The Decision Is Made and Tomorrow's The Big Day

DeBary, FL.

67 deg. cloudy, WSW wind @ 16 mph.

Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 64°F. West northwest wind to 21 MPH, gusting to 29 MPH.
Tonight: Clear. Lows around 41°F. Wind chill around 34°F. West northwest wind 7 to 16 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH.

Jim and Linda have been busy trying to figure out what to take to the house and what to keep in me to transfer to their new (to them), Motorhome. They've probably taken more to the house than they should have, but until they actually get the Motorhome, they really won't know just how much will fit into the smaller cabinet space and storage compartments.

The other day, (I think it was Monday), Laura brought Anna to the house to see it. If you remember, Anna lives up in Jacksonville and was down here to visit.

Anyway, both Jim and Linda said that it seems like Anna really liked the house and she and Laura even helped Linda make some changes to the curtains in the Florida Room which runs across the front of the house.

Thanks Anna!!! : )

OK, it's time to announce who's going to take over this blog.

After much persuading, Blaine, (Jim and Linda's pet), has agreed to give it a try. He's really hesitant, but I've assured him that all of my followers have been very understanding when I made mistakes and that I was sure that you would be tolerant with him too.  

So,  ,  ,  ,  why Blaine??? Well to be honest, he probably knows more about Jim and Linda than most anyone else. He's been with them since before they went full-timing, he's traveled to all the places that they have gone during the last 12+ years, and he will be in the RV when they're traveling and in the house when they're not.

He could even ride along when Jim and Linda take CLT (Cute Little Truck), someplace! ; )

I don't know just yet how we'll make the transfer, but in the next couple days, he and I will get it figured out. I've helped him start a new main page, so there will be a new URL. There's no post on it yet, but I'm sure he'll post in the next few days. As soon as he gets the page set up and makes his first post, there will be a link to it here.

Tomorrow is the big day!!!! Jim and Linda will take me to the dealer in the morning and then, after the inspection of the new MH and the papers are signed, the new MH and myself will be taken to a CG in the area where Jim and Linda will transfer the rest of their belongings.

After that, Jim and Linda will bring the new MH back here to Highbanks and someone from the dealership will come an take me to the dealer's lot.

A little about my time with Jim and Linda.

I've had a great time, and it's been fun taking them to the places they wanted to go. I'm really sorry that I'm just too big to go to some of the parks that they want to go to though. Jim says that he really likes how I handle the Interstates, and both of them seemed to have really enjoyed my spacious interior, but they both like to get "off the beaten path" when they travel, and, as Jim found out, I'm really too large to do that comfortably. (At least for him).

I also understand that since they've decided to buy the house that I'm just too big for their needs. There's really no sense putting a 45' MH in storage for at leas 1/2 of the year and in fact, it would be very hard on me.

So, hopefully I'll find someone who wants to travel long distances and stay in larger RV parks. I'm sure I will. I'm really in pretty good shape for my age.

All in all, I've had a great time and have enjoyed writing this blog. I'll miss Jim and Linda, their family and all of their friends that I've met, but things change and I'm used to that. After all, I am a house that has wheels, and I never know where I'll be on any given day.

Who knows, buy this time next year, I could be on my way to Alaska!!! ; )

Did you know that today is "Oreo Cookie Day"?

Just one last thing.

I would like to thank all of you who have followed this blog. It has really meant a lot to know that so many of you were interested in my ramblings. Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!!!

Please follow Blaine's Blog when he starts posting.

A Quiet Weekend, Linda And Jim and Rain

Rantoul, IL.

71 deg. cloudy, W. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...Then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.


It has been pretty quiet here a Prairie Pines this weekend. A few RVs came in, but they're either gone already or will be leaving today. Linda has been doing laundry and doing more research for her Family Tree Maker program.

Jim has been working on our trip plan from here to the East Coast. He's been making some changes to it and now it sounds like we'll be staying her a few days longer than originally planned.

Oh! Debbie, one of my followers, made a comment on this blog the other day and informed me that there is another full-timing couple named Linda and Jim staying here at this park. Jim talked to Louise and he is pretty sure they're on a site over on the other side of the CG. Jim found their blog in the Internet and it sounds like they are planning on being here for a couple of weeks, so maybe Jim and Linda can get together with Linda and Jim and swap RVing stories. ; ) 

We had pretty heavy rain go through this area yesterday. Jim didn't have his rain gauge out, but I'm guessing  that we had more than an inch of rain. That's OK though, this area is still way short on rainfall for the year. It's real muggy outside this morning, but they're forecasting drier weather for the next few days.

Today, Jim and Linda need to pick up Jim's other prescription at Walgreen's, check on mail at the post office and mail a couple birthday cards. Other than that, I don't think there's any other plans.

A Point to Ponder : If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

More About Yesterday's Trivia and The Race

Portland, OR.

58 deg. overcast, SE wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of rain, then a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 72F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%.


After posting yesterday, I decided to try to find more information about the Mill Ends Park. At the same time, one of my followers,  Retired Rod, found the same info I did and sent this link in a comment. (Thanks Rod)   The best info that Rod and I found is on Wikipedia and here's the Link to the Wikipedia page. If you have a little time click on the link and read about it. It's really kind of interesting. ; )

Like I kind of figured, Jeff didn't come out here yesterday. He called in the morning and said that he had a lot to do and wouldn't be coming.

So, most of the day was spent watching Race stuff on TV. As it turned out, the race wasn't as exciting as it might have been because Jimmy Johnson definitely had a car that was faster than the competition, and was quite a distance out front when it mattered.

Of course the broadcasters tried to hype everything up, but there really wasn't much excitement.

After the race was over, Linda found a couple Harry Potter movies on TV and she and Jim watched them until almost midnight.
Today, I don't think there's any real plans. I'm pretty sure Jeff will be here for most of the afternoon so Jim and Linda will be spending time visiting with him.

Did you know that on this date in 1874 - Levi Strauss began marketing blue jeans with copper rivets?

They're Down and Thank You

DeBary, FL.

52 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =

Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

They're down!!!! Yep, even before Linda was up yesterday morning, Jim started taking some of the Christmas decorations down. Then after Linda was up and had her breakfast, they took the rest of them down and put them away under my bed. : )

Now, don't get me wrong. I like the decorations, but once the holiday is past, I start wanting to get back to normal again.

We had a little rain here in DeBary yesterday. Nothing much, but there were a few fairly heavy showers.

Nothing much else to report, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who follow this Blog. I'd also like to welcome the new followers who just started following in the last few months. To me, it's still  amazing that there are so many people who are interested in what a Motor Home has to say.

Thank you very much!!

Did you know that on this date in 1915 - The U.S. Congress established the Rocky Mountain National Park?

Linda's "Famous TV Mix" and Anna And Laura Come To Visit

DeBary, FL.

58 deg. some fog, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Areas of fog through mid morning. Increasing cloudiness by late afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.


Jim spent quite a bit of time on this computer yesterday morning and then went outside for awhile. While outside, he took the garbage down to the dumpster, rode his bike all around the park, and talked to the neighbors.

By 11:00 or so, he came inside and gave Linda a hand getting stuff out so that she could make her "Famous TV Mix".  Now, last year, Myrddin mentioned the TV mix on this blog and some of his followers wanted the recipe.

Well, I went back and copied it from his post, and I'm including it here for you to try if you'd like.

Linda's Famous TV Mix

4 sticks butter or margarine.
¼ cup Worcestershire
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. onion salt
2 tbsp. garlic salt
½ box Crispix
½ box Cheerios
½ box Kix
½ box Chex (any kind)
1 bag pretzels (any shape)
½ can cashews
Walnuts, pecans, etc.

1. Melt butter, sauces, and salts in microwave together. Stir.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a large roaster.
3. Pour about ¼ of butter mixture over top of cereal mixture.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 250 for 20 minutes.
5. Stir thoroughly but gently. Pour next ¼ of butter over cereal.
6. Bake another 20 minutes.
7. Repeat twice more. Taste. If it needs more pizzazz, add more onion salt and Worcestershire directly from bottles and cook another 20 minutes. Stir and taste again. Then look for another volunteer to taste it.
8. When it tastes right, turn off oven and leave Mix in oven as it cools.

Now, from what I understand the family calls it her famous TV mix because when someone else makes it, it never tastes like it does when she makes it and they all think hers tastes the best.

Most people seem to think that it's step #7 that makes the difference because she seems to know just how much extra ingredients is needed.

I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I'll tell you one more thing, it sure makes your RV/home smell good while it's cooking! ; )

Just as the TV Mix was finished, Laura and Anna came over for a visit.

You remember Anna. She's Laura's daughter and we stopped at an RV park in Yemassee, SC on our way down here from Virginia back in November, so that Jim and Linda could go to Beaufort SC to have dinner with her.

Well, anyway, she drove down here for the week-end so that she could be here for a pre-Christmas dinner today with Lindsey's parents, Marv and Inez. She got here late Thursday and had some time to come and visit me yesterday. : )

It was really good to see her again as I hadn't seen her since she, Ashley and Laura came up to Wisconsin in July for the family reunion.

Anyway, they stayed for about an hour to talk and enjoy some of that "hot out of the oven TV mix". : )

I guess I'd better quit for now, this post is getting pretty long. I don't think anything is planned for today except maybe to clean me up a little inside. : )

Did you know that according to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year?

A Correction and Dinner With Family

DeBary, FL.

58 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

I have a correction to make. Yesterday, I posted a photo of some birds in the little grassy "island" here at the park and I heard someone tell Jim that they were blue herons. Well, Jim and Linda's friend, (and one of my faithful followers), Judy works at wildlife refuges and she sent me a comment on yesterday's blog informing me that they are not blue herons, but sandhill cranes!! 

So, I stand corrected. Sorry for any confusion that my error may have caused.

Jim and Lind headed to the Winn Dixie Grocery store yesterday and bought a whole bunch of groceries. A lot of what they bought is for the holiday season, so it won't be filling my cabinets and refrigerator for very long.

After they got back, Jim took a nap and then just as Linda was getting ready to put something together for dinner, Laura called and wanted to know if Jim and Linda would like to meet her, Lindsey and Ashley someplace for dinner.

Well, it didn't take them long to say "yes", and in just a few minutes they were in CLT and heading for the Bob Evans Restaurant where they had a very nice meal and some great conversation!  ; )

After they returned, they watched TV and played with the computers until bedtime.

Did you know that "White Christmas" (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, was the first movie to be made in Vista Vision, a deep-focus process?

Thanks Judy!!! : )

Cleaning and A Comment On A Comment

Callahan, FL.

54 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Areas of dense fog in the morning. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Jim and Linda spent a good part of yesterday giving the inside of me a good cleaning. It hadn't been done for awhile and it showed. ; O 

Jim also dumped my tanks and filed up fresh water tank in preparation for going to see my mechanic in Lakeland, (Only electric hook-up there), talked to the neighbors for awhile, took a walk around the park, and cooked a couple burgers on the grill for dinner.

Meanwhile, Linda was doing laundry and working on her latest embroidery project.

Today we'll head to Lakeland. It's about 200 miles down there so it'll take awhile, but there's really no hurry as once we get there, I'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning before anyone will be around to work on me anyway. I don't even know if there will be an electric hook-up available for me, so I may have to boon-dock for the night.

I usually don't make comments on the comments that I receive, but yesterday, I received a very nice comment from Rod and Loyce Ivers, (some very loyal readers of this blog), that made me feel a whole lot better about my needed repairs.

Here's the comment that I received.

"I'm not too sure that embarrassed would be the correct way to describe that further repairs are needed. It seems like every time you move a motorhome, you need to take stock of what was broken in the process. Fixing these things up are kind of like that big drink of #2 diesel. Its just the cost of moving from point A to Point B. Its the cost of the activity in which we choose to partake... Your lucky that you have Lester and his crew to take care of all of this in minimal time, and probably minimal expense too as compared to folks that don't get the job done right the first time.... JMHO."

After reading that, I have to admit that embarrassed my not be the best way to describe my feelings. It's just that I know that I've already cost Jim and Linda a bunch of money, (especially with the tires that needed to be replaced), and I was hoping that I could go for awhile without having anything else go wrong.  But, Rod and Loyce are right. We RVs do take a beating, traveling down these roads and we do need a lot of up-keep and repairs to keep us road ready. And, I am very lucky that Jim and Linda know Lester and his crew, who know how to get me back in tip top shape again. ; )

Full-timing is a great way to live and it's really great to be able to travel all across this country to see the sights and visit family, but contrary to popular belief, it's not a real cheap way to live. Maintenance and repairs are needed just like they would be in a stix and brix home. And, in fact, sometimes more.

A Point to Ponder : If you decide that you're indecisive, which one are you?

Canceling the Appointment At SMI and Indiana To Tennessee

Clarksville, TN,

55 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Decreasing clouds. Scattered showers. Highs around 70. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Jim did call and tell Kyle at SMI that he didn't feel comfortable trying to get me into their parking lot. Kyle said that he understood, but was sure that they could get me in and out of the lot. Well, Jim didn't want to take the chance, so he made arrangements to go over there and purchase a kit.

By this time, Linda was up and ready, so she and Jim took CLT and headed over there. By a little after 10:00 they were back from SMI, CLT was hooked to the back of me, and we were pulling out of the Fairgrounds.

From the Fairgrounds, we headed North on US 41 for a few miles where we tuned East on I-64. 64 took us over to I-164 where we tuned South and followed it around Evansville until we came back to US-41. Going South on 41 took us across the Ohio River and into Kentucky where we got onto the Pennyrile Parkway and followed it all the way down to I-24. Turning SE on 24 took us into Tennessee and here to the Clarksville RV Pk, in Clarksville. It was about 12:25 when we pulled up to the stop sign in the park, so it took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to travel just about 130 miles.

The Clarksville RV Pk is pretty nice but kind of expensive. Jim and Linda have stayed here before because it's convenient but think it's overpriced for what you get.

Jim hadn't slept very well the night before, so as soon as he had me hooked up to the utilities, he and Linda both took naps. : )

Today, we'll be heading down into Alabama. Jim found a couple CGs down there that will work and are reasonably priced.

Oh, and I want to thank Eric and the other followers who have either e-mailed Jim or left a comment on this blog. Your suggestions of what may be wrong with my slide may be correct, but since I have some other issues, we're going to go on down to Florida to have them all addressed. Then, hopefully we can have a nice relaxing trip up to NC and VA to see Jim and Linda's kids and grand kids. : )

Did you know that Tennessee has more than 3,800 documented caves?