This is the final blog entry for the year 2022. It has finally been composed, edited, and proof-read several times, however, I am sure there is that elusive "typo" that we find after posting.
What follows are the last two months of 2022. I was amazed at how much we actually did last year and how many posts I needed to write in order to get most of it documented. Hopefully, 2023 will contain what we all want out of life - more moments to cherish. How much do we really need to be happy? Once we decided to live full-time in the RV, I found that there is truth in the saying, "Less is More." I had no difficulty releasing and letting go of the objects I had, but didn't necessarily need. I discovered that I needed more "moments" and time with family. An armchair will lose it's stuffing, a table can lose a leg, a mattress can "sprung a spring," but you can't beat the feeling of a new sunset or a sunrise and all the possibilities that await you each day. I wish all my readers many "happy moments."
Thanksgiving was spent at the Tampa Home. Unfortunately, I don't have many photos to jog my memory as to what our turkey dinner looked like, but I do remember cousin Charlie and his wife joining us for the day. It would also be tradition for Meily to have purchased her favorite Brazilian pastries. I surely brought some nice wine and we ate too much. Christmas gift lists were provided and I sat with each of the girls to see what they wanted and/or needed. I try to get something from both those categories and avoid some of the outrageous requests.
I was able to get my Christmas shopping complete and we got ourselves into the Christmas spirit by visiting Disney Springs and the Town of Celebration, where both take decorating to a higher level.
One of the many trees at Disney Springs
I believe this was in front of Ghiradelli
Below, photos from Celebration:
Market Street closed to traffic.
Soap snow that looks so real.
Friends of ours from Citrus Valley (formerly called Elite Resorts) announced that they were going to participate in "Wreaths Across America."
This has always been something I've wanted to do, so we joined them at a participating cemetery and was proud to be a part of the honorable ceremony and wreath laying tradition. We found many veteran graves from the Spanish/American War, WW I and WW II, but I searched and found a Vietnam Veteran's grave, since that was the first war that effected me and my views of war, loss and the sacrifices of men during and after service, who were only a couple of years older than me. It turned out to be both rewarding and touching at the same time.
We actually grabbed four from the first and second batch. We took as many as we could hold Back to front: Wayne, George, me and Chrystal.
"Madison L Harvin," Spanish/American War
Laying wreaths.
George and I laying Madison L. Harvin's wreath.
Still smiling at the end of a tiring and rewarding day.
This Christmas the Tampa girls were booked on flights to spend Christmas with their dad, little brother and other family in New York. This would end up being a much different Christmas for us, so George surprised me by booking a week at Big Pine Key Campground. This had been a long-desired location for me and was one of the best gifts ever - it fit perfectly and was the best color. It's only 33 miles from the tip of Key West- Mile Marker . Ho, ho, ho and Merry Christmas to me!
As we prepared to leave for Big Pine Key, we were all unhooked and ready for the last couple of tasks when one of our rear slides would not retract the whole way. It would only stop and go part way in or out. George played around with resetting the slide mechanism enough to get it in most of the way. We knew that we would need to address this ASAP once we reached our destination.
We checked into Big Pine Key on Christmas Day 2022. A look back in history will uncover a news- worthy event about a boat of Cuban refugees who landed on The Dry Tortugas that same day. The weather was cold and rainy. I couldn't imagine the conditions they experienced in search of freedom; our right as an American and something e tend to take for granted. Despite the weather, we were able to make it to the furthermost point of the US.
We were fortunate to have found a certified Mobile RV tech and he was able to order the parts and "sort of" fix our slide, however, with the two holidays and limited UPS deliveries to The Keys, we needed to book a another week. We ended up at a premium, canal-front site. It was tough, but we managed to make the best of the situation. (Hee hee)
We explored Key West for one day before it was closed to tourists while the refugees could be bused to boarder crossings. It rained the entire week, so we were glad we got to see the "Furthest-Most Point" in the USA and the weather forecast for our second week was perfect.
I really enjoyed our time there. I felt as if I finally found "my place - my paradise." I didn't want to leave, so I went into the office and booked two week in April 2024! Doing so made it a bit easier to leave.
Below are some photos of my paradise:
Crossing the 7-Mile Bridge on overcast Christmas Day 2022
Office and General Store of our Cove Resort
Nice, clean and well-stocked
I'll survive....
Bertha in her stall on the canal.
Community Gas Fire Pit
The view from the fire pit.
My new "beverage" buddies, Amanda and Chris
Sunset somewhere.
A great sunset from Cudjo Key
Sunset from Sunset Grille.
The protected bird of The Conch Republic - the rooster! They are all over The Keys.
Finally, 2022 came to an end and we rang in the New Year at Big Pine Key. What a way to start the year.
Deep thought for the day: Paradise means different things to different people. I can say with strong conviction that The Keys are my paradise. Everything about it seeped into my body; through the warmth of the sun, the soft sand, the music, the smell of the salt on my body and in air and the beautiful, clear, aqua water. Combined, they filled my my soul with a comforting peace I've never known. ~ vc
Goodness...once on a role, I realized how I lost all track of time and place.. So, now I will get my ducks in a row. I didn't realize we had done so much in the second half of 2022. It was so much that I decided to remove November and December and give it its own entry.
My last blog was missing a big trip. I neglected to include "Everglades February 2022," where we met up with Charlie who was staying in another campground. Bertha was too big to stay there, so we booked the very upscale Everglade Isle Motorcoach Resort. We were parked alongside a Prevost and a drive around the property showed more Prevost, Newmar and Tiffin coaches. The roads were laid with paving bricks and each site had pavers. Most had tiki huts and lavish landscaping. The pricing was upscale as well.
A restaurant on site allowed us three the oppotunity to enjoy a delicious dinner and drinks one evening. I had my favorite, a Lemon Drop Martini, which was superb. I keep trying to concoct the same mixture, but fail each time. Maybe it's like a take-out food...it always tastes better in the restaurant.
Can I get one To-Go?
The weather was quite nice and we toured the Everglades on an Airboat. Our captain was very knowledgeable and we learned about mangrove trees and their role in the ecosystem. Interestingly, the Everglades is the only place where alligators and crocodiles cohabitate. We were able to spot a couple of each, but they were too far to capture in photo and I didn't desire to get any closer.
The airboat ride was fantastic. We sped down narrow openings in the mangroves that led to an open area where the boat went around in a huge circle at a high speed. Water splashed all around us. I found it exhilarating! I can't wait to do something like this again.
Top two photos: our site. Bottom, our site from the boat, our tour guide and the canal behind our RV
Ride along in the Everglades
In June, Croton Point Park welcomed us with much-needed improvements that had been accomplished while we were gone. Trees were trimmed and the campground road was paved.
The area is full of history and beautiful views of the Hudson River as seen from atop the old landfill.
Apparently, while we camped in Georgia, a tree frog jumped on board Big Bertha and we transported him to various campgrounds, across state lines and all the way to NY. The sound our specific tree frog made was similar to a duck. Froggy "quacked" at intermittent times and in different locations throughout Bertha. As hard as we tried, we could not locate him. People thought us crazy until the sound was heard by our fellow Islanders.
Froggy finally revealed himself as I opened a lounge chair in Croton He was probably dehydrated and starving. George placed him at the base of a tree, but I doubt he survived, God rest his soul. Stock photo of the little bastard below.
Tree Frog
We had the opportunity to celebrate another 80th birthday. Our friend, Charlie, hit that great milestone in May. In June, his children hosted a party with all of his family and friends. It was a terrific night, filled with great people, delicious food and fine wine. I'm sure the top two things that made his party happy were his kids being there and the FOOD!
The month of June also allowed me to join in celebrating the retirement of my last principal at BMMS. I went through seven principals in less than 10 years! I retired two years after John Owens (below) was promoted to the job. My friend, Helene, was appointed to fill my position and has done a great job at re-creating and streamlining the responsibilities. Now why didn't I think of that?
Top l to r: Jonathon Brown, John Owen, me and Helene Bottom: Me & JT, who looked confused at being invited to the party, R - me, John and Helene - his two best secretaries!
We had reservations for the Fourth of July weekend in Northhampton/Springfield KOA in Massachusetts. It's a long story that included electricity and a run-in between the manager and George (yes, I said George) over not being allowed to use our generator. Then, for the first time in eight years as full-timers, we were kicked out of a campground! A terrible review was left in several locations.
Of all times, we were traveling on a big holiday weekend with my nephew, Jack in tow. This was his very first RV trip! He had looked forward to camping and was extremely excited and extremely inquisitive. He became a bit worried when he heard we were booted from the KOA and then felt worse when George said that we would "just stay at a Walmart." I think Jack thought we were going to sleep INSIDE the store. We calmed his fears and drove to the nearby Walmart. It was a quick drive through, because the parking lot was overrun with dilapidated vans, buses and cars. We needed to go with Plan B, aka "CB."
Cracker Barrel here we come! George found a very safe neighborhood and Jack was happy to see other RVs. He still had a bit of trouble falling asleep. so I sat with him until he slipped off to dreamland.
First RV Trip for Jack!
Another first! First time at a Cracker Barrel. It was a hit.
I was able to book a stay at KOA near Mystic Seaport, in Connecticut. It turned out to be a campground needing some TLC. Neither of the two pools were working. No wonder they had space for us on the holiday weekend! Regardless, the trip was terrific and memorable. We took Jack to Mystic Seaport and we all had lots of fun. Jack is a great kid. His mind is like a spinning wheel that never stops. I am thoroughly amazed by his comments, ideas and observances. Watching the whole experience through his eyes made the trip even better.
Mystic Seaport
Last night: A campfire and a BIG Mr. Softee cone.
After returning from Mystic, we had another big celebration. George's step-dad, Charlie, turned 90. A party was held at Table 9, in Cortlandt Manor. Many friends and family gathered to mark this amazing milestone. George and I missed it due to me contracting the flu and George being contaminated, so sadly, no photos.
In August, we traveled up and around northeast coastal towns to the Boston-Salem area. The first stop was Aces High Campground in East Lyme, Connecticut. This was a very nice place and would love to stay here again for a longer time.
Aces High Campground. Close to the beach and seaside towns.
We got our 1st duck at Cape Anne!
The second stop was Cape Ann Campsites in Gloucester, MA. There were so many interesting places to visit, including the Salem Witchs' Cemetery. It was sad knowing these women were innocent and that ignorance was what actually killed them.
We came out of our RV one morning and there was a little blue duck on our Jeep. It had a tag attached that claimed "we had been ducked." Links to FB and Instagram explained the creation of this new fad that was borne out of sadness during COVID. The objective was to bring a smile to a fellow Jeep-er's face.
I'm officially hooked on this new Jeep fad - share a duck and give a smile. It's a "Jeep thing."
Cape Ann Campground, Gloucester, MA
Boston
Last stop was Alpine Lake Campground in Corinth, NY. We had been here before and loved its proximity to Lake George, Saratoga and Saratoga Springs. It is also a very peaceful place to just sit back and relax.
The view from our site.
The other side of the lake.
Saratoga Springs. We ducked and got ducked again!
We headed back to Croton and dealt with everyday life until it was time for our next trip with several other Islanders. We stayed at the quaint and comfortable Fisherman's Memorial State Park on Point Judith, in the town of Narragansett, RI. We were able to get a lot of sight-seeing squeezed in and had a pleasant (chilly) time.
Beavertail Lighthouse-3rd lighthouse on the Atlantic Coast.
The "facilities" at Beavertail Lighthouse.
I felt like this blog entry rambled on for way too long. I will complete 2022 in my next entry. Its' not over until it's over.
Deep thought for the day: Isn't life just ducky? As I proof-read this document, I noticed the three references to "ducks." We should all live a bit more like ducks - they love being in the rain, bobbing on the water, quacking and running or swimming in a line. They always look happy! Let's all try to be more "ducky." ~ vc
In early January, we drove to Palmetto Florida and stayed at the elegant, Class A only, Tides RV Resort. We were there to meet up with family and celebrate my Aunt Maryanne’s 80th birthday! My cousin, Annmarie, with her sophisticated food and wine palette, led us to the most lovely restaurant in St. Petersburg. It was a perfect Florida evening to eat outside and celebrate. I was so happy we were able to share that milestone with my Family Matriarch!
From left, Chris, Auntie, Annmarie, Uncle Tony, me and George.
Outdoor dining allowed us to be mask-free.
During "peak season," several of the members of our FMCA local chapter, The Islanders, joined us at Elite for a few months and we shared many nights of laughter, wine, food and conversation. If you have access to Charlie's blog, he documented all the trips and dinners out. For George and I, it was daily life spent with lots of friends who enjoyed the time away from the cold winter up north. They "flew" back north in early April to celebrate Easter with family.
APRIL
OLDSMAR, FL
We drove Bertha over to Tampa for Easter with the girls, their Uncle Gregg and his girlfriend, Angie. We camped at the beautiful and super-convenient Bay Bayou Resort in Oldsmar. The food, wine and company were wonderful.
Meily, me, Stella, Gregg and me (with glass of wine:).
Not happy with her Easter Bonnet.
MAY
All to soon, May approached and it was time to start out on our next adventure, which was traveling north-west up through Georgia and Tennessee. First exciting event was Cinco di Mayo. Stella was having a grand time, but Mommy had to cut her off after her second margarita.
Humm, she didn't seem to mind this hat after her second drink!
CHATTANOOGA
After two one-night stops, we landed in Chattanooga for a few days, which is steeped in history and had explorable caves. We visited Ruby Falls and it was our first time experiencing an indoor waterfall. Revolutionary Mountain was close by, filled with Civil War history.
NASHVILLE
Our next stop was Twin Rivers RV where we met up with fellow "Islanders" again where we toured Nashville. First order of business was a trip to The Grand Ole Opry. We saw the Gaitlin Brothers along with a couple of up-and-coming singers. Sitting in the burgundy velvet "pews" was enough for me, because I found this historic place, with the ghosts of past performers and it's original wooden "circle" on the stage exciting. The Opry is a definite destination stop if you want to be part of country-western music and history.
Top: Charlie, Johnny, John, Doreen and Tony Girls from L-R: Chrissy, Fran and me.
Note wooden circle on the stage. It was cut from the original Opry stage and installed in the new venue.
A little history of the Opry:
The Opry began in 1925 and has continued to be the longest-running radio broadcast in US history
The Opry had multiple venues, from small second-floor offices to its current relocation in the renovated Ryman Auditorium. A circle had been cut from the original stage when it was in another location and then installed front and center of the new stage. So many famous people stood on this piece of wood, wearing it into a smooth, darkened sphere. I would think that every new performer who stands on it gets chills.
An interesting fact: Elvis performed there only once and was never invited back due to his provocative moves and style. Their loss.
One evening while in Nashville, we went on a dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson. We were provided with a delicious meal and terrific country-western music.
PIGEON FORGE
After Nashville, we headed to Pigeon Forge and the land of Dolly Parton. Dolly single-handedly took a small coal mining town and transformed it into a thriving community by building Dollywood and employing local residents. New businesses were needed to accommodate the influx of tourists. A sort of reverse domino effect.
Some Hudson Islanders (I won't mention any names) had much fun buying up a bunch of Moonshine. Evenings were spent with us all taste-testing different flavors. The day following a tasting required re-visiting Gatlinburg to stock up on favorites.
George and I took a tour of of famous cars from movies and TV shows. It was a trip back in time for both of us. See if you recognize any from the not-so-perfect photos before scrolling down.
Answers:
In order: The General Lee, from Dukes of Hazard; The truck from the Beverly Hillbillies; Barney Fife's Patrol Car; The Jeep from Mash and The Ghostbuster-mobile
For some reason, things like this catch my eye all the time!
As May came to a close, it was time to celebrate another 80th birthday! Not sure if this is in Pigeon Forge or Croton, but regardless, we raised a glass to toast our dear friend, Charlie's milestone birthday!
We did a hop-skip-jump to New York. The first stop, Wytheville KOA, in Virginia, was a very nice campground and then on to Jonestown AOK (not a typo), in Jonestown, PA. I was far from a-okay.
It seems that the closer we get to the tri-state area, besides the roads being worse, there are less campgrounds and they become more rustic.
2022 TO BE CONTINUED...
Deep Thought for the Day: It is said that the biggest journey begins with just one step. I had been dreading the enormity of documenting the last two years and, sadly, many details have fallen by the wayside, so I will push through with the second half of 2022, because 2023 needs to be etched into this blog before the mind sifts out the details. ~ vc
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