Travels with Snowbirds 2012 Orlando FL

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Monday January 30, 2012

I balanced my bank accounts. Now, that’s quite an accomplishment in my RV. I don’t have a printer, and I am a paper kind of girl when I have to balance, I need to be able to check the items off as I reconcile them. AND, I hadn’t balanced since November. I had more windows open, than I ever had before, I think. One for Bank of America, two for the 2 statements I was behind, and one for MS Money. The good news is, I was $300 wrong in my favor in my checking account. My other savings and IRA accounts balanced exactly – they don’t get any use, so they were easy.

Keeping on money things, I have overall spent less money on gas and campsites than I have in years past, but spent more money on food and fun stuff. Guess you know where my priorities are.

I am working on cleaning out my freezer before I get to Valerie’s next week. I want to be able to turn the refrigerator off and defrost the freezer and clean the whole thing. To that end, Ginnie and I have been eating well, we had shrimp for happy hour yesterday. I know I can find a place for some food in Val’s refrigerator, but the amounts I still have are massive; they need to be eaten!!!

Republican Primary election is tomorrow. Do you think the ads will stop??? I sure hope so. Then I will only have the JC Penney ad to complain about, those shrieking people!

Several have asked me about Ginnie’s dog, George. He has perked up. It’s like a different dog. He now bounds up and down the stairs in her rig, he wants to go for walks, and he plays with Linus. Whatever was ailing him seems to have passed. It’s like he had the flu that lasted 2 months. All his blood tests were normal, but he sure was one lethargic dog for a while. We were all out for a walk yesterday and there was a dead squirrel in the road. First, speed limit on all interior roads is 5mph. How did anyone kill a squirrel travelling 5mps? Well, you know they don’t pay any attention to that rule for sure. George was the first one that spied it, (his nose is closest to the ground) he went over to it, and tried to pick it up, so you know that’s a normal dog! Ginnie got a bag from a nearby occupant, swept it up, and we put it in the garbage. Yuck.

Ginny misplaced her Curves card, and she was like a madwoman this morning searching and searching and searching. No luck. I exercised hard this morning, walking about a mile with 3 groups of running, 100 steps, 70 steps 50 steps. That’s far for me to run. Back at my campsite I stretched, did arm exercises with my 5 lb weight, balanced on my toes for as long as I could, and stretched some more. The only part hard for me to exercise is abs – I just don’t want to lay outside and do crunches or sit-ups with all watching me, and there is no room inside for that to happen. I feel great having accomplished all that. Hope my energy continues tomorrow.

Late yesterday Ginnie met a single camper, Linda, who also has 2 dobermans. She is a full timer who lived the longest in Colorado. She came over for happy hour, bringing her friend and neighbor, also Linda. Two nice ladies, both nurses, who met on the road at a Thousand Trails resort somewhere along the way. Linda 2 is married to Cary, they are full timers, and their dog is a big German shepherd. We all got to talking and laughing and they invited us to join them for dinner at a nearby restaurant where they had the $15.99 lobster special last week including wine. Monday night was $10.99 rib night. Cary drove his HUGE truck, a beautiful sparkly brown thing with a back seat big enough for the HUGE shepherd. I had wonderful fish tacos. Grilled, not fried, just the right amount of spices for my taste. They all leave by Wednesday, on to Thousand Trails resort in Wauchula, FL, about 60 miles south of here. Ginnie and I will head back there for lobster on Wednesday for sure.

Did you hear about the huge car accident on I75? A brush fire closed the road Saturday near Gainesville, north and west of here. They re opened it at 1:00 am on Sunday, right as the nightly fog set in. There were so many people shut off from where they had to get to….north south routes here in FL are few……they got back on the road when they heard it opened, and had this massive pileup. The pictures are awful. It looked like a war zone.

Thinking about something Gail E mentioned. She was thinking of taking Sue to Blue Springs to see the Manatees when Sue visits in February. Gail, Sue: Go early in the morning. The manatees are best viewed very early. If being there at 8 would be unrealistic for you, get there as early as you can and walk the boardwalk. The manatee go out into the river once the water warms up a little. If you want to, take the boat ride, it is very nice, will cost you around $20 and lasts for 2 hours. Do not expect to see any manatees on the boat ride; the water is too dark to see anything in it. You need to view the manatees in the clear waters of the spring area. There are concessions and a gift shop, and a few ranger talks throughout the day, as well as the manor house of the original owner of the area to visit. Plan on going on a weekday. Parking is limited and fills up quickly. They block off the lot when full, and let one car in when one comes out.

Ginny has new campsite neighbors behind her. The only way I have to describe them is trashy. Cheap trailer, lots of people, lots of crap all over. Ginny observed them spraying water bottles at the sand hill cranes. She asked them to please stop, and they laughed at her. She called the office and told them what was going on, when the ranger came, of course they had stopped, but they must have figured out what he was there for and glared at Ginny. She was happy she has the two dobs in her rig for sure when we went out for dinner tonight. These birds are on the federal ‘watch’ list and the FL protected list. Don’t think these people want to get fined…….serve them right. Tee hee

Kat out

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