Inside Luxuries in Our RV

It amazes me at how convenient and luxurious motorhomes can be. We've looked at some of the newer ones and at 5th wheels, but I always come away feeling pleased with out coach.

When I first learned about having a washer/dryer, I laughed but quickly found out how wonderfully handy they are......especially for keeping up with the underwear and tee-shirts. It's easier to do the sheets and blankets in larger machines, which are available at campgrounds. But this way is soooo easy -- no getting dirty clothes into bags, getting soap, softener, and quarters (lots of them) for the trip to the laundry room.

This one unit washes and dries the clothes. So, put in a load, go out to eat and come home to clean, dry clothes. Having a second TV in the bedroom is handy, although I haven't used it at all (besides, it's old and we didn't get a converter box for it). You can see the 2 corner doors under the TV and a lot of stuff fits in there. The closet already had the shoe shelves, plus, the door to the left is a deep cabinet and the drawer under it is, too. I get my half of the closet and a bonus shirt closet with 2 deep drawers under it. The little cabinet above the nightstand holds a LOT of folded shirts. The nightstand is large enough for my CPAP machine and plenty of books. Ssshh, don't tell Ed about all these extra cubby holes and this extra stuff I have, OK? This next feature makes me feel like we have a living room.

Our shower is nice and, instead of a step-in shower stall, it has a shelf so I can sit down to shower and it has a BATHTUB - my most favorite luxury!

Overall Inside RV Tour

This is a 2001 Holiday Rambler Scepter motorhome. We've been living in it since August 1st.

Standing in front, looking back on navigator's side of coach.

Standing in front, looking back on driver's side.

Kitchen has microwave/convection, an oven, and a 3 burner stove.
Standing in kitchen, looking forward
Refrigerator, Door to Toilet, Washer/Dryer

Sink and Shower

Guess what, this is the bedroom. The closet is behind the sliding mirrored doors. The bed's on a platform that lifts up and it has storage underneath.
It's amazing what all can be squeezed into a 38 foot motorhome.

This post is by special request from Tee, one of my college friends.

Pepper, the Pest

Pepper's been waking us up numerous times a night because she's cold. A queen-sized bed is not adequate for 3 sleeping bodies so we finally bit the dust and bought her a new heating pad to replace the one that died last week.

Nowadays, heating pads are all automatic shut-off, which doesn't cut it for keeping a Cornish Rex kitty warm throughout the night. We had to buy a more expensive model to get the option to "turn off the shut-off"......go figure.

Anyway, as I predicted, Pepper stayed in her bed almost all night. I'm not sure about tonight because she's slept all day while Ed was watching football.

Ft. Lauderdale Fall Follies

It seems so strange not to have a travel adventure to report! Then again, it's nice to stay in the same place for more than a week.

We had a busy Thanksgiving Day. (Lorraine Angelil is his daughter-in-law and Lorraine Barkett is Ed's sister.)

We had lunch with Stever, Lorraine and Sean and tried to eat very lightly. Sean seems to enjoy hanging out with Grandfather Edmond and Ms. Mary. He especially enjoyed beating Ms. Mary at Candyland!

At 5:00 p.m. we went for the Barkett Thanksgiving dinner that was held at the home of Rich and Christine Barkett. This is about 10 years of (some) holidays I've shared with the Barketts and I'm starting to feel more a part of the family each year. There were about 16 people and most everyone is outgoing so it was a boisterous bunch of Barketts.

We missed having George and Kay Angelil but she's still recovering from her back surgery and that process isn't going smoothly. We hope she'll start feeling better soon.

Today I didn't get up until about 11:00 a.m.! (None of that 3:00 a.m. shopping for this old bird!) It was nice to be lazy. We met Stever, Lorraine and Sean for an early supper at Wingstop. Those garlic Parmesan wings are simply delicious!

I'm really falling down on the job....all these activities and I didn't take any pictures. Maybe someone will email a few shots....hellooo, anyone out there?

Summary of Sites Seen with Blog Links

To see our all of trip blog posts, you can click here: Trip Out West , or you can click below on the various individual posts listed under each state below.

OHIO:
Dayton (visited Paul & Anita Krull, my sister, and family)

• Dayton, OH -- 5 nights instead of 1
• We're at My Sister's in Dayton, OH
• Warning
• Departure Day of Disasters

MISSOURI:
St. Louis (Archway to the West, Botanical Gardens)

• In Pursuit of HD TV
• Glad to Get Some Repairs
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Our "Trip Out West" Approach

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Midland (Badlands, Wall Drug Store), Rapid City (Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument)

• Mt. Rushmore and More Tour
• Badlands and Wall Drug in SD
• Hail......Yes!

WYOMING:
Cody (rodeo and Buffalo Bill Museum), Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful, buffalo, elk)

• Wonderful Wildlife in Yellowstone
• Apple Pie and Yellowstone Park
• Splendiferous Scenery In Yellowstone
• Paparazzi in the Park (Yellowstone)
• Waterfalls and Buffalo in Yellowstone
• Firearm Museum Blew Ed Away
• Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming
• Using the Map
• Rocky Mountain "Hi" = A Harrowing Highway

WASHINGTON:
Seattle (Space Needle, Pike's Market), Long Beach Cranberry farm, jetty, lighthouses)

• The Space Needle
• Public Market in Seattle
• Passport Problems
• Boeing Tour - Ed's Report
• Our Duck on Land and Sea
• Desolation in East Washington
• Tally Ho in Idaho
• Ilwaco - Fishing Village
• Cape Disappointment Photos
• Cape Disappointment - Lighthouses and Jetty
• Long Beach, WA - A Few Observations
• Crazy for Cranberries
• Virginians Meet in Person

CANADA:
Butchart Gardens (sooo lovely), Victoria, Canada

• Canadians Kept Ed - Almost
• Glorious Gardens in Victoria, Canada

OREGON: We spend a whole month slowly moving down the coast of Oregon.
Portland (friends, downtown foodcarts), Newport (whales, aquarium) , Florence (seascapes, beaches), Coos Bay (sand dunes, sea lions), Port Orford (lighthouse, driftwood), Gold Beach (jet boat up the Rogue River, salmon fishing)

• Seeing Seastacks
• To Each His Own (Camping Style)
• Roving the River (Rogue) in Oregon
• Salmon and Seagulls at Gold Beach, OR
• Port Orford Harbor & Cape Blanco Lighthouse
• Our Secret Beach at Port Orford
• We've Done the Dunes
• Sea Lions Without Tryin'
• See Birds and Sea Lions
• Map of Trip as of 9-14-09
• Seascapes in Oregon
• Oregon Coast Sea Aquarium
• Staying in a Forest - No Internet
• A Tail of a Whale
• Portland

CALIFORNIA:
Crescent City (redwoods, sea lions up close)

• Waldo in the" Wedwoods"
• Redwood Patterns
• Under Tsunami Advisory Here
• Trees of Mystery
• Supper near Sea Lions
• Not Fussing about Fog
• Raving about Redwoods
• Trip from CA, thru OR, to NV
• Picnic in the Park

NEVADA:
Las Vegas (6 nights of Luxury at Caesar's Palace)

• A Few Last Pictures from Vegas
• Last Lunch in the Lap of Luxury
• Casino and Hotel Life
• New Encore and Wynn Hotels
• Food for the Soul and Body in Vegas
• Las Vegas Strip
• Next Door - The Bellagio
• Cesar's Palace, Our Hotel
• What a Way to Start the Day!
• "Click on Photo" Help
• Livin' THE Life in Las Vegas
• Nevada = Brown All Around
• Bath for the RV - At Last!

UTAH:
Hatch (Bryce, Red, & Zion Canyons)

• Zion, a Zenith of Our Journey
• A Few More Beautiful Bryce Treasures
• Beautiful Bryce Canyon
• Red Canyon Colors
• Utah, Utopia of Unique Scenery

ARIZONA:
Sedona (red huge rocks/mountains, chapel), Grand Canyon (by helicopter, champagne picnic)

• Our Grand "Grand Canyon Adventure" by Helicopter
• Heading South Through Arizona
• Seven Years
• Sedona, the Corona of Arizona

NEW MEXICO:
Silver City (Friends, Cliff dwellings, Catwalk)

• Silver City Slickers
• Catwalk near Silver City, NM
• Cave Dwellers near Silver City, NM
• Silver City So Far
• Jogging Instead of Blogging...

TEXAS:
Cisco and Pecos (cotton, oil wells, wind farms), Waxahachie (visited Maribeth & Phil May, my brother and Mother, went to my first cat show)

• Mother, My Brother and His Family
• West Texas Wind Farms
• Trip Map as of October 31, 2009
• Cat Competition - My First
• The May's Oasis in Texas

MISSISSIPPI:
Biloxi (beautiful beaches)

• Western Trip is Winding Down
• Biloxi's Beautiful Beaches
• Lousy Louisiana Roads

FLORIDA:
Ocala (visit Jan & David Clements), Tampa (Lazy Days for minor repair), Port St. Lucie (visit Kay & George, Ed's bro), Ft. Lauderdale (We used to live here.)

• Look Out, Lauderdale -- Here We Come!
• Surgery for Mary Kay Angelil
• 100 Nights, 8,000 and 30,000
• Special Friends in Summerfield, FL
• Wal-Mart is RV Friendly

Photo Album of Trip Out West 2009

This is a photo of highlights of our trip......you can travel over 8,000 miles in only 170 photos. Click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021702&id=1591490827&l=90d597c9c5

1. You can click on each picture to enlarge it. Be sure to scroll down to see the caption.
or
2. You can hover your pointer over each thumbnail photo to see the caption, then click only if you wish to enlarge it. Enjoy!

Trip Trivia 2009

8,000 hits on this blog as of today!

August 1, 2009 to November 13, 2009
105 days

8,208 miles

States visited:
Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaBreakdowns - 0

Fights - 0

Sickness - None
(disregarding Cancer and Fibromyalgia)

Weather - Amazingly good!

Memories - Priceless

Blessings - IMMEASURABLE

Pepper says, "We're here, here at last!"

Ed's Grandson Visits

Sunday was a busy day. We went to Christ Methodist Church, the one we used to go to when we lived here, and were uplifted by the heavenly music and thought-provoking message. That was followed by a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's.

Ed's grandson, Sean, his son, Steve (we call him Stever, Ed's nickname from when he was young) and his daughter-in-law, Lorraine came to see us at our RV. We had a good visit.

As Sean gets older, Grandfather Edmond finds it easier to relate to him.

Sean seemed to enjoy the visit but was also eager to get going because he was going to a celebration party for his T-ball team.

Comment - How To

Several people have emailed me that they can't make a comment. Hopefully, these 5 steps will help.

1. At the bottom of each post, you'll see the words "...comments". Put your pointer on the word "comments", and click.2. A window will open and a cursor will be blinking in a white area. Type your comment. You can sign your name or not, but I'd love to know who you are!
Here's where most people have trouble......they don't realize you have to scroll down.

3. SCROLL DOWN until you see this...
4. Click to the left of "Anonymous" to put a dot there.
5. Click the orange rectangle, "Publish your comment"

Celine's Song Before Ed's Doctor Visit

When we got almost to the oncologist's office on Monday morning, Celine's voice seemed to jump out of the car radio and these are the words I heard, "I pray you'll be all right..."

It turned out that I didn't hear the lyrics of the song correctly. The words are, "I pray we'll find Your light...", but I think that what I thought I heard was a good omen. I felt blessed by Celine and her prayer song as we entered the parking lot of the Palm Beach Cancer Center.

The Prayer - Celine Dion and Andrea Botticelli 2001

I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise in times when we don't know.

Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way,
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace,
To a place where we'll be safe.

I pray we'll find Your light
And hold it in our hearts
When stars go out each night.

Let this be our prayer
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe.

We ask that life be kind and watch us from above
We hope each soul will find another soul to love.

Let this be our prayer just like every child
Needs to find a place, Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe.

Ed saw the doctor, got blood work, had a scan, and saw the doctor again. There was no noticeable change in the tumors. The next step is to get a tissue sample from the biopsy taken in Virginia last year. That will determine the course of action. We're pleased with how smoothly the day went and with the encouraging results.

Boots and Hoots with My Dive Club

Saturday night was the Boots and Hoots Western Hoedown party with my scuba club. Russ and Julie Manhold, along with Julie's sister, Clare, have been social chairmen for a couple of years and never cease to come up with amazing activities. This Hoedown was another example of their creative planning for FUN!

Here's Julie, being her tiny, petite self! And, typical of this club, Carol came as a gal from India.....no one specified that these were to be American Indians! I thought that was soo clever.I didn't get a good picture of Russ but you can get a glimpse of his costume here as he directs a silly game that was done in such a way that it was highly entertaining.What an unusual Western costume, huh? Jose turned out to be a cigar-smoking gal.

Always the ham, Linda struts her stuff!Steve never changes or ages!Margie, Jill, and Mike. Not every guy can carry off wearing a pink, lace cowboy hat with a pink bandana.

Dr. Bob Moon and Betty sported some nice hats, too.Eve and Steve were outstanding! Being young and slim augments darling costumes. (Envy...I used to be slim!) Our table. It was great to sit with Gail Cistrelli, another long-term member.

Happy Trails to You!

Look Out, Lauderdale -- Here We Come!

It's Friday, the 13th and I've decided that's a good omen. We're going to Paradise Island RV Resort in Ft. Lauderdale today. I'm looking forward to seeing our friends, Bob Burcyzk, Dave and Diane Friedel, and Chris and Jim Guld. Also, I have friends from when I lived there (for over 20 years) from work, Christ United Methodist Church, and the Undersea Adventurers Dive Club.

Saturday we're going to a "Boots and Hoots" western party with my dive club. We're both looking forward to seeing our many special long-time friends there. I joined the club about 1980 and shared many adventures with these fun people.

Ed will be having his overdue CAT scan on Monday in West Palm Beach. He has an appointment to see his cousin's oncologist so as to get another opinion about his lung cancer. Ed's having no symptoms except fatigue, which also goes with growing older, so we hope things will be OK.

p.s. My sister-in-law, Kay, is slightly better. I'm so relieved that she'll be going to a rehab center for a week before she goes home. We wish her well!

My sister, Anita Krull in Ohio, is having a medical procedure today and she's quite nervous. I hope things go smoothly for her and the results will be positive.

Surgery for Mary Kay Angelil

We're in Port St. Lucie, Florida for 3 nights. Ed's brother, George, lives here. My sister-in-law's name is Mary Kay Angelil, which is pretty strange since I'm Mary May Angelil. She goes by Kay but in the hospital, they call her Mary.She had major back surgery several months ago...the one where they go in through the stomach to work on the back, then they turn the patient over to work from the back. That was a 7 hour surgery. For about a month she was feeling less pain and was so encouraged.

Then, horrid back pain hit and it appears that the rod they inserted settled in the wrong place. On Tuesday, they put in screws to hold the rod in place and cauterized several nerves (where they were rubbing on bone) to stop that leg pain. Yesterday, Kay's blood pressure dropped so they didn't give her pain medication.

Oh, how it hurts to see someone in so much pain and not be able to help them. Last evening, the blood pressure looked better and, after a call to her doctor, they finally gave her something for pain. Her veins had blown in both arms and they hadn't been able to get another IV in so they gave her a pain pill, which takes longer to kick in.

We're getting ready to go to the hospital now. Oh, how I hope she has a better day. As they (whoever "they" is) say, "Getting old ain't for sissies."p.s. When Ed started seeing me, he was also seeing Kay. After he made his choice, he fixed her up with his brother and their wedding bells rang soon thereafter. Life has some strange twists and turns, doesn't it?

100 Nights, 8,000 and 30,000

Sunday night, November 8, 2009 was our 100th night on the road. Our first night was on August 1st.

The miles covered on the trip as of Monday were 8,106. Ed drove 8, 096 of those miles.

The miles on our Chevy Malibu, our towed car, reached 30,000.

We're back on the east coast of Florida, where we both lived for over 20 years, and it feels like home. This is where we're going to spend the winter. So we're declaring that our big Western Trip of a Lifetime 2009 is officially over.

Please stay tuned for further Angelil Adventures.

Special Friends in Summerfield, FL

Summerfield, Florida is right by The Villages and is just south of Ocala. We spent several days there at Southern Oaks RV Resort, which is about 4 miles from Jan and David Clements.

I met Jan at a week-end religious retreat in 1996. We started a reunion prayer group following the weekend (Cursillo, which is like The Emmaus Walk) and Jan was our leader. She also became my hairdresser and treasured friend.

Since then, Ed came into my life and Dave came into hers. We both love and appreciate our husbands!Jan decided she needed a career change after 27 years of doing hair. She got her real estate license and she and Dave moved from Ft. Lauderdale to Summerfield, Florida. They live in Stonecrest, which is right by The Villages. They are now partners in The Clements Team and specialize in Stonecrest Residential Community real estate.

Jan spends many hours designing brochures, ads, and filling out forms. It is astounding how much paperwork is involved just to take a listing!

Jan and Dave worked hard to do all this landscaping themselves, then discovered that it takes a LOT of work to maintain it!

Don't be fooled by Sierra's innocent look.....she got into my purse while we were gone and ate a whole pack of gum!