By the Ocean

Today I took the day off from work, sort of. After Breakfast we went for a swim in the pool. After that we packed ourselves a lunch and set out for the beach. We went to the rebuilt beach at Wabasa. Last February they were busy rebuilding the boardwalk access and sand dunes at this beach so we thought we see what it looked like. Well the beach access is very nice. I guess the Wabasa beach is favored by the local surfing crowd because there were at least 6 surfers in the water when we got there and more came while we sat and watched. We got into the water which was very warm but the waves where too strong and Barbara got knocked down and had to wait to get back up. After lunch we went back into the water and while Barbara was standing there she lost her balance in a wave and landed on her butt, I of course had to go get the camera. After I helped her up we went and sat down for a while before coming back to the trailer and washing a small beach down the drain between us.
After cleaning up our mess I decided to put my new gas grill together. It took longer then I thought it would but I got it together with no leftover parts or missing parts, it even worked.

The Kitchen is Done

From a sow's ear to a silk purse, well maybe a denim backpack.
As of Wednesday we have been in our trailer for one week. In that time we have done alot to the place and have more to do. We have als met some of our neighbors as they continue to arrive. Wednesday Barbara went with one of our new neighbors over to another community to play Mahjong. She had a good time and I got some alone time.
Thursday I started to hang the cabinet doors back up and then Barbara and I went out to do some reverse shopping and look for curtains for the bedroom. We are lookig for some cafe' curtains and can not find any. We will have to find a curtain store in the area or wait until we go back to NJ and go to the curtain store in Toms River. We had dinner out at Ruby Tuesday's and when we got home we went for a moonlight swim, the sun had set and the moon was out so it counts.
The kitchen is done. I hung the rest of the cabinet doors back up today and painted the rest of the kitchen ceiling. Then after vacuuming and washing the kitchen floor I started laying the new self stick tiles. It took all afternoon but I think you will agree it was worth every minute. You might notice that the tile is not the same blue ones I put in the bottem of the one cabinet, seeing as we went with the chocolate brown for the walls and trim on the cabinet doors we could not use the blue tiles. Such is life.
Tomorrow we think we are taking the day off and go to the beach. If we do I will take the camera and take some pictures.

Turn on the AC

Today we awoke to a humid morning, so the AC was turned on and has not been turned off all day. While Barbara went to get her hair cut and do a large shopping order I got busy painting. I got a second coat on the cabinets over the stove and one coat on the cabinet over the sink and a coat inside the very deep cabinet over the refrigerator. I will continue painting tomorrow and hopefully finish all the upper cabinets and start on the lower ones. After Barbara got home with her new hairdo (I like it) and the groceries I cleaned up while she made lunch. After lunch we had some reverse shopping and shopping to do. While we were at Lowe’s we wanted to get something to put on the walls in the kitchen over the counter. First we thought about putting self stick floor tiles but could not find anything we liked. The ones that we thought might be good would show the seams and Barbara really did not want to see the seams. Then we went over to the paint department and found paintable wallpaper. We got a roll with stucco like texture to it and a quart of paint in Creamy Chocolate and a gallon of Turning Taupe for the walls. I think it is going to look great, if not I just paint over it LOL. Seeing as we bought wall paper and all my wall papering tools are in New Jersey so I had to get new tools for this job down here. We are also going to use the paintable wall paper in the bathroom on the walls with the same Creamy Chocolate paint. For as small as this trailer is I think I will be painting until we leave to go home at the end of November.
Tonight Barbara cooked on the stove for the first time, she had me light the burner for her, if there are pilot lights I could not find out how to light them, so we just have to use a match. The pork with sauerkraut was delicious. After dinner we went for a sunset swim.

Work, work, work...

Yesterday was a shopping day. Went to Lowe’s, Home Goods, and Target and bought a whole lot of stuff for the trailer. We bought NO VOC paint for the kitchen (actually for the whole inside of the trailer), a gas grill, self stick tile for the kitchen and bathroom floors, a fry pan, 2 sauce pans and a bunch of other stuff. Got home after dark and was just too tired to write it all down.
Today I got up early and I started painting the kitchen cabinets. I got 2 coats on two of the cabinets (inside and out) and started on a third one. It started to get hot so after lunch I cut and put some of the tile on the floor inside of one of the floor cabinets where the old floor was. I did a good job if I do say so myself. Then I put together the two closet maid units we had bought for the bedroom. The lower one is just a shelf unit and the upper one is a two drawer cabinet, they will be very useful. We did go for a swim in the bigger pool by the office this afternoon. Then we came home and Barbara cooked dinner for us. She made hash out of some leftovers from one of our dinners out and added some fresh things to it, it was delicious.

Sunny Day Number 1

Today we woke to a sunny day. By the time we got up, had breakfast and gotten dressed the temperature was already 80° F. Well we decided to make up a shopping list for Home Depot and go get supplies for some of the projects around the trailer. Some of the things we went off to find were paint, a new light for over the kitchen sink, light bulbs, and filter material for the air conditioner. After lunch out we returned to the trailer and while Barbara did some paper work I set out to do some chores. I replaced the florescent light over the sink with the new one. Then I cleaned the grill over the sink in the bathroom where the light is. After cleaning the a/c unit cover and replacing the filter material I put the cover back up. I then set out to take the bed out of the bedroom so I could put the air bed up in there. Well I got the bed and box spring out into the shed, I will put it out for the trash on Tuesday. Then I got the bed frame apart and out to the recycling bins. In doing this I uncovered a spot on the floor that is certainly rotted out under the rug and a spot on the wall that will need to be fixed. The rug is in good shape so I hesitate to pull it up to see what needs to be done to fix the floor; I am afraid that the rug is stapled down and not put in over trackless strips. That project will be for another time. Well I got the air bed blown up and put into place. We turned the bed 90 degrees and slid it into the bump out this gives a little more floor space for dancing, lol. Well I wore myself out and took a short nap. After supper we went for a swim, isn’t Florida in October wonderful? The temperature was still in the 80’s (F) and the water in the pool was around 82° F. More projects for tomorrow, I think I am going to start painting the kitchen cabinets in the sink area. We got a price for a new stove and it would be around $480.00 all total but Home Depot will not put it in so we will need to find someone that can do it (maybe I can, we will have to see what the rules are).

First Full Day in Florida

Barbara and I woke up to cloudy skies in Sebastian. After a morning rain storm the sky became partly cloudy for the rest of the day. When the rain falls on the metal roof on the porch it gets real loud, so we just turn the volume on the TV up. Well we finished putting all the clothes away and then cleaned the bathroom. Let me explain that when I say we cleaned the bathroom it included emptying the cabinets, spraying them down with Clorox cleaner and then putting vinyl shelf liner down. There were some rust stains in the tub that we got rid of with Lime-A-Way. After the bathroom we started on the kitchen cabinets. After lunch we worked until 2:00 and then got our swim suits on and went for a swim. We rested the rest of the afternoon and then I went to the local Publics (local food store chain) and got a cooked chicken and mixed vegetables for dinner. Now we are resting and watching some TV. Sorry have been too busy to take any pictures, will try to get some pictures tomorrow.

18 Billy III

We got on the road this morning around 7:30 and 2 hours later we pulled into our driveway at 18 Billy III. The drive went without incident. When we got to the trailer and it was in very good shape. It was clean and there were no signs of any animals had gotten in over the summer. We turned on the electric and the water and nothing leaked and the circuit breakers stayed on so all was well. After taking an inventory and making a list of cleaning stuff we needed it was off to Wal-Mart. We spent a lot more then we thought we would but it was all stuff we needed. Next was lunch at Wendy’s and back to the trailer for some serious cleaning. After cleaning the closet and putting down some shelving liner Barbara started putting the clothes away. I went off to Publics with a short list for milk, orange juice and something for dinner. One problem we did have was some ants on the porch so we got some ant spray and got rid of them. In the bedroom there were a set of drawers under the closet (I will take pictures tomorrow) and all but one drawer that had been rebuilt were falling apart. So I pulled them all out and I am going to get some ¼” plywood to put over the wholes left by the missing drawers and just not use that space. It would be just too much work to rebuild all the drawers and we do not think we need them. Well it is getting late and we are going to do the kitchen tomorrow so bed time soon.

Florida, Finally

Today was to be a straight drive down I-75 to Ocala but when we stopped for lunch we decided to try to get to Sebastian today instead. We figured we would get to the trailer around 5:00 PM. So we set Hyacinth for 18 Billy III and off we went. Somewhere on I-10 East it became apparent that we would not get to the trailer much closer to 6:00 PM and that would be too late in case there were any problems then we would just have to stay in a motel anyway. Once again we changed our minds and picked a Comfort Suites in Daytona Beach to spend the night in. That is what life is all about, making decisions and changing your mind. We found a sports bar, after getting on I-95 South by mistake and going down one exit (only a mile) and turning around we found the entrance, for dinner. I was able to get a Guinness and we each had filet minion, it was delicious. For desert we split what was called a pound of chocolate cake and it looked like it weighted a pound. It was very good. After getting back to the motel we did two loads of laundry so we would not have to do it tomorrow at the trailer. Well tomorrow we have a short 2 hour drive to the trailer and then the fun really begins.

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

The Bear went over the mountain
The Bear went over the mountain
The Bear went over the mountain
To see what he could see…..
I think everyone knows what the bear saw, that’s right another mountain. Well Barbara and I felt like that unfortunate bear in the song. But unlike the bear we got pictures. We where on our way from Sweetwater, TN to Helen, GA going up and down mountain roads when we saw a sign for Chattahoochee National Forest, and we decided to turn in and check it out. After driving up the side of yet another mountain we got a great view of the mountains we had been driving through all morning. Then we took the shuttle ride to the observation tower at the summit were it was a little cold, there was ice on the stairs to the top deck so we had to use the elevator. Oh did I forget to mention it was 30 degrees when we woke up this morning? Sorry. Well once we got to the observation deck I started doing what I do best, take pictures. We noticed that there are a lot of rhododendrons all over the place it would be gorgeous to come back in the spring when they are all in bloom. We are so glad we took the side trip.
Our next stop was Helen, GA. A town in northern Georgia that decided to turn itself into a Bavarian Village, a total tourist trap. We had a very nice lunch at Hofer’s of Helen Bakery & Café. We both got a soup and sandwich and took half of our sandwiches with us to have for dinner in the room.
We then went on to the motel near Macon, GA were after going up to the room for a short rest we went for a swim in the pool.

Here Comes the Sun or We Finally Drove to Where the Sun is Shining

Today we headed out from our motel around 8:30AM and headed south once again. Today found us heading toward Knoxville Tennessee. We stopped at the Museum of Appalachia (http://www.museumofappalachia.org/) and had lunch, which was a little disappointing. We had the Chicken and Dumplings with two sides but there where more dumplings then chicken, oh well disappointment is part of life. We walked around the village for a short time, which has many buildings that where actually used at one time in the Appellation Mountains. There was one building dedicated to the people of the appellation mountains. It showed pictures and stories from many people along with the things they used. All in all a very interesting place. We then headed to our next motel in Sweetwater Tennessee. After checking in we rested for a bit then went down for a swim in the indoor pool, very refreshing. Tonight we had dinner in the room. It dinner consisted of raw vegetables, a bowl of soup, a ham and cheese wrap, and for desert a banana with milk and cookies (very good).

The Mountains, or Where is all this Rain Coming From?

We started the day by going to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (http://www.shenandoahmuseum.org/index.php). While sitting in the parking lot waiting for the museum to open Barbara suggested that maybe we should drive a bit farther today and stop farther south then what she had planned. She said she would need to get on her computer to do this and I said you can. So I got her computer out of the computer bag and got out our MiFi device and in just a few short minutes she was on the Comfort Inn website looking for a new motel for the night (isn’t technology just great?). After making a new reservation and cancelling the old one we went into the museum. It is a very nice small museum that shows the life of the first settlers of the Shenandoah Valley. The museum also houses part of the art collection of Julian Wood Glass Jr. who was the descendent of the founder of Winchester. Barbara’s favorite gallery was the one that contained the doll houses and miniature furniture made by R. Lee Taylor a man who worked for Julian Wood Glass Jr. during and after the restoration of Glen Burnie the family house that Julian inherited. If you are ever in Winchester Virginia it is worth a stop to go see. Of course I could not take any pictures in the museum or house and seeing as it was such a miserable day weather wise I did not stop to take any pictures of the garden.
After that we set out on our way. The drive was uneventful except for the rain and the trucks. Not that it was a heavy rain but it was just annoying, turn on the wipers, turn off the wipers, repeat…. Well we are in Wytheville Virginia for the night after a nice dinner at a Bob Evans, what can I say it was Bob Evans.

On Our Way

Barbara and I got up at 6:00 AM and where on the road by 7:30 AM. We drove and followed Hyacinth’s (our GPS) directions which had us go to the inner loop around Washington so we ran into a bit more traffic then expected but it turned out to be a good thing. Barbara had planned that we would stop at a garden that we would get into for free but seeing as the weather was rainy she thought we would do the house tour instead but that would cost us $14.00. Well we saw a sign to the National Air and Space Museum (http://www.nasm.si.edu/) and so we decided to do that instead. It cost us $15.00 to park the car but the museum was free, so it cost us $1.00 more but we saw something real interesting and we where out of the rain. We walked around the museum for about an hour and a half and saw most of it (it will need another visit) and I took as many pictures as I had battery life for (I forgot to put extra batteries in the camera case). We then headed to the motel we are staying at in Winchester, Virginia. Hyacinth had us go on VA 50 instead of the interstate and it was a nice change. We then went to have dinner at Barbara’s cousin Annie’s house with her family. We had a very delicious dinner and a great visit with her and her family. I will be posting the pictures from today tomorrow evening so come back often.

The Kitchen Sink is Missing

The kitchen sink, has anyone seen the kitchen sink? I think it is in the trunk of the car under all that other stuff. I am just kidding of course. I started packing the trunk yesterday and then today finished the trunk and did a test pack of the back seat. I say test pack because the coolers have to come out and get filled and ice added and then put back into place. Tomorrow we will clean the house so we come home to it clean. Then pizza with Louise and when we get up on Friday morning we will just have to pack the coolers and a few other small items (computers, a CD player, travel clock...) and do some last minute chores and we will be off to our first stop, Winchester Virginia.

Florida 2009-2010 Getting Ready

Well on Friday October 16th Barbara and I will be embarking on a new adventure. We will be making our maiden voyage as snowbirds to Florida. As you can see from the pictures there is a lot of stuff that needs to be put into the car. I am hopeful that we will get it all in and have enough room for us (it would be a real shame if I had to leave Barbara home). This being the first trip down we are hoping that we are bringing enough but not too much. Certain things we are sure of like the blowup bed, and clothes and our old stainless knives, forks and spoons. Some stuff may have to stay home until our second trip down next January. The plan is to go down now and get the place livable and then come home to New Jersey for December and go back down in January. Well I cleaned out the car, vacuumed the interior and washed the windows. I have even started packing some things under the front seats, quite a bit of wasted space under the front seats. I will be putting things into the trunk tomorrow and saving the back seat for Wednesday. That is all for now wish us luck in getting everything into the car.