Another Adventure- Rome, Italy and Messina, Sicily - April 24 - 28, 2018

April 24, Tuesday, about 1:20pm we were picked up at our house by a limo driver.  Bruce and Cricket McGinness and Irwin and Alydia Claener were already in the limo and we were all traveling to Rome, Italy from Orlando International airport.

At Orlando Waiting to Start Our Journey To Rome

Leah, Bruce and I on Airplane to London where we change Planes

Our plane departed the airport a little past 5pm. Eight hours later, approximately, we landed in London, Gatwick airport. We had a 2 hour layover but until we cleared security and got to our departing gate the next flight was beginning to load.  I had been detained somewhat because of the liquids (this included anything that had moisture in it, gels, toothpaste and creams) that I had in my carry on bag, although none were over 3 ounces. We arrived in London about 6am and were taking off about 8:20am.  We landed in Rome about noon, April 25, Wednesday. Orlando time is 5 hours behind London and then Rome an additional hour behind. It was a short night so we were feeling a little weary by the time we arrived at the NH Leonardo Da Vinci Hotel about 2p.m.

Our Hotel for Two Nights in Rome 

After checking in we went to our rooms to catch a nap before going out to dinner in the evening.  Three other Canadian couples had also flown in and would be joining us for dinner- Malcolm and Anne Campbell, Raed and Randa Youakim, and Omar and Debbie Roach( these were friends of Irwin and Alydia, also Canadians that spend time at their home in The Villages when not in Nova Scotia). Bruce had found a restaurant with great reviews that he suggested going to for dinner. It was a short distance from the hotel but for some reason we went around in circles having a difficult time finding the place.  But we did finally get there but many of us were disappointed in the meal. Irwin had located a gelato shop that we ended the evening visiting and enjoying delicious a gelato.


April 26, Thursday, Cricket had arranged a tour of Rome for us.  About 9:30a.m. we, all 6 couples, were picked up by a small bus that stopped to pick up a tour guide and taken to the area of the Coliseum.  We unloaded from the bus and toured the Coliseum with our wonderful guide.

Our Tour Guide

The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome

 The place and everywhere we went on this day was packed with people.  From the Coliseum we walked to the Arch Di Tito,

The Arch Di Tito

 Palace of Venus area and other areas of ruins, the Forums, from several centuries ago some as far back as time shortly after Christ was on earth.

A Church

  We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that had been included with our tour, lunch was pasta plate, then steak strips with potatoes followed with a phyllo pastry custardly dessert and wine included. Great lunch! 

Our Lunch Stop

 After lunch we continued our tour going to Italy’s tomb of the unknown soldier,

Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Solider

 Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain Where the Song 3 Coins in the Fountain was Written About

Trevi Fountain

Terevi Fountain

 and Spanish Stairs.

Leah at the Spanish Steps in Rome

The Spanish Steps in Rome

The Fountain in Front of The Spanish Steps

Tom at the Spanish Steps in Rome

 It was a lot of walking about 6 miles according to our Fitbits. We were finally picked up by a bus and returned to the hotel about 6 p.m.  After the lunch we had today most of us opted for another cone of gelato and nothing more.

 Click on this link to see all of our Rome Photos:

More Rome Photos:


April 27, Friday, we all departed the hotel about 9:30 a.m. for the port of Civitavecchia to board the Celebrity ship, Reflections for a 11 day (10 night) cruise of mainly the Greek Islands.   We were at the port before none and on board. The group joined together in a buffet dining area. Another Canadian couple that also are friends of “the Canadians”, Penny and Bruce MacDonald, who had been on this ship as it did a crossing across the Atlantic the past 2 weeks and would be staying on board for this cruise also joined up with our group in this dining area.  Shortly after 1p.m. we were allowed to go to our cabins and in a fairly short time our luggage was brought to us.

 It was a good feeling to completely unpack our suitcases and settle in and the take a nap. After the mandatory emergency drill at 4:15p.m. we were underway at 5 p.m.  At 6p.m. our group reconvened for dinner in the main formal dining area.  Cricket had managed getting us all seated at 2 tables beside each other. After dinner, Tom and I walked about the ship and then returned to our cabin for the night.

April 28, Saturday, after being under sail during the night when we woke up in the morning around 6:30 a.m. we were still sailing but passing by Stromboli Island. 

Stromboli Island is one of Italy’s three live volcanos. We were about 5 nautical miles away from the island and no volcanic activity was visible. A couple hours later the ship approached the Messina Strait. 

 This strait is a narrow passageway between Sicily and the south-western point of Italy. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and because of its location there is a mixture of various cultures and Greek influence.  Just short of an hour later we were at the port of Messina on the island of Sicily.

 Tom and I spent a leisurely morning eating breakfast and walking around the jogging track while the ship was docking. We did leave the ship to walk about the town on our own.  We walked to the Santiago della Madonna di Montalto where we had panoramic views of the town and harbor, it was quite the climb up and back down through narrow lanes and busy streets.

 Trash littered the streets in many areas. Returning back to the ship we enjoyed a salad lunch at the Oceanview Cafe on one of the upper decks.  The afternoon was spent on our balcony reading and catching up on some rest.

 In the evening, after dinner, we attended a performance by the ship’s production staff.

Traveling Home to Warmer Weather - December 28-30, 2017

We got underway a little after 9am on Thursday (28) morning and headed south.  With temperatures in the teens and expected to drop even more we were anxious for warmer weather.  We traveled 377 miles to Florence, South Carolina (good ole Florence!) staying at Swamp Fox Campground.  It was cold but more tolerable.
Friday we drove to Brunswick, Georgia, 244 miles.  The motorhome needed a good washing and we had used Blue Beacon Truck Wash previously so we stopped to have that done.  We had hoped to go a little further but when we tried making reservations earler in the day at campgrounds there was no vacancies.  Golden Isles RV Park had 1 sight available when we called so we grabbed that up.  The truck wash and RV park are both at the same exit off I-95.  Traffic was heavy most of the way from Richmond, Virginia down.
Saturday (30), we continued on for another 212 miles to Alliance RV facility in Wildwood, Florida.  This facility is just outside The Villages and would be doing some further repair work on the motorhome after our incident in Florence, S.C.  This facility has a nice campground, water and electric with dump station, paved sites that we were assigned a site to park the motorhome.  After cleaning out and loading up the car we went home.  Temperatures here were in the upper 60's with beautiful bright sunny skies.  How nice to be home!

Christmas Togetherness December 19- December 28, 2017

Tuesday, 19th, we left Gettysburg traveling 118 miles to Stafford, Virginia, to our son, Todd, and his wife Beth's home.  We are able to park in their driveway which makes it very convenient.  The first several days were fairly pleasant with temps dropping into 40's or 30's at night.  We celebrated Beth's birthday on the 23rd and Christmas on the 24th as Todd had to work on Christmas day 24 hours.  Our youngest grandkids, Parker (8) and Gabi (6), spent some nights with us.  In fact Gabi was with us every night and Parker whenever he could be away from his video games.  Our oldest granddaughter, Maddi, (18) spent Christmas with her mother's family but then after Christmas she went with us for a day of shopping, this is how we deal with her birthday and Christmas to be sure she gets things that she will wear or use.  The night before leaving the whole family went out to a nearby Mexican restaurant for dinner, this included Maddi and her boyfriend and Anthony (18) and his girlfriend.  It was a nice time visiting but the temperatures had been steadily dropping throughout the week.  On Thursday morning (28) it was 15 degrees when we left.

Family and Friends-December 16-18, 2017

Christmas has always been a time for being with family and friends and this year was no exception to that.  On Saturday, 16th, we drove to Ellicott City, Md. to my niece's, Robin and her husband, Bob's house for a family get together.  We had a wonderful dinner of ham and steamed shrimp, salads, macaroni and cheese plus and then later homemade ice cream, coconut cake and cookies.  It was a very nice day of being with family.  Gifts were exchanged and kids played together.  Todd and his family were there and since Todd and Beth had another evening party to go to, Parker and Gabi came back to the motor home with us to spend the night.

Bree, Leah, Larry, Jack, Robin and Beth

Todd, Larry and Beth

Parker and Larry

Gabi and Jack

Brent, Jack and Bob

Robin, Jack and Bree

Bob, Gabi and Parker

Brent and Laura

Sunday, 17th, was almost nonstop from morning to night.  We met Todd and Beth near Frederick at a Wegman's grocery store at 8:30am to get the kids back to them to take home.  Tom and I then headed to Taneytown to get some air in the Jeeps tires.  We thought we had some time to kill so we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts to get a cup of coffee.  We were biding time until church time at our former church which was 10:30 when we had attended prior to moving to Florida.  While drinking our coffee I checked on the church's website and found that the service time was 10 am   and it was a few minutes before 10.   We hurriedly jumped in the car and drove the several miles to church arriving after the service had started.  It was so nice being at this church service and seeing our former church family.  In the afternoon we drove to Westminster to pick up my aunt Dotty Frock, my dad's 88 years old sister, to take her to Rock Salt Grille in Westminster where Larry, my brother, and Joanne met us for dinner together .  After dinner, Tom and I took aunt Dotty home and spent a little time visiting before moving on.  From Westminster we drove to Kingsdale area of Pennsylvania to visit Miny Cluck, a gal that worked with Tom in his working years, and her husband, Len.  We had a nice visit with coffee and desserts. Whee, were ever busy on this day!

Today, Monday 18th, we went to Emmitsburg, Md. where we met up with a longtime friend, Peggy Conrad and her daughter, Tammy, and Larry and Joanne for lunch at Carriage House Restaurant.

 Peggy, Larry and I grew up together and our families were together every year at Christmastime that we could ever remember.  Peggy's husband, Grover, had just passed away about a month ago.  We always enjoy bring together catching up and reminiscing.  After about 3 hours we said good bye and went our own ways hoping to be together next year. After these 3 busy days we will be leaving this campground tomorrow to go to Todd and Beth's .  The weather has gotten a little warmer each day, today temps were near 50 degrees and should not fall below freezing tonight but the skies have been gray and dreary most of the time.

What an Adventure -December 11-15, 2017

On Monday, December 11, we had the motor home packed up and were on the road by 9am.  It was a cold morning with temps about 39 degrees, cold for Florida.  We drove to Brunswick, Georgia where we had the motor home serviced at a Speedco.  From there we drove over to Golden Isles RV Park, an hour a mile away, to spend the night.
The next morning, Tuesday, December 12, we were underway by 8:15am continuing our travels up I-95 toward the Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania area of our family for Christmas.  As we were motoring through South Carolina about 1:15pm in the Florence area Tom suddenly was seeing lights on the dashboard lighting up and flashing.  About the same time a passing trucker tooted his horn and motioned toward the back of the motor home.  Tom immediately pulled over on the shoulder of the road and got out to assess the problem- steam was pouring out the back.  He felt that it was a fan belt issue and we needed to call for road assistance.  Our service is through FMCA.    It was 4:15pm until a tow truck appeared and the driver after looking at our coach didn't feel he could tow us without frame damage.  He called someone else that he thought could do the tow.  When our road assistance called us saying the tow company said we declined their services we realized that nothing else was in the works to get us towed and we explained that we had not declined but the tow driver didn't think he could safely do the job and we did need a tow.  Finally, we were called saying there was a mobile mechanic that would be out.  Jamie, the mechanic showed up about 7pm and after assessing the problem felt the serpentine belt broke because the air conditioning pump seized up.  We had a belt that had come with the mh that was on the motor originally but Tiffin added the a.c. compressor needing another size belt.  This original belt should have worked by passing the a.c. compressor but it didn't.  Jamie, after a couple hours said he would return the next morning at 8am.  We spent the night in the motor home on the shoulder of busy, heavy truck trafficed 1 95.  Those trucks passing by caused the motor home to sway back and forth.  We were so uncomfortable along this busy road that we went to bed and slept as best as we could fully dressed.  A state trooper did show up around midnight wanting us to move further off the road which was not possible.
December 13, Wednesday, mechanic Jamie showed up about 9am.  Tiffin had been contacted about the serpentine belt and clarified that the belt that we had was the correct size according to their records but it definitely did not fit.  Finally about 10:30 we thanked Jamie for his service but we wanted to get the motor home towed to a safer place as we did not want to spend another night on this road.  Road assistance rounded up Sheppard towing that showed up about 1:30pm.  Albert, the driver, worked hard to get the motor home situated on the tow truck and about 2;30 was towing to Blanchard Machinary, a business that Tiffin said was an authorized power glide service center.  (Blanchard denies that is the case anymore but agreed to work on our motor home if we towed to them).  Blanchard was just a couple miles away.  Once the motor home arrived there mechanics were quickly checking out the problem.  Albert, the tow driver, noticed a couple of helper springs were broken in transit and said he would be replacing them as soon as he could get them, hopefully the next day.  We gathered a few things together- clothes, toiletries and our computers- and went to a Hampton Inn for the night.
Thursday, 14th, after a good night of sleep we had breakfast and ran a few errands and then waited.  We hoped we would be able to leave this day but reserved the possibility that we may need the room a second night.  We did not have to check out until 12noon.  At 11:20am we got the call saying the work was completed.  Tom called the tow company and was told the springs had come in and Albert would come over to Blanchard's to replace them.  By 1pm we had the repairs completed and we were on the road heading further north.  We travelled 204 miles to Roanoke Rapids and the RV Resort at Carolina Crossing.
Now we are up to today, Friday the 15th of December.  Early this morning Tom detected some problem with the heat pumps, furnace and the house batteries.  He located a service center in Ashland, Virginia.  So we found our way there and RV Services agreed to do diagnostic testing about 10:30.  So we waited in the waiting area feeling really low and discouraged about RVing.  A few minutes before noon the motor home was pulled out on the parking lot and the mechanic came in to say they found the problem which was a loose battery cable.  We were on the road by 12:30pm.  We continue on well until we came to the Leesburg area where there was an accident and we crept for quite sometime.  We hit snow and then sun was shining when we got north of Frederick.  We arrived at Artillery Ridge campground at 4:35pm, hooked up the electric and went to dinner at Montazuma's restaurant.  So glad to finally be here safely.  It is cold with temperature in the 20's but it is to get warmer the next several days, we sure hope so.

Tuesday, Shrimp Shack and Wednesday, Home- November 28 & 29, 2017

Yesterday, Tuesday, we didn't have any plans for anything.  We had seen a place that appeared to be a citrus processing plant with a some sort of sales center that we thought we would check out.  They do package fruit to be sent from Florida and have a gift shop.  We were able to look into the processing area through windows in the gift shop.  When first walking into the gift shop we saw some ladies standing by tables with chairs.  Both of us thought at first they were waiting on a group that might be coming there for a luncheon but we soon realized they were there to help customers fill out forms for fruit ordering.  We looked but didn't buy anything.  From there we decided lunch was in order so checking for restaurants in the area we came to one called Shrimp Shack and thought we would try it. Tom and I both got the cod stuffed with crab meat, said to be like Maryland crab.  We were not disappointed but not quite Maryland style crab, although not bad for Florida.  Before returning to the campground we drove out to the beach area and walked along an area of Fort Myers beach.  It was a beautiful day of bright sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70's/low 80's.

This morning we packed up the motorhome and by 9:20 am were on the road headed for home.  By 1:30 pm and 224 miles of travel we arrived back to the storage lot with the motorhome.  I had the car packed up with most of the things that needed to be taken to the house.  So quickly cleaning out the refrigerator, backing the motorhome into it's slot and disconnecting batteries we were ready to get home.
 

Sand Sculpture and Edison and Ford Winter Estates- November 26 & 27, 2017

Yesterday, Sunday, we made our way once again to Fort Myers beach for the Sand Sculpting Championship but this time we were earlier than the day before so traffic was not nearly as heavy.  These sand sculptures are so impressive.  We had been down this way last year and attended this event then.  So much work goes into these beautiful works of art it seems such a shame that immediately after this event the sand is leveled and the art is gone.  All that remains are photographs and memories.

Leaving this area we stopped for lunch at a Pinchers Seafood Restaurant where we both had softshell crabs, almost as good as in Maryland.

After lunch we walked to a dock next door to see what the Pelicans were going after.

  A charter fishing boat was cleaning the days catch and throwing the fish remains to them after filleting the Groper and Red Fish that were caught on the days trip.

Today we drove into the older area of Fort Myers to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  We choose a guided tour as oppose to an audio tour.  The tour was about an hour long and moved along at a nice pace.   Edison and Ford homes and caretaker's home were viewed from the outside looking into rooms from doorways.

  The buildings and grounds are well maintained.  A banyan tree planted in 1927 is reported to be the largest of its kind in the continental USA and is one of over 17,000 plants that was used for rubber research.

  Today we had lunch at Iguana Mia, a nice Mexican restaurant, followed with dessert at a Rita's which we don't have in the area at The Villages.  It was cooler today and mostly cloudy.

Sanibel, Captiva, Emergency Room and Six Mile Slough Preserve- November 24 & 25, 2017

Yesterday, Friday after Thanksgiving, and no we didn't go shopping.  We went to Sanibel as the were having an art festival.  There were some nice pieces of art work offered but we didn't buy anything, just looked.  From there we drove on to Captiva and found a little Mexican restaurant, Captiva Cantina, where we had lunch as we were surrounded by walls covered in dollar bills.

Returning back to the motorhome, as evening progressed Tom started experiencing some breathing issues.  By 9pm we decided we better go to an emergency room so we drove over to Cape Coral ER.  These breathing issues are nothing new as he has been treated and continues treatment for this problem but when shortness of breath occurs he usually is in need of further treatment.  So we were in the emergency room from about 10 pm until 2:20 am.  He received some breathing treatments and medicated so was feeling much better when we left.  It was 3 am until we were able to be in our beds.   Long day!

Today, Saturday, we slept late and ate a banana only breakfast.  Our first order of business was to find a pharmacy to have prescriptions filled from last night.  A Publix was located and we soon had the prescriptions filled and returned to the motorhome with the medicines.  We left again to head to Fort Myers Sand Sculpture Championship festival on the beach.  We found ourselves in a long line of traffic headed the same direction and decided maybe not today.  Our sister-in-law had told us about a place in the area called Six Mile Cypress Preserve. So we turned around and headed in that direction.  We stopped at a Bahama Breeze restaurant for lunch which we enjoyed eating on the restaurant patio.  We did then go to the Preserve which was a really nice afternoon.  The Slough is a wetland preserve of over 3500 acres.  A variety of plants and animals are protected here.  A very nice 1.2 mile boardwalk allows visitors to walk through the preserve.  It was a beautiful afternoon for doing this as the temperature did not reach 80 degrees.  In the pond areas we saw an alligator and numerous turtles.  Cypress trees, ferns, some palms and airplants were in the vegetation areas.  This is a county facility and the only charge was for parking $1.00 per hour or $5.00 for the day.  An interpretive center with a small gift shop is also located on the grounds.

  Very nice place to visit.

Before returning to the motorhome we did stop at the Love Boat ice cream shop for ice cream cones, homemade ice cream of a huge variety of flavors and reasonably priced.  Tom's breathing issues seem to be resolved for now.

Thanksgiving 2017 at Fort Myers, Florida- November 23, 2017

Yesterday, by 9:20 am, we were loaded up and pulling out of the storage lot in the motorhome with the Jeep tagging along behind.  We traveled most of the way on I-75 which had lots of traffic that moved along well.  At 1:46 pm we were at Indian Creek RV park, Fort Myers, Florida where we plan to stay for a week.  After setting up and eating a late lunch we took a drive out along the Gulf coast where the opposite route of traffic was congested and  slow moving that we continued on in an more inland route back to the campground.

Today, Thanksgiving Day, I got a turkey breast into the crock pot first thing in the morning and by noon on high the turkey was ready to eat.  Dressing and twice baked sweet potatoes (potatoes baked and the insides scooped out, mashed with butter, salt and pepper, and little milk and then shells refilled with shredded cheese on top) were baked in the convection oven.  Gravy and broccoli were cooked on stovetop.  Cranberry sauce had been made at home.  An apple pie, a gift from our real estate agent, will be eaten later this evening.  A good meal cooked in the motorhome but we both ate too much.
It has been cloudy today and this afternoon the rain is here.  Good day for just relaxing after a big meal and pausing to think of all the things we are thankful for.  We did walk this morning before the rains.  Who knows what we may get into tomorrow- an art festival?  sand sculpture?- lots to see and do in this area.

A Good Day of Traveling Home - September 13, 2017

We were underway this morning, Wednesday,  a little before 8 am.  Leaving northern Florida we apparently were ahead of folks coming from farther north as we had a much easier driving day than yesterday.  We had a short stint on I 10 and then went south on SR 19 to Crystal River and then west SR 44 to Wildwood.  From there to Fruitland Park where the storage lot is located.  We did see some trees blown over, some wires down and branches broken off as we drove south.  There were more caravans of utility trucks also going south but not to the extent that we saw yesterday.  At the storage lot, the owners told us that there was no electric and no water in their shop and they were going to lock up after we left as we were the last one expected in today.  As we drove into The Villages we saw ponds that had expanded over the normal boundaries with trees standing in the water and there were ponds that normally are not ponds.  Debris from palm trees, the old dried lower fronds mostly,  was everywhere.  Spanish moss that hangs on the southern oak trees was scatter on the grass under the trees.  Landscaping crews were working everywhere raking up this debris into piles to be picked up.
When we got home we found everything to be in order and no problems.  Our area did not lose power but some areas still are without electricity so we are told.  It is good to be home.  We are so glad that we made the decision to go away from here during this hurricane.
Forgot to mention that numerous gas stations were out of gas and those that had gas had long lines of cars waiting to gas up.

Heading For Home- September 12, 2017

A little after 8am (CT) we were leaving Biloxi heading east toward home.  Travel through Mississippi and Alabama did not go too bad on I-10 but Florida was another story.  Almost every interchange caused a back-up along with a couple accidents.  It seemed we just went at a snail's pace.  Tom had tried calling a couple campgrounds last night without anyone answering and had left messages but no call backs.  We were going to a Corps of Engineers park in Chattahoochee but the streets had no name signs posted so we missed our turn and turning around was not possible for miles further down the road.  Another park in Quincy looked promising but our GPS had us making a turn into a gas station.  Finally a call to Tallahassee RV Park a campsite was located due to a cancellation.  After 338 miles and about 10 hours later at 7:30pm (ET) we arrived at the campground.  We did stop for a late lunch at a KFC restaurant.  A long day!

Irma Has Left the Area- September 11, 2017

Today, Monday, we woke up to start reading on facebook if there had been any problems in The Villages.  All the reports looked positive, minimal power outages but not in our area and very little destruction.  We hopeful that all will be fine when we get home. Other areas in Florida did not fair as well.  Here in Biloxi we have not had any rain but the wind has be blowing about 16mph,  Tom finished cleaning up the outside of the motorhome while I did vacuuming inside.  Did ride out for some ice cream this evening and then had a stroll on the beach.  We plan to leave in the morning.  Attempted to call campgrounds to make reservations for tomorrow night but couldn't get anyone to answer.  The area we hope to get to was probably having some tropical weather issues this evening.

Another Day in Biloxi - September 10, 2017

Today, Sunday, we started out the day taking a short walk to Waffle House for breakfast.  Returning back to the motorhome Tom and I puttered around doing some cleaning chores inside and out.  For lunch we drove to a restaurant called Baja Beach, a Mexican restaurant and had burritos that were super big but good.  The afternoon was spent reading and relaxing.  Of course, our attention was on the hurricane Irma that was slowly making way up the western side of Florida.  It was a category 4 this morning but this evening as it approaches Tampa it is expected to be a category 1.  This is good news.  We have added another day on our stay here that will take us until Tuesday and we are penciled in for a few days more if needed.

Seafood Festival, September 9, 2017

Today, Saturday, started out with breakfast and then Tom cleaned off the love bug residue on the wind shield and motorhome front.  Those bugs create quite a mess on things as they splat on the vehicles going down a road.  Around noontime we went to the Biloxi Seafood Festival.  The usual tents with craft type wares were set up but then there was a food area- all outside dining mostly in a standing position.  We checked out the food and saw plates of food that cost $16- $45 and decided that we would rather eat somewhere else that would be an air-condition, sit down in comfort and less expensive.  Most of the food was fried and served with French fries, food that I try to avoid.  We drove over to Ocean Springs, a neighboring town and ate at McElroy's restaurant.  Tom had a meal of oysters and scallops, grilled along with cole slaw and baked potato.  I had Bayou Special which was a fillet of snapper with crab on top, grilled accompanied by cole slaw and broccoli.  Very good food and much less in cost than the festival fare and we were able to sit in an AC dining room.  We did walk around the shopping area of Ocean Springs and only bought some licorice.  It has been very windy today with bright sunshine.  Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the Florida Keys by tomorrow morning and looks to be leaning toward the western side of Florida and the Tampa area as it advances north but most of Florida will be effected.  We are feeling good about our decision to move away from the area and continue to hope and pray our house will not have any damage.

Nasty Irma is Coming and We Are Gittin' September 7 & 8, 2017

Hurricane Irma has been brewing in the Atlantic Ocean for quite a few days.  It was a very nasty storm with winds up to 190 mph marking it as a category 4 and 5 and the worst storm on record.  The path was uncertain but was going to involve Florida and most models had the storm going up through the center of the state and about 500 miles wide. Our family (son, Todd and my brother, Larry) were encouraging us to leave Florida for safety.  So yesterday, 9/7, after getting blood work done and postponing a yard irrigation appointment we left the house.  We had moved the outdoor furniture into the house and garage.  Important papers were gathered together and the freezer was emptied out.  The papers and freezer contents were taken along to the motorhome.  A little past noon we were on the road heading northwest.  We were aware that I-75 was congested and traffic was slowly moving so we avoided that road.  Taking SR 44 to SR 19 was much less congested and moving.  On SR 19 as we drove through the towns on this route we had congestion problems with traffic lights and schools letting out but otherwise moving.  When we reached I-10 east of Tallahassee the traffic was moving without any problems. There were utility trucks and military trucks traveling east to Florida peninsula.  We tried calling several campgrounds in the western panhandle of Florida that had no sites available but then a recommendation was made by a full campground for a neighboring campground in the Marianna area.  A call to Dove's Rest RV Park reserved a site for us.  After 280 miles and about 7 hours on the road we arrived at Dove's Rest and were assigned a site- 30 amp electric and water for $42.00, cash or check only, credit card machine not working so they said.  The first site we had an electric problem so we had to move to another site.  The workmen at the campground stated these sites had not been used for a long time.  We feel the campground took advantage of the situation charging the price of $42.00.  This in my opinion was a very poor business decision as this campground would have made a nice stop whenever travels westward occurs but we will not be stopping here again if at all possible.
Today (8th) we were on the road by 8:30 am continuing our travels on I-10 west after fueling up at a Pilot station.  Traffic moved well without any issues other than road construction at a few places We arrived at Cajun RV Park in Biloxi, Mississippi about 1:30 pm after 258 miles.  Yesterdays trip was only 22 miles longer but took 2 hours longer.  As we were setting up in our campsite a neighbor lady came over and offered us some chili that she had made for our lunch.  Very thoughtful and the chili was very good.  We will stay here for the weekend, at least, until Irma moves through Florida.  Irma will hit southern Florida Sunday morning and expected to move northerly probably hitting our area on Sunday/ Monday.

Solar Eclipse - August 17-23, 2017

Thursday, August 17th, we were still in Pigeon Forge catching up on laundry in preparation for our next move.
On Friday, the 18th, we pulled out of Pigeon Forge to make a 215 mile trip to Westmoreland, Tennessee.  This area was designated to be a totality viewing spot for the solar eclipse that would occur on the 21st.  We stopped in Cookville, Tn. to have lunch with Lois Howard, a longtime camping friend of ours that lives in that area,  We ate at a Cheddar's restaurant and had a nice visit with Lois.  We had forgotten about crossing into Central time on this jaunt.  Tom had found out about this venue for eclipse watching from something he saw on the internet so we weren't too sure of what we were going to.  Westmoreland is a small little town that has a sizable Expo Center that doesn't appear to have much use these days.  We had to wait on a parking lot until 3 pm when someone finally came, opened gates and showed us our parking spot.  We had water and electric (30amp) and were parked on grass.  Activities and solar viewing was to be at Wild Flower Farms about 8 miles away.
Saturday, August 19th,  we did ride down to the Wild Flowers farm to get our wrist bands and solar viewing glasses but nothing else seemed to be happening.  We drove about the area going to Hendersonville and driving along the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake, a pretty area.  We then drove through the town of Gallatin and had lunch.  In the evening we drove to the "Farm" as there was to be entertainment but really there was not much happening so we returned back to our camp site.
Throughout the weekend campers were moving onto the grounds of the Expo Center but I believe the most that were there was 12 units.  It was advertised to have food trucks and entertainment at the "Farm" but we only saw a little hot dog cart for food and the entertainment was nothing to speak of.
Sunday we did go out for dinner but spent most of the day reading and relaxing at the motorhome
Monday, August 21st, the solar eclipse day! We had decided that we would just stay at the Expo grounds rather than go down to the "Farm" for a ride up a hill to view. The eclipse began a little before noon in clear skies.  We would periodically put on our solar glasses and check the progress and ate lunch in between.  As the eclipse moved toward totality the temperature dropped, the sky became dark, and the birds and insects became quiet.  !:27 pm totality occurred when we could remove our glasses for about 2 minutes.  It was really something to see.  I was also amazed at the accurate time schedule available.  Tom had downloaded an App on his phone that announced every happening and when to remove glasses and when to put them back on.   Prior to the eclipse one of the gals from the "farm" came to the Expo Center to collect fees from any body wanting to park on the grounds for the eclipse.  Since she was sitting out in the direct sun Tom took a beach umbrella to her to have for shade.  After the eclipse we walked to the area she had been and found the she and the umbrella were gone.  So we went to the farm to retrieve the umbrella.  Traffic heading north was extremely heavy with people going out of the area to home.
Tuesday, August 22nd. we were on the road by 8:30 am heading south.  We hoped to get below Atlanta, Georgia.  It was a long drive 387 miles to Perry, Ga. with most interstate driving.  Fair Harbor RV park was our home for the night, a very nice campground.
Wednesday, 23rd, we continued our travels south for 293 miles to the motor home storage lot arriving about 2 pm.  We quickly gathered up our clothes and emptied the refrigerator and went home.  A good trip.

Ocean to Mountains, August 4, 2017 Through August 16, 2017

So much time has passed since we started this trip without blogging that I am now just going to recap each day.  Internet connection has been the problem.
Friday, August 4th we left our Fruitland Park storage yard with our 2 youngest grandchildren along.  They had been staying with us for about a month and it was time to get them back home.  Traveling a short 77 miles to Port Orange, Florida we checked in to Rose Bay RV Park.  We planned to stay here for 2 nights in order to go to Daytona Beach with the kids.  Needless to say we had a great time going to the beach.  We gave the kids the choice of a third day of going to the beach with 2 long days of travels or forget the third beach day just get on the road and travel 3 days.  The third beach day won out.  It was wonderful seeing these 2, Parker (8 on 8/12) and Gabi (5) enjoying playing in the waves fearlessly.
On Monday, August 7th, we began our trek north going 403 miles to Florence, South Carolina.  We stayed at Swamp Fox RV park.  It was a long day for all.
Tuesday 8th, we continued our travels to South 40 Resort near Petersburg, Virginia, 269 miles.  This would be our last night of the kids being with us.  We did stop in Skippers, Virginia at a peanut factory where we all sampled a variety of peanuts (salted, spiced, and chocolate coated and other concoctions and nuts).
August 9th, Wednesday, Todd came to the campground after getting off work at 8am to get Parker and Gabi.  We all ate breakfast at a restaurant next to the campground and then said our good-byes as Todd and kids headed home to Stafford, Virginia as we headed off unsure just where we were going.  We did go southwest to Graham, North Carolina located between Durham and Winston-Salem, 221 miles.  We stayed here for 2 nights at Hidden Lake Park.  On Thursday we went to Old Salem, a Moravian community that was settled many years ago.  Interesting old town with people dressed in period costumes talking about past life in this community.
August 11th, Friday, we drove on for 186 miles to Hendersonville, N.C.  Being a weekend we couldn't find a campground in the Boone, N.C.area so we settled for Park Place in the Flat Rock/ Hendersonville area.  This area is the mountainous area of western North Carolina.  Chimney Rock is a state park that we drove to but did not go into the park.  It costs $13.00 per person and there was many steps to climb to get to the top.  There is an elevator which was not working - the price of $15.00 per person had been reduced because of this problem.
Monday, August 14th, another 128 miles and we were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at Creekside RV Park where we are staying until Friday 18th.   On Tuesday we drove to Gatlinburg and walked around the stores.  Wednesday (today) we went to Dollywood for the day, had a nice day of enjoying rides (our first ride of the day was on a raft ride which we both got soaked and did not get dried out until afternoon) and seeing shows.  One show featured Dolly Pardon's brother, Randy, as well as a couple nieces and cousins and other non relatives, nice show.
The goal for this trip is to be in an area to see the August 21st solar eclipse.  Somewhere along our way Tom learned of a gathering in Tennessee north of Nashville for seeing this event.  We will be at this gathering Friday through Monday.