Georgia and Tennessee

The North Georgia and East Central Tennessee regions are lush and green with many lakes and rivers. The one-hour cloudbursts drop a tremendous amount of rain but oh so refreshing.  

Georgia on my mind

In the mid 1980s we lived in the little town of Powder Springs, Georgia. Sister Judy, her husband Kent and their son Luke moved to Kennesaw when Kent's employer, Toys R Us, transferred them to Georgia.  Our families were far too close to remain apart, and we followed within a couple months.  Kent's twin brother Kerry moved there too, and every Friday night for a year and a half was spent at the Denny's home.  Judy always had a great dinner, and the kids spent every minute in the pool. Toys then called them back to Washington, but we remained. 

Our daughters Kelley and Tracey were active in T-ball, softball, cheerleading and Brownies. Kelley's classmate Therasa also played ball, and her mom (also a Cindy) and her family became good friends. Over the years, we lost contact, but once the two Cindys saw each other again touched did that time apart disappear. It seemed as though easy conversation picked up where we left off.  Our kids have grown but of course we haven't aged a bit. 

Powder Springs now has an "historical" downtown that we checked out earlier this week. Quilt murals are painted on the sides of buildings with background information. 

Can't seem to get enough of Florida

We arrived in Florida on March 31 and will be here until mid-May.  There's so much to see and do, and even after more than 6 weeks, some things will have to wait until our next visit.  We are having a great time here.

3/31-4/7/16 Angler's RV Campground, Cedar Key
This is a rustic campground with few amenities, but just to our liking. In the evenings we were rewarded with campers playing guitars, although one night it lasted until 2 am. Since we have no work wake-up call, it's not a problem at all. 

This RV park is close to the quaint, laid back town, easily toured with bicycles. In fact, we rented electric bikes, which were a blast.

4/7-4/14/16 Chassahowitzka River Campground, Homosassa
A short 63 mile drive away was a great place to stay and enjoy the springs. Initially we rented a double seater but soon realized "someone" relaxed, allowing the other to do the paddling. Not so for the next time, where we each had our own kayak, and which also allowed more freedom to explore. 

Despite being well into the warmer spring season when most manatees swim to cooler waters, we were fortunate to see a mama and her baby up close.  

We enjoyed this weeklong stay, and our camper neighbors live only 45 minutes away, allowing them quick getaways to many of the close-by campgrounds.  How lucky!

4/14-4/21/16 Sumter Oaks RV Park, Bushnell
Next at only 30 miles away was one of the Escapee (SKP) Parks that offers RV sites for short-term stays and also the opportunity to lease a designated RV lot. 

We were right next to the swamp, complete with scary bellows, growls, squealing and screeches at night. During the day, hundreds of caterpillars fell from the trees in search of places to build cocoons. Many chose the nice grooves in the tire treads, only to be squished when we departed.

4/21-4/28/16 Ortona South Corps of Engineers Park, Moore Haven
A couple hundred miles south led us to a COE park on the Ortona Locks. It's half price for America the Beautiful passholders. The best deal for those age 62+ is to purchase a lifetime Senior Pass for only $10.  

We drove around Lake Okeechobee, but unfortunately due to the high levies surrounding it, we were unable to see just how vast it is. This is cattle, citrus and sugar cane country, and towns are small and appear impoverished. Due to the nature of the soil, it's commonly referred to as Muck City, inspiring a book of the same name.

4/28-5/9/16 Florida SKP Co-op, Wauchula
So far, we've been zigzagging through Central Florida, and here we are, 80 miles back up north. This is another SKP park, but it's a co-op, meaning members contribute to its upkeep and maintenance.  

Since many snowbirds had left before we arrived, we didn't get the real feel of the activities of the park that occur during winter. But, we fell in love with this park. We were welcomed and made to feel at home right from the start. Bob enjoyed the pool more than anything else. 

Very soon after arriving, we added our names to the waiting list for a RV site of our own. The wait is about 6-8 years, which may be perfect timing to coordinate with our full-time travels.

We met up with Denny and Diane, our pals from Amazon, again enjoying our favorite past time, eating!  We did, however, take a break from indulging by touring the Bok Gardens. The bell tower and grounds were impressive. 

5/9-5/14/16 Wilderness RV Campground, Silver Springs
Three hours north leads us to our current location. We enjoyed the glass bottom boat tour, and we made a stop at the Ocala National Forest for a National Park Passport stamp.  

Bob has a head cold that seems to have depleted his energy this week, so he's been laying low and just enjoying the pool. 

Tomorrow we leave for the Jacksonville area.

Boondocking and Horses

Looks like a little catching up on our travels is in order. 

On March 1, we traveled a couple hours from Livingston TX to our first Louisiana destination - Delta Downs Racetrack and Casino in Vinton LA. 

We spent the night in the parking lot for free, but somehow I paid by leaving a nice donation to their slot machines. 

We woke up at daybreak to the sound of hooves. We were parked right up against the fence of the track. What a great way to enjoy morning coffee and see the horses exercising. 

Next stop:

Breaux Bridge - Crawfish Capital of the World

We've packed in quite a lot since arriving in Louisiana. First was a three-night stay at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park (Henderson) in the southeastern part of the state. This area is surrounded by bayous with huge cypress trees.

Base of a cypress tree looks like an animal foot

We stretched our legs walking the trails, and saw egrets and ducks, but no gators.

It was our first opportunity to see the architecture of the area. Homes reflect the French and Spanish styles, which continues throughout SE Louisiana and into New Orleans.

Despite 

You are only young as you feel...or look

Last week we flew back to Seattle to visit our family and to meet our new 4-month old grandson. More about that in a minute.

We flew out of Hobby Airport in Houston. Keep your shoes on, simple security checkpoints. However, it was a slightly different experience when flying out of Seattle.  Lines and lines, multiple checkpoints, and this sign:

You can imagine how we felt when the TSA agent marked a red X on each of our tickets and said we wouldn't have to remove our shoes. We didn't quite make the age connection until the next checkpoint when we were asked if we had any artificial hips or knees.

This month marks the 40th anniversary when in a perfect alignment of the moon and stars that Cindy walked into Bob's life - literally. She and her roommate decided to check out the Golden Grommet, a neighborhood bar at 9th and Irving in San Francisco where Bob was working as a bartender. It was an immediate connection. On our first date, we celebrated Year of the Dragon in Chinatown on February 16, 1976.  

The rest is history: marriage, two wonderful daughters, now married themselves, and now our first grandson, Benjamin Robert.

We're now back in Texas, working on a very loose itinerary for the rest of 2016.  Looks like New Orleans is our first destination in March, and our plan is to keep moving forward without too many U-turns.

Sunny and 72

Spring has arrived in Deep East Texas. Daffodils and tulip trees are in bloom. 

Red and pink camellias, plus Texas-size Meyer lemons big as oranges

No more badges

For the past 20 years, Cindy has worn the KCSO photo ID keycard, and for even longer than that, Bob's had a nameplate or embroidered chef coat. Then the recent ones from Amazon and CARE...well, no more. We can choose to go about anonymously. Nice to know we have only ourselves to report to. 

It's our last volunteer day and we scurrying about trying to put everything away for travel. It's not far, though, as we're only moving a quarter mile to a spot in the park for February. 

The best part is that we're flying to the PNW to see our family, and especially our first grandbaby. We simply cannot wait. 

So in the meantime it's a laundry day. This is my companion for the afternoon.  Looks huge but he's only a little green gecko hiding behind the blinds in the laundry room.

It's About Time

Yes!  Time for our first official blog entry since we retired.  When was that?  Six months ago!  But the word "retired" has little meaning for us since we've worked nearly all that time. On February 1, just a few days from now, we will be official full-time RVers with nothing on the agenda but play until October. 

We began this adventure with the realization there was so much to do. This was the ultimate downsizing from an 1800 sf home filled with personal possessions (stuff), catering equipment from our business (more stuff), vehicles, furniture and whatever else wouldn't fit into a 34-ft fifth wheel trailer. 

We were ruthless; no sentimentality was present. It was particularly challenging since many, many toys, clothes, photos and school artwork, although neatly boxed up, had to find new homes. Our daughters received photos by text of childhood memorabilia, and it was their option to take or allow us to donate. 

Next step was selling the house. We had a great agent, and our home was sold in less than a week. Then the pace quickened: three garage sales, two great buyers for our catering supplies, many giveaways to family, and the rest donated to to the Salvation Army. 

The final step before purchasing the truck and RV was to formally retire. Bob did so in late May to work on the house and yard.  After 20 years with the King County Sheriff's Office, Cindy bid farewell on July 31.  We couldn't have asked for a better finish - we were treated to an all-night helicopter flight by the KCSO Air Support Unit.  

Our journey began in early September in La Grande, Oregon, to pick up our new trailer, then to California to visit family.  We sped through Arizona and New Mexico to arrive in Sanger, Texas by September 30 for our 3-month stint at Amazon.com as seasonal warehouse associates. 

Amazon badges

We are now in Deep East Texas, volunteering for the month of January at the Escapees CARE Center in Livingston.

More badges!

You see that we are indeed ready for some R&R.  We thoroughly love living in our 5th wheel trailer.  It has everything we need.  Although our home small, our backyard is coast to coast.