The Horns Blow...

This was our last full day at Frog Creek.  It was warm and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.  Kinda sad but looking forward to seeing and staying on the Gulf.  I will plant my chair in the sand and read and crochet all day!  This is heaven to me.  If there is no shade will have to find a Walmart and get a beach umbrella.    Can't do too much sun.  Herb will continue to work on the motorhome.  I asked him what he will do when he runs out of things to fix and he said he won't.
Speaking of this, he has been trying to fix his air horns.  They didn't blow....!  He posted a question on the Yahoo forum set up for owners of this make of motorhome looking for help.  Don't know what we would have done without them and our friends Karen and Steve from Oconto, who have the same motorhome - a 1996.  Both have been invaluable to us.  He got an answer to his question which said that the compressor for the horns was not in the front of the rig but in the back by the motor.  Never would have guessed this.  Anyway, to access the motor you must lift the bed, as you can see in the photo.

Herb was working on it and left the area for a minute.  Max came into the bedroom and did what he always does, jumps up on the bed.  Only the bed wasn't there!  I saw what was going to happen, I was sitting on the chair in the bedroom, I yelled, but too late.  He landed on the motor in the hole.  On the left side. See photo.

Thank God I was in there.  Don't know what he would have done.  I don't think he had enough time to be afraid, I picked him out so fast!  He is fine(Mary).
ANYWAY, now the horns blow...!  I'll probably have to listen to them all the way to Key Largo.  There had been a wire hanging down there and Herb didn't know where it belonged.  Now he knows.  It was the power for the relay for the compressor (whatever).
I have been passing this Fifth wheel every day when I walk.  I always think of our friends Phil and Diane.  I took pictures of this for them.  I think they should purchase one like this for our trip to Alaska next summer.  You need to start getting ready!  Hurry.  It sure is purty.

One last picture.  Max is not a morning dog.  When we get up in the morning, no matter what time, he is not ready to get up.  If I sit in my chair he has to crawl under the afghan and go back to sleep.  This was him this morning with his santa squeeky toy.

Just click on any photo to enlarge.

(As a reminder for us in case we come back next year, request a site down the third road.)

Now You Can Post

I have changed the way people can post comments.  Sorry to say I just stumbled on this.  Now anyone can post and they can do it anonymously or you can choose Name/Url.  If you chose anonymous please put your name in the body of the comment so we know who is posting.  See what Herb did below. If I start getting a bunch of garbage with no names I will have to change it again.  I can make it so the posts have to be approved before they appear on line but I don't really want to do that.

Not much to say about the last two days.  The weather is cool.  You have to sit in the sun if you sit outside.  But when I go for my walks it's just fine.  This was one of the things I was looking forward to doing here, taking the dog for walks in the warmer weather.  So I guess I can say that I am doing that.  Herb is still working on the motorhome.  Trying to fix the horn today but no luck.  He did get one of the driving lights working.  Now they both work.  We really need to get a taller ladder.  That will be our next purchase.
We went for a fish fry tonite.  It's Friday and we're from Wisconsin!  We went to a place called the Oyster Bar which was recommended by a couple here at the park.  When we got there you had to wait in line to get in the parking lot.  Knew it must be good.  It was.  $7.99 for fish and chips all u can eat.  We sat outside.  The wait to eat in was 45 minutes to an hour.

We will be leaving here Sunday morning and heading for Key Largo.  Our reservation is for February 1 so we will have two days to get there.  The people we met at the window place suggested going to Lake Placid.  They said that most of the buildings in town have murals painted on them.  Sounds pretty cool but I'm worried about where to park with the motorhome when we get there.  If we park on the street we'd have to pay for 6 parking meters! LOL

Anyway, Herb took this picture and said I had to post it.  Me making one of the afghans for the motorhome.

Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

Yup, that's what I said, "Two steps forward and two steps back".  Remember when I said that Herb got two things fixed yesterday?  Remember when I said it was raining out?  We actually got 1 1/2 to 2 inches of rain.  Ok can you add that up?  Let's say it all together - LEAKS.  Yup, yup, yup.  We have two leaks.  There is a sky light in the shower.  Good thing or Herb would be showering on his knees!  One leak there.  He looked at it and said it will be easy to fix.
When we bought the motorhome the folding antenna was sealed down with silicone.  It would not crank up.   We thought that was strange as the salesman and the booklet for it said it shouldn't leak.  So Herb removed the silicone.   Ooops, second leak here!  This will be a project for our return home.  Herb's not sure he will have the correct tools to do the job, plus his ladder isn't tall enough.  Learning!  Two steps back.
It was a cool and breezy day with blue skies.  Had to wear a sweatshirt.  Max and I got several walks in today.  The little gas grill we bought yesterday needed to go back to Lowes.  It had a faulty regulator.  On the way back we found a small orchard with a store so we stopped.  They had a much better orange juice.  The guy said it was because it's not pasturized.  I think we may stop there before we leave and put some in the freezer.   We bought a few of the best oranges I have ever had.  They are called Honeybell.  The guy said that they are tangerines or a tangerine cross or something like that.  If you can find them they are worth whatever you have to pay.  They are very sweet and VERY juicy!  They have a few seeds in them with a thin skin which made them easy to peel.  Look for them now because they have a very short season and this is the end of the season for them.
Well I don't have anything else today so I'll just show you our desert.

For a better look, click on the photo!
Hey David, we got you a jar of Tangerine Marmelade.

Nice Day, Then Thunder Storms

Today was a perfectly lovely day.  It was a little humid, but it was still very nice out.
Max and I took a walk to get some pictures to post.  Boy it is sure tough to take a walk here.  You go about 50 feet and someone stops to talk to you, especially if you have a dog as cute as Max.  The people are just so friendly.    Here are some shots of the grounds.

This is a picture of the creek.  Dah.

With these two I am hoping you can see the moss.  It's everywhere here.  So very cool looking.

This is a shot of our site.  Herb had at least two people stop again today and ask if the motorhome is new.  It has to be the fact that it's so clean and shiney.  The finish on it awesome. 

We went to an orchard today.  When we pulled into the parking lot Herb said that we had been here before.  Couldn't believe it but we came here two years ago when we stayed in St. Petersburg with friends.  Got some samples of fresh orange juice and bought a gallon of it.  It was on sale for $5.00.  Stopped at Publix to get some strawberries.  Won't be shopping there again.  Too expensive.  It will have to be Walmart. 

When we got back we figured it would be a good idea to bbq the brats.  They were predicting big thunder storms at about 4PM.  They were right.  The storm rolled thru but not the 60 mph winds they said would be here.  Very grateful for that.  But the rain was lovely especially cause you can hear it on the roof. 
I started to crochet one of the two afghans for the camper.  Trying not to do too much or the wrists will get sore.  Boy, I sound like an old person!
Anyway, that's it for now.  Not sure about tomorrow.  I think it's supposed to shower a little.  Maybe find the gulf.  We shall see.

Frog Creek Campgrounds

Let's see how much I can remember. 
First, here is a photo of the passenger window with the lovely cardboard.  This is how they filled the holes when the windows were removed.

Our windows are in and they look fantastic.  We are very pleased with the job these guys did.  On top of it the cost was $200 less than the price they quoted.  Free camping and lower price, can't complain about that!  Below is a video of the finished project.

With the new windows and the clean rig.  We have had two people ask if it was new.  If they would have looked closer they would have seen the dings and scratches.  But it is shaping up nicely.  Very shiney and clean.   Herb fixes something everyday.  Today the ice maker is working and he fixed the passenger side rear view mirror.
We left Sunday morning (after the frost melted off of the car!) and headed for our reservation at Frog Creek.  It was sad to leave Bud and Ann.  They were headed for Disney.  When we go to Ft Myers Beach in March their campgrounds will be across the street from ours.  We got to talking to them about Alaska.  They took a motorhome there about ten years ago.  They said it was an adventure. Guess what, we are thinking about doing this next summer (2012).  Who's up to coming with?  Phil & Diane, this gives you plenty of time to get ready!
We were using the gps on Sunday.  That thing may find it's way into the Gulf of Mexico.  It kept wanting us to get off the expressway and take a highway with stop lights.  No matter what I did I couldn't make it stop.  This place is not easy to get to.  So when we go shopping we need it.  Will have to wait to put it out of my misery.
This place looks really cool!  There is moss hanging all over.  I'll get you pictures tomorrow.  After we got the rig parked, about 1 PM, we needed to get ready for the big game.  Found out that the clubhouse had a big screen TV and there would be an ice cream social there at 3 pm, when the game started.  For those of you who know me know that this is heaven for me!  We watched the first quarter there while eating ice cream.  Chairs weren't too comfortable, plus there was a Bear's fan there, so we left.  Just can't believe they won.  I had to walk away for the last minute and balled like a baby when they did it!!  My brother Dave and some of his family were at the game.  Wondering where we will be for the Super Bowl.
Went to Lowes today for a little gas grill.  We will be bbq'ing tomorrow.  Also went to the laundromat today.  Now there's a highlight!  $9 to do three loads of clothes.  There is supposed to be an orchard near by.  May go there tomorrow for strawberries, oranges and fresh squeezed juice.  The weather today was very nice.  Not too warm and not too cool.  We are expecting thunder storms tomorrow night.  That should be fun.  The animals won't like it though.
There are itty bitty little sand burrs here.  OMG are they sharp!  I can't even tell you how many I've stepped on with my bear feet.  It's like stepping on a needle.  Max had one stuck in his paw yesterday.  Oh, this place is on a very cool little creek (hence the name Frog Creek).  There are warning signs about alligators.  I spoke with someone on Sunday and he said that they aren't here in the winter.  Happy about that one.
We have our reservation for February.  Not up to moving every couple of weeks so we booked for a month.  We are going down to the Keys.  I figure next year we may not be coming to Florida and even if we do we will probably stay in one place the whole time. You save money by doing it that way.  So we are splurging this time.
Here's a picture of Max for Mary!

Almost finished

Well we are still waiting on the windows but from what we hear of the weather at home, this is not a big problem. I feel so bad for all of those left at home. But this is why we bought the motorhome - to leave winter behind. I am greatful that we are able to do it. The weather here isn't super warm. It's been nice, foggy at times and it stormed a little last night. That was cool! Little bit of rain this morning but the sun came out this afternoon.
Several of our windows have been installed. They are working overtime tomorrow to finish. The ones installed look wonderful. What a differance.
With our time sitting here, I've gotten things put away inside and Herb has gotten the rig washed. At our next stop we will probably get some wax on the outside and get the wheels polished up. It's all starting to come together. With this stop the cats are getting more relaxed too. I feel sorry for them when we move again tomorrow. But we won't be going very far. We need to get settled in and find some place to watch the game on Sunday. I've got a place picked out and it's just over the Sunshine Skyway bridge. About a 2 hour drive.
Here is a link to the site. http://www.frogcreek.us.com/about.html . It looks kinda rustic. We'll check it out. Not sure how long we will stay.
We have a reservation for the month of March. We will be staying at Ft Meyers Beach. I found them surfing the web. They have a special for those who have not stayed there before. $850 for the month including taxes but not electricity. Here is the link for this one.
http://www.sunrvresorts.com/indian_creek/gallery_image?id=1
This link is for some photos. The beach is 2 miles away.
My links didn't work. You'll have to cut and paste them. Sorry.
Now we will just have to fill in the middle.
Thats it for tonight. Hopefully on the road tomorrow. Have a good night and stay warm.

Lazy Day

Day four has been very laid back.  We had less than 200 miles to go to get to Hudson, Fl where we will have our windows fixed.
Took our time leaving the Cracker Barrel campgrounds.  Ate breakfast and then on our way.
Another first today!  My first shower at a truck stop.  Wow, now there's something for the grandchildren.  Good thing we don't have any!
Gas prices in Florida are sky high.  I've seen regular for $3.21 a gallon and diesel for $3.60.  May have to leave the motorhome and fly home!
Made it to Suncoast Designers early and got ourselves a site.  Very close together.  I am amazed that all of the rigs here are clean.  Then we pull in.  I feel like we are the Beverly Hillbillies.  The cardboard window didn't help either.  The rigs here are huge and new.  Lots of money here.  The one I really love is on the video.  They are all having windows fixed.

The first thing I did was wash the car and vacuum the inside.  Herb hooked up the water and turned on the hot water heater.  These were things we couldn't try at home .  Too cold.  There was a minor leak which he thinks is fixed.  We have a problem with water pressure.  Herb knows the pump works cause he tried it at home.  Project for tomorrow.  At least we now have running water.
We met the people on either side of us.  Very nice.  Bud and Ann are headed for Ft Myers which is where we may land.  It was foggy and cold when we got here so people didn't stay outside too long.  Hopefully a little warmer tomorrow so we can talk some more.
So tomorrow AM they will be here to remove our windows.  We are having all but one large and the tiny kitchen window done so 6 alltogether.   Here is a before picture of the passenger window.

If you look at the top of the photo and then the bottom right you can see the snakey mess that will be removed.  Can't wait to have these fixed.
I think we may be here through Friday.
Almost forgot!  Went towards town looking for something for dinner and stumbled on a pizza place called Mama Mia.  Mary, maybe you can get a job here!!
Hi Helen.  Glad to see you following!

Ah-h-h-h Palm Trees!

Well we made it to Florida.  We are spending tonight in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel in Lake City Florida.  We spoke with a manger and got his permission.  It's pretty nice here.  Lots of trees and stuff.  Almost makes you feel like you are really camping.  We were tired of eating at the Denny's restaurants at the Flying J's.  They have a limited menu and everything is fried in some way, shape or form.  So this is working out very well. 
I promised a photo of flowers.  Here it is. 

I made sure I got the snow in there too!
I also got a photo of the commander.

He made me do it!!! He is the commander of a very dirty rig.  I am embarassed to have anyone see us climb in.  My car is just a disaster.  I don't think you can really see just how dirty it is by the picture.  The back of the car is almost black!  The motorhome isn't much better.  We were hoping for rain that never came.

A lot of firsts today.
First time we looked out the window and NO SNOW!
First time we saw people on motorcycles.
First time we opened the window while driving.  Ah fresh air.
First time we saw trees with leaves on them.
First time I was able to take Max for a walk and NO COAT!

It's pretty warm here tonight.   Don't think we will need the furnace.

Here's a video of the Florida Welcome Center.

Oh, and one more first -
Ah-h-h-h-h Palm Trees!

Still No Palm Trees

Well, I'm happy to say that it was a very uneventful day.
We are now in Georgia about 30 miles out of Chattanooga at another Flying J. Boy the price is sure right for Herb! $0. There is still a little snow here but we think it's from the storm that came thru not too long ago. When we got here it was dark. There are flowers by the restaurant door! Very exciting! I will try to get some pictures of them tomorrow.
It's about 44 degrees here now at 8:15 pm.

Herb drank his usual quart and a half cup of coffee this morning. This meant we had to make a plethora of stops for him to empty his badder. We will have to discuss this in the morning! But because of this we got off the highway and ended up at a Big Bubba BBQ. We had a couple of his pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. I should have taken a picture of this place. What a hole in the wall!

I didn't find the bed to be too comfortable last night. Hard as a rock. Hopefully I'll get used too it. We were plenty warm though. Herb had a heavy sleeping bag as a blanket. Too heavy!

We are going to have to do something about the headlights too. They are very dark. He thinks there could be a bad ground. Little things here and there we are finding need adjustment or fixing. Nothing too drastic though. Our new batteries are working like a charm.

Still no palm trees.

No Palm Trees

Well we have our first day under our belts! We left home at noon figuring on sliding thru Chicago during the game. I'm not happy that the Bears won. This next game will be for more than the NFC Championship and will be so very hard to watch. So lets hope they come out hunting "bear"!

When we left this morning it was a little emotional. This is something we have dreamed of doing for so long and our dream had finally come true.

The motorhome needs the suspension looked at. Man, when we hit bumps you could really feel them. Max is not too thrilled with it either. Another thing on Herb's list. The cats are doing surprisingly well. Sam is now walking around and checking out his new digs. Bailey is hiding in the bedroom.

For lunch we stopped at a rest area and had peanut butter sandwiches. I made myself a cup of coffee. We were freezing until we figured out one of the windows had opened up.

Around dusk we were driving somewhere in Indiana and saw a herd of deer running across a field. There were 14 of them. They came to a fence and all jumped it. Very cool!

Right now we are going to sleep at the Flying J just thru Indianapolis. No palm tree here!

The Commander Strikes

Well, we haven't even left yet and here we go.  Why would I want to ask for help backing up?  Please watch the video and find out!!!

Slight Delay!

Well, we were getting ready to head out on Saturday but our awesome Packers thru a monkey wrench into our plans! With their game being played Saturday nite we will delay departure until Sunday. With another win of course! Let's hope the snow has melted in Atlanta too! Florida, here we come!

She's Home!!!

Well after a little negotiation due to a generator that doesn't work, our new toy is home. I wonder how much this little beauty is going to END UP costing??