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!