Kyle and Logan are staying with us for a couple of weeks. They love to go to the pool every day. There is not much else to do in this hot weather. They ride bikes some but not for very long. It's just too hot.

Last Thursday was Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Dress up like a cow for a free meal. They had cow cutouts on their web site in case you didn't have a costume. We printed up a bunch of them for the boys and off we went. They loved it! They moo'ed like a cow the whole way there. The staff was dressed up the the restaurant was decorated. There were a lot of people who were dressed like cows. The boys got a free meal so it was worth it! Next year, we will all do it...LOL!!

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!!

~ 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.

~ Home Sweet Home ~

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

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

~ 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! ~

~ 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)

~ Starting slowly ~

Well, I spent time today getting familiar with blogs; settings, layouts and adding pictures. I will try to definitely write something tomorrow!

View from our window of Grand Lagoon at St. Andrews State Park.