It Must Be a 'Girlie' thing...

We headed back to the airport later in the evening (see prior post) to pick up our one and only granddaughter and her mama for a visit.  It is amazing that just a couple of hours earlier, they were in Texas after picking up the grandsons from the airport after their visit to Florida.

This is the first time in our grands’ visit that we will be doing some ‘girlie’ stuff.  Now before you get all huffy and mad about that remark, let me remind you that the ‘princess’ (as she is affectionately known) has a reputation.  This is the same girl, when she was just about a year old that wandered into the boys’ room, where they were playing, and disrupted the activities.  The oldest called to mom to come get whatever she had taken back from her and put her out of their room, to which mom responded, “I’m busy, just take it from her and get her out of your room then shut the door.”  His quick reply (full of emotion and desperation) was, “No!  I’m scared of her!”  He is six years older than his sister who was a toddler at the time, you should know she still has her bluff in on everyone!

You might wonder also how she got the moniker ‘princess’ if she is willing to take on two older brothers and any others that might wander through her universe.  Part comes from dad calling her ‘princess’ but the other part comes from an episode in her young life.  The older brothers were taunting her and calling her names one day.  The specific name was ‘weenie’.  This apparently she took great exception to because one day she announced, “I’m not a weenie.  I’m a princess.”  Enough said, right?  From then on she definitely was the ‘princess’.

Her ‘girlie’ stuff is not 100% pink and soft.  In fact, she wanted an airboat ride and a day-long excursion to a wild roller coaster filled theme park.  Neither of which is typical ‘girlie’ stuff in my book.  Now don’t get me wrong, she can shop with the best of them.  Endurance is no problem either.  I am usually wilting before she gets her second wind.  Luckily, Bibi handles the shopping excursions and I am relieved of participation duties.

I enjoyed the airboat tour with the boys and I easily entertained another ride through the swamp.  So off we went just south of Kissimmee to Wild Willy’s.  The name did not deter our enthusiasm in the least.  We managed to see a couple of gators but not as many as on the other tour.  This time we saw more winged nature than before.  After the tour we found ourselves in their shop where we were encouraged to hold small alligators.  Here are all three ‘girls’ holding the amphibian, notice there are no males holding the creature, must be a ‘girlie’ thing.

Mr. Gator lolling along.

Definitely a 'girlie' thing - right???

The next day found us at SeaWorld.  A theme park that is full of roller coasters with names like Manta, Mako, Kraken, etc.  You get the drift; a bone jarring, teeth rattling bunch of rides that try to make your heart race, stop or skip several beats.  I would love to partake, but have found out in my ‘older’ years that riding such contraptions do make me so sore, I can barely move the next day.

Manta - upside down and backwards, no thank you!

Kraken, whipping and diving plus Virtual Reality headsets, no thank you!

Not everything in SeaWorld is thrill-ride attractions.  There are many live animal shows and displays for those that do not participate in roller coaster actions.  We found several to our liking, the Sea Lions, the Dolphins and yes even Killer Whales.  However, there is a bit of warning attached to these shows (especially the Killer Whales) as well.  There is a section, which the princess took us to upon arriving, at the whale show that is clearly marked, ‘Soak Zone’, and followed by several audio warnings stating, ‘you will get wet, really, really wet’.  Now I’m not always the sharpest tool in the box but I get it when presented clear and convincing evidence.  However, I’m easily persuaded by a princess to do things I do not ordinarily do, warnings notwithstanding.  Besides, I had already wimped out of the amphibian handling thing, I could not wimp out on a seemingly harmless wet adventure with my favorite granddaughter, now could I?

Mr. Sea Lion

Whoa baby!  Soak does not describe what happened during the Killer Whale show.  More like being baptized multiple times.  The first pass was with a whale on its side with its tail partially out of the water supposedly waving to the crowd but in reality splashing hundreds of gallons of saltwater out of the tank onto the audience in the ‘Soak Zone’.  Yes, the majority of the water hit Bibi and me to the great delight of the princess.  Again, it must be a ‘girlie’ thing.  Lucky me, I had decided to wear quick drying garments that day but I was afraid my hearing aids would never be the same afterwards.  Good news though, I can still hear.  When I heard towards the end of the show the whales would be waving goodbye, I headed for higher ground.  …And I’m not a wimp jus’ sayin'.

Petting? the stingrays

Night time sights after the fireworks show.

Easily persuaded by a princess, you say?  Yes there is another incident in our history that reflects the wily and almost deceptive nature of the female gender in our species that seems to be innate.  When the princess was about five years old, we were hungry and decided to leave older brother’s baseball tournament to grab a bite to eat.  Just the three of us (Bibi, me and the princess) stopped in at a popular fast food chicken place.  After much discussion and contemplation, the order was placed.  Princess insisted on French fries with her meal; however, after surveying the scrumptious looking mashed potatoes I had chosen, she suddenly changed her mind.  Now I am not one that gives up my food selection easily because after all it is what I ordered and wanted.

After a period of asking, begging and pleading for my mashed potatoes, I thought she had given up since I had been resolute in my stance and consistent in my response of ‘No, you ordered fries so enjoy them.’  Not to be deterred, she found a way to ‘persuade’ me to part with my bowl of mashed potatoes.  How you say?  Well who can turn down this offer?  She confidently told me she would give me a hug if I gave her the mashed potatoes.  Well the fries were pretty good; jus’ sayin’ again!

We also enjoyed swimming in the pool and a day at the beach.  We went to Cocoa Beach for this excursion.  Remember the famous and fabulous body surfing boards?  Yes, they were used again today and for an even longer period of time.  We managed to shut down the beach.  We stayed until it was almost completely dark.  The tide started coming in and eventually forced us to move our resting area further away from the encroaching water.

Cool cats!

Cooler cat - in the shade that is.

We played many board games too.  The princess is the queen of board games.  She loves to play games and is very competitive.  I think her passion is to see how many times she can beat her Gran.  Of course, I am not a pushover when it comes to Crazy Eights.  I understand the strategy and logically see the way cards should be played, what I do not see is the out of left field draw of the cards that she usually gets to beat the whampums out of me!  We had fun laughing and sharing around the table as we played many a game.

Bibi and princess took a shopping trip on their final full day with us and allowed me to stay home to hold down the fort and protect mama while she worked (she has a computer based job that allows her to be mobile) that day.  Of course, I spent the day making sure a couple of chairs did not move and stayed exactly where they were supposed to be.  Quite successfully I might add.  Only when it began to rain later that afternoon did we see the shopping duo.  According to Bibi, princess knew what she was looking for and avoided stores that did not have promise and only frequented areas of a store that would contain the items she was interested in researching and viewing.  Even resorting to bypassing an item in case she saw something she wanted more only to return if she did not find something ‘better’.  Now that is definitely a girl thing.

We all went out for a dinner on their last night out followed by a shopping trip at Disney Springs.  Luckily for me, two of them had been out shopping most of the day and we were still experiencing rain showers and drizzle so the excursion was short and sweet.  After a purchase or two at the Disney store, we managed to find some dessert choices at Disney Springs.  For me, one last Mickey Ears ice cream bar.

One of my 'ears' is gone!

The next morning found us making our way to the airport to say Bon Voyage to the ladies.  We could not believe how fast the time has gone by during the grands’ visits.  We had loads of fun and will always cherish the memories.  Now we go back to the rig and head down the road a bit.  We will check back in soon for our next adventure posting, until then be safe and enjoy life.

Love these girls - AND that's not a 'girlie' thing!

Space, Race and Turtles....Again???

After moving from the state park to New Smyrna Beach, we drove to Orlando International Airport to pick up the oldest grandsons for a visit with us.

When we first extended an invitation to the oldest grandchildren to join us in our adventures, we told them they would be hanging with us and doing what we do.  We are truly blessed the grands are willing to spend time with the ‘old’ fogies.  When I was their age, I doubt I would have considered or even entertained the thought of spending a week with my grandparents.  Truly a blessing, especially since the oldest one will be graduating high school next year and this might be the last opportunity for us to share time like this.

The first morning together, we got them up to tour a boat factory nearby.  The Boston Whaler factory; where we met our tour guide and two other folks for a very informative and personalized tour.  The smells and sights brought back many memories for me.  I worked in my college years at a factory where tub/shower enclosures were made from fiberglass for hotel and motel building projects.  Taking factory tours is part of our bucket list and regular routine when opportunity arises.

Dashing group in their factory tour togs 

The factory makes small boats and very large boats with a number of models in between.  It was very interesting to find out they only start making a boat whenever it is sold and never make one for an inventory.  Also interesting was the fact that the largest boat is their chief money making line.  These units are priced easily at $1 million plus per unit depending on accessorizing options.  Even more amazing was the amount of manual labor involved from start to finish in producing all sizes of boats.  There is quite the artistic skill required in many of the processes.  Boston Whaler owners should be proud of their American made purchase.  One of the better claims to fame is a picture showing a Boston Whaler cut in half between bow and stern that is still afloat and navigable with a motor or oars.

Our next adventure together was attending a NASCAR race at the famous Daytona International Speedway.  Florida was in drought conditions before we showed up but since we have been here we have seen rain almost daily.  This week was no exception.  In fact there were two races scheduled, one for Friday and one for Saturday.  Friday was rained out so it ran on Saturday before the main event on Saturday night.  We got to see the end of the first race and the entire second race with fireworks (4th of July weekend) following the night race.

A very fine day for a race.

Pre-Race Summary

Trucks used in driver introductions to transport to cars lined up.

Pole Sitter Dale Jr following red pace care out of pit road onto track.

Since this was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final appearance at Daytona, there was special emphasis on him.  In fact, he actually attained the pole position for the start of the race.  Unfortunately, the fairy tale ending eluded his effort to win due to a number of mishaps and collisions during the race that eventually forced him from the field.  Since this was the boys’ first NASCAR experience, it was fun to watch their reactions and feel their excitement with great seats right across pit road and not too far from the finish line.

Dale Jr. not too happy after leaving the race!

The pre-race activities focused on honoring men and women either serving or formerly serving in the armed forces since we were close to July 4.  The track handed out placards and pens to use in honoring these people.  The boys were happy to include their mother and father on their placards.  The race winner was Ricky Stenhouse Jr number 17.  Here he is doing the obligatory burnout in front of the stands after taking the checkered flag.

National Anthem!

Honoring our heroes!

Pace car leaving

They're off and underway

Three wide some of the time

The checkered flag for end of the race

and the Winner is

Celebrating the win.

Having never taken an airboat ride ourselves, we wanted to experience that before leaving the area.  There are a number of ‘tours’ via airboat to view gators (and other wildlife) in the area.  This time of the year is not that great for viewing the gators due to the heat.  Gators are cold blooded and spend most of their time in the water when it is hot so they can regulate their body temperature.  The best time to catch them out of the water is during the fall or spring when they move between water and land to keep body temp at certain level.  Nevertheless, we did spot several gators including one fairly large one.  Since Florida is getting a lot of rain right now, the land is full of water so having an airboat is necessary to go where the gators go when moving around for their food.

A fairly big one - could not get closer, that is how they stay big.

Here's another one, not as big but much closer.

The airboat ride was very enjoyable and as long as we were moving quite comfortable.  It only became warm whenever we stopped to view the wildlife.  I would go on another airboat ride again because it was fun.  This was another first for not only the boys but us too.

We included a couple of beach visits while they were here as well.  New Smyrna Beach is one of the beaches in Florida that allows vehicles to drive onto the beach in certain areas.  We chose not to drive but it is fun to see the vehicles all lined up and parked on the sand.  It is also fun to stop, look and listen before crossing the ‘driving lane’ on the beach which is not usually a consideration on most beaches we visited in the past.

Like any red-blooded American boys, these guys had a great time in the water.  The waves were big enough to provide some good body surfing with the boards we are still carrying around with us from the younger grands’ visit.  What a great $20 investment in fun these things have been.  Bibi and I have enjoyed every minute of watching both sets of grands try to catch the best wave and ride all the way into the beach.  You cannot put a price on that kind of memory making!

After body surfing a little diggin' in the sand

There is a Minor League Team in Daytona named the Tortugas.  We have grands that love the game of baseball as much as I do and we decided a night time game on the Fourth of July with a hot dog and fireworks afterward was a good way to celebrate Independence Day.  The Tortugas’ mascot is a turtle.  Tortuga translates from Spanish to English as a tortoise or turtle.  The boys thought the logos on the hats pretty cool so they each purchased a hat as a souvenir of their trip.

National Anthem time on July 4th

Sheldon - the Tortuga mascot - and his drum

I kept calling the team the ‘Dry Tortugas’ so the oldest asked me why.  I guess it was the unconscious linking of the name to the islands by that name in the Caribbean.  Or….perhaps the linking of their dismal second half season win/loss record of 1 – 12 at the time of the game we attended.  Unfortunately, the win/loss record after the game is 1 – 13.  I still call them the Dry Tortugas, but we had a lot of fun and enjoyed the festivities during and after the game for some fond memories.

Spacex had a rocket launch scheduled so we drove down towards Titusville one afternoon to get a better vantage point to watch the launch.  We found the public park that had a great view of the Cape so we settled in for the countdown.  After waiting about one hour, the launch kept getting pushed back for reasons unknown, they finally entered the final minute with a go to launch.  All went well until 10 seconds left when the computers shut everything down and aborted the launch.

There was a collective groan from the assembled crowd and then a gradual exodus by everyone as we left the area since the launch window was now closed and there would not be a launch.  The boys overheard one little girl (probably a six or seven year old) exclaim, ‘this is the worst day,’ as we left the area.  Then she added, ‘today is the worst day of the year for me.’  Both of which became the funny comment for the rest of the trip for the guys.  Anything that went wrong from that point forward became the ‘worst’ day event for them and we all had a good laugh remembering the little girl’s words.  We are thankful to find humor in any situation no matter how disappointing or inconvenient to our plans.

The day came for them to return home but they got to experience the packing up, driving the motorhome to a different RV park and setting up prior to leaving as we moved from New Smyrna Beach into the Orlando area to Kissimmee RV Park.  Their last night in town with us allowed us to have a special birthday celebration meal at Benihana’s restaurant for our next oldest grandson.  We remarked how this is the first year we could celebrate his birthday and he not be playing in a baseball tournament.  He thought that was a good thing too!  Our chef’s name at the restaurant is Mark, which seems pretty American and not Asian to me, just sayin’.  Nevertheless, he was very entertaining and made the night memorable for all of us.

Happy Birthday Kaden, you'll be driving soon.  Cannot believe that!

The next morning, we delivered the grandsons to the airport and got them through security.  They would land back in Texas a couple of hours later.  We then headed back to the rig to do some cleaning in preparation for our next set of guests which arrive later in the evening.  There is more about that in the next posting.

Bon Voyage Time at the airport

'A-Weigh' we go!

We have landed in Titusville, FL after our Disney Experience.  The place we chose as our R&R is named Willow Lakes RV & Golf Resort.  It is a 55+ community with an electric security gate and a 9 hole golf course.  The places are extremely well maintained and appear to be basically a snowbird community with a mixture of houses, RV Port houses, RV pads with small buildings or just RV pads.  There is a swimming pool, community building, tennis courts, shuffleboard area, bocce ball courts and has a small tight knit Homeowner’s Association feel to it.  Of course there are numerous golf carts and bicycles that regularly traverse the streets.  Apparently autos are only used when exiting the gated community.

While we have been in the area, we have received the following question multiple times.  “Why, Titusville?”  It makes you laugh (at least inside) when you hear it and you cannot help but think, why not Titusville?  We chose it for its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, Kennedy Space Center and an area with just enough things to do (if we choose to do them) while recuperating from the latest ‘pell mell’ pace so we would not get bored.  We have enjoyed the peaceful and quiet time in our location while visiting Titusville.

We have taken a few driving day trips to scout the area and sample the local cuisine.  We had lunch one day on the beach at Cocoa Beach, drove the spit of land known as Merritt Island where the Space Center is located and scouted the area north of us for our upcoming move northward.  Our immediate aim is to witness a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral but the weather is not cooperating.  A Falcon Spacex rocket launch has been rescheduled twice while we have been here.  There is one last potential launch date on Friday before we leave on Sunday.

The beach at Cocoa Beach was pretty crowded for a weekday.  A good sign that summer is officially here.  Bibi has to dip her toe in the water whenever she is in walking distance.  After lunch at the beachside restaurant, we walked over the dunes to the actual beach area.  After tentatively standing in the edge of the water (see picture below) we can officially declare that Bibi has been in the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and now the Atlantic Ocean.  Her comment upon returning to me, ‘that water is a lot colder than the Gulf.’  Yep, that is definitely the case.  It takes a huge desire or a strong constitution to handle the water temperature usually associated with the Atlantic Ocean.

Middle of the week

Atlantic Ocean Toe-Dipping

We ate at a local restaurant literally just outside the entrance to our RV park the other night.  The restaurant’s name is Honeysuckle and proudly displays its message of ‘southern style home cooking’ on its sign.  It is definitely a place that satisfies one’s innards.  Our waitress was very attentive and when she brought us our ticket, I noticed a ‘Q’ following her first name.  After studying on it for awhile, I caught her attention to ask her if that was the first letter of her last name to which she replied, ‘yes.’  I told her that was the first letter of my last name too.

I also told her it was so unusual for me to find another person with a last name that begins with ‘Q’ I had to ask. ‘what is your last name?’  When she replied, ‘Quinn’, I grinned real big and said, ‘that’s mine too.’  She immediately smiled a big smile too.  During the subsequent conversation, I found out that Quinn is her maiden name and her dad comes from a big family of Quinn brothers originally from New York.  Life is full of twists, turns, bumps, bruises and yes, even very pleasant surprises.  We both thought it great fun to find one another, meet and now claim to be related (at least in the sense of the mother country of Ireland) as cousins.  Don’t miss Honesuckle in Titusville; it could just make your day as sweet as mine was this day.

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity.  As I wake up and look out through the early morning misty fog in the state park it makes me want to ruminate a bit on the events.  First of all, we did get to witness the launch of the Spacex rocket on Friday.  Quite a spectacle to see in person hearing and seeing the actual event makes you marvel.  It was also quite a feat to land the first stage of the rocket on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean which we watched live via streaming on the internet.  Amazing is all I can say about that!

There she goes!

On Sunday we left to go to St. Cloud to keep an appointment with RVSEF (RV Safety and Education Foundation) to have the rig weighed by wheel position.  Then on to Wekiwa State Park for a set of new shoes for Pooh (Winnie the Pooh) since he needs five more.  It is from this park I am writing today.

The weighing went well and only took about 20 minutes.  We found out we are overweight by 550 pounds.  Reckon it is time for a purge of stuff.  We are pretty well balanced side to side as there is only 50 pounds difference between driver side and passenger side.  We are overweight on rear axle area and this means we need to move some things forward and remove some things entirely.  You will recall our blowout from a previous post which prompted us to schedule a weighing session.  Two of the most frequent causes of tire failure have to do with overloading and overheating.  Both involve proper loads and proper inflation to allow the tires to do their jobs effectively and safely.

It is very important to watch the age of tires as well.  I had noticed my seven year old tires were beginning to show their age with some crackling showing up in the sidewalls.  Hence the decision to replace the five remaining tires for Pooh.  We were very lucky our blowout experience was not severe or traumatic.  Family Motor Coach Association has a program with Michelin that allows you to purchase their XRV tires directly from Michelin for a discount through authorized tire dealers.  To take advantage of the program and obtain access to other FMCA benefits, you must become a member.

Interesting to visit this park during our two day weighing and tire change rendezvous.  We are in a highly populated metro center around Orlando within a 700 acre oasis of wildlife.  We literally can see across a fenced area adjacent to the RV camping area a lot of residential housing.  Yet inside this park is a plethora of wildlife, including Florida Black Bears.

Popular park with the locals - turning them away because full

When we checked in I was handed a sheet about bears.  It contains info about do’s and don’ts when it comes to bears.  We have not seen any here yet.  When driving to our weighing we did see a gator (a big ‘un) on the side of the road entering a ditch filled with water.  After setting up the rig our first day in the park, we saw Tommy the Turtle a.k.a. Lightning McQueen grazing on the grass on our site.  I call him Lightning because he must have afterburners he uses when no one is looking.  I glanced back outside about five minutes later and he was gone.  Visually scouring the area, I discovered he was on the vacant RV site across the street (a pretty fair distance away, especially for a turtle).  I could see how he could easily defeat a rabbit in a race with speed like that to draw on.  As it turns out, Tommy is not a turtle but a Gopher Tortoise.  Regardless, he is FAST!

Tommy the Turtle - grazing on our grass

We have also seen Limpkins and squirrels aplenty while in the park.  There is still time and we might even see a bear before we leave today.  Amazing these places exist in the middle of so much urban development.  Until next time, stay safe and get those rigs weighed and tires replaced when needed.

From Huggin' Molly to Hugging Mickey

While resting from our genealogical ‘work,’ we decided to get our twin grandsons a week early in preparation for the upcoming Disney trip.  They have never been to Disney or stayed with us in the RV so it was going to be new experiences for all of us.  Mama was still finishing school (she’s a teacher) but they had just finished their last day.

We planned on keeping them ‘fresh’ for Disney so they would not have to make the hard two-day drive with mom and dad in the car.  Our plan was to let them swim every day to keep the natural energy at manageable levels for Gran and Bibi.

Our first stop with them is where we are currently located on Lake Eufala for a couple of days.  While there, we wanted to introduce them to ‘cooking their own supper.’  This involved long campfire forks and all-beef wieners roasted over a campfire; followed by toasted marshmallows for dessert.  They just looked at me like I had lost my mind when I announced they would not eat if they did not cook.  Long story, short; they had a blast and thought it pretty ‘cool’ they were entrusted with food and fire.

We also had a 'scavenger' hunt for the boys.  They were truly dedicated to their tasks as evidenced in the picture below.  

Studying the scavenger list for items to check off.

Before we leave White Oak Creek Campground, I have a question for you.  Do you notice anything unusual in the picture below.  It is the interior of one of the campground's restrooms which is marked ADA compliant on the front door.

What's wrong with this ADA room?

Well it struck me odd the soap dispenser is very high.  It is even high for someone standing who is an adult.  It is almost impossible for an eight year old munchkin to reach and I'm pretty sure someone in a wheelchair (I have experience in this area due to breaking my leg and surgery) can only sit there and wonder why.

We next made a move towards Santa Rosa Beach, Florida for a few days before beginning our trek southward toward Disney World.  This particular area of the Gulf Coast has the whitest sand beaches and the clearest emerald green waters.  Truly a beautiful area and we chose to stay a few days in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.  

Upon arrival we had indications that something might be awry.  The car would not start after it was unhooked from the RV.  The battery had gone down, even though it receives a charge from the RV when being towed.  After putting the trickle charger on it and letting it rest, it did start and we had no other issues while in the area.

Days spent at the beaches proved informative, fun and very interesting.  First of all, the two boys' personalities are very different.  The one with all the energy and inability to remain still was the first one to declare he was ready to leave the beach each day.  While the quieter more introverted personality was still whooping it up and having too much fun to leave.  Who woulda thunk it?  Certainly not me!

Somebody's getting buried while the other continues in the water.

Fun, fun, fun!!!

Yippee!

We found some small body surfing boards to use and found out that was the best $20 investment in fun times we could ever make.  These guys had a blast learning to watch the waves to catch the biggest and best.  In a very short time they became quite proficient at riding waves all the way into the shore.  We were very glad to have the outside shower connection on the rig to rinse off the sand prior to entering the rig after each visit to the beach.

The day came to head to Disney, so we rolled up the camp and hooked up the car to begin our trek.  We had one stop in our two day drive.  During the first day while driving on I-10 we heard a loud BANG and felt a big BUMP in our backsides.  For the first time in my 20+ years of driving a Class A motorhome, I experienced a blowout on a tire.

Yes, that is a hole from a blowout!

The great news is it was the outer rear dual on the driver’s side and we were able to safely pull over to inspect and assess our situation.  The second part of the great news is we were only one mile from an exit and close to a larger city.  If you have ever traveled I-10 in the panhandle of Florida, you know that these type of exits are few and far between.  God definitely watched over us and kept us safe.

The best news of all is we have Roadside Assistance with Good Sam that allowed me to make a single telephone call for help.  The lady on the other end was very helpful and found our location on a map enabling her to look for repair help.  In just a short time, she had located, secured and arranged for help calling me back with the information.  The serviceman and new tire arrived within the time frame promised and he quickly had the old tire removed and new tire mounted.  All told, the entire ‘lost’ time cost us about 3 hours.  Not bad considering it could have been much worse.

When we arrived at our overnight stop, it was already late and dark.  Being tired, I forgot to turn off the key on the car and woke up the next day to a completely dead battery on the car.  God and a Good Samaritan RV neighbor in the park came to the rescue once again.  The neighbor had a battery charger with a built in boost to crank cars.  With his help, we cranked the car so I could drive a few miles down the road to have the battery tested.  Sure enough it needed replacing (as hinted a few days earlier) and so we bought a new battery.

Finally with a new car battery, a new tire on the RV we were ready to make our entrance to Fort Wilderness Campground at Disney World.  I decided to wait until after the Disney experience to address the situation with the remaining five RV tires.

Upon entering the registration area, I was encouraged to hear from the person checking us in that we had a very good site and location.  Sure enough, when we moved to the site her declaration was confirmed as accurate.  We were in a loop very close to one of the campground stores, a swimming pool, activity location where the nightly campfire sing-a-long and movie showing take place.  Not to mention, a bus stop is only 150 yards from our front door.

Our arrival day was spent exploring these areas but when we got to the swimming hole, the bottom fell out of the sky and we were trapped under the pavilion/snack shop area.  Luckily one of the lifeguards decided to play Disney trivia with those of us ‘trapped’ during the rainstorm which was fun.  We all got our first Mickey ‘ears’ (what we call the Mickey Mouse shaped vanilla dipped into chocolate ice cream bar) of our visit.  When Bibi wanted to take our picture to send to mama, she told us to hold up our Mickey ears for a picture.  To which Shawn replied, ‘my ears are gone.’  Sure enough as you can see, he had already devoured that much of the bar before the rest of us could even take a bite.

I think they like the 'ears' - who wouldn't?

Our second day involved introducing the boys to the Disney transportation system and giving them an overview of what they would be seeing and experiencing without going into any of the parks.  We did not want to use a day of their park tickets until mom and dad arrived.  So we rode a boat launch to Magic Kingdom from Fort Wilderness, rode a monorail around the resorts from Magic Kingdom, took a bus to Port Orleans Riverside resort, rode the river boat to Disney Springs, ate and looked through a bunch of stores then finally took the bus back to Fort Wilderness and the campground bus back to our bus stop inside the campground.

Very first Disney Transportation ride.

While at Disney Springs, Shawn built a Lego car and he came in second in a race with other Lego car builders.  He was quite proud of his accomplishment.  Konnor spent his Lego time with Mr. Potato Head inside the store with AC to Bibi’s relief.  The humidity was pressing down on us this day.  After a brief swim, mom and dad showed so we all met up to attend the Hoop-De-Doo show and dinner.  We had a great time and the boys whooped, hollered and laughed during the show; especially when yours truly was chosen to be picked on by one of the lady performers in the show.

Proud of the creation and race results.

In the spotlight, notice everyone hoo-haaing at my expense?

The next day was the first day in the parks and the boys thought they were pretty cool when they could show mom and dad how to navigate the buses to/from the parks.  Interestingly, Florida has been experiencing a drought.  Since we arrived at Disney World, it has rained every day.  I do not mean sprinkle rain either, I mean rain, rain.  The ponchos have gotten quite a workout but it has not dampened the enthusiasm or spirit.  For their first visit, I can say they have had a blast.  The seemingly perfect age (8) to enjoy both the adult rides and the not-so-adult rides as well as understand most of what they experience.  They will remember this trip for their entire lives.

Scary snake faces

A little tailgating going on here.

The day to exit came and went with the grandsons leaving with mom and dad to head back home to Texas.  Gran and Bibi continued on eastward to the Atlantic Coast of Florida around Titusville and the Kennedy Space Center.  We decided to take a couple of weeks for R&R in preparation for moving on up the East Coast of the United States this trip.

Cinderella's castle fireworks show in Magic Kingdom

One more shot of fireworks show

Huggin' Molly

We received the repair part for the awning topper on the long slideout.  Before we leave, it is necessary to install this part.  It helps keep the awning topper from billowing up like a giant sail on a boat when the wind gets under it.  So to keep from tearing up the awning fabric and/or potentially causing an accident, we make these repairs before leaving Gulf Shores.

One additional item of interest, at least we think so, is how humans interact.  When in a campground, such as Gulf Shores State Park; that is mainly used for recreational campers and weekenders, we have noticed there is not as much neighborly introductions and conversations.  You might wave and have a friendly hello but it usually stops there instead of proceeding to the point of where are you from, how long  are you here, where are you headed to next, etc., etc.  That is until you get out a ladder and tools.  Then all of a sudden you have created a ‘human interaction magnet.’  There is something about working on a RV that peaks the curiosity in folks.  As one guy said when he nonchalantly wandered over to inquire about what we were doing, ‘I thought I better see what you are doing in case I have to do the same thing someday.’  So if you are ever lonely, needing some human conversation, etc. just drag out the ladder and tools.  Presto, change-o; you have created a ‘human interaction magnet.’  Of course, do not expect any assistance other than verbal, jus’ sayin’.  ;) :) ;)

We primarily have relaxed and enjoyed the sights, smells and ambience of the beach during our stay in Gulf Shores.  We will definitely come back to the State Park Campground when in the area.  While here there were numerous activities and events we chose not to attend such as the annual Mullett Throw, a hot air balloon festival, the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships, Pensacola’s Crawfish Cookoff, etc.  There is just too much to do and folks could tire themselves out without much trouble at all.  We chose to relax and that is what we did.

Sights, sounds and smells of the ocean and beach - very relaxing

We have come to look forward to the local weather forecasts.  In particular, there is one Mobile, AL station that has several weather folks we enjoy.  They are certainly frustrated poets, stand-up comedians and chef wannabes.  It is extremely entertaining to watch and listen to the forecast.  You will hear things like, ‘here’s the number while you slumber’ referring to the nightly low temperature.  Or one of our favorites, ‘you will hear the boom, boom while in your room, room’ talking about the thunderstorms coming through the area or ‘drippy in Mississippi.’  Not to mention, ‘there will be a rumble that will make you grumble’ talking about possible stormy weather on the weekend.  It really keeps you on your toes when listening for these little gems.  Then the daytime guy can barely contain himself when giving the forecast.  He gets faster and faster to get it over with so he can don his apron and participate in the cooking segment.  It is not hard to see where his passion really is and I mean literally can see the shape of things under the apron as well as the glint in the eye.  Sure is fun to watch.

It is now time to move on from the beach.  We are headed inland to do some genealogical research and discovery.  One of Beverly’s favorite pastimes is to wind around long dusty roads looking for obscure cemeteries and then once found, tromping through it to locate headstones of deceased ancestors.

See the excitement as she peruses the cemetery indexes?

Moving on to our genealogical destinations, we stop for the weekend in Dothan, AL.  We use the first day to inspect the area and to keep an eye out for another RV Park closer to the actual location in Abbeville, AL where we will be researching.  As we approach Abbeville, this sign greets us and fires our curiosity.  What in the world is this Huggin’ Molly all about?  Pressing on with that question lingering in our mind, we travel throughout the area checking out other parks.  There are no RV parks in Abbeville, which is where the county records are kept.  We finally decide the best course of action is to keep our current location in Dothan our base from which to operate.

This sign created a huge question for us.

Interestingly, we discover the area we traveled in Henry County, AL is very similar in terrain and flora to East Texas.  If you had closed your eyes in East Texas and somehow was transported to this area in AL when you opened your eyes again, you would not be able to distinguish between the two places.  No wonder so many people from Henry County, AL chose to stop in the Judson area in Gregg County, TX.  It just felt like ‘home’ to them.  In fact, we have seen a number of names that are similar as well; such as Judson, Lawrenceville (if you know your Gregg County history) and many others; which tells me they brought ‘home’ to Texas when settling in the area.

Our researching landed us in Abbeville at the courthouse and library.  A local restaurant, named “Huggin’ Mollys”, between them was our choice location to eat.  The food is very good and you cannot beat the atmosphere or the story behind the name.  The location is on a main street in town just off the square in an old building that still retains its old time look and feel.  Particularly interesting is the Huggin’ Molly Hamburger with Vidalia Onion Marmalade as the main spread.  Mmmm, mmm good!

The name Huggin’ Molly comes from the legend around these parts.  Seems there was a woman named Molly that was 7’ tall and big around as a bale of cotton.  If you (especially the kids) are out late at night , Molly walks the streets sweeping her black skirt as she wanders up and down.  If she sees you, she will chase you down, give you a big hug and scream in your ear.  Well, you get the picture or do you?  Double dog dare you to try venturing out at night in Abbeville just to see for yourself if the legend is true or not.  Check out the story in the attached detail from a lifelong resident of Abbeville.

After literally wearing our bodies and minds out perusing through old records, copying selected items, climbing up and down ladders, lifting heavy record books, we abandon plans to go to the next genealogical stop.  Our brains and bodies need some recuperation time to heal.  There is a huge amount of information that needs to be absorbed and assimilated to see what relevance there is to the family tree and story.  So we decide to move to a quieter and slower paced stop.  We discovered White Oak Creek Campground located on Lake Eufaula, halfway between Dothan, AL and Columbus, GA when looking for a base camp to use for genealogical research.  Here is what the view outside the RV and our patio (front yard) looks like.  Hard to beat, isn’t it?  We literally have shade around 90% of the day.  There will be more to come after we rest awhile or two or longer – be safe until next time.

View of our patio area

View of part of our 'front' yard