Friends

 We have met many new friends since we left Middlesboro almost 4 years ago. We meet thousands of people, you pull into a campground, or rest area and you meet the other campers, or the ones in campers at the rest area, or Wal-Mart, or where ever. Some of the people you never expect to see again, and some you will keep in touch with until the day you die.

 Here at "Florida SKP Resort" it is no different, we have met a lot of people here, and some we may never see again, and some we will keep in touch with through the phone, internet, or in person until we go to the great campground in the sky. Like Peg and Norm, or as I call them the "mane-e-acts", we met them at Sumter Oaks two years ago, and I expect we will keep in touch for ever.

 Escapees is a very large club, and it has some fantastic people that belong to it. Although like any club or group, it has some people that you don't care for, and then there are the ones that stick out and you will remember them forever. A few nights ago I wasn't feeling well so Marcia went to the club house to play games. She came home pretty quick, and when I ask her why she said they said all their games were for couples. It really hurt her to be excluded because I wasn't with her.

 The next night I told her we would go to the club house and play "Hoof and Mouth", or hand and foot with the skip-bo cards. I figured she and I could play or we could invite anyone else to join in. I was really impressed when Char interrupted the game she was playing with three others to invite us to join them. She went out of her way to make us feel welcome, as did Maryanne, John and Dave. They are what the escapees is all about, and some of the other escapees should take note.

 We have spent several evenings playing cards with Char, John, Maryanne, Dave, and the Mane-e-acts" here at Wauchula. As for the lot owners here at Wauchula, I find them to be friendly as long as you don't interrupt their daily routine. Like Friday night, we were playing cards near the pool, (because they lock the clubhouse at 9 PM) and we noticed a lot of the "lot owners" taking food into the clubhouse. We could see they were having a big party, and we knew we weren't invited.

 The jeep isn't going to be ready until next week, so we will be hanging out here for a few more days. That is OK with us, because Pioneer Days start the second of March, that is Wauchula's big event this time of year. We were told they have a big flea market with vendors selling almost anything and everything, and there should be a few selling RV stuff, and since we are looking for a few things for the rig we are excited about attending our first Pioneer Days. I'll tell you all about it in a future blog so keep reading.......

Solomon's Castle

The last update we were going to Solomon's Castle the following day, and we did.

Solomon's Castle is in Ona FL. Solomon moved to FL back in 1972 from Russia, he bought the land and started building his castle. Solomon recycles almost everything, the siding on his castle he gets from the local printing shop, it is the aluminum plates used to print the papers. A lot of the art work in his castle is made from junk auto parts. He uses chains to make hair for some of his statues, pistons for bodies, and the lists goes on and on.

 It was well worth the $10 they charge for the tour, although I think the tour groups could be a bit smaller than the 14 people the require to have a tour. we were lucky enough to meet Solomon in person, he is a small man in his mid 70's. His art shows how vivid his imagination is, and how talented he is with his tools, including his hands.

 Other than going to Solomons Castle we haven't done much here at SKP Resort. My back is a lot better, I can move now without cringing in pain. The Jeep Dealer is working on the jeep, we stop in to check on it every few days, and today they the right corner panel cut out and was getting ready to replace it and the piece under the tailgate. They say the jeep could possibly ready by Friday, and that would tickle us.

 Enterprise shocked us today, they called and informed us the Kia we had needed a service right away and wanted us to bring it in and exchange it. When I told him we were in wauchula he said he could have someone meet us to exchange the the Kia for a Silverado. (what we wanted in the first place) So now people here in the park think we trade cars every week.

  We did find a great place to eat, Paul's Kitchen. We ate lunch there today since we were detained by enterprise for the vehicle switch. I had a Grilled Ham and cheese (real ham) sandwich, fries, all you can eat soup, (chicken oriental today) and all the tea I could drink, (including a glass to go) for $4.95, and Marcia had the same except she had a grilled chicken sandwich for $4.95. Their other prices on the other foods was pretty good too. I'm sure we will make it back to try some of the other foods.

 I'll update again so stay tuned......

FLORDIA SKP RESORT

  We are in Zolfo Springs, just outside of Wauchula FL at the Escapees Co-Op. It is a very well maintained park, and all it is lacking is a nice hot tub. Swimming pool, pool table,clubhouse, dog run, and nice wide roads. We are in what is considered the overflow area and have water and 20 amp electric, which is a pretty good deal for $11 a night.

  We arrived last Wednesday, and after setting up I took Marcia to the ER. She had a headache, (besides me) since the gal rear ended her in Orlando last Sunday. The doc said it was muscle strains and with a few meds and a few days rest she should be AOK. And my back was feeling better after straining it changing the tires on the jet ski trailer, so things were looking up.

  Thursday we took the jeep into the dealer to get the estimate on getting it repaired. After Skip looked it over we set everything up to bring the jeep in on Monday and we would have a rental waiting on us. Marcia had worked things out with the insurance to get us a SUV because I have such a problem getting into the low sitting cars.

  Friday things went down hill in a snap, a snap in my back. As I was putting the tow bar in the MH bay because we had to empty out the jeep, I heard and felt, the snap in my back and that was it for me doing anything. This is something that I have been through before, and the doctors have me stocked up with the meds to treat it. It just takes several days of not being able to move, or moving very slowly.

 After taking the meds and lots of ice and heat pads I felt pretty good today, I think I have the back problem under control as long as I don't over do it for the next couple of weeks. So I won't be running in and marathons, or doing any weight lifting competitions for quite some time.

 We will be going to Solomons Castle tomorrow with Norm and Peg, (the Mane-e-acts). We have heard a lot about the castle and I will give a detailed report in a future blog. As for now the weather is almost perfect, plenty of sunshine and temps in the mid seventies, so I am a happy camper.

Until the next time.............

Where to start, catching up....

The first of Feb we gave the Kountry Star its first birthday party. We have had it one year, and had a pleasant evening with the couple we bought her from the day before.

 The 3rd of Feb I flew to Lexington KY where our terrific son Corey met me at the airport. Corey was my personal taxi for two days as I had three appointments in two days. The first was at the C-Pap clinic and I got a new mask, and two new hoses for my machine. The nurse wasn't too pleased with my usage, but it was broke part of the time and we were without electric for 18 days. (I'll have to wire in a small inverter for it)

 On the 4th I had the ultra-sound on my kidneys, and as I expected everything was normal. Then it was across town to see my doctor. I started going to the V A in Lexington back in 1992 and have had the same doctor from day one. 18 years in the V A system with the same doctor is incredible! I had gained too much weight since my last visit, (21 lbs) so I will be starting my reduction diet again really soon.

 The doctor wants me to have a cat-scan once a year now that it has been almost 4 years since they found the lymphoma, and the next one will be March 17th. A lot sooner than I want to be in that area, but with dad feeling poor I guess we will just "move" up that way. Life in an RV makes that easy! Everything else was good, he updated some of my prescriptions and said I'll see you in 6 months.

 Then the dreaded part came. Dad was hospitalized a couple weeks ago because he had lost a lot of blood. They gave him 3 or 4 pints of blood, kept him a few days and sent him home. Less than a week later he was back in the hospital with phenomena, (they gave him an phenomena shot after they gave him the blood). After a few days they sent him home, and that scared me.

 I have seen too many hospitals send someone home to die, and I was afraid that was the case with dad so I really was scared to see him. After seeing him I really think the loss of blood, and the phenomena right after really took its toll on pappy, but I think he will kick it. They filled him up, (with blood) and now he is resting good so he can start building himself back up.

 I really want to thank everyone for their prayers and concerns, we had many RV Friends, and many family members asking about him, and praying for him. As much as I hate FaceBook, it is really a good way to get the word out.

 Yesterday Jenelle was my taxi from Middlesboro to Knoxville, (a good taxi driver too). She had me at the airport in plenty of time for me to catch my flight to Orlando. The flight was good, but there was a slight problem afterwards. For some reason Marcia was waiting for me at the wrong airport. There are three airports in the Orlando area and it is really confusing. You really have to watch the airports around Orlando. Marcia being at the wrong airport caused an hour delay in us getting back to the rig, but everything worked out.

 To add to the confusion some lady rear-ended Marcia on the way to the airport. Nobody was hurt, well maybe the lady that rear ended her will be hurting when her mom finds out she messed up her car. The Jeep suffered minor damage to the rear, and I'll have to work on the tailgate to get it closed, but all will be OK in the end.

 Today was the Webster Flea Market, with rain all night there wasn't too many there, but we did find a few bargains. Someone needs to start selling RV supplies at the Webster flea market because I couldn't find and of the things I needed there.

 It is raining now, and the weather forecast isn't as warm as I would like so we may be moving the rig in the next couple days. You (and I) will have to stay tuned to see where we end up for the rest of the month .....

Saying until we come again Key West

  Saturday we decided to leave paradise and head north. Although we had a few more days in the full hook up site and could have rotated back into dry camping on the Island of Key West. Perry Performance Group had our jet skis and was loosing one of their storage bays at the end of the month, so we needed to pick up the skis.

 We drove up to Hollywood FL where the skis were and there just happened to be a casino a few blocks away, so we parked the rig at the casino and drove the jeep over to get the skis. The casino had bingo so Marcia did her thing and I held my own in the casino playing the slots.

 Sunday we got up early and drove to the beach. It was a beautiful day on the beach but after a few hours we were ready to get back to the rig and head north. On the way back to the casino we were looking for a nice Mexican place to grab a late lunch, we found a Colombian eatery, but after looking the menu over Marcia suggested the buffet at the casino.

 After stuffing ourselves with prime rib, lasagna, and chicken we left the casino. Wanting to have an easy drive to Sebring we drove to the lower side of lake Okachobee before we stopped at a Wal-Mart for the night. The plan was to meet up with the couple we bought the Kountry Star from, but found out they had plans to do the Webster Flea Market. So we drove on the Sumter Oaks and invited them over.

 Heinze and Anne-Lise arrived shortly after we got set up, they were with a couple they knew from their olld rv park Bob and ( I already forgot her name). As Marcia showed Heinze and Anne-Lise the additions we have made to their Star, (that is what they named the Kountry Star) I talked with Bob and found out they were from Kenton OH, just a few miles from where I spent several years of my childhood.

 After a good visit they headed back to Sebring, and we visited with friends in the park that we hadn't seen in a while, and some we saw a couple weeks ago in Key West. We will be here at Sumter Oaks until we decide to leave, and your guess is as good as mine as to when that will be.............

Still hanging around in Key West

  After spending 18 days with no hookups, water, elect, or sewer we moved to what is called the "Rock Pile" where we have full hookups. No hookups sound pretty bad to most folks, but the reality is most RV's have a fresh watter holding tank, that gives us plenty water for a few days, we can last about two weeks. A grey water and black water holding tanks, to store our waste water from the sinks and shower,and  the black is for storing the toilet waste until we get to a dump station where we empty them. RV's also have an onboard gererator to supply electricity, and several batteries to supply the electric while the generator isn't running.

 Now the Rock Pile is the oldest part of the campground here on Sigsbee, the sites are small and the ground is gravel, so it is the least preferred. Hollywood is another area with larger sites, concrete slabs to park on, and a few trees. Then there is what is known as the "Circle", with large sites, and large concrete pads, and it is  the cream of the crop  as far as sites go here on Sigsbee. Then there are the many sites and areas for the dry camping.

 We will be here for another week before we head back to Bushnell where Marcia will hold down the fort while I fly back to KY for my doctors appointments. I'll fly from Tampa to Lexington where our son Corey will pick me up. Corey being an RN, will go with me to the doctor, and then take me to Middlesboro where I'll visit dad and Scott. Jenelle (our daughter) will pick me up in Middlesboro and drop me off at the Knoxville airport where I'll fly back to Orlando where Marcia will pick me up. That is a lot of pick ups and drop offs, but renting a car was going to be too comlicated by picking it up in KY and dropping it off in TN.

 We still have a week here in KW and we will enjoy it to the utmost.......................

Topless down Duval Street

 We are still hanging out in Key West, still enjoying the warmer weather than most of the U S had been having. Although 52 sounds good to most people, it is cold for K W and for me, and I am very happy it has warmed up down here.

 Yesterday  class of 2007 mates, Jim and Nancy, came down to visit. Someone didn't have an I D so they couldn't come to the rig because the base has 100% I D check going on. So we met them at Home Depot where we all piled into the jeep so we could show them what little we know about Key West.

 The four of us went topless from the gulf of Mexico all the way to the Atlantic Ocean on Duval Street in the jeep. I was surprised at how many looks we got, but going topless in a jeep down Duval Street isn't as common as one would think. Then we went to the Southern Most Point in the US before heading back to the gulf side of Duval where we parked the jeep and walked Duval.

 Hunger had already set in before we found the Rum Barrel, a pretty good eating place just off Duval near the docks. Everyone had something different and everyone claimed their food was good, so I have to put the Rum Barrel on the return to list. Once we recharged with food and rest we walked back to the Jeep. Mallory Square was closed off because they were having some fight there. I'm sure it was on pay per view, but none of us were interested in it anyway.

 On the drive back to Home Depot it was really cool in the jeep with the top off, and I offered to stop and put the top back on, but everyone was in agreement to finish the drive topless. I know, you thought because I said we did Duval topless I was talking about our shirts, but it was the top off the jeep that made us topless.

 Until the next time..................