February 25, 2022 - Pulled Pork Dinner-Dance and new RV Resort

Yesterday was the annual Pulled Pork Dinner-Dance. Sue and Bill were in charge of the event and worked tirelessly for a couple of days to feed 175 people. Kelly and I helped by pulling the pork in the morning, taking tickets at the door, and helping with the cleanup.  Here is a picture of Sue as she worked non-stop to make the event a success.

Here is a picture of the group after finishing the meal and waiting for evening music to begin.

This is a picture of the "One Man Band" who provided the music. He worked hard to provide music that everyone liked.

Everyone really did enjoy the music. This was a dancing crowd and lots of people got up to dance throughout the evening. It was a great time with beautiful weather.

Wednesday, however, was a totally different experience. I got up early to do the laundry as I always do on Wednesday. There were three of us at the laundry hunting around for working washing machines. As I sat there I posted on the Roberts RV Facebook page - "Eleven regular washers, one large washer, and two dryers are 'Out of Order' - pitiful". Prior to my leaving the laundry a washer repairman arrived and I then posted "The washer repairman has arrived - yippee". 

Well, my first post ticked off the park owner. He arrived at our site about an hour later and said I shouldn't post anything negative on the resort Facebook page. Interestingly, he didn't object to me reporting all the machines that were out of order but that I commented that that was "pitiful". He further stated that he knew I was upset about our lot change when we arrived and because of this "We are banned from coming back to this park." He said he could immediately evict me.  I told him he could not because the rent was paid and I had not broken any rules. He is the type of guy you don't argue with so other than that comment I just said "okay". (We had already spent a couple of days since arriving looking at other parks due to this park going downhill rapidly and management being squirrelly.) The only reason heretofore causing us to waffle about moving to another park is our many, many good friends here.

We then decided to spend the day driving to a very nice RV resort we were aware of in the center of the state. After driving throughout the park, and being extremely impressed with the cleanliness, neatness, and size of the sites, we went to the office to inquire about openings. We were surprised that at this early date there were only five sites open for next winter. We went to lunch, talked about it, and then went to an ATM to get the cash required for a deposit. When we arrived back at the office we were able to pick the lot we wanted from those available. It was such a wonderful, hassle-free experience compared to any contact with the office here in Roberts RV Park. We made the deposit and were given a receipt with a notice of our balance due upon arrival next winter. We have a specific site assigned to us and we were given a paper with the address for that site on it so that we can change our mail before we come down next winter. Here is the front of their flyer.

We only know one couple in this park -Wayne and Judy Smith - who are in our Ilinois RV club. Wayne has stayed at this resort for years and has loved it. After he married Judy, who I believe he met at this park a couple of years ago, he sold his 5th wheel and they bought a mobile home in the park. They are very happy campers. While we will SORELY, SORELY miss our many Roberts friends, we hope to be happy at this new resort. Unfortunately, being in the middle of the state there are no beaches, no major shopping areas, and no cultural events nearby. We will adapt. If we do not like Adelaide Shores RV Resort for any reason next year, we will just seek out another park. That is the advantage of a home on wheels.

 

February 21, 2022 - Ladies Lunch

Yesterday was the annual park-wide "Lady's Lunch". This year the theme was "Spring Flowers". I would not normally be blogging about this event, since I'm not normally invited, but this year I was in fact invited as one of three men chosen to be the judges. As judges we were treated to a wonderful lunch prior to the judging. Here is a picture of the judges await the festivities to begin. We were from left to right - David, Wayne, and me. Kelly and David's wife, Jean, did not wear hats so no chance of bias there. Wayne's wife wore a hat but we agreed before voting to disqualify her. LOL.  It was a great time with winners picked in five different categories.  

Here are a couple of pictures of the ladies. All hats and outfits were quite colorful. The meal that was provided, all cooked by the ladies, was plentiful and outstanding.

Next year's theme will be "Black-White". I'm sure these ladies will come up with all types of creative outfits.

February 19, 2022 - Pie Iron Cook

Saturday afternoon was the Audrey Street Pie Iron Cook. Dave and I got the charcoal started as the participants began to arrive. The ladies brought lots of ingredients to make many combinations of pie iron sandwiches, including dessert fillings. Here is a picture of the charcoal pit with some pie irons getting hot. Every person was in charge of filling his/her own pie iron with ingredients and monitoring its cooking.

This cut off barrel is what we had for a pit. It worked but the pie irons had to be pointed down into the charcoal making it difficult to get the pies evenly cooked. I'm going to find a different kind of grate for this event next year so that the pie irons can just lay on top of the coals.

Here are a couple more pictures, one showing our canopy covering most of the fixings to keep them out of the sun. It was a beautiful day. Everyone enjoyed the activity with many staying and visiting into the late evening.

We counted about forty folks in attendance so it was quite a success. Actually, all the activities we have that involve food or drink seem to be quite successful. LOL

February 16, 2022 - A Trip to the the Beach

Issues for some. Trying to post again.  Mike

Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful, warmer weather and headed to the beach with our friends, David and Jean. Here is a selfie of us.

At this point we had moved into the shade because we were getting hot. We didn't wear our suits because it was way too cold to get in the water. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

As you can see no one else got in the water either. A great afternoon.  This was our first time at the beach this season. We well be back when the daughters and granddaughter get here next month.

February 15, 2022 - Evening Cruise of the Bay

Last night we went on an evening dinner cruise of the bay with Kelly's Red Hats group. While waiting to board I was watching a guy clean fish on a nearby boat and fighting off a couple of dozen Pelicans who were there for any scraps. It was a little entertaining. Here are a couple of pictures.

Here is a picture of the boat as we loaded. It is a very clean, well-kept boat.

The cruise took off on schedule and dinner was soon available. It was a tropical buffet and, in our opinion, not very good. Beer, wine, and rum punch were all included with the cruise. Dinner was served on the first deck. Afterwards you could go up to the second deck to dance, and/or on to the third deck which was open for viewing. Here is part of the group waiting to eat. Joan is in the foreground trying to duck out of the picture.

We decided that cruising the bay at night was not as interesting as cruising during the day would be so that you can really see all the houses. Many are lit up at night but you don't see a lot. Here is a picture of one house on a corner.

I could not afford the taxes and insurance on one of these places, much less own one. These homes went on for miles and miles of coastline. Clearly there are a lot of people who have a lot of money. All I can afford is the "cruise by". LOL.  I think the prediction is that in twenty years these homes will all be underwater with the rise in sea level, which I just read is rising faster than earlier predicted.

While it was a nice evening with friends, we would never do it again. For the cost we could have had an excellent meal at an excellent restaurant.

 

February 10, 2022 - Rain, Rain, Rain - then Chair Upgrade

Tuesday it was cold (for here) with a high in the 50s and it rained all day and into the night. I had a cupholder project to work on but there was no place outside where I could do it without getting cold and wet. Wednesday it was still in the 50s but the sun was shining. After morning coffee David and I began the project. 

We bought two lightweight folding lawn chairs from Harbor Freight last year. They are great chairs and are often on sale for only $19.95. The chairs have a folding side table on them. Here is a picture of one.

While the side table is quite useful, it proves to be too unstable to faithfully hold a drink. Just a little movement in the chair topples your drink. Similar chairs, which are much more expensive, have cupholders built into the side table. I decided to install cupholders in our chairs. I found six cupholders on Amazon for only $10.00 and purchased them. Since I have six cupholders we will upgrade David's chairs as well. 

While awaiting the arrival of the cupholders David and I went to Harbor Freight and bought a cheap hole cutter for $7.49. Here is a picture of the hole cutter and a couple of the cup holders. I was impressed with their design and quality.

We cut holes in the side tables for the cupholders with the circle cutter. It was a real pain to get the circle cutter just right because each cutter was movable. We were much better at cutting circles on the last two chairs than we were on the first two. Patience and practice improved the quality of the cutouts. We then glued a cupholder to each tabletop with E6000 glue, which I had purchased earlier for another project.  Here is a picture of the finished project. We were happy with the results.

In the afternoon the sun was shining bright. While it was still chilly it was not too cold for a little gathering in the sun on George's lot. Everyone was glad to get out after about 30 hours of rain. I took my chair to the gathering and put the cupholder to use to hold my adult beverage. Here are a couple of pictures of the group.

By 5:30 p.m. the sun went behind the trees and everyone scampered back to their rigs for supper and an evening inside.

Today it is sunny and it is forecast to make it to 68 degrees. A group of us are heading to the American Legion Hall to once again get a nice lunch, listen to live music, and sit overlooking the water for a couple of hours. Always a great time with great people.

February 6, 2022 - New Bathroom Faucet

I noticed that all of a sudden everything on the top of the bathroom vanity was getting wet. I found that the faucet was leaking onto the counter when either the hot or cold valve was turned on. When the valves were closed it didn't leak. I put a washcloth down to absorb the water until I could get it replaced. Here is a picture of the faucet with the washcloth in place. Luckily the water was running toward the back rather than off the front edge and on to the floor.

I went to Home Depot and purchased a replacement faucet. They have certainly gotten more expensive. I didn't think I was ever going to get the water connections loose without a basin wrench but finally I was able to do so. (I really didn't want to buy a basin wrench since I already have one at home.) 

Here is a picture of the new faucet installed. It isn't much different from the old one. They had other styles with spouts that were much taller and which protruded much further into the bowl. I decided against getting one of those because this wash bowl is so small I was afraid a larger spout would be a hindrance.

Upon examining the old faucet I could not see why it was leaking. The guts are all plastic so it could be leaking anywhere and I wouldn't see it. I was surprised, however, to see the state of the screen on the bottom of the spout. I expected some calcium blockage but I didn't expect slimy black stuff all over. It was gross. Here is a picture. 

I didn't know what it was so I "Googled" it and found this:

• The sticky, slimy, stinky residue can make itself at home nearly anywhere water flows in your home. Whether it accumulates in the faucet aerator, around the tub drain, inside the toilet tank, or even inside your tea kettle –black slime is usually due to bacteria that feeds on oxidized iron and manganese in your water supply.

I learn something every day. In all the years we have owned RVs I've never had this before.  I'm going to watch that screen from now on. 

February 5, 2022 - 1st Audrey Street Beer Tasting

Kelly organized a beer tasting for Audrey Street which was held yesterday. To participate you had to bring a craft beer for tasting. We planned on the tasting lasting for an hour then folks would be free to take the rest of their beer home or drink it there if they wanted.  Kelly provided polka and other beer drinking music throughout the afternoon.

It was a cool, overcast day but despite the weather the tasting was a smashing success. All the friends on the street, plus several couples from other areas of the park who hang out with us regularly, all participated. We ended up with over twenty beers to taste. The beer coolers were set up on picnic tables with labels on them naming the beer.  Here are some pictures of the beers set out for tasting.

Here is a picture of the two picnic tables with the beers getting lined up for the tasting to begin. (Ladies like to organize.)

A grill was provided for those who wanted to grill brats or hot dogs. The original idea was that people would grill their own meat. This idea quickly proved to be totally unworkable. I ended up doing the grilling, which was fine because I'm really not a beer drinker.  Here is a picture of one batch of meat being grilled.

We didn't count the attendees because it was like trying to herd cats. We estimated around forty enjoyed the festivities. Here are a couple of pictures of people milling around throughout the afternoon. Snacks were set out on tables in various areas.

As it turned out the "tasting" never ended. Everyone left their beers on the tables and folks just went back and filled their tasting cups with whatever beers struck their fancy. Everyone commented on having a great time. A number of folks stayed on into the evening until it started raining.

Kelly's expert planning proved to make the event a great success. From the comments we received I'm sure this event will be planned again for next year, only not by us. 

February 4, 2022 - Musical "An American in Paris"

Jenn, the daughter of a friend of ours, is the Covid Manager for the new traveling musical "An American in Paris". One of their performances was last night at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida. Jenn knew we were here in St. Petersburg and called to offer us comped tickets to the performance. We jumped at the chance. 

Having been on the road for weeks Jenn was anxious to go to the beach for a couple of hours yesterday but as it ended up her obligations would not let her leave the complex. She has to test all actors, crew, bus drivers, truck drivers, etc. on a daily basis for Covid, keep records, and quarantine anyone who tests positive. I don't know how many people are involved in the production but watching last night I'm sure there are at least fifty people including director, stage managers, musicians, actors, dancers, understudies, crew, and drivers. 

It was interesting to learn that the managers, musicians, actors, and dancers stay at local hotels and travel between cities on a tour bus. The crew sleeps in bunks in another bus. There are also four tractor-trailers full of sets, lights, equipment, etc. taken to each venue. Each stage they perform on is different in size so the sets have to be modified to fit after they arrive. It is a lot of work on a daily basis. This troupe will be performing in a different city across the country almost every day until the middle of May. 

After the performance Jenn had to test everyone. Then we picked her up and treated her to a quick, late dinner at Bar Fly in Safe Harbor. She had to get back to get on the bus, which was leaving around 1:00 a.m., for a seven hour trip to Key West for their performance tonight. While the crew have bunks and can sleep on the ride, the actors, who had been in a local hotel, ride in their tour bus sitting in regular bus seats - a little hard to sleep. It must be grueling to do that then perform that evening.

We had never been to Ruth Eckerd Hall and found it to be a beautiful facility. Here is a picture of the lobby.

The theater seats 2800 people and has a garden in the back where live music is played before each performance. Early arrivers can sit out there with a drink and relax until ready to enter the theater. Jenn had us meet her there. Here is a picture.

The garden area was great and we enjoyed a glass of wine before going in for the performance. Here is a picture of a tree that is part of the garden. The base of the tree has to be the size of a small car. It is huge and majestic.

We had great seats in Row L on the right side of the stage. The performance was wonderful and we enjoyed it immensely. We are so glad Jenn thought of us and got us tickets. There are lots of live musical events at Ruth Eckerd Hall and we may look into going to another event there before we head home.

 

February 4, 2022 - Golf Game, Happy Hour, Packages

Well, my golf game at the scramble Wednesday deteriorated rather than improved. Luckily for me my three teammates played just about as poorly as I did so I didn't feel quite so bad. Better luck next month.

Last night there was a park Happy Hour at the pavilion. The gentleman who was the DJ is suffering from Stage 4 cancer and said this would be his last gig. We all went up to the Happy Hour to support him. He is from New Brunswick, Canada, and most of the music he played we thought was geared more to the Canadians in attendance. They were the only ones up dancing. Here is a picture of some of the dancers and a picture of the entire group. It was a nice crowd to acknowledge his effort.

A number of us left early and headed back to our campers for a small Happy Hour until well after dark. 

Today I was riding my bike to the mailbox and came across a camper across the road from us that looks like this.

There are just as many packages blocked from view by the truck. Do you think this person has an Amazon addiction that needs to be addressed? LOL. The truck license is from California. I don't know what it is all about. This evening everything is covered by a blue tarp (a good chance of rain predicted for tomorrow). It is unusual to see something like this in an RV park.

Kelly and I are going to Ruth Eckert Hall in Clearwater this evening to see the musical "American in Paris". Jennifer, the daughter of Kelly's friend, Mary, is the stage manager for this traveling show and got us comped tickets. It should be a great time and something different to do. All this laying around in the sun is getting old. LOL. 

February 2, 2022 - Toilet Repair

Since we arrived in Florida there has been a slight smell in the toilet room that I didn't like (and I won't describe here). I decided that the gasket, which is rubber and seals the toilet to the floor flange, may be dry-rotted and letting a little odor in. Here is a picture of the replacement gasket I ordered.

Upon pulling the toilet out the gasket did not appear obviously "bad" but it was time for a replacement anyway. Here is a picture with the toilet pulled out. The rubber gasket goes on the toilet and the toilet then fits into the center of the floor flange, which is the round black flange in this picture. This flange holds the toilet to the floor the same as a toilet in a house. In a house a wax ring is used to make a seal but they do not work well in an RV which is flexing going down the road - thus the reason for a rubber gasket.

With the toilet pulled out there was no odor from the holding tank, an indication that the vent is working well. I have not posted pictures of me dismantling the toilet and cleaning every part I could to eliminate any possible odor. It was not fun and there definitely were no "Kodak Moments".  Here is a picture of the toilet reinstalled and a new toilet brush as well. Hopefully this gasket will solve the problem and last for another ten years.

It is a beautiful day today and I will be playing in a golf scramble tournament in Tampa with others here in the park. We play once a month and it is always a great time. The weather is going to be perfect - sunny and in the mid 70s. I hope to not only enjoy the day but to continue to improve my game.

January 31, 2022 - Wine Tasting for the Women

Yesterday was a cool but sunny day so the women's wine tasting took place in the afternoon as planned. The rule is that each lady participating must bring a wine for tasting. The original idea was that wines would be brought from regions at home but many forgot so most wines were bought locally. The tasting was hosted by Rosie. Here is a picture of her serving up a sample.

Here is a picture of Kelly being poured a sample. Upon seeing this picture my thought was that she didn't look impressed with what is being served. LOL.

Here are pictures as the tasting was winding down when the men showed up and threw the "dead solders" out in the middle (along with a few of their beer cans and an empty whiskey bottle).

Here is Jake helping himself to some of the snacks the ladies had left over. The ladies always make nice snacks. The men just tear open a bag of chips and pass it around. LOL

The ladies all had a great time and commented that the wines this year were of a better quality than in years past. Fortunately, the men didn't have to help any ladies get home.