Catch up on Park Reviews

RV PARK REVIEWS:

March 22, 2014 - overnight

RV Resort @ Carolina Crossroads - Roanoke Rapids, NC

$34./night

Our rating 4 out of 5

Sites: Average spacing between sites. Some had a shade tree, some had a gazebo.

Hook ups: FHU

Pets: Very pet friendly, most sites had dogs. Nice dog park.

WiFi: Free/Good

Full review on

March 21, 2014 - overnight

New Green Acres - Walterboro, SC

$30./night

Our rating 3.5 out of 5

Sites: Large shaded sites amid a pine forest. The gravel sites need to be re-leveled and more gravel added. Large muddy ruts from RV tires in many sites.

Hook ups: FHU

Pets: Very pet friendly. A really nice dog park converted from a miniature golf course, so there are obstacles for the dogs to climb and agility equipment added. Plenty of room to run.

Satellite: Might be difficult with the heavily wooded pine trees.

Walterboro, NC seemed like a nice little town. There was a chili cook-off while we were there, but being only there overnight, we did not attend.

Friendly people, but park seems a little run down.

Constant din of Interstate 95 traffic, but it didn't bother me too much.

March 5 - 11, 2014 - 1 week

Cedar Key RV Resort - Cedar Key, FL

Site#21  $34./night

Our rating 5 out of 5

Sites: For a resort type layout, the sites were spacious with a lot of green area behind the site. Cement pads and picnic table.

Hook ups: FHU

Laundry: Only a couple of washers/dryers outside on a covered porch

Pets: Very pet friendly. A small dog park with poopy bags supplied.

WiFi: Very good

Verizon Internet: Good

Satellite: Good

Activities: While we were there, they had a pot luck dinner. We sat with a couple that just arrived. There seems to be cliques and were told "these seats were taken" even though there was no indication.

Mail delivery accepted: yes

Area/Town/Sights: 8 miles from the quaint town of Cedar Key, FL. Lots of restaurants, plenty of boat rentals, plenty of souvinier shops. Parts of town are quint historical buildings and part of town is just very touristy.

We really enjoyed our time hear. We were very happy with our site, with the dog park, with the area to walk the dogs. Clean and safe park. We will consider wintering here.

February 26 - March 4, 2014

Torreya State Park - Bristol, FL

$18./day

Our rating 4 out of 5

Sites: Dirt/grass.. Decent space between sites. Most are fully shaded with pine and live oak trees.

Hook ups: W&E Dump station near the entrance of park.

Bathrooms: Nice bathrooms, some are even private like in a house.

Laundry: Outside behind bathrooms. Only $1. per load. Only 1 washer and dryer, but worked fine. No where clean to fold your clothes.

Pets: Very pet friendly, lots of trails to walk the dogs.

WiFi: no

Verizon Internet: Good

Satellite: We were able to set up our Sat, but it was almost in the next site, since park is heavily treed.

Book Exchange: There is a nice large lodge in the middle of the park, with couches and a wood burning stove. A book exchange and puzzles are in this lodge.

Activities: Ranger activities, trails, 

The downside to this park is the dump station is too far away and because the sites are dirt, we constantly has to sweep the sand out of the RV. It got very muddy after a rain. 

Wine, Zoloft, and Love, Quiet support

March 23 - April 3, 2014 (12 days)

Lums Pond State Park - Bear, DE

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CONTENTS

RV LIFE

RV TIP

BROWSING THE WWW

CRAFTS

BOOK REVIEWS

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RV LIFE:
I'm still in a bit of a slump, but working through it. We spent a week in Cedar Key, FL. No that is not way down south in the "Florida Keys", but is on the Gulf coast of Florida, about an hour or two South of Tampa. I read in so many other blogs about how great this little community is. The "go to" RV park to stay at is Low Key Hideaway, but there are only three sites, so very difficult to get in. There is supposedly a great Tiki Bar where there is a happy hour gathering every day. I really wanted to stop by for a drink, but in my stupid, debilitating depression, I just couldn't bring myself to deal with "happy" hour. Maybe, if I had a designated driver, I could have gotten a nice buzz on to make me more sociable. But Scott had no interest in going.
We were only able to get reservations at Cedar Key RV Resort. This resort is 8 miles outside the center of Cedar Key, so we really didn't get the Margaritaville feel of the area. But Cedar Key RV Resort is a really nice park. I would consider this a Winter/Snowbird destination possibility. I'll catch up on Park reviews in another post.
We spent 9 wonderful days with my parents in Altoona, FL. They live in a continuing care or life care community. We were able to set up our RV with 30 amp and water hook ups. We either had to walk down to my parent's home to use their bathroom or use the outside bathroom "facilities". This was a first for me...using the outside bathroom. Yep, after dark I would go near the bushes and let it flow. I guess I can get used to a lot of things.
Spending time with my parents was really, really relaxing. My Father and I didn't even have any conversations that needed to be cut off because of differences of opinions! Mom and I had an afternoon together cry fest. That sure felt good. Thanks Mom.
The 9 days flew by. I never met up with our motorcycle friends, Pete & Judy, originally from NJ. I never met up with my Setter rescue friend, Bonnie F either. Yep, this depression is debilitating. My mind says "get over it", but it's taking time.
We then took 3 days (2 overnights) to get to Bear, DE. We're here for 12 days. I have some great alone time since Scott has been cleaning out his parents' home for sale. They've moved into assisted living and independent living in the same facility. I suppose I'll head over there next week to help out, but for now, I'm appreciating my alone time.
We have no idea where to head to next. I would like to find a nice Corp. of Engineer park a little more South.. Or maybe head to Four Paws Kingdom for a month. Hmmm, that sounds like a plan!
We got our hopes up slightly about the log cabin in TN. We were told the first offer fell through. The 2nd offer was supposed to be a cash deal, but turned out it wasn't. I thought that would void their contract, but nope, they closed this past Wednesday. That's fine. It wasn't meant to be. Now we can relax, slow down and spend the Summer in the Upper Peninsula. Fall will be here soon enough and we'll start our search for a house then.
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RV TIP:
Leveling boards

When we first began RV'ing, we considered those yellow, interlocking leveling blocks, but we felt they were too bulky for storage.
With scrap lumber we had from purging our household, we made 1' wide by 2' long and a variety of thickness boards. They were cheap (free) and worked fine, until they began to split when we were on soft earth.
While we were fixing our house up to get ready for sale, we covered our garage turned storage room with recycled rubber mat flooring. My thought it would make a nice base for gym equipment. I've seen similar material at Tractor Supply. It is used for horse stall flooring. The link shows a 4' x 6' mat for $40.+. I believe we found either 2' x 4' or 4' x 4' size outside in front of Tractor Supply for about $25.00.

Scott then cut them into multiple rectangles of 1' wide by however long was needed to span the length of the tires. They are flexible, stackable, easy to store, long lasting.
Here's a Tractor Supply link to a similar item sold in 1' lengths x 4' wide for $5.69 per foot.

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BROWSING THE WWW:
As if I didn't spend enough time on the computer...now there is a new site to suck me in and keep me sedentary. Thank you very much Carla, of Coze Be Gone, who mentioned this site in her blog.
RVillage is here! And oh what a great site it is already in it's Beta version, with the potential to be THE go to RV community site of all. It is the Ravelry or Facebook for RV'rs.

I've already joined about 10 groups on this site, one of the groups is for bloggers. So of course I have to check out each blog that is introduced. I cannot possibly keep up with them all.My favorite feature of this site is you can easily change your location. When you enter what RV park you are staying in, a circle pops up to show how many other people from RVillage are at that same park. You can then schedule a meet up! Wow, wow WOW!
Please check out RVillage and "friend me". I'm listed as "NJ No More"
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CRAFTS:

Yes, I have been knitting and cross stitching, but I'll post about some crafts from the past at my parents' home. My father keeps saying their home is filled with things I made.







This ugly gold & brown granny square afghan  was quite nice in the 1970's. It was my first granny square afghan and I didn't know how to connect the squares or secure the yarn ends. So over the years, it started to come apart. I finally told my Mom I'd make a an updated afghan to match her bedroom, and then she WILL throw out this ugly one. I did make the updated afghan. The pastel colors afghan above is the replacement. I trusted my Mom to throw out the ugly brown and gold one.









But Mom can be quite sentimental. While I was knitting on their couch, I happened to lose a knitting needle. So I was lifting up the cushions of the couch in search of my missing needle and low a behold, what do I see?

See that look of shame on my Mom's face?

Embroidery machine project

 Cross stitch when my Father retired.

Tunisian crochet afghan I gave my Mom when I purged my house to go FT.
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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book about the fight against oppression. Oppression of blacks, women, and religion. A historical novel, based on real history and real people and real specific characters (Grimke sisters).
Very well written from a young female slave and female white abolitionist's view.
I cannot wrap my mind around this way of thinking. Slavery, the Holocaust, religious superiority, anti-gay, white supremacists, animal cruelty,  domestic violence, child abuse, and on and on. What a sad world. I still believe the good outweigh the bad, but for how long?
From Wikipedia  White supremacy is the belief, or promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds and that therefore whites should politically, economically and socially dominate non-whites.
Who the hell are these people? Because of your color you're better than someone else?
I was brought up in a strict Baptist home. This belief "thinks a person has to believe in Jesus Christ at some conscious level to be saved (exclusivism)" Quoted from Patheos.Or as I was taught, we must ask Christ to forgive us our sins and accept him into our heart.
Really? This is the only way to heaven? (if there is a heaven). Again, I cannot wrap my mind around one exclusive religion. I'm not sure what to call myself, a Plurist, meaning there are multiple viable religions? No, I don't think so. I believe I am agnostic, meaning "a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience."

BOOK REVIEW: (Kindle)
Scorched Treachery by Rebecca Ethington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series continues to keep me obsessed. This 3rd in the series is written from Wyn & Illyan's view, so it somewhat overlaps what happened in Book 2, but from a different viewpoint.
I am still in awe of the imagination of these fantasy/paranormal writers.

Sock virgin no more

Feb. 26-Mar. 4, 2014 (1 week)

Torreya State Park - Bristol, FL

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“God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please– you can never have both.” Excerpt from Unraveled

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CONTENTS
RV LIFE
KITCHEN TIP
CRAFTS
BOOK REVIEWS
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RV LIFE:
Scott had a great day outside with the dogs and a campfire. A nice 63°. Me? I'm still mopey. I spent the day in the bedroom, in my "den", in my "cozy place". It is what I needed.

We've been making some great choices in parks to stay at lately...ever since leaving TX.  Torreya State Park is another winner. It's quiet, and surrounded by all kinds of trees, bushes with spanish moss hanging all around. Yep, this is a cozy place.

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KITCHEN TIP:

I love popcorn. I had a "Stir Crazy" popcorn popper when we had a house. It worked great and I even gave them to my Mom and Dad and my Brother for Christmas one year. But, it is a bulky one use appliance, that is not worth the space in an RV.
I don't like the microwavable popcorn. They are either too greasy or too high in calories. I also don't want to have to watch and shake a pot to pop popcorn.

Why can't I make my own microwave popcorn?
2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a microwave safe bowl
1/3 cup kernels
Place in the microwave and put a steamer lid over the top or something that covers the lid but has holes in it.
Nuke for 5-minutes, until kernels are barely popping.

The result? Pretty good, except the popped kernels burnt slightly in the center part of the bowl. But, I actually like burnt popcorn. But for those who would rather have unburnt popcorn, I have a solution. I saw this while surfing the net.
Soak the unpopped kernels in water for 10 minutes. Strain and pat dry. Nuke as above with oil. The additional moisture helps the popcorn pop up fluffier with fewer “old maids” and no burning. I had to nuke for 6 minutes.

Update 3/1/14: In case you don't read the comments section, Allison of Allison's Post Work Thinking Blog, gave me a link to a microwave popper that I've never seen before. 5 stars reviews, and cheap! Check out the Nordic Ware Popcorn Popper. Allison uses it to steam veggies.
THANK YOU ALLISON!
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CRAFTS:
One of the disadvantages of not staying in a permanent place is mail. Usually this is not a problem, as we do most of our business/bills/banking electronically. But when it comes to mail order, then timing is essential. Will we be able to receive mail at the park? Will we stay long enough to get that package? Or have the package sent to our TX address and then resent when we are settled somewhere for a week or two. Then I am paying double postage. Postage to TX and postage from TX to our current location. With that being said, I have missed out on TWO Mystery Knit-a-Longs. I had them planned and spaced far enough apart to not overwhelm me. But, my yarn coming from Malaysia has been stuck in customs in NYC for over a month! The 2nd clue is already out and I have no supplies for it. My March MKAL starts, well, in March and I missed the yarn delivery when I had our mail sent to us last week. Life is just so difficult isn't it? ;)

I have been knitting though. I finished a ruched beret/slouch hat. This is made out of 100% Alpaca wool that I picked up in Oregon. It is so soft and lofty. When I knit with it, I swear I can feel the lanolin on my fingers. I may become a yarn snob and insist on alpaca instead of sheep wool.

I'm in the process of making a cowl and fingerless gloves to match.

And I'm happy to announce that I've finally joined the crowd and have become a sock knitter. Well, sort of. I have finished my first pair of socks. Yes, a pair. I've heard of some knitters that make one sock and never get around to the other. Nope, not me. A sock for each foot. I did make one major mistake, but nothing to ruin the wearability, just the look. Can you see the difference?

L: Knit 1, Purl 1 rib  R: Knit 2, Purl 2 rib

Which do you like better? The pattern called for the pattern on the right, but I prefer the look of my mistake pattern on the left.

I'm proud of my first attempt. They fit well, they are comfortable, but are they worth the price of yarn and the time to knit them? Probably not. But they are easy enough and could be just a "go to" project. This pattern is called "Socks by the Numbers". It is a top/down pattern, meaning it starts at the cuff and ends at the toe. If you were ever interested in trying to knit a pair of socks, this is the pattern to try. I hope to eventually knit a pair toe/up and also two at once. Time will tell.

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BOOK REVIEW: (Kindle)
Unravel by Calia Read
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I could not put this down. I was drawn into this girl's world. The author did an excellent job of drawing you in by her subtle descriptions of surroundings and private thoughts. I feel as if she was in MY head sometimes.
A sad and as others have stated "raw" book. I went through so many emotions...hatred, love, sexual fantasy, fear, longing to find out what happens and how all is linked.
Very rare for me to enjoy and be so entrenched in a book. How will I ever enjoy another book again?

Superbia 2 by Bernard Schaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Superbia II is down and dirty about life as a cop. No grand heroics. Just what is like to deal with bad economy, so budget cuts in the office. Dealing with trying to keep home and your job separate.



Way of the Warrior by Bernard Schaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Way of the Warrior was very interesting. It was an like an orientation class welcoming and educating new hires into the police force.



I'm Dreaming of an Undead Christmas by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely love Molly Harper's take on the world of vampires. Vampires and humans can co-exist and be family.
A really FUN read. You need something light and something to make you laugh. Check out Ms. Harper's books.
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
Mar. 5-11, 2014 (1 week)
Cedar Key RV Resort - Cedar Key, FL
Mar. 12-20, 2014 (9 days)
Mom and Dad Segrell - Altoona, FL

Digital world

FOUR PAWS KINGDOM

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

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RV LIFE:

I've still been scanning off and on. I recently was scanning early 1980's photos. That was the first time I had been to Florida and Disney World. I then went 4 more times in 3 years.

My favorite attraction at Disney World was CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS. It was in "Tomorrowland" at Disney World in FL, from 1975-1985, until GE pulled their sponsorship. It was restored and modernized in 1994, but instead of being considered a futuristic look, it was now a nostalgic tribute to it's creator, Walt Disney.

The scene is set in a normal family home, but starts out way back in the 1800's, then progresses to the future. Well it was the future when I saw it in the 1980's. The last scene showed the family in the open concept kitchen/family room. Mom was on a computer talking and seeing her Mom, and the kids were playing some video games.  I remember thinking, I hope we never get to see each other while we talk on the phone. I'd have to put on make-up etc. Well that future is now the present. Skype (I've never used), chat rooms, video chats, etc. Oh, and I rarely wear make up now, so that's not a problem.
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Thanksgiving at the Kingdom was very nice.  No cooking, no traveling...just enjoying new found friends and Chef Meik's cooking. A couple of days prior to Thanksgiving, I was told that the Workampers are requested to bake a pie or similar dessert for Thanksgiving. Huh? I guess my day was not completely free from the kitchen, but it gave me an excuse to try a new recipe I found, while scanning paperwork.

Here is the .pdf for this recipe for  PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN SWEET POTATO CAKE

I think it turned out great. I had never made any kind of upside-down cake. I was so proud of this.

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We finally bought a kayak! We have been at many campgrounds with river, lake or reservoir access. It would have been so nice to float around in the peaceful waters. I've been looking for an inflatable raft or canoe. I read on many blogs people using the EAGLE INFLATABLE kayaks.  To save money & precious storage space, we purchased a 2 seater instead of 2 separate kayaks.

Now we just need to head to warmer parts of the US to try it out.

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PRODUCT REVIEW:

Reynold's Release

My rating 5 out of  5

I may have mentioned this before, but maybe you missed it, or maybe I didn't mention this before. If you follow my blog, you know my memory if very bad. I lined the bowl for the cake with REYNOLD'S RELEASE FOIL, 

I absolutely love this product. I use it for almost all my baking...

line cookie sheets, cake pans, bread pans, line when baking fish/chicken etc.

There is NEVER any sticking when using this product.

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I'm sure you all heard about the massive pile up on I-10 in Texas on Thanksgiving. It was caused by fog.  Did anyone notice that a 5th wheel was in the middle of the pile up? It doesn't look like it was hit or damaged, but just stuck in the middle of it all.

I had horrible thoughts of Dave & Teri from Flip Flop Vector blog, being involved in this. They were traveling to TX around this time. They had just had their truck & 5th wheel repaired because of an accident. I was happy to read that it was not them and they are safe and sound near their family in TX.

While we were in New Orleans last year, there was a similar pile up also on I-10 and also caused because of heavy fog. The TX pile up involved over 100 vehicles and 2 deaths. The New Orleans pile up was "only" 40 vehicles and 2 deaths.

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PETS:
Congratulations to Birgit and her Corgi, Belle. Belle ran in her first Agility Trial. She "Double Q'd". That means that she qualified in two different type of agility runs on the same day.

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Monument Rock: A Novel by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book consisting of mainly short stories. All typical Louis L'Amour western, cowboy story lines. Ladies, if you never read this author, do not be put off. Mr. L'Amour is such an excellent story writer that both men and women will find them interesting. There is just enough of a hint of romance for us women and enough tough guy cowboy shoot outs (but not too much)to keep the guys interested also.
The first half of the book are short stories. I am amazed that this author can develop so many quality stories. Each story is the same old west, cowboy/outlaw themes, but they are all different enough to hold your interest.
I do find I prefer full length books. He such a great writer and I was so interested in the stories and then they are over all too soon. The second half of the book is one story, Monument Rock. I enjoyed that the most simply because it was longer and characters and story can develop more.


View all my reviews

HOLT, FL 32564

Location: BLACKWATER STATE PARK, Holt, FL 32564

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RV: I have been so concerned about getting to California by June and Montana by July,that I've only been wanting to stay a week at the same place before moving onward.  Scott assures me that we can slow down. So we may start staying 2 weeks at a time after our last reservation which is near New Orleans, LA. We'll see.

RV PARK REVIEW:
Dec. 22 - Dec. 29, 2011
BLACKWATER RIVER STATE PARK Holt, FL 32564
$22./day Site #19
Our rating: 4 out of 5 Would revisit.
+Many large/long sites (TiTi loop better sites)
+Full hook ups
+Clean sites with stone or cement
+Daily garbage pickup
+Paved roads
+Dog poopy bags provided
+Lots of walking trails
+Blackwater River walking distance for swimming & canoeing
-Verizon internet so-so
-Verizon cell ok, AT&T cell, no service
+Private sites
Blackwater State Park is a really nice park.  We happen to be on a cement site, which I think is supposed to be handicapped accessible. Although I like the more rustic atmosphere of Ochalocknee State Park, I don't miss the sandy roads & sites.  We were all constantly dragging dirt into the RV.  At this park, we can go out barefoot and not worry about the dirt.
We have had terrible internet connection at both this park & at the last park.  We are starting to wonder if it is a problem with our modem or other equipment.  According to WHEELING IT blogger, Verizon was supposed to be great here.

VIEW:  Although we don't have a beautiful view, at least we are looking into woods. Very thick woods. So it feels private.

There are some nice short trails within the park that go along the river.

FOOD:  We've only been here one day and Scott found a Pet Smart, a Publix and a great Thai Restaurant!  It's called Wasabi House, Authentic Japanese Cuisine.  4797-99 Hwy. 90, Pace, FL 32571  850-994-9068
Scott brought take out home for lunch. Very nice surprise.  We sampled the Thai Red Curry Chicken, the Tom Yum soup, fried rice and vegetable fried rice.
The Red Curry Chicken was EXCELLENT. Some definite heat to it, so I needed a glass of milk to cool my mouth.
The Tom Yum soup is a Thai version of Hot & Sour soup.  Good with some heat, but still prefer Chinese Hot & Sour.
Fried rice, was delicious and moist.
The highlight for me was the vegetable fried rice.  I didn't think it would be much different from their regular fried rice, but boy was I wrong.  Strong flavors that blended beautifully together, with chunks of veggies sauteed and mixed in.
We will be stopping here for dinner one night I'm sure.

CRAFTS: I worked on the Sweet Memories Shrug, on our 3.5 hour drive here.  I am working on the ribbing for the arm. All that is left is to sew together & put an edging on.

PETS: We wonder what the dogs think when we change locations.  When we open the RV for their walk in the morning, do they realize they are in a different place?  They seem to handle it well.  Devin opened the screen door by himself today and went outside.  Scott was outside doing something and saw him.  Scott just acted happy to see him and called Devin in a happy to see you voice. Devin came right over to Scott.  Phew! Devin has been much calmer at this campground. It is so heavily wooded that any wildlife is hidden in the brush.  So even though Devin runs from window to window in the morning to see what he can find running around outside, all is still and Devin stays calm.  That is a really nice change.
This morning it was 48° outside. Great temperature for a nice morning walk.  We walked down to the Blackwater River. Once there, I let Lyla lead the way. When we came to a fork in the path, I just let her go the way she wanted.  She was having a blast! I was somewhat concerned that I may get lost, but I figured I could backtrack if I had to. Lyla gently pulled and guided us along a small lake, over a wooden bridge and lo & behold, she brought us back to the camground! I'm so proud of her.  As soon as we hit the paved road of the campground, she relaxed and let me lead the rest of the way.

BOOKS:  Still reading Messiah. Well worth the read.  Also, listening to Double Dexter.  Both are about serial killers, so sometimes I've been getting the characters mixed up.

Quiet time

Last day at Ochlockonee State Park

Another nice relaxing week.  I am slowing accepting that right now, my life is about ME. I get to watch a lot of TV, I get to read & craft a lot and IT'S OK! I'll take this easy life style. I'm sure when the house gets a buyer, we'll be in for some stress, so I'm enjoying this down time right now.

RV: Modification-Scott finally figured out how to mount the living room TV on an arm that swings. That is one less thing to put away for safety before we travel.  The cabinet for the TV is just thin board and was made to hold the old style heavy TV's on the slide tray. Scott knew this thin board could not handle the stress & weight of the arm and TV. So he reinforced the cabinet with 1x1's and a 3x3 board.  He stained them golden oak and it matches beautifully and the 3x3 board holds the TV & arm with no problem.  Now we have some extra storage behind the TV. Yea! More storage!!!

Storage under & behind

Arrows show added wooden braces

Not much going on at this campground. VERY quiet & VERY dark at night.  We have seen some beautiful night skies without light from surrounding towns interfering.  I haven't seen a sky like this in almost 20 yrs. Scott is into the stars and what they are, etc.  He was showing me the section which is it's own galaxy, and then of course we saw the big dipper, etc.  It looked almost fake, like those glow in the dark stickers you put on the ceiling in a bedroom to imitate the sky. I had bought Scott a telescope a few years back and was so happy that I got something that I knew he wanted. He used it a couple of times, but with the lights from town interfering at home, he lost interest. Down to the basement it went.  We did salvage that before the junk cleaning crew emptied our basement.  No room for the telescope in the RV, so in storage it has gone.  Maybe in the future, we'll find room for it somehow.  This State Park is exactly the kind of place to use the telescope.
There are HUGE pine cones everywhere. They are larger than the size of Scott's hand.  When they fall on the roof of the RV, we just hope they are not doing damage. They make a huge thump when they drop on the roof.
There are also white squirrels here! Some are all white, some are white with a gray streak down their back. I saw one that was all white and when you looked at the tail sticking up, you could see the dark bone through the tail.

We also saw our first and would be nice only poisonous snake. Alive and sunning in the middle of the road where we were walking our dogs.

FOOD:  I drove 15 miles to get to what I thought was the closest "super"market according to GPS.  Ended up it was a a teeny tiny grocery store. The packaged prices were high, but the meats weren't too bad.  I picked up some boneless chicken breasts for $1.79 a pound. Of course, the label stated "USE TODAY OR FREEZE".  Into the freezer it went, since ours is almost empty. We needed butter...$4.09 for a pound.  No 1/2 pounds (2 quarter stick packages) available.  And to think when living in NJ, I used to stock up on butter on sale at $1.99 a pound. That is a sacrifice I'll make to continue our full time lifestyle.
I always like to have fresh broccoli in our fridge. I can eat that steamed or raw. This grocery had broccoli  crowns packaged in plastic wrap. Really, just the crowns, no stem at all...nice! Picked up a package, inspected for age, hmmm, is that a little bit of mold? Yeck! Picked up a different one, same thing and the 3rd, again the same thing. This week, I'll stick with our canned veggies.  Scott goes out the next day and finds an IGA within 5 miles. Geeze!
On the way home, I saw a little Mom & Pop seafood joint. I believe it was called Steven's Seafood.  I decided to surprise Scott with a shrimp basket for him for dinner.  I go in to this tiny place with fold up tables & chairs as the dining room. There are a couple of locals eating there, so it must be ok.  I order our very unhealthy, but local seafood fried dinners. I should have ordered ahead, so I didn't have a chance to look around. While waiting about 25 minutes for our dinner to be ready, I had a chance to look around at all the dusty family pictures displayed. I looked behind the counter and saw a few yellowed sheets of paper hanging on the wall with quaint sayings such as "I can only please one person per day. Today isn't your day", etc.
Then I looked at the wall to wall windows. They had curtains made out of beach towels with shower rings holding them up.  Dust & cobwebs and the top in between every ring and the ceiling. That doesn't mean the kitchen is dirty does it?  Then I looked right above my head in amid the dusty cobwebs is a huge dead(?) cockroach!!!! Oh my gosh! Calm down. Aren't cockroaches difficult to control  in Florida? And, at least it was dead...I think. Well, our whole dinner is fried, so that will kill anything bad in the meal.  Yes, we ate the meal and 2 days later, we feel fine. But, I will not be going back there again.
Now Scott, who seems to have had better luck with not only the grocery store, but a take out dinner, brought home a wonderful bbq sampler.  We had some ribs (fair), some smoked chicken drumsticks (delicious) and some shredded smoked pork (delicious). Their bbq sauce was wonderful...sweet with a little bite.
CRAFTS: I finally have a project that I think I'll be finishing! It's so nice to be using larger needles and fiber again.  I'm working up a shrug out of the yarn I had spun from Ryley, Pillsbury and Lyla's fur.  The combo of light and dark is very nice. This is the pattern I'm knitting. And below is my progress so far. I think it's going to be really nice.