Made it to the Eastern Time Zone...maybe

The hour or so it took us to drive here yesterday was easy but we missed a turn and had to double back to Chattahoochee, Florida to get to Lake Seminole Eastbank Campground in Georgia.  Confused yet?  

Somewhere we crossed into the Eastern Time Zone...I think.  Our cell phones keep bouncing back and forth between the zones and we have to look at an actual clock to be sure of the time.  Also, our cell signal goes from 1x extended network to 3g with a couple bars.  Staying online is tricky to say the least!

This is a Corps of Engineer park so we don't have sewer hookups but it's a nice trade  off for our view




There's a dam over there we need to explore.  But not today as it's raining

Some of the trees are still showing their fall colors

Here we are in a crescent pull through with quite a big front yard.  This is site 24 and it's supposedly the best site here!  Gravel area where the table is, lantern hanger and fish cleaning station.  There's also a fire ring and a grill.  All this can be yours for only $77 a week if you are a senior!

The Canadian Geese are entertaining but can be a bit noisy

This heron seems to like  this spot  I can see him wandering around right now.  Our sunset last night was gorgeous!  I so glad we had yesterday afternoon and evening.  

Today we have rain...it's a good day to stay indoors and read a book.

Pine Lake RV Park

Very chilly this Sunday morning at 0600!  Only 34 degrees out there.  They forecasted a freeze and Jim disconnected the water last night just in case.  But I didn't see any frost anywhere.  The sun is starting to top the trees so it should warm up soon.


Jim spent some time outside airing the tires in preparation for our move tomorrow

Watching the Viking/Bears football game while Jim reads.    Boo is sleeping on my lap which makes typing a bit awkward!  I've been simmering a pot of veggie broth using a recipe from the Happy Herbivore.  Sure smells good in here!  I'm going to make some corn chowder later using a recipe from The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook for our dinner and I'll use some of this broth.

 

What's Sunday without some football?  We had games on all afternoon but we really only paid close attention to the Saints lose to San Francisco.  That wasn't what we wanted to see!  During halftime I made the corn chowder and baked some French Rolls from Alexia (find them in the freezer section of your grocery store).  I liked the chowder but Jim said it was bland..
Monday morning and there is frost out there!  I took these pictures around 0700...not the best but folks it was to cold to linger in my jammies!!!

hood of the truck

grass out back

Today we head a wee bit north to  Eastbank, Georgia.  This COE park is on Lake Seminole.  I wonder how many others will be there?   

Skyfall and Thanksgiving

Wednesday we did our morning chores and eagerly awaited the arrival of Sonsearae and Chris.  Jim tidied up the truck, making sure the windshield was clean.  I knew we'd be driving after dark and I don't like a messy windshield!  When Sonsearae got off work they headed west and arrived in early afternoon.  It was so good to see them!

They brought a couple boxes of mail for us and a bag of goodies, mostly for me.  Jim got his coffee from Green Mountain and we got our Escapee mail.  Sonsearae keeps magazines and catalogs and usually mails them to me.  This time she delivered them in person.

We visited for awhile and then they left to check into the Holiday Inn Express on Panama City Beach.  About an hour later we followed after having some coffee and feeding Boo.  From here to there was 50 miles.  We met them at Pier Park at the Red Brick Pizza Cafe.  We've been there before and we all had pizza.  We ladies shared a veggie pizza with Daiya (vegan cheese).  To our surprise they picked up the tab. Jim had a margarita pizza and Chris had a pepperoni pizza which smelled and looked so goooood!

After dinner we headed to the Grand 16 to see Skyfall at the IMAX theater.  It's been awhile since we've been to a movie and I was shocked at the price!  Senior price for two was $25.50.  I'm not sure why the cost is so high and we'll have to save our money for the next time.

Skyfall staring Daniel Craig was excellent!  Sonsearae and Chris had already seen it and we all enjoyed the movie.  Jim and I were impressed with the humongous screen.  My eyes were tired by the end of the movie.  Nothing like having the screen right up in your face!

After saying our good-nights we headed home and by 2300 we were showered and in bed.  That's an hour past our normal bedtime.  LOL

Thursday I tried to sleep in but that didn't work.  After breakfast we dressed and headed back to the beach, a mere 44 miles, to visit with them in their room at Holiday Inn Express.  I wanted to see the view from their 14th floor room. The balcony overlooked the Gulf and it was breathtaking!  My pictures do not show the beautiful color of the water here.




There were some folks out in the water and enjoying the white sands.

There were some people enjoying the swimming pool too and I liked this area with the palm trees and tiki huts

Around noon we left the hotel and headed to Breakers for the Thanksgiving dinner buffet.  They had the usual turkey and all the fixins' plus prime rib and a roast pork, I think.  I was to busy eating to take note of all the food!  I had a couple bites of Jim's prime rib....mmmm good and I enjoyed some turkey and shrimp.  I don't think any of us stuffed ourselves but we weren't hungry when we left!

What I liked best was spending this day with Sonsearae and Chris and we didn't have to do dishes...Oh and they picked up the check...again!

After dinner three of us went out back to check out the beach.  Sonsearae wanted to see how cold the water was and I wanted to take pictures

Back deck of Breakers

Sonsearae and Jim watching the beach goers

Me and my beautiful daughter

pelicans and a jet...if you click on the pictures they will open on another page

Chis waiting for us on the deck....

The four of us headed home after dinner.  We stopped for fuel and they dilly dallied so we could all arrive at the same time! We watched some football, chatted and enjoyed the afternoon.  They headed out around 1600 to drive back to Tallahassee.  We ended the day with some popcorn.

I can't remember the last time we had a family Thanksgiving and this was our first one with Chris.  Makes the day more special when you share it with family

Friday we rested...we even tried to nap but Boo wouldn't let us.  He just kept nudging and whining...Dinner was enchilada bake from Happy Herbivore

So far today we're just chillin'.  I've done some laundry in an effort to keep it done because next week we'll be at a COE park.

I hope that wherever you were for Thanksgiving, you shared your meal with family or friends.

Fountain, Florida

We left Eglin AFB Monday around 1010 after making a stop at the dump station.  Hated to leave but we had reservations for Pine Lake RV Park in Fountain, Florida.  Our drive was an easy one mostly on Highway 20.  Small towns, very little traffic...and scenic in spots.

We arrived just before noon and in no time at all we were all set up and sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and pleasant temperature.


There are over 100 sites here and all have electric meters...but there's no one here.  A lot of the rigs look like they live here.  It's a nice place in the middle of nowhere.  

Not sure why I can't sit here and get a blog typed!  I do compose in my head....

Tuesday we headed to Panama City Beach.  Our first stop was the Navy Base.  You see, my military ID card expires at the end of this month.  We had renewed them last year in Tampa but I turn 65 in December and apparently there is some sort of designation on the card to that effect....who knows.  Any way we tried to get one at Eglin but the problem with the fridge (circuit board) made us forget about the card.  So we thought we'd get er done Monday morning.  Alas they only open Tuesday and Thursday for ID cards...

So we stop at the Navy Base and we're given the news that they won't be ready to issue cards for awhile...so they told us to go to Tindall AFB.

By this time I'm hungry.  Although this campground says it's a 30 minute drive to Panama City it takes longer.  So we're close to the beach area and Jim finds a restaurant and Ethyl takes us there....but it's closed for the season. We find another and it's just down the road and it too is closed for the season!  Reminds me of our good friend Ed Dray!

Third times a charm and we had a lovely lunch overlooking the beach at Pineapple Willys.  After lunch we drove east a bit and found a park we could stop at and walk on the beach

Not to many people were out and about and all the bird tracks were fun to see

 

I think there were more birds than people!

After this relaxing interlude we drove over to the AFB and I finally got my new ID card....the picture is awful!  Be sure to ask to look at it...I look like a criminal...

From there we drove home only stopping at Winn Dixie for a few items.  I think we put over 100 miles on the truck

Chilly weather

We've had some very chilly weather the past few days.  So we didn't do much.  We did hit the malls and had lunch at Olive Garden. Saturday  I was up at 0615 this and was able to watch the sun rise



We had to wait around for the refrigerator to be repaired  so that took up some of our time.  I'm happy to report that the unit is chilling and freezing appropriately! 

Today we hit the commissary and when we got home I collected some pine cones to take to Low-Key Hideaway next month.  They've installed a wood stove in the Tiki Bar and the cones will make it smell good.

Jim did some prep for our journey tomorrow.  We're heading over to the Panama City area

Florida!

We were up early Monday, not sure why but it did come in handy.  We knew a storm was heading our way so we packed up and hit the road.  Can you believe we were rolling by 0930?   That's early for us!  The drive was pleasant and on highway 85 most of the trip.  Farmland, cotton fields and old derelict buildings...

We arrived at Eglin AFB around noon having gotten sprinkled on only a little.  After setting up we sat and enjoyed a cold beer just enjoying the view



As you can see, it's a bit overcast but no matter, we're almost on the water and that's heaven to us.  This base has two campgrounds, one nestled it the pine trees with all the sites lined up in rows.  This one has about twenty sites on  a peninsula.  The only drawback is no sewer hookups...

The afternoon was cool and a slight breeze was blowing. We took a little walk with Boo in tow and as these pictures show a few people were out and enjoying the Boggy Bayou.  There are a pair of Blue Herons that I've enjoyed watching

We stayed here a few years back and my memory of that stay involves a fall on these rocks and a nasty cut on my hand.  But I didn't get my camera wet!

The pelicans have been showing off too...and we saw a couple dolphin fins.  Not sure how many there were but they churned up the water catching dinner.

Jim said he needed a seafood fix so we headed out to Valparaiso just outside the east gate across the bayou to The Boathouse restaurant.  We sat outside on the deck so we could watch the boats

While we were waiting for our drinks it started sprinkling...so we went back inside and it's a good thing we did because the rain started pouring down!

No matter we enjoyed our seafood dinner and arrived home in time to enjoy our coffee at the usual time of 1600.

We settled in for the evening of rain and wind watching Bones, DWTS and Castle.  Sleep was a bit troublesome because of the wind and those darn slide toppers...

Yesterday the skies cleared and we had sunshine.  But we also had a sick fridge...Had to call out a repairman and hopefully today the problem will be resolved.  After he left we headed to Destin because that's where the nearest Petsmart is.  Boo needed some dry food and a new toy  :-)

We also made a stop at Destin Commons because I wanted to shop at L'Occitane but I had the wrong mall.  We popped into Bass Pro Shop for a bit then headed home.  Sure was nice seeing the sand dunes again!

Back home in time for afternoon coffee.  Tuesday night is NCIS night.  We've also been watching the new show Vegas...it sure is fun seeing all the old cars!  Not sure about the show

Chores, ETC

I should mention that Jim has done some work on the rig...cleaning the windows and the front end cap after the rain we had the other day.  With the threat of freezing temperatures he drained the fresh water tank (stale water) and refilled with some of this nice soft water we have here.  Of course it didn't freeze but it sure got cold!

Speaking of soft water, do you like it?  I can't stand it!  Makes me feel slimy in the shower.  And doing dishes is fun, they slip out of your hands.

Each campground has drawbacks, such as the water here....What have you come across that makes your camping experience less than perfect?  Some people love being alone in nature, which is nice, but not all the time.  We like people, and shopping...

I don't like jammed sites...a little space between gives better privacy.  I also don't like street lights!  When we went camping as children it was fun wandering around after dark with a flashlight...Why are some campgrounds lit up at night?  I expect it has to do with liability

This one, Deer Run has a couple, but nothing to complain about.  It's really dark here and we like that.

And we like sites that are on or near water!  Not sure why but there are no birds on this pond.  the water is clear and we've seen folks fishing.

We're still adjusting to the time change....not sure why we still have to go through this daylight savings time thing twice a year.  I'd rather have extra daylight in the evening.  Even Boo is confused wanting his meals an hour earlier! Jim has gotten up all by himself a couple times and it was way before 0800.   I have no idea how we'll do in the Eastern Time zone all winter.  Some TV programs we watch will come on at our bedtime....I guess we'll have to stay up later or get some sort of recorder...

Jim decided we needed lunch out today so we headed into Troy to see what we could find.  After driving around looking at some beautiful homes and lovely autumn color we ended up at Momma Goldbergs Deli on the town square.  We both were surprised to see so many people out and about.  Of course the weather is perfect, about 70 degrees and sunny.  But, it turns out that Troy University is hosting the Navy in a football game today.  I guess we should have gotten tickets!

Lunch was good, I had a veggie burger and Jim got a Ruben, we shared a bag of chips and had a cold beer to wash it down.  After lunch we tried to drive around the campus but traffic was heavy and some streets were blocked off.  What we did see, it looks like a pretty campus.

One more stop for fuel, $3.81....I'll bet that's the lowest we'll see for awhile.  Florida taxes on fuel are pretty high

Tomorrow is Veterans Day, VE Day for those who remember.  Does anyone wear the poppy anymore?  Honor a Vet by thanking him or her for their service...

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.  ~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

Deer Run RV Campground, Troy, Alabama

We've been here since Monday...our drive was a short and easy one from Helena.  Actually we were surprised at how smooth the roads were! A cold front (Nor'easter in NYC) came through and we've had some cooler temperatures which means we've not done much.  Neither of us like cold weather and one of us was really cold and didn't want to go out.



We did go for a walk around the campground and as you can see there are some mighty pretty colors in this area.  We also went out to lunch, Santa Fe Steakhouse....food was pretty good and I didn't have to cook

We've also made a couple of grocery runs....real exciting stuff

That's our home on the left, we're overlooking the pond.  For the past two mornings I've gotten to see the mist rising off of it....

 

http://www.deerrunrvpark.com/

Helena, Alabama

We left Monday and drove just under 160 Miles to Cherokee Camp Ground in Helena Alabama.  http://www.eagleonemarketing.info/cherokeecampground/index.html The drive was uneventful except for the winds.  Jim did a fine job of keeping us on the road and we arrived without incident.  Although  I was concerned about the tire we have that keeps losing pressure!  I'm liking these shorter travel days.  Sitting for so long begins to bother my back and I know the longer drives can be stressful for JIm.

This is an older campground with lots of trees.  We didn't think we'd be able to get our satellite dish to work but Jim found an opening on the other side of the next site...Also our phones have a 1x signal and keep searching for a better signal.  Since we use our phones to get online it has been very interesting....Slow is putting it mildly!  I don't think I'll be posting any pictures

Looking around it seems like a lot of these rigs are here permanently.  That means we hear some cars and trucks heading off to work each morning.  We can see the highway from our site but there doesn't seem to be a lot of traffic on it day or night.  We haven't explored the whole campground but Jim said there's a pond and an upper level...hmmm wonder if we could get a better phone signal up there?  :-)

We did venture out yesterday to have lunch and pick up some groceries.  Our first stop was Barnes and Nobles where Jim used the WiFi signal to update some aps on his iPad.  I browsed through a couple cookbooks but passed on them...Then it was time for lunch and we chose Creekside Tavern.  This place had just opened but I noticed it wasn't a new building and it looked familiar.  Turns out it used to be a Carrinos.  We both ordered up a cold draft and Jim had a chicken pasta dish and I chose three items off the sides menu...garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and seasonal grilled veggies.  It turns out this is a cheap way to have lunch.. each item was two bucks, so my lunch was six bucks!

Next stop was Costco where we picked up some items we thought we needed and trash bags which we did need!  Their peppermint bark is very tasty!

Then it was off to Walmart for some coffee cream and bread.   

Back home we settled in and had some coffee and dinner was our leftovers from lunch.  

The folks in the Northeast sure have it rough right now.  I can't imagine dealing with that destruction in cold weather...bad enough in hot weather.

It's been chilly here, even used the furnace a couple times in the morning.  It's been getting down into the 30's at night but no freezing so far.  We used our space heater and fireplace almost all day to keep it warm in here.  I must say we've been quite cozy so far.  I think we should start warming up a little each day now as that cold front wanders off to the east and stays north.

We'll be in Florida for Thanksgiving, not quite as far as Tallahassee but at a campground north of Panama City.  Sonsearae and Chris will drive over and we'll all go out for a lovely feast.  It sure will be nice to see them again!



It becomes increasingly easy, as you get older, to drown in nostalgia. Ted Koppel