Friends and Moving, February 22-26, 2015

On Sunday, February 22nd, we drove eastward to Okeechobee.  Years ago when we first started traveling in a motorhome we had met Ray and Agnes Elderd at a Newmar rally.  Over the years we have other memorable encounters with this couple.  Ray and Agnes live in West Palm Beach when not on the road so Okeechobee was a halfway point for a meeting and lunch. 

Santa Fe restaurant was chosen randomly for our lunch.  Fortunately, this restaurant was a small place and not overly busy which allowed us to eat and then visit for several hours.  As usual we enjoyed our time with this couple.

Monday morning we struck out toward the west coast to the town of Anna Maria.  This is a resort town on the Gulf.  We parked along the beach and walked around the area going on the pier and then visiting shops.  Surprising, the weather in Wauchula was warm and sunny but along the Gulf there were low hanging clouds keeping the air cool.  We ate lunch at a restaurant, Sandbar, which was quite busy and, apparently, very popular.  After returning to the campground in the evening we went to the campground office building that has a nice porch where we visited with Buddy and Joan Redman, friends from Maryland.  Buddy and Joan overlapped a few days with us while we were in Orlando Thousand Trails and now our paths were crossing once again. We had all been so busy that this was the first opportunity to get together.  We did have to call it a night when Joan and I started feeling that we were being eaten up by mosquitos.

Tuesday morning was moving day for us as our 2 weeks at Peace River Thousand Trails was up.  We moved back to the Orlando area but since we were unable to get into the Thousand Trails park until Wednesday we had reserved a site for 1 night at Lake Magic Encore park.  We got to the park about noon and with a pull through site we did not disconnect the Jeep from the motorhome.  It was warm but cloudy with a few showers.

Wednesday morning we left Lake Magic to travel a short 5 miles to Orlando Thousand Trails and got there before 9am.  We were told that this park was booked full for the month of March so we wanted to be early to get a good site.  There is an area in particular in this park that has RVs packed together which we hoped to avoid if possible.  Tom checked in and was told to drive around to find a site and then return to inform the office of the site.  The last time we had been assigned a site.  Tom decided to get our propane topped off before seeking a site so while he was doing that I walked up to the entry gate to see if I could get a list of the sites that had been vacated this morning.  The person in the gatehouse had left but a motorhome was leaving and I asked them where their site had been.  It was I-52.  So looking on the map we saw where it was located and it was one of the limited 50 amp sites.  We made our way to the area and got our motorhome parked.  We had not eaten breakfast so we drove back to the office to report on our site choice and then on to Denny’s.  (Now this park is a membership park which we pay yearly fees and are then to be able to camp in these parks without any costs.  When Tom informed the office that we were in site I-52 he was told that there was a charge of $3.00 per day for 50 amp service in this area but the office staff said they didn’t know why.  There is 50 amp service in other locations in the park but no fee is charged there.  Of course, we could move after being set-up on this site, if we wanted, but again we would need to drive around to find something.  The fee was paid and we will remain on this site.  Later in the evening Tom was told by some other residents here that this area is a newer section and this fee is charged to recover the cost of the 50 amp service.  What a crock!!  We are so looking forward to getting out of this membership which is another story.)  Oh my, those mosquito bites from Monday evening have been driving me wild with the itching.  I have more than 20 welts on one leg.  Tom has a couple but nothing like what I have.  I also found a “Great Clips” to get a well needed haircut.

Thursday morning about 6am we heard a loud crack of thunder and then a heavy downpour of rain for a few minutes.  A cold front had moved through with the temperatures only getting up to the high 60’s- still better than the snow falling north of here.  I received a message from Joan that she also is suffering from the mosquito bites.  We went to the movies in the middle of the day and saw “McFarland, USA” with Kevin Costner,  a real heartwarming movie.  We then went to our favorite barbecue restaurant in this area, Oakwood Smokehouse, for a late lunch.

Cold Weather in Florida- February 19-21, 2015

Thursday morning (19th) the temperature was in the low 40's and even with the bright sunshine did not get far above 60 degrees. We drove to Ft. Myer Beach to meet a group of graduates from North Baltimore High School, the school in Ohio that Tom graduated from. Since there are quite a few graduates that winter in Florida it was organized that during the winter month whoever could attend would gather for lunch together. Skip One Seafood in Ft. Myer beach was the meeting place for February and we were about 85 miles away. It was a nice restaurant with good seafood. There were about 20 people attending, some that Tom knew and some that he didn't know. A nice day of reminiscing and catching up on others lives.

The temperature really dropped during the night and Friday morning we had a showing of 29 degrees. Still not as bad as what the weather is in Maryland with temperatures near 0 degrees along with wind. Again the sun was shining brightly and the temperature did get close to 70 degrees. The cold period was said to be over for this time and we are hoping for this winter. We went to Solomon's Castle about 20 miles away near Ona, Florida. Solomon is the creator of this castle structure.

The outside is covered in print plates. There are numerous stained glass windows. And touring through the interior there are sculpture pieces made out of old car or motor parts and pictures in wood relief.

Solomon never throws anything away so the tour guide stated. Along with his wife, 79 year old Solomon lives in the castle. A restaurant built in the shape of a ship in a pool of water is operated by Solomon's daughter and son-in-law.

There is another home called the chocolate house on the property that the daughter and her husband live. We ate lunch in the restaurant and enjoyed our meals of baby back ribs. We had been here once before years ago but new things have been added and will continue to be added. A workshop is also on the property where Solomon creates his pieces of art.
When we arrived back to the motor home a notice had been taped to our door about a water break in the campground that had been repaired but we were advised not to drink the water or wash dishes and such for several days. So we made a run to the store to obtain a few gallons of water and some additional bottles of water. Returning to the campground we saw a notice reminding us of a program on this evening with the "Old Pro", a magician. So we went to see this show. It was something to do and the kids really got a kick out of the show.

Saturday (21st) was a much warmer day but not as sunny, thick clouds covered the sky much of the day. We drove to Winter Haven stopping at "Tijuana Flats" for a late lunch. Cypress Gardens, a popular attraction, was at one time in this area. It has since been replaced by an amusement park, Legoland. We did not go to Legoland- that will be saved for sometime when we have grandkids. It is nice to drive around to see changes but I must say I feel some sadness that Cypress Gardens are no longer.

Visiting Friends and Sebring- February 15-18, 2015

Sunday, the 15th of February, we spent mostly in the campground. We did go into Wauchula for a late lunch at a Barbecue Restaurant that had some pretty good pulled pork. It was a nice day with temperatures getting into the 70's.

The warm temperatures continued through Monday. We visited friends in Live Oak campground south of Arcadia in the afternoon. There are 3 couples that we know from our Maryland camping club, Traveling Americans, that spend their winters in this park- John and Judy Rush, Buck and Pat Miles and Bob and Dottie Daniels. We all congregated by the Rush's campsite and had an enjoyable afternoon catching up on our lives. John and Judy have adopted a new dog since being down here so we got to meet "Prince Charles". Tom won second place at Texas Hold'em.

Tuesday we drove east to the town of Sebring. We stopped at the Road Course track and watched as several sports cars were racing about the track. A little noisy but those cars were really speeding through the track.

This town is located around a lake, which we drove around. We did find a good old Mexican restaurant, San Jose Restaurant, that was situated on the lake. We had lunch at this restaurant eating on the outside screen enclosed porch. Perfect weather for being outside. Clouds moved in during the afternoon and by evening we were having showers of rain. I have been working on a quilt and tonight I finished the quilting part of it. Now when we get home I just need to put the binding around the edge and it will be done. Most of the quilting I had done at home and finished the outer edges since being on the road. Tom played Texas Hold'em but didn't win tonight.

The rain continued during the night but by Wednesday morning the sun was shining. A cold front is again moving down into the area keeping the temperatures in the low 60's. Don't know what happened to us but we did not get up until almost 10am. We have never stayed in bed that late but then we hadn't planned on doing much today. Tonight it is predicted to be cold for this area. We are not complaining as the weather at home has been really cold (low digit temperatures).

Moving Further South- February 7-14, 2015

I seem to be falling behind writing this blog but I will try to catch up our last week's activities. On Saturday, the 7th of February, we returned to Mt. Dora for an Art Festival. Streets were lined with vendors displaying and selling their artistic works. And the streets were filled with people checking out all the art. Street performers, The Propellers, were performing in the area of the beautiful Lakeside Inn. It was a beautiful day.

Sunday was spent at the campground not doing anything exciting. Monday we again went to the Webster Flea Market buying some fresh produce including strawberries. Before returning to the campground we stopped in Clermont for lunch at a Mexican restaurant which we thought was very good. The clouds were heavy in the morning and then in the afternoon and through the night the rain poured.

Tuesday morning the rain had stopped and we were making a move a little further to the south to Zolfo Springs, Thousand Trails Peace River Park, about 70 miles. We had been to this park years ago but at that time it was not a Thousand Trails park. This park operates what they refer to as a "sewer lottery". Part of the park lays so low that it is often flooded so sewer cannot be installed in this area. As one comes into the park you have to park in an non-sewer site, your name is then placed on a list, at 12 noon daily a list of available sewer sites is displayed, you then need to check out these sites to see if the site can accommodate your rig and then at 1pm names are called in order of the listing and sites are selected. First off we needed to find an non-sewer site which was not an easy task due to the previous rains making the area of most of these sites super saturated and not a place we wanted to park the motorhome. Luckily, a park employee directed Tom to higher ground and a make-sift site in a roadway with water and electric. We quickly parked and then checked out the available sites for the day. Tom was at the drawings for the day and surprising there were still sites available when his name was called but not satisfactory for our motorhome (too much slope). So we remained parked in the roadway for at least one night. Tom played Texas Hold 'em in the evening winning $18.00.

Wednesday we were hanging out waiting to get a permanent site going through the same procedure as on Tuesday. There were more sites available today. We both went to the calling out of the names for the sites and when we were called there was still many good sites available. So we now had a site which we relocated to that had sewer in addition to water and 50 amp electric on dry ground. We were relieved because we felt we could not plan to do anything until we were situated in a permanent site. I made a crock pot of vegetable soup. Tom again played poker on this evening winning $10.00.

Thursday we were free to do as we wished so we took off. We drove south to Arcadia and then northwest to Bradenton then down to Sarasota. We then drove along Gulf Drive, a beautiful drive with the bay on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other side. The water was the beautiful turquoise blue that the Gulf is known for. We drove south to north on a very busy drive and very congested touristy areas up to Bradenton. We did grab lunch at Five Guys before leaving Bradenton.

Friday we did not do much today but go into Wauchula to the grocery store and CVS. We have been hearing all week about a cold front coming through that would bring the coldest temperatures since January 2014. In the evening, the temperatures dropped into the 40's before we went to bed. Up north temperatures in the 40's in the daytime would have been welcomed as the front was causing low temperatures down to 0. We did attend a program in the evening in the campground with the Weaver family. This family group of 4 brothers, 2 sisters and a brother-in-law aged 13 to late 20's performed bluegrass style music of mostly gospel. Entertaining.

Saturday, the 14th, Valentine's Day, started with going out for breakfast at a local diner, Pioneer Restaurant. We then drove south again to Punta Gorda, a very pretty city. We walked about an area called Fisherman's Village that had small interesting shops and a free military museum the was small but had some nice displays and docents that liked to talk about their experiences in the military. Ponce Beach is a beach on the Peace River, the water here was not the pretty color of the Gulf. In Port Charlotte, the Greek Orthodox Church was having a Greek Festival that we stopped at. We did split an order of Greek fried cheese and bought a few of those delicious Greek pastries to take with us. Before leaving Port Charlotte we stopped for a late lunch at Dean's South of the Border Restaurant (Tex-Mex food) that we thought had great food. This morning started out with temperatures in the high 30's but the bright sunshine brought the temperatures up to the low 60's. A nice day to be out and about.

What Have We Been Doing For the Past Week??? Friday, January 30 to Friday, February 7, 2015

On Friday the 30th we went to Mt. Dora, a town north of Clermont. It was our first visit to this interesting town full of quaint shops. We caught a scenic train ride that went slowly from Mt. Dora to Tavares and back. This area is lake country and the train traveled around a lake. In Tavares we were able to get off the train and walked about a very pretty park. After returning to Mt. Dora we had lunch in a restaurant with an outside balcony which made interesting watching. Groups of Segway riders were touring the city with a guide.

Saturday we went west to Dade City for the annual Kumquat Festival and what a crowd of people. Buddy Redman went along with us as his wife was off on an excursion with her daughter and granddaughter. The streets were lined with vendors on both sides and stuffed with lookers between. A car show was taking place on one of the large parking lots which Tom and Buddy took a gander at. Kumquat pies, made in the fashion of Key Lime pies, were being sold for $20.00 a pie, pricey I thought. Some vendors had sprigs of Kumquats as decoration on their stands but we didn't see any place selling kumquats. On our return we did stop at a barbeque place for lunch rather than eating at the festival while walking around.

Sunday was spent quietly in the campground.

Monday, Disney Village was our destination. Surprise the Village is undergoing some changes mainly with the parking areas. Huge parking garages are being built and parking next to the Village is gone. There is parking across the main street from the Village, also. There is a distance to walk either place of parking. We parked in the garage and had to walk through Pleasure Island to get to the Village. Lego had some new to us Lego sculptures outside. Some of the stores have been made over but otherwise much the same. There were some real heavy clouds and as we made our way toward the parking garage to leave the skies opened up. As the first drops hit us we headed for the first store we came to, to get out of the rain, which was a sunglass store in Pleasure Island. In no time the place was packed with folks seeking refuge. After several minutes of heavy downpouring the rain let up and we made our way to the car. Don Pablo's, a Mexican restaurant, was our next stop for lunch. This restaurant is on International Drive and has been a favorite of ours in this area.

Tuesday we went to a nearby Wendy's for lunch and then to the movies. "Black or White" was the movie that we saw for $6.00 a person, a special Tuesday price. We noticed today that gas prices are jumping up. No longer are the prices below $2.00 as the jump is 10 to 15 cents more per gallon. We knew it wouldn't last.

Wednesday, February 4th, a special day for Tom and I as we celebrated 48 years of marriage. We started the day by going to Bob Evans for breakfast. For dinner we went to a favorite Disney restaurant, Boma, at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had a little mix up getting to the restaurant as a second lodge is now in that area and the roads have been reconfigured. We did finally get where we wanted to be and had a very nice dinner.

Thursday we spent in the campground. We did receive our medicines that were wrongly routed to our home address, then to Todd and Beth's who had to forward them down here. And Tom finally, we hope, has got my account with OptumRX straightened out so it can be activated with the computer. He has dealt with many techs on their end for the best part of a month. It would appear that the problem was solved but the next time logging in would not allow us to get in and we'd start over with a new tech (reaching the same tech was impossible and apparently, they were not in the same area as they did not know one another). But yesterday, a tech Cindy, made a call to us and finally got the problem solved.

Today, Friday, we are meeting an old friend, George Callender, for lunch. George and his wife, Pat, were camping friends of ours from our days of Newmar Kountry Klub and the Maryland Newmar Club. Sadly, Pat, died a couple years ago after they had moved to Florida. George continues to live down here and we try to see him when in the area.

Relocated to Orlando Thousand Trails- January 27-29, 2015

Tuesday morning (27th) we prepared to leave Wildwood which took us somewhat longer than usual.  We had been parked under southern oak trees for 2 weeks during which leaves were constantly falling on the motorhome.  So before we were able to bring in the slides the awning toppers had to be swept off.  Anyway we got away about 10:15am and drove 50 miles to Clermont where Orlando Thousand Trails is located.  We had a little wait at the registration area for a site to become available but we were in our site by noon.  This site is not under trees which is good for television.  The past 2 campgrounds we were under trees blocking our satellite and we could get only one major TV station, several Hispanic stations and other rinky-dink stations.  Unfortunately, we only have a 30-amp site- 50 amp sites are far and few between.  These membership parks do not put any more money into upgrades then is positively necessary.  Friends, Joan and Buddy Redman, are also here.  After lunch we visited with them for awhile.  The sun is bright but it is cool- temperatures reaching the low 60's but dropping to 40 degrees at night.

Wednesday (28th) we walked about the campground trying to figure out the maze.  It is really a confusing campground layout with campsites of a multitude of sizes.  We do have a very spacious site.  Joan and Buddy are squeezed between 2 other RVs.  In the evening as I was drawing water from the kitchen faucet the water stopped.  Tom went out to check and found that our water pressure regulator was the problem and needed to be replaced.  So off to Walmart we went and were able to get a new regulator. Problem solved.  Another cool day much like Tuesday.  The motorhome warms up well during the day with the bright sun.  We leave the heat off all night but by morning it is right chilly (50's) inside so we then turn on our furnaces, jump back in bed and wait for the motorhome to warm up.

Thursday (29th) I did a couple loads of wash this morning and then we went out for lunch at Oakwood Smokehouse in Clermont. We had gone to an Oakwood in Wildwood a couple weeks ago.  Oakwood is a favorite barbecue restaurant of ours in Florida. Today we had ribs- good, fall off the bone ribs.  Another stop at Walmart for some cleaning supplies and washers for water hoses.  And then the last stop at a car wash to get the road dirt off the Jeep.  Much warmer day today that we were able to sit outside late this afternoon until about 5pm when it began to cool down.  And we are hearing that it is snowing again at home.

Our Last Couple Days in Wildwood- January 25 & 26, 2015

Sunday, the 25th, we went into The Villages to check out a couple open houses.  A realtor, Tim Collins, that we had talked with December 2013 was hosting a house so we stopped by to talk with him.  We had a late lunch at Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, a favorite of ours down here in Florida.  In the evening we went to the Spanish Springs town center in The Villages as the performers for the evening was Marie Rose and Danny Elsworth.  This couple comes to the Senior Center in Taneytown to entertain at the Christmas Party and had told us that they would be here this winter for a couple performances.  While at the entertainment, Bruce and Cricket McGinnis showed up along with their daughter and grandson and later Jeff and Anni Albert.  The evening was chilly with temperatures in the upper 50's.

Today, Monday, our last day in Wildwood as we will be leaving tomorrow morning for the Orlando area.  I did cook dinner today.  We had gotten a spaghetti squash at the Farmer's Market on Saturday so I made an spaghetti using the squash.  In the afternoon we drove in The Villages to go to the movies to see "American Sniper", a good movie.  It has gotten colder (low 60s during the day dropping to 50s at night) here and windy.  Not complaining as there is a snow storm hitting home.

Another Week Has Passed- January 18-24, 2015

We have been keeping ourselves busy this week.  On Tuesday we drove west to the Crystal River area.  We stopped at Fort Island Beach State Park where there was a beach that birds were enjoying during this cooler season of the year

From Florida

and a nice fishing bridge

From 2015/01/20

. We ate lunch at a Charlies, a seafood restaurant that is on the water.  After eating we walked out on the deck and saw several fish 4 to 5 feet long swimming.

Thursday evening we met the folks from The Villages (McGinnis, Alberts, and Snells) for dinner in Wildwood at Cotillions Cafe.   This small restaurant was busy and if we had not had reservations we would not have gotten a table.  Good food.  After dinner we all went to The Villages to the home of Dave and Kitty Snell.

Friday we went to a quilt show in The Villages.  Beautiful quilts were on display along with vendors selling quilting supplies.

From Florida

From Florida

 In the evening we were wined and dined at Anni and Jeff Alberts along with the McGinnis' and Snells.  A real enjoyable evening even though rain moved in during the evening.

Saturday, Tom and I drove to a neighboring town, Belleview, for a Greek Festival at St. Mark's Greek Orthodox Church.  We had dinners of Greek food, pastachio(?), a baked pasta and meat dish, rice and green beans.  A musical ensemble played Greek music which was great to listen to.

From Florida

After a rainy night and early morning the sun was out but it is cooler with temperatures only reaching the low 60's.  Still better than the snow and cold of Maryland.

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Tampa Super Show and Village Friends, January 14-17, 2015

Wednesday, January 14, we awoke to gray skies and the gray cool weather lasted all day.  We took off for Tampa to go to the Tampa Super RV Show.  The traffic became heavier the closer we got to the fair grounds where the show was being held.  The last 5 miles took us nearly an hour.  When we did finally get on the grounds we again were held up from getting parked as a motorhome making a right hand turn cut too sharp causing the the back end to go into a ditch.  What a sickening sight- 2 tow trucks had arrived to handle the problem.  Finally we got into the show which was crowded.  There were 2 buildings of vendors along with dealer displays outside.  We looked but didn’t buy anything except for hot dogs for lunch.

Thursday was a rainy day.  Just what this over saturated campground needed was more rain, right?  In the evening we went to The Villages to friends, Bruce and Cricket McGinnis for dinner.  Jeff and Anni  Alberts were also there.  These are friends we have known through our Traveling Americans camping club and through the McGinnis’ we have become interested in the lifestyle at The Villages and our desire to relocate here when we are able to get our house sold.  Jeff and Anni have just moved down here as of September but they still have their Maryland house and hoping for a sale on that.  We had a nice evening catching up with all and enjoying a wonderful meal.

Friday Tom and I drove about the area.  It was a much nicer day with some sunshine but the temperature did not get much above 60 degrees.  In the evening we drove into Brownwood Square, a town square in The Villages, where there is entertainment from 5 to 9pm.  Rocky and the Rollers were the group performing and they do bring out a crowd.  We met up with Jeff and Anni and then somewhat later Bruce and Cricket showed up.  Another fun but  chilly evening.

Today Saturday, Tom was up early and went to play nine holes of golf with Bruce, Jeff  and David Snell, another relocated Marylander.  After Tom returned to the motorhome, we drove into The Villages to have lunch at Cody’s, a barbeque type restaurant.  We then walked about Sumter Landing town square where the stores were having sidewalk sales.  We did purchase some clothing items.  It was sunny much of the day with temperatures getting up to the low 70’s

Webster Flea Market and Wildwood, January 12 & 13, 2015

Monday, the 12th of January, we drove about 10 miles to the Webster Flea Market, one of the largest flea markets around. Acres and acres of all sorts of stuff available. As usual, we ended up purchasing some fresh produce- peppers, blueberries and vidalia onions and nothing else. Returning to the campground it was not long until it began to rain for the remainder of the day. A good day for reading and napping.

Today, Tuesday, we were surprised to see some sun shining this morning. We thought according to the weather reports that we may have to pack up in the rain. We were not in a big hurry to move on as we only had a short 24 mile drive to the next campground in Wildwood, Fl. Tom cautiously drove the motorhome out between the 2 trees we were parked behind. It proved much easier going out than backing in. Within a half hour we were at Three Flags Thousand Trails RV Resort and again have been placed in a campsite under trees. So much for satellite TV for the next 2 weeks.  After setting up we needed to run to the grocery store for a few items but while we are out we had to get lunch.  Oakwood Smokehouse Barbecue Restaurant is a favorite of ours in this area so that is where we stopped first.  There are several of these restaurants in this area but today we went to the one in Lady Lakes.  The sausage is a favorite of ours so that was our lunch today.  Then returning to the campground we stopped for our milk and orange juice at a grocery store in Wildwood.  Temperatures have been in low 70's with no rain so far.  This campground apparently got saturated yesterday.  People pulling out today have left some muddy campsites behind.  Fortunately for us, our site is comparatively drier on sandy ground as opposed to grass and mud.

Dog Show and Homosassa Springs State Park January 8th–11th, 2015

Sumter Oaks Campground is a friendly, neat campground but it lacks some things that we do not like not having.  Because of the beautiful southern oak trees our television connection is poor- satellite is impossible and the antenna only picks up a few local channels of which only one is a major network (ABC).  Wifi is available but seems to cut off frequently which is one reason the posting of this blog has not been as regular as I usually try to do.  We will be moving from here on Tuesday to a campground that is improved in these areas.

Thursday the 8th was a windy cold day.  Temps did not get above 50 degrees (still warmer than up north).  We did go to the dog show in the morning but did not stay very long.  The show was outdoors and with the wind and chill factor not the most pleasant.  Most dogs we saw that day were the big breed dogs.  Leaving the show we drove into the town of Brooksville looking for a place to get lunch.  We saw a restaurant with a full parking lot and thought that was probably a good place for lunch.  Florida Cracker Kitchen was not a fancy place but the food was very good. We had burgers which were served with sweet potato chips.  Breakfast was also being served during this time and those dishes looked wonderful too.

Friday we returned to Brooksville again for lunch.  This time we were disappointed in our meal at a Mexican restaurant called Enchiladas.  The food for Mexican was just too bland.  After lunch we went to the movies to see "Into The Woods" making for an enjoyable afternoon.

Saturday we stayed in the campground all day. I'm working on a quilt project so I was busy with that along with doing some reading as Tom was doing.  In the evening we went to a lounge in the campground rec room to watch the Ravens/Patriots football game.  Unfortunately, the Ravens were defeated.

Today, Sunday, we returned to the Florida Cracker Kitchen for breakfast which was every bit as good as we thought it would be.  We both had omelets that were served with real fried potatoes.  We then drove to Homosassas State Park, a park we had been at several years ago.  A boat from a visitor center transports people back to the park.  The park cares for Florida native animals that have been injured.  There is a hippo, non-native to Florida, that resides in the park.  This hippo was here when previous owners had a wild animal park and were unable to find another home for him.  Some animals are able to be rehabilitated and released but others are not able to be released so remain for the duration of their lives.  There are 4 manatees that will remain here in a secluded area within the Homosassas Spring because of injuries.  Because of the recent cold, wild manatees have moved into the spring because of the warmer water temperature.  There were estimated to be 70-80 manatees in this area at this time. 

From Florida

From the viewing area we were able to see 12 to 15.  There were many boats in the area outside of the state park that were viewing or swimming or snorkeling with the manatees.  Returning back to the campground we stopped for supper at Beef O'Brady's.

Sumter Oaks, Bushnell, Florida, January 5-7, 2015

Monday, 5th of January, we packed up to move on. Leaving Golden Isle Campground Tom drove the motorhome and I drove the Jeep. Tom wanted to have the motorhome serviced at Speedco just a couple miles away. We were at Speedco by 8:30am and immediately taken into a service bay. Speedco is like JiffyLube for Trucks and RVs- no appointments, open 7 days a week. Actually it took longer than we thought, about 2 hours, but Tom said that servicing the generator seemed to take the longest. When all that was completed we hooked-up the Jeep, stopped at Flying J to refuel and then got back on I-95 to continue south to I-10 and then southeast to Bushnell, Florida. After 214 miles we arrived at Sumter Oaks Campground at 2:50pm. The sun was shining and it was a nice 70-plus degree temperature. Sumter Oaks is a nice, quiet campground with lots of those beautiful southern oak trees that have Spanish moss hanging from their branches. Our campsite is situated that Tom had to back between 2 of those trees to get in to it. We have been told by several other campers here that there is a bug going around the campground causing respiratory problems.

Tuesday, another pretty day in Florida while it was snowing in Maryland, we drove into the town of Bushnell. We needed a couple things from WalMart and the car needed a washing. We also got lunch at the Rojo Coyote Restaurant.

Today, Wednesday (7th), we spent the day in the campground. Our prescription insurance plan changed with the new year so Tom has been on the computer and phone most of the day trying to get everything in line so we are able to order our medications. Some problems still exist but it looks like he is getting closer to getting things lined up. There is a 5th wheel across the road from us that have Westie dogs in a pen. This morning 2 ladies have been out grooming these little dogs. I walked over and talked with them. Both ladies have their own RV and are getting the dogs ready for a dog show nearby that runs Thursday to Sunday this week and the next. One lady has 6 dogs and the other has 7. Perhaps we will have to go to the dog show while we are here. It has been another nice day but is predicted that a change is on the way with colder temperatures by nighttime.

Christmas is Over, Off to Florida- January 2- 4, 2015

Christmas has been celebrated with family and friends and now we are heading for warmer winter weather. Friday, January 2, 2015 after loading up the motorhome with the items that we were afraid of freezing and then getting the motorhome out of the driveway we were ready to hit the roads at 9:30am. Our travels to Frederick, Md. and then down toward Virginia where we picked up I-95, the route that we would be traveling to Florida. It was a cold overcast morning. Traffic was lighter and moving well most of the way. A fender-bender accident slowed the traffic at one point but otherwise we moved well through the northern Virginia area above Richmond where traffic can be a nightmare at times. We continued on through Virginia and into North Carolina stopping for the night in Selma, N.C. at 4pm after 339 miles. We spent the night at RVacation RV Park, a park we have been to on other trips.

Saturday morning we were on the road at 8:35am to continue our travels down I-95. As we were traveling south it was evident that we were in a migration of other snowbirds heading for warmer weather. Not only Rv's but cars with licenses from northern states were sharing our route of travel. Traffic moved well through North Carolina. It was in southern South Carolina that we experienced several miles of slow moving traffic. Then in Georgia we moved along well. After 387 miles we stopped for the night in Brunswick, Ga. at 3:45pm. Golden Isle RV Park is just off I-95 and a Passport America park. Reviews on this park were mixed but we decided that for one night we would bite the bullet. We had stayed here years ago but we also know that things change. Actually, we were pleased with this park as it cost $18.90 for the night with P.A. discount and just appears to be an old KOA. And we were pleased that we had gotten to warm weather, in fact, it was very humid making the upper 70 degrees to feel a little uncomfortable especially with our long sleeved shirts and blue jeans. We did go out to a Sonny's barbeque restaurant for dinner. Since our reservations in Florida do not start until Monday we decided to stay here for a second night.

Today, Sunday, we drove to Jekyll Island. This island was first inhabited by an Englishman in the 1700's. There are still remains of this family's house as well as houses of a French family that lived here in the 1800's. This is a beautiful area with southern oak trees covered with Spanish moss and ferns covering the grounds. There is a campground on this island that seemed to be at high occupancy. From Jekyll Island we drove to St. Simon's Island where we had lunch. St. Simon's is a commercialized area unlike the state park that Jekyll Island is. It was warm today although the islands had a rather cool breeze. Clouds covered the sky all day but it wasn't until we returned to the campground this afternoon that the skies opened up for a spell with a shower. Tomorrow we will move on to our destination in Florida. We hear cold temperatures are on their way.

Finally Going Home- Monday, October 27, 2014

On Sunday morning we were up and on our way before 8:30am. We were headed for home on the Ohio turnpike. Turnpike traveling is not my cup of tea but traffic usually moves along real well. This day was no exception. We made a stop on the Pennsylvania turnpike for lunch. The service plazas in western Pennsylvania are few and far between nowadays. We tried to stop at the first plaza we came to but there was no room to park so we had to continue on to the next plaza which had much larger area for parking. A little past 3pm and 360plus miles we stopped in Bedford, Pa. at a
Friendship Village Campground.

This morning, Monday, we took a little longer preparing to leave the campground. Tom dumped the black tank and rinsed it well to be able to winterize at home. We do not plan to be going out until after the holidays so we have to make sure nothing freezes. I had gone through cupboards last evening collecting liquids that needed to be taken into the house when we got home. By 9:15am we were on the road- Rte.30 we didn't need to return to the turnpike. And the 111 miles later and fueled up at 11:45am we were home. After our procedure of laying down boards at the bottom of our drive way to get the motorhome in the driveway we ran out to Pizza Hut for lunch. When we returned Tom tried to start the motorhome to finish setting it up in the driveway and it was dead. There was a code about the problem. Eventually it did start but the question is 'why did it do this?'. Phone are being made calls. First call to Tiffen resulted in recommending a call to Cummins.

Jim Beam, Neil Armstrong and Family- October 25, 2014

Thursday morning we drove the Jeep a few miles to the Jim Beam bourbon distillery.  There were 2 tours available- a free self-guiding tour with 2 tastings or a $10.00 guided 90 minute tour with tastings.  Feeling limited on time we chose the free tour.  We walked about the grounds and then ended up in the tasting building for our tastings.  We then returned to the campground, hooked up the Jeep to the motorhome and were on the road.  The traffic on this day was much improved over what we had the day before.  We traveled about 60 miles more (232miles), left 2 hours later and got to the next campground in Wapakoneta, Ohio about the same time as on Wednesday.  We spent the night in Wapakoneta KOA.

Friday morning we left the campground and drove the motorhome to the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.  There is a nice parking lot there to accommodate buses and RVs.  We walked through the museum ($7.00/person-Senior) looking at the exhibits and then watched a 20 minute movie.  We were then back on the road for a short 58 mile trip to Van Buren, Ohio.  We stopped for fuel and propane at a Flying J before just getting to Van Buren.  Tom had made reservations at Pleasant View Campground for 2 nights to insure that we would have a site close to his family.  We arrived at 12:45pm but had to wait in the front for the manager to show up to register us for 30 plus minutes.  Eventually we were situated in our campsite and then drove into Findley, Ohio for lunch at Culver’s.   This area is where Tom graduated from school (North Baltimore).  Tom is in contact with former classmates and when he knew we were going to be here he had notified Karen Downs.  Karen called and suggested meeting at Cheddar’s for dinner which we did.  Unfortunately, because of the late notice of our being in the area others had made other plans for this evening.  Nevertheless, we had an enjoyable dinner with Karen.

Today, Saturday, we drove to Deshler, Ohio to visit the cemetery that Tom’s parents are buried in.  We were out here in May and had made arrangements to have a headstone placed on their gravesite.  That was done after we left here so we wanted to see the finished product.  Then in the afternoon we went to Findley for a celebration of life service for our 14 year old grand niece, Destiny Rivera, who lost her battle with the effects of leukemia.  It was a very nice celebration of a well loved girl.  Many of her friends shared memories.  We were able to visit with Tom’s brothers and sister and their families.  After the service we went to the home of Destiny’s parents- Larry and Missy Rivera and their sons, Junior and Reese.  Tom’s brother, Roger, (Destiny’s grandfather) along with his wife and other grown children  and their families were also there.  We had a nice visit and enjoyed a nice meal that had been furnished by the school that Destiny had gone to.  Our thoughts and prayers continue for this family as they deal with this loss.  Tomorrow we will be on the road headed for home.

Shepherdsville, Kentucky- October 22, 2014

This morning we were on the road before 9am, Central time. It was not a good traffic day. We started south of Nashville and needed to travel north on I-24 and then connect to I-65 on north into Kentucky. Through Nashville area the traffic, heavy with tractor trailers, just crawled. And then we were in road construction that had lanes closed and speed limits reduced. We stopped for lunch in Munfordville and then a few more miles we were back in Eastern time with an hour of time lost. About 50 miles further north we stopped for the night south of Louisville, Ky. in Shepherdsville (179 miles and 3pm, Eastern time)) and are camped at "Grand-ma's RV Camping". Before leaving tomorrow morning, we are planning to take the Jeep a couple miles south to the Jim Beam distillery for a tour of the facility before moving the motorhome. We then hope to travel to Dayton, Ohio although again we are facing travel through cities- Louisville and Cincinnati.

Finally!!!- October 21, 2014

Monday morning, bright and early, we were up and had the motorhome to Bay 24 at 7am where it was scheduled to to have the rails that had been installed last Thursday painted. We then went to Belmont to get breakfast. Returning to Red Bay we went to the Tiffin factory complex to take a tour. Tours are offered Monday through Friday at 9:30am. We had taken this tour the first time that we came to Red Bay but there is always something new to see. The tour lasted until a little after 11am. The fascinating thing about these tours is that the tour weaves through the work areas. Don't see that happening in other factories in other states. After lunch we went to the customer lounge for a while and then about 2pm we went to the bay where our motorhome was. The job was finished so we were able to return back to the campground to wait again. Surprisingly, we got a call before 3pm telling us to be in Bay 34 the next morning.

This morning, Tuesday, we were in our assigned bay by 7am but our breakfast had been eaten in the motorhome today. THe main reason for our return to Red Bay was to have the framing post in the right front corner check out. June 2013 we had been here for the snapping noise in that area that was found to have been the framing not properly secured. Recently, we began hearing that noise again. The techs immediately got into the problem and using heavier screws secured the framing. An awning that covers the top of one of our slides was showing signs of wear and we had that also replaced. By 8:30am the work was completed finally. We paid our bills-service center and camping fees. Because of the rail issue we were charged $10.00 per night of camping instead of the usual $20.00. These stays get more tedious each time we are here. We spend more time waiting to have work done than actual work being done. The one good thing is that whenever a problem occurs as a result of materials used in the manufacturing the company stands behind it and replaces/repairs at no charge as in the rail problem. In fact, we were not aware of this problem but while other issues were being addressed these fiberglass rails were inspected and found to have cracks. Aluminum rails are now on our motorhome.

By 9:30am we were joyfully leaving Red Bay and headed north east. Moving into Tennessee we decided to stop at the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg. Free tours are given through the distillery. (If on a sampling tour there is a $10.00 charge) We took the free tour with an entertaining and knowledgable guide. Afterwards, a short walk from the parking lot at Jack Daniels and we were downtown Lynchburg (population 350). It was well past noon and we were hungry. We ate at a barbeque diner, B B Q Caboose cafe. Both of us ate jambalaya, rice and slaw that we thought was pretty good. Back on the road we continued a little further and then stopped south of Nashville (Smyrna) at Nashville I-24 Campground

Rail Work and Natchez Trace Parkway- October 19, 2014

Wednesday, we waited around the motorhome believing that someone would show up to reinstall our TV antenna but that didn’t happen.  That’s the way it is in Camp Red Bay.  You never know much in advance.  Tom went over to the service area again today to check about when we were going to have these rails replaced and was told probably Thursday.  In the evening we were waiting for a phone call to tell us for sure if we were going in for servicing on Thursday.  Usually these calls come in about 4pm but about 5:30pm we finally got the call.

Thursday morning we dropped off the unit at bay 36 to have the rails replaced, this would be a warranty job.   We did not choose to stay in the unit as that would have meant that we would not be able to get out all day as scaffolding is tight against the unit not allowing the doors to be opened.  We spent much of the day in the customer lounge except for a break to go get something for lunch.  At 3pm we went up to the bay and found our unit had been backed outside, job was completed.  We returned back to the campsite and awaited a phone call about painting the rail area but we heard nothing.

Friday afternoon we went to Belmont, Mississippi, a few miles away to the complex that Tiffin where the painting of the new motorhomes are done.  We were given a map, a few instructions, safety glasses and then sent on a self guided tour of the facility.  Quite an interesting place.  Before we got away from there Tom received a call telling us that Monday we were to come to Bay 24 in Red Bay to have our rails painted at 7am.

Saturday morning we took off in the Jeep for the Natchez Trace Parkway by 9am.  I had packed a picnic lunch.  This parkway runs north to south from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi.  We had travelled from Tupelo, Mississippi south but had not gone the northern segment.  We picked the Parkway up west of Red Bay near Dennis, Mississippi.  We were making stops along the way at the points of interests of those that had travelled this area years ago.   The third stop was at Buzzard Roost Spring.  We walked a short walk down to this spring that had a strong flow of water.  Thinking we could get a better view we moved from one side to the other.  MISTAKE.  It was really muddy, slippery mud that had me suddenly off my feet.  What a mess!!  My hands, knees of my jeans and shoes were full of mud.  Tom helped get back up on my feet.  I wiped my hands and shoes on dewy grass to remove much of the mud.  But my jeans had caked on mud on the knees.  Luckily, I had no injuries.  The route had a detour that took us off the Parkway because of road work so we did find a gas station that Tom got a bottle of water that I used to further clean my hands.  I had at this point felt that best way to deal with the mud on my pants was to let it dry and then peel the caked mud off.   So we did continue on our travels.  Along this detour we came to a field of turnips with a sign posted “Free Turnips” so we stopped and pulled up some turnips. 

From Natchez Trace Parkway

Probably an hour later after getting back on the Parkway we came to a sign about a Visitor Center in Collinwood, Tn. that we drove to.  Tom went in to the Center while I stayed by the Jeep scraping and then brushing the now-dried mud off my pants.  We continued on north.  Laurel Hill Lake was shown on the Parkway map as having picnic tables so we drove off on a side road to that area to eat our picnic lunch of fried chicken, macaroni salad, chips and apples.  This was a beautiful area for our lunch break.   Back on the Parkway we stopped at the gravesite of Meriwether Lewis, who died here in 1809 by what is suspected to be self inflicted gunshot. 

From Natchez Trace Parkway

We continued on to the end just south of Nashville a little before 5pm.  Then we had to return to Red Bay, Al. but we didn’t travel on the Parkway for this segment.  We took some state routes to the east of the Parkway down Tennessee and into Alabama passing through a few towns.  The homes off the Parkway in the outlaying area of Nashville were huge with beautifully landscaped yards- some big money in that area.  One town, Franklin, Tn., impressed us with a bustling downtown Saturday night.  We made a stop at a Wendy’s for a supper break.  Finally about 9:30pm we were to the motorhome.  A long day, 350 miles, but enjoyable despite the spill in the mud.

Today, Sunday, we did go to the local Methodist Church this morning and then stopped for lunch at a local restaurant.  But have been and will remain in the campground recuperating from yesterday’s adventure.

Florence, Alabama and Weather- October 14, 2014

Sunday morning we attended church services at a  Methodist church here in Red Bay.  The church was well attended and was quite lively compared to the churches in the northeast.  The minister gave me the impression of someone that had a bit too much coffee but his service and sermon were impressive.  We then drove to Florence, Al., northeast of Red Bay 30 plus miles, to go to a Sam’s Club and to get lunch.  It was a day of rain and some brief periods of sunshine.

Monday morning (Columbus Day) Tom went to the service center to see when we were scheduled to get into the bay to get the rails done on the motorhome and was told in 3 days.  He also checked as to where our TV antenna was and found it in Bay 31.  Brandon the main tech in that bay said he would have the “boy come to the site to install it”.  Well “the boy” did not find his way here on this day.  We drove into town for a few items at the grocery store and while there a clerk said to be careful that some bad weather was headed this way.  The clouds were building up all afternoon.  A little before 5pm our phones sent out a tornado alert advising to seek shelter immediately.   Quickly we gathered up a few things and went to the customer lounge.  The lounge was filling up and the TV was on giving details about the storm moving across this area.  The alert was until 5:30pm.  There was heavy rain falling but, thankfully, no tornado.  A little past 5:30pm we returned to the motorhome and spent the evening listening to the thunder and then the pelting rain.  By midnight the rain had lightened.

Today, Tuesday, we are again sitting and waiting.  Our biggest activity aside form reading is watching the ever changing skies and weather.  Big heavy clouds covered the skies much of the day with an occasional streak of blue showing through and very brief periods of sun shining.  And there were showers off and on all day.  And the temperature has remained in the low 60’s.

DEF Repair and Hodges, Alabama- October 11, 2014

We did not get any calls to go in for servicing on Wednesday but we did get a call to be in a mechanical bay on Thursday at 7am.  So we were up earlier than usual to move into bay 42.  Once in the bay the area supervisor, Greg Dees, hooked up a computer to find out why the service light was on indicating a problem with the DEF sensor.  This has been the fourth time we have had this issue.  This time instead of replacing the sensor the whole internal mechanism that injects this fluid into the fuel line was replaced.  Apparently this has been problem has been seen in other units that are using DEF at this time.  Our motorhome is a 2011 the first year that DEF was used.  Then as we were leaving the bay Tom noticed that the need service light was still on and mentioned this to the tech.  The tech said it would go out as we drove it.  So Tom drove around town a bit but the light remained on.

From 2014/10/13

From 2014/10/13

Friday morning before eating breakfast Tom turned on the ignition, saw the light was still on and then we took a longer ride out to a neighboring town and back.  The light remained on.  So Tom went over to the service area and talked with the tech that said at times these lights have to reset with the computer.   Shortly after the lunch break, Greg Dees came out to the motorhome and hooked up the computer and cleared it of the warning light.  He said that it is not uncommon to need to do this.  While Greg was here he mentioned to us that a big camouflaged truck has been seen around here and if we should see it around this area we should let security know about it.  A mid eastern appearing man and woman have been seen driving this vehicle around and has caused some concern in the area.

Friday evening we went back to the Rattlesnake Saloon.  We have been to this place  couple times but never in the evening when there is music being played.  Once we got down to the Saloon area we were met by Security asking if we were going to drink alcohol beverages and we both said no.  A red X was marked on our hands.  If we were going to drink we would have had to show ID and then our would have been stamped.  Everybody has to have ID to be able to drink regardless of the white hair or no hair.  We had burgers and onion rings (only sandwiches type meals are available) but could not eat all the onion rings.  The music was a group of 3 men performing country songs.  We stayed for a little more than an hour.

From 2014/10/04

We have been having rain almost daily.  Last night it rained all night and by mid morning the rain had stopped but clouds remained.  We had seen signs about “Spirit of Hodges” festival for today, Saturday.  Hodges is another small town in this area.  We struck out not exactly sure of how to go and, of course, we took a much longer route than necessary.  But we had an enjoyable time after we got there.  There was musical entertainment scheduled most of the day.  Craft vendors were set up with their wares as well as food vendors.  We ate lunch of pork barbeque, slaw and baked beans and enjoyed the music.  After we returned back to the campground we went for a walk only to get caught in a rain shower that had us pretty wet until we got back to the motorhome.