Happy New Year

2011 finally outta here.  We are enjoying an awesome day here, 73 degrees and the beach was amazing for our walk.  We were also treated to an unusual event..3 dolphins or porpoises not sure which is native to this area, were "fishing" in the shallow water, by finding fish and then chasing them up on the beach, much like killer whales do when they chase seals.

The campground is overflowing with weekend visitors.  The local hotels are also very crowded and add to that a Blues Festival in the historic district and it adds to very busy.  There is a large campfire tonight for campers that includes live music that we are looking forward to.

We see that there is a storm over the great lakes that will work its way to New England this next week which is going to give us some temps overnight near freezing.  Damn, time for levis and a jacket.

I hope you all have a great new years eve and a great year to follow.

Meet "Big Al" - Jekyll Island's own alligator & other residents

Took an afternoon hike to what was described as a bird rookery in the middle of the island.  What we found was a small pond with dozens of birds that had come to roast for the evening.  Although we had heard that the island did have resident alligators but did not expect to run into one.  But we were very lucky and found "Big Al" sunning himself in the late afternoon sun.  It was very exciting to see him as well as all the birds.  Enjoy!

Searching for the Perfect Sand Dollar...

This is driftwood beach, a place where these trees once living and due to erosion over the years the saltwater gradually killed the trees and now it is the most erie looking "beachscape" you"ll ever see.  The University of Georgia regularily has buses that bring in students to this beach for whatever they are studying.  It isn't the best local beach for shell hunting but were are in the constant hunt for the perfect sand dollar.  NJ has amassed quite a collection and is in the process of identifying them and catagorizing them. 

Ta Dah! Introducing...

The Portuguese Man o' War.  So we were taking our daily walk on the beach to look for shells when

we notice all these blue things that look like small balloons with blue string-type things hanging from them.  Of course we didn't have a clue what these were and decided to take some pictures to try and identify them.  Didn't take long till our mystery was solved!  They are Portuguese Man o' War and possess a nasty sting. 

We had a strong nor'easter (yes, they have them down south too) over the weekend with really strong seas so it appears that is what blew them ashore.  Interesting is the fact that they have a gas-filled bladder which can grow up to 12 inches wide - the ones we saw were only about 2 inches. These bladders can also deflate if threatened causing the whole thing to sink.  The tentacles can reach a length of 165 feet and are used for "fishing" of small sea creatures for their diet. 

This critter is responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia each summer and can cause severe pain which can last 2-3 days.  Although death is extremely rare but it can happen.  Yipes!!!

Who would think that something so beautiful could be so deadly!

The Saga of Missy & other stuff

Poor Missy!

About 2 weeks ago now, we went to the beach and when Missy jumped out of the truck she lost her footing and hit her chin on the ground and drove her upper canine into the lower canine and fractured both teeth vertically.  Now we're off to the vet in Brunswick and are advised that both will have to be extracted so off to surgery she goes.  She does very well and is released and then several days later we are smelling what seems to be rotten meat.  We had been advised not to lift her lip as it delays healing but now we have to and are confronted with a huge hole that should be sutured.  Back to the vet and she tells us that sometimes this happens and back into surgery she goes for a re-sew.  She is back home so we'll see how it goes.  Missy never does anything the easy way.

We are really enjoying this area.  We are involved in winter guest activites.  Tonight is the camp Christmas party at the golf club.  I have been able to get involved with the local softball scene and have been working small tournaments on the weekend.  Today was the last day for the year, then they take January off and start again in Feb.  The talent isn't great but its not bad either.

Hope you all hve enjoyable holidays.

Camp Update

NJ got me this flag for my birthday and the flag pole is in wide spread use in campgrounds so got the directions off the web.  The campground is in max use this week, a lot of locals come here as a tradition for their Thanskgiving day.  We have involved ourselves in the local winter guest activites and in fact we are the hosts for todays meal, which means make the coffee and clean up.  We are also on the Christmas planning group for the camp party that is held at one of the hotels here on the island.  NJ joins a group of women here for a ladies lunch at a different location every 2 weeks.  There is also a men's coffee group weekly where we meet to solve the world's problems.  All in all we are really happy that we found this place.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

A living fossil - Say what?

Never having seen anything like this before Tim and I were most baffled but like most we went to Wikipedia and found that it is a Horse Shoe Crab.  Also that it is considered a "Living Fossil" and is more related to the tic than crabs.  Who knew?

Just walking on the beach...

Ft. Frederica

One of the goals of this journey was to visit National Parks.  On our neighbor island called St. Simons, pronounced (see-moan) is a National Monument called Ft. Frederica.  A little history....Upon arriving at Frederica, the colonists and soldiers, under the direction of Gen. James Oglethorpe constructed fortifications to protect them from Spanish invasion.  In 1742, the British defeated the Spanish at the Battles of Gully Hole and Bloody Marsh.  The Spanish retreated to Florida, and later would sign a peace treaty with the British, thus paving the way for the Colony of Georgia to be formed.

For my northern readers, it was 75 here today and we walked the beach.  just saying........

Say what?

Apparently this sign has been in Brunswick for many years but the motel has been demolished.  I thought it was a curious how they referred to the owners.

The "Watering Hole"

I think this is a place where the marsh birds go to gossip.

The "Forgotten Woods" of Jekyll Island

It has become a daily ritual to walk one of the beaches at low tide and we love it and yes, retirement is tough.  We recently discovered what we call the "forgotten woods" beach totally by accident and thought we would share some photos with you.  The last picture is of Sadie enjoying the water (of course) but you will notice that Missy is no where to be found as she dislikes anything to do with getting wet.

Georgia On My Mind

Well we have officially become citizens of the State of Georgia.  Since we have decided that we are going to winter here and in fact have reserved space for the next 3 yrs, we got GA drivers licenses and are you ready for this, it costs $20 a yr to register your vehicles.  We have started making friends here, NJ is currently at an island restaurant on a "girls only luncheon".  Much to do here throughout the winter so we are really looking forward to the stay.  End of April we will start drifting back to Maine.

A Few Pictures from Around the Jekyll Island RV Park - Enjoy!

Jekyll Island (finally)

Got here mid day, wow what a nice place.  We are camped in amongst tall trees, temps in the mid 70's, terrible huh?.  This was the first time in this whole trip that we did not have a pull thru site but had a back in and you got to get between trees.  I am the first to admit that I am the worst "backer up'er" there is.  So with NJ giving me directions fromn outside the truck finally manage to get it in.  When i get out of the truck all the old guys start clapping, hey off to a good start.  Went to dinner at a place called Fins, sat out on the back deck and had dinner.  Place overlooks the beach and with the weather it felt like Ventura.  I think this is going to work.  One nice touch is there is a sign in front of your site with a cut out form of your state with our names on it.

Over to Penscola, FL

So this day looks to be an easy ride but welcome to the world of RV'n as that didn't turn out to be the case.  We needed to get gas early so found a pilot station and as I have a frequent fueler card that gives you 3 cents a gal off, we go with that and pay $3.70 a gal.  We finish and decide that we will get some McDonalds breakfast and pass a station that is selling diesel for $3.57, first aw shit of the day.  So we get to McDonalds and I'm looking for a place to park and I think that the bank across the street has a pull thru driveway so I commit the rig to the lot and learn that it does not....ah shit #2.  We finish breakfast and it takes NJ out of the truck walking me back and forth trying to turn a 35ft rig around so we can get out headfirst.....OK all set there and off we go.  We get to Slidel, LA and needed to make a short stop at the Wall Mart and upon exiting the lot a guy pulls up and says roll down your window and then tells us that we struck a low height warning sign and it hit our air conditioning unit and he saw it move.  Who puts a low height warning sign in a Wall Mart lot I want to know.  Now we are in the lot across from Wall Mart and from the ground we can see the cover is fractured.  Now I have to take the bikes off the ladder, climb up and find that its quite fractured and is going to need duct tape.  Fortunately it did not hit the unit, just the cover.  But....we are out of duct tape to NJ takes off on a mile hike across the road to Home Depot to get tape.  This turned out to be an "ah f............k".  Got it taped up and finished the 3 hr ride it was supposed to be into nearly 5.  Going to run about $150 to replace the cover.  Welcome to the world of RV'n

Livingston, LA

We arrived in Livingston, LA yesterday, just 30 east of Baton Rouge.  Some thoughts have been rattling around in this old brain and last night they seemed to come to a head.  As we travel around, campground to campground, its easy to get into the "vacation" frame of mind, but the realization is that there are many many familes out here living in campgrounds.  Last night we went to a "halloween" event in the pavillion and there must have been 50-60 kids there eating hot dogs & chips and the adults had set up different kinds of games for them.  It also occurred to me last night that the school bus in Texas went thru the campground.  I have no doubt that this is a sign of the times for many families who may have lost their homes and are now living in what may have been their summer camper in the past.  Sad to see but this is what we see in every campground we're in.  I can't help but think that what is going on in NYC and other places may be trying to make a point, as i sure as hell don't think that our current legislators are doing anything to help, but it has to go beyond the "occupy" thing.  It has to start in my opinion at the polls and I think that come this election the one way to start would be to boot all incumbents and start over.  I just don't see how anything is going to get done the way it's currently going.  Something has got to be done for these kids that are growing up in many trailers that came from the Katrina era and we see many and they simply aren't safe.  They sell them in Houston for $2,995 and have 1 window.  Well i guess its time to climb off the soapbox and get underway to Penscola, FL.  Thank your blessing all ye that have a warm and comfortable home.

Otta Here

Well stay tuned we are out of Highlands, TX tomorrow morning and its a 3 day trip to Jekyll Island, GA.  Looking forward to being somewhere where there is something to do.  we'll blog as we go.

We got our tire back that blew out.  No charge to us, then had $$ problems getting someone to come to the park and put it back on.  NJ says there is a mexican tire shop just outside the park so I stop into Luna Tire and meet the nicest bunch of guys who say, no problem, we'll be over tomorrow and it will cost you $30.  That after former estimates had been nearly $250.  Its all good

Stilt Houses?

Since Tim and I have led such sheltered lives and have only lived in CA & ME (ok he grew up in HI) for the most part we have never seen houses up on stilts.  These were located right close to the San Jacinto River so I'm guess they do have high water from time to time.

Calling all Birders!

Ok, is it a grebe? Heron? What?  Can't seem to figure this one out by myself.

They do grow them big in Texas!

Found these little boys a couple of miles from the RV park.  They seemed quite content just to nibble at what little grass there was in their pasture.

Local Signs - Highland

As we travel around we see various signs that catch out eye and even make us laugh.  The first sign is from a closed cobbler shop.  We laughed at the "We don't rent pigs", but if you're not a registered sex offender they will rent you a sheep. :)

The other two signs remind us of our west coast travels and the other reminds of Maine.  Enjoy.

Moving On

Well we have decided to move on from Highlands.  While this park is very nice, fairly new, there is absolutely nothing to do here.  Also NJ needs an airport for her teaching and Bush Intl is 35 miles away.  Also I take back everything bad I ever said about LA drivers, Houston is the pits to drive in. 
We are going to Jekyll Island, GA.  We saw an article in one of our travel mags that called it Gerogia's Jewell, A Winter Paradise and after exploring it on the web we tend to agree.  It is close to Brunswick, 10 miles that has a regional airport so that is taken care of.  The park also has many activites for its winter residents, they even put up a pole in front of your rig with your names on it and where you are from.  They have tennis, gold tournaments, pot lucks.  Its on the beach of course and there is 21 miles of paved bike trails.  NJ has 1 more class in TX so we will be out of here on Nov 10.  If you are interested in the area it is at w.jekyllisland.com  click "where to stay" then click "campground"

Last nights adventure!

For most of the day yesterday was rather uneventful with just walking the dogs, going to Wal-Mart again plus finding a PetSmart for Missy's $3.00 a can food of which she eats 2 -2.5 cans a day.  With that accomplished we settled in for a quiet evening.  However, quiet it was not to be as Missy was in one of her "moods" and wanted to bark at everything.

Because it has been so hot we hoped with the evening's cooling we could turn off the air and just opened the windows.  We tried that for a while but it turned out we still needed the air plus Missy would not settle down and kept whining so Tim shut all the windows again.   As we were getting ready for bed Tim asked me if I had seen the cats?  Somewhat stunned considering our cats are totally inside cats we started looking for them.  Granted our 5th wheel is only 35 feet it didn't take long to realize that both had gotten outside as it turns out one of the screens opened with the window was opened.  So Missy's barking and crying was to tell us the cats had gotten out but did we pay her any attention; of course not.

So, Tim and I bail out with flashlights to try and find them.  We spotted Jackson aka "butterball" under the trailer next to ours.  But once Tim put the flashlight on him he freeked and took off running as fast as his little short legs and very round body would let him.  We ended up following him for a good part of the park until he finally jumped up on a retaining wall into my arms.  Poor baby, he's probably never run that much and his heart was pounding so fast it almost matched his breathing.  I think the reason he freeked so much is the fact he only has one eye, never goes out in either the dark or day time, and he just didn't know where he was.  I threw him into the trailer and then we started looking for Harpo aka '"old man."

Tim head in one direction and I grabbed Missy and went down to the river.  Thinking that Missy tried to tell us the cats were out in the first place she might be of some help finding Harpo.  She took off immediately like she really knew what she was doing.  What she didn't know is that I was barefoot and she took through every pile of small rocks she could find.

After about 10 minutes I heard Tim yell that he had found our geratic cat so Missy and I headed back to the trailer.  Of course I had to go back through the rocks so my feet were thrashed.  I was curious where Harp was and Tim replied laughing that he was under our truck and probably had been watching us running around like we had totally lost our minds.

Needless to say both cats sleep very well last night and so did we.  Note to self:  Missy is not a good tracking dog but does tell us when the cats get out so we should pay more attention to what she telling us.  I guess her $3.00 a can food is worth it.

We have arrived!

Well, after a long day of travel we arrived at the RV park in Highland, TX which is a suburb of Houston on the San Jacinto river.  The park is fairly new and has great features such as it's on fishing pier, an adult pool, an exercise room, a internet/library, walking paths and beautiful sunsets (see pictures).  It is also very dog friendly as almost everyone has at least one dog.

We have explored the Town of Highland and it is very small but found a Wal-Mart two towns over from us.  Still dealing with the heat but we've been told that within the next month it will start to cool down.  Only negative thing we've found so far is the mosquitos are still very healthy this time of the year!

On the Road to Texas - Part 5 aka a slight bump(s) in the road

I'm sure all of you have had those days when you get up early with plans for a nice quiet time.  Well, that was our plan for today.  Started out getting away an hour early because we anticipated a longer drive after slacking off yesterday.  So, we were in the truck at 7am even though it was still dark which we have found more difficult to get away usually because an RV park always looks different when the sun is not up.

We were set to get on the on ramp to the 10 but it was not lit well and Tim missed it - worse yet he was heading down a dead end street.  So, that meant he was going to have to back approx. 300 feet to get back to the off ramp because the road was too narrow to turn around.  If case you didn't know Tim hates to back up the trailer and he will be the first to tell you he doesn't do it well.

Well, after a few twists, turns, and going forward (plus words I hadn't heard for awhile) then backing we are lined up for the on ramp and Tim gunned it.  I had looked down at the map when I heard two loud Ka booms, asking what the "heck" that was Tim simply answered "a dead deer."  Well, at least it was already dead.

For the next 30 minutes we watched a beautiful sunrise over the foothills.  We also noticed that after about 10 miles the landscape was changing and we were actually seeing larger bushes and eventually they changed into trees!  Lord, I have missed trees.

Then about 12:30p we are cruising down the 10 just about 50 miles from San Antonio when Tim yells that a tire on the rig had just blown out.  Fortunately he must have seen it just as it happen and we were able to pull over immediately.  So, the Good Sam Club has a new app on smart phones for their emergency service so we tried it out with less than satisfaction than we were hoping for.  Eventually Tim was able to get through to them directly and from that point on the service was great.

We only lost about an hour on our trip so it wasn't too bad after all.  The RV park here in San Antonio is great and the pool felt good after a 95 degree day.  I've attached pictures of the tire which shows we were very lucky not to have sustained more damage either to the rig or the rim.  Guess the big guy upstairs was protecting us.  Maybe he can help us while we deal with the tire manufacturer?

On the Road to Texas - Part 4

Today was somewhat uneventful which is a good thing.  Tim has given you a pretty good describtion of the Fort Stockton and it's history.  Interesting fact that we are finding is that most of the RV parks that we have spent the night in AZ, NM, and TX are already filling up with "Snowbirds" flying home for the winter.  So far, I will give a "thumbs up" for the TX residents, nice, polite and very helpful.

As far as traveling goes we only have 6 hours tomorrow and 4 hours Thursday and then we will be in Highland (suburb of Houston) and I don't think any of us could wait another minute!

Fort Stockton, TX

Is located in Pecos County.  Camp Stockton grew up as Comanche Springs.  Once housed the famous 9th Cavalry known as the Buffalo Soldiers.  About 87% of all soldiers at Ft. Stockton from 1867 to 1886 were Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th & 10 Cavalry Regiments and the 41st, 24th & 25th Infantry regiments.  Surmounting obstacles of harsh living conditions, low pay & racial prejudice they gained a reputation for tenacity and bravery.  Stationed continously on the frontier during the years of indian hostility, black regiments played a major role in the settlement & development of America's western frontieer.

On the Road to Texas - Part 3

Buenas Noches, esta tarde llegamos a El Paso, Texas!

I guess my high school Spanish teacher would be proud that I remembered something that was taught in class.  Most of you realize that this is Nj writing tonight as the only thing Tim studied in high school was baseball and girls.

You always know when you enter a community that has a Latin influence because the restaurant signs all say, "Try our muendo, it's the best."  Funny thing is I like muendo especially as a cure for a hangover.

So, we just completed day 3 on the US 10 and for those of you that have traveled it you know that the only scenery is desert, desert and more desert.  Unfortunately neither Tim or I are "desert people" but I have to give them that they do have gorgeous sunsets and beautiful evenings.

Well, our luck didn't hold.  We were in the truck 5 minutes when Harpo upchucked his breakfast then a 1/2 hour later he jumped into the litter box.  Fortunately he only had to do #1 this time.  One thing I did laugh at today were all the signs warning of "blowing sand" which is on the same level of Maine's "blowing snow" so I guess we all have our problems with "blowing."

I snapped this picture of Sadie (10 y old) sleeping in the back seat with Jackson.  Sadie is usually the one who looks out the window a great deal of the time while we are traveling.  But I think even she was bored with the desert. 

Only 2.5 more days and we will be in the Houston area where there are real trees and even the gulf.   It seems funny that now we are in Texas but we completed only 50% of the trip.  Really looking forward to getting there and I think the critters would agree.

On the Road to Texas - Part 2

Today was a total opposite of yesterday.  Neither cat dropped a load in the litter box, Harpo didn't vomit and I managed to keep my other 9 fingers out of harm's way.  I can't say that we enjoyed the ride much  as once again we were entertained only by the desert and high temperatures.  We did manage to across the state of AZ landing in Benton near the New Mexico border.  Tomorrow's goal is El Paso.  I can smell Tex-Mex already!

This morning I took this picture of "His Royal Highness Harpo" sleeping on his "throne" (aka the console) between the front seats.  By the smile on his face he was having a great dream - I wonder what 17 yr old cats dream about?

We can only hope that tomorrow will be as a calm as today.  Oh I forgot to mention the train.  It seems to go by this RV park about every 2 hours and I would bet it goes all night.  Oh well you can't have everything.

On the Road to Texas - Part I

Although it was a gray foggy morning we both felt really excited to be on the road again especially since we were getting off on time, 7am.  However, before we were less than a block away from Chris' home Harpo jumped into the litter box which is on the floor area between the two seats.  Please keep in mind that litter box has been there since May and neither cat has ever looked at it  so we were quite surprised by his action.  Then within a few seconds we were all hanging our heads out the windows  as only a 17 year old cat can do dropped a huge load.  Tim and I laughed and both said at least it was Harpo because he covers his poop where Jackson with only one eye had depth perception problems and never gets it covered.

Then Harpo jumps back to the console between the front seats and lays down.  We are now two blocks from our start and he starts to vomit up his breakfast.  Great!  What else is going to happen?  Ok, so the time we get to Kimble Rd I'm cleaning him up and everything looks good.

Within 5 minutes Jackson jumps down into the litter box, again the one he has never paid any attention to it.  So not to be outdone by Harpo's success he does another big dump.  Remember though he can't see where to cover it so he goes through a long ritual of throwing sand to no avail.  So, while Tim is still trying to drive I'm trying to throw sand over dump #2 from the front seat.  Finally I succeed and we continue on.

N as we are going through Camarillo via the 101s I hear one of the back windows start to go down and realize that Jackson is standing on the down part of the window switch.  I yell at the cat and Tim says don't worry he just stood on it and it didn't go down.  So, not being to smart I try to reach the top of the window to check.  Now the only way I know to check if a window has gone down is to stick a finger at the top of window.  As I do that Tim closes the "closed" window on the end of my finger.  Needless to say I screamed and thankfully he instantly put the window down.

Good news is that my finger was turned on an angle so only 1/3 of it was smashed.  Hurt like hell, though.  That part is purple but I don't think I will lose my nail.

Believe or not the rest of the trip to Quartzsite was  very uneventful.  Gee, I wonder what will happen tomorrow?

Tammy & her girls

As mentioned in the previous post this is a picture of our daughter Tammy and her pups.  Lola the mini doxie is 3 years old and Dolly the Boston is just 6 months old.  Both are great dogs and we actually thought of "dog-napping" them at one point,

Saying goodby to the So. CA Coast

Well, all good things must come to an end at some point.  We will definitely miss our daughter Tammy, Robin, and the "girls."  We spent the last evening walking on the beach and NJ managed to take a few pictures for everyone to enjoy.  #1 is Tammy standing a flag "Pink Piranas" someone made and left on the beach.  #2 Sunset looking towards Santa Cruz Island with a dot of light in front of it which is an off shore oil drilling rig.  #3  Taken underneath the pier.  #4 Looking down on the 101 which even with four lanes and it is 8pm is always busy.  #5 shows the Ventura Pier at sunset with "Old Glory" waving in the ocean breeze.