Saturday, March 30, 2013

Hurricane Hugo

Yesterday afternoon, we crossed over into South Carolina, the state of my birth.

I am camping in the middle of nowhere about 100 feet from the intracoastal waterway. I have already seen a big sailboat heading south this morning.  Yesterday we saw a ketch heading north with his jib up, his main down and the iron sail puttering along.

Deja vu...

I motor sailed up that very same canal along the entire coast of South Carolina from Charleston to Norfolk, Virginia in September 1989. At the time I was working as delivery crew on an old gaff rigged sailboat. We had been hired to deliver it from Fort Lauderdale to Bar Harbor, Maine.

Initially we headed offshore, sails hoisted and the engine silent. The new owner of the sailboat was with us. He turned out to be a royal pain in the ass.   He had no experience with boats or sailing. Indeed he had bought this one, his very first boat, sight unseen!  At that point and time in my life, I worked with a crew agency that offered up assignments at sea, so that is how I came to be working on the vessel for what should have been a 7-10 day delivery, give or take.

The fact that we were offshore sailing northward with no land in sight, distressed the owner greatly. He thought we could and would sail fifty feet from the beach all the way up the eastern seaboard. He fought with the crew continually.  In his crazy little brain, we shouldn't have been eating or sleeping for 10 days, just working 24 hours around the clock on unfed stomachs.  He even complained if we drank coffee or water.  His steering skills were disastrous because if we dared to sleep while he was on watch, he would divert course westerly in hopes of getting us back in sight of land. We were making a lousy course.

Finally the crew declared mutiny. We detoured over to Charleston so we could literally put the owner off his own boat. This was for his own safety (so that our temptation to kill him would be greatly lessened.)  We also stocked up on groceries because his rationing of one tiny can of soup per day to be shared by the entire crew was a ridiculous idea. We had hard work to do and starving us of food, sleep and water was not making it any easier.

As we motored into the fuel dock in Charleston, I handed a dock line to the owner, explaining to him how to get off the boat to fashion it like a figure eight on the dock cleat. As we inched over closer to the dock, he took a running leap, dropping the dock line in the water while  screaming something unintelligible over his shoulder as he ran off down the dock as if the very devil was chasing him. We never saw him again, but I heard later, he did in fact make it home to Maine, whether by plane or train, I've no idea.

We tried to go back out to sea, but the weather had turned to unsettled conditions. Hurricane Hugo was dancing around the Caribbean threatening to hit my home port of St Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

We turned back for Charleston, then began motor sailing up the intracoastal waterway. I was thrilled to see this part of the world.  I loved South Carolina, but this was my first and only trip up the entire coast by boat. Somewhere around Norfolk, the boat developed serious engine trouble. We pulled into a marina for repairs but they were rather costly. We contacted the owner in Maine for funds, but he left us dangling for days.

Days that we should have been working, not resting up twiddling our thumbs, making a multitude of trips to the Western Union office, looking for the promised funds.

After numerous heated conversations over the phone including threats of stripping the boat to sell off bits and pieces to collect our pay, the owner finally wired our funds by Western Union. The boat was left at a yard in Norfolk.

Meanwhile I had left my boyfriend on our shared houseboat in the Virgin Islands. While I expected to see him again in under two weeks, it would be nearer to  ten weeks before we would find each other again. At that time I would finally learn the fate of our home. My boyfriend had moved ashore just before the storm to stay with friends. Our boat simply vanished during the hurricane. Not one  stick of it was ever seen again.

After hurricane Hugo left the Virgin Islands, nearly devastating everything in her wake, she turned her sights on South Carolina. The eye of the storm, packed with 100 mile an hour winds and a storm surge of 17 feet slammed into the Francis Marian Forest, where I had just sailed up the intracoastal waterway and where I am this very day, currently camping.

Deja vu...

It's a small small world and I seem to have come full circle.

As morning unfolds, this camp is super quiet with no manmade noises at all. Just birds singing and a mockingbird seemingly imitating all of them.


Friday, March 29, 2013

Wanderings 2013

I am on the road again today, with help. Thank goodness for angels and puppy dogs.

Here is my 2013 map of camping for the first 12 weeks of 2013.

I have reservations tonight, but they are 190 miles away so we are shuffling along now.

See you down the highways and byways!


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Lost In The Forest

I drove into the Ocala National Forest.

The cellular coverage  map said we would have cell phone and internet.

It lied.

One day, and boy was it ever cold!  Then two days turned into three, turned into four and now I am somewhere near the east coast of Georgia. Lost again.

Super tired.

Wore out.

More later.

I have a picture somewhere of the 30 effing degrees shown on my thermometer.  How can the sun shine so brightly and it be so c-c-c-cold?

OK, found the picture.

See?  I can't make this stuff up!






Sunday, March 24, 2013

Spring Travels

It just occurred to me that the 200 miles I drove Friday was only the second time I have driven with my new prescription eyeglasses.  The last time I drove with them was only 30 miles.

Maybe now that I can finally SEE where I am going, driving is not near as fatiguing. I never meat to wait so long to get a new prescription, but I have to juggle the budget and be patient. I hope my eyes are happy with this new prescription for a long while because I had to buy three pairs of eyeglasses. First I needed reading peepers, then I needed regular clear glasses for driving plus a pair of heavy duty sunglasses.

All I can say is that it is truly heaven on earth to be able to finally see clearly!  WOW!

On to other things...

Below is a picture of sunset at Long Point Park in Brevard County Florida. I spent 22 wonderful days and nights in this lovely campground.  It's a tad remote, the grocery store is 12 miles away.  Regular shopping can be found about 20 miles away.


Shown below is the underside of my one year old vinyl awning. Why am I showing this? Because my dear sweet wonderful angelic friend scrubbed off all the mold with rubber gloves, sponges, rags and bleach. It was so moldy that it was almost completely black. This picture shows the mold in January but by March it was much worse.  The background is grayish haze as that's the day in Wickham Park (Melbourne, Florida) they had the fire that had everyone coughing in the campground.


My friend thought the mold might be really bad for my health. At the time I was super sick and felt so overwhelmed because I was behind on everything. While I was sleeping in the middle of the day, trying to fight my way back to better health, my friend scrubbed the awning on both sides!

I had to take a picture when I woke up, it was awesome to look at. I was jumping for joy too!


Shown beneath is my red bicycle locked up to the six foot six ton picnic table and the sunset in the background.

To help compensate my wonderful friend who scrubbed my awning, I made us many happy meals in this tiny galley aboard my wheel estate. The space between the sink and stove is a one person width. Because storage is so limited, I have decorated up and down the wall with baskets, hooks and a magnetic strip.

Overhead is a small opening hatch that was added a few months ago. A repairman got it off a big fancy motorhome, so it came to me used of course. Many things on my motorhome have been repaired or upgraded with used parts. Patience...  I've wanted that hatch for three years!  Even funnier, I traded an old  broken laptop computer to the repairman for the hatch and labor. A relative of his was able to order the new computer screen and fix the laptop computer for him. Next time I saw him, he was happy with his new/used repaired laptop and I was thrilled to have a "free" opening hatch that brought in more sunshine and natural light.

Most modern motorhomes come with multiple roof hatches, but my old rig only came with one which is in the ceiling right over the toilet in the bathroom. I can sun myself while sitting on the throne.

The former owners of the other RV,  added a different hatch, so I got their old hatch and the repairman cut a hole in my roof to install it. I love it!  Sunlight comes into the kitchen now besides the small window behind the stove.  The opening hatch allows fresh air, heat naturally rises, so it helps vent the RV plus the hatch has a small fan for extracting air. There is another fan over the stove that extracts air too. It was repaired last winter when it and the bathroom exhaust fan both fried when I had electrical problems. This galley picture was at night, so no sunshine in either hatch or window.

The exhaust fans were eventually repaired with used parts.  It took some time to find them but I am oh so grateful to have them functioning again, as I love fresh air and open windows, but exhaust fans help a lot to prevent inside mold, to change out the stale air and of course as a safety feature when cooking on the propane stove.




This is the foot bridge from Long Point to Scout Island, a beautiful island to hike around. No vehicles allowed except bicycles.


I was trying to capture the mirror effect on the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County Florida.

We caught a ride with my friend to the grocery store. It was cold so Harley is wearing a red shirt with a blue plaid flannel jacket. Ironically I am wearing a red shirt with a bluejean jacket. Even funnier, my friend who is driving, is wearing a red shirt with a bluejean shirt over it. I tried to snap all three red shirts here.


This is Scout Island. A jungle in paradise.


I've added this to my collection of funny signs. This is at the entrance to Scout Island. Love that "athorized" spelling boo boo. This sign has been up the last 3 years that I have been coming here to visit.


Harley dog used to be terrified of bridges over water but he has worked long and hard to overcome this phobia. I think the people before me did awful things to my precious baby before I rescued him. He had so many irrational  fears to overcome. It was so sad to see him absolutely terrified of so many mundane things. But through love, patience, hugs and positive attitude, Harley has slowly let go of most all of his phobias. Believe me, this is a huge relief for both of us.

I snapped this picture, because Harley was willingly racing ahead of me on his leash to go over the bridge. Good doggy!  You can do it!


Shown below is the bridge over the Indian River from Long Point to Scout Island. I am oh so proud of my fearless canine!


As of today, I am resting my laurels parked at a friend's house in central Florida. Monday I plan to get back on the road after picking up a friend at the train station who is threatening to go on the next leg of my trip with me.

I am super excited!  Harley will have to share the passenger seat which means he will insist on sitting in the lap of my friend while we ride around.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Life is oh so good!

I woke up alive, I have a silly little puppy that loves me, food in the wheel estate, a rolling rambling roof over my head and bed plus clothes to wear. That's all the basics covered for life!  Food, Shelter, Clothing and Companionship. It's all we really need to get by in this complicated world. I am blessed to have all my needs met.  It's a miracle!  Angels are looking out for me.

Mystery

Still a mystery and not a miracle.

Where oh where is my Lil Black bear?



I drove nearly 200 miles yesterday!

Simply amazing. I have not driven that much in one day since March 2010 wen I drove 274 miles in one day.

It took me all day too, by the time I stopped a few places, got lost several times,made a few wrong turns, took two detours,  and the general confusion of getting caught in traffic  that slowed down to 10mph on the interstate.

I am POOPED out!




Thursday, March 21, 2013

A Strange Mystery or a Wonderful Miracle?


Plans have changed once again. It looks like I am abandoning my comfy campground two days early.

I am detouring well over 180 miles to chase down a mystery and a miracle.

Yes. I believe in miracles. 

Angels are watching over me. Time will tell what happens next.

Well, doesn't it always?

It's high time to pack up the circus, pull the plug and get this carnival on the road.

Chasing a miracle. Trailing a mystery. 

Somewhere over the rainbow.



Spring has sprung all sorts of madness on me.

It's all coming back to me in little bits and pieces.

Just yesterday I opened up the memory box.  The baggy  on top of the heap of pictures and paper memorabilia held a tiny pillow and a sheaf of folded papers.  My eyes watered up. I took the ziplocked baggy out of the container. Then I popped the lid back on.

The rest of the memories would have to wait.

For another day. Another time.

I stared at the petite pillow, I had not seen but once since the fateful night of September 30, 2009. Gingerly I pressed the pillow between my thumb and finger. Fighting back the imminent flood, I promptly hid the lone baggy in a special place. I couldn't bare to open it. Not now.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed to angels above and the devils below, for an extraordinary miracle.

I've searched high and low in far flung places. I've shed tears.   I've lied awake at night wishing over and over things had turned out differently. I have mentally kicked myself up and down for a stupid mistake I made under a cloud of infirmity.

I don't think I can ever let go of this wee treasure. But I can't open it up either.

Five hours later the phone rang. The stranger had been looking for an anonymous person that held the clues. That person was me and the  stranger was calling with information that I might want to know.

A very bizarre connection to the  elfin pillow and the sheaf of papers. The ones five hours earlier, I tucked away, hiding them from myself.

I was dumbfounded. Wide eyed and overwhelmed.

Incredible. Absolutely fantastically incredible!

Is this for real?  Or am I dreaming? How on earth did this happen?  What are the odds? Zero to infinity?

Clinging to hope, I interrupt this journey to track down the stranger.  To see for myself. To settle the question.

A strange mystery or a wonderful miracle? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Setting Sail

Throw the schedule out the window. I changed my plans once again.

Soon as I build up enough steam, I am setting sail down a sea of highways.



So far this year I have camped at Wickham Park and Long Point Park.  In both places I managed to extend my stay, wrecking my pre-arranged schedule.

So what else is new...

Sunday I have to leave and start driving towards my next two reservations which at this point are nonrefundable, so I might as well make my absolute best effort to arrive there on time.

Afterwards I am traveling to my workamping where I will be parked for about 5 or so months, trading hosting duties for a lot to live on.

Life Is Good.


Tuesday, March 19, 2013


I woke up to a perfect day.

Yes.

Positively perfect. (Even Harley agreed, saying it was Paws-itively Purr-fect for creatures too.



The birds were singing their mating calls, not a manmade sound around. The rising sun hid demurely behind an overcast sky. Sheer baby blues played peek a boo with the cotton ball clouds. Rains from the night before left nature freshly washed with a soft dewy look.

Incredible.

Morning has broken.

I am the luckiest person alive.

Life is good.

I am oh so grateful. All my needs have been met with extra to share.

My project home is my pride and joy, my little old wheel estate.  Built in 1994, she is still coasting along.

I think like native American Indians. You can not own the land.  It is for everybody and nobody.  But still I pay rent hither and yonder or work my keep to have a little plot to park my abode.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Over The Rainbow

Somewhere Over The Rainbow by IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole)

Whenever I hear this rendition, I just cry my eyes out.  Today was no different when I plugged in my music and this song played a few minutes later.



What's even stranger, I have no idea why it makes me cry. I can play the original version on the piano, but when IZ aka Israel Kamakawiwo'ole does his version which is slightly different than the original, I just sob.

In Hawaiian Kamakawiwo'ole translates “the fearless eye, the bold face.”  Sadly this talented ukulele musician with the incredible velvet voice died in 1997. Incredibly his music reached international fame after his death.

I think he does superb justice to the song. I can even remember the first time I heard his version, in a beach bar along the shores of the Caribbean sea.

I burst into tears much to the surprise of the people around me. We had been laughing and yacking, then the song came on and I lost control of my emotions.

Maybe they will play it in the end for me too.

Below is an actual rainbow I caught in the Caribbean one fine day. It stretched from two different islands.

Here are lyrics to IZ's medley.



Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World



Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dream of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true

Someday, I wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dare to
Oh why, oh why can't I?

Well, I see trees of green and red roses too
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Well, I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
And also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands saying
How do you do?
They're really saying I, I love you

I hear babies cry and I watch them grow
They'll learn much more then we'll know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
World

Someday I wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dare to
Why oh, why can't I?


Sunday, March 17, 2013

A Turn For The Better

Darn I hate it when I skip days posting, but I just plain old lost track of time again.  My travel plans have gone out the window.  I need to take the calendar and look up mileage to figure out my next where and when. I think I may extend my stay where I am and rest up further.

As long as I turn up at my next workamping gig, all will be well, but it's still another 800 miles to go.

I took a turn for the worse, but it's just temporary. I will bounce right back. Some days I need extra inspiration to get up and go, pretending all is well and near perfect.  Not sure why that is, but I don't want to just lay around waiting to get well. I am impatient!  There are things to do, a doggy to walk, stories to write, repairs to make, food to cook, and wheel estate to clean.

Pain be damned!

Today, Flipper and the Blitz Robotic Club at Conifer High School (in Conifer, Colorado) were my inspiration.

A huge reminder that the possibilities are endless.  You just have to get up and go with the flow.


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Amazing Find


Deep Dish Crustless Spinach Pie before baking.

I've had a wild craving for spinach and feta. This dish was made with about 3 pounds of fresh spinach, a pound of feta cheese, a half pound of sliced mushrooms, a half cup of Parmesan cheese, six eggs, lots of tarragon and garlic plus the last onion I had on hand.

It baked for an hour at 350F degrees in a convection oven outdoors while the winds blew up a gale around it.

People throw out the darnest things. I am an avid dumpster diver. It helps me keep my minuscule budget held together. Times are tough and the tough sift at the dump. I am no longer ashamed. I find the neatest things, many I can not use but some I can. Sometimes I find stuff to give away to others. This has been met with  delight  or derision.

Humph.

The convection oven actually had a note on it: "It works!" My friend told me about it so I made a beeline for the dumpster. It was made of stainless steel,  in a new box for a different oven and included two baking pans. I guess somebody bought a new oven then tossed the old one out. I brought it home then my friend as a labor of love, gave it a thorough cleaning.  Actually my friend carried it home because I was such a weakling. So I made them a big casserole from assorted ingredients I had on hand. The oven baked perfectly. I even went on the internet and downloaded the correct manual. Amazing! After the cleaning, it looked nearly new. I guess the former owner wasn't much on housekeeping and just bought a new oven instead of cleaning up the old one.

Recently my friend who was visiting again, was going shopping and asked me if I wanted something to bake in the nearly new oven...  Talk about broad hints!  I mentioned if I only had some spinach and feta... I could toss together a big spinach pie.

In this case, once the spinach pie was baked we were so hungry, I forgot to take a picture of the finished baked version.  Oh well. It was delicious and I still have four servings left in the fridge. YUMMY!

We being I have an angel visiting me again who has been a huge help all around. I've been in loads of pain and a tad grumpy. I start work, cleaning, cooking, repairing and then things start falling by the wayside. So many projects started and stopped.  Nothing finished. I go back to bed for a little while to beat back the exhaustion and pain, then get up and start again.

My friend arrived to see my "in progress" mess. I was embarrassed because usually I try to look my best and have my motorhome looking cute and orderly before company arrives. But this was not the case. Pain, anemia and exhaustion does weird things.  I basically combed my hair, plowed a path through the motorhome and collapsed back in bed after saying "Welcome, make yourself at home, sorry, but I feel a wee bit rough."

My friend said I looked half dead.

Gee wiz.

Humph.

My little old motorhome is now pushing 19 years old. There is always something breaking, falling apart, wearing down just like an old boat or an old fart.

Like me.

But now this old fart is uber happy with a tummy full of spinach pie.

Life is good!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Tucking Fired

The March winds on the space coast of Florida have been steady and strong. Sometimes the motorhome is rocking and rolling while parked as if it too wants to go back to sea (like me.)

I washed my long hair this  morning.  I don't own a blow dryer, so  I had drippy wet long strands.

dearmissmermaid.com 1994 tioga montara 28 feet by fleetwood RV


After making a cup of coffee, I stepped outside my little old motorhome where the winds were kicking up around 30 to 35 knots. While I tried to tame my long locks with Mane 'n Tail Detangler, the brisk winds dried my hair quickly.

Lovely!

Before I could make a second cup of java, the stiff breeze began whipping my mane around into all sorts of exotic granny knots.  Oops!

Squirt, squirt, squirt with more detangler and finally I combed and rolled my hair up and into a big banana clip. No, this is not made of a banana, just resembles one in shape.

What a beautiful day!

~~~~~~~~~

LATER...

What a nasty night...

Around 3am bucking pain woke me up. Grrr...

I noticed my awning outside was creating a ruckus. One of the knobs that holds the top strut taut had worked itself loose from sheer vibration created by the high winds from a front creeping in.  It was clanging and banging hitting a nerve inside of me.

I had this foolish idea to go outside and repair it. The clock read 3:09am. Well I couldn't get it fixed right.  I cursed it something along the lines of "You bucking strut!

I was rather naughty as I said things like "Oh muck muck, this schmuck of a strut is bucking and plucking, maybe I should chuck the whole muck like a puck and pray I don't hit a duck.  Oh yuck, just my luck, I snuck up on this  stuck strut.  Doesn't that suck when I would rather be tucked in my bed.  Oh shucks!  You clucking strut!  It struck me that all these creative words were not flowing from me, but maybe something that rhymes with bucking strut was accidentally coming from my tortured body.

Even worse, I wasn't exactly dressed for the great outdoors in my haste to stop the clanging and a banging.

Just as I was entering the door, after putting the noise to rest by furling up the entire thing, which by the way... didn't curl right either but it was close enough, so I gave up. I heard a voice behind me that made me jump so high, I came right off the RV front step. Luckily I landed on both bare feet, a wee bit startled. A woman and her dog stood there.  Or it could have been a man with a female sounding voice. Either way, they politely asked me "Do you need help?"

I was SO embarressed. I was sure all that muttering was under my breath and not outloud. But at 3:09am, all sleepy like, grumpy from pain and peeved at the strut...  was I really THAT LOUD?

I thanked them profusely and told them I had it under control now. I apologized for being so loud. (Was I really THAT LOUD?)

Well I am tucking fired now.

Later.

Shhhhhhhhhh...


Monday, March 11, 2013

Oopsy Grumpy

My daily postings have become severely erratic!  This blog platform seems fraught with problems, even when I manage to get computer and internet simultaneously working, the blogger website screws up. Do I sound grumpy?

My computer has been on the blink, the internet flaky and I'm not up to par. Gee wiz!  I have a computer part on order and I watched a frightening video on how to install it. The piece hasn't come and I am intimidated by the how-to video.  I need a guru. 

Next, the digital camera...

I take the darnest pictures, then I screw up the camera. I have no idea how I manage this. But I have a pile of fuzzy pics and a handful of clear pics.  Maybe I am just spazzing out in multiple directions.  Pain does weird things to  some people. Maybe I am some people?

The day I arrived at Long Point, I woke up to 32F degrees.  I even took a picture with the temperature and date, to prove to myself I wasn't just dreaming it up. I was c-c-c-cold. I put on 3 layers of clothes to walk the dog. Brrrr!  Thankfully it has warmed up considerably since then.


Below is a view of the Indian River Lagoon as seen from the foot bridge connecting Long Point to Scout Island in Florida. The winds have been strong all week, I could have sailed to  Bimini in the Bahamas in record time. Thankfully temperatures have soared to the near 70's lately.  Yippie!

One day I am wearing long underwear, two pairs of pants, fleece lined boots,  three shirts and a trench coat to walk the dog with chattering teeth. The next I am in sandals and shorts, sweating profusely while I try to push my bicycle against balmy head winds. Two joggers passed me by too.  Do I peddle that slow?


Below is Harley's favorite off leash dog park at Wickham Park. He was sad to say goodbye.  On his last visit there he was the only dog around.  It was bittersweet.


I stumbled across Long Point Park campground in 2010.  At the time I was leaving Orlando and rendezvousing with a friend from Fort Lauderdale. There weren't any state parks half way in the middle and the others I found had no vacancies.

I began researching parks by county and eureka, I found Long Point. It's been a favorite place of mine ever since. It's remote, surrounded by water and quite beautiful.  It stays busy but I've met folks who don't like it here. But they go to RV parks that I don't like either, so it's all a matter of personal choice.



Living in Florida means at some point each year, one is hopelessly attacked by  ants. The best stuff for killing them is Terro Liquid Ant Baits.  I had the same problem once a year in the Caribbean. I tried all the other potions available before someone told me Terro was the only thing that seriously worked. That was um... decades ago. 

For about 24-48 hours you will see a zillion ants  appear from seemingly nowhere. They poison themselves then carry it back to the nest which will die off. It seems they vanish for a year. I am using poison I bought last year, so I know it's been about a year since I had an ant problem last.

I have no idea why critters want to live with me. I keep things clean, my food is stored in airtight containers, but I guess a cold snap brings in the vermin.


Matter of fact, after I spent all that money last month on mouse poison and traps, I listened to loads of folks tell me "Eeewww, that things will DIE and hide somewhere in your motorhome and STINK the entire place up!"

Well, that mouse apparently moved out before I got home with all the trappings. It was unclear whether he/she ever ate the poison or not.  Nothing stinks around here  but me and my attitude.

Oh my gosh, this website for blogger has crashed forty-seven times in twenty minutes. This message appears every 30 seconds. Annoying as can be. Grrrrrr...  It might eat this entire post. Electronic vermin!  What next?

An error occurred while trying to save or publish your post. Please try again. Ignore warning

What do they mean Ignore Warning?  Pretend it ain't so?

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Smile, Laugh and Travel


If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it.
Erma Bombeck 




How does he DO it?

We came home last week or before, I forget which,  from grocery shopping and a day out with girlfriends and dogs. Yes, three women, three dogs, two RV's.

I noticed there was a baggy tied up to one of the camping chairs outside. I opened it up and there were gifts for Harley dog!

Honest to goodness, I think I am going to give up my blog and let Harley take over writing. He seems far more popular than me. Here were yet more gifts from fans of his. Lucky dog!

I had no idea where the gifts had come from until I noticed a piece of paper blowing around. I found that, opened it up and realized we had visitors from the owners of Snouts.com who hail from Ohio.

Harley was THRILLED with his latest gifts. He sent them slobbery doggy kisses and enthusiastic hugs in thanks.  Sadly we never got to see them in person.  Once he had thanked them via email,  I let him play with his toys. Boy was he one happy puppy dog!

OK, I can't really complain. Back in 2010 or so the owners of Snouts.com sent me a pig snout mug and a dog face mug. The dog face mug does look like Harley!

Since I forbid him to drink coffee, I get to use the mugs all to myself. Tee hee hee!  I am lucky too!



On the road again...

We made one final stop at the Wickham Park off-leash dog park  before traveling. Sadly, there were no doggies around, so Harley had to play and run by himself. I am now entering my 4th year in my little old motorhome. Amazing!

Looking at the rear of my motorhome, I decided to take a picture to see if I departed and arrived with the same gear.

The step ladder was a gift from my friends selling their fifth wheel last year before retiring to Brazil.  It really has come in handy for numerous projects. It is attached to a built in ladder that is designed for reaching the roof in an emergency.

Matter of fact my Brazil bound friends outfitted me with so many useful RV goodies, I had to buy the cargo carrier and toy box to hold them all.

Now Santa Claus and good friends bought and brought me the shiny red bicycle for Christmas.  I managed to fashion my own bike rack between the cargo carrier and the RV without spending any money. Amazing!

Occasionally I can come up with a brilliant idea.

Yes, doggy and I are VERY lucky and fortunate to have fans and friends to help us along.  It's utterly amazing that I have lived this long.  Life is good!

Highway A-1-A revealed vibrant blue skies.
The ocean is about 200 feet to the left, but thanks to human inspired development, you can no longer see the ocean from the highway on this stretch. 

We overstayed in our last campground by three days because I had a relapse, yet I had reservations to be at Long Point Park. Luckily I was able to switch things around. Monday morning I still felt poorly but the park could only accommodate me further if I moved to another lot. So I decided to take my chances and head on down to Long Point.


Sometimes while I am driving I pick up the camera and snap pictures off to the side without  aiming because I am watching the road. Later I straighten or crop the pics if they are any good. This random photo caught Harley sightseeing at his closed window. I was tired and achy when I packed up to travel, so those are folding chairs sitting in front of Harley's passenger seat.

I was trying to pack up in a hurry. Normally I load the basement storage area carefully so everything from the outdoor temporary patio fits inside neatly, but in this case, I just tossed equipment hither and yonder so I could get on the road.


At Long Point park this crane came wandering by to meet and greet us.


Later we were treated to an awesome sunset.  That is the Indian River Lagoon.  We are on an inside lot that is not on the water directly, but the cool thing about the inland lots is that they tend to be much larger and you still get great views and a slightly lower price.

In a few short weeks, I will be workamping again. But in the meantime, I hope to wander around this beautiful planet.


Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Freaky Winds


I loved having shade and rain protection, but a few days back, the high winds killed my 9 foot outdoor umbrella while I took a fever induced nap. I had no idea the air currents were going to gust at 40 miles per hour. I was using the umbrella to shield the picnic table and my bicycle (which is further protected by a vinyl table cloth held on with spring clamps).

The umbrella is designed to lean up to about 20 degrees. I guess the high winds broke the tilt mechanism.  I woke up looking out my window. Something didn't seem right in my foggy brain.  I realized the azure umbrella was dangling at a 90 degree angle.

Oops.

The tilt is not designed to do that.

Um well, it wasn't until now!

http://dearmissmermaid.com
My happy patio shade before the high winds. 

I dressed to go outside to take the umbrella down completely  Right before my sleepy eyes another frightening gutsy zephyr came along, breaking the shaft in two more places!

Grrr...

The lower shaft is broken in two places, while the upper shaft (shown in the pic below) is mangled. 


I couldn't crank the umbrella down at all, because the ribs had to slide past the broken tilt mechanism. I was trying with two hands to do the work of four, hold the shaft straight, and turn the crank.  Another wild gust of wind hit, snatching the umbrella from my grasp.

Incredibly the shaft folded in on itself then broken off.  In two places!  This was a sturdy umbrella.  Or so I thought.

Either the winds were frighteningly strong or it's just hard as heck to buy things made to last.  Finally I removed the umbrella canvas, to keep the entire thing from cartwheeling into the next county.

I will seriously have to rethink this design to see if it can be salvaged at all.

Grrr...


I asked my dog, how on earth all this damage  could happen while I was in bed battling the *achoo choo*  flu.


Sunday, March 03, 2013

Photo Op

dearmissmermaid.com

I like to collect pictures of funny signs I come across.

In a country with far too many signs, rules, regulations, laws and lawmakers, it's nice to know that an anonymous somebody still has a sense of humor now and then.



There is one picture of a funny sign I am sorely missing. It was a photo op that was once in a lifetime.  Nothing much funny about this curvy road sign, pictured above, but I post it here so you can look at it to think what if...

I spent years living on tiny far flung islands in the Caribbean. On one such island all government signs were hand lettered by an artist. These were painted so neatly they mimicked a professionally machine printed sign.

Years ago in the Virgin Islands on a major road, black and yellow signs went up with a big black "S" that had been enhanced  by the sign painter to a  drawing of a well endowed curvaceous female who appeared to be streaking across the road.   Yes I mean "streaking" as in naked and running. The lettering beneath read "Dangerous Curves Ahead".

It was in an area were many car wrecks had  occurred not because people were unaware of the curves, but because some islanders loved to take them at ridiculous speeds and play chicken with oncoming cars. This was an island past time, while not acceptable, it was done with regular frequency.

The first and only time I saw the funny signs, I didn't have my camera with me, but it certainly made me slow down and burst out laughing. I thought I was seeing things! I thought it would surely slow down traffic and thus the entire area would be safe again.

Mid afternoon when I returned with my camera, the signs had been removed.  Those who thought it wasn't funny, put out the hue and cry to remove them. Thus I missed an incredible photo op.

Saturday, March 02, 2013


A woof from the doggy...

My pet parent asked me to write something.   So here you go!

SOME THING!



Today we went on a trip. Well, sort of...  my pet parent was still so sick, that we moved two lots over instead of embarking on our journey.

A friend drove me to the dog park today so i could run wild, cut up, play ball and flirt with the other pet parents and theirs canines.