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Monday, March 31, 2014

Sopchoppy Part Two


Wednesday Sonsearae worked until noon and we met her at Cabo's Island Grill for lunch.  Jim ordered a huge lunch of burrito, enchilada and beans and rice.  He took a lot of it home.  I had a portabella wrap and took half of mine home.  Sonsearae had bean tacos.  We all had water to drink.  

Our first stop was her appartment where we dropped off our leftovers and one vehicle.  Then it was off to Verizon for a quick fix on Jim's phone....Not!  It didn't take long but it wasn't a quick fix.

Then it was off to Sam's club.  Jim picked up a pair of jeans and a coffee caddy for his K-cups.  I bought food and tissues.  

Our next stops were Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, mostly because I wanted to see these new to Tallahassee stores.  I made purchases in each.  We also stopped in a Smashing Olives store...Have you ever been in one?  Dangerous place to be! Sonsearae and I tasted several oils and blends and left with 5 bottles.  I bought three:

Lemon Fused Olive Oil
"Pressing whole fresh lemons together with late harvest olives at the time of the crush produces our Whole Fruit Lemon Olive Oil. Its light, refreshing flavor is just perfect to saute shrimp or scallops, or to drizzle on chicken or fish before you bake, broil or grill. This lemon olive oil paired with just about any of our wonderful balsamic vinegars makes an exquisite salad dressing. It is also great on vegetables, in marinades, and for baking."


Raspberry
"This thick, rich, perfectly balanced Balsamic Vinegar, oozes with the natural flavor of fresh, ripe raspberries. Both sweet and tart, it’s perfect tossed with mixed salad greens and a little feta cheese. Also enjoy paired with one of our flavored oils or as a marinade or glaze for pork or chicken. Our naturally flavored balsamic condimento is aged in the traditional Solera Method and comes from Modena, Italy."

Sicilian Lemon
"Playfully tart and pleasantly sweet, our Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic from Modena, Italy has a perfectly balance acidity and a crisp, lemon flavor and aroma. Fabulous with seafood, in dressings or in mixed drinks. Perfect for salad dressings, vegetables, fish, chicken, seafood, and even in mixed drinks! This is a wonderful balsamic that pairs well with any of our Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils."

The lemon oil and raspberry vinegar tastes lovely and I'll use it on spinach salads.  The lemon vinegar will be good all by itself on salads or veggies.

Sonsearae bought a Tuscan olive oil that smells and tastes just like pizza!  More about this in the next post.

While at Whole Foods we all got coffee and it was fun strolling through the store drinking good coffee!  I needed it to keep going...I was tired of shopping.  After this we headed home.  

Stopped for only a few minutes while dropping off Sonsearae and picking up our leftovers.  It was getting late and already past Boo's dinner time

It was good to get home and relax...all this visual stimulation is more than we usually get in a week!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sopchoppy Part One

Last Sunday we left Hudson and just headed north.  South Florida is fun but expensive!  We couldn't find any where to stay that had reasonable prices. The winter season lasts a bit longer here than in Texas.  Our drive north up Highway 19 was an easy drive, then we picked up highway 98 in Perry and drove west to Sopchoppy.  This little town has a city park on the river with 30 amp hookups for only $15 a night.  Some sites have sewer and we chose one of them because I had laundry piling up!

This area is full of state parks and preserves, not to far from the gulf and is also about an hour from Tallahassee.  Sonsearae was in Lake City and we didn't see her until Monday after she got off work.  She had made arrangements to be off everyday at 1300.

I made some red beans and rice along with a salad for our lunch Monday and when she arrived we all had a good meal and spent the afternoon making plans and catching up.  We took a stroll on the boardwalk that they've built out along the Sopchoppy River.   Sunshine and a nice breeze made the walk enjoyable.


Where the boardwalk ends we continued on into the woods just following the path


I don't know the name of these flowers but they were everywhere and quite lovely


Jim and Boo waiting for us


The Gazebo is probably used for weddings as we saw x's and other marks on the floor


All set up!  From the grounds it doesn't look like many people camp here.

Tuesday we again had the beans with rice and when the dishes were done we headed to St George Island State Park for some beach time!  We were bundled up with sweatshirts against the cool breeze coming in off the water.  Found quite a few shells while strolling.  Dolphins entertained us and the bathers who were crazy enough to be in the water.









After all this fresh air and sunshine we had worked up an appetite and Sonsearae took us into Apalachicola to a place she and Chris like.  Up the Creek Raw Bar is right on the water and we were able to secure seats looking out over the bay.  Jim had a gator burger, I had a crab cake and Sonsearae had some shrimp.  No leftovers!

Wednesday we're driving into Tallahassee for some shopping!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Windows Update

Bright and early this morning, while I was still in my jammies and Jim was sleeping, I saw a young man prop one of our windows against the post outside my window.  I rushed upstairs and told Jim he better get up!

While I was getting dressed another man started taking down the cardboard that sealed the window and I barely got dressed before he was looking into the living room.  Of course Boo was pitching a fit, barking at this strange intruder at the window!

I'd say about 1000 all the work was done.  Windows installed, cleaned and sealed, then they put the framing back on, along with the blinds and the topper put back in place.  They even gave all three windows a bath to make sure they didn't leak.  I should mention that everyone was helpful, courteous and even took their shoes off when they came inside.  

If you ever need window work done we Highly recommend  Suncoast Designers.  Make sure you have blinds that can block the bright lights they use for security at night!  It's lit up like a stadium and they have security cameras.

We've already had one rig pull in to be ready for Monday morning.  I assume everyone has appointments, we did.  But the sooner you're in line the sooner your work will get done. I expect more will show up tomorrow.

They've said we can stay the weekend so I guess we'll head out on Monday morning.  Jim spent this afternoon washing the rig, again...Being parked under trees sure makes a mess of the roof.

Today was bed day and I stripped the sheets and remade the bed.  Laundry is piling up and I'll be busy once we get some where I can tackle it.

As always, if you'd like more information you can email me or visit my website to order

FRANKINCENSE (Boswellia carteri) was considered more valuable than gold in ancient times and used to treat every known ill to man. It’s known for it’s antitumoral, immunostimulant, antidepressant, & muscle relaxing benefits. As well as stimulating to the limbic system of the brain and the hypothalamus, pineal, and pituitary glands. 

For Concentration. 
Use 1-2 drops Frankincense oil on temples and back of neck to improve concentration.

Immune System.
Apply 1-3 drops Frankincense oil on each foot to strengthen the immune system.

Blisters.
Dilute Frankincense oil 50/50 with V-6 mixing oil and apply to a blistered area 3-5 times daily.

Insect Bites.
Put a drop of Frankincense oil on an insect bite to help reduce swelling and speed healing.

Depression.
Diffuse or inhale from the bottle to help with mood elevation.

Brittle Nails.
Apply 1-3 drops Frankincense on nails and at base of nails, 3 times per week.

Stretch Marks.
Rub a few drops on stretch marks 2 times a day.

Cysts.
Apply 1-2 drops on cyst 2 times a day until it disappears.

Skin Health.
Apply 1-2 drops Frankincense oil on sun damaged skin spots 2 times a day until it disappears.

Warts.
Put 2 drops on wart 2 times a day until disappears completely.

Breast Health. Rub 2-3 drops on breasts and lower abdomen everyday.

Healthy Maintenance.
Dilute 1 drop Frankincense oil in 1tsp. honey or 4 oz. rice milk and ingest daily for health maintenance


Friday, March 21, 2014

Tarpon Springs

After we dropped Boo off at PetSmart for his afternoon at the spa Jim decided we should go to Tarpon Springs.  It's one of the cities we wanted to see while in the area.  Unfortunately, I did not take my camera so I don't have pictures.

We only had a couple hours to kill so we got as close to the dock area as we could.  This section of town is the old part and full of old world charm in some of the shops and restaurants and bakeries.  Mosaic tiles adorn some walls and store fronts.  Sponge diving was started in 1905 when John Cocoris imported divers from Greece and the city now has the largest population of Greek Americans in the US.

Of course all the shops are mainly for the tourist trade and we managed to go into a couple and purchase some goodies. A lot of sponges and items made from olive oil plus all the other tacky tourist items.

Although we had a light lunch before we left home we both decided we had to have some Greek Food.  We chose the Hellas Restaurant and Bakery because it had patio seating in the shade.  We were right next to the sidewalk.  Of course I wanted Greek beer so I ordered a Mithos as did Jim.  Jim had a combination plate of Spanakopita and Tiropita and I had a Gyro...I splurged and boy was it worth it....yum.

Our waiter was good but really wasn't helpful when I asked about pronunciations of Greek words.  You would think they would teach them just so they could inform we tourists!

For dessert I chose Kataifi because I'd never had it and we both had espresso.  Good thing too because this dessert is as sweet as baklava and it helped to cut the syrupy sweetness.

About this time we got the call to pick up Boo.  So we waddled back to the truck and headed out to pick him up.  We stopped and fuel paying $3.99 a gallon for diesel.

Back home we just vegetated until bedtime.  We did manage to stay up until 2200.  After getting up at 0600 we both were tired and slept well

As of this posting I don't know if we'll get our windows today.  If we do it will be late and they've already said we can spend the night and head out in the morning.  Of course Jim told them 'no hurry' and 'we can spend the weekend' so we'll see what happens.

Y'all have a good weekend and enjoy Spring if it's in your neighborhood

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Window Repairs

We made the grueling 40 mile drive yesterday and arrived around 1500 to this place(I have no idea of the name of the company), got our spot and set up.  The first guy we saw said we'd be out of here by Tuesday.  The ladies in the office told us not to listen to the workers...they like to have everyone out by the weekend...So we'll see.

We were told that someone would be around at 0630 to start removing the windows.  We got up at 0600 and got dressed, made coffee and I made the bed.  Soon they were here and around 0645 they were removing windows.

As you can see by these pictures they plug the holes with cardboard


We're having both windows done on the street side slide.  All of the framing has to come down so they can remove the window


In the bedroom the window was just removed.


One nice thing about this early rising....Jim cleaned!  Since the recliner had to be pulled out he got behind it and vacuumed and dusted.  And he just kept on going...dusting and cleaning half the living room and dining room.

While I watched  :-) and had coffee.  I love this man!

Boo has an appointment later to be groomed and he needs it.

We had dinner last night at a  local restaurant, Brit's Pub.  It's in a strip mall so not genuine looking from outside.  Inside it has all the decorations of London, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.  The folks who run the place are Londoners and have been in our country over 40 years.  It was fun seeing all the tea towels and pictures from Great Britain.  The ladies room was full of Lady Diana pictures!  

Jim had bangers and mash with and Angry Orchard hard cider and I had fish and chips with a Smithwicks.  For dessert Jim had some bread pudding that I think was made with a fruitcake ...

Not sure how long it will take for our windows to be returned.  We haven't asked about it. 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Lot's of activity

It sure was fun watching the comings and goings of everyone on Friday.  During the morning some rv's left.  Then the activity level stepped up!  The rv's starting rolling in and when we had our afternoon coffee we had us some entertainment with a rig backing into a tight spot.  We've been there!

We took a walk and discovered the tenting area had more folks too.  I'll bet this location is the place to be in the summer.  The river  access is the busy spot with boaters, canoes, kayaks and folks fishing.




It's fun watching all the buzzards and handful of pelicans come in to roost each afternoon


We're told the water is about 72 degrees, but I don't think that's warm enough for swimming


do you suppose he was tired?



even with all the activities going on the manatee we're swimming around munching on seaweed



spotted this grapefruit? high in a spindly tree, maybe 15-20 feet off the ground

YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS TIP

BODY BRUSHING and SALT SCRUB will exfoliate dry skin cells and allow the oils to penetrate even better.  Body brushing also stimulates CIRCULATION so the skin becomes smoother and younger.  Add LAVENDER to the salt scrub which consists mostly of mineral salt (pink Himalayan) with just a FEW DROPS OF V6.  It makes the skin so soft and moist.



To purchase Lavender oil and V6 click here: https://www.youngliving.org/elcgee

If you have any questions or need help email me
elcgee@gmail.com



Friday, March 14, 2014

Chass a what?

After sleeping so much night before last I guess I didn't need more and I was up at 0520 this morning.  Although the prediction was a low of 31 last night it was 47 degrees at that hour. I read a lot of blogs, getting caught up to present day at least.

Yesterday at the farm stand I paid $1.00 for 5 new potatoes, $3.50 for a quart of strawberries (ready to eat!), $1.00 for two ears of corn...I guess that isn't to bad.  We also bought a Canary melon.  Once we had a taste we couldn't pass it up!

We had a quiet evening doing some research into future travel plans.  Jim spent hours on the web finding out it's next to impossible to find an affordable site this far south.  It's still high season and the snowbirds haven't started their northern trek.

Did you wonder about the name of this campground?  I did so I did a little looking around and found this:

'A fresh water, spring fed, tidal river leading directly to the Gulf of Mexico. It's tucked away in the middle of the Nature Coast, about an hours drive North of Tampa, Florida. Chassahowitzka is hard to pronounce, let alone trying to spell it! The older natives still call it ChassaWhisky, And most locals affectionately just call it the "CHAZ".

The Name Chassahowitzka comes from the Seminole Indians that inhabited the area for a time. The word means "Hanging Pumpkins place" The primitive pumpkin was a main stay of the Seminoles. It is self perpetuating and continues to grow year after year and was known to climb large trees and bare fruit around 5" in diameter, which played a large part in the Seminole Diet. It is a harder shelled pumpkin unlike the garden pumpkins we know today. The pumpkins have long gone from the region. The Seminole Indians are not indigenous to Florida and didn't arrive until the 1700's. Prior to the Seminole the Timucua tribe occupied the Nature Coast. Timucuans are one of the few tribes across the country that is considered extinct, having no known descendants since 1700.'

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Boy did we sleep!

We were both tired last night and around 2130 we went to bed.  Yesterday's travel just wore us out.  I didn't get out of bed until after 0800!  I woke Jim but he didn't get up until 0945!

So we had a very slow morning.  While I was doing laundry and making pea soup Jim went outside to hook up the TV....but there was a cable missing.  We had it in Welaka so he must have left it behind.

After lunch we made a scouting run to Hudson where we'll have the windows repaired.  On the way we stopped at a Walmart to get a cable.  We found the repair place and it's an easy drive.  We then decided to drive south on Highway 19 and check out the area....

What a mistake that was!  The closer we got to the Tampa area (and we were by no means close!) we encountered more and more traffic.  The road is being worked on, making it wider (which obviously is needed) and traffic was bumper to bumper with frequent stops for lights and stalled traffic.  We've decided we won't make any day trips using that road.  We'll see if we can locate a campground closer to Tarpon Springs so we can explore the area.  If not, we'll just skip it.

We made it home driving some back roads and enjoyed a more leisurely, less hectic drive and saw some coastal areas.

Real convenient to the campground is a farm market and we stopped there  picking up so fruit and veggies.  Once home we were starved and had some soup, then our afternoon coffee.

Within an hour we walked down to the river and below you'll see some of the pictures I took.  We were fortunate enough to see at least 5 manatee.


This is the road back into the tenting area.  Most of the sites are quite big and several were occupied


We saw several boaters enjoying the late afternoon, some fishing some just paddling





Of course we took Boo with us!




As we walked back to the campground I heard this unmistakable sound of a woodpecker...and it only took a moment to find him....This Piliated Woodpecker was very close to the road just pecking away!

I've never seen one before!  So it was a good way to end our walkabout



Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Chassahowitzka River Campground

I don't think either of us slept well last night.  Our neighbors had a gathering and while they weren't noisy and didn't really bother me, Boo took it upon himself to let us know his displeasure!  Eventually we all drifted off but I know I tossed and turned a lot.  Then the soft patter of rain woke me up.  Donna said she heard thunder.

We got up at our normal times and I had breakfast. Jim read mail and blogs then commenced to 'get er done'.We took our time getting the rig ready to leave this morning.  We weren't in a hurry and knew we'd have lunch before we left.  I think I was ready around 1100, just about the time Jim declared he was hungry.  So stopped and had a sandwich.  All that was left were the utilities, so we wandered down to the office to say our goodbyes.

We had as much fun leaving our site as we had in parking there last year.  The sand just sucked our tires and our truck couldn't move us forward.  Dan to the rescue!  He has 4 wheel drive and in two shakes he had us out of the site. 

After that slight delay we left shortly before noon.  Our drive over to Chassahowitzka was easy, taking back roads and just picking up I-75 for a few miles.  We arrived around 1500.  


We're nestled in the trees and right now we don't know if we'll have TV.  Jim will work on that tomorrow.  There is free wifi here and it's been just hunky dory using the laptops.  But we can't use Netflix on the TV.  We're not sure why.


We took a stroll through part of the campground and this is a 'campground'!  The sites are just scattered under and in between the trees.  Quite lovely.


Not sure what the story is with the VW...


So far this rig is the smallest we've seen and they're from Canada! Can't imagine living in something that small for the season.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Tomorrow, tomorrow!

We leave tomorrow!  We're both ready to hit the road....

While trying to install a slide topper yesterday, Jim managed to injure his left hand.  Whacked the thumb right on the knuckle and sliced a chunk from his middle finger.  He was not to happy about it!  But after cold water and a couple of bandages he went right back to work.  He left the topper for today and help from a friend...thanks Randy!

Jim stowed, washed the truck and stowed more...The bike tires have been aired up and they're ready to put on the rack. Black tank has been emptied.  In the morning we have the normal preparations for hitting the road...

We paid our last visit to Corky Bells for an early dinner and it was wonderful.  We sat outside with a temperature about 75 and overlooking the river...pure bliss.

We're now just biding our time!  We'll probably leave after lunch tomorrow as the drive is such a short one across state to the Chassahowitzka River Campground

On the road again...we can't wait to get on the road again!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Beautiful day here

What time did you get up this morning?  I slept until 0740

Jim's last day of work is over....to bad he had to spend it inside all day!

Meanwhile at home I was doing little chores to get us packed up and on the road Wednesday.  Outside the birds were pitching a fit!  All of them were chatting up a storm....I guess they wanted to be fed!

Jim thinks he can get everything finished up on Monday.  He also wants to head to Corky Bells one more time on Tuesday and wash the truck.  So much to do, so little time...

Do you use cloth or paper napkins?  I've always used cloth napkins.  It isn't difficult to keep them washed since I have my own wash machine.  Mine are looking a wee bit shabby so I'm on the lookout for some that are on sale.

I baked a batch of blueberry muffins this afternoon that should last a few days. It will be a tasty treat to have with our afternoon coffee...maybe breakfast too!

Since this day is almost over we only have two days before we leave!!

Silly me!

When I started the last post we did have eight days I just forgot to change the title...but counting today we only have THREE days left...we leave on Wednesday

Yesterday turned out to be a very productive day and we took some time to sit outside on the patio and chat with our coffee yesterday afternoon.  The poor birds and squirrels were dumbfounded....their personal supply of food was missing as Jim had taken down all the feeders and stowed them

Did you remember to set your clocks ahead last night?

More medicinal uses for Tea Tree oil

Both Melaleuca Alternifolia and Basil are natural antibiotics
 and are good oils to use in capsule to help fight the flu.

Use any Combo:
Melaleuca Alternifolia
Basil
Cistus
Thyme
Clove
Oregano compactum
Mountain Savory
Eucalyptus radiata
Myrtle
Peppermint

Ingest in capsule, 1 cap 3 x daily
Inhale 2-4 x a day
Raindrop: 1-2 x a week
Direct apply on chest/lower back, 2-3 x daily.


Recipe for Sinusitis:
10 drops peppermint
5 drops eucalyptus radiata
2-3 drops melaleuca alternifolia
Put in capsule & take internally 2 times a day.


Gary Young Recipe for Candida
3 drops Clove
4 drops Rosemary
1 drop Mountain Savory
5-6 drops Melaleuca alternifolia
 In capsule.


Another Candida Recipe
 18 drops of Melrose   - (Melrose has Melaleuca alternifolia in it.)
3 drops rosemary
In capsule.

Recipe for RINGWORM:

3 drops Melaleuca Alternifolia
3 drops Spearmint
1 drop Peppermint
1 drop Rosemary
Dilute with equal parts of vegetable oil and apply 2-4 drops over affected area four times daily.  For severe cases, pure cotton gauze can be saturated with blend and applied over area.


To order any of the oils or supplies use my website

Thanks for reading

Saturday, March 8, 2014

8 days! Tea Tree Oil

What can I say?  not much has been happening around here.  

Preparations are being made for our departure on the 12th.  Poor Jim has had to work around inclement weather...rain,cold and general yucky days have kept him indoors

Today the sun is out and he's working outside getting things done.  I'm doing some inside because when you sit for so long stuff accumulates on the counter tops.  So I'm stashing what needs to be stowed...

We're so ready to be on the move!

Thursday at the pot luck pizza night we had dry conditions which made it nice...still chilly but a lot of folks came out and bid Jim farewell.  Jessica baked him a carrot cake that quickly disappeared once it was cut. 

Jim has to work Sunday, that will be his last day on the job!!! WOOT WOOT!

Ways To Use Melaleuca alternifolia - Tea Tree Oil

Melaleuca alternifolia, often referred to as Tea Tree Oil, is one I always recommend to have on hand  for many reasons. It is one of those oils that should be in your first aid kit. It is antiviral, antiseptic, antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial.

It is wonderful for disinfecting cuts and scrapes. Relief for bee stings and other insect bites. We've always used it for fire ant bites...

INHALED: Helps with the upper respiratory system.

EXTERNALLY: Use this on wounds, road burns to dislodge dirt, bacteria, cuts, abrasions, sunburn, insect bites, itchiness (even anal or vaginal), burns, scalds, herpes lesions, ringworm, lice and tick bites, eczema and
psoriasis, thrush, candidia, athlete's foot, fungal infections, pimples, acne, halitosis, stinky  feet, sinus congestion, chicken pox, cold sores, dental abscesses, strep throat.   Only dilute for very sensitive skin,
otherwise straight.

Helps with yeast infections without the side effects of pharmaceutical treatments.


Treat a tampon with a 5% dilution of tea tree, or a 5% salve.
Or use a douche of 5 drops to 1/2 pint of water.



First-Aid Spray
5 drops lavender
3 drops tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
2 drops cypress

Mix above oils thoroughly in 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add this to 8 ounces of distilled water and shake vigorously. Put in a spray bottle. Spray minor cuts and wounds before
applying bandage. Repeat 2-3 times daily for 3 days. 


Complete the healing process by applying a drop or two of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil to the wound daily
for a few days.


 Put a couple drops of  Melaleuca Alternifolia on fingertips and massage around the ear to help with an earache. Don't ever pour oils down in the ear canal.  Just put a drop on finger and rub into the skin.

You can add a drop of Melaleuca Alternifolia to a pimple to get rid of it faster


As always, if you'd like more information let me know! If you'd like to order, it's easy!  

Just click on this  My personal page   Thank You!