Fish, Rowdy Kids and More Rowdy Kids

It was 50 and partly cloudy this morning. The day ended up cloudy with a high of 77.

Around 0900 we headed for Tampa and we got to The Florida Aquarium a little after 1000.

You start out in the wetlands area.  The first thing we saw was a couple of alligators.  Note, most of the pictures were taken through glass.

Click any picture to enlarge

Next we headed to the animal training demonstration.

While the demonstration was going on, it sounded like we were being invaded by a herd of stampeding elephants making the noise of a group of hyenas.  It turns out we were invaded by most of the first graders and preshoolers in Tampa. Actually it was several bus loads of kids who where allowed to do whatever they wanted and at the loudest voice they could muster.  The chaperons just ignored everything they did.  They were around us all through the place.

Here are some more pictures from the aquarium.

On the way home we stopped at Cafe Masaryktown for Cuban sandwiches.

Back at the campground we took BJ for his walk and then went over to wish Phil & Cindy safe and healthy travels.  They will be heading to the Plantation in Alabama tomorrow.

Catch ya later

Thought For The Day – Ranting doesn’t really help as much as it should



Another Sunny Day

It was 38 and partly sunny this morning.  The high for the day was around 63.

After lunch Beryl did some laundry and I changed the fresh water filter and dumped the gray water tank.  Beryl spent the rest of the afternoon reading and I watched the palms grow.  BJ's buddies stopped by for a visit.

Tomorrow we are going to The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.  Thursday we will be going to Kissimmee to have lunch with Bob & Mae Lindsay.

Hopefully some photos tomorrow.

Thought For The Day – You can’t fix stupid, but you can numb it with a 2 x 4

Golden Corral and Sam's Club

Today started out at 50 and clear skies. The high for the day was 70.

We left around 1100 for the Golden Corral at Brooksville.  They had a very good buffet.  Then we headed to Sam's Club which is right across the street from Buffet City. On the way home we stopped at Publix, a super market chain, to pick up a few more items.  We had everything unloaded by 1500.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside.  Several of BJ's friends stopped to say hello.  Two couples, one from Reading and one from Chambersburg stopped to chat.

Beryl made me a shrimp wrap for supper.

That's about it for today.

Thought For The Day – If pro and con are opposites, wouldn’t the opposite of progress be Congress?

Sunshine Returns

This morning it was 48 and partly sunny.  The day changed to sunny with a high of 71'

This morning I went up and paid our lot rent through 2/3. This gave us the weekly rate rather than the daily rate.

We did little or nothing the rest of the day.  Beryl made meatloaf, rice and tomatoes for supper.  After supper we headed up to the activities building for the Jimmy Peppers Show.  Jimmy is a country music entertainer, songwriter and singer. He has written songs for Cash, Jones, Faron, Young, Lynn, Twitty, Wynette and many others.  The Show lasted from 1830 to 2000hrs.

Tomorrow after lunch we will make a Sam's Club run.

Catch ya later

Remember: Don't make old People mad.
We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off...

A Dreary Day

We woke to a misty rain and 65F.  The high for the day was 68.

Last night at 10pm the big ten network was rebroadcasting "A Tribute to Joe" so we stayed up to 1230am watching it.  The misty rain stopped around noon but it remained cloudy until around 4pm when the sun tried to pop out.

We just puttered around the MH and took BJ for his numerous walks.  Beryl made shrimp scampi and rice for supper.  After supper I went up to the activities center and listened to the jam session for about a 1/2 hour.

That's it for today.

Remember, a chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion

BJ Gets Groomed

Today started out 62 and partly cloudy.  The high for the day was 84.  They are calling for winds and storms tomorrow morning.

This morning Phil & Cindy Devonshire stopped by for a chat.  They have been here since early December and will be heading to the Plantation in Alabama on February 1st.

Around noon we headed 12 miles up I75 to Lake Panasoffkee to

for BJ's grooming appointment.  Jean said he would be done around 3pm.  We decided to head back to I75 and stop at Hardee's for lunch.  However I turned the wrong way heading out of the groomers and we ended up finding a neat little restaurant called Catfish Johnny's. We both had catfish fingers baskets.

After lunch we went to Tracy's Point a little boat launch/fish camp area on Lake Panasoffkee. This is Marvin a 40 year resident of the point.

Here are a few sots across the lake.

We picked up BJ and headed back to the motorhome:




Before

 After
He does look & smell a lot better

Back at the MH Beryl did a couple of loads of laundry and made BLT's for supper.

That's it for today.

Thought For The Day – Stop holding onto what hurts and make room for what feels good





  



Another Hot, Lazy Day

It was 61 and partly cloudy skies this morning.  The high for the day was 82.  At noon the thermometer in the sun was reading 110.

We spent most of the day sitting outside watching the palm trees grow and reading.  BJ's friends stopped by to say hello.  I took some before pictures of BJ so we can compare him with the after pictures tomorrow.

We needed milk and a couple of other thins from Walmart so we decided to go to Sonny's BBQ which is right down the road.  Beryl had the lunch size pulled pork, FF, coleslaw and corn bread.  I had catfish, shrimp, baked potato, coleslaw and corn bread.  With tip the meals were around $25.00 and we were both full.

When we got back, BJ got fed and walked.  We sat outside for a while and then Beryl filled by pill cases.

Tomorrow is BJ's trip to the groomers and laundry.  That's it for today.

Catch ya later.

Thought for the day - Patience is not a virtue, it is a waste of time!!

Another lazy day

It was 57 this morning and partly sunny,  The high for the day was 82.  They are calling for thunder showers on Friday and a return to normal low 70's temperatures.

I spent some time trying to locate reasonably priced campgrounds down near Sarasota.  Most of the campgrounds are 2 to 4 times more expensive than this one. 

As we sat outside most of BJ's friends stopped to visit.  One dropped off a card for a groomer about 12 miles up the road.  BJ is scheduled for a bath and hair cut on Thursday.

I went up to the activities center for Happy Hour.  There were only 7 other people there and they spent most of the time talking about people I didn't know.

That's about it for today.  We'll have to see what tomorrow brings

Catch ya later

Thought for the day:
A bargain is something you can't use at a price you can't refuse

Webster Flea Market

This is starting to sound like a broken record but, this morning it was 56 and partly cloudy.  The high for the day was 80.

Around 1100 we took a long 8 mile trip to the Webster Westside Flea Market. According to the website they are open 0500 to 1400.  They charge $2.00 to park and no entrance fee.  This place is huge. We spent about 2.5 hours walking around and I don't think we saw 1/4 of the market,  The food stand areas remind you of the Bloomsburg Fair. I think the website states that it covers 40 acres.

Click to enlarge

There must a least 15 pavilions like the one above and I would guess they are around 300' long.  There are also that many vendors outside if not more.

We had to try the homemade ice cream.  It was as good as Scot's.

We picked up a 1/2 flat of strawberries, a bag of oranges and some tomatoes.

 

Returning to the MH a little after 1400, we took BJ for a walk and spent the rest of the afternoon doing nothing or reading.

Beryl grilled cheeseburgers for supper. 

After BJ's evening walk we talked to Bob and Mae Lindsay.  They are wintering in Mellbourne along the east coast.  Hopefully we will be able to get together for lunch.

Catch ya later

It's Sunday so time for Chinese

The day started out 56F and partly sunny .  It got up to around 78F and stayed partly cloudy.

Around 1100 we headed to Brooksville and Buffet City.  The food was as good as last week and they had several new items.  After lunch we headed to Bushnell and Wallyworld for a few items.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside reading.  Several of BJ's new friends stopped to see him.  Nobody wanted to see us, just BJ.

I was sent a couple of  x rated pictures from up north:

Here is a picture of what it was like here this afternoon.

Tomorrow we will probably head over to the Webster Flea Market about 8 miles away.  The market is open every Monday, 7 -3, and covers 40 acres.  It would take a couple of days to cover everything.

catch ya later

Thought For The Day – Can a short person "talk down" to a tall person?

Another Lazy Day

It was partly cloudy this morning and 56.  As the day progressed, it became cloudy and the high for the day was 77.

After lunch we walked another loop of the campground.  We spent most of the afternoon sitting outside watching the palm trees grow. Everyday BJ meets a new buddy.  He knows more residents than we do.

We went to Beef O'Bradys for supper.  Beryl had a cheesburger wrap and I had fish tacos.  Everything was pretty good.

Catch ya later

Thought for the day - If you are going to do it, do it.  There are only so many tomorrows

Another Sunny Day

This morning we had clear skies and a temp of 46.  The high for the day was around 75.  Our next chance of rain is next Thursday.

After lunch we took a walk around the Park.  We stopped and chatted with Phil  & Cindy and then returned to the MH.

That's about it.

Sat TV Again

It was 46 this morning with clear blue skies.  The high for the day was around 72.  The thermometer in the sun hit 95.

When we backed into this site Saturday and saw this, I  thought no way will

 we be able to get sat TV.  We fired up the dish and on search mode 3 it locked on to a satellite with a signal strength of 90 on one transponder.  However when the wind would blow the picture would pix elate.  On Monday the reception started getting worse and finally quit on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning I tried a new search but it could not find the satellite.  When this happened before, the main board had to be flashed,  I hooked up the computer and the information on the main board was removed and the new started to install and then the errors started.  I had done this before but with my old laptop.  Now the dish is dead.

At one time we had put a portable dish and tripod in the MH but I thought they had been removed during spring cleaning.  So Thursday was spent searching the bays, setting up the portable dish and running cables through the windows to the receivers.

Now we're good to go.

We got the grill out and Beryl did pork chops and raw fried potatoes for supper.

Temps are supposed to continue to rise through the weekend with the highs approaching 80 and the lows around 60.

Catch ya later.

Cloudy with Showers

It was 56 this morning with cloudy skies.  The high for the day was around  72.

It started raining around 1300 and continued on and off till 1630. 

We just putter around the mh all day.  Tomorrow we will have to do something.

Laundry day

This morning it was 46F with partly cloudy blue skies.  At 1630 it was 79F in the MH with the windows open and the exhaust fan on.

We went for lunch at Sonny's Bar-B-Q.  Beryl had a smoked turkey sandwich and ff and I had a pulled beef brisket sandwich and baked beans.  They have 4 different kinds of sauce to put on the sandwiches.  On the way home we stopped at Wallyworld for a few items.

Back at the campground Beryl did a few loads of wash.

This doing nothing could be habit forming.

Catch ya later.

Warmer Today

It was around 51 when we got up this morning,  The high was in the lower 70's. Today was a do nothing day,  Beryl started reading a new mystery on her Kindle and I started checking out places to go.  BJ also got several walks.
Catch ya later

A Chilly Start

We awoke this morning to 34F and some scattered frost.  The low for the night was 32 and the high for today was 68F.  To nights low is supposed to be 37F with the highs next week in the low 70's.

Here are a couple pictures of our neighbors.

There are 7 donkeys in the field nest to the campground.

We left around 1100 to go to lunch. Yes Lorie, it was a Chinese buffet.  It was about a 30 minute drive.  They had 9 buffet tables, Hibachi and Sushi bar.  They had a good variety of different food and it was good.

On the way back to the campground we stopped at the produce stand for some strawberries.

At 1600 we went up to the rec hall for the ice cream social.   Here is some foliage around the campgrounds.

As of right now, we have no plans for tomorrow.

Moving Day

This morning we had clear skies and a temperature of 41F.  The high for the day was around 60F.

Last night we attended a jam session at the clubhouse.  They only had 4 musicians show up.  Last week they had 18.

Around 1100 they came and told us they had a long term site available.  So we unhooked the utilities, closed up the camper, moved to site #1 and setup everything again. Below are some pictures of the site and the view out our front window.

This park has around 100 full hookup sites and most of them are full.

After lunch we went to Wallyworld for some supplies. We then drove around the area to find a produce stand.  We got some tomatos, zucchini, and lettuce. They were sold out of strawberries so we will have to go back sometime next week.

It is supposed to get down near freezing tonite and up around 60 tomorrow.  Monday it's supposed to be back in the 70's with lows in the 50's
. 

Florida or Bust

Again today we were up around 0800.  The temperature was only 42.  We got everything ready and were on the road by 1000.  We stopped at the Florida welcome center to pick up some brochures. The rest of the trip to Sumter Oaks RV Park was uneventful.  We got here around 1430.  We had to take a daily spot until a weekly rate spot opens up.  Parked across from us are Cindy & Phil Devonshire, members of Chapter 20.  We got setup and ate.  There is a jam session in the club house at 1830.

I'll get some pictures tomorrow.  The high for the day was around 60.

GA Sight Seeing

We arose to clear blue sunny skies.  Winds picked up a little as the day went on,  We left around 1000 for St Simons Island which is about 45 minutes northeast.

Our first stop was the St Simons Lighthouse.  The present structure was built in 1872.

View from the beach



Entrance to Lighthouse keeper's house






















While we were at the Lighthouse we caught a shrimp boat in action. A few minutes before this picture was taken, there were dolphins jumping behind the boat as the nets were pulled in.

It was lunch time so we headed to the Sandcastle Cafe & Grill.

We both had shrimp wraps and french fries.  Beryl had fried shrimp and I had blacken shrimp.  The wrap included the shrimp, lettuce, tomato, sharp cheese, and ranch dressing.

Our next stop was the Maritime Museum that is located in the original Coast Guard Headquarters.  This building was built by the WPA in the 1930's and was 30' from the shore. Now it is about 1/4 mile from the beach.

The temperature was in the low 70's, but the wind from the bay made it feel a little chilly.  

 We traveled a little south to Jekyll Island to visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  They currently have 12 turtles that they are caring for.

Kathy is a 1 1/2 year old  sea turtle.

Next we took a drive around the island and stopped at driftwood beach.

We got back to the campground around 1700.  Coming into the campground one of the MHs looked like Wayne & Bertha Bowers.  Checking the FMCA number proved that is was theirs.  Beryl went to the office to get the wifi code and ran into Wayne.  He and Bertha came over and we visited for a while.

Tomorrow we will probably head south to Bushnell.