Tag: Travel

Posted in Blog Series

#23: Adventures in RV Travel – February 16, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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The End of the Road

Hello everyone! Tonight, I’m writing you from our home in Kentucky. It’s exciting that now we have two homes, one in Kentucky and one in South Florida! I do love both places. The pictures above are of each place — Kentucky on the left, then South Florida. Both beautiful places to live for very different reasons.

Our RV trip to South Florida, then to the Florida panhandle, couldn’t have been more wonderful! In South Florida, we got to have a wonderful, month’s long, vacation. But, even more important than that, we got to buy a small place of our own on an island that we’ve loved for almost ten years. We love the island, the people, the environment  there. It’s a true “Jimmy Buffett” lifestyle. I feel like I’m living in Margaritaville when I’m there!

Then we got to visit the Florida panhandle for the first time. The panhandle may have the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen this side of the Caribbean. Nothing can top the beaches of the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, but the Florida Panhandle comes close. Of course, our viist to the Panhandle was largely to see our friends, Marty and Phil, and we enjoyed that so much.

We did have one mechanical problem with the RV. For me, RV’s are like boats! It’s always something. Some small problem and there was one trip, one time (to New England in the RV) when there were several BIG mechanical problems. This time, for those of you who are RVer’s, it was the donut gaskets and my traveling companion replaced them within a couple of hours.

One WARNING to all of you RVer’s. Before you schedule a stay at a RV park, ask them if they allow you to make small on-site repairs if need be. The RV park at Carrabelle Beach on the Florida panhandle did not allow such small repairs. The RV park at Pine Island on the Florida peninsula did. It makes a world of difference if you have a problem. We had to find a parking lot as we left the panhandle and an owner who would let us stay for a while in order to make our repairs.

It was sort of a long, hard trip home. We spent a lot of time on two-lane roads, leaving the Panhandle and getting back to the Interstate where we needed to be. A good bit of that time was at night. There are very few services, these days, on two-lane roads since most services are found around the interstate highway system. We had to drive long distances to find places to stay. We were grateful when we had made our way to the interstate. Since we started our trip home late one night, we spent that night on the road and then another night, fairly close to home. We got home in the middle of the day today.

All of you RVer’s know what it’s like to unload an RV after a month long trip! It is not for the faint of heart! We have not nearly finished but we have stopped for the night. I’m going to have to get accustomed to the cold again before I can be out at night in what passes for a Kentucky winter this year. It’s 38 degrees here tonight.

I will look back on this RV trip as a huge highlight in my life! Part of the fun has been writing these blog posts almost every night for all of you. I’ve enjoyed knowing you experienced it with me. We will be traveling more and I will always include you in my travels!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, Uncategorized

#weekendcoffeeshare – 02/11/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Good morning! I hope everyone is doing well today! If we were having coffee today, I would tell you that I’m still in Florida but in a different place. We are now at Carrabelle, Florida, in the Florida Panhandle. It’s a different kind of RV park than the Pine Island RV Park. Much quieter, more laid back. It’s a very nice, clean park. We have the most awesome view of the Gulf of Mexico with the brilliant blue water and the sugary white sand beach which is very wide here. This RV Park is not particularly mine or my traveling companion’s taste. We prefer the parks more like Pine Island, but if you like peace and quiet, you would like Carabelle Beach RV Resort Park.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that, yesterday, we went to St. George Island, just across the bay, and Appalachicola. Early in the day, we were looking for restaurants for both us and to take our friends to when they arrived last night. Our friends, Marty and Phil, came down so we could spend some time together. We knew it would be late when they arrived as they had a very long drive from Tennessee. So we looked around St. George and Appalachicola for places to eat. We found a few, mostly in Appalachicola.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about our visit to the St. George Island lighthouse. It was rebuilt in 2008 after the original one, which was very old, fell. I had never been in a lighthouse before so it was really interesting. Later in the evening, Marty and Phil did arrive and we all went to Appalachicola to a restaurant called Up the Stairs.. It was an excellent dining experience! We loved our meals. If you ever find yourself in that quaint little town, I highly recommend it.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about our rather long drive from the Ft. Myers Florida area to the Carabelle Florida area and the fact that we are traveling with a sick puppy. My little dog, Betsy, has been battling what is apparently a little virus. I called my vet back home and have been treating her according to his instructions. She is getting better but is not completely well yet. We’ve been very worried about her.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that we will be spending most of the next week here exploring with Marty and Phil. I’m hoping to be home in Kentucky by no later than February 18th, so the next #weekendcoffeeshare will hopefully come to you from my home in Kentucky. I’ll have to admit to you I wish we were going home to our little place near Ft. Myers instead! But we will be going back there soon.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have so missed hearing from all of you! Please tell me what you’ve been up to in the comments section and I’ll read all of your #weekendcoffee shares!!!

Posted in Blog Series, Uncategorized

#21: Adventures in RV Travel – February 10, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Carrabelle, St. George Island, and Appalachicola

Above are pictures of Carrabelle Beach on the panhandle of Florida. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Yes, we have been a lot of places today! We started out the day at Carrabelle Resort RV Park. Early on, we took a drive about 20 miles away, over the bridge, to St. George Island. It’s 14 miles from the RV Park to the bridge to St. George and it’s a four-mile drive across the bridge. A beautiful drive on a beautiful day across the Gulf. We drove around the island a bit and visited the lighthouse. Quite a lighthouse which has been rebuilt since the original one fell after a hurricane. It was very old. This one is very sturdy and built to withstand hurricanes.

Then, we took off on the ten-mile trip to Apalachicola, again a gorgeous drive. It’s a quaint little town and we were looking for a good restaurant to take our friends, Marty and Phil, to tonight when they arrived from Tennessee. We found several. I also think we found some interesting shopping. Marty and I will make a return trip or two and check it out. I think I’ll like this interesting little town.

I’m still not crazy about Carrabelle Resort RV Park, but for those of you RVer’s who like a lot of peace and quiet and don’t mind doing most of your own cooking, you may like it. I’m a little more high maintenance, I guess. And I don’t particularly like a lot of peace and quiet! 🙂

Marty and Phil arrived tonight and we had dinner in a very good, rather frou-frou restaurant in Apalachicola. Everyone liked their meals very much. They had a very long day and after a rest, we will see each other tomorrow!

Below is the St. George Island Lighthouse.

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Posted in Blog Series

#20: Adventures in RV Travel – February 8 – 9, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Trip to Carrabelle RV Resort Park

Hello everyone from Carrabelle RV Resort Park in Carrabelle, FL. It was a reasonably long journey from an island off the coast of Ft. Myers, FL to this rather isolated spot right after you make the turn onto the Florida panhandle from the peninsula. Had I realized just how isolated, I might not have made reservations here. Maybe I should rephrase that. Had I realized that they warn you about BEARS here, I probably would NOT have made reservations here!! At Pine Island, I was accustomed to walking my dog, in the dark, at night, without worrying about tripping over a bear. Not so at Carrabelle. I am unhappy. I am also spoiled because I love Pine Island so much. 🙂

On the upside, there is quite possibly the most beautiful beach I have ever seen on the other side of the road from this park. I promise some pictures tomorrow. This afternoon, we had to get settled. The view of the Gulf of Mexico and the beach is phenomenal. It would have been better had it not been for the spectre of BEARS. I am looking forward to some time on the beach with my friend, Marty, after she and her husband, Phil, get here tomorrow evening. I can’t wait to take some pics to share with you of that beautiful beach.

We had no RV problems on our journey here, but my traveling companion can tell we will have one on the trip back home. An elbow gasket on the exhaust is giving him a problem. It will not be the first time it has been replaced. I’m hoping we can get home without replacing it. On a trip to New England in the Summer of 2015, replacing it became an emergency.

Back to Carrabelle. Be forewarned. The beach is beautiful. However, if you don’t like to cook much and prefer eating out, forget it about it in Carrabelle, FL. Unless you undertake a 40  mile roundtrip, you won’t be eating out. More about that after I do just that tomorrow night!

The RV Park is not quite what I had in mind. It is very nice, almost too nice. There isn’t the same friendliness that I’ve found at some other RV parks. Everyone stays very much to themselves. We will only be here for a few days, and we have Marty and Phil joining us, so it won’t bother us much. I’m glad I didn’t book a longer stay.

We will prevail! I’m going to go down to that beach tomorrow and find a place for the four of us to have dinner tomorrow night (the 40 mile trip). I’m planning on some beautiful pics to share. More “Adventures” then!

 

Posted in Blog Series

#19: Adventures of RV Travel – February 8, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Leaving Pine Island, FL

Tomorrow, February 8, 2017, we leave Pine Island Resort RV Park in Florida to travel north to Carrabelle Beach RV Resort in Carrabelle, Florida, located on Florida’s Panhandle. I’ll have to admit I’m sad to leave Pine Island, as I always am. But, I’m very happy too since we bought a little place to stay here this year. We will be back soon.

It took most of the day to get the RV road ready to make the 432 mile trip from Pine Island to Carrabelle. We had an issue with the front cab air conditioner. The good thing about staying in a large RV park is that mobile RV mechanics and technicians are available to come to your aid. My husband can fix just about anything that goes wrong with our RV, but he couldn’t figure this out so we used a mobile technician. About $150 later, the air conditioner was fixed.

Since we have been here for three weeks, we had some significant packing to do. It’s done. The RV is packed. Everything is safely stowed away. We are ready to pull out tomorrow a.m. Check out time is noon, but I suspect we’ll be on our way before that.

There is one issue. That issue is Betsy, our little dog. She is ill. She seems to be getting better, but she is not well. If she isn’t well by the time we get to Carrabelle, I will be finding a veterinarian first thing. Issues plague you on a long RV trip just as if you were home. Betsy is number one in importance to me. The innocent puppies and kittens have to be cared for first. There are lots of dogs in a big RV park. Betsy is not usually around other dogs. I suspect she has picked up some sort of virus.

I don’t know if we will stay somewhere on the road tomorrow night or if we will drive all the way to Carrabelle. It depends on my traveling companion since he is the driver. We may end up at a Flying J since we do not have a reservation at Carrabelle until the night of February 9. I will write from the road tomorrow night about the first leg of the trip! Good bye for now, Pine Island! We’ll be back in about seven weeks!

Posted in Blog Series, Uncategorized

#18: Adventures in RV Travel: Island Cafe, Matlacha, FL

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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We have eaten at a lot of excellent restaurants on this RV trip. Matlacha, FL has some of the best around. The one we ate at tonight after our visit to Tropical Point was called  the Island Cafe. It has some of the best seafood I’ve eaten. But, what I want to show you is the decor. It is truly island decor as you can see from the pictures above. Hope you enjoy them. The Island Cafe is right on the water.

Posted in Blog Series, Uncategorized

#17: Adventures in RV Travel: Tropical Point, Pine Island, FL

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
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Tropical Point Bay
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Manatee warning
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Tropical Point Bay

Today we took a side trip to a spot on Pine Island called Tropical Point. It has a little park, a launch point for kayaks and canoes, a spot for fishing, and the best view you could ask for. My little dog, Betsy, had her first little swim in the edge of the ocean! She had to watch out for the manatees!

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Posted in Non-fiction, Uncategorized

It’s Overwhelming to Relocate

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

I’ve been thinking about relocating for a long time. Years really. I moved to the town in which I live for two reasons. My mother, who lived with me at the time, wanted to move home. The town where I live is my home town. Second, my job was in this town. I had commuted for years and I was tired. Full disclosure. I didn’t want to move back to the town I had called home the first twenty years of my life. But there was my mom to consider. There was my job to consider. So I had a house built and I moved.

I found something out the hard way. You can’t go home again. Yes, I know it’s a cliche. I had been gone 25 years. I had changed. My friends had changed. The town had changed. I had one family member left in my hometown – my mother. She passed away two years after we moved.

I still had my job to consider. So I stayed in my hometown although I told my husband that I wanted to move when I retired. He agreed. I retired six years ago. We still live in my hometown.

There is nothing at all wrong with my hometown. The problem is simple. I don’t fit in there anymore. In some ways, I never did. I really don’t now. It is a perfectly nice small town in a beautiful area. But, for some reason, it’s just not “my place in the world.” In the 25 years I was gone, I learned to like things my hometown doesn’t offer.  I have forever friends in my hometown and they will always be just that – forever. We’re all different now and although I love to see them, I need to be in a place where I’m comfortable and happy. I found that place several years ago.

We finally decided to move. Our initial plan was to sell our house and move, bag and baggage, to the place that we found and love. We knew it would be hard, that finding real estate would be a challenge. We didn’t know how much of a challenge until we talked to a realtor in our most desirable place. We need to be in our place as soon as desirable property comes on the market because property sells almost immediately. We weren’t quite sure what to do.

Then we saw a small (tiny) place come on the market. An older couple had decided to sell their winter home as one of them is ill. They were selling it at bargain basement prices. It is not somewhere that we want to live forever, but for awhile, it will do just fine. We went to look at it, loved it for our purposes now, and bought it immediately.

Our plan now is to spend six months in our new place each year and six months in our current home. We’re moving to South Florida and we aren’t yet sure we want to be here during hurricane season, just in case. We feel really lucky because this will give us a chance to see if we like South Florida and want to live here full-time.

Lucky is not the only way I feel. I feel completely overwhelmed. I recognize that the way I feel is probably normal. Figuring out how to live in one place six months of the year and another place the other six months and they are 1100 miles apart has to be a bit difficult. What makes it more difficult is that our six months in Florida each year will not be consecutive.

One thing I know for sure. I’m not going to be here in the most likely hurricane months. It is frightening to me to think about our little place here so close to the coast. I know that I can’t  leave anything here that I consider valuable. I’m sure I’ll get used to living so near the Florida coast and less conscious of the hurricane potential!

Living in two places means having duplicates of everything and I’m not talking about housewares. I mean two doctors, two dentists, two pharmacies….you get the picture. I will be complex at first to get everything situated. We will need another automobile here.

Life will change and become quite a bit more complicated. I was ready for a change. All of these things that seem to be obstacles will work themselves out with our help. I am excited about my new life!

Posted in Blog Series

#16: Adventures in RV – January 30, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Our Neighbor, the Anhinga

We have another neighbor, who is a bird, at our RV park on Pine Island in Florida. Since he is so unusual, I thought I would share him with you. This is the Anhinga. Pretty awesome, huh? He lives at the edge of the water, one of the lakes on the property. The lake closest to where we are parked.

Our anhinga is a large bird. About four feet tall with an equal wingspan. It is a glossy black and swims underwater to fish. After swimming, the anhinga cannot fly. It has to sit at the side of the lake and hold its wings out to dry as it cannot fly with wet wings. It makes them too heavy. They also become a bit tame around people and like to sit on a perch along boat docks. Many anhinga’s live in the Everglades and close by. It will be interesting when Betsy, my dog, runs up on it!

The anhinga is a protected species.