Lazydays.........Still!

We enjoyed a nice stay at Rallypark last night. Our friends, Jim and Jane, came up from Wauchula this morning. They had business in Tampa and popped by to see us first. We had a good visit while waiting for our part to arrive at Lazydays and also a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel. Our Bounder spent the afternoon in the shop and we learned late today that we will have to go back again tomorrow morning as well. So another night at Rallypark which is fine with us as the park is quite nice and only 40 minutes from Tampa International Airport. We'll run the motorhome back into Lazydays at 9 am tomorrow, Chris to the airport for a mid afternoon departure back to Ottawa and hopefully things will be all fixed, so that I can head up to Orlando after dropping her at the airport.

We got back into Rallypark around 6 pm and quickly set things up again. While putting out the dining room slide I noticed something stuck to the side of it just above the bottom edge. Turned out to be a little frog. Look how well he camouflages and matches the colour of our slide. An unexpected hitchhiker.

April Fools Visitors

I decided to go out to a movie on April Fools and went to see Knowing starring Nicolas Cage. It was ok but not great....just another sci fi flick with a very familiar plot line.

I got back to the RV around 4:30 pm and while putting away some groceries, my neighbour comes knocking on the door. Asks me if I had been expecting any visitors this afternoon, to which I replied, no. A cousin perhaps, says he? Not unless someone from California was in Sebring for the day. How about South Africa!?, says he. Holy (fill in your word here)!, says I.

Turns out my cousin from South Africa was visiting her daughter and son-in-law in Bradenton. We hadn't seen each other since 1975 and I had no idea her daughter was living close by. So a few phone calls and text messages later, we connected and I spent the day with them in Bradenton yesterday. We had a great time. Pictured above are my cousin Sue on my left, and her daughter Sam on my right. Sam's husband, Mark behind my camera. Hoping we can all get together in London later this fall if plans come together.

Happy Birthday Louise!

We had a "little" get together for Louise this afternoon. Marcel managed to invite just about everyone and I think we kept it a surprise as well. Another birthday and a great reason for even more socializing. Happy birthday Louise. Seize ou soixante et un? Thankfully, I managed to squeeze everyone into this one picture.

All Alone.........

We played pickleball for about 20 minutes on Wednesday morning before it started to rain. Our first rain at Tanglewood since we arrived on Nov 5th. Our good friends Travis, Barb and Dennis came over from Thousand Trails in Peace River. They arrived just after 8 am and it started to rain shortly thereafter. We couldn't keep playing because the courts were too slippery but we had a good chat under the covered porch area of the clubhouse. Chris and I had to leave though because she had a flight to catch out of Orlando back to Ottawa.

The airport is less than 2 hours from here. We left early enough so we had plenty of time to stop at the Five Guys restaurant on Sand Lake Rd for lunch. Chris's last fix for 3 weeks.....mine too for that matter. The airport was busy but things moved along well and Chris didn't have to wait long to check in. We have planned it so that she travels with just a carry on bag so that she can get on and off the plane in fairly quick order. Our lifesaver, Kawal, met Chris at the airport in Ottawa and gave her a ride home but not before they stopped at a grocery store for a few staples. Many thanks, Kawal.

I stopped at Camping World for a couple of things. We have a 6 ft ladder at the farm where we stored the motorhome this summer, so I bought a rack for it that attaches to the rear ladder on our motorhome. Many RVers lash a ladder to the back of their rigs instead of stowing it in the storage bays. The other gem I was looking for was Mile Post magazine. I got the last one CW had on the shelf. Mile Post is your basic all encompassing planning guide for a trip to Alaska, which we will be doing next summer with our good friends, Jim and Jane, if all goes as planned.

I also bought a used Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS lens from a fellow in Orlando who had adverised it on craigslist. The lens was a year old, in mint condition and much cheaper than buying a new one. So my lens collection is now complete. All I am waiting for is the arrival of my new Canon 5D mark 2 which I ordered from Henry's before we headed south. Chris will bring it down on her next trip.

I left Orlando/Kissimmee around 5 pm last night and got caught in a heavy downpour. The sky was almost black. It was almost dusk too, so traffic just crawled in places until I reached Hwy 27 at Haines City. I was a little concerned about our awnings with the weather until our friemds Rich and Donna called back to say there was no bad weather in Sebring at all.

So here we are .... just Buddy and I, sitting in Florida while Chris is back in Ottawa, working for 3 weeks. Not sure who got the worst of that deal......Hmm.....! Hint.....not I!

Grabbed the above photograph of Chris at the airport while she was nursing a Star Buck's coffee shortly before heading through security. Already dressed for the colder weather too! Note the jacket under her left elbow. Hang in there babe.

Marmora, Ontario

One of the difficulties of traveling in an RV is not always having an internet connection. We were fine in the USA because we had a Verizon USB modem that worked everywhere we were this past winter. Rock Glen Resort had great wifi available at a paltry cost of $7.00 for the six days we spent there. However, leaving for home on May 15th, we traveled some pretty rural areas along Hwy 7 in eastern Ontario, making it tough to get a cell phone signal at times, let alone the internet. Besides, internet via a cell phone data connection in Canada is, shall we say, extremtly cost prohibitive. Anyway, I digress.........

We awoke to clear blue skies on Thursday morning in Arkona which made for a great driving day. We were on the road just after 9 am and followed Hwys 402 and 401 into London where we topped up with diesel at Flying J. $1.289/litre. That converts to $4.89/US gallon!! Costs keep going up but what a way to travel! After that it was east on Hwy 401 through Toronto. We debated on taking Hwy 407 around the north side of Toronto because it is usually much quicker than the Hwy 401. Hwy 407 is a toll road and we figured using it with the motorhome and toad would add another $40 or so to our trip, so we decided to brave it on Hwy 401. Anyone traveling 401 knows that it can become Canada's largest parking lot in a heartbeat. Well, the RVing gods must have been smiling upon us because we sailed through with only a very minor slow down. Excellent!!!

We continued east, past Hwy 115 to Peterborough, so that we could stop at the Service Centre aka rest area which is on Hwy 401 east of Newcastle. We needed some lunch and Buddy needed that plus his usual "pause for the cause" break as well. We followed Hwy 45 north up to Norwood and then east into Marmora along Hwy 7.

We had made arrangements to see our friends Joe and Jan O'Neill and Garry and Brenda Poirier in Marmora and spend the night. We had met them last year at Fanshawe Conservation Area in London, Ontario and then visited with them again at the Happy Traveller RV Park in Tampa this past winter. We joined them for supper at Bunky's Hideaway where we both enjoyed a marvelous pickerel supper. We overnighted in our RV behind Garry's business which was first class. Water and electricity too! Thanks Garry.

We also got to take in the first classic car show of the season in Marmora. All types of nicely restored cars and trucks were parked on a closed off portion of Marmora's main downtown street. As you can see, I managed to get a few pictures with my cell phone. Pretty impressive and for a small town too! This blue '57 Chevy is Garry's pride and joy!

What a great evening with great friends. We all made plans to get together in Marmora over the summer. Joe and Jan were off to Ireland in the morning. Hope you have a great trip. One more sleep for us in the motorhome. Heading for Ottawa in the morning!

Rock Glen

This is an excellent park. Not too busy right now but there is certainly lots to do. They have an indoor salt water swimming pool which we hope to try later today. Looks to be about 20 meters long. Huge indoor hot tub and a fitness centre as well. The Rock Glen Conservation Area is right across the street from our campground which offers hiking trails and a waterfall. Hoping to get over there later on today as well. Weather is warming up........

We popped into the IGA in Forest, ON yesterday to stock up on groceries. While there we saw a group of cyclists go through town. Obviously on a tour as they all had panniers and were loaded down. Made me wish we were out touring on our tandem.

Elson, Isabel, John and Karen drove down from Kincardine and Hanover to spend the afternoon with us which was really nice. Beautiful sunny day so we sat outside and chatted all afternoon. We have been in Florida since November, so there was lots to cover. Elson also just got back from a visit to Portugal and that was a great trip.



Chris made a marvelous lasagna with salad for an early supper. We had apple pie and ice cream for dessert. And the best part......there are leftovers too!

Last Day Here

My niece drove down from Washington DC to see us this afternoon and to join us for supper. We spent an enjoyable afternoon together catching up on the last 18 months she has been attending school in the USA. She has just finished her Masters and graduation ceremonies are next week. Way to go Erin!!!!

After Erin headed back to DC, Chris and I took one last stroll with Buddy around the Chesapeake Bay park. It really is a nice park on a fantastic bit of water. I forgot my camera but managed to snap this picture with a cell phone. Love sunsets!

Things are packed up and we are ready for an 8 am departure tomorrow morning. On to Pennsylvania and Roaring Run Resort.

Colonial Williamsburg

We went for a power walk around the park this morning and who do we run in to? Ty Fallone, who we had met at Orlando playing pickleball this past winter. He and his wife are on their way back to Connecticut. Ty joined Chris and I on the pickleball court at 9 am where we played round robin for a couple of hours. Basically 2 on 1, where the single player serves against the other 2. Only the single player can score. Each player keeps track of their score and when you lose your serve you rotate to the side with two players. Pretty neat way to play if you are a player short. No other pickleball players at the park unfortunately.

This afternoon we headed over to Colonial Williamsburg to do a little sightseeing. The old town is laid out very well and it was great to walk around seeing the actors dressed in period costumes while getting a very good idea of how things looked back in 1700. We only had a few hours to look around so we opted to do a tour without actually buying a ticket. Colonial Williamsburg is open to the public without admission except for buildings coded in red which require a ticket to get in.

The sheep shearing was interesting to see. The guy was using manual shears, nothing electric about them. The sheep just laid there, sitting on its haunches enjoying the haircut. It was 85F this afternoon, so I am sure the sheep must have been cooler without all that wool. Other pictures are of buildings we saw, including the Governor's Mansion. You can also see one of Chris in the post office buying stamps so she can mail her Mother's Day card. Unfortunately, we had left the card in the car. The post office apparently gets lots of requests from collectors to stamp envelopes with the Colonial Williamsburg post mark.

Chili in Florida

Last night was our turn to host our first potluck supper. Chris was busy most of the day making two pots of chili, rice, biscuits and three bean salad. We had to borrow a second slow cooker for the chili. As you can see from the photos, it was quite a feast. Our pickleball friends also provided, cakes, enchaladas, chip with homemade dip, three cakes, fresh fruit, etc.

We sat around for about two hours enjoying great food and great company. You will notice that everyone is wearing jackets and long pants. That is because it has cooled off considerably over the past 2 days. Day time highs have barely reached 70F with strong winds, while overnight temps were in the upper 40Fs. All that is supposed to change tomorrow thankfully.


Today was a busy day on the fitness front. We both played pickleball this morning. I also got in a quick mile swim in the pool before lunch. Then after some lunch, Dennis and I played against Rich and Larry beginning at 2 pm. They are going in a tournament soon and needed practice playing together. We had some great games in very windy conditions. It is surprising how much different the game is when the wind blows.

While we played, Chris walked out to the post office along Hwy 27 to mail a birthday card. Hwy 27 is very busy multi-lane highway. She was even honked at by two truckers while walking on the sidewalk. Good for her ego ..... and mine. That's my girl!!!

Bob and Julie, as well as Stan and Sally, head for points north tomorrow morning. Thousand Trails Orlando is clearing out as well. Lots of empty spots available now. We are already making plans for a pickleball tourney at TTN St Clair this summer. Many of our friends from Florida should be there.

You Guys Must Be Canadian......ey!

Well the bottom has dropped out of the thermometer again here in Florida. Down into the 40Fs last night and only up to a high of 68F today if we are lucky. Pretty strange because it is still sunny. Regina, Saskatchewan on the other hand, saw 26C yesterday! What's with that?

Oh yeah, and the Sens are going all the way too.............................!!!!! Not!!!! Break out the golf clubs boys. Stick a fork in 'em, they're done like dinner! Go Habs, Go!!!

We were out for our run/walk this morning. Now it was only about 52F when we left our motorhome, dressed in our usual shorts, tank tops and runners. The sun was out and it was quite pleasant, albeit a little cool. We warmed up quickly though. While we were out, we both saw this older fellow on a bicycle go by us in the park. Jeans, hoodie, touque, boots, parka, gloves, etc. He wasn't going very fast on his bike. He never said anything as he approached and passed us from behind. A few minutes later, he passed us again on his return loop. This time he approached us from the front. While approaching, he shakes his head and says, "You guys must be Canadian!" To which we replied, "How could you tell?" We both chuckled over that one.

Canadian and darn proud of it too!

Tonight is our turn to cook and invite the gang over for dinner. Chris is busy preparing her chili with homemade biscuits and three bean salad. We are expecting about 20 people under our awning tonight. It will be cool but cozy as well. And that chili will surely keep us all warm. More goodies are being brought in by the other wives as well.

Man, it's a tough life!

Another Day

We have settled in to TTN Orlando for our last time this spring. In fact, most of the Peace River crowd is now here as well. Seems the northward migration has started in ernest. All we are missing are Jim and Jane! They are taking a cruise back to Jolly Old England soon. Pickleball sessions are just about all Peace River players who have arrived here in the last day or two.

Chris and I have started back swimming and running here in Orlando. There are two large 25m pools that are pretty quiet at 9 am, perfect for some laps. We did a run/walk around the preserve this morning which took about 45 minutes. Felt good to get the heart rate up again. Pickleball is great for hand eye coordination but is not exactly an aerobic sport. We played pickleball for 2 hours after getting back from our run.

All is well with our motorhome. We arrived here and found our washer/dryer was not drying clothes well at all. I checked the exhaust vent outside and it appeared to be stuck shut. Upon further examination, the bodyshop at Lazydays must have gotten clear coat on the vent while repairing my little faut pas. Anyway, it was stuck shut, so the dryer could not vent properly, ergo the reason for freshly washed, hot, yet damp clothes coming out of the dryer. I managed to us an exacto knife to break the seal caused by the clear coat, freeing the vent cap and all is now well in our laundry world. We love having a washer/dryer in our motorhome. We use it almost everyday to wash our workout clothes. Chris would live at the laundromat otherwise.

We have a birthday supper to attend tonight. Stan 'the man' is turning 65! And he is one of the younger guys here!

Tomorrow, we are heading over to Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic coast to do a little beachcombing and to also visit Ron Jon's. Barb and Dennis have agreed to dogsit Buddy for us. Yay!

88F here today!

Orlando - For the Last Time

Last night, we joined a group of our friends in Peace River at the Meeting Room for a linguine supper. Barb and Julie did all the cooking for about 18 people. Red or white sauce with seafood on pasta with caesar salad. Fruit salad and/or cheesecake for dessert. And all that while it absolutely poured rain outside. Of course, we were all dry inside the meeting room.

We packed up our things this morning. We were out of our park model by 11 am. After saying goodbyes to Jim and Jane, we managed to get on the road for Tampa. Other folks would be heading for Orlando in the next few days and we would see them there, so no need for goodbyes all around. We left for Lazydays not knowing whether our Bounder would in fact be ready today or not. It was a chance, but 6 days in a park model were long enough for both of us. It was time to get back into our home.

Our Bounder was done by 5 pm and we were soon on our way to Orlando. We were the last ones to check in and also got one of the last 50 amp sites available in the whole park. Nice level site in G loop. This was a long day. Once we set up, we managed a light supper and then called it a night. Looking forward to seeing our pickleball friends tomorrow. It will also be nice to get back in the pool again.

The Fridge Is Full

Things are definitely thinning out here at Peace River. Our new friends, the Gundys, packed up and headed for Orlando. We'll see them again in early April before heading home. Seeing their kayaks, has Chris resolved to buy two of our own once we get home. There is certainly lots of places to use them down here.

Saturday turned out to be a wet and dreary day in most of Florida. Pickleball was rained out in the morning. We went for a run around the nature trail instead between rain showers and then stopped by the to see the dedication of the new mini golf course, aptly named "Puttersville". The workers have done a great job putting the 9 hole course together. There must have been 100 people at the dedication. We all enjoyed cake and watched Debbie shed more than a few tears as she gets closer still to her last day as manager.

I played pickleball for an hour after lunch until the skies opened up yet again. Chris went to Sweet Bay to load up on groceries ahead of Sarah's arrival at Tampa airport tonight. Turns out her flight has been changed and she won't arrive until after midnight! Ugh!! Thankfully, Jim and Jane have agreed to look after Buddy during our absence.

Jane and Chris have planned our Easter feast for later today. Turkey with all the fixings! Yahoo! Hoping it dries out long enough for us to be able to eat outside.

I spent alot of time on the computer yesterday. When I synced my smartphone to Chris's laptop, I lost all my contacts and phone numbers on my phone. Thankfully, I eventually found a backup copy of my address book and have managed to reinstall all the names, phew! Now if I could just figure out how to use activesync via bluetooth......

Chris spent the afternoon beading. She enjoys being creative and has made some very nice necklaces and bracelets. Barb, Jane and Julie are also into it. Look out when they all get together!

Fanshawe Friends

We packed up from Thousand Trails and headed back to Lazydays in Tampa. Our levellers still weren't working properly but we managed to disble the alarm buzzer before we left so at least the drive was quieter than it would have been otherwise. Our control panel is mistakenly reading our jacks to be in the down position when in fact they are fully retracted. As soon as I put our Bounder in gear, an alarm goes off. More of a nuisance than anything else. We parked in Lazydays' lot around 2 pm this afternoon and are to be first in the shop tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed.


We unhooked the Saturn and took a short drive over to Happy Traveller RV Park to see the gang we met up in London, Ontario last summer. They haven't changed much and are a really fun group. We gratefully accepted a completely unexpected invitation to stay for supper. We enjoyed a great afternoon chatting about all kinds of things. Buddy was getting a little hungry and we hadn't brought any of his food with us. He sat in my lap most of the afternoon and I decided to see if he would like one of those mini Ritz cheese cracker sandwiches. As you can see in the picture, it sat on his lip for more than a few minutes. Once I put him on the ground, he ate in right away. Nice picture, I thought.

After helping clean up dishes, we headed back to Lazydays for another night camped in their parking lot. We had lots of room this time and parked with all our slides out. May as well be comfortable, right?

Friends from UK

We met Jim and Jane Rankin from the UK almost the same day as we arrived in Wauchula. They are here for the winter months. They have toured parts of the USA and Canada in their motorhome already. Both are retired and decided to do the RV thing in the USA for a few years. Jane keeps herself busy and leads a fossiling group in the river several times a week looking for evidence of prehistoric life. Jim is a retired police dog handler from West Midlands and has done some marvelous work on the nature trail here at Peace River and also works on Habitat for Humanity projects in his spare time. Both are avid pickle ball players as well. They have their own blog outlining their travels. I have put a link in the margin if you are looking for an interesting read.



We played pickleball this morning but were a little late starting because the courst were still wet and slippery from the rain last night. Wasn't much rain, but enough to make the cement a little treacherous first thing. We played until almost noon, before walking back to our Bounder for lunch.

As we walked around the perimeter of the campground, we ran into Chuck and Faye, our friends from Kentucky, who were in the next site to us when we first arrived. They have just returned from a week on the Atlantic coast and are sitting in a 30 amp non sewer site near the river, waiting for a 50 amp sewer site to open up later today or tomorrow. The park is quite full now and they have a list in place for sewer sites.

This afternoon, Chris went to Jane's RV for a follow up reflexology session, while I stayed here with Buddy and tried to make a dent in my book. Buddy hasn't been feeling well today and isn't too energetic. We returned to play pickle ball at 4 pm. I sat out and cheered Chris on while she played.

Supper today was turkey leftovers with noodles, gravy and salad. Very yummy!!!