March 25, 2023 - March 31, 2023 - Last Week of the Season in Florida

This is our last week in Florida this season.

Last weekend our oldest daughter, Alexa, was able to get away from work and spend a long weekend with us. Friday night, after picking her up from the airport, we went to the Crab Shack for supper, but the place was packed and the wait too long. We went down the road to Kahuna's and had great Grouper meals. 

Saturday morning we hit a few garage sales but found little that we needed. Kelly got a great deal on some cloth napkins. I bought a c-clamp for a buck. Saturday afternoon I took Alexa on a golf cart ride and she took a fast speed video of the park.

We are cleaning out the fridge in anticipation of heading home, so for supper I grilled a ribeye steak and two pork steaks. All were good with some rice and a cabbage salad.

Sunday morning we went to Pass-a-Grill beach but it was way too crowded. There was no parking anywhere, so we went to Fort DeSoto State Park where there is always plenty of parking. We spent a couple of hours sunning ourselves on a beautiful day. The umbrella came in handy because none of us wanted to get burned.

After getting home we ate leftovers for supper then played a few rounds of Rummikub. I didn't win a single game!

Monday we had a nice breakfast at the Early Bird Cafe then dropped Alexa off at the airport for her flight home. She wished she could have stayed a few more days, as did we.

Monday afternoon we went over to Roberts RV Park to help load up a U-Haul trailer of stuff from Chris and Marj's and Jean and David's travel trailers. Both couples sold the travel trailers they kept down here. They had lots of stuff to take back to Michigan. After everything was loaded, we had a nice visit with all our Michigan friends in the park. Monday was Chris and Marj's last day in Florida, after many winter seasons down here. It was sad for all of us. We are hoping they can find a place to rent next winter and come back if even for a short time.

We had just walked in the door at home when we got a video call from daughter, Erin. It was her 45th birthday. Earlier we had sent her Birthday Wishes so she called to talk to us. We briefly saw the grandboys and learned both are doing well. We wish they weren't so far away so we could see them more often.

Tuesday we started to organize stuff our trip home. We have the car and truck to load. This year is much different because we have to decide what to take home and what to leave in Florida. In all prior years everything went home in the fifth wheel so there were no decisions to be made. We are going to leave a lot of clothes here, so we have less to bring back next season. We have a cooler for fridge items that we can't leave. I want to clean out the fridge and turn it off but Kelly wants to leave it on. Kelly will probably win this debate.

Wednesday Kelly is cooking supper for Jean and David and then we will play some cards. Terry and Julie might come for supper as well. I will pick David and Jean up because, now that Chris and Marj are gone, they have no vehicle to use. They will turn over the trailer to the new owners on April 5th, then fly back to Michigan.

Thursday we will do our final packing and close the house down for the until next fall. We will head home early Friday morning.

Chris and Marj and David and Jean each have small campers back in Michigan that they use for campouts near home. Kelly and I will drive Homer up there in August for a week-long campout with them. It will be great to see then all again. They are all such good friends.

March 17, 2023 - March 21, 2023 - Golf Cart Parade, Lockout, Golf Cart Project, Shop Drawer Repairs, and Visitors

The 17th we then went over to Roberts RV Park to watch the St. Patrick's Fay Golf Cart Parade with our friends there. We visited for several hours afterwards and got home at 9:00 p.m. Upon arriving we found that we were locked out of the house. Neither of us had locked up. We rarely lock the place when we are just going to be gone for a few hours nearby.  How the hell did this happen? Nothing to do but call a 24 hour locksmith. We were told he would be there in about an hour and a half. We could do nothing but sit in the car and wait. He arrived in little over an hour and in about ten minutes had the passage lock unlocked. While waiting we tried to figure out how this could have happened. I got a phone message that my Amazon order had been delivered. I looked in the door window and there it was on the steps. Proof that we didn't lock the door. All we could figure is the Amazon guy must have locked the door when he left. It is a passage lock where you turn the center button. It can't be locked by accident. While waiting we discussed the need to hide keys outside somewhere so we wouldn't be locked again. After paying $130.00 we were in and quickly to bed.

I woke up early on the 18th and pulled out the extra keys we were given. I determined which keys fit which locks. The deadbolt on the kitchen door has a key lock both inside and outside, which is illegal in a house because you could be locked in. Earlier I found a key that unlocked the deadbolt from the inside. I just assumed it unlocked the deadbolt from the outside. I found that the key did not unlock the deadbolt from the outside. I would have hidden this key and then later find out it wouldn't open the door!

With this information it was even more imperative that I get a new deadbolt with a latch on the inside. Upon discussing the situation with Kelly indicated she would like to have a keypad lock. In shopping for locks at Home Depot this morning I found the keypad locks were $100.00 more than the regular lock sets. But, "If mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", so I bought the keypad set.

No big deal to change out the deadbolt right? WRONG! First of all, the old deadbolt only had an 1 1/2 hole. All new deadbolts require a 2-inch hole. Luckily the door is aluminum and Styrofoam because all I had to make the hole bigger was my Dremel with a small round sanding drum.

After going through about a half dozen sanding drums, I had the hole two inches in diameter for the new lock. I installed it and all was well, right? WRONG! The deadbolt did not match up with the striker plate on the door frame. An easy fix, right? WRONG! Someone had NAILED the door plate on with ten penny nails. I have never seen this in my life.

Getting the nails out without bending the aluminum door frame was tricky but I got it done and reinstalled the striker plate with screws so the deadbolt would extend. I then had to use the Dremel tool with a grinding wheel to modify the striker plate for the passage lock. The whole project ended up taking almost four hours instead of the half hour I expected.

Saturday evening the new windshield mounts arrived for the golf cart, so I got to work. Of course, they wouldn't just snap on. Because this is an older cart it has a brace on each side of the windshield post so two of the brackets had to be cut in half to work. They should hold the windshield tight because they were stiff to put on.

I have done everything to the golf cart I am going to do this season. Here is a picture with the top repaired, cleaned, reinstalled, the front posts painted flat black to match the back supports, and the reinstalled windshield with newly purchased mounts. You can see the driver's side crumpled fender which will be fixed next season with some glue and Bondo.

When we come back in the fall he will get new batteries, the old brown carpet ripped out and replaced, the fender repaired, new front light bezels, and maybe even painted a jazzy color or fire flames added. (Kelly is not keen on fire flames, so probably not.)

I have also been working on the drawers in the work bench in the shed. The drawers are particleboard. Several were falling apart, and several had worn down runners. You can see on this picture the runner is totally gone on the right side.

To repair the runners, I needed 1/2-inch-thick wood to match the height on the other side. Home Depot does not carry any 1/2-inch lumber, so I had to get creative. I don't have a table saw here to make my own. They did have 1/4-inch strips of wood so I glued two together to get the 1/2-inch height I needed. 

Here is a picture of one drawer with the new runner glued on, ready to be reinstalled.

I thought about getting an old dresser with better drawers and making a new bench, but I decided the repair of these drawers would be good enough for my needs. Here is what the bench looks like. One drawer is missing a knob, so I screwed on a block of wood for a puller until I come back next season. I have lots of knobs at home so I'm not buying any.

The bench area is shaping up. I need to make a backboard for hanging more tools and find a vice. I have already needed a vice a dozen times. I'll find a used one at a garage sale or online.

Sunday we had tickets to "The Carpenters Tribute" at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. There wasn't an empty seat, and the concert was fantastic. It greatly exceeded our expectations. "Close to You" is "our song" and here the lady is singing it. The singer really sounded like Karen Carpenter and looked a lot like her as well. Great fun.

After we arrived back home, RV friends Jim and Belinda Wolfe, came by for a visit. They were in town putting things in one of their storage units. We ordered pizza and had a great visit before they headed back across the state to their RV lot in Port St. Lucie. They live in their RV fulltime and will be traveling this summer and fall. A Perryville visit is one of their stops, probably in September. We have RV hookups for them at the house.

Monday, while the ladies went shopping, David, Chris, and I, worked on rolling David's RV awning up. It was challenging because the aluminum tube had bent severely in the middle due to the weight of a heavy rain a month or so ago. It took all three of us, two ladders, and a little tweaking to get it rolled up enough that the door would open. David and Jean have sold the trailer. It is uncertain if they will make it back down to Florida next season. We certainly hope so, as well as Chris and Marj, who sold their trailer as well.

After the awning was up the three of us had a nice lunch at "The Crab Shack". The place is a real dump, but the food is great. We washed our lunch down with a couple of beers while we visited.

Tuesday morning our new Canadian friends this year from Avon Park, Scott, Beth, and Ralph, drove over for a visit and to see our new place. They brought a bottle of Mango Rum (which Scott and Beth turned us on to this winter) and fresh flowers. So nice of them. We didn't have a vase, so Kelly improvised by using two of our water bottles.

We had reservations to eat dinner at the "Columbian" restaurant in Ybor, City. None of them had been there before. We ordered different entrees, and everything was excellent. There are four Columbian restaurants but the one in Ybor City is the original, being in business since 1905. The restaurant has beautiful architecture inside, has seven dining rooms, and covers an entire city block. Here is a picture of Scott and Beth, then a picture of me and Ralph. All three of them were originally from Quebec but Ralph now lives in Ontario.

Once back at the house we had ice cream with toppings for dessert. Another lovely day with lovely friends. We plan on staying in touch and visiting each other next season.

March 13, 2023 - March 16, 2023 - Work on Golf Cart, Potato Bake, and Grill Repairs

Monday morning I made a trip to Home Depot to get a caulking gun. The other day I bought caulk for a few places and totally forgot I didn't have a caulking gun here. I'm used to all the tools I have at home. 

The golf cart came with only one key. Home Depot didn't make that key, so she sent me to "The Lock Man" about two miles down the road. He cut them in no time for $7.50 each - inflation. The new keys are the size of Ford Motors keys. The ignition has been replaced and the new one is totally different from the usual Club Cart key that will start about everyone's cart. I guess that is good for my security.

While at Home Depot I bought a small steel brush wheel to use in the drill to take the glue off the front windshield posts. Someone must have glued on a rain cover or something in years past. Glue was slopped everywhere and hard as a rock. Here are pictures with the hard, sloppy glue residue everywhere.

Here are pictures after all cleaned off.

I then decided to go ahead and remove the front framework and paint it flat back to match the back top support. In taking the windshield off the old plastic brackets broke so I ordered new ones.

I also took apart the small front dash compartment to tighten the ignition switch because it turned when you turned the key. An easy fix I thought. I put it all back together and no ignition. I pulled it back apart and found that one wire to the ignition switch came off. I looked and looked and couldn't see any wire nearby. Golf carts are way too low to get under without a jack. (Which I don't have here.) Looking behind the front wheel with a flashlight I was able to see the loose wire hanging down. After a couple of times shoving my arm down the hole in the dash I was able to reach down and grab the ignition wire to reconnect it. Mission accomplished. The plastic on the dash needs to be repainted but that is a project for next year when I when I do bodywork on the fender.

Tuesday morning I began work on the plastic golf cart top. It was split in several places due to old age. (I hate plastic.) I took it off to make it easier to work on. I used several strips of painter's tape spread out along each split to hold the pieces together for gluing. I then spread JB Weld Plastic Bonder in between the painter's tape and let it set overnight. After I removed the tape, I needed to put JB Weld Bonder in the spots where the tape had been. Naturally, I ran out of bonder, so I made my first golf cart trip to Walmart next door. There is a concrete path from our park to the Walmart, which has a large golf cart parking area. Here my cart sits with no top.

The JB Weld Bonder is solid and the color closely matches the top. Here are pictures of the top while waiting for the second round of bonder to dry on several repair areas.

Tuesday afternoon the ladies organized a "Potato Bake" at Roberts RV Park. About twenty people participated. It was a perfect day. Dave and I got the charcoal going and then we all sat around waiting for the coals to get hot so we could put the potatoes in.

Everyone brought their own potato and various toppings. We all had a great time visiting and sharing a few adult beverages well into the evening. The men sit in one circle and the women in another. This is a part of RV life I will miss.

Wednesday, while waiting for the plastic bonder to set up on the top, I began once again working on the gas grill project. I had already gotten a full tank of LP and a new regulator. Both worked well and the grill fired right up. We cooked some steaks on it.

Two things remained to be addressed. The first was that the area of the pan where the burners attach in the back had rusted through, which is a common problem. I found a perfect bracket for $1.98 at Home Depot and remounted the two burners to it and then to the pan. It will outlast me.

The second issue was that the four plastic (I hate plastic) rollers had broken off so it couldn't be moved. I saved the plastic wheels off the junk garbage can a week or so ago, made a wooden support for an axle, and attached those wheels using a threaded rod. I installed blocks on the other side so the grill would sit level. I can now wheel it in and out of the shed. The plastic wheels don't like all the weight on them but it will only be moved a short distance twice a year. Here is a picture. Now I need to find some more steaks!

Yesterday we received our first utility bill from the City of Pinellas Park. I'm in the process of getting set up so I can make payments online because the March payment will come after we leave. I called the City and they said the park personnel had to make the change. Go figure. I'll pay this one and hope the next one can be paid online.

Today (Thursday) Kelly is out shopping for new material for a duster for our bed. She didn't like the Burgandy colored one that came with the home. She already bought new drapes and a different comforter. Soon the bedroom will be to her liking, except we need to bring some pictures down in the fall to hang on the walls.

We may go the Roberts RV Park this afternoon for the final Horse Races of the season and back over tomorrow for the St. Patrick's Day Golf Cart Parade. Both are always fun events, the park is close, and it gives us time to visit with our friends.

March 9, 2023 - March 12, 2023 - New AC, Golf Cart, New Outlet, Gas Grill

The humidity level in the house has been extremely high. The AC was just not taking it out as it should. It needed to be looked at. I inquired of those in the park and the overwhelming suggestion was Airmasters of Pinellas Park. I called and they sent someone out that day. Upon hooking up his gauges he found that the system was quite low on freon, causing it to ice up the coil. He showed me how corroded everything was inside, advised me that this Goodman brand of AC was installed in 2010, and that they had a poor design, which often led to leaks. He said he could charge it up for about $600.00 but he wouldn't guarantee that it wouldn't leak out again in just a couple of days. The second option was to put in a new coil at a significant cost, and still no guarantee. We opted to get a whole new unit with a ten year warranty so we didn't have to worry about it working this summer while we were at home. Here is a picture of the old unit. 

Two repairmen arrived Friday and withing two hour had the new unit and thermostat installed. These units also contain a 10KW electric element for heat when needed. The new unit is a Comfortmaster by Carrier, much better brand:

At his suggestion I purchased crushed rock and placed it all around the condensation drain to keep any debris out. A very nice company to work with.

On the Golden Gate Buy and Sell Facebook page there was an older golf cart for sale for $1,000.00. They guy charged it up and I took it for a ride to our place and back (less than two blocks). The batteries were so bad that when I was driving it back it totally quit in the middle of the street. He had to push me in. The cart:

The bad:  the seats were quite dirty, the front seats did not match the back seats in color, it needed batteries (about $800.00), the driver-side front fender was bashed in from hitting a wall, and the seat backs were falling off. Here is a picture.

The good: It is a Club Cart, it runs well when the batteries are charged, it has a good charger, there is no play in the steering, the brakes work fine, it has a windshield, a rear-view mirror, front and back lights updated to LEDs, the seats were not torn, and it has a rear seat. The rear seat is a $400 item by itself. I offered him $500.00 and after thinking about it a day, he accepted my offer. I picked it up Saturday and began to work on it.

The seats were really dirty and the seat backs each were being held on by one bolt and wire ties to keep them from spinning.

The seats cleaned up well and I solved the problem of their mounts by drilling and adding a bolt to each one.

Here is a picture after the seat work was completed.

The plastic top is split down each side. This needs to be fixed. I am going to use JB Plastic Weld to hold the pieces together then use E6000 glue all along the cracks on top to seal them. I haven't decided yet whether to take the roof off to make this repair or do it while on the cart.

Several of the battery terminals were quite corroded. This could influence the batteries accepting a charge. 

I took them all off and cleaned everything. After doing this I recharged the batteries. I took her for a ride and was able to circumnavigate the park and drive up and down a couple of streets before the batteries died. It would be good enough for me until next season, but we may buy new batteries now so we can use it all we want. The golf cart needs a name. I put that out to all of you for suggestions. One suggestion last night was "Lisa", in keeping with the Simpsons naming scheme we have used since purchasing Homer. Send me your suggestions.

The only outside outlet on the house for charging the cart is on the front of the house. I didn't like running an extension cord for that across the driveway. With the help of friends, Chris and David, we installed another outlet on the side of the house. A great improvement.

A project I need to get back to is the old gas grill I bought. I took the wheels off the old trash can, bought a threaded rod, a 2x4, and some pipe brackets. I will mount a piece of 2x4 on each side, then mount a pipe on one 2x4 for an axle guide. I will attach the two wheels off the old trash. I can then wheel it around, and in and out of the shed as needed.  IT also needs a little burner repair so I bought something to fix that with. I'll update with pictures. I can't work on it now because rain is coming.

Last night we played "Nickels" with our Michigan friends in Roberts RV Park and had a great visit until 10:00 p.m.

March 8, 2023 - Blog Response and What I Have Been Fixing Over the Last Week

Thanks to everyone for responding to my blog question. The unanimous consensus was that I should continue the blog by reporting what we are fixing up and changing at the Florida place, the activities we are involved in here in the park, our travels and activities while in Florida, and reporting any RV trips we take in Homer.

So here is what has been going on the last few days:

Last week Kelly ordered a new shower curtain for the shower in the master bath. It was delivered and I was immediately able to put it up because the prior owner had left a new bag of shower curtain hooks. Kelly loves it (which is all that counts). Here it is.

Friday Kelly wanted to get new globes for the sconces in the two bathrooms. We couldn’t find modern globes that fit the sconces that were in place. Kelly found new sconces at Lowes and bought five of them. For the master bath she wanted burnt brown. Before and after. 

For the hall bathroom she wanted brushed nickel to blend with the faucets. Before and after.

After coming back from Lowes on Friday we found a note in our mailbox from the Postmaster. It stated that all new residents had to put a mailbox out at the curb. They would no longer walk ten more feet to use the mailbox on the house. Crazy but true. I found a nice mailbox and post at Home Depot and purchased a bag of concrete to install it. This was a hundred bucks I wasn’t planning on spending but what can you do? I filled out a request to cut down a tree between us and the neighbor. You can see it in the picture of the mailboxes. It is already hanging on the house and needs to go. Here is the mailbox installed, with the required house numbers on the side, and the old mailbox on the house. I'll remove the old one so there is no confusion. Now we are totally legal I guess.

Saturday, March 4th, we hit four garage sales. We bought a few little items that didn’t amount to much. We ended up back at Roberts RV Park to see how much stuff our friends sold at their garage sale. They sold a lot but still had items left to donate to the Salvation Army. Dave and I went to the house and got our empty boxes for them to pack up these items. Upon bring them back the women made short work of boxing it all up and loaded into the car. We then ordered a couple of pizzas with adult beverages to wash it down. We enjoyed our visit.

A small Sunday project was putting a striker plate on the hall bathroom door. Without the striker plate the door would not close tight unless you twisted the knob each time. I have a number of striker plates in Perryville and didn’t want to buy another, so I stole one off the guest bedroom closet door. I’ll bring a replacement down next fall. For the installation I had to do a little chiseling without a chisel. I’ll bring down a chisel in the fall, I have several in Perryville as well.

Another quick project was hanging a bulletin board by the back door. We are regularly getting notes about activities here at the park and need a convenient place to post them. Kelly wants me to make a coat rack to hang under it when we get back home.

My final improvement project for the day was switching the two light switches by the back door. As it was, the first switch as you came in the door turned off the outside motion detector light while the second switch turned on the light in the room as you entered. This was backwards. Now the first switch you reach for will be to light up the room.

Trash is picked up on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday after the trash was collected this is what our trash can looked like:

The can rolls and the handle has been completely torn off. The prior owner had "hot glued" it at one point, but it obviously didn't hold. I thought about making a handle, but I just don't have the tools here to do it. This morning I bought a new trash can. 

Since day one the washing machine has been acting up. It was old and the timer was jacked up. It would stop halfway through a wash cycle, and you would have to remember to go out and turn it back on to finish the cycle. Also, it would not switch to run a "cold' load. We decided to buy a used one. I looked on Facebook and found a used appliance place in Tampa that had used washers reasonably priced which came with a 30-day warranty. I called and they would deliver, install, and haul off the old one for $70.00. Yesterday morning (Tuesday) they showed up right on time and installed the new (used) one and hauled off the old one which looked like this.

The delivery folks were a Mexican young woman and young man. He didn't speak English but was all business about getting it installed and the old one hauled out. She made sure to text me the warranty information. A very nice transaction.

Yesterday afternoon our Michigan friends, who are staying in Roberts RV Park a mile or two away, and Celena, came over for some adult beverages followed by a spaghetti dinner, salad, and garlic bread prepared by Kelly. The meal was delicious. After visiting for a while, we had ice cream with all the toppings and the biscotti I made the day before. It wasn't my best biscotti. It was the first time I ever baked in an electric oven so I need to adjust. They taste good but are a little overcooked. Before they left Jean took a picture of Kelly and me on the front porch.

This morning I was up at 3:30 a.m. I've been having trouble sleeping later lately. I decided to do a load of laundry in the "new to us" machine. I loaded the washer, put in the detergent, and turned it on. After the water filled and it tried to agitate it made a grinding noise you could hear across the street. I just knew it was going to wake Kelly up and I was going to get "a talking to" about that. Something was wrong with the drum or the agitator. I got it to drain but it would not spin. I then had a load of sopping wet clothes to deal with. We do not have a clothesline. The big towel in the load I put outside over a chair to let the excess water drip out. The rest of the clothes I put in the dryer for three cycles to get them dry.  At 8:30 a.m. I texted the appliance lady and told her of the problem. She promptly texted back that she was sorry this happened. They were out making deliveries and would bring us a new machine. Before noon they were here, took out the machine, and replaced it with one that works fine (I did a load of laundry to check it.) This machine even looks better than the first one. You can't beat that for service. 

Last week I bought a two-burner CharBroil gas grill for $32.00 off of Facebook. Kelly thought it was a piece of junk when she saw it because it is rusted at the bottom. I don't care about that, everything down here rusts. It came with a propane tank that was empty. I got a refilled tank and hooked it up. It wouldn't work. I took the hose off the end of the regulator and could hear no gas coming through. I diagnosed it had a bad regulator. I went to Home Depot because online it said they had the exact replacement I needed for $9.95. When I got there all they had were regulators with longer hoses that cost $24.95. I wasn't paying that. I then went to Walmart and found a nice stainless-steel hose and regulator for $15.00. I bought it. I hooked it up and the grill works like new, it just doesn't look like new. All that was left to do before using it was cleaning up the grate. I told "Miss Doubting Kelly" to get out a steak and I'd cook it on the grill for supper. 

Our porch furniture is made out of plastic pipe with plastic rollers. One or two are falling apart or fall off when you lift the chair. 

I hate plastic crap so I bought some metal replacements online. They arrived yesterday. Upon trying to install them I found out that I can't budge the nuts on the old ones, again because everything rusts down here. I will take them all home, cut off the old ones, and install the new ones. When I install the new ones I'm going to put anti-seize on them to see if that helps.

Tonight is the St. Patrick's Day Dance. This will be the first activity we attend in this park. I will report back. Now I need to go fire up the grill for supper!