Scenes from Gainesville

It's amazing how late we now sleep in the morning since being in Florida. After waking around 8:30am EST, our morning coffee/email reading was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. It was Gary wanting to know if we were going golfing - it was supposed to be in the upper 70s today. We rushed through breakfast/showers/dressing to get ready to tee them up. Gary and Anne drove us to Gainesville to the course we first tried on Tuesday. The college student working at the course recognized us for what we are - seniors, and gave us the appropriate discount. Sometimes it pays to look old.

We did find lots of interesting sights on the course:

Hot golfers and beautiful palm trees.

And a great scene in a pond on the course:

It's some kind of crane, with a snake in its mouth!

And a somewhat unsturdy lightning shelter. It kinda looks like an outside theatre/church.

After a very late lunch/early dinner we came back to the trailer, sat outside telling lies and drinking until 9pm, blog, and then bed!

Laying Low

After golf on Monday and Tuesday, today was a day to hang around the RV park. It was a cloudy, cool (70) day, so the pool was out of the question - possibly tomorrow after golf. Joe and Marilyn have been in Tampa and Orlando since Monday; Gary and Anne went to the movies, so we walked and talked to fellow lay-lowers today.

After purchasing my new digital camera last night, I took it everywhere today. You just never know what you find in RV parks:

like cheesy whirlygigs in the yard (not ours!)

or our new favorite kind of dog across the way. It never barks, pees, craps, bites, or moves.

Lots of palm trees (ours).

And of course - the big guy washing his truck.

The most bizarre thing we saw today was a couple in their own golf cart. About 30% of the people here have their own carts, or they rent them for $150/month. What makes this one strange is that the cart had spinners on the wheels. I couldn't move fast enough to get a picture. Hopefully I'll see it again soon.

Life near the Golf Coast

Another day in paradise. We wake up and pinch just to make sure nothing has changed. Nope, we're in the south, it's warm and the sun is shining. Today we took a walk around the park stopping occasionally to talk with someone we know or maybe just met. This is a good way to get out and find somebody that wants to play golf and it worked again. One of our friends saw us and wanted to know if we were interested trying a different golf course. Of course we would because it's what we do. We headed north to Gainesville to play Ironwood golf course. The course wasn't bad but unfortunately we were. We'll just have to try again later in the week.



These drives we take around the area serve another purpose . Since we like to stop by the local off track betting parlor we are always looking for that one special horse that's going to bring home the bacon. Being in horse country would seem to make this task easy but the horses we see just want to wander over to the fence and see if you have a treat. We have placed bets on enough horses that just wander. We think we might have spotted a winner up north and are waiting to see if he shows up at the tracks we watch. We were able to get a sneak peak and have included a photo. He sure looks like a winner to us but we don't know too much about horses.

Balance

Monday means I must get dressed and out of the 5th wheel by 8:45am so I can get a spot near the middle of the room for Stretch and Tone. Since it's still cold out at that hour, I put on a jacket, stuff each pocket with one 3 lb. weight, put my beach towel (to lay on the floor) on my bike seat, and pedal to get to class. I once made the mistake of being in the front row. Our "instructor" is no small person by any stretch of the imagination, and she tends to wear shirts that are not long enough - you get the picture - too much skin showing for me. Where do I look? Good music is playing on the CD player, so not only do I exercise, I also practice by singing - much to the chagrin of fellow huffer and puffers. I figure my singing is better than the man who is frequently next to me. He could give Monica Seles a run for her money in the grunt department.

Mark and Gary went down to Ocala to golf today, while Anne and I stayed back to do what we do. I did laundry, rode my bike, and read a book.

Speaking of laundry - since Mark had the truck, I walked and rode my bike to/fro the laundry facility. Have you ever tried to balance a basket of clean clothes while trying to get on the bike, ride through the RV park, and once again dismount bike, all while trying not crash and burn onto pavement, into cars, other bikers, golf carts, or into our trailer, and most especially, the lovely palm trees that decorate our spot, all without shifting? It just ain't easy, but I did it. Next time I'll walk. Or better yet, I'll go golfing and just skip the clean clothes. After all - retirees wear the same clothes day after day after day, don't we?

On Any Given Sunday

Sunday. The day started out cool but sunny. A good day for one of our favorite pastimes, emptying the holding tanks. After taking care of this we went down to the lake to try to find out how many thousands ( based on he number of shots we hear) of ducks are being brought in by the local hunters. According to the cook at the nearby restaurant who has been here for two years, he's never seen any ducks at all, flying or shot. This might be a mystery that just won't be solved by the end of March.

We returned to the trailer and this is a good picture that shows what we do when the weather is a little too cool for going to the pool or golfing. What you can't see is Diane sprawled on the sofa across the room. Eventually I'll catch her on film and get her picture on here.


About the only excitement today was sitting outside with our new friends from Lake Pomme de Terre and our old friends from Arkansas. We talked with Donna Massara today and at her request we will be making the pictures larger. We will consider any other requests for Blog changes, just let us know. We're glad to hear that you all find our boring retired life interesting enough to keep reading.

All Things Relative

First thought for today's blog - Happy Birthday Michael! Seems like just yesterday you were a whopping 9 lb. 15 oz. bundle of joy.

After scheming with my brother's girlfriend Secret, we had agreed to meet her and Jerry to surprise him while they were spending a few days in the Disney area. Secret suggested we meet at the ESPN Zone in the Disney Boardwalk area. Of course, the Disney area is massive. I researched the "official" Walt Disney World website, and at least found minimal info on the Boardwalk area, but no directions, map, address, etc. to help locate the place.

As the official navigator of the BAT (Big-Ass Truck), I relied on the AAA website to help me with directions. AAA gave me a simple 11-step set of directions to get us to ESPN. We left the RV park 2.5 hours early to make sure we arrived for the planned 1:30-2:00pm rendezvous. Steps 1-8 were a piece of cake (and $3.50 in tolls) but we got off track after that (never say "lost"). We finally stopped for help and within 5 minutes we arrived at our final destination. I place the blame on no signage on the roads. Lots of signs telling us the direction of a specific park/hotel etc., but no names of actual streets. Alas, we made it with 15 minutes to spare.

At least now we know how to get there, since we'll be heading right back to almost the same place for a STL Cardinals/Atlanta Braves spring training game on March 10. More on that at a later date.

Jerry and Secret arrived and we had a very pleasant afternoon catching up on all that's going on in St. Louis. It was not a surprise - Jerry just "knew" we would be there since we are wintering in FL.

After two orders of wings, a sandwich, soup, Bloody Marys, and several beers, we said our goodbyes.

Since we didn't want to go out again tomorrow, we opted to stop at Home Depot, Lowes, Wal*Mart, and ABC Liquors on the way home. We're set for another week now.

Diesel to get to Lake Buena Vista for a visit with family - $35.00

Food and beverages for four at ESPN Zone - $112.07

Visiting with my big brother and his girlfriend - priceless!

Two days in Orange Lake, Florida

Thursday was supposed to be cool and overcast so we were pleasantly surprised to see morning sun and mid 60's. This is nothing to waste so we got Joe, Marilyn, Gary and Anne together and off to the golf course we went. We drove to Williston CC and along the way we were nearly crashed into by a very large buzzard and a large grey cat. These omens should be obeyed but we chose to play anyway. After about five holes I was playing as if I were dead so apparently the buzzard was just a little early and I guess the grey cat was really just a light shade of black. But at least we were at a golf course and they do serve beer there you know. By the time we finished it was cloudy and beginning to rain so we went back to the park, had a cocktail and watched Tiger play golf the correct way.

Friday morning actually matched the forecast, very cloudy, windy and about 40 deg. The only thing to do was bundle up, put the I-pod on and walk the park. Luckily the weather was so cool that no one was out and about. This allowed the walkers to sing along with the music without the constant complaints from passerbys. We walked down to the lake since a rumor was out that a large gator hung out around the dock. No such luck. The only thing there was this air boat. We couldn't see the stern but maybe it's name was Gator?

Thank goodness we had Tiger to watch this evening or we would have been forced to attend the Elvis is in the House concert. ( $10 with a spaghetti dinner.) So passes another two days in Sunny Florida.

We See the Strangest Things

Driving in Florida has been most interesting. We usually drive on I-75 which comes out of northern Georgia, south through the middle of Florida, down thru Tampa, and eventually over to Ft. Lauderdale, no matter where we are going. It's the most crowded interstate we've ever encountered - at least 50% of the vehicles are semis and the majority of all other vehicles are driven by senior citizens. Even though the speed limit is posted as 70, no one, and I mean no one, drives under 85. Mark loves driving in it; I just don't.

Today while driving over to the Gulf Coast to check out an RV park for next year, we witnessed something new. On the Florida turnpike just north of Tampa, a middle aged guy in a Mini Cooper was driving 80mph, WHILE PLAYING THE GUITAR!! Unfortunately he flew by us into the "speedpass" lane at the toll booth, so I couldn't get a picture. The guitar was sitting on his lap, and he's just pickin' away, with at least one hand.

After touring the Ja-Mar North RV Park in Port Ritchey, we put down our deposit for next year. We are very excited - every restaurant/grocery/home improvement store/and any other place of business known to man is within 5 miles, and it's 3 miles from the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. There are also 59 golf courses within 30 miles. After about 2 hours talking to the owner and a few people in the park, we headed south to Tampa.

We tried to hook up with some friends from the lake who now live in Largo, FL, but they weren't home, so we did the next best thing:In case you can't read the sign, it's the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. The buffet was way over-priced and the slot machines were ridiculous. No pennies. Nickles, dimes, up to $5 bills, but the minimum you could play on each machine was $2.00. Needless to say, we were outta there fast. We cashed in a $4 scratch-off lottery ticket on the way home, and bought, what we are sure of, is tonight's winning Florida Lotto ticket.

Aaaaahhhhhhhh....

We welcomed the Florida we have come to know and love today. Foggy until mid morning, then beautiful bright sunshine, and warmth! We were off with Joe and Marilyn to walk our 13,000+ steps on the Ocala Pine Oaks Golf Course in our shorts and short sleeved shirts.

After dinner and laundry, we (Diane) opted out of the karaoke going on in the main clubhouse. Maybe next week. And no, we weren't going to participate - just observe.

Tomorrow we're headed to the Tampa area to check out a new park for next year. We're hoping this park is much better than the others we visited last week. We really need to be closer to civilization. Since we arrived on the 27th of December, we've driven 1300 miles - that's only to/fro the grocery, golf, Wal*Mart, and one trip over to the Gulf coast. YIKES.

No gunshots today - I guess the fog kept the hunters away.

Just Hit the Darn Thing

Each morning at 1/2 hour before dawn, we wake to the sounds of the local duck hunters on Orange Lake that is right next to our park. Either there are a whole lot of ducks out there, or these people are really bad shots! It's nothing to hear 20-30 shots within 2 minutes. I checked on the legal hunting hours, and it starts 1/2 hour before dawn. How do they even know there is a duck out there; it's still dark, or are they just sighting in their weapons? Since I don't know exactly what kind of ducks are being shot at, I can't research the end of the season. Hopefully it will be soon.

After yesterday's blog, the power once again went out in the park. The local power company says the park residents are overloading the transformers, and they continue to blow fuses. As most who read this are current or retired public utility employees, you know how fast the power company comes out to repair it. After an hour and a half, a few coffees with Bailey's, all was well and the power was back on. Unfortunately we missed the Sunday night "pickin and grinnin" because of the lack of power.

Today brought the sun and a bit of a breeze so we went golfing! By the 18th hole, everyone except Mark was freezing. Luckily he was playing very well and didn't notice the temperature.

Almost forgot - Happy Martin Luther King's birthday! Hope you all enjoyed the day off and participated in your local parade and/or march in his honor! Now go out and enjoy that beautiful full moon.

Too cold

We got up to 38 deg. Too cold to do much.

It is too sunny to stay in the trailer all day so we walked to the golf clubhouse for lunch. Good burger but too cold to stay outside.

It's still too sunny out to watch TV so we looked for the leak around the door, cleaned up storm mess around the outside of the trailer and called home. It's just too darn cold and windy to stay outside.

Baked brownies, ate dinner, cleaned up kitchen and watched TV because it's just too damn cold to be outside today!

Repeats

We have now been in Florida long enough to start repeating things. After trying the breakfast at the main hall ( not to be repeated) we went back to the local flea market. I guess we thought there might be some new stuff but it was the same white socks, tools, clothes etc. as the last time. We probably won't be repeating this excursion.

We sat out our second storm today but this one was much stronger than the last storm we had down here. This time the water was about 3" deep outside the door during the hardest rain and about 1/8" deep where it was leaking under the door. ( Something for the dealer to fix.) The temperature is dropping this afternoon and we are heading into our second cold spell. This time the low is only going to be 45 and tomorrow's high is predicted to be 55. Not much of a cold spell but plenty cold for us. Only one day of this bitter weather and then back into the seventies on Monday.

The day was finished by going back to the off track betting parlor, also known as the Jai- Alai building. After winning a few dollars on a scratch off lottery ticket we thought a lucky streak was starting. Not so. The final tally was twelve races and only three wins.

Tomorrow we are going to try some new stuff!

What a Booth

After my exercise class, we headed up to the park's garage sale. This was even worse than the Super Flea Market. Of course, by the time we got there, all of the good stuff had already been picked over. There is a lot of truth in the old adage, one man's trash is eventually going to be another man's trash. There was one booth that we found most interesting. Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine that someone in a somewhat close knit rv park would have for sale, items in tubs that were behind the counter, "Bedroom Toys." A million visuals - all unwanted - came to mind. The comment made by everyone we talked to was, "Do you suppose they were new or used?" Eck!

It was mostly a dreary unFlorida-like day, only 65. A trip to find a local laundromat was unsuccessful. The park's laundry facilities are always very crowded. Even though a lot of the large motorhomes all have their own washer and dryer units, it seems (to them) that it is more economical/easy to wash clothes in their rigs and then take them to the coin-operated dryers. This results in lots of loads of washed clothes sitting around waiting to be dryed. While annoying to me, I'm also positive that if I had my own washer/dryer, I'd probably do the exact same thing.

A trip to Wal*Mart, the Sweet Bay grocery store, five loads of laundry, a pot of chicken and dumplings, and numerous walks around the park completed our day.

Pammy and Steph - enjoy the snow. Everyone back home - stay warm and get healthy!

Joe and Mark's Excellent Adventure

After waiting out the early morning showers we got in the car with Joe & Marilyn and headed off looking for RV parks that are closer to grocery stores and golf courses for next winter. While we love this park, we haven't quite adjusted to the 38 miles round trip to the local Winn Dixie grocery store or the 44 miles round trip to our favorite golf course. Besides, there's always something better out there, right?

In Florida, there is this magical line across the state, at the Orlando latitude, that dictates the cost of wintering in the Sunshine State. Below the Orlando line, the cost doubles; below Tampa it triples, and down by Ft. Meyer or Miami - forget about it!

Joe had two locations in mind after contacting both parks. Both were just awful, and we're pretty sure we wouldn't stay there if it was the last place on earth! So we're back to the research. Next we'll check out parks on the Atlantic side of the state.

Joe was kind enough to stop for those frequent health breaks, lunch, and even a Frosty for Marilyn and me at a Wendy's. Mark had to play a role he's not used to - yes, the ever-important Navigator - the person trying to decipher the map. I heard a couple of times from the back seat, "Joe, don't ask me where we are, because I don't know. This road's not on the map." I had to laugh because this is a line I, myself use frequently, and always get those strange looks.

We did see parts of Florida that we probably would never have seen, if not for this day's adventure. We did, however, drive by lots of orange groves. You just can't stop and pick any; it's against the law.

The Tampa RV Super Show

Today was senior day at the at the Tampa RV show so of course we went. When we got about two miles from the show site it became apparent that every senior in every park throughout central Florida had the same idea as us. When we finally got parked it was a half mile to the ticket booth where about 500 seniors were in line to save a dollar on the show price. We pay a lot to save a little some times.

The show was certainly worth the trip. We looked at many rigs that would deplete any retirement fund regardless of size. There were Marathon motor homes selling for $2,500,00 and a Newmar Essex class that went for a paltry $585,000. We liked both but any purchase will depend heavily on picking the right numbers for tonight's lottery drawing. We talked with several people that were also counting on the lottery but we know we have the odds in our favor, just because.

We ran into the plant manager we met on our trip to Shipshewanna,Indiana when ordering our present fifth wheel. Unfortunately she showed us the new Cedar Creek models and once again we began to think about those darn lottery numbers.

Only on Senior Day do you find the Harmonicats!

All in all a good day, meeting folks who want to sell us land in Florida, folks who want to rent us land in Florida and even a guy who ran a company call POOP ( prevent offensive odor problems) that wanted to clean our sewer tank. We are already looking forward to the Ocala RV show next month.

Diet? What Diet?

Today we got our weekly UPS shipment of our mail. We just love UPS. Unlike last year's fiasco with the US Postal Service, we actually get our shipment every Monday - even if it is snowing in the upper half of the U.S. The much-dreaded monthly statement from our investment company was not near as bad as we anticipated.

It was cleaning day in the 5th wheel - defrosting freezer, vacuuming, scrubbing, emptying tanks, hair cut for the big guy, etc. Much easier than at home. We then treated ourselves to "All You Can Eat Crablegs" at a local seafood restaurant. The good thing about being in Florida - cheap seafood.

The four of us had our original plates, plus two more platters! We thought we were done after one platter, but our waitress brought another - we couldn't waste it, now could we? Lucky for me, Marilyn got full, but she loves to open up the crab legs, so she did most of the hard, messy work on my final few legs. We couldn't wait to get back and get into "lounge wear."

Like We've Been Beat By a Stick

Yes, that's how we're feeling this evening. We've discovered that if you make a tee time at our favorite course for after 3:00pm, it only costs $10.00 each. That's walking of course - and walk we did - 6.28 miles! We all arrived at 1:30pm, paid our $10, and immediately teed off. Why can't the courses back home do this? By the way - I'm really missing my hot tub.

Is everyone else sick to death of hearing about Britney Spears. No matter what is on the tube, her name comes up - makes me want to give up watching. Of course, most everything is a repeat and I'm finding myself sitting on the couch, listening to Mark change channels every 2.4 seconds. He says that he wants to know whats on and also what else is on. If I go to the bedroom to watch my little tv, I'll be sleeping within 2 minutes.

We are hanging around the park tomorrow and cleaning the truck and RV. We need to rest up to get ready to attend the world's largest RV show in Tampa.

Rain Drops Were Falling on Our Heads

This morning we awoke to thunder and lightning. This, however, did not stop us from riding our bicycles to the clubhouse for breakfast. We scarfed down our bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches ($2.00), and hightailed it the 600 yards back to our humble abode. We got back one nano-second before the sky opened up.

Once the storm was over we headed about 60 miles west to a quaint coastal town called Cedar Key. It kinda puts one in mind of old St. Charles along the river, only this is along the Gulf of Mexico. Lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. We weren't properly dressed to be walking outside, so we mostly just drove around.

We checked in with both Mark's Dad (who celebrates his birthday today--Happy Birthday Dad) and my Mom. Seems a lot of our relatives back home are sick with numerous maladies. We hope you all get better soon.

After doing laundry for the past hour and a half, I'm ready to crash on the couch. I've learned that the best time to do laundry is at 8:00pm. The on-site laundromats are always crowded during normal hours - especially on rainy days.

It was not, however, a total rain-out today. The sun was out by mid-afternoon and everyone eventually crawled out of their winter homes and gathered in the streets to do what we retired people do - talk to each other!

By the way, Michael tells me I'm only one of the possible two STL Cardinal fans who will miss Scott Rolen. I'm sure there are more than two of us. First Jimmy, now Scotty. Who will be next?

34 and Counting

Today we celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary. Our friends Joe & Marilyn hosted a cook-out for a few of us.

We had to bring out every one's favorite yard game. There were lots of people looking our way - we're pretty sure we have the only long ago outlawed game in the park!

Unfortunately a few sprinkles fell. Those awnings just aren't big enough for a big group to stay out of the rain. Fortunately it only lasted a couple of minutes, but we're wimps - none of us wanted to get wet, so we huddled together. All we were missing was a campfire.

We were reminiscing about the weather on this day, 34 short years ago - we much prefer this. No snow, ice, etc.
Thanks to all who called today to wish us well. We love you all.

A Wax and a Dip

While I Stretched and Toned, Mark waxed the front end of the trailer. His shoulder is now shot (It's the ready-made excuse for next week's games). We followed up all this physical activity by a dip in the heated pool. Thank goodness for the heat - it was a cloudy, windy day.

Note the three palm trees decorating our campsite. Of the 400+ spots in the park, we have the distinction of the only people with three different sized trees.

Joe & Marilyn went with us to the Jai Alai joint tonight. Luckily Joe & Mark pooled their bets - they won $6. The dogs were not good to me - only won one race. It's still a cheap Friday evening (much cheaper than the casinos/buffets back home.)

Some Crazy Animals

We returned with friends to a great course in Ocala (cheap too, if you walk - $17). No alligators, but I found a few animals willing to have their pictures taken.

Yes, these are the head covers I received for Christmas. And yes, that is a cow's butt (and udders).
Don't know what kind of geese. I do know they squawked at me when I got close to them.

Yes, he's the crazy animal I played with today, along with our friends Gary and Anne.

We also visited one of the two local (within 20 miles) WalMarts for the 5th time in the two weeks we've been here. What an experience. All the snowbirds (people who winter in warm climates) hang out in WalMart. After breaking one of our two lawn chairs, we started looking for new ones. Now one would think that in a warm state, such as Florida, that lawn furniture would be available year round. No so. After visiting Lowes, Home Depot, Target, and two WalMarts, we finally found a replacement, buried in the back corner behind some ladders.

We're still adjusting to everything being so far away. We have to think twice before jumping in the truck and heading out to the store.

6.78 Miles

Yep, that's how much I walked today on the 18-hole golf course we played. Over 14,000 steps. By the 17th hole I was fading fast. Not having walked a course in over a year, it was tough. And it was a flat course!! Mark was a little rusty on the front, but shot 3 over on the back for an 85! He loves this course - we're returning on Thursday.

Another beautiful day in central Florida. Hope everyone back home survived the storms/tornados.

It's a short message tonight - too many glasses of wine and bottles of beer after golf. Darn - we missed the karaoke! Maybe next week.

Sorry Steph, but this is what Uncle Mark & Aunt Diane do - we golf! I looked for alligators on the course but couldn't find any. We'll search for more wildlife for you.

Stretch and Tone

Diane started her day off at the "Stretch & Tone" class this morning. Sixty women and two men participated in the hour long class; and no, Mark wasn't one of those two men! He walked for an hour, singing to his iPod instead. We have yet to start those "Lose 20 Lbs. Before We Come Home" diets. It's not looking too good for those!

Monday is Ladies' Golf Day (or at least for a few hours in the afternoon). High stakes of $1.50 per golfer are divided up between the lowest putt pool, the chip-in pool, and the winning team. And no, I didn't win anything. The girl I rode with is a local, and she gave me a sack of naval oranges she picked off her trees this morning. Juicy, delicious, and gigantic. Most are the size of grapefruits we see in the grocery stores at home. She also owns her own beauty shop close by. I'm going to visit her in a few weeks since Kathy is 5 states away.

$3.53 Point 9 Per Gallon

With our shorts on, we set off to the Williston Country Club with another couple. Don't let the name Country Club fool you - that is quite a stretch. However, it was free, which was a very good thing, because of this:

I don't believe we'll be stopping at this gas station ever again! Would someone back home please let us know what fuel costs in St. Louis. We may be stranded here forever. This is why we will be home in April, and not going out west.

After dinner at Olive Garden, we topped the day off with more pickin 'n grinnin entertainment. It's not the music that gets us there - it's the 50/50 raffle! What a day.

All Bets Are On

We couldn't wait to get back to the SuperFLEA Market this morning. The old saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure" certainly came to mind. While walking 4550 steps in the market (thanks for the pedometers I received for Christmas), we did pick up a few items.

This evening's adventure was a trip to the Ocala Jai Alai facility immediately outside the RV park.

This facility has a jai alai court in it, but live competition doesn't happen here until some time in April. Fortunately, for the State of Florida, they have off track betting on lots of horse and dog racing, as well as jai alai going on elsewhere. My buddy Joe helped me read the racing form, and we were "off to the races." We enjoyed beginner's luck on the first race - Mark picked a winning quinella (picking 1st & 2nd positions). I picked dog #4 in the next two races, and they both won! We ended up winners, so I'm sure we'll walk down there again.

Fleas

Our day's activities began with a trip to the greatly advertised (with VERY LARGE billboards) "flea market." Never having experienced this phenomenon in MO, we set off with another couple to find "treasures." Even though advertised as Friday, Saturday, Sunday, only one booth was open. We'll have to catch the fun on another day soon.

As you can tell below, not just the humans require coats down here.

This part of Florida is horse country. There is a large farm right next to the RV park. We walked along the road today to see if the horses would come visit us (we didn't even have to call them or bribe them with food - they just wanted to visit). Our friend from Antonio, MO would love it here! While thinking of her, we snapped a few pictures. She would've laughed big time at us. We jumped every time the horse blew out it's nose.

Yep - he's on the phone with a buddy from back home (Mark S).

Thank to everyone who has left us comments. We love reading them! My dearest niece - we've noted your comment and will keep it in mind for future posts.

It's Always Something

This morning brought yet another first for this winter's excursion. We awoke to frozen water pipes. Fortunately the sun was out and we were dry for only an hour after waking up. Even though Mark unhooked the water hose last night, the pipes still froze.

Please note - WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING!!! In no way does this very-temporary condition compare to what our friends and family back home are suffering through.

We did discover one thing today - that are truly some die-hard golfers in this park. For the Tuesday/Thursday golf scrambles held every week, there were at least 20 people out there in the 40 mph, 40 degree weather today. These people are not spring chickens; if they get sick, it may be their last rounds forever!

We did discover that one of the women running the golf club house is from Fenton, MO. This however, will not get us a "deal."

The Great Freeze/Black Out of 2008

Day one of the Florida Freeze of 2008 and we have survived. Last night we turned on the cozy, romantic electric fireplace to heat the living room and watched movies. The tank heaters are on and hopefully the black tank won't freeze solid, although that would make emptying the tank an unusual experience. It's funny to listen to many of the folks around us worry about a little cold since our neighbors are from Vermont, New York and Michigan. They talk about 36" snowfalls but aren't sure what to do to keep their water hose from freezing!

This morning the temp was already 34 by 8:00. We turned on the coffee and all the electric went out. It reminded us of the first day here when there was an electrical problem with the trailer. After checking the power pole and seeing several folks out doing the same, it seems the entire park was out of service. Nothing to do but become tourists.

Mark hooked up the GPS and drove us to Crystal River State Park near the Gulf coast about an hour from Orange Lake. This is a place where you can take boat rides to see the areas where manatees hang out. The boat wasn't available for a ride on the river because it was too cold. Next stop was Homasassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This is where they take manatees and other wild animals that have been injured. Once again, you can take a boat ride or a tram to see the areas they where the animals are in their natural habitats but it was still too cold. (We must be turning into warm weather people.)

Tonight we are going to hunker down once again since the predicted low temperature is 20. It should be interesting this evening because the electric went out again about 6:00 and didn't get restored until 9:30. The park manager bought pizza for everyone that wanted to come up to the main clubroom where the electric was working. Probably to keep folks from asking for a refund and moving on to a park with better power service. It could be worse, I read on-line that the low temp in St. Louis is going to be 6 tonight.

Happy New Year's

Happy New Year's to all of our friends and relatives. Here's to a healthly, safe, and fun 2008!

We set out this morning looking for golf courses in the area. We found two municipal courses that allow walking 18 holes for only $20. Once the weather changes, we'll be trying them out. The course on-site is only 9 holes, very crowded, and somewhat of a cow pastureish atmosphere.

We did get a good laugh at the headlines in the local newspaper:

Yes, it's supposed to get down to 24 tonight, and 17 tomorrow night. I'm glad that winter coat is hanging in the closet back home.