Still In Florida

We have just finished our 3rd month in Florida and we're both ready to hit the road again. Last week we drove over to the east coast of Florida and stayed 2 nights at Daytona Beach. The first day we drove on the beach and had lunch at a restaurant at the end of the old race track where they drove part on the beach and part on the road! It was a fun day. The next day we joined Ken's cousin in Titusville and watched the Discovery shuttle launch. What an amazing sight to see. I'm so glad Ken talked me into staying so that we could witness it. The power and force it takes to break free of the earth's gravitation is something you just can't describe! We felt the rumble of the take-off even though people around us said it was very disappointing compared to other times. I guess the wind conditions prevented us from experiencing the full impact. All in all, it was wonderful to see. We took a video of it so I don't have pictures I can include in this blog but it was great to capture even a small part of such an event.

It's in the 80's now so we've gone from winter clothing to bathing suits in a week! Ken's mom is still with us and in a nursing home so we will go visit her tomorrow and after that make our plans as to when we will leave and start heading west. We anticipate being in S. Calif. all of April and then heading to Oregon. Keep in touch and I plan to write on this every Saturday since there will be something to write about now that we're on the road again!!

Life in the RV, Part 2

We're beginning our 3rd month in Florida so we haven't been "on the road" and have not had much to share. We decided to stay for the shuttle launch on Feb. 24th. We're also staying around because Ken's mom is not doing well. She's in the hospital now with blood clots in her lungs and will return to a nursing home because Ken's brother is unable to care for her at home anymore. It's a hard time, but we're glad we had the holidays with her.

I never thought we would stay so long in one place once we began this lifestyle, but weather and family circumstances have affected our plans. And that's the best part of this lifestyle - we don't have to be anywhere so we can come and go as we like! Being in Florida with all the snowbirds has also taught us to make reservations at RV parks as far in advance as possible. Every park is full until April 1st! Right now we are at a park outside Orlando that is built around a golf course. It sure is busy on the course every day.

While sitting here in Florida, I've looked back on all we've done since August. The memories are wonderful but so is all the food we've bought along the way. This morning I had Meyer Lemon Pear Marmalade on my toast that I purchased in Paso Robles, CA. The Lingonberry jam in the cupboard is from Wisconsin and the rubard wine from S. Dakota needs to be sampled. We have enjoyed Maple Walnut pancake mix from New Hampshire, Biltmore Estate wines for the holidays, and blueberries from Maine. We don't have room for nicknacks or other mementos but I'm enjoying the food we've purchased from different parts of the country. They are nice reminders of our travels and don't take up too much room. Alligator jerky will not be added to the larder. YUCK! I'll have to find something else from Florida - citrus fruit!

Thanks for joining us - again. I'll be sure to tell you all about the launch!

Thunder Storms

What a day. We woke up to rain on the roof and thunder crashing outside our window. Florida needs the rain and so we will stay home and just enjoy watching the rain and lightning.

We were in Tampa for the RV show and had a great time. We participated in our first RV rally and met so many nice people. This rally provided five nights of camping with electricity only (we call that semi-boondocking), donuts and coffee in the morning and entertainment three different nights and church Sunday morning! It was fun, we laughed a lot, saw a lot of stuff you can buy for your RV, learned some important tips at the seminars we attended and made new friends. We joined the Thor Diesel Group because our motor home is made by Thor and it's a diesel engine. Everyone there had a Mandalay and it was nice to be with  people who own the same thing we do. They have rallies several times a year so I'm sure we will meet up with them again.

Living this life is exciting. You don't have time to get to know people gradually. Once you're set up at a place you go walking around the campground and start meeting people. The connections are quick, you take pictures so you remember what they look like, and the next time you meet, you pick up where you left off. Ken has a hard time remembering names but he keeps trying.

While we were in Tampa we went and visited Ken's mom. She is in the hospital right now with a severe urinary tract infection. She's not eating very much so isn't getting her strength back. At 89 it's not really surprising. With her condition in question, we have decided to stay in Florida a while longer to see how she does. The weather everywhere else is not condusive to traveling so we will stay.

Keep in touch!

Happy New Year

I'm a week late wishing all of you Happy New Year but better late than never, right?

We have spent the whole week at Independence RV here in Orlando. We had a roof leak and the ceiling panels were failing because of the leak, so we brought the motorhome here to see if they could fix it. After talking with the factory and discovering it was a design flaw, our service tech designed a solution and it's working! It's nice to find a service center that is honest, willing to work with us and able to do the work. We have not found that before now. Since the work is in the front of the coach, the kitties spend the day in the bedroom and that's a lot better than having to cage them up and put them in the car. The back lot of the dealership isn't a great park, but we have electricity and water so we spend every night in our home.

We wanted to stay and see the shuttle lauch but they have pushed it back to the end of February so I think we will get back on the road. We'll go to Tampa next week for a huge RV show and then probably start heading west on I-10.  Stay in touch and I'll let you know where we are!

Christmas in Florida

It's been a very different December for us and I am finally ready to spend some time writing this note. We moved back to the Orlando area December 14th and will remain in the area for a while yet. Ken wants to see the shuttle launch scheduled for February 3rd. We'll explore more of Florida but we'll do it by car.

Christmas was good. I got all the decorations out once we got back to Orlando and made our home very festive. Kristin flew from England and spent 4 days with us so that made it extra-special. The weather turned very cold (for Florida) so Ken and I gave each other an electric blanket for Christmas!! Global warming!

On Christmas day, we met the family at a local hotel for their Christmas buffet. It was a wonderful meal, a great time of talking and laughing and just being with family. Ken's mom and brother drove from Largo (by Tampa) and Ken's niece and family came from Jacksonville so there were 12 of us all together. No fire broke out (thankfully) and it was just a great day to be together.

We look forward to continuing this journey in the New Year and hope all of you have a blessed year.

Ken & Mary Jo

December in Florida, Part 1

After our exciting Thanksgiving I thought life would be boring, but these two weeks have been anything but!! We were able to visit Epcot at a reduced rate and got fantastic seats for the Candle Light Processional! It was Christ-centered and the music was inspiring!

From Orlando, we drove over to Largo to see Ken's mom and brother and then down the west coast to the Everglades. The airboat ride was fun and some pelicans joined us! We saw manatees and an alligator and lots of birds. Florida weather is on the chilly side so we haven't been in the water but it's beautiful just the same.

We drove halfway down the Keys with the motor home and stopped in Marathon for 2 nights and drove to Key West in the car. Again, it was cold (low 60's) so we didn't do much other than drive around. Since Ken had his picture taken at the farthest northeastern point in the US, I decided he needed to take my picture at the southmost point!

From the Keys we drove up to Ft. Lauderdale and from there we toured the Miami/Miami Beach/Ft. Lauderdale area along the coast. It was a little warmer (low 70's) and we had fun at least walking on the sand and looking at the sights.

We're in the middle of Florida now and will explore Sarasota and St. Petersburg tomorrow. We will also visit a couple we met in Indiana last September who are spending the winter in Holmes Beach! We'll go back to Orlando on Tuesday and spend the holidays with Ken's family. Hopefully no fires this time! Kristin will come from England so that will make the holidays extra special!

May your holidays be the best yet!

Thanksgiving Day

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. Our day started out okay traveling to Jacksonville but it sure got exciting. As we were putting the final touches on our meal the kid upstairs came down and said his condo was on fire (he was home alone). Ken's niece called 911, I helped Ken's mom outside and everyone else started taking jewelry, clothes, shoes, computers and important papers out the door. About 20 fire trucks responded plus a tanker truck, an ambulance and a ladder truck.

The policemen were very nice and when they kept telling us to move, they offered to take Ken's mom in their car because she couldn't walk very well. And what shows up on the news that night, but pictures of us getting into the police car!!

They were able to confine the fire to the upstairs condo with hardly any damage to our family's condo! After 3 hours, the fireman allowed us to go back into the condo and retrieve our food and a friend allowed us to use her condo. So after all of that, we had dinner as a family and were very thankful!

This is definitely one of the holidays we will never forget!