INGLIS, FL 34449

Shoulda, coulda, woulda....

RV LIFE: Lesson learned: relax, slow down, enjoy the present.

RV PARK REVIEW:
Dec. 8 - Dec. 15, 2011
RIVER LODGE RV RESORT Inglis, FL 34449
$27./day (w/Good Sam) Site #30
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5 Would return for overnight, or if no where else.
+Free Wi-fi: Excellent speed
+Clean modern bath house & laundry
+Nice sized enclosed dog play area
We are currently at RIVER LODGE RV RESORT. Nice enough place, but not Highlands Hammock! I didn't realize how good I had it until "it's gone". We "shoulda" stayed another week, we "coulda" stayed another week. In hind site we "woulda" stayed another week. I'm done rushing to make it to Canada in July. As the time draws near and we need to rush then, so be it. But for now, I will relax and if we especially like where we are, we'll extend our stay.
I'm not saying this place is not nice.  It's just your typical private RV campground.
At least it's not just an open field. But there is no breath taking view, even though we do have woods behind us.

View from rear window

There are no squirrels running around all day to entertain and and keep our setters on their toes, but there is a seasonal tenant's cat that is free to roam and excite our setter, Devin.
There is a nice fenced in dog area, but sigh, no other large dogs to play with.  There are just a bunch of little yappy dogs, that charge the windows of their motor homes, and bark & growl as I walk our well behaved QUIET dogs around the park.
This park has EXCELLENT free Wi-Fi! It's the fastest since living at home. But, I rather be outside at Highlands Hammock than inside with a quick computer.
There is nothing around here. We are right off Rt. 19 which has just been expanded, so is quite a busy highway.
There's a nice sound barrier wall, that really does a nice job of blocking the traffic view & noise. The greenery that is growing up the wall is pretty cool.  It looks like a Donna Dewberry One-Stroke painting mural.

By the office are a couple of these bushes (below), that I've never seen in NJ.

Nice swimming pool, 2 bathroom/laundry buildings.  Paved roads.
I believe this is a new RV resort and they plan to expand in the future.

FOOD: Our eating habits have changed since RV'ing F/T.
Scott has lost at least 30 pounds, me? well, uh, maybe 3 pounds? I don't get on the scale anymore. All my life I have had to carefully watch what I eat and exercise to keep my weight where it should be. When I hit 50 and stopped dieting, I gained 30-40 pounds!
I'm hoping now that I don't have cookies & ice cream in the RV, that I'll lose weight without really trying.  I've gotten into the habit of having a bowl of cereal for lunch, which does a very nice job of keeping me satisfied until dinner. If I want something sweet, I eat Malt-o-Meal Tootie Fruities, which are very similar to Fruit Loops. If I'm just hungry, I'll eat a bowl of Malt-o-Meal Mini Spooners, which are similar to mini wheat squares.  Good way to squeeze in a glass of milk. This replaces COOKIES & milk.
For a snack at night, I have a glass of milk with chocolate or caramel syrup in it. This replaces a large bowl of ice cream and now I'm getting some more calcium & vitamin D.
We're also more active between bike riding, hiking and HAVING to walk the dogs several times a day.

CURRENTLY READING: I think I'll add this segment as I start a new book.
The last two books I read were true story books.
The Godmother by Richard Smitten.  This was about a really evil, cold woman who moved up to be a powerful Colombian cocain dealer. No regard for life if it got in her way. Interesting.
The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugh. About trying to solve a couple of cold case child murders just when DNA was discovered. This wasn't worth the read.
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught. Yes, it is exactly what you think it is. A girly romance and it is set in the 1800's. I needed a break from the sad, but true stories.  I am loving this book! I picked it up at Highlands Hammock book exchange, by the laundry.

PETS: Devin is coming along with his training.  He is not so absorbed with the wildlife that he doesn't listen. After a little whistle, he turns to look at us and we say come and 90% of the time he comes.
He seems to have regressed into more puppy behavior as far as chewing.  He has begun to grab our shoes, chew on the furniture, & counter surf.  He did not do any of this until now. Sigh...another thing to work on.  We'd love to get rid of the crate, but if we want to keep him safe and our RV intact, then he needs to be crated.
Although Devin is more pup than we really wanted, he is still a good dog and has many endearing habits.
See the video below. He loves his squeeky toys!

All our pets have transitioned to RV living very well.
Our African Grey Parrot, Swayze who has plucked her feathers for 15 yrs, is actually growing some back now.
Lyla has found her spot

Devin has found his spot

The good news is they have chosen separate chairs, so there is no fighting for the chair, well....
The bad news is, where do we sit????

Devin has also learned how to open the screen door.  He slides the plastic part over and then rests his head on the opening, which in turn pushes the handle down and magic, it's open!