OVER THE TOP! November 19-22, 2013

Once we got in the Tampa area, I checked out Craig's list for a pub table for our "dining room", I found exactly what we wanted and the guy even delivered it to us at the RV Park. Nice! Next, we also replaced the bed in the RV with the very comfy foam bed carried at Costco, the best night's sleep for me! We had two nice evenings with Emily and Steve, so fun to see the changes they'd made while we were gone and now they were almost moved it. Such a huge job, but worth it for the darling new home.

Before leaving the Tampa Bay area, we needed a new Townie bike for me; can't be in Florida without a bike.  They have amazing bike trails and everything's so flat!! We shopped at Chainwheel Bicycle shop and I picked out a beautiful wintermint green, 21 speed, they just needed a day to put it tougher.  Perfect, the plan now was to leave Thursday after picking up the bike and head on down to Bahia Honda State Park

All would have gone as planned if only I hadn't been the one to load the car onto the dolly that afternoon.

 It was a new dolly with attached ramps, unlike the one we've used the last two years. So, I got it in position, stepped and the gas...and over the top I went!!!! Yep, not only up the ramps but the wheels were now hanging over the front of the dolly with no way to get the car off.  Time for help from AAA Automotive!

My new bike sitting there waiting to be put on the back of the motorhome, but now we had the huge task of trying to get the car off the dolly.

Jacking up the car with wood planks didn't go quite as the AAA driver had planned. The car slipped off the jacks they'd rigged up and the car was in a worse position and now it had rumpled sides along the door and a small hole in something near the engine...oil leaking, not a good thing.

It took a second tow truck to pull the car up and off the dolly...

 But it now meant it had to be repaired before we could leave.  So, another two nights for us at the Clearwater RV Park while the car went to the SAAB Store repair shop in Tampa. Oh, such a disappointment!!!

With only the motorhome for wheels we were too limited for getting around, so I booked a rental car through Orbitz on line and we headed to the St. Petersburg Airport to pick it up.  Only about a 15 mile drive over so not too bad. PK pulled the RV right up to the loading area of the airport and got some interesting looks, I went in and picked up a car for us.

Friday was spent checking on the repairs for the SAAB and trying to encourage the mechanic to get it done as quickly as possible, we didn't want to spend the weekend waiting for it. We knew we were really lucky to even find a trained SAAB mechanic so close, he had some extra parts and once we signed the estimate papers he got working on it. By 4:30 we were headed back to Tampa to pick it up. How fantastic!!!!

Friday night it was time to pack us all up so we could be out of the park and on the road by 7AM. And, we made it!!

We had a long day of driving ahead of us, but I was so excited to know we'd finally be in the Florida Keys by that evening. It was a 375 mi drive which is a lot in an RV but beautiful freeways helped us get there by 5:00. At last!

PK WORKS HIS MAGIC! St. Augustine November 10-18, 2013

Our cruise had been wonderfully relaxing but once we got back to Miami we were back on the busy roll of remodeling our new motorhome.  We drove the 320 miles from Miami to St. Augustine, planning to stay along St. Augustine Beach. On our drive there, we noticed the Elks Lodge on Highway A1A so we stopped in to find out about their RV accommodations.  What a fantastic lodge, everyone so very friendly and plenty of sites for us. (We thought we'd be moving the motorhome there on Monday afternoon, but that's not quite how it all played out.)

From there we checked into the Best Western Seaside Inn and walked across to the long beautiful beach.

The hotel was lovely but once we had a little breakfast we needed to get over to Cooksey's RV Park to check on the RV.

 We had left it there 8 months before and had no idea how it had done through all the heat and storms of Florida's summer months. It turns out all was fine.  It had weathered everything well, no leaks or damage. So now the task was to finish the remodeling we had started back in March.  It didn't look like it would be much, but it turns out there was so much more work than we realized. Paul had already painted most of the cabinets and cupboards, replaced the carpeting with wood floors and painted the walls in new colors, but that was only the beginning.

There were so many details to finish, so we dug in. Paul hired an RV mechanic to go over the motor and electrical systems with him. They learned there were a few mechanical things needing repair. The batteries were all dead and needed to be replaced then the steering hose broke spraying Paul and the RV with fluid; quite the afternoon!
















So I worked inside, they focused on the exterior and motor.

 Here's what we looked like inside... a good start but much to do yet.

 It took me most of the week trying to get us moved in, I completely forgot how many utensils and supplies are needed in an empty house.  What a job!!!  We didn't have electric power or water while the RV was in the storage yard so each night we'd quit about 6pm and head to a hotel down the road, grab a bite to eat and fall asleep early, ready to go at it again the next day.

 Most of the rooms had been updated, but the bathroom was still in its original state. Little floral wall paper and borders linoleum floors...lots to change out.

On Wednesday afternoon, just when we thought he'd done all the noisy construction work and we could move into a campsite in the adjoining RV Park, PK tried to fire up the Motorhome but it wouldn't start.  It was amazing that everything that needed fixing was happening to us when we were in a good safe place to fix them, not broken down on the road somewhere. So it was time to call on another RV service for a new starter and plans for new tires all around.

 But things were beginning to look better organized on the inside.

 Finally on Thursday afternoon, we were able to spend our first night inside our new home!!!! We moved into the RV Park and got hooked up. So nice to be at the end of motels and restaurants!!

 Friday morning Paul was up early to wash the months of dirt off the RV before we drove it to the Elks for the weekend.

 And, boy, was it dirty!!!

It felt so good to be living in our own place and slowly turning it into our home. St Augustine Elks Lodge is right next to the Amphitheater, so not only did we have a great RV parking space but we also got to hear free concerts both Friday and Saturday nights as well as karaoke from the Tiki Bar at the Elks. Saturday morning I walked over to the Farmer's Market only 5 minutes away.

 Great produce, bakery goods, homemade jellies and sauces and quality handmade crafts along with a fun hour or two of music.

 People just kept coming along and joining in to play.  What a fun morning!

 But back at the ponderosa, there was lots to do, maybe that's why I stayed at the FM for most of the morning.  Little did I know it would take us another month to finish all the details.  PK is so amazing...he just keeps working on one project after another. Don't know where he gets his determination and energy!

 But slowly, very slowly,  it was coming together.

Our original plan was to be on our way to the Florida Keys Monday, Nov. 18th. I had made  reservations months and months ago for camping sites in the three state parks there. But, with all plans, one must be flexible.  Turns out the emergency brake on the MH was not working so we took it to be checked out at Ray's Tires first thing Monday morning. PK made the decision not to fix the emergency brake ($1600) and instead put the money towards all new tires and new shocks. He had the brakes taken apart, lubed and inspected.  Paul stayed with the motorhome and kept on working with the team of mechanics to get other small things repaired while I spent the day at thrift shops looking for more cooking utensils...especially pie plates for Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. All was good with the brakes but that had used up our travel day for Monday.  

Now we were mechanically sound (we hoped) and decided to make the 4 hour drive to Safety Harbor near Emily on Tuesday morning. We hadn't seen Foster in over three weeks....missed that buddy of ours. The trip went well and we checked in Tuesday afternoon at Clearwater Travel RV Park, with our  Passport America discount, and just 10 minutes away from Emily's new home. Loved having Foster back with us, and our trip to the Keys was still on the plan...

ours! 

11 DAYS IN THE CARIBBEAN October 30 - November 10, 2013

To celebrate Paul's birthday (and to give him a much deserved holiday after his labor and wonderful remodel at Kurt's and the drive across country) we found a fantastic cruise on Norwegian Sun for an 11 day vacation in the Southern Caribbean. We've been using Vacations to Go website for years to find the best prices around for cruises and this one was too good to pass up. 11 days for $350 pp, doesn't get much better than that!!! 

We left Foster with his Auntie Em and then drove the 285 miles across Florida to Miami on Tuesday, October 29th. As we drove, I checked in on a new app I'd been wanting to use, Hotel Tonight.  It's available only at noon on the day you need a hotel and shows the reduced rates for hotels that night. Using it I found a darling boutique hotel, the Blue Moon. It is a renovated hotel originally from the 30s and only a block away from the lively restaurant and club scene of Miami Beach. Such a fun night! We started with wine at our hotel then walked to the beach area and found a wonderful restaurant with a half price dinner menu offer. The evening was warm, lots of music being played along the open air seating at restaurants and we lingered to hear some latin jazz.

 We have learned that it's fun to board the ship as early as possible if we can.  After some searching we finally located the parking lot I'd reserved for the car, gathered our things and got on the first shuttle to the ship. I think we were all checked in and enjoying the views of Miami by noon.

 The NCL line is always a very relaxed ship with their "Free Style" approach so there wasn't much need for any fancy evening clothes, but I did want to wear my new dress I'd bought in Guadalajara just months before.  It was perfect for the Captain's evening, our 2nd night aboard.  Other than that, it  was sandals, shorts and tank tops for the rest of the trip.

 We hadn't sailed on an NCL ship in a long time, but it's perfect for the relaxed feel of a Caribbean holiday.  After 2 days of just being at sea, our first port was Cartagena, Colombia.

 We joined a van ride into town and found a local tour guide for a walk around the walled Old Town in this beautiful city.  We entered through the clock tower gate at the west side of the town, Puerta del Reloj.

 Colorful architecture in the plaza

Cartagena was the center of cultural, economic and military might of the Spanish for 300 years.  We walked the walls of the city with amazing views of the sea.  

 As it was early and the city was just beginning to open up, we saw lots of local color and empty streets.

 Since we'd been to Cartagena a couple of years ago, we just wandered up and down streets hearing all about the history...no Inquisition Palace Museum this time. But we did come across this lovely plaza with "Gertrudis", a bronze sculpture by famed Colombian artist,  Fernando Botero.

 After a cappuccino at Plaza de Santa Domingo, we continued our walk peeking behind some of the enormous doors to find beautiful interior yards and patios, and of course, stopped at one of the many Colombian emerald shops for a beautiful pendant.

At Plaza de Bolivar we saw this life sculpture; amazing that the two young men could hold this pose for so long.  The day was so hot and so humid and they were covered in paint to create the look.

 By mid afternoon it was time to get back to the ship before the city got too clogged with a parade and celebration planned for later that afternoon. Then we found our favorite way to relax, a lounge chair in  the shade with fabulous views of the sea.

 Our next Port of Call was Aruba.

 We could see the Dutch influence as soon as we walked into town, having been closely tied to the Netherlands since 1636. Though the island now has control over its own internal affairs, it is still considered part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

 It was a Sunday, so shops were closed and we took a local bus to Palm Beach not far from town.

 Again, a really hot, humid day but we found a bar and grill for a refreshment and views of the beach.

 Amazingly beautiful soft white sand.

We tried catching the bus back to town, but none seemed to be going our way so we shared a cab with another couple and walked around the heart of the city

 The sky was changing with more clouds when I tried to get this photo of the ship.

 We were heading back to the ship when we saw a huge number of runners coming along the road for a Breast Cancer Awareness run. It was 5pm but probably the coolest part of the day for it to be held.

 From Aruba, our next stop was in Curacao, another charming town.

Red roof tops and beautiful buildings.

 We walked all over and found the floating market along a canal. It's a string of about a dozen Venezuelan vendors who dock their boats at the waterfront to sell their fresh fruit and fish.  A fun place to walk through.

 We decided to go on a 2 hour tour of the island that included a stop at the local Curacao distillery.

 The business is small and these women were individually filling and labeling the bottles.  Fun to see.  We tasted all their varieties and bought some to bring home.  We also bought some of their balm for "anything that ails you". For us the word anti-itch cream perked up our ears.  Since being back near Florida's buggy zones,  I've given it a try an seems to do the job.  Nice!

 The tour continued to the other side of the island for views across to Venezuela.

 This was our mode of transport. We had a fantastic guide telling us all the history and pointing out the highlights of the island.

 As we sailed out of the harbor we had a gorgeous sunset!

 The nice thing about this cruise was having sea days between port stops, time to just relax and enjoy the ship and beautiful waters. Our third stop was in St. Maarten, our favorite!!!!

 From the port we took a water taxi to the beach side for a little wandering and beach time.  The island has two distinct sides, one Dutch and the other French, one of the smallest sea islands to be divided between two nations, dating back to 1648. This time we stayed clsoest to the ship in Phillipsburg (Dutch side), but next time we'll have to see Marigot (French side).

 Very Island-like to hear a steel drum band playing along the sidewalk.

 Looking back at town as we took the water taxi to the ship for lunch and a little break from the heat. There was plenty of time to return to the town for the rest of the afternoon.

 This was the lineup of ships in port, including the enormous, Norwegian Epic. Our ship was to the far right.

 Sail away time was absolutely gorgeous.  Our ship was the last to leave so we watched the lights of the other ships against the sunset.

The cruise had been so relaxing, just what we wanted. After a dinner or two in the main dining room, we decided to have our evening dinners out on the back of the ship in the open air; the air was that warm! We were so impressed with the quality of the entertainment on board, especially the musicians.  We became fans of a Alyce, a Croatian vocalist and her keyboard player. Great international/latin music. Loved it!

 Our last port was in St. Thomas.  We were docked at the cruise terminal so an easy walk towards town between rain showers, ending up at this cafe for lunch, along with a 4 foot iguana that shared the patio space.

 Our last two days were back at sea returning to Miami on Sunday morning, November 10th. Then it was on to St Augustine to get our motorhome ready for its drive to Tampa and Emily's.