A FLOWER KIND OF DAY….

It is a gray cloudy….
with rain in the forecast day…so I thought I might brighten up the day with some flowers…Here is Maggie on the front porch in PA hiding behind the roses…the porch is one thing I will miss when the house sells….thinking positive the house will sell….not sure what these will look like this year ….I really cut them back before I left…

And my beautiful vintage Holly Hocks… these were hiding when I moved here and they were dormant for over 30 years while I was in work mode…then when I retired I let them grow and I love how they turned out…but since I have been in Florida they are back in the dormant stage….I wonder if HH grow in Florida? These grow on both sides of my basement door …the main door I use…

And these are roses that my daughter had growing over her kitchen window…what a beautiful site while doing dishes at her home…but they are no longer…one winter the ice and snow broke them down…sad…

She woke up!!

And the rest of the story….
I guess this is a pretty lame blog..but I have free WiFi at Wickham CG so thought I needed to up load something….not traveling or camping there really is not much to blog about…I did stay last night here at the CG to do the tank thing but that is really not blogging material…the CG is only about 1/2 full…it was mostly empty when I drove thru on Tues. because of the music festival they had here last weekend…I expect it will not be that full again until the snowbirds come back ….I got the results of the ultrasound of my legs…I have bad veins in both legs…probably will need surg. at some point but Medicare says not now..have to do other things first….ware stockings, elevate legs, more exercise  etc, etc…first…so will do that…glad I know that I don’t have blood clot or something really bad like that… and all my blood work was very good that made me happy..I will keep on trying to eat better to keep it that way…guess I will hang around here until check out time then go look for a couple geocaches…they are still taking down the buildings and stuff from the festival…so the caching might not happen… will leave it here for now thanks for looking and come back soon…
blessings to all G&M

OUT WITH THE OLD… AND IN WITH THE OLD…..

When my electric step….

stopped working last year…I got this step stool thingy at Home Depot …the label said it would hold 300 lbs. well I am over wt. but no where 300…and after about a month or so it broke…the slot where you pick it up on the top cracked one day when I stepped down on it from the rig naturally it would be week there a slot in the middle of the step…give me a break…

then a few weeks later this back “brace thing” snapped…I was still able to use it but had to remember and be very carful…I spent many months looking for a new step…that did not cost an arm and a leg…I wanted at least a 2 stepper…

Then last week….

at a yard sale ( where else)…I found this very old step ..now it did not look like this when I got it….I had a pic but it is lost somewhere in my puter…anyway it is from way back…I remember having one just like it when I was doing some remodeling work with a friend in the 80’s…this one was used evidently for the same thing as it had dry wall putty and a ton of paint on it …some was even all globed up on it…now this stool is very strong and sturdy…the construction looks the same but believe me it is much much stronger…not made with cheap plastic….

Any way I scrubbed it up a couple times even sanded it trying to get the globy paint down a little…it was mostly yellow so I just got a new spray can of yellow paint and used the whole thing on it….then painted the top step white with my acrylic craft paint (acrylic paint is really tough)…then painted on the sunflower…looked at for a few days…then thought of all the sun sets and sunrises I hope to see while traveling (when ever that happens)…so got out the orange and did the second step…then just did some doodling on the rest of it…who knows it still might get more doodles….any way I like it and I smile every time I open the door and step out of the rig…

And just inside the…

lives this old whisk broom…I have a couple of these things…I like to keep this one on the bottom step beside the fire extinguisher …I use it to sweep the tons of sand that gets tracked in and to sweep of the little yellow step…it comes in handy ..when it is raining and wet …I will sweep of the bottom of my shoes with it before entering the rig….

And here is ….

another thing I need to do something with…its Maggie's box…all filled with “her stuff” except the bottle of sunscreen…she even has her rain slicker in there and a little Steeler coat she ware’s when it gets cold…what to do with it all…I want to get the basked off the floor and out of there…but want handy access to here leash and poopie bags and such…any ideas…what do you all do with puppy stuff to keep it handy??

And speaking of Maggie here she is sound a sleep in “her seat”…looks like she is going to fall off….think she would move over a bit…lol well that’s all for now thanks for looking and come back soon

blessings to all …G&M

THIS & THAT…..

My strawberry short cake …
I ate at the festival last weekend…there is cake under all that….was good…but there is no strawberry like the ones up north in PA…homegrown…sorry Florida…..

This is a trail …
we took from the parking lot at the festival…I was thinking it would take me to the camp ground and I was right…

We also then took a walk around part of the main park…they were setting up for the Run Away Country music festival they were having this weekend…they put up this chain link fence around the main stage area…today I road by Wickham Park main gate and the whole place as far in as I could see was jam packed with RV’s all boondocking….the campground and park  was closed to the public,…only ticket holders could camp there or enter the park..….first come first serve…hence the boondocking ..this is one of two events they close the park to the public each year.…

Today Sat (22nd)….
I used dads car today and did a little exploring…I want to find some other day camp parks that Maggie and I can spend time at…I was looking at Google maps and seen some south on US-1 …while on the way I ran into this…..

but when we got out and checked it out..found it was more of a mini craft show…seen these cute Fairy Gardens…I have been wanting to make these for a couple years…

Click the pix to check out the details….

I talked to a couple of vendors and they said it was well attended each weekend and they did pretty good..only $20 a day or $30 for the weekend…this is something I might try and make some extra $$$ this next winter…they said lot of snow birds come every weekend…at this point in time I cant afford to set up at a reg. craft show…so this might be the answer for me…I did find some other parks along the intercostal water way that I plan on checking out…I will post pix and tell about them when I do….hopefully next week…as usual I am really tired of camp driveway ….looks like all my RV friends are on the road…happy for them but makes me sad …as it stands now I will be heading to PA…the middle of May or first of June depending on weather…I cant wait…on the medical front I have appointment on Monday morning to find results of test….I will leave it here for now…thanks for looking and come back soon…blessings to all G&M

THE LAST FEW DAYS….

Monday:  got lab work done finally…after office messed up with the billing codes….ins was not going to pay anything…then did 4 loads of laundry and did a little trimming on the bushes on side of back yard…did not get that finished…so another days work sometime this week…it is getting to hot for me here most days…this afternoon will work on re-arranging the rig and getting rid of some stuff…Storm warnings going on all day…right now mid afternoon we have tornado watch…

Sunday: got up and out the door early…Took Maggie and went over to the Strawberry Fest….here in Melbourne..it starts at 8 AM an since I was taking the RV I needed to go early and get parking where no one could park me in that seems to happen if you don’t pay attention…I went mostly to see the craft show…I talked to a couple crafters and they were not too happy…business was not good and they are not happy with the people running the show…one of the crafters even said that they treat the craft people as 3rd class citizens …I have noticed every year there is a big turn over…I seen a lot of empty spaces…they told me that some vendors left after only one day it was so bad…

Sat… after going to a few yard sales…I  tried to get the lawn mower stared…tried for several hrs.…enlisting dads help…finally figured we were not going to get it started…so we loaded into the trunk of dads car and he took it to get fixed,..never again will I go thru that …it really bothered my arm and shoulder that was finally getting better and ended up with sharp pains going thru the middle of my back …all from pulling the string and lifting it into trunk…told dad he will have to either buy a new mower or hire someone to mow… I am pushing 70 here and can not do the things I use to….I think I pretty much look the same as I did 10 years ago…so people think I can still do all that hard physical work… (and sometimes I have to remind my self I cant either)… when in the real world that’s over for me…that pretty much shot the day…but I did find time to give Maggie girl a bath…So that was the weekend ….will leave it here and be back later..thanks for looking and come back soon….blessings to all G&M

TRIP TO THE ANTIQUE MALL…

When Sarah and I were…
camped at Wickham CG…we took a side trip to a local antique mall close to dads and the CG…here is Sarah looking over a few treasures…

Here is a very nice patio set that I liked a lot…if I new what and where my life was going to be…this is something I would like to have…not for the patio so much but for a kitchen or dinette area…I don’t think it is old …

Loved the sign in this booth….having owned an antique/vintage store for 15 years…this is a good name for that type of store…sometimes I think that self employed people are always in a Poverty-Barn store lol…

Now I am an altered art craft person…but maybe this might be a  little off the wall even for me ..unless I had it in my work area …frame is an old paint pan with remnants of old painting jobs…

I did make a purchase …not antique or vintage…but something I have been looking for quite a while….one of those material or canvas back packs…this one was so perfect!!! It had a Florida motif and was reversible…and for only $8 I think it was a bargain…

And the rest of the story….
The name of the mall is Wildwood…it opened just a little over a year ago…I was in it last winter just a few weeks after it opened and now being there …wow what a difference …they had only a handful of vendors and now there is a waiting list…I talked to a lady at the flea market a few weeks ago and she said that she was number 40 on a waiting list…this place is on the main rt for me going to Wal Mart and other shopping in my area…so I see it all the time and notice that it is a very busy place…it is a nice store with quality merchandise …if I had the merchandise that I had up north…I would have got a booth when  it first opened up…but I have found that the merchandise vintage is not easy to find in Florida…and I have sold all mine off…oh well… so this is it for now thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings to all G&M

FRESH–FLORIDA-GROUPER…..

After the kayaking….
We had worked up an appetite …Sarah and Sandy had been raving about this fresh grouper they had …so not ever eating grouper I wanted to find out what it was…So off to Crabby Bill’s Seafood Restaurant we went….

Walking up to the door I saw this sign…looked over at the parking lot…although it is not large…we were there in the middle of the day and it was far from full….

Then I looked on the other side of the sign…and saw this “limo golf cart”how cool is that…but it did make me wonder just how far they would come to pick you up…

I was glad to see the Fresh Florida Grouper sign! After all that is what we came for!!!

Sandy told us that they had up-ed the price since last week….it went up $3… but I wanted it anyway…so I got the dinner..grouper grilled, crispy fries and coleslaw..

And Sarah got an order of hushpuppies for us all to share…I think that is the first time for those for me also…MMMMM good!!!

Here is a pix of the three of us…some nice lady at the table beside us offered to take it…so we took her up on it…

 And the rest of the story..
There is not much going on now…I stopped for over night to empty my tanks at Wickham CG…then headed back to dads and camp driveway…doing laundry and other housekeeping chores…by the weekend hope to be sitting at home park or Wickham park..just to get out and about…well that’s it for now thanks for looking and come back soon ..blessings to all G&M

MONDAY MORNING KAYAKING….

ON MONDAY MORING…
Monday was a beautiful blue sky day…we decided to get the kayak in the water and go for a paddle…This little park is right around the corner from L&S Resort….along with a couple boat launches…ball field, play ground, picnic shelters….all the things these little Florida parks have for having fun…

Sandy got the kayak all aired up and we were off …while Sarah sat with the pups under a pavilion…They have a two person kayak…

The pix below was on the way from the boat ramp…going into the lake…

Just before heading out in the lake..it started to get a little rough….the wind was blow a good clip…and we could see a few white caps on the lake…I was not comfortable going any farther…

So we turned around and headed back the way we came and explored the area close to the ramp ..lots of lily pads and grasses that grow in the water…

It was pretty calm here but still had to paddle against the wind…I see lots of birds but could not get good pix…not fast enough and not a good camera…

Headed back to the ramp…I think after canoeing  with Soos and then kayaking in a two person Kayak…I like and do better in a single person water vessel…

Here is Sandy showing me how to deflate and pack up the Sea Eagle…it sure would be easier hauling around rather than  a hard body kayak….

After that…
We went to Crabby Bills ….and that and the rest of the afternoon …will be in the next post thanks for looking and come back soon…
blessings to all G&M

HANGING AROUND…

On Sunday….
there was a lot of hanging around….like all this moss on the Live Oak trees in the deep south…(Florida)…

I could walk around and look at all day…someone told me that it killed the trees…but have found out that it is an air living plant and not really attached to the trees…

And then there was this kind of hanging around…that is what we did all day at the L&S Resort…and Soos came by to visit before heading off to mow yard at her son’s place…Soos on left, Sarah and Sandy in back ground…

Some BBQ’ing …..
was also a good hanging around activity…Sandy below the BBQ master…

On the grill , hamburger, hot dog, sausage … to go along with that Linda made deviled eggs,I made some mac salad…if you look at the table we had plenty…in fact we no room for desert and had to eat that later…while we attempted to have a camp fire…

And the rest of the story….
I am really enjoying my stay with Linda and Sandy at their home…Sarah and I spent time in Melbourne then she went over to St Cloud to Linda/Sandy Resort and I followed the next day….it sure is relaxing out in the country…we can tool around doing stuff and then return to the cozy country retreat…my kind of life…anyway there is more to come…so thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings to all G&M

DAY & NITE TRIP’N AROUND…

First off we ….
We went to Camping World at Kissimmee'…Sarah had something to return and I wanted to get some Oderlos for my tanks…you know the ones….

Then we tooled around checking out all the new rigs…here is Sandy ready to motor down the highway in a very nice and big Class A she liked…Linda and Sandy might be looking to up grade from a TT to a Motor Home..some time before Linda retires..just look’n at this point…

And here is Sarah jumping out a big nice Class A…I never got a pic of Linda touring the rigs she seemed to always  be one step ahead of us…

Getting ready to leave Camping World finally got pix of Linda at the meeting of the minds trying to fix a broken pair of sun glasses…after leaving CW we went to Golden Coral and stuffed our selves so bad we could hardly walk out..it was more like rolling out moaning in pain…sorry no pix was to busy stuffing my face to take any..then in to much misery to care …lol never again will I over eat!!!

When we got …
back to ST. Cloud I was playing around with my smart phone and showed the girls all the Geocaches in the area…that peaked their interest…when we got back close to the L&S Resort…there was a couple close by…so we went looking for this one  at a little park…found it and showed it to them…this is Sarah getting ready to get back into the van..standing close to where the cache was found..

And we saw this pretty sun set just as we were leaving the park…my phone does not take good sun sets or sun rise pix,…

Then later….
to the The Dark Sky Festival after it got dark of course…the had speakers, telescopes to look thru at the cosmos…rides and fair type things for kids…this is the first time I have ever heard of this…very interesting…

So that is it for  now….I don’t think I will go to the Strawberry Fest. looks to much like a county fair…and I am not into that type of thing right now…use to love going to fair but no more…so not sure what will do today Mon. yesterday when I talked to dad he ask if I was on my way back….so maybe I will head to Melbourne Tues. for sure…so thanks for looking and come back soon…
blessings to all G&M