A little Celebration

While staying in Moore Haven, we decided it was time for a little culture.  We had a birthday to celebrate, and wanted something a little more upscale than the local buffet.  So we made the drive to the Naples.  Yes I know we are in a recession and period of high unemployment, but you wouldn't know it if you were in Naples.  Lot's of traffic and crowded stores.

Judy is a fan of all things french so I  found a nice little french restaurant in the old town part of Naples.   La Lafeyette was my choice and we were not disappointed.  We sat outside on the porch, a bit cool but nice.   

We both ordered off their tasting menu which was three courses for 22.00.  

The service  and food were excellent and it was fun to enjoy a little taste of french culture.  

Until later.

GLADES, GROUPER, GATORS

We continued our slow journey to the Keys on Monday.  We left Port Richey and drove the coach down to Moore Haven, which is just west of Lake Okeechobee. We are staying at the M RV Resort, a very nice full hookup park.  Passport America rates as well. We found this park by reading a recent recommendation in a post from 2 taking a fifth. The downside is there really isn't much to do close by but the people here are very friendly and it will make a good base for the rest of the week.

Today we decided to take a little road trip.  We headed south to Everglades City. We have been there before both with our boat and by land.  We wanted to visit the National Park visitors center and maybe have a little lunch.  It was a beautiful day in the 80's.  Definitely shorts and t- shirt weather.

After Judy got her National Park passport book stamped it was time for lunch.  We drove on out to Chokoloskee but didn't find anything there.  On our way back through Everglades city we remembered a little fish market where you could order from the counter and sit and eat outside on picnic tables.  Since we had Mollie with us, and it was too hot to leave her in the car, this was the perfect solution.

City Seafood offers both raw seafood to take home, or they will cook it for you. We both opted for the grouper basket with sweet potato fries.

We had a front row seat on the canal that the airboats use to take tourists out for a little glimpse of the Everglades.  And Mollie even got to enjoy a little bit of grouper that Judy was willing to share.  No way she was getting any of mine!!   After our late lunch it was time to head back to Moore Haven.  As we were leaving we noticed a beautiful RV Park named Everglades Isles.  Strangely there was only one coach in the whole park.  Not sure what the story was.

On our way back we noticed that the gators were out enjoying the afternoon sun. At first we stopped to look but soon realized they were everywhere.

We gave up trying to count them and headed back to M RV Resort  arriving just in time for happy hour.

One final note.  When we got back to the coach I looked up Everglades Isle.  Daily 125.00 to 155.00, weekly 790.00 to 950.00, monthly 3,000.00 to 3,600.00.  Or if you would like to own your spot, they start at only 168,000.00.  Wonder why there was only one coach there?


Until later.

Quiet Time

Sometimes it seems we live an interesting life.  Other times it feels like we are going through the motions.  Right now it feels like the latter.  We left Savannah for a short trip to the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park on Monday the 3rd.  This is a nice quiet state park in northern Florida.  We had a nice, long private pull thru site.  We were there until last Friday and other than taking some walks it was a very quiet time.  We didn't even move the car.

The highlight of the week was meeting another full-timing couple, Bob and Angie.  They have been on the road for over a year.  Like us they are now residents of South Dakota, former residents of California.  Funny, we meet lots of people who are FROM California.  Wonder if taxes has anything to do with it????  We even know some people formerly from northern California who just became residents of Texas.  Next thing you know they are acting like kids, buying all kinds of things with weird names like Droids, and Wii's.  Maybe having an address on Rainbow drive does that to you!

On Friday we moved down to a Passport America Park in Port Richey.  We moved from a beautiful spot with lots of room to a 70's era park where you can reach out and touch your neighbor's unit, which in most cases is a single wide mobile home.  Nice people, clean and safe, but not our type of place.  We wanted to be near Tampa to receive some mail, do some shopping, and attend the RV show this week, so this place will do.

We are trying to embrace slowing down and moving less often.  We are on our way to the Keys and we have a reservation in a park close to Key West.  We are both looking forward to being down there and hope the weather cooperates.  It has been rainy and cool here, but it beats being in an RV this time of year in the Midwest.  Sunday afternoon we took a drive south to Clearwater Beach and Tarpon Springs.  We were familiar with both of these area from our boating days. The last few years have been rough for these tourist areas.  Things look run down with lots of empty buildings.  I wonder what will happen to these areas as the baby boomers get older.  Will their kids want to come to these same areas?  I know our kids don't.

If I sound somber, it's because that's what I'm feeling right now.  How can you not, if you watch the news at all.  To me the real tragedy of Saturday in Tucson is how quick we are to place the blame on one another.  Whether you are on the Right or the Left it seemed more important to blame the other side than to admit that sometimes we as human beings do some pretty bad things.  What did inspire me were the accounts of how some very normal people acted with bravery during this horrific time.  Once again I am reminded of how fragile and precious life is, so we better make the most of each day because you never know.

What I do know is that there are lots of things in life that are out of our control. But the things I put in my mouth, and the words I let come out of my mouth, those I can control.  So that's what I'm working on.  Weight loss update.  Down 2 pounds since first of the year.

Until later.

A New Year

Well, it's a new year and it is time to get back to blogging.  The last month and a half have been a blur.  We finished up the Christmas season by staying a week at Camp Lord Willing RV Park in Monroe, the only campground open year round in Southeast Michigan.  With temps hovering in the low teens it was a battle to stay warm.  We spent the week driving back and forth to St. Clair Shores where daughter Melissa and family live.  Although it was a 50 minute drive to their house, we had dry roads and light traffic during our visit.

We did the usual last minute shopping, going out to eat a couple of times, seeing a movie, and even had Emma and Ella spend an overnight on the RV.  We had fun on Christmas day watching the kids open presents and Christmas afternoon we were joined by our son Jonathan, his wife Laura, and our newest grandson Harrison. We had our Christmas feast and watched a movie on tv before heading back to the motorhome.  

On Tuesday the 28th it was time to begin our trip south to warmer weather.  After weeks of not being able to leave water and sewer hoses hooked up we were looking forward to warmer weather.  It was 17 degrees outside when we hit the road that morning.  When it is that cold, the leveling jacks don't want to retract all the way up. They were up far enough to travel, but we had to listen to the alarm for the first couple of hours until everything warmed up.  While we were at Spartan Chassis recently we asked them about this, and they assured us everything was okay, just too cold.  Tuesday night we stayed at Willow Meadow RV Park in Berea, Ky. At the Passport America rate of $12, it was a good deal but still too cold to keep the hoses hooked up over night.

Wednesday morning we hit the road again and almost made it to Savannah.  I say almost because when we joined the mass exodus on I-95 everything came to a crawl.  Most of the license plates were from New York or Ontario and I can't say I blame them. Since it was getting dark we stopped for the night in Walterboro, S.C. and were finally able to leave the sewer and water hoses hooked up.  Judy even got a couple of loads of laundry done.  Thursday morning we didn't pull out of the park until almost noon since we only had 50 miles to go to our destination for New Years weekend.  Traffic was still very heavy and it took us almost 2 hours to get to our campground.  We are staying at the Hardeeville RV Park in Hardeeville, SC, another Passport America park about 10 miles north of Savannah.  It seems that most of our neighbors here are from Canada.  

Yesterday it was sunny and 70 degrees outside.  Judy thought this was an excellent time to get all the salt and grime off the motorhome and the Explorer.  So we got out the hoses and brushes and washed the motorhome and I took the car to a carwash. I think Judy has spring fever since she also did some cleaning and vacuuming inside as well. It's nice to be able to have the windows open and air things out. It's hard to believe that just 4 days ago we were in snow, ice, and 17 degrees.  We plan to stay here until Monday when we will move on to a state park in Northern Florida.  

I also want to write about a few personal things.  The passing of our dear friend Teresa affected us more than we would have imagined.  This is not the first time we have been through this, but somehow it seemed different.  In fact several years ago we lost 3 of our parents within a 3 month span.  But seeing someone still in their 40's taken, leaving behind a husband and young daughter, was very painful. Maybe it was the reminder that our time here is limited, and we don't make the rules.  I don't think we will ever be able to visit the central coast of California again without thinking of her.  

We also experienced the difficult task of trying to fit in to our "other" life.  We still own a business, and we were back there during it's busy season.  But it's hard to plug in when you are only back for a short time. For the first time I don't know everyone who works there.  I'm sure there were some new employees that wondered who that old man with the white beard was, and why he was wandering around.  We are so blessed to have Stan and Kathleen who are managing the business for us. I started the business 30 years ago but now have no day to day responsibilities, yet we need to stay involved because it is our nest egg and retirement annuity.  We plan to be back in the spring to keep an eye on things while Stan and Kathleen take a long overdue and much deserved vacation.  

I am going to wind up with a report on weight loss.  I wish I could tell you that I exceeded my goal.  But the truth is, I fell short.   By eight pounds. So I can only report that I lost 42 pounds for the year. I started the year at 305 pounds and ended at 263.   I failed for one simple reason.  I lost focus.  I could make all kinds of excuses about being with family, friends, stress, etc.  But the fact is I lost my focus.  So, not one to give up, I start a new year.  In addition to our normal daily activities, I have only two objectives for this year.  To work on my photography and enter a photograph in an upcoming competition, and to lose another 50 pounds.  I will keep you posted on my progress.  In fact charting my loss and reporting it was a real motivation for me.  It was when I quit charting and blogging that I struggled the most.  Thank you for all your kind comments and words of encouragement. In the business world we say that it's hard to change what you don't measure.  So back to charting and blogging.   It worked before, and it will work again.  

Until later.

Tough Time in Michigan

It's been over two weeks since my last post.  I guess it's time to get back into the swing of things. When we arrived back in Michigan we knew that it was going to be a difficult time.  We weren't prepared for how challenging it was going to be. On Sunday the 21st of November we received a call from our daughter Michelle in Portland, Oregon.  It seems that our youngest daughter Julie, who also lives in Portland, had some medical problems and was having emergency surgery. After some discussion and debate we decided that Judy should fly to Portland the next morning to be with Julie and help her through her recovery.

I was spending time with Chris and I would stay here in Michigan. Our daughter's surgery went well, and Judy was able to help her and Jeremy get ready to host a nice Thanksgiving dinner for 10.  It was our first Thanksgiving apart since we were married 36 years ago. I spent Thanksgiving with our hosts Stan and Kathleen. Stan had recently bought a new Green Egg charcoal cooker so he used that to prepare an excellent thanksgiving turkey .
 
With snow in the forecast and the tanks getting full, it was time for me to move the coach.  So on Saturday, the 27th, Stan helped me move to a campground just south of Grand Rapids which has one loop open for the winter.  Normally, when we move, Judy takes care of securing things on the inside and I take care of the outside stuff.  I had to make one unscheduled stop to secure a few things that I had forgotten about. Fortunately nothing broke. I picked a good day to move because the next day we got 6 inches of snow.

Last Wednesday morning Chris's wife Teresa died. Chris, and Teresa's two sisters, were by her side when she took her last breath.  I had just been to their house to pick up some pictures to have made into enlargements when Chris called to say Teresa had just passed away. He asked if I could come back to stay with him and I sat with him until the funeral home came to pick up her body.  The funeral was on Saturday and I ended up being one of the pall bearers.  It was a very difficult day. Unfortunately, Judy was not able to be here for the funeral, but ended up flying in that evening.  It's good to have her back.

We will be spending the rest of this week and part of next here in Grand Rapids. A week from Friday we have an appointment at Spartan Chassis in Charlotte, MI to have some service work done on the coach and then we plan to move to the eastern side of the State.  We found a campground about 30 miles south of Detroit that is still open, and we will spend Christmas with our oldest daughter Melissa and her family in St. Clair Shores.  Then we head south to search for warmer weather.

Until later.

BACK IN MICHIGAN

We are back in the Grand Rapids area.  We are spending the week plugged in and hooked up at the home of our friends and business partners Stan and Kathleen.  They have just finished building a beautiful home in the country and have a pad with 50 amp power and water next to their house.  We are so thankful for their hospitality and use of their home.

This is unfortunately not a fun trip.  Our friends Chris and Teresa are going through one of life's darkest moments.  Teresa is dying.  We have known Chris and Teresa for over 10 years.  We were there when their daughter was born and have traveled together several times over the years.

Teresa, who is only in her late 40's, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer two years ago.  We thought she had it licked, but it came back last spring and there is nothing more the doctors can do.  Chris who just turned fifty one has been taking care of her and also trying to be Dad to their daughter who is now nine years old.  As you might imagine this is a very difficult time. Hospice is involved to help with the medical issues, but it's still not easy talking about upcoming funeral plans and related matters.

One of the bright spots this week is that we were able to spend time with our new grandson Harrison "the bear" Randall. What a good natured little guy.  He has brought some sunshine into this difficult time.  How can you not smile when you see this?

Not a good day on the scales.  In spite of watching what I ate, I am up two pounds. I'm going to have to be very careful during the Thanksgiving period.  It's easy for me to use food as a mood booster, so I'll have to watch it.

Until later.

THREE HOURS TO GO

Yesterday we drove from the middle of Missouri to northern Indiana. So far we have had stops in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, and now Indiana.   Last night we found a Passport America park in Remington, Indiana to spend the night in.  So today we have a relatively short three hour day.  After four days on the road we are both ready to stop for a while.  We have had good weather, relatively light traffic, and been blessed with safe travels.  There are some crazy drivers out there, and we sometimes feel it is a miracle when we arrive in one piece.  And maybe it is....

On the weight loss front.  Apparently I don't eat much when traveling.  This morning I was down 4.5 pounds.  That is a total of 7.5 since I started this last push.  That means I am half way to my goal of losing fifteen pounds by the year end.  This would bring me to a total of losing 50 pounds for the year.

Until later.

TIJERAS NEW MEXICO

We are tucked in for the evening just east of Albuquerque at a Passport America Park in Tijeras.  We really enjoyed Dead Horse State Park and hope to return next year. We still have lots to see and places to explore.   After using the dump station and hooking up the Explorer we were on the road by 8:40 this morning north to Flagstaff and then east on I-40.

We stopped in Winslow for some fuel and Judy mentioned she wanted to stop at the PEFO visitors center to get her passport book stamped.  As we drove in I noticed a Lazy Daze pulling a Honda Fit.  I recognized it as Andy Baird's rig.   Andy spends most of his time in New Mexico and has an interesting blog.  He also published a E-book which I had purchased a year ago.

While Judy fixed our lunch I took Mollie out for a walk.  I could see Andy inside his rig so I stopped and introduced myself. We had a nice visit.  He was heading towards Cottonwood where we just came from.   It's a small world out there.  You never know when you will run into someone you have met on the internet.

The rest of the day was spent just keeping the RV between the lines and heading east. Judy and I were very touched by all the kind comments, emails, and text message today.  Our email shows up on our phone so it was great to be able to read the comments while we were traveling down the road.  We are still getting used to the idea of having friends most of whom we have never met yet we share so much in common.  So again thank you!

Until later.

VERDE CANYON RAILROAD

On Wednesday we took a trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad.  The weather was beautiful, and we had great seats. We splurged, and bought first class tickets. This was a long train holding over 400 people and our car was next to the last.  We had access to an outside viewing car which was nice for taking pictures.  The train also has a caboose which can be reserved for parties of 6 or more.

We left right on time as everyone in our car offered up a complimentary champagne or apple cider toast.  They also provided a light buffet with chicken wings, salad, pickles, olives, and crunchy veggies. Our trip took us 20 miles up the Verde Canyon to Perkinsville.  On the way up we had to make one unexpected stop to let some wild burros cross over the tracks.

For me the highlight of the trip was the 640 foot long tunnel.  It was fun to see the long train curve through and disappear into the mountain.  The tunnel was curved so as you entered you really couldn't see the light at the end....

The only disappointment was we were not allowed to get off the train in Perkinsville.  Instead we came to a stop, they unhooked the engines from the front of the train, ran them around us on a siding, and hooked them back up on the caboose end for the return trip.

Even though the trip back was on the same tracks the views were different and just as spectacular.

We were back into Clarkdale a little ahead of schedule.  As we came in we noticed an ambulance waiting. The train stopped short so they could remove someone who had suffered an insulin reaction.  We later heard that she was doing better.  All in all it was a good day, and if you like trains this is a great way to spend the afternoon.

On a more sober note.  We are changing our travel plans.  We were planning to leave here next Tuesday and slowly work our way into Texas.  We were going to meet up with our friends Bob and Linda in Fredricksburg and spend Thanksgiving with them.  Instead we are on our way back to Michigan to support some friends of ours who are going thru a very difficult time.  After talking and praying about it, we have decided we need to be there.  We will be in Grand Rapids by Tuesday if all goes well.  

I am down one pound since Tuesday.  That makes the total three pounds.  Twelve to go before the end of the year.

Until later.

SUNNY DAY IN COTTONWOOD

There isn't much to report today.  We went on a walk this morning to explore the park a little more. Mollie loves going on walks but she doesn't like the desert very much. There are too many things that get stuck in her paws. This certainly is a beautiful setting and we can see why people enjoy coming here.

After breakfast we headed into town to do some errands, post office, drug store, wash the car, Home Depot, that sort of thing.  Since we are going to be here a few days, I placed an Amazon order.  The office said they would hold it if I brought them some goodies.  Might as well give them something fattening since I'm on a diet.

Speaking of  the diet.  No loss since Friday.  In fact I have stayed exactly the same.  I was kind of surprised, given the amount of exercise I've had lately.  I weigh myself each day and chart it on a graph.  There seems to be a pattern of dropping a few pounds, leveling off, or going up a pound and then dropping a few more pounds.  As long as the graph keeps heading down I'm happy.

We are going on the Verde Canyon Railroad tomorrow, so maybe I'll even have a few pictures to post. Meanwhile, there is a new picture posted almost every day over at my other blog, Camera Vagabond.

Until later.

Weary...Body and Soul

Have you ever sat down to write a blog entry and just stared at the keyboard?  That's how I feel right now.  I have so much I'd like to say, but the brain is not cooperating.  We had a great stay in Page, Az and look forward to our next visit.  I spent two and a half days just wandering around in the desert, saw some of the most amazing formations and an awesome slot canyon.  But I'm worn out.  I've got over 25 gigabytes of images to edit and I don't know where to start.

My friend Rich Charpentier was my guide and we visited three different locations.  Friday afternoon it was the Paria ghost town, which was the location of many western movies.  Saturday we spent the day at Coyote  Buttes, south area, and Sunday we hiked four and half miles into Buckskin Gulch to the slot canyons.  It's not the four and a half in thats the problem, it's the four and a half back out.  So here are a couple of youtube videos to give you an idea of what it was like.  These were shot by Rich with a simple Ipod Touch.  He gave me permission to share them on our blog.



This morning we packed up and headed south to Cottonwood, Az.  We are staying at the Deadhorse Ranch State Park.  We have been reading about Jo and Fred volunteering here during the month of October, and although we missed meeting them by a week, we are looking forward to spending a week or so here.  On Wednesday we are going to take the Verde Canyon scenic train.  We will also be visiting Jerome, Sedona, and the surrounding area.  If any of you have any must see attractions let us know.

Until later.

LOOKING FOR GHOST TOWNS

What is a ghost town?  When I think of a ghost town I'm thinking about old abandoned buildings and tumbleweeds blowing down the street and no one else around.  Well yesterday I learned that many times all that is left is a few bricks and broken bottles.

Wednesday our friends Bob and Linda played tour guide and took us to several settlements and abandoned cemeteries.  Even Mollie came along.  Our first stop was Eureka, Utah.  Not officially a ghost town as there are still people living there, but the downtown certainly was abandoned.

We then headed off to see if we could locate an old  cemetery. After backtracking down several roads, we were fairly certain we were in the right area so we stopped and pulled over.  With Bob pointing his gps towards the woods, we scrambled through barbed wire fence, trees and brush, and there it was, the Fitch family cemetery. I was so impressed with Bob's discovery that I forgot to take pictures.

We repeated this exercise several more times that day.  Stopping, heading off into the brush to look for pottery and artifacts.   Bob saved the best for last.  We headed up an old railroad grade and after crossing a fill barely wide enough for the explorer, we arrived at an old abandoned railroad tunnel.  Even though you could drive through it, we elected to explore it by foot.  

By now it was time for happy hour and dinner so we headed back to our RV.  Judy made a wonderful Indian curry for dinner, and we all enjoyed a glass of Opolo Tempranillo.  We then spent the next few hours hearing about Bob and Linda's adventures in Alaska this summer.  I have a feeling we will be heading in that direction in the next couple of years.  Maybe even by water!  

Yesterday we hitched up and headed down the road to Page, AZ. We took our time heading south on I-15 then cut over to I-89 through Kanab and finally arrived at the Wahweap campground on Lake Powell.  I have been bragging about the cheap parks we have stayed in recently.  Well I think we blew the budget this weekend. This park is $38. a night.  But with full hookups, paved level sites and a view to die for, well, I think it is worth it.  We were surprised to find that our phones and air card work here.  So it's all good.

I am meeting a photographer friend of mine here.  Rich Charpentier lives in Prescott and is an accomplished photographer and printer.  He has a business reproducing art work and original photography on canvas and other materials.  I'll try to post a few pictures on Monday.  

On the weight loss front.  I am happy to report a 2 pound loss.  13 more pounds to go.  8 more weeks.