The "wilds" of Gainesville

I will try and give you a little flavor of the RV Resort we are staying in just North of Gainesville where we have been visiting my cousins from FL.  We have stayed here a couple times before this trip and have enjoyed the sounds and sights of the wildlife.

Ok Maybe not too wild but very pretty!

And cute too!

Record breaking cold!

I forgot to mention that my Indiana and Illinois cousins saved our lives coming down here!!   They provided food for the road!  We left Indy about 11:00am on the 26th and got to the Southern part of Indpls. when my "travel companion" got hungry!  Fortunately, we had fruit, sausage, cheese, candy to munch on until we could reach a place to eat lunch!! Thanks to the cousins!!!  Also, our new in-laws provided wonderful nuts and candy for the road too!!  It's nice to be surrounded by such thoughtful people.

Well we survived record breaking cold in Gainesville!!  It was colder here than had been recorded in over 100 years!!  Leave it to us to be in the middle of a cold snap!!!  I am still looking for warm weather!!  The sky is a beatiful clear blue however, and the sun is bright and feels good coming in the window.  I was afraid that we had wrecked something last night however.  When I tried to make coffee this morning the water was running very very slowly....but once it ran for a little it broke loose and is fine.

I hope to get out and take some pictures of the wildlife of Gainesville to share.  I am looking out my window at a horse, two donkeys, an emu, and two peacocks!!!

Winter is BACK!!!

Here we are in the sunny South and yes it is sunny but the temperature has changed dramatically!!  It is suppose to be in the low 20s tonight!!!  Burrrr...but that is still much better than snow and the teens like they are having in Indy.,

We got our rig fixed today!  The guys at B&E Service in Ocala, FL are wonderful.  Not only do they know what they are doing they are very thoughtful.  When we got there they asked if we were leaving the rig with them and when I said, "Well,we do have 3 little dogs and 2 cats with us and this is our only home."  No problem, just back in here and we will plug you in so you have electricity and will be with you in about 30 minutes!  In a little less that 5 hours we had the leak located and fixed, the cable fixed and a piece of material to put under the slide until we get back to Goshen to get the floor repaired. 

I am going over to my cousin's house tomorrow and help her make grits!!  It's the old family recipe.  It's an all day process but worth every minute.

New Years Eve in Fl

We spent the day in Gainesville with my cousins at the flea market! What fun.  We found a back scratcher for my traveler and sheets and green bags to keep our produce fresh.  Tonight we are staying at the RV resort so we are not on the road. 
For dinner we had hamburgers on the grill, potato chips and pickled beets.  It feels more like Spring  than New Years Eve. 
We took the dogs for a walk and the stars are so bright!!  The campground where we are staying is about 10 miles North of Gainesville.  We have stayed here before and like it here.  The people are great and give good service and the animals that they keep here are wonderful.  So far today I have seen 3 cows, a horse, donkey, emu, several goats and a large assortment of tropical birds.  In the morning it sounds like we are on a tropical island with the wildlife singing!
We will spend the day tomorrow with my cousins and watching football games like the rest of the world.
Tues. we will take our new rig to a warrenty repair shop to have the water leak, water heater and cable system worked on.  Hopefully, they can get it all fixed in one stop.  I sometimes wander if buying a used vehicle is a better idea as maybe all the bugs will be worked out!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maiden Voyages are tough

We made it to Nashville, TN on the first day of our journey but it wasn't easy!!!  The bridge over the Ohio River was over full of cars and trucks and was stopped at Exit 2.  We crawled along until we got on the bridge when the red "error" light came on the new towing system.  We had to wait until we got to a place where we could pull over and look at the problem.  Apparently, the braking system had run the battery down to the point that the engine wouldn't even turn over.  I disconnected the system and off we went.  We arrived in Nashville 2 minutes before the RV resort we were staying in closed!!  We got set up just before the rain started! 

This morning it was still raining and the dogs got us up at 5:30am but we went back to sleep until daylight.  WE have a leak!!! OH NO!!  A little water made it's way into the coach during the storm!!  GREAT!

After a call to Nexus to find a repair place near our next destination a call was made to Indy to find out about the braking system then a trip to the Ford dealership and got a new battery.  We visited the local Camping World and I let my "travel campanion" come in with me and of course she found something we couldn't live without so,  $500.00 later, we have a new mattress for our rig.  I told them that she can't come in their store again....

We are off to Alabama tomorrow!!

Visitors from Mississippi

We had a great visit with the people from Mississippi who came to see how our folks are getting along after their moves from institutions.  My oldest daughter, "Q", was the hostess for a visit so they could see how well she and her roommates are doing!  "Q" showed them around her home and sat in her favorite chair and allowed her staff to answer questions about how people with significate disabilities could live at home, close to their families, and thrive!  It was a lovely evening and one that I hope will encourage them to continue with their work in Mississippi.
I got an invitation to visit the Center in Miss. in Jan. when we drive thru on our way to Texas. 

Getting Excited!

The house has been cleaned, the tree is up, the cookies are made, presents bought and wrapped, about half of the cards have been written and we are ready to go!!  We still have grits to make and packing to do but we are so ready to go!!!  Snow is suppose to fall tonight and it is getting cold and we are so ready to go!!! 

If the weather cooperates we will leave the 26th after the tree has been put away, cookies eaten, presents delivered and opened, grits eaten, and the "basement" of the motor home packed and we will go!!