Sunshine in Mt Dora Dog Park and birds back at our RV park pond

Today we went to Mt. Dora, FL, a quaint little village near our campground. We were going to take Sunshine to a new dog park and then go walk the town. We did it backwards, though, because Sunshine did her usual 20 second sprint at top speed, went to the other fur friends for support and then to each of the people in the park for patting and love. When she is running at top speed, all four feet are off the ground at once about 80% of the time. Mostly, though, she is our 45 MPH couch potato. By the time we got to town, Sunshine was exhausted! We will try it again during the week and do the town first and then the dog park. The rains the other night have brought back the birds in droves to the pond across from our Montana. It is loud all day long as they play in the water and shore and talk about it very loudly. Montana Owners Club friends, Steve and Patti Emmel came by yesterday and we went to a late lunch at Friendly's and then some great conversation under our RV awning. We have so much around us and we are enjoying it all so very much. Being cheap dates, these things are even more grand!

New RV Door Handle Helper

Those of you that know me know that I am the unhandiest person around when it comes to mechanical functions. Last week we visited with Bill and Helen Moll, in Silver Springs, FL, where they have their Montana for the winter season. Bill had installed a "Handle Helper" to the outside entry door to their Big Sky. That little item made it so much easier to open the door. We had to put our fingers inside a hole and behind the opener to open our door and it sometimes caused problems when our hands were cold or the latch would stick. We located one at Tweety's RV Supply, on-line, and ordered it. It arrived today and I had it installed in about five minutes. Never thunk it could have been done by me so quickly and properly. Now our door unlatches so easy that it is surprising. After so many years of RVing, I am FINALLY getting handy. Whodathunkit?

Yesterday's storm brings joy today!

The birds are ecstatic around here. The dump of all that water in last evening's thunderstorms turned a dry pond that was just a large mud hole into mostly a water filled pond again. The cranes are strutting around in it and the other birds have been singing happily since before sun-up. The ground no longer crunches crisply when we walk across it. The squirrels are prancing around with their tails held high. The temps were a cool lower 60s today but the sun was bright. It will be slowly warming up now, into the 70s by the weekend. The weather we traveled down here to enjoy is finally on its way for good (we hope.) We had forgotten that January is the month that, if there is going to be cold and wet down here, it will be this month. We have absolutely no complaints, though. I always figure that, if I wake up in the morning, there is nothing that God and I can not handle!

Tornados, 60MPH+ winds, thunder & lightning, hail

Too many coppers shot in the last little while. A majority of my adult life were spent in Detroit and Green Oak and I still feel the kinship with the working cop. May God bless you, my friends in Blue! We were hearing about a large storm heading for Central Florida from The Gulf of Mexico and wanted to get out of Wildwood and set up in Clermont before they arrived. We were set up in Clermont, The Bees RV Resort, by noon and around 4:30 or so the storm hit. We got it all and were concerned about how Sunshine would handle it. She was great. She seems too nervous to eat but is sleeping on the couch and has not moved for a long time. We hear the stories of how Greyhounds are terrified of thunder but she went through the loud boomers and severely rockin' and rollin' Montana when the high winds hit us. Just heard of 100 MPH winds just east of us. We still have rain and thunder but the winds are less and the tornado warnings have been lifted. There was a touchdown in Bushnell, just west of us, and Helem Moll reported a fatality near Ocala to someone who was on the road. Weathering this type of storm in a Montana is not our idea of something fun to do. We are safe now and thankful to God to be so. It was really wicked a little while ago.

Our last day in Wildwood

We leave 3 Flags RV campground tomorrow for The Bees RV Resort in Clermont to spend a couple of weeks. It is only a few miles from here but, since it is an Orlando suburb, it is a completely different living experience. It has a restaurant, The Honeypot, that has great all-u-can-eat chicken dinners on Tuesdays and fish on Fridays. It is not too far from Disney, but I don't think that I will work there again this year. It is also near where many Montana Owners Club members are situated and they have monthly lunches. Will be nice seeing some of these friends again. Sunshine is looking at me with those big, brown orbs asking to go for her morning stroll so guess we'll do that now.

The days just keep getting better!

The weather is getting consistently better. Yesterday and today were sunny and mid 70s. Since we have been to this park before several times, we have no need to go out "touristing" so we have been staying around the park working or playing around the rig and going to Ocala for shopping and the great dog park. I am going to start using my new Silver Sneakers membership soon and hopefully working out with a Senior Fitness advisor to help. Our friends from the MOC, Bill and Helen Moll, are coming over tomorrow for a late lunch/early dinner. We saw them last week in their campground in Silver Springs. We are looking in the area for a campground where we can return to for several months at a time starting next year. We are talking about bringing the rig down right after Thanksgiving and then leaving for a couple of weeks in December for the holidays and then returning here. That would save driving through the snow or just ahead of the snow and ice like we have been doing. Much better!

Ocala, FL Millinium Dog Park

Had to get in one last shot of the beautiful trees in the Suwanee River Music Park Campground with its Spanish Moss from earlier in the week. We are now in Wildwood, FL at the 3 Flags RV Resort. Wednesday, we went to Silver Springs and met with our MOC friends, Bill and Helen Moll. Great lunch and conversation with some really fine folks. They stay here every winter and we really like their park. We are considering bringing the Montana down to Florida in October or November next year, driving home for the holidays, and then back down, leaving the Monty here. It would really be nice to tow it south BEFORE the snow and ice. We are looking for a park in Central Florida to do this at. Today, we took Sunshine to the Ocala Millenium Dog Park for the second time since we arrived here last Tuesday. She really loves it here. The park has two sections, large and small dog. One could fit several football fields into the large dog portion and the small portion is probably a little over half size of the the large side. Sunshine does not want to leave here when we are here. It, like the nice park in Valdosta, GA that we were at a week ago, has some great features. I also joined the group Silver Sneakers at the Ocala YMCA. My Medigap insurance covers the cost and the organization has facilities all over the country that I can use. The Powerhouse Gym in Fenton, MI also honors this. It will be nice working out with instructors aiming at Seniors all over the country. I look forward to doing this. I am getting excited because I am wondering what tomorrow will bring!

We're finally in Wildwood, FL

It was 62 and sunny when we pulled into 3 Flags RV Park in Wildwood, today! The next few nights are supposed to have low wind chills and the days into the low to mid 50s but we can handle that. Tomorrow we are going to Ocala to try a new (to us) dog park with Sunshine. We will be here for two weeks and, since we have been here several times before, we will probably stay close to home and just enjoy each other and the weather.

'twas a great day in Valdosta, GA

Yesterday, we had some shopping to do and also had found a dog park in Valdosta on a website that locates dog parks throughout the US. The park was beautiful. We forgot our camera and wish we had had it with us. This is a large, fenced in park with areas for small dogs, large dogs and all dogs. It is grassy and treed. Very clean. Sunshine met a half dozen or so fur friends and a bunch of two legged friends that she leaned up against and was patted in return. She ran, romped and, in general, really enjoyed herself. We will return here when we come through next time. Today it is raining but 45 degrees right now. We are not complaining at all because so much of the south, even the areas we just passed through last week, have a heavy snow cover now. Supposed to clear tonight and be sunny and warm for our travels tomorrow to Wildwood, near Ocala. We will veg and do inside work today.

Toe is tired from heavy tappin'

My leg is tired from all the toe tapping that I did in the "Pickin' Shed" tonight. There was a fine array of pickers, grinners and a really appreciative audience. Makes me want to learn how to play guitar. If anyone is wondering what to get for me for St. Patrick's Day, a guiter would really be appreciated. 60 and sunny today with mid 50s and sun for tomorrow. Tonight, though, has a freeze warning but I'll just sleep through that and go out when the frost has left. We have not a complaint in the world, though, after looking at the Grand Blanc weather report. Tomorrow, we are going grocery shopping in Valdesta, GA. They suppopsedly have a dog park, too, so Sunshine could become a happy puppy.

We made it to Florida!

We pulled into the Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park, in Live Oak, FL, this afternoon and it was 60 and sunny! What a concept - beautiful days in the middle of the winter. One of the signs that we are really south is starting to see palm trees. A sign that we look forward to seeing is the Spanish Moss. It begins in Southern Georgia and continues on into Florida. The white fluffy "stuff" makes for beautiful trees, much like the white cottony substance on some Christmas trees. We will be here until Tuesday enjoying the park and people. We are camped approximately 100 feet from the "Pickin' Shed" so look forward to hearing some sweet sounds very soon. While they will be a pickin', I will be a grinnin'.

Almost to Florida!

We traveled from Adairsville, GA to Unadilla, GA today, passing through downtown Atlanta on the way. Traffic on I-75 in Atlanta during the day is difficult and around rush hours, almost impossible. We discovered several years ago that the By-Pass is not the way to go. All trucks get shoved onto the By-Pass and whenever there is a collision there, the back-up can get miles long and this is a regular occurrence. Between the rush hours, one can usually travel at a steady 45 MPH. We passed the Olympic Torch, from a few years ago when Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics. We are now at Unadilla, GA in a campground located abutting a horse farm. This was a real magnet for Carol and Sunshine so we sauntered over and the horses trotted right up to us. Carll was in "Horsy Heaven!" The temps were in the low 50s and it was sunny. Last night was the first night we have spent above freezing. Tomorrow we move to Live Oak, FL, where we will spend four nights. We will be at the Suwanee River Music RV Campground. We will have several days and nights of country, blue grass and blues along. We are looking forward to some good pickin', here. Temp is supposed to be in low 60s tomorrow. Sounds like a plan.

We're in Adairsville, GA

A short, two hour trip, from Sweetwater, TN and we are in Adairsville, GA, at the Leisure Time RV Park. It is raining (at least we don't have to shovel it) and were met by the 84 year old owner/manager, George Adams, when we arrived. He led us to our site and stuck around until he was sure that we knew what we were doing in setting our rig up. This is a very clean, well laid out Passport America park and I highly recommend it, for those traveling I-75 in Northern Georgia. We have full hookups and cable so we are good to go. George told me that they have Gospel singing/music playing Jam Sessions once a month or so. They also feed the spectators at these sessions from a pot of stew and a pot of chili. We will surely stay here the next time we travel this way. The rain is supposed to quit tonight and they are calling for sunny and upper 40s here tomorrow. We head to Unadilla, GA tomorrow and they say 55 and sunny. Looks like another good travel day.

Made it to Sweetwater, TN

Left Berea this morning with sun and upper 20s and arrived three hours later in Sweetwater, TN to sun and mid 50s. Beautiful day! The Alberta Clipper is heading south and the rains from the south are heading north and the news just said that they should collide over mid Tennessee late tonight or tomorrow. We should get out before the rain turns to snow, though. Next stop is Adairsville, GA, north of Atlanta. It is only a 2.5 hour jaunt through beautiful country. Sunshine is getting used to the travel and really enjoyed being out in the sun and warmth today. (So did I)

We're in Berea, KY

We started out about 6:30 this morning and made it to Berea, KY. The campground had several inches of snow a few weeks ago, then inches of ice and today we discovered that the grassy sites were frozen ponds with grass. Sunshine did not like this day at all. It was a long drive and then she stepped into several frozen over puddles and went through the ice skim, freezing her paws and lower legs. Not a happy camper. When we set up, we found that we have been visited by mice. So far, we have not located anything that has been chewed but they sure left their droppings scattered around, both the basement and living room of the Montana. Then the refrigerator would not work. No lights, no nothing! I called Camping World in Knoxville, TN, where we were traveling through tomorrow anyway, and made an appointment. A couple of hours later, it clicked and started running. Leave well enough alone, I think, and we just hope it was just frozen and thawed. Tomorrow's jaunt will be less than 200 miles so can finish unpacking what we have stored in the rig and clean up the rest of the mouse dung that we find. Hopefully I soon will locate where the little buggers came in. Oh, oh - while making the bed we just discovered that the mouses or is it meeces found a warm spot, underneath the bed spread on the mattress. Once again, no signs of chewing. It's been a long, cold day so I am heading for bed soon and I don't believe that Carol will be far behind.

We leave in the moanin'

The truck and Montana are just about loaded. They are hooked up and rarin' to go. So are we. Sunshine is really confused after trying to figure out what we have been doing all day, loading the rig, etc. She will feel much better, as we shall too, when we begin our latest journey. Alarm set for 4:00 so we can get an early start. Temps are back to mid teens at night so we want to get to Berea, KY on our first day which should be out of the snow and ice. Then we can start taking our time with our 2-3 hour daily jaunts and some 2-4 night stops along the way.