We're packing up and cleaning out, getting ready to move to Georgia to Sprewell Bluff State Park for the month of September. Sprewell Bluff is a day use park and does not have overnight camping facilities. There is a ranger who lives on the premises and takes care of most issues. We will be caring for the day use facilities around the picnic area down by the Flint River which runs through the park and just general upkeep where needed.




We will be moving to F.D.Roosevelt State Park on 10/1 through 12/31.

August 19.....

Friday, two weeks ago, we took the short drive west down Hwy.98 to visit friends Ron & Barb Gurta in Navarre, Fl. They have a beautiful home on the water with gorgeous views of the bay from almost every room.
We had a wonderful visit and Barb fixed a great lunch we enjoyed out by the pool. Buddy and Katie greeted each other like old friends and shared Katie's lunch and toys!

The lovely Katie


Buddy loved the tile floors


Refreshing dip in the pool before lunch

Yummy lunch by the pool. The ceiling fans kept us cool!

Barb's new kitchen

View from family room

We are looking forward to seeing them again in Georgia, when we are hosting at F.D.R. State Park!

We moved to another site on Wednesday

Here we are set up on the Campground Host site. Internet service is much better up here.

Here's a view of the lake and beach from one of the picnic areas. Nice and quiet in the fall.

This little dog is the spittin' image of our 'Elvis.' I couldn't believe it when I saw them get out of their truck! They are from Carrollton and said they found him on their front porch 12 years ago. Wow...Elvis was 14 and we found him the same way. They camp here often so we'll see them again.

Last photo from Texas

Here's the last of the cacti.....taken on our trip from Texas to Florida July 3rd.

We've been very busy since returning. We got back to Florida on July 4, taking just 2 days to travel over 1000 miles from Del Rio, TX (we weren't in a hurry or anything, lol!) Just glad to be back.

We stayed at cousin Marilyn's place from Saturday until Friday, July 10, when we moved on down to St. Andrews State Park at Panama City Beach, Fla. to begin our volunteer duties. We have the same site as last year, #103, looking out on the bay. Samantha and Nathan and the 3 boys came that night and stayed til Monday. Two boys, Kyle and Logan, stayed with us. We've been busy with them and trying to keep them entertained!

And lots of beach fun, too!!

Project 365 Day 53

MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA

Yesterday we arrived at Fontainebleau State Park in Mandevile, Louisiana and today we backtracked a little to tour the beach area around Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi.

This georgeous sunset is from the beach at the campground, over Lake Pontchartrain.

Coming in to roost for the night......

The devastation from Katrina is still very evident along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Virtually every structure along US 90 from Waveland to Biloxi was destroyed. Huge concrete slabs remain where little strip shopping centers used to be. One large sign still stands where the Outback Steakhouse was located. Driving along the beach road you see these massive, slightly broken, oak trees hovering over slab after slab but no houses. Driveways turn off the highway and disapear into the sand. Many of the empty lots have For Sale signs.

Despite all of this there is plenty of new construction going on. Several new hotels and condo complexes are already operating and many new commercial buildings are also open....MacDonald's, Waffle House, Ihop, banks (of course), a few strip shopping centers, etc. I would guess that for every new structure there are a dozen vacant lots. Almost all of the debris is gone and repairs and upgrades to the roads are ongoing.

The saddest looking area is the beach road at Waveland. All the houses are gone and the water comes right up to the road with not much beach in some areas.

Waveland beach road.

A lot of the people who are rebuilding their homes are living in travel trailers, fifth wheels, or motor homes while the construction is going on. Some are just living in the rv's and haven't started construction yet. Some have the FEMA mobilel homes that look like little 'shotgun' houses..........cute but very small.

Project 365 Day 47

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!!!!!!!!!

Our favorite Christmas tree and sunset.

~ The Goat Man of John Tanner State Park ~

Our first day as volunteers at John Tanner State Park near Carrollton, Ga., we met the Goat Man. He lives just outside the park and every weekend he brings his two goats (Princess, 17 months and Lil' Mike, 18 months) for a walk through the park and campground. He said he just does it so the kids can see and pet the goats. He told us all about how he gives them baths, grooms them and takes them for rides in his truck. They were very tame and friendly. Princess has tennis balls on her horns because hers are a little sharper than Lil' Mike's and the goat man doesn't want any children to get scratched. Apparently he treats them just like he would treat two dogs.....just part of the family.

The Goat Man with Princess and Lil' Mike

Princess

Lil' Mike

Walking the goats

John Tanner State Park is a beautiful park in northwest Georgia. It is just off Interstate 20, west of Atlanta, and only about 20 miles from the Alabama state line. The city of Carrollton is just 5 minutes away and is home to West Georgia College. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, theatres and golfing in Carrollton.

The park itself is best known for having the largest sand swimming beach of any Georgia State Park. There are two lakes for water lovers to boat, fish, swim and rent pedal boats. There are also hiking trails, volleyball on the beach, miniature golf, horseshoes, playgrounds, and picnicking. To stay overnight or longer there is a full facility campground and even six motel-type units located near the beach with fully equipped kitchens. Events are held monthly in the park such as March's Turkey hunting and safety classes and the Triathlon in April, consisting of a 600 meter swim, 11.2 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run.

The area is especially beautiful in the late fall when the leaves are turning yellow, orange and red. Many of the county roads have gorgeous trees in full color in November. Also nearby is Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historical Site, one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields in the nation.

We volunteered as Campground Hosts at Tanner for the month of November, 2008. As hosts, we would greet new arrivals in the campground after the office had closed for the day, take their payments and give receipts and answer any questions they might have. We also sold firewood and ice, after hours, for the rangers. During the day, we would ride through the park in the volunteer's golf cart and pick up any trash left behind. We'd also clean out the fire pits when campers left.

We enjoyed our experience at this park so much that we have already signed up for November and December of 2009 and 2010!

~ Funky Little Eatery ~

Front entrance to KC's

KC's Pizza and Subs in Vernon, Florida, will soon be just a pleasant memory. The State is widening the highway that goes through downtown Vernon (pop. 757) in order to have a 4-lane evacuation route for the next hurricane. Any business in the way must close or relocate to a yet to be built strip center just outside of town. KC's decided to sell to a new owner who will relocate some time in the future. They have great Philly Cheese Steaks and I've heard the pizza is excellent.

Side or Main Entrance to KC's

Inside front counter at KC's

Another shot of inside counter

Part of dining area

More of dining area

Tree stump in dining area

Funky rooster

Funky spices!

The last day of business for KC's is November 8th. We will be leaving the area on October 30th for our next volunteer location at John Tanner State Park in Georgia so we will try to make one more visit to KC's before we leave!

FYI - Gas is $2.59 in Wausaw, Florida. Note from Georgia: gas was $1.99 and $2.29 at Marathon in Buford last Monday and Tuesday!!

~ Low Internet Service ~

We decided to leave St. Andrews on Friday, 8/22, when the state ordered mandatory evacuation of all the campers. Volunteers could stay, but because we had SOLD (!) the motor home we thought we should keep it safe until we deliver it to the new owners in Newnan, GA.

We stopped over in Vernon, FL, at our cousin's place to wait out the storms and rain. Today there is finally some sunshine. The internet service with my Sprint data card is slow (roaming) in this area so I haven't been able to do much. We've been busy packing up our belongings in the MH and will unload it all at my daughter's house in Georgia before delivering it to the new owners. Then we have the fun (?) of looking for a new RV - this time a travel trailer.

We're planning to leave for home tomorrow! Yippee! Four months is a long time to be away from family. Our next "gig" isn't until November at John Tanner SP near Carrollton, GA. In the meantime we will be visiting with family while looking for a new home on wheels.

So long old girl. We had a fun ride for a year!

~ Where to begin ~

OK, I am finally here, getting this blog started. I have been putting it off for far too long. Starting a blog has been on my list of things to do for a long time!

Where to start? First, let me introduce myself to you. I am Susan, the Beach Bum. My husband of 40 years (in Jan.’09) is Sam, the reluctant Beach Bum. We have two children and 5 grandchildren. They all live in Georgia, but about 1 ½ hours apart. My son, Scott and Angelia, have a daughter Mackenzie (6 ½) and a son Ethan (11 weeks). My daughter, Samantha and Nathan, have three boys; Kyle (almost 5), Logan (2 ½), and Tyler (1 ½).

Sam retired in 2006. We purchased the motor home in August of 2007 and took off for our first volunteer position as soon as I retired in October of 2007. That was at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park on Cape San Blas, Florida, where we were campground hosts until the end of January, 2008. From there we went to Red Top Mountain State Park in Acworth, Georgia, where we volunteered until the end of March, 2008. We are currently serving as volunteer campground hosts at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Florida. All of these positions are strictly volunteer. For compensation for our 20 or so hours a week, we receive a free site for our motor home with water, electric and sewer hookups. There are some other perks like free use of the park's facilities such as water shuttle to Shell Island, lounge chairs and umbrellas on the beach, kayaks, laundry, ice machine, and annual passes to other State Parks.

When we leave St. Andrews, just after Labor Day, we will head north to Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge in the north Georgia mountains for the 3-day annual Volunteer Conference and Gathering compliments of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. We are leaving the RV in Florida at our cousin's lovely home (more on this later) and will stay in the lodge for the conference. We are looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones. Here are two of the volunteer couples from Red Top.