Days in Paradise

Somehow we keep busy here in the Paradise Island RV Resort (that's a VERY loose interpretation of "resort"). This is the same park where we spent some time last winter. This is not a fancy place but it is right in the middle of Ft. Lauderdale and convenient to see family and friends. It's not like there are a lot of choices of RV parks here either.

Reading
Ed got a library card so we've been reading more than ever. He's gotten me back into using the library. I seldom read a book a second time so if I buy books they just fill up my house and they tend to get musty. Also, most RV parks have a trading library where you take in, say, five books and and trade them for five books -- honor system. So we have access to lots of books.

Shopping
I thought I was so smart and left presents for family when we went through Ohio and Texas. Somehow, in the weeks before Christmas there always seemed to be "just one more" gift. We took a grocery bag with a list of items needed for the church's food bank. I have to give Ed credit for doing that shopping -- I do hate grocery shopping! Now, it seems we are back to daily life where you always run out of things and need to shop.

Eating lunch out
As with many retirees, we enjoy eating out, especially for lunch. One week we ate at Olive Garden and Golden Corral. We are still looking for a Chinese buffet and a friend just told us about one that we will try soon. We then have a simple supper like cottage cheese with cantaloupe or eggs. For two people, it's sometimes cheaper to eat out than to cook at home.

Computer classes
Friends from my dive club, Chris and Jim Guld, are here in Paradise Island for the winter. They've been full time RVers since 2003 and are known as Geeks on Tour. They're building quite a reputation as they give computer seminars at RV rallies all over the country. Chris's favorite program is Picassa, Google's free photo editing program. They were invited to Google this fall and Chris participated in a Webinar about Picasa. They're offering a free computer class once a week for several months. If you want to find me on Wednesday evenings, that's where I plan to be.

Getting Together with Family and Friends
We've enjoyed seeing Stever (Ed's son), Lorraine and Sean several times. We've also seen Ed's sister and brother a few times, as well as some friends from church and Mary's dive club. Socializing with family and friends is always one of our favorite things to do.

Staying Warm
The cold snap that has hit all over has also caused some very chilly temps here. A couple of nights it's gone down into the low 40s with highs in the 60s. This has brought out my fibromyalgia pain so I've been pretty much staying inside and keeping warm. At least with the fibro-monster, I know things will get better in a few days. It's warm today but that second cold wave is on its way.

RV Maintenance
Just as with a house, there are always a few things that need to be fixed. During the last month, we've gotten a spring replaced in an awning, the dash AC fan settings fixed, the step cover working, a bad tire replaced and a new ice-maker installed. Each thing seemed to involve several motors and procedures, as well as many hours (RV repairs ain't cheap!)......almost two thousand dollars later, and things are shipshape.

We have our ad on RV Trader Online and we have another album with even more photos on a Picasa Web Album. We can be honest when we say to a potential buyer that everything works.