Travels with Snowbirds 2015, Sunday to Tuesday, January 18, 19, 20, 2015, Tampa to Webster to Clermont.

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The one about Happy to be home in Clermont.

For whatever reason, I slept in Sunday morning; I never heard the rigs around me pulling out. Must be all that walking!

I was ready to hit the road by 10 after slowly breaking camp. Fortunately, it hasn’t rained since that first day and the field was dry, and I easily made it off the grass to the pavement. I bid Joanne and Joan goodbye, and I will see them down the road in 2 weeks as we prepare to go to New Orleans. Joanne told me I made a smart decision not to attend Saturday night’s entertainment as the guy told the same jokes he did last year, and his wife really went over the top with her religious gospel preaching. But, they decided to attend their Sunday morning Gospel Music event and that seemed ok. I did write the trade show management an email explaining my displeasure with the rally, telling them when I spend almost $200 for a 4 day event I want to feel good about having spent that money, and I left this years’ show I felt cheated. No response yet.

I had mapped out a route to a Laundromat and Publix in Zephyrhills, FL (love that name, always wanted to visit it just to see what it is like….isn’t there a bottled water with that name?) It had a nice large lot and must have had 60 washing machines and equally that many dryers and was a dry cleaner as well. It was staffed and they offered free coffee and cookies. It was $3 for a 20 pound load and $25 for 6 minutes dry time, but well worth it as they offered free wifi. Unfortunately, the wifi didn’t reach into my rig, so I sat on one of the chairs with my iphone and ipad doing all the app updates, and syncing the games I had been playing off line with their on-line versions. I also found a very nice Publix and stocked up on groceries. I took a slow leisurely drive to Webster, arriving about 3:00 and parking in the field across the street from the Flea Market. $15…..no utilities. Highway robbery, but it is very close to an entrance. The owner came over and asked me where my friends were!!! Can’t believe he remembered us!!

I was the only RV in the lot that night, but still I slept like a rock. I turned the generator on for a while to watch some TV and fell asleep early. Of course, I didn’t wake up early, and I didn’t even hear the cars coming in to park next to me. “They” say that MLK holiday is the biggest Flea Market there in the year. I sure would believe it. There were vendors in fields I had never seen occupied, and vendors in covered stalls I had never even known were used. If I had 3 days to explore it all it might not have been enough. My first stop was the Fiestaware lady. She has the largest assortment of new and seconds Fiestaware I have seen short of being at their factory outlet store in WV. I texted Gretchen, Adrienne (our newest extended family member who recently moved to Wilmington) and Kristine to take orders, but when I started to look around, and check the prices on the Homer Laughlin website, I knew I would not be getting any bargains, so I didn’t buy a thing!!! That was amazing for me. I did purchase an orchid for $4, a hammer for $1 to replace the one I left at the campground (which I have since found not in the compartment it should have been in, “If I had 2 hammers, I would sing in the morning.”) I bought a ‘bamboo’ covered memory foam pillow for $16, which is a good imitation of the ones I saw for $30 elsewhere. I bought 5 tomatoes, 1 pound of green beans, 5 zucchini, 5 yellow squash, a pint of blueberries, and a quart of strawberries for $11. The orchid is cute. She had large ones that I have seen for over $20, for $9. I didn’t have a good spot to store it during travel; this small $4 size fits neatly in the drink/cup holder on my dinette table. It’s a pale yellowy beige with purple highlights. I feel I got good bargains. I was looking for a used small cast iron skillet; the only ones I saw they were asking over $15 some even $22. I forgot to pack mine and it was worth spending $3 on, not $22. (I have since bought a ceramic coated small pan at WalMart for $15 that I am very happy with. It is very difficult frying an egg in a 12 inch pan. I missed shopping here with Judy B – I always remember how she got robbed of her cash here one year. I always think of Sandy W who many years ago gave me my rolling flea market satchel. Sandy, it was chock full this trip. That was such a good gift!

I left at 11 and the place was hopping. Traffic was tied up in both directions trying to get into parking lots. It was backed up a mile going in the opposite direction from me as I headed south towards Clermont. I drove over the river and thru the woods, avoiding major roadways, making my way towards Thousand Trails, Clermont. Central Florida is sandy and flat. Vegetation is palm trees of all varieties, Pines, and Live Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. There are so many massive ant hills in the fields, I think I am going to do a photo story on them. Cattle ranches are abundant. Black, Brown, Longhorn and all have lots of babies. There are ramshackle old manufactured homes next to McMansions. There are miles and miles of beautiful fences and miles and miles of barbed wire. Occasionally you will see an orange grove and the farmer selling his fruit from a tractor drawn trailer at the edge of the road. This area is just on the northern edge of where it is safe to grow citrus ,the further south you go the more you see. There are many overgrown orange groves, laden with fruit, if only I were brave enough to pull Moya off the road……One of the last things I see is a Sand Mine, and the sand I see is beautiful and white.

I called Ginnie to let her know I was on my way, and she told me there were 4 sites very near her, including one directly across the street. When I pulled into the registration parking lot I saw 10 large rigs and my heart sank into my stomach. When I walked in, the angry crowd made me cringe. I was told by more than one, “No more 50 amp sites, you will have to get on line behind us.” Hmmmmmm, I don’t need a 50 amp site, I need 30 amps. I had my choice of any of the 4 near Ginnie, and selected the one directly across the street. I am once again a happy camper, living on Easy Street again for the next 2 weeks. Site E96 does face so that the sun hits my ‘door side’ in the afternoon, which is less than desirable when you want to sit outside in the afternoon as it can get overwhelmingly hot, but it is so large I knew I made a good choice. I set up camp, put out my newly cleaned awning, and tied Winston on his long lead and sighed. I am finally able to relax for the next 2 weeks and not do anything I don’t want to do. No driving 300 miles a day, no setting up and breaking down, just relax. Ahhhhhhhhh. It was good to catch up with Ginnie and Kim, and greet many old friends (and I mean OLD, not old.) I looked quickly for Angel and Theresa, not finding them. Pete and Annette arrived on Tuesday, and good to see them again as well.

Ginnie and I did the circuit on Tuesday, Camping World to make a return, Sams Club, Post Office, Walmart, etc., etc., etc. She visited an RV repair center to get a quote on mini awnings for the driver side of her rig, they came and measured, and will get back to her with an estimate soon.

Random story/thought. Why do men, old men in particular, think they look good walking around without shirts. Case in point. As I was sitting outside crocheting, an old man walked past my rig. Bare chested, jeans, some type of shoes, with a wood flute in his hands. Man boobs. He stopped, faced me, and played a short tune. I didn’t know where to look or how to act. Was he trying to Pied Piper me? Was he trying to imitate Kokopelli or possibly Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull? Ginnie was walking across the street at the same time, and I couldn’t look at her. After he pranced off we had a good belly laugh. So, to my old men readers, take a look in the mirror, and if you think old ladies want to see what you look like without your shirt, think again. Seriously. I leave my shirt on, you should too.

As soon as I arrived I signed up for TengoInternet wifi service - $5/day, $15 a week, $30 for a month. I would spend more on data from Verizon than $30 in the next two weeks, so I opted for the month plan, knowing I could give my user name and password to Ginnie when I leave so she can use it Shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone. It worked for 2 hours, then crapped out. I made a phone call, and apparently others had already called. 30 hours later, still no resolution. I called them again, and a technician is scheduled to look at the issue, but no time has been assigned, so there is no estimate when it will be fixed. So, as I write this, I don’t know when it will get posted.

As I sit here typing, and mindlessly watching something on TV, a banner split the TV screen showing a space launch from Cape Kennedy. I rushed outside, and could see it from the road, despite the light pollution. I wish I had known, and I would have gone to the lake where you can really see an unobstructed view, but, I didn’t even know it was happening. It was a launch for the US Navy, to “significantly improve their ground communication systems.” Uh huh.

Loose plans for the week include Movies, Downtown Disney, bingo, Verizon and/or Apple store, Self Defense class for women, $15 Lobster night at Miller Ale House, Sea World, and a lot of crocheting and (hopefully) sitting in the sun.



Kat Out.

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