Let the Good Times Roll!: 2009 HOME BASE

Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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Lakeland was first settled in the 1870s and began to develop as the rail lines reached the area in 1884.

Friday, January 02, 2009 - We closed on our property in Mt. Olive Shores Polk City, Florida at 10:30 am. We are homeowners once again, but without the maintenance of owning a house.

Now the true work begins. We wanted to fix up the shed and make it more like a “cottage” for company to have a good place to rest and or spend the night. There is room enough to put out a queen bed and all the conveniences minus a shower. People can shower in the RV.
Friday, January 9 - It was 43 degrees this morning. Beautiful day. We received delivery on our washer/dryer from Home Depot to be placed in the closet area of the "cottage". . Ray is still painting the walls of the cottage (white) to cover numerous flaws and/or leak spots. Saturday, January 17 - The coldest day yet, with 34 degrees this morning. There was frost on the truck and some of the grass. Are we still in Florida? Coldest winter I remember and I’ve lived in Florida for over 40 years.
Saturday, January 24 - We drove to St. Petersburg to see my sister, Doreen, marry John Burdett. It was a beautiful wedding held at The Church by the Sea Madeira Beach, FL. Everything was done to perfection. Doreen's daughter-in-law and Lisa (sister) were her bridesmaids. My hand was still very painful from surgery on Monday and I wasn't sure I'd make the ceremony. The reception was also fantastic with a ton of food, drinks and dancing.

Friday, February 20 - Lisa and Chuck rode their BMW to visit and spend the night. It is the first time we have had company and we tried to make the “cottage” as comfortable as possible. We feel the Aero bed is great and holds the rock-hard mattress firm.
Saturday, February 21 - It turned very cold at 34 degrees last night. Lisa and Chuck said the bed was great except they are used to a King and this is a Queen. In addition, because they like to sleep cold around 65 degrees, the cold air from under the carpet seeped up through the mattress and their joints ached and they couldn’t get comfortable.

March 5 - Ray took the Gold Wing to see the annual Bike Week in Daytona FL.

March 5 - Ray took a ride around the area on the Gold Wing. Beautiful weather.

Friday, March 13 - We had a person in the community working on our RV engine at our location and changed out the oil. Ray feels he is did a great job. Ray also asked many questions to gain knowledge for the future. It is a beautiful day and I watered the grass heavily since we had a yardman fertilize and spray for insects last Saturday. He will be out twice before our return in October/November. We will add this service to our annual expense for owning property again.

Wednesday, April 1 - We took Mitzy to a doggie eye specialist and learned that she has lost about 50% of her vision in the left eye due to a cataract. Only surgery can fix the problem, but there can be other problems arising later and the expenses are exorbitant. They prescribed eye drops for inflammation in both eyes that will have to be a daily event. Once Mitzy’s eyes were checked, we had her regular vet take blood and the workup came back with an elevated liver enzyme off the charts. A significant sign that she has Cushing’s. This is an older dog’s illness, so we are going to get more blood work done in six months after giving her the medication every day and keeping her on a holistic diet for dogs with Cushing’s and see how the enzyme level looks.
Thursday, April 16 - Recommendation: We had Window Film Installed by Economy Glass Tinting @ 863.422.3408. Belinda did the work, daughter of the owners. It was almost 11 am before she arrived, and completed the job at 6pm. Looks like it will be a great asset to have the extra film on all our windows without awnings.
Saturday, April 25 - We took a drive to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport at 5:30 am to see the hot-air balloons rise in the sky.

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FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!