Back at Paradise Oaks!

Monday 18 February 2019

Breakfast in, then showers and off and running one more time.  Showers are becoming the challenge of the day, one showers while the other person turns on and off the water pump or another faucet as needed to get the water hot. We drove around checked out some properties on Crooked Lake. We had lunch at the Frost Bite Dinner in Frostproof nothing special.  Diane made pulled pork BBQ for dinner while Greg made coleslaw for a side.

Tuesday 19 February 

Quick breakfast and showers that actually worked ok today then we just ran around checking all the RV parks in the Wauchula area, some were beautiful and some not so much.  We stopped at the Bealls outlet where Diane got a pair of shorts.   We headed home stayed in for dinner.....it's our last night here.

 Wednesday 20 February

 All packed up by 10 am, then Jen and Greg stopped over to say goodbye and we were on the road by 11:00.  Stopped for fuel and a quick break about half way up.  Pretty uneventful ride 89 miles in just under 3 hours not bad!  It was hot trying to set up in the heat, 88 degrees and about 95% humidity. We were all settled in by 4pm and I figured a  shower would feel good, but fighting with the water temperature is wearing us down. We ran to Winn Dixie for chicken and had chicken on the grill for dinner.

Thursday 21 February 2019

Breakfast on the grill this morning and then we were planning our day when Mike and Sheri stopped in for a quick visit and stayed until 11:30.  We cleaned up and decided to hang out here and do some

In between rain showers!!

work.   Brad tried to find a fix for the water heater and then went for a bike ride.   We then attached the sun shade to the awning and worked on a few other site improvements.  We stayed in and had Sausages for dinner.

Friday 22 February 2019

Today we did something!  After breakfast on the grill then we worked on trying to make reservation for the next several weeks.  Diane called the next three campgrounds and NONE could fit us in.  So now we have to rearrange our entire schedule.  We are staying here 3 more days, cut our stop in Tallahassee to one day and skipped our visit to Destin Beach. We did get reservations as NAS Panama City and are planning to stay at the Tallahassee Moose when we head out. After that we got

We are in the Park

Model Area!!

cleaned up, went to lunch at the Fisherman's Restaurant, Brad had Grouper and I had Buffalo Shrimp over lettuce, both were good.  We headed to the flower shop in Floral City, got a bouquet and headed over to the cemetery to visit Shawna.  A quick stop at the VFW for a couple of beers then home for a walk with Rudy and grilled chicken on a salad for dinner. 

 

Happy Valentines Day

Thursday 14 February 2019  

Smallwood's tore info

We had breakfast in then got ready and headed out, first to the Everglades City Museum, which used to be a professional Laundry then out for lunch at the 'City Seafood Restaurant'.  We then headed down towards Chokoloskee Island to another museum 'Ted Smallwood's Store'.  The store was built in 1917 and Ted did a lot of trading with the Seminole Indians as well as the local residents.  Inside the store 90 percent of the things were in the store from when it was still working and today it is still owned by his family descendants and they have it opened for visitors.  We got back home about 3:30, a walk for Rudy then the normal people watching, dinner on the grill and a discussion about starting to pack.....that waited until Friday.

Our last sunset on

the Baron River

Friday 15  February 2019

We both were up early and had a quick breakfast.  Since nothing was packed last night there was a lot to pack and some how we managed to get it all done and be on the road by 10:00 am, we can't do that when we plan and start early.  It was an uneventful ride back to Frostproof, to the Whidden Mobile Home/RV Park and we were all settled in by 1:30.  The Folks invited us over for dinner so we headed over there about 5:00 for burgers, salad and a dessert that ended up coming home with us.  Jen had made Strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries, but we were all to full to have any that night. It was a nice visit but Brad and I were tired so we headed home about 8:30. 

Saturday 16 February 2019

Another early day for us strawberry short cake for breakfast yum!  Then packed up and on the road to Stewart's RV repair shop.  They ordered parts last week and we stopped in to get the steps and awning fixed.  Not having steps was driving us crazy that is a big stretch with out them and we had to lift Rudy in and out.  It took them quite a while to fix the steps but we were still out of there by 2pm.  What a long boring day just waiting for the Moho to be done.  We came back, parked and set up by 3pm.  It was hot and Rudy was tired from being in the truck all day so we had chicken on the grill and called it a day.

Sunday 17 February 2019

Hot and humid when we woke up.  Took Rudy for walk came back turned on the a/c before breakfast.  Eggs and little smokes on the grill for breakfast, showers and off for groceries by 10:30.

Brad's 'Grouper Special'

  And after a little site seeing adventure we notice it was 11:30.  Not wanting to do the grocery shopping hungry Diane found this little restaurant 'Harry's Old Place'.  What a find, it didn't open until 12 and when we arrived at 5 of 12 there were already 10 people waiting.  It was a seafood place and they only carried fresh seafood.  I had the grouper special(grouper with crab meat on top with scallops on top of that and then shrimp topping the whole thing).  It was hard but I ate the whole thing.  Diane mean while had plain old scallops that were delicious.  After that was shopping but who cared we were full.  Back to the Moho, walk Rudy and off to the Folk's for Home made chili and biscuits. Yum!  We talked for a while and left around 9pm.

Everglade City

Friday 8 February, 2019

We got packed up and headed out about 9:30, going to Stewart's RV Repair.  They worked on the steps and the door awning, but no luck with either, they'll have to order parts.  We finally got on the

Sunset from our Site

road to head to Everglade City about 12:00.  From there on it was an uneventful drive, through some beautiful country side.  First it was the citrus trees then on through the Sugar Cane fields.  About 30 minutes from our stop, we started seeing the alligators....yep still here.  We find the Resort and get parked, set up and sit outside the rest of the evening.  The place is beautiful and we are on the river with a pull in site....nice.

Saturday 9 February 2019

We got up to a beautiful morning so Brad made eggs and bacon on the grill and we watched the dolphins swimming down the river.  We get cleaned up, walked Rudy

then head out to find the Seafood Festival.  As it turned out they are running a golf cart shuttle from the resort to the Festival, so we just hitched a ride.  The Festival was huge and yes we spent some money, but the food was a little disappointing.  The fish was good but all the sides were a little on the nasty side.  We both had figured we would be eating lunch and dinner, so we headed back home about 2:30.  We got Rudy and took a long walk with him, managing to find a restaurant that looked pretty good and the best part is it is only about a block from the Resort.  Traffic was very heavy to and from the festival so we had dinner in and sat outside the rest of the evening.

Sunday 10 February 2019

We had breakfast here at the campsite then we got cleaned up and headed out.  We took a ride down to Chokoloskee Island just to check it out.  We drove around there for a while then parked and went  

Our Site for the Week!!

for a walk.  While we were there we checked out another RV Resort, we might come to next year.  After that we headed back home, took Rudy for a long walk.  We had dinner in and spent all afternoon and evening sitting outside people watching.  There are a couple of Airboat Rides on the river and the different people can be pretty interesting.

Monday 11 February 2019

We had breakfast here at the campsite but for lunch we headed over to the Camellia Street Grill.  I had the Mahi sandwich and Brad had the crab cake sandwich...….and now once again he remembers why you don't get the crab cakes in Florida they had corn in them.  We then went for a nice drive to check out the place since the festival is over and you can actually drive up and down the Island.  The Island was covered with 6 foot of water during Hurricane Irma and there are still a lot of vacant/abandoned homes and businesses here on the Island.  We stopped in at the Everglades National Park and decided on coming back for a boat tour.  We headed back to the Moho, gathered up Rudy and went for another long walk and had dinner in.

Tuesday 12 February 2019

White Pelicans

in the Everglades

We decided we were doing the 11:00 boat ride, so it was just cereal for breakfast, showers for both and off we head.  We got there about 10:20 to get our tickets, only to find out they aren't doing the Mangrove tours yet, they have to get all new government approval since the hurricane destroyed their routes in 2017.   So we got tickets for the 10:30 boat ride through the Park and the 10,000 Islands.  It was a beautiful trip, that we both enjoyed, with lots of birds, a manatee and dolphins.  The speaker did a very nice job, he was very knowledgeable about the different birds and all the little islands that we passed.  After that we headed back down to Chokoloskee Island to try the Havana Café, and we were glad we did.  I had the blackened Scallops and

The Havana Café  

Brad had the blackened Shrimp, both meals were delicious.  We headed back up to Everglades City and did a little side trip out Plantation Blvd., which just took you off to another little island of residential home.  There were just a lot of homes vacated since the hurricane and others that looked like they should have been condemned but were being lived in.  A quick stop at the Everglades National Park so I could stamp my Park Book and then it's off to home to rescue Rudy.  We took him for a  long walk to the other side of the River to check out the Airboat Rides and a Seafood Market we had seen from the CG.  Back home for a light dinner and to watch NCIS.  

Wednesday 13 February 2019

We got up to the sound of rain.....ugh.  It stopped for a few minutes so Brad headed out the door with Rudy.  Back home and about 10:00 I headed up to the shop for a Pedi.....makes it nice they have that here at the Resort.  Brad picked me up when I was finished and we headed over to the Triad Café for lunch.  I had the Stone Crab Claws and Brad, of course, had Grilled Shrimp, both were delicious and I have some leftovers for dinner tonight.  Back home we gathered up the laundry and headed up to the office, well being a rainy day everybody must have had the same idea.  They only have 3 washers and 3 dryers and the place was packed so back home we go.  About 2:15 Brad headed back up and called the washers were open, so I headed up.   It was still crazy busy when I finished up at 4:45.  What a way to spend a rainy day, but it's all finished.  Well it's 5:30 and the rain has quit, so Brad and Rudy are off for a walk while I finish with the blog.  One more day here and I'm sure one more restaurant to try.  

Visiting in Frost Proof

Friday 1 February, 2019

We managed to move, but it was anything but uneventful.  First off I started the engine and was bringing the slides in when Brad noticed the steps didn't retract.  A little work underneath the Moho,

then he just pulled the motor and we tied them up, and everybody close to us in the park were

Broken Steps

standing around watching us, but nobody helped.  We got that done and got Brad cleaned up then we headed down the road.  The ride it's self wasn't bad and we made it here about 2:00, checked in, got propane and headed to our site.  Well that's were the next fun started, as we were backing in, the mud flat and the hitch on the back of the Moho got hung up on the cement pad, so as we blocked the road, Brad pulled of the hitch and crawled under the Moho and removed the mud flap...needless to say we are a little frazzled by now.  We finally got parked and were getting things put together when Jen showed up for a look around, but there were no steps so she couldn't come in.  We are living with a stool at the step so we can get in and out without having to jump.  It was nice, we headed over to the Jen and Greg's for dinner (pulled pork sandwich with slaw and fries) and a beer or two, hung out until about 8:00 then headed home, we were both exhausted.  

Saturday 2 February, 2019

We got up and had a quick breakfast, a nice walk for Rudy then it's time to work on the steps.  Brad tested the motor and it seemed to work OK.  Back under the Moho where he checked all the wires and

Rudy enjoy the 

Florida Sunshine!!

they are connected as per the schematic, so he narrowed it down to the module, he thinks.  We had a quick bite of lunch then headed out to the local recommended repair shop.  Brad talked to the guy there to see if they could come out Monday to look at the steps, but he just laughed and said they are scheduling on site visits for the 19th, but if we stop in on our way out he would have time to look at the steps and probably get them working for us.  That just means Brad needs to remove the motor on Thursday and we are scheduled to be at the shop about 10:00 on Friday.  After that we did some running around looking for an in-line pressure regulator for the Moho, after about 4 stops no luck.  We finally headed back about 3:30, rescued Rudy and had another long walk, then back to Jen and Greg's for dinner, Hog-maw sausage, slaw and chips, a nice evening.   

Sunday 3 February 2019

Had a quick breakfast and did a load of laundry to hang at Jen and Greg's.  Then  Jen and I headed up to the grocery store while Brad and Greg worked on straightening out the mud flap.  It took Jen and I about 2 hours until we headed back found the boys were still sitting at the Moho chatting.  We all put our stuff away, took Rudy for a long walk then headed over to the Folks for dinner...a salad with grilled chicken....yum.  Not much happening today, but things got done. 

Monday 4 February, 2019

A quick breakfast, another load of laundry to hang out, then off Brad and I go.  First to the Fedex building to mail a package, the ABC (liquor) store then off to lunch.  At this time Brad realized he left his glasses at the ABC store so back there after lunch.  We hit the Publix grocery store but our wine wasn't in so we headed home via a couple of Mobile home/Moho parks, a stop at the local Ace Hardware store, where we ran into Greg, a stop at another Campground and then home.  That whole trip took us about 5 hours, but we had a nice time and Rudy was happy to see us when we got home. Brad had a quick shower then we headed to the Folks for a dinner of Haddock and Veggies....delicious..

Tuesday 5 February, 2019

Cereal for breakfast, showers for us both, a long walk for Rudy then off we head.  We get to Jen and  

Greg's about 11:30 and head out to the Goodson Farms Strawberry Market.  It was Cuban's for lunch and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert, both were delicious and very filling. Next we headed over to the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach to visit the 'Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center'. What a great place, there must have been 100 Manatee's.  There were a couple of hiking trails, but we got there to late to be able to do the hikes, but we were on the platform for about an hour watching the Manatee's.  We headed home about 3:30, rescued the dogs then headed back to the Folk's about 6:00, with a bottle of wine in hand.  We were all still stuffed from lunch so we settled on snacks for dinner cheese, bologna and crackers.  We hung out until about 8:30 then headed home.  

The Tamps Electric's View Center and a photo of a few Manatees.

Wednesday 6 February, 2019

A quick breakfast, two loads of laundry done, then off to Avon Park to get parts to rehang the mud flap. We did our shopping for parts then stopped at Winn Dixie to get wine (it was still on sale with a stop at Publix for money. We were headed home when we decided to take 17, the scenic route, back to the CG. What a pretty ride. After we get home, Brad and I attached the parts he got to the mud flap then waited for Greg to come down to help hang it, another job done. I got the laundry all folded and put away then we headed to the Folks for a Taco salad for dinner, yum. We hung out until about 9:00 then headed home.

Thursday 7 February, 2019

Another load of laundry to hang out and off we go for lunch.  We stopped at the fruit stand for a pineapple then headed to the Farm to Fork restaurant.  Their Cuban sandwiches were delicious, made with real beef and , no lunch meat on this one.  We did a little walk around Frost Proof then took

Orange Country!!

Route 17 up to Lake Wales, we rode through orange country.   A stop at Kohl's for 2 tee shirts, then to Publix's to grocery shop for stuff for the next week.  We headed back home, put the food away then I went on a cleaning frenzy inside while Brad worked on cleaning up the out side.  We got finished with that then Brad cleaned up and we headed over to Jen and Greg's for out last meal of hot dogs, cole slaw and a goody bag that they sent along.  We had a nice visit then headed home about 8:00 so we could pack up some of the inside things and get ready for our move tomorrow.

Lakeland to Frostproof

Tuesday, Wednesday, 

    Well Kate and Tony have been really sick so we haven't been doing to much.  We went to Harry's seafood restaurant for lunch and that was good, Jambalaya for me and shrimp and scallops over a grit cake for Diane. And we took a nice long walk around Lake Mirror that included two different flower gardens. Wednesday we spent trying to plan our path after Frostproof.  After hours of mapping, planning and scheduling we called four campgrounds.... all full.  So we quit.  The weather has been unusually cool and cloudy and not much to do around here inside.  Friday we are heading down to Frostpoof for a week to visit with Jen and Greg. 

Some of the scenery from our 

walk.  It was a beautiful park.

Thursday January 31 2019

    As luck would have it we ran out of propane last night with temps in the 30's.  I had to switch tanks around 5:30 this morning.  A little warmer this morning so I made breakfast on the grill, but I did need my sweatshirt.  We cleaned up, did some laundry then headed over to Plant City for lunch and propane.  We found a lot of restaurants but no propane.  We ate at a little Italian place called  Esposito's and the food was good. (pizza).  We drove around for a hour never did find a place to get propane.  Back home about 2:30, an extra long walk for Rudy and then started to pack for tomorrow trip. We have over 50 miles to travel down to Frostpoof. 😄😄

We did find this guy running around.  "Grave Digger".