Who Knew? Right in Our Own Backyard!!

Dianne here: For the past two weeks, we've had a nondescript view of a grassy embankment beyond a canal at the rear of our camp site.
We'd seen an occasional walker or bicyclist on the embankment and wondered where they came from. Roger took the dogs exploring yesterday and found out. Today we retraced his steps and found ourselves walking on top of a dike that stretches all the way to Palm Beach County and separates the canal from portions of the Everglades. Round trip, we walked 5.2 miles, according to my pedometer. Following are some of the sights we saw on our morning adventure, including a zoomed-in view of our campsite taken from the top of the dike.

Roger here.... It is amazing to me that the water from the Everglades has been flowing south just a few (unseen) feet from our campsite. When we arrived at the top of the dike during our hike, there was nothing but water and grass for as far as the eye could see.

We were looking at the horizon (including the Earth's curvature) except that instead of ocean, there was fresh water and grass. As we looked ahead straight down the path on top of the dike, it reminded me of the junior high (perspective) art projects that teacher, Kathy, used to have the students do. The images (path, canal, and power lines) eventually converging into a dot in the distance. While looking at the picture, be sure to check out the art work that our granddaughter, Kaia, did on Dianne's t-shirt.

During the first trip, without Dianne, I did not see much wildlife, but on the second visit we saw a variety of animals/birds that we had never seen before - including a couple of old coots (of the avian variety). We have seen several old coots of the human variety (present company included) since arriving in South Florida :-)

The photo of the Common Gallinule does not do it justice.

It had a brilliant red and yellow bill. We also saw a kestrel, a loggerhead shrike, and a flock of noisy parakeets. Former science teacher and birder, Brad, should be proud of our observations.

The view of our motor home from the dike was also kind of cool.

As you look at it try to visualize that prior to Hurricane Wilma the entire campground was a heavily-wooded pine forest. The locals that we have met told us that the entire park was closed for two years to repair the damage. It is a shame that the trees and the shade are gone, but we are enjoying the sunshine.

On a personal note, our daughter in Indiana called us during our hike to tell us that her water pipes were frozen. I guess that some of the worries with loved ones don't go away with the good times we are having. Update.... she just called back and the faucets now have water and no burst pipes. Whew!!!!!

Dianne here -- I'm taking over, because Roger just looked at his watch and realized (in our friend Cindy's terminology) that it's "wine-thirty." His job now is to fetch me a glass of wine so that I can finish this masterpiece.

Yesterday was an exciting day for us in our new life as fulltimers.

Our Datastorm Motosat satellite was installed by two very capable installers, Tony and Paul Arcuri, of Datastorm Florida. They are meticulous and very picky, and will not install something unless it is exactly right. I would highly recommend them to any of our readers! They had been recommended to us by Bill Adams of Internet Anywhere, who I contacted last summer after reading rave reviews about HIS installations. Unfortunately, he works mostly out west, but he works in a reciprocal agreement with the Arcuri brothers in Florida. We are now up and running with our very own satellite system for internet. In a few days, the Direct TV people will come and then we will REALLY be set for travel, with 200 channels and a DVR. The DVR is one of the few things I miss about our "sticks and bricks" house; it PAINS me not to be able to fast-forward through commercials! Roger will be very happy once it's installed, as he will then have the Big Ten Network so that he can follow his Purdue Boilermakers throughout both football and basketball seasons.

The satellite for both internet and TV would not really have been necessary on this winter trip, as we have been close to both cell phone coverage (to tether our laptop) and major metropolitan areas for TV stations over our batwing antenna. This will probably be our last trip to Florida, however, and next year and beyond will find us out west and often far from civilization.

The satellite dish is AMAZING to watch! (Roger here.... We have R2D2 on our roof!!!!) All we do is push a button and it opens up, scans the sky in jerky spurts, and locks onto our designated satellite (#99). Chuck, if you see this, you will be SO-O-O-O jealous!!!! It's even cooler than your new hammock! Now it's your turn to buy a new toy!

South Beach, Miami + Campsite

Hi all, Dianne here.   Well, the cold front hit hard even down here; we had to actually wear long sleeves today!   (Sorry, I couldn't resist that).  It has been pretty comical to watch the local weather on the Miami/Fort Lauderdale news with their dire predictions of the current cold front.  Good grief, I know my friends in Indiana would LOVE to have lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s right now!   My granddaughter's school was actually cancelled today, just due to the bitter Indiana cold.   

Now for some shameless self-promotion:  Our house is back on the market now, if anyone would like a lovely Victorian home in an idyllic small town setting!   The  MLS listing number is 2900560 and can be viewed at the F.C. Tucker real estate web site.  (I don't know how to link it).   I sure hope it sells while we're down South, but I realize that is a pipe dream.   There is an extensive album of outdoor shots taken in all seasons at our house that can be viewed at:  http://photobucket.com/125_S_Main_Pendleton.  We have actually had one showing since it went back on the market January 5; I guess there's always hope....   

There is a huge flock of boat-tailed grackles who make an appearance in the grass next to our site every afternoon.   Charlie the cat heard their commotion and wanted outside REALLY badly.   We decided to put on his cat harness (yes, there is such a thing) and bring him outside with us while we got our daily fix of "Ellen" at 5:00 on the TV outside. 

  At first he rolled around and tried to wriggle out of it, but he finally settled down and then actually enjoyed himself stalking the birds.

We had an especially pretty sunset last night here at the camp site.  

 

Charlie the cat would have enjoyed the tropical birds we spotted in a palm tree while walking around South Beach this afternoon.   There was a whole flock of monk or canary-winged parakeets (not sure which) flying around and making a loud racket.  We decided to drive down A1A just to look around Miami and South Beach.  It was an interesting afternoon.  We parked and walked around for about an hour, just sightseeing.   The final photos are just random shots of South Beach, some even taken from the car.    When we were walking up and down Lincoln Road, we spotted some lovely orchids growing in a tree and an interesting fruit of some kind.  

He made me do it!! First hair cut and other domesticity.

Roger here...  One of our goals with our travels has been to live, as much as possible, off of my teachers' retirement pension.  That being said, in order to enjoy the RV lifestyle, we have always intended to cut back on some of the expenses that we have always had, while at the same time spending our money on new adventures.  Here are a couple examples of how we are cutting back without feeling deprived: 

     

      We don't eat out as often, but instead enjoy healthier meals that Dianne prepares.  (I often help by doing the outdoor grilling, which I enjoy.)  We need to acknowledge that we have saved a lot of money during the times that we have eaten out by using the generous gift cards that my colleagues gave me as retirement gifts.   Though we prefer to eat at home, we certainly have not, nor intend to, miss out on unique restaurants as we find them.  We loved the seafood and low country food in SC and GA.

 

      We have no need for dressy or expensive clothing.  (My new dress shoes are a pair of LL Bean hiking shoes that my brother and sister-in-law gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.)  Most of the time I wear sandals or running shoes, shorts and one of my endless supply of t-shirts.  I did not bring any ties!!!   :-)

Related to all this, one of the minor disagreements that Dianne and I have had regarding our new budget has been that of haircuts.  I have taken the stance that it is not necessary for us to shell out $20 every time my hair gets a little shaggy.  I purchased a hair cutting kit at a local CVS in Indiana several months ago and have invested a great deal of time since then convincing Dianne that she is perfectly capable of cutting my hair using a #3 attachment.  Dianne has been very, very, very hesitant about this. 

  [NOTE FROM DIANNE:  Keep in mind, not ONCE did I ever even cut my two daughters' bangs when they were small!]   

 I guess I don't blame her, since she is the one who has to look at the results.  Yesterday, I tactfully spent the day hinting that it was time for a haircut.  Late afternoon I went into the motor home and presented Dianne with the hair trimmer and scissors.  This was a tactical move, having earlier established that we had no other activities to pursue for the day.  Dianne tried to invent some, but in the end, I prevailed (one of the very few times in our marriage) and she cut my hair.  She worried and fussed the entire time, but she did a great job.  We now have $20 that we can spend on something else.  

The stressful time over, and another new experience behind us, we were able to enjoy the evening news outside on our "recliners" and an extraordinary south Florida sunset.

Now for part two......  I offered to reciprocate and cut Dianne's hair today.  The immediate result was Dianne fleeing to the nearby Hair Cuttery in  Weston, FL.  This economizing can evidently only be taken so far.   

Domestic Bliss - Markham Park, Sunrise Florida

Hi all, Dianne here.  We are all set up at our spot at Markham Park, just outside Ft. Lauderdale.  Here are some shots of our camp site.  As you can see, we set up our screen house.   We normally don't bother with it, but since we'll be here a month and there's very little shade here, we went ahead.  Roger set up his hammock inside, and he's put it to good use.  

It's not the most beautiful camp site we've ever had, but it suits our purpose this month just fine.  Top priority was to escape the cold, and we've certainly done that.   It's sunny and HOT out in the sun.  Inside, it's breezy and absolutely perfect.

   The second reason we are here, is that we are scheduled to have our Datastorm Motosat installed.  That is why we chose this area, because the installer is near Ft. Lauderdale.

A third reason we love it here, is there is an absolutely awesome dog park, named "Barkham at Markham."  Here are some photos:  

 There are separate areas for "Little Barkhams" and "Big Barkhams."   

While we are here this month, our intention, in addition to sightseeing, is to get ourselves organized for fulltiming life.  One of the first things we did after arriving was to clear out our winter clothes from our closets, and store them in the storage bays.  Whew!  My closet needed that!   We also plan to completely organize the bays and make a master list of where everything is stored.  It's too easy to forget where we've put things.  

 I'm finding it very easy to live in this small space where everything is so convenient and low maintenance.   Here's a photo of the inside of my kitchen cabinet doors.  I'm including this in case my daughter, Robyn, sees this.  She gave me the collapsible silicone measuring cups and spoons as a gift, not even knowing how PERFECT they are for motorhome living!   Thanks, honey!!

Also today, I picked up needle and thread for the first time in about 5 years and once and for all fixed the arm

 cushions that kept falling off our chair.

  We've had this chair since we cleared out Roger's parents' estate in 2003, but this is the first time I've had the time + inclination to fix it.  This is the third chair we've had in this spot.  We removed the big, bulky recliner that was here (it had seen better days from its prior owner), and at first moved a Lazy Boy recliner from our house.  It worked well, but still was cumbersome to move around and arrange.  Roger had one of his brilliant ideas to replace it with one of these porch chairs.  It swivels, reclines, rocks, and is very, very comfortable.  The upholstery even matches our interior. 

 Between this chair and the sofa, we both have very comfy spots to watch TV at night.   Only problem is, whoever gets the couch must share it with two leggy whippets!

Roger here....  Just a note to my brother, Dick and his wife, Pam:  I am sure that you remember Mom and Dad's comfortable porch chairs - the ones that had the cushions on the armrests that would not stay on.  Dianne's reintroduction to sewing has now solved the problem - at least so far today.

I started a little more intense exercise program yesterday.  At home, I did 30 minutes on an elliptical machine most mornings.  We obviously do not have room for the elliptical machine in the motor home, so I needed to add something, other than the long daily walks, to my morning routine.  Yesterday, I started jogging before breakfast.  So far, so good.  It will be easier when I get back in shape.  Yesterday, I took Chaplin with me - I had to pull him along.  This morning I took Jasper with me - he had to pull me along.  

Nature Walk + TGO RV Resort Titusville

Hi all, Dianne here. I will let Roger describe the awesome nature walk we took while staying two nights at The Great Outdoors RV resort in Titusville, FL.

On our last night here, we took the advice of our good friends, Jay & Nancy, and ate dinner at Dixie Crossroads. This place is well known locally for their rock shrimp. It was delicious! I had mine broiled, and Roger had his fried. My good intentions of having broiled instead of fried were totally negated by the basket of corn fritters dusted with confectioner's sugar. They were the BEST!! My sweet tooth let me down again. It's an interesting place, the service was exceptional, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Great Outdoors is a unique development which features RV lots, RV lots with small Florida rooms, and even homes designed with large RV ports attached, in which to park and connect large motorhomes while at "home." It's a nifty design, and while very nice, we had the feeling of being back in a neighborhood. A lot of the homes surrounded a large golf course. Since we don't play golf (Roger did as a child, but hates it) we were mostly interested in the nature preserve area of the development. For those of you fellow Seinfeld fans, the "Del Boca Vista" episodes kept coming to mind....

Everyone was very friendly. The older folks we saw looked fit and trim and in great health. There were a LOT of folks riding the reclining tricycle type bikes with orange safety flags on poles. I kept remembering our neighborhood in the early 1980s, Lynwood Hills in Fishers, Indiana, and all the tykes on their big wheels with those same orange flags!! That mental image never left my mind. Please do not think that I'm bashing old folks on tricycles; I never rode a bike much as a child, so I'm very shaky on a 2-wheel bike now, and would really benefit from a tricycle.

If we were golfers or country club types, this would be a great place to retire. Since we are neither, I guess we'll keep looking. I can't speak for Roger, but I'm already hooked on the nomad life and have no desire to settle back down. I just pray someone will buy our house!

Roger here... I need to say that there were some really nice things about this place. I liked the fact that with the very large concrete pads, we did not need to constantly clean our shoes before entering the motorhome. Also, though we were close to our neighbors, the landscaping was great to look at getting up every morning. Our site backed up to a nature area and the sunset was spectacular.

However, I do agree that this is probably not for us. Our experience at the too-small dog park was not great, as Jasper was attacked by a pit bull. (He is OK.)

Now for the very good part... We had one of the best nature hikes that we have ever experienced.

Our dogs were not allowed, which was a little upsetting since they love to walk on trails so much, but I now know why. The nature trail behind the RV sites was amazing (allowing dogs on the trail would detract and encourage the wildlife to leave - it also could be dangerous for them). Early in the 4.5 mile hike we saw a huge orange spider and web, far above our heads.

I joked about hearing the theme song from Jurassic Park. We then came to a bridge over a marsh area where we saw what we thought to be "pink' birds.

They were - roseate spoonbills according to our bird book. At the same spot we also saw an Anhinga (not pictured), several Ibises, several foot-long turtles,

wood storks, and herons.

We also saw a snake in the water, but didn't photograph it in case our friend, Nancy, reads this! We lingered at the bridge for about an hour. Shortly, after we left, Dianne said OMG look! In a small drainage ditch we spotted a small (four - foot) alligator. He did not look amused, but then alligators seldom do.

It was a good and fulfilling morning - well worth the slothful afternoon that Dianne documented yesterday.

By the way.... We are now in Fort Lauderdale for a month and we happened to arrive just before the BCS championship game. We are currently surrounded by many, many, many other Gators - all wearing orange and blue , what fun! I think I will wear my royal blue HSE shorts tomorrow (maybe with an orange shirt), just to fit in.