Movin' On

We got up and got going fairly early this morning and pulled out of Bee's RV Park by 10:30 even with putting all of the Christmas stuff away. We really didn't move to far, just a couple of hours south to Peace River RV Park near Wauchula. I don't think we've traveled a single leg of all our travels this year without running into this --

Road construction is just part of the game -- and in this part of the world they don't have to stop for snow and ice!

We definitely were in orchard country today! We passed miles of orange groves --

And lots of trucks full of oranges --

These mesh sided trailers looked really neat all filled with fruit --

I think we passed a juice processing plant. There was no signage that we could see, but there sure were a lot of trucks heading that way --

It sort of reminded me of home. Instead of wheat or potatoes or onions along the road that had bounced off of the trucks, there were oranges.

Then we began to see the empty trucks heading back out to the orchards --

We actually drove past the RV park which was on the other side of the four-lane divided highway and had to make a U-turn at the next corner to get back to it. We made reservations at Peace River RV Park through our Resort Parks International (RPI) membership, but it actually is a large (400 plus sites) Thousand Trails facility. It's the only park we have ever been at (except for a couple very small self-service parks in the west) where we were NOT assigned a site!

The lady at the desk showed us the park map, showed us the areas that "were pretty full," and the sites where we "might get satellite service," and then told us to "call her and let her know what site we parked in..." It reminded me a bit of flying Southwest Airlines with the people evidencing the same kind of rather rude pushy behavior.

There were two rigs, and then a third, rig that pulled in behind us. While we were unhooking Toad (as advised by the lady in the office) so that we could check out the available sites, they pulled around us with their tows still attached. Keep in mind that this is an older park with fairly narrow roads. They went racing up and down the roads looking for sites. I watched one of them come around the same area three times...! There are actually quite a few empty sites, I counted at least twenty as we drove around in Toad. And there are fifty or sixty more in the area with only water and electric hookups.

In the meantime, we had found a spot down towards the end of the sites with sewer hook-ups. All of the sites are back-ins as the pipes in between are not buried very far below the surface and are vulnerable to breaking if driven over. While I waited in Toad at the site for Forry to drive Auntie Violet down to it, I watched one of the later-comers actually pull around and pass him on that narrow road!

We are sitting in a site that is oriented north-south, so we could look out the Auntie Violet's and watch this gorgeous sunset tonight.

Sherlock Holmes!

We have been talking with Bill and Leslie about going to one of the new movies that are out this Christmas season. We had been thinking about going to see Warhorse, but Leslie decided that it would get too emotional for her ('cause "it's about animals..."). After checking out was on at the theater closest to us, we decided to go see the Sherlock Holmes movie.

The Epic Theater is halfway between Bee's RV Park where we are staying and Mouse Mountain RV Park where Leslie and Bill are staying so we figured we would just meet there this afternoon and then come back here for dinner. It was a good plan except that Sally, our dear sweet GPS unit, could not find the theater! The site she took us to was just a field. We drove on another long way, then after talking to Bill and Leslie -- who were already at the theater waiting -- we finally made a U-turn and headed back. The theater was actually almost five miles from where the GPS said it was.

Sherlock Holmes, A Game of Shadows is an interesting movie. There is some pretty wild photography and use of fast and slow motion -- especially during fight scenes. We had gotten there barely on time (missed ALL the ads and previews), so ended up sitting closer to the front then we probably should have to get the best effect. But it was fun.

I had picked up a very nice couple of flank steaks when we at Costco a couple of weeks ago. I took one out of the freezer last night and marinated it this morning in lime juice, chopped garlic, cumin and the last of my original bottle of Mexican lime oil. Later I added sliced onions and peppers to the marinade as well. When we got back after the movie, I broiled the steak, stir-fried the peppers and onions, and toasted some corn tortillas. We had a great meal of steak fajitas!

It's Beginning to Look...

Today was a BIG day for Auntie Violet. She got a bath today and looks all shiny and clean. One of the maintenance men here at Bee's RV Park moonlights in his spare time washing RVs and cars. He had offered to do ours last week as we were leaving for Bill and Leslie's, so we put him off to later this week. He stopped by this morning and said he was off this afternoon and could do it. So Auntie Violet is now all ready for the holidays. Forry got inspired and dug the Christmas box out of the basement bay. Now she has all of her icicles hung along with her "JOY" sign. We'll need to get a set of those little battery lights for Granddaughter Claire's lavender plant...

There are many RVs around the park who are beginning to look like Christmas as well --

I really needed a tripod to get a shot of this Christmas tree in the window of the fifth-wheel across the way from us --

These folks are in the next row over. They have a bit of everything at their site --

And of course, there is the obligatory palm tree. I think there is one in more then half of the RV parks we've ever been at --

These are just the RVs I can see when standing outside of Auntie Violet! It was a bit different when we were over at Mouse Mountain RV Park where Bill and Leslie are staying. Almost everyone there had some type of Mickey Mouse or Disney theme. (There are many Disney park employees staying there...)

Golf Carts

I am beginning to think that a prerequisite to a long-term stay at an RV park must be a golf cart. I really believe that there may be more golf carts in use at RV parks then in all of the golf courses combined! Auntie Violet is currently sitting on a corner site in Bee's RV Resort. It's kind of fun to sit at my desk and watch the golf cart traffic outside the window. Many of them have tinsel and stockings and lights and all kinds of holiday decorations, but I've seen none to beat this one we saw last night at Disney's Fort Wilderness. This "sled" was quite a sight!

The heads of the reindeer (attached to a bar in front of the golf cart) swiveled back and forth. And be sure to note Rudolph's red nose!

The other mode of transportation we saw a great deal of yesterday was strollers! These are just the ones parked outside of one of the restaurants --

Bill says he has seen times when the porch was actually completely full of strollers! And I must admit, I did not get whacked by a stroller even once yesterday! Usually when we are in a crowded area, they are a constant threat, but the folks yesterday seemed to be quite courteous and careful.

Today was a down day for us. We slept in and didn't leave the RV park. I got a couple of loads of laundry done and Forry drained the grey water tank. He also took apart the lamp on his side of the bed. The switch has been acting up and not working part of the time. It finally quit working at all. Turns out it is completely shot. Sounds like a trip to the hardware store is now on the docket.

FINALLY -- A Costco Trip

Okay, I admit it. I am a Costco addict!

It's been quite a while since we were anywhere near a Costco warehouse store -- now we have an abundance of riches -- there are three of them in the Orlando area. I checked on the Internet to see where the closest one was. Turns out it is in Altamont Springs, 23 miles away from Bee's RV Park.

I was in the Toad preparing to program the address into the GPS, but I couldn't get it to turn on. Sure I was doing something wrong, Forry tried it, but couldn't make it work either. So we got Auntie Violet's unit and put it into Toad. We programmed it to avoid toll roads, so it took us on some two-lane back country roads. We saw a lot of country, a few goats, lots of cattle, and five sandhill cranes! We also saw many nurseries and several groves of oranges. Which, according to Florida native Leslie, are getting increasingly scarce.

One of the very nicest things about Costco warehouse is their produce. They always have a large variety and it is really fresh. Today we bought blueberries and a papaya, peppers and cucumbers and a carton of Florida strawberries that smelled like real strawberries. Costco also carries the small hothouse Campari tomatoes that also smell -- and taste -- like tomatoes from the garden.

I also like Costco meats. They come in packages with way too many of any one thing for us, but I bring them home and repack them in zippered freezer bags. Today I bought skirt steak, hamburger (in one pound packs) and some luscious looking lamb chops; all of which are now re-packaged and in the freezer.

It's fun to sample all of the goodies at stations around the warehouse. Today Forry sampled some sausage that he liked well enough to buy some for Sunday morning breakfasts. But what he likes the most about Costco is their Polish dogs. You get a Polish hot dog and a soft drink (refillable) for $1.50! They have held that price ever since they opened! If you go into a warehouse around lunch time, you will always see men in suits and office attire getting their dogs. You can't beat the price!

A VERY Lovely Evening!

We are in the "overflow" area at the entrance to Bee's RV Park. When we arrived here about three this afternoon, there was no one in the office. And the sign on the door said they would be back at 9 AM! There were notes on the window for two people with assigned spaces, but none for us! I called the number on the door; got an answering machine and left a message about our plight stating that we would go into their overflow area until told otherwise.

The overflow area is right near the entrance and is a nice grassy area with both water and 50 amp electricity. So not too bad a place to stay. Shortly after we got settled, I got a call back from the number I had called. The lady said that her husband had been having chest pains and they were in the emergency room. I assured her that we were just fine, that she should take care of her husband and we would see her in the morning.

We did a bit of clearing up in the RV, then sat down to read for a bit. I noticed a lovely sunset forming outside and stepped out to take this picture --

and heard the voices of our friends Leslie and Bill who had just driven up. And they came bearing supper! Leslie had found a new recipe for a lime shrimp and avocado salad that was just scrumptious! While it was very nice not to have to cook tonight, it was even nicer to see Bill and Leslie. We definitely talked the evening away!

Part of our discussion was about when to go to Disney World with the two of them. If there ever was a tour guide who knows her way around the Disney properties, it's Leslie! Since we are getting very close to the Christmas holidays and school vacations, we decided we had best go this week before all the families on vacation show up...

Making Reservations

Forry and I usually fly pretty much by the seat of our pants. We're not real in to making reservations, partially because we don't like to plan that far ahead. But, we realize we are in unfamiliar territory at a very busy time of year. So the last week or so, we've been looking through the various directories looking for where we might want to stay during December.

We have some friends in Tallahassee that we'd like to visit, so we were looking for a place near there. Through our home resort, Neskowin Creek in Oregon, we have memberships in both Resorts of Distinction and (ROD) Resort Parks International (RPI). ROD only has a couple of parks in Florida, but RPI has quite a few. We finally decided to try Pine Lake RV Park near Fountain. Unfortunately, while it is an RPI park, it is not an RPI Preferred park.  Which means we could only stay there one week using the $10 per night rate (plus their $5 per night electricity charge!) instead of the usual two weeks.

But, that will work. If we leave Styx River on December 6th, we would be at Pine Lake until the 13th. Then we want to be somewhere fairly close to our friends Bill and Leslie who are settled in at Mouse Mountain RV Park near Disney World. I spent some time on the Internet checking reviews on RV Parks in the Orlando area. A couple of the ones we looked at in the RPI directory had some very poor reviews. It seems that many of the membership RV Parks are old and in need of renovation! (We've run into that several times!)

We finally made reservations for two weeks at Bee's RV Park near Clermont. It had some pretty good reviews and the pictures on the Internet looked nice. We'll stay there until the 27th and then most likely start heading down the towards the Keys.