Our Day in Daytona...

We left for Daytona about 8:30 this morning. Had a nice ride there....took us about 2.25 hours. Once you get close to Daytona, you are sucked into the massive throng of bikers trekking towards the event. We wound up at Daytona Speedway where there were all types of vendor displays, bike manufacturers and food vendors. We walked around and looked at the displays. Here are some pics of some of the bikes on display.



Here is the Boss Hoss bike...a V-8 monster with loads of power.







"Got $100,000 laying around you don't know what to do with ?"






While some of these bikes are pretty to look at, they don't look very comfortable to ride.






The really neat part of the day was when we went to check out the race track. As we walked through the tunnel, into the infield, I could hear the Yiiiiing Yiiiing sound of what sounded like something going really fast. Once through the tunnel we got to see the track and turns out there was a motorcycle race going on. Wow....was it neat to watch the motorcycles going through turn 4 with its steep banking. It was so steep and they were flying around there....pretty much perpendicular to the race track.
If you click on any of these pictures, they will enlarge so you can see them better.














There were some funky looking bikes there that are trikes. Trikes are very popular down here with lots of senior bikers although I haven't seen either of these around here.











It's been neat to see the explosion of interest in trikes since I bought mine in '95. I loved my trike and boy did it turn peoples heads when I pulled into a parking lot or rest stop. Always created lots of questions and hard to get away from the crowd it would draw. I didn't see any today like the one I used to have but many that were real head turners.

Here I am on the day I went to pick up "Tess" from the shop where she was made. What a blast it was to ride ! Very fast and lots of fun to watch the little kids hang out of car windows to look at it go by. Had her for seven years....now we ride on two wheels instead of three. Had a great day at Daytona....got home and started to get things together to leave tomorrow.

Wall Color Tidbits

Linda and I love to watch the home improvement shows on TV and there was some really neat information, on the DIY network, on how to get a unique look to your walls. It was using American Clay...a product that uses all completely natural ingredients in its formula. This clay product goes on with a trowel and there are three different looks that can be achieved. There are 41 different colors available in this product and since they use natural pigment for the colors they create, there is very little fading that occurs over time.
But the really cool thing about this product is how it reacts in a humid environment. This is an ideal product for use in bathrooms. When there is moisture present in the air, the clay in the product absorbs the moisture out of the room and then when the room is dry and needs moisture, it releases the moisture back into the room. Perfect for an area where you don't want mold or mildew to form.
Many people have used this type of product to create the warm look typically found in adobe style houses. If you'd like to see more on this product, go to http://www.americanclay.com

Biker Babes from Bushnell

We stopped by the gas station, out in front of Wal-Mart, to get Bertha filled up cause the price on diesel has dropped to $1.99 ($1.96 with a gift card). (That's a .06 drop in just the last 24 hours). While there we ran into a guy who had a trailer on his truck that he was hauling his motorcycles in. Linda struck up a conversation with him, while I pumped, and he said he came down from Ohio for Bike Week in Daytona Beach. That got our wheels turning. We decided to take advantage of the 85 degree day we're going to have tomorrow by taking the bike to Daytona Beach for the festivities. Neither of us have ever been to it and since we're this close we figure we might as well go check it out. So that's the plan for tomorrow. We started packing away our patio furniture and skirting since the forecast is calling for rain Sunday morning. I hate packing up in the rain so we wanted to get it done today since we'll be away tomorrow. Should get lots of great pics so will post them when we return.

I keep forgetting to mention that we've been working on our "retirement skills" while here. Linda and I have tried our hand at shuffleboard and it's really quite fun. We go out on the shuffleboard court when the serious players have all left and we just goof around for awhile. It's fun ! Those little waxed pucks really scoot when you slide them so it takes a light touch. We feel we're well on our way in our training for true retirement someday.

This afternoon the RV doctor made a house call to replace the mixing valve on the hot water heater. That only took about 30 minutes so now we have hot water. Hooray! Now I can have my long, lingering showers once again. We are happy that it is fixed and all it cost us was a service call. Atwood sent a new mixing valve because they know there is a problem with this valve when it goes through the winterization process plus we were only a month beyond our warranty on the hot water heater.

Life is good !

Hot Tub Adventures

One of the reasons we picked this campground to stay at, is the fact that they have a hot tub. Having had a hot tub in our previous house, that is the one thing that we've missed since being on the road so we thought it would be a nice treat for us to enjoy the one here. Well, today is the first that we've taken advantage of the hot tub. The hot tub area closes at dusk, each night, so by the time we remember, it's always too late or it was out of order (has been broken down for close to two weeks now).

We arrived up at the hot tub area to find the pool area pretty busy and two people in the hot tub. My cell phone rang, as we were getting ready to get in so I took the call while Linda got in and began to chat with the two guys in there. When I finished my phone conversation I got in and the two guys were in the process of getting out. An older woman had gotten in and Linda was chatting with her. Another man came over and joined us in the hot tub. Seems he is a friend of the lady that was also in the tub with us. The lady was talking about the health problems her husband has been having lately so I was sort of half listening. She was from upstate NY, near Syracuse and comes to Florida for six months out of the year. The lady left the hot tub so her friend was left with Linda and I.

The guy was on the short side, pudgy belly and a bit of a comb over going on. He said that his wife had flown home because her mother was dying of cancer. That elicited an "Awwww" from both of us but I knew I must have missed part of the conversation when the next thing I knew, Linda was asking me if I was ready to go. I was sitting on the opposite side of the hot tub from where Linda and this guy were sitting but I sensed that something was up. She informed me, as we walked back to the rig, that the sentence immediately after the part about "My wife has flown home to be with her dying mom" was in the form of a question on whether she and I were interested in a threesome. Yuck ! So much for grief !..... My diminished hearing had made me miss this whole thing as it played out. What started out to be a relaxing soak in the hot tub turned into a short dip and dash back to our rig.....(sigh)The thought of a pervert lurking at the hot tub will keep us away for the duration of our stay.

Plan B...

Linda has been running around last week and this week getting all the tests and health check-up done that she needs to have in order to work at this hospital in Louisiana. Then, on Monday she gets a call that the hospital, where she is supposed to work, is no longer in need of nurses. Bummer ! Major Bummer ! Linda decided that since she almost has all of the tests completed anyway AND she can't even begin to get work in Louisiana UNTIL she gets her LA license, that she will proceed with the process. So, off we went to Brookville yesterday for the last test. (She figured up tonight that she has over $300 invested in all this testing, etc.)This morning she gets a call, from the agency, that the hospital, she was supposed to go to, will re-open the nursing pool in April. Good News except that they are accepting just a few nurses so we are hoping to get all of Linda's paperwork done and submitted, to the agency next week, so that she has a shot at one of the openings. It has been very nerve wracking and stressful around here lately :( Everyone out there please think good thoughts so she can get this position !!

Today we spent a good part of the day with our friend Jan...saying farewell and getting to meet her friend Nan, who is also an LPN. Linda and Nan talked "shop" while Jan and I visited. We had a great lunch together of fresh veggies and fruit. We'll miss our weekly visits with Jan but will stay in touch by e-mail.

On tap, for the rest of the week.... start putting things away outside...packing the truck, etc. Today I installed the new light fixture that the factory sent me in place of the one that stopped working. I guess that was my project for the day...(always seems to be at least one). Still waiting for my fingerprint check to come back...I checked with my company and they haven't heard anything yet. It's been 7 weeks !

Will fill Bertha up before we head out of here...diesel continues to drop. Is $2.05 across the street but with a Wal-Mart card is another .03 off....good price !

At this point our plan is to pull out of here Sunday afternoon and drive up to Ocala and boondock overnight there. Monday morning we have an appt to get the Mor-Ryde suspension aligned and checked out. They will also install the new bolts on the motorcycle lift for us. Will probably leave the shop around mid-day and then we're going to Tallahassee to see Linda's nephew. We'll stay near him Monday night and then start making our way towards Summerdale, Alabama on Tuesday. That is the plan as of this moment...stay tuned...things are bound to change.

Relaxing Sunday....

Not too much going on today...We went to Wal Mart to get the money orders that Linda needed for her nursing license application. We'll start putting things away this week as we want to leave Bushnell next Monday. To clarify, we are going to Louisiana as Linda has a nursing job lined up there. Some folks who follow our blog have asked us about going to "LA", thinking it's LA in California. Nope....heading to Cajun country. She is hoping to get there for orientation on the 10th of March.

This week we will be running around to get propane, get her blood tests, etc. that she needs for her application and then getting the rig buttoned up to head out. The weather this week is supposed to get better each day with temps in the 70's tomorrow and by the end of the week it should be close to 80. Yahoo !!!

Today I'm just waiting for the NASCAR race to start so I can watch that. No projects to do today...just a low key day. Tomorrow will be our last trip to the Webster Flea Market to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies. We are really gonna miss having all this fresh produce. We'll get twice as much as usual and put some of it in those green "fresh bags". Those things work great to keep fruits and veggies lasting a real long time in the refrigerator. I hope the carrot vendor is there this week as they weren't last week and I missed having carrots to eat this week. I cut the carrots into sticks (about twice the diameter of matchsticks), cook them and put butter and honey over them. Yum ! Linda and I both love eating a big 'ole helping of 'em.

This week I made a cold salad out of the fresh green beans and red potatoes that I had gotten at the flea market. Cube and boil the potatoes till cooked but not mushy. Snip the ends off the green beans and cook them whole. When both are cooked, put into a colander and rinse with cold water to get them chilled so they don't continue to cook. Once they've finished draining, combine both with some zesty Italian dressing and some slivers of onion (if you so desire). I used a dressing that had some grated cheese in it and it gave another great dimension to it. I believe it was Ken's brand of Northern Italian dressing. Give the whole mixture at least 24 hours to marinade before eating. Serve up with slices of crusty bread, fresh cut up fruit and a romaine salad with slices of tomato, onion, fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar and you have a wonderful springtime meal. Talking about food is making me hungry. Guess I'll go see what we've got to eat and have a bite while I'm watching the race.

Wonderful Circle of Friends....

One of the absolute best things about our life on the road is the wonderful group of people that we've met. The last two days we have been busy visiting with some of these friends. On Thursday we spent part of the day with our friend Jan, who we originally met in Texas.
We packed a picnic lunch of home-made potato salad, fresh strawberries, tossed salad and veggie "chicken" patties. We've been exposing Jan to vegetarian options (for those of you that don't know it...Linda and I are vegetarians). The last time we went out to lunch with Jan we all had veggie burgers and she loved them. Likewise, she liked the "pretend" chicken sandwiches, on the onion rolls, that Linda fixed. Spent the early afternoon framing some pictures for her and trying to fix some things on her computer....She's such a sweetie ! We just love hanging out with her.

After we left Jan, we went up the road to Crystal River to see some more "Awesome Amazons"....Carolyn and Roy. They have a beautiful lot in an RV resort outside Crystal River. Since Roy's background is in landscaping, he did a beautiful job of laying pavers and landscaping around their site that makes it like a little oasis at the end of the row. Linda wanted to steal the sun ornament they had hanging on the front of their shed but I talked her out of it. We spent a little while hanging out and talking, with them in their rig, and then we went out to dinner. We drove to a nearby town to a seafood restaurant, near the water, and had a great meal with them. We got caught up on what they've been up to since we last saw them in December. It was great to see them !
Today our friends stopped by, on their way back home to North Carolina, and had lunch with us. We met Wendy and Cindy several years ago at a Life On Wheels conference in Allentown, PA and have stayed in touch ever since. We hope to see them both on the road, once they both retire, and become fulltime RV'ers. They are headed to an RV show in their area this next week so we told them to check out all the new rigs and let us know what they find. They hope to put their house on the market around April 1 so we wish them a speedy sale.
So the last two days have been filled with good friends, lots of belly laughs and good food. What more could a person want ? We truly feel blessed.

Did Your Mama Teach You That ?

OK....so there's a topic that has been bugging me lately and I need to get it off my chest. Manners or a lack of manners, I should say. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been researching health insurance plans. South Dakota is limited in the number of health insurance carriers for one thing so we're limited in the ones that we can even check out. When I did an internet search on some of the best selling companies, I found complaints on every one of these companies about their customer service. Rude personnel answering the phones, failure to pay claims, customers have to jump through all kinds of hoops to get a claim processed, etc. Wow, what is a person to do? It has been a pretty discouraging process to go through. I find it sad that the "front line" personnel at these companies are rude. When a person or family has had a medical situation, involving the need for doctor intervention, that is the time that they need customer service agents to help them with their questions....not throw up road blocks.

Here at the resort there have been two different situations where I have felt "invisible". I've gone into the office twice, for information, and both times have been ignored for an inordinately long time before someone would ask if they could help me. The second time I went in the office, I got tired of a group of the employees carrying on a conversation while I was standing there that I sought out another employee in a nearby office to help me. Of all times that customers should feel "valued" and employees should be attentive to customers needs, it is now. Companies are facing dire economic struggles and only the strong will survive.

We have talked to some of our fellow workamper friends to see if something we've experienced is isolated to only us or if they experience it too. That being the failure of campground owners or management to reply to applicants about their application for employment. We haven't had any campground, that we've applied to, respond about the outcome of the positions or thanking us for applying, etc. Even when we've considered a position, that we were offered but ultimately turned down, we called the manager and told him that we wouldn't be interested in the position. No games....told them we would think about the offer and get back to them within the week and we did just that. It should be just that easy for a manager or owner to do and it is the respectful thing to do. I think the failure to have any type of follow-up speaks volumes about the company. From talking to our friends, this is a common practice and not just an isolated incident.

Hmmmm, so where have all the good manners gone ? Has a fast paced marketplace created overworked, under-appreciated and rude service personnel ? Have these employees forgotten that they work in a "service" industry ? I think it is a pervasive problem today but one that customers will not tolerate. Our dollars decide whether we will do business with companies such as these. In a dynamic market, where only the strong will survive, companies cannot afford to have their "front line" people (who create the first impression for the customer)be rude and impersonal.

Prickly Predicament...

Today I went to the Webster Flea Market to get our weekly supply of veggies. I took the motorcycle as the parking situation is really tight. I thought I might be able to get a closer parking spot with a smaller vehicle. It worked ! I parked right up by the entrance where I go in near the veggie buildings.

While checking out some green beans with one vendor, I overheard the customer next to me talking to the young lady running the booth. Seems she was asking what the container of cactus pads were used for that were on display in the booth. She said "I know I've heard that if you're stranded in the desert, you can cut them open and get fluid out of them to drink." That was also the extent of my cactus knowledge as far as uses goes. The young lady said no, they actually were edible but kind of left it at that. With that, my culinary curiosity was piqued so I did some research.

Seems that Nopal cactus, also known as "Prickly Pear" is a medicinal and food plant with a 12,000 year track record. Young tender pads (or leaves)are a vegetable source and the fruit of the prickly pear is another crop. The health benefits are extensive and information can be found here

http://www.nopalexport.com/healthbenefits.htm

As a food source it can be peeled and sliced and used in stir fry dishes, diced up and used in salsa, grilled with olive oil, pickled, tossed into soup or used in other dishes where texture, zest and color are desired. Nopal juice is also available and is in concentrated form (to be added to water for the proper dilution). They also make a powder which can be reconstituted. Cactus juice cocktail, anyone ?!?

Here is a recipe I found that sounds interesting:


Huaraches:
Stuffed Nopales


Ingredients:

* 6 large nopal cactus paddles, cleaned
* 1/4 medium white onion
* 1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved
* salt to taste
* 6 slices manchego, jack or gouda cheese
* 1/4-1/2 cup flour
* 3 eggs, separated, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup corn oil

Preparation:

Place the whole cactus paddles, onion and garlic in a large pot with water to cover and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the nopales are tender but still firm. Drain and rinse.

Starting at the wide, curved end, carefully slice each paddle horizontally, as if butterflying a chop for stuffing. Do not cut all the way through to the narrow end (the thicker part where the pad is attached to the main plant) but leave approximately 1 1/2" uncut. Place a slice of cheese between the two sections and press flat.

Dredge the paddles in flour. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and fold in the lightly beaten egg yolks.

Heat the oil in a large skillet until a few drops of water sprinkled into it bounce around. Dip the stuffed nopales in the egg batter to coat and fry in the hot oil until golden brown on each side. Serve immediately with red salsa.

Serves 6.

Kinda sounds like a veggie quesadilla.....Let me know if you've eaten them in one form or another.

I Hate it When It Ends Like That...

Nascar races, that is. The race is going along just fine and then I get up to get more iced tea, come back and they've red flagged the race and stopped it for rain. Anticlimactic,to say the least. Not that I don't like Matt Kenseth....he's an OK guy but it just pulls the plug on the best part of the race. Oh well, the season is just starting so there are many more races to enjoy.

Today has been sort of a down day for us...just relaxing in between it trying to rain. Linda used some of the "Envy" metal polish on the bike and it did an awesome job on some of the areas that had gotten some rusty spots. Took off the rust and left a great shine. The Envy wax (which requires no washing) is what I used on the roof yesterday. We won a whole kit of "Envy" products when we were at an Escapees event in Livingston two years ago. Amazing stuff !! I'm getting low on the waterless stuff and will need to buy some more soon but it is pretty pricey stuff.

I also did some light maintenance on the rig that I could squeeze in between rain showers. Tomorrow is our day to get veggies at the Webster Flea market. Our friends Wendy and Cindy are coming to visit later this week so we want to pick up some good stuff that we will have for lunch when they come by.

Not much else happening...hoping tomorrow that Linda's paperwork arrives so we can get going on that. We're working on our travel itinerary for when we leave. Stay tuned...

Up On The Roof...

In James Taylor fashion I went up on the roof today....not to pick off the moss (although that would have applied if I'd been on the neighbor's rig) but rather to wax the top of our rig. Here are some views from up there....




While I was doing that, Linda took the pooches to the rig washing area to give them a bath. Of course Boomer "volunteered" to be the first victim, while Schroeder went to the end of the leash, hoping Linda would forget that he needed a turn. He hates water ! When Boomer wades through water puddles....Schroder will walk around them. They are complete opposites as far as water goes.

Upon returning the the site, Linda raked up all the leaves and pine needles around our site. It looks great and was tough, hard work; since it was in the high 70's today.

She called some campgrounds and found a site for us at the campground I had sent an e-mail to last night but was told they were full. Seems the trick is that she just needed to tell them that she was a nurse, coming in to work at the hosptal. They keep some sites available for nurses that are coming to work at area hospitals. Our lucky day !! So, now we're just waiting for the paperwork to arrive first of the week so Linda can get it completed and returned. Our goal is to get all of her stuff done in time for her to go to the March 20 orientation at St. Francis, in Monroe, LA. So...we will stay here till early March and then start to make our way towards Monroe. Figure we'll make some stops on the way (Escapee park in Summerdale, AL for a few days)and then arrive at the campground, in Monroe, by mid-March. That will give us enough time to get settled...get familiar with the area..before she starts work on the 20th. We have a few more things to do to the rig before we head out. According to typical weather stats, this time of year is the rainiest for Louisiana so we want to get some exterior work done here where it's sunny and dry. :)

And the winner is.....

(As taken from CNN website)

Here is a breakdown of who gained, who lost and who survived in the final economic stimulus bill that the House and Senate are expected to vote on Friday:
Amtrak gains funding in the compromise version of the economic stimulus bill.

Amtrak gains funding in the compromise version of the economic stimulus bill.

Winners

# High-speed and inner-city rail: Went from $300 million in House bill to $2.25 billion in Senate to $8 billion in final version. There also is a $6.9 billion provision for public transit.

# Amtrak: Picked up $500 million from both House and Senate versions to total $1.3 billion. The bill stipulates that no more than 60 percent can go to the Northeast Corridor.

# National Institutes of Health: Ends up with $10 billion in the final bill. The House proposed $3.5 billion and the Senate wanted $10 billion -- $8.2 billion goes to the NIH director for his discretion.

# Government oversight: Board to oversee stimulus bill spending will get $84 million to do the job. House bill allocated $14 million while the Senate bill called for $7 million. There is also more than $100 million more for various inspectors general in different agencies.

# NASA: Banked just more than $2 billion, including $400,000 for science/global-warming research. Video Watch congressional comments on the stimulus bill »


Losers

# Veterans: Nearly all items for Veterans Affairs were reduced and the $2 billion the Senate wanted for VA construction was wiped out altogether. The VA did get one thing: $1 billion for medical facilities renovation and retooling.

# Military construction: Cut and put into a general pot, a change from targeted money for each branch of the services. Army construction alone went from $600 million in the Senate and $900 million in the House to $180 million in the final bill. But negotiators compromised over a general military construction fund -- the House wanted $3.75 billion while the Senate allocated $118 million and settled on $1.45 billion for all services.

# FBI: Senate had allocated $475 million but all was cut out of final bill.
Don't Miss


Survivors

# Pandemic flu research: Although senators agreed it wouldn't produce jobs, it's getting $50 million in the final bill, down from nearly $900 million. Video Watch the latest on the stimulus bill »

Damage control

# Foreclosures: $2 billion is set for a neighborhood stabilization program that helps areas plagued with foreclosures by buying back properties and preventing blight.

# Homeless: $1.5 billion is directed to homelessness prevention.

# Passports: $90 million is going to the State Department to deal with domestic facilities that deal with passports and training.

# Social Security: $500 million goes to replace its 30-year-old computer system.

Tax breaks

# Car buyers: Anyone who buys a new car in 2009 gets to deduct the sales tax. To qualify, buyer must make less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 jointly. Cost is $1.7 billion.

# Homebuyers: First-time homebuyers who purchase this calendar year get an $8,000 tax credit which does not have to be repaid like a similar measure last year. This phases out for people making more than $75,000 individually or $150,000 jointly. "First-time homebuyer" is defined as someone who has not owned a home for the past three years. Cost: $6.63 billion.

Paying for college

# Pell grants: will increase to a maximum of $5,350 per student in 2009-2010 year thanks to two provisions in the stimulus.

# Tax credits: Individuals making less than $80,000 or families making less than $160,000 can get up to $2,500 in tax credits for college tuition. 40 percent ($1,000) of the credit is refundable. Cost: $13.9 billion over 10 years.
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Making work pay

# Tax credits: Anyone making $75,000 individually or $150,000 as a family will get refundable tax credit up to $400 per person or $800 per family.

Thursday....

Wow, it's amazing how fast the day flies by when you don't get up until 9...LOL..Last night was a perfect night for sleeping. The first night where we could leave the windows open all night and let the night air in. I slept like a baby.

Today Linda and I tag teamed to get Boomer trimmed up...

See how "youthful" he looks.....

Last night Linda completed the on-line application for a nursing agency she is interested in. It was a very detailed application and it took her quite a while to complete it. Today, while we were working on Boomer, a representative from this company called Linda. After discussing with Linda some more documentation that they would need, they told her about some of the openings they currently have for LPN's. Since our goal is to be in warm weather at this time of year, a job in Alaska was not appealing. Our friend Tom sent us a picture last week that a friend of his had taken in Alaska and it was "frozen" in my mind. It was of a bank thermometer and it read 64 below....Brrrrr....no way we are going to Alaska until it gets much, much warmer. Another job that she told Linda about, that sounds appealing, is one in Lake Charles, LA. She has been assigned a recruiter who will work with her continuously from one assignment to another. The recruiter has to run her references and Linda needs to talk to another person, within the agencies' office, about this particular job. I started researching how long it would take us to get there...campgrounds in Lake Charles...weather and statistics, etc. I'm thinking that Lake Charles is a town we drove through when we went out on one of our exploring jaunts...while staying in Livingston, Texas two years ago. Lake Charles is situated on Rt 10 on the western border of Louisiana...home of gulf shrimp. Yum Yum ! We could be ready to leave, if Linda gets this assignment, around the end of the month. We have friends coming next week and Linda is going to get some tests done at a health fair next week so in about 10 days we could hit the road. We'll keep you posted....

Perfect Weather.....

Today was probably the most pleasant day we've had since we arrived here a week and a half ago. Temperature is 77 degrees and it started off sunny and nice, right off the bat. We took the pooches for a nice walk and then I finished up washing and waxing the rig. Right after lunch we decided to do laundry so we walked it up to the laundry room. It's about a 5 minute walk up our road to the main office and laundry area. The laundry room is located right next to the pool so we took a dip while our clothes were getting washed. Here is the pool and spa area:


(That door you see open on the back side of the pool is the laundry room)

The water was a little cool but enjoyable nonetheless. There were quite a few people out enjoying the pool. The hot tub was closed due to the heat pump being broken. One of the park employees said that the pool heater and the spa heater broke the same day and he has the parts ordered. Evidently the sun has heated the pool up enough to still make it usable. Tomorrow the temps are supposed to reach 82 so we might go back and swim some more. We got to do some exercises in the water and it reminded me of when Linda and I would go to the pool at the Escapee park in Livingston, Texas.

Sun will be setting soon so we're going out now for a walk. There are many people who walk or ride their bicycles here in the park. It's great to see such a high level of exercise. Everyone seems pretty fit here....I love the 3 wheeled bicycles that many of them have.....they sit low, have a bucket seat and the pedals are out in front of you. Really cute and they look fun to ride. We're off to get a walk in before dinner and darkness....Hope the weather is great wherever you are.

The Following took place between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 6 p.m.....

One of my favorite shows is "24" so in the spirit of the show, here is how our day played out.

12:00 p.m - 1:00 p.m. We went to the Webster flea market in search of our weekly stash of fresh veggies. The place was packed with people and it took a little jockeying to find a place to park. After securing a spot under cover, I made my way to the area where the produce vendors are located. I secured strawberries, broccoli, carrots and almonds and returned to the rendezvous point to meet Linda.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Upon returning back to the park, I proceeded with my "to do" list for the day. I retrieved the touch up paint from the basement and began to give Bertha a make-over to get rid of "age spots".
While I was doing this, Linda was working on Special Agent Schroeder...giving him his spring cut. This is a look of "shear" terror or an agent on the "lamb"....

It's lengthy process to get an agent ready to go undercover, so on I go to my next task...

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. I jump on the motorcycle and head off to Wal-Mart in search of valve extenders for the inside tires on the rear of the truck, since it's recessed too far for a normal air hose to gain access to it. A thorough search of the automotive section comes up with nothing. While asking a clerk, a customer overhears my conversation and tells me that what I need is a "schrader valves"...not Schroeder valves but Schrader valves. He tells me that I should be able to find them at Advance Auto parts. I jump on the bike and head out to Advance auto....It's just a short ride down the road but when I get there, they only have 1.25" ones...not long enough...I do find some "red" Lock-tite that I'll need for another project that is on my "honey do" list for another day so I buy that but leave there valveless...


Meanwhile back at the barracks, Special Agent Boomer is waiting for his crew cut but he'll have to wait another day....Linda's hand is tired.


3:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m. Events of the evening consist of having supper (steamed broccoli and pan fried sweet potato slices). After supper I start working on the computer, trying to figure out what is wrong with it. The last few days there has been such a bad flicker in the monitor that the text is unreadable. I do a search on the internet and as best as I can decipher from what I find, it looks like we might need to update a driver of some sort. I try a couple things and then Linda calls Todd to see what he thinks. He suggests we go out on the Dell website and troubleshoot the problem there. I do that and download a BIOS update that fixes the problem.

The sun sets after a great day of temps in the high 70's and all missions accomplished from our "to do" lists.....

Amazon.com deja vu.....

Today we got together with two other couples that we worked with at Amazon and had a great time catching up.
From left to right: Lesle with Bill behind her...Bobbie and Jim ...Linda and I

The weather and snacks were great and the conversation and fellowship superb ! Was fun to talk about our days at Amazon and what we've been up to since then. Lesle, Bill, Bobbie and Jim are staying at a nearby park but will be leaving next week to start their "convoy" out west. We wish them safe travels and hope to meet up with them again.."down the road"....They are a lot of fun to hang out with and we enjoy their company. That is one of the best perks of this life....the wonderful people you meet on the road and the friendships that you build !

What's That Hum ??

Yes, there's a drone in the air...what could it be ?......

It's the sound of NASCAR being back.....vroom vroom...Yeehaw !!! Yes, I love to watch NASCAR. Tonight was the kick-off with the Bud Shoot-Out. Was a thrilling race and if it's any indication of what the Daytona 500 might be like next weekend...wow, it will be a humdinger. Kevin Harvick won it in a final mad dash amongst wrecking cars and flying debris. Great !!


In other news, Linda received her nursing license today from South Dakota which means that she is now licensed in PA, SD and all of the compact states that SD has a reciprocal agreement with. They are:

Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Idaho
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Wisconsin

We are very excited about this as it opens up a lot of job possibilities to her for doing travel nursing assignments. We did some looking on-line tonight and she has some leads that she wants to follow up on.

Things Are Looking Up....

According to the weather forecast, we should start seeing warmer temps here tomorrow. Today it was in the 60's but for the next ten days, it has been forecasted to be in the mid-70's to almost 80 each day. Even better yet will be warmer night time temps. This morning we actually had our water freeze momentarily, where it comes into the rig from the outside faucet. This doesn't last for long...once we turn on the faucet, we get the temporary hesitation of it being frozen over but then the "call for water" is enough to cut everything loose.
The overnight temps will now warm up so that we won't have temps in the 30's but even as high as 60 overnight...that will be great !Hopefully the weather forecast will hold and we'll get the temps they have predicted.
On Thursday we had a great day out with a friend of ours who lives in nearby Inverness. We first met our friend at the Care Center in Livingston, Texas two years ago. If you've read past posts, on our blog, you'll recall that this is a facility (only one of its kind in the country) where RV'ers can stay in their rigs but get assistance with daily living tasks if they have had surgery or are no longer able to take care of normal daily functions. Our friend moved back to Florida almost a year ago to be closer to family and friends. We are glad to have her closer to us and are delighted that we're able to spend time with her while we are here. We had a great time Thursday running errands and checking out the town of Inverness. What a cute town !
It's been a week since we arrived in Florida. We are enjoying checking out the resort where we are staying, as well as the nearby area. Today we went and got our propane filled. There is a ParGas place just about two blocks down the road from us. $15 to get our 30# tank filled....what a great price ! Another good deal is the diesel price right across the street at Murphy USA (outside of Wal-Mart....just $2.16 gal. with a gift card from Wal-Mart. $2.19 without a gift card. Up to .20/gal. cheaper than area stations.
Now that the temps are warming up, we want to get the bike out and check out some other towns in the area. We want to go to Ocala, The Villages and find some manatees.....we're on a mission.

What Do you Think ? - It's Your Money....

(CNN) -- On Monday, Congressional Republican leaders put out a list of what they call wasteful provisions in the Senate version of the nearly $900 billion stimulus bill that is being debated:


• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.

• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
Don't Miss

* GOP senators draft stimulus alternative

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.

• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.

• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

• $850 million for Amtrak.

• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.

• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Republicans are putting together an alternative stimulus bill.

When I look at some of these listed items, I think "these should be budgeted capital improvements in a departmental budget that gets submitted through the normal process". Like what I did every year for 18 years. Not a giant "wish list" for everything you'd love to have. In my mind, some of these need to be cut out of this bill while others make sense as part of the new initiatives on energy policy, job creation and infrastructure repair. That's my .02

(article and photo reprinted from CNN.com)

Trip Planner.....

Thought it might be helpful for some of you to tell you about some of the web sites that we use when we travel. These sites help with directions, but more importantly, help to find the best prices on fuel when we need it. When you are driving through an area there can be a considerable price difference between stations, depending where they are located. Since we now have a Verizon air card and can use the internet while traveling we are able to pull up these sites while going down the road to make the best choices when we need to get fuel.

We use these 3 large travel plaza type places to get a feel for what price variation there will be from one state to another. For instance, will it be cheaper to fill up in Georgia prior to entering Florida.

http://www.pilottravelcenters.com

http://www.tatravelcenters.com

http://www.flyingj.com

We also use the book, "The Rv'ers Friend" which shows us the locations of diesel stations and parking locations. There is also a trucker version of this book. Both of these are available at most truck stops.

By using the "Trip calculator" function at: http://www.gasbuddy.com/
you can do many cool functions in the "advanced" feature to locate the stations along your route that have the cheapest fuel. By putting the starting point for your trip and any stops along the way, you can chart a course telling you where to stop for gas along the way. You plug in how many gallons of fuel your tank holds, your typical mileage and how much gas you currently have in your tank. It will also calculate your fuel cost for your trip.

When we are stationary and want to find the lowest prices, for any type of fuel, we use:
http://gasprices.mapquest.com/

This will locate and plot, on a map, where the stations are...from cheapest to most expensive. A nice feature when we are in a new town that we aren't familiar with. We have used these resources to save as much as .30/gallon in some cities when filling up.

Here's hoping that they can help you too.....safe travels !!

Webster Flea Market

Today we went to the huge flea market that is located about 8 miles from here. It is touted as being the largest flea market in the country. That could be as every time we came to the end of one row or building, there was another to go down. There are a lot of vendors there with antiques and collectibles, but then there are vendors selling everything from puppies or birds to watches, purses, clothing or tools. There was one(could have been more than one) long building dedicated solely to fresh produce. Here are some pics of the wonderful variety of things to choose from.

Luscious vine ripened tomatoes and locally grown strawberries


All types of cheeses....


Carrots anyone ??? A whole trailer of them that they were bagging up...$1 for a bucket and $3 for a plastic shopping bag full. We bought a bucket of them...can't wait to cook them with a little honey butter over the finished product...YUM!!!
We also bought sweet potatoes, a large onion, fresh green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and baby red potatoes. We got a loaf of ciabatta bread and came right home and made a tomato sandwich with it. Delicious !

The flea market is held every Monday so it will be a great place to go to get our weekly stash of veggies for the week. Oh, and did I mention the huge dish of strawberry shortcake that we bought there. It was a yummy trip to the market on a dreary, rainy day.

Our New Home....

Here's a picture of our lot at The Oaks.

We have a good size site and very nice neighbors. Concrete patio and sidewalk out to the street.We got the front skirting on the rig as tomorrow the weather forecast is calling for a pretty good chance of rain and we want to get the bike in out of the rain. I got part of the rig cleaned and waxed. It had alot of road grime on it.
A guy came by this morning, while I was cleaning the rig, and asked if the plate on the front of the truck says what he thinks it says " Pennsylvania College of Techonology". I told him, "Yes"...that I used to work there. Turns out he is from Williamsport and still has a house there. We chatted a bit about how cold it is up north and he said that this is their first full year down here. The people are really friendly here. Folks stop over and say hello and chat when they see us out.
Tomorrow we're going to go to the Webster Flea Market and check out the surrounding area. We're looking forward to seeing what is in the vicinity and scouting out jobs in the neighborhood.