New Years Eve and new friends

We moved from the Casino Del Sol into the Lazy Daze KOA where our friends Rowdy and Missy are staying.  I have been talking to Rowdy for a few years on RV Dreams Chat and we know all about each other.  We have gone through much the same process to get started with our full time RV living.  We both had to go through the process of selling our houses and we both have wives who are not eligible for pensions, so we had to figure out how to make the financial part work.  We talked lots about the RV's we were going to need and have done a lot of research on boondocking and solar systems.  So we have a lot in common.  But we have never met in person, so today was the day.  We are going to spend New Years Eve with them at the club house party and then stay a few days to get to know them.

I Won.... I Won!!!!

We got off to an early start this morning because we had close to 300 miles to go today.

As we pulled out of Las Cruces Walmart on to I-10 both Sue and I rubbed our eyes in disbelief.  A Rexhall Roseair was right in front of us as we merged into traffic.

Miles and Miles of Texas

Today was another travel day and a dreary one at that.  We didn't hit the road until almost 1:00 pm because we loved the spot by the lake where we spent the night.  We met a couple who had come out from Austin to photograph a loon which was swimming in the lake.  Apparently one of their fellow birders had called them to tell them that it was here.  Apparently seeing them around here is a rare sight.  They were impressed when I told them that we have them everywhere in Manitoba.

How to make money if you own a campground

We are on day 2 of our journey from Magnolia Beach Texas to Tucson Arizona.  We hope to be there on New Years Eve day. As of this morning we still had about 750 miles to travel.

Shave and a haircut....two bits!!!

Today we headed out even though it was quite foggy.  We guess correctly that the fog would only be near the ocean and we were heading inland so should run out of it.  A few mile up the road it lifted and we had clear sailing all day.

Guess what I got for Christmas?

Well with Christmas over for another year it is time to share my fun present with you on Boxing Day.  Guess what I got from Santa (Sue)?  Am I spoiled or what?

Jesus was a Boondocker

Christmas 2016 has come and gone.  This was the first time we have been away from family and with the help of face time we survived.  The family back in Manitoba were all storm stayed where ever they were and did not get together as planned.  They are expecting up to 15 inches of snow there in the next few hours while we basked in 24C weather today on the beach.  Sue and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Twas the day before Christmas

An Alligator warning

Today the sun shone so we spent the day just soaking it up.  We didn't do much other than sit in front of the Ponderosa and relax.  Sometimes when we opened our eyes there would be a ship going by.

Mustang and Padre Island tour

When we woke up this morning it was rainy and foggy so we had to make a plan.  We have wanted to tour Mustang Island and Padre Island and the weather looked like it might be better down that way so we decided today would be a tour day.

Oyster boats

Charlie and I went for a long walk this morning along the beach and down towards Indian Point.  There were a lot of fishing boats out today and I think they were catching oysters.

Ship watching again

Now that we are in one spot for a few days we are going to relax a bit.  This morning was devoted to watching the ships heading through the bay.  I am still amazed by how big they are and how they slither so silently through the water.  It will take this flat lander a while to get bored with ships.

Chasing Christmas Day 3

Today we will make it to our Christmas Destination.  Sue's bucket list included Christmas on the beach and this will be our chance.  Although we would rather be with our family for Christmas, being here will help make it a nice day for us.  Magnolia Beach here we come.

Chasing Christmas Day 2

We are traveling again today towards our Christmas destination Magnolia Beach Texas.  When we woke up it was quite cool so we checked our destination temperature.  Brrrrrr.

Chasing Christmas Day 1

Well we are off on our quest for Christmas.  We have decided that we must spend this Christmas on a white sand beach somewhere, so we have picked Magnolia Beach in Texas.  The beaches are made of crushed shells so they get really hard and you can park on them apparently, so we want to do that.  We figure it will take us 3 traveling days to get there so today is Day 1.

A trip down Memory Lane

Today we planned a trip to Panama City Beach to see the place where Sues parents used to come for their winter retreat.  Sue and I have been down to visit them a couple times and our uncle Terry and aunt Diane still come here ever year right after Christmas to spend 3 months.  Sorry we missed them this year.  Panama City Beach is a popular Spring Break destination so it has lots of beach shops and high rise hotels.  The pier is a popular spot for all the fishermen.

Sunset on the Gulf

Today was to be a relaxing day.  We went down to the beach for a bit but it was chilly so we decided to head back and kick around the campground.  A few days ago I mentioned that we bought a little red wagon.  Well today we used it to haul all our stuff to the beach and back.

Another friend

We have the pleasure of meeting an old friend for the first time.  As you know we glean a lot of our RVing knowledge from a group of people who meet often on a chat site called RV Dreams Chat.   About 4 years ago we started chatting with Kris.  Her and her husband Dan were entertaining full time RV living and so we talked lots about our futures.  They have been full time for about 3 years now and we have never had the pleasure of meeting them.  Well today we did or at least we met Kris because Dan was feeling sick today.

Meeting friends in Destin Florida

We left Crawfordville Walmart in good time this morning so we could take our time traveling and still get to Destin in good time.  It was foggy for the first part of the drive.  Almost an eerie fog with the mossy trees and knowing the ocean was right on the other side of the trees.

Generator Fixed

Today we got the right starter put on the Ponderosa and hit the start button.  It whirled over better than it ever has.  So happy to have it back on line.  I would like to thank Mid Florida Diesel in Bartow FL for all of their work tracking down the problem and getting us back up and running so quickly.  When I went to pay the bill, I was surprised at how fair they were with their charges.  We were there 5 different times off and on trying to track down the problem.  They only charged us for 6 hrs labour and they had two guys working on it every time.   Bottom line is, if you ever need generator work done, go to these guys.  They are very knowledgeable and professional and make you feel good about the work they do.  And to top it off the ladies in the office are awesome at tracking down parts and have infectious smiles as well.

Project Day

Today was project day.  First up was to hang the fruit hammock that Sue bought somewhere when I wasn't looking.  I was going to buy her one for Christmas but now I can't.

Organ donation

Sue some news today that made her smile.  As you know her mother passed away earlier this year from cancer and no one thought there was anything good about the whole situation.  Today she got a picture from her sister of a certificate that says that Kathy's gave the gift of sight to someone by donating her eyes.  What a great thing to do.  We had not given any thought to the fact that Kathy had made sure that she would be an organ donor after she passed away.  That was so typical of the woman she was.  There were a few happy tears here today.

Another visit with RV friends

Just a run of the mill day today with few pictures.  We spent the first part of the day heading over to Tampa to pick up the correct starter for the generator.  We were supposed to meet Dee and Jim for lunch but the part didn't come in until 2 pm so we met them at Hog Heaven in Winterhaven for supper.  It is a nice BBQ place and they have the best peach cobbler.

Jeep code

Today started out with a walk with Charlie out on the par 3 golf course.  We have been here 5 days and I have never seen anyone play a round.  Come to think of it no one ever swims in the pool either except us.  There is a nice little lake on the side of the golf course but no trail down to it.  We didn't want to hike through the weeds in case we meet Mr. Alligator.

We are officially Old Geezers

It is another warm humid day.  The heat is lovely but the humidity is something we are not used to.  You sweat just doing things.  Mid Florida Diesel called and our part won't be here till Thursday.  We decided to extend our stay here and it is just as cheap to pay a weekly rate than to stay 4 nights, so we are staying until next Monday.

Circuit board fixed.

Today is another repair day.  Our circuit board is being shipped this afternoon air freight and we will see if it helps.  We have a spot in the Good Life RV park which is a snowbird park just 5 miles from the repair facility.  It is an awesome place with a swimming pool and electrical hookups which we need until our generator is fixed.  The swimming pool is almost a necessity with temperatures in the mid 80s and the humidity ranging around 92%.   These are the times we have no problem paying for a site in a park.

Snowbirds for a couple days

Today we got up and headed to Bartow Fl to Mid Florida Diesel to talk to them about looking at our Generator problem.  I knew after a couple minutes that these guys knew what they were doing and they said to go get the Motor home and they would look at it after lunch.  I found out that these guys do all the generator work for Camping World and also do repair and maintenance for NASA in central Florida.

Somebody's ship has sailed.

Today we headed out after lunch to check out the ships in the Port of Tampa Harbour. There was a cruise liner there named the Norwegian Jade. It was getting ready to depart for Cozomel Mexico and a few other ports.  That is one of the things on our bucket lists.

The Tortoise and the Hare (turtle and the racetrack)

Today we headed out to see if we could get some satisfactory information on the generator problem.  We headed to General RV in Tampa.  On the road out of the park we came across a turtle on the road so stopped to take some pictures.  When Sue went up to him he retracted into his shell very quickly but after a bit he decided to move on.

Lithia Springs Park

We decided that we would move on today without the generator fixed.  I will find an RV shop in the next few days to look at my problem.  I think it is bigger than just the generator and may have something to do with the whole charging system.  So Sue found us a spot in Hillsborough County Park about 90 miles north of Cape Coral.  The 160-acre park, located on the Alafia River, offers varied plant communities, river cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks.  The park’s major attraction is the natural spring that provides an excellent swimming experience since the water temperature remains at 72 degrees year around.  We will try the pool tomorrow.  In addition to swimming, there is a bath house, playground and picnic facilities as well as a great campground. 

Frustrating Diagnosis

Well today we had the service tech show up at 8 am.  First thing he tried to do was accuse me of a bunch of things that I did yesterday as being the problem today.  Each time he did, I shot down his accusation by qualifying what I had done.  5 minutes into this diagnostic I pretty much figured out that I was not going to get any satisfying results.