Real easy ride to Bradenton from Lake Worth, no hurries, no worries. Lots of things planned for my stay in this area. This will be my longest stay since on the road, a whole 18 days. I knew nothing of this park. Asking several campers, no one had ever heard of Tropical Gardens. The cg review site I've been using didn't have them listed. I selected the park because it was the only one close to the tax seminar location also in Bradenton. The park was on a main Bradenton road, 53rd Avenue. Lots of long termers give the cg a bit of a trailer park feel. My site is a full hook up pull through on a concrete pad, but a little tight. I hooked up the water and electric but didn't bother with the sewer since I'll be taking the rig out both tomorrow and Wednesday for my driving lessons. Rita, the cg manager indicated that she and her husband Dale were only in the office a few hours each morning and afternoon so mail receipt may be problematic. Oh well, there's a UPS store down the road, I'll have my packet sent to.
George from the RV Driving School showed up promptly at 9am. I had the RV already hooked up and ready to go. He was very professional having me complete a form that included my license and insurance info. We spent about 30 minutes in general discussion and going over my 5th wheel and truck. He was pleased that both are 2012's and in new condition. He related how he's showed up to give classes, took a look at the condition of the rig and/or tow vehicle and refused to get in them. He was pleased with my proactive approach in getting lessons before I had a problem and my even having installed my tire pressure system on the RV and truck. His wife dropped him off, he got in my truck and we headed out. He couldn't find the nearby area he said he scouted a few weeks ago so we headed down route 75 about 10 miles to a place he knew. It was a parking lot of a commercial building that was for sale and so an empty lot. He placed a series of orange cones in a line and had me backing up, trying to stay as close as possible without hitting them. I learned to go slooow and picked up a few reference markers on the side of the RV I hadn't previously noticed. Driving a 5th wheel in reverse, staying on a straight line isn't as easy as it sounds but I did okay. George then had me doing broken "U" turns and backing into parking spots on my left and right sides. His compliments of my driving helped build confidence and the practice was great. His wife was waiting when we returned. I did get into my site a little easier than yesterday. I was more tired than I thought. Early dinner and to bed. Wednesday I got up early again and had my rig hooked up and ready for George. He came by with his new employee, Bo, and asked if it was okay if Bo came along. The more the merrier, no problem. Bo retired from driving trucks for over 30 years. Both he and George are rather large. Both are about 6'5" and well over 300lbs. It was almost comical watching Bo fold into the back seat of my truck. We went back to the same lot. George began having me do some more broken "U" turns and reverse left and right turns. He quickly let Bo take over. By the end of the day Bo had me going in reverse all over the parking lot. I treated George and Bo to an end of class luncheon where they gave me a certificate and debrief. I'll remember to look at my reference points and go slooow. The class was well worth it.
Up early on Thursday, shower and quick breakfast and off to my tax class. I found the Marriott easy, thank you GPS. I thought I was arriving almost an hour early but lots of people were already there. Near 200 attendees. I had some coffee and a newspaper but passed on the doughnuts. I've been doing okay with my weight, no reason to backtrack now. On my right, a husband and wife from CT down to visit their son. On my left a guy who traces his ancestry through the Mayflower, to European royalty and back to the 12th century. He and I had lunch in the hotel and chatted about motorcycles, cars, and ancestry. The seminar was very well done. The first day presenter had such a strong Cajun accent I had a little trouble understanding but he covered the material in the 10 lb book very well. Way more tax changes this year than I thought. Friday was a repeat except the presenters Cajun accent was much easier. I had lunch with the same guy. We chatted lots for two days and never introduced ourselves. A little strange.
When I got back a class "C" had pulled in behind me on a spot that I didn't even think was a site. An elderly couple, not very chatty, but nice enough. There was a note pinned to my RV door about a Christmas party tomorrow evening, including a $10 gift exchange. I drove to my favorite place, Walmart. Picked up some fruits and vegetables, a couple bottles of champagne, along with gift warp. Also bought four boxes of various holiday cards to send out with a tax newsletter. Stopped at the post office to get several rolls of stamps also for the newsletter.
Saturday morning I slept a little late, tired from two days of driving lessons and two days of tax seminar (lol). I wrote and printed a one page newsletter, addressed, and stamped all the envelopes. I'll need to go to the UPS store to make this many copies and ask them about receiving my mail later in the week. The Christmas party was nice. A very good DJ and enough food. I received a multi-use camping knife, very nice. Everyone at the party was coupled up. There was one whole table of Canadians speaking French. I did meet a few people and chatted with the couple sitting next to me, Stuart & Karen from Vermont. Stuart is very into politics and religion, two great topics and two that can be problematic when discussing with "fanatics".
Sunday morning Tom knocked on my door. He was passing around his copy of an RV magazine. It was one that I get but hadn't gotten my mail yet. We ended up chatting for several hours at my picnic table. He drove tanker trucks for almost 40 years. He's in his mid to late 70's and just this year gave up driving. He and his wife live full time in their 37 ft 5th wheel. He still drives an F350, long bed, crew cab, duallies, and turbo diesel, but he doesn't move his rig anymore. He had me walking around my rig, giving me lots of suggestions, good ones. His wife finally called him for something or I don't think he'd ever have left. Pleasant conversation.
I walked to the garbage area hoping to see Stuart & Karen but they were out all day. Had one other short, pleasant conversation with Frank who had been sitting outside the recreation/swimming pool building. Restful Sunday. Monday I had lots of visitors. Tom stopped by again and this time had me walking around my truck, giving me pointers. He's a nice, if a little strange guy, good pointers. Frank also stopped by and we sat at my picnic table talking about nothing for about a half hour. Stuart gave me a pile of books and a dvd on the life of Jesus. Most of his books dealt with the constitution with a couple on religion. He's an interesting guy. He ran for state congress a few times in Vermont and even in his early 70's remains active in his state politics. Two of the books he gave me dealt with the second amendment (right to bear arms) and states rights issues. One of the books was way to radical for me. The other made some interesting points about states rights and the changing views over the past 200 years. A court case New York won against the federal government and another won by a coalition of law enforcement officers from several states, also against the federal government has me thinking that Obama-care will be overturned. About 35 states are currently suing the federal government, claiming federal law can not require states to implement a federal health care mandate. There are definitely arguments on both sides. I'll hang onto the pocket bible he gave me, along with the pocket constitution, but I'll return all the rest.
Tuesday I decided to take a long drive. I drove over the St. Petersburg Key Span bridge. A very interesting drive. While the bridge is pretty, the right side guard rail is way to low. Sitting in the truck it seemed I could accidentally drive right into the bay. I stayed in the middle lane. Zack called when I was about mid-span. We chatted as I drove to Passe Au Grille beach, parked, and walked barefoot along the beach. Really pretty area. Great morning walking along the beach. My only regret is no one to have lunch with as there are so many cute little seafood restaurants. From the beach I drove into Tampa and to an Ikea. I really want to get a small desk for the RV. Parking at Ikea was easy. Walking around the store was not. For a midweek, mid day, the store was crowded. I didn't see anything I liked and so drove a little further to a camping world. Still no desk I liked but a bought lots of stuff. The most expensive was a 30 amp surge protector I'd been wanting to get for some time.
I had a bit of an embarrassing experience at the camping world checkout. I'm one of those people who rarely loses or forgets stuff. Yet in the past three months I've lost three different credit cards. Senility is definitely setting in (lol). The last card I lost was replaced with a new one that had the same number. I thought it a little strange but signed and kept it. I'd been using it for several weeks and now it was rejected at the camping world. I finally paid with a different card (good thing I carry back ups). When I got back to the RV I called the automated number and was put through to Chase's fraud department. Apparently, someone at a Walmart found my original card and turned it in. It generated an automatic stop on the card. Fortunately all the charges were mine and so just an interesting experience.
Wednesday I drove over the the Ringling Museum. A nice, interesting place but not by myself. It would have been much better to see with the kids or going to the Ringling theater with a date. Oh well, it's now crossed off my "to do" list. Thursday I met Carolyn from Loners on Wheels at a local public golf course. The course added a third to our tee time, a guy named Billy. Billy is a project manager for a large boiler manufacturer. He's traveled all over on projects for the past 10 years or so. Nice guy who gave Carolyn and I some gentle pointers and was very patient with our golfing. I finally saw my first gator. A little one looking at us as we approached a water hazard. It would have been a real hazard if we reached in to retrieve a ball. After my lessons a few weeks ago and some tips from Billy, I shot 95. I had some good shots but still haven't shot my goal of 89. Carolyn was having lunch with her son. We'll get together in a few days and maybe play some more golf. On my way back I stopped and picked up my mail, hooray, I like getting my mail (lol). I met Carolyn again Friday morning at Anna Maria Beach. She had lived here with her husband, Jim. They owned a convenience store. We walked along the beach and had a great lunch in the restaurant at the end of the long town pier watching lots of kids and adults fishing. Maybe we'll play some golf next week before I leave. Stuart & Karen were out walking in the early evening and stopped by my RV we sat around chatting for awhile. I'll join them tomorrow for Christmas services at their church.
Stuart stopped by to let me know he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to stray far from home this evening, so no services. He invited me to Sunday services which I at first declined. He continued to ask and I finally accepted. Stuart, his wife Karen, Leroy, his wife Marge, and I all piled into Stuart's little Honda and off we drove to church. He's a member of the Evangelic Free Church, the congregation was about 20 minutes away in a fairly new, sort of modern building. Everyone seems to have a perpetual smile and greeted everyone, including me, very warmly. We hung out, chatting and sharing coffee, fruit, and munchies in what they referred to as Fellowship time. They gave me a packet of information and a loaf of homemade nut bread. The deacon was a little round guy about 5'4 and 300 lbs, with a really great baritone voice. The congregation was only about 40 people, most of whom were rather vocal with lots of hallelujahs, amens, and other like rejoicing. The service was comprised of singing Christmas Carols, accompanied by people on; piano, guitar, flute, clarinet, recorder, and tambourine. Singing carols was great. I knew almost all of them and they brought back great memories of my grade school years. Those were the days when singing carols in public school was not only okay but expected as part of the festive time of year. No one complained that it wasn't their religion. Everyone enjoyed singing.
Monday I hung out in the RV. I spent the day researching the 2012 gtg's of the four camping groups I now belong to; LoW's, Escapees, Good Sam, and SMART. I found a couple dozen gtg's but most of the chapters didn't have their gtg's posted yet. I sent off about a dozen emails to the various groups asking about when and where their gtg's will be. A few emails were answered shortly after sending. I'll probably end up with a couple dozen gtg's throughout New England between April and September. Lots of lobster seems to be in my future (lol). I also did a little financial research. Even with the market down, several stocks are at or near the sell points I established for them. I'll probably sell a little when the market opens tomorrow and need to find a few decent dividend paying stocks to buy with the proceeds. Carolyn called and we'll play some more golf tomorrow.
The sky looks a little threatening this morning but hopefully it'll pass. As soon as the market opened I sold a little and bought a little. Like most people, I'm not happy with the down market but I'm very optimistic going forward. As long as the portfolio continues to earn dividends, I remain positive about future capital gains and am okay with the time it seems to be taking for the turn around.
I stopped at a post office to mail a few items and still got to the golf course about an hour early. The sky is really getting dark. Chatted a little with a guy who had an army golf bag. He recently retired and is getting into civilian life. He let me take over his bucket of pitch practice balls. I practiced for about an hour, till Carolyn arrived. I'm sort of getting the hang of this worst port of my game. Who knows, maybe I have a shot at my goal of 89. Carolyn and I got through three holes when it started to rain. We got rain checks and will try again on Thursday. Before we left we did see a rather large gator, half in and half out of a pond. The gator was guarding something it caught from a bunch of turkey vultures. The birds were definitely closer to the gator then I'd ever want to be. Hung out on Wednesday, chatting with Stuart & Karen and just chilling. Back at the golf course on Thursday, bought a bucket of practice balls and worked a little on my pitching until Carolyn arrived. We got teamed with a couple of guys who said they had lots of patience when I asked them. My short game was considerable improved but my woods went to pot. Shot another 95. Oh well, 89 is still a goal. Went food shopping for the pot luck, dessert, and appetizers requested for the New Year's party over the next three days; wings, fruit salad, and a delicious pistachio, pineapple, & whipped cream dip. Said my goodbyes to Stuart & Karen & Tom and closed up the rig. Headed out at 9:30am.
Parking in the Trees
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
My Farthest Point South
The good and the bad of the ride south. The good was the road that started out as traffic lights every couple of hundred yards turned out to be rather scenic. The bad was a $21.60 toll for a few miles on the FL Turnpike. All the construction on the turnpike also caused some interesting effects on the GPS. At several points the GPS seemed to think I was off on dirt roads. I'm glad the GPS was wrong (lol)! The John Prince cg had an interesting address. It was the only odd numbered address on the even side of the street. The GPS wanted me to turn right when the park was clearly on the left. I love my GPS but refuse to let it drive by itself till it grows up a bit more. I think I'll stay at the wheel.
John Prince cg is a really pretty county park. I got a very pretty spot backing up to Lake Osborne. Lots of birds around; cranes, osprey, ducks, hawks, vultures, egrets. Some of the birds would walk within a few feet of me while I was sitting outside. I guess some people feed them. I was careful to look around before stepping out of my rig each morning but no alligators. Ahh shucks!
Ira & Elaine with NY plates and about an 18 ft B+ were camped directly across from me. He had wires strung across the tops of two palm trees well over 30 ft in the air. Turns out he's a ham radio buff who daily talks with others as close as northern FL and as far as the Antarctic. They keep their house in NY but are in FL for about 10 mths a year. He grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood that my grandmother lived and couldn't believe a fellow camper knew such streets as Pitkin, Sutter, Livonia. He brought back such great memories of visiting my grandma. She lived in the same second floor apartment from about 1920 until she passed away in 1962. No phone, TV, or air conditioner. We called the shoe store on the first floor and he yelled up to her. It's near 50 years since she's gone and I can still hear her soft voice.
The cg has a great golf learning center. They offered a special class for campers and I was the only one so I got a private lesson. It was so good I stayed for an extra private class. They only had a three hole course so I went around three times. The classes definitely helped. I didn't do great but was very consistent with no really bad shots. Maybe I have a shot at breaking 90 one of these days.
Bill from the South LoW chapter showed up on Wednesday. He had a very long drive from the Ft. Lauderdale area, maybe 40 minutes away (lol). We walked around the park a little and sat around my rig in pleasant conversation. Thursday we had lunch at a place Ira suggested. It looked like a dump on the outside and even after parking we almost left. I had faith in Ira and so we went in. It was a little family restaurant with friendly service, excellent food, at great prices. Bill and I shopped a little at Harbor Freight, an Army/Navy store and a Dollar Store. He got a few tools and I bought some army decals for the truck and RV and an army hat for the mock Eagle Scout board of review I was invited to sit in on this Sunday. Friday morning Bill and I went to a flea market and the Lake Worth pier, apparently a minor tourist attraction. It was kind of funny when neither he nor I could figure out how to work the parking meters. Was it age, senility, or screwy meters? Probably a little of all three. I bought some new sneakers at the flea market to replace my almost 20 year old ones which I junked. It was fun describing them to Alex & Zack. My old ones had been on sale at K-Mart for $5 and lasted 20 years. These new ones, with inflation, cost $15. I am a big spender!
Friday evening was dinner at the Calienes. I must share with those reading my blog that I met Armando when I worked at Unisys in the mid-1990's. I enjoyed my time at Unisys but the best thing that came from those years was my friendship with Armando and his extended family. These are fantastic people who I cherish knowing. Dinner was great and seeing Armando, Madeline, and Eric was fantastic. You guys are great! Saturday, the Calienes, along with Madelines parents, came by the cg to see the RV. Madelines dad is funny taking lots of pictures. Sunday I went back to the Calienes home for the Eagle Scout review. Armando & Eric asked me to play a gruff military guy and give the Eagle candidate a little bit of a hard time. Armando had a camo jacket with bird colonel insignia. I wore my scout pants and army hat and tried to speak a little gruff. It was fun and a great honor for me. I am truly honored to meet Eagle Scouts. They are the future leaders of our society. For those maybe not as familiar with the Eagle rank, it is only about 1% of those who enter Boy Scouts who ever achieve this exulted level. I left scouting as a Life Scout. As the Sinatra song goes, ".. regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention", not achieving Eagle is one of my few regrets!
In the evening the Calienes invited me to join them at Eric's High Schools athletics end of semester celebration. For a relatively small High School, it seemed almost all the students were involved in one sport or another. As a whole, the school seemed to rank very high in most sports. What I really enjoyed hearing as the coach's introduced their teams was the point they made about the average GPA of their team. As I remember, all the teams were in a 3.6 GPA range.
Up early and a leisurely hook up for the rig. Saying goodbye to Ira & Elaine was melancholy. We barely know each other yet we had a bit of a connection. I'll definitely try to stay in touch with them. Heading north from here. Onward. Life is good!
John Prince cg is a really pretty county park. I got a very pretty spot backing up to Lake Osborne. Lots of birds around; cranes, osprey, ducks, hawks, vultures, egrets. Some of the birds would walk within a few feet of me while I was sitting outside. I guess some people feed them. I was careful to look around before stepping out of my rig each morning but no alligators. Ahh shucks!
Ira & Elaine with NY plates and about an 18 ft B+ were camped directly across from me. He had wires strung across the tops of two palm trees well over 30 ft in the air. Turns out he's a ham radio buff who daily talks with others as close as northern FL and as far as the Antarctic. They keep their house in NY but are in FL for about 10 mths a year. He grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood that my grandmother lived and couldn't believe a fellow camper knew such streets as Pitkin, Sutter, Livonia. He brought back such great memories of visiting my grandma. She lived in the same second floor apartment from about 1920 until she passed away in 1962. No phone, TV, or air conditioner. We called the shoe store on the first floor and he yelled up to her. It's near 50 years since she's gone and I can still hear her soft voice.
The cg has a great golf learning center. They offered a special class for campers and I was the only one so I got a private lesson. It was so good I stayed for an extra private class. They only had a three hole course so I went around three times. The classes definitely helped. I didn't do great but was very consistent with no really bad shots. Maybe I have a shot at breaking 90 one of these days.
Bill from the South LoW chapter showed up on Wednesday. He had a very long drive from the Ft. Lauderdale area, maybe 40 minutes away (lol). We walked around the park a little and sat around my rig in pleasant conversation. Thursday we had lunch at a place Ira suggested. It looked like a dump on the outside and even after parking we almost left. I had faith in Ira and so we went in. It was a little family restaurant with friendly service, excellent food, at great prices. Bill and I shopped a little at Harbor Freight, an Army/Navy store and a Dollar Store. He got a few tools and I bought some army decals for the truck and RV and an army hat for the mock Eagle Scout board of review I was invited to sit in on this Sunday. Friday morning Bill and I went to a flea market and the Lake Worth pier, apparently a minor tourist attraction. It was kind of funny when neither he nor I could figure out how to work the parking meters. Was it age, senility, or screwy meters? Probably a little of all three. I bought some new sneakers at the flea market to replace my almost 20 year old ones which I junked. It was fun describing them to Alex & Zack. My old ones had been on sale at K-Mart for $5 and lasted 20 years. These new ones, with inflation, cost $15. I am a big spender!
Friday evening was dinner at the Calienes. I must share with those reading my blog that I met Armando when I worked at Unisys in the mid-1990's. I enjoyed my time at Unisys but the best thing that came from those years was my friendship with Armando and his extended family. These are fantastic people who I cherish knowing. Dinner was great and seeing Armando, Madeline, and Eric was fantastic. You guys are great! Saturday, the Calienes, along with Madelines parents, came by the cg to see the RV. Madelines dad is funny taking lots of pictures. Sunday I went back to the Calienes home for the Eagle Scout review. Armando & Eric asked me to play a gruff military guy and give the Eagle candidate a little bit of a hard time. Armando had a camo jacket with bird colonel insignia. I wore my scout pants and army hat and tried to speak a little gruff. It was fun and a great honor for me. I am truly honored to meet Eagle Scouts. They are the future leaders of our society. For those maybe not as familiar with the Eagle rank, it is only about 1% of those who enter Boy Scouts who ever achieve this exulted level. I left scouting as a Life Scout. As the Sinatra song goes, ".. regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention", not achieving Eagle is one of my few regrets!
In the evening the Calienes invited me to join them at Eric's High Schools athletics end of semester celebration. For a relatively small High School, it seemed almost all the students were involved in one sport or another. As a whole, the school seemed to rank very high in most sports. What I really enjoyed hearing as the coach's introduced their teams was the point they made about the average GPA of their team. As I remember, all the teams were in a 3.6 GPA range.
Up early and a leisurely hook up for the rig. Saying goodbye to Ira & Elaine was melancholy. We barely know each other yet we had a bit of a connection. I'll definitely try to stay in touch with them. Heading north from here. Onward. Life is good!
Heading South to Winter Haven
It actually feels good getting on the road again. No one to say good by to from the Samboree. The drive to Winter Haven was easy and relaxing. The Cypress cg seems to have lots of long term'ers and a little of a trailer park look & feel. The woman at the check in was new and directed me to my site from the wrong side, the hook ups were on the other side. I joked with my site neighbor Al that the office must be providing free driving experience. No problem making a "U" turn and getting back in (well, maybe a little frustrating). The park has a very nice swimming pool, a local fruit and vegetable vendor, and a Walmart adjacent to the rear road.
My Alex doesn't want to even walk into a Walmart. Walmarts seem to be taking over the country. I walked to the store and around it without buying anything. I'll bet it was near a 2 mile stroll. I have a soft spot for Walmarts ever since they donated $500 to the Boy Scout troop. All I did was fill out a few online forms and the check showed up.
Some of the Gulf & Mid-LoW folks began showing up a day early. Wow, what a great chili dinner. For $1 they provided dinner and breakfast the next day. For another $5 we had dinner for three more nights and three more breakfasts.
Lots of trips. I didn't really want to go to Bok Tower and Gardens but they needed another driver. I took four people and am very glad I went. What a beautiful and tranquil place. I hung out a bit with Ron Henderson, the 91 year old full timer. He is a sharp, interesting guy. Bok Tower is about 200+ feet high, made of several colors of granite, mostly shades pink. It has 60 bells ranging in size from 16 lbs to 11 tons. A person plays them on a keyboard. This was a great time to stop by, listening to Christmas music played on those wonderful bells. We were encouraged to pick the many citrus fruits growing in the gardens. What a great day!
We drove to a street called "spook hill". If you put your car in neutral at a certain point in the road, you're supposed to roll uphill. It worked for the other cars. I guess my truck with five people in it was just too much for the spooks to push. Oh well! From Spook Hill we drove around Lake Wales and went to the Railroad Museum. Lake Wales seemed a little distressed but the museum was a great surprise. There was some railroad memorabilia but lots of other artifacts also. They had hundreds of hand sewn quilts, some 200 years old. Beautiful! They also had a Seminole dugout canoe dated as over 4,000 years old. There were hundreds of dolls in the image of famous people. Incredible!
Winter Haven and a sister city Aubendale join in a Christmas parade they bill as the largest outside of Disney. I had a full truck, six of us, and managed to find parking. I treated everyone to noise horns. You had to see us six "old foogies" blowing these horns and acting like little kids. We had a great time.
After the LoWs gtg ended and they left I took a class from Verizon on my new I-Phone. You'd have to be near my age to appreciate why I've been laughing about this. When I was a kid my parents had what was called a "party line". This was where several families shared the same telephone number. You had to listen to the ring to know if the call was for you or one of your neighbors. It was very common to pick up the phone to make a call and hear your neighbors already on a call. Sometimes you said sorry and hung up, sometimes you joined in the conversation. Now I needed a class to learn how to use a phone. Technology is going too fast for me.
My Alex doesn't want to even walk into a Walmart. Walmarts seem to be taking over the country. I walked to the store and around it without buying anything. I'll bet it was near a 2 mile stroll. I have a soft spot for Walmarts ever since they donated $500 to the Boy Scout troop. All I did was fill out a few online forms and the check showed up.
Some of the Gulf & Mid-LoW folks began showing up a day early. Wow, what a great chili dinner. For $1 they provided dinner and breakfast the next day. For another $5 we had dinner for three more nights and three more breakfasts.
Lots of trips. I didn't really want to go to Bok Tower and Gardens but they needed another driver. I took four people and am very glad I went. What a beautiful and tranquil place. I hung out a bit with Ron Henderson, the 91 year old full timer. He is a sharp, interesting guy. Bok Tower is about 200+ feet high, made of several colors of granite, mostly shades pink. It has 60 bells ranging in size from 16 lbs to 11 tons. A person plays them on a keyboard. This was a great time to stop by, listening to Christmas music played on those wonderful bells. We were encouraged to pick the many citrus fruits growing in the gardens. What a great day!
We drove to a street called "spook hill". If you put your car in neutral at a certain point in the road, you're supposed to roll uphill. It worked for the other cars. I guess my truck with five people in it was just too much for the spooks to push. Oh well! From Spook Hill we drove around Lake Wales and went to the Railroad Museum. Lake Wales seemed a little distressed but the museum was a great surprise. There was some railroad memorabilia but lots of other artifacts also. They had hundreds of hand sewn quilts, some 200 years old. Beautiful! They also had a Seminole dugout canoe dated as over 4,000 years old. There were hundreds of dolls in the image of famous people. Incredible!
Winter Haven and a sister city Aubendale join in a Christmas parade they bill as the largest outside of Disney. I had a full truck, six of us, and managed to find parking. I treated everyone to noise horns. You had to see us six "old foogies" blowing these horns and acting like little kids. We had a great time.
After the LoWs gtg ended and they left I took a class from Verizon on my new I-Phone. You'd have to be near my age to appreciate why I've been laughing about this. When I was a kid my parents had what was called a "party line". This was where several families shared the same telephone number. You had to listen to the ring to know if the call was for you or one of your neighbors. It was very common to pick up the phone to make a call and hear your neighbors already on a call. Sometimes you said sorry and hung up, sometimes you joined in the conversation. Now I needed a class to learn how to use a phone. Technology is going too fast for me.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Escapee and Good Sam Rally's
The ride from the LoW Citrus Rally to my first Escapee (SKP) gtg was a really long one, almost 3 miles. One of the LoW members, Dave Irons, had invited me to a SKP luncheon last week so I knew lots of the SKP attendees. There were also about 12 LoW members who are also SKP members. The Paradise Oaks RV Resort was very similar to the prior Blueberry Hill Resort, with the addition of an outdoor jacuzzi. Another great gtg. Another round of golf. With all this golf I was hoping to improve. I had a few really nice shots but have yet to shoot below 90. Another gtg with catered breakfasts and dinners. I'm not losing any weight this way. The jacuzzi was great. Four to five of us sitting around chatting in the jacuzzi each night.
There was another RV camping group at the same resort called S.M.A.R.T (Special Military Active and/or Retired Military Travelers). Chatting with almost everyone as usual got me talking with this group. I ended up joining. Several really nice people and we didn't sit around talking about the military. I played one toss lawn game with them and they invited me to their all you can eat pork roast. It was the same night the SKP group had a similar dinner planned. I was torn as to which group to have dinner with but in the end I went with the group that I came with, the SKP.
We went as a group to the Florida National Cemetery for Veterans Day ceremonies. The SMART member I had been chatting with turned out to be a Lt. Colonel. All us veterans were honored by standing as our service branch anthem was played. After the ceremony we went to a local American Legion club for lunch. This was a very moving day for me. The Lt. Colonel turned out to have been in special operations of which my army ranger unit had been a part. We probably crossed paths some 45 years ago. It is a very small world.
The SKP group had a DJ for a 50's sock hop one night and some country western on another. I can't believe how much I'm dancing. About 60 preschoolers were bused in one afternoon. They sang and danced with a Veterans Day theme. They were sooo cute. It brought back memories of my Alex and Zack at their age.
My first Good Sam Samboree was best described as interesting. It was a huge gtg with over 400 rigs, since most 400 had at least two people there was near 1,000 participants including lots of locals. The Southern Palms cg was so large they had several golf carts roaming around to take participants to the various venues. Most of the dozen or so seminars were only about 1/3 mile from my site so I walked. Some were closer to a mile away on another side of a road. The opening and closing ceremonies were held in a building that was the size of an airplane hanger. There were about 100 rigs on show by dealers in a nearby field and a large flea market with lots of local farm vendors. Most of the seminars were barely disguised selling by the vendors putting them on. I went to almost all the seminars and did learn lots of stuff but you had to sift through the selling. I went to the first breakfast and first lunch. They were so crowded I past on all the rest even though I had paid for them. The Samboree was definitely different than the LoW and SKP gtg's. I doubt that I'll attend anymore.
There was another RV camping group at the same resort called S.M.A.R.T (Special Military Active and/or Retired Military Travelers). Chatting with almost everyone as usual got me talking with this group. I ended up joining. Several really nice people and we didn't sit around talking about the military. I played one toss lawn game with them and they invited me to their all you can eat pork roast. It was the same night the SKP group had a similar dinner planned. I was torn as to which group to have dinner with but in the end I went with the group that I came with, the SKP.
We went as a group to the Florida National Cemetery for Veterans Day ceremonies. The SMART member I had been chatting with turned out to be a Lt. Colonel. All us veterans were honored by standing as our service branch anthem was played. After the ceremony we went to a local American Legion club for lunch. This was a very moving day for me. The Lt. Colonel turned out to have been in special operations of which my army ranger unit had been a part. We probably crossed paths some 45 years ago. It is a very small world.
The SKP group had a DJ for a 50's sock hop one night and some country western on another. I can't believe how much I'm dancing. About 60 preschoolers were bused in one afternoon. They sang and danced with a Veterans Day theme. They were sooo cute. It brought back memories of my Alex and Zack at their age.
My first Good Sam Samboree was best described as interesting. It was a huge gtg with over 400 rigs, since most 400 had at least two people there was near 1,000 participants including lots of locals. The Southern Palms cg was so large they had several golf carts roaming around to take participants to the various venues. Most of the dozen or so seminars were only about 1/3 mile from my site so I walked. Some were closer to a mile away on another side of a road. The opening and closing ceremonies were held in a building that was the size of an airplane hanger. There were about 100 rigs on show by dealers in a nearby field and a large flea market with lots of local farm vendors. Most of the seminars were barely disguised selling by the vendors putting them on. I went to almost all the seminars and did learn lots of stuff but you had to sift through the selling. I went to the first breakfast and first lunch. They were so crowded I past on all the rest even though I had paid for them. The Samboree was definitely different than the LoW and SKP gtg's. I doubt that I'll attend anymore.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Leaving GA & Into FL
I'll never remember all their names. Each and every one of them have warm greetings, the gals with a hug and the guys with a smile and handshake. I'm not the youngest and sure not the oldest. There are several RV'ers in their mid to late 80's and one who will shortly celebrate 91!! One full timer in a small class "A" is in a wheelchair and a few others need walking assistance. Yet they drive their rigs all over the country and participate in as many of the camp site activities as they're able. Spaghetti dinner with a homemade sauce was provided by the co-hosts. I helped the guy at a nearby site back his 37' 5th wheel in. Lots of activities planned by these campers. We did the usual hike, had a private lecture at the nature cabin, toured the historic town of St. Marys, GA, took a 30 minute ferry ride to the largest GA barrier island and hiked around, we had a mini golf tournament, went out to dinner one night, I played golf with a few campers. Every morning there was community coffee and breakfast at the co-hosts rig. They had a few delicious dinners plus the usual pot luck. After dinner we usually sat around a campfire with one of the co-hosts playing country western songs on his guitar. It took me back to summer camp as a kid. It was great.
Most of the group headed out as a caravan to the next camp out in Bushnell, FL. I stayed over looking forward to dinner with my cousin (hi Bobbie). Bobbie gave me a tour of Fernandina Beach, FL, a really lovely area. We had a very great dinner, a stroll, and even some ice cream. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The next morning I loaded out and joined a LoW rally. A few chapters had a joint gtg in Bushnell, FL. Lo and behold the same 5'er I helped park was again parked at the adjacent site. This was my first private RV resort, all the prior ones being state or municipal parks. As a private cg, this was also my first full hook up site, water, electric, and sewer. It was also the first site not completely in the trees. After six weeks on the road I was finally able to get Direct TV from the roof satellite and able to experiment with my solar system. My experiment was actually by accident. Another camper was helping me set up quickly so we could go play golf. Between us we forgot to hook up the electric. A few days later, after several loads of wash, setting up both TV's, using the a/c lots, and all the usual electric usage I finally drained the batteries. With careful electric usage I'm pretty sure I could go for a week or more.
The almost 91 year old is also at this rally. He actually teaches line dancing and is a bundle of energy. In addition to the usual activities the rally had catered meals and a DJ. I danced more these few days than for the several years prior. A very interesting hike was of the Seminole Battlefield. Those interested should look it up. More history never taught in school. I've fallen in love with these beautiful trees called "live oaks". The Spanish Moss likes to float into the branches and the branches themselves can sometimes re enter the ground and grow back out a second time. They are magnificent!
Most of the group headed out as a caravan to the next camp out in Bushnell, FL. I stayed over looking forward to dinner with my cousin (hi Bobbie). Bobbie gave me a tour of Fernandina Beach, FL, a really lovely area. We had a very great dinner, a stroll, and even some ice cream. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The next morning I loaded out and joined a LoW rally. A few chapters had a joint gtg in Bushnell, FL. Lo and behold the same 5'er I helped park was again parked at the adjacent site. This was my first private RV resort, all the prior ones being state or municipal parks. As a private cg, this was also my first full hook up site, water, electric, and sewer. It was also the first site not completely in the trees. After six weeks on the road I was finally able to get Direct TV from the roof satellite and able to experiment with my solar system. My experiment was actually by accident. Another camper was helping me set up quickly so we could go play golf. Between us we forgot to hook up the electric. A few days later, after several loads of wash, setting up both TV's, using the a/c lots, and all the usual electric usage I finally drained the batteries. With careful electric usage I'm pretty sure I could go for a week or more.
The almost 91 year old is also at this rally. He actually teaches line dancing and is a bundle of energy. In addition to the usual activities the rally had catered meals and a DJ. I danced more these few days than for the several years prior. A very interesting hike was of the Seminole Battlefield. Those interested should look it up. More history never taught in school. I've fallen in love with these beautiful trees called "live oaks". The Spanish Moss likes to float into the branches and the branches themselves can sometimes re enter the ground and grow back out a second time. They are magnificent!
Monday, November 14, 2011
First Entry
It's been about a month and a half on the road and all is well. Actually, life is even better than I had hoped. The RV and truck are working great and very comfortable. I've met lots of really great people both in the various groups I'm part of and just around the campgrounds (CG). I picked up the RV in West Chester, PA and immediately had it weighed. Just to be sure it was well within the trucks tow limits. The total gross weight came in at 17,000lbs and the trucks published limit is 22,000lbs. No worries.
My first CG was Locust Lake State Park (SP) in Barnesville, PA. A beautiful lake surrounded by hills of perfect Fall foilage. I actually had to measure the space before I was convinced my RV would fit between the trees. My first time backing in, it took me about 10-15 minutes with inches on either side of my rig. After I was done another camper came over and said "... no one ever gets a 5th wheel in that space. They always ask to change." I felt good.
The next morning, three other members of the PA/NJ Loners on Wheels (LoW) chapter showed up. Over the next several days we shared morning coffee, hiking, biking, a pot luck dinner, and great weather.
In early October I took a long but easy drive to Newport News VA and stayed in what is billed as the largest county park in the country. It is a very nice park and much easier to back into. I guess my "practice " at the PA park paid off. I was joined by several members of the VA-LoW chapter. Several of the other members spent some time kayaking. Some of them joined me for hiking and biking. We again shared morning coffee, a pot luck dinner, and went out to eat one evening. Some of us also toured Jamestown and attended the 230th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown. In a few hours I learned more history than I ever learned in school (lol).
I moved on to a cute little CG called Little Pee Dee SP near Dillon, SC. It was the most rustic of my stays so far. Parking was easy with my first pull thru site. I had gotten in the habit of walking the park after I set up. As I walk around I wave and say hi to anyone I see. Most people wave and say hi back. Several wave me over and share a drink (usually a beer, sometimes a water). I end up meeting people quickly. At Little Pee Dee SP I saw a guy with an airborne pin on his hat. It was a great conversation starter. His wife is a fantastic cook and I ended up eating by their campfire several evenings along with about a half dozen other campers. We all brought something to contribute whether my bottles of wine or someone elses marshmellows. It was great! My air horn compressor broke. I found a local garage where I almost had to beg to get them to take money. The guy worked on my truck for several hours but couldn't fix it so he didn't want any payment. Just like NY & NJ mechanics (lol). I found an air horn in a local parts store and the guy put it on.
I do enjoy the air horn. As I drive along in the right hand lane, it's proving quite common for drivers to enter the road with a cell phone in their left hand and completely oblivious to me and my rig as they go to merge. Leaning on the air horn not only wakes them up but usually gets the cell phone flying out of their hand. It's been great amusement and keeps me laughing for awhile.
I arrived at Crooked River SP in St. Marys, GA in mid afternoon the day before the LoW get together (gtg). As per my new habit, I walked the park and met several folks. Ended up sitting with a husband & wife who do what they call "Double Full Timing". They are both retired psychiatrists, the wife from private practice and the husband from the VA. They spend six months in their RV and the other six months cruising the Atlantic in a catamaran. The SE-LoW gtg got under way quickly the next day. There were about 25 or so people in RVs ranging from pop up campers to several large class "A's".
My first CG was Locust Lake State Park (SP) in Barnesville, PA. A beautiful lake surrounded by hills of perfect Fall foilage. I actually had to measure the space before I was convinced my RV would fit between the trees. My first time backing in, it took me about 10-15 minutes with inches on either side of my rig. After I was done another camper came over and said "... no one ever gets a 5th wheel in that space. They always ask to change." I felt good.
The next morning, three other members of the PA/NJ Loners on Wheels (LoW) chapter showed up. Over the next several days we shared morning coffee, hiking, biking, a pot luck dinner, and great weather.
In early October I took a long but easy drive to Newport News VA and stayed in what is billed as the largest county park in the country. It is a very nice park and much easier to back into. I guess my "practice " at the PA park paid off. I was joined by several members of the VA-LoW chapter. Several of the other members spent some time kayaking. Some of them joined me for hiking and biking. We again shared morning coffee, a pot luck dinner, and went out to eat one evening. Some of us also toured Jamestown and attended the 230th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown. In a few hours I learned more history than I ever learned in school (lol).
I moved on to a cute little CG called Little Pee Dee SP near Dillon, SC. It was the most rustic of my stays so far. Parking was easy with my first pull thru site. I had gotten in the habit of walking the park after I set up. As I walk around I wave and say hi to anyone I see. Most people wave and say hi back. Several wave me over and share a drink (usually a beer, sometimes a water). I end up meeting people quickly. At Little Pee Dee SP I saw a guy with an airborne pin on his hat. It was a great conversation starter. His wife is a fantastic cook and I ended up eating by their campfire several evenings along with about a half dozen other campers. We all brought something to contribute whether my bottles of wine or someone elses marshmellows. It was great! My air horn compressor broke. I found a local garage where I almost had to beg to get them to take money. The guy worked on my truck for several hours but couldn't fix it so he didn't want any payment. Just like NY & NJ mechanics (lol). I found an air horn in a local parts store and the guy put it on.
I do enjoy the air horn. As I drive along in the right hand lane, it's proving quite common for drivers to enter the road with a cell phone in their left hand and completely oblivious to me and my rig as they go to merge. Leaning on the air horn not only wakes them up but usually gets the cell phone flying out of their hand. It's been great amusement and keeps me laughing for awhile.
I arrived at Crooked River SP in St. Marys, GA in mid afternoon the day before the LoW get together (gtg). As per my new habit, I walked the park and met several folks. Ended up sitting with a husband & wife who do what they call "Double Full Timing". They are both retired psychiatrists, the wife from private practice and the husband from the VA. They spend six months in their RV and the other six months cruising the Atlantic in a catamaran. The SE-LoW gtg got under way quickly the next day. There were about 25 or so people in RVs ranging from pop up campers to several large class "A's".
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