It’s Thursday, and We’re Still Here

I wanted to be warm this summer…..yes, I am warm.  Please understand, I am not complaining about the heat!  I wanted to be in a climate where I could get up in the morning, throw on a pair of flip flops,  shorts and a T-shirt and take the dogs for a walk without worrying about socks, shoes, sweaters, jackets, etc.  I have my wish.  I was looking at pictures from last summer at this time and I see I was wearing jeans, socks, hiking shoes, turtleneck sweaters, and a jacket.  I figure there will plenty of time this winter for those clothes. Meantime, I am enjoying the warm weather!

We’re making our way up the list here at Camp Red Bay.  It looks like we will be in a repair bay early next week, hopefully on Monday. 

Meanwhile, we spend our days doing the usual…a little sightseeing, cleaning, laundry, walking dogs, cooking or going out to eat, exercising, and so forth. Today I made a batch of “Sloppy Joes”, using a recipe I basically made up as I went along.  Sometimes, those turn out to be our best meals, sometimes, not so much.  This time, it worked out just perfectly!  As much as I’d like to eat at home every day, that is not practical, given our desire to be “out and about” at least part of the time.

We are also contemplating our route north to Elkhart, Indiana, where we will catch up with many of our friends who are also attending Nick Russell’s Gypsy Journal Rally and the Escapee Escapade right after that. When we start planning a route, we look at  several sources, including Microsoft Streets & Trips, Google Earth, and www.rvparkreviews.com to determine the best routes for us and where there are viable overnight stops along the way.  We also might consult the online Trailer Life Campground Directory, Passport America, Escapees Campground listing, www.recreation.gov for National Parks or Corps of Engineer Parks, and sometimes state directories online.  We also take note of where friends stay and what they say about a particular RV park.  Some of our favorite parks have been discovered that way.

We’ve been researching  a portable satellite dish for those times we want to stay in parks where there is not a “clear view of the southern sky”.  We found that Brannon, of Custom RV near Red Bay, had a portable dish in stock.  It’s the Winegard Carryout MP1 manual dish pictured here.  We now have that little dish and all the necessary connections and cables to use it just about anywhere.

Oh, yes, and  have you noticed  - it’s football season again.  I’ve basically waved “good-bye” to Jim for the duration, I’ll have him back sometime in February.  Since I’ll have plenty of time to myself during the games, I dug out my electronic keyboard and have started “plinking” around on it, just for fun.

We’re still enjoying life every day!