May 28, 2007 Grand Blanc, MI - Call of the Road

That noise that can be heard rumbling from outside is the road calling - "Jim, Carol, Monty, please come out and play." Only home for a few days and am looking forward to next trip. Maybe head north end of this week or first of next. This photo is from Tunica, MS. Oops, on edit I see that this photo has already been published. Oh well, maybe a trip is really in order so that we can get some more pix.

May 26, 2007 Grand Blanc, MI Hummers

We are now home and apparently not soon enough for the hummingbirds. We always have fed the hummers and they have given us much enjoyment through our front window. Since we have been traveling this spring, we have not fed them. Much to our surprise this morning, the hummers have been perching on our empty suet basket on the front porch waiting to be fed. Since we will be here for a while, now, we must keep our birds happy so it is time to make some sugar water for our vagabond friends. There is even a hungry dove in the background waiting for the sunflower seeds to be put out for the cardinals.

May 25, 2007, Grand Blanc, MI

This is the view we had out of our picture window at the park yesterday. We left the ACI park this morning, brought our "stuff" home and put Monty to bed at our home park, Lake Shore at Davison, MI. Last night the power went out in the park for several hours and, when it first happened, we were sure that our electrical problems had returned. We found out quickly that the park had lost power, not just us. Whew! It rained last night and cooled things off considerably. It is 69 degrees here now at 4:30 PM and comfortable. The streets were wet when we came home but we saw no more rain today. Now we plan for the next adventure. It feels good to know that the next one will not be too distant in the future - another advantage of semi-retirement.

May 24, 2007, Goshen, IN to Kalamazoo, MI

We left Goshen this morning and all systems seem good to go. We are now at an ACI campground in Kalamazoo, MI. Our site is on a small pond and the birds are singing loudly all around us. What a contrast from when we left on April 10. It was cold, blowey and wet. Now it is sunny and in the 80s at noon. We return home tomorrow only to plan for our next adventure. We will try to keep this forum posted on our plans, steps and missteps regarding our next journey. It will probably be to Northern Michigan and very soon.

May 23, 2007 Goshen, IN

Our Montana is back and not sick any more. We have it set up again in Camp Keystone for the night and will travel to Kalamazoo tomorrow. This is the holiday weekend and so we were unable to get reservations at any of our parks this late so we are bringing it home. We would have spent the weekend in Mitchell, SD and then on to Mt. Rushmore if the electrical problem had not occurred. The factory fixed the problems and checked the rig out from stem to stern. They replaced the microwave, bedroom television, DVD player, main power cord and the converter. They rewired the air conditioner and fixed some other smaller problems. Besides taking care of the problems, these people are just plain nice folks. We can not say enough nice things about them and do them justice. We are sorry for the problem that brought us here in the first place, and so are they, but they took great care of us. Tonight will be the first night with electricity since Saturday night. It is 86 degrees outside now and COOL in here. Wow, what a concept. We are now starting to plan our next journey. We will get to Mt. Rushmore either in the fall or early next spring. It will soon be too hot to go there and also there is the big biker rally in Sturgis, SD in August. We will probably be heading for northern Michigan in the very near future. We have some grandchildren that we promised to take camping so that will pleasantly take up a large part of our summer.

May 22, 2007 Carlock, IL to Goshen, IN

We traveled from Carlock to Goshen today and are now at Camp Keystone, the area at the Keystone factory were RVers can park their RVs with water and electric hookups. Of course, we only use the water now. Darryl from the service department will probably knock on our door at 6:00 AM tomorrow and hopefully get the rig right in for its repairs. The trip today was boring, except when we drove through I-80 on Chicago's south side and into Gary and Hammond, IN. That portion of interstate is downright exciting. We were traveling eastbound and there was a traffic backup on the westbound side that we clocked at about 15 miles long. It is hot now and going to 90 degrees tomorrow. We are trying to decide what we are doing or where we are going next. A final decision will not be made until after the repairs are done.

May 20, 21 2007 Platte City, MO and Carlock, IL

Sunday we left Branson and made it to Platte City, MO. This is just north of Kansas City. As we were setting up, smoke poured out from the living room television and dvd player. We discovered a blown circuit breaker for the converter. After a while, it was reset and this time smoke and flame were seen through the air vent under the steps to the bedroom, leading to the furnace and converter. All breakers for that area were then thrown off and we spent the night without power. The battery worked for the slides and front jacks, luckily. This morning, we called Keystone, the manufacturer, and were asked if we could get it to Goshen. They wished to look at it and repair it at the factory. We are now in Carlock, IL on our way to Goshen. We will get it there tomorrow and they will "fit it in" sometime Thursday. They are booked until June so we were forutunate to get it in like we did. We did get to see a lot of our beautiful country on this trip but, starting with the semi sideswipe on the first day to the leaking washer/dryer connections, it has not been without trying moments. We are probably going to cut our trip short now and return home after the repairs. We hope to get back and finish this trip soon and then start another.

May 19, 2007 Branson, MO

This is our last night in Branson. This was such a nice park and area and the MOC Rally was great. The tech from Montana came in today and repaired the leak in our washer/dryer so now all is well with Monty. Naylor RV, the Montana dealership from Kansas City, payed for our dinner at the campground tonight. There is the Fiddlers and Pickers session taking place here and the meal was Bar-B-Q. It was great. We have eaten more in the last three days that we probably have in the last three weeks so it is back to Nutrisystem now. There were fiddlers and pickers and singers all throughout the park and a band was playing at the dinner. Square dancers and two steppers were doing their thing in the building where we were eating. It was so neat seeing and hearing all of this. Weather or not one likes bluegrass, it is difficult to keep from tapping your feet to the music. We have met so many really good, fine people at this rally. From the first day when a crew came over and installed the awning, through the rally where we just met and talked with so many people with very similar likes and dislikes and getting great suggestions on routing and things to see and do for the rest of the trip - how could we not love this lifestyle. When we sold our motor home, we did not go long before we purchased our first Montana because we missed the people that we were meeting and getting to know. Tomorrow we will pick up in the morning and travel to probably just north of Kansas City, Platte City, MO. We will then decide where we will go, probably to around Omaha, NE, on our way to Mitchell, SD for the Memorial Day weekend.

May 18, 2007 Branson, MO

We returned to Branson today and took another good look at the strip. As Carol says, it is everything that it is advertised as and much much more. There are all kinds of clubs and entertainment venues and many are owned by and performed at by country and other musical stars. This is a clean town nestled in a large valley in the Ozark Mountains. Views from the ridges above the town give vistas that allow us to see for miles. With all of the green trees and other folliage and the lakes and streams it is beautiful. We don't believe that there are many, if any, types of entertainment not available here. Some of the clubs had large bus type motor homes for the stars and performers parked at the clubs. We had lunch at Charlie's Steak and Ribs. We ordered lunch portions of ribs, advertised as 4 ribs, and were treated to a feast. It came with baked sweet potatoes and other sides and home made sweet rolls. The ribs were huge and meaty with great sauce. I consider myself a rib expert and rate this as, if not the best I have ever had then near the top. They had a good smoked flavor to them. One shock is the rapid rise in gas prices that we have seen here in the last couple of days. Today, in downtown Branson, the price was $3.49/gallon. Out of town it is $3.29/gallon. We hear reports that it will continue to rise until Memorial Day and then ease back down. Maybe we will just find a spot and STAY PUT, for a while. It seems like this is a national problem, not just where we are. Actually we leave here Sunday morning. We will probably go to somewhere around Kansas City for Sunday night. Our next reservation is for the Memorial Day weekend in Mitchell, SD. That means that we have from Sunday morning to Friday afternoon to get there. We are still blown away by the way that we got the slide-out cover/awning replaced by other members of the MOC. We were not injured in the original crash in Cincinnati and the only out of pocket expenses were for the replacement awning material. The MOC has taken us under their wings and taken real good care of us. Are we blessed or not? You bet we are. Tomorrow a tech will look at the washer/dryer to locate the water leak. Then it should be only "normal" maintenance. The weather was only around 70 degrees today and will go only into the upper 40s tonight.

May 17, 2007 Branson, MO

The temperature fell into the high 40s last night. This is the coolest we have had it for what seems like a very long time. Today the temperature only got to 72 degrees. With a bright sun and cooler temperatures, it was beautiful. Today was the big day for our new slide-out topper/awning to be installed. Members of the MOC from the rally came over and took about twenty minutes to install the unit that a dealer was going to charge $175 to do. It just cost two cases of beer (delivered AFTER the job was done, of course) I had my Diet Coke and gladly watched the crew devour the beer. They did a first class job. We went into Branson today for the first time just to get our bearings about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to do it while we are here. The "strip" is several miles long with clubs and entertainment venues all along it. Also, there are multiple venues outside of the strip area. A tech from a Montana dealership in Kansas City will be at the rally tomorrow and Saturday to take care of minor problems that we may have. The cost of this tech and our Saturday night suppers are being picked up by the dealer. Montana sure knows how to take care of its customers. We are still trying to figure out which show we are going to see tomorrow. See the tough decisions that we have to make? And you thought that we were only having fun and playing games. We are not in a broadband area now for the wireless so we can not post any photos. Whenever we can, we will try to catch up on the pix.

May 15, 2007 Shirley, AR to Branson, MO

We left Arkansas this morning and arrived in Branson, MO. We are in the Compton Ridge Campground. This is a large park with a lot of trees - beautiful. We were greeted by the sight of a host of Montanas already at the park for the rally that starts tomorrow evening. There was no problem backing into our site because there were several that guided us and a group that sat at the next site over from us watching and grading our efforts. I think we averaged a 7. (OK, too much watching Dancing with the Stars) Our new slide topper/awning is here. We will soon have a group of other campers helping us install it, probably in the morning. Now, that's scary. There are at least three other retired coppers here - Kansas, New Mexico and Illinois. It was nice meeting and talking with them. We all share the common idea - it was great when we were there but we are so relieved to no longer have to cop for a living. We will have to find someone that has researched this area, Branson, because it is full of clubs owned by and entertained at by music stars, mostly country but also oldies pop. Once again, we are in a spot where we can get out messages but not always read our email or post pics to this blog. We'll get them out when we can, maybe later tonight will work.

May 15, 2007 Shirley, AR to Branson, MO

We left Arkansas this morning and arrived in Branson, MO. We are in the Compton Ridge Campground. This is a large park with a lot of trees - beautiful. We were greeted by the sight of a host of Montanas already at the park for the rally that starts tomorrow evening. There was no problem backing into our site because there were several that guided us and a group that sat at the next site over from us watching and grading our efforts. I think we averaged a 7. (OK, too much watching Dancing with the Stars) Our new slide topper/awning is here. We will soon have a group of other campers helping us install it, probably in the morning. Now, that's scary. There are at least three other retired coppers here - Kansas, New Mexico and Illinois. It was nice meeting and talking with them. We all share the common idea - it was great when we were there but we are so relieved to no longer have to cop for a living. We will have to find someone that has researched this area, Branson, because it is full of clubs owned by and entertained at by music stars, mostly country but also oldies pop. Once again, we are in a spot where we can get out messages but not always read our email or post pics to this blog. We'll get them out when we can, maybe later tonight will work.

May 15, 2007 Shirley, AR Part 2

Here are the pics from our crossing from state to state yesterday. We drove into Clinton, AR and found broadband access. When we entered Arkansas yesterday, on I-40 at the Welcome Center Rest Area, we were greeted with a free lunch. The Arkansas Tourist Bureau supplied franks, chicken legs and wings, ham saqndwiches, chips, water and soda pop. They do this annually to fete the travelers. The people working there were state employees and a real nice intro to Arkansas.

May 14, 2007 Shirley, AR

We left Tunica and are now in the Golden Pond RV Park in Shirley, AR. This is a small park that is very clean and quiet. The birds try to fill in the sound voids by singing very loudly, though. The camp hosts, John and Kim Watson, couldn't be any nicer. John drove us around in a golf cart to select our site, pointing out plusses and minuses of each. When we were setting up, we were next to two other 5th wheels that were also setting up. Kim came over to us carrying iced, freshly brewed sweet tea for all. We never knew one person could carry that number of cups without spilling any of the contents. When checking in, Kim said that we could join them "on the porch for 'settin and rockin and talkin or just settin and rockin.'" We do not have a very strong, sometimes nonexistant. cell or wireless signal so this post didn't get out on time. It is now the morning of the 15th. We'll try to post some pix when we get into town or tomorrow when we get to Branson. We are going to stay here until Wednesday. Our daughters called Carol Sunday and that really made her feel good. She has been kinda low because this is the first Mother's Day that she has missed being home for. The calls really were a blessing.

May 14, 2007 Shirley, AR

We left Tunica and are now in the Golden Pond RV Park in Shirley, AR. This is a small park that is very clean and quiet. The birds try to fill in the sound voids by singing very loudly, though. The camp hosts, John and Kim Watson, couldn't be any nicer. John drove us around in a golf cart to select our site, pointing out plusses and minuses of each. When we were setting up, we were next to two other 5th wheels that were also setting up. Kim came over to us carrying iced, freshly brewed sweet tea for all. We never knew one person could carry that number of cups without spilling any of the contents. When checking in, Kim said that we could join them "on the porch for 'settin and rockin and talkin or just settin and rockin.'" We do not have a very strong, sometimes nonexistant. cell or wireless signal so this post didn't get out on time. It is now the morning of the 15th. We'll try to post some pix when we get into town or tomorrow when we get to Branson. We are going to stay here until Wednesday. Our daughters called Carol Sunday and that really made her feel good. She has been kinda low because this is the first Mother's Day that she has missed being home for. The calls really were a blessing.

May 13, 2007 Memphis area

Today we visited with friends at their new home in the Memphis exurbs. This is a beautiful area. We went to have a late lunch and it got late so it turned into an early dinner, Linner as Carol would say. Along the Mississippi Delta area where we are staying we discovered that we are in an area filled with rice paddies. We thought that rice only came from the Far East. Of course we also thought that armadillos were only in the southwest until we saw them in Florida. See, traveling is educational, too, as well as fun. Tomorrow we leave for Arkansas. We will cross into Arkansas from Memphis over the Mississippi River. Almost 20 years ago, we stayed in a motel in West Memphis, AR, across the river from Memphis, TN. The motel was abutting a dog track. So we guess that one could say that our money went "to the dogs" the night that we went to the track. The Greyhounds are sleekly beautiful animals and, when they are through racing, are not left in the best of conditions. This is where we first heard of the society that helps people "adopt" former racing Greyhounds. Nice, quiet, well behaved but probably a little too lean for us.

May 12, 2007 Tunica, MS Sam's Town

We had friends from the Memphis area stop by today. We went to Sam's Town Casino and had dinner at their Buffett. Great food and, sorry to say, plenty of it. This place is huge. Three restaurants. When we were younger, "Smoky Joe's Cafe" was a favorite song for Carol to dance to. She has talked about this song for years now. Wouldn't you know it, one of Sam's Town Restaurants is Smoky Joe's Cafe. The casino allows smoking but the ventilating system is so good that there is hardly a trace of smoke in the air. Smelled none in the restaurant. The slots are different from what we remember. They do not pay off in coins or tokens. Winners get a slip for a credit or turn it in for cash. No more dirty Dixie Cups full of quarters. It is definately different but a nice touch. A winner still gets the bells and whistles but not the sound of falling coins into the tray. We do not go to buffets any more since we have been dieting and after tonight it will be a long time before we return.

May 11, 2007 Tunica, MS

We traveled from Tupelo, MS to Tunica, MS today. The road was limited access for over half of the way then a beautiful combination of state and county roads through small Mississippi towns. The area, like Alabama,is so green, compared to the brown, dusty everything in GA and FL. It rained last night and it was so unusual that we photographed out our rear window onto the campground just to remind us that it can get wet here. At the present, there are heavy storms with hail and 60 mph winds around us here in Tunica. We are probably less than 1/4 mile from the Mississippi River and north of here it is high and reaching flood stages. We don't believe that the flooding will be a problem around here and we hope that the rains lighten up near Branson when we go there next week. If not, we will stay inside and be happy that we paid for a roof for this rig. We let it be known that we needed a new slide topper for our rig. Another retired copper, a homicide dick from Wichita, KS, is in the Montana Owners Club and is putting together the rally we are attending next week in Branson. He is also bringing a new slide awning to replace the one that was damaged in the crunch in Cincinnati on the way down. Apparently he also sells these things on the side and we are getting his price and the labor will be by several of us in Branson. What a small, beautiful world this is. When we count our blessings we really don't have time to complain.

May 10, 2007 Tupelo, MS

We left Birmingham, AL this morning and are now in The Campground at Barnes Crossing Campground. This is a small, nicely put together park. It is quite hilly and the sites are terraced with gravel bases making for nice, level sites that drain well. It was very hot and sunny during the drive. We went to see the house that Elvis was born in. They have fixed it up nicely and the grounds have all the tourist trap fixins but it is very nice. We then went to Johnnie's Drive in Bar-B Que where Elvis hung out in his younger years. We split the Bar-B-Q plate and it was typical of the drive in food that we recall from our youth - very greasy. As soon as we got into the truck from viewing Elvis' house the skies opened up. We almost forgot what rain was in the last few weeks but the reminder came back in spades with the heavy rain and winds. We head on to Tunica, MS tomorrow. Hopefully there will be more time to fill in some of the trip's sightings and thoughts and add more photographs.
On edit, got the pics in tonight.

May 9, 2007 De Funiak Springs, FL and Alabama

We are now in Birmingham, AL with a cell phone and wireless air card signal so we can communicate again. When leaving the Econfino River/Gulf area the other day, we saw signs showing bear crossings. We have seen deer crossing signs before, panther area signs in the Everglades but never a bear crossing sign. We stayed at the Sunset King RV Resort north of De Funiak Springs, FL the last couple of nights. This is in the western Panhandle where we discovered that we were about 15 miles from some of the largest of the wildfires, south of us nearer the Gulf coast. It was a nice, clean park with large sites and good cable TV. We left this morning and drove pretty much due north through Montgomery, AL and stopped at Birmingham. We are in Carson Village Mobile Home Community, a new mobile home park that has large sites for RVs. It is very hilly around here and the park has several steep entrances to the sites. We have a flat, level site and the manager was driving near the entrance to this huge park when we entered and stopped to find directions. He led us to the site and helped us set up. He and his wife just bought a motor home and are starting to discover the joys of RVing.

Tomorrow we take a short 2 hour or so spin to Tupelo for the night. We will check out Elvis' birthplace and whatever else we can find. Then on to Tunica, MS. This is a casino town just south of Memphis. We are spending three nights at Sam's Town Casino RV Resort. Should be interesting. We just talked with friends that are there now and they told us about how nice that RV park is. All paved with large cement pads and blacktop driveways. They want good publicity about this so that RVers will drop their bundles inside. The daily rate is $12.95 so it is difficult to beat. When next we write we hopefully will have some news about The King from Tupelo.

May 8, 2007

We have been in the boonies and not able to get out with a new post. We will hopefully be where we can catch up tomorrow.

May 6 and 7, 2007 Econfina River and De Funiak Springs, FL

We have been in areas with no cell phone or air internet access so this will cover two days, and without photos because the present server is slow. Yesterday we travelled from Largo to the point where the Econfina River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. We stayed at a campground that caters to people that hire out their guides to fish the Econfina River and the Gulf. There was absolutely no signal and, at first, we were not pleased but then it was fine - we listened to the birds singing and not the phone ringing. The campground is beautiful. Our picture window was facing a pond with wildlife in and around. The only drawback was the water - it was probably good but it had a brown tint to it. That was probably because of the extreme drought in the area. The water levels are all down and the pump may have been sucking sand along with the water. The sites all had trees and shrubs between them. The birds filled them and it was great. We drove to get gasoline, about 25 miles roundtrip - we were in the boonies, and the smoke from the Georgia wildfires was quite strong along Florida 98 west of Perry, FL.
Today we traveled to De Funiak Springs, FL, northeast of Pensacola, north of I-10. This is the Sunset King Lake Resort, a newer park. It has full hookups, new concrete patios and paved interior roads. We'll know more about the park and the area by tomorrow. We will be here probably two nights and then on to Alabama. While traveling I-10, the smoke from the fires was strong until just west of Tallahassee.

May 6 and 7, 2007 Econfina River and De Funiak Springs, FL

We have been in areas with no cell phone or air internet access so this will cover two days, and without photos because the present server is slow. Yesterday we travelled from Largo to the point where the Econfina River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. We stayed at a campground that caters to people that hire out their guides to fish the Econfina River and the Gulf. There was absolutely no signal and, at first, we were not pleased but then it was fine - we listened to the birds singing and not the phone ringing. The campground is beautiful. Our picture window was facing a pond with wildlife in and around. The only drawback was the water - it was probably good but it had a brown tint to it. That was probably because of the extreme drought in the area. The water levels are all down and the pump may have been sucking sand along with the water. The sites all had trees and shrubs between them. The birds filled them and it was great. We drove to get gasoline, about 25 miles roundtrip - we were in the boonies, and the smoke from the Georgia wildfires was quite strong along Florida 98 west of Perry, FL.
Today we traveled to De Funiak Springs, FL, northeast of Pensacola, north of I-10. This is the Sunset King Lake Resort, a newer park. It has full hookups, new concrete patios and paved interior roads. We'll know more about the park and the area by tomorrow. We will be here probably two nights and then on to Alabama. While traveling I-10, the smoke from the fires was strong until just west of Tallahassee.

May 5, 2007 Largo, FL

Well, we leave Largo tomorrow. Guess what - it was sunny and hot today. We finally got a confirmation of a site at the Montana Owners Club Rally in Branson for May 17-20. While there, Naylor RV, from Kansas City, will be there as a vendor and will bring a slide topper for us and install it on our site. This is because of an introduction from another MOC member. We surely are well taken care of. We should be in Tupelo in a few days and Memphis for next weekend. We forgot that Memorial Day we were going to be on the road and were fortunate to get reservations at a nice park in eastern South Dakota for the Friday through Tuesday of Memorial Day weekend. The only reservations we were going to get while on this trip were the one in Largo and the week at Rapid City, SD. We do feel more comfortable now, though, with Memorial Day taken care of. Now that we know how to place photos in this blog we will put more of our travels in picture form. The dry stream bed had some otters trying to stay cool in a pool of water from a drain. They are waiting for rain just like everyone else around here, we guess.

Largo, FL 6

Today was not a great day at the dealership. We had an appointment for 10:30AM to have the slide-out awning repaired. We had confirmed it Wednesday. Broke down the rig this morning, unhooked all connections, brought in the slide-outs and towed our "home" to Sun Coast RV, in Pinellas Park, FL. The awning was not there. We were advised that it would be in by 1:00PM so we went to brunch with friends who met us there. Returning at 1:00, we were advised that it had not arrived yet. The service manager finally called the shipper and was advised that it would be there by 1:30. At 1:45 he called again and was advised that it was in Tampa and should be there in an hour. He was called back a few minutes later and told that it was still in Atlanta but should be there by Monday. We are leaving Sunday. Sun Coast RV is not our favorite dealership now. Watching the sun set over the Gulf did make the day all right.
Our friends, who are also in the Montana Owners Club, MOC, talked us into going to the MOC rally in Branson, MO May 17-20. Montana is to have techs there so we are going to try again to get it repaired, while at the rally. Branson is close to the route that we were taking to Mt. Rushmore so this should be fun and also useful. We are meeting friends later this week in Memphis. While en route to Memphis, we will stop at Tupelo so Carol can check out the birthplace of The King. We have already done the Graceland tour a few years ago so Tupelo should close the circle.

Largo, FL 6

HOT! HOT! HOT! - We went to Walmart and retrieved our prescriptions, washed the truck and returned home and napped. It still does not feel real quite right but we are getting a better handle on semi-retirement. It is really ok to take a nap. Never had, or took, the time before. Probably would have made us more productive during the working years but, when in business for ourselves, thought the clients wanted us up and alert. Still working on this lifestyle. Working may not be the correct word because it infers labor and this is not a labor intensive life. The Georgia fires have grown and now there is one near Daytona, FL. It is so dry. We are leaving Largo Sunday and there is also a different mindset to the act of heading north. When we would leave to head north or back home before, the mind turned to what had to be done when we returned, how far behind are we now, etc and the last few days were relatively agonizing. Our only concern now is "how far do we have to go to get out of the smoke?" Tomorrow Monty goes to the dealership for some of the crash repairs. We'll finish the work when we return to Michigan in June.

Largo, FL 5

The humidity is quite high and it is hot. Glad we have air conditioning. We could never live year round in this type of tropical area. The winters are nice but springs and summers are not for us. We went shopping today. Found a Campeing World nearby. That place is huge. They have what seems more like square miles instead of acres of new and used rigs and a large Camping World store. We were here a few years ago during an RV Show and seem to recall that they had camping spaces also. May have been for people that had their rigs in for service but it helps explain the size of this place. Had to go to Walmart for groceries and a few items and Carol's knees wouldn't let her get out to go into a Home Depot and a Lowes with me. Gonna go to the Gulf this evening to see the sunset again. We never tire from seeing that beautiful sight. The sun setting and pelicans flying overhead - Wow!

Largo, FL 4

The humidity was a little higher today. There is a haze in the air now, more inland than here, but we can still tell it is here. Saw the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico tonight and the sun disappeared into the haze before it got to the horizon. This entire area is so overdue for rain. Wonder if some of the haze is the smoke from the Georgia fires. The news the other night said that the smoke is in Central Florida now, into Orlando, and will probably get to the Tampa/St Pete area about now. When we leave Sunday, we will be going back into that area, near Talahasee, where the smoke is supposedly getting thicker. The traffic in this area is suprisingly (to us) heavy. Rush hours have full traffic lanes and between rush times are still full of vehicles. Since the Snowbirds have already returned north, this must mean that the population is just becoming much more dense. Compared to Michigan, taxes and employment are a dream here. So many retired folks around and most retail stores are full of older employees.