March 6, 2023 - Questions for My Followers

With the purchase of the Florida home the content of the blog will obviously change. Although we still have Homer we will not be traveling as much as in the past so we will have fewer adventuress to share with you. So the questions are:

1. Should I just stop blogging?

2. Should I continue the blog by reporting what we are fixing up and changing at the new place, the activities we are involved in here in the new park, our travels and activities while in Florida, and reporting any RV trips we take in Homer?

3. Should I only blog sightseeing trips and RV trips in Homer?

I would really like your honest input. I need to know if you think the blog has run its course and our non-traveling activities are of little interest. No matter what you say, I will not be offended.

Mike

February 27th - March 2, 2023 - Our Florida Home

On February the 27th we delivered Marge to her new owners. Putting her in place was a two-hour ordeal that I don't want to relive by telling it to you. I didn't think I would get it into their spot, but I did. Thereafter we got something to eat and then made the two-hour drive to our mobile home in Golden Gate Resort in Pinellas Park.

All day the 27th and 28th we unloaded stuff from out vehicles and from Celina's shed in the park. I could not believe how much stuff we had accumulated in Marge over a fifteen-year period. Our new place came fully furnished with silverware, dishes, pots and pans, towels, bedding, etc. (They did take the TV.) Kelly spent most of the 28th taking everything out of the kitchen and re-arranging it to her liking and putting her favorite dishes and utensils in place. Meanwhile I got the last load of stuff out of the car, the truck, and Celina's shed. I put all my tools, etc. in one of our two sheds. After two days of this we were "settled in" but BEAT. The last time we moved was 27 years ago. It was much easier then. 

All is not finished but I thought I would share some pictures as she sits today. The lady that owned it was, as Kelly says, "a girly-girl". Every room is decorated in Burgandy and pinks with lots of fluffy and lace curtains, etc. It is not Kelly's style. She will have all summer to think about redecorating ideas and the purchase of a HUGE TV. For this month we will have no TV nor internet. I can take my laptop to the clubhouse, where I am now, to get on the internet.

Here are some pictures I took; they are pretty self-explanatory. (Notice even the outside trim is burgundy.)

I forgot to take pictures of the master bedroom, master bath, and porch, but you get the idea. The place was move in ready and they even had the carpets cleaned the day before we moved in. It is our "Home Sweet Florida Home". I hope we get to enjoy it for a number of years. There are lots of activities in th park on a weekly basis. We bought tickets for the "St. Patrick Day Dance" on March 8th. It will be a good way to meet people. Janet, the secretary, already knows me on sight due to all my visits with questions. We will be here until the end of March.

Here is the main shed. It needs lots of attention. My first job is new lighting.

One of my blog followers asked that I explain what makes a mobile home park a “co-op” park. In a co-op park each mobile home unit owner owns a share of the entire park. In Golden Gate there are 340 lots, so our share is 1/340th value of the entire park. Periodically the share value is increased based on the value of the property. The share value was recently increased by $5,000. The major advantage of this arrangement is that you do not have monthly rent and since the park is resident-owned, there is no profit motive, so the maintenance fees are low. As a shareholder you also elect the Board of Directors, who run the operation. Another advantage is that the property cannot be sold out from under you. This has become a problem as privately owned parks are selling out for big bucks to developers. If that happens you have to pay big bucks to get your MH sold and moved. In this co-op I believe 97% of the residents have to agree to sell the land. There is a monthly HOA (Homeowners Association) fee for maintenance of the clubhouse, the pool area, the streets, and the lawns.  A couple of the reasons we picked Golden Gate was the low HOA fee per month, the great maintenance of the park, and the pride taken in the homes. In many parks, like the one we just left in Avon Park, if you have a mobile home you have to pay rent, put in sprinklers, take care of your own lawn yourself, and hire someone to do it when you aren't there.  The HOA fee is due every month year-round whereas you only pay for water, sewer, and trash for the months you are staying in the park. Electricity has to be kept on year-round to provide AC in the summer to remove humidity to prevent mold and mildew. Time will tell how the costs wash out compared to ever-increasing RV park rent in the winter months.

Hope you followed the explanation.

February 25, 2023 - Entertainment and "Our Move"

Last night we went with our Canadian neighbors and friends, Scott and Beth, to the Wildstein Center to see "The DooWop Project" out of New York. The group was quite talented and entertaining with several of the members having been in "The Jersey Boys" on Broadway. We had great seats and a great time. The place was full of us old duffers, and everyone was into the music. Here are a couple of pictures.

After the show Scott and Beth invited us over for a nightcap at their motorhome. They are such a lovely couple from Montreal, Quebec. We have exchanged contact information and plan on staying in touch with them. Next winter they will be staying on the Atlantic coast so visiting from our place will be a four-hour drive across the state. We have other friends on the Atlantic side so we may make a trip to visit everyone one day and just spend the night over there. 

Our other Canadian neighbor, Ralph, has a son in Lakeland, Florida. He wants to visit us at the new place before we leave. He can then head to his son's home for a visit. He is a great guy. He was originally from Quebec but now lives in Ontario. We have really been blessed this season with great neighbors. We have met a lot of nice people throughout the park. 

This will be my last blog for several days because we will not have internet at the new place. I hope to be able to go to the clubhouse, or a friend's house, and get the internet so I can do a blog with pictures of our new winter home.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Marge. We have had her for fifteen years and I have been hauling fifth wheels for about forty years. Unhooking Marge for the last time Monday morning will be one of those "moments" before passage into another winter lifestyle. 

February 10, 2023 - February 18, 2023 - "The Lovettes" and our Big News

We went to see "The Lovettes" on Valentine's Day at the Wildstein Performance Center at the university. This is a group of three women out of Chicago who do a show of various famous "girls" groups from the 1940s through the 1960s. They are really talented and put on a great show/.

Well, we have had a busy, busy time the last few weeks. The big news is we bought a mobile home in a 55+ co-op park in Pinellas Park and sold our fifth wheel. The fifth wheel is in Avon Park, which is eighty miles away from Pinellas Park. The purchasers of the fifth wheel want me to deliver it to their lot on February 27th, which is just ten miles away. We will get possession of our new place on February 26th. Before we could turn over possession of the fifth wheel, we had to clean it out and get everything over to Pinellas Park. We have had this fifth wheel for fifteen years and I was shocked at how much stuff we have in it. Last week we filled our friend Celina's car and our truck and took it all to Celina's shed for storage. We will take another carload over to Celina’s shed on the 23rd when we have the closing. What little clothes and food is left we can bring to Pinellas Park in the vehicles on the 27th after I deliver the fifth wheel.

We pay for premium mail forwarding until March 31st. We had to change that from Avon Park since after February 27th we will not be here. I was online with USPS for three hours one day and an hour the next day attempting to figure out how to edit the dates. It wouldn’t work and the USPS was of no help. I couldn’t believe that they couldn’t just change it for me, but it had to be done online and it wouldn’t work. It would let me cancel the service effective immediately, so I did that. I then called my friend, John, and asked him if he would get the mail out of the box at home once per week and put it in the house. He was happy to help. 

This move to a 55+ mobile home community is a major passage in our lives. We have been traveling by RV all over the US and Canada for over thirty years - well over 90,000 miles. Spending winters in a 55+mobile home park will be an adjustment we hope goes smoothly. We are not totally out of RV travel, however, because we still have Homer for campouts with our RV club and staying out on our lot at Lake Perry.

Once we take possession of our new place, I will attach pictures.

January 31 - February 9, 2023

On the 31st for dinner we went for Fish and Chips with neighbor, Ralph, to the Sun n Lake Restaurant in Sebring. He had been there before and said the food was quite good. Plus, they had Margaritas for $4.00. The Sun n Lake development consists of hundreds of homes and two 18-hole golf courses surrounding a lake. It is an "upscale" community. I'm glad Ralph made reservations because the restaurant was packed. Ralph didn't steer us wrong. The food was quite good. 

On February 1st we took a two-hour ride to St. Petersburg where we had been wintering the last seven years. While there we made a Costco run for supplies and looked around.  We ended up going back to the area the next day to take care of some business. While there we visited our Michigan friends - Chris and Marj, David and Jean, and Terry and Julie, in Roberts RV Park. We had a great visit but received bad news. Chris and Marj are selling their trailer and are not coming back to Florida for the winter. Marj and Jean are sisters. David and Jean leave their trailer at the RV park and fly down for the season. When in the RV park they use Chris and Marj's car. With Chris and Marj not coming back David and Jean may not be able to come back since they won't have a vehicle to use to grocery shop, etc. We really hope they can find a reasonable car rental for next season so they can come back. We have a selfish interest in their situation because it is our intent to get back to the St. Petersburg area next year and hang out with them and others. 

Friday evening our neighbor to the rear, Ralph, invited us and his next-door neighbors, Scott and Beth, over for drinks. The original plan was to sit outside but a rain forced us inside. We had a great time and ended up staying for three and a half hours. Since Kelly has her Canadian citizenship, I was the only "solely American" in the group.

Saturday morning there was an "Artisan Show" in the clubhouse. Kelly and I walked around but not much interested us. Kelly did buy two hand-knitted potholders at a bargain price. Overnight it cooled down and Saturday afternoon the wind really picked up. Everyone pulled in their awnings to avoid damage. Several gusts throughout the morning rocked the RV.  

Sunday and Monday were lazy days at the RV. My hair had gotten quite long and unruly so on Monday the 6th I went to the barber and got a major haircut. Tuesday was laundry day and I got it done early.

Wednesday was the "D Street Block Party", which is on the second Wednesday of the month. The weather was fantastic and we had a lot of good conversation, laughs, and food. 

Thursday was the Valentine Day Dance here in the park. We sat with friends we met here this year, David and Linda, from Taylorville, Illinois.

They are RVers like us and are members of an Illinois RV club which is dwindling in numbers like our Carri-Yals RV club. We are going to explore combining the two clubs to keep numbers up for future campouts throughout Missouri and Illinois.

The music group for the dance was outstanding and people were up dancing all night long. Here is a picture.

David took a picture of us enjoying the evening.

The dance was over at 10:00 p.m. Just as we arrived back at the RV, neighbor Paul, came by on his golf cart and said there was a gathering at his place and invited us to attend. We made a fresh drink and grabbed our chairs. In addition to Paul and his wife, Marietta, there were three Canadian couples. We didn't know any of these folks but within minutes we were laughing and having great conversations with all of them. 

It was a great evening.

  

January 21 - 29, 2023 - Vendors, Patrina Show, and Car Show

Thursday morning there were Vendors in the clubhouse. To get oldsters to attend these types of events you need to offer free donuts and coffee, which they did.

Here is a picture of the tables set up. Most tables were vendors for vacations or for home improvement projects. We weren't interested in either so didn't stay long.

Thursday evening we had tickets for the "Patrina Show" in the clubhouse. She is a one-woman show and was very entertaining with a lot of audience participation. Here are a couple of pictures.

Friday morning we went to a church rummage sale. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. and there was already a line to get in. We really didn't need to buy anything but Kelly found four crystal wine glasses and a Dominoes set she had to have. For 25 cents I bought a USA-made locking pliers that need a good cleaning. You can never have enough locking pliers!

On the way back to the RV we stopped at Walgreens. This little guy was sitting on the Mercedes we parked next to. He was there when we pulled up and he was there when we pulled out. I don't know why he found this spot so attractive, but he was continually watching in all directions. I'm sure the guy who owned the Mercedes was not happy with him hanging out there. Hopefully he didn't leave any scratches.

Thursday evening the weather turned much colder, with only a high in the 60s through Friday. 

On Sunday the weather turned much warmer for the car show at the park, which is open to the public. In the morning I helped set up tables for registration and then from 2:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. I was stationed at the gate to direct visitors to the parking areas. During the event they sold hot dogs and ice cream. Before my shift started Kelly and I got a hot dog and chips and then viewed the cars. There were 82 cars in the show, which is a nice size for this event. There is a "People's Choice Award". We voted but I don't know what car won. This 1933 Willys was my favorite by far. 

There was quite a variety of vehicles displayed.

Two cars really brought back memories. The first was an old van which was decked out with Shag Carpet and a bed. I remember back in the day there was often wording on the back of these vans which said "Don't laugh, your daughter could be in here".

The other nostalgic moment was seeing this 1962 Chevrolet Impala. I had one identical to it,  even the same color. Of course, back in 1970 mine was in much nicer condition. 

Back then, no power steering, power brakes, or power windows. Mine even had a bumper hitch like this one.

Although my shift ended at 3:30 p.m., I waited at the gate to watch all of the cars drive out. None, not even the 1933 Willys, had been trailered to the show. A great day and a great show.

After the car show it was time to watch football. The Chiefs-Bengals game was great with the Chiefs pulling out a win in the last few seconds to move on to the Super Bowl - GO CHIEFS!

January 10th - 20th, 2023 - Life Around Here and Philharmonic Concert

There are a good number of Canadians in this park, mostly from Ontario and Quebec. We have noticed that they like to hang their clothes out to dry. Under the park rules you can hang clothes only at the back of your rig. Here are a few pictures of clothes hanging out which I took just from our lot.

Wednesday there was a luncheon at a local restaurant to help those of us in the park from the Midwest to get to know each other. I went but Kelly stayed home convalescing. I had a nice time and sat next to Brian and Brenda from Waterloo, Illinois. He collects tractors and comes to Perryville regularly to get non-ethanol gasoline for his tractors, because he can't get at home. The group will get together again next month. 

At 4:00 P.M. Wednesday I hosted the "D Street Happy Hour", which is held once per month for those people staying on this one block of "D Street". The weather was great, and it was really well-attended. I neglected to take any pictures. Lots of conversation and lots of food.

Thursday there were horse races at the clubhouse. Kelly will not go out yet, and I didn't want to go by myself, so we will check it out next month. 

Thursday I noticed my neighbor, Jerry, was working on his motorhome. He was replacing the water diverter valve. The factory part was plastic and cracked, causing it to leak. When he went home for Christmas he was able to buy a replacement part that is brass. He brought it back to install. Working on motorhomes is no fun. It was really a pain for him to connect all the hoses and water fittings to the new valve in a very confined area. Friday everything was back together but he found one fitting leaking. Upon taking it apart he found that the washer was deformed. Luckily, he was able to get a replacement at a local RV dealer. Neighbor Scott and I helped by providing "moral support" for the project. 

Friday morning it rained hard for about an hour then let up. The winds were predicted to be 15 - 25 mph so I had taken the sunscreen down and rolled up the awning, as did most others around me. This rain brought in much cooler weather. It was down to 37 degrees the next three nights!

Friday afternoon Kelly came out of the rig for the first time in almost two weeks. We walked over and visited with our neighbors, Scott and Beth from Quebec, who were sitting out. They are a delightful couple and I'm sure we will visit much over the season.

Saturday we went to the hardware store to buy chain and hooks to hang the stained-glass picture Kelly purchased. She had purchased a similar one a couple of years ago but dropped it and broke it. I hung it from hooks attached to the top of the valance on the back window. It adds a little color.

Saturday evening two of the sand cranes who hang around the park walked past our lot squawking the continually. Here is a video of them.

They are really tame and will let people get very close. I think I could hand feed them but I'm not going to that for fear they wouldn't leave.

As I said, it has been COLD here - low thirties over night since Friday. Here is a picture of the car when I came out to go to church on Sunday.

This car has never been in winter weather so we do not have an ice scraper. I had to use a credit card to scrape the frost off the windows before I could drive off.

Sunday afternoon our friend, Celina, who was visiting friends nearby, came over for a visit. We went to the Olympic Restaurant in town for supper. The food was quite good and reasonable. Kelly is back to normal (healthwise) so she, Celina, and another lady friend went shopping all day Monday We didn't need anything, but Kelly couldn't help herself. She bought an 18-inch-tall glass Christmas Tree for Christmas next year in Marge and three outfits for grandson, Free. We mailed them off on Wednesday.

The university here in Avon Park has a wonderful concert hall called the "Wildstein Center", named after benefactor, Allan Jay Wildstein. Almost weekly during the season there is a different musical concert covering all musical tastes. We purchased tickets for a concert by the "Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine" and attended last night. It was outstanding. Here is a picture of the orchestra playing.

Before the concert the ushers passed out Ukraine flags for everyone to waive when clapping, which I'm sure was appreciated. The national flower of Ukraine is the Sunflower. At the conclusion of the performance the musicians were given many bouquets of Sunflowers.

We can't imagine what a stress this must be for them to perform around the U.S. as their family members are dealing with war at home. The crowd was informed that the musicians have great difficulty communicating with family members back home. From here they travel to New York to give a concert in Carnegie Hall.  So glad we went.  We hadn't been to a performance like this for many years.

The weather has warmed up significantly. It only got down into the 60s last night, quite a change. My job today is to glue the soles on Kelly's shoes, which came lose last night. I have two types of glue on hand but not contact cement, which is what I want to use for this project. We will make a trip to the store today to purchase glue and to do some grocery shopping as well. We have a coupon to get $12.00 off a purchase of $60.00 or more at Winn-Dixie. Now days it is not hard to purchase $60.00 worth of groceries. Two dozen eggs ought to do it!

 

January 2nd - 9th, 2023 - Reserving for Next Year, Kelly is Sick, Hosting the Block Party

The end of the year we got a letter in our mailbox that park rental is going up for next season. For those of us who stay four months it is going up $125.00 per month. Seasonal spots are hard to get so on Monday January 2nd we went up to the office and put down a deposit for next year. The management here is so nice, everything is so simple. I told her we would put down a deposit on this lot but would rather have a North-facing lot next year, she said to check back after January 18th when those lots not reserved are listed. If a North-facing lot is available then she will just change our lot reservation. The office staff are very helpful and accommodating, which is so different from our past experience at Roberts RV Park. 

We learned from a neighbor that management here does not put up with anyone who doesn’t follow the rules though. On New Years  in Florida everyone shoots off fireworks everywhere. There is a park rule that no fireworks shall be shot off in the park. Totally understandable. Last year someone in the park shot some fireworks off anyway. Management found out about it and kicked them out - permanently. They owned a park model. Management told them to pull it out or sell to someone else. They weren’t allowed to remain in the park. They sold.  

January 2nd it turned very warm. 80 plus. Tuesday is laundry day.  At 6:30 a.m. I did the laundry when no one else is around. Kelly went to bed Monday night not feeling well and got up Tuesday morning feeling worse. By lunchtime she decided to take a Covid test. Luckily it came back negative. A chest cold? I went to the store and bought some NyQuil, Green Tea, and Chicken Noodle Soup. Then I dumped the holding tanks, so that we are good for another week. 

Our patio gets full sun from noon on. The sunshade we bought helps block the sun but since it is a mesh so a lot of sun and heat still comes through it. I didn’t want to catch what Kelly had so I stayed outside reading, etc.  I have to keep moving around to stay in the shade. This is the main reason we would like to get a North-facing lot. The North-facing lots get afternoon shade from the rig and the awning. 

The Pool Party that had been scheduled in December was cancelled due to the cold weather and rescheduled for the 4th. I went up to check it out. There was a pretty good crowd. The music was provided by an old guy singing, playing a keyboard, and using a sound machine for accompaniment. He wasn't too bad and played a lot of songs everyone liked. A fellow took this picture that I was in. Can you pick me out?

A number of the attendees get in the pool and splash around.

On a different subject, I finished carving the boot. Here is a picture. I will take it home and stain it and varnish it. My daughter, Alexa, gets it as the first thing I carved with the carving set she bought me.

Kelly hadn't improved by Friday, so we went to the closest Urgent Care, which is seventeen miles away.

When we got there at least six people were ahead of Kelly. They were SLOW. We were there for three hours. I'm glad she wasn't bleeding. Kelly has pneumonia and was given a prescription for an antibiotic, Flonase, and Prednisone. Her medical insurance changed to Aetna the first of the year and she hasn't received the new card yet. Aetna sent her a letter that could be used until the card arrived. The urgent care folks had no problem accepting the new insurance based on the letter. Kelly needed to get a blood test so we drove to Quest. She completed their paperwork, but they wouldn't accept the Aetna insurance based on the letter. Kelly said the guy there was a real jerk. We then went to Walgreens to get the prescription filled. They accepted the Aetna letter. Go figure. Upon getting back to the RV Kelly called Aetna about the problem. She was told the card was mailed out December 19th. We haven't gotten it yet, which is strange. Our mail is forwarded from Perryville once per week. It should have been here by now.  The lady at Aetna told Kelly to download the Aetna app and she could get the card from there and have it on her phone. She goes back to Quest on Tuesday, January 10th, which was their first available appointment.

A major storm came through Thursday. It rained really hard for a long time. Here are some pictures of the storm coming through.

After the storm the temperatures dropped over fifteen degrees but Friday the sun was back out. 

This block of "D Street" is known for having a "Block Party" once per month. We went to the first one in December hosted by Brian and Janet. While sitting on the patio Friday Brian came up and asked if we would host the next "Block Party" on Wednesday the eleventh. Kelly was sick and inside the RV. Without consulting her (a mistake) I agreed to do it (mostly to get our turn out of the way). A while later Gailen, from across the street, came over. He said he heard we were hosting the next "Block Party" and, thankfully, he told me what was expected of us. (Brian told me nothing.) The hosts provide the space, have a table for snacks, and provide plates, utensils, and napkins. I pointed to our folding table and he said that it wasn't large enough so he will bring one over. Kelly thought it was a bad idea for us to host since she was sick. She said she would not mingle with others and she suggested I tell Brian we can't do it. I didn't want to do that so I will host the group and Kelly will stay in the RV. Now I need to go to the store and purchase disposable dinnerware.

Saturday I was sitting on the patio when I heard cranes nearby. I was able to get this video as they walked through out lot.

Saturday evening there was a dance at the clubhouse but we skipped it for obvious reasons. I have not been going to wood carving to stay away from groups.

Sunday we decided to take a ride to Lake Placid, then on to Arcadia, then back home. This area is the poorest part of the state. Lake Placid is nice but Arcadia is a small community and pretty depressed.

Since it is after the first of the year the park is now full for the season. All the activities will get into full swing. I'm hoping Kelly continues to improve so we can attend events.

December 26, 2022 - January 1, 2023 - Ringing in the New Year

Wayne and Judy told us about a mobile home park in Sebring that is totally decorated for Christmas. it takes quite a while to drive through and directions are given as to what route to take to see it all. Here are some pictures. It was really well done.

Some of the neighbors went back home for Christmas. The last couple of days they have returned, and I introduced myself to them and hung out with them for a while the last two days. 

Upon arrival we purchased tickets for the New Year's Eve Party here at the park. I learned from the last dance we attended that I needed to go up to the clubhouse early and stake out our seats. I picked a couple of seats close to the front and on the end for ease of getting to the dance floor. The band was "Side Project Duo" - a guy on an acoustic guitar and another guy singing and shaking the tambourine. 

They did have a small synthesizer of some sort that gave a little drum beat but that was it. They were HORRIBLE! They might have been okay for a backyard BBQ for background music but that is about it. Their music was more like folk music than dance music and their singing was awful. They played for over a half hour and no one got up to dance. They switched to something a little more appropriate for the occasion and some people started to dance. I told Kelly it was going to be a long night! I thought it was hilarious that the dance floor filled up when they took a break and put some canned music on with tunes people knew and could dance to. 

We sat across from Jack and RuthAnn, from North Carolina, and next to Linda and David, from Taylorville, Illinois. They are all nice people and we had a lot of fun laughing at the crappy music and discussing how we probably didn't bring enough booze to get through four hours of this. Around 9:30 p.m. they drew tickets for attendance prizes, which were bottles of Champaigne, and/or gift cards to restaurants in the area. We didn't win. What was funny was that we were behind Jack and Ruthann walking in. She had to root around for their tickets so they told us to go ahead of them in line. Thus they got our attendance prize tickets and each of them won an attendance prize! After all the attendance prizes were given out people started to leave. Jack and Ruthann left by 10:00 p.m. Only about 1/3 of the partiers stayed until midnight. A good DJ would have been much better. Here we are at midnight making noise and singing "Auld Lang Syne".

I thought it was weird that the decorating committee set out plastic Champaigne flutes for everyone but didn't provide any Champaigne. What were they thinking?

New Year's Day we took down what little Christmas decorations we had. It took about five minutes. They are packed up until next year. Unlike Christmas, New Year's Day it is hot - 80+. We get a lot of sun which really warms up Marge. I would turn on the AC but Kelly is comfortable with the warmth. So I sit outside a lot where there is a breeze.

On January the fourth there will be a pool party. One was scheduled earlier but was cancelled due to the cold weather. The party lasts two hours and live music is provided. (I hope not the "Side Project Duo"!) Our neighbors have said the pool parties are fun. You bring your chair to the pool area and sit and visit. It looks like the weather is going to cooperate this time. I'll keep you posted.