Road Trip

I know, this whole adventure is a road trip but humor me just a little.

 Mary tore herself away from the fitness center, and I away from my lounge chair, and we drove to Daytona Beach. One way trip is about 90 miles but there is method to our madness. The race track was being renovated, and I am not a big NASCAR fan, so we did not stop. I can say that I have seen the holy temple of NASCAR lovers.

 The beach at Daytona can best be described as disappointing after having been to Destin/Panama City area. Reminded us of Galveston, not a compliment.

 We then traveled up the road a piece to Ormond Beach. Mary had discovered something of interest for us to see.

 I did not know that Ormond Beach was the winter home of John Rockefeller. They rescued the house and made it into a nice cultural center and museum

 This sandy road dead ends at a cemetery in no where Florida. Would this be spooky drive at night?

 Well, back to the chair for a couple of days then a museum or two. Our stay in this area is fast drawing to a close, not near ready to lift jacks and move on.

Troubles

 If you have followed along and paid attention you know this trip has multiple goals. One is to see America. Old enough to remember Charles Kuralt and his tour of American back roads? Far from being Charles but that is what we are atempting in our own feeble way. If you paid attention the second goal was mentioned in "a little this, a little that" back on 9/5.

 Alabama ain't it but parts of Florida certainly could be. But that would mean leaving our friends behind. That would not be easy. Everbody has to live their own lives, but the older we get, the more dear those friendships become, the more cherished. Friends from years gone by are still dear to us, but not as close as before, either emotionally or geographically. Friends close and dear to us now, maybe be farther away soon due to decisions they must make. Life can be a cruel bitch.

 While calling Florida home has some appeal, there are negatives in regards to future plans. Who knows, next years trip out west may pull us that way. When do you find your perfect spot? Or do you just wander, constantly searching for "that spot"

  Don't worry kids, you will inherit more than I did. Of course I inherited not a damn thing so the bar is pretty low. Don't quit your day job just yet...

For the Ladies

Ok, girls fair warning! You might want to get your fat pants on. You know, the ones with all the elastic in the waist band.

A glass of wine might also be appropriate if so inclined


We decided to get off our butts and venture out and be tourist. Looking for something fairly local and a little different we settled on a museum/cafe.


A chocolate museum of all things. The museum taught you about the history of cacao beans from the time of the Incas. Decent little change of pace that included tasting chocolate from around the world. Far different from your local Hersey bar!

Some solid chocolate sculptures, some weighing 300lbs.

So much chocolate, so little time...

Decisions, decisions

Our daily question:

While we enjoy our current coach, we have heard the sirens song and are tempted. Bigger, nicer, prettier are the new coaches...

 Or do we forgo the new coach and relocate here?

 Multitude of reasons why doing both is not feasible...

 Plenty of reasons to support either decision...

 Or do we do the smart thing: stay where we are and keep the existing coach? Logical, practical, money saving....


Thought retirement was "stress" free???

Oops!

 I failed to note our anniversary. No, not the real one, just our one month anniversary for being on the road. It has gone very well we think. We each have found our favorite spots and tend to gravitate to them. Keeping the electronics and shoes picked up and put away probably biggest issue. We both think we need to be in kitchen at same time, just doesn't  work. That has lead to our most common comment, "two more feet"! We have grown sedate here in Poinciana and have a routine in place. Did force ourselves out yesterday to restock the fridge. Small so can not load up like at home. Some fun stuff coming up of interest to you all.

 Bottom line is glad we are doing this and already planning next trip. May just sell it all an go full time...

Intermission

 I have been told that more folks from home have the URL for this little blog. Welcome aboard this little journey. I promise to try and not bore you.


 Along that line of thought we have come to the "vacation" inside this trip. We will be in Kissimmee for a month, not relocating till October 16th. While we will be making some day trips,and Mary wants to take me to Epcot, there will be a lot of down time. We plan to sit our butt's by the pool, maybe learn to play pickleball. Rest and fun for us, not interesting for you. If we do run across some things that might be of interest we will post for sure.

 When we resume our travel days it will be up the east coast. San Augustine, Savanah, Charleston, a trip thru the low country full of history and things to see and learn. So check back from time to time to see if we still have a pulse!

 To my Ukrainian friends, take a break.

Tampa, but more Ybor

Well our sightseeing in the Tampa area never happened. Too much looking at coaches, too much comparing features via internet back in our coach. Will have to come back and make it up to you.

 One thing we did do that was planned was go to the Columbia restaurant. When we were here in 2013 we had dined at a small version of it in history museum. More information HERE 

 While you might think you are in Tampa,you are in the historic town of Ybor City. This is where Cuban immigrants settled long ago. Based around tobacco and fishing. Rain and forgetting camera means limited photo essay today.

 Restaurant located in historic building with beautiful tile work outside.

 How is this for a back bar?

mary's meal which she loved. Peppers and chicken and I don't know what

 And for all my lady friends who say I don't eat anything, I present black beans, yellow rice, pork, yucca root and grilled plantains. Yes, I cleaned my plate!

 Tomorrow is moving day. Hopefully we can leave here without spending a BOAT LOAD of money...but damn the new coaches are nice..

Dreaming

 We are in Tampa and have spent the last 24 hours or so dreaming. We are near an RV dealership and have been and out of multiple coaches. Liked most of them, LOVED one in particular. Really liked it sitting at the dealership. When we took it for test drive, love was in the air. A lot of money, but dang do we want it. We truly would be spending the kids inheritance.

 Blogspot allows you to view where your audience is located. Why would anyone in the Ukraine get a damn about this little blog? Have removed it from Google search, visits quit for awhile but now back. Suspicious...French viewers are our friends the Wesleys i am sure.

Stephen C. Foster

Did you do your homework assignment from the last post?

Camptown races five miles long...

Oh Susanna don't your cry for me..

My Old Kentucky home...

Way down upon the Suwanee river...(actual title Old Folks at home)

Stephen Foster died with .38c in his pocket because he was unable to sell his songs. He also never laid eyes on the Suwanee river according to some accounts. Florida built this site dedicated to him because of the attention his song brought to the area. The museum is full of beautiful pianos, some one of a kind, some 200 plus years old. This park is beautiful, even in bad weather. Of the hundred or so photos I take at a given stop, I try and select a few to convey the beauty or message intended. My feeble attempts fall way short here.

 Center piece is carrillion bell tower

 Where else would we be but along the banks of the Suwanee river

 Ok, I was just fixing to strip and jump in...

 Far from being a young boy but I still want to climb that tree!!

The museum housed dioramas depicting some of his songs..

I dream of Jeannie with the light brown hair...

 Tomorrow is moving day as we head to Tampa. No history that we plan to show you. Just some beer being made, a dinner at a GREAT Cuban restaurant and possibly our next coach...

Photo delay

Way down upon the Suwanee river...

We are camped at the Stephen Foster cultural center. Our photos an visiting plans have been curtailed due to steady rain. We set out early to tidy up that other business before heat of afternoon. Well instead of head we have had steady rain for several hours. A beautiful park that I  hope to share photographically with you.

Stephen-Foster

Search on line for the songs he wrote, way more than you think. The bell tower tolls the time and also some of his tunes at selected hours. Music festival may be a washout. Had neighbors playing last night, very nice old time music (1800's).

Cross your fingers for some sun!

Emerald Coast wrap up

 Well after a very quick 4 days it is time to lift our jacks and move on. Next stop is White Spring Florida. Why? Well they have a state park and it is about 250 miles from here. Our next stop after that is Tampa, another 170 miles or so. 420 is further than I want to drive so a compromise is made. In a car 10 hours and 500-600 miles is more like it. Last auto trip to Florida we drove from Kissisimee to Shreveport,about 900 miles, in a long day. Not in a hurry so 250-300 is good for us.

 I told you earlier about Destin and will post a few photos for you now.

 Nice little area along the wharf as I stated earlier. We had lunch at Margaritaville you see in the background. This the harbor view at our table.

 For my friends who enjoy the "wine package", especially on the deck on Friday evenings :), might I suggest this to liven up our gatherings?

 When we left we indicated we would be gone three months...well a couple of things have happened in last 24 hours to call that into question.

 Our little home on wheels does not have washer and dryer. Those things are so small they hold maybe two towels. This means trips to laundry. Gunter Hill had machines which we used, dollar to wash, dollar to dry. Not bad, can live with that. Capital City rv park had washers and dryers, buck fifty each. 50% increase but understandable,private enterprise and all. That brings us to Santa Rosa, between us and Destin and the nearest laundromat to be found. SEVEN bucks to wash, another two to dry...whoa I did not properly plan my budget.

 Our little trip to Destin was a warm humid day so what better way to cool off than something frozen? Just east of us is a ruined fishing village now crammed with one and two story condos and rentals. Just Google Watercolor, Seaside Florida for pics. Gave me claustrophobia it was so tightly packed but I digress form the story. We knew there was a ice cream/sorbet store over there so we went. After finding a place to park we walked in and nice lady said would you like to sample any. They had more flavors than you could imagine, except vanilla or chocolate. After making our selection is was cone or cup, one scoop or two? We both chose one scoop in cup as we are trying not to gain a million pounds. I put a tape measure beside the cups which we decided to keep for reference.

The spoons were about as big as a fingernail. Why the fuss you ask. The above plastic cups filled with ONE little scoop each came to $12.50. I was too ashamed of my poverty to hand them back and say never mind. Kids, there went your inheritance...

 At the current rate we will be home in two weeks with our pockets turned inside out...send money as we are busted in Destin. :(

Quick sidebar about life on the road in a connected world. While we have no children or pets aboard, thankful on both accounts, we do have 2 laptops, 2 smart phones, 2 tablets, 1 I-pod, two cameras and a walkman for good measure. Of course all these devices love power, of course they all use different cords to charge. No, RV's do not have power outlets every three feet, Thankfully I had added two outlets in our get ready stage. A place for everything, and everything in its place...

Memories

Way back in 1968 my family came thru this area going to and from Tampa area. I remember the sugar sand and clear water. I also remember an amusement park on land side and you just walked across highway to beach. Try that circa 2015 and you are dead meat. Way too many high rise condos, way to many people and enough traffic to choke a horse. Can just imagine the place in March, spring break for college crowd. Took drive into Destin today and took some shots of boardwalk in harbor area. Will post them later as Jim Beam is calling me right now. Hot dogs and marshmallows  for dinner...

Not so fast there buckaroo

 In our last post I detailed the attack of the killer flies. (probably a good B movie title). Not to be deterred we tried later only to be set upon, by the mongrel hordes once again. A lady we had passed, once if not current local, told us watch the wind. If out of the south beach OK. This morning winds were light at best and maybe favoring north.

 Well while on trash detail, taking garbage to dumpster, I felt the wind in my face. Came back and got the boss and we headed to beach. Flags were flying briskly showing wind out of south.

 Ah! pure nirvana! The beast of the morning were no where to be found. Clear sky, pleasant temp, nice breeze, sugar sand for miles. Now that is what we came for.

 Lesson we learned, and you should remember if ever this way this time of year, watch the wind. South breeze life is good, light or northerly breeze you are whats for dinner.

 This public safety warning brought to you free of charge...

True confession...

Confession is good for the soul, correct? This will require true confession on your part, and ours.

 Picture posted yesterday made you a little jealous,or at least envious correct? And it should, a beautiful beach missing only one thing: your butt parked on it with a drink in your hand.

 A friendly reminder of that view:

 And so it was with a little "eat your heart out" that we posted that picture...

 Cue the music, there is trouble in paradise!

 Yesterday on our stroll, something nibbled on me. No surprise, we are in nature and are not alone. No big deal.

 Weekend visitors cleared out so my bride and I went to the beach to enjoy it all to ourselves...

 Little did we know we were on the menu and our beach walk lasted 5 minutes, tops. Here they are called dog flies. My name for them can not be said/typed in mixed company. Let me say this, they will eat you alive. Mary went yelling from the beach covered in the heathens. No, I did not laugh as I was too busy slapping and cussing. Not a big problem at the campsite, but around. Traveling is about learning and boy did we learn something that I never dreamed of. A little more about these fine friends can be found here: http://www.waltonoutdoors.com/ugh-the-dog-flies-have-arrived-in-the-florida-panhandle/

or HERE

Promise fulfilled

 Back in June of 2013 we were passing thru this area during a car trip. Being a big fan of state parks we pulled in to check it out. Mary said then, "let's come back with our rv". I said we will dear. Considering we did not OWN and rv then it was possibly a hollow promise. Fast forward to September 7th, 2015, promise delivered. Here for 4 nights so will post more stuff later.

Enjoy the sand, sun, and surf vicariously thru these photos.

A little this, a little that

 Let us begin with history, then move forward to current time.

 Just south of Wetumpka is this historical site

If you look at this time line you will notice the earliest known inhabitants

 If not familiar I suggest you Google "mounds Indians" Fascinating story of people from long ago. While this location only has a single mound, their story is impressive. We have visited mounds at Caddo mounds in Texas, Poverty Point in Louisiana (highly recommend a visit if in northeast LA), along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. There is a large group in Ohio that we hope to visit one day.

 We then move along the timeline to the 1700's. The time of the French and Indian wars.

Then it became fort Jackson, named after Andrew Jackson

 Between now and the time we return to Teaxs we will see a lot of moss. Still impresses me

Final thoughts on Alabama. We arrived here back on August 18 and are more than ready to leave. Could not get into our desired location till Monday, thus our extended stay. Some random facts we learned.
Alabama is open carry state. Having said that have yet to see a weapon
Alabama has 10% sales tax on everything
Alabama has state income tax
Alabama has high unemployment rate, above national average. (why was casino full everyday?)
Montgomery has high crime
Alabama uses inmate trustees to do road work and maintenance work (all for it)

Part of our goals in traveling is finding our next home. Pretty darn sure it will not be Alabama. Has some scenic areas but other things out weigh the good. Monday we lift our jacks, hook up the Jeep and head to Grayton beach, midway between Destin and Panama City. Rain in forcast but we will deal with it to sit in that sugar sand.

Wetumpka (we-tum-ca)

 When we moved we ended up close to this town. Did not know it when made reservations but it turns out we are 5 miles from a very nice casino. Yes, Mary was dancing and spinning around singing "I'm in heaven...". Four trips in 5 days. Even managed to come out ahead a little. If we use Hoelscher math, we hit the jackpot! (inside joke with some dear long time friends)

 Wetumpka is the location of one of very few concrete suspension bridges in the south. It spans the Coosa river which divides the town.

Mary and I have always enjoyed looking at old churches during our travels. Found a picturesque one in Wetumpka.

 They have a nice park alongside the river.

These park residents were so still we thought at first that they were fake.

This fella was not impressed at all with us...