Jun 16, 2013 - Last man standing

The Happy Zone feels to me like it did when we very first moved the RV here in 2004.....quiet and no one around! Rich could sit at the picnic table ( if he weren't so busy) and he'd remain all alone. As for me, nobody to sit and chat with, no one to help decide the next party theme. Hahaha So, we are way ahead of schedule since we worked all day yesterday and now have the Lance packed, or I should say PACKED, if you ladies get my meaning! Shhhhhhh....don't tell Rich. He doesn't look in cupboards! And, Ron, you'd better not mention it...

Jun 15, 2013 - Peru Trip Meeting

As the start of the trip draws near, the anticipation grows. We are having a meeting with everyone going on the trip to get things finalized. Super excited. I can't believe in just a number of days, I will be leaving Miami and heading to Santiago, Chile to visit with my brother, Rodrigo, and his amazing family before meeting everyone else in Lima, Peru a few days later. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life who have made this trip possible.

Jun 15, 2013 - More Cocoa Village - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Our second week in Cocoa was spent with the kids, Jesse & Amy, and the grandkids, Corey, Tyler and Jeremy (13/1/12), whom traveled from Charlotte for vacation. They stayed in a hotel at the beach and would pick us up in the morning and we'd return worn out at night. A couple of times, we took the bus over. The beach was great, and the kids had a lot of fun, taking surfing lessons, shopping for new skateboards at Ron Jon's, tons of swimming. John & Jesse got to go deep sea fishing on a charter boat and scared the fish too...

Jun 10, 2013 - Where Shall We Go?

We had a great time going geocaching at Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Hobe Sound Florida. We wanted to see the campgrounds and the area because we shall be camping over at the big event of geocaching in Jan of 2014. We had fun running around the area and then after a few days of Geocaching we went up to Lakeland to the GEOWOODSTOCK that was held at the Bar B Ranch preserve. We got to meet some old friends and new friends. I took the new trailer up to "SKIP'S so that they could repair the skylight in the roof. A few months ago we were...

Jun 10, 2013 - St. Augustine, FL

We travel up with our friends Kim and Greg to St. Augustine FL. It is one of the oldest towns in the US. We had a fun weekend of sightseeing, eatting and drinking. Stay in and old hotel right downtown where we could walk to most everything. Took a tour on a train trolley around the town and could get off where we wanted and then back on. Had a great time. Now back to Galloway's house and off to Charleston to see our friends Ted and Eleanor.

Jun 10, 2013 - Grab your suitcase!

Hello, Friends!! It's that time of year again, so start packing! The Happy Zone will be left in the capable hands of the Stewart's and the Thornburg's on Monday, June 17th when we escape the Florida heat for about four months. This summer we are headed once again for Rhode Island and upstate New York to spend time with family and friends (that are just like family.) But first, we'll take a lazy two weeks on the road before we land in Newport, RI on July 1st. There's nothing like spending July 4th in Newport, and we also have a big family...

Jun 9, 2013 - On the Road at Last

We have, finally, left the building. Took us longer than we'd hoped and our little Prius is stuffed to the gills, but we're traveling 77 mph and getting 52 mpg! Just when I thought, "I guess I'll have to leave that behind", Ken would find a way to fit it in. He is a packing genius, I tell you. We are headed first to Efland, NC (which we like to call ELFland) for a short visit with Geof & Diana, my brother and sister-in-law, with whom we always have the greatest of fun. Did I mention that they live on Thunder Mountain? Gotta love it!

Jun 8, 2013 - Leaving Home

It took us almost two hours to finish loading our motorhome with the food from our refrigerator and all the other miscellaneous stuff that we wanted to bring including our bathroom scale, for example. We are determined to keep up our good eating habits and exercising regularly on the road. It will be a challenge, but we are committed. Everything fit fine. We are always amazed at how everything we bring on board disappears into a cabinet or storage bin on the outside or under the bed which lifts up or into the refrigerator which seems to...

Jun 8, 2013 - Learning How to Journal Today

Today I am learning how to use this journal site. In six day I will be flying from Panama City, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. Dixie doesn't seem concerned. Think she's looking forward to her own vacation.

Jun 7, 2013 - Ready to Go

Tropical Storm Andrea came a calling yesterday. We had lots of rain but it was only windy for short bursts. The storm quickly moved north. And so today we have decent weather to load the RV. We drove in our car to the place where it is stored, about a 15 minute drive, and brought it home. About 8:30 a.m. we started loading it up - clothes, food, pots and pans, books, household cleaning agents, etc. It's amazing how much we can store in our motor home. Lists help a lot and we have them for the things to bring and things to do around the...

Jun 7, 2013 - Our new Heartland Big Country!

Well as I promised here is the blog entry about our new rig. Let’s backtrack to the Tampa RV Super Show in January. Because we had been having ongoing issues with leaking under the kitchen sink, we had got to the stage of realizing that a new 5th wheel might be on the cards. The sink in our Alumascape Suites was on the slide out and every time we moved the slide out in or out it appeared to pull on the water fittings under the sink. Tony replaced and lengthened them but the fittings to the rig still leaked after a while. So the bottom line...

Jun 5, 2013 - New Smyrna Beach, FL

We are over in New Smyrna Beach now at the Galloway's condo. We love it here and finially getting a few days to just relax. There is a storm passing though so it not sunny, which is a bummer. But just love sitting on the balcony and watching the ocean.