hes' in the dog house, well kinda sorta

But you can't stay angry with that face too long-Lilly is there with him because she had frosting on her lips too!

A big shout out to my dear friend Linda back home. She informed me today, that she reads my blog every night and sounded somewhat disappointed to see I hadn't blogged Monday night and I combo'd up on Tuesday. Sorry about that Linny I'll try really hard to ensure the blog is up daily. Notice I said try :)..it depends on how long happy hour lasts. Ha!!

A big thank you to Dee, Jim, Debbie and Ken for joining us for supper this evening. And a big thank you to the handsome guy below for all his help today~ you are definitely the 'marshmallow in my hot chocolate' honey!

So all in all it was a wonderful day here in Avon Park Florida. Does it really get any better than this?

Stay safe out there everyone!!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A good Day!!

2012-01-11T10:09:00.002-04:00

We didn't do too much of anything yesterday..was a nice sunny day...lazed around putering in the morning...reading etc. cleaned the rig hopped into the shower...Dee came to visit...then Rick and I headed into Sebring to pick up a few things and get some groceries.
We arrived back home late afternoon. Picked up supper on the way back. Then Dee and Jim came down and we played some cards for the evening. Had some great laughs.

Theres a storm warning in for today, and it is pretty dull out there and the wind seems to be picking up so we put in the awning and picked up the outside stuff. Its suppose pass over quickly-thankfully. And we are suppose to be back to hot sunny skies again tomorrow. A good day to clean the coach and cook.

Tonight I am having company for supper, Dee and Jim and Ken and Debbie-so I will make my famous Cape Breton jigs dinner, and I have a triple layer coconut cake for desert, I will also make up some biscuits.

Have a super day folks..
Be Safe out there..

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Just another Great day in Avon Park

2012-01-10T08:56:00.000-04:00

Slept in a little yesterday..did the coffee thing..blog reading..and internet..got the laundry done..mastered the housework...weather was gorgeous..we went and played shuffleboard in the early afternoon. Then off for a swim. Walked the dogs and had a great supper..bbq steak, potatoes, veggies, salad mushrooms and onions..then Dee and I took off to the club house to play cards and Rick cleaned up the supper mess for me :)....(he also did all the laundry in the morning.) I am definitely blessed.
Other than that we didn't do much..not sure what is on the agenda for today..but I'm sure we can think of something.

Be safe out there...

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Online Party-wooly head today!-Game Playing

2012-01-08T23:05:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a great day!! Sunny and hot-first order of the day after checking emails and reading blogs was to get the fur kids 'washed' up. They were getting pretty dirty. So we popped them one by one into the shower for a good scrub up.

We headed over to play shuffleboard with Debbie and Ken and Dee and Jim early in the afternoon. Came home and had happy hour while I made 'japanese' chicken for supper, with potatoes veggies and salad. It was some good.

We sat around most of the evening outside, visiting with other residents took the kids for a walk..as you can see we didn't do too much of anything. Maybe we're finally learning how to gear down and relax?!

We were getting ready to hit the hay around 11:30 when my computer starting ringing in the ichat mode. Our sons out west in Gibson's were calling. We chatted and had a great visit..they were having some cognac so Rick had a couple of Dalwhinnie and I had a couple of mudslides. Well maybe more than a couple. We finally got to bed around 2am.

This morning I got up and my head felt like cotton wool...I've never had that feeling before..maybe it was allergies-thankfully it was better after an advil and a pot of coffee.

There is a motorhome here in the park that has apparently been vacant and sitting in the same spot for 8 years. The owner was sick and they had to go back home I guess-after he passed away his wife for some reason hasn't returned. She sent a cleaner in today as she is considering selling the Motorhome. Mary (the cleaner) sure has a big job on her hands. Deb and I strolled over to see if she had everything she needed for the job. The roof fridge vent is missing (the tank vent covers disintegrated when touched) and weather and what not was entering the MH..so we volunteered our husbands Rick and Ken to go up and mask it off and cover it. She said there were alot of critters in there and left lots of traces of being there. She even found a shedded 'snake' skin (which she kindly showed us..ewww) hanging out of the floor furnace vent behind the drivers seat. Needless to say we didn't venture a foot in there. Here are the boys doing their volunteer work...Thanks Ken and Rick!!

Yup that roof is suppose to be white

Rick was a bit worried the roof might be soft after so many yrs of no maintenance-but said it was ok

Today at around 1:15 we all met up with Kathleen and Jon, and we headed down to Pat and Dennis's home in Sebring. They have a beautiful winter home-we played cards, ate delicious sloppy joes- and a good time was had by all. Rick and I left shortly after 6pm as we had to make a stop at WallyWorld to pick up a few things and we were anxious to get back home to our dogs.

Jon-Pat-Jim-Kathleen

Dee-Dennis and Rick

What a great time we all had...we played euchre and 3-31. We are still in the learning stage but Jim and I partnered up and won a game of euchre :). WTG Jim. A big thank you to Pat and Dennis for sharing their lovely home with us and for there excellent hospitality.

And I have a new 'boyfriend'...meet Scooter...he is a 5lb poodle/chiuaua mix...and what a bundle of love this little guy is-hes the dearest little fellow with a 50lb personality. He belongs to Pat and Dennis. And this picture does not really do him justice as he is one cute little guy.

We arrived back home around 7pm and took the fur kids for a big walk. Then sat out with our coffees. I dont' know where the time flies to...we have been here for 5 days already. I guess time flies when your having fun!!

Take care everyone and be safe out there !!

Here are some pictures of the park..

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Friday was a Great Day!!

2012-01-07T11:29:00.003-04:00

Here we are parked up at our lot for the next month.

It was a great day yesterday-we were in shorts and tees :) and of course 'flops' for me. Rick worked on getting my palm tree to light up-thanks hon...I do love my tacky palm tree-we played shuffleboard in the afternoon with Dee and Jim, and Ken and Debbie, we had quite a few laughs and it was fun. We came back here to our place for happy hour and had quite a few more laughs.
After supper we went with Dee and Jim to Jon and Kathleen's summer home here in the resort to play cards. We also met Pat and Dennis. What a great evening of fellowship-of course I forgot my camera.So I am swiping some from Dee's shots.

Debbie learning the ropes

Ken and Elaine waiting their turn

I found the shuffle board was quite a bit like curling..so we pick up on the basics really fast-now to get the strategy in place.

Our Hosts John and Kathleen - thank you very much for your hospitality

Playing cards-Dee, Dennis, Elaine, Pat, Jim, rick and Jon

We tried to learn euchre-very interesting game! As well as chase the ace-and another one called 3-13 which boggled my mind.

We had alot of laughs and made some new friends!! Thanks to Pat, Dennis, Jon and Kathleen for their wonderful hospitality and their top notch patience in the teaching department.

It is shaping up to be another nice day here at the resort. I think maybe shuffleboard will be in the works this afternoon. Firstly tho our furkids need a bath so thats first on the agenda.

Have a great day everyone and be safe out there!!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

A Great Day!! Lets be Thankful for Family!

2012-01-05T23:45:00.000-04:00

It was another great day here and warmed up pretty good. Rick worked again most of the morning on the satellite system. Jim loaned Rick his thing a magiggy and Rick was able to trace the problems. Thanks Jim!!!! We have our dish up and running-its wonderful to have good friends and neighbours.

We took a run into Sebring today, and to campers coral looking for tire covers-but no luck as the Mr. wants black not white and they didn't have any black. We are planning a trip into the Ft Myers area and I think there is a camping world in that area so we will pick them up then. We did some shopping on the way home-have to change the furkids food again :( which I do not like doing. We changed them before leaving home (they were on medi cal) as our Vet told us Royal Canin was available in the US-but not our brand of RC :(..so we got the closest we could get to with the "fish base" and will gradually change them over again. We stopped at walmart, picked up a few things and then went out for supper.

Upon our return home, I received the news that my dear Aunt Bev had passed away today-she was sick for the last couple of months, and while I'm thankful she has been called home, and her suffering is over-I will miss her dearly. She was much to young to leave us! She certainly provided our family with love, laughs and great memories. I talked to her via telephone just last week-while I cried she encouraged! Go enjoy your vacation I will be here for a few years yet-all the while knowing she wouldn't be. Heaven has added one colorful angel to their roster today for sure.

RIP Aunt Beverly-xoxo

Shortly after receiving the news Dee strolled down to visit, thanks Dee for stopping by..it certainly helped to settle me down.

When I am sad, I just think of these two dear little ones and it puts a smile in my heart!

Hannah and Caitlin Christmas 2011

Other than that folks, that was our day. I'm definitely thankful for each and every day we have. Tomorrow we are looking forward to maybe lazing around in the morning-playing shuffleboard with Dee and Jim in the afternoon and playing cards tomorrow evening with some RV dreamers and Dee and Jim. Have a great evening and a super weekend! Stay safe out there everyone.

Oh and Larry thanks for the shout out and your right the coach looks much better sitting on grass versus snow!!

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Our Lazy Day!!

2012-01-04T23:35:00.003-04:00

Today truly was a bit of a lazy day for us...I got up early fed the dogs took them for a stroll (yup I was that crazy one out in her robe and jammies with the furkids)..Rick eventually got up, we had coffee and read blogs..checked emails..it really warmed up here today~thankfully...

Poor Rick seems everything he touched today didn't work..we are not 100% familiar with everything in this motorhome as of yet. During our travels we were flopping back and forth from satellite to cable..he tried to get our dish setup and working today but something is wrong..usually he can just throw it outside and it works..so we're into the trouble shooting-and he finally gave up out of frustration so we're back on cable for the night.

Then he opened up all the window awnings (that went well)..he setup our patio area, constructed my palm tree (and of course it wouldn't light up for him)..

Like I told him - tomorrow is a new day- don't sweat the small stuff.

Dee came down and we walked over to the clubhouse-but we didn't go in because they were playing card bingo or something like that and every looked quite serious-so we just strolled around a bit and came back here to our rig because I was in flops and my feet were freezing. We had a great chat then she wandered on up the road to home.

Tonight is looking to be a chilly one again..and no we didn't bring this cold down with us from Canada (at least I dont' think we did )...I still say if I don't have to shovel it then its ok with me..its much colder at home so I'm not complaining..it is promising to warm up Tomorrow and Friday and looks like a good weekend coming up..so heres hoping. Sorry folks no pictures today but will try get some uploaded tomorrow.

So as you can see we didn't accomplish much today..I lazed around after cleaning up the rig, and stretched out under the awning reading my kindle. We walked the furkids a couple of times (and yes I did shower and dress eventually through out the day)...and met alot of our neighbours.

Tomorrow night we are suppose to meet up with some folks to play cards..so that should be fun..and we might take a run into Seabring for a looksee. No big plans and thats the way I like it.

Be safe out there..hello to all our family and friends at home..

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

We Have Arrived!!!

2012-01-03T22:45:00.001-04:00

We have arrived safe and sound at Adelaide Shores RV Resort in Avon Park Florida around 3pm today. It is a gorgeous Rv park.

Jim and Dee from Tumbleweed are also here. They had us over for a lovely supper. Then they came to our rig for coffee. What a wonderful supper, thanks guys we truly appreciate it.

It is so nice to arrive and not have to worry about getting supper, after getting setup (especially when you don't have all the groceries on board). Its so nice to be sitting parked with all the slides out and finally totally setup for at least the next month.

We took off for Walmart to pick up a few things upon arrival~plus we needed to find an ATM machine, as the park does not accept credit cards. Just cash or cheque. After shopping I noticed walmart had a cash machine~so I decided to use it versus trying to find a bank. Well suffice to say that was my first mistake. The machine jammed before giving me all the requested cash..and we had to wait beside the machine for over 30 minutes waiting for someone to come and open the machine and unjam it so we could finish our transaction. Thankfully once we found the 'right' person we got the rest of our cash and were on our way. We were only 5 minutes late for supper-but I hate being late for anything..especially supper!! :)

Supper was delicious - salad, home made spaghetti, garlic bread-and cake for desert. Wow did that all hit home with us considering we were travelling most of the day and pretty near starved to death.

Tomorrow will definitely be a rest day for us..and we will take a couple of strolls around the park and check the place out. After we clean the rig inside and out plus the car. We are on a nice end lot with no neighbours on the 'door' side of us...which is great for Lilly and Tucker boy.

Ok am off to check on our 'real' kids then hit the sack..knowing I don't have to get up in the morning and travel-which means I will sleep well tonight!!

Take care all...be safe out there...

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

We Are Almost There!

2012-01-02T18:49:00.001-04:00

We just arrived and set up in a PA park in GA approx 7 miles from the Florida border. It was a great travel day, although the wind gave us some grief for sure. We left Myrtle Beach around 9:30am this morning..traffic was heavy to say the least.

We spent new years eve with dear friends in Myrtle Beach at their condo..thanks Cathy and Brent, and Cathy's dad 'skipper' from Newfoundland...you are the best hosts and hostess. We made new friends..Dave and Debbie, was so nice to have met you and we surly will meet again in the spring on our way back through. We all watched the ball drop on tv at times square, drank champagne, wore NY hats, enjoyed some excellent food, and watched fire works on the beach.

Yesterday we were invited back to their condo again for dinner and an excellent dinner it was. I had brought salt cod with me from Canada so yesterday I got busy and made some homemade fish cakes for 'skipper'-what newfoundlander doesn't like fishcakes-hopefully he will share them with Cathy.

Tonight the low here is 29 degrees...might have to plug in that electric blanket. Any weather is good weather in my books as long as it doesn't involve snow.

Don't think I can upload any pictures, due to the slow wifi here so I will have to catch up on doing that later.

Be safe out there everyone..and have a wonderful evening..hope 2012 has been off to a great start for you all!

We have park wifi tonight-a bit slow but hey its free-so I'll have time to catch up on reading all your blogs :)

Home is where you park it

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Happy New Year!!!

2011-12-31T10:24:00.000-04:00

Happy New year to all our friends and family back home...may you all have a wonderful celebration this New Years Eve!!! We wish all of our family and friends a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012!

Also happy New Year to our blogging family!! All the best for health and prosperity in 2012-from our home on wheels to yours!!

Elaine Rick Tucker and Lilly...

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Safe and Sound in Myrtle Beach!!

2011-12-30T18:20:00.004-04:00

Had a wonderful travel day today-excellent weather. Not much sleep last night tho..Miss Lilly would not settle down she had me up most of the night. I think its 3 full driving days and her sleeping on the sofa in travel. She and Tucker will get a good long walk tonight for sure.

We left Fredericksburg VA around 8am this morning and motored toward Myrtle Beach, arriving around 4pm. The sun was shining and the farther we drove the greener the pastures and grass was. We started peeling off the sweat shirts, and my feet were finally warm. It was 64 degrees upon our arrival. I might even get to sleep with the window open in the bedroom tonight!! Ossumer purred right along and worked like a charm.

Upon arrival our jacks were making a grinding noise as we lowered them. They weren't doing that yesterday..we are wondering if maybe they are full of road grime-but we are not going to worry about that right now..they are down and will come up no problem Tuesday, so once we arrive in Fl we will look into having them checked out. Anyone ever experience this? Or does it sound familiar?

Our friends Cathy and Brent who live in NC are here for a month in their condo on the beach, and we will be meeting up with them tonight and spending NYs with them also. We will be here until Tuesday, then head for Fl.

Have a super evening and for those of you in travel---be safe out there.

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Snow Day

2011-12-29T19:36:00.001-04:00

We are currently in Fredericksburg VA...at a campground and I'm so excited we just dumped the winterizing and I'm doing the happy dance while I wait for the water heater to heat up...shower shower shower..yeah..

We left Fiskkill NY at 7:30 this morning..and arrived here at 4:30..from Carlisle PA clear through to the WV border we were in snow squalls. We were discussing hauling off..and the blessed skies opened up and the sun tried to peek through..so we outran that one for sure. Traffic was terribly heavy today for a middle of the week day.

No pictures today folks, I couldn't find the camera its here somewhere. Its nice to be sitting in the rig with all the slides out and the jacks down..feels like we moved into a bigger house. Staying at the walmart we tend not to put the jacks down and only put out the bedroom slide.

We hope to make it to Myrtle Beach tomorrow and will be there until Tuesday at which time we will head for Florida.

Be safe out there...
Elaine Rick Tucker and Lilly

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Are we at Sea???

2011-12-28T20:41:00.002-04:00

It rained hard all night,(I was glad it washed some of the road grime off the car) and the wind was unreal..but we were comfy toasty warm in Ossumer, with electric hookup last night.

Today been a blustery day today to say the least..we left Lewiston ME and motored on for 7 hours hoping to make it to PA today..but that was not to be...it was just too darned windy..we struggled with winds all day today and at 3pm we said enough of this...No rain today but strong winds on the right front ..it seemed to be a constant battle.

Border Crossing Yesterday Morning at Houlton ME

Parked @ Ramada in Lewiston ME last night

Where is he taking me???? (Hartford CT)

We are currently wallydocking in Fishkill NY. At least there is no snow but holy moly it is chilly, right now its approximately 31F. Its colder because of the wind. We are rocking and rolling here in the parking lot. But we are warm..we have the generator going had supper at Rotten Ronnies, (I was too tired to cook)..and my airstick is working so what more could we ask for. We did ask permission to park and we are away from the building-and only opened the bedroom slide.

Tomorrow we hope to get as far as Fredericksburg VA...will update you upon arrival..

Stay safe everyone....until the next time

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

I shoulda-woulda-coulda !!!

2011-12-27T20:11:00.003-04:00

I "shoulda" because had I known how cold it was going to be I "woulda" brought my nice white furry lined snowshoe boots-and I "coulda" cause I thought about it while I stored them away in the Kitchen coat closet this morning at home. Then thought nawww we're heading for bright sunny skies and warm temps. Does the soul good to suffer a wee bit.

Its not so bad..but my feet were frozen for awhile..so I wrapped my self up in a nice homemade quilt to ward off the draughts and snuggled up in the passenger seat. As yall probably already figured out..I'm not a great 'sit still' for hours type of person. I tend to be somewhat fidigety..like those kids in church who can't sit still? They count people with hats on, people wearing blue coats, then red coats..you get my drift. Yup you guessed it I'm a counter..(between prayers that is)..today I counted road signs and mile markers..when I bored of that I read my kindle for a bit..then I fired up my laptop and creeped around facebook..didn't even try to read blogs due to all the pics that would try to load..might try that tomorrow...by then we were finally in Bangor and heading into Walmart to get a trac phone (which this computer illiterate chick activated online by herself) while Jeeves did the chauffeuring. And wouldn't you know it..its active and I have no-one to call..it will take 48 hours to activate the canadian calling and thats if you do it online yourself. Betcha all didn't know Canada was 'international' yup from the US its international calling..they musta sold a wack of those phones for Christmas if its taking 48 hours to get into their systems.

We arrived in Lewiston at 6:30 local time and did something we always said we'd never do..drove after dark..we do not like driving after dark..but we are trying to outrun weather so we motored along. Hopefully we will get off the road before dark tomorrow..in fact I'm almost positive we will. We had chicken (well turkey really ) a la king on toast for supper on paper plates. It was hot and we were hungry..every cupboard I open Rick has sweets stashed. All the christmas cooking from home, and some from the daughters..

I know some of you say why not de winterize before leaving home..even tho we have heated holding tanks we don't want to take the chance. Its not the fact of the 'overnight' stops its the travelling down the road with -10 degree temps outside-it tends to blow cold air into small tiny cracks that will freeze water pipes. We have brought water for flushing, and water for drinking and washing..so we will rough it for a couple of days, heck it might even be fun.

Tucker and Lilly are not complaining as long as their furry butts are parked on the comfy sofa and the rig is rolling. Ok its 8:06 local time and I have to organize the duty free stuff, and hit the sack we are beat. Never ceases to amaze me how we can be so tired of sitting and rolling along for hours. We had approx a 9 hour day today, and only stopped long enough in Fredericton to drop our foster grand off to her next visiting relative-then rolled along till duty free and we sure weren't there long.

A big welcome aboard to Michael and Dee of gonerving.blogspot.com thanks for joining us..

Have a great night folks..be safe out there..where ever you may be!!

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

Ossumer is ready for a new adventure

2011-12-26T22:58:00.001-04:00

A long day but finally Ossumer is loaded his 2 furnaces are running to maintain some inside heat. The block heater is plugged in to insure an easy start. All that is left is to hook up the toad place the brake buddy and we will be ready to start our 5 month adventure to a land of Sun and warmth.

The weather has been checked at least a dozen times today and it looks like a clear sunny day with temps of 5C as we start down the eastern seaboard. Actualy if all the weather predictions are correct we should have a nice clear run all the way to Myrtle Beach SC in time for New Years festivities.

Climb aboard get a good seat sit back and enjoy the ride hope to see you all down the road.

Merry Christmas Blogging Family!! Snow Snow and More Snow

2011-12-24T10:21:00.003-04:00

I awoke to a clatter, and sprang from the bed, thinking Santa's here early, or is it my head!! Threw open the blinds and what did I see????

A MUNICIPAL SNOWPLOW- DESCENDING ON ME !!!

I ran to the back, thinking it was my eyes, threw open the door to a great big surprise!

Yes it was snow!! Snow makes for a magical Christmas-but the magic we need right now is blue skies and clear roads. We are loading and lugging the MH for our trip, amongst the decorations and pretty wrapped presents- is baskets of 'stuff' still to be loaded. There are lists hanging everywhere, and it sure doesn't seem like we are getting much accomplished-but that is because I am pulling together the inside (the -to go out there stuff) and Rick is doing most of the loading from the front door to the MH. How will I ever find everything upon arrival, but I'm sure I will have lots of time to take inventory and arrange it all to my satisfaction. There will be a repetitive question I'm sure-something to the effect of "Honey where is this and where is that"...

I'm hoping this snow disappears before Tuesday morning bright and early. And am glad that this is not "get outta dodge day". Christmas is all about hope and love-so I hope and would love for all this snow to disappear. I'm sure there are children all tucked in their beds while visions of 'sleds' dance in their heads.

We definitely have a couple of busy, hectic days ahead of us. Shovel the snow, load the motorhome, go to church this evening with our family, visitation with the excited grands, then back home load some more (all the non perishables), play santa for our foster grand who has been with us since Wednesday, then try and get a couple of hours of shut eye before the excited phone call from across town to "hurry up and come to our house the grands are up and want to open their presents"..

Then its brunch with the family at our daughter after the kids open everything, and back home for maybe a quick 'nap' (doubtful) and organize more items for the MH. Then back over to our daughters house to enjoy Christmas dinner with our family and her extended family.

We have to un decorate here at the house and get all those decorations back into storage, because we have a friend who wants to stay here while we are gone south. If not for that I would have left it all in place until our return. I've arranged for our adult kids to pop over on Monday and shop in our cupboards and freezer as our house sitter is a mostly 'eat out' kind of guy and I know he won't cook roasts, chickens etc. so what I can't get into the MH fridge our kids will do us the favor of taking it off our hands. I'm sure that won't be too big a chore for our two 'bachelor' sons.

Rick has stocked up on jugs of water, and windshield washer antifreeze for the toilet issues during travel. I plan to make lunches and a couple of casseroles for our travel days. We hope to be in South Carolina - Myrtle Beach area on our 4th day of travel. This will be our first winterized- travel in the cold trip -so I hope we are up to the challenge. I'm sure we will forget something, but hopefully it is something minor and we can pick it up along the way.

Merry Christmas to you all-our blogging family!!! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!! Maybe we will be lucky enough to meet some of you down the road. Our goal is to leave here early Tuesday morning take our foster grand with us in the Motorhome (she is excited about that) and drop her at her next visitation home a couple of hours from here. Hopefully Tucker and Lilly will be kind enough to share their 'sofa' with her.

Our proposed route will have us crossing the Canada US border at Houlton Maine then straight south on 95 to Lewiston ME for our first night approx 400 miles. There is a Ramada Inn in Lewiston that caters to snowbirds with electrical hookups in the back of their parking lot for $10.00 a night. From Lewiston we will continue on 95 to MA then a short haul on 90 to 84 down through Hartford CT into PA and stopping just south of Scranton at Pitston PA for a night of Walmart fun about 430 miles . Thursday is the big push to get below the frost/snowline down 81 to 66 across to Fredericksburg VA to 95 and south on 95 to someplace south of Richmond to another Wallyworld. Friday will see us running down 95 and swinging off on 501 to Myrtle Beach for the New Years festivities. From Myrtle we will leave on Jan 2 and motor to Jacksonville FL for a Walmart overnight and then the final day Jan 3 push for Avon Park FL for at least a month of sunshine and relaxation. From there who knows!!

Take care all and be safe out there!! If the snow is not gone by Tuesday we will sadly hold up until it is!! Oh and Ricks BP has finally starting holding at an acceptable level.!!

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"

We are Loading up!!! And getting out of Dodge

2011-12-21T23:33:00.001-04:00

Merry Christmas to all our Blogging fur friends from Lilly and Tucker Boy

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you our wonderful Blog friends!!! Where ever you are!! I have been more down on the sofa that up off it due to a miserable attack of bronchitis..but I'm feeling much better this evening..I think those antibiotics are kicking in. I swear we should have a revolving door on our home as Rick is in and out like a ginnyspinner putting things in the motor home..the rig has been pretty well packed, loaded and ready to roll for over a month now..we just need to load on those last minute things which we can't do until early Tuesday morning..but hes enjoying slipping out with CDs of music..the printer for the laptops etc etc..so I say fill your boots buddy!!

We are all ready for Christmas...our adopted grand arrived yesterday safe and sound..to spend Christmas with us...and we are anxious to spend it with our kids, and the grands..our dear daughter is hosting pretty much everything at her home..and that is a bonus for me. All we have to do is show up, just across town. This will be the first year we've changed that tradition, as in the past I was always the 'host'..so I have no trouble breaking tradition this year. She feels it would be too hard on me to be packing, de decorating etc to host christmas brunch and dinner for everyone the day or so before we are slated to pull out..and I say 'bless her heart'..

We plan to be in the Myrtle Beach area for new years and meet up with friends of ours there. I'm not looking forward to the first couple of travel days, due to the fact that we are winterized but we can ride the wave on that I'm sure. Out running any bad weather will be our challenge and we are up to it. If we run into bad weather we will just find the closest Wallyworld and park.

Al and Kelly hang in there you are in our thoughts and prayers that you can glide along with your health issues until the spring..Contessa your family and your mom are also in our thoughts and prayers. I will try and keep up with the blogging during our travels-and I will surely have more time to read the blogs without rushing, to check on how you are all doing.

Have a blessed Christmas and all the very very best from our home to yours for a wonderful 2012.

PS: Just a little chuckle for you all concerning Uncle Dennis buying the grands a mininature horse for Christmas. Their parents took the girls yesterday, on a surprise drive and the grands were quite excited. Caitlin is a dear little diva girl and I thought she just may not enjoy the barn thing..Hannah is our little tom boy who bass pro fishes in tournaments, hanging off the side of the boat and baiting her own hooks. To our surprise upon their arrival here last night after the 'great reveal' Caitlin was so excited she was bouncing off the walls..even to the point of sitting on the horses...Hannah was petrified of the horses. The pictures sure made me chuckle, Caitlin all excited as if Uncle Dennis had just passed them the moon, and Hannah looked horrified with a look of 'what are we doing here-this is the end of the world' face..she made it known that she would have been perfectly happy with a "barbie" as a present from Uncle Dennis. I am sure once she is used to Betty she will love her...she is a dear looking little horse who is saddle and cart broken. She did inform me that they are not house broken like Lilly and Tucker and they make big poops that do NOT smell good....I guess what they say is true...expect the unexpected with kids.

Update-Has Murphy Moved on? I think so

2011-12-20T16:03:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
I haven't posted because I'm sure you are all sick and tired of hearing all the 'murphy' stuff thats been happening in our lives and home. But I think he is moving on..
We were back to the doctor yesterday, for another bp checkup for Rick..he is still all over the board, up and down like a yoyo...Sunday showed the most decent readings so far..but yesterday he was all over the place again..so we are praying it all levels out within the next few days. Yesterday the doctor doubled his bp meds from 4mgs to 8mgs per day one pill every 12 hours. He has been on these meds since Dec. 2.

Our doctor of many years passed away suddenly in 2010 and it was a struggle to find any doctor who would take us on. He is the type of physician who always has his hand on the door knob the whole time your in there. I inquired if we should still go away-he said sure..play with the meds..don't let him get any lower than xyz or higher than xyz...I am not a doctor!! I sure wish he was stabilized.....I think the only thing Rick heard was 'yes I'd still go away'... of course I read between the lines...what if what if... I'm definitely not in a comfort zone with this physician, or this situation. He did at least listen to my chest..I got up yesterday and wondered who parked the elephant on my chest during the night..yes I'm full into a bronchitis attack..he did prescribe antibiotics and puffers for me. Hopefully within 48 hours they will kick in and I'll feel better. Last night was a long night of coughing.

Upon our return home yesterday, Rick immediately moved the motorhome back up to the front driveway and the lists are flying around here organizing the last minute load ups. There is so much you cannot do till the last minute. Plus we have company arriving today to spend christmas with us. Our foster daughter's daughter..Theresa..Jen is in the army and they are now posted in the North West Territories..we haven't seen Resa in 3 years so we are pretty excited that she will be with our family for christmas. She is now almost 17 years old.

This morning we had to be up early and across town to attend the grands christmas concert. It was scheduled for 8:30am...wow thats early...my but all the kiddos were adorable...and Hannah and Caitlin were so cute..waving at us all from the stage.

Hannah

Caitlin

They were Attired in velvet Dresses with satin bows and fur trim-sent to them in Canada from Aunt Becky and Uncle Matt in Mississipi-Aunt Becky sure does a good job on the Christmas dresses every year. She black Friday shops at Macys for the girls christmas dresses each year. And what a good job you do Aunt Becky.

This afternoon Tracey and Tood are taking the girls to meet up with our youngest son Dennis. They are taking them to see a surprise!! Uncle Dennis bought the girls a mininature horse for Christmas..she is a beautiful little horse. She will reside at his friends stable not too far from here. I'm thinking Santa can't even top this gift. I can't wait to see the pictures of their dear little faces when they reveal this surprise to them.

I'm happy to hear that you all seem to be doing well...Al seems to have possibly, hopefully passed the stone? We can only hope and pray that Dr. Kelly fixed him up. Contessa's mum is having her much needed surgery today, so I will be keeping a prayer on my lips for a successful surgery and speed recovery for her.

If yall would throw Rick in your prayer baskets we'd sure appreciate it..I would feel a whole lot better having a few days of level acceptable bp readings under our belts before heading out next Tuesday.

Take care and stay safe!!!

Home is where you park it

“Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to whats coming next”.

"May your day be filled with blessings like the sun that lights the sky~and may you always have the courage to spread your wings and fly"