Who's been here?

My wish is that everyone who clicks on my blog would leave a comment. I know this is impossible but I'd really like to know who is reading and what you think. And it's a good way to keep in touch with everyone.

In over two years, there has been over 7500 'visitors' to my blog but I only know a few of you. Bloggers really love to get comments.......good, bad, or indifferent. I always try to leave a little note when I read blogs to let them know I was there and enjoyed (or not) their thoughts, opinions, etc. Speak up and let me know! Thanks in advance. :-)

That said, here are 4 wallpaper borders I'm considering for the camper to replace the ugly factory installed grape (?) motif. Keep in mind I am looking for the old-world, slightly worn, 50's-60's Florida look. The curtain, valances, cornice boards, furniture, etc., will eventually be changed with matching colors, prints, etc. The basic wall color will remain the same.

Here are a couple of pics of the original wallpaper border and the cornice covering and swag curtain. Very dull and boring. This border is 5 and 7/8" wide.

The first two borders are 8" wide and the second two are 6" wide. Either size will work.

#1

#2

#3

#4

I've already decided on which one I like but would love to hear your opinions.

Catching up...........

Monday, the 4th, was so cold and overcast, we just sat around watching TV and reading. I don’t think it ever got above freezing. Sam worked with the maintenance man in between keeping warm in the ‘shop’.

Tuesday, the 5th, was better because the sun was shining. It’s very nice shining in the picture window at the back of the camper. We just had honey nut cheerios for breakfast and PB & J sandwiches with chips for lunch.

After lunch, and All My Children, I decided to get out and do some goofing around. I went to Target to see if they had any leftover Christmas markdowns. Not much there. I went to the library and got a book to read, then stopped by the movie kiosk at Walgreens, Redbox, to pick up a movie to watch later that night since there is NOTHING on TV - not even on 200-plus channels. By now it is after 5:00 and I didn’t want to go back and cook anything so I picked up Burger King (free whoppers) and headed back to the camper.

We ate dinner, made some cookies, and watched the movie, “Julie and Julia.” It was pretty good and well worth the $1 rental fee.

Wednesday, today, we woke up to find the propane had run out. With the electric heater, the furnace only kicks on a few times in the night so it wasn’t that cold without it. I stayed under the electric blanket while Sam walked Buddy and then went and had one of the propane tanks filled. It was about 9:00 when he returned. He also returned the movie to the kiosk while he was out.
The eye doctor’s office called about 10:00 to let us know that our glasses were ready and since they close at noon on Wednesdays, I had to hustle to get ready. We left about 11:00 and had plenty of time. (I don’t like to rush in the mornings!) : )

Nice Publix Deal………..
After getting our new glasses, we went to Publix to get the flyer for the new sale (their sale starts on Wednesdays here in Carroll County). Nothing very exciting in their sale. The penny item this week is a bag of Publix Tortilla Chips (reg. $2.59) but now you have to buy the Wednesday paper to get the coupon for the penny item. I’ll need to work it out so that it is worth the cost of the paper ($.70) to get the coupon.

I managed to get two pounds of ground beef, a bunch of celery (for chicken salad and to eat with cream cheese), OnCor frozen entrée (Salisbury steaks and gravy), a jar of mustard (for Sam‘s ham sandwiches), the newspaper (for the coupon), the $.01 tortilla chips, 4 packs of Yakisoba chicken noodle soup, and 6 bottles of Sundown Vitamins (Vitamin D). Total was $36.93 and after senior discount and coupons, I paid $.58! ; )

Since we were out around lunch time, we had fish and fries at Captain D’s for lunch (free with coupons). : )

When we returned to the camper, Sam went outside to dump the black tank only to find that the poop was frozen in there. LOL! No dumping til the spring thaw! Hopefully, that won’t be long. The tank’s not full so we will use the bathroom sparingly and go to the bathhouse when possible. The grey tank is fine….not frozen. (the shower water, sink water, etc.)

Guess we’ll watch the comedy shows on CBS and have soup for dinner.

And we had 3 campers Tuesday night and 2 tonight.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Ethen wasn't too happy to see Santa but Mackenzie tried to console him!

Santa's helpers...........

or Santa's Reindeer???

Logan at the Carousel at the Mall


And then meeting with Santa!

Kyle was in school (and he went last year) so Logan had a turn going with us to the Mall of Georgia this year. Next year will be Tyler's turn!

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 31

Sunset from our site (103) at St. Andrews State Park, July 2008

~ Project 365 Day 11 ~

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr......had to break out the purple fuzzies! 18 degrees in Carrollton, Georgia, is too cold for November. 11 days to FLA!

~ Project 365 Day 10 ~

The lake at Tanner State Park .....................

~ Project 365 Day 9 ~

~ Project 365 Day 7 ~

16 more days

~ The best laid plans........ ~

Here we are just a little over a year since retiring and hitting the road. We find ourselves in our home state of Georgia. In the past year we have been to Florida and Georgia……..our pitiful version of hitting the road.

Money, or the lack of it, was always a good excuse for staying close but we could volunteer in Utah or Virginia for the same cost as volunteering in Georgia or Florida, except for gas. Gas played a part in our choices when it was upwards to $4.00 a gallon and we drove a motor home and a truck too heavy for the MH to tow. Now it’s down to around $2.00 a gallon so we can fill up the truck for $50 instead of $100. That’s a big difference.

Another excuse was the fact that I was scared to go any distance in the motor home. I was afraid it would break down somewhere and we would be stuck far, far away. We have a travel trailer now and that old fear is mostly replaced with the lesser fear of the tow vehicle dying.

I’ve decided that in order to travel and see the things we want to see and do, I have to let go of the bigger fear……I must be okay with leaving my family (mother, kids, grandkids, cousins, etc.). That is what is holding us back. At least that is what is holding me back. Sam was ready to go months ago. I have convinced myself that everyone will be okay if we are gone for a few months and I won’t miss them so much if we are having a wonderful time. Right?

With that said, we have plans to leave December 10th from Florida and travel along I-10, stopping whenever and wherever we want. We plan to travel no more than 200 miles a day and stay overnight for several nights at the time. We are going to spend several weeks in Texas along the I-10 corridor around Beaumont, Houston, San Antonio and San Marcos. We may find workamper jobs along the way or not. If we make it to El Paso that will be a great accomplishment! Then on through New Mexico and Arizona. We will probably visit Quartzsite while in that area. We are looking to arrive at Las Vegas by mid-February and will work at the NASCAR race the end of February and first of March.

I'd like to see this!

Is this a problem in Texas??

After March 2nd, we will start back home probably along I-40 most of the way. We need to be home to visit for a while because we have a job at Adventureland in Iowa beginning the latter part of April which last for 5 months through the end of September.

The rest of November, I’ll be spending time looking online and finding areas of interest to visit on our trip. We don’t want to be tied to a specific schedule so we’ll just play it by ear as we go along. That is also a new one for me as I always make exact plans and reservations for every place we go. It will be different.

~ Where does the time go? ~

I wanted to start my Project 365 for the past week but just haven't been able to commit to it. Now I am going to my daughter's tonight to help with sick kids. Probably won't be able to post tomorrow so I decided to start the project on my birthday, November 9th. More on that later.

Here are the boys that came up to visit on Saturday. Tyler, in the middle, is the sick one.

Footnote: Gas was $2.09 in Carrollton, GA!

~ 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!

~ Home Sweet Home ~

Our new 2006 Coachmen Chaparral 27'5 RLS w/superslide.

..............More later.

~ 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!

~ Just like a woman...... ~

Fay has changed her mind again! We'll be getting some rain - not sure how much. Probably nothing like Melburne or Flagler Beach received. People are still arriving at the campground. Guess no one is very worried about Fay. The rangers said to expect a two-foot surge. We are about 80 feet from the water and maybe 10 feet above sea level. I don't look for it to become much more than a rainstorm, lasting about 24 hours.

It was a nice day yesterday, sunny and not too hot. We drove up to Torreya State Park just to have something to do. We were close to Sneads, where Sam's brother Donald and his wife Ann live, so we called them to meet us for lunch at Apalatchee Restaurant in Bristol, FL. Yummy fried chicken and black-eyed peas. Marilyn was with us and she had fried catfish, the house specialty. Very good home cookin'. Marilyn is camping with us this week. She brought her 24' Hi-Lo and is set up right next to us.

We actually were going that way to make a stop at Bank of America in Blountstown, which is the nearest branch to Panama City.....a mere 47 miles. All of our banking is done with auto deposits and online bill pay so we rarely need to visit in person. We took care of business and had a nice chat with the teller. She told us about the restaurant where we had lunch. Now normally we keep very little cash, dealing mainly with debit cards. The restaurant took cash only (go figure?) so Marilyn paid for ours. After lunch and our excursion to the State Park, we ended up back in Blountstown where the bank was located. We got $$ out of the ATM to repay Marilyn and to have a little cash. Well, dummy me drove off and left my card in the machine. I realized it when we stopped for gas a little later. That's the first time I've ever lost a card of any kind! No real problem....I called the Customer Service Dept. They canceled that card and are mailing another one in 5-7 days to my mailing address in Georgia. We will be there in less than 2 weeks and will pick it up it at that time. Til then, Sam has a card to the same account with a different number which is not affected.

Gregory House is a plantation home built in 1849. It's located in Torreya State Park on the banks of the Apalachicola River.

Front of GregoryHouse, facing the river.

Looking down at the river from the front yard.

Sam and Marilyn walking her dogs.

~ Fay turning away ~

Looks like we will just get some rain from Fay. We're on the panhandle just east of that little peninsula that points south. Maybe north Georgia will benefit from some of the rain.

~ Wind Chime is happy today! ~

~ Double Red Flags ~

Last week for a full seven days, the Gulf Coast beaches were closed to swimmers due to dangerous and deadly rip currents. Only surfers with their boards tethered to their ankles were allowed in the water. Because of some storms at sea, there were some pretty good waves (considering this is the Gulf of Mexico).

The shuttle boats didn't go to Shell Island. The kayak's weren't rented.

The dunes were beautiful, as usual.

(Click on any pic for bigger view)

~ A look back….. ~

Walkway to beach.

Our first volunteer position was October, 2007, through January of 2008, at St Joseph Peninsula State Park, Cape San Blas, Florida. The park is directly on the Gulf of Mexico with St. Joseph Bay on the back side. It’s a beautiful park with 119 sites, all with water and electric. We love St. Joe and have plans to return next year.

The most beautiful beaches!

As volunteers, we worked 20 hours a week, or 5 mornings for 4 hours each. Duties included clearing underbrush near sites to get ready for the burn, walking through the campground to pick up trash, occasionally cleaning restrooms, and a few scattered days filling in at the museum in Port St. Joe. This park had the most structured work schedule of the 3 parks we’ve volunteered for, so far. The months we were there were very slow. Some weeks there were less than 10 sites occupied. Of course, the park was full around Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Year's.



Us working.

Fires burning.

After the burn.

The rangers were friendly and very laid back. Park Manager, Brian Addison, was friendly and accessible. One month he and his wife hosted a Pasta Dinner at their home in the park. At Thanksgiving they supplied the turkey, and the volunteers (there were 6 couples and 1 single) brought the side dishes for a fun gathering. Ranger LeeAnn Hinson was volunteer coordinator and worked with all of us for special needs. We were able to go home for Christmas and be with family over the holidays. Our oldest grandson, Kyle, returned with us and his whole family followed for a short beach vacation.

Kyle, Logan, & Tyler

Tyler's first beach!

Kyle & Dad Nate caught fish!

Had to do Some'mors!

The only down side to this park is it's isolation.....which could be it's saving grace. If it were more accessible and better known, I'm afraid it would be overrun by locals and tourists alike, similar to St. Andrews where we are now. We love St. Andrews also, but the two are as different as day and night. St Joe State Park is 20 miles from Port St. Joe, the nearest town with groceries (Piggly Wiggly), and a whopping 55 miles to Winn Dixie & Wal-Mart. Being from Atlanta, I am used to having 5 Wal-Marts in a 12-mile radius and Kroger, Publix, & CVS on every corner! But there is a great Mexican restaurant in Port St Joe - Pepper's - the best one we've found in Florida. (Happy Hour on Wednesday's, 6 to 9 pm!). Makes the 20 mile drive worth it!

Nate, Kyle & Logan @ Pepper's

There is a nice lighthouse just outside the park. The houses are currently being renovated.

Cape San Blas Lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's house.

Here's a few of my beach buddies...

And some glorious sunsets just outside our motorhome...

And we met one courageous German Shepard!

We also took a trip over to Appalachacola to see what the fuss was about regarding the lack of fresh water for the scallops and mussels over there. They are wanting more water to be released in Georgia to allow more fresh water in the mouth of the Appalachacola Bay. All I can say is looks like there is plenty of water coming into the bay from the river down there and our lake back home, Lake Lanier, is still 16 feet below full pool. 'Nuff said. We did find a great little diner with great food - The Hut. And it is only 30 miles from St. Joe. We visited The Hut three times.

Yum-yum.

Beach houses along Hwy. 30E. Fishing boats on the river in Appalachacola.

The Gorrie House in Appalachacola. He invented the Ice Machine (maybe where the fresh water went?).

This turned out to be a long blog, but there was a lot of catching up to do. I want to remember how beautiful this park is. We look forward to returning next year and to enjoying a little solitude for just a month or two.

(Click on any pic for bigger view)