Brooksville for Christmas

Nan and I left Cleveland to spend Christmas with my mother in Brooksville, FL. We spent a couple of days in Mt Airy, NC, then went to Silver Springs, FL for 2 days. We wanted to try kayaking since we had never done this and they rent them at the campground. It was around noon and they told us we could have the kayak until 5:00. They said you go up stream until you see a fork in the river. Then go right at the fork, and in about 2 hours you will reach Silver Springs. We went upstream until we had enough, and floated downsteam back to the campground, and got back by 1:30. I didn't take my camera since there was a good chance we would flip the kayak. Although it was fun, I'm considering inventing a kayak that has a transom on the back so people can use an outboard motor to get to where they want to go in a reasonable amount of time.

We are in Brooksville now visiting my mother. The campground is a little tight for a rig our size, but we were able to squeeze in. There were leaves all over our site when we arrived. Yesterday a guy came to the site next to us with a leaf blower. Nan went out to talk to him thinking he worked for the campground. Actually he was just a friend of the guy that had the site next to us. He was going to do him a favor by blowing the leaves off his lot. Nan talked to him for a while, and next thing you know he's blowing the leaves off our lot, and he left the leaves on his friend's lot. Even at 54 Nan's still got it.

Back in Ohio

Nan and I are back in the Cleveland area until Dec 15. We are seeing doctors/dentists and friends. Today Nan and I went to see the eye doctor in Berea where I grew up. The first house I bought was in Berea. I paid $31,000 in 1985 and sold it for $52,000 in 1989 after a lot of work. It is now for sale for $28,900. There's something going on with the house since it is to be sold "as is" and the buyer is responsible for outstanding tax liens. I attached pictures and videos of Nan and my first love shack.

I have a truck mechanic I use close to Berea. I dropped my truck off for service when I got to the area, and picked it up today after looking at the house. I had the usual oil change/lube service, plus a new transmission cooler, AC recharge, and exhaust section, plus a couple of little things. All that for only $2,000. This guy only charges $75/hour compared to $130 at a truck dealer.

I have a 2 week job starting the Monday after Thanksgiving. Then we head to Florida for Christmas.

HDT Rally

We are in Kansas for 4 weeks. I got 2 jobs of 2-weeks each. I bid on these jobs because they are close to the HDT Rally that we wanted to attend. HDT means heavy duty truck. Many people tow their trailers with semis, or HDT's. We arrived in Halstead, KS on 10/9. Unfortunately it was raining, and the sites are mostly grass/mud. They tried to put us in one section that was pretty sloppy. I had to 4-wheel out of there before we got stuck. We found another section that had some gravel, but by then the rig was muddy from our 4-wheeling. Nan told me she had enough of this life and wanted to buy a house so I agreed we could start looking. A few days later after the sun came out, she met all the friendly people in Kansas, and we hadn't been taken away by a tornado, she asked me if I would ever come back here? I said "I don't know how to answer that". She said "I like it here. I could see coming back". I think I dodged a bullet.

They have the national HDT rally in Kansas each year because it is central U.S. We had people from Alaska, Washington, Texas, N. Dakota, Michigan, and several other states. About 40 trucks showed up this year. There were about 5 Smart Cars, and about 4 jeeps that people put on their trucks.

During the week of the rally I had to work Tuesday through Thursday. They had some seminars during the week. Unfortunately I had to miss some because of work. Luckily I was available for the cooking seminar - always a favorite. The rally ended on Saturday, 10/22, so we are now back in Halstead, KS for 2 more weeks.

I'm driving Nan to Wichita next Saturday so she can fly to Cleveland for a few days. Then she flys to Houston from Cleveland for a quilting show. She'll fly back to Cleveland and I'll meet her there to spend Thanksgiving. I'll drive the rig to Cleveland by myself. I may have to swing by a few casinos on the way.

Branson, MO

Nan and I are heading to Kansas from Little Rock, Arkansas, so we stopped in Branson, MO for 3 nights. Last night we saw Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede show. It’s similar to the Midevil Times show, except it is North against the South instead of knights fighting. When I made the reservation they asked if I wanted to sit with the North or South. Of course I said the North since (contrary to what they teach in the Southern schools) we won the war. GET OVER IT. They had several contests such as barrel racing with horses. The North was winning, so they had pig races with North and South colors on pigs. They put the North colors on the slow pigs so the South could win one. Then they brought some people out from the audience for stick horse races. They picked real beef eaters to represent the North, and flew in some Nigerian marathon runners to represent the South. By the end of this fiasco the South ended up winning the whole thing.

Tonight we saw the Andy Williams/Ann Margret show. Andy Williams was sick tonight so the Lennon Sisters flew in to cover for him. They were very entertaining. Ann Margret was also good (for being 70 years old). Half way during her show they showed her movie clips while she was back-stage for a costume change, and to suck on some oxygen. One thing about these Branson shows. You can see a two act show and still be back home in time to meet your 9:00 bedtime.

Little Rock, Arkansas

We spent some time in Florida where I had a 3-week job. It gave Nan and I a chance to visit my mother over the weekends. I have a couple of jobs in Kansas, so we are now working our way there.

We stopped in Little Rock, Arkansas for 3 nights. We are staying at a Corps of Engineers (COE) campground. COE is a federal agency that is in charge of lakes and rivers. Most COE campgrounds are too small for us, but this one has large sites. The back of our RV faces the Arkansas River, so it's a nice view. Friends we met in Alaska are also here, so we celebrated by going out to PF Changs restaurant. Yesterday we went to the Clinton Presidential Library. There we learned how he passed NAFTA while in office. NAFTA offers free trade to countries like China, thus increasing the workforce in the U.S. since we will be exporting our goods over there. It's a Win Win for everyone.

St Augustine

We spent the last month in Virginia. After spending all that time in Appalachia it was time to get some culture. So we spent the first night at the South of the Border campground in S. Carolina. Pedro says - You're always a weiner at South of the Border. We had Mexican that night but Nan didn't like it because they didn't give you a bottemless basket of chips.

The next day we arrived in St. Augustine, FL. We took a trolley tour today and then went to the beach. They had rip-tide warnings, so of course there were plenty of surfers out there. Nan then wanted her picture taken standing by the sculpture of David. What a smile she had on her face.

Richmond, VA

While in Gloucester, VA my brother and his wife came to visit for a couple of days. If crabs are around we generally try to get some. There was a guy that sold live crab nearby. We have a steamer so we thought about steaming our own. Then we found a grocery store that sells steamed crab for the same price so we went that route. We stayed at a Thousand Trails in Gloucester and it was very nice and right on a river.

We left Gloucester and drove a couple of hours because I had a job west of Richmond VA for two weeks. Since the campground was $41 per night we decided to stay the month and get a monthly rate of about $700. The two weeks I was working Nan rented a car and went visit family in D.C. and Cleveland. While she was gone she missed the 5.8 earthquake we had. The epicenter was only 30 miles from where I was working. We were working on the second floor of a bank and it started shaking. I knocked a couple of old ladies down and lead everyone to safety. The next week we had Hurricane Irene. Nan returned on Friday so she could be here on Saturday for the hurricane. She was so mad she missed the earthquake that she didn’t want to miss anymore excitement. We had steady rain for all of Saturday and lost power for about 1 hour. We were about 100 miles from the coast so not a big deal. The hurricane might have done some damage to the Gloucester Thousand Trails though. I’m sure we will find out through the grapevine.

Two things I miss from living in a house is my big screen TV with surround sound, and my Weber grill. We have surround sound in the RV but it’s kind of cheesy. I did just get a portable Weber grill though. We had it shipped to Nan’s Mom’s house and Nan brought it back with her. It hooks up to one of our RV propane tanks. I had grilled chicken and grilled asparagus for lunch. I feel civilized again.

Crabbing

I got up at 3:00 this morning to go crabbing. A guy at the campground told me when he did this he would come home with a 5 gallon bucket almost full of crabs. I crabbed until 11:00 and got 4 crabs. I set them free and stopped at Wendy's for a burger on the way home. Nan had considered going with me but luckily she changed her mind. I think it had something to do with the 3:00 wakey wakey time. There was another guy there crabbing. He told me he got about 20 of them. They are suppose to be at least 5 inches wide. After I talked to him the marine officer stopped by to check things out. I saw the guy throwing back little crabs when the officer wasn't looking.

Jamestown, VA

Nan and I left New Jersey and went to a campground in Gloucester, VA for 3 weeks. It not far from Williamsburg. It’s been really hot here - usually in the 90s. We are by a river so Roxy has a chance to go swimming. Unfortunately the river is like bath water so Roxy ends up panting even while swimming. We’ve used the AC more in a week than we’ve used it in the prior 2 years of living in the RV.

Nan and I went to visit Jamestown, VA. Below is a comparison of Jamestown and the Pilgrims so there’s no confusion as to who arrived first.

Jamestown was a settlement located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony. Founded as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607,[1] it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States of America, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. It was founded by the London Company (later to become the Virginia Company), headquartered in England. Jamestown was the capital of the colony for 83 years (from 1616 until 1699).

The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, (which would become the capital of Plymouth Colony), in 1620.[1] There were 102 passengers and a crew of 25–30. The vessel left England on September 6, 1620, and after a grueling 66-day journey marked by disease, which claimed two lives, the ship dropped anchor inside the hook tip of Cape Cod (Provincetown Harbor) on November 11. The Mayflower was originally destined for the mouth of the Hudson River, near present-day New York City, at the northern edge of England's Virginia colony, which itself was established with the 1607 Jamestown Settlement.

The London Company sent people to Jamestown because they thought there was gold there. They didn’t find gold, but they did find that it was a good place to grow tobacco. The rest is history.

Atlantic City

I working for 3 weeks by New York City. We parked the RV in a campground by Atlantic City since there aren't many by NYC. Nan is staying there for the 3 weeks, and I come "home" to Atlantic City on weekends. Working in NYC is different than I'm used to. All the women sound like Marissa Tomei, and all the men sound like they want to have me whacked.

I attached a picture of a shoe on Nan's foot. The pair costs $2,500. The store ordered 10 pairs and they only have 2 pairs left. They have a picture of Kim Kardashian wearing one pair. I told Nan if she buys a pair she will be wearing them while she's walking the streets earning money to pay for them. Who knows how long that would take.

Wisconsin

Nan and are are in Wisconsin for a couple of weeks since I have a job in the area. We arrived last Saturday. They have a gravity hill in the area so we checked it out. You drive down to the bottom of a country road hill, put your car in neutral, and take your foot off the brake. The car then starts rolling in reverse up the hill. It’s freaky man.

A few days ago I took Roxy for a nice walk around the lake they have in the campground. The lake is about 1/2 mile long and 1/4 mile wide. They have a golf cart path that goes around the lake with tall weeds on either side of the path. Roxy enjoyed sniffing in the weeds for rabbits. After the walk I noticed a couple of ticks walking on me. We combed Roxy and got 3 ticks off from her. Before I went to bed I stripped down and Nan had to do a close inspection on me to make sure I was tickless. The next morning about 3:00 I woke up from another one walking on me. That day I went to work and Nan found about 10 more on her, Roxy, and on furniture. This morning I gave her a flea and tick shampoo (Roxy - Not Nan). Hopefully that will be the end of it.

This is Memorial Day weekend. I had a reservation in the campground for this week and next, but they were booked for the weekend. We thought we might have to go somewhere else, but the owners were able to squeeze us by the bathroom. We have electric hookup, so it’s working out OK. I was hoping it would start raining on Thursday and not stop so no one would show up. It rained a little but unfortunately the weather has been pretty nice. The campground owners figure they have about 1,000 people here for the weekend.

Today we went to see the House on the Rock. In the 1960’s this artsy guy bought property in the country that had some big rock formations. He started building a house in and around these formations. While building the house people would stop buy and ask for a tour. It didn’t take long for him to start charging money for the tours. He died in 1989, but the tours live on. The one video is of the Infinity Room. He built a hall that extends out over a gorge about 150 feet. There is a glass floor near the end of the room that you can look down as see a drop of about 250 feet.

Black Tank Valve Replacement

I have a job in Wisconsin so Nan and I are heading north. We were camped in Indiana a couple of nights ago and we noticed something was dripping under our trailer. I was hoping it was our drinking hose connection since that would be the easiest and cleanest thing to fix. No such luck. It turned out to be the black tank dump valve. For those not familiar with RV lingo, the black tank holds your pee and poop. When the black tank gets full you pull a lever to the dump valve, and the contents empty from the tank, through a sewer hose, and into the sewer connection at the campground. The next morning we were continuing north, so we stopped at a Camping World and picked up a new valve. We planned on staying at a real campground last night, but because it was Friday they were full. So we stayed at a Shell Gas Station that had 6 RV sites right by the Burger King drive-through. Luckily it was all cement which made it easier to work on the RV. I had to drop the belly pan which is a piece of material (now soaked with pee and poop) that protects wiring and hoses under the RV from debris in the road. Then I had to remove the old valve and put the new one in. This sounds easy, but it took about 3 hours since nothing ever goes as smoothly as you hope. Keep in mind that about 2 hours were spent working with, lying in, and trying to avoid pee and poop. Nan came out to see how thing were going but almost threw up so she had to go back inside. While working I kept thinking about those hundreds of times I’ve used hand sanitizer in restaurants because I was afraid of germs, and now look at me.

Tiger Exhibit

Yesterday we went to a tiger exhibit with Bill and Cecil from the HDT rally. It’s a non profit organization that takes care of tigers. For a fee you can get a picture of a tiger on your lap. Then they put a smaller tiger cub on your lap and take more pictures hoping you will buy these pictures also. Of course we did. We stopped at a winery after the picture taking. Luckily Bill drove his truck so there was plenty of room for the wine that we took home with us.

HDT Rally

We are in Myrtle Beach, SC for a week for an East Coast HDT Rally. HDT stands for Heavy Duty Truck (or semi trucks). As Nan calls it - It’s a rally for people like us. There are 7 of us at this rally that tow our RVs with semi trucks. The national rally is held in Kansas in October. They had as many as 60 attendees at the national rally.

A couple of nights ago we went to Dicks Last Resort restaurant. Here is a link to a video of some in our group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwOG6TtrriQ&feature=youtu.be

The waiter made us all hats with whimsical sayings on them. The lady at the end of the video had a hat that said “My crotch is so dry my crabs ride dirt bikes”.

Yesterday Nan and I lead the group to a dinner at Captain George’s Seafood Buffett. Because it was our idea Nan and I had to first test it out last Sunday night to make sure it met our standards. It did.

Copperhead Snake

After a couple months of me working in Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, while living with Nan’s mom, we are back on the road again. Nan and I took the truck to Mt. Airy, North Carolina to pick up the RV. We spent 2 nights at the Mayberry campground. The second night there we had a lot of rain and winds. Nan was up all night watching the weather channel and keeping watch for tornados. Normally I sleep in my birthday suit, but since it has a hole in it I didn’t want to run outside without anything else on, so I wore shorts that night. After that preparation I slept like a baby since I knew Nan would sound her alarm if we had to evacuate. Some tornados touched down not to far away, but we escaped unharmed.

We are heading to a Heavy Duty Truck (HDT) rally in Myrtle Beach, SC. Some people that tow their RVs with semi trucks are getting together for a week. It starts on May 6, so we are hanging out in a Thousand Trails campground in Advance, NC (by Winston Salem) the week prior. It’s a nice campground that has a pond where Roxy can take a daily dip. Yesterday Nan, Roxy, and I were taking a walk through the park. Nan stepped over something in the road that I saw move a little. Then Roxy walked over this thing. I realized it was a baby snake after it struck at Roxy, but luckily missed. It looked like it was about 6 inches long. I was looking at it and a guy in a car came by and said “Is that a copperhead?” He took a close look and confirmed that it was. This freaked Nan out a little. The guy went back to tell the park employee who told him there was a nest at that location and they see 6 or 7 of them each year. They guy then came back with his car, drove the front tire on the snake and then turned his steering wheel 2 or 3 times to grind it into the road.

Weekend in St. Louis

I'm working in Illinois for 2 weeks. It's too far to go home for the weekend, so I decided to go to St. Louis, MO for the weekend. I put a bid on a room through Priceline and got a $40 room at a Holiday Inn Holidome. When you bid on a room like this, they usually give you a less than prime room. My room was fine, but it faced the parking lot rather than the indoor pool. There are 2 nice casinos in St Louis. (Now you know why I chose St. Louis for the weekend). I played $3/$6 hold em Friday night for a couple hours and won $20. Saturday morning I drove to the St Louis Arch. I was in St. Louis about 20 years ago for a training seminar and tried to ride up to the top of the arch one evening but it was closed. I remember the trip distinctly because I was with 2 other guys and we took the bus through the ghetto to get there, so that was exciting. This weekend's attempt was also a failure because the tram ride to the top of the arch was sold out. After that attempt I went back to the casino and played all day Saturday and won $250. Then I play a couple hours on Sunday before driving back to Illinois and won another $60. It was a good weekend. I work through Thursday this week and then head home for a week off before the next job in Michigan.

Still in Ohio

I'm in Ohio to work so not much exciting going on yet. I worked a couple weeks in NW Ohio. Tomorrow (Sunday) I head for Illinois. It's a 9 hour trip so I'll stay in Illinois next weekend since it's a 2-week job. Then I have a week off, and then a 3-week job in Michigan. After that, Nan and I will pick up the RV in North Carolina. Yesterday I had one of those "Why am I here" thoughts as I watched 8 inches of snow pile up outside.

In Ohio again

After Nan’s mom left for Cleveland my mom drove to Clermont and spent a few days with us. I needed a part from the local Camping World, so while there it gave my mom a chance to look at the newest RVs. At the campground they play a Texas Hold Em tournament about every night. It costs $6.00 for each tournament, and they have 2 each night. Nan and I went about 4 times and cleaned up. It’s amazing how much you can bully people at the poker table when they are half blind and a little foggy upstairs.

We left Clermont and spent a couple days with my mom in Brooksville. My brother and his wife came down from D.C. in the Amtrak Autotrain so we also got a chance to visit with them and my cousin Janet from Florida. The car was loaded on the train and they took the 17 hour trip without the hassle of driving. Because I have a job in Ohio starting 2/28, Nan and I started heading north on 2/20. We arrived in Mt. Airy, NC on 2/21, left the trailer in the campground storage area for 2 months, and drove the truck to Ohio with the Smart on its back. Today I’m sitting in Chesterland, OH watching the blizzard. What a difference a week makes.

Clermont, FL

We arrived at a Thousand Trails campground a few days ago in Clermont, near Orlando. Nan's mom rented a cabin in the campground, and her brother flew down so that he could drive her home. They left for Ohio on Saturday. My mom arrived the same day. She is staying with us until Wednesday.

A couple days ago we went to a lobster buffet in Kissimmee, FL. We've also eaten at a couple of barbeque's. Nan is getting mad because she is putting on weight, and she knows I like my women skinny.

I took 3 pictures of Roxy sleeping. She likes to keep comfortable.

Swamp Buggy Ride

Today I went on a "Swamp Buggy" ride with Jan and Paul who we met in Alaska. Nan is getting over bronchitis so she stayed at home. I guess I really don't know that much about swamp buggies. This one looked a lot like an old school bus with the windows and windshield removed. We saw plenty of alligators, turtles, birds, and wild cattle that came up to the buggy for corn, just like the wild turkey did. They also had a mountain lion in a cage.

Last night I was watching the Jimmy Kimmel show. He had the following clip of a Danish Game show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsnToPOPY7c

Dude looks like a lady

The truck developed a leak in one of it's suspension airbags a few days ago, so I took it to get it fixed today. It's kind of important since it has air suspension, and this is also part of the air brake system, so I could lose my brakes if the leak gets to bad. When I got there they were waiting on the "guy" pictured above. He was obviously a man, but wearing earrings, a skirt, and painted nails. Since I didn't have my camera, only my phone, the picture and video are grainy, but you get the point. While waiting for the repair I went next door to the gas station to get some breakfast. There was a regular lesbo in there. That was so boring compared to this guy that I didn't even give her a second look.

My brother volunteers for the USO and met Miss America. It pays to volunteer.

Immakolee Casino

I went fishing last Saturday on a party boat. They needed a minimum of 16 people to go out on the trip. They were calling for bad weather so some people that had made a reservation failed to show. Luckily at the last minute number 15 and 16 showed up so off we went. We left the dock at 8:00 a.m. and returned at 5:00 p.m. for $68. The sea was angry my friend. Like an old man sending back soup at a deli. (That's a Seinfeld reference for those that don't know). The fishing started slow, but at our last stop we were pulling them in one after another. At least those of us that were still standing were pulling them in. I caught about 20 grunts, and the guy next to me gave me another 5. Grunts are the size of a bass, and some of them grunt like a pig when you get them out of the water, hence the name. They taste something like lake perch.

On Sunday we drove north to meet my cousin Janet and her boyfriend Randy for lunch. She's found herself a keeper this time. Then yesterday Nan and I drove south to Naples to meet 2 couples that used to be in a boat cruising club with us. We all have 5th wheel trailers, so we got a chance to compare notes and catch up.

Today I drove Mary Jane and her 2 friends from Ohio to the Immakolee Casino about 45 minutes away. I played $2/$4 limit hold em for about 3 hours and won $275. It was one of those days that I got a lot of good hands. On the drive home we had to go through tornado conditions. If the van had been picked up and flung into the ocean, I still would have died happy after winning that kind of money. And the good news keeps coming. Nan got a cold a few days ago and it's turned into laryngitis. When she tells me to do something, I don't have to pretend that I can't hear her, because now I really can't.

Chicks at the hot tub

A guy in the campground told us they have a dog beach a few miles away, so I took Roxy there a couple of days ago. It's a beach on the salt water rather than a fresh water pond or river. That way you don't have to worry about alligators eating your dog. There were 2 pit bulls there but they were friendly. She had a good time although the water didn't get deep enough for her to really swim.

Today I went over to the pool. There were a couple of really hot chicks there. I turned to get a better look and nearly ran into Nan and her mom. I took a picture of them in the hot tub.

Fort Myers

On 1/6/11, Nan, her mom Mary Jane (MJ), and I hopped in MJ’s van and started driving to Florida. We also had Roxy and Roscoe and a lot of our stuff, so the van was packed.

We drove to Brooksville, FL and picked up the rig at my mom’s storage area. From there we drove to Tampa and stayed 2 nights FREE at Lazy Days RV Park and Dealer. They give you a couple free nights once in your life so that you will remember them and possibly buy from them in the future.

We arrived in Fort Myers on 1/10 for a 1-month stay. The plan was to have my mother come down for a visit and stay in MJ’s trailer. After seeing the size of the trailer I think she will be staying with us instead. The trailer is around 24 feet, has one queen bed, and only cost $1,600 for the month.

MJ is down here on business, so Nan and her are driving to Brooksville today to stay with my mom for the night. Then tomorrow they are going to a big antique show in that area with the hopes of buying some antique dolls. I’ll have to hold down the fort here until tomorrow evening when they return. It’s real quiet right now but I think I’ll be OK.