Memorial Day 2006

Well, folks say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In my previous post (a week ago, for heaven's sake) I promised to post every day until our departure for places east. Foolish reader. You actually take me at my word?

Its about 9 pm and my tushie is a draggin'. I have been loading up the rig for our 6 week road trip out to the east coast, back to the midwest for some motorhome rallies and then up to the Muskegon Michigan Elks Lodge campground on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. We had a great visit with my sister Kathy who came down from the Chicago area. She helped Mom plant a new perrenial garden in her backyard. Paul cooked the ribs Mom supplied and we dined like true American piggies. Of course, both Mom and I think people are starving so we cook for an army. We packed up the leftovers to feast upon as we meander down the road on Tuesday.

We will head out late tomorrow morning as Grandpa has some banking stuff to deal with, and then we will try to make tracks to at least eastern Ohio by Tuesday night. We'll probably boondock for the night off the highway (think WalMart). We have reservations at Rocky Gap State Park about 10 minutes outside of Cumberland Md for Wednesday. We will visit with Jan for about 6 days or so and then off to Bean town.

I am begining to have second thoughts about leaving my house in the hands of my son. Nagging little doubts. Will he remember to stay in the bathroom to make sure the toilet flushed properly? (Our toilets have plastic innards and sometimes the freaking lever catches and the toilet just runs and runs). Will he remember to turn the water off after he waters my tomatoes and flowers I spent blood, sweat, tears and lots of money on? Will he turn off the stove after he makes some ugly Zack concoction for dinner? Will he remember to take out the trash before the neighborhood mice decide that the Ziaja's are hosting an open house and an open invitation to move in? Terrible thoughts keep running thru my tired little brain. Well, the only thing that consoles me is that one, the furkids will be with us so they won't starve or die of thirst and two, I have homeowners insurance. I keep telling myself that he is almost 21 years old, and should be responsible by now. My mothers intuition is telling me otherwise. I just have to trust him. Oh. My. God. 'Nuff said.

Well, I have about ten million things to get accomplished before I can take a shower and hit the bed. I will try to update this whenever I can get a wifi connection. Hopefully, most of the McDonald's across the country should have SBC wifi which I subscribe to so I can get online more often.

hugs

dennise

In the words of Frank Barone, "holy crap", its been months since I have updated this blog. Some writer I am for cripes sake.

It's Monday morning and I am sitting in my trusty blue recliner. I am recovering from our first rally for the Cenois prairielanders. Paul and I, and Gay and Bud Leezer were hosts. We went to New Salem Campground adjacent to Lincoln's New Salem Historical Village in Petersburg. Nice place, very woodsy and large spots. We brought the rig out early Wednesday so we could get near the pavallion for the group. Upon leaving, I was starting down the stairs of the motorhome, and my shoe caught the top step's carpet and down the stairwell I went. Slammed into the door which thankfully was shut, or I would have landed out on the pavement. I am lucky I didn't break my tush. Jammed my right shoulder AGAIN and pulled a muscle in my neck. By Thursday I couldn't move my head. Sigh. It just never ends.

We had a great weekend and it was great to see everyone and catch up on what had happened since we all met last December. We had a breakfast potluck and feasted on yummy casseroles, fruit and coffecakes. We normally do the potluck on Saturday evening, but we decided to do a traditional All American BBQ with hotdogs, hamburgers and all the goodies that go along with it. It was followed up with a beautifully decorated Anniversary cake that we had specially made for the Cenois Prairielanders. It was decorated in red, white and blue and had a wonderful motorhome across the top of the cake. It was delicious. (I had a very very small slice and only had the diabetic shakes for about 45 minutes later that night, LOL!)

We are getting the rig ready for our trip east to Cumberland Maryland and Boston, Mass.

I promise to update daily with our preparations and tales of adventure.

hugs,

dennise

Monday, Darien Illinois

Again, it has been too long since I have posted. I do have an excuse however. My laptop had a problem again. And it seemed just like yesterday that I decided NOT to renew the service contract which was almost $400 for only two years. I figured I could get a new one for a few more bucks. Well, once again, I am proven wrong. The power connection to recharge the battery is once again(three times over the life of the computer) broken. It is such a flimsy connection, I think that it is made that way to keep you buying new computers cause ya get tired of sending off your laptop! I recall Mike, my SoHo computer geek telling me that the power connection is the number one repair on all laptops. On Saturday I was helping the Knitting Guild teach beginning knitting (Peggy the chief of all knitting teachers wants me there all the time, as I am only one of a few in the guild who knit continental style which very simply is that the knitter holds both the left needle and the working yarn in the left hand, vs holding the yarn in the right hand and having to "throw" the yarn over the right needel...I know, ya gotta be there or know knitting hehehe....) Anyways, off I go to LLCC at 9 am Saturday, and on a local radio show are two computer geeks on their regular show. I call in, talk for about 20 minutes to these guys about my problem...missing two turns around Lake Springfield so mean while I am hopeless lost on these freaky streets that all end up at the edge of the lake. They also say if the computer is over three or four years, it will cost a ton to get it fixed. They did say that6 the info on the hard drive is fine, and there is a way geeks can take the stuff from one harddrive and put it on another. Thank goodness, I have lots of stuff on there since the last time I backed up. And this is my question of the day, what good is backup if the backup is stored on the hard drive?
So, after class I go home to tell Paulie all the knowledge I have gathered. Of course, he is not in the least interested. After a little nappie, Paulie and I go up to the Computer Deli store, and the kid gives us the name of some local geek who does this kinda work. He too tells me the cost may be not worth the amount as a new one with a new service contract would be the way to go. Ok so Paulie and I leave and spot a new candy and gourmet foods place right next door. We go in and I tell Paulie since he is such a good boy I will buy him a piece of candy. We purchase two chocolate cherries for Grandpa, a double chocolate truffle for me and a huge macadamia nut turtle for Paulie. $8 bucks for four pieces of candy. Paul gives me the look that would have turned me and Lot's wife into salt and hands me some money. After ooohing and ahing over my truffle we go to Best Buy to LOOK. Two hours and $1700 later we walk out a recipt for a new laptop. Paulie=irrated, Dennise=really hyeped!

On Sunday afteroon, I packed up the Vue to head to my sister Kathy's house in Darien. Her oldest boy, Enzo is turning 15. I remember his first birthday party, where did these last 14 years go? What a downer seeing these kids gowing up and maturing so fast. Just where does all the time go? Paulie is not happy that I am driving myself and I appreciate his concern. However, I can't live in a bubble ALL the time. Besides, if its my time to go, nothing is gonna change things right? I had no problems getting to Darien. We had a wonderful time, wonderful Chicago pizza and birthday cake, who could ask for more? I enjoyed seeing all of my brother in law's family, especially his mom, who I just love. She is the most WOMDERFUL Italian cook...I would cross many oceans to eat her cannoli!

I called Paul and he is still very very uncomfortable. Poor guy. I keep telling him that he will get better each day. He just gives me a look that if it could kill, i'd be six feet under. Putz.

Well, Kathy and I are going to Ikea...it is my first trip to Ikea and I am verrrrry excited. I just hope they have scooters as Kathy says it is huge.

Later this afternoon I am going to see Aunt Jane and cousin Carl. Will post more about my adventures in Chicago later.

dennise

Tuesday and Wednesday
Rochester, IL to Milwaukee, to DeKalb and back to Rochester....

Oh my, its been ten days since I have updated my blog. Let's see, Paul had surgery on his left shoulder on Friday the 10th. He is having a very rough time with it. He is in a lot of pain, even with the meds he has. Also when the doc was placing the rod into the upper arm, the bone fractured. This meant that in addition to the bandage and the arm being in a sling, he had to have a plastic cast put on it. I just feel so sorry for him and there is nothing I can do for him. He is very short tempered which is understandable, however being on the other end of his frustration and pain is not very pleasant. I had my pre-op tests at Aurora Sinai on Tuesday. They were scheduled for 9 am, so I goofed up on my calendar. I thought I had a 2 pm appointment. I had to leave after my doc's visit here and drive up there. Thank goodness the weather cooperated and was dry and sunny. I stayed at the Comfort Suites at Mitchell Airport. It was a very nice suite, and it had a huge made-for-two whirlpool tub. I ate at the hotel's pub/lounge. What else but a brat with sauerkraut with grilled onions and a nice cold Killians. I ate about 1/2 of the brat meat but all of the beer. I do not count beer as a carbonated beverage like diet pepsi. After my dinner I had a nice hot whirlpool soak and hit the sack. The tests were ok, no biggie. Even the upper GI was not unbearable. Just what I wanted to have on Valentines Day....a strawberry chalk cocktail. Yummy. After my tests I drove to DeKalb to Jen's place. I let myself in and promptly hit the guest bed for a nap. Zack called about 4 and broke up my wonderful rest. By then Jen was home. We talked awhile and then it was off to Portillo's for Chicago hotdogs....real Vienna dogs, not the stuff they pass off here in Springpatch as a Chicago Dog....David Berg dogs, no way! Back at her house, Jen's friend Mari dropped by to observe Peanut Brittle Class 101 and Fondant Making 101 followed by Dipping 101. Jen had purchased canned spanish peanuts, however they had been cooked. It rendered the recipe totally disgusting. It was burnt. Hmmm, lesson learned the hard way. Paul insists that Peanut Brittle Guru Hank had emphatically said not to use cooked peanuts...all I remember was him saying not to use dry roasted nuts. Oh well. Like I said, lesson learned. The fondant came out very well. The dipping also went well, and Jen took to it like a pro. It took me a long time to figure out my system, a production line of sorts. I set it up as I do it, and she seemed to like the setup. We really were a bit short on dipping chocolate. I prefer the large blocks of chocolate I get from Peases' that I have used in the past, but the stuff has become cost prohibitive over the last several years. Also, I just can't do what I did in the past. My stamina is gone, and I just fell like crap most of the time, plus I just can't eat this stuff anymore. None of us need to eat it. We miss it but we don't need the calories. We did have fun doing it at Jen's but by the time we were done it was almost midnight and she had to get up early to go to work. I just love her house. It is such a blessing to have a good friend who is there to help when you need it. I will most likely spend next Tuesday evening with her also as my final visit to Dr. Chua in Milwaukee is the 21st. I am going up to Chicago for nephew Enzo's birthday, and will try to visit Aunt Jane and Carl. I can go up to Milwaukee from Chicago and then go to Jen's after my doc's visit.

Paul has an appointment with Dr. G. his orthopod tomorrow morning at 7:30. He has developed a horrible rash under the plastic cast and he took it off. There has to be a better way to keep his fracture immobile without the discomfort and terrible itching of that nasty looking rash.

I also have an appointment with Dr. Borowicki regarding my right hip tomorrow. I can't get through the day without my pain meds. I am not sure what my feelings are about this doc. He has that I am the doctor therefore I am a god complex. If he treats me the way he did last time, its adios to him and hello Dr. Adair. (He's the guy who fixed mom's broken arm two years ago, and besides, he's not hard to look at. Neither is Dr. B, but like I said, I am not sure I like his bedside manner.).

Mom and Cecil are getting ready for their trip to see Joni and Jerry in NC. I am dead set against them going in the middle of winter, there is no way to predict if they will run into a blizzard or freezing rain. In no way do I want them terrorizing other motorists if I can help it, LOL!

Well, that's all the news around here. No trips planned in the near future. I will update as to Paul's status tomorrow and what my doc says about my aching hip.

later

dennise

Superbowl Sunday
Rochester, IL

Well, we arrived home about 2 p.m. We had made a detour and stopped to see Zack. We met at the Cracker Barrel for lunch. It was good to see him; everytime I see him I think he looks taller, or it could be that I am shrinking? You know us old people...we seem to shrink before your very eyes, LOL! After a nice lunch, Zack came back to the rig with us and we gave him the T-shirts we had gotten him. He liked them both. He had a long goodbye with Oscar. We told him about the attack incident and he too was upset. We just cannot put off the inevitable. Paul will confer with Dr. Sturdy sometime this week to see if there is someone who can take him. I still think if we cannot place him with an understanding rescue type person, we will have to put him down. If we have to do it then I would prefer to just go ahead and do it. I know that I will back out of doing it if we delay it at all. I still can't look at him without feeling terrible.

Ealier in the day, Paul had said that all we really needed to get out of the rig was the perishable food and stuff that could freeze, and the laundry. Of course, as soon as we got home, he started unloading everything. I was not really in the mood to disembowel the motorhome so I was not a very happy "camper". I started the laundry and Paul brought out all the stuff. After all this he went to Walgreens to pick up my prescription and to the Chinese place get some egg-drop soup and a couple of eggrolls and crab ragoon. We watched TV for a while. It took a while for the house to heat up. Allmost all my plants survived except the one our neighbor Sherry had sent us when grandma died...I can't recall the name, but it doesn't look like it will be bouncing back anytime soon.

As I sit here and think about our trip I have reached a number of conclusions:

1. I love to take cruises. I could live on a cruise ship quite easily.
2. Pepi is never going to like sharing food with Oscar and Snickers
3. I never thought I'd like the sun coast of Florida...Tampa/St Pete, Naples, etc. I actually do. However this new appreciation of these areas has nothing to do with the traffic in each location (because it is really nasty all the time) but the actual climate. Hmmm, ya think that's why so many people live there and spend the winter there? Big duuuuhhhh.
4. Dry camping is not all that terrible...all we have to do is figure out how the inverter works so we don't have to run the generator when we want to watch TV.
5. I enjoy having the opportunity to do whatever I want without committments dictating my daily activities. I could really enjoy the freedom of just sitting on the beach watching the birds and the wonderful sunsets.
6. Sleeping on the pullout couch is not bad at all with the air matress on top of the foam mattress. Like sleeping on a sleep number bed, kinda.
7. New motorhomes are outrageously over-priced, have no storage and have things we will never use, such as a washer/dryer. The decor in all of them is really really fugly.
8. Wifi is great, except where you are looking at the satellite dish and still the darn laptop tells ya no signal available. Traveling to find a hotspot is a pain in the tush.
9. I actually enjoy writing. Maybe not for earning a living, but to entertain myself and others. Maybe a weekly column? Short stories? The great American novel...nah that is too much to ponder at this point!
10. Gene, Paul and I really do get along very well, except when Pepi is being a little shit and Grandpa thinks its funny. I'ts not. It's irritating as all get out.
11. Paul and Grandpa do not change underware every day(ick), or they go without(double ick)...I haven't figured out which just yet. While doing the laundry I noticed I had a pair in the wash for every day (and sometimes two if I changed clothes or took a shower) and they maybe had one or two pairs. I am too embarressed to ask cause maybe I don't really wanna know, yanno?
12. I really will live if I don't shower everyday....but that's it. One day without a shower is ok...two is not and I can't stand it. I will never go more than one day without a shower.
13. The walls of the motorhome are so thin that you can hear what another person is doing in the bathroom (triple ick, although what is a person supposed to do? I told Paul he had to go to the campground restrooms from now on. Ick again)
14. TV dinners are pretty good and there is NO cleanup.
15. Paper plate are not all created equal...some are not worth buying and spill stuff all over the place.
16. I do not like the Fox channel except for Bones and House tv shows.
17. I can live without actually watching my soaps by reading the updates on line. He, he, he.
18. I still hate Katie Couric on the Today show. I never turn it on at home and was forced to watch it for Grandpa. Ugh. She still is cloyingly nice and I think a phoney.
19. Motorhomes do now offer king size beds...but only on the really expensive ones.(Refer to number 8 above.)
20. Paul and I should always share a meal, otherwise we are wasteful and never eat the leftovers unless it has the word pizza in it.
21. I discovered that I still am not a sun worshiper and still burn if precautions are not taken.
22. I missed my kitchen and I am not sure why. I certainly don't cook anymore.
23. I think I am going to have to have a hip replacement. I don't think that fits this list, but I am always conscious of being in pain.
24. Taking 5 small 2 mil valiums with two night time tylenol works well but still doesn't keep me from waking up and going to the bathroom at least 4 times per night.
25. Paul was not mad that I put my cold feet on him to warm them up, as a matter of fact, he didn't even wake up for heavens sakes.
26. The older Snickers our cat gets, the more loving she becomes. You can't sit down now without her jumping into your lap. And she doesn't care who's lap it is either!
27. Fat little Pepi can lose weight. He did on this trip. Grandpa actually had to take in the notches on his little harness.
28. Snickers will not walk on a leash, and there is not a harness created to keep her in it.
29. Cingular works well some places but not all even though they have us conviced this is true.
30. I can wear Berkies and no one looks at my ugly toes.
31. I must shave my legs when in Florida.

That's all I can think of right now. Paul has a roaring fire in the hearth and my toes are getting toasted...this is not a good thing.

Will post more later.

dennise

Friday, Paducah KY
Ducks Creek RV Park

Sorry about the Saturday morning at the KOA in Forysth, GA. I must have had a brain fart. I somehow lost Friday in my writing. I'll go ahead and change the blog so no one continues to think I'm nutso. Well, perhaps it is a bit late for that LOL!

Well, I asked Paul this morning if he was going try to make it home from outside Atlanta. Oh no, he tells me. Big fibber. Once again he has repeatedly said during throughout the day, "we can make it home, we are really close." Baloney! We were at this point at least 5 hours from home and it is 4 pm. Boy, how many times have we repeated this same scenario? This time we not only have Grandpa with us, but the furkids. When he pulls this crap and if we would push on, by the time we would get home, I would be so cranky and p*ssed, I wouldn't even be able to look at him. (Now, ask me how I know this!). Not to mention the fact that about 11 after 12 hours or so behind the wheel, he starts to fall asleep. He will deny this to the death. I know differently, I have witnessed the eye lids slowly drooping at half mast. That's when I slap him and yell "wake up you putz!" He will argue and argue that he was not falling asleep. If I didn't fear for my life I would videotape him. I am serious. I had to throw some really nasty comments his way before he finally he agreed to stop. This was of course after we had gone past several very nice campgrounds. So the only place to stay is Duck Creek Campground. It only has two W's in the Woodall's book so my expectations were rather low. It was a place to stop; they had electric and a pull through spot. Just how low this place is, well, trust me, this is trailer trash. A Mecca of old dilapidated trailers and fifth wheelers that are no longer road worthy. Good grief, some of these rigs have built over roofs on them and they look like something out of a National Geographic documentary of a third world country. I will take some pictures in the morning so you know that I am not making this up. Pictures don't lie!

We had BBQ steak, corn, baked potato and Texas five cheese toast for dinner. During the making dinner process I blew out the circuits. I had lamps on, the toaster oven and the microwave. Gee, just like home! I am really tired and I think Grandpa is too. We will hit the sack early and get home sometime before noon if we are lucky. I will call Mom in the morning and have her pick up our mail along with hers from the post office. We might not make it before their closing time at noon. I am not too anxious to get home. We do have a lot of stuff to do in the next week or so. Paul's shoulder replacement surgery on Friday, and has tests scheduled for Tuesday. Grandpa cancelled his colonoscopy before we are left so we need to call and get him another appointment. It will take us a few days to unload the rig. We have to do all the laundry, and strip the bed. We'll also have to wash all the blankets, blah, blah, blah. Ick. Oh well, I'll post more tomorrow.

Later

dennise

Saturday
Duck Creek Campground, Paducah, KY

Well, last night about 3 am I had to go to the bathroom (and what else is new you ask?). I am freezing. We have electric so we don'tt have to freeze because we have power to run the furnace fans. So why am I so cold? I crawl back into bed with you-know-who, and am startled at what I see. He had donned his FedEx heavy duty sweatshirt during the night and HAD THE HOOD UP OVER HIS HEAD! He looked like a dead monk. I lay there a moment and tried to figure out why it was so cold if the furnace was running. A light bulb went on over my head! Paul had plugged in a small electric heater in the bathroom area to make sure Grandpa got some warmth during the night. It was keeping the area around the thermostat just warm enough to fool the furnace into thinking it was warm! Duh! So very angrily I turned that sucker off, turned up the furnace and jumped back into bed next to the dead monk. Then I was cold so I couldn't go back to sleep. GRRRRR. But, I think I did finally doze off only to wake up at 6 am having to go to the bathroom again. Afterwards, I must have slept again as we woke up to a frigid but scenic Ducks Creek RV Resort. This place looks even worse in the morning light. We'll have a quick breakfast of toast and we will be off. We talked to Zack last night and he was crying the poverty blues so instead of going directly home we will take I64 to St. Louis and stop by to visit him. We will take him to lunch and Paul will slip him a twenty so he has money as payday isn't until Thursday. I remember talking to him when he returned to school; he had extra money in this account and he had thought the school made a mistake and paid him extra. Actually it was because they paid him early for January hours. Imagine that. I told him not to spend it like a drunken sailor,which judging by his down in the mouth phone voice crying poverty, he obviously didn't take my advice NOT spend the extra money in case the school found they had erred and withdraw it from the account. Well, here again, Zack has learned a very important life lesson. Some people have to have a brick hit 'em in the head. Zack is one of those poor souls.

Well, I have to go get the rig ready to roll. Will update when we get to the Flying J rendezvous point.

Later,

dennise


We have the genset running because we have entered the Artic zone aka Southern Illinois, I thought I'd write a bit more since I have power to run the PC (my battery is dying a very slow death). We have encountered February weather I guess, and it had to happen sooner or later. I am glad the folks up here had a nice month thus far; temps higher than normal; sunshine and 60 degrees. We took the cold with us when we left for Miami; recall me blogging that Miami had record cold temperatures when we arrived? Well not to be denied our obvious good luck, we are helping the folks in Illinois enjoy a normal February winter day. The trees are bare and look so dreary. I miss the beautiful palm trees, all 6 bazillion species of them. I miss seeing those graceful herons and sandpipers busily looking for a tasty tidbit of fish. I miss the warm breezes and the brilliant sunshine. Well, I am just feeling sorry for myself. I guess it will be good to get home and sleep in a real bed. Paul and I slept on the pull out sofa to let Grandpa have his privacy. It really worked out well. After the huge mattress on the sofa pull-out fiasco, we did adjust rather well to the 4 inch air mattress. I guess this is what the air number beds are like. I think we will think about replacing the atrocious mattress in the bedroom with one. Or a memory foam topper. Anything is better than the one that came with the rig. Grandpa slept well on it so it must not be that bad. After thinking back on this trip, I do think I would like to full time for a while. I don't think I could bear to sell the house and all our possessions just yet though. We can'tt afford to keep the house and be on the road fulltime. Mom and Cecil are ok, but the togetherness 24/7 in the rig is hard for two, with three it is a bit hard on veryone. Grandpa also misses having his own car. He mentioned that he didn't feel comfortable driving the Vue because his mastery of the 5 speed has deteriorated, his words, not mine. I think if we do go away again, we will find a place where he can fish. Although he and Paul did fish in Naples, they were not successful. It was amusing seeing a lot fish jumping out of the water at Sliver Lakes and nary a bite on their poles. They haven't caught a keeper sized fish I think since Grandpa lived in Spanish Lake, MO! I am sure we can find a place with good fishing. Of course the OCEAN has a lot of fish, hahaha! They didn't have the right gear to do that kind of fishing. There also was a nice pond at McDill where the cub scouts camp. I guess different local scouting groups use the tent camping area and then maybe get a tour of the base. There was a really beautiful pond in that area but I am not sure if one could fish there, or if there were any fish even in the pond. Besides its kinda close to the golf courses so you'd take your life is in danger from wayward golf balls. Most of the players are old farts and they can be a just a little bit um, shall we say wild? I don't enjoy fishing. I'd rather read or knit. Fishing puts me to sleep. Plus, I would never go deep sea fishing after my terrible experience in Cancun many many years ago (BM-before marriage). Well the furnace is on because of the generator and its giving me hot flashes. I will write more later.

dennise

here are the pictures I promised....


a nice view of mattesses, eh? The earth mover as an art piece is rather unique, dontcha think?



Here are the roofs...really classy I'd say!

I didn't post the very very obese cigarette man in his long johns smoking a cigarete

Thursday
Forsyth GA, just outside Macon

We have stopped for the night at the same KOA that we stayed in a number of years ago when we traveled south in the LaPalma with Zack to see my folks. I remember that we were close to the main office near the pool. The three of us went swimming. This is a good place to stop as it is far enough away from Atlanta that we will miss the terrible rush hour traffic in the morning. Paul is having a heck of a time getting the cable connection to work. I inquired at the desk and was told wifi was available. Yah, right. This is starting to honk me off just a tad. I cannot imagine being on the road full time and depending on wifi hot spots that are advertised. I think I would go bonkers. We are in the new area of the campground and there are only us and two other rigs here. It is a nice pull through site and the new shower house is about 50 feet away. As soon as we pulled in Oscar had to go out. Since Paulie was doing the hookups and Oskey was dancing around, I figured he must have to go pretty bad. I took him outside and he headed for that rich red Georgia clay that was nice and wet from the day’s rain. I pulled him back with all the strength I had and he stopped and pee’d in the road. Dufus. I can’t look at him in the eye, knowing that his days are numbered. I feel guilty….this is a DOG we are talking about, not a human. But furkids are just that- kids. I am like the caricature of a Jewish mother. Such guilt…jeesh! I think women in general have an extra guilt gene. It’s in our blood, our psyche. That gene then quadruples in size when a woman gives birth. This mutated gene continues to increase insidiously, silently getting larger in size as the child (or children…Mom’s with several children have even bigger problems with guilt genes, that’s a whole different situation of which the mother of an only kid can only speculate about) develop and grow older. Does a man get all misty eyed having to put a dog down? Nah…well perhaps some guys. Paulie is on the fence. I know that he doesn’t want to do it but we don’t have much of a choice. This is gonna bother me for a long time. When we put Sammie down, it was sad but it was the right thing to do to help him end his pain. I just have to believe that we really don’t have a choice. I don’t believe we can even chance Labrador rescue…this dog is really the proverbial ticking bomb. We have neighbors who have kids, and I just cannot imagine risking him going after one of the kids if one innocently goes into the yard or sticks his hand through the fence.

Well Paulie is back…some Gomer just came down from the office after Paul called and told them we were not getting any cable at all….you just can’t make up this stuff, yanno? Still no wifi signal. Fibbers…there is no wifi here…or maybe they need to turn the modem on?

Later….dennise

Thursday evening-continued

Since the KOA here has expanded, they have added a Pizza kitchen to the main office. And they deliver. Free. Since we had pizza for lunch, Grandpa just finished his piece for dinner. Paul and I are not too hungry so we call up the pizza place and they also have mozzarella sticks and chicken bites. So Paul calls up and orders a one of each, sticks and bites. About 15 minutes later Gomer’s cousin Goober shows up with the order. They were delicious.
Now the cable was working, and we were full with great junk food. What else could we want? Grandpa fell asleep on the couch; he said driving all day just pooped him out, LOL! We watched Dancing with the Stars until CSI came on. Grandpa had to go to bed. We sat up and watched CSI and ER. At least tonight we have electric and we can keep the FURNACE on. Glory Be!


Friday morning at the KOA in Forsyth GA
February 3, 2006

I woke up this morning and could feel my face. Wow, what a rush! I made coffee and the guys took out the furkids for their morning duty walk. It is very warm here and the weatherman’s forecast indicates a high of 60 degrees. Wow, where has winter gone? I have noticed as I am sure most of us have, that there has been a change in our weather patterns. Mild winters and long humid hot summers. Drought in one part of the country and flooding in another. Odd? I suppose one could blame the ozone loss, but I think that we are just going through what the world does every now and then, change climates. Do we recall our history or Earth Science classes? The earth has changed a lot over the last gazillion years or so. We are just experiencing normal (hahaha) earthly changes, so why sweat it. I do think if I lived in California, I’d find another place to stake my tent. Just an opinion, of course. I do think that California will eventually be part of the Pacific Ocean floor, again, JMHO. Well, I guess I better get my buns outta this chair and fix breakfast. Yesterday, I had my great Kashi Go Lean Special, a concoction I created…cereal that normally tastes like cardboard, but the way I do it, is really good. Take the suggested serving size (one cup and I do measure!) a carton of low fat, no sugar added yogurt, and some thawed frozen berries from the bag (Wal-Mart, really good price, three berries version). Wahla! Healthy (fiber galore) sweet from the berries and yogurt for its great cultures. What more could a person ask for? I digress. Grandpa and Paulie had COOKIES for breakfast. Bad, bad, bad. I am making them eat something more substantial this morning. Listen to me. The nutrition guru. That’s a good one!

Well, we will eat, break down the rig connections and be one our way. Atlanta here we come! I sure hope all the cars have reached their destination and are off the road by the time we get there.

Later

dennise

Well, after a wonderful 10 days in Tampa at McDill AFB visiting with Hank and Elizabeth Kerr, it was time to bid our farewells. We don't want to rush home so we should be home by Sunday at the latest. We have stopped at the FlyingJ near the Georgia - Florida boarder. I was able to log on here to send this update. I really thought my purchasing the month on their wifi would be good and I'd get my money's worth. Wow, what a learning curve this wifi business is! In my own defense, I was under the assumption we would be going west after the cruise. I also thought the $20 I spent would be well used as we tend to stop at all Flying J's for diesel and a break. There are no Flying J's where we were! So, I have until Feb 4th to use up my 20 bucks. Not gonna happen I think. Well, Pauly has finished fueling and I have a hankerin' for a piece of pizza and need to use the ladies room, I will sign off for now.

Later

dennise

McDill AFB
Tampa, FL

This morning dawned bright and sunny; however it was so cold I could not feel my face any more. This is getting old. After a perfectly dreadful night of sleeplessness due to the darn cold, nasty hip pain, fretting about what to do about our dear Oscar, and sadness that our stay here would end soon, I got up to meet the day. The beautiful day we had yesterday was going to repeat itself, this time with warmer temps. After a breakfast of coffee and raisin toast, we are off to pick up the Kerr's for our planned trip to John's Pass. This attraction in the St Petersburg area is a tourist mecca where one can rent any type of watercraft imaginable, visit seafood restaurant after seafood restaurant, and spend mucho dinero in trendy little shops that are really very charming. We had a great lunch of shrimp, clams, scallops and (ick, not me) oysters. Elizabeth was the only one in the group that stayed the healthy choice path and had her platter broiled. The rest of us chowed down on fried everything. It was delicious. After dining, we strolled along the boardwalk. I was surprised to learn that it is impossible to maintain my balance looking down at my feet when there is space between the boards. The water whooshing below throws me completely off kilter. Good grief couldn't wait to get off the boardwalk. Elizabeth and I had a great time checking out the little shops and boutiques. I gave in and bought a few things. Paulie was not happy, but then when does my shopping ever make him happy? Elizabeth bought a beautiful purple dress embroidered with black thread imported from India. She will be a true standout at our next Cenois Red Hat get together in May. It needs to be altered a bit but it has a short cropped jacket over a sun dress that is really beautiful. She told me that she would always remember our day here when she wears this dress. I will remember it also when I see her in it. After buying some fudge (oh my) and a shirt for Zack, we headed back to the car. We went to St Petersburg Beach and walked along the water, looking for shells. I had gathered some on Naples beach and wanted to have enough to put into a canning jar lamp that I now have filled with potpourri. Both Elizabeth and I have balance problems and it is amazing neither one of us fell into the gulf waters. It was the end of a perfect day. New pictues have been posted at Yahoo Photos, Rocketmom1985's albums.

Tomorrow morning we will pack up the rig and head north. I think we all have had a great time here in Florida. I'll continue to post our adventures along the way home. You never know just who and what we will encounter.

Later

dennise

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