St. Patrick's Day in St. Augustine

My very good friends, Jan and Dave Clements, were motivated by Ed and me to get an RV.  They just bought their 2nd one, a brand new Damon Challenger 36 DF. It's actually 37 feet and has a bath and a half with two slides.(Triton 10 Ford)

They live near Ocala in the middle of Florida and their RV club was going on a rally to St. Augustine for St. Patty's Day weekend.  

They invited me and I accepted.....then started wondering how in the world I was going to get there!  (It's about 3 hours north of Port St. Lucie and I can barely drive a half hour without major muscle spasms and pain.)  

I convinced my new friend, Norma Pennie to go and be my driver.  I didn't get a good photo of their RV but you can get a glimpse of the full-body paint job.  Norma is in the foreground.  

We got there on Friday evening and enjoyed heavy hors d'oeuvres (which we considered dinner) at the clubhouse of the campground.  

Saturday, Dave went to play golf and I'm sure he was glad to escape a girls' shopping trip.  Jan's friend, Dorothy joined Jan, Norma, and me.  I had forgotten how fantastic the shopping is in old St. Augustine.  There was one little art shop and boutique after another with totally unique clothes, jewelry, and home accessories.  We shopped till we dropped!!

We got back to the campgrounds in time for the corned beef and cabbage dinner, which was sooo good.  It was nice to just get away and share laughs and conversation with dear long-time and new friends.

I did think the shot below was such a funny pic of Jan and Dave.  He looks like the cat who swallowed the canary and she looks like ????

It means so much to be with special, close friends.  Thank you, Jan and Dave, and a special thanks to Norma for driving (I think she had a good time, too).

RV Sold Today

Today was both a happy and sad day.....happy (and relieved) that we sold the RV.....sad to say good-bye to that chapter in our lives.

Debbie and Mark Uttley flew down from Windsor, Ontario yesterday, arriving last night about 8 p.m.  Even though it was dark, they wanted to at least see and go into the RV.

Debbie was nervous about buying something this big from the internet and had been worrying about things that I would have thought such as,  "What if we get there and it's not as the pictures showed?"   She said once she saw it, she slept like a baby.

Meanwhile, Mark lost sleep last night worrying about all the details and paperwork that had to be taken care of.  Buying an RV in the U.S. is complicated enough but taking it to another country entails unbelievable amounts of forms and papers.  

This morning they got a full tour and Mark drove it and checked some things.  He's a firefighter in Canada so is accustomed to driving large diesel firetrucks -- but you drive those FAST!  He'll soon get the hang of slowing down on curves and stopping gradually -- especially after things get slung around a few times.  Ed really got smoother on this as he drove but it took him a while.

We came back to the house to do paperwork.  Then Ed and Mark went over to the Homeowner's Office at one of the clubhouses.  They have a notary and will fax things for free.  Debbie and I joined them and I finally got to eat in the clubhouse restaurant.  We ate outside and it was perfect - sunny with a light breeze and about 80 degrees.

Turned out that Budget Rent-a-Car was right outside Savanna Club so returning their car was easy.  After a few pictures, they hit the road with plans to stop in Vero Beach for some fries from Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Ed's favorite place for fries EVER), then stay in Titusville at Willow Lakes RV Resort.

We say good-bye to our RV but enjoyed making new friends. We wish them well and hope they will experience many happy trails.

RV Newbies Visit

Our dear friends, Jan and Dave Clements, came from near Ocala to visit. This was their first voyage in their coach. As I mentioned before, we were paid through Saturday at the RV park and there were no refunds for days not used. So we invited them to take advantage of "free" nights. They could only stay one night but we managed to cram in lots of sharing time.

I planned to take pictures but we were so involved talking that I forgot. Here they are arriving at the campground......no, no.....arriving at the RV RESORT!While Dave and Ed were outside doing manly hook-up-ing and unhook-up-ing, Jan and I were inside and she was picking my brain. If nothing else, Ed and I realize how much we've learned during our RV experiences and it's a joy to share. Of course, a realtor's work is never done and Jan's phone rang several times during their visit. She manages to sound so patient but, as with any realtor, the calls never stop and some people never seem to stop talking. The calls are from other realtors needing lock box codes, then if the owner is still living there Jan has to call for permission to show the house. Perhaps the most irksome calls are the owners who call for feedback......hey, get a clue.....if the people liked it, they'll make an offer!

Anyway, as I was saying.....before I interrupted myself, Jan and I are close enough that I can be totally blunt with her. She's already taken in many tips that we've shared by email and phone. I've sent her copies of our emergency form, log format and other things. She's used my sheet as her template, after all, why reinvent the wheel?

They don't have a tow car yet so we drove them to our house for lunch. Then we returned to their RV and out to supper.

This morning Ed and I set a record -- we got up at 7:30 a.m. (That's the earliest we've been up in ages and we were both beat this evening.) We went to breakfast and Jan and Dave hit the road by about 11:00 a.m.

That gave us time for an errand, a 99 cent burger at Wendy's, and a trip to to be "crowned" by my Florida dentist who went to VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University).

Tonight, we're going to bed early. Nitey, nite!

RV Deal Disaster

We were so close to having the RV AND the tow car sold to a guy from Texas. Ed jumped all sorts of hoops to get the titles here and ready to transfer, along with faxing all sorts of forms and papers. At the last minute, the guy changed his mind, eerrrgh!

Today Ed is adding some oil and has hired an RV repairman to install the new Progressive surge protector. Progressive has been so supportive and sent a new unit at no charge.

We're keeping it at the campground and have the site until Saturday (no refunds after paying for a month). Our friends, Jan and Dave Clements, just bought their first RV and are coming down from Ocala for their first trip. It works out well that they can stay in our site for a couple of nights.

We've got a couple more leads and must remind ourselves that it only takes one person to reach success.

Serendipity in Savanna Club House-Hunt

I think this is quite a "serendipity":

We looked at the Savanna Club (a manufactured housing development with over 1,800 homes) in Port St. Lucie in early November and again in December. We decided we'd rather pay more in order to own the land, rather than pay over $500+ a month to rent the land (forever!).

We saw quite a few houses on Thursday and came back to our "Home, Sweet RV" computer that evening.

In our printout papers from the day we looked in December, we found a house we'd like to see again but it hadn't shown up on the Realtors' Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for George that morning. (George is Ed's brother who is also our realtor)

Ed found the house on the web -- and for a lower price than when we saw it in December. George went to the MLS and discovered it had been put back on the market that very day and yes, it was reduced!!

Turns out, someone had made an offer soon after we saw it in December but couldn't get financing. What luck for us -- that kept the house tied up so we could have a shot at it.

Kay (George's wife) had not been with us in December so I specifically asked that she come with us because she's a very good sounding board to evaluate features. She barely got inside this house and declared, "Of all the houses we've seen, this is already the best one."

We made an offer and said we'd like to include the furniture pieces that are still in the house, then we tried to remain calm and cool.....

George called Saturday evening and our offer was countered with a slight price increase and a request to keep two pieces of furniture. (More about the furniture later.)

Naturally, we still have to get the inspections and jump through a few other hoops, but those things will fall into place step by step.

Now we're excited !!!! We're almost-owners of a winter house in Port St. Lucie, Florida! (about 80 miles north of Ft. Lauderdale).

(Click on maps for a larger version.)

p.s. Anyone like to buy an excellent RV?

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.

Blogging Blahs

It was bound to happen......after 105 days of travel with one adventure after another, life is becoming "normal", sort of. That means that this blog will not be taking you to the far reaches of the West any more.

I still plan to post several times a week but I don't want to have you keep checking to find nothing. If you would like, I can send you an email when I post something. If you want an email, you can comment at the bottom of this post.

 Click here for refresher directions: How to Comment)

p.s. I'm sure these blogging blahs also have to do with that fact that we're going to be selling the RV.

CHANGING GEARS FROM RVing TO...

Ed's decided he's had enough RVing. I make no bones about the fact that I'm not ready to sell but I can't drive it nor can I do all the sewer and electric set-up and maintenance involved or hook up the tow car.

We made this big trip out West, knowing that Ed does have lung cancer and we made the most of each day. Things appear to have stabilized with his cancer so we're not feeling quite so frantic. That gives us time to take things a bit more slowly.

He reminds me that he's 12 years older than me and he's tired of all the driving and the work the RV requires. He doesn't want to have to go empty the "black tank" (from the bathroom) any more.

He's ready to find a place where he can come for the winters here in Florida. When you RV, you meet friends but you move on and they move on. He's ready to come to a place where you meet up with the same people every winter and establish some friendships.

I suggested we could keep the RV, store it in the RV shelter he built in Virginia during the summer, and come to the same RV park each winter. He explained that it would be foolish to try to maintain a diesel engine and all the other components of an RV. Those things need to be run and used to keep them in good shape. Driving from Virginia in the fall and back in the spring would not be enough to keep it working properly.

Most of all, he's tired of living in 400 square feet. To me, it's still a convenient playhouse!

So, it is with sadness that I let you know that the plan is to sell the RV and buy a small manufactured home here in Florida.

I am pleasantly surprised that there are very nice places ranging from 1200-1600 square feet, some fully furnished, for reasonable prices. We've looked at some places in Stuart, Hobe Sound, and Port St. Lucie on the east coast (that's north of the congestion of Ft. Lauderdale, yet there are still palm trees.) We saw some places on the west coast in Ft. Myers last winter and plan to go explore there, too.

So, it looks like we will be saying, "A revoir, RV and bonjour, abode in Florida."

Kitty Litter in the RV

I wasn't sure about taking Pepper in the RV but it has worked out very well. She has brought us some good laughs and keeps us entertained.

This new litter system is THE way to go with cat litter.
You can read more about this system at http://www.felinepine.com/
Another plus is that it's all natural.
We started this at home to be sure Pepper would use it. Ed mixed the former litter with Feline Pine but that was probably not necessary. The switch happened in one day with no effort.

Pepper is smart and, as we know, cats don't like dirty litter boxes. She waits until we're here before she goes. She gives us the signal that she wants her box cleaned NOW by her jubilation dance where she runs from one end of the coach to the other like a wild cat!

"No odor" is a good thing in such a small space. It still amazes me how well this works.

People at the cat show told us that if you go to Tractor Supply or any farm store, you can buy White Pine stove pellets for a really cheap price and they are exactly the same product.

Storing Stuff - Bath & Bedroom

Here is Part 2 of RV storage tips. This shows bathroom and bedroom storage areas.

This extra rack hangs over the edge of the shower. We probably bought it at Camping World.

This soap holder is from Camping World but I've seen them other places, too.

Storing Stuff - Front of RV

A few friends have been curious about what goes on inside an RV and how we manage to live and keep up with things. I'm certainly no expert but you can take a tour of the front part here:

Keeping one's "stuff" is a challenge in an RV. You have to find a place for it that is convenient AND you have to remember where it is!

I'm the one who usually forgets.

Outside the RV

We are still at Paradise Island RV Resort in Ft. Lauderdale and will be here until the middle of January (or longer).
The two slide-outs give a lot more space inside and take away that tunnel/trailer feeling.
It's nice to have awnings and a ladder. We think we're going to sit out but somehow it's always too rainy, too hot, to cool, or too windy.

Sitting outside is also affected by my internet addiction, Ed's TV football addiction, and reading lots of books.

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!