As you can see there was a crowd for the Kielbasa lunch. I was in the middle of the line. There were this many behind me. I think everyone in the park bought the lunch and why not it was a good price.
After the lunch they had the parade. It was a blast with all the different things the park people had. The town fire department had their fire truck,ambulance the sheriff's car and even had the police departments helicopter do a fly over a couple of times. This was very impressive being that this is an rv park. Someone in the park must have a lot of town pull.

Today we are going over to Zephyrhills to visit our friends Earl and Lena. They will be going back to Tennessee sometime in March. They work the summer months at Dollywood. It is always a good visit whenever we are with them.

Tampa Bay

9:45 am
Yesterday we went out to find new things. We ended up on the Courtney Causeway and did a lot of walking. While we there we couldn't but notice that this place had about 8 police cars lined up and 1 policeman was out by the highway with a radar gun. As he was seeing the speed of the oncoming cars. If any of them were going over the speed limit he would radio his fellow officers and they would give chase to the speeders. There would be 2 and 3 going at the same time. The city must have made a lot of money off of the speeders.

Here Nancy is setting on the rail enjoying the breeze as it comes across Tampa Bay. This was our first time here and we enjoyed the place and the area to walk in.
In an hour and a half I will go down to the clubhouse and pickup my Kielbasa sandwich.
After the dinner they are going to have the park parade.

We went to church yesterday with the sun shining and when we came out it had started to get cloudy. As the day went on the temps dropped a little. Early in the night the wind picked up and the wind was blowing that with some thunder I thought we were going to have a storm. All we had was a short heavy rain. That is better than a storm any day.
I didn't have many basketball games on saturday so,we got to walk some.
The ball games were on yesterday so that meant I was in front of the tv more on this sunday.
Today it is still very cloudy and is suppose to rain,that may mean going to the mall to walk.
Got to do our walking you know. The outside temp here at 9:57 am is 70 degrees.

We went back to the John R. Chestnut Park to walk yesterday. We took some trails that we had not been on before. Here is a boardwalk across the watery swamp area of the trail. As you walk this boardwalk the squirrels jump down on the handrails and go along with you begging for a handout. I was prepared for them with a bag of peanuts in my pocket. The little critters hardly give you time to set the nuts down. I thought that they were going to get the bag out of my pocket.
Besides the squirrels there are all kinds of birds to watch. Here a curious cardinal came around to see what was going on. Even though the temperature was 80 it was cool here around the lake. There was a nice cool breeze blowing off of the lake and this made the walking very pleasant.
We ended up with 6.8 miles of walking. That added to the 8 miles the day before,was two good days of walking.
As usual we have no set plans for the day. The only plan is that one of us might say"I would like to do or I would like to go" and off we do it.

Sam and Carolyn came bacck over today for another visit before they went back down to Punta Gorda. We talked a little and walked quite a bit around the park looking at the different park models here in the park. They seem to like this place that we are in. It is a nice park with friendly people.
We then did the washing of the clothes at the laundromat. On the way back to the motorhome I stopped and got a pizza in the CICI's Pizza Restaurant,boy it was good.
We don't have anything scheduled for today. This is what it is most of the time,we just let it happen and see what developes. We find that if we plan a bunch of stuff to do then we are looking at the clock and that takes away the enjoyment of what you are doing.
Even when we are on the road we never have a certain time to be in a certain place. This way if we see something that looks interesting we will stop and enjoy it for as long as we like. This is what is so great about fulltime rving. You are always at home wherever you may be.

Friends

Our friends Carolyn and Sam Opauski from West Virginia did come to see us. Here we are on the way to take a trail in Key Vista Park. We took the short trail out to look at the Gulf waters.
We also went out to Tarpon Lake to see some alligators,but they were hiding. Here Nancy and Carolyn are out on the boardwalk looking but not finding the gators. From there we headed
over to Tarpon Springs to have an early spaghetti dinner. We ate at the ABC Pizza Restaurant where they always give you more than you can eat. After that we came back to the motorhome for a nice time visiting and talking about everything.
We are so glad that they came. It was very enjoyable to be able to once again see Sam and Carolyn. They are really long time friends.

Well after spending half a day at the doctor office we finally got out. The results of Nancy's blood work were good except for her cholesterol. She will have to get on medication for that. She told the doctor about her hip hurting her almost all the time so he xrayed that and found out that she has a spur on her leg bone close to her hip. He gave her a shot of Cortizone to ease the pain. Also on looking at the xray we were surprised that at one point in her life that she has had an old fracture of the leg bone about 6 inches from the hip joint. We could see the crack in the bone. She doesn't know how that happened.

Our friends Sam and Carolyn Opauski from West Virginia are coming to see us today. They are visiting their son in Punta Gorda and thought they would drop by since they are so close.
We will run around with them and see what we can get into.

Doctors

Nancy and I have a doctor appointment today,so we may not be doing anything extra. Nancy will get the result of her blood work. I will see what he has to say about my being off of the Crestor for 2 months. The last time I told the doctor that I was feeling more tired than I should be so he says it could be the Crestor and it seems as though he may have been right. Because I have been feeling alot better with more strength. Now we will have to find a cholesterol medicine that will work.

Something Else

Thats the weather,it has been something else. This past week-end the temps have been near record lows. At least today it will get in the low 60's and then start being normal temps around 70. Nothing has been happening with us the past couple of days. I guess with the cold temps we may have the blahs. I had some good hot dogs to eat while I watched my ball games saturday. Nancy fixed home made chili to go on them. Yesterday she cooked some rigatoni and good sauce. So I've been eating more than I should.

Crews Lake Park

I looked on the internet this morning to see the Pasco County Parks and found this one that we had not visited before. So naturally we had to go check it out as we like to walk different trails in different parks. You never know what you might see.
For instance the many different shaped trees and the birds and other animals. For some reason we didn't see any squirrels in this park.
We came to the pier so we had to walk out to see what we might spot out there.
We were surprised when there was not much water in the lake. It looks as though at one time there had been a large lake here. Even though the water was low it was still nice looking out over the area.
Another nice place and another nice day walking. The sun was out nice and bright but,with the cool wind it was just right for walking in the woods.

Cold

Yes ,it was cold this morning. The temp was 32° . That is too cold for this far south in Florida.
We probably won't get out to much today. Well it is basketball game day for me so that ties up just about all day. We will get around to walking a little bit no doubt. The people here in the RV Park are all bundled up as they are walking around.

9:30am
We always keep seeing this commercial about a nice big market on television so yesterday I looked it up on the computer as to where it was located. They have several in the area close to us. So we went to check it out. It was nice and clean but you know advertising on tv. It was nothing special. The prices were good on some things and above to average on other.Today I have to get a hair cut. It is long over due. Nancy doesn't like it went my hair starts curling up on the end.

11:30am

This is the small barber shop where I get a hair cut. It is really a mom and pop shop. The mom is 85 years old and the pop is close to 90. The son which is 62 cuts the hair on week-ends.
On the way back from the barber shop here is 2 adobe type houses. The houses in Florida are painted all kinds of color. For some reason the colors are not out of place. Its just something you expect to see down here.

Longing for the Road

We've been here since November,7 and it is getting real old. The road is beckoning more than ever. But with the doctor appointments that Nancy and I have we will have to stay on and grit it out. This is a nice area that any normal person would enjoy but,no one ever said I was normal. I am happiest when I'm going down the road and seeing new scenery. The fulltime adventure gets in your blood. I know everyone is not this way. The people that are can understand what I'm talking about. The thought of whats over the next mountain or around the next curve,theres no other feeling like it. Nancy says to enjoy the time at hand and I will be on the road soon. Its not that I don't enjoy it here,which I do. Well each day is a new day so enjoy that you are alive.

Valentine Day

Its that day of hearts and candy. Yes its Valentine Day,when you give your sweetie gifts.I never can understand how the ladies on all these special days gets gifts. Oh the men have birthdays,fathers day and Christmas. It is amazing how the merchants talk up and advertises these days. If you don't get a gift then its shame on you. Oh well that how the world is.


Nancy and I did go out to Barnhills to have lunch today. I think she did enjoy it and so did I.
I'm like the rest of the guys I guess. I got her a card and a small box of candy. She was surprised,she didn't think I had gotten her anything.

We had to get up a little early today because Nancy has to get some blood work done. She doesn't like that to much cause it will be late for her breakfast.
It took a little longer than usual to do the work. That was because we've changed insurance and the receptionist had to call our new insurance to make sure they will pay,which they did.
After she got through it was 12 noon so we went to Perkins and had a breakfast which was delicious.
It doesn't look like we will do anything today. We are having storms,with the thunder and lightning. A nasty cool day for today.

Feeling Better

10:45
I'm feeling better today. Even a fulltime Rv'er feels bad sometimes. Thats one thing no matter if you travel or not things just happen. I'll have to say though most of the time people that travel in a recreational vechile feels good. There's just something about being on the road that makes you feel better. I don't know what we will get into today,we'll just have to let it happen.

Feeling Rotten

Yesterday was a nice day in the morning, then as the day went on it started getting cooler and cooler. The temp in the morning was 70* and by 5:00 it was down to 60*. That along with me not feeling to good was a rotten day. I think I've got a kidney stone trying its best to come out. I've had plenty of the kidney stones some come without any trouble and then comes this one that doesn't want to turn loose. I've not been able to sleep much the last 2 nights so that makes the days not so good. Nothing to do but wait for it to do its thing and me taking something for the pain.

Wash the car

Time to clean the car. First I vacuumed out the inside and then washed and dryed the outside. The car never really gets dirty like it did back in West Virginia but it just gets real dusty.
Today is basketball game day again. The weeks sure go by fast. The weather is nice and warm for a change. It will stay that way for a few days and then turn cool again. We can't complain though. At least we don't have to shovel the snow.

Nothing much happened yesterday. I noticed the vent cap on top of the motorhome was broken so we went out and got a new one. I was hoping to get just the top so I could just put it on. No such luck. I've got to put a whole new part on. This means taking the screws out pulling it off scraping the caulking off and putting the new one on and recaulking. We did go to WalMart for a few things.
Today is wash day again. So to the laundromat again. Hope I get time to put the vent cap on,if not I'll have to get it before it rains.

Finding campground

Yesterday afternoon we went up to Brooksville to check out a campground that I had read about. It is a wildlife recreation area so I tought it might be nice to see and maybe walk around in once we got there. Was I wrong about the way I thought it would be. We took a road out about 4 miles and then it turned into a dirt road. Finally we came to the park or what was supped to be a park. It was really rustic and so far out on the dirt road that I said forget about this one. OK now I know what it is about. Often times we dream of the things we read about and we just have to check them out. Sometimes they are what you think they will be and sometimes they are not so good.


After that experince I say while we are up here we may as well drive out to Pine Island Park. On the way I saw this small car with the steering wheel on the right side. When I was younger there were a bunch of these type cars around. In 1969 I bought a small one from a Chrysler dealership. It was a Simca, water cooled rear engine that got 35 miles to the gallon.
There was a guy that sold State Farm Insurance that had one that had 3 wheels and the one single rear wheel was the steering. The whole front end opened up,the windsheild and the steering and all attached to this large door.
So off the main road and out the 2 lane road we went for 6 miles. A nice drive with the marsh water on both sides of the road. Every so often we came upon someone beside the road fishing.
Then we came to the park on the gulf. This is a nice little park that has a lot of people visiting and kids playing in the water. It has a swimming beach. Even though the water is cold this time of year you still get some that are brave enough to go in. There is a snack bar here that serves burgers and the usual food things for this kind of quick prepared food.
Another nice day in the life of a fulltime rver.

Tarpon Lake

We did most of our walking yesterday down in the John R, Chestnut Park by Tarpon Lake.
We always have a good walk here with a lot of trails to take. The walk takes you over wooden bridges and ramps over the lush swamps. It feels as though you are out in a wilderness,with the swamp and thick trees,fern plants on the forest floor.


We walked out on a small pier that sticks out over the lake and saw all these small ducks floating on the water. They were fun to watch as they would go under the water for food and come up quacking their little heads off.
Here Nancy seems to be lost in deep thought. This is only one section that has a beauty of its own. The two picnic tables are on a small strip of land with the swamp all around it. You can't cool off in the water because of the alligators.
Here are some stump of trees in the swamp water. The water is clear and so still that it looks like a mirror. As you walk the trails there is beauty all around you and the squirrels come so close and seem to be begging for a handout. The water has small fish in it that you can watch swimming.
As we were coming back home we saw this Direct TV van being towed in. Notice the ladder on top that has opene up. Another good day in the sunshine of Florida.

Still Cool

10:10am
It is still cool weather here in the Orchid Lake RV Park in New Port Richey,Florida. We are located 25 miles north of Tampa and you would think that it should be a little warmer than that.
This morning at 7:30 the temp was 37*. Oh well it will warm up soon.
Nancy got her hair cut yesterday and it seems like she finally got a pretty fair cut. Thats the one thing about fulltime rving is that you can't go to the same beautician or barber. It is a hit and miss deal. Sometimes good and sometime not to good. After her hair cut we went to the mall and did some walking. We walked past a couple of the stores and got a whiff of some kind of perfume or colon that really got to us. I don't know what it was but if somebody wears that stuff I pity the people around them. How can anybody splash that stuff on.
After the we left the mall we stopped in Big Lots for a few things. I got a table for the outside patio that I will be able to carry in the motorhome bay when we pull out of here.From Big Lots we where of to the Webbs 99 cent store. We got a few things in there and by that time it was 5:45pm so on the way back I stopped in Domino's Pizza and got a $5.00 pizza and some bread sticks to take home. I know I'm not suppose to eat that stuff but it sure taste good,yummy.

10:40am
The Super Bowl is over and the Colts have won. I guess just about everyone was hoping they would. You know some of those days that you don't really feel like eating out and having a large pate of food. Well yesterday was one of those days for me. I just felt like eating a burger and fries. I know its not the best thing for me,but I just needed a burger fix. Boy and did it taste good. Wendy's Hamburger is across the main road so it was quick. I left the motorhome,bought my burgers and was back in 20 minutes.
Nancy informed me that she has to get her hair cut today so thats the big thing on the schedule for today.

Super Bowl Time

It is nice and sunny here in New Port Richey,Florida. Its just going to be in the low 60's today.
Well it is Super Bowl time again. The weather in Miami is suppose to be rain. I don't know which team that will help or hurt. The Colts and the Bears both are good teams. Looks like just about everyone is picking the Colts to win. They say it is Peyton Mannings time to win. All I know is the best prepared team at game time will win. I have often heard that the best team sometimes lose. Now how can that be? If they are the best team aren't they suppose to win.
Get your chips and did or hot wings or whatever your favorite snack is and enjoy. I'm sure it will be a great game.

The weather is still rough here. There was a strong line of showers that went through this morning. Not as bad as yesterday,but still a lot of rain. It is going to linger on for most of the day.
We went back up to the flea market yesterday. Nancy had to pick up some Avon stuff for Lena that she ordered last week-end. Nancy also bought her a beach bag,hand towels and night gown. I bought a couple of files. I got a half round and a square file. I need these to file down the parts for the ay doors when I saw them out. The original parts are made out of some cheap metal that break. I made the new ones out of flat aluminum that hold up quite well. This is better and cheaper than buying the whole lock assembly new.
Don't think we will get into much today as it is saturday and I just don't like to get out on weekends.

Weather-Storms

The weather people were right on it this time. We had thunderstorms and strong winds last night. We could feel the motorhome rocking about all night long. Even though we had quite a bit of rain in our area we didn't have any damage from the results. Just north of us in Lady Lake a tornado touched down and did some bad damage to houses and turned over cars. The worse part was there was 14 people that was killed as a result of the storm. This is not the worst storm we have in. We were in a heavy storm in Mississppi and one in South Carolina as being the two bad ones. Of course we can't keep up with the small ones.

It is warm today. It is now 74* at 11:05am,windy and part cloudy. The weather man says we can expect showers and thunder storms. Maybe some heavy winds with a possibility of a tornado. Now I tell you we can do without a tornado. Just in case I let my awning up. Once you have had you awning destroyed by wind you get cautious.

We did go out to do the laundy yesterday. You can only put it off for so long. Nancy uses 3---4 washers so its not too time consuming that way.

The gas prices are slowly coming down in this area. It has fallen 20 cents from November7 when we pulled in. I as many other people can not figure why when the price of oil goes up the prices at the pump go up fast. Yet when the price of oil falls the price at the pump takes forever to come down. Also how fast these stations are on top of the news when a ship or truck spills a little oil the price at the pumps jump up.
After the laundry was finished and we took the clothes home. We went out to the China Buffet.
I really over did it with the eating and I'm paying the price this morning. Now its not that I don't know any better,but there is just something at a buffet that makes you want to keep going back and filling your plate. Maybe its seeing all that food and knowing its not going to cost any more to go back and go back and go back you know what I mean.