test....May 5

I'm not sure if this blog is working right so this is a test.
    Ebby and I are still in Alabama but will return to Florida (Santa Rosa Beach) tomorrow until Friday when we will head north towards North Dakota. My job at Medora officially starts on May 21st and I intend to get to the camp by May 19th.
    Yesterday we had rain most all of the day and I read a book from beginning to end. I got out only to put out the trash when the water was not falling from the sky. This morning, I got out to the shower and the sun came out although now it seems to have disappeared again and I'm not sure what our weather will be (no storms, however) for the day. 
    Hope you are all well and safe (lots of bad weather going on) and healthy.
    

Trying again on blogger

   I am trying this site again (have been using another site for blog) to see if the ad interference still happens.
    Therefore, this note is just a test as most of you have been reading my Wordpress blog.

Travel 'alone'

   Traveling without my furry friend is a challenge but he is still 'with' me in many ways so I am coping. On the way to Shreveport, I stayed in Florida State Parks and was rewarded with early morning deer and a great beach scene.
      

O'Leno

 Henderson Beach

More fun with RT friends

   Have returned from my annual visit to Hillsborough River State Park and then the McLean Music Festival and this was after a couple of nights at Lazy Days RV with other RT folks to eat strawberry shortcake from the Plant City strawberry Festival.

   

 

 

 Many biting bugs at Hillsborough this year after all the rain.

 

We always seem to get some musicians to sit and play with us.

 

Pets (like Tessa, here) have fun too.

 

 and we line up pretty nice together.

February, already

    Seems it has been a while since I actually wrote but I have been driving across the country and that seems to keep me busy. After getting back from California and the really cold, cold weather (for me), I went to Crystal River for an RTI rally where we had lots of folks to enjoy the food, friendships and Homosassa Springs where we saw some great nature.

 

 

   We went from there to a restaurant that gave us fantastic steamed shrimp with enough for another meal (and I got the smaller portion)! I hope to not get as big as LU (the hippo).

 

   We got home for a couple of weeks before heading to Mississippi for a fun weekend of (more) food and friendships.

 

 

 

Mardi Gras in Gautier, Mississippi was absolutely fun.

      And then, it was quickly back to Florida and the SEA rally (an FMCA area) in Sarasota where we had 36 RTs together and fun was had again.

      We had hoped the weather would have been warmer but at least we did have great sunshine. We will be home for a little bit before heading back to the west coast of Florida for fun and friends (and food, always) and the McClean Music Festival.

     

   

Traveling home

It has been quite a journey for the last few weeks since my last post. Petey and I went to California and now are headed back to Florida. We visited San Diego and got to spend time with my brother and sister in law and then after my week working the Rose Bowl Parade rally, I also got some time with my nephew/niece in law and great niece. Then on the way to Indio, I got a very bad head cold. But, I managed to enjoy the RTI rally within the FMCA rally and will be back in Florida for the next RTI rally in Crystal River.

   

It was a very cold Parade day.

 

 

And then it was on to Indio and our RTI

rally with our Shuttle Roadtrek

 

And our aliens to go with it.

 

We did win the prize too.

 

On the road again

We left Cedar Key and now are heading to California (third time in this year of 2014). Driving with no other Roadtreks makes me drive a little more and sometimes faster (not more than the speed limit, ever). Being 1/2 way I have chosen to take a 'break' and stay two nights in one place. The weather has cooled (again) so I'm not outside as much as I might like but the sunshine (in Texas) is wonderful. On the way I stayed in a couple of state parks with one being in Florida and the second in Louisiana.

 It sure looked like a bayou to me (Sam Houston Jones State Park, Lake Charles, LA)

        Petey is OK with traveling again and settles into his 'spot' when he sees me stowing things in order to get going again. We are ahead of schedule so will be able to do more than one 'nighters' for the second (more than) 1000 miles.

      

Sunset Isle 2014

Here we are back at Sunset Isle in Cedar Key, Florida.

  Until today, we have had wonderful sunshine and great temperatures. Now the rain is falling and then temperatures will drop a lot for the next few days. Still a great place to be with friends.

    

 

 

  

Big House

It is very strange being in this big house after so many months of living in my RT. I have finally gotten the inside of the 'little house' together (removed many items which will not go back in) and now have to give it's outside a bath.

   This 'stix and brix' house is a daunting cleaning job. I am doing little at a time and eventually things will be better. Life 'on the road' is so much simpler. Did all the preventative and other maintenance to my 'gypsy' so we'll be ready to go soon again.

                         The Beachside campground at Ft. Clinch is a nice ending for this trip.

 

 

east coast again

I am back in Eastern Time Zone and my body is adjusting after the fantastic trip.

   Santa Fe and Albuquerque were great with good friends and fun adventures.

 Governor's Palace where all the wares are out.

 The church by the plaza

 Great chili

Everything is 'art'

 

       Albuquerque balloon festival was a wonder and, yes, I 'dry' camped for four nights.

Mass Ascension

 

Red of the mountains as sun sets

 

So close ...almost touch

 

Part of mural in the Balloon Museum

New Mexico

It has been quite a journey to get to New Mexico and the weather changes along the way have been memorable too.

     Once we left Pismo, the temperatures went up right away and cool did not return until we got to New Mexico. In Lake Havasu, we could have fried an egg on the hood of my RT and we did not like that much at all.

    

Seeing London Bridge was fun

 

And the view from the camp was OK too

 

Then we moved on to the Meteor Crater in Arizona which was interesting as well.

 

Thinking about what might happen if a meteor like this one hits again especially in a populated area.

 

Pismo Beach

Well the RTI rally is done and I can’t believe how fast the time disappeared. It was filled with activities and fun (and lots of wine). We were given wine ‘sippy’ cups (wine glass inside of other glass) for the tastings.

We went to Hearst Castle

and got a good idea of how those ‘rich and famous’ played.

Petey already told you about the doggie games. The food we had was phenomenal and it was one of the best Chapter Rallies ever done.

Oregon

Being in Oregon is wonderful. First we stopped at a camp with a ‘hot spring’ pond and found the waters to be soothing and nice after driving across the boring interstate. That’s also where I noticed the large crack in the windshield from rocks that hit during the ride.

Onward we drove to LaPine where it was two days in a private camp (got a new windshield while there) and then to the State Park where I met up with another solo.

Then it was to Redmond for the FMCA event and we had 22 RTs parked together (10 solos). We had a couple of rainy Happy Hours and then finally a couple in sunshine.

Then on to the beauty of McKenzie Bridge

		McKenzie Bridge Area VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Now we are resting on the Stiletz River and with cool nights, sleeping is fantastic.

		On the Stiletz River, Lincoln City, Oregon VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

What a fantastic life we have.