Summer 2016 - A Time of Great Change

     The Summer of 2016 can only be described as an emotional roller coaster.  As we opened our camp on Chateaugay Lake in upstate NY, we again realized that the 2400 square foot home in Mooers we had lived in for 29 years, had really outlived its usefulness.  This caveat comes up every year, usually around tax time, and every year we would talk about downsizing and putting the house on the market.  But we could never seem to pull the trigger.  We were a little bit concerned about the real estate market, but after several visits with the tax assessor, we decided it was time to dip our toes in the market and see if we could locate a buyer for the property.  We contracted with Century 21 in early June, and before we knew it, a "For Sale" sign was planted in the front yard.  We made a few improvements to the property to increase its "curb appeal", and settled in for a leisurely summer on the lake.  
      Our first adventure of the summer occurred in June, as we ventured over to Vermont to enjoy the Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival in Tunbridge, Vermont.  

We had heard about this festival previously, but this was our first visit.  The venue is located on the fairgrounds in Tunbridge, nestled  among the Green Mountains, alongside Jenny Brook and it is truly a wonderful location.  The Tunbridge World's Fair began in 1867, and happens every September.  We somehow managed to score a parking area almost directly behind the main stage area, and were able to enjoy the sounds of Bluegrass music from our campsite.  Performers included The Gibson Brothers, who are our local favorites from Brainardsville, NY., Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and the The Claire Lynch Band.  But there was another band from Virginia that really caught our attention.
 The called themselves  Nothin' Fancy, and they travel around in a YELLOW tour bus.  And I do mean yellow!  They performed several times over the weekend, and seemed to really enjoy putting on a show.  The fiddle player is a classical trained violinist and is quite comfortable playing bluegrass or Mozart. Each night after all the performances ended, they ventured out to the campsites and hosted a jam session, inviting anyone and everyone to come up and sing or play.  Amazingly, attendees aged 10-80 joined in and tried their hand at performing.  Nothin' Fancy are very talented musicians, and made the festival experience a little more special.  They have their own Festival in Buena Vista, VA every September, and Debbie and I are hoping to get down there one day.

   









      I have no idea why I would think this was going to be a leisurely summer!  "Summer Projects" just seemed to keep multiplying, in anticipation of the sale of our home in Mooers.

     Trees had to be cleared at the camp to make room for a garage and a parking spot for Big Red.  It was time to call in the professionals!  So after a small do it yourself project to get things rolling, we called in the big guns!

     In mid-July, still without a buyer on our other house, Secore Excavation arrived to begin the clearing of our property.  Debbie and I stood in amazement as more and more equipment rumbled up our driveway.  Soon Richard, the father, was maneuvering the excavator around, knocking down trees in every direction, as his two sons, Mathew and Andre, struggled to keep up with chain saws, bulldozer, and trucks, moving the debris from the property.  Our neighbor Andy anxiously awaited the delivery of 10' logs of pine, maple and cherry, over to his work site, where they would be cut, split and stacked for drying.  Did I mention that Andy is 80 years old, and cuts and splits wood all summer long?  He's been known to wear out a grandson or two over summer vacation!

     As Debbie cautiously supervised the clearing of the property, it became more and more evident that these guys knew exactly what they were doing, and any fears or concerns we were experiencing were not justified.  Well, maybe not exactly!  

For some reason, the camp decided to move over a few feet, just as a tree was coming down, and the results looked much worse than they actually were.  I've heard about this phenomena occurring in parking lots, where inanimate objects suddenly move, striking vehicles.  But I had never witnessed a house moving!  Dishes and glasses were rattled inside, but nothing was broken, and repairs to the camp were soon completed.

By the end of the week, our previously wooded lot was cleared enough to allow parking of Big Red up at camp.  Phase 1 of our Summer Project was completed, and the Master Plan was coming together.  No buyer for the house in Mooers, but camp renovations were progressing smoothly. Summer 2016 was definitely bringing changes into our world!

Resting (Nesting) in Sarasota, and the Journey Home

 

     As I've spoken about many times this year, our goal for this journey was to seek warm weather, meet old friends, make new friends, and mosey around America.  We wandered into Sarasota and the Sun and Fun RV Resort located a short distance from I-75 in Sarasota, Fl on March 17th.  This was a new venture for us, but we were looking for a location with a nice pool for MAE, and an RV Resort not full of old people.
      I can only say, that we think this resort fits almost all that we were looking for. MAE wanted to get out of the cold, and have a nice pool to lie around and work on her tan. She loves to complain that the beach is too sticky!  The park has about 600 sites to include park models and RV sites.  There's a nice outdoor pool for sunbathing, with food service and a walk up bar.  The daily special always includes a Happy Hour from 1P-7P with BOGO well drinks!  They have a $5 million exercise facility including an olympic size indoor pool.  It seemed to include every kind of exercise machine imaginable, and a sauna or steam room when you're done.

     We've been there just about 4 weeks, and our neighbors were all extremely friendly. States represented were NY, OH, Mich, as well as Ont, PQ, and Nova Scotia.  Our neighbor Dave and Paulette, were from NS and she is a rabid Toronto Blue Jays fan.  And for 2 days I had to endure their thorough thrashings of the NY Yankees, by the score of 10-2 & 4-2.  They had their Toronto flag hanging from their RV, and were quite pleased to be spanking the Yankees. Dave is quite the character, and always had a story to tell at the drop of a hat.  So you can imagine the he and I hit it off quite well.

     While in Sarasota, I ran out of pellets for my grill, and after a quick Google check, I found a dealer just a short distance from the 'trailer park".  After exiting I-75, and making a left turn down a dirt road, Debbie and I stumbled onto an "Old Florida" hangout, complete with alligators, racoons, banjo music, and GREAT BARBECUE!   The place was called Snook Haven, and its truly one of Florida's most unique restaurants.  It's located alongside the Myakka River, and features inside and outside dining options.  On Thursdays there's free entertainment featuring about 20 banjo pickers, a bass player, and an accordion.  The music is very entertaining, the 31 unique craft beers are delicious, and it's a great place to meet friends and family for lunch.
 

     Obviously, all the cool people go there!  Looks like you can even pet the alligators.....if you're tall enough.  What a great lunch we had with some of the Florida and CT cousins.
      And since we like barbecue and bluegrass so much, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend a day with Dave and Paulette at the Suncoast BBQ and Bluegrass Bash in Sarasota.  I enjoyed some great BBQ and a few cold adult beverages as we sat and enjoyed some great bluegrass music.  Admission and parking was free, so you couldn't beat it.  Dave is an old truck driver, and just had to get his picture alongside this beauty.

        Debbie and I also took a day to enjoy the Sarasota Boat Show.  Most of the boats were in water, and were open to anyone who wants to step aboard.  Looks like this guy had a lot of visitors.       We found lots of boats which would look pretty good on us, and it's always fun to take a look at the new ones.  It was a nice sunny day, and who wouldn't want to be down at the waterfront.

      I've become extremely tardy in keeping this blog current.  Today is May 1st, and we've been back in NY a little over a week now.  We delayed our departure nearly 2 weeks as nasty weather continued to plague upstate NY.  Didn't seem to make much sense to travel north in bad weather, or get there and hunker down in some freak snowstorm.   We certainly seemed to have settled in over here on the west coast of Florida, but it seemed like it was time to start heading for home, especially since our alarm system was occasionally firing off indicating a "motion" in some of the rooms.  The Troopers had been over in the middle of the night but found nothing, and it soon became apparent that probably a bird had somehow gained entry, and needed to be let out.

     On 4/18 we headed north, arriving home on 4/21.  Traffic and road construction caused a few delays, but other than that, we had no trouble.  We traveled north on I-95 to Richmond, VA and then crossed over to I-81 avoiding DC and other east coast cities.  We spent Thursday night in Big Red and on Friday we got the heat and the water turned on.  Still no sign of any intruder.  Friday afternoon, while working upstairs, I encountered our guest, a nice sized racoon.  And all she wanted was out!  No food or water for over a week.  Fortunately, the door on the front porch was open, and as I hollered to Debbie, our guest bolted past her, heading for the porch.   One more door and she was gone.  No damage anywhere, just a few things knocked over.  Can't imagine what it would have been like if we had not arrived home when we did.  She gained entry by coming down the chimney and out the cleanout door.  Guess I'll be making some modifications before heading out next fall.

     So our Journey to See America 2016 has come to an end.  Incredibly, we traveled for 8 months and 8000 miles around the country seeking that magic temperature of 70.  Some people think we're "different", but it is truly a marvelous way to live.  We were able to experience the birth of our first grandson Liam in San Diego, which was truly the highlight of our journey.  And by living this type of nomadic lifestyle, we don't believe we were too much of a bother to Ben and Joanne.  We know Jamo was always glad to see us!  We were all able to be together for Christmas 2015 in San Diego, and that was extra special, even though Liam didn't seem to be too excited.  

     Believe it or not, we've already started planning out our Journey to See America 2017!  We've found lots of cool places to visit where the temperature tends to stay above 70, and that's still our goal.  The Northern Border still has some huge holes in it.  And we heard a lot about visiting Michigan.  Randy and Retha will be visiting in September, and Debbie already has New York City all planned out!  There may even be a trip up to Alaska in 2017.....you'll have to stay tuned.    

                                             We hope everyone has a great Summer 2016!

Pensacola down to Sarasota, Fl.

     As you can see, I've been severely neglecting my job in updating our travels.  I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've last put ink to paper so to speak, but we seem to have settled down now, and there's time to bring everything up to date.  Since we departed South Padre Island, our journey has been a series of short visits as we get ready to settle in at Sarasota, Florida and spend a week with MAE as she tries to get some of the cold out of her bones.
     Leaving Louisiana, our next stop was at Fort Pickens National Park, across the bay from Pensacola, Fl. This is our second visit to Fort Pickens, and if you've ever been out here enjoying the Gulf Islands National Seashore, you'll understand why.

 It may be the stunning white powdery soft sand, that draws you to the beach.  The Gulf waters are clear and warm, and the crowds seem to be non existent.  There are numerous fortifications out here, dating back to pre Civil War times.  Fort Pickens played a vital role in the defense of the deep sea port of Pensacola.  I didn't take the opportunity to attempt any surf fishing, but there were many other fisherman out here trying their luck.  I did go for a walk out into the water checking out the fishing access, as Debbie enjoyed sitting on the warm beach.

 I guess we're just going to have to come back again and again, till we accomplish all there is to do out here.  We did get the opportunity to have dinner with my Cousin Annette, and that is always a great time. 
      If you get the chance to visit the area, take a day and travel over to the National Naval Aviation Museum, located on the Naval Air Station at Pensacola.  The numerous displays throughout the museum all have a story to tell.  And the only way to hear the story is to tag along on one of their free guided tours.  The tours are conducted by retired Navy personnel, and each one has a story to tell.

     The Museum contains hundreds of restored aircraft used throughout the history of Naval Aviation.  On display you'll find the training aircraft flown by President HW Bush (41), when he was student at Pensacola.  Another display is of a restored aircraft that survived Pearl Harbor and Wake Island, before crashing into Lake Michigan years later on a training mission.  After spending 50 years on the bottom of Lake Michigan, this A/C was recovered and restored and now sits at the Museum.

 Plan on spending the day, and probably another, to complete your visit to the museum.
     Our next stop would be a few days visit with Aunt Anita in Gainesville.  This is a must do activity for us everytime we come to Florida.  She makes you feel right at home, and the conversation and laughs never stop.  It's always fun to run into a few of the cousins who live close by and keep an eye on their mother.  We always enjoy trying to talk them into coming north for a visit, but they never seem to want to leave their precious Florida.
     After a 2 day visit in Gainesville, it was time to continue south along the Gulf Coast.  On March 10th we arrived at the Sugar Sand Beach and RV Resort, located in Matlacha, Fl.

 My school buddies, Tommy, Dave, and Sheri, along with Tommy's wife, Rosie, were renting a house on Pine Island, and while looking for an RV spot closeby, I stumbled on this little gem.  After reading reviews saying "don't go there" and "don't tell your friends, cause we're definitely coming back", I took the gamble and booked a week at Sugar Sand Beach.  From the time you arrive and are greeted by Billie and his wife Becky, until it's time to depart, the resort is like one big family.

 It can only be described as a parking lot, not a resort, but the guests and the surrounding area certainly make up for any comfort loss.  There is a small beach/waterfront area where the guests seem to congregate and watch dolphins playing in the bay.  There may be a little alcohol consumed at the Tiki Bar, but we don't like talking about such things.  Kayak rentals are available, but the wind kept the bay pretty stirred up during most of our visit,  Tommy did decide to take us for a boat ride, and tried to sink the boat, but that's a story for another time.

     Pine Island and Matlacha are very typical of old Florida.  The boating and fishing are exceptional and the intercoastal passes right by the island.  There are numerous canals into the island, and many houses are backed up to the canal and have a boat tied up out back.  The restaurants are cozy with the local fisherman providing fresh shrimp, oysters, crabs, and fish on a daily basis.  Debbie and I really enjoyed our visit to Matlacha, and I'm sure we'll be returning to the area again.

     On the 17th, we moved still further south to the Sun & Fun RV Resort in Sarasota, Fl.  MAE arrived on the 21st, and we've been quite busy enjoying the Sarasota area.  But that's where we'll end for now, and continue on with this story another day.  The sun is shining and the pool is calling!

Caught in Betty's Web & Tabasco Factory-Jungle Gardens

   
     When Debbie and I began our wanderings a few years back, I came upon a couple named John and Sharon who were documenting their journey by putting out daily blogs of what they were experiencing.  Their blog, On the Road of Retirement,  provided us with lots of interesting factoids and unique locations to visit as we traveled across the country.  One of the most unique RV Parks that John and Sharon enjoyed was Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, La, in the heart of Cajun Country.
     Rumor has it that if you come for a day, you'll stay a week, and if you come for a week, you'll stay a month!  Get your reservation in early....the sites are few, but the fun is endless.  This trip we were able to experience a visit to Betty's, and what they say is absolutely true. And to make it even more enjoyable, John and Sharon were visiting also, so we were able to meet our traveling mentors.

     As we departed Texas heading for Betty's, Debbie received a text from Betty advising us that the entire park would be going out to dinner in Abbeville that evening, and she had included us in the dinner reservation. We could feel Betty's Web wrapping around us, and we were still 300 miles away!  Dinner was fantastic, the entire park welcomed us, and we soon discovered that "Happy Hour" really means Happy Evening, as the visiting continues into the evening on Betty's back porch.  

     And if you get a chance to visit Betty's, schedule a weekend visit. The area is loaded with food festivals, music festivals, dinner theater, and it all seems to start around 7 AM on Saturday morning.
     Since we only had 1 day to visit the area, and the weather was a little threatening, we decided to meander over to Avery Island, and take a tour of the Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory Tour.

The factory site on Avery Island is the original location where Edmund McIlheny first developed this sauce back in 1868.  The tour included the Tabasco Museum, Tabasco Factory, and of course, a gift shop.  There were interesting videos included which explained each step in the processing of that little red pepper from Mexico that started the industry.  The entire process takes over 3 years, as they allow the red pepper mash to ferment in oak barrels.

 Interestingly, the top of each barrel is covered in salt to keep out any impurities, which extends nearly 8 miles below Avery Island.  I guess there's no danger of running out of salt!  The business is still run by the McIlhenny Family, and each barrel is tested by a family member before moving forward in the bottling process.

     After completing the factory tour, the next adventure included the Jungle Gardens of Avery Island.  This area is home to to a large collection of camellias, and there are thousands planted in the garden representing nearly 600 varieties.  Many of them came from Japan and France, and many were developed by the McIlhenny family.  Azaleas are well represented on the island, and thousands of red, pink, purple, and white can be seen during the auto tour around the island.

 The manicured grounds seem to be dominated with massive Southern Live Oaks covered in Spanish Moss.  Various forms of palm trees are interspersed to add a unique feature to the gardens.

    Back in 1895, when the Snowy Egret was being hunted into extinction because of its plumage, Edmund mcIlhenny built an aviary on Avery Island and then captured and raised 8 wild egrets. Today, thousands of egrets and herons return each year to the floating nests, built to protects the nests from the alligators in the waters below,

     Yesterday we continued out journey east across the mighty Mississippi, and we're settled in for a repeat visit at Fort Pickens National Seashore in Pensacola Bay.  We'll be here for a few days before heading over to Gainesville.  Looks like march is going to be a busy month, with lots of family visiting.  

Departing SPI and Heading Toward FLA!

     As you've seen in my previous notes about SPI, we really enjoyed our time visiting there, but all good things must come to an end.  We stayed an extra week enjoying the sunshine, and the beach as much as we could.  Debbie enjoyed her long walks up and down the beach, as I worked the tide charts, trying to figure out how to catch some fish.  And then one day, it just started to happen!  I tried fishing between the sandbars hoping I could catch a few of those elusive Whitings, when I discovered that the crabs were cleaning my bait faster than the fish were.  So a decision was made to move a little further out in the surf and see if I couldn't get past the 2nd sandbar.

I had changed bait, and was now using a white squid, and that seemed to do the trick.  I soon landed 3 nice whitings, and that was all I needed to feed Debbie and the neighbors, Al and Nancy from Winnipeg.  And then to top it off, we took all of them over to the Pirates Landing Restaurant, and they cooked them up and did the dishes.  Worked out just fine!

     Debbie and I took a trip north on the beach, enjoying the weather and a low tide.  We traveled up to mile marker 20, and enjoyed a nice quiet lunch.

     These Royal Terns sat around, patiently waiting for the fisherman to leave a few snacks on the beach.  They were in obvious competition with those pesky seagulls.

       Debbie even took a turn at running the dunes down the beach.

     We found a little artsy fartsy thing going on up in the dunes on SPI.  Upon closer inspection, it was actually numerous hardhats from a Mexican company, but I don't know where they could have come from.

     Here's the boys and girls in the "hood" down here at the KOA.  Al and Nancy on the left from Winnipeg, and Steve and Jane from Minnesota.  Jane gathered everyone for this happy hour, which last from 4:30 till 10:30!!!  We visited our way right through dinner, and the conversation never lagged.  What great neighbors.  Hopefully we'll all meet again next year down at the KOA SPI.

   
 We're on the road now, heading over to Florida eventually.  Our next stop is going to be over at Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, LA.  We attempted to stop there last year, but something came up and we couldn't do it.  So this time, we're going to stop and spend a few days there.  We hoping to meet up with John and Sharon who write the blog, On the Road of Retirement, over at Betty's. They've provided many ideas for Debbie and I over the last few years, and we're really excited to meet them.  March is going to be a very busy month for us with all the visiting we have to do.