Hello again! We are getting ready to hit the road in May 2015, but in the meantime we have a few trips each month, our last being in Tampa for the RV Super Show. We stayed at the Tampa East RV Resort and this will be one campground we will not return to! We were literally backed in to a site that had our bedroom being serenaded every night by the tunes of I-4 East with a reprieve between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Plus, it was a muddy mess due to the weather, and it was cold. If we hadn't paid for the week, we would have pulled out a few days early.
The RV Super Show was just like the past couple of years with the new motorhomes being presented. We have not found a motorhome we would trade in on. Our 2012 Meridian 36M is perfect for us, absolutely perfect.
We made the mistake of going to "Senior Day" to save "a buck". The show had the largest turn out EVER on that Wednesday, January 14, and we can attest to that fact, as we were part of the many "seniors" who made each aisle feel like a sardine container, which made one feel claustrophobic (especially me). Ironically, in one of these very crowded aisles, we ran into Ron and Mary Frieberg, a couple we met during our Alaska Caravan in 2013! It was absolutely wonderful to see them again, albeit at the RV Super Show! They are from Michigan, wintering in Florida, camping in the state parks! We hope to see them again before they head north.
Our friends from Port St. Lucie, Pat and Sherri, were also camping at Tampa East; however, they were fortunate to NOT have their coach backed up to I-4, so they had restful nights during their stay! It was nice to see them and we look forward to camping with them again.
Since my last blog, our lovely daughter Erica has come to live with us in Ocala, traveling to and from Tampa (USF) each day. She, like her mama, loves to drive, so the daily trek is nothing for her to do. It has been a bit of an adjustment having her home, but it has also been nice to have her around. She will be with us for perhaps a year (she returned to the nest in November). Her apartment in Tampa had a sharp decline in the tenant dynamics, which made her feel unsafe, resorting to living with a baseball bat next to her bed. When she asked to move home with us, we did not hesitate. She has had to adjust to "our" lifestyle as well and the fact that she now lives in a 55 and over community! LOL!
With that being said, when we went to Tampa for the week, we left Jake and Fritz home with Erica, to keep her company. We will, however, be taking them on the road with us when we head out again, which will be in February.
February ... we will be driving to Citra, FL for a 4 night, 5 day outing with our Mid-Florida Winnie Gators RV Club (Feb. 8-12). My wonderful husband surprised the heck outta me when he told me we were going to see Phil - in Minnesota! We will be flying to Minneapolis on February 25 and returning March 2. This should be quite the adventure, as we have not been in cold weather as "severe" as it is or will be in a very long time (over 35 years at least)! As Phil puts it, "you will be okay going from building to car, car to building"! LOL! It doesn't matter actually, because we just want to see our son. We have not seen him since September and that was only for a quick lunch in Orlando. Yes, we have Facetime, where we can see him, but not being able to hug him has been really hard. And, Thanksgiving and Christmas were particularly tough not having the entire family together. To say we're excited is an understatement!
Before we head west again, we have an outing each month prior to. We will be leaving in May with a few destinations that will take us through West Monroe, LA (Duck Dynasty); Larkspur, CO (Paul and Ann McLaughlin); Spokane, WA (Thom will be umpiring a baseball tournament with his buddies); Columbia Falls, MT (Glacier National Park); Forest City, IA (Grand National Rally for Winnebago/Itasca owners); and, Burnsville, MN where Erica will fly in for a long weekend (this will be the first two weeks of August). We have plans to return to Florida by the third week of August.
The trip west will be quite different. We have only made reservations in Spokane (July 4th week), Columbia Falls (a must), and Forest City (again, a must). We will get with Paul and Ann when we figure out when we'll be arriving in Larkspur. Otherwise, we will be taking it day-by-day with plans to park at Wal-Mart, Cabela's, Cracker Barrel, or other rest areas that allow motorhomes to park for one night - for free! This will be an adventure for sure, one that we are ready to start!
An update on our son Phil - He has adjusted to the MN winter weather and the sports offered, i.e. ice fishing, broom ball, and tubing. He enjoys the snow and was quite disappointed when the snow before Christmas melted and it was not a "White Christmas". His girlfriend, Zuly, has also adjusted and seems to enjoy life in the Midwest. She has to travel the roads more so than Phil, as he works less than a mile from their apartment but she travels about 20 miles. Her first time driving in the snow was daunting, but she has tackled it quite well! Oh, to be young again! I have to say, I give them props for taking on the challenges of a new city, state, and jobs, and not having regrets to never had tried.
Phil has done extremely well with his job at Walser Automotive. The last quarter of 2014, out of 121 Customer Service Technicians in 14 dealerships, Phil placed eighth! He is meeting his minimum requirements monthly and is getting bonuses plus his weekly pay. He will be recognized with the others who round out the top ten with a dinner with the owners (Walser brothers) and the GMs. We are quite proud of him!
As for Thom and me, we have settled in Ocala. Our garden did so-so and are contemplating what to do the next year with our plot of weeds. Just as our squash was getting ready to become a vegetable, the frost came and killed them along with the tomatoes that we got 2 grape sized tomatoes from! The romaine I planted was the wrong type and it is still alive and growing but it is more like "field greens". We planted red onions and it looked like they were growing, but when I pulled what I thought would be a nice purple onion is just the bulb we planted months ago! The two strawberry plants are still alive and actually have fruit, but they have bite marks on them, so we tossed them! So, what to do, what to do? I do know that I am going to dig up the weed garden and pour weed killer into the dirt, if nothing else!
As for BINGO, I finally got to yell "BINGO" and I won $12.50! I didn't care that I had to split the pot that game, I just wanted to yell "BINGO"! I love not just the game but the ladies I play with on Thursdays. There's nothing like laughter and the 5 of us laugh all night long!
Thom and I are still Bocce Ball Club members and play Thursday mornings. SummerGlen had the courts redone and bought new Bocce balls. Oh what a difference this has made! We are getting better and better at this game. Again, we enjoy the folks we have met and play with.
I started playing Canasta on Thursday afternoons as well. I have met another group of ladies that like to laugh. I have found that the ladies of SummerGlen are quite friendly and enjoy life, which is up my ally!
As you can see, Thursdays are very busy for us!
Along with the above, I have started playing BUNCO monthly with the SummerGlen group of ladies and was invited to join a group of 12 ladies who play once a month in the private home setting. Again, it is a day and night of laughter!
Thom continues with the Investment Club along with our neighbor Erwin. He is also involved with the Photography Club. And, although we have only traveled once with the SummerGlen RV Club, we will continue to travel with them when we are here.
Thom has golfed a few times with Erica's boyfriend, Matt, who has played golf probably all of his life with his Dad. They played two rounds over Matt's Christmas break and Thom had a birdie! With time and lessons, Thom will do very well!
Football 2014 came and went. Now, it is baseball season and Thom is attending the local association's meetings and clinics. He has quite a few scrimmages the upcoming weeks. He continues as the TCOA Arbiter Administrator, which is a love-hate situation, but one that he truly enjoys.
I will be blogging each month until we head out in May, and then I will blog each night. I have to say, I enjoy this "blog thing"!
Until I blog again ...
