Orlando, FL: Back to the Future

After exploring the Treasure Coast area of Florida in detail we have moved north to the Orlando area. The usual Orlando crush as you near Disney and the other theme parks. We are less than 5 miles from the Disney complex so we are right in the thick of it. It's cool how many of the shopping malls, businesses, service stations, etc try to look like a Disney attraction. They use the same bright colors, building styles, etc the Disney uses. They even use the same fonts as Disney for the lettering on the stores.

Economy may be slow but there still seems to a lot of building and road work in this area.

The campground where we had reservations turned out to be pretty poor. We went through the entire campground to get to our 'pull through' site. Before we got there the road got so narrow you could have called it a trail. Tree's overgrown and planted too close to the road/trail. At one point you had to make such a sharp turn to get to the site I had to stop and disconnect the toad before it scrapped against a pole. Sharp turns cause the rear end of the coach (and the toad) to swing wide in the oppositr direction. Thankfully the rear camera showed the potential problem before it became a real problem. Unhooked the toad and had MLA follow me to the site.

The site was on such a steep grade the rear wheels were off the ground -- not good since your emergency/parking brakes only work on the rear wheels. Plus the site really narrow and short. The whoile idea of a 'pull thru' site is to be able to easily pull into the site, leaving the toad attached so you can make a quick exit the next day.

MLA wasn't happy and when Momma's not happy no one's happy so we went to another campground and luckily they had an open slot. Much, much nicer campground and now MLA is pretty pleased.

Our driving lessons start tommorrow. Six hours of instruction each day for two days. Each of us will get 3 hours per day. MLA is a little nervous about spending 3 hours driving the RV; I tol dher not to worry, the written tests will take at least an hour a day. After all of the other issues to she dealt with today she was not amused. But I try...

We will be in this area only for a few days and then we head south again towards even warmer weather. Actually there is a bit of a cold snap happening here with temps in the high 50's/low 60's on Thursday & Friday. Then it's back to the 70's. MLA and I were careful not to complain about the cold snap here (50 degrees) while talking to our kids who are experining weather in the 20's. Ouch.

That leaves us with about a week to explore another area before we go to the Keys. We are looking to spend that week in either the Naples or the Everglades area. They are calling for temps in the low/mid 80's for that area next week. Sound good.

Sabastian, FL: Finally, The Real Treasure Coast

Over the last several days our time has been spent exploring the Treasure Coast 'area'. Today we explored the 'real' Treasure Coast. Mostly around the Sabastian Inlet which connects the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean.

The colors of the Atlantic today reminded me of the beautiful waters around many of the Caribbean islands we have visited. Not quite as spectacular as Bora Bora and Tahiti however very close and a whole lot easier to get to.





Lots of birds, some of which I was able to get pretty close to when I took the photo's. I'm use a simple digital 'point & shoot' camera that fits in your shirt pocket instead of one of the larger SLR models. All in all, I've been pleased with the results of the point & shoot. It does mean I have to get close due to the limited zoom.

The Great Blue Heron in the photo at the top was hilarious to watch. There's a guy surf fishing just out of the photo. The Heron keeps inching closer and closer as the guy is busy reeling in his catch. When the guy looks around the bird holds still; as soon as the guy is looking out at the ocean the Heron is sneaking up on the guy's cooler, trying to get to either the bait (live shrimp) or the his latest catch (don't ask me what kind of fish, your guess is as good as mine -- it had silver sides, a white belly, and was shaped like a fish).

Fishing is huge down here -- from the beach, from boats, from fishing piers, and from the banks. People fishing everywhere you looked. And people were catching fish, at least some of them were cleaning fish at the fish cleaning stations provided by the park. You can easily find a fish cleaning station by looking for a large concentration of birds, all sitting contentedly waiting for the scraps to be thrown to them or washed off the cleaning tables. Made it much easier to get close to the birds, many of which are normally pretty shy.

The white bird is actually a wood stork. He looks all white but actually has large black areas on the trailing edges of his wings and tail that you only see in flight (or if he opens his wings to warm up). Plus they have a very disctinctive neck and band over the top of their head. They are endangered due to habitat loss.


The fishing pier extends into the Atlantic about a 1/4 of a mile and ends over a large reef. In addition there is a fishing pier underneatch the bridge that covers the Sabastion Inlet. You can see most of it stretching back to the causeway bridge in the picture with MLA. This is just before we bought her a big straw hat to help block the sun and cut down on the wind swept hair look. She loves the new hat.


We rode around the campground at the Sabastion Inlet State Park to see if we would like to stay there someday. We would. One row of sites was located right on the edge of the inlet -- prime waterfront. Even the other sites had a pretty nice view of the inlet. Each site had water and electricty. We've found the state parks to be a real bargain, smartly laid out, well maintained, good security, and priced right -- that is to say cheap.

Another sign we found "The Real Treasure Coast"? The houses all along the Atlantic Ocean and the seaside developments featuring golf, marinas, condo's and increadible landscaping. This is the where the money comes to vacation or retire. Sure I know there's even more 'old money' down in the Miami area however there was plenty on display here.



One interesting note: a lot of the homes are for sale, many are FSBO's (For Sale By Owner). If you are thinking about retiring in Florida along the coast, it sure looks like a lot of it is up for sale. We didn't check prices however I'd be willing to bet you can find some bargains without working up a sweat. In Miami, there's one realtor who opened up a new realty company he calls "Vulture Realty". He specializes in Miami condo's where the owner is upside down (owes more than the property is worth) and just wants to get out, even if it means selling for a loss. Everyone knows prices will comes back sooner or later...

Tommorrow we vist Uncle Grayson & Janet one last time before we head back up to the Theme Park area. We move on Wednesday and the driving lessons are on Thursday and Friday.


Not sure when the girls are going to come for a visit; it looks like Kasey will have to have her wisdom teeth removed in the next few days. Oh boy!




Love to all & See Ya!

Melbourne, FL: Squid Lips on the Treasure Coast

Another pool day today, floating around on our 'noodles', trying not to get burned. Mostly just sat under an umbrella reading my books. BTW - stayed up till 3:30 am last night finishing the book I started yesterday afternoon. Good book.



In any case meant sleeping in until 11 this am. Nice way to spend a lazy Sunday morning; at least I think it's Sunday. Told MLA I need to get one of those clocks that only shows you what day of the week it is; there are no hours on the clock. I think they call it a retirement clock and I need one.






Went for a drive up the coast and tried to get into an over the water restaurant called "Squid Lips" however there was a two hour wait. Walked out to the end of the pier where we could watch a number of birds helping the dolphins. Sounded like the crowd inside was having a great time listening to, of all things, a German Umpah Band. Inquiring minds want to know: 1) why a German Umpah Band and 2) what exactly are "Squid Lips".



In any case we ended up driving further north and ate at a restaurant right on the water in Melbourne. Great view but disappointing food. It's one thing to get a poor meal at an inexpensive place; you just chaulk it up to experience. It's totally different to get a poor meal at an expensive restaurant. I wanted to ask the chef a few questions: 1) What, if any, were their qualifications for being a chef 2) Have they ever tasted the food they send out? 3) At least watch the Food Channel and check out the Food Channel's web site. It has some awesome recipes and suggestion on how to cook delicious meals. Oh well.





Scott has his oral interviews for the Montgomery County Fire Fighters position early tomorrow am so we wish him the absolute best. He scored high enough on the written exam to get invited back so that a good sign. There are hundreds of applicants for only a 25-30 positions. He's been working hard to get this and we hope it happens for him.





Tomorrow we go in search of treasure! This is the treasure coast you know... Mel Fisher has a museum here with treasure from the Atocha, a Spanish galleon he found near Key West. There is another museum that has artifacts and treasure from several ships destroyed by a hurrican around 1715. MLA is excited because she has a discount coupon for one of the treasure ship gift shops -- this could cost me a small fortune -- wish me luck....

See Ya!

Fort St. Lucie, FL: A Fortuitous Turn of Events

According to the dictionary, Fortuitous comes from Latin fortuitus and means roughly "accidental" + "chance" + "luck". Well thats what happened today when we started for one place and ended up someplace else even better.

We tried to go to the Grant Seafood Festival. Traffic was backed up and we spent over 30 minutes sitting in traffic, moving maybe a quarter mile. At first we simply told ourselves what the heck, we're retired and in no hurry. So we sat thinking eventually someone would get their act together and figure out how to get cars parked in a big field. Never happened despite lots of sherriffs in attendance directing the non-moving traffic. And lots of people riding 4 wheelers back and forth, talking on radios with the words 'festival parking' splashed across the back of their bright yellow t-shirts. Despite all of the hand waving, radio talking, lights flashing, official t-shirts, etc., nothing happened. After another 15 minutes we simply pulled a u-turn and headed back out on US 1, the main drag along the Indian River.

We were disappointed since we had been planning to attend the 42nd Annual Grant Seafood Festival ever since we arrived and saw the signs. Figured any festival running for 42 years must be good. Maybe it is. It only runs for two days so there is a chance it will be better tomorrow. Maybe we will give it a try. Maybe not.

In any case, that's how we ended up at a small dive for lunch featuring Jamaican food. Boy was it good. I had the grilled grouper, cole slaw, and a cucumber salad. All authentic jamaican fare. A little spicy and very tasty. MLA ordered a Rueben for which I gave her a screwy look thinking why would you order a Rueben in a Jamaican restaurant? Once again MLA was right -- why do I even question her? Turns out it is a Caribean Rueben made with spicy corned beef and it was delicious! Along with two Caribean fruit iced teas, a fantastic lunch. What a find! And for around $20 bucks could not be beat.

We've been reading like crazy and needed a book 'fix'. Stopped at a used book store and bought about ten books for $9 dollars. Then we hit the local library to see if they had any used books for sale and bingo, they had a small room full of books. Another bargain. One of the books sold for $24.95 new and we bought it for a dollar. For less than $20 bucks we have 20 new (to us) books and 4-5 magazines. Most of the books are in great shape; some appear brand new. God I (and MLA) love a bargain!

The only way to go since there is not enough room in the RV to store any quantity of books. Even if we had the storage I do not want to pay the energy costs to drive the books around the US. So as we finish books we donate them to the lending libraries in the campgrounds or where ever.

Busy afternoon at the pool, taking a walk, taking nap and then going out for pizza.

Another great find. Little Italian place that serves the thickest bread sticks you've ever seen to munch on while you order & wait for your meal. Breadsticks looked like small loaves of bread and are included in your meal. MLA found out they deliver to the campground (they even have a passkey to the gate) so now I'm in trouble.

Well, I've got to get back to my new book. I'm about halfway through a great mystery thriller that I started this afternoon. Probabaly means I'll stay awake late tonight to finish. Or maybe I'll save the last few chapters to read at the pool tomorrow. Supposed to be warm.

BTW: We are set for driving lessons next Thursday and Friday; means we'll have to move to a campground just outside of Orlando on Wednesday, which is when the forecast for here (the treasure coast area) starts to look a little weak -- mid-60's. That would be terrible. ;)

Also, we made reservations for a place in the keys we really wanted to stay at however they are usually full. Place called the Blue Water Key RV Resort. We splurged on a one week reservation for an ocean front site that you pull into so you can enjoy that fantastic view right out the front of your RV. Awesome. Check it out at http://www.bluewaterkey.com/

See Ya!

Sabastian, FL: Honey, What Was That Noise Outside Our RV?

Dinner tonight was at one of those great seafood restaurants that sit right on the water's edge overlooking an inlet with a small marina full of charter fishing boats. The sun slowly setting on the marina and the calm waters of the Indian River provided a scenic backdrop to a really good meal.

At times, this beautiful backdrop took center stage as a dolphin swam about 50 yards away, slowing herding and eating small fish while 3 pelicans huddled nearby to take advantage of the dolphin's work. The pelicans provided a great visual reference for where to look for the dolphin to surface as they waited to steal a meal.
Steal is not the right word -- I would say 'leverage the dolphin's efforts' however that sounds too much like the language of the work place -- and we were definetely not in the workplace. Let's just leave it as the pelicans took advantage of the dolphin's work. Not sure what the pelicans brought to the party other than thier appetite however the dolphin did not seem to mind thier presence.

While we ate, one of the charter boats came in from an afternoon of fishing. "The Big Easy" docked, and unloaded their catch on the pier. One good sized fish about 36 inches long and a number of smaller fish. Not a huge catch but not a shut out as so often happens in fishing. Reminded me of the gentlemen we saw fishing in Louisiana. When we asked the required "How's the fishing?" he replied without missing a beat, "The fishings great, the catchings a little slow". Typical fisherman.

Earlier in the day we had a chance to lay by the pool for a while at the campground. Came within one degree of setting a record high temperature around here today and a lot of people took advantage of the pool. Almost everyone brings a 'noodle' to the pool and uses it as a float, either sitting on it or wrapping it around and under thier arms. Must have been 25 people floating and bobbing and talking in the pool around noon. I told MLA the best term to describe the group was a 'gaggle' of snowbirds.

I've never seen so much untanned white skin. The only skin that was not untanned was burnt red. Not pleasantly pink ready to turn into a nice tan. We are talking fire engine, honey don't ever touch me again, red.

Nor have I seen this much wrinkled skin in one place on display. And quite a few of those big beer bellies that are as hard as a bowling ball and look if they are about ready to explode. It is the strangest thing, a huge belly with absolutely no jiggle to it.

Now I'm the last person to criticize a big belly as I have had an extended lease on one myself but how do you get that belly to look like you are pregnant with the skin stretched so tight? It looks as if one pin prick would cause the individual to fly around like a ballon releasing its air...

I know it's not right but when some guy with a huge belly sat in a chair next to me, I felt a strong desire to move away before his belly exploded. Seriously, it looked as if his belly would explode just from the pressure of sitting down. When he pulled a sandwhich out of his bag and started to eat, the decision was made for me. I told MLA I had enough sun for one day and was headed back to the RV.

How do you tell your spouse your concerned the gentlemen next to us is going to explode and it's in her best interest to come back to the RV with me? And not sound like a flaming lunatic? I didn't even try...

Never heard an explosion so I guess he made it through another meal however it had to have been a close call... So when the night comes when there is an explosion from somewhere in the campground outside of our RV and MLA shakes me awake and asks what that noise was, I'll just quietly roll over and just before contentedly falling back asleep, whisper "midnight snack"...

See Ya!

Fort St Lucy, FL: Local Government Gets It (Almost) Perfect...

Rained this afternoon and is raining now. It was sunny earlier today and beautiful. Even with the rain its about 70 degrees. Calling for warmer weather and chance of tunderstorms through the weekend.

Why the constant focus on the weather? Simple, everytime we call home we hear about the snow and ice coming down plus how difficult it is making life 'back home'. Easy to appreciate Florida's famous 'liquid sunshine' when you can do so in 70 degree weather.

Spent time this afternoon and evening with Uncle Grason & Janet. Janet drove us around Port St Lucie, showing us the sights. Pretty area even in the rain; lots of development and re-building.

When they re-built the causeway near them, the local government built a beautiful curving arch over the river to the barrier islands. The bridge rises to about 100 feet over the water's surface. Now lots of seaside communities build graceful arches across the water; here they took that idea one step further.

Under the bridge they have built a fishing pier complete with boat launch, bathrooms, benches (some covered), and lots of parking. The fishing piers extend from both side of the river right out to the channel. You can literally stand on this fishing pier and cast your line into the deepest part of the river in the middle of the river. Very cool.

The word 'pier' implies (to me) a wooden structure however this fishing pier is actually paved, landscaped, lighted, etc. I'm told it's a great way and a great place to fish. More community governments should be this forward thinking, don't you think.

Now the local government, as good as it was to design a fishing pier into and under the bridge, is not perfect. Apparently the lights they installed let water into the light bulb area and have rusted out very quickly. In typical government fashion, they are arguing over which lights should replace the faulty lights. Since they can't decide, the area goes unlit, and for the most part recently, unused.

Just when you thought a government entity had it's act together, they blow an easy (for me) decision. Oh well.

Coming to you from the Atlantic Coast of Florida in a wet, and in some places unlit, part of the treasure coast -- See Ya!

Sabastion, FL: How Long Does It Take...?

Arrived in Sabastian, Florida and we are staying at the Encore Sunshine RV Park. Seems like every third business has "sunshine" or some variation in their name. Even the states automatic toll systems is called SunPass. Temps in the low-mid 70's with temperatures starting to build with a string of mid 80's coming up. Sounds good to me.

Mary Lynn's sister, Carol, while talking to MLA today said "You guys are not even thinking of coming home yet, are you?". MLA told her "Nope".

In a way it feels like we are home. Sure we miss our family and friends, however, we are seeing family & friends we do not always get a chance to see when back in MD.

Tomorrow we'll visit Uncle Grason and Janet. Grayson used to RV years ago and owned the first Winnebago I ever went into. I used to sit in the driver's seat and fantasize about driving/camping all over America. Actually, in my fantasy I was not just limited to driving/camping in America however I think it best if we don't analyze my fantasies in any greater detail. Suffice it to say they involved an RV, seeing the sights, camping and some other stuff.

Who knew it would (mostly) come true? MLA and I have only scratched the surface of the places we want to go. Even when you settle into an area for a week and explore the area by car, it is so hard to see and do everything. Every time we have left an area I see additional places I wish we had explored. There is an unbeleivable variety of museums. You name something, someone, some job or some place and chances are there is a museum about that item, person, job or place.

In any case, exploring we will go. Stopping and seeing as much as we can while still keeping it fun and relaxing. Should have seen MLA today as we traveled around Orlando and took the B-Line over to the Atlantic coast. She was as relaxed and peaceful as I've ever seen her. The kids have mentioned how she is cheerful every time they call. Of course, I ponted out she was always happy and cheerful with me -- I'm no dummy.

Maybe we need to spend more time in each location to more fully see and appreciate that area. A lot of RV'ers say the most common mistake is rushing from one 'Bucket List' location to another. As they have correctly pointed out, the Grand Canyon and Alaska will still be there next year.

Maybe its like the old story of the young bull and an old bull on top of a hill. When they saw a large herd of females cows, the young bull said "Let's run down there and get acquainted with one of those cows". The older, wiser bull said "Let's walk down there and get acquanted with them all".

Go slowing through America and trying to see it all --- Until next time -- See Ya!

Williston, FL: All Aboard !!!

Travel day from Panama City Beach to Williston, Florida, which is just below Gainesville. Bought gas, well, to be more exact, I charged diesel for the RV. Total: $231.30 for 66.1 gallons at $3.499999. Who do they think they are kidding with the '.99999'? Just call it $3.50/gallon and be done with it. Oh well.

Judy, our Garmin GPS, sent us on Florida back roads for the first hour or so this am. It was the shortest route however some of the roads were pretty narrow with no shoulder. Fun! Usually I plot my own route to the Interstate and let Judy re-calculate the route, which she does and says, in a very exasperated voice; "Re-calculating". MLA and I get a real kick out of how upset she sounds -- however she recalculates quickly regardless of how upset she might sound.

Arrived at Williston Crossing RV Park after a minor glitch. On the web, the RV park listed a north entrance if you were coming from the north and a south entrance if coming from the south. Coming from the north, we of course followed the directions to the north entrance. Not exactly rocket science here -- except -- there is no north entrance (yet). It will not be open until late in 2008. When I arrived where the north gate was suppossed to be I thought the gps had made a mistake. Then I checked the written directions -- matched the gps exactly -- a few choice words later I found a place to pull over.

As we looked at the directions, the gps, and searched for the campground phone number, a car passes us, turns around and comes back to our RV. The toad brackets on the front of this car identified him as a fellow RV'er. He says I see you are from out of state... which campground are you looking for. I tell him and he leads us right to the entrance, which I'm sure MLA and I would have found - eventually. We might not have been talking to each other but we would have found it sooner or later. Sure was nice of this guy. People say courtesy and friendliness have disappeared however you can't prove it by us. People have gone out of their way to help us time and time again.

Tomorrow we get up early to head to Sebastion, Florida. Should be about 180 miles Vs todays 220 miles. We have to pass through the Theme Park Capital of the World (Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, etc) about 60 miles south of here so I wanted day 2 to have fewer miles since I expect heavy traffic in that area.

Campground - once we found it - is really very nice. Mostly new sites and great facilities - at least the ones that are completed. Picture at top is of huge fire pit with about 20 rocking chairs surrounding the fire pit -- I'm hoping we get to try that out tonight. The owner has restored several trollies, two old police cars and an old fire engine. He is now restoring an authentic steam engine and a couple of the cars. Very cool!

On the weather front, it is about 11 degrees warmer here than in it was Panama City Beach; and Panama City Beach was nice. Expect to hit 80 tomorrow; I'll let you know.
See ya!

Destin, FL: The Mountains of Florida

Last night was the ultimate water test for the RV. Once it started raining around 7 pm, it rained, and rained hard, until about 5 am this am. I know this because I was up most of the night with a touch of something, not sure what. Doesn't matter; point is, it rained hard. It had two levels: 1) Extremely hard 2) Harder than extremely hard.

It's like when I bought my first Harley. The guy who had done the customization, when I asked about the pipes (exhaust), said the bike had two sounds 1) loud & 2) really loud. With motorcycles, theres a school of thought that runs "Loud pipes save lives". Most car/truck/bus drivers are on auto-pilot. The brain is looking for what it expects and mostly it expects another car/bus/truck, not motorcycles. Many times people hear a motorcycle long before they see it and that helps make motorcycles more visible.

Not so a loud, hard rain. Gentle rain, yes; helps you fall asleep into the promised land of slumber. Loud, hard rain makes you wonder if your RV was built on a Monday after a late football game or on a Friday when all someone had to do was say they had finished caulking the roof and they could leave work behind for another glorious weekend adventure.

In truth the wind was not nearly as bad as expected and the thunder/lightning only last for about three hours. But the rain lasted all night. Around 8:30 pm we lost power. I was telling someone about our losing powere during the storm and they said "Oh, that must have been terrible". Truth is, we didn't even know.

The RV automatically switched from 'shore power' (electricty coming into the RV just like your power at home) over to battery power just as pretty as you please. Only difference is the batteries cannot run the larger appliances simultaneously, so the washer/dryer stopped. If it hadn't been for the W/D stopping, we probably never would have known there was a power failure. The W/D started back up automatically when the power came back to the campground. Inside the RV we were nice and toasty even if the rain was power washing the outside of the RV.
Today, the magic of Florida came shining thru. By 7 am the sun was out and no clouds in the sky. By 8 am the water that had flooded some of the campground was gone. Ours did not flood because we are on high ground (at least 6 inches higher than our neighbor, whose site was flooded with four inches of water). Remember, Florida is the state where the sand dunes at the beach are referred to as, I kid you not, "The Mountains of Florida". Look closely at the sign in the picture above. Look closely. It says "Dunes, The Mountains of Florida" (You can't make this stuff up).

By 9 am most of the roads and grounds were dry, the sun was shining brightly and a fresh, clean smell was in the air as we took a brisk walk around the campground. Except for some debris around the drains you would never know the sky had opened up the night before.

Tomorrow we hit the road heading towards an RV park away from the coasts of Florida which is about halfway to Port St Lucie. That's where my Uncle Grason and his friend Janet spend the winter. We should arrive at a campground just north of them in Sabastian, hopefully Wednesday afternoon around 3 or 4 pm. I like to get to arrive at the campground while there's plenty of daylight to get set-up and then watch the other RV'ers arrive.

We'll spend about a week exploring that area and then move to just south of all the theme parks (Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, etc) for our driving lessons. Seems kind of appropriate to take our driving lessons where so much controlled mayhem takes place.

MLA's nervous about her lessons. Me I'm looking forward to learning how to pitch a 27,000 pound RV into a powerslide; should make parking a whole lot easier.

Love Ya All!

Panama City Beach, FL: A Real "Thunder Boomer"

Spent all day waiting for the forecasted storm to start. Now that it's here we're wishing it was over. A real boomer ('Gully Washer' to you country folks) of a storm and some high winds. Somehow in an RV you are more in the storm than when you are at home.

First you can hear the thunder even louder than you can at home, I guess due to thinner walls, less insulation, etc.

Second, you can really hear the rain on the roof, much like a rainstorm at my grandmother's house, which had a tin roof. Something still very re-assuring about that 'rain on a tin roof' sound --except when you can't hear the rain due to thunder and wind.

Third, you can see the lightning really well. Even with the night shades down, the lightning illuminates the entire coach. It comes thru the windows, is visble around and through the curtain across the big windshield, and it's very visible through the two roof vents, which are clear plastic.

MLA ia laying on the bed with Dobbie, who is scared to death. MLA put the dog's blanket on the bed and now Dobbie has burrowed under the blanket, eyes tightly shut, hiding from the storm.

I've always enjoyed the sights and sounds of thunderstorms however now I realize I enjoyed those sights and sounds from the safety of a house or building. Lightening has struck nearby several times and you know its close when the light and the noise happen simultaneously.

So far the wind has not been too bad although there is a tornado warning in effect for another 30 minutes. A tornado warning is one level below the much more serious tornado watch. I also decided it was poor timing on my part to read on the internet that the storm headed our way ravaged a town in Alabama just a short distance away. I think I'm gonna hit post and turn off the computer for awhile....

No post yesterday. Spent the day at the pool and last night just felt a little fried. Wrote a blog entry that my editor (me) rejected. Just not happy with it. Saved a copy, maybe after a little more work I'll post it. Then again, maybe not.

BTW - We should hear about the timing of our RV driving classes tomorrow. Once we know the availability/timing of the school we will decide on our next move.

Next couple of days are scheduled to be sunny and in the mid-sixties.

Wishing all of you the absolute best! See ya!

Destin, FL: Endless Summer

Drove over to Topsail State Park about 30 miles from here; just outside of Destin, Florida. Great State Park where you camp about a 1/2 mile from the beach. They have a private path and boardwalk that take you directly to the beach. Spacious RV sites and excellent amnetities. We will probably move over there next week so MLA can get beach time more easily.

I took a few pictures for you however its hard to capture just how beautiful it is. It's espacially hard to capture how soft and white the sand is here (see how soft it feels on my feet?). It's like powder. And it squeaks when you walk on it. Temp around 70 and just a slight stirring of the wind, not enough to call a breeze. Made it seem even warmer than 70 degrees on the beach.

Water's still a little cold however you get used to it in a few minutes. Warm enough that kids were playing in the water the whole time we were there. MLA stuck her feet in long enough to scream it's too cold and the Gulf 'needed a heater'.

We've been to the Gulf Coast during the summer when the water is like a big bathtub -- not fun at all -- can't hardly tell you are in the water when it's that warm. And it certainly does not refresh you.

Today however was definitely refreshing. MLA sat in the sand above the water line while I walked south along the section of beach where the waves come up to meet you and then run away. Just like the sandpipers that were working the surf line for a meal.

Met another nice RV couple. Just like all RV'ers, as soon as they learn you are a newbie to the RV world, RV'ers start trying to help. Suggestions on places to stay in various parts of the country, places that you need to add to your RV Bucket List, and suggestions for smoother, happier camping.

Couple today was from southern Virginia near the Blue Ridge Parkway. They had spent two long days driving to the Topsail State Park and had two long days of travel to look forward to on the return trip. Later they mentioned they look forward to their week long vacation all year. That means they have about 3-4 days in Florida and then they head back to Virginia. Ouch; tough to head back to the cold weather so quickly.

So what's next? Hopefully we receive our plates and registration next week. We should hear when we'll be able to take the RV driving lessons, and we'll move to a new location, albeit relatively close to our existing campground.

BTW - Mary Claire had her surgery on Tuesday at Johns Hopkins and everything went very well. MC's mom, Patty tells us she is doing great at home; a real trooper who is increasing her activity every day. Way to go Mary Claire! We love you!

See Ya!

Panama City Beach, FL: Happy Valentines Day From Sunny Florida

Weather is much warmer today and sunny. Still not hot enough for the pool but nice enough to open the windows and do our walks in t-shirts.

The campground hosted a Valentine’s Day Champagne Party. About 20 couples plus members of the campground staff attended. Lots of interesting people and stories. MLA and I celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out to dinner a day or two before the actual date, same as we do when we are home. Better luck getting into the restaurant of our choice. So the Champagne Social was a nice way to celebrate without driving anywhere. Would have been even nicer if either of us drank Champagne….

We are reviewing several caravans and rallies scheduled for later this year. NYC Caravan, Gillette WY Rally, Calgary Rodeo Trip, Leaf Peeper Tours of New England in the fall, Nova Scotia Tour, etc. are just a few of the many choices.

Lot of questions on our part about the cost of a guided trip vs. doing it ourselves, the fixed itinerary vs. our flexible lifestyle preference & commitment, logistics of planning months in advance, etc.

The one area that we have absolutely no concern about: is there something on our calendar that would prohibit us from taking any trip we wanted? Nope. No need to check with anybody or look at a calendar. Other than we would prefer to be home at our stick house for Christmas, we are amazingly open.

OMG -- What a feeling. I don’t mean to gush but while working I was accustomed to having my schedule completely full for the next 2-3- weeks and mostly full for the next two months, sometimes three months. What a liberating (and I might add, strange) feeling. I wonder , does the feeling go away or do you get caught up in the trap of overly planned calendars for RV travel?

Who knows. For now I’m enjoying a whole new sensation. I had a boss who retired about 5 years ago named John. Whenever I saw John, I would ask him to wipe that silly grin off of his face, which of course, he could not do. Try as he might, the grin was soon back, spreading from ear-to-ear, looking like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. At the time I thought I understood. Now I not only understand, I have the same silly grin spread across my face. John still has it to this day.

Somebody cuts me off in traffic -- Hey buddy, that’s ok. You go ahead, you must still be working.
Someone jumps in front of me at the grocery mart -- Hey, it’s ok. I’m in no hurry. I’m retired.
Traffic jam while moving the RV -- No worries mate. If we get stuck we have food, bed and a bathroom.

I’ve already experienced just those feelings. Took me a while. When your working you don’t even realize you are wound tight as a spring. MLA knew it and told me so; of course I denied it. Said I had it all under control. I told her it was perfectly normal for me to yell at someone who cut me off. Or to make a less than polite comment about someone’s ability to count when they took 13 items through the 10 or less checkout lane.

Of course she was right -- I still struggle with her being right most of the time. Retired or not, that can get to a guy.

Well, I’ll wrap up now (not that I have anything else planned). Just seems like I’ve gone on long enough. Maybe I’ll wander over to the street not to far from here that’s always jammed at rush hour. See how many one finger salutes I can collect by waving a “I’m Retired” sign with a big grin plastered across my face.

See Ya!

Panama City Beach, FL: Welcome to Warm & Sunny Florida, er, Make That: Welcome to Florida

Arrived in Florida late Tuesday. After leaving Lousiana we traversed Mississippa again and then Alabama before entering Florida. Big rainstorms and high winds. RV handles pretty well in high winds however they will blow you around in your lane. When you only have about 12 inches on either side it makes any unexpected movement from the wind a real adventure. Not too bad except when you have an 18 wheeler blowing by you at the same time.

Arriving late meant no code for the WiFi so no internet access hence no blog update. MLA picked out a fantastic RV park, Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort, whose motto is "Home of Happy Campers and Beautiful Beaches. It's located about a 1/2 mile from the beach of Panama City Beach which is somehow different than the beach of Panama City. Haven't quite figured out the difference (the beach is just as beautiful in both locations) and quite honestly don't care.

MLA wanted a beach and now she's got it. The fact that it's been rainy and down right cold is just a temporary situation and an opportunity to enjoy some of the indoor activities.

This place is beautiful. Each site is individually landscaped providing a sense of privacy. All kinds of amenities. Most residents seem to stay for a couple of months so I guess we are officially in snowbird country. Very different experience from the State Park we were in previously. Camping is not the right term for this park. I think you have to head away from the populated coastal areas of Florida to get to more of a camping experience.

People are friendly where ever you go. Last night a stranger (now a friend named Larry) out for a walk in the RV park guided us to our site and helped me back the coach into our site --without laughing, mind you, which shows just how friendly he really is.

Turns out that Larry, who helped us last night, and his wife, travel to a new part of the country and work for a year before moving to another part of the country and doing the same thing. He is a mail carrier and she is a registered nurse. I knew RN's are in short supply at almost every hospital in the US; apparently mail carriers have a lot of flexibility and are in demand as well. How cool. They live and work out of thier 5th wheel RV full time are getting to see the country as few people do. Lots of options out there.

Another example -- about 10 sites down from us are "The Cooking Ladies", two women who travel around the US & Canada in an RV giving cooking lessons at various RV rallies, shows, etc. Even have a regular segment on at least one RV television show that I know of. All about how to cook in the limited space of an RV or outdoors on the fire/grill. They are from Canada; somewhere in Ontario.

In any case, we appreciated Larry's assistance, With all of the rain it was black, black, black out, and the rear view camera didn't really show any detail. Add in that MLA is not yet comfortable with hands signals/radio commands and you understand why it was great having someone else to help.

You should see us when we arrive. Both of us bolt from the RV with radio's (capable of communicating up to 18 miles however they struggle with the 40 feet from the front of the coach to the back), cell phones, flashlights, and reflective material on our coats for hand signals. If we had helmets you'd think the Army was landing. Despite all of the equipment, MLA's preferred communication tool is to scream loudly to stop.

I have been trying to convince her that, with the diesel running, the distance between us, the sound of my heart beating loudly, and the fact she is standing out of view of the rear view mirrors, screaming may not be the best communications tool for her to use. In response to my gentle coaching she practiced some of her hands signals.

Speaking of Ontario - Went to Walmart for a few supplies and on the way out thought I'd pay attention to the license plates of the cars parked there. Where do you think the most non-Florida cars were from? If you said Florida I'll bet you didn't score well on your SAT's. Read the question -- Non-Florida plates.

Anyway, there were a few from nearby states like Alabama & Mississippi, one from Illinios, one from Kentucky, two from Wisconsin, but there were at least six cars from Ontario -- in just this one row of a crowded Walmart parking lot. Wow ! So I checked the campground and there are quite a few Ontario based RV's here as well.

Now everyone know's the Canadians are all above average in intelligence so this must be an exceptional place to spend the winter for a snowbird. As for MLA and I, we'll stay a week or maybe three but then we are off in search of.... well, were not really searching for anything other than pleasant weather and getting to see more of this country and it's people.

Love to all, regardless of your weather outside....

New Orleans, LA: Who You Gonna Call....

Talked to Kasey & Jenna today via Skype. Connection on thier end was poor so we only talked for a few minutes before losing the connection. However, those couple of minutes meant so much to MLA and I. Not only did we hear the girl's voices but we saw them real-time via video camera as well; how sweet it is. I just love technology (when it works).

Scott called on his cell phone to check in with us. He's been working some very long weeks and sounded exhausted. Again, just the sound of his voice made me feel great.

Christopher touched base with a phone text message as well. He always uses those 'down' moments when driving from one place to another to call us or text us. He knows if he send us a text message our response is a little delayed as we have to find our glasses in order to type on those little keyboards. Typical of our conversations is for him to say "Well, I've arrived, gotta go".

Many of you have sent us e-mails or commented on the blog. Staying in contact with our family and friends is a important to us no matter where we travel.

If you want to communicate with us here are a few options:

Skype: marylynn16
MLA e-mail: marylynn12@aol.com
Dale's e-mail: dalew.abbott@gmail.com
Cell Phones: available upon request; e-mail us. We love people we know to call us on the cell however there are too many people sending blog spam and/or unsolicited calls.


Always great to hear from our family and friends in whatever form or fashion works for them.

Covington, LA: Not A Cat In Sight.... Mardi Paws

On our last day in Lousiana we attended the Mardi Paws Parade in Mandeville. Before Debbie & Richard arrived, MLA and I took a tour of the Otis house, a large mansion located in the park where we are camped. Meant to do it all week however there has been too much to do and see.

Originally this was a 400 acre parcel of land with lots of trees. Guy buys 400 acres for 50 cents/acre and build a saw mill. At one time he employes ~250 men. One worker with an axe can cut about 8-10 trees a day. They earned 20 cents and hour or about 20 cents per tree they cut down.

The two man saw reveloutionized the industry. A two man crew could cut down close to 100 trees per day. Needless to say the sawmill owners became rich and thier house reflected thier wealth. They also installed a steam engine to automate the saw mill which again revolutionized the industry. Another generation even richer than the previous one. Gotta love technology.

On our way to the Mardi Paws Parade we stopped to check out the Fountainbleu State Park. This park is only about 10 miles east of Riverside State Park. However since it is located right on Lake Pontchartrain, it received a lot more damage from Hurricane Katrina. The tremendous power of a hurricane was still on display at this park. Trees down everywhere and lots of damage to building. Most of the infrastructure is still closed and the new campground is behind schedule. Probably in July. Looks like it will be nice however Riverside still wins hands down.

We did check out the remains of a Sugar Mill built in 1828. Gentlemen who owned big parcels of New Orleans real estate (they still have a neighborhood named after him) built the mill and ended up spending much of his time on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain where he enjoyed cooler temperatures and delightful breezes compared to New Orleans.
The Mardi Paws Parade was a hoot. Dogs of every breed and description dressed up in Mardi Gras outfits. Think there would be a lot of fights/scraps with an estimated 500 dogs in attendance? You would be wrong. Hardly a snap or growl all day. The parade itself was a bit too disorganized to tell who won and who lost. Kinda a moot point since the trophy was a Gold Pile of Poop. No one was trying to win too hard. You couldn't tell which dogs were officially in the parade and which dogs were there 'just checking out a couple of hot bitches' while in costume.

Most novel business idea: The Poop Pro's. They come to your home, commercial business or whatever patch of grass you want and clean up the dog poop. For a fee. They are bonded and licensed. For what I'm not sure but it's good to know you are dealing with pro's.

Covington, LA: A Great Cook Out

What a great day. Spent the am doing a lot of nothing and going to the grocery store. Of course, bad idea to shop for groceries on an empty stomach so we had to stop at Sonic for a breakfast burritos loaded with jalapenos (on mine; MLA likes 'em plain). Grocieries consisted of goodies for a cook-out with Debbie & Richard.

Chance did a little fishing / drowning worms. As the saying goes: Fishing was excellent; catching was poor. Oh well, Chance didn't care. Like all kids he just wants to cast and reel in the bobber. Too boring to just watch a bobber and wait for it to bob.

Made Dynomite burgers & hot dogs for everyone along with some cajun sausage. Everything tastes better when grilled outdoors.

Followed with a big camp fire where Chance cooked marshmellows. I should say burned marshmellows. He would stick a marshmellow on his stick, put it in the fire until it caught fire (~3 seconds), pull it out, blow out the fire once blackened all over, scrape it off on a log in the fire and then start over. He did this to three quarters of a bag of marshmellows. He was so excited he shook all over. Too much fun to watch. Where else can a kid have that much fun for 89 cents?

Just got back from an evening walk; most people decorate thier campsite with lights, Mardi Gras beads, and whatnot. Warm day around 70 with a little bite in the air at night. The whole campground has a pleasant smoky smell you can almost taste. Brings back memories of lots of camping trips with the kids.

Another beautiful day planned for tomorrow. Explore anothe state park in the am and meet up with Debbie & Richard tomorrow afternoon. Till then, God bless all of you.

Honey, What Does It Mean When That Alarm Thingy Comes On ....?

Mary Lynn had me doing a bunch of chores yesterday just so I could appreciate the rest of our time. She was successful; the chores were much too much like work. Put together our new grill, the grill stand, installed paper towel holder, etc. The most work of all involved our 'grey' water tanks. RV's have three tanks: 1) Fresh water 2) Grey water & 3) Black water.

Fresh water is just that, fresh; you connect to campground water and/or carry ~60 gallons of fresh water with you. Grey water is the water that drains from the shower, kitchen sink, and bathroom sink. It needs to be dumped when the tank is full. The Black water tank is connected to the toilet and also needs to be dumped when full.

The point is we are in a campground that has electricity and water; no sewer connection. When the grey water tank showed (via a little LED moniter) that it was full we had two choices: 1) break camp (pull in the slides, pull up the levelers, disconnect water & electricity, etc, etc) and go to the dump site in the park OR 2) Use a portable tank to empty the tank and take the portable tank to the dump site. Much easier, right?

Except we had to go buy a portable tank, which meant measuring the basement storage doors and storage areas in order to understand how big of a tank (how many gallons) we could use & store. These tanks are affectionately known as a 'honey pot' in camping circles. Being a fan of honey and not wanting to associate honey and what goes into these tanks I'll just stick to portable dump tank or something along those lines.

Anything you buy has to fit in the RV so you can take it with you. Earlier this week we bought two nice outside lounge chairs only to find out they would not fit in any of the basement storage areas. Not good. Could have strapped them to the coach's ladder on the back but I think that makes you look like a couple of gypsy's going down the road plus you have to worry about things getting blown off, hitting the toad and/or traffic. Not to mention the road grime that gets on everything when the roads are wet. Maybe in the future but not now.

In any case, went to a camper store to buy the tank and found out these things are huge compared to the storage area of the RV. Bought the next to the smallest tank. Means more trips to a dump site when we have to use it but I found a way to get it into the basement. Tilt the front just so, raise the back while twisting the wheels around, raise right arm and left leg, tilt your head back, mumble something about your spouse taking long showers... you get the picture.

Anyway, it holds 22 gallons, which mean when you fill it it weighs (8.3 pounds/gallon of water * 22) wow: 182.6 pounds. Which translates to: I better find a way to tow the tank with the CR-V since I'm not making even one trip lugging 183 pounds to the dump, yet alone several. BTW: the largest tank I've seen is 40 gallons which equals 332 pounds. Ouch.

The point being, we now have a bright blue portable dump tank sitting under the coach and $150 less in the wallet. Doesn't seem like a good deal until your RV tanks are full/overflowing. Then $150 Vs cleaning up sewage from the RV sounds like a bargain.

The reason for telling you all of this was not a tutorial on RV holding tanks and/or a long winded discourse on RV sewage options. The point was this. It took me so long to get all of the measuring and research done that by the time I bought the tank it was late on a Friday afternoon. Got stuck in rush hour traffic on a Friday. Decided I didn't miss work and the associated ill's one bit, so I guess we'll continue with our extended travel plans. Just not during rush hour.

See ya!

BTW: Yesterday we heard that Mary Claire's procedure proved the bone cyst to be benign. This is great news. Her bone graft operation will be next Tuesday at Johns Hopkins. You go girl!

Mary Claire - Get Well Soon!

Drove over to Baton Rouge to visit the Rural Life Museum, which is a part of LSU. Museum was very interesting with lots of typical outbuilding for a working plantation and several styles of homes located on site.

Interesting however I like the approach used at Williamsburg better. At Williamsburg they have a 'working' farm (& community) where actors portray a number of roles on the farm. For instance the blacksmith dresses in period and stays in character no matter what. The best part is you can ask questions about their life, their work, etc.

Lots of fun, especially watching some folks trying to 'trip them up'. For instance someone might ask how they light the fire and then ask why not use a lighter. The blacksmith then states they have no knowledge of a lighter, or any other item/substance/person not from that period or before.

After that we drove north into Plantation Country where we toured the Rosedown plantation. Simply incredible. Almost everything there is not only correct from a period standpoint, 90% of the items are original to the plantation. One person on the tour was amazed the large mansion was built in six months for about $13,000 until it was pointed out there were 450 slaves on the plantation. After the war, about 290 slaves stayed at the farm and became share croppers. Go to the library and get a book on Louisiana plantations. The variety is amazing and the pictures are stunning.

All in all, my recommendation is if you get a chance to visit Louisiana, do it. Go explore. And plan to spend more that a couple of days exploring; there is a ton of places to see and things to do. Not to mention good food just about anywhere you go. Must be that French influence. It's all over this place.

See ya!

BTW: Our niece had a procedure done yesterday that left her sick from anesthesia and in a lot of pain from the procedure itself. She will need an operation on her knee in the next week or two. Here's a big shout out to Mary Claire. Sweetheart, you are in our thoughts and prayers. I included a picture of our family including Racheal, Christopher's girlfriend and Tony, one of Christopher's best friends and a great friend of the family.We Love You Mary Claire -- Get Well Soon!

A Doggie View of the US

Here are some additional pictures of the coach for those of you who asked for them. Things coming together as far as setting up the RV for our needs. Installing everything we bought has been relatively easy.

MLA is getting really good at walking the dog and talking with neighbors while I unload, unpack, and install these items. She is, however, always happy to provide input after the fact about me installing something too high, too low or not in the 'right ' place. Oh well.



See the small window in the second picture of the coach? It's at floor level and it's for the driver to look out and see the corner in order to better judge exactly when to begin your turn. MLA told me I'm wrong. Clearly she says, Tiffin installed that small window as a doggie window. She promply put the dogs blanket on the floor and Dobbie the Wonder Dog now has her personal view out of the coach.

Had a late lunch at Morton's today. Another great meal. The shrimp & crab bisque was amazing. Later this week we will try a place on the river Debbie recommended with a comment about 'watch out for the alligators' or some thing to that effect. We'll see.



Louisiana divides itself, at least for tourism purposes, into 5 regions: 1) Sportman's Paradise 2) Crossroads 3) Cajun Country 4) Plantation Country 5) Greater New Orleans.



Tommorrow we head to Plantation Country, which is about 1.5 hours from base camp. There are a number of restored plantations and state historic sites. Plus we'll hit the Rural Life Museum near Baton Rouge which has been authentically reconstructed to show all of the activities on a trypical 19th century working plantation. The complex of buildings supports a 450 acre farm: commissary, overseer's house, kitchen, slave cabins, sick house, school house, blacksmith's shop, sugarhouse & grist mill. Can't wait; see ya!

Beads, Beads, and More Beads

Today we attended the Covington parade, a family oriented parade on the outskirts of New Orleans. Lots of fun packed into a small town event. Kids (and adults) going crazy for items being tossed from the floats, including beads, spears, and small food items like Tootsie Rolls & Moon Pies; but mostly beads. Beads of every size, color, and shape. Another tote bag full of the stuff.

Back when I was still working, some of my friends in marketing would refer to such items as "trinkets & trash". Those terms are entirely wrong when judged against everyone's reaction on the receiving end.

At a Mardi Gras parade, everybody starts off cool, calm, and collected. Next thing you know there's a frenzy of activity with people jumping, shouting and in general having a great time. The folks on the floats get into the fun as well, trying to place a well aimed toss of beads, etc to those they deem most worthy. Small kids, big kids, ladies of all types: attractive ladies, young ladies, old ladies, GLM ladies, loud ladies, enthusiastic ladies, etc.

Not nearly as big as the parades in New Orleans but a lot of fun.

After the parade we had some of the best BBQ and spicy cole slaw of the trip so far. I'll ask my sister-in-law for the recipe; she's a great cook.

We plan to get together for a cook-out later, probably this weekend.

I need to buy a grill first. Plus I still need some BBQ supplies.

When we went to Camping World the other day we approached the check-out counter with the shopping cart overflowing. The lady said jokingly "What, was the coach empty?". Matter of fact it was we told her. Next thing you know she and her co-workers launched into a whole series of recomendations for additional equipment, where to stay, places to visit. It took us almost another hour to get out of there while they rang up our purchases and then helped us load the RV. So far, everyone has been really helpful and can't wait to help you. They want to share in the adventure. And of course, it's still fun to tell people we don't have any specific plans/reservations.

I mentioned in another post that my SIL Debbie had platters of shrimp & crawfish, known locally as "Mud Bugs". Here's a picture of MLA and a platter of 'Mud Bugs'.

Extended our site reservation through Sunday night. We want to see New Orleans and the Riverwalk, a few of the plantations and museums in the area.

BTW: The weather has been great. Tonight was warm and breezy with just a hint of humidity; typical of island/seashore weather. Gotta love it.

See ya!

Throw Me Som'tin Mista

Moved to a new campground today. Last night's campground looked good and had very good ratings from a campground directory however our specific site was not good. Stepped right out into our very own mud bog. I was tempted to say our very own swamp but that would be an overstating the case, and you know me, I don't like to expand the truth ;>).

So we moved to Fairview Riverside State Park. OMG. This park is just about perfect. Most sites are shaded by very tall oak trees. Incredible Spanish moss hanging from some of them. Beautiful river. Level sites. An old restored mansion turned into a museum which we will tour later this week. Perfect weather didn't hurt either!


Best of all? Orginally when asked how long we would be in Louisiana we thought in terms of a few days. We realized we don't have anywhere to be, no commitments or appointments, sooooo,
we will stay until we've seen all we want. Mardi Gras parade tomorrow, French Quarter & River Walk, numerous plantations, parks and museums.


The campground has a two week maximum stay however, after two weeks you can go somewhere else for one night and then come back here for another two weeks. I don't think we'll stay four weeks or even two however it sure is liberating knowing we could if we want to. MLA says she sure could get used to this.
After setting up camp we had lunch with Debbie, Richard and Chance at Mortons on the river in nearby Mandeville. Great food and company.

A terrific dinner at Debbie and Richard's topped the day. Chance is a non-stop ball of energy. I was exhausted just watching Debbie & Richard with him. This picture is of him in the garage playing with something called "Moon Sand". Great stuff. Kinda like Playdough except it has consistency of sand and doesn't appear to dry out like Playdough.

What a cutie. Chance is trying to teach MLA how to get some beads. He keeps telling her to yell "Throw me something mister". Worked for him; he had a large paper sack full of beads and another big bag of stuffed toys. We'll see tomorrow if MLA has blossomed under his tuteledge or if she is tempted to use a more conventional method.



BTW: Most state parks (and national parks for that matter) were built many years ago and cannot accomodate today's larger rigs. Most have length restrictions of 22-28 feet. Most of today's coaches range from 34-40+ feet. Lack of State and Federal funding for parks means no $$$ available to maintain existing infrastructure yet alone improve campgrounds, increase land set aside for future generations. Something to think about in case you are ever in a position to help change the current situation.


More pictures of parade and campground tomorrow. See ya!

Not another day... Not another day... ;>)

This RV stuff is more difficult than it looks: Get up early in the morning just to laugh when the alarm goes off. Back to bed to rest from a demanding start to the day.

Get up for showers & breakfast, trying not to let the strain of what to have for breakfast wear you down. Then deciding where you would like to go today, usually requiring the flip of a coin or consulting the weather channel (always turn towards the sun & warm weather). A brief nap to recover from the stress of decision making.

Pack up the rig: 1) slides in 2) automatic levelers up 3) disconnect the water hose and the electricity cable 4) program Judy, our Garmin GPS (as in Judy Garland; never mind, most of you are too young for that one) 5) Hit the road. Elapsed time: about 15 minutes, will get faster when we do not have to triple check our pre-daparture check-list. Of course, at least 5 minutes of that time is spent with our neighbors-for-a-day discussing how we are so busy now we don't know how we found time for work before we retired.

Drive for about 200 miles/4 hours -- off the road by 3 or 4 pm so as not to miss the sunset or happy hour, hopefully not in that order.

Park the rig: 1) Automatic levelers down 2) slides out 3) Connect water hose and electricity (sewer connection if they have it) 4) break open an adult beverage of your choice.

Nap as necessary to re-charge the batteries to get through dinner.

Tonight we drove over to see Debbie, Richard and Chance just in time to catch the Super Bowl. Nicest people in the world. Debbie had enough food for 10 couples, including two huge platters of Shrimp and Crawfish plus a King Cake.

King Cake is a New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition. Cake drizzeled in several colors of icing with a small plastic doll baked inside. Whoever gets the slice with the doll in it is supposed to have a really good year. Plus I think you have to buy the cake the following year. Or maybe you get an all expenses paid trip to the hospital if you eat fast enough to swallow the plastic doll.

Tried the crawfish, including the 'sucking the heads' tradition; have to say not my cup of tea. The rest of the crawfish is like a very small lobster tail and tasty. The best though, were these huge Louisiana shrimp -- made me think of Forest Gump and the Bubba Shrimp Company -- delicious.

Planning to move closer to Debbie & Richard (about 30 minutes away now) if closer campgrounds are not packed with Mardi Gras attendees. Debbie and Richard have a Mardi Gras parade planned for us to attend on Tuesday. We'll get pictures and share with you. Will try to get MLA to collect a few beads......

Signing off from Hammond LA.

A Comment About Comments

Comments are most welcome. Several of you indicated you left a comment and it did not show up on the blog. Sorry about that. Looks like we have it resolved. An issue with, can you believe it, SPAM Comments. Knew there was spam; did not know some idiots have automated programs to add spam advertising to blogs.

In any case, you will be asked to type in a few letters that are displayed that only someone as warm and loving as yourself (otherwise know as a human) will be able to understand and type. I promise you, nothing to complex, just meaningless characters/numbers.

Thank you, and remember, we value your comments. Of course we love and value you and our relationship with you more, but we love the comments too.


BTW: Here's the promised picture of "Killer" in her spike collar (aka: Dobbie). Here she is terrorizing the sofa pillows; daring them to move. A great watchdog even if she is not a great attack dog.

Check out new pictures in other posts....

Any problems, send me an e-mail at dalew.abbott@gmail.com

Graceland -- Don't Miss If You Get to Memphis

Spent yesterday and part of this am getting the motorcycle lift and toad tow bar installed. Yesterday we had some free time while the coach was having everything installed so we went to Graceland, Elvis's home. What an amazing place. Since raquetball is one of my favorite sports, I especially liked the raquetball building. Except they have converted it to (one of several) a trophy room for his gold and platinum records.

Also saw his car collection including, of course, one of the famous pink cadillacs. This car was MLA's favorite.I had trouble chooising a favorite between the Rolls Royce, the Ferrari or the cherry 1960 MG. Also saw his two jets, which are literally parked across the street from Graceland (at least 10 miles from airport, must have been fun moving those). One was the size of a 727 and the other the size of a LearJet. Both customized in those awful golds, yellows, greens and browns of the late 60's and early 70's. Yuk -- although high style at the time I guess.

I was impressed when I saw an award for selling 50 Million records. Turns out that was just for one album/song. Elvis has sold over 1 Billion records. OMG! The whole tour was really something and worth the $32 per person price. MLA liked his stage outfit collections best. Really is an amazing accomplishment. Note: had to go through at least five gift shops. Not a problem for me but if you are or you know an Elvis fanatic, watch out. People were dropping money like Elvis dripped swaet in his later years performances (lots of leather one piece pants suits).

Once finished in Memphis we headed south to Jacksonville, Missisippi, which is where we are tonight. Should get to New Orleans tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait to see Debbie (MLA's sister) and her husband Richard. Chance is living with them now so hopefully they will let us babysit hime for awhile. He's growing up so quick. Chance has been following the blog and keeps going to the pictures while Debbie is trying to read.

Put the first scratch on the RV today while moving the RV around at the hitch installers. The owner, a fellow RV'er tells me welcome to the club. Happens to everyone sooner or later. Then he tells me, don't worry, it won't be the last time. Seems RV's collect scratches the way an RV windshield collect bugs -- we already have quite a collection of bugs.

Until next time, see ya!