I took Roxy to a field in my Mom's park today where dogs are alowed to run loose. I took my dummy launcher that shoots a dummy that simulates me shooting a bird out of the sky. Tonight we are going for blue crab for dinner.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Dinner
Today (Christmas) we spent at my cousin Janet’s house. She lives South of Tampa on a river that goes into the Tampa Bay. She served us a standing rib roast for dinner. After dinner Roxy and her dog Rocky had a nice swim in the pool.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Nan and I got Crabs
We are still hanging out in Brooksville, FL. It’s nice to be able to crash in the same place for a while. I went fishing on Tuesday on a party boat. It hold about 30 people and cost $60 per person. It leaves the dock at 8:00 and gets back at 4:00. Since it was Tuesday there were only 15 people on the boat. I caught about 4 grouper, but they were all too small to keep. The captain gets fined around $350 for each undersize grouper so they are real careful to throw back the small ones. I also caught one grunt that I could have kept, but I threw it back since I didn’t want to bother with one fish. In total the boat caught about 7 keeper groupers and several grunts.
Yesterday my Mom, Nan and I went to a restaurant that serves blue crab in garlic and oil. Very healthy. Today we smell like Little Italy.
Yesterday my Mom, Nan and I went to a restaurant that serves blue crab in garlic and oil. Very healthy. Today we smell like Little Italy.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Brooksville, FL
We arrived in Brooksville, FL on Monday. We are going to be here 3 weeks. This made Nan very happy since she could now set up her sewing machine and get some quilting done. Then she helped me get the Smart Car off the truck. Unfortunately there was a mishap and she smashed her fingers with one of the ramps. It’s not as bad as it looks. She’s going quilting tomorrow at a local quilt shop.
We are parked under trees so our satellite TV isn’t working. I ordered cable TV today for $63 for the month. My mother said she would pay for the cable if we bought her a microwave at Big Lots. We picked it up today for $62. Looks like I’m ahead a dollar.
We are parked under trees so our satellite TV isn’t working. I ordered cable TV today for $63 for the month. My mother said she would pay for the cable if we bought her a microwave at Big Lots. We picked it up today for $62. Looks like I’m ahead a dollar.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Savannah
We spent 2 nights at the Skidaway State park near Savannah. This is the first state park we stayed in with this rig. Luckily it is the slow time of year for the park. While I was looking for a site a guy pulled up in his golf cart. He was a camp host there (volunteer) and he used to own a trucking firm in Seattle. He had me jump in his cart and we found a spot big enough for us to fit. It was a very nice park with trails and lots of trees. Unfortunately, no satellite reception or sewer hookup. Also, the road in the campground is narrow. I would stay here again, but only in off-season. The sites are first come, first served, so there is no guarantee that I could find a site that fits if they were busy.
We went to Savannah on Thursday. There are two pictures of stone streets by the river. In the old days, ships would come into Savannah to pick up cotton and other goods. They would arrive with all these stones that they would use for ballast to stabilize the ships when empty. When they got to Savannah they would toss the rocks on shore and load up with cargo. Savannah used the rocks to build roads and buildings.
We were walking past a bus tour booth with Roxy, and the lady in the booth said "Our tour busses are pet friendly." So we bought a couple tickets and the 3 of us hopped on the bus. It’s a very interesting city. We will have to stay in the area for a few days the next time we are in Georgia. The smallest house in Savannah is currently for sale. It’s just over 500 square feet, and they are asking around $250,000. They would probably take less.
Friday we left for Florida. We spent 3 nights by Ocala and visited with my brother’s cousin-in-law Linda, and her husband Wayne. They live in Ocklawaha, FL. That’s a hard name to spell and pronounce. I wish those Indians would just learn to speak American so it would be easier for the rest of us.
They have some bears in the area so we drove around about an hour looking for bears. We didn’t see any until we got back to their house and saw one running in the next lot over from them.
We went to Savannah on Thursday. There are two pictures of stone streets by the river. In the old days, ships would come into Savannah to pick up cotton and other goods. They would arrive with all these stones that they would use for ballast to stabilize the ships when empty. When they got to Savannah they would toss the rocks on shore and load up with cargo. Savannah used the rocks to build roads and buildings.
We were walking past a bus tour booth with Roxy, and the lady in the booth said "Our tour busses are pet friendly." So we bought a couple tickets and the 3 of us hopped on the bus. It’s a very interesting city. We will have to stay in the area for a few days the next time we are in Georgia. The smallest house in Savannah is currently for sale. It’s just over 500 square feet, and they are asking around $250,000. They would probably take less.
Friday we left for Florida. We spent 3 nights by Ocala and visited with my brother’s cousin-in-law Linda, and her husband Wayne. They live in Ocklawaha, FL. That’s a hard name to spell and pronounce. I wish those Indians would just learn to speak American so it would be easier for the rest of us.
They have some bears in the area so we drove around about an hour looking for bears. We didn’t see any until we got back to their house and saw one running in the next lot over from them.
Before we left the Ocala campground we took a walk one evening and noticed a bald eagle in the tree. My camera/video recorder is 60 power, so I was able to get a close-up shot.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tours of Charleston
We spent 4 nights in Charleston and learned some interesting things by taking a carriage tour through the city. The one picture show the water line on a brick building. This is along the main drag in Charleston. Apparently because much of the city is below sea level there is a lot of flooding - about every couple of weeks. We were told that when this main road floods, the cars parked on the street all have out-of-state plates on them. The locals know to check the weather report the night before. Charleston also has a law on the books that once something reaches 75 years of age it can’t be removed - This includes trees. Around 74 years ago the city constructed Army barracks for servicemen. After the war they were changed into low-income housing. Now the city of Charleston is in risk of having the only low income housing facility that is protected by the government as a historical property.
The next day we went to visit the Boone Plantation. The definition of a plantation is as follows: It has to have been at least 1,000 acres of which at least 500 acres was being cultivated, and there had to be slave labor. The entrance to the plantation is referred to as the boulevard of oaks. These oaks are about 300 years old, and live to be about 600 years. Part of 3 movies were filmed here - North and South (with Patrick Swayze), the Notebook, and the sequel to Roots.
That night I took a tour of the Charleston Jail that was closed in the early 1900's. It’s suppose to be haunted. The carriage tour drive said he went on this tour twice and he won’t go back since he got so scared, so Nan declined to go with me. He must have been a real pansy because it wasn’t that scary. The jail was built to have no plumbing or electricity. The life expectancy of prisoners was about 2 months because of the rampant diseases. Also, when people walked on the floor is would crunch from the head lice. The warden was into torturing prisoners. He left his house one morning to walk to his job at the jail, he never arrived, and noone knows what ever happened to him. Although these are gruesome stories, nothing happened that scared me on the tour.
It rained again Tuesday night, but we were able to power our way out of the muddy campsite this morning and head to Savannah, GA.
The next day we went to visit the Boone Plantation. The definition of a plantation is as follows: It has to have been at least 1,000 acres of which at least 500 acres was being cultivated, and there had to be slave labor. The entrance to the plantation is referred to as the boulevard of oaks. These oaks are about 300 years old, and live to be about 600 years. Part of 3 movies were filmed here - North and South (with Patrick Swayze), the Notebook, and the sequel to Roots.
That night I took a tour of the Charleston Jail that was closed in the early 1900's. It’s suppose to be haunted. The carriage tour drive said he went on this tour twice and he won’t go back since he got so scared, so Nan declined to go with me. He must have been a real pansy because it wasn’t that scary. The jail was built to have no plumbing or electricity. The life expectancy of prisoners was about 2 months because of the rampant diseases. Also, when people walked on the floor is would crunch from the head lice. The warden was into torturing prisoners. He left his house one morning to walk to his job at the jail, he never arrived, and noone knows what ever happened to him. Although these are gruesome stories, nothing happened that scared me on the tour.
It rained again Tuesday night, but we were able to power our way out of the muddy campsite this morning and head to Savannah, GA.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Charleston, SC
Friday morning we left Mt. Airy and headed for Statesville, NC. They have a Camping World RV facility there and we needed a new antenna. A while back we had a TV antenna incident. Although we have satellite TV, it doesn’t get the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC). To get those channels we have to crank up a manual antenna and get the signals the old fashion way. This allows us to watch the shows that make us a caring, civilized society, like Dancing With The Stars. Donny Osmond ROCKS!!! The weakness in this system is if you forget to crank the antenna down when you leave, it gets whacked off by the tree limbs or bridges. This unfortunately happened to us. I blame Nan. I repaired the antenna, but we got a bad storm in Mt. Airy and the roof was leaking a little. I decided to get a saucer shaped antenna that doesn’t crank up so we won’t have to remember to crank it down anymore. The antenna was on sale for around $130. We only had to pay $110 to install, $50 to remove the old antenna, and a few other charges for parts and labor to patch the roof, so we got out of there for just under $400. They didn’t seem to care that we are on a fixed income. The good news is that we spent the night there for FREE in there storage area. They even had electric hookup for overnighters.
Saturday we arrived in Charleston, SC. They had a lot of rain here, and unfortunately the campsites are grass/mud rather than gravel sites. I’m able to lock the gears in my truck to turn it into a 4 wheel drive to reduce the chances of getting stuck, and everything turned out OK. For those out there that are shopping for a truck, just remember, if you’re in the mud with a 2-wheel drive truck, you will bury your rear wheels up to the axles in mud. But if you spend to money to get a 4-wheel drive, that allows you to bury all 4 wheels up to the axles in mud.
That night we went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. They had a steamed oyster special that night. I’ve eaten oyster fried and raw in individual shells, but never steamed. It came in several clumps of shells, and combined it was the size of a basketball. I’d pry open a large shell with a special dull knife they gave me, and there would be a small oyster in there. I don’t mind working for my food, but it turns out I’m not a big fan of steamed oysters. It was one of those things that I’m glad I tried, but I won’t be doing it again. We are in Charleston 4 nights, so we should get a chance to see the sights.
Saturday we arrived in Charleston, SC. They had a lot of rain here, and unfortunately the campsites are grass/mud rather than gravel sites. I’m able to lock the gears in my truck to turn it into a 4 wheel drive to reduce the chances of getting stuck, and everything turned out OK. For those out there that are shopping for a truck, just remember, if you’re in the mud with a 2-wheel drive truck, you will bury your rear wheels up to the axles in mud. But if you spend to money to get a 4-wheel drive, that allows you to bury all 4 wheels up to the axles in mud.
That night we went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. They had a steamed oyster special that night. I’ve eaten oyster fried and raw in individual shells, but never steamed. It came in several clumps of shells, and combined it was the size of a basketball. I’d pry open a large shell with a special dull knife they gave me, and there would be a small oyster in there. I don’t mind working for my food, but it turns out I’m not a big fan of steamed oysters. It was one of those things that I’m glad I tried, but I won’t be doing it again. We are in Charleston 4 nights, so we should get a chance to see the sights.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Leaving Ohio
We are back on the road again after spending a short month living with Nan’s mom. People keep asking, but YES we both enjoy staying with her. We got a chance to see some friends while in Ohio, and now we are heading for Florida to spend Christmas with my mother. We probably won’t be back to Ohio until next October. We left Ohio Monday morning and drove to Mt. Airy, NC to stay at the Mayberry Campground. Not only is this the home of Andy Griffith, it is also the home of Eng and Chang Bunker, the original siamese twins. Apparently they traveled the world and decided to live in Mt. Airy after meeting a pair of sisters and getting married. You are probably wondering why sisters would marry siamese twins. Well, I saw their pictures and they make Aunt Bee look like Pamela Anderson. I was told that when the got married they all lived in one house. This didn’t work out too well, so they moved to a farm with two houses so each wife would have their own home. Then the brothers would spend about 3 days in one house, then go over to the other house for three days. Between the two of them they had about 20 kids. Freaky.
We are staying here four nights because they have such a good rate here. We paid about $63 for the four nights. They owner said if we want to stay the month it’s only $300 per month until March, but we want to head for warmer weather. We bought an electric mattress pad yesterday since it’s getting into the 30's at night and our furnace is burning up a lot of propane. With two people, a dog, a cat, and an electric mattress pad, the bed was pretty comfortable last night.
We are staying here four nights because they have such a good rate here. We paid about $63 for the four nights. They owner said if we want to stay the month it’s only $300 per month until March, but we want to head for warmer weather. We bought an electric mattress pad yesterday since it’s getting into the 30's at night and our furnace is burning up a lot of propane. With two people, a dog, a cat, and an electric mattress pad, the bed was pretty comfortable last night.
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