Living Our Dream

Hangin' Around Blueberry Hill

It took a little over a week to finish the front TV project, and we (especially Paul) needed a break. We wanted to get in some sightseeing, but we just didn't feel like it. Not only that, the weather turned cloudy and rainy, so we just hung around the motor home.

Our neighbors across the street at the campground had a "get to know your neighbor" happy hour over at their site one afternoon. Fortunately, they picked a day with fairly nice weather. This is their first year at Blueberry Hill, and they wanted to get to know the people around them a little better. They invited everyone along both sides of our road in the campground to bring their own beverage and a snack to share. It was great to put some names with faces of people we wave to all the time and to find out where they are from.

A day or two after the happy hour, the weather turned back to clouds and rain.  When the sky finally cleared after second day of solid rain, we got out our bikes and rode up to the office to check for mail and to drop off the trash. The next photo shows the front of the clubhouse where the office is located.

We stopped in the campground library where Margery took a quick look to see if they had any new books. There are also a couple of tables in the library with jigsaw puzzles. (Click on arrow on picture if you'd like to solve the puzzle.)

The building that houses the library also has a card room and an area with four pool tables. We like to ride our bikes in the afternoon, and we sometimes stop in for a game or two of pool. However, we have been so busy this year we haven't ridden our bikes much. This was the first time this year we have taken time to test out the newly-recovered pool tables.

The next photo shows Paul lining up an easy shot.

 

On our way back from the office, we took advantage of the sunshine and rode our bikes around the campground. We like to check out license plates to see where people are from, and we like to see if there are any empty sites. The campground is finally starting to look full, although there are still about 15% of the sites in the front section unoccupied and at least half a dozen empty sites in the back section. In past years, the campground has been almost filled by the middle of January, and essentially completely filled by February 1; but this year the bad economy is apparently taking its toll, and there are more empty sites than in the past.

We also ran a few errands during our down time, and on the way home from a shopping trip to the Villages, we passed the interesting sign in the next photo posted at the end of someone's driveway.

Also on our way back from the Villages, we decided to stop at Catfish Johnny's Restaurant in Lake Panasoffkee. Lake Panasofkee is off the I-75 exit just north of the Bushnell exit. The restaurant is situated under towering, Spanish moss-draped live oak trees.

 

Carfish Johnny's is known for seafood. We usually get either fried catfish or popcorn shrimp, but this time we both opted for fried grouper. Grouper is a member of the sea bass family. The fish is firm and has a mild almost sweet flavor. It is also low in fat and cholesterol, but the deep frying kind of cancels out that benefit.

During our time of relaxation we also decided to try the new Hong Kong Chinese restaurant located in the little strip mall next to Walmart in Bushnell. There's a real international atmosphere with Little Caesars right next door.

The Hong Kong restaurant seems to be primarily geared for takeout, but it has a few tables so we decided to eat in. Lunch specials are available from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM for $5.25. The specials include a main dish, pork fried rice and an egg roll. Even though it was after 3:00, they allowed us to order from the lunch menu. We knew the dinner portions would be larger and would be much more than we could eat.

We are both big fans of General Tso's chicken, so that's what we both ordered. The egg roll was pretty good - piping hot and not too greasy. The General Tso's chicken was good, but Paul thought the fried rice was a little dry. All in all, it wasn't bad for the price. And we were correct about the portions - the lunch-size meals were more than we could eat, so it's a good thing we didn't get dinners.

Even though we had come to the conclusion that Margery's knee discomfort "is what it is," the outside of Margery's left knee has gotten progressively sorer with a snapping sensation whenever she sits down. The orthopedic surgeon gave the knee joint itself perfect marks just about a month ago, so she knew it had to be something else. It had gotten to the point that it was sometimes becoming extremely difficult to walk. She has been scouring internet sites like WebMD researching for possible causes, and asking God for wisdom to know how to proceed. She concluded that most likely she was dealing with something called liotibial band friction syndrome. It is a form of bursitis on either side, or lateral part, of the knee. Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa, which is a fluid-filled sac that provides a cushion between a bone and tissue such as a ligament.

Based on her research, that ligament needed to be stretched so she started doing her post-surgery leg exercises with minimal relief. Then, she made a passing comment to a shoe salesman during the above-mentioned shopping trip to the Villages, and the salesman gave her information that has proven to be the most helpful. He had had a knee replacement and experienced the same thing! Don't you just love how God answers our prayers? The salesman shared the information he got from his physical therapist...using stretch bands in two specific stretches. Margery is finally getting some real relief. We share this information in the hope it will help someone else someday.

With some time out for relaxation, we are ready for another project. Look for our next post to see what we're up to.

Freezing in Florida

It's too cold! We're going to Florida. Hey! We're already in Florida! Well, if we're in Florida, how come it's so DARN COLD?

Along with much of the rest of the country (and many parts of the world - a number of people recently died in Great Britain due to abnormally cold weather), Florida experienced colder than normal temperatures over the past two weeks. Records for cold temperatures were broken all over the state. So much for global warming.

During past winters we spent in Florida, we have always hit one or two cold spells with a few nights down as low as the mid 20s. But this year, with the exception of one night when it was about 38 degrees, we have had almost two weeks straight with nighttime temperatures at or below freezing. We had one day when the temperatures didn't get out of the 30s in Bushnell; and there were several nights when it hit 22 degrees.

The farms and orange groves here in Florida are struggling to keep their crops alive. Oranges are OK as long as it doesn't get below 28 degrees for more than four hours. If it gets colder than that, they sometimes spray the trees with water to form an insulating layer of ice. If oranges freeze, they can still be used for juice, but they have to be processed within a few days. When there is a hard freeze all the processing plants are jammed, and they can't process all the oranges in time.

The landscape nurseries, like the one in the photo below, also spray plants with water during a freeze. This photo was taken a little later in the morning after things began to thaw, but ice still clings to the fence and grass in the foreground.

Crops like corn and tomatoes can't stand frost, much less a freeze, and frost can even occur at temperatures above freezing if the air is very clear and still. Fortunately, the vegetable farms are located a little farther south of where we are, but the cold extended all the way down to Miami. There was a story on the news about farmers hiring helicopters to fly over their fields to try to blow warmer air from aloft down onto their crops.

Just as the temperature looked like it was going to start to moderate (we actually hit a high of 60 degrees one day), another cold front came through with precipitation during the day and overnight. The next morning there was even snow and freezing rain almost all the way down to Orlando. Bushnell is a little northwest of Orlando, so we were included in that area. Yes, that is sleet that has collected at the base of our car windshield...

 

...and on the cover for our bikes.

These unusually low temperatures have curtailed our sightseeing, but Paul made good use of our time indoors to do an indoor repair project. He had been wanting to replace some discolored caulk around the kitchen sink. When he noticed a few drops of water under the sink, he realized the seal around the drain in the bottom of one bowl of the sink was leaking, and he decided to repair the leak and recaulk the sink sooner rather than later. As you can see, removing the sink required dragging everything out from under the sink, which made quite a mess in the confines of the motor home.

It's been two years since Margery had partial knee replacements in both knees. The mobility she gained has truly been a blessing. This fall, however, she began to experience pain around both her knees. She knew the knee joints felt good, but was perplexed by the sometimes bothersome pain. A visit with the orthopedic surgeon last week confirmed that all was still well with her knees. The cause of the pain is unknown...bursitis? tendonitis? Bottom line is the knees will never be as good as God made them originally. It is what it is. So we will enjoy her mobility, take it easy as needed, and be grateful for the blessings of each day.

The forecast is finally predicting somewhat warmer temperatures. We have friends from up north stopping by in a few days, so we'll probably schedule some sightseeing with them. Plus, we have another motor home improvement project in the works, so keep looking for our posts.

Home for the Holidays

It was about a two and a half hour drive from the Florida SKP Resort in Zolfo Springs to Blueberry Hill RV Resort in Bushnell, FL. We made this year's reservations for Blueberry Hill last year to take advantage of a 10% pay-in-advance discount.

Blueberry Hill RV Resort has several hundred RV sites. The sites in front are paved pull-throughs, and the ones in back are grassy back-ins. The sites in front are usually given to those staying less than three months. We like the ones in the back because they are very spacious. The photo below shows our site at Blueberry Hill.

Blueberry has full hookups with 50 amp electric and Wi-Fi. They have plenty of activities if you want them, but there isn't a lot of pressure to join in. There is a pool, shuffleboard courts, bocce, horseshoes and pool tables. There are weekly lunches followed by a bluegrass jam session with Snowbird musicians from all around the area. They also have craft classes, occasional bus trips, and various types of exercise classes.

We were anxious to get settled because we had a lot to do. For the first time since we went on the road in 2006, we planned to go home for Christmas. We would be driving north in the car and staying with our daughter, Lora, and our son-in-law, J. Michael. This would also be the first time in two and a half years we would be traveling without the motor home. We are used to having everything with us, but now we needed to try to think in 70 degree weather of everything we might need to take with us for 20 degree weather. We began by making lists. Then we got our winter clothes out of storage, cleaned out the car, and eventually started to put things into piles so we could figure out how we were going to pack with the minimal luggage we had kept.

Even with all we had to do in preparation for our trip to the Pittsburgh area, there was still time to do some holiday decorating. We did our usual, simple adornment of the motor home - a task that only takes a few minutes. This year, since we would be spending a lot of time in the car, Margery wanted to decorate it as well. We bought a few materials at the craft store and put together a wreath to hang on the grill.

One other thing we wanted to get out of the way before the end of the year was the one-year checkup with the surgeon on Margery's knees. After viewing the X-rays, the doctor said her knees were "magnifico" and she won't need to come back for the next checkup for two years. Margery is also very pleased with the outcome of the partial knee replacements.

We decided to try to see if we could make the drive from Bushnell to Pittsburgh all in one shot, so we went to bed early the Saturday before Christmas and set the alarm for 2:00 AM. This was quite a departure from our usual method of traveling only four hours a day, but we thought with two drivers and being able to make better time in the car, we should be able to make it.

We threw the last minute items into the car, disconnected the water from the motor home, stowed the satellite dish, pulled in the slides to protect the slide-topper awnings in case there was a storm while we were gone, and hit the road by 3:15 AM. Traffic was very light until about sunrise, and we made good time - even on the 2 and 4-lane, non-limited access roads.

As the day went on, traffic picked up. There were lots of Florida license plates heading north and lots of cars and RVs heading south. Traffic was heavy all day, but it was moving steadily and there were no delays.

One of the things Margery pondered as we passed Santas decorating yards was how out of place Santas are in the south. Think about it...the heavy, fur-trimmed coat worn by Santa is way too warm for the south, the sleigh meant to travel on snow is seriously hampered by the lack thereof in the south, the reindeer who pull the sleigh are not indigenous to the south, and Santa coming in through the chimney is not practical in a region where there are few, if any, fireplaces. Hmmm. People don't seem to be very logical when it comes to traditions.

It took us only a little over 15 hours to travel about 1,000 miles. It was a long day, and we were tired when we arrived in Pittsburgh; but making the drive all in one shot wasn't as bad as we had thought it might be.

Since we arrived a few days before Christmas, Margery helped Lora do some cooking in preparation for the holidays. Here they are working on mushroom rolls for snacking.  :)

We went to church with Lora and J. Michael on Christmas Eve, then went to visit with J. Michael's family at his brother's house. We got to spend Christmas morning with Lora and J. Michael. The photo below shows Margery getting ready to enjoy some hot chocolate before we started opening gifts.

The next photo shows J. Michael and Lora in their Santa hats.

Brutus is J. Michael and Lora's boxer. He is having difficulty getting around in his old age, but he still enjoyed opening his gift of doggie treats.

Using the Octapod mini camera tripod, we were able to get a picture of all of us.

Among other things, Lora and J. Michael got us a Pantouch digital photo frame. It will be great to display pictures of family and of places we have been. We have a bulletin board in the motor home, but can only display a limited number of photos at a time. Plus, we have to go to the trouble of printing the photos before we can display them. The digital frame will hold up to 8,000 photos and we can download them directly from the camera or from our computer.

On Christmas afternoon, we went to J. Michael's mom's house for dinner. The photo below shows some of the family just beginning to gather around the table. J. Michael's family is great, and they are fun to be with. We are gratified they are always willing to include us in their activities.

 

On the day after Christmas, Margery and Lora hit a couple of stores to make some exchanges and to look for bargains. Summer tops aren't in high demand in Pittsburgh in the winter, and Margery was thrilled to be able to get a few for $1.40 each.  Over the next few days, we played some games, watched a movie on DVD, went out to a movie, and visited with Margery's dad and Paul's step-mom.

Lora and J. Michael have a Garmin Nuvi 260W GPS unit, and they took it along on most of our outings. We were amazed at how well it worked, so we started investigating GPS units ourselves. We have a GPS receiver that we can use with our DeLorme mapping software on our laptop, but we feel the computer is too big to leave open in the motor home as we travel. The computer takes up almost the whole passenger side in the car. Therefore, although we sometimes use the computer for the mapping software as we travel (even in the car), we seldom use the GPS.

We found the price of portable GPS units rapidly falling, and we found a Garmin Nuvi 750 for an excellent price at Sam's Club. It is similar to the 260W Lora has so she was able to teach us how to use it fairly quickly. The name of the voice we chose to use is Jill, but we renamed her Grace because she is so amazing and hopefully we'll be reminded to have "grace under fire" when needed. The photo below shows Grace as she helps us navigate on our way back to Bushnell.

Garmin also has a series of GPS units called Street Pilot which are geared toward bigger vehicles like trucks and RVs, but there seems to only be one model of Street Pilot currently being made by Garmin. The Street Pilot is also considerably more expensive than the Nuvi series (except for the newest, high-end Nuvi models). We'll just have to be careful about reviewing in advance the routes Grace plans for us when we are in the motor home.

We planned our return to Bushnell for Monday hoping the traffic would be a little lighter after the weekend. By the time we packed up and said our good-byes, we didn't get on the road until about 8:45 AM. Traffic was heavy most of the way - especially for the 200+ mile portion that traverses I-95 through part of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida. There were several unexplained backups on I-95 in South Carolina, and there was also a lot of construction on I-95 through most of Georgia. Although there wasn't any work going on at night, it did make the driving more difficult with narrow lanes and reduced speed limits.

There were lots of southerners returning south and, surprisingly, more RV's returning north than Snowbirds heading south.

We finally made it back to Bushnell about 12:30 AM. Being with family for the holidays and seeing Lora and J. Michael again was great, but It was also good to be back "home."

As we approached the end of the year, we took a little time to reflect. It was a very good year for us, and we were blessed in our full-timing lifestyle in so many ways. Most importantly, we have a terrific, supportive family back home in Pittsburgh. We are happy to have been able to see them several times this year. Lora and J. Michael go out of their way to make us feel at home when we visit.

We started out the year with Margery's knee surgery. Her recovery was a little slow at the start. By mid-year, she was doing well; and now at the end of a year, she is doing great. Her knees are almost as good as they were when she was younger, and they are waaaay better than they were before the surgery. Even the many steps at Lora and J. Michael's two-story house during our Christmas visit weren't bothersome.

We weathered the storm of sky-high gasoline prices of 2008 by slowing our rate of travel a little. We're trusting we will also make it through the current economic crisis.

We got to see so many of God's astounding creations in 2008 - the plains and farmland of Iowa, the mighty Mississippi, the geothermal features of Yellowstone, the Tetons as well as the mountains of Montana and Colorado, the azure blue skies of New Mexico, and South Florida and the Keys. We also got to see our first in-person NASCAR race. And we have met some nice people and made some new friends along the way.

We used to party on New Year's Eve when we were younger. In recent years, however, we just spend a quiet evening at home watching a bunch of rented movies. We struggle to stay awake until it is time to see the ball drop in Times Square on TV. Then we wish each other a Happy New Year and shuffle off to bed. This year was no different; but with our 15-hour drive in from Pittsburgh just two nights prior, it was a little more difficult than normal staying up until midnight.

We are looking forward to our time here in Bushnell. Last year, we got to do some sightseeing; but we spent much of our time with Margery recovering from knee surgery. This year, we plan not only a time of relaxation, but also some new adventures.

After our two-day drive from Florida to the Pittsburgh area for J. Michael's father's funeral, we spent the week with family at the funeral home, at the funeral service, and at the memorial service. We had little time to spend at the motor home at the KOA in Washington, PA. It's just as well, because the KOA is situated on a hill overlooking the eastern end of the section of highway where I-70 and I-79 come together. Although the campground itself is fairly nice with well-spaced sites, there was a LOT of road noise. The noise did lessen somewhat late at night, but the trucks were almost constant. The campground is run by a very nice Canadian couple who retired 6 years ago and bought the KOA. After buying the campground, they went 4 years without either one of them having a day off, which is not exactly our idea of retirement. The photo below is our site at the Southeast Pittsburgh KOA in Washington, PA.

We pulled out of the campground early Monday morning and stopped by Colussy Chevrolet (where J. Michael works as comptroller) for an oil change in the motor home before we were on our way to the Amish country in Berlin, OH. Although Colussy is not an official Workhorse Chassis Service Center, they sell quite a few medium duty trucks, and they know their way around heavier chassis vehicles. If you're in the area and need service for your car, truck, or motor home, give them a call.

By mid-afternoon, we arrived in Berlin and got set up at Scenic Hills RV Park just outside town. The campground is built on three levels and only the main area by the office was open when we first got there. The photo below shows our site.

The owners of the campground were hard at work spreading gravel, grading, repairing, and mowing getting ready for larger crowds that spring would bring. Scenic Hills is located beside a lumber mill that does planing and kiln drying of lumber. There is some noise from the dust collector at the mill; but, since the mill doesn't operate on Saturdays or Sundays, the noise is not a problem on a weekend visit or if, during the week, you're away from the rig most of the day sightseeing. However, we were still recuperating from the flu and surgery and planned to stick pretty close to home so the mill and the back-up beepers on the fork lifts were a little bothersome. By the second week of our stay, they had opened some of the sites in the other areas of the campground, so we decided to move to the lower level where we awoke to chirping birds instead of back-up beepers. The photo below shows our site on the lower level.

We considered heading a little farther south for a while looking for warmer weather; but with the rising cost of fuel, we decided to stay put since we were planning to head back to the Pittsburgh area at the end of April for our originally-planned visit with Lora and J. Michael and for the doctor appointments we had previously scheduled. There were a couple of nights down in the upper 20s and two dreary, rainy, windy days in the 50s; but, especially for April, the weather really wasn't all that bad. We were treated to a beautiful, bright rainbow after one rainy afternoon.

Berlin is one of our favorite locations because we like the rural atmosphere, the well-kept Amish farms, and the delicious food that is available. We went there last year after leaving the Pittsburgh area in August. This year, we got to see fields being plowed in preparation for spring planting.

Lora and J. Michael drove out for the day while we were in Berlin to meet us at Der Dutchman Restaurant in Walnut Creek for breakfast. While they were there, we stopped at the Amish Flea Market and at Lehman's Hardware, where they sell many non-electrical appliances for the Amish as well as many hard-to-find tools and farm items. The photo below shows Margery and Lora as Barker's Beauties doing a "Price is Right" showing of a wood-burning kitchen stove.

We made many of our favorite stops while we were in Berlin, including several at Der Dutchman Restaurant. We love their breakfast buffet and their salad bar. The photo below shows Paul starting to load up his plate.

Stops at Sugar Valley Meats for smoked beef jerky and ham loaf mix, at Heini's Cheese for jalapeño yogurt cheese, and at Winesburg Meats for beef sticks were also on our schedule. Did you notice how many of our favorite places involve food? It was a treat to visit Heini's during the week when we could actually see the cheese being made.

The fun thing about Heini's is that they provide cheese samples for almost all of their cheeses. On the weekends, you just get in line and slowly shuffle your way around the store munching cheese samples as you go. During the week we could move unhindered.

Margery did spend a morning at Miller's Dry Goods in nearby Charm, OH researching patterns for a comfort quilt she wants to make for those undergoing chemotherapy. Miller's is a can't-miss store for any quilter. There are two buildings, one with quilting supplies and the one below...

...that has loads of pattern books and stencils.

The other building has one floor FULL of current fabrics...

...and a basement filled with fabrics on sale.

Who would think the little town of Charm would also have such a large home and lumber center as Keim Lumber? Holmes County, where Berlin and Charm are located and which has the world's largest concentration of Amish, is a huge area for woodworking and the Amish are quite good at it. Many Amish farms have signs at the end of the driveway advertising furniture for sale. There are dozens larger furniture shops with almost any type of wood furniture, most of it locally made. Holmes County also has numerous mills rough sawing lumber as well as shops doing kiln drying, planing, and making custom millwork. We're not sure where they get all the trees!

Keim Lumber not only has most of the usual selection of home building and remodeling supplies and tools; they also sell professional-grade woodworking machines to many of the mills and furniture shops. In addition to construction lumber, they have a huge selection of hardwoods including a wide variety of exotic woods from all over the world. They had remodeled since we had last visited, and Margery particularly found the store jaw-dropping.

The woodwork decorating the store itself is beautiful.

This is a display of antique tools including the first rip saw used in 1911 when the Keim Lumber first opened.

Next to their exotic wood department, there was this large burl available for just $475. Burls like this are prized by woodworkers for the highly figured wood they contain.

This 452 year old Bubinga slab was harvested in Africa. The Bubinga tree the slab was taken from was a seedling in 1555. The slab is available to the first $1,995 that is offered. Each paper square relates a year and a world event.

This has become a destination home and lumber center. Refreshments are available at the Carpenter's Cafe on the mezzanine.

On the way out of Charm we drove up to these buggies. Notice the team of plow horses traveling up the road off in the distance at the top of the picture.

Like many travelers, Wal-Mart is our store of choice for grocery shopping. It's interesting to see how the grocery items can vary from one part of the country to another. In the southwest, Mexican ingredients, both fresh and canned, abound. Here in the northest, we can find canned three-bean salad and frozen pirogies. In Florida, Wal-Mart has a large stock of wines including Childress wines of NASCAR owner Richard Childress fame. However, the Wal-Mart in Millersburg was the first one we've visited that included a hitching rail for the Amish buggies. And it was interesting to see the Amish using debit cards when checking out.

Plans for our summer travels are beginning to take shape. We registered for the Escapees Escapade in Gillette, WY in July with the intention of going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons afterward. We are hoping our fuel budget holds out. Escapees is an organization that supports RVers, especially full-timers. Their rallies are called Escapades. We attended an Escapade our first year of full-timing in October, 2006 and we enjoyed it. Since 2008 is the Escapees' 30th anniversary, we thought we would attend again. The Escapades have seminars including topics on lifestyle, RV maintenance and repair, and hobbies. They also have entertainment, a market area for vendors of RV-related products and accessories, and plenty of opportunities to meet other RVers.

Margery's knees are doing quite well. She is able to make it through a complete shopping trip around Wal-Mart and still stand in line to check out without having to stop to sit a few minutes. We started taking a couple of medium-length walks around the campground just about every day with the plan of gradually lengthening the walks so Margery can build up stamina by strengthening her leg and thigh muscles. We're looking forward to some of the easier one or two-mile hikes at Yellowstone.

From Berlin, it will be back to Pittsburgh for another short stay, then we will take our time getting to Gillette for the Escapade.

When we drove to Mount Dora to meet our friends and tour the Dora Canal, we passed through the small town of Yalaha. In Yalaha there is a rather large, German bakery that is known for their breads and desserts. We read in the newspaper that Yalaha Bakery had outdoor entertainment every Saturday. Being big fans of breads and desserts, we hopped in the car and headed out there.

Outside, they had bratwurst and sauerkraut to eat and a bluegrass band for entertainment. This little bakery out in the middle of nowhere was packed! We have found that music is a big drawing card for snowbirds in Florida. In the photo below, you can see part of the crowd gathered to listen to bluegrass.

Inside the bakery, the delicious-looking baked goods were also a big draw since customers were lined up 4 deep. It was hard to get a good photo between all the people, but here is a small part of the selection.

We had a difficult time deciding what we wanted, but we ended up with a loaf of kalamati olive bread, a piece of Black Forest cake for Margery, and a piece of Sacher Torte (chocolate torte with apricot filling) for Paul for dessert. The desserts were as good as they looked. As you can see, there is already a bite missing form each piece because once we got them out of the box, we couldn't even wait until after the photo to try them!

After the surgery on Margery's left knee at the end of January, she had a lot of difficulty getting comfortable in the recliner in the motor home. The seat just hit her wrong in the back of the thigh and knee. Although it was a nice Flexsteel recliner, we lamented almost from the beginning that we didn't get Ultraleather instead of cloth for easier cleaning. Now that she was finding it uncomfortable, we started searching online to see what else might be available. We noticed most of the newer motor homes are using a Euro recliner with an ottoman instead of the larger, all-in-one recliner like we had. A lot of people that replace recliners in RVs go to Lazy Boy, but we couldn't find one near us. We did, however, find a company about an hour away near Tampa that did RV makeovers and that carried replacement RV furniture so we took a drive down. Well, they only had one REALLY comfortable recliner they called a "stressless" recliner from a company by the name of Villa. The only problem was that it was REALLY expensive.

That prompted more online searching, and we found another company from Norway called Ekornes that also made a recliner they called stressless. There was a store in the Villages that carried Ekornes so we drove there to take a look. They had a really good selection and we initially looked at the entry-level model with the basic leather upholstery. To make a long story short, they had a floor model recliner that was a couple of levels up from the entry-level model and that had a better grade of upholstery. They offered it to us at a very good price wanting to make room for new merchandise. Although it was still more than we originally intended to spend, it was too good a deal on a VERY comfortable chair so we couldn't pass it up. There goes the tax rebate we don't even have yet. As a bonus, Paul used our bathroom scale to weigh the old recliner, which we ended up selling to our neighbor here at the campground (who just happens to a snowbird from Leechburg, PA), and it weighed 112 lbs. The new chair and ottoman together weigh 53 lbs., which is a weight savings of over 50%! The photo below shows Paul enjoying our new chair.

On February 26, we headed down to Largo Medical Center at about 5:00 am (yikes!) for the surgery on Margery's right knee. Her left knee was well on its way to complete recovery after surgery 4 weeks prior and it was able to handle the task of now being the "strong" knee after the surgery on her second knee. The right knee got partial resurfacing as planned. The photo below shows Margery in her hospital room shortly before we checked out.

And here she is arriving back at the motor home about 24 hours after surgery.

Again, the first week was the hardest; but the experience with the first knee has helped us know what to expect, how to better manage pain, and how to better reduce bruising and swelling. As with the first knee, Margery ditched the walker after about 3 days. We put the walker out front of the motor home with a "Free" sign on it and it was gone within the hour. Paul is so proud of how well Margery has done through all of this. She has been a real trooper and has been very diligent with exercises and is committed to rapid recovery. And from Margery's point of view, Paul has been so supportive. He's been a great caregiver and coach.

While taking time for Margery's recuperation, Paul cleaned out and organized a couple of the outside storage bays, replaced a leaking support strut on one of the storage bay doors, modified a pair of replacement windshield wiper blades to fit the motor home, climbed up on the roof to remove and clean the roof vent covers, and inspected the roof joint caulking while he was up there. Margery continued her daily exercises and gradually increased the length of her daily walks.

At the beginning of March, some of the snowbirds began leaving the campground. For the most part, however, their spaces were taken by others who were just arriving so the campground remained pretty full. Although some of the new arrivals only stayed a day or two (they are probably on their way north from somewhere farther south in Florida), most had patio mats, chairs, and grills spread out and they stayed a week or two. Some of the new arrivals seemed a little younger and were probably not yet retired. There were even some younger kids, probably on spring break, visiting grandparents. During the winter, the campground is a 55+ park, but youngsters are allowed to visit. By the middle of March, there were a growing number of empty sites as many of the snowbirds began heading home in time for Easter.

We originally extended our stay in Florida from the beginning of March until just before Easter because of Margery's knee surgery. However, the week before Easter, Paul was hit with the respiratory version of the flu that was NOT covered by this year's flu shot so we extended our stay until after Easter. Paul tried his best to count his blessings...like he didn't have to push himself to go to work and we we weren't currently 'traveling'...but five days in bed and 9 days of feeling really crummy made it difficult. This was a stubborn flu that hit a fair number in the campground. We are so grateful that Margery did not get it, too. We used copious amounts of hand sanitizer and antiseptic wipes.

As Paul's flu subsided, we were finally in a position where we felt like making our spring travel plans, which included a leisurely drive north and a swing through Pittsburgh at the end of April for a short visit with Lora and J. Michael and a few doctor appointments we weren't able to fit in last August. However, shortly after we had made our doctor appointments, we received word that J. Michael's father, who had been recuperating from a bone marrow transplant in his second battle with acute leukemia, suffered an irreparable brain hemorrhage. An e-mail sent out by Lora stated: "The whole family and some friends were there the rest of the afternoon and through the evening. We sang, listened to the Word, told stories, and cried. It was a painful, but precious time. He slipped away with his loved ones gathered around him. We rejoice knowing that he is whole and with the Lord, but he will be greatly missed."

We spent a day evaluating our options in light of our original plans to arrive in Pittsburgh in late April. Do we leave the motor home in Florida, share the driving in the the Saturn to Pittsburgh for the funeral, stay with Lora and J. Michael a couple of days, then return to Florida and start a more leisurely journey north in the motor home? Or, do we hurriedly pack up the motor home and have Paul (who was still not feeling his best) do all of the 20-hour drive over two days, arriving a few weeks before spring. Economics, combined with our love for traveling with all the comforts of home at our fingertips, caused us to opt to check out of Blueberry Hill 12 hours later and leave for Pittsburgh with the motor home. We experienced God's grace in so many ways...the well-known, end-of-March spring break/snowbird exodus from Florida wasn't too bad traffic-wise, we made excellent travel time in pretty good weather, we found easily accessible campgrounds that were open, and Paul had the stamina to make the drive. We made a one-night stop just north of Charlotte, NC and made it to the KOA in Washington, PA, mid-afternoon the next day.

As we write this, we are so happy we made the effort to be here for the funeral. J. Michael's father was a simple man who loved people and loved the Lord. He lived a life of service and touched many lives, not only in the Life's Key Prison Ministry he founded with his wife, Mary Ann, but also as a teacher of God's Word. What a rich legacy he leaves. He was not only a servant of the Lord but a fun-loving, wise, devoted, and caring husband, father, and grandfather. He will be missed by all who knew him.

We plan to stay in Pittsburgh for the memorial service on Saturday. It will also give Paul a chance to continue his recuperation. We then have three weeks before we're due back in Pittsburgh for our previously scheduled doctor appointments when we'll park the motor home at Lora and J. Michael's. We are researching where we might go in those three weeks to re-capture spring and bring it back with us.

Margery's knee surgery went very well. She had the inner portion of her left knee resurfaced and the prosthesis put in as planned. She was up walking 3 hours after coming out of the recovery room (they usually make patients wait 4 hours), so the exercises she did before the surgery seem to have helped. The photo below shows Margery arriving back at the motor home about 27 hours after surgery.

The first few days back home were a little uncomfortable, but once she found the right schedule for pain medication and the exercises started to limber up the knee, things got a lot better. They expect you to use a walker for up to 2 weeks, but Margery quit after 3 days. It just seemed to be in the way and that's how they said you would know it was time to give it up. Within the first week, she was already walking on the new knee as well as she walked before the resurfacing, although she still couldn't go quite as far. She was also able to begin cutting back on the pain medication. Probably the most bothersome part of her recovery has been the pain from the deep bruising on the back of her thigh and leg. Although the bruising is normal, Margery bruises easily and at this writing she is still experiencing a fair amount of discomfort from these bruises. Even putting on lotion is painful. But, hey, no pain, no gain! We're keepin' our eye on the goal.

We are enjoying the warm weather here in Florida. Molly went outside on Groundhog Day and saw her shadow. She declared there would be 6 more weeks of 75 degree weather. Although there is a lot of green around with the live oaks, pines, and palm trees, Florida still has spring. The nice thing is that it begins around February 1. We have azaleas, redbud trees, and roadside wildflowers blooming. Many of the deciduous trees, like the ones shown in the photo below, are starting to get leaves.

We heard from friends we visited last February when we passed through southern California. Margery met Barb through a Bible study years ago, and even though Barb and Kent moved away from Pittsburgh quite some time ago, Margery and Barb have always kept in touch. Barb and Kent were coming to Florida to meet family and go to Disney, but they were coming early to escape winter (they now live near Chicago) and wanted to get together with us. Not knowing how Margery's knee would be progressing, we nevertheless made plans for a visit figuring we would just hang around our motor home if she didn't feel like doing any sightseeing.

As it turned out, Margery's knee was doing very well so we decided to drive to Homosassa, FL with Barb and Kent to take an airboat ride, something Paul has always wanted to do. An airboat is a flat-bottomed boat powered by a large V-8 engine and pushed along the surface of the water by a 6 foot airplane propeller. The purpose of an airboat is to go fast through shallow water.

We found Captain Stu who had a specially-built airboat that would carry up to 6 people, so we made reservations. Captain Stu was very interesting. He had grown up around the water and his passion for what he does was evident. He even takes his airboat out on his days off and goes fishing.

The first part of the tour is down the Homosassa River where the speed is limited to "idle speed" because of the manatees. This was a good time for some nature viewing. Unfortunately, we didn't see any manatees, but we did see a porpoise, numerous wading birds, gulls, pelicans, and several osprey. The osprey like to build their nests on top of the signs along the waterway as shown in the photo below.

Once we got clear of the manatee area, it was full throttle and the 500 hp engine had the boat gliding along the water. This area of the Florida Gulf Coast is a large estuary containing hundreds of small islands with interconnecting waterways. Some of the islands aren't really islands, but clumps of mangroves. Mangroves are a family of trees and shrubs that thrive in tropical tidal areas. Mangroves are suspended above the water on an intricate, intertwined root systems. The root systems form their own ecosystems trapping sediments and nutrients creating a rich habitat for numerous varieties of fish as well as shrimp and oysters.

We had an exhilarating ride cruising the backwaters, skimming by the islands and through the shallows. The photo below shows Margery, Barb, and Kent as we flew along. As you can see, Kent's jacket is blowing wildly in the 40 mph wind.

Paul got to sit up high in the seat next to Captain Stu. Woo-hoo!

We stopped out near the Gulf of Mexico and just floated with out-going tide and currents. The photo below shows Captain Stu telling us about the tides and giving us some history of the area before we headed back to the dock.

Our ride whet our appetites so we stopped in the Homosassa Riverside Resort where Captain Stu docks his boat for a fried grouper appetizer to share. We wanted to save our appetites for another seafood restaurant we had heard good things about up the road, but the fried grouper was delish and will be worth another trip next year. We also stopped at the fresh seafood market Captain Stu recommended where we picked up some fresh shrimp for a new shrimp and pasta recipe Margery wanted to try. (It was easy and tasty!) Of course, Margery (left) and Barb couldn't pass up the opportunity to 'monkey' around.

After our airboat ride, we stopped by the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge to see if we could spot any manatees since we didn't get to see any when we were out with Captain Stu. The refuge is comprised of approximately 20 islands surrounded by the spring-fed waters of Kings Bay in Crystal River, FL. Since we obviously didn't have a boat, we were hoping to see some manatees from the dock at the visitor center, but no luck.

They did have some interesting displays in the visitor center including the skeleton of a manatee, which is shown in the photo below. We found it interesting that the flippers have bones like fingers even though the flippers are solid. It was also interesting that the ribs don't curve down around the underside.

Manatees are mammals that, like porpoises, live entirely in the water. In the winter, they swim up the rivers searching for warmer water. Manatees are 9 to 10 feet long when fully grown and weigh 800 to 1200 pounds. Manatees are slow-moving and are completely herbivorous. They can consume 10 to 15% of their body weight in aquatic plants a day. Manatees have no natural enemies and can live up to 70 years. The biggest cause of manatee deaths is collisions with boats. Becoming entangled in fishing line and nets is also a big problem. Manatees are endangered with only an estimated 2,600 in the United States.

We capped our day of sightseeing and visiting with a stop at Stumpknockers Restaurant in Dunellon, FL. Stumpknockers is known especially for their catfish. Since they weren't supposed to open until 4 p.m., we were surprised to find the parking lot full when we arrived a little before 4. The waitress told us that the owner often opens early when the customers begin arriving...this day at 12:30. However, one online reviewer we read said they made a special trip to the restaurant only to be disappointed to find it not open for lunch so be sure to call if you're going earlier in the day.

The restaurant takes its name from a panfish that inhabits southern streams. The fish is called a stumpknocker because it hangs out around the base of cypress trees that grow in the water.

We enjoyed our meal out on their deck overlooking the Withlacoochee River. It was a good way to relax after a busy day.