The Good And The Bad Of It

Well, we have free internet at Amy's Wigwam RV Park, but so far it has operated like slow dial-up to not at all. It's very frustrating. One of the joys of being in a full hook-up park is relaxing with time online. This will be a bug to workout. Roy has begun checking into different options. Other than the internet problem, we are super pleased with the central location of the RV park to everything a person could want from a city, and yet have the feel of being out in the country. Our rent for the week is $157.50. That breaks down to $22.50 per day. I'll let you know the monthly rate when I find out what it is. We got set-up here just in time for another cold and rainy few days. It's good to be plugged into electricity when the temperatures drop into the 30s at night. The ceramic heater and electric blanket do a great job. This morning we had frost! Since discovering that keeping the dogs out of the bed has eliminated the grit from the sheets, they are now sleeping on the couch. They seem content with the arrangement. The only problem is that on the cold wet days when we are all locked inside, not having the bedroom to send them to defintely creates a feeling of overcrowding. We may have to make exceptions to allowing them in the bed when we're in for the day. Camper life is best when the sun is shining in and the door and windows can be left open. Our living space seems to increase tremendously. As if the weather hasn't been enough of a challenge, we've been invaded by ants! The lesson learned is that all foods need to be in plastic containers. I had repackaged most food items for more concise storage, as the RV living books had suggested, but hadn't done it with breads, syrups, peanut butter, or honey. These items need to be placed inside plastic containers or wrapped with plastic wrap. They are now! We waged war with ant traps and a super hand vacuum called a Retriever. I highly recommend this hand vac. as it comes with attachments and has super suction. It appears that we've won our battle. We've been storing our dishes in the microwave, as we don't use it, but the weight of the dishes jiggling as we go down the road has started causing the microwave to pull away from the ceiling. Roy will work on a new support system for it. We have a big closet that we are looking at building shelves in. That will make for a lot of storage. Most of our organization is working very well, but it's time to take it to the next level. I emptied out our shower today and gave it a try. I like our little shower! We've been out touring the area, and like it except for all the major highway driving. We located the library today. I need to check into their internet. I wanted to post a blog about seeing the space shuttle launch when I could post a picture, but with our internet service the way it is, pictures are nearly impossible. We got a good view from nearly 200 miles away. We couldn't see anything of the shuttle itself, of course, but the flames from it were huge and bright enough to hurt our eyes, if staring directly at it for very long. It moved slower than we thought it would, and Roy probably could have tracked it with his telescope. As bright as it was, though, I'm not sure we would have wanted to look at it that way. We could tell when the shuttle turned away from us, as we could see the shape of the flame change and the red from underneath. All in all it was worth getting up at the 4:14 a.m. launch time two days in a row. The dogs are enjoying their daily trips to the dog park. Their romping and running early in the day makes for dogs that sleep all afternoon! Roy and I think we may gear some of our travel to going to communities with dog parks. It's a great way to meet people, too.

Marilyn

February 1st-12th

We had a great time at East Bay Raceway Park during our stay from February 1st-10th. We got to spend time with June and Earl, as well as, make some new friends. The races were late model stock cars. YouTube may have a good video of a race. Roy and I hadn't seen that type of car race before. The cars slide sideways through the turns! Races were going on every night, but we attended only one due to the $35-$40 per person per race entrance fee! During the day we got out to see other sights. We went to a manatee viewing station. It consists of a boardwalk and pier overlooking a waterway by a power plant. The manatees just show a small hump of their bodies at the top of the water, and therefore, at a distance look like smooth rocks in the water. We did get to see the full body of one that was close to the shore. The stingrays put on quite a show jumping out of the water and doing belly flops. Some were quite large, and if their bodies were angled just right could be seen in full form. It was very impressive. An observer said that he felt the behavior was very odd, as stingrays are bottom feeders. I'll have to research that. Another day we took in a mega-flea market. I hit the jackpot when I found 8 books at bargain prices that are part of a series Roy is reading. We had planned to leave the area around the tenth, but discovered a magnificent dog park right before our departure date. We've decided to stay in the area at least one more week so the dogs can play at the park. It is soooooo much fun! As before, breaking camp was a bit stressful. We haven't found a good system for researching campgrounds yet. Our drive around the area didn't yield any leads. We must be being watched over as newbies, as our weak search landed us a reasonably priced RV park in a country setting within just a few miles of the dog park close to all the amenities of Tampa!!!! We're feeling right at home here and are contemplating a months stay! We're not quite ready to commit yet. More later. It's good to be back online! Marilyn

Monday February 1st One month on the road !!

Today is the first of February and we have been on the road for a full month. It seems like only yesterday we were in Michigan and it was winter. Life on the road goes along at a leisurely pace. The days are filled with laid back activities and the nights quiet. The sunset signals the end of the day and if we stay up late it is 9:oo. We have found a few special places to eat along the way. For the most part we enjoy home cooked meals. We listen to more of our music CDs then in the last 10 years. I get more exercise then I ever got while driving truck. I think it is going to be good for my health. I may even lose a few pounds. It's 10:15 and the day is calling. We will move down the road a few miles and get a change of scenery. So this is my last cup of coffee for today and I need to get the camper ready for boondocking. We may be offline for a week or so. Take care

RJ over morning coffee!