DeBary, FL.
69 deg. clear no wind.
Forecast = Mainly sunny. High 89F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph.
Jim started his Opdivo treatments Friday and so far, the side effects have not been too bad. He's been having some aching in his legs, a slight headache at times and some fatigue which may be from the radiation or the Opdivo. (Probably both)
He's half way through his radiation treatments now. and the last one will be the day after Memorial Day.
Laura and Lindsey have been meeting Jim and Linda out at the CG where Nora was parked to help clean her out. It's amazing how much "stuff" you can accumulate in such a small space! :-) Then, on Saturday, Jim and Linda took Big RED out to the CG, hooked Nora up to the back of him and took her all the way down to Palm Beach where Lindsey and Laura had made a deal on a brand new 19' travel trailer. It was about 185 miles down there, so it ended up being a long day of driving for Jim.
Even though Jim and Linda just dropped Nora off at Palm Beach and then came right back, it took them about 7 hours which included a stop for "brunch" at a Bob Evans Restaurant on the way back.
So, , , , , for the first time in almost 30 years, Jim and Linda don't have an RV. How do they feel about that, You ask???? Well there's mixed emotions. It was hard to drive away from that dealer's lot, down in Palm Beach, but in a way, it felt good to not have to worry about Nora sitting at the CG for months at a time without anyone really looking after her.
But, it was time. Neither Jim or Linda can see the time when we'll be traveling near as much as we have, even in the past few years, so having an RV for such limited travel just didn't make sense. Jim figures that the money saved by not having to pay CG fees, insurance and license fees alone, will more than make up for the Motel/Hotel fees we'll have to pay for our limited travels.
What are our plans for this summer? Well, they're all on hold for now. When Jim's done with his treatments, (sometime in July), and he has a scan, we'll find out what travel plans can be made. Jim and Linda would really like to get up to Illinois to see doctors, family and friends and they really would like to get up to N. Carolina and Virginia to see Mike and Joe and their families, but only time will tell if that's going to be possible.
A Quote to Ponder; Dream the impossible dream, Fight the unbeatable foe, Strive with your last ounce of courage, to reach the unreachable star.
Joe Darion
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Travel Trailer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel Trailer. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Monday, June 13, 2016
And, We're Off!!!!
Chiefland, FL.
88 deg. partly cloudy, N. breeze @ 3 mph.
Forecast Tuesday = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 92F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Yep!!! We're finally back on the road!!! ;-) We pulled out of the Paradise Lakes CG about 9:40 and after following some local roads headed North on US 17, up to Barberville, where we turned West on Rt. 40. We followed 40 over to near Ocala and then took Rt. 326 to the North and West to avoid the city traffic. 326 took us over to US 27 where we turned NW and followed it over here to Chiefland.
It was right at 12:30 so we were on the road for 2 hours and 50 minutes and had traveled 131 miles when we pulled into the Chiefland RV Park which is just a little North of the junction of US 27A and US 19. It's a Passport America Park, so we're staying here for 1/2 price. It's nothing fancy but for $15 a night, what can you expect?
Jim was really tired by the time he had Nora hooked up to the back of Big RED this morning, but the drive over here was un-eventfull so the trip over here wasn't too bad. When we arrived here, (after registering), we pulled into our site, which was level enough. Jim hooked up the electric cable, ran the tongue jack down, ran the 4 stabilizing jacks down with his DeWalt drill, came inside, put out the slide, and sat down and had a cold one. ;-)
He had dumped the black and gray water tanks back at Paradise Lakes and filled the fresh water tank before we left, so he didn't need to hook up sewer hoses or the water hose.
Jim was tired by the time he had finished, but he was able to do what needed to be done. We probably won't be setting any speed records getting up to Rantoul though. :-)
Oh, by the way!!! I almost forgot to tell you, Jim and Linda had a great time over at Mar and Inez's house Sunday evening, celebrating Laura's Birthday!!! They had tacos and birthday cake with ice cream. And of course, everybody sang "Happy Birthday" to Laura!!! :-)
Happy Birthday Laura!!!! And we hope you have many, many, more!!!!!
Did you know that on this date in 1920 - The U.S. Post Office Department ruled that children may not be sent by parcel post?
Woof!!!
88 deg. partly cloudy, N. breeze @ 3 mph.
Forecast Tuesday = Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 92F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Yep!!! We're finally back on the road!!! ;-) We pulled out of the Paradise Lakes CG about 9:40 and after following some local roads headed North on US 17, up to Barberville, where we turned West on Rt. 40. We followed 40 over to near Ocala and then took Rt. 326 to the North and West to avoid the city traffic. 326 took us over to US 27 where we turned NW and followed it over here to Chiefland.
It was right at 12:30 so we were on the road for 2 hours and 50 minutes and had traveled 131 miles when we pulled into the Chiefland RV Park which is just a little North of the junction of US 27A and US 19. It's a Passport America Park, so we're staying here for 1/2 price. It's nothing fancy but for $15 a night, what can you expect?
Jim was really tired by the time he had Nora hooked up to the back of Big RED this morning, but the drive over here was un-eventfull so the trip over here wasn't too bad. When we arrived here, (after registering), we pulled into our site, which was level enough. Jim hooked up the electric cable, ran the tongue jack down, ran the 4 stabilizing jacks down with his DeWalt drill, came inside, put out the slide, and sat down and had a cold one. ;-)
He had dumped the black and gray water tanks back at Paradise Lakes and filled the fresh water tank before we left, so he didn't need to hook up sewer hoses or the water hose.
Jim was tired by the time he had finished, but he was able to do what needed to be done. We probably won't be setting any speed records getting up to Rantoul though. :-)
Oh, by the way!!! I almost forgot to tell you, Jim and Linda had a great time over at Mar and Inez's house Sunday evening, celebrating Laura's Birthday!!! They had tacos and birthday cake with ice cream. And of course, everybody sang "Happy Birthday" to Laura!!! :-)
Happy Birthday Laura!!!! And we hope you have many, many, more!!!!!
Did you know that on this date in 1920 - The U.S. Post Office Department ruled that children may not be sent by parcel post?
Woof!!!
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Side Effects and Yet Another Doctor Visit With Not-So-Good News, but, A Very Nice Mother's Day
DeBary, FL.
80 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast tonight = Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Nothing much happened last week. Jim continues to have muscle/joint pain, especially at night when he's trying to sleep. He's usually up a couple hours every night and that really messes up his sleep pattern. :-(
Friday, Lila took Jim and Linda up to DeLand where Jim had a blood test and a "visit" with Dr. Saferali. The blood test looked good so there's no problem there, but Dr. Saferali didn't agree with Dr. Graham's analysis of the PET Scan that Jim had on the 26th of April. She said that she thinks that Jim should have another scan in 3 to 4 months, rather than wait until November. :-(
That, really throws a wrench on any plans to travel this summer!!!!
She said that she didn't like the hazy section in the scan and wants to make sure that the cancer has not spread to that area. Jim and Linda explained to her that Dr. Graham thought it was just scaring from the radiation treatments, so she said that she would talk to Dr. Graham about it.
She also prescribed some new medication that she thinks will help the pain that Jim is experiencing and set up an appointment for him to come back for another "visit" on the 20th of this month.
Now, even if she agrees with Dr. Graham's diagnosis after talking to him, and she says that another scan is not needed until November, that only leaves about 3 weeks for us to get ready to hit the road if we want to leave here on the 13th of June. 3 weeks may seem like a long time, but Jim's energy/endurance is definitely not up to par, and we're getting into the "summer season" here in Florida and very shortly, the temperatures will be in the 90's every day with the humidity percentages
right up there too, which will make getting the trailer ready and all the "stuff" hauled out there very difficult. Jim and Linda could start taking "stuff" out to the trailer now, but if we can't go this summer, it would all have to be brought back here to the house.
So, , , , , we wait!!! I don't know what's going to happen. Needless to say, Jim isn't in a very good mood about this and has already said that "we might as well just plan on staying here all summer"!!!! :-(
On and lighter note, I hope all you Mom's out there had a great day today. Lila took Linda and Jim up to DeLand today where they had lunch with Marv and Inez, Ashley, Anna, Laura and Lindsey and 2 of Lindsey's brothers. It was a very nice visit with all of them and I think Linda had a very nice time. ;-)
A Quote to Ponder : “Expect nothing and accept everything and you will never be disappointed.”
– Laurence Overmire
Woof!!!
80 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast tonight = Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Nothing much happened last week. Jim continues to have muscle/joint pain, especially at night when he's trying to sleep. He's usually up a couple hours every night and that really messes up his sleep pattern. :-(
Friday, Lila took Jim and Linda up to DeLand where Jim had a blood test and a "visit" with Dr. Saferali. The blood test looked good so there's no problem there, but Dr. Saferali didn't agree with Dr. Graham's analysis of the PET Scan that Jim had on the 26th of April. She said that she thinks that Jim should have another scan in 3 to 4 months, rather than wait until November. :-(
That, really throws a wrench on any plans to travel this summer!!!!
She said that she didn't like the hazy section in the scan and wants to make sure that the cancer has not spread to that area. Jim and Linda explained to her that Dr. Graham thought it was just scaring from the radiation treatments, so she said that she would talk to Dr. Graham about it.
She also prescribed some new medication that she thinks will help the pain that Jim is experiencing and set up an appointment for him to come back for another "visit" on the 20th of this month.
Now, even if she agrees with Dr. Graham's diagnosis after talking to him, and she says that another scan is not needed until November, that only leaves about 3 weeks for us to get ready to hit the road if we want to leave here on the 13th of June. 3 weeks may seem like a long time, but Jim's energy/endurance is definitely not up to par, and we're getting into the "summer season" here in Florida and very shortly, the temperatures will be in the 90's every day with the humidity percentages
right up there too, which will make getting the trailer ready and all the "stuff" hauled out there very difficult. Jim and Linda could start taking "stuff" out to the trailer now, but if we can't go this summer, it would all have to be brought back here to the house.
So, , , , , we wait!!! I don't know what's going to happen. Needless to say, Jim isn't in a very good mood about this and has already said that "we might as well just plan on staying here all summer"!!!! :-(
On and lighter note, I hope all you Mom's out there had a great day today. Lila took Linda and Jim up to DeLand today where they had lunch with Marv and Inez, Ashley, Anna, Laura and Lindsey and 2 of Lindsey's brothers. It was a very nice visit with all of them and I think Linda had a very nice time. ;-)
A Quote to Ponder : “Expect nothing and accept everything and you will never be disappointed.”
– Laurence Overmire
Woof!!!
Saturday, April 16, 2016
The Roughest Week Yet and A Secret
DeBary FL.
69 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Windy with thunderstorms. High 77F. Winds ENE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
The injection with the "on body injector", went off without a hitch and by about 7:15 Saturday evening, the little machine was beeping and beeping, letting Jim know that the injection of the Newlasta drug was complete.
Sunday wasn't too bad, but by evening, Jim's bones and muscles were starting to ache so he took a couple over-counter pain meds before he retired for the day. By 2:00 AM he was up taking more which didn't really have any effect.
He struggled through the day on Sunday, and before heading to bed took a prescription pain medication that the Chemo Dr. ,(Dr. Saferali), had prescribed for him when he started the chemo therapy, It helped and Jim slept pretty much throughout the night and well into the morning. (This med also makes you sleepy).
And, so it went, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Lots of pain during the day, even with over-the-counter medications and restless sleep under the influence of prescription drugs at night. :-( Jim was able to sleep some during the days, (probably from the lasting effects of the night medication), so he was able get some rest.
But during these days, Jim was not able to do anything. It hurt to walk, sit, or do just about anything else he could think of and when yesterday, (Friday) rolled around, he was very happy to realize that his pain was no longer near as bad. :-) It's a good thing too because he needed to go back to see Dr. Saferali to get a blood test and have a "visit" (as they call it), with her.
Dr. Saferali looked at the results of the blood test and was satisfied that although all the counts were not in the the normal range, was sure they were moving in the right direction and thought that within another week, should be getting back to normal. :-)
So, now starts the recovery and then the "dreaded" PET Scan on the 26th and "nerve wrenching" Doctor's visit with Dr. Graham on the 27th of April to get the results of the scan.
Oh, one other thing!!!! Dr. Saferali asked Jim and Linda what their travel plans were for this summer and was wondering when they were thinking about heading North!! (She's well aware of our travels ever since treating Linda back in 2013). Jim told her that he din't have any definite plans and she said that as far as she was concerned, it was all dependent on how Jim felt and how fast he could recover!!! :-)
Now, don't tell Jim I leaked this information, but Jim told Dr. Saferali that if it was at all possible, he and Linda were looking at the 13th of June as our departure date to head North for the summer!!!! ( The rent for the lot over at Paradise Lakes RV Park comes due on the 13th). Well, she said that unless the PET Scan showed something that she didn't expect to show up, she didn't see why that date shouldn't be possible. She really expects Jim to be recovered enough to do what is necessary with the trailer by that time!!!! ;-)
Now, remember!!!!!! Don't tell Jim I told you this!!!! He doesn't want anyone to get their hopes up too high yet!!!!
Did you know on this in 1900 - The first book of postage stamps was issued? The two-cent stamps were available in books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.
Woof!!!
69 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Windy with thunderstorms. High 77F. Winds ENE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
The injection with the "on body injector", went off without a hitch and by about 7:15 Saturday evening, the little machine was beeping and beeping, letting Jim know that the injection of the Newlasta drug was complete.
Sunday wasn't too bad, but by evening, Jim's bones and muscles were starting to ache so he took a couple over-counter pain meds before he retired for the day. By 2:00 AM he was up taking more which didn't really have any effect.
He struggled through the day on Sunday, and before heading to bed took a prescription pain medication that the Chemo Dr. ,(Dr. Saferali), had prescribed for him when he started the chemo therapy, It helped and Jim slept pretty much throughout the night and well into the morning. (This med also makes you sleepy).
And, so it went, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Lots of pain during the day, even with over-the-counter medications and restless sleep under the influence of prescription drugs at night. :-( Jim was able to sleep some during the days, (probably from the lasting effects of the night medication), so he was able get some rest.
But during these days, Jim was not able to do anything. It hurt to walk, sit, or do just about anything else he could think of and when yesterday, (Friday) rolled around, he was very happy to realize that his pain was no longer near as bad. :-) It's a good thing too because he needed to go back to see Dr. Saferali to get a blood test and have a "visit" (as they call it), with her.
Dr. Saferali looked at the results of the blood test and was satisfied that although all the counts were not in the the normal range, was sure they were moving in the right direction and thought that within another week, should be getting back to normal. :-)
So, now starts the recovery and then the "dreaded" PET Scan on the 26th and "nerve wrenching" Doctor's visit with Dr. Graham on the 27th of April to get the results of the scan.
Oh, one other thing!!!! Dr. Saferali asked Jim and Linda what their travel plans were for this summer and was wondering when they were thinking about heading North!! (She's well aware of our travels ever since treating Linda back in 2013). Jim told her that he din't have any definite plans and she said that as far as she was concerned, it was all dependent on how Jim felt and how fast he could recover!!! :-)
Now, don't tell Jim I leaked this information, but Jim told Dr. Saferali that if it was at all possible, he and Linda were looking at the 13th of June as our departure date to head North for the summer!!!! ( The rent for the lot over at Paradise Lakes RV Park comes due on the 13th). Well, she said that unless the PET Scan showed something that she didn't expect to show up, she didn't see why that date shouldn't be possible. She really expects Jim to be recovered enough to do what is necessary with the trailer by that time!!!! ;-)
Now, remember!!!!!! Don't tell Jim I told you this!!!! He doesn't want anyone to get their hopes up too high yet!!!!
Did you know on this in 1900 - The first book of postage stamps was issued? The two-cent stamps were available in books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.
Woof!!!
Sunday, November 15, 2015
GA To FL and Back Home To DeBary
DeBary, FL
60 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 78F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.
We left the Parkwood RV Park in Statesboro, GA about 9:45 Thursday morning and headed South, down into Florida on US 301. The roads were good and by 12:30 we sitting in front of the office at Kelly's Countryside RV park which is just North of Callahan, FL. We had traveled 142 miles and it took us right at 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Our main reason for staying here was so that Jim and Linda could meet grand daughters, Ashley and Anna, (and Ashley's friend, Chris), for dinner at the Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Callahan for dinner.
Phone calls were made, plans were made and by 6:30 pm, they were all enjoying nice meals and lots of good conversation. ;-)
Friday morning, we left Kelly's at 9:25 and continued Southeast on US 23 down to I-295, which took us around the West side of Jacksonville. When we got down to the South side of the city, we turned South on US 17 and brought it all the way down to Orange City, where we turned off of 17 on local roads and took them to the Paradise Lakes Travel Trailer Park in Deltona, FL.
It was 12;35 when we pulled into the park and we had traveled 154 miles in 3 hours and 10 minutes.
Once Nora was parked, leveled and hooked up to the electric, Linda called Laura and Lindsey to tell them we were on our way over to the double wide house. We met them there and they helped un-pack Big RED and then followed us back to the RV Park, where Laura, Lindsey, Linda and Jim, (and Anna who had driven down to DeBary for the weekend), started unloading most of the "stuff" out of Nora and packing it into Big RED and Laura's car.
By about 5:00 most everything had been brought into the house and a pizza was ordered. After eating, Laura, Lindsey and Anna headed home and Jim and Linda just kind of collapsed after a long day.
Yesterday was spent putting things away and resting. Jim took a long nap in the afternoon and Linda worked on some of her "Family Tree" stuff to relax. Today Jim and Linda need to go back to the RV Park to get some more "stuff" out of Nora. There's not a real lot over there that they'll be bringing back here to the house, but some of it is important for daily use.
All in all, we had a very good trip this summer. If I get a chance, I'm going to figure out how many miles we traveled and some other statistics and post them here. I don't know when that will be though as from now on, there won't be a whole lot to post about as we all go about our daily lives, living in a house.
Did you know that today is "National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day"?
Woof!!!!
60 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 78F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.
We left the Parkwood RV Park in Statesboro, GA about 9:45 Thursday morning and headed South, down into Florida on US 301. The roads were good and by 12:30 we sitting in front of the office at Kelly's Countryside RV park which is just North of Callahan, FL. We had traveled 142 miles and it took us right at 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Our main reason for staying here was so that Jim and Linda could meet grand daughters, Ashley and Anna, (and Ashley's friend, Chris), for dinner at the Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Callahan for dinner.
Phone calls were made, plans were made and by 6:30 pm, they were all enjoying nice meals and lots of good conversation. ;-)
Friday morning, we left Kelly's at 9:25 and continued Southeast on US 23 down to I-295, which took us around the West side of Jacksonville. When we got down to the South side of the city, we turned South on US 17 and brought it all the way down to Orange City, where we turned off of 17 on local roads and took them to the Paradise Lakes Travel Trailer Park in Deltona, FL.
It was 12;35 when we pulled into the park and we had traveled 154 miles in 3 hours and 10 minutes.
Once Nora was parked, leveled and hooked up to the electric, Linda called Laura and Lindsey to tell them we were on our way over to the double wide house. We met them there and they helped un-pack Big RED and then followed us back to the RV Park, where Laura, Lindsey, Linda and Jim, (and Anna who had driven down to DeBary for the weekend), started unloading most of the "stuff" out of Nora and packing it into Big RED and Laura's car.
By about 5:00 most everything had been brought into the house and a pizza was ordered. After eating, Laura, Lindsey and Anna headed home and Jim and Linda just kind of collapsed after a long day.
Yesterday was spent putting things away and resting. Jim took a long nap in the afternoon and Linda worked on some of her "Family Tree" stuff to relax. Today Jim and Linda need to go back to the RV Park to get some more "stuff" out of Nora. There's not a real lot over there that they'll be bringing back here to the house, but some of it is important for daily use.
All in all, we had a very good trip this summer. If I get a chance, I'm going to figure out how many miles we traveled and some other statistics and post them here. I don't know when that will be though as from now on, there won't be a whole lot to post about as we all go about our daily lives, living in a house.
Did you know that today is "National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day"?
Woof!!!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Wisconsin To Illinois and A Scrambled Mess
Utica, IL.
70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Fox Hill CG near Baraboo, WI. about 9:50 and headed South on US 12. This time, instead of turning off on Rt 19 or one of the other roads heading over to the Interstate, we stayed on 12 all the way down to Madison, WI, where we picked up US 14, and followed it South and East down to Janesville, WI. At Janesville, we again turned South on the Interstate and followed it down and around Rockford and down to Utica and the Hickory Hollow CG, (the same CG we stayed at on our way up North).
As we were coning around Rockford we hit a huge bump in the road and I thought it was going to send us airborne. Then, as we came from Rockford down here to Utica, we hit a construction zone where they were laying down new blacktop pavement. At one of the bridges, we hit another big hump in the road, and again, it almost sent us airborne.
It was one of these, (or maybe a combination of both), that did some real scrambling of many things inside of Nora. When we arrived at the CG here in Utica and Jim opened the door, he saw the mess!!! One of the chairs had moved in front of the door and the table lamp that was packed onto the other chair with a blanket, had fallen off of the chair and was laying on the floor with it's glass shade in pieces!! Pillows were off of the couch and the contents in almost every cabinet were scrambled and tried to fall out when the doors were opened.
Needless to say, Linda, and especially Jim were not happy campers!!! :-( We've had had that lamp since before we started full-timing in 2001 and nothing had ever happened to it before. Jim said that he wasn't so sure that a travel trailer was such a good idea, as the Motor Homes we've had rode much smoother than the trailer!!!
I didn't quote that last sentence cause Jim didn't say it nearly that nice!
So, after picking up and sweeping up glass, we finally got settled in for the night. Today, we'll be leaving here and heading down to Rantoul, where we'll stay until around the end of September,
Oh, it was 1:45 when we pulled into the CG, so it took us about 3 hours and 55 minutes to travel the 190 miles down here, and that included a fuel stop for Big RED at the Love's Truck Stop at the intersection of the road that leads here to the CG.
Did you know that more People use blue toothbrushes then red ones?
Woof!!!
70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Fox Hill CG near Baraboo, WI. about 9:50 and headed South on US 12. This time, instead of turning off on Rt 19 or one of the other roads heading over to the Interstate, we stayed on 12 all the way down to Madison, WI, where we picked up US 14, and followed it South and East down to Janesville, WI. At Janesville, we again turned South on the Interstate and followed it down and around Rockford and down to Utica and the Hickory Hollow CG, (the same CG we stayed at on our way up North).
As we were coning around Rockford we hit a huge bump in the road and I thought it was going to send us airborne. Then, as we came from Rockford down here to Utica, we hit a construction zone where they were laying down new blacktop pavement. At one of the bridges, we hit another big hump in the road, and again, it almost sent us airborne.
It was one of these, (or maybe a combination of both), that did some real scrambling of many things inside of Nora. When we arrived at the CG here in Utica and Jim opened the door, he saw the mess!!! One of the chairs had moved in front of the door and the table lamp that was packed onto the other chair with a blanket, had fallen off of the chair and was laying on the floor with it's glass shade in pieces!! Pillows were off of the couch and the contents in almost every cabinet were scrambled and tried to fall out when the doors were opened.
Needless to say, Linda, and especially Jim were not happy campers!!! :-( We've had had that lamp since before we started full-timing in 2001 and nothing had ever happened to it before. Jim said that he wasn't so sure that a travel trailer was such a good idea, as the Motor Homes we've had rode much smoother than the trailer!!!
I didn't quote that last sentence cause Jim didn't say it nearly that nice!
So, after picking up and sweeping up glass, we finally got settled in for the night. Today, we'll be leaving here and heading down to Rantoul, where we'll stay until around the end of September,
Oh, it was 1:45 when we pulled into the CG, so it took us about 3 hours and 55 minutes to travel the 190 miles down here, and that included a fuel stop for Big RED at the Love's Truck Stop at the intersection of the road that leads here to the CG.
Did you know that more People use blue toothbrushes then red ones?
Woof!!!
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Another Week, A Little Excitement and Plans Being Made
Rantoul, IL.
67 deg. Overcast, NE wind @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 81F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
Well, another week has gone by since my last post. Again, not much to write about, so I didn't.
We had a little excitement this last weekend. While Jim was using this computer, all of a sudden he got an e-mail saying that all of our gigabytes for the month had been used up and that they were adding an additional gigabyte, (at a cost) so that our service would not be interrupted.
Just 30 minutes before that, Jim had noticed that we still had almost 3 gigabytes left, (plenty for normal use for the rest of the time period), so something used 3 GB in less than 30 minutes!!!
Well, to make a long story short, after calling the Florida PC Doctor who had set this computer up originally and has a way to access the computer from Florida, (with Jim's permission). scanned the hard drive and checked for viruses and malware. He decided that evidently a large update had automatically downloaded and that's what caused the whole problem.
He cleaned up the hard drive, changed the settings so that wouldn't happen again, and now, we're good to go again! :-)
Whew!!! Didn't need a computer problem right now!!!
Jim and Linda have been making plans to head up to Wisconsin later on this month. Linda's brother, Glenn, and his family are getting together at a resort about 50 miles North of the Wisconsin Dells and we're planning on heading up there to see them.
Kind of like a little "Family Reunion".
We'll stay at a CG up there and then Jim and Linda will go to the resort during the days to visit with them. Being that we'll still be in the peak tourist season at that time, Jim has made a reservation at a park near where they'll be staying so that we're sure to have a site.
Ever since we've left Florida, there has been a tire on Nora, that has been losing air. Not much, but it's been bothering Jim because he felt that something just wasn't right. Well, one day he crawled under the trailer to look at the back side of the tire and he did not like what he found. :-( It seems, although this is a new trailer as of 2014, and we've never had a flat tire, there is a plug in the tire on the inside of the tread area. :-(
So, , , , , , Jim called a tire place which is North of here in Ashkum, IL. (that we've had dealings with before), asked if they had a replacement tire if necessary, and made an appointment to head up there on the day we'll be leaving here to head to Wisconsin. It'll be a little out of the way, but Jim feels he can trust the people at this place, so it'll be worth the detour and time spent to get it repaired properly or get a replacement tire.
So, the plan is to leave here on Monday, August 24th, head up to Ashkum to get the tire repaired / replaced and then continue up to Wisconsin from there. The "Family Reunion" starts on Thursday, so we'll have plenty of time to get up there. In fact, we may stay someplace around the "Dells" for a day or two, depending on how the trip goes.
After the "Reunion", we'll head back down here to Rantoul, arriving sometime before the Labor Day weekend. (Don't want to be out on the road over the Holiday). After returning here, we'll probably spend most of September here, but that part is written very lightly on the calendar in pencil, and of course, Jim still has that big eraser. ;-)
Did you know that today is "National Root Beer Float Day"?
Woof!!!
67 deg. Overcast, NE wind @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 81F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
Well, another week has gone by since my last post. Again, not much to write about, so I didn't.
We had a little excitement this last weekend. While Jim was using this computer, all of a sudden he got an e-mail saying that all of our gigabytes for the month had been used up and that they were adding an additional gigabyte, (at a cost) so that our service would not be interrupted.
Just 30 minutes before that, Jim had noticed that we still had almost 3 gigabytes left, (plenty for normal use for the rest of the time period), so something used 3 GB in less than 30 minutes!!!
Well, to make a long story short, after calling the Florida PC Doctor who had set this computer up originally and has a way to access the computer from Florida, (with Jim's permission). scanned the hard drive and checked for viruses and malware. He decided that evidently a large update had automatically downloaded and that's what caused the whole problem.
He cleaned up the hard drive, changed the settings so that wouldn't happen again, and now, we're good to go again! :-)
Whew!!! Didn't need a computer problem right now!!!
Jim and Linda have been making plans to head up to Wisconsin later on this month. Linda's brother, Glenn, and his family are getting together at a resort about 50 miles North of the Wisconsin Dells and we're planning on heading up there to see them.
Kind of like a little "Family Reunion".
We'll stay at a CG up there and then Jim and Linda will go to the resort during the days to visit with them. Being that we'll still be in the peak tourist season at that time, Jim has made a reservation at a park near where they'll be staying so that we're sure to have a site.
Ever since we've left Florida, there has been a tire on Nora, that has been losing air. Not much, but it's been bothering Jim because he felt that something just wasn't right. Well, one day he crawled under the trailer to look at the back side of the tire and he did not like what he found. :-( It seems, although this is a new trailer as of 2014, and we've never had a flat tire, there is a plug in the tire on the inside of the tread area. :-(
So, , , , , , Jim called a tire place which is North of here in Ashkum, IL. (that we've had dealings with before), asked if they had a replacement tire if necessary, and made an appointment to head up there on the day we'll be leaving here to head to Wisconsin. It'll be a little out of the way, but Jim feels he can trust the people at this place, so it'll be worth the detour and time spent to get it repaired properly or get a replacement tire.
So, the plan is to leave here on Monday, August 24th, head up to Ashkum to get the tire repaired / replaced and then continue up to Wisconsin from there. The "Family Reunion" starts on Thursday, so we'll have plenty of time to get up there. In fact, we may stay someplace around the "Dells" for a day or two, depending on how the trip goes.
After the "Reunion", we'll head back down here to Rantoul, arriving sometime before the Labor Day weekend. (Don't want to be out on the road over the Holiday). After returning here, we'll probably spend most of September here, but that part is written very lightly on the calendar in pencil, and of course, Jim still has that big eraser. ;-)
Did you know that today is "National Root Beer Float Day"?
Woof!!!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Excitement At The Apache CG and Leaving Early On Saturday
Williamston, NC.
49 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly in the morning. High 56F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Friday was another beautiful day at Myrtle Beach, (All of the days we spent there were very nice, but cool,) Being that it was our last day there, it was decided that we'd just hang out and enjoy the ocean view and sounds.
Well, all of that went according to plan until mid afternoon when all of a sudden there was a loud "woomp" sound outside and then a "crack" and "bang"!!!!!
Jim looked outside just in time to see the big fancy 5th wheel across the street from us being hit by the rear end of a large travel trailer, that was trying to make a swing to get into position to back into a site.
It's the "Elite Sweets" 5th wheel in the photo above which is one site down and across the street from Nora.
Well, in a few minutes many people were over there and it soon became apparent that more than likely the 5th wheel had sustained some major damage. Besides the front cap of the trailer being broken and pushed in, the hitch being hit with the lip bent up, the whole trailer was knocked off of the approximately 6 inch high blocks that were under it's front hydraulic jacks/stands.
This trailer has a 6 point leveling/stabilizing system, so that when the front jacks were knocked off of the blocks, all the weight of the front of the trailer was transferred to the jacks under the middle of the trailer. Because the trailer was pushed sideways, these jacks were bent off to the side and hopefully just the jack brackets were bent and not the main trailer frame that they attach to.
There was also a crack in the fiberglass on the far side of the trailer where the overhang of the front of the trailer attaches to the main part.
The people who own the trailer were out on the beach at the time, so no one was inside and no one got hurt. I guess that was the most important thing, but I strongly expect that the 5th wheel trailer has some major damage, possibly to it's frame, which just might total it out!!! :-(
Some men came later in the day and got the trailer re-leveled and stabilized. I don't know if the people who own the trailer stayed in it Friday night or not. Insurance companies were called and now it's up to what they find. I really feel bad for the owners of this beautiful trailer. :-(
The other trailer was damaged quite a bit too, but I couldn't see the extent because soon after the accident, they moved it farther down the street and into it's site to get it out of the roadway so others could pass.
The original plan was to leave Myrtle Beach around 10:00 or so on Saturday morning and head up to North Topsail Beach, North Carolina and spend a few days up there. Well, because of the weather forecast of rain most of this weekend, Jim got out that big eraser of his again and plans were changed. ;-)
Both he and Linda decided that instead of stopping at North Topsail, they'd just go ahead and skip that stop and drive all the way up here to Williamston instead. Now, this would mean a fairly long day for us, but Jim knew the road and decided that it wouldn't be too much over the 3 to 4 hours that we normally travel.
So, being that rain was forecasted to start mid to late morning, they got up early and started packing things up and by 7:45, we were pulling out of the Apache Family CG in a light drizzle.
Once back on US 17 we followed it up through North Myrtle Beach, into North Carolina and up here to Williston NC and to the Pierce Mobile Home and Travel Trailer Park. It was 236 miles from Myrtle Beach up to here and it too us about 4 hours and 45 minutes to make the trip. (including one "pit stop" along the way. :-)
This was a long travel day for us, but we did run out of the light rain about an hour North of Myrtle Beach. The rest of the trip was under overcast skies on a fairly good road and not a whole lot of traffic being that it was a Saturday morning.
OH, just one more thing. about 45 minutes after we were in our site and set up, the skies opened up and it rained for most of the rest of the afternoon and evening.
I'm sure glad we left as early as we did, or it would have been pretty miserable setting up in the rain.
We're staying here for 2 nights and that will put us at Joe and Nancy's house on Monday instead of Tuesday, but Linda called them and they said that they were happy that we'd be getting there earlier than planned.
I know that this post has gotten quite long, so I'll quit for now. It's only about a 100 miles from here to Virginia Beach and the weather is forecasted to be nice for tomorrow, so it should be an easy trip. ;-)
Did you know that Williamston was the focus of activity in the civil rights movement? Beginning in June 1963, civil rights activists protested at City Hall for 29 consecutive days.
Woof!!!
49 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly in the morning. High 56F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Friday was another beautiful day at Myrtle Beach, (All of the days we spent there were very nice, but cool,) Being that it was our last day there, it was decided that we'd just hang out and enjoy the ocean view and sounds.
Well, all of that went according to plan until mid afternoon when all of a sudden there was a loud "woomp" sound outside and then a "crack" and "bang"!!!!!
Jim looked outside just in time to see the big fancy 5th wheel across the street from us being hit by the rear end of a large travel trailer, that was trying to make a swing to get into position to back into a site.
Well, in a few minutes many people were over there and it soon became apparent that more than likely the 5th wheel had sustained some major damage. Besides the front cap of the trailer being broken and pushed in, the hitch being hit with the lip bent up, the whole trailer was knocked off of the approximately 6 inch high blocks that were under it's front hydraulic jacks/stands.
This trailer has a 6 point leveling/stabilizing system, so that when the front jacks were knocked off of the blocks, all the weight of the front of the trailer was transferred to the jacks under the middle of the trailer. Because the trailer was pushed sideways, these jacks were bent off to the side and hopefully just the jack brackets were bent and not the main trailer frame that they attach to.
There was also a crack in the fiberglass on the far side of the trailer where the overhang of the front of the trailer attaches to the main part.
The people who own the trailer were out on the beach at the time, so no one was inside and no one got hurt. I guess that was the most important thing, but I strongly expect that the 5th wheel trailer has some major damage, possibly to it's frame, which just might total it out!!! :-(
Some men came later in the day and got the trailer re-leveled and stabilized. I don't know if the people who own the trailer stayed in it Friday night or not. Insurance companies were called and now it's up to what they find. I really feel bad for the owners of this beautiful trailer. :-(
The other trailer was damaged quite a bit too, but I couldn't see the extent because soon after the accident, they moved it farther down the street and into it's site to get it out of the roadway so others could pass.
The original plan was to leave Myrtle Beach around 10:00 or so on Saturday morning and head up to North Topsail Beach, North Carolina and spend a few days up there. Well, because of the weather forecast of rain most of this weekend, Jim got out that big eraser of his again and plans were changed. ;-)
Both he and Linda decided that instead of stopping at North Topsail, they'd just go ahead and skip that stop and drive all the way up here to Williamston instead. Now, this would mean a fairly long day for us, but Jim knew the road and decided that it wouldn't be too much over the 3 to 4 hours that we normally travel.
So, being that rain was forecasted to start mid to late morning, they got up early and started packing things up and by 7:45, we were pulling out of the Apache Family CG in a light drizzle.
Once back on US 17 we followed it up through North Myrtle Beach, into North Carolina and up here to Williston NC and to the Pierce Mobile Home and Travel Trailer Park. It was 236 miles from Myrtle Beach up to here and it too us about 4 hours and 45 minutes to make the trip. (including one "pit stop" along the way. :-)
This was a long travel day for us, but we did run out of the light rain about an hour North of Myrtle Beach. The rest of the trip was under overcast skies on a fairly good road and not a whole lot of traffic being that it was a Saturday morning.
OH, just one more thing. about 45 minutes after we were in our site and set up, the skies opened up and it rained for most of the rest of the afternoon and evening.
I'm sure glad we left as early as we did, or it would have been pretty miserable setting up in the rain.
We're staying here for 2 nights and that will put us at Joe and Nancy's house on Monday instead of Tuesday, but Linda called them and they said that they were happy that we'd be getting there earlier than planned.
I know that this post has gotten quite long, so I'll quit for now. It's only about a 100 miles from here to Virginia Beach and the weather is forecasted to be nice for tomorrow, so it should be an easy trip. ;-)
Did you know that Williamston was the focus of activity in the civil rights movement? Beginning in June 1963, civil rights activists protested at City Hall for 29 consecutive days.
Woof!!!
Monday, April 13, 2015
More Good News!!! and Plans For The Summer
Deltona, FL.
70 deg. rain, N. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast tonight = Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 68F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Linda was up earlier than planned this morning, probably because she was dreading the doctor's visit at the retinologist. But, again, worrying works, after all the pre-test and pictures of her retinas, the doctor told her that no treatment was needed as of this time, and she should check with her doctor up in Illinois when we arrived up there!! :-)
So, , , , , , , we're "good to go"!!!!!
Ye-Haw!!!!!! No injections!!!!!!
Sunday, Jim and Linda brought me and a bunch of stuff over here to the trailer. I stayed here to guard the trailer and the stuff and today, after returning from the doctors office, they again loaded stuff into Big RED and brought it over here to the trailer. In fact, now, they've brought so many of their things over here, that from now on, until we leave for our trip up North, they'll be staying here at Paradise Lakes RV Park.
They still need to go back to the house to clean it and there's a few more things that need to be brought out here, but unless I'm missing something, I'm thinking that we'll be leaving here before the 17th when the lot rent comes due. :-)
In case you're curious, I'll let you in on what Jim and Linda have planned when we leave here.
The first stop will be in Callahan, Fl., which is up by Jacksonville. The plan is to try to meet up with Ashley and Anna, (granddaughters, who live in Jacksonville), From there we'll head up into Georgia and South Carolina on 2 lane roads, and then over to Myrtle Beach, where Jim has made a reservations at the Apache Family Campground, where we will have an ocean-front site.
After staying there for 4 nights, we'll head up to Virginia Beach to see Joe, (their son), and his family. The plan is to stay there for 8 to 10 days, before heading to Apex, NC (close to Raleigh), to see Mike, (another son), and his family.
From there, we'll head to Forest City, NC to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. We'll stay at their place, which is out in the country for 3 or 4 nights before heading up to the RV-Dream Family Reunion Rally in Marion, NC. This should be a really fun rally and Jim and Linda are looking forward to meeting up with old friends and making new friends.
The rally last for 8 days, but we'll probably get there a day early and possibly stay a day after the rally is over. Then, the plan is to head up to Ohio and visit an Amish area up there before turning West and heading for Illinois, with a stop in the Indianapolis area to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife Sandy.
In Illinois, we'll go to the Prairie Pines Campground, where we'll spend most of the summer.
Now, I again feel that it's necessary to remind you that all of these plans, (except the stay at Myrtle Beach and the Rally), are written in pencil, and Jim did bring along that big eraser of his. ;-) I really don't expect any major changes, but you never really know!
A Point to Ponder : If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
Woof!!!
70 deg. rain, N. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast tonight = Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 68F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Linda was up earlier than planned this morning, probably because she was dreading the doctor's visit at the retinologist. But, again, worrying works, after all the pre-test and pictures of her retinas, the doctor told her that no treatment was needed as of this time, and she should check with her doctor up in Illinois when we arrived up there!! :-)
So, , , , , , , we're "good to go"!!!!!
Ye-Haw!!!!!! No injections!!!!!!
Sunday, Jim and Linda brought me and a bunch of stuff over here to the trailer. I stayed here to guard the trailer and the stuff and today, after returning from the doctors office, they again loaded stuff into Big RED and brought it over here to the trailer. In fact, now, they've brought so many of their things over here, that from now on, until we leave for our trip up North, they'll be staying here at Paradise Lakes RV Park.
They still need to go back to the house to clean it and there's a few more things that need to be brought out here, but unless I'm missing something, I'm thinking that we'll be leaving here before the 17th when the lot rent comes due. :-)
In case you're curious, I'll let you in on what Jim and Linda have planned when we leave here.
The first stop will be in Callahan, Fl., which is up by Jacksonville. The plan is to try to meet up with Ashley and Anna, (granddaughters, who live in Jacksonville), From there we'll head up into Georgia and South Carolina on 2 lane roads, and then over to Myrtle Beach, where Jim has made a reservations at the Apache Family Campground, where we will have an ocean-front site.
After staying there for 4 nights, we'll head up to Virginia Beach to see Joe, (their son), and his family. The plan is to stay there for 8 to 10 days, before heading to Apex, NC (close to Raleigh), to see Mike, (another son), and his family.
From there, we'll head to Forest City, NC to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. We'll stay at their place, which is out in the country for 3 or 4 nights before heading up to the RV-Dream Family Reunion Rally in Marion, NC. This should be a really fun rally and Jim and Linda are looking forward to meeting up with old friends and making new friends.
The rally last for 8 days, but we'll probably get there a day early and possibly stay a day after the rally is over. Then, the plan is to head up to Ohio and visit an Amish area up there before turning West and heading for Illinois, with a stop in the Indianapolis area to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife Sandy.
In Illinois, we'll go to the Prairie Pines Campground, where we'll spend most of the summer.
Now, I again feel that it's necessary to remind you that all of these plans, (except the stay at Myrtle Beach and the Rally), are written in pencil, and Jim did bring along that big eraser of his. ;-) I really don't expect any major changes, but you never really know!
A Point to Ponder : If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
Woof!!!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Thank You, Moving "Stuff" To The Trailer and One More Appointment
DeBary, FL.
69 deg. partly cloudy, E. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy early. Thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 86F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
First of all, Linda wants to thank all of you that commented, called or contacted her since I posted about the results of her PET Scan. It really does mean a lot to her to know that so many of you were thinking and/or praying for her.
Thank You!!!!
Friday, the follow-up exam at the surgeon's office at the Halifax Medical Center went off without a hitch. It takes around 45 minutes to get over there, so the drive took longer than the exam did, By noon, Big RED was backing into the carport. :-)
After grabbing a bite to eat, Linda and Jim started gathering things up to take over to the trailer. Then, yesterday morning, they took a lot of food, clothes and supplies over there and stashed them away. Then, on the way back here to the house, they stopped by Walgreen's and picked up their prescriptions that Linda had called in the day before.
There's still quite a bit of "stuff" to take over there and other "stuff" to pack into the back of Big RED and there are plans to take more of it this morning. From what I can gather from Jim and Linda's conversations, it sounds like they're planning on moving out to the RV Park and staying in Nora, for a night or two before we actually leave the area. During those couple days, they can determine if they've forgotten to take anything and will be coming back here to get the house ready for the time we're away.
Monday morning (tomorrow), Linda has that appointment with her retinologist. She's hoping that she doesn't need another injection, but if she does, there'll be time for her to recover before we leave. (Most of the time, she gets a pretty severe aching sensation in her eye after the injection that lasts for a day or two).
So, hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday we'll be able to leave. My paws are really starting to itch, so it's time we get going!!! .-)
Did you know that on this date in 1877 - A catcher's mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng?
Woof!!!
69 deg. partly cloudy, E. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy early. Thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 86F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
First of all, Linda wants to thank all of you that commented, called or contacted her since I posted about the results of her PET Scan. It really does mean a lot to her to know that so many of you were thinking and/or praying for her.
Thank You!!!!
Friday, the follow-up exam at the surgeon's office at the Halifax Medical Center went off without a hitch. It takes around 45 minutes to get over there, so the drive took longer than the exam did, By noon, Big RED was backing into the carport. :-)
After grabbing a bite to eat, Linda and Jim started gathering things up to take over to the trailer. Then, yesterday morning, they took a lot of food, clothes and supplies over there and stashed them away. Then, on the way back here to the house, they stopped by Walgreen's and picked up their prescriptions that Linda had called in the day before.
There's still quite a bit of "stuff" to take over there and other "stuff" to pack into the back of Big RED and there are plans to take more of it this morning. From what I can gather from Jim and Linda's conversations, it sounds like they're planning on moving out to the RV Park and staying in Nora, for a night or two before we actually leave the area. During those couple days, they can determine if they've forgotten to take anything and will be coming back here to get the house ready for the time we're away.
Monday morning (tomorrow), Linda has that appointment with her retinologist. She's hoping that she doesn't need another injection, but if she does, there'll be time for her to recover before we leave. (Most of the time, she gets a pretty severe aching sensation in her eye after the injection that lasts for a day or two).
So, hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday we'll be able to leave. My paws are really starting to itch, so it's time we get going!!! .-)
Did you know that on this date in 1877 - A catcher's mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng?
Woof!!!
Thursday, April 9, 2015
P.E.T Scan Results
DeBary, FL.
75 deg. clear, SW wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast= Tonight, Mostly clear. Low 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow, Partly cloudy skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Last Saturday and Sunday, Linda was questioning if she wanted to have the PET scan done on Monday or not. She's wasn't sure that she wanted to know what was happening inside of her and thought, at times, that it may be better, just not knowing!
But, Monday morning, about 7:20, she and Jim took Big RED and headed over to the hospital to have the scan preformed.
Her appointment was at 7:45, but it was close to 8:30 by the time the lady came and took her to the PET Scan area. The lady told Jim that the whole procedure would take about 2 1/2 hours so Jim went to Wally World to buy a few items and then headed back here to the house for about an hour.
When he got back to the hospital, Linda was just coming back to the waiting room, so after talking about how the test went and discussing about what they wanted to do, they headed over to Gram's Kitchen to have breakfast. Linda was pretty hungry since she hadn't been allowed to eat anything since the day before, so she really enjoyed her meal. :-)
Then, it was time to start waiting and waiting and waiting.
The last few days have been pretty hard for both Linda and Jim. (Especially for Linda). It hasn't been easy waiting for 2 1/2 days to learn the results of the scan. Emotions were high and I don't think Linda got a whole lot of sleep. :-(
This morning, Linda was up fairly early. She and Jim watched the news for awhile and then, a little after 10:00 she and Jim again took Big RED and headed over to the radiation doctor's office at the Florida Hospital. Being that it's only a few miles over there, they arrived plenty early, but Linda said that it was worse just sitting around home that being over there and waiting.
Around 10:30, they were led to an examination room where they sat and waited. for what seemed like an eternity to Linda, before the doctor came in.
Finally, after some conversation with the doctor, he told Linda that the test had come back "NEGATIVE" !!!!!!! :-) :-) !!!!!
YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!!
In an instant, a huge load was lifted off of Linda, (and Jim)! Later, Linda said that she felt like crying, but didn't, because the doctor was there.
On the way back home, they stopped at the 4 B's Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. ;-)
So, , , , , , Tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will head over to Daytona to see the surgeon who preformed Linda's surgery. He'll do an exam just to make sure everything's OK, but there is no reason to think that there are any problems.
Plans are already being made to start hauling food and clothes and other things over to the trailer this weekend. Then, Monday morning, Linda has an appointment with her retinologist, which will be the last Dr. appointment before we leave for our summer travels.
There will still be things that need to be done at the house to make it ready for the time we'll be gone, but most of those shouldn't take real long.
Hopefully, we'll be leaving DeBary on the 15th or 16th.
I know I shared this "Do You Know" with you before, but I think it's really appropriate today, so I'm going to use it again.
Did you know that worrying works? 90% of the things you worry about, never happen.
Woof!!!!
75 deg. clear, SW wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast= Tonight, Mostly clear. Low 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow, Partly cloudy skies. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Last Saturday and Sunday, Linda was questioning if she wanted to have the PET scan done on Monday or not. She's wasn't sure that she wanted to know what was happening inside of her and thought, at times, that it may be better, just not knowing!
But, Monday morning, about 7:20, she and Jim took Big RED and headed over to the hospital to have the scan preformed.
Her appointment was at 7:45, but it was close to 8:30 by the time the lady came and took her to the PET Scan area. The lady told Jim that the whole procedure would take about 2 1/2 hours so Jim went to Wally World to buy a few items and then headed back here to the house for about an hour.
When he got back to the hospital, Linda was just coming back to the waiting room, so after talking about how the test went and discussing about what they wanted to do, they headed over to Gram's Kitchen to have breakfast. Linda was pretty hungry since she hadn't been allowed to eat anything since the day before, so she really enjoyed her meal. :-)
Then, it was time to start waiting and waiting and waiting.
The last few days have been pretty hard for both Linda and Jim. (Especially for Linda). It hasn't been easy waiting for 2 1/2 days to learn the results of the scan. Emotions were high and I don't think Linda got a whole lot of sleep. :-(
This morning, Linda was up fairly early. She and Jim watched the news for awhile and then, a little after 10:00 she and Jim again took Big RED and headed over to the radiation doctor's office at the Florida Hospital. Being that it's only a few miles over there, they arrived plenty early, but Linda said that it was worse just sitting around home that being over there and waiting.
Around 10:30, they were led to an examination room where they sat and waited. for what seemed like an eternity to Linda, before the doctor came in.
Finally, after some conversation with the doctor, he told Linda that the test had come back "NEGATIVE" !!!!!!! :-) :-) !!!!!
YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!! YES!!!!!!
In an instant, a huge load was lifted off of Linda, (and Jim)! Later, Linda said that she felt like crying, but didn't, because the doctor was there.
On the way back home, they stopped at the 4 B's Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. ;-)
So, , , , , , Tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will head over to Daytona to see the surgeon who preformed Linda's surgery. He'll do an exam just to make sure everything's OK, but there is no reason to think that there are any problems.
Plans are already being made to start hauling food and clothes and other things over to the trailer this weekend. Then, Monday morning, Linda has an appointment with her retinologist, which will be the last Dr. appointment before we leave for our summer travels.
There will still be things that need to be done at the house to make it ready for the time we'll be gone, but most of those shouldn't take real long.
Hopefully, we'll be leaving DeBary on the 15th or 16th.
I know I shared this "Do You Know" with you before, but I think it's really appropriate today, so I'm going to use it again.
Did you know that worrying works? 90% of the things you worry about, never happen.
Woof!!!!
Saturday, April 4, 2015
This Waiting Is Hard!!!
DeBary, FL.
62 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Abundant sunshine. High near 90F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
This past week has been hard on Linda. She's really worried about the PET scan that she'll be having on Monday. I can't say I blame her but I really don't think that there's anything to worry about. There's always that little voice in the back of your mind that keeps you in doubt though.
Both Jim and Linda have been going over to the RV Park to get the travel trailer, (Nora), ready to travel. There's quite a bit of supplies and even some food over there, but they're having to figure out what more needs to be taken over there for our summer travels. There's also a lot of cleaning that needs to be done inside and as soon as possible after getting her out from under those trees, cleaning of the outside.
And, of course there's the normal pre-travel stuff to check like tires and the hitch.
Because Linda is having that PET scan early Monday, she's been severely restricted on what she can eat the day before. Well, the day before is Easter Sunday, so a big Easter dinner is pretty much out of the question. :-( I don't know yet what they'll be having, but I'm sure they won't starve. ;-)
So, Monday is the scan and then there'll be 2 days of waiting before, on Thursday, Linda sees the radiation Doctor in the morning and the Chemo doctor in the afternoon to find out the results. Then, on Friday, she has an appointment with the surgeon who is at Halifax Hospital over in Daytona Beach for an exam.
This waiting is really hard and Linda's not looking forward to all these doctor appointments either!!!!!
But, once the appointments are over, we'll be able to get on with travel plans and if all goes well, we'll be back out on the road by the 15th, 16th or 17th of the month.
I can't wait!!!! We've been here way too long already!!!
Hope all of you have a great Easter!!!!
Woof!!!
62 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Abundant sunshine. High near 90F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
This past week has been hard on Linda. She's really worried about the PET scan that she'll be having on Monday. I can't say I blame her but I really don't think that there's anything to worry about. There's always that little voice in the back of your mind that keeps you in doubt though.
Both Jim and Linda have been going over to the RV Park to get the travel trailer, (Nora), ready to travel. There's quite a bit of supplies and even some food over there, but they're having to figure out what more needs to be taken over there for our summer travels. There's also a lot of cleaning that needs to be done inside and as soon as possible after getting her out from under those trees, cleaning of the outside.
And, of course there's the normal pre-travel stuff to check like tires and the hitch.
Because Linda is having that PET scan early Monday, she's been severely restricted on what she can eat the day before. Well, the day before is Easter Sunday, so a big Easter dinner is pretty much out of the question. :-( I don't know yet what they'll be having, but I'm sure they won't starve. ;-)
So, Monday is the scan and then there'll be 2 days of waiting before, on Thursday, Linda sees the radiation Doctor in the morning and the Chemo doctor in the afternoon to find out the results. Then, on Friday, she has an appointment with the surgeon who is at Halifax Hospital over in Daytona Beach for an exam.
This waiting is really hard and Linda's not looking forward to all these doctor appointments either!!!!!
But, once the appointments are over, we'll be able to get on with travel plans and if all goes well, we'll be back out on the road by the 15th, 16th or 17th of the month.
I can't wait!!!! We've been here way too long already!!!
Hope all of you have a great Easter!!!!
Friday, February 20, 2015
We're Moving and Freezing Temperatures
DeBary, FL.
29 Deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = Sunny. Highs around 54°F. North northwest wind to 9 MPH.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 41°F. Northeast wind to 6 MPH.
Yep! We're moving!!!
I guess I knew it was going to happen pretty soon, and, I suppose it needed to happen before we headed out on our summer travels, but I think I'm going to miss being a South Dakotan.
A one point, last fall, Jim and Linda were still undecided if we wanted to become Florida residents or not, but then Alternative Resources, (Their mail forwarding service since 2001), was sold and became Dakota Post. Furthermore, Dakota Post is moving into a new facility, so that address is changing.
Now, if they would have stayed at their previous address, I really think that Jim and Linda would have stayed with them and kept on using their mail service for at least a couple more years. But, they didn't and so that meant that Jim and Linda would have to change their address with everyone even if they stayed South Dakota residents.
Being that we now have the double-wide down here in Florida, it seemed kind of silly to change addresses in S.D. and then in a few years change again to FL.
So, , , , , , during the last week or so, they have started to notify businesses, friends and relatives that we are changing to the DeBary address. Then, one of these days, they'll head over to the DMV and get new drivers licenses and make it official. Because we had the double-wide down here, Jim registered Big RED and Nora in Florida when he and Linda bought them, so they're already Florida residents.
When we travel, Jim and Linda have decided to use St. Brendan's Isle Mail Forwarding Services, up in Green Cove Springs, FL for their mail forwarding service. Their service is kind of neat in that you don't have an annual fee, and as part time RVers, we can take advantage of their "Inactive Status" feature, where they will just suspend your service when you don't need it and then re-activate it again when you start traveling. This is at no extra charge and they don't charge anything while you're inactive.
They've been in the mail forwarding business since 1988, so they're well established.
Nothing much else to report except that the weather down here in Florida has been really cold the last few days. As I'm writing this at about 6:00 AM, Jim 's thermometer with the outside remote is saying that it's 29 degrees out there!!!!
Brrrrr!!!!!!!! We're not supposed to have these freezing temperatures in Central Florida!!!!!
One nice thing about Florida weather though is that it doesn't stay cold for very long. On TV their forecasting temperatures up near 80 degrees by Sunday. :-)
Other than Jim going over to the park where Nora is parked to disconnect the water hose and make sure everything was OK for the cold temperatures, he and Linda haven't gone anyplace or done anything. It's supposed to be a little warmer today with not as much wind, so maybe they'll go out to eat or something today.
Did you know that Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first?
Woof!!!
29 Deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = Sunny. Highs around 54°F. North northwest wind to 9 MPH.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 41°F. Northeast wind to 6 MPH.
Yep! We're moving!!!
I guess I knew it was going to happen pretty soon, and, I suppose it needed to happen before we headed out on our summer travels, but I think I'm going to miss being a South Dakotan.
A one point, last fall, Jim and Linda were still undecided if we wanted to become Florida residents or not, but then Alternative Resources, (Their mail forwarding service since 2001), was sold and became Dakota Post. Furthermore, Dakota Post is moving into a new facility, so that address is changing.
Now, if they would have stayed at their previous address, I really think that Jim and Linda would have stayed with them and kept on using their mail service for at least a couple more years. But, they didn't and so that meant that Jim and Linda would have to change their address with everyone even if they stayed South Dakota residents.
Being that we now have the double-wide down here in Florida, it seemed kind of silly to change addresses in S.D. and then in a few years change again to FL.
So, , , , , , during the last week or so, they have started to notify businesses, friends and relatives that we are changing to the DeBary address. Then, one of these days, they'll head over to the DMV and get new drivers licenses and make it official. Because we had the double-wide down here, Jim registered Big RED and Nora in Florida when he and Linda bought them, so they're already Florida residents.
When we travel, Jim and Linda have decided to use St. Brendan's Isle Mail Forwarding Services, up in Green Cove Springs, FL for their mail forwarding service. Their service is kind of neat in that you don't have an annual fee, and as part time RVers, we can take advantage of their "Inactive Status" feature, where they will just suspend your service when you don't need it and then re-activate it again when you start traveling. This is at no extra charge and they don't charge anything while you're inactive.
They've been in the mail forwarding business since 1988, so they're well established.
Nothing much else to report except that the weather down here in Florida has been really cold the last few days. As I'm writing this at about 6:00 AM, Jim 's thermometer with the outside remote is saying that it's 29 degrees out there!!!!
Brrrrr!!!!!!!! We're not supposed to have these freezing temperatures in Central Florida!!!!!
One nice thing about Florida weather though is that it doesn't stay cold for very long. On TV their forecasting temperatures up near 80 degrees by Sunday. :-)
Other than Jim going over to the park where Nora is parked to disconnect the water hose and make sure everything was OK for the cold temperatures, he and Linda haven't gone anyplace or done anything. It's supposed to be a little warmer today with not as much wind, so maybe they'll go out to eat or something today.
Did you know that Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first?
Woof!!!
Friday, November 21, 2014
Transferring "Stuff" To The House and Getting Settled In
DeBary, FL.
54 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Clear, sunshine. High 73F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
As planned, Wednesday morning, Jim, Linda and I came over here to the house, (double-wide Mobile Home), turned on the water, turned up the heat, and in general, checked things out. Everything looked good, so while Linda was putting a few things away that they had brought along, Jim emptied about 1/2 of Big RED's bed and back seat area.
After that, they headed back over to Highbanks and loaded Big RED with the food out of the fridge, clothes and anything else that they would need right away here at the house. By the time they returned back here, Laura and Lindsey had stopped by, so they helped Jim and Linda carry all the "stuff" out of Big RED and into the house. Laura, even helped Linda put the food in the refrigerator.
Laura and Lindsey couldn't stay, so they headed for home while Jim and Linda put the rest of the things away.
By the time they had everything put away, it was near dinner time, so being that they were tired, Jim headed over to Gentile's Pizza and picked up a pizza. ;-) The evening was spent watching TV and relaxing.
Yesterday both of them were pretty tired, so not too much happened. Jim went to the Winn Dixie Grocery store and bought some food that they needed, and then took a nap in the afternoon. Linda put a few more items away, did some embroidery made dinner and snoozed in her chair.
So, we're "officially" back in the house. All in all, we had a great trip, up to Illinois, then over to NC, VA, down the coast and back here to DeBary. It's good to be back, but I imagine that by spring, we'll be ready to hit the road again. :-)
I don't know how much I'll be posting while were here in the house. Linda has some check-ups with the doctors and a scan next month so I'll be sure to let you know the results of them. There's also the "Holidays" coming up, so I'll keep you up-to-date on what Jim and Linda are doing for them. But, I'm quite sure that I won't be posting as often as when we're traveling.
Don't worry though, I'll be sure to post a blog if anything newsworthy happens. ;-)
Did you know that The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620?
Woof!!!
54 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Clear, sunshine. High 73F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
As planned, Wednesday morning, Jim, Linda and I came over here to the house, (double-wide Mobile Home), turned on the water, turned up the heat, and in general, checked things out. Everything looked good, so while Linda was putting a few things away that they had brought along, Jim emptied about 1/2 of Big RED's bed and back seat area.
After that, they headed back over to Highbanks and loaded Big RED with the food out of the fridge, clothes and anything else that they would need right away here at the house. By the time they returned back here, Laura and Lindsey had stopped by, so they helped Jim and Linda carry all the "stuff" out of Big RED and into the house. Laura, even helped Linda put the food in the refrigerator.
Laura and Lindsey couldn't stay, so they headed for home while Jim and Linda put the rest of the things away.
By the time they had everything put away, it was near dinner time, so being that they were tired, Jim headed over to Gentile's Pizza and picked up a pizza. ;-) The evening was spent watching TV and relaxing.
Yesterday both of them were pretty tired, so not too much happened. Jim went to the Winn Dixie Grocery store and bought some food that they needed, and then took a nap in the afternoon. Linda put a few more items away, did some embroidery made dinner and snoozed in her chair.
So, we're "officially" back in the house. All in all, we had a great trip, up to Illinois, then over to NC, VA, down the coast and back here to DeBary. It's good to be back, but I imagine that by spring, we'll be ready to hit the road again. :-)
I don't know how much I'll be posting while were here in the house. Linda has some check-ups with the doctors and a scan next month so I'll be sure to let you know the results of them. There's also the "Holidays" coming up, so I'll keep you up-to-date on what Jim and Linda are doing for them. But, I'm quite sure that I won't be posting as often as when we're traveling.
Don't worry though, I'll be sure to post a blog if anything newsworthy happens. ;-)
Did you know that The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
NC To VA, A Detour, Construction and A Great Meal
Virginia Beach, VA.
61 deg. mostly cloudy, SW wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
By 9:30 yesterday morning it had warmed up nicely so Jim went out and dumped Nora's black and gray water tanks. They weren't anywhere near full, but because we were heading to Joe's house in Virginia Beach where there are no sewer hookups, they needed to be empty.
Again, because it was going to be a short travel day, we didn't leave until 10:45. We were planning on going back to US 64, take it East for just a short distance and then take US 17, North. Well, when we got to the ramp going onto 64, there was 1/2 of a new double-wide Mobile Home stranded about 1/2 way up the ramp, with traffic backed up to the road that we were on. ;-O
It didn't look like anything was going to get moving anytime soon, so Jim continued on down the road, made a u-turn at a crossover and headed back into Williamston on Business 17. Williamston is not a big city, so actually we breezed right through town and picked up 17 just North of the city.
The whole thing probably only cost us about 10 minutes more travel time. :-)
Now, if we still were traveling in a Class A Motorhome, we would have not been able to make that u-turn and it probably would have taken us much longer to get turned around. So, I guess there are advantages to having a smaller unit like a Travel Trailer.
Once on US 17 and heading in a Northerly direction, we followed it all the way up to Virginia Beach where we turned East on I-40. For about 3 miles before we came to I-40, we hit major construction on 17. They're in the process of building a new bridge and road over a waterway, (to eliminate a steel lift bridge), It looks like this construction will last a long time, so I'm guessing that it will last for a year or two.
Once through the construction and onto I-40, it took us around the SE side of the city and to I-264. Following 264 towards the beach brought us to Lynnhaven Parkway, ( about 3 miles from the beach),where we turned off of 264 and took local streets to Joe and Nancy's house.
It was 1:15 when we pulled up in front of their house. so even with the detour and the construction, it only took us 2 1/2 hours to travel the 124 miles over here.
Neither Joe or Nancy were home when we arrived, so Jim just backed Nora into the driveway and got her unhooked and set up. Joe, Nancy and Amber arrived home later and then after visiting for awhile, everyone enjoyed a great short rib crock pot meal that Nancy had put together early in the day. Then because everyone was tired, Jim and Linda came back out here about 7:30 and watched TV until bedtime.
So, unless something unexpected happens, we'll be here for the next 9 or 10 days. We're hooked up to a 20 amp outlet, so by turning almost everything else electric off, we can run the AC if it's hot and use the little electric heater and the furnace if it's cold. (They're forecasting highs in the lower 50's and lows in the mid 30's for Saturday). :-( There is a place where Jim can dump the gray water tank but not the black water tank. By using the facilities inside of the house as much as possible, there shouldn't be a problem.
Did you know that in Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant that someone was about to die?
Hoo!! Hoo!! ;-)
61 deg. mostly cloudy, SW wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
By 9:30 yesterday morning it had warmed up nicely so Jim went out and dumped Nora's black and gray water tanks. They weren't anywhere near full, but because we were heading to Joe's house in Virginia Beach where there are no sewer hookups, they needed to be empty.
Again, because it was going to be a short travel day, we didn't leave until 10:45. We were planning on going back to US 64, take it East for just a short distance and then take US 17, North. Well, when we got to the ramp going onto 64, there was 1/2 of a new double-wide Mobile Home stranded about 1/2 way up the ramp, with traffic backed up to the road that we were on. ;-O
It didn't look like anything was going to get moving anytime soon, so Jim continued on down the road, made a u-turn at a crossover and headed back into Williamston on Business 17. Williamston is not a big city, so actually we breezed right through town and picked up 17 just North of the city.
The whole thing probably only cost us about 10 minutes more travel time. :-)
Now, if we still were traveling in a Class A Motorhome, we would have not been able to make that u-turn and it probably would have taken us much longer to get turned around. So, I guess there are advantages to having a smaller unit like a Travel Trailer.
Once on US 17 and heading in a Northerly direction, we followed it all the way up to Virginia Beach where we turned East on I-40. For about 3 miles before we came to I-40, we hit major construction on 17. They're in the process of building a new bridge and road over a waterway, (to eliminate a steel lift bridge), It looks like this construction will last a long time, so I'm guessing that it will last for a year or two.
Once through the construction and onto I-40, it took us around the SE side of the city and to I-264. Following 264 towards the beach brought us to Lynnhaven Parkway, ( about 3 miles from the beach),where we turned off of 264 and took local streets to Joe and Nancy's house.
It was 1:15 when we pulled up in front of their house. so even with the detour and the construction, it only took us 2 1/2 hours to travel the 124 miles over here.
Neither Joe or Nancy were home when we arrived, so Jim just backed Nora into the driveway and got her unhooked and set up. Joe, Nancy and Amber arrived home later and then after visiting for awhile, everyone enjoyed a great short rib crock pot meal that Nancy had put together early in the day. Then because everyone was tired, Jim and Linda came back out here about 7:30 and watched TV until bedtime.
So, unless something unexpected happens, we'll be here for the next 9 or 10 days. We're hooked up to a 20 amp outlet, so by turning almost everything else electric off, we can run the AC if it's hot and use the little electric heater and the furnace if it's cold. (They're forecasting highs in the lower 50's and lows in the mid 30's for Saturday). :-( There is a place where Jim can dump the gray water tank but not the black water tank. By using the facilities inside of the house as much as possible, there shouldn't be a problem.
Did you know that in Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant that someone was about to die?
Hoo!! Hoo!! ;-)
Monday, July 28, 2014
Dave and Dee Dee Stop By and Happy Hour With Mike And Terri
Rantoul, IL.
60 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs around 73°F. North northwest wind to 14 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.
We had some pretty strong storms roll through this area Saturday evening. That was to be expected though as Saturday was real hot and humid and the forecasters were saying that there was a cold front coming down from the Northwest. We were lucky though, the heaviest storms passed just to the South of Rantoul. Yesterday was very windy with showers off and on. Again, the heaviest rain showers just missed us, this time, to the North.
Sometime during the late morning, yesterday, the phone rang and it was Terri. She wanted to know if Linda was up to coming over to their site about 4 or 4:30 for a "happy hour"? Linda said that it sounded like fun so plans were made to go over to Mike and Terri's around 4:30.
Then, around noon the phone rang again and it was Dave and Dee Dee, You long time readers will remember them. They're part of the "Illinois Bunch" and were the ones that had the great fish fry down in Tampa this last winter that Jim and Linda went to. Well, they were up in Kankakee, IL, (which is North of here), and were heading home to their house in Neoga, IL., (which is South of here), and called to find out if it would be alright if they'd stop by for a little while, on their way?
Linda told Dave that we'd love to have them stop by and visit. So, about an hour later, they pulled up along side of Big RED and came inside.
It was sure great to see them again and after a "nickel tour" of Nora they sat and visited for an hour or so. They've traded their large 5th wheel trailer for a travel trailer, and have a smaller pick-up truck ordered. (You don't need a big dually truck to pull a travel trailer). They're wanting to come here to Prairie Pines for while sometime in September, and it sounds like Denny and Bev, (more of the Illinois bunch), may be coming too. And even Gordy and Dorthy, (the rest of the Illinois bunch), may come down for a day. :-)
Gordy and Dorthy have sold their Motorhome because Gordy's health is not very good anymore and Dorthy has also had some medical problems also, but if they can they'll drive down for a day.
After Dave and Dee Dee left, Jim took a little nap and then about 4:30 he and Linda headed over to Mike and Terri's. They had a great time visiting and ended up staying for a couple hours. ;-)
By the time they left, it was fairly late, so they took Big RED and headed over to Arby's, picked up a couple roast beef sandwiches and brought them back here for dinner.
Linda's doing fine. She only had one severe dizzy spell as they were leaving Mike and Terri's. She was fairly tired by the time they got home, but said that she felt fine and was really glad that they went.
Thanks, Dave and Dee Dee and Mike and Terri!!!!!
No plans that I know of for today. I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. ;-)
Did you know that on this date in 1896 - The city of Miami, FL, was incorporated?
Woof!!!
60 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs around 73°F. North northwest wind to 14 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.
We had some pretty strong storms roll through this area Saturday evening. That was to be expected though as Saturday was real hot and humid and the forecasters were saying that there was a cold front coming down from the Northwest. We were lucky though, the heaviest storms passed just to the South of Rantoul. Yesterday was very windy with showers off and on. Again, the heaviest rain showers just missed us, this time, to the North.
Sometime during the late morning, yesterday, the phone rang and it was Terri. She wanted to know if Linda was up to coming over to their site about 4 or 4:30 for a "happy hour"? Linda said that it sounded like fun so plans were made to go over to Mike and Terri's around 4:30.
Then, around noon the phone rang again and it was Dave and Dee Dee, You long time readers will remember them. They're part of the "Illinois Bunch" and were the ones that had the great fish fry down in Tampa this last winter that Jim and Linda went to. Well, they were up in Kankakee, IL, (which is North of here), and were heading home to their house in Neoga, IL., (which is South of here), and called to find out if it would be alright if they'd stop by for a little while, on their way?
Linda told Dave that we'd love to have them stop by and visit. So, about an hour later, they pulled up along side of Big RED and came inside.
It was sure great to see them again and after a "nickel tour" of Nora they sat and visited for an hour or so. They've traded their large 5th wheel trailer for a travel trailer, and have a smaller pick-up truck ordered. (You don't need a big dually truck to pull a travel trailer). They're wanting to come here to Prairie Pines for while sometime in September, and it sounds like Denny and Bev, (more of the Illinois bunch), may be coming too. And even Gordy and Dorthy, (the rest of the Illinois bunch), may come down for a day. :-)
Gordy and Dorthy have sold their Motorhome because Gordy's health is not very good anymore and Dorthy has also had some medical problems also, but if they can they'll drive down for a day.
After Dave and Dee Dee left, Jim took a little nap and then about 4:30 he and Linda headed over to Mike and Terri's. They had a great time visiting and ended up staying for a couple hours. ;-)
By the time they left, it was fairly late, so they took Big RED and headed over to Arby's, picked up a couple roast beef sandwiches and brought them back here for dinner.
Linda's doing fine. She only had one severe dizzy spell as they were leaving Mike and Terri's. She was fairly tired by the time they got home, but said that she felt fine and was really glad that they went.
Thanks, Dave and Dee Dee and Mike and Terri!!!!!
No plans that I know of for today. I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. ;-)
Did you know that on this date in 1896 - The city of Miami, FL, was incorporated?
Woof!!!
Friday, July 18, 2014
GA to AL
Troy, AL. (Deer Run RV Park)
65 deg. clear, no wind, humidity 95%
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 86°F. East southeast wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%
Yesterday, we left Thomasville, GA. about 9:40 EDT and continued North on US 19 for a few miles until we came to US 84 on the North side of town. There we turned West on 84 and took it into Alabama and to Dothan, AL., where we by-passed the city on US 431/AL210 until we came to US 231 heading NW. 231 took us up to Troy and then on to the Deer Run RV Park which is about 6 miles North of Troy.
It was 12:50 EDT (11:50 CDT), when we pulled up to the office, so it took us about 3 hours and 10 minutes to travel the 165 miles over here.
We've been to Deer Run before. In fact, we've been coming here since 2008 and stop anytime we cone through this area. It's a little more expensive than the parks that we usually stay at, but it's really nice with pull through sites with cement pads, full hook-ups with 50 Amp electric, shady sites if you want them and very friendly owners.
When we arrived, the weather was so nice. (about 81 deg., low humidity and a nice breeze blowing), that Jim decided that he'd like to cook a couple burgers outside on his grill, so that's exactly what he did. While he was doing that, Linda got out some slaw leftover from the KFC dinner the night before, some chips and drinks.
After dinner, Jim went out and checked Big RED's fluids, checked the hitch, lubed Nora's entrance door hinges and put the grill away. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
Linda is doing well. She's been able to take care of most of the "chores" inside when we are arriving or leaving a park. She seems to be really enjoying being out on the road, and in fact, comments frequently how great it is to be traveling again. :-)
Did you know that the toothbrush was invented in 1498?
Woof!!!
65 deg. clear, no wind, humidity 95%
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 86°F. East southeast wind 1 to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%
Yesterday, we left Thomasville, GA. about 9:40 EDT and continued North on US 19 for a few miles until we came to US 84 on the North side of town. There we turned West on 84 and took it into Alabama and to Dothan, AL., where we by-passed the city on US 431/AL210 until we came to US 231 heading NW. 231 took us up to Troy and then on to the Deer Run RV Park which is about 6 miles North of Troy.
It was 12:50 EDT (11:50 CDT), when we pulled up to the office, so it took us about 3 hours and 10 minutes to travel the 165 miles over here.
We've been to Deer Run before. In fact, we've been coming here since 2008 and stop anytime we cone through this area. It's a little more expensive than the parks that we usually stay at, but it's really nice with pull through sites with cement pads, full hook-ups with 50 Amp electric, shady sites if you want them and very friendly owners.
When we arrived, the weather was so nice. (about 81 deg., low humidity and a nice breeze blowing), that Jim decided that he'd like to cook a couple burgers outside on his grill, so that's exactly what he did. While he was doing that, Linda got out some slaw leftover from the KFC dinner the night before, some chips and drinks.
After dinner, Jim went out and checked Big RED's fluids, checked the hitch, lubed Nora's entrance door hinges and put the grill away. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
Linda is doing well. She's been able to take care of most of the "chores" inside when we are arriving or leaving a park. She seems to be really enjoying being out on the road, and in fact, comments frequently how great it is to be traveling again. :-)
Did you know that the toothbrush was invented in 1498?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
10 Months and 14 days and FL To GA
Thomasville, GA. (City of Roses RV Park)
75 deg. overcast, no wind. humidity 96%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 88°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Yep!!! 10 Months and 14 days. That's how long we were in Florida to get Linda's cancer treated. If you count the days from the day she was diagnosed till the day we arrived, you have to add another 9 days onto that, making it 10 Months and 23 days, a total of 327 days.
Anyone who has gone through the diagnosis and the cancer treatments knows what it's like.
First, there's the "I can't believe this is happening to me" stage when you are diagnosed. Then there's the "fear" stage where you realize you have this thing inside of you that may very well kill you!!
Then, you start researching specialist who poke, prod, take X-rays, CAT scans or PET scans, run a myriad of other tests and finally, after what seems like forever, give you the diagnosis that you were scared to death to hear!!!!
In Linda's case, an exam under anesthesia was needed, then, after multiple doctor's visits, surgery. This would then be followed by Chemo, Radiation and more Chemo treatments. These treatments all have serious side-effects, so there were many many days of emotional up's and down's, dizziness, fatigue, the change in appearance, (hair loss and skin changes) and feeling completely miserable.
If course, there are many doctor's appointments throughout the whole procedure.
And then, there's the family. They're scared too and the main caregiver, in this case, Jim goes through the whole process with the person who actually has the illness.
Finally after all the treatments, you get the final diagnosis, (and hopefully it's a good one), you can start the recovery procedure and start getting back to some kind of normalcy. The recovery from the surgery is long past, but there are still the side effects from the chemo and the radiation treatments that the doctors say may last as long as 1 1/2 years!!!
I'm sure there will be many more doctor appointments throughout the years ahead and I'm sure there will be emotions to deal with before every one of them.
There'll always be that fear that the cancer will return.
Linda's emotions are still right on the edge and when we left the CG in DeBary Monday, she broke down and started crying. I don't think she really knows why, but thinks that it was probably because we were finally RVing again and at times, during her illness, she wasn't sure that we'd ever be on the road again.
________
Yesterday, we left Chiefland about 9:40 and headed North on US 19. 19 took us up through Cross City and Perry where we hit some serious thunder storms. In fact, at times we were down to about 40 MPH because even Big RED couldn't see where he was going. By the time we crossed I-10, the rains had subsided and it stayed dry the rest of the way to Thomasville, GA., where we pulled into the City of Roses RV Park.
We have been to the City of Roses RV Park many times before. It's another Passport America park. ($15.00 per night) It is an old park with quite a few "permanent" RVs but the owner is very nice and always welcomes us back to the park.
It was 12:05 when we arrived, so it took us 2 hours and 25 minutes to travel the 130 miles up here.
As Jim was putting down the stabilizer jacks and hooking up the electric, it started sprinkling again and just after he came inside the trailer, it started raining hard and rained off and on for the rest of the day.
Did you know that you see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it?
Woof!!!
75 deg. overcast, no wind. humidity 96%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 88°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.
Yep!!! 10 Months and 14 days. That's how long we were in Florida to get Linda's cancer treated. If you count the days from the day she was diagnosed till the day we arrived, you have to add another 9 days onto that, making it 10 Months and 23 days, a total of 327 days.
Anyone who has gone through the diagnosis and the cancer treatments knows what it's like.
First, there's the "I can't believe this is happening to me" stage when you are diagnosed. Then there's the "fear" stage where you realize you have this thing inside of you that may very well kill you!!
Then, you start researching specialist who poke, prod, take X-rays, CAT scans or PET scans, run a myriad of other tests and finally, after what seems like forever, give you the diagnosis that you were scared to death to hear!!!!
In Linda's case, an exam under anesthesia was needed, then, after multiple doctor's visits, surgery. This would then be followed by Chemo, Radiation and more Chemo treatments. These treatments all have serious side-effects, so there were many many days of emotional up's and down's, dizziness, fatigue, the change in appearance, (hair loss and skin changes) and feeling completely miserable.
If course, there are many doctor's appointments throughout the whole procedure.
And then, there's the family. They're scared too and the main caregiver, in this case, Jim goes through the whole process with the person who actually has the illness.
Finally after all the treatments, you get the final diagnosis, (and hopefully it's a good one), you can start the recovery procedure and start getting back to some kind of normalcy. The recovery from the surgery is long past, but there are still the side effects from the chemo and the radiation treatments that the doctors say may last as long as 1 1/2 years!!!
I'm sure there will be many more doctor appointments throughout the years ahead and I'm sure there will be emotions to deal with before every one of them.
There'll always be that fear that the cancer will return.
Linda's emotions are still right on the edge and when we left the CG in DeBary Monday, she broke down and started crying. I don't think she really knows why, but thinks that it was probably because we were finally RVing again and at times, during her illness, she wasn't sure that we'd ever be on the road again.
________
Yesterday, we left Chiefland about 9:40 and headed North on US 19. 19 took us up through Cross City and Perry where we hit some serious thunder storms. In fact, at times we were down to about 40 MPH because even Big RED couldn't see where he was going. By the time we crossed I-10, the rains had subsided and it stayed dry the rest of the way to Thomasville, GA., where we pulled into the City of Roses RV Park.
We have been to the City of Roses RV Park many times before. It's another Passport America park. ($15.00 per night) It is an old park with quite a few "permanent" RVs but the owner is very nice and always welcomes us back to the park.
As Jim was putting down the stabilizer jacks and hooking up the electric, it started sprinkling again and just after he came inside the trailer, it started raining hard and rained off and on for the rest of the day.
Did you know that you see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it?
Woof!!!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
DeBary FL to Chiefland FL.
Chiefland, FL. (Chiefland RV Park.
73 deg. rain w/ thunder and lightning, SE wind @ 4 mph. humidity 99%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 90°F. Heat index around 102°F. West southwest wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 55%.
By the time Jim and Linda got everything packed away for travel, hooked up the trailer to Big RED, stopped by the office at Highbanks to let them know we were leaving, it was 9:41 when we pulled out of the CG.
Once back to US 17, we took it North up to Barberville where we turned West on Rt.40. Just East of Ocala, we turned North again on Rt 326 and followed it first North and then West around the city. When we came to US Alt.27, we turned NW on it and took it up to Williston, where the road turned more Westerly. Then, it was just a matter of following Alt.27 over to Chiefland and the Chiefland RV Park.
It was 12:20 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes to travel 127 miles and to stop twice to check the hitch and trailer.
The Chiefland RV Park is not a great park, and it could use some sprucing up, but for only $15.26 for the night, Passport America discount, you can't really complain. :-)
So, how did the trip go? Well, Big RED did well pulled the trailer easily. There were a few small hills along this route and he went up and down them with no effort at all. The trailer pulled very well. There was absolutely no sway from passing trucks, the equalizing hitch worked as advertised, and everything stayed where it was supposed to inside.
Because of the new trailer and hitch, Jim did stop 2 times to check them, just to make sure everything was OK. Everything was fine and there were no issues at all.
Also, as expected, Linda had no problems. In fact, I think that we could have traveled for another hour or so without any difficulty.
All in all, ti was a very good day and it sure felt good to be back on the road again. ;-) It's been way to long. I'm hoping that in years to come we'll be able to travel more and more and spend our summers away from the Florida heat and humidity.
Today we'll head up into Georgia. The trip should be about the same distance as yesterday's trip.
Did you know that the speed of a typical raindrop is 17 miles per hour?
Woof!!!
73 deg. rain w/ thunder and lightning, SE wind @ 4 mph. humidity 99%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 90°F. Heat index around 102°F. West southwest wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 55%.
By the time Jim and Linda got everything packed away for travel, hooked up the trailer to Big RED, stopped by the office at Highbanks to let them know we were leaving, it was 9:41 when we pulled out of the CG.
Once back to US 17, we took it North up to Barberville where we turned West on Rt.40. Just East of Ocala, we turned North again on Rt 326 and followed it first North and then West around the city. When we came to US Alt.27, we turned NW on it and took it up to Williston, where the road turned more Westerly. Then, it was just a matter of following Alt.27 over to Chiefland and the Chiefland RV Park.
It was 12:20 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes to travel 127 miles and to stop twice to check the hitch and trailer.
The Chiefland RV Park is not a great park, and it could use some sprucing up, but for only $15.26 for the night, Passport America discount, you can't really complain. :-)
So, how did the trip go? Well, Big RED did well pulled the trailer easily. There were a few small hills along this route and he went up and down them with no effort at all. The trailer pulled very well. There was absolutely no sway from passing trucks, the equalizing hitch worked as advertised, and everything stayed where it was supposed to inside.
Because of the new trailer and hitch, Jim did stop 2 times to check them, just to make sure everything was OK. Everything was fine and there were no issues at all.
Also, as expected, Linda had no problems. In fact, I think that we could have traveled for another hour or so without any difficulty.
All in all, ti was a very good day and it sure felt good to be back on the road again. ;-) It's been way to long. I'm hoping that in years to come we'll be able to travel more and more and spend our summers away from the Florida heat and humidity.
Today we'll head up into Georgia. The trip should be about the same distance as yesterday's trip.
Did you know that the speed of a typical raindrop is 17 miles per hour?
Woof!!!
Monday, July 14, 2014
0 Days To Launch
DeBary,, FL. (Highbanks CG)
75 deg. clear, no wind, 89% humidity.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 93°F. Heat index around 110°F. South wind to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
4 Hours and counting!!! (If everything goes OK,) :-O
I guess I shouldn't be so pessimistic, but after many years of RVing, I know that things can go wrong when it's most inconvenient. :-(
The last few days have been pretty hectic here for Jim and Linda. As usual for this time of year, it's been really hot with high humidity and that means that it's been just too hot to do much outside, except very early in the mornings. So, Jim's been starting out around 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning and Linda's been getting up earlier than usual so that they could get things over here to the trailer before the hottest part of the day.
Even then, it's been very difficult to get things done without getting overheated.
Yesterday morning, it was around 11:00 by the time they got the house ready, closed it up and brought me and the last of the things to take along over here to the CG. They've gotten everything put away though and now, if all goes well, we'll be out of here somewhere around 10:00 this morning. :-)
We won't be going too far, only about 135 miles or so to a CG in either Chiefland or Old Town, FL. That'll be a nice short day to see how Linda handles the traveling and see how the trailer pulls.
Ashley and Chris came over to say good-bye Saturday. they stayed and visited for a couple of hours before heading back home.
Then, Laura and Lindsey stopped by for awhile yesterday evening to say good-bye. They were also here for a couple of hours before heading home after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), and maybe just a tear or two. :-(
I'm thinking Laura may be a little lonely for awhile because we're leaving today and Ashley and Chris are moving to Jacksonville tomorrow. Chris works for AT&T and was given a promotion to District Manager for the Jacksonville area. He'll have 6 or 7 stores in his district. Ashley works for Home Depot and was able to get transferred to a store over there, so she'll have a job too. Anna, Ashley's sister, already lives in Jacksonville so both girls will be quite a distance away.
Well, I guess I'd better post this. Jim is wanting to pack the computer away and there's quite a few last minute things to do and check. I'll let you know how the day went just as soon as I can.
Did you know that over its lifetime, the average microwave requires more energy to display a digital clock than to heat food?
Woof!!!
75 deg. clear, no wind, 89% humidity.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 93°F. Heat index around 110°F. South wind to 7 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
4 Hours and counting!!! (If everything goes OK,) :-O
I guess I shouldn't be so pessimistic, but after many years of RVing, I know that things can go wrong when it's most inconvenient. :-(
The last few days have been pretty hectic here for Jim and Linda. As usual for this time of year, it's been really hot with high humidity and that means that it's been just too hot to do much outside, except very early in the mornings. So, Jim's been starting out around 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning and Linda's been getting up earlier than usual so that they could get things over here to the trailer before the hottest part of the day.
Even then, it's been very difficult to get things done without getting overheated.
Yesterday morning, it was around 11:00 by the time they got the house ready, closed it up and brought me and the last of the things to take along over here to the CG. They've gotten everything put away though and now, if all goes well, we'll be out of here somewhere around 10:00 this morning. :-)
We won't be going too far, only about 135 miles or so to a CG in either Chiefland or Old Town, FL. That'll be a nice short day to see how Linda handles the traveling and see how the trailer pulls.
Ashley and Chris came over to say good-bye Saturday. they stayed and visited for a couple of hours before heading back home.
Then, Laura and Lindsey stopped by for awhile yesterday evening to say good-bye. They were also here for a couple of hours before heading home after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), and maybe just a tear or two. :-(
I'm thinking Laura may be a little lonely for awhile because we're leaving today and Ashley and Chris are moving to Jacksonville tomorrow. Chris works for AT&T and was given a promotion to District Manager for the Jacksonville area. He'll have 6 or 7 stores in his district. Ashley works for Home Depot and was able to get transferred to a store over there, so she'll have a job too. Anna, Ashley's sister, already lives in Jacksonville so both girls will be quite a distance away.
Well, I guess I'd better post this. Jim is wanting to pack the computer away and there's quite a few last minute things to do and check. I'll let you know how the day went just as soon as I can.
Did you know that over its lifetime, the average microwave requires more energy to display a digital clock than to heat food?
Woof!!!
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