McDill AFB Tampa FL
Tuesday, Day 8

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day. The temperature was supposed to get up to only 65 degrees, but it actually was warmer, in the low 70's. Picture perfect, the sky was a beautiful blue and not a cloud in sight. Elizabeth Kerr and I decided (well, I decided and asked Elizabeth if she would like to do it...) to have a girls day out. I picked her up about 11:30 and we went to lunch at Celleni's. The same place we had gone out for pizza to last week. For lunch they had a wonderful selection of calzones...like a Cuban, but Italian, LOL! I ordered a salisico (sp?) which is a sausage with roasted red and green peppers and Elizabeth ordered a roasted eggplant with peppers and onions. We decided to exchange halves so we could sample them both. They were delicious. I actually only had 1/4 of a sandwich and I was full. I think that I will have to hide the take home container or Grandpa and Paulie will make short work of my leftovers.

After lunch, we stopped at a beautiful little garden shop on Bayshore Blvd. The homes along this street are multimillion dollar estates and are breathtakingly beautiful. The garden shop was very charming...potted plants, and unique garden accessories. Of course, I found handmade soap. The packaging on this soap was very unique. The soap-maker also made her own labels made from home-made papers in which she scattered wild flower seeds. So after you unwrap the soap, you can save the recycled brown label/package and plant it. What a novel idea...so creative. The soap-maker was generous with the essential oils and each soap was very aromatic. I had a lump in my throat when we were ooo'ing and ah'ing over them. I truly miss the art of soap-making, especially the creative aspect of the craft. I was never so happy as I was then...creating my own scents, developing my packaging, creating names and especially blending the essential oils to create a one of a kind unique scents for the soap or other body products I created. I will always miss my little business. But I can no longer do the things I once did due to my physical problems and it is futile to, what's the saying....cry over spilt milk? That part of my creative side has been replaced with my love of knitting.

After the garden shop, we went to Michaels. There were several brands of yarn on clearance and I bought several skeins to make more scarves. I just cannot make myself enough scarves!
On our way back to the base, we found a drive thru specialty coffee shop and I had a sugar free mocha, skinny with whipped cream (I know, I know...sugar free and then whipped cream, an oxymoron to everyone but me, LOL!) and Elizabeth had I think a Java Jomocha Roca (I think that's the name) and she pronounced it "divine". If Elizabeth continues to hang out with me, she will pick up all my bad habits....buying lots of yarn(no particular project for this yarn is necessary mind you, just to own that particular skein of yarn and place it in the "stash" is the point here, ok?) and specialty coffee drinks. Back to the base we headed, coffees in hand. What a delightful day, spent with one of my favorite ladies, Elizabeth Kerr.

When I arrived back at the rig, Grandpa told me there had been a disturbing incident with Oscar. My greatest fear realized...Oscar "attacked" someone. A couple from the rig across from us was out for a stroll on such a lovely afternoon. Paul, Hank and Grandpa were sitting outside, both dogs leashed, but with a bit of slack in the leash. Apparently Oscar had been sunning himself, and decided to move into a shady spot. Paul let out the leash, and Grandpa said that Oscar was on his back(the funny way he lays on his back...I took some pictures of it...he is so goofy like that!) Before either Paul or Grandpa could react, Oscar had jumped up and actually attacked this gentleman walking with his wife. Paul did not see the dog actually bite the man, but Hank and Grandpa were sure that he had been bitten on the backside. The man and his wife were terrified and they immediately went back to their rig to see if the skin had been broken. Thank goodness there was no blood. However the man came back and was very upset (I would be too and he had every right to be angry). He pretty much told Paul off. Paul was in the wrong, as although Oscar was leashed, he had more than the 6' of slack in the leash which is a violation of the rules. He told Paul that he should be thankful that the MP's were not called and Oscar taken away and destoyed. Paul could do nothing but listen to this man go off on him. I think Paul would have done the same thing if HE was the one attacked. The mere thought of what could have happened scares me to death. People have sued over such attacks and I am certain that people have lost homes over such things. We were extremely lucky that the couple did not have the dog impounded and us thrown off the base. I have always feared this very thing...I love Oscie with all my heart but I just cannot trust him. I had hoped that over time he would be less aggressive towards people but he has in fact gotten more so. I had told everyone who asked what we were going to do with him when we traveled that this trip would be a test, for not only us and Grandpa traveling together, but Oscar too. He never was a good camper...kids, bikes and golf carts made him nervous and aggressive and his natural instict is to protect us and his "territory"... the motorhome. I think Paul will have him put down when we get home. The thought just makes my heart break but I cannot think of anything else we can do. What if he gets loose in our neighborhood and hurts a child? He has become a liability. How very sad I am over this. I am tearing up as I write this. I think that if that is what we have to do, he will be waiting for us over the rainbow with Sammie.

Well, Paul and Grandpa are playing poker and I am internetting. I am having more pain in my hip and should probably go back to the rig and put my feet up. Nothing on TV tonight and I certainly don't want or need to see George address the nation. All it will do is make me upset.

Tomorrw we are going to (I think its called) Johnson's Pass(?) to have a seafood lunch, visit the shops and do some shelling. We will be leaving here on Thursday. I will be so sad to leave. I have had such a great time on this trip. Home seems so far away. But, bills are due(!) and doctor appointments and surgeries are scheduled to correct problems. I will post about our trip tomorrow evening.

later

dennise

Day 7 continued...

We were busy today! We cleaned the rig, dumped the tanks and got fresh water, grocery shopped(we bought more candy than real food!) and then I took a nap. So what else is new? The rain has been with us off and on all day. We had tv dinners for supper tonight. Grandpa had meatloaf, Paulie had BBQ chicken and I had sweet and sour chicken. They were pretty good. TV dinners have come a long way I'd say. There is just enough and no left overs and best of all no clean up! Since it was raining I didn't get a picture of our water heater cover on the rig. Hank was not impressed...I'm with him, LOL!

Elizabeth and I are ditching the guys and going shopping tomorrow. We are going out for lunch then maybe to some of the stores along the main street leading up to the base. I hate going with Paul and Grandpa...I am constantly grilled about WHY I need whatever. Grrr. Woman need to shop. What is the problem with this? Why don't they get it. Pffft. Sometimes I buy something just to honk off Paul. I am quite adept at this after 21 years.

Well, there is alot of activity here in the Marina building. Revolving cards of some sort. I guess I am the odd ball...I hate cards and games. I guess it has something to do with early experiences as a child playing games. If I won, my older sister would smack me. If she won I never heard the end of it. Sometimes I feel that my poor kid got gyped when it came to Mom's playing games. He run to me when he was little and beg me to play games like CandyLand or Old Maid. I sent him to his father. Of course we know the end of this story...Zack is a poker junkie. However he did learn to count cards and is very adept at math. So, I guess I did him a favor...I still can't add numbers in my head. I need a caculator for the simplist things. Oh well, in my next life I will have money and be smart. I am quite satisfied being beautiful....hahahaha.

Later
dennise



Day 7
McDill AFB, Tampa FL

We awoke to the steady smattering of rain on the roof of the rig. It was dark and dreary, but we still got up at 7 a.m. We are to meet Hank at 7:45 and accompany him to the pass issue station so we can stay another couple of days. I think we will be pulling out Thursday so we get home by Sunday or Monday. We were the first in line at the pass station. The lines are very long for most of the day so this was going to be a cinch right? Nah, the guy working the desk tells us we have to have the ok from the recreation dept at FAMCAMP first, and they don’t open til ten. Grrrr. So we drop off Hank and go back to the rig. We make some bagels and cream cheese and finish off the most delicious cantaloupe I had gotten at Publix last week. Gee, Grandpa even said it was good…nobody can pick fruit like Grandpa can. Well that’s what he says anyway LOL!

At 10 we meet Hank at the FAMCAMP office, sign up for a few more days dry camping and head to the pass station again. There must be 50 people in line…and since we were there bright and early then had to come back the guy behind the desk said we could just pass up the line and go directly to his window when we got the FAMCAMP okay. No one seemed upset that we had gotten in ahead. So, back to the rig we go. Paul is going to have to dump both waste tanks and get some water. I need to have a shower and so I get all the clothes ready. I grab my shower gear and Paul decides to come with and help with the laundry. What a guy!!! So after my shower I grabbed the ‘puter and came over to the activity center. Since it is raining EVERYONE is here ‘putting. When I get done here, we will go do the dumping stuff. It is a pain to do this as you have to secure everything in the rig because we’re moving and things get jostled around. We have made tentative plans to go to Sarasota tomorrow with Hank and Elizabeth either Tuesday or Wednesday. I would prefer Wednesday as the weather is supposed to be warmer. I guess this rain is welcome as most of Florida is in a bit of a drought. Tomorrow is only supposed to be 65 and I’d rather not wear a coat. We are going to visit some touristy shops along the coast and then have lunch at a seafood place. Sounds good to me.

dennise

ps I added some pictures from St Pete on the Pier. Paul took these photos of the cars on display there. I just don't get why these cars ring his bell...




Day 6
McDill AFB, Tampa FL

The weather was cloudy and a cold front was coming in. Of course I knew this way ahead of time…you know my weather predicting ears, that is. I spent most of the day in bed. Paul and Grandpa met the Kerr’s for lunch as planned at CiCi’s Pizza Buffet.

When they returned, they worked on replacing the water heater release valve. Whenever we put the heater on to get hot water (which should be all the time, however that is really a waste of energy. We only need hot water to do dishes as we are showering in the shower house here and in other campgrounds. It is so much easier…no shower to clean also) we had a problem. The replacement valve was not the correct diameter, and they couldn’t find one with the correct diameter, they purchased a reducer so it would fit. This then caused the valve to be about ¼ of an inch too high for the side of the motorhome door over the water heater to close. To solve this they used some airplane tape (this stuff must be 30 years old, Paul got it when he worked at Continental…it’s what airplanes get patched with.) I will take a picture tomorrow when it is light so you can see what I am trying to describe. The best part of this is that we can have hot water again. Every time we turned on the heater the pump would go on and pump all the water from the rig out through the hot water heater because this release valve was defective. The first time this happened was in Minnesota at the Midwest FMCA rally…that was over two years ago. Well, I guess over two years of my nagging finally worked. Actually it was my little tempter tantrum the other evening when I was doing dishes. It is terribly difficult to get clean dishes using only cold water. To conserve energy as we are dry camping, I am doing without quite a few things, such as TV, however that is not a problem. I just cannot do dishes in cold freaking water! So, now I can turn on the hot water heater for 10 minutes and do the dishes! Wow, such little things make me happy!

We are still deciding about leaving here. We need to decide as our permit to stay at the AFB expires tomorrow. Hank needs to know so he can meet Paul at the pass place and extend our paperwork. I’d like to stay a few more days and then come home leisurely over a couple of days. I hate the 12 hour days of driving. We can’t do that very well with the animals now either. Paul has to have his pre-op tests on the 7th of February, so we will probably stay here until Wednesday and leave for home on Thursday the second. We should be home by Sunday. This has been a very enjoyable part of our trip. We have had such a great time with Hank and Elizabeth. The weather has been really great, well except for today. Not to warm and not too cold. Really very pleasant. It will be hard to go back to the dreary winter back home. *Sigh*. We do have a lot coming up in February. Both Paul and I have having “repair work” done, his shoulder, and my stomach. March will be just recuperating for us both. Then spring will be here before we know it and Zack will be home for Spring break. He had to submit a resume and letter to his boss at the Residence to request to be rehired for 2006-07 school year. He is concerned that he won’t be rehired. I don’t think he should have a problem. He has learned an awful lot this year in the area of human relations, lol!

Well, not too much happening from this point, so I will post more adventures. I am sure we will have something exciting to report in the next few days.

Later

dennise

***New photos posted to Yahoo photos***
Look for rocketmom1985 photo albums

Saturday, McDill AFB

We got up this morning about 8:30. After walking the dog, Paul and I went to the shower house and we both took a nice long shower. As I was entering the shower room (limping along as always) a very obese woman saw me headed for the handicapped shower stall. I suppose that she needed to have the larger stall due to her weight. I don’t blame her; the regular shower stalls are exceedingly small. I use the regular showers anyways, but this morning my hip was really hurting and had kinda thought I’d used the larger handicapped stall so I could sit down in the shower. Well, she practically knocked me over so she could take the larger shower! I was flabbergasted. I bit my tongue (and everyone who knows me understands how really, really hard this is for me…yanno, keeping my trap shut). I didn’t say anything, my luck she’d be the wife of some retired general and I’d get us kicked off the base (Hank assures me this won’t happen, but ya never know, right?). Ok, that’s my gripe for the day. I had to laugh, I’ve been there, done that, even got the t-shirt for obesity. I really didn’t have a problem using the smaller shower; it was just the idea that she had to get that shower…heh, heh, heh.

We went back to the rig, dressed and got ready to pick up Hank and Elizabeth Kerr. We had made plans to visit the pier in St. Petersburg to have lunch and visit the shops there. We had a lovely and very tasty lunch up on the top floor. The restaurant is called Cha Cha Coconuts and it is Jamaican themed. Paul and I split a Cuban sandwich (our new obsession, but they are sooooo good.) with roast pork, salami, ham and pickles with mustard on a Cuban roll which is then pressed. Oh, my gosh are they good!!!! Grandpa and Hank had the Cha Cha Jamaican BBQ Ribs and Elizabeth had a ham and cheese Cuban. We shared an appetizer of onion sticks. They were served in a cone shaped paper cup sitting in a rack with two dipping sauces on either side. It’s hard to describe but it was really kinda nifty. Grandpa and I had the best Raspberry Tea. I now have another obsession! After lunch we strolled through the shops and I bought a “no headache” visor. The one I already have is really cute, rattan and a blue patterned band, but I get such a headache after wearing it for a short time because it is made from a plastic headband (remember those?). This “no headache” visor has a plastic coil in the back which stretches so therefore, no headache. Jeesh, such a wonderful idea, LOL! I tried on a hat that was the most outrageous, over the top hat I have ever seen. It was a hand made hat with lace and huge flowers and a wonderful veil that wraps around the shoulders. It is very Victorian. I fell in love with it! I looked like somebody outta the chorus line from Hello Dolly, or a movie made by Ivory Merchant! The saleslady was a real stitch, and sang along with the music playing in the background…she even did several dance steps. She told me that in February, when the new season starts they have tons of these handmade hats IN RED for Redhatters!!! I gotta have one, or at least make one similar. Not only are they beautiful but they are off the charts ostentatious. So what if they cost $60? I will be the envy of the Cenois Prairielanders Red Hat Chapter, not to mention, the Lincoln’s Ladies Red Hat Chapter! I am on a mission now….look for pictures yet to come!

We stopped at the commissary when we returned to the base. Elizabeth and I wandered about, looking at stuff, reading labels and finding new and different things in the various grocery isles. This is what happens to those of us who have gladly given up grocery shopping to the men in our lives, for what ever reason. We now never get to look at all the new and different products coming to the market. We spent about an hour there. The commissary carries some very interesting items as CenCom (Central Command) is here at McDill and there are representatives from over 54 nations serving in the armed forces stationed here.

We ended up at the bakery case (now why does that surprise you?) and purchased several delicious looking small cakes to share for our dessert after our dinner of left over lasagna tonight. We then drove Hank and Elizabeth back to their rig and returned to ours let out the furkids. Paul is planning on going to the activity center this evening…poker night. He is salivating at the thought. Grandpa, the furkids, and I will just stay in and watch a movie or something. I’ll go with Paulie and get on the wifi and post this later along with some pictures of St. Petersburg.

Take care,

dennise










January 27, 2006
Friday Continued

After posting to the blog earlier today, I went back to the rig. My Fibromyalgia was rearing up and I just had to lie down. About 5 pm Paul woke me up and we all got ready to go to the Museum in Tampa. Unfortunately, we hit Friday night rush hour traffic. It took us about an hour to get from McDill to the museum which is off I275 north near Busch Gardens. The Body Works exhibit has special evening hours with reduced prices. I asked for a wheel chair just to be safe. I have to say that this was the single most incredible exhibit I have ever seen. I cannot describe how this process is done, but the bodies on exhibit have been carefully plasticized in a special, very unique formula for preservation and display. Each of the body’s functional systems like the central nervous system and the endocrine system is displayed. The skeleton and muscles are shown in compete detail. Several full bodies have been as Paul said, “sliced and diced” to show how the system works and functions in the body. It is absolutely incredible. I am so glad I insisted that we go since we missed the exhibit in Chicago last summer. Along with healthy individual organs or bones or even nerve systems, are actual specimens of cancer stricken organs, or diseased body parts. I was especially interested in the lungs and saw the devastation of smoking and lung diseases. We saw normal brain tissues and then a stroke victims brains, Alzheimer’s and senility devastated brains. We were especially interested in the joint replacements such as knees and hips. And I can now honestly say I saw what my gastric bypass surgery accomplished and viewed the stomach, duodenum and both the alimentary limb and common channel. I saw the nasty little gallbladder that has been causing me such grief. It was truly an unusual and interesting exhibit. Of course, I was the only one enthralled…Grandpa and Paul were not that interested and the jokes Paul cracked were truly gross. I enjoyed it and I guess they felt they were forced into viewing, and more importantly paying for this. Tough. If I have to force them to do things, so be it.

Well, since I cannot adequately describe this exhibit, I stop emoting about it now. Tomorrow we are going to the pier in St Petersburg. I am really looking forward to this trip. Maybe Elizabeth and I can sneak away and do some shopping in peace…I get tired of the endless “Do you really NEED this….?” Of course not, but I WANT this….ppfft. Just deal for heaven’s sake and quit your complaining already!

I’ll post more about our day in St Pete tomorrow.

dennise

McDill AFB
Tampa FL Day….um, I forget…

It was not quite as cold last night. We were ok with socks and sweats on to sleep in. If we are planning to do any more wintertime traveling, no matter where it is, we need to find an alternate way to heat the rig without the generator running all the time. I recall on the SKP discussion forum that many full-timers and even snowbirds use catalytic heaters that run from the existing propane tanks. There are several other things I have made a list of to permanently keep in the rig.

After breakfast we tooled over to the Kerr’s where Hank was teaching the eagerly anticipated Peanut Brittle 101 class. Unlike other classes where students have to purchase materials, our instructor provided the butter, sugar, corn syrup and the other ingredients plus he even provided the cooking implements. Such a dedicated man, our Hank. We watched him prepare all his ingredients with the precision of a surgeon, and then looked on in awe as he meticulously measured and stirred his creation, getting ever closer to the climatic end of this very challenging process….the adding of the baking soda. Perfection in a jelly roll pan. I have the recipe and have taken copious notes on the intricacies of the candy-making art. I shall succeed with my very own peanut brittle. No longer will my son and husband scoff at my attempts at peanut brittle….I shall no longer have to pay for replacing a lost dental filing due to the sticky consistency of my pitiful attempts at peanut brittle. I shall if asked, tell them…”I learned everything I know from Hank Kerr, the master candy-maker extraordinaire the very man behind the now famous and well loved candy known as Hank’s Wonderful Incredibly Delicious Peanut Brittle.

Whew, that was really hard to write. It never ceases to amaze me how writers can actually do this for several hours each day. Hmmm, that book I have been secretly writing may now become public. Well, maybe next year.

Paul and I are going to the Body Works Exhibit at the Tampa Museum this evening. From 5 to 9 p.m. there are special admittance prices. We will probably leave early to get to the Museum early then have something to eat in downtown Tampa. Tomorrow, we will be going to the St. Petersburg Pier to visit the shops and have lunch on the waterfront. This should be a great picture taking day. Sunday is still up in the air, but it is supposed to be beautiful here this weekend so maybe we will just relax on the beautiful beach and cook some hotdogs. Grandpa is very anxious to get back home. I cannot understand why. There is nothing waiting for him. Perhaps he has tired of me telling people that I was Gladys and they are my Pips? He has his privacy at night, (he gets the bedroom and a real bed) and his fat little dog to keep him warm. I just don’t get why he wants to go home to the icky cold weather. If I could stay until spring I would. The only reason to go back is for Paul’s surgery on February 10, and then my two meetings at Dr. Chua’s office the 14th and the 21st, then surgery for me on February 29. Can you tell I am not anxious to get home?

Well, I will post about the Body Works exhibit tomorrow.

Later,

dennise

Tampa, McDill AFB
Thursday January 26, 2006

Well, I am trying to recreate the wonderfully witty words I had tried to post earlier this evening before blogger burped. I guess that is the bane of us blogger and budding novelists/wannabe writers. My original post apparently was dumped into the cyberspace recycle bin after my carefully well chosen and articulate words were painstakingly typed. *Sigh*.

I shall now try to recreate my earlier post. Don't however, expect miracles...it is now 8:30 p.m. and my tail is a draggin'.

Last night was a very cold night in the Ziaja rig. I thought Tuesday night was nippy, but nothing compared to last night. One of the disadvantages to camping in a dry camping area such as where we are here at McDill is that there are rules. For instance, no generators after 11 p.m. I awoke about 3 am. My nose was so cold it had no feeling in it! The toilet seat was pure agony...it just seems somewhat unfair that we ladies cannot whiz standing up. I should preface this however with a nugget of knowledge my younger sister Kathy had shared with me. She has a lot of practice doing this necessary function standing up due to her many travels in the pursuit of hockey and Irish dance competitions. (I can't remember how to spell the correct word for these competitions BTW.) I find this remarkable. I have no desire to emulate her, and when necessity stikes and the facilities are less than, shall we say, sanitary, I pull out my trusty bottle of Purel sanitizer, whip out a baby wipe from my bag and after wiping down the implement, follow this up with a paper seat protector. My delicate tush does not touch any surfaces that are outside of my own home. Recall yesterday that I wrote that I do not put my feet into anything that does not have a cement bottom? I also wear water shoes in the water with the cement bottom. Ok, so I am OCD when it comes to certain things yanno?

I digress. After the frozen buns awoke me completely, I decided to put on a sweat shirt and some socks. I got into bed (which was much more comfortable after we put the thinner air mattress on it). I then covered up with the two quilts, took all the pillows I could find and laid them over my body. This really helped and I finally dozed off. Did I mention the ceramic floor was like stepping on a glacier? Well, it WAS. We finally got up about 7:30 just so we could get dressed in warm clothing. Paul turned on the generator and I stoked up the furnace.

We had a nice breakfast, read the papers and watched the Today show. I took the car to the shower house and took a nice hot shower. After we all got dressed we set off for Lazy Days RV center, the largest RV dealer in the country. It is truly a huge place. We wandered around for awhile looking first at Fleetwood products. Some were nice and had very good layouts, however with four slides, the “new” innovation to provide a larger living area, there is very limited storage space anywhere in the coach or in the “basement area” under the coach. We then found the Tiffin coaches and I fell in love. It is a 2006 40 foot Phaeton. It has a king size bed, 27” plasma tv in the front of the coach, the same in the bedroom. It had a washer and dryer unit, and a dishwasher. There were two sofas, leather of course, and the kitchen had a ton of counter space, was solid surface and even had a pull out peninsula with drawers in it!

Well, after looking at the Tiffin products, everything else was really not up to their standards in my not so humble opinion. Paul had to keep telling me to shut up when I kept muttering “Look at this crap”. I said that about the upholstery, the cabinetry and everything including the hardware on the sinks. I was smitten and nothing I saw after my love-coach could even come close. No, I didn’t look at Country Coaches or those rigs in the “ritzy” section(the place where all the high end coaches sit waiting for someone to take a fancy to them and drive them home. Why be bitter about something I will never have?) The Phaeton on the other hand was my ideal and not so far out of what is a feasible price range. Of course this is a predicated on me winning the lottery or falling down in some megastore and settling my negligence suit out of court. LOL!

Well, I will finish this later, the boys are badgering me to go back to the coach. Paulie is staying here at the activities center, waiting to join in on the poker game. Poor guy.

later,

dennise

McDill AFB Day Three
Tampa January 25, 2006

Last night we went to bed with two large windows and both ceiling vents open. Big mistake. At about 3 am I got up to go to the bathroom and when I sat on the seat it was like sitting in a bowl of ice. I closed the vent and went back to bed. I couldn’t go to sleep, so I got up and went to the bathroom again. This time before getting back onto this poor excuse for a sofa bed, I added the extra quilt to the bed. I think I drifted off to dreamland but again woke up about 5:30 am. I went to the bathroom again and it was like a refrigerator. Paul had also woken up to go to the bathroom and I asked him to close the windows. It was a long cold night! Since we didn’t have the generator on, it would have been a drain on the batteries so we didn’t turn on the furnace. Although it is an LP gas furnace, the fans are battery hogs if the rig is not on generator or shore power. Luckily, it warmed up quickly once the sun came up. After a nice breakfast, Paul and I got dressed and went to Apollo beach with Hank and Elizabeth Kerr. But first, we had lunch at Wrights Sandwich and catering shop. We all had Cuban sandwiches. Paul and I also had fresh fruit (I could eat fresh fruit until I drop over in agony) and some Tampa style potato salad. Paul had been eyeing a rather huge piece of yellow cake with chocolate frosting so I told him to get it and we would all share it. The sandwiches were fabulous, the fruit really tasty, and the potato salad so-so. We all had some cake which was, by our standards, oneof the best we have ever had. It was a huge slice, very moist and had the most wonderful old fashioned chocolate butter frosting, the kind I remember as a kid. It beats the heck out of the icky Crisco icing made in bakeries and stores today. The slice itself was huge and cost about $2.95. A whole cake, about a 12” size and about 6 inches high was $30.00 At first I thought that was outrageous, but after eating it, I would say it would be a bargain. That is compared of course to the $20 birthday cakes we buy back home. We just may have to take a trip back there tomorrow…!

It took about 30 minutes to get to Apollo Beach. It is a winter retreat and resting place for manatees to gather in the winter months. The inlet is fed by TECO which is the Tampa Electric Company. The coal burning facility creates electricity just as it does at our own City Water Light and Power in Springpatch. The water that is dumped back into the cove or bay area is much warmer and, during the winter months, the manatees come here to stay warm and comfortable. Along with the manatees, sharks and other sea fish return year after year. Of course, along with the fish come the various birds such as Blue Herons, Egrets and other Florida native birds. It is a very interesting place. It is funded by TECO and retired TECO workers act as docents and guides. The museum is small but we viewed a very interesting film about the manatees and how the power company works with various Florida conservation and animal protective groups to help save these unusual creatures. They are quite interesting to look at but are extremely laid back. There is not much activity going on in the bay, except the birds constantly on the lookout for a tasty morsel of some little fish that has wandered off or fell behind its school. The manatees just float along and occasionally a snout surfaces above the water and the owner takes in a deep breath. A manatee can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes without a breath. After taking a number of pictures of these giant creatures doing absolutely nothing, we decided to walk out on the pier directly across the power plant. I swear I saw a huge shark…of course, no one else saw it and I wasn’t fast enough to get my camera out for a quick shot. And then everyone laughs when I decline ever so politely to wade into the water at the beach. Ugh...this babe only plays in cement ponds, ya'll.

Once home to the base, we bade Hank and Elizabeth goodbye. Grandpa had stayed at the rig as he was not feeling well enough to walk about. He had a back problem and just wanted to read the paper and smoke a cigar outside on such a beautiful day. I had mentioned to Paul that Target had advertised air mattresses at a reasonable price. My back was killing me from sleeping or shall I say try to sleep on the paper thin foam mattress on the fold out sofa, couch piece of garbage in the rig. Grandpa insisted that he would sleep there, but there is no way we would let him do that. Heck if Paul and I have problems, just think what his 89 year old body would feel like the next day. The other air mattress as I explained earlier, wasn’t working out very well…I needed a ladder to get up into the darn thing if it was placed on the sleeper sofa and it just didn’t fit well when on the floor. So off we trek to Target to buy another air matress and then to Publix to get the yogurt I didn’t get yesterday( but I swear that I put it in the cart…two blueberry and one raspberry…we didn’t get charged but I KNOW that I put them on the moving belt thingy. I think Paul put the separation bar at the wrong place and the woman behind us bought fat free, sugar free low carb yogurt without choosing it. LOL!) Of course, when I went to make my breakfast this morning, I couldn’t find the yogurt, go figure!

We also stopped at Sam’s Club and bought some…um, gin and Malibu rum. Once we got home about 5:20, we packed up Grandpa, made ourselves a nice cocktail and went down to the beach to watch the sunset. After a wonderfully sunny day near 70 degrees, as the sun began to set, that nice cool breeze turned into a chill ya to the bone kinda breeze. Grandpa and I were freezing but were determined to see the sunset. We had a great laugh when I said this was a perfect day and he said he was freezing his ass off! It truly was a beautiful sunset over St. Petersburg. I will post them to a yahoo photo album under McDill AFB so check there after you finish this. Before we had gone to the beach with our cocktails, we popped a tray of lasagna into the oven, so we had dinner almost ready when we got back.

We will be going to Lazy Daze RV Super center tomorrow to see all the new and “exciting” (!) new RV’s. This weekend is Gasparilla in Tampa…it is kinda like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and according to the gal I talked to at the sandwich shop, it is a celebration of a supposed "invasion" or raid by pirates into Tampa. It is mostly a myth, but it is supposed to be a fun event. A large pirate ship is escorted into Tampa Bay by thousands of small sail boats and fishing boats. I am wondering if we will be able to see this from the base. We shall see.

Later,

dennise

January 24, 2006
McDill AFB, Tampa FL

We didn't have a real exciting day. We got up and had breakfest. We had leftover pizza from were we ate last night. Well, Paul and Grandpa had pizza...I had a stale dry leftover english muffin. Paul and I went to the bath house to shower. They were clean, but really very well used. I of course, picked a shower with no hot water so I had to get dressed, load up the shower stuff and find another one. This time I checked the water temp before I got UNdressed. We then went back to the rig to pick up Grandpa so we could go grocery shopping. This afternoon is peanut brittle lessons with Hank and Elizabeth Kerr. As we begin to pull out of the spot, Paul looks at the sky which has become dark and threatening. We go back to the rig, close all the windows and put on the generator to provide ac for the furkids. Back in the car, we pull out again and I asked Grandpa if he had his pass to get on the base with. Nope, so back we go to the rig, unlock it again, get his pass and try to leave again. This time we are successful. At the grocery store, I pull out my list. Geesh this Publix store is HUGE. Grandpa got a scooter to ride on and Paulie and I start off to fill our basket with treasures. We bought about $10 worth of candy, some texas cheese toast, some breakfest stuff like cereal and yogurt for me, salad dressing(Paul and Grandpa like Ranch...ugh that gets old) so we got something I liked...catalina french. About 120 bucks later we leave in a icky rain. Back to the rig, put all the stuff away, we get back in the car and off to Hank and Elizabeth's to learn how to make peanut brittle. Hank had already made a batch. Earlier on the phone I asked him if the rain and humidity would affect his candy, as my candy bible says humidity is death to toffee and hard candies. He said he never had a problem so we are in business. After visiting for a while, Hank broke up his premade candy and it was really sticky. We decided not to make any more in case it too became sticky and would be difficult to keep in a stick form, and it will also cause tooth problems, like cement them together. We will have peanut brittle making 101 on Friday. I am sitting at the marina writing this. We went on line to see if the Body Exhibit at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry was still there and see if they had wheelchairs to rent or use which they do, thank goodness! I missed this exhibit in Chicago last fall and really want to see it, however with my hip bothering me so much I know I won't be able to walk the exhibit as required. I had to buy another bottle of Tylenol Arthritis stuff...boy is that pricey! Tomorrow we will go with the Kerr's to Apollo Beach to see the manitees after having lunch at a Cuban restaurant. I am salivating at the thought of a Cuban sandwich. I will tell you all about it tomorrow. The exhibit costs about $20 each, but heck, its only money right?

Well, I better close for now. I have been online for over an hour now and its dinner time.

Later,

dennise

Day 2 continued
McDill AFB
January 23, 2006

Well, as they say, the best laid plans...

I had a bad spin episode and had to lay down. Paul and Grandpa took the base tour in the famcamp area. There are over 500 electric/water sites here and about 50 dry campsites. The woman at the camping desk as we checked in said that there is a waiting list already for the 2006/2007 winter season. I can see why...a beautiful waterfont, marina, free wifi, 10 bucks a day, access to the BX, Commissay, library, restaurants and god knows what else. I'd be here all winter too. I always wondered why the Kerrs came to Tampa...my remembrances from my one and only trip here was traffic, old farts and more traffic. This base is like an oasis...you never have to leave, it is a little town all by itself. I get it now.

After my nap, we went to have dinner. Went to a local place called Cellenis and it was great. We had the rustico pizza and it was really the old type of pizza, thick crust, fresh ingredients and very very good. Then we all split the best canolli I've had since Mrs. DiBacco made them years ago. Good grief I can't remeber when that was either. Talk about fading memory. It really was good.

I am typing this at the marina, there is a revolving game of gin going on in the activities room and there must be 50 old farts here playing cards. There are several computer stations and I am on the Famcamp wifi system. Its free. Wow, maybe I shoulda married a lifer...what benefits they get. I think I have had one too many Killians with my pizza, my spelling is really bad.

Tomorrow is open for the morning hours, then Hank will be giving a peanut brittle making demonstration...he makes wonderful peanut brittle in the microwave. My peanut brittle is a version that makes your teeth stick together and cements to your fillings to each other then pulls them out. *Sigh*. Maybe I will learn how to make it right.

That's about all for today. I will post more tomorrow. Don't forget to check out the pictures on yahoo pictures...look for rocketmom1985's album

hugs

dennise

Tampa Day 2
McDill AFB

We have finally gotten settled at the FamCamp at McDill. There were long lines of folks waiting for day passes to get on. Hank was ever so helpful in getting us on the base. We are in a dry camping area, which means that we have no water or electric service. They have very nice clean shower facilities along with a private beach, wifi at the marina and a beautiful view of Tampa Bay.

It is a bit humid and hot today so we are going to run the generator for a while and then we are going off the generator, truly “boondocking” although we did have to pay…$9 a day to dry camp. That is pretty darn good since we have been paying upwards of $60 a night! We have paid for a week…wow, another week in another paradise. Life just can’t get any better than this.

Paul and I are going to take a little car trip down to the marina and check it out. Also, I will check out the wifi hotspot. Jeesh I hope it works. Don’t know what we are going to do for dinner…we have the grill to go so that is where most of our meals will be cooked. We need to go to the market and get some essentials. I can’t believe we the “Windex family of the year” have to buy Windex! We have three gallons at home but forgot to fill the sprayer in the rig before we left….oh yeah, we were immersed in the bathroom fixture fiasco. Ooops I digress. Well, I will post more later about our afternoon adventures.

dennise

Tampa Day 2
January 23, 2006

We will be pulling up the rig from the campground Bayu something or other, and heading over to McDill AFB. We will be dry camping there for a day or two. We wanted to visit LazyDaze but we have heard from several campers here that they are not the most desireable dealers to deal with. Just rumor. I don't know anything about them other than they sell a ton of RV's. I want to go to seminars and look at all the new coaches, not buy one for pete's sake. Hank Kerr who will be our host at McDill will be meeting us shortly. Hank also tells me there is a wifi access point at the marina on the base. Hopefully I can update more at that time. I didn't do anything last night but watch tv. It is warm but ugly humid...that's why I really don't like Florida. I am leaning towards AZ...

to be continued.

dennise

Tampa Day 1
January 21, 2006
Well, I finally got reconnected. Naples is not very wifi friendly to say the least. I guess if you have a $2.9million house, you have your own SATELLITE for heaven's sake!

We just got back to the campground after having a wonderful dinner with Hank and Elizabeth Kerr. They are staying at McDill AFB and after tonight we will be dry camping as Hank's visitors. There is a beautiful path and beach on the Bay so we are looking forward to visiting there.

We will be moving the rig tomorrow, and then we can go to Lazydaze RV here in Tampa. They have a great campground, which we couldn't bet into and seminars and stuff about full-time RVing. Maybe Paul can learn how to use our inverter...its only been 4 years....

I will post more about our exciting trip to Tampa from Naples later.

hugs

dennise

Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Naples Day Three

Well, the weather here has been perfect. A bit cool for this time of year, but beautiful nonetheless. After showering this morning (we all trooped down to the club house as our hot water regulator is still on the fritz. However since the bathroom faucet debacle, I will wait until we get it professionally fixed!) We went back to the rig and had a late breakfast. Paul and I went to Naples to find a wifi spot, but I have already posted about that. This entry is what we did for the rest of the day today. We found several access points to the beach off Hwy 41, and actually walked along the edge of the water for awhile. I picked up a few shells. I would like to fill a Mason jar lamp with them. Paul said I’d better be careful or I’d end up like Lucy in the movie “The Long Long Trailer”. Yeah, but she collected rocks and I am picking up little stinkin’ shells for cripes sake! I want to go to Tin Alley tomorrow. I wonder if Paul will drive me…I had a bit of a spinning session this afternoon when the barometer started acting goofy due to a cold front coming in. (It is called a cold front…it will drop about 10 degrees I guess…thank goodness it is going back up to the 80’s Thursday!). I thought it being cooler, we could do some sightseeing. I also want to go to Marcos Island. Paul and Grandpa did some fishing today…all they accomplished was losing their bait. I did protest that they put those disgusting night crawlers in my fridge, but I lost that debate 2 votes to 1. Ugh. Just the thought of worms in my fridge makes me gag. Men. Geesh, can’t they use those little gummy worm plastic thingies? They are an inert, non-living pretend insect, and are much more appealing, to me anyways. I had emailed Mom with the addy for her to go get our mail and FEDEX it to us. We stopped at the office to make sure that we would be able to get the package and I asked for a listing of the available properties here. My goodness, this place is way outta our price range. Lots like the one we are renting cost over $175,000. Unbelieveable. Then there is a $165 a month association fee that covers trash pickup, maintenance and the club house upkeep. Wow, no wonder most of the rigs parked here are the ritzy ones that cost over $300,000. I happened to pick up a real estate booklet and there wasn’t ONE house (and this included mobile homes, ‘scuse me, manufactured homes is the correct term now I guess!) under $250,000. We just cannot afford to be here that’s for sure.

Well, that’s all for today. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another three days til I can upload again.

Later.

dennise

Wednesday January 18, 2006
Naples Day Four

We got up this morning to a cold drizzle. Not to be thwarted by inclement weather, we got up and off to Waffle House for some waffles, eggs and my fav, grits. The weatherman said that skies should clear and temps go up to the lower 70’s by afternoon. After a nice breakfast we headed to WalMart. I needed to get my nails filled. The look on Paul’s face made me laugh. He positively HATES that I get my nails done every three or four weeks. After they dropped me off, I asked the nail guy if they thought they could get the nails off without destroying the new growth. No problem…I hate when they say things like that. After about one hour filled with a Vietnamese torture expert digging into my nail beds and cuticles, I had my gel nails in the trash and my new, very much my own nails sporting a French manicure. They really feel weird and thin after having the gels on for over a year. I figured it would make Paulie happy. Of course, after only 3 hours of having my own nails, I tried to get Oscar’s choke collar off and promptly cracked half of my salute finger, on my right hand nail off. Grrrr. I don’t have a nail file or emery board, so I think I will go to Big K after dinner to get a few nail supplies. And he thought this would save him money…foolish man.

After my manicure, we drove to Marco Island which is about 6 miles away. It was two main streets and a gazillion high rise condo’s and beautiful multimillion dollar homes along water front. I just am awed that there is so much money in and around the Naples/Marco Island area, hell, in the WORLD for that matter. Where have I been all my life? Why don’t I have one of these $2.5 million dollar houses with a pool, tended by a Speedo bedecked pool boy, and two or three Mexican gardeners tending my bougainvilleas and coconut palms? Well, no use crying over split milk or in this case lost millions (hey, I never said I wouldn’t marry for money now did I?) Somehow, all of this has escaped me. *Sigh*. In my next life I may come back rich instead of brainy and beautiful.

After viewing all these beautiful homes, we stopped into another motorcoach community. I thought the place we are staying is high dollar. There were nothing but Prevost Coaches in this place. So, just think…each one of these coaches is custom built like for rock stars and multimillionaire who want to experience the RVing life on the road…Hah…what a joke. They start at about $1.25 million…just the frame and motor is a mere $500,000. The lots for sale were $250,000 and UP. Way too rich for us, but it was fun to look anyways.

Back at our rented RV spot in what now appears to be a slum…I cooked up some gulf shrimp so they would be cold for dinner. The sun had surfaced after hiding all morning but it was still cool out. I had developed a headache and decided to take some pills and a nap. I woke up about 5 p.m. Paul was pretending to be a fisherman, Grandpa was watching poker on TV and the dogs were getting in some of their 22 hours of necessary daily sleep.

We sat outside for awhile and then had some delicious boiled shrimp, salad and three cheese garlic toast. I had a Miller light and it went right to my head. Paul will have to drive me to Big K’s I guess.

Tomorrow I want to go to Tin City and do the tourist thing. It was sister Jan’s birthday today so I’d like to get her something neat and unusual. Thinking perhaps a couple of pink flamingoes for the front of the house? What, you don’t think they’d fit in Cumberland Maryland. Tsk, Tsk. Gauche, all of you LOL!

Later,

dennise







Thursday January 19, 2006
Naples Day Five

We all got up about 8:30. We have two automatic alarm clocks named Oscar and Pepe. Snickers is acting very weird…more so than normal. She found a hiding spot in the hall wardrobe. Once she gets in there, she won’t come out. I don’t see any problem but sometimes going into the bathroom or the bedroom, Paul or me unconsciously shuts the wardrobe door and she is stuck in there until somebody remembers. Furkids are such fun.

I didn’t feel to great after I got up so I laid down for about an hour. We decided to take a ride to Everglades City and Goodwin. We went back east on US 41 and then headed south on Hwy 29. We wound up making a large circle back to Marco Island. I didn’t see anything on the map that showed this connection. I guess I need better map reading skills!

We stopped home for a quick lunch which turned into a marathon lunch as Paul had gotten the FEDEX box from Mom and proceeded to examine each and every piece of mail. He promised to take me to Tin City, so he’d better get his tushie moving soon. Or, I will just take the keys and go myself!
That should scare him….me with my mastercard amongst all the tourist shops, LOL!

Not much else to write about, so I will post later about our trip into Tin City.

Later,

dennise


Thursday continued….

Well we made it to Tin City. It was really a neat little touristy shopping area. Lots of little specialty shops. I found two t-shirts for Paul. One says Senile but Sexy, and the other one says I’m not getting older, I’m ripening. What the heck, there were only $1 each. That’s about what he’s worth. Ooops, that wasn’t nice. He really is a good guy. He let me buy a bottle of Naples Winery Sangria. We found the Naples Winery shop and they did samples. Pretty good stuff. I liked the Blueberry wine, then I tried the Mango. It too was very good. Grandpa liked the Sangria, and so did I. Paul has no desire for good wine and he didn’t like any samples. We decided on the Sangria. It was about $20…that’s a lot for him to swallow. Wait till he sees what I spent on those t-shirts!

After browsing the shops, we decided to go to the McDonald’s on Hwy 41 so I could post the last few days of this blog. Fighting the traffic around here is a real challenge. The sheer number of cars on the road at any given time is amazing. It’s like being in Chicago or driving in Long Island or Manhattan. Then, there are the old farts that really mess things up. We finally get there, I pick a nice comfy spot to get on line with my wifi at the linksys free hotspot. The ‘puter was hibernating, which means it was ON for the whole afternoon and the battery was drained. I guess you could say I was just a little miffed. The curse words that were spinning around in my head embarrassed even me. Oh well, I guess I will just have to wait another day to post. I really hate having to post so much at one time. Certainly don’t want to bore my readers!

I am really tired this evening. I hope I can stay up at least to see ER.

Later

dennise



Friday January 20, 2006
Naples Day Six

We all got up early again, but is time I went back to bed with a migraine headache. Paul went out to get a newspaper and to mail off some bills. Mom’s mail package arrived on schedule. By the way, Mom, didn’t I tell you NOT to send bills? We are on an incredible and wonderful adventure here, and I thought maybe you’d pay them and let us enjoy ourselves. Yah, right, not in this lifetime, I know, I know. Just kidding, Mom. Love ya.
After lunch, Paulie and I went to the pool. It was finally warm enough to go in (above 80 degrees, my rule) and it was at least 82. There were a few puffy white clouds in the sky and a wonderful breeze. We swam a bit and then sat in the Jacuzzi. It was wonderful. Someone remarked, “Another day in paradise.” I just have to agree. Now, if I had a tall gin and tonic with a wedge or two of lime, it would be my idea of paradise. They don’t allow glass in the pool area (understandably so), so tomorrow I will just fill up my plastic water bottle up and go back, Hehehe. When we got back to the rig Grandpa said he was sick the entire time we were gone.

After the afternoon at the pool, Paulie and I went to the nearby Walgreens to get some Crème de Cocoa. They were out, gosh darn it. No martini for me today. We bought Grandpa (who are we kidding here) some gin and tonic. Back at the rig, Grandpa was feeling much better and he made himself and me a gin and tonic. Paul started dinner. Sitting in the lounge chairs looking at the lake was very relaxing. This is really a pretty resort. Too bad we won’t be back. Well, that’s not entirely true. While at the pool a woman asked me if we were “renters”. Hmmm, did I look that out of place among these people. She made a lucky guess as she has a site that she informed me that they rent out for most of the year. By not going through the sales office, she saves the 20% commission. Slick eh? Her site is 5023 or something so I am thinking it’s not on the lake but near the golf course. We’ll drive by later and check it out. I think that we are on the most beautiful lot in the resort. This owner must have $30 grand in landscaping. I think I mentioned before that the owner owns a Prevost, yanno the ones that cost over $1 mil? It is very beautiful and is very private.

We ate a nice dinner of BBQ chicken, corn casserole (made on the grill outside) and Caesar Salad. We watched a bit of TV and then turned in. I really hate Eastern Time. All of my favorite shows come on at 10 p.m. followed by the 11 o’clock news. That’s way too late for me.

Later,

dennise



Saturday January 21, 2006
Naples Day six

We had another beautiful day here. Slightly windy but in the mid 80’s by afternoon. Paul and I took the laundry to the club house. We did three loads and while waiting for the wash cycle to end, took a dip in the pool. After moving the clothes into the dryer we went back into the pool. Finally all the clothes were dry and folded so we went back to the pool for a final dip. I had brought my orange “water noodles”, so I just floated away the day. It was very peaceful. The clouds moved in and we abandoned the pool for the warmth of the Jacuzzi. Back at the rig, Grandpa had taken a nap and felt a bit better than he did earlier. He was fishing and smoking a new stogie. (He keeps telling us…”These are the last cigars I am going to buy, after I smoke these, I quit.”) I think we have heard these same words at least 20 times. I say, if he enjoys the cigar, smoke it. What else in life does one at almost 90 years old do to enjoy life? If you can’t enjoy a gin and tonic and a good cigar, a perfectly done steak and the love of a fat little dog named Pepe, what good is living?

We had brats for dinner. Paul had gone to the Publix grocery store (I think they should change their name to Rip Off the Publix because they have the most ridiculously high prices I have ever seen!). The delicious looking potato salad was a bust. Although it looked great it had the taste of old limp somethings…give me a minute and I will think of what it is it reminded me of.

We pull out tomorrow morning and head up to the Tampa area. We have a reservation at the Bay Bayou Camping Resort. They supposedly have free wifi, so maybe everyone can read about what we have been doing since the beginning of the week when I could post. *Sigh*. We will be meeting up with Hank and Elizabeth Kerr from our Cenois motorhome group for dinner. We really have enjoyed our week here. I would consider this place for a winter retreat IF we could afford it. Although the park is very tranquil and beautiful, the traffic out of the gated walls is positively atrocious.
Driving here is like downtown Chicago or LA. Fast and furious as the movie says. Add to this, there are OLD farts driving fast. I am surprised more old farts aren’t killed every day here. Geesh. Well, I will be able to post this tomorrow. Until then, sleep well.

dennise

Tuesday January 17, 2006

Naples, Florida

We finally hunted down a sbc freedom link spot. It was about 20 miles from the resort for cripes sake. I am writing this update and trying to load more pitures at the same time. I guess I should complain...this wifi access with sbc is only $1.99...just about what its worth. Grandpa stayed at the rig, I think he's a bit tired and just wants to relax. Paulie is eating french fries. When we get done here we are going to check out the Naples beaches. I have put up almost all of my pictures on my yahoo pictures account.

you can access it here.

http://www.yahoopictures.com/rocketmom1985 or

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rocketmom1985/album?.dir=/c99e&.src=ph&.tok=ph1p8QEBCbhjXJ.R

I am not sure but if these links don't work, go to yahoo.com and my photo album is under
rocketmom1985.

I just don't have time to put them all up on the blog, even though it would make more sense.

This is a long entry....

dennise

Thursday January 12,2006
Day 4. Costa Maya

OK, I think I have died and gone to heaven. This place is positively the most beautiful place I have seen thus far on our travels.

Cozumel was so devastated by Hurricane Wilma, for miles all one can see is uprooted trees, dead foliage and skeletons of what used to be beautiful villas and ocean front resorts. I was last in Cozumel over 20 years ago when I was working in sales, and we had a trip here for top salespeople. It was truly a tropical oasis in a country that was and still remains desperately poor. The shops have reopened but the aftereffects of the savagery Wilma wrought is still very evident and very sad.

I was up at, if you can believe this, 6 am. I dressed and went down to the buffet deck. I was sitting there sipping my coffee and as we were coming in to dock at Costa Maya, there appeared the most beautiful rainbow. I got up with my camera and walked over to the ships rail. As I looked in towards the shore another ship was making its way towards the dock. The rainbow appeared to end right at this cruise ship. I took a few pictures and a gentleman who had also been viewing this beautiful site offered to take my picture. I have it posted in my yahoo picture album. I will post this addy so everyone can view my pictures there rather than wait an eternity to have them loaded into the blog. I don’t look my best, but I warned you I was UP at 6 am and this was not too long after that.

We decided not to do the beach excursion due to our dismal trip the day before. When the ship finally docked, we were at the farthest port available. I decided that I would go down to Customer Relations and request a wheelchair. I just knew that I would not be able to walk the entire length of the pier. So, Paul, Grandpa and I went into the little market area at the end of the dock. There were a couple of natives dressed like Incas posing with the tourists. I snapped a quick picture of Grandpa with this young man in a very brief little costume. Paul and I got suckered into posing with the kid and a photographer snapped a photo. We ultimately forgot to even look at them when we left. That’s ok…the guy was such a shrimp I would have looked like a huge mountain woman next to him.

We looked at several shops. We were looking for a t-shirt for Zack. There are no Mexicans who are as big as Zack(they are all about 5’ tall and have barrel bellies…maybe too much Tequila, LOL?!?). We finally found a 3X at one shop. It looks HUGE. I think it will be too big but then again if it is washed and dried a few times it will fit Pepe.

I was looking for a beach cover up and a straw hat. We went back and forth with several venders before I found what I wanted. This guy wanted $35 US for a pink straw hat…I wound up paying ten bucks. The cover up started at $65 and we got it for $15. I also bought a liter of vanilla that started out at $28 and got it for $13. The venders are all so funny. They practically dragged me, in the wheelchair into some shops. Paul was pulling me one way, the Mexican guy pulling anther. We stopped for a drink…Granpa had a margarita and I had a Pina colada, Paul had Mexican coke. Wuss…

As we were sitting there we noticed that the beach in Costa Maya was free! It had two saltwater pools, lots of sandy beach, tiki huts with hammocks. Hmmmm, and we paid over 60 bucks for a couple of hours in Cozumel and it sucked? Aaarrrgh. It was truly beautiful there. I guess I could spend a couple of weeks lolling in a hammock there.

We got back to the ship and had some lunch. I was pooped and took a nap while Paul and Grandpa roamed around the ship.

We went to dinner and our dining companions did show up. They are such a cute couple. We ate lobster and it was wonderful. The dining staff was introduced and a wonderful display of lit baked Alaskas was paraded around the entire dining room. The Celebrity show band was playing and it was quite entertaining. I can’t eat ice cream so our darling waiter Lobo brought me a piece of wonderful chocolate cake .After dinner we went back to the Rendezvous and listened to the music and had after dinner drinks. The show for the evening was a comedian whose first name was Noodles. I have to say, I was wondering what kind of comedy he would have, but he was really quite funny. He was born in New York and had lots of funny jokes about that, and lots of really good stuff about the ship. We all enjoyed his show very much. Back in the state-room, we all hit the sack and slept very well. We had left Costa Maya at 7 pm. Friday, the last full day of the cruise would be at sea all day, steaming back to Miami. The activities staff has lots of stuff planned. I think I will borrow a book for the day.

Later.

dennise


Friday January 13, 2006

Day Five…at sea heading to Miami

Again, I got up early, around 7. Grandpa was sawing logs and Paul said he would stay with him. I got on my suit and new Costa Maya cover up and headed to the buffet. I had some oatmeal with raisins, some delish fresh fruit mixed with fresh mint, and some coffee. I do not care for the pastries onboard. They are quite bland and I am used to a sweeter type of dough. They look beautiful, but are quite blah. I grabbed another cup of coffee and went out to the pool. I knew that everyone would be heading for this area as we were at sea all day. I found three lounge chairs and put towels on them to save them for Grandpa and Paul. They didn’t show until about 10:20. They had breakfast and came back to where I was reading. At 10:45 Paul and I went to the disembarkation info session. We had also been invited to a honeymooners/anniversary cocktail party. We have no clue as to why we were invited…we are not celebrating anything this trip. We went anyways and had mimosas and posed for a picture at a very pretty cake and flower display. I looked like I was hit by a truck. We listened to a set performed by a reggae type band. We left and went back to our lounge chairs. Of course, Grandpa was nowhere to be seen. Wandering off seems to be a habit with him. I read for a while, Grandpa wandered back, and our dining companion Carol joined us. She and I got trays for lunch. She can really put the food away let me tell ya. And she’s a toothpick. Life sometimes is just not fair. To ME anyways. The afternoon activities begin. The same band we saw earlier was playing, only this time on super loud. Then there were “pool” games played by scantily clad bikini babes. They tried to knock each other off a pole with balloons. Grandpa and Paulie were mesmerized. I was getting a headache. I went up to the room and finished my book. Grandpa and Paulie came back around five and we all got ready for dinner.

Once again, our newly wed dinner companions didn’t show for dinner. We had the drink of the day…Paul and Grandpa had mai-tais and I had a Bacardi cocktail. We ordered prime rib for dinner, shrimp cocktails and I had strawberry soup while the guys had salad. The chilled soup was like a melted strawberry daiquiri without the booze. The prime rib is only prepared well done due to problems with undercooked beef so it was dry and not very tender. We also had a very dry slice of chocolate mouse cake and a “pastry cigar” with raspberries. Oh well, most of the food in the dining room was good, as was the food on the buffet. Overall I would not rate the food as good as the Diamond Princess. The staff was wonderful and attentive so the food issue was not all that important. Besides, we are pretty picky eaters overall so you can’t really bank on our say-so!

After dinner, I went bargain hunting in the ships little shops. I purchased a few Celebrity Zenith trinkets. $26 worth. Oh my. We met up in our favorite Rendezvous lounge. The Russian duet was playing. Grandpa asked the singer to dance while her husband played a polka. He was winded after it was over, but he really enjoyed it.
We went to the show lounge for the last show. It was another good performance by the singers and dancers. This time it was songs of travel from around the world. I had a double chocolate cream martini. What the heck. After the show we went back to the stateroom to get ready for bed. Our bags had been packed and were ready to be placed out side the door for pickup. We were designated purple so our disembarkation was at 9 a.m.
Till tomorrow.

Dennise
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Saturday, January 14, 2006
Disembarkation: Miami

We arrived in Miami about 6 am. We were up and moving by 6:30 a.m. We finished packing the carry off bags. Geesh, we need bigger suitcases as we have a lot of stuff that didn’t fit in the bags. We also lugged along the video camera which never came out of the case. Oh well.

We ate a buffet breakfast, and then went back to our room. Customs delayed disembarkation due to some foreigners not showing up at the immigration officer’s post. So, no one got off until after nine. I had asked for a wheelchair (evil minded, leave it to me…lets us get off sooner.). It worked, we got off with the red taggers who were first to get off the ship. We had tied several of Pauline’s handkerchiefs on the bags so we could spot them in the holding area. We quickly went through customs, and found our bags with the help of this really gigantic baggage guy. The two girls who took me off the ship were tipped as was our bag guy. Paul went to the parking garage and within ten minutes we had loaded up and were on our way to North Miami to pick up the furkids.

We called the vet, and the gal said the kids would be ready at 11 am. We took I95 back up to the vets place. The doc wanted to tell us that Oscar had some tummy problems. Ugh.

We tooled back to the campground and settled back in. The fridge that Paulie had supposedly put on manual LP had gone off. I had a fridge full of spoiled stuff. Well, it didn’t bother him, he didn’t have to clean it up. If I had done this however, I would never hear the end of it. Ok, ‘nuff said.

We decided to try and go to Key Largo. Our attempts to find a campground or RV park are fruitless. I am telling Grandpa and Paul that these places fill up quickly each winter and one must have reservations sometimes a year in advance. We go to bed and wake up fairly early. We decide to head west to go through the Everglades and take our chances getting a spot for the rig there.

Will post more later.

dennise



Sunday January 15, 2006
Naples/San Marco Island Florida

We had a great trip through the Everglades on State Highway 41. We stopped at a Federal Preserve and viewed a short film on the efforts to maintain the natural ecosystem of the Everglades. We then went through the small display area and I took a couple of photos. We walked around the alligator area and there were quite a few of the creatures there. A number of them were swimming in the murky water of the channel and many more sunning themselves on the edges of the water. We could see fish jumping up in the air. The Ranger told us that these were tropical fish that people put into the channel, and since it was a bit chilly today, they were jumping out of the water because they were not used to the cooler temperatures. They were oscar fish. Figures. Our Oscar is nuts too.

We arrived in the Naples/San Marco area and parked the rig in the Big K lot. Grandpa didn’t want to go along to find a RV park, so we purchased some burgers at Burger King and dropped him off at the rig. Paul and I tooled around looking for all the campgrounds listed in the Woodall’s Guide and didn’t find ONE! We did find Silver Springs RV Resort and pulled in. Paul was tired and just wanted to park the rig and relax for a while. We rented one of the private lots here that was available for a week. It cost $485 for the week, which is really comparable to the KOA’s and is much much more beautiful. We have a lot on one of the lakes. This lot is really well kept and one of the more attractively landscaped ones. We started to watch the Bears game but since it was getting really late, Paul and I took a run up to the local Publix. The prices compared to Springfield were outrageous. No way will I pay $5 for a package of hotdogs, even if they are Boar’s Head!
We bought some TV dinners, some pretzels and left. Grandpa ate and then decided to turn in. Paul and I watched our Sunday night fav’s, Desperate Housewifes and Greys Anatomy. We turned in on the sofabed and Oscar decided he wanted to sleep with us. Paul had to get up and pull him off. We had a great laugh over this…he is really heavy and didn’t want to move from such a comfortable bed!

More tomorrow.

dennise


Monday, January 16, 2006
Day two in Naples.

We had a nice breakfast. Grandpa is not feeling well so Paul and I are going to do two weeks worth of laundry. I need to find a hot spot so I can post all my blog pages. There will be lots to read today!

Take care, and I will post the addy for the pictures soon I promise!

dennise

Day two continued.

The wash-a-teria here at the RV resort was jammed. They only have a couple of washers and dryers and they were in use. Paul and I tried to find a wifi hot spot to no avail. According to the SBC Freedom Link, there is one Barnes and Noble, one McDonalds, and four UPS stores that have access in Naples. There is a marina in the location finder on Marco Island. Maybe we can find that one too. Ya think we could FIND one of them? The street address for the MickyD’s was 4535 Tamiami…we found 12345 Tamiami and then the numbers went to 32 something. I called the UPS store and he told me that they are in the Stein Mart strip mall. We couldn’t find that one either. *Sigh*. We did find the Super Walmart. We will return later to shop for groceries. We went back to the resort to check on Grandpa. We discovered that he was out for a walk. He said he had found a lot for sale. Hahaha…such a joker. These sites in 2004 were going for $100,000. Yeah right, a concrete pad and some palm trees for that price…not in MY lifetime. We sat outside in the warm sunlight overlooking the man-made lake we are parked in front of. It truly is a beautiful resort. I guess there must be hundreds like this up and down both coasts in Florida and along the Gulf all the way to Texas and Mexico. I still want to check these places out before we make a decision about where we want to retire. I want to travel in the RV for a couple of years and so does Paul. We can’t afford to have a house and travel…not enough monthly income to do that. I am looking forward to seeing other places. Florida was never on my short list anyways. It is too crowded and there is traffic everywhere. Half of the time, you can’t see the drivers head above the steering wheel…little old farts and fartteeses. If I wanted to sit in traffic, this wouldn’t be the place.

Day two continued…

We went to Walmart. It looked as if it had suffered some sort of catastrophic calamity. The shelves were in various stages of disarray, empty shelves were all over the place. We bought replacements for what was spoiled when power was lost in the rig, and enough stuff to eat for most of the week. I can’t get over how much higher prices are down here. Walmart was comparable to prices at home though…the shelves were just empty.

We got back to the resort and put everything away and started dinner. I am pooped. I just want to sleep in tomorrow but we know that isn’t gonna happen. We have our very own alarm clock….Oscar.

I hope I can find a hotspot tomorrow. I am going to stop in at the resort office and see if they can give me some specific directions. I am also going to get my nails done. Paulie and Grandpa will most likely stay here and do some fishing. The tackle box was left at home, but the rods made it into the cargo bays. Paulie went and bought more stuff.

I’ll post more tomorrow, fingers crossed I find the wifi spot.

dennise

Cruise Day One…Monday January 9, 2006
Boarding the MV Zenith

We arrived at the port right on time. We left the furkids at a wonderful vet’s boarding kennel. It is a state of the art facility. They even had a scale in the floor so all you had to do was put the dog or cat on it and it weighed them. Then each of the furkids had their picture taken. Quite a set up…and reasonable also. I must remember to write and thank the SKP couple who gave us Dr. McCoy’s name and phone number.

We had absolutely no problems checking in, the staff working the entry station was wonderful. We were taken to our cabin and we started to settle in. However, our luggage had not yet been delivered so we decided to wander around the ship and get our bearings. The Zenith, one of the Celebrity ships was commissioned I believe in 1992. It is much smaller than the Diamond Princess we sailed on last summer to Alaska. I was a bit surprised to see that this ship had a well worn look to it. Not that it was dirty or anything, just well used and showing its age. We went up to the 11th deck and checked out the buffet. I was impressed that the wait staff worked the buffet stations and put the selection on the diner’s plate. I think this is a much much better way to control food…I remember thinking how much food people wasted on the Diamond Princess where folks were allowed to fill their own plate. I am not saying that the Zenith passengers were not as thoughtless, but at least the portions were somewhat normal compared to the heaps of stuff people wasted on the Diamond Princess.

After exploring for a while, we sat around the pool. I had a drink; Paul and Gene were good and passed on one…at least at this point. We went back to the room and unpacked. We then dressed for dinner. Unlike the Princess where we could eat at the numerous restaurants, we were in the main dining room for the first seating at 6 pm. The dining room was lovely, but Paul and I noticed the carpet was really dirty. It was as if Oscar had been there and dug his claws into the rug and pulled…only it was all over. Our dining companions never showed for dinner so it was just the three of us…our Waiter Lobo, and his assistant Putu (ok, I am NOT making this up!!!) took wonderful care of us. We had so many eating utensils we just laughed. We had a wonderful dinner of shrimp cocktail, the best roasted tomato bisque I have ever had, prime rib, and French pastries. Of course, we had the drink of the day…which for the life of me I can’t remember, LOL!

After dinner we sat in the Rendezvous Lounge and listened to a husband and wife piano/singer duet until it was time to go to the show lounge. I had my favorite cocktail, the Chocolate Cream Martini; Paul had a Pina Colada and Gene his customary Manhattan, sweet. The show was very good; it was a 60’s review. The dancers were very good, the singers were also good. The costumes were hilarious and the wigs were just too funny. The show lounge was very comfortable…all the seating was upholstered loveseats and comfortable chairs. After having another cocktail during the show, we were ready to crash. We would be arriving in Key West about 7 am. The stores open around 9, so we would have plenty of time to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast.

Our double bed was fairly comfortable, and Grandpa insisted on using the upper berth that folded down from the opposite wall. I really wanted it so I could toss and turn to my hearts content and not wake up Paulie. The bathroom was a fairly decent size. The shower had good water pressure but it had only three settings…hot, really hot, and burn your buns off scalding. I just love ship toilets. They are vacuum types that sound like they are gonna suck you down into the bowels of the ships honeypot! Always shut the lid, you never know what it’ll suck down!!!

I will continue with day two of our cruise a bit later.

dennise

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Day Two…January 10, 2006
Key West

After a hearty breakfast which we ate in the main dining room, we proceeded to disembark and do some sightseeing. After visiting a few shops, we decided to take a trolley tour. It was a great tour; the guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the town of Key West and told many entertaining stories about the colorful characters that inhabited the town both past and present. Tommy explained that there are no new building permits being issued by the city board, only permits to rehab existing buildings. On any given street there is a run down ramshackle house right next to a beautifully maintained picture perfect Victorian home. I cannot imagine just how much one of these homes would cost…not the rehabbed ones, the old shacks, LOL! The other remarkable thing we witnessed was that there were chickens and roosters roaming all over the place. We didn’t see any gas stations. There were lots of amazing little but very pricy cars all over the place…Porches, and Jags and a few Benz’s thrown in. The most common mode of transportation appeared to be either by bicycle or scooter. There were a few big dollar Harleys around also. We really enjoyed the day and saw more on this tour than we would ever had been able to see on our own. We wandered back to the ship to have a late lunch. Grandpa and I don’t do walking very well so we were a bit tuckered out. My hip is still killing me; the shot did squat as far a I am concerned. Since we were in port, the ships boutiques were closed but it didn’t stop me from wandering around. I found the library, the internet connection spots, and the martini bar. We rested up a bit, showered and then since it was formal night, we decked ourselves up to the nines. I will say that we do clean up good! In the dining room, we were introduced to our dining companions. David and Carol Mitchell from Chattanooga TN, on the Zenith for their honeymoon. They have both been married before and seem to be positively crazy about one another. Carol is in insurance and David is a former teacher, now the principle for a vocational type school. We had a great dinner. After stuffing ourselves, our waiter and several others brought out a cake for Carol and David. It is so funny to hear all these folks singing all over the dining room. Since many are from India, Pakistan, Bali and a host of other countries, their singing is really a treat…strains of “happy ‘verary to you” and “happy irthyay” reverberate around the diners. The staff really enjoys this and they sing their hearts out. I am so amazed at the work ethic of these people. They work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 7 months straight. They do get a few hours off every few days. Amazing. We just don’t have a clue of the lives they have lived in their native land and just have to admire them. Carol graciously asked the waiters to cut the cake for everyone at the table. Paul was very put out that he missed the dessert of the day…Cherries Jubilee. Awww...Poor guy. After dinner we had some photos taken by the ship photographers. We wound up again at the Rendezvous Lounge watching the wonderfully precise and equally stiff Japanese couples doing the salsa, the fox trot and the ever enjoyable waltz. We just laughed at how rigid the couples were. The steps were obviously well practiced and perfect, however they were lacking any type of rhythm or a feel for the music or sex appeal of each of the dances.

It was then Karaoke Night and the very appreciative crowd was treated by a beautiful rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic (how stupid is this… singing this very sad song of love lost due to a ship sinking….? Ppfft!) There were several more forgettable songs from a few Star Search wannabes…Paul played the role of nasty Simon and I had to keep shushing him up…at least they got up there and did a song. Then our new friend Carol decided to sing to her new husband. She chose the appropriate song “My Guy” a take on “My Girl”. She freely admitted she couldn’t sing and that was an understatement. She had several Appltinis’ to bolster her courage. About halfway through the song, David joined her on the floor and the honeymooners treated the crowd to a sweet duet and lovely and shall I say, sexy dance. We all had a great time and then we all went to the evening’s entertainment in the show lounge. This time the troupe paid tribute to Broadway tunes. The best song was from Wicked. It was so-so as compared to the night before.

We had a few drinks in the lounge and then headed to the stateroom to get a good night’s sleep. We would be arriving in Cozumel about 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

I just love going to the stateroom to turn in for the night…the bed is all turned down; there is fresh ice and water waiting. The little chocolates on the pillows were divine, I must say. I was awakened several times that night due to rough seas. I was doing my best spinning in a long time. I took some extra valium and tried to go back to sleep. 5 potty breaks in one night is a bit much. I hafta do something about this.

I will continue our Cozumel adventure a bit later.

dennise

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Cruise Day Three, January 11, 2006
Cozumel. Mexico

Paul and I had decided to do the Playa Beach Outing on the beach in Cozumel. This off shore excursion was $62 each and included bus transportation, park admission, buffet and open bar. I had visions of me and Paulie lounging on beach chairs under a tiki hut sipping Pina Coladas and munching on real Mexican salsa and chips and maybe even some homemade tortillas with a yummy bevy of native cheeses. The beach looked beautiful in the little video clip we viewed, and it had lots of water toys, like kayaks, a water trampoline, and cute little areas to sun. BTW, I do not do well in the sun. I am a blonde…blondes don’t sun well and tan…blondes burn. Blondes get sun poisoning. This particular blonde has a personality change when she gets too much sun. Not only that but this blonde’s lips become inflamed with fever blisters…courtesy of ‘ole sol. We thought this was a good deal so we signed up. I had asked Grandpa several times if he wanted to go along. He steadfastly refused saying he was not interested. Just two minutes after I had made the reservations on the in-room interactive TV thingamajig, Grandpa decided he would indeed enjoy accompanying us to the beach. I tried to buy another ticket on the interactive TV thingy. It wouldn’t let me.
Paul went down to Client Relations/Excursions desk. Of course, it was about 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, so I guess they weren’t interested in booking more excursions at that particular time of day. Ppffft. So, we all tumble into bed, arising early. We have been told due to the damage from Hurricane Wilma, that the dock has been washed away and we would be traveling in “transfers” or in other words, we would exit the ship on level three right into the waiting arms of a Mexican flotilla. Make that a transport boat. Geez, since I get seasick looking a waves, I took an extra dose of my valium. I was down at the Excursion desk bright and early at 8 a.m. the scheduled opening time. No one was there. I waited and waited. Finally I flagged down some poor cleaning person who looked like the Dali lama and asked him in sign language where the hell were the excursion people. He politely in excellent English told me they open at 8 a.m. Pointing to my watch I say, “Well, its 8:20!”. “Madame.” He replied. You failed to set you watch to the correct Cozumel time. It is only 7:20. *Sigh*. Again, by my stupidity, I give all American tourists the “L” on their foreheads. I slink off to find some strong coffee and something to eat. Paul and I finally meet up at the waffle station in the buffet line. After breakfast, we both go down and purchase Grandpa’s ticket. We meet him back at the room. Paul told Grandpa to meet us at the Show Lounge on deck 7 at 11 am. He explained that we would meet in the same seats we had sat in both nights for the entertainment. At 10:30, Paul and I arrive at the appointed meeting place. 10:45…no Grandpa. 11 am, still no Grandpa. We ask a helpful steward when the Beach group was meeting. We were told to go to the Rainbow Room on Deck 8 for tickets and bus passes. Paul goes to deck 8 while I wait for Grandpa at the appointed meeting place. 11:15, no Grandpa. 11:30 no Grandpa. Thinking he has misunderstood the agreed upon meeting place, I go up to the balcony of the show lounge on deck 8. No Grandpa. Now, I am really honked off. Cussing under my breath I head for the Rainbow room on Deck 8 aft. Find Paul. The group has already left. We flag down a steward and they radio down to the transfer boat. It has not yet left. They hold the boat for us and we figure, Grandpa is on his own. Throwing $62 bucks away on his ticket is one thing…throwing away another $124 is quite another. I am just seething. I am trying not to be mad, but being who I am, I have little success. One of the stewards at the transfer station said a little old guy was looking for his son and daughter-in-law. Must have been him. We get on the boat. We then arrive in Cozumel under threatening skies. We get on this bus and have a nail biting ride with Julio our driver the ten miles to the beach. As we step off the bus, it starts to pour. We get to the buffet and my goodness it looked like it had been there for weeks. The drinks were watered down and in thimble sized plastic cups. We sit under the leaking dining canopy and sit forlornly looking out over the soaking beach area. Finally after about two hours of downpour, the sky brightens and the sun comes out. We sit out in the sun for about an hour before it is time to get back on the bus to the ship transports. Totally bummed, we head back to the stateroom and get ready for dinner., Grandpa finally shows up at the room. He is all upset as he said he was at the place we told him since 9 am. WE never showed. I said that I had waited and waited in the Show lounge and he tells me he was there. I know he’s kinda short, but heck he’s not invisible for heaven’s sake! I said he couldn’t possibly be there because I sat there all that time. He said he was sitting in the chairs we were in last night. He was in the Rendezvous lounge, not the Show Lounge. He insisted Paul told him the place we were last night. Trouble was we were in more than one place…he thought he was to meet us in the lounge on 7 not the show lounge on 7. There is no arguing with him. Next time I put a leash on him.
Paul comes back to the room after searching the ship for him. Again, he insists that we told him the Rendezvous lounge, not the Show lounge. Next time he is on his own. He then tells me he had hoped and hoped it rained because we left him behind. Aaarrrrgggggh. There is just no arguing with a male Ziaja. He said he went into town, bought some expensive cigars and had several Pina Coladas that were the size of watermelons. Of course he just thought he was sooooo funny wishing we had a bad time. What a stinker he is!

We finally got showered and dressed for dinner. We did have another lovely dinner, and our honeymooning dining partners were no shows again. Hmmm. Maybe they were taking too many “naps”. After dinner the show lounge entertainment was an illusionist. I hate magicians, jugglers, and I especially dislike ventriloquists. These people creep me out. So, they went to see the magician and I went to bed.

Later, I will tell you all about Costa Maya.

dennise

Land...

Well we landed once again in Miami. Picked up the furkids from the no-tell-pet-motel. They were just a bit happy to see us. They all received excellent marks on their "report card". The doc told us Oscar had some nasty loose poops. Gee sorry to get so graphic. Glad it was them having to clean it up and not me!

We are relaxing in the rig after re-setting up at the Miami-Everglades Campground. We had pizza and split one beer for dinner. We needed to have a rest before we hit the ground running tomorrow. We are going to try and find a place to park the rig, then take the car down back to the Keys. We may not make it back to Key West, but Key Largo is fairly close and I think we will be able to do some more sight seeing there. We will be planning out the next week or so's travel plans. It is really great that we don't have to worry about rushing because we have to get back to jobs and stuff. I am not sure Grandpa is taking to RV'ing. I suppose if he gets too, um, shall we say, nostolgic for home, we will be happy to put him and Pepe on a flight back to Springfield, LOL! OK, I am gonna sign off for now. I will be putting up my "memories" from the cruise later this evening. I also have a ton of photos. None of me turned out very well, but then again, we all know what I look like.

later...

dennise

The Meandering Ziaja's

`Key West, Florida

Oh what a beautiful place...Grandpa wants to move here. We couldn't afford the taxes! I will make this entry short...50 cents a minute is a bit extreme. The ship is nice, but it is much older than the Princess cruise we took to Alaska. We took a trolley tour of Key West and saw more in two hours than we could have on our own. The food on board is "OK"...not great but then I am a picky eater.l A chocolat martini is on my agenda for this evening, which is a formal evening. We are having "Italian" day so the food is geared towards Italian dishes.

I will try to post more later...we dock on Saturday and then I will post more and some picutres.

The sea is beautiful here...if I didn't "do" oceans, I just might put a toe or two in there.

Hugs

dennise

Day Six...




We set up the rig and then took the car for a test run to the boarding kennel for the furkids and then to the dock. We were told to take Hwy 1 or the Dixie Highway. Two hours later we find the vet's place. Of course the MAPQUEST directions were wrong. Figures. I am at this point not too impressed with Miami, at least the parts I have seen. It looks like a dilapidated neighborhood with palm trees and palmettoes all over the place. The drivers down hear rival those in Chicago, and would make a Paris taxi driver look like he's petalling. The dry run was a good idea. We don't need to get lost in the morning so this took a bit of the anxiety out of Paul. Of course, Grandpa has made some comments but I will not digress...'nuf said. Six days in a motorhome with one big stupid dog and one little bastard dog who is one step this side of EVIL and a cat that tries to escape at every opportunity has actually NOT been that terrible.

Paul and I are doing the laundry at the Miami Everglades RV Park. This is the closest campground to Miami and its about 30 miles south of the Port of Miami. When it says everglades, it means the everglades. Eash camp-site is about 20 feet wide and long enough for a 37 to 40' RV. Very close quarters, but everyone seems so nice. Many of these snowbirds come back here every year and hold the same spot. Sounds good to me. The pool looks wonderful and I am glad we will be staying another day when we dock on Friday. Also we are going to store the rig here...we could take it to the port parking lot but there we would have to pay for three spots...about 40 bucks a day. We can store it here for $10 per day. Sounds good to me.

Well, I am going to end now. We are all tired and are just gonna jel out and veg in front of the tv...Desperate Housewives and Greys anatomy is on tonight.

I'll post some more aboard ship in the internet cafe. I didn't take any pictures today so nothing to up load. Darn, and I have free wifi and its FAST for once.

Hugs.

dennise

ps

I think I mentioned earlier in the week that we have smartened up and put the air matress on top of the ick matress on the sofa bed. I have to take a running start and use the sofa cushions as a springboard to get on the damm thing. It is NOT a pretty site...think of the lady gymnasts, then pictue moi and you get the mental picture, right? To make it more exciting for myself, I wind up with a jammies wedgie each and every night!

Saturday Evening Day
Day five continued...

Just go back from dinner at Applebys. Not what I would have c hosen as I prefer local places, but there didn't seem to be alot...just the dinners in a box kinda thing. I had the cowboy burger and it was eh, ok I guess.

We will get a good nights sleep and head to the Miami KOA tomorrow. I have included some pictures from the park we are staying in.

Hugs...

dennise