I’m Hearin’ Weddin’ Bells!

Oh Lord it’s not me, I been there, and I aint takin’ that trip again. That boat has sailed fer this salty ole fella. But someone did get married out of the family this weekend. That’s right most folks go gettin’ themselves married into a family, well in honesty they did, just not our family. Let me shed some light on this. See my sister-in-law that was married to my wife’s brother, now deceased, got remarried this weekend. She finally found her a fella to warm her heart & spend the rest o’ her days with. The big joke was that Linda & I were becomin’ Ex In-laws after her weddin’. In truth She will always hold a special place in our hearts and just cause she got herself hitched to a new fella, she’s still family!!



Patty & Todd’s ceremony on a beach along the Intercoastal Waterway.



The wedding was followed by a reception at a friends home, lots o’ music, food & drinks. A great time was had by all. They were spendin’ their Honeymoon in the Florida Keys. Congratulations Patty & Todd and may all your days be as special as today.
On the RV front, we’re still slowly preparin’ fer rollin’ out a dodge. Been doin’ some things on the house, on the Lance and gettin’ us squared away so’s we can stay gone fer 6 months or so.
Ordered some parts fer the tractor and have to change them out so Jason, our son, can do the mowin’ whilst’ we’re gone. Jason will be here while we’re gone so the house won’t be empty. Made my annual trip to the sawbones to see if I was up to the trip and get my meds renewed and have some blood work done. Linda did the same today, so we’re hopin’ everything is OK fer us to go.
On the Lance we’ve had an intermittent problem with the front window leakin’. It’s kind a got a mind of it’s own and only leaks slightly when it takes a notion to do so. Some times it shows up when we’re sittin’ still, sometimes it’ll leak when we’re travelin’ down the highway. Then again it’ll stay dry in a ‘Florida Frog Strangler’ drivin’ down the interstate or sittin’ parked into the wind, got to love Mr. Murphy. I decided to see if I could stop it once and fer all, so I removed all the caulking around the window. Then I’m recaulkin’ it with Geocel ProFlex RV sealant. Great stuff!! Time will tell if I got it licked.
Well that’s all fer today. Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Visitin’s Over !

Well we’ve been at the hacienda Alone…. for a week now. Linda's Aunt & Uncle have returned to the North Country and we’ve just been layin’ back enjoyin’ the quiet. We love to see them come each year, you know they need a respite from all the snow and freezing weather. While they were here we drove down to one of the Indian Reservations Casinos to see if we could ‘Skin the Indians’.
We left home early one morning and arrived at the Brighton Seminole Casino around 9:30AM.

We proceeded to the Bingo Hall where they were servin’ Seniors Free Breakfast. It wasn’t coffee & doughnuts either. The menu consisted of Biscuits & Gravy, Coffee & OJ or Scrambled Eggs, Sausage Patty and a Biscuit with Gravy with Coffee & OJ. Of coarse being weight conscious like we are we opted for the  ‘Full Monte’, Gimme some of everything, PL..E..ASE. After we were filled to capacity we went to see the folks at the Players Club Desk. Ya see we had been given some coupons for $50 in free play at the County Fair. Linda had talked to a fella on the phone who said he could not honor the coupon because we already had Players Club cards, but he would give us $25 in free play. Great we get to play with their money. Linda & I each got the $25 and since she was a new member, Aunt Jessie got $50 and Uncle Don, who always comes out smellin’ sweeter than he should, gets the $25, cause he already has a Players Club card and then gets $50 to boot. Why he got the extra $50, we didn’t dare ask, but that’s what I mean him comin’ out on top o’ things regular. The Indians took back all the money they let me have right quick. Linda skinned ‘em fer about $35-40 on her money. Don didn’t do too shabby either comin’ away with 45 or 50 bucks. So we had more than enough to go have dinner back in Okeechobee at Popeyes Chicken.
All in all it was a fun day. I’d drive to Brighton any day over drivin’ to Ft. Lauderdale to a Casino. It’s all two lane country roads, plenty o’ scenery, no crazies from the city like the drive south on I-95. I hate the congestion, the speeds, and the crazies weavin’ and brakin, jockeyin’ fer a better position that might get ‘em there 30 seconds ahead of me. Give me a lonely two lane somewheres’ near the Continental Divide and I’m in a world of my own.
Well, got to go do some figuin’ on the Lance so’s I can add an AC outlet for the new router. Until the next time, lets see what trouble I can stir up.
Hope to see ya down the road as we’re,
Dancin’ on the Wind.

Test’s Over and Some Goodbyes

Linda’s sister, Joyce called this afternoon and wanted to know if we were gonna be here this evening cause her and husband Alex are bringin’ supper. The folks here are teasin’ us about gettin’ ‘Meals on Wheels’ but I think they wish they were in our shoes. Of course we said “Come On”! I even got out our rope lights and put them under the camper so they could spot us easily, kinda like a landing strip. Had to run the generator to power the lights, so the experiment is over, but we proved that we can go 5 days,probably more, without power to recharge the batteries.
Joyce called again to say they were runnin’ a little late so I assured her not to worry, we weren’t going to starve till they arrived. Just give us some cheese and crackers washed down with an adult beverage and we’re fine. Well she & Alex arrived around 7:00 and we had a wonderful meal she had prepared. Baked chicken, home made potato salad with crumbled bacon garnish and a buttermilk pie for dessert, umm..mm. I like this ‘Meals on Wheels’ stuff. After supper we made a fire and talked for a while, but soon they had to say ‘Goodnight’ and head home as Alex starts work around 6AM. We thanked them for their kindness and wished them a safe journey home.

Joyce, Alex & Linda

After they left Linda & I moseyed over to the ‘Community Fire’ and sat with all the folks there. I promised I’d post pictures of some of the folks I was able to capture on film, so here goes.

That’s Linda, My Linda, Dee, Sherry & Pat, left to right

Dick, Bob & Ken

Ed, Fred and the other Linda’s Husband (OK I flunked the name quiz)

After everyone turned in we sat around the fire with Dick & Sherry until midnight, no one knew it was that late. We were just engrossed in our conversation I guess.
Here’s another shot taken under Ken’s awning.

Linda, Sherry, Ellie, Jay & Ken, with Dick in the background.

Today we tried out our Solar Shower that I brought from home. We have had it years and have never bothered to use it. It got pretty hot sittin’ in the Ole’ Florida sun.

We could get 5 or 6 shampoos’ out of this

Saturday we decided that we would stay until Tuesday morning, but we needed to find us some water. We went into town as we needed some more food as well. Now with a full water tank and some more grub we were ready for three more days. I continued to monitor the battery voltages even though we technically ended the test after I ran the genny while Joyce & Alex were here the other night. I did confirm a few questions that I had.

1. The previous owner had some trouble with the converter and replaced it with a different one. The new converter has a 25A charger in it. I ran the generator about 1 hour and 15 minutes and it brought the batteries up to full charge in that time.

2. The wiring harness between the truck and the camper must have a heavier wire for charging goin’ down the road as it seems to replenish it too.

Sunday we went for a walk in the management area. The walk in the fresh air was great and we walked about 3 miles. We returned to sit around at Dick & Sherry’s coach, everyone was there, so we chewed some more fat. Went to our camper and ate dinner. It was to windy for a fire so Linda & I played Rummy for hours then turned in for the night.

These little guys were at my feet while I was writtin’.

This is a North American Bluebird

Monday started out with rain, rain, rain early so we decided to pack it up and head for home. We made the rounds and said our goodbyes, hugs & handshakes. We had a great time with our new friends and we hope to see ya again.
On the way home Linda decided we better stop at Ft. Drum Conservation Area for some lunch. After lunch decided to call our good buddies Linda & Bud. It was decided then we’d all go out to dinner. We’re back at the rancho, unpacked, unloaded the camper, had long hot showers and we’re off to dinner.
Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Bloggin, Fumin’, Figurin’, & Fabricatin’!

First off I’d like to know if ya’ll like the new look o’ the blog. I kicked around the idea of movin’ it to another service but I figerd’ out how to spruce it up some instead fer now. Now the website is bein’ downright stubborn about bein’ hung out on this old fence, but I figur’ if I keep pokin’ at it it’ll come around sooner or later.

Back in March I created a platform for an extra battery in the bed of the truck to provide more juice for ‘Boondockin’.

 

The addition of the second battery has been a great idea. We have ‘Boondocked’ for 3 days and nights and never had a shortage of battery power. The only problem was when we occasionally remove the Lance from the truck at camp,. I can’t leave the battery on the platform in plain sight in the back of the truck. So I started to ponder where I could install a rack to hold the battery on the camper itself. Each location I considered was a problem, so I put in the same  area it has been, only I moved it up on the underside of the camper. This had several advantages, it was already wired to that location, it kept the weight on the curb side (the original battery is on the drivers side), and I regained the wheel well storage that was lost with the battery on the bed platform.

The main material was an aluminum sign I had made some years ago. I asked a local sign shop to make me a sign for our road to match the one on the opposite end of the road that read; Private Road Residents Only. What I got was; Private Road Residence Only, so it never got put up. Well I just found a use for it. The design was a continually evolving process, as I encountered several problems. Hanging an 80 pound battery on the side of a camper, I was a little concerned with bracing everything form the rack. I didn’t want to interfere with the storage space that I regained so I installed a 64 cent shelf bracket under the battery tray. That done I had to come up with a cover for the whole she-bang.

Now all we have to do is test out our new power. I think we’ll go campin’ at one of the Wildlife Management areas in the middle of the state.

Well thats all for now. We’ll have to see what the next adventure brings. Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

A Hot Time at Lake Rosalie Park

Here it is another beautiful day in the 'Sunshine State'. We're supposed to get some rain as a front passes through on Saturday night, so we have decide since we are paid through Saturday we'll leave Sunday.

Yesterday we finished the day with drinks around the campfire, after a great meal cooked over the campfire. The park is almost empty except for the three of us and some tenters.

Friday Linda & I had bagels to tie us over until breakfast was decided, since no plans were made Thursday night. Della & George announced they needed to go home as they had a seviceman coming Saturday. We all decided to meet for lunch in Lake Wales, good thing we had a bagel!

Before headin' off to town it was decided we had to have a return game o' washers. This time I teamed with George, Linda with Noel and Della with Barb.

Della gettin' ready to pitch one.

An' Barb lettin' 'er fly.

Seems George & I won the first and second round, so we were declared the victors today. Then the underdogs played for second place, which went to Della & Barb. Then it was off to town for lunch at the Chinese Buffet, not to bad. When we returned to camp from late lunch , stuffed like a bunch of ticks, we settled in for 'Happy Hour'. We made a nice campfire and just sat talking into the night, although Linda had to go watch Grey's Anatomy during the evening.

Saturday started with eggs over easy, hash with potatoes, toast, OJ & coffee at Noel & Barbs cause the wind has really started to pick up to the 25-30mph, with the approach of the cold front. Noel & Barb have decided to come back to Vero with us to see our son Jason for the day, so this morning was spent breakin' camp somewhat in preparation for our departure Sunday morn. In the afternoon we went to town to fill a propane tank, the store was closed. Saw Barb's brother and wife, who are leaving for Michigan on Sunday, then returned a campfire fireplace we've been using to friends in Babson Park. Then it was back to camp cause us fella's needed to get in our nap before 'Happy Hour' & dinner. As Noel & I are restin' we smell smoke, nothin' too unusual since we have some new folks upwind of us. Turns out it's not a campfire as we spot this as were eatin' dinner.

A bit of smoke over the bath house.

As we watch the fire we're wonderin' if the fire fighters are gettin' a handle on it at all, cause remember them 30 mph winds, they're still blowing. Well we figure that we're due north of the fire, it;s movin' northeast, so we're in a good position even though the only way out is south through the fire. The fire is still a mile away, the smoke is going diagonal to us, so we sit and wait keepin' an eye on it. Some folks tried to leave the park , only to be turned back by officials that had the road closed. We watched and figured the fire should have crossed the road from west to east by now, so we're hopin' we are in a better position now. Then folks start comin' down into the park, one after the other, being evacuated by the fire officials & sheriffs department.

Fire's gettin' bigger & closer to us.

The folks that are comin' in say the Forestry department has got it under control and have started a back fire to try and starve it out. All this while there's a helicopter buzzin' around the fire, which we figure is a news chopper, then we hear a different helicopter.

And this guy appears over the lake.

Now we feel that they'll get control of the fire.

The Forestry chopper kept makin' repeated trips to the lake or to the lake adjacent to us, Tiger Lake, for water. we watched the smoke plume as it seemed to dissipate then billow in great clouds. After about an hour a sheriff's deputy came down and told us the Fire Marshal recommended we evacuate in the next 20 minutes, cause the fire was burning in a horseshoe and after this we might not be able to leave. We decided to go. Thank goodness Noel had hitched up when we returned from town, but there was still much to do. water & electric lines started flying along with outdoor furniture, rugs, get the slides in after the inside prep. We were a bunch of flyin' maniacs. we got everything under control then hitched up Noel's boat and we were off.

We made it up the road about a mile then came to a stop with fire burnin' on both sides of us. great Noel can't turn around here, I'm startin' to wonder if one hand knows what the other is doin'. Well we get movin again and as we move up the road we realize the fire is a lot bigger than we thought. It extends way back on both sides of the road, several homes are completely destroyed and fire and emergency crews are everywhere. Maybe leavin' aint' such a bad idea, better safe than sorry. So we're headin' home to our house, 80 miles down the road.

This was our last view of the lake at sunset.

Hope to see ya down the road, on another less exciting day as we're,

Dancin' on the Wind.

For more pictures of our short reunion and the firey exit visit our Picasa album.

A Camping Reunion

We made it to Rosalie Park to meet our friends. Noel & Barb have been here for the past week and decided to extend, since we could come over, before they start making their way back towards Wisconsin. We arrived and set up in an adjacent site, next to them.

After chattin' fer a bit George & Della came pullin' in so we tried to get them over with us but the host would only allow one unit per site. So they're one site over from us. There were hugs all around and BS'n fer the next few hours. We all got together for a nice spaghetti dinner, Linda did spaghetti & sauce, Della did three cheese bread with garlic and Barb did a nice salad and dessert. The meal was great, we all ate to much, the company of friends was great as well. We all have not been together since last winter for a shuttle launch in Titusville, FL.

 

 

Here we are for dinner!

 

 

 

 

After dinner the mosquitoes drove us inside so we passed the night watchin' American Idol. Then we broke up, Linda went for a shower and we called it a day.

Thursday started with coffee in the fresh early morning air. Noel went for his shower, I followed when he was done. Della had snuck off earlier so we were all smellin' good fer the day. All got together for a wonderful breakfast of Sausage gravy & biscuits, Fried potatoes, Scrambled eggs, Sausage patties, fresh squeezed OJ, and everyone's favorite mornin' beverage( some tea, some coffee). If we keep consumin' vittles at this pace we'll be hard pressed to get through the door in the Lance. After Breakfast we men settled down to some serious contemplation of global troubles.

 

 

We're 'Hard at it'.

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon we all got together for a game of Washers', Three teams of two, Della & I rose to victory. Followed by a game of 'Bean bags', same teams where Noel & George were the victors.

 

 

This is the view out front, It's tough to take.

 

 

 

Well dinner is planned and will be a group effort and I'm sure it will be great, I'll let you know next time.

Until then we hope to cross paths sometime runnin' down the road as we're

Dancin' on the Wind.