Tuesday, January 24, 2012

From the Panhandle

Looking like another nice day in Navarre. It's supposed to get up to 70 today with a slim chance of rain. We've had some rain, but nothing severe. Twenty four days into the month and no tornado warnings yet. Just after I wrote that last sentence I heard Thursday may bring some severe weather. Had to happen sometime. Could be a laundry room night. That's where we go to survive.

I'm told tonight is "the State of the Union". I'm looking through the TV guide to find something to watch. I already know what the state of the union is, and I know we'll never hear the truth from 'what's his name'. I pray this his last state of the union.

Our casino trip to Biloxi last week resulted in our usual contributions. Mary Ellen lost a little while I cleared $.14! You heard me right. I actually played the entire time with $10 and cashed out $10.14. That's the first time I've won in ten years.

The Luau last Friday night was the best party ever here at Emerald Beach. The food, the entertainment and the decor was excellent. The hula honies were great. Many of us thought it would be a good laugh, but they were excellent. We also had a steel drum band and the guy and gal could really sing. They were very entertaining. A good time was had by all (there were 90 people there).

Last night, our friends Dave and Janet hosted cocktails. There must have been twenty of us on their site. It broke up a little early when lightning appeared to the west. By the time we got everything put away and found our way home, we had a downpour. It didn't last long.

My fever is back. No congestion or coughing, just a low grade fever that usually makes itself known in the evening. The prescribed antibiotic knocked out the first round almost immediately. I guess I'm going to make a return trip to the doctor for another round of antibiotics.

It's difficult to believe we've been here over three weeks and have yet to visit Panera.  I've also not been to Barnes & Noble. Glad we have a couple more months to catch up.

I've got to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning is the weekly 'coffee and donuts'. It's the social event of the week!






Tuesday, January 17, 2012

What's Happening

Well I'm cured. After two days on antibiotics the cough and congestion vanished. My goal now is to remain in a state of wellness for the balance of the winter. The Nurse Practitioner, (Jameson) at the walk-in clinic across the street was a delight. Her history and physical was thorough, her diagnosis right on, and she did all this with a smile and wit not always associated with the practitioners of medicine.

The weather here has been erratic. We've had days in the low seventies, followed by days in the high forties. We've had very little rain, but we're supposed to get some this evening.  We've been told they really need the rain down here. Brush fire warnings have been posted since our arrival.

We finally got neighbors next door to us. Site 19 has been vacant since we arrived. Bill and Kathy are from Huntsville, AL. They are staying until the 15th of February, at which time they are being 'forced out' by a couple from Quincy, IL. We're hoping they are as nice and friendly as Bill and Kathy! We've heard rumors they won't be. There goes the neighborhood so to speak.

Tomorrow we're taking the casino bus to Biloxi, MS and the Hard Rock. There are thirty of us from the campground scheduled to go. The bus is picking us up at 7:30 a.m. after an early coffee and donuts at the pavilion. We should be back here by 7:30 p.m.

On Friday we're attending a Luau at the pavilion. It includes dinner/dancing and entertainment. I understand some of the ladies have been learning the hula. That should be good for a few laughs.

We had dinner at the Shrimp Basket with Gerry and Linda. Very nice and the food and service were excellent. The place was full.

After six flats in five years on the trailer I've decided to buy four new tires. These are heavy duty weight bearing tires. I think the ones that came on it weren't handling the weight very well. We're not going to have them put on until March sometime. There's really no point in having them mounted to sit here until we leave in April. We look forward to a "flat free" trip home!

jim



Monday, January 9, 2012

SICK DAYS

One week is 'in the books' here in Navarre, FL. The weather has been very nice. A couple cool days, but the rest in the seventies. The only downside to week one for me has been a persistent cough and pneumonia-like congestion. I finally broke down and went to the doctor today. Armed with an antibiotic and codeine cough medication, I look forward to rapid improvement during week number two.

We've still managed to take part in several activities. Wednesday was coffee and donuts as usual. I think it was the biggest crowd ever for our Wednesday gathering.

We attended the New Years Eve party. I believe I mentioned the party wound down at 9 p.m. It was a good thing since several of the "old people" were dozing off. Mary Ellen and I were very proud to be one of the last couples to leave. And it didn't come any too soon!

Our good friends Gerry and Linda Foyle have sold their RV and are renting a Condo right on the Gulf. It is gorgeous. They invited Dave, Janet, Russ, Beth, Mary Ellen and I over for drinks last night. The views are spectacular and most importantly they both love it. We went to dinner after at TC's front porch.

On another positive note, I haven't fallen off of anything this year. Of course this may be due to the fact Mary Ellen won't allow me to get more than a foot off the ground.

Other than the aforementioned activities, most of my recreation has involved lying down. I don't think I've ever packed as much sleep time into a week as I have the past several days. It seems like such a waste of time, but I feel much better after a couple hours in the rack. Once I get rid of this bug, I'm sure 'nap frequency' will revert to once a day.






Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Navarre

Its been awhile since I've put together an article. It's January 3rd, 2012 and I decided now was the time. I plan to do a weekly, more as a journal of our time in Navarre, FL than a brilliantly written BLOG.

We arrived in Navarre on Sunday the 1st. It was a good decision to store our travel trailer down here last Fall rather than having to dig it out of the snow in Elkhart. Just driving the truck down here sans trailer made so much easier. We spent our first nite only as far as Indianapolis. We visited two sons (Dan & Family) and Mark. Spent the night at Dan's and left in the morning to head down this way.  First stop was Bowling Green, KY followed by Greenville, AL.

We spent New Years Eve at Day's Inn in Navarre and "crashed" the New Years Eve party at Emerald Beach RV Park. Good seeing many friends. The ladies who have been here since December 1st did a great job with the decorations, and there was enough food to feed every camper. About 50 people attended.

On the first of January we drove to Milton to pick up our trailer. Dave and Janet Lundgren also drove to Milton with us. Both of us stored our units in Milton.
Dave's battery in his 5th wheel was dead. We ended up jumping and charging it for about 30 minutes. We checked in around noon. Thusfar we hadn't experienced any problems, so I had to do something stupid to maintain my mishap record.

I won't go into the gory details, but suffice it to say the trailer fell off the blocks. This meant of course we now had no way of lifting it back unto the blocks. Of course we had more help than we needed from fellow campers. Our neighbor Jim had a jack which enable us to lift the trailer back onto the blocks. We were now ready to begin unpacking.

Yesterday, our Canadian friends, Linda and Gerry Foyle invited us for cocktails at their condo. They decided to sell their Class A motorhome and rent a condo for 3 months. It's on the 7th floor of the Colony Beach Condos. Three bedrooms, 3 baths and a view to die for! It's less than 10 minutes from their condo to emerald beach. We're planning to spend a lot of time with them, both here and their condo.

Many of you know about Dave Lundgren's surgery a few weeks prior to coming here. He is doing well but isn't there yet. This isn't a bad place to recuperate, but the post surgical problems make it less enjoyable than it might have been.

I failed to mention the weather. On the 1st, the day we moved in, it was 74 degrees. On the 2nd and again today the temp won't get above 44!! Of course we're being blamed for this change in the weather; at least the sky is clear and the sun is shining.

Till next time.

jim