Sunday, June 30, 2019

Good afternoon y’all. It’s another warm summer’s day here in Central Florida at 90F. But hey, that’s expected. 

Our friend Karen is feeling poorly and was at the ER with stomach distress. Apparently she’s had some form of it for 3 weeks but it’s suddenly gotten worse. Feel better friend.

For those who know Sharon and Art from our neighborhood from parties, Art passed on last night after a year long decline. He’d broken his hip a year ago and just didn’t walk again. Art will be missed by all who knew him. 

Us? We’re good and looking forward to dinner with RanDawn and perhaps Marky-Mark tonight. Otherwise, we’ve been puttering about the house and RV.

Back home, we had a good time at Stavros and dinner was delicious. Mark and I have enough pizza for tomorrow’s lunch! Randy, Dawn and Marky-Mark came back for Keylime pie and we watched a funny Game Show! We had a lot of laughs and a good evening.

Saturday, June 29, 2019

Good day eh? It’s been mostly a lazy day around here. Of course we both did a few things but mostly relaxed. Thunderstorms are all around us, but no rain here. 

This evening we’re going out with friends ... so that’ll be fun!

We met LaDonna and Wayne, friends from RVing, at PizzAmore in Mt. Dora. Dinner was great and we had a chance to ask about their month-long trip in May. They really enjoyed South Dakota ... lots to see. 

After dinner, we 4 went to the epic theater in Mount Dora and saw the movie Yesterday. It was very good ... So that was our nice day. 😜

Friday, June 28, 2019

Good evening. We’ve had a very busy day, Marky Mark arrived in town at 3:30 in the morning. Mark went over at 8:30 to help him unload the truck with mid century modern furniture into the lodge. 

My job today was to make several batches of sweet potatoes, Tumeric potatoes, garlic potatoes and 80 cookies for our road trip. That took until mid afternoon. Meanwhile, the dogs were underfoot the whole time. Ha ha.

At 4:30, Marky Mark came over for happy hour which extended until nearly 9 o’clock. He and Lani are looking forward to moving here in the next three months. 

So that’s it. Cha-cha till tomorrow

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Good afternoon y’all. I ran out of energy last night and didn’t really finish yesterday’s Blog. 

RanDawn celebrated Dawn’s birthday with a sleepover for granddaughters Makenna and Charlotte and the movie Toy Story 4 ... then went to Chili’s for dinner! It sounds like a perfect day!

Jim G celebrated his big guy birthday at 901 Westside enjoying dinner with Sue and Wayne. 🥂 Cheers to many more Jim!

This morning, Mark went hiking in the forest. Although it was 90 when he arrived home he said it was shady on the trails. (Too hot for me!) He saw 9 deer 🦌 and 1 bear 🐻. The bear was busy digging at an old tree stump when Mark spotted him! He called out ‘Hello Bear!” Fortunately Mr. Bear took off in the opposite direction in one heck of a hurry! 😂

It’s Game Day for me this afternoon at Cheri’s so The Caddy will be in use! 😜

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Good morning sunshine ... it’s going to be a ridiculously hot 🥵 summer day here in Florida! We need our afternoon rain! 

Maybe some rain on Friday 😁

Today, we are puttering around the house. We had a problem with condensation dripping from one of our ceiling fans in our Sunroom. Mark worked on it and I think he got it under control. There was a 4 inch screw between the base of the fan up to the metal (upper) beam on the sunroom ceiling. The vast temperature variation between the outside roof and inside air conditioned ceiling caused condensation to form on that screw! There’s a wiring channel that seems to be a partial culprit. Anyway, we will let his creation dry and then check for a drip. It’s always a challenge being a homeowner.

Our building contractor was screw crazy 😝 ...

So many holes! 🤔 

Meanwhile, the RV is loaded and ready but for a few last minute items. 

Tonight is date night and we’re going out with Rose and Jim. 

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Good morning. And, a happy birthday to brother-in-law 💕 Kris! Enjoy your special day! 

Today, our Dodge is going into the dealership for a rear end differential service, oil change, tire rotation and a complimentary wash. While that’s going on, we have to pick up meats to cook for the Scotties. (I like to have a good stock in the freezer for them!) 

Well, the “big heavy” launched early this morning at 3:30 ... and we slept through it. I’d bet many of our Titusville friends were up with their windows rattling!

Last night was a very memorable birthday celebration for Sue & Wayne’s grandson Kyle ...

Congratulations on your wheels Kyle! (Nice gift from Sue and Wayne!) 

Bet he’s over the moon 🌝 with joy. Kyle is a very responsible young man. 👍🏻

Ha! We got to Advantage Dodge with our truck and discovered that last year we had the differential service done. Ha ha ha. What a couple of dumbasses. Anyway, it was time for an oil change and tire rotation.

Back home we chatted with Randy about household “problems and solutions .” Of course we had some laughs. 

Monday, June 24, 2019

Good afternoon. It’s been a day of unloading and reloading the RV. Mark is staying cool during the afternoon heat by giving the dogs their summer haircuts! The mornings are lovely, in the 70s, but we reach into the 90s late afternoon.

BeeZee Burrito 🌯 

Tonight, at 11:30 PM, there is a rocket launch. Here are the details of what we will see and what they are launching.

Sunday June 23, 2019

Good morning sunshine! It’s been a fun weekend in Suwannee Music Park this weekend. I was up early and ready to go but Mr Marky was a slow-poke. We’re in no particular rush; but going to a dinner PARTAY tonight. 

Later today ...

Makenna’s birthday celebration was when Mark and I were out of town last month ...

so she got a pressie today at dinner. Of course she likes it, but the ribbon is the best part. 😂

Brandon and Charlotte raised the decibel level at the Mexican restaurant. 🤪

Dawn’s birthday was celebrated ... she looks heavenly with her candle ... 💕

and she had help from Grandson Brandon eating the ice cream. 😜

Mark is windier than my iPhone camera is fast. Ha! The flame was gonzo! 😂

We had a fun dinner ... thank you to RanDawn for hosting everyone ❤️ ... Mary, Rob, Sophia, Brandon, Brandon Jr., Brittany, Allan, Makenna, Charlotte, Mark and me! 13 diners! (I forgot to ask the waitress to take a picture ... and I’ve lost my selfie-stick! Darn! 

Saturday, June 22, 2019

Good afternoon. We just got back from taking the dogs for a golf cart ride around the trails. It’s pretty hot now, so we limited it to a half an hour.

This morning, we went to the pancake breakfast followed by geocaching. There were 18 clues that resulted in a crossword puzzle. We got all but two words. So, we were not the winners, not even close. Our golf cart did about half the speed of everyone else’s. Wawawaaa 😎

Sitting with friends last night, Pete, Karen, Rick, Dee and we love birds   We’ve made some nice friends through the GRW VIP Club. 

Here’s one of the more interesting trees growing around here. Ha. The flip-flop tree!

This tree will soon be royalty in the woods. The Crown Royal bag tree. Ha ha ha. If that green one was in better shape I would’ve swapped it out for one of our purple ones. Yuck yuck.

Tonight, we are going to see Aloha Elvis at the Music Hall after the barbecue dinner of chicken, pork and side dishes sponsored by our camping club. 

Saving seats for Karen & Pete ... good show, plenty of fun. 

Tomorrow, we head home and a party with Randy & Dawn. Life is a B L A S T 😜

Friday, June 21, 2019

Good morning summertime ... happy summer solstice! Here in the south we’ve had summery weather for weeks!

We took Robbie and BeeZee for an hour’s golf cart ride around the Suwannee trails. They’re are dozens of cool 😎 places like this tree monster! 

Mr Handsome with da kids ❤️

This beautiful park is underused ... it should be full of summertime events. There’s everything here for scout groups and camps. 

We took the kids home and headed out visiting friends. 

Mark’s in his glory walking the trail to the treehouse on the Suwannee. (It’s gorgeous!)

The mother tree, as it’s known ...

and the tea-colored Suwannee River 🎶

Now we’re going to lunch with Karen & Pete at Beef O Brady‘s. Later today is a potluck at the Spirit lodge with the VIP group. Mark has cooked a huge 3 lb. meatloaf as our contribution to dinner. 

Thursday June 20, 2019

Hey, we’re off to Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak with our VIP friends. They’re plenty of storms about as we drive I-75. Good news is they’ll be gone soon and it’ll be a perfect day there. 😜

Ha! It was a mud fest getting into our Site 33 on Spook Lane. The rain was coming down while I stood behind the rig as Mark backed it in.  We got stuck 💦 at one point and just decided that’s where we’re meant to be! 😜 It was fun getting set up and then watching other people arrive. But, none of them had to deal with the rain like we did. 

When the rain quit we took the kids for a long ride on the golf cart. They sure enjoyed going through the woods with all the different smells. More fun is planned for tomorrow.

On the trail with Mz BeeZee and Robbie. (Robbie was sitting on the floor!) 

Dinner at the Brown Lantern was good. There was a varied menu and plenty of food. Mark had a corned beef sandwich while I ate a mushroom Swiss burger. Yum! Back at the campground, we went over and sat with Karen & Pete and many other campers brought their chairs over and joined in.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Good morning y’all ... where’s our sunshine? Mark was up early cooking meatloaf for Friday’s potluck dinner. What a great guy! 🥰

We took a ride to Walmart to pick up a few things that we can’t find anywhere else. The store has been re-organized and it took a while to find everything. Much improved overall though. 😜 

Up north, Sue went to her first farmers market trip this season ... I wonder if the pies that the Hutterites make are still as delicious. 😋 

The RV is 99% ready for travel; just last minute fridge food to add tomorrow. Yahoo. 

It’s pizza:30 and then a 2 hour TV show ... 

Ta ta til tomorrow. 😜

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Good morning. I woke at 6 o’clock and headed out to put the 3O3 Protectant onto our boat seats. It’s all finished now and ready for Mark to cover it with the sheets. I doubt we will get a chance to use it before next week. Here are the pictures of the painted seats. I used 6 ounces of Americana titanium white acrylic (craft) paint. That little bit of paint did all the vinyl seats, and the backings. 

Bow starboard seat

Bow port seat 

Mid port seat and helm seat ... ✅

It was pretty time-consuming, especially since I used a quarter-inch art brush. But, it turned out great. 🤩

Mark spent his morning vacuuming the RV and then pumping up 31 tires. Ha ha. No, they are not all on the RV and the truck, but we have a lot of tires that need maintenance! He came in looking pretty tired after that. I packed up a lot of odds and ends and loaded the RV today. 

For happy hour, Robbie nagged us until we went out on the front porch so he and Bee could have their frosty paws. It was really nice, with a bit of a breeze ahead of a rainshower.

Tomorrow, we just have to load up the food and perhaps take ourselves out for a nice dinner. And then, it’s a weekend with our VIP friends.

Monday June 17, 2019

Good afternoon y’all. It’s been a busy few days for me with refreshing Mrs R B ... the seats are all spiffy now ... tomorrow I’ll put the 303 Protectant on. 

Mark hitched up the truck this morning and we pulled the Brookstone out to ready for summer travels. We’re looking forward to a VIP campout with friends this weekend ... then, a road trip to Virginia. Mark has tires to check ... AC filters to clean and a few minor things. Me? Load up clothes and necessities. 

I didn’t mention Randy’s fall from last Friday ...

down he went with his knee replacement! He’s feeling somewhat better today but it was quite the jolt. The dock plank split when he stepped on it with the lawn blower and down he went. He may have knocked himself out; he wasn’t sure how long he laid there. 

At 6 o’clock, we met Randy & Dawn at Del Sol Mexico in downtown Eustis for dinner. Randy was doing quite well, had a lot of sore spots and bruises but was full of fun. We all strongly encouraged him to get a yard man, and stop beating himself up cutting the grass in the midday heat. ❤️

So, it’s been about three weeks since we cut the cord on the cable. I don’t think we’ve really missed much. There’s always something to watch and we’ve gotten into some new shows without the $200 a month cable bill. Ha. 

So that’s it for tonight. We’re watching the new show called Grand Hotel. It’s filmed in Miami and Mark knows a lot of the locations from working in the city. 😜

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Good morning early-birds! I was up at 5 o’clock and ready for the day. Last night was early to bed for me as I couldn’t get comfortable ... acid stomach I guess. Both Mark and I stopped taking Prilosec after his gastro doctor told him to switch to Zantac. (It’s working for Mark, but not so good for me.) Apparently Prilosec is a bad drug for the stomach and more. 😳

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to Mark! He’s the Rock of Gibralter in our house, right kids? 

We took a quick ride for acrylic paint this morning for my boat refresh project. Pics when I’m done. 😜

Our beautiful white crepe myrtle, is blooming! We have two of these trees in our back yard! 

MID-JUNE 2019

Good afternoon sunshine lovers. We’ve got the perfect weather now. It’s 91 with a breeze. 

This morning was mundane housework followed by grocery shopping ... not newsworthy generally but our Winn-Dixie has a huge grand-reopening complete with a band, free lunch and wine sampling while you shop. (I wondered why Mark was gone a long time.) 🥳

This afternoon we puttered about cleaning up the boat. It’s still soaked from yesterday’s freaky storm ⛈. Of course today would be perfect boating weather. 

Sue and Wayne are enjoying great weather at the cottage and had the dogs out to breakfast with them to Bob’s in Keewatin. Nice. 

I wonder if Klaus’s old Luhrs (from Florida) is still moored nearby? 

We took a long ride in the golf cart with the doggies before settling in to watch some TV tonight. Mark’s enjoying the 2nd night of golf. 😜

Friday, June 14, 2019

Good afternoon. Well, that was an interesting day. Mark suggested this morning that we take the pontoon boat for a ride and fuel it up. He checked the weather and it said 0% chance of rain. That should have been a clue. It’s never 0% chance of rain anywhere in Florida! Ever! 🤔

So, we took Mrs. R B to Palm Gardens along with the dogs for a ride. It was beautiful; with lots of boats on Lake Eustis. Before we got to Palm Gardens, a very light rain started but not enough to even slow us down.  We fueled up and began for home. 

    Nice day!             Monsoon 😳.      Soaked 🤣

As we made the bend from Dead River to Lake Eustis we felt a cold downdraft! Oh oh. By Haines Creek, it was monsoon rainfall. We putted along close to shore all the way to our canal where the rain promptly quit. Really. Our neighbor Bob waved when we went out and laughed when we came back soaked! Ha! 

In the boathouse, I dried the boat while Mark used the carpet cleaner to suck up several gallons on water 💦 ... then put the big fan on it to dry out. Tomorrow’s another day ... we’ll polish the seats then. 😜. Meanwhile, the Scotties were very smart on board. They chose the dryest area and sat still. Back home they got warm towels, a good rub down and some macaroni for lunch. 💕🐾

While we were in the rainstorm, apparently Dr. B’s office, the ear nose and throat specialist, called. As you probably know, if you’ve read the blog a week ago, I was aiming for June 25 sinus surgery. Well, there have been many red flags in dealing with this doctors office. Today, a HUGE red flag was raised. 😳

🤣 I don’t have a doctor in Tennessee, as I don’t live in Tennessee. What the heck is wrong with his office! That’s it. I made an appointment for August with another doctor. My sinuses will just have to wait. 

Ha ha ha. Robbie just came to ask for dinner ...

he definitely got caught in the rain ... it’s a bad hair day boy-o. 🐾💕😆

Mark bbq’d a pork loin tonight for our dinner while the Scotties hunted lizzards. I measured the bar for new stools and a tiki umbrella. We’re sprucing up (a bit) for our upcoming 25th Anniversary! Mark’s opposed to a big party ... but we’ll manage a cocktail party celebration for about 30.  🥂🍾  

That was our day!