Living Our Dream

Motor Home Project: Replace Kitchen Faucet

Bushnell, FL - Events of Wednesday, February 20 to Thursday, February 21, 2013

The spout on the kitchen faucet in our motor home pulls out to become a sprayer. After rinsing out the kitchen sink on Wednesday evening after dinner, Paul couldn't get the pull-out sprayer to go back in.

Faucet sprayer would not go back in.

The hose of the sprayer has gotten hung up before on the pot lids we store in a rack under the sink. However, this time, it wasn't anything under the sink that was hanging up the hose - it was something inside the faucet itself.

Paul grabbed a flashlight to look into the hole where the hose comes out, but he couldn't quite see. When he tried to swivel the faucet to a different angle to get a better look, there was sort of a grinding noise. Uh-oh.

It turned out to be a steel component inside the faucet that had rusted out and had begun to break apart. The area under the sink was littered with pieces of rust, and a bunch of rusty particles that were still stuck inside the faucet were causing the grinding noise. A larger piece of rusty steel was lodged against the hose preventing it from going back inside the faucet. Paul had to remove the faucet and partially disassemble it to get all the rust cleaned out.

The steel part from inside was so badly rusted Paul never did figure out exactly what it was supposed to do, but it obviously didn't have anything to do with water because the internal parts that come into direct contact with water are made of copper, brass and plastic - and the faucet wasn't leaking. Paul thinks the part that rusted was a support for the internal components of the faucet and/or something that acted as a stop to keep the spout from swiveling around too far toward the back of the sink.

Rusted steel component from inside the faucet - about 2" across

After Paul got the big piece of rusty metal and all the rust particles out of the faucet, he tried reinstalling the faucet. He figured he would ultimately have to replace the faucet; but since it wasn't leaking, he hoped it would work well enough to use it a few more weeks so we wouldn't have to run out and get a new one right away.

The faucet was a bit wobbly after it was reinstalled. When Paul tightened it down to the sink more, the spout bound up and wouldn't swivel. He adjusted the nut underneath that held the faucet in place and found a good compromise between too wobbly and too tight.

Old faucet replaced without the rusty part

We were thinking about replacing the kitchen faucet anyway since we replaced the bathroom faucets last year, but we weren't planning to do it right now. However, the old faucet was too iffy to trust it for very long, so Paul spent the rest of the evening searching the Home Depot and Lowe's websites for a suitable replacement. He found a reasonably-priced faucet similar to what we had except the new one was made by American Standard instead of Moen and it had a stainless steel finish (which we preferred because all our other faucets are stainless steel) instead of polished chrome. Lowe's in Leesburg was the only store in the area that had one in stock, so Paul purchased it online Wednesday evening, and we headed there fairly early on Thursday morning to pick it up.

Back at the motor home with the new faucet, Paul began to remove the old one for the second time. With the old faucet gone, Paul got to work getting rid of the rust stains and hard water deposits that were around the opening in the sink where the faucet was mounted.

Rust stains and hard water deposits under the old faucet had to be cleaned off.

The caulk behind the faucet had gotten some rust particles embedded in it when Paul was removing the old faucet the evening before. Therefore, Paul removed and replaced the old caulk just in that area while the faucet was out of the way.

Installing the new faucet was fairly easy, except Paul's arms got tired reaching up behind the sink to tighten down the faucet and to make the water connections.

Paul tightening down the new faucet

Nowadays, faucets are easier to install than they used to be. Most new faucets have flexible connections so there is no need to change existing plumbing so it will line up with the new faucet. The fittings have rubber gaskets in them that make leak-free connections a snap.

After the installation was complete, Paul turned on the water and climbed back under the sink to check for leaks. Wow! This is the third plumbing project in a row with no leaks on the first try! The first two were replacing the water inlet valve and replacing the bathroom sink faucets.

New faucet installed

The new faucet doesn't look much different than the old one, but it works a lot better. Like the old one faucet, the new one also has a spout that pulls out to become a sprayer, and the sprayer returns much more smoothly than the old one has done for years. There also seems to be better water flow. Although Paul periodically cleaned out the strainer in the old faucet, the insides must have been pretty gunked up with hard water deposits. We're very pleased with our new faucet.

With Freeway's training classes over and with the unexpected plumbing project out of the way, we are hoping to finally get to do some sightseeing. Stay tuned.

Miscellaneous Musings

Bushnell, FL - Events of Tuesday, February 19 to Wednesday, February 20, 2013

We had several errands to run in the vicinity of The Villages, so we headed there on Tuesday. One of the stops we wanted to make was at a mobile home community called Water Oak, which is located on the same side of The Villages as Home Depot, Kohl's, Sam's Club, PetSmart and OakWood Grill. We have driven past Water Oak dozens and dozens of times because we go to that part of The Villages frequently.

Since Water Oak is owned by the same parent company that now owns Blueberry Hill (Sun Communities), and since we're very pleased by the way Blueberry Hill is being run and by all the improvements, we decided it would be a good time to check out Water Oak after we finished our other errands for future reference.

As we said in our last post, we sometimes have a desire to put down roots when we stop in one of our favorite locations for an extended period of time. However, we have several other favorite places that we're not willing to give up yet, and we still enjoy seeing new places as well. Even though we have no plans to give up full-timing in the near future, we were always curious about Water Oak, and we thought it would be a good idea to get some information so we would know if Water Oak or something like it could be a possibility when we decide to slow down our travels someday.

We met with the sales manager who told us all about the history of Water Oak and about their facilities and activities. We are pleased to report there was absolutely no high-pressure sales pitch.

Water Oak was started in the 1980s, so some of the mobile homes there are older. Pre-owned homes are available; but Water Oak still has vacant lots, and they are still installing new units.

After chatting with the sales manager, we walked over to view several models of new mobile homes on display. Mobile homes have come a long, long way in the past 10 years or so. In fact, they don't even like to call them mobile homes anymore - they are manufactured homes. Manufactured homes have begun to come very close in appearance to site-built homes. Outside, they have vinyl siding and asphalt shingle roofs. They have good insulation, and most of the newer ones have dual-pane windows even in Florida. Inside, newer mobile homes have drywall throughout, and many have 9-foot ceilings and features like tray ceilings in the living area.

The models on display were attractively staged and very comfortable looking. They ranged in size from a little less than 1000 sq ft to over 1500 sq ft. The models featured open floor plans, which helps optimize the usage of living space.

Typical living room

Even the smaller units with smaller kitchens usually have lots of cabinets for storage and ample counter space thanks to an island or peninsula. The kitchen in the next photo was in one of the larger models and was huge.

Margery checking out the kitchen storage space

We learned that manufactured homes have advantages and disadvantages. The primary advantage is you can get a very nice home at a very reasonable price. The disadvantage is manufactured housing depreciates over time. A site-built home, if properly maintained, will normally go up in value over time (except for the recent bursting of the housing bubble).

We also learned that even though Water Oak was nice, we didn't feel it would suit us. It is very large (1100 to 1200 homes), and there is much shade in the older areas (we like sun, especially in winter). The lots in the older sections are fairly large, but the mobile homes in those areas, although well maintained, look very dated. The lots in the areas where the new manufactured homes are being placed are small. It's not that we want a huge lot that we would have to mow and care for, but we don't want our neighbors house right outside our windows. Paul would also like to do a little gardening.

The other downside to Water Oak is, even though you own your home, you rent the lot. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but the rent at Water Oak seemed high to us. That's probably because part of the rent helps pay for all the amenities like two swimming pools, an 18-hole golf course, shuffleboard courts, pickle ball courts, tennis courts, two clubhouses, a softball field, bocce ball courts, etc. There are also lots of activities like card clubs, craft classes, exercise classes, dance lessons, pot luck dinners and pancake breakfasts. Amenities and activities are nice to have, but they're not really that important to us.

As we said, we aren't planning to quit full-timing any time soon, but we are happy we were able to gather some information. We will tuck it away in the backs of our minds for sometime in the future.

It was mid afternoon when we finished up at Water Oak, and we were starved. Since we Water Oak is close to OakWood Grill, we stopped at OakWood for lupper on the way back to the motor home.

OakWood Grill

OakWood has delicious smoked meats and barbecued ribs. Since they have a special price on a full rack of baby backs all day Sundays through Wednesdays ($12.99 vs. the regular price of $15.99), and since it was Tuesday, we both had the baby back ribs.

Margery and her baby back ribs

We love the ribs at OakWood. They are fall-off-the-bone tender. The barbecue sauce is thick and sweet with a hint of tartness.

Wednesday was Freeway's last intermediate training class. He has come a long way in 6 weeks. We had slacked off on much of his training from puppy class last year, so our first couple of classes this year were a little frustrating. However, perseverance has paid off, and things began falling back into place by the third class, especially after we found a secret weapon to assist with training - Cheetos. After 6 weeks, Freeway is a star pupil.

We started the class off with a few minutes of play time for the dogs.

Melanie handing out treats during play time

Then Melanie, the instructor, started a review of what we learned. The one thing we and all the other dog owners in the class were having the most difficulty with was getting the dogs to come when called. We practiced a bit in class out in one of the aisles of the PetSmart Store. We all still have work to do with the "come" command.

We also worked on sit-stay in class. Freeway is pretty good with that command, but adding distractions like other dogs, people, a favorite dog toy or an unfamiliar environment can derail everything, so we need to continue working on that, too. Getting Freeway to obey basic commands like come and sit-stay no matter what else is going on around him is our goal.

After class, we made a few other quick stops in The Villages. The sun in Florida can be very hot, even in winter, so one of us stayed in the car with Freeway with the windows open. After our errands, we made our way back to the motor home.

Now that Freeway's training classes are over, we were hoping to be able to plan more sightseeing. However, Paul unexpectedly got a new project on Wednesday evening. We'll tell you all about it in our next post.

Valentine's Day

Bushnell, FL - Events of Thursday, February 14, 2013

It has been five years since Margery had partial knee replacement surgery, and she has had a much easier time walking ever since. She had to use a mobility scooter the first two years of our full-timing, and she missed out on a lot of hikes and sightseeing. After the surgery, we had to go back and revisit some of the places we had been to so she could experience first hand the sights that she previously couldn't walk or ride her scooter to.

Margery has gone back for X-rays and checkups at one or two year intervals since the surgery; and this year, it was time for another checkup. We deliberately scheduled the visit to the doctor on Valentine's Day because his office in near the Bahama Breeze in Tampa, and it would give us a perfect excuse to stop at Bahama Breeze after the doctor for a Valentine's Day lupper.

Margery was in and out of the doctor's office fairly quickly. Her knees are doing so well she doesn't have to go back for another checkup for five years. We were originally told that partial knee replacements generally last 10-12 years. Failure is due to further deterioration of the knee or a failure in the prosthetic. We were delighted to hear that there are no signs of further deterioration in Margery's knees whatsoever since the surgery, so we're looking forward to many more years of good mobility.

We planned the time of the doctor's appointment so we could arrive at Bahama Breeze between lunch and dinner so we could avoid the Valentine's Day crunch. Therefore, it wasn't very crowded when we arrived about 3:30.

Bahama Breeze

Even though it was a rainy, dreary day, the hibiscus along the parking really stood out.

Hibiscus

We decided to have several appetizers for our lupper, but we had a difficult time choosing which ones we wanted to have. We ended up with a Bimini Pretzel, an order of Firecracker Shrimp, a small order of onion rings and a lobster and shrimp quesadilla. The pretzel was served with coarse-ground mustard and with cheese sauce. The onion rings had a mango dipping sauce, and the Firecracker Shrimp come with red pepper dipping sauce. Salsa and sour cream are served with the quesadilla.

Bimini Pretzel, onion rings, Firecracker Shrimp and lobster and shrimp quesadilla

Paul digs into the Firecracker Shrimp

We have had the Firecracker Shrimp and onion rings at Bahama Breeze before, and they were as delicious as we remembered them. This was our first time for the pretzel and quesadilla, and we were a little disappointed. We thought the pretzel was a little too dense, dry and crumbly. We like soft pretzels to be a little softer and a little more chewy. The quesadilla was okay, and there was enough lobster and shrimp on it; but everything was all bunched near the middle with nothing at the outer edges of the tortilla. We also thought it could have used more cheese.

We couldn't get out of Bahama Breeze without our favorite dessert - a Chocolate Island. A Chocolate Island is a mound of chocolate mousse atop a fudge brownie served with chocolate sauce and vanilla anglaise. The whole thing is topped with whipped cream and toasted, sliced almonds.

Chocolate Island

The Chocolate Island was good, but not as great as other ones we have had. The whipped cream was a little soft and much of it had slid off the top by the time the dessert reached our table. There weren't as many almonds and there also wasn't as nearly much chocolate sauce and vanilla anglaise as we have gotten in the past. They also usually drizzle the chocolate and vanilla sauces in a more decorative pattern, which doesn't make it taste any better, but makes it look nicer. After all, we eat first with our eyes.

Even though there were some disappointments with our meal, there were also some good parts, and it was still a nice "date." We had good face time talking about how we're feeling about our current lifestyle. Although we both get a hankering to "settle in" when we're in one of our favorite locations for a time, we still don't want to give up staying in all our other favorite places. Therefore, it doesn't look like we'll be putting down roots any time soon. ;-)

With our bellies full, we headed back to the motor home. It was the start of rush hour, and rush hour traffic in and around Tampa is always a pain. The rain didn't help either.

We had to stop in the Blueberry Hill office on our way to our site to pick up a package because Paul had ordered Valentine flowers for Margery from proflowers.com.

Margery arranging her Valentine's flowers

Freeway liked the flowers, too.

Freeway liked Margery's roses

Proflowers.com does a very nice job with their flowers. They provide a good alternative to a local florist if you don't know where a local florist is located or if you need flowers delivered out of town. The flowers themselves are very nice, and they are very well packaged to avoid damage. The prices aren't too bad because there are always promotions, specials and discounts. Paul got 15% off the flowers and a free vase. Shipping adds to the cost, but it compares favorably to florist delivery charges. However, there is an added premium to have the flowers delivered on Valentine's Day. Since they are delivered by UPS, the flowers don't arrive until late in the day. If Paul goes with proflowers.com next year, he is thinking about having them delivered on February 13th. That way, not only can he save a few bucks, but Margery will be able to enjoy them all day on Valentine's Day. The only downside to proflowers.com is your e-mail address is required to place an order; and once you place an order, you will get zillions of promotional e-mails from them throughout the year. Of course, we could unsubscribe from their mailing list or tell our e-mail server to blacklist them as spam, but then Paul would miss out on all those promotions next year! LOL

Paul has had the tradition of giving Lora a pink rose on Valentine's Day ever since she was 6 years old. Continuing that tradition was a challenge when we went full-time because there is no florist near where they live, and none of the florists who are a little farther away want to travel the extra distance on such a busy day to make the delivery. Last year, J. Michael graciously offered to pick up a rose for Lora at a florist near where he works. Paul took advantage of J. Michael's offer again this year, and called the florist a few weeks ago to place his order. When we got back to the motor home after stopping at Bahama Breeze, Lora had e-mailed us a picture.

Lora and her Valentine rose

We settled in for an evening of relaxing and watching TV to end our great Valentine's Day. We don't know what we'll find to do in the upcoming days, but we'll let you know all about whatever it is in our next post.

Day Trip to Sarasota Part II: Farmer's Market and Siesta Key

Bushnell, FL - Events of Saturday, February 9, 2013

As we said in our last post, we usually don't go out sightseeing on weekends, but we did this time because we wanted to go to the farmer's market that is held on Saturdays in the historic section of downtown Sarasota. We headed downtown to the market after our breakfast buffet at Der Dutchman.

Sarasota has free, on-street parking, but spaces were in short supply in the vicinity of the market. We drove around a bit and finally found a spot only about a block and a half away.

The main street for a distance of about three blocks and two cross streets for a distance of a block in each direction are closed off, and the streets are lined on both sides with vendors. When we got to the market itself, we found it to be very crowded. The streets were full of people, and some places were shoulder to shoulder. No wonder it was hard to park!

Large crowds at the Sarasota farmer's market

There wasn't a lot of produce, but much of the produce that was there was organic and expensive. There were quite a few vendors selling food like artisan breads, pasta, and local honey. There were also things like hand-made soaps and some crafts. One enterprising vendor had converted a double-decker bus to a coffee house with serving windows on the bottom level and seating on the upper deck.

Double-decker bus serving gourmet coffee

There were also several vendors with live plants and one with gorgeous cut flowers. There were bunches of flowers you could buy and arrange yourself and also beautiful arrangements for sale like the one in the next photo.

Beautiful cut flower arrangement for sale

Siesta John, shown below, was one of several entertainers at the market. Siesta John played keyboard and guitar and was singing Jimmy Buffet songs.

Live entertainment at the farmer's market

We were looking for a couple of tomatoes for our sandwiches and for some burgers we are planning to grill in the near future, but the only beefsteaks we saw weren't that nice so we didn't buy anything, especially with the premium prices.

The barrier islands in this area of the Gulf Coast have some of the nicest beaches you'll find anywhere in Florida, and the one at nearby Siesta Key is supposed to be one of the best of the best. Since Siesta Key is only a hop, skip and a jump from downtown Sarasota, we headed to Siesta Key after the market. As we crossed the bridge over Sarasota Bay to Siesta Key, we could see downtown Sarasota to the north.

Downtown Sarasota as we crossed the bay to Siesta Key

Once we crossed the bridge and headed south down Siesta Key, traffic got very heavy. Not only was the weather gorgeous (not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the upper 70s) and not only was it a Saturday, but there was also a craft show along the main road over on the island. As we inched our way past the craft show, we decided traffic was way too heavy to stop. Once we got past the craft show, traffic was still heavy, but at least it was moving.

Anxious to see the famous Siesta Key beaches, we tried parking at a couple of the small parking areas that lie between the condos where there is public beach access. Unfortunately, all the lots we tried were full on such a beautiful Saturday. Then we came to the main public beach area where there were two huge parking lots. Even though there were people coming and going (mostly coming), we never were in the right place at the right time to get a parking spot. It seemed like the car backing out of a parking space was always on the next row over. Margery ended up circling the parking lot while Paul ran down to the beach to snap a couple of photos

When Paul got over the dune, he was amazed at how wide the beach was. It looked to be at least 200 yards to the water.

Wide beach at Siesta Key

The sand was so fine and white it looked like sugar. However, the sand was well packed and was surprisingly easy to walk on for as fine as it was.

With two huge parking lots that were both full, it was no surprise there were LOTS of people on the beach; but since the beach is so wide there was still plenty of room to plop down your beach towel or chair.

Still some room left on Siesta Beach

After a long walk, Paul finally got to the edge of the water. For as many people as there were on the beach, hardly anyone was in swimming. Paul overheard someone say the water temperature was 67º so it was no wonder.

Lots of people on the beach, but few in swimming

Paul got back to the parking lot just in time to catch Margery as she came around the parking lot for only the second time. As we said, the parking lot was very big, and Margery took her time.

We went across a different bridge to the mainland to avoid going back through the area of the craft show. Traffic coming across that bridge in the opposite direction onto Siesta Key was even heavier than the traffic we sat through earlier.

We made our way back to the motor home and settled in for an evening of TV. It was an enjoyably day, and it was fun to finally get out to do some sightseeing; but we have to say we did miss Freeway whom we left at home because it was too hot. Stay tuned to see what we find to do next.

Day Trip to Sarasota Part I - The Amish of Florida

Bushnell, FL - Events of Saturday, February 9, 2013

Wait, what? There are Amish in Florida? Yes, there is a small Amish/Mennonite community in Sarasota, FL called Pinecraft. We found out about it a few years ago from the Mennonite couple who run Scenic Hills RV Park in the Amish country of Ohio because they go to the Sarasota area in the winter. On Saturday, we took a day trip about 90 miles south to Sarasota to check out Pinecraft.

We also found out the company that owns our favorite restaurant in Berlin, OH, Der Dutchman, bought what was previously an independent restaurant in the heart of Pinecraft. Therefore, we headed straight to Der Dutchman for their breakfast buffet.

Der Dutchman restaurant in Sarasota complete with palm trees

It was a drive of a little over an hour and a half to Der Dutchman. Florida is a little more laid back Ohio, so the restaurant in Florida serves the breakfast buffet until 11:00 a.m. (11:30 on Saturdays) whereas they only serve the buffet until 10:30 in Ohio. We got an early start, so we got there in plenty of time to enjoy the buffet.

First helping at the breakfast buffet

Margery ready to dig in

The decor is similar to other Der Dutchman Restaurants we have been to, and the aromas wafting out of the dining room were also the same. The only clue to the fact we were in the south was the presence of Tabasco on the table.

The breakfast buffet was also similar to other Der Dutchman Restaurants with scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, bacon, sausage, sausage gravy and biscuits, fried mush, French toast, pancakes, fruit salad, frozen fruit slush, pudding, hot oatmeal, cold cereal and more. In Sarasota, they also had ham, cheesy potato casserole and a wider variety of breakfast pastries than we get at the Der Dutchman in Berlin. There were a couple of items, like the sausage gravy and the smoked sausage, that we thought were not as good as in Berlin; but in general, everything was delish, and we ate way too much.

The breakfast buffet is $8.79. You can also order breakfast from the menu, but almost no one does. For lunch, there is a salad bar for $8.69, which is also included with the lunch buffet for $10.49. The salad bar is also available for dinner and is included with the dinner buffet for $12.99. The regular lunch and dinner menus have most of the Amish-style dishes served at Der Dutchman in Berlin (sandwiches cost from $5 to $10 and dinners are $10 to $13), but the menu in Florida also includes items like barbecued pork ribs, taco salad, spaghetti, wraps and quesadillas to appeal to a broader range of customers.

After breakfast, we meandered through the bakery and gift shop where there were a couple of additional clues to the fact we were in Florida. There was Key lime pie along side the cherry and apple pies in the display case...

Key lime pie

...and there were 'gator pencils, bubble gum oranges and rubber balls shaped like oranges in the gift section.

Florida souvenirs in the gift shop

Most of the several thousand Amish and Mennonite who stay in Pinecraft are snowbirds, although there are a few year-round residents. Young couples also come here to honeymoon. Winter is a slower time on the farm, so many weddings take place after the fall harvest. Young people also come here for seasonal work.

Amish and Mennonites come mostly from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The Amish arrive on buses so they obviously don't bring their horses and buggies. Instead, they rely primarily on bicycles and adult tricycles for transportation with an occasional golf cart thrown in. The restaurant even has a special parking place for bicycles.

Parking for bicycles and tricycles

As we left Der Dutchman, we passed an Amish couple. The man was on a recumbent bicycle, and the wife was on a trike. We saw another couple ride away on a bicycle built for two; but unfortunately, we couldn't get the camera out fast enough to get a photo.

Amish couple leaving Der Dutchman

The area contains numerous homes and cottages that are rented by the night, week or for the entire winter. The homes in Pinecraft have electricity. Mennonites use electricity and drive cars, but the Amish do not. However, the Amish are more tolerant of modern conveniences when they are vacationing because the accommodations are considered to be temporary, and most of them don't hesitate to use electricity. However, the strict, Old Order Amish don't even come to Florida to vacation because they think it is much too wordly.

The Amish community in Pinecraft is unique. It is made up of Amish from various parts of the country and from various Amish sects. You will see different styles of clothing and hear different German dialects. Having been born and raised in the United States, the Amish also speak perfect English, but they frequently speak their German dialect when talking to one another. In church, they speak hoch Deutsch (high German). Speaking of church, the Amish traditionally worship in one another's homes, but due to the small size of their accommodations in Pinecrest, they worship in the free-standing Pinecraft Amish Church.

Pinecraft started as a tourist camp in the early 1900s. One of the first permanent settlers in the area in the 1920s was Amishman Daniel Kurtz, who ended up farming celery. Other plain people followed and joined in farming produce. Eventually, as the city of Sarasota grew, Pinecraft became the suburban, residential neighborhood that exists today.

We usually don't go out to eat or go sightseeing on weekends to avoid crowds, but we did this time because we wanted to visit the farmer's market that is held on Saturdays in historic downtown Sarasota. We headed there after breakfast, and we'll tell you all about it and what else we did in Sarasota in our next post.