Life is good!

Yesterday I was up early enough to take this picture of the sunrise. There is water on both sides of the road and I don't have to go far to find interesting, beautiful surroundings.

Didn't do much yesterday, just the same chores. We read, take Boo for walks and play games on our various electronic devices.

Looks like Boo needs another trim! I do love that tiny face....

Jim and I were on different eating plans yesterday so I didn't fix dinner. Never fear we both can handle not eating a few meals! He had grilled some chicken and had a late sandwich. When I got hungry I fixed myself a grilled cheese sandwich. It wasn't all that tasty but I bought the fake cheese and I'm trying to eat it up rather than waste it.

All afternoon we saw dark clouds but they seem to pass us by. It did make for an interesting sunset

I just love watching the clouds.

During the night we had rain. It sure didn't keep me awake, I love the sound of it on the roof of our little home on wheels.

We just had a rain shower blow through. It actually cools down a bit when it rains mid day. Once the sun comes out it will be steamy!

Beautiful Day

My day started with a pair of Ibis on the dock. Neither one of them paid any attention to me as I took pictures. I could not get a decent shot of them together. After a bit this guy saw me approaching and started strutting his stuff!

This is how Jim and Boo spend their time.

An Osprey paid a visit. Pat (our host) tried and tried to get a shot of the bird taking off but that didn't happen. I'm just glad he sat still long enough for me to take several pictures.

I made Jim some taco's for dinner last night. He's been wanting them for a long time. For myself I sauteed some baby bella mushrooms with onions sprinkled with taco seasoning and re-fried beans. With the days warming up I'm thinking I'll make me some gazpacho! But that will require a trip to the store......

After dinner I did the dishes and then we headed to the Tiki Bar. I'm not sure how Jim can manage drinking every night! I go every other night and I'm thinking I'll just take water more often. I do think I've gained weight since we arrived here! It is fun chatting with all the folks that show up. Pat and Cindy have made friends with a lot of the locals and they show up quite regularly.

Clouds

Yesterday sunrise was pretty. Lots of fluffy clouds east and west

This is the rainy season for Florida and it usually rains somewhere in the state. But we stayed dry yesterday. I don't recall doing anything other than the normal dishes, bed making etc. OH we drove into Chiefland for groceries. Real exciting.....

We spent some time at the Tiki Bar. I think it's Jim's favorite place. I may have a problem getting him to leave this area! :)

We bought some flea spray for Boo. And before we went to the Tiki Bar last night we sprayed him. Boy does that stuff stink! Fortunately the scent faded rapidly. He still scratched some during the night which makes me believe there might be some fleas on the quilt.

This morning we vacuumed the house thoroughly (did this last week too). Jim does a great job and with him moving the furniture we can get all the nooks and crannies. We used the flea spray under the chairs and sofa. Today was sheet day so I washed, dried and remade the bed. Just in time for Jim to take a nap.

When I brushed Boo this afternoon he didn't 'shimmy'. His skin has been so sensitive! I also didn't find any fleas. Hopefully we'll all sleep better tonight.

We had a light supper of eggs, grits, toast and tomatoes. Jim did the dishes and headed to the Tiki Bar. At the moment it's sprinkling and we are all cloudy, gloomy and gray.

Don't forget to donate to The Dray's Hug Jug. They lost everything in the fire. The jug will be gone at the end of this month.

rain again!

The Rain was serious this time! The above picture is behind the motel part of Low Key Hide Away and it stayed like that for a couple hours. The Tiki Bar got all wet and we didn't have happy hour tonight.

We're in the end site and the land slopes down and this river ran through it just draining all that rain into the bay

we almost had a moat around our site!

I didn't do anything other than my normal chores today. We did go into town to mail a book, but that's about it

Sunset was absolutely gorgeous!

We had rain!

This is the best place for sunsets! Even after a cloudy, rainy day this is how the day ended.

We're still battling fleas. Poor Boo! I manage to get one or two off him every day. I know I'm tired of this battle and I'm sure Boo is too!

We continue to just sit and enjoy our stay here. We read, play games, do some chores and drink way to much.

Warming up Here

We've had some pretty days here but it's heating up. I guess that's as it should be this first day of summer.

Jim gave me a break yesterday and did dishes twice! We made a run into Chiefland for some groceries. We had spaghetti for dinner last night. A salad, garlic bread and a glass of wine rounded out our dinner.

Today I stripped the bed and washed the sheets and remade the bed but I took all day to do it :) After our dinner of stir fry with rice I washed dishes and Jim dried.

Our friends Marilyn and Ed Dray are slowly getting their lives in order. I cannot imagine the pain and sorrow they are going through. But they are strong people and losing their home on wheels won't slow them down long. After all they are the Happy Wanderer's! They are still blogging and you can read about their 'adventure' by clicking on this link, http://www.mytripjournal.com/dray-thehappywanderers


You'll notice a new addition to the side bar. If you want to donate to the Dray's Hug Jug just click on the link. The actual payment will be made through paypal. I understand Red Cross helped immediately and they got a check from the insurance company.

Low Key Hide Away is a great place to kick back and relax....We just don't do much so there isn't much to write about. We read, we play games and just sit a lot.

Life is Good

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I hope all the dads out there had a great day. Jim finally got to open his gift from Sonsearae and he loves the water proof camera she sent. The card was nifty too!

I fixed grits for breakfast and fried rice for lunch. Around 1600 Jim decided he wanted to eat out. So we headed to Steamers, well actually we wanted to try the Pickled Pelican but they closed at 1600. Perhaps another time!

Because is Father's Day we each had a drink rather than a beer. Jim had some blue concoction that he said was tasty, I had a mojito. After we had ordered our dinner we checked our phones and I discovered some bad news. Our friends Marilyn and Ed Dray had left Hannibal this morning for the two day drive to Colorado Springs.

They had a terrible thing happen and I got this news second hand from Facebook. Apparently a tire was smoking and by the time they pulled over there was a fire. Ed did what he could to put it out but they had to disengage from their Mobile Suites and were able to save themselves and the truck. The rig caught fire and I can only assume all is lost.

Please say a prayer for these good people. Last I checked they were staying in St Joseph, Missouri. Marilyn and Ed if you're able to be online please know our thoughts and prayers are with you. If we can do anything let us know! Jim called but it went to voice mail. I know you're mad, sad, upset and dealing with a lot. Just hang in there. We thank God you're ok. God is good!

not much going on

We continue to enjoy our time here and have extended our stay until the end of July. The weather could be a factor and hopefully we can get our new ac unit soon.

Today we just stayed home. I did a load of laundry after Jim got up around 1000. I then made the bed. Let's see, I've done dishes a couple times and need to clean up the dinner dishes.

Jim has decided he's really retired and likes 'Island Life'.

Yesterday we had lunch at Kona Joe's. They do breakfast and lunch only. We sat at the Tiki Bar last night and Jim ordered a pizza at my suggestion because dinner time had come and gone. Not sure how much beer we had but it was more than we needed! :)

Like I said, not much going on here!

Full Moon

Did you see it last night? It was beautiful. Where were you when you saw it? We were out in the Gulf of Mexico!

A few days ago out hosts, Cindy and Pat invited us, along with Pat and Vern to join them for an after dinner boat ride. So we all headed to the marina where Fonda joined us and after a few minutes wait our ride showed up. Don’t have a clue what kind of boat it was but we all fit in it nicely.

We had a couple dolphins along side for a bit. Very cool to see them so close to the boat. We all brought cold drinks and it was relaxing being on the water with our drinks enjoying the cool breeze. For the past few days there was high pressure system sitting in the gulf and our weather was hot and humid.

We stopped on a sand bar and wandered around picking up sand dollars and shells. The water was warm and inviting..We headed back and as the day came to an end we were treated to a pretty sunset. Then darkness and off in the distance we watched heat lightening light up the sky and clouds. Just when I didn’t think it could get any better the moon made its appearance and lit up the sky and reflected off the water. Magnificent!

Just as we neared the city our captain killed the engine and we sat and drifted, just enjoying the conversation and the breeze. Sometime during the trip we learned our captain was the mayor of Cedar Key! As we drifted we discovered we had no more cold drinks left so he suggested we stop in at Coconuts for a drink or two. We pulled right up to the dock they have and he pulled down a ramp and we went in the back way. I guess he does this a lot since he owns the building. So windblown and damp we trouped in.

After a few rounds we left and headed back to the boat and then the marina. Vern picked up the tab in the bar, thanks Vern!

We got home just before midnight and we showered and went to bed!

During the night the high pressure system came ashore and when I poked my head out this morning the smoke from the fires was a very evident. But the wind was out of the east and that means less humidity!

Poor Boo has been plagued by fleas lately. He’s been dosed and sprayed and yesterday we gave him a serious haircut and another bath. I did find three fleas and gave them a proper burial. He’s still scratching today but I haven’t seen any fleas. Hopefully we’ve solved the problem.

This morning our friends Pat and Vern left. It was fun spending time with them even though Pat was on the other side of the state at a graduation over the weekend. Jim and Vern spent a lot of time together and all three of us drank to much beer!

Lazy Days

Gosh, where does the time go? We’re not doing anything special here, just enjoying island life. Our daily chores don’t take up much time but that is the extent of our exertion.

Monday I fixed a dish from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It’s very tasty and we both enjoyed it. But it makes a lot!

Rustic Pasta

Serves 4-6

½ pound pasta, long or short shape, as you prefer

2 T olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced

2 celery stalks diced or diagonally sliced

¼ cup soy sauce

½ t fine sea salt

½ t garlic powder

1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced

5-6 T marinara sauce

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook just until aldente. Drain the pasta well

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet (I used a big pot!) over high heat. Add onions and cook for 7 min until softened, then add garlic and sauté for 3 min longer, until onions are transparent and turning golden.

Add the celery to the skillet and sauté for 3-4 min. Stir in the soy sauce, salt and garlic powder, then add cabbage, sauté for 4 min. reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 min longer.

Add pasta with the sauce and toss together. Cook over medium-high heat for a min or two and serve.

You could add meat to it but it’s good without it. How about a salad? That would be more healthy.

Tuesday we biked into Cedar Key for lunch at Steamer’s Clam Bar and Grill. Very good seafood and the cold beer tasted perfect as we sat outside overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. After lunch we poked around a couple shops on Dock Street then biked home. I forgot I was wearing a tank top and managed to get sunburned....Monday and Tuesday afternoon we had rain.

Wednesday I fixed a crock pot full of pot roast for dinner. Pat and Vern arrived that afternoon and we sat outside for dinner. It’s always nice when you’ve been driving all day not to have to fix dinner. Boo got a bath and a trim...not the best haircut but it has to be cooler for him.

Don’t recall doing anything special yesterday. We’re loving these lazy days of island life.

Diamondback Terrapin

yesterday we had a visitor. This little lady wandered onto our site and intrigued me for several hours. I watched as she dug and discarded six or seven sites. Such determination to find the right spot!

when we first spotted her she must have just come out of the water. Her shell was shiny with bits of dried grass clinging to it. She made her way under out rig and started digging a nest right in front of one of our tires...not good enough so she tried another spot, in front of another tire. my only thought was if she lays her eggs there we'd have to stay for the hatching! :) But that wasn't good enough either. She did try one more spot under our rig and managed to dig a two inch hole before abandoning it.

She chose this spot, after three more attempts, under the neighbors rig. She laid 4-5 eggs and it was awesome to see.

Jim put the kayak together this morning while I did laundry. Seems like I always have laundry to do!

Sunset, Sunrise

I know, the lyrics are Sunrise, Sunset....but the sunset pictures were taken last night

And it was a beautiful sunset!


Sunrise this morning was pretty spectacular too!

Today we made a Walmart run, my list was getting longer and longer. There are a couple markets here in Cedar Key but I'm sure they charge a wee bit more than we want to pay. The drive to and from Chiefland is pretty but not much to see. We left early enough to have lunch, today it was Mexican. Not sure how long we were in Walmart but our basket was full when we left!

About a block up the road we have a produce stand! I may have to check it out tomorrow....we stopped on the way back and I really didn't have time to look at everything or the need to buy anything. But I did see some pretty corn on the cob.

Jim wants to get a look inside this boat. It's interesting to watch the tide come and go and see the boat stuck in the mud.

We sat outside tonight and watched the sunset. It was pretty but not like last night.. I know each one is different!

Feels like Home

After setting up and trying to get our satellite dish to work twice, we decided to call Motosat and terminate our service. Most campgrounds have wi-fi and our Android phones are 3g we figured we could do without internet on the roof. Of course if we can't find the satellite for internet we can't get the signal for Direct TV. So we put that on hold for awhile until we figure out what we want to do about tv. The dish is for sale....any takers?

Yesterday was busy with turning off the internet and tv. Also had to deal with insurance. That pretty much took care of the morning and I sure am glad Jim handled it. After lunch we had rain! A fast moving storm that cooled us down.

We can see this house and I'd love to see the inside!

After dinner last night we walked into town. It's a mile from here to the post office and we didn't quite make that but Jim figured we walked a mile and a half.

This guy shows up when the tide is out

Today we just relaxed the morning away. Sort of....I changed the sheets on the bed and did laundry. Sat outside and read for awhile. Jim wiped down the chairs and I think he also did the truck. He also got out the trikes and did some maintenance on them and after lunch went for a ride into town.

I made an interesting salad for our dinner tonight. I read a recipe on www.thekindlife.com that had cucumbers, red pepper and chick peas with an herbal dressing. I changed it up a bit by tossing in about a half cup of olive salad and a few splashes of red wine vinegar. Jim put some feta cheese on his and we both enjoyed my new concoction!

Just dashed outside to snap some shots of the sunset....but you'll have to wait for those!

Family

Chris Hendry and Sonsearae Stanley

Last Saturday we had a great time at Rick and Christy's home. Grilled chicken, salad, corn on the cob, succotash, rolls, pico de gallo with chips, fruit salad, blueberry cheesecake. We had enough food to do it again the next night! But more important it was a gathering of our two families.


Our three children, Sonsearae, Willy and Christy

In this photo is Jack, Christy Jim, Callie, Willy, Sonsearae and myself. Christy and Willy are Jim's children from his first marriage. Jack and Callie are Christy's children. We're not sure why her husband Rick didn't get in the picture! But I assure you she does have a husband.

We hadn't seen Willy in about 14 years so this whole evening was a treat for Jim. I didn't see him much as he spent all his time with his son, daughter and grandchildren. It was nice to see him so happy!