Clearwater, Florida, October 20 - November 19, 2014

It was an easy 200 mile drive from St. Augustine to Clearwater.  It really felt good to be headed West!  There's construction everywhere in this state (in all states really.  I think this is how they are keeping the unemployment numbers dropping, just sayin').  The RV park is in a perfect location.  We are smack dab between Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg.  The park is quiet with good shade.  The pool is nice and warm, the rec hall has ping pong, darts and crafts.  There are two laundry rooms on site that are pretty reasonable, as laundry prices go.  I do miss my washer and dryer, but there is something to be said for only doing laundry once a week, and getting it all done in 90 minutes or so.

Our neighbors, Gary and Cheryl, are from New Jersey.  This is their fourth year in this park.  The neighbors on the other side are a young couple that live here in a 5th wheel full time.  They are both nurses and work afternoons and/or midnights.  I think they sleep all day.  Their cars are parked out in front during the day, but we hardly ever see them.

We were only here a few days before we boarded a plane to Arizona for Dominic's baptism in Page, on  October 25.  We were able to pick the kids up from school on Friday afternoon, take them back to the hotel for an afternoon dip in the pool and then off to Dominic's first football practice.  So fun!  We attended the town festival that night, and the kids had a ball going on all the rides.  They have no fear!  After dinner out at their favorite establishment, we headed back for a pajama party, movies and popcorn in bed.  A good time was had by all!

The baptism was special with all of Dominic's grandparents participating.  There was a wonderful luncheon catered by Cheyito with delicious Mexican food and drink.  We got to hang out with the kids again Saturday afternoon and had dinner with them in their home on Saturday.  They were so excited for us to see where they lived.  John and Brenda drove down from Utah on Sunday, and we hung out with them and all of the kids at a park in town.  It was hard to say good bye for all of us.

The kids were back in school on Monday, so we checked out of the hotel and headed down to Sedona.  What a beautiful town.  It was our first visit, but it won't be our last.

It's always fun to get away, but there is something to be said about coming "home."  My friend Carolyn thought it was funny that I consider our RV "home" but it it is home to us now.  We'll be here for three weeks before we fly back to California to meet our new grandson and to spend the holidays with the kids.  

 That will give us time to explore this area, hang out with our friends and have some awesome studio days to work on art.  Speaking of art, we found an awesome salvage store in Tarpon Springs.  The husband is a full-time picker.  They said there are not a lot of old buildings here, so most of their inventory is imported from the Northeast or Central America.  We bought some really cool stuff and can't wait to get busy!

We hung out in the park one day working on Christmas cards, canvases and repurposing some of our fun finds.  The most awesome bird hung out at our place all day.  I'm not sure what kind of bird it was, but it was fun to have this feathered guest.

One of the reasons we chose this area of Florida is to spend time with our dear friends Frank and Donna.  We have known them since before kids.  Frank had open heart surgery the day before we left for Arizona, and he was home and recovering by the time we got back.  There is something to be said about old friends.   The history you share forms a bond that cannot be broken.  We can sit and talk for hours (and we do) and it is like no time has passed at all.  It has been so fun sharing meals with them and getting to know their youngest daughter Courtney.  

We left Tampa airport early on November 19th to start our holidays.  We flew into Las Vegas and picked up a rental car and drove to Los Osos.  I had no idea how far Bakersfield was off the 15, and what a lot of nothing to see.  I think the ride seemed even longer because our new grandson was waiting at the finish line!!   

We are going to chill here for a couple weeks, help out where we can, and get as much baby time as possible.  There are some great walking trails around here, and Calvin loves to go for a walk.

St. Augustine, October 13 - 20, 2014

It was an easy ride down the 95 from Hilton Head to St. Augustine.  We pulled into Ocean Grove RV Park about 3 o'clock and were totally set up by four. We took a bike ride around the park.  There is a beautiful pool and spa, laundry room, park store and fishing dock on the grounds.  The Inter Coastal Waterway is behind us and the Atlantic Ocean is right in front of us.  This location is ideal.  4 wheel vehicles are allowed on the beach, and when they say beach parking, they really mean beach parking.  The sand is perfect for cruising on our bikes.  It seems a little strange to be on the beach and not see the sunset, but it is completely visible from the waterway.  I am threatening to wake up early and be on the beach for  sunrise.

Like I said, you can drive and park on the sand 

in St. Augustine   Lots of folks take advantage of it.  The beach is so wide, and the sand so hard packed that it makes perfect sense.  You can only drive one way, so it is very organized and even has handicapped parking at every street entrance.


Whenever we get to a new area, we like to get the lay of the land before we decide what we want to see and do in the area.  On Tuesday we drove into St. Augustine to check out the city.  There is a beautiful waterfront district, historic downtown area, Fort Castillo De San Marcos, which is a National Park, several beautiful churches, incredible hotels, and the Flagler College campus.    We have decided to take the 3 day Old Town Trolley Tour starting on Wednesday to really see what this Oldest City in the nation is all about.

The Farmers Market/Art and Craft Sale on Wednesday morning was amazing.  We got a shark tooth necklace for Dominic, handmade by Shark tooth Steve, and saw some incredible photo cards that were quite inspirational as well as some mosaics that I would love to try to make.

The fresh shrimp were delicious, fresh and cheap.

The Trolley Tour is a great way to see the city.  There are 23 stops you can make.  Some of the highlights are Old Town, which includes The Old Town Jail

Pretty fancy on the outside, but pretty stark on the inside..

The Oldest Store Museum Experience takes you back in time.  The shop keepers were in full gear and had snake oil to sell (and then some):

i

The old fort was fun to tour, and we were able to see a reenactment of the cannon firing and musket loading.

The Fountain of Youth was another fun part of the Old Trolley Tour.  The water from the fountain (well) is the same well (dug deeper) that Ponce de Leon drank from.  It's very sulphuric...not good enough to buy it by the bottle.

We celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary with dinner at an authentic fish camp on the bay. 

On our last day in St. Augustine we rode our bikes as far as we could on the sand.  It was incredibly windy, a hard ride, but oh so much fun!

 It was a perfect ending to our stay in St. Augustine.  Now it's on to Clearwater to visit with our dear friends Frank and Donna and have some good beach time on the Gulf of Mexico.  Stay tuned for more living!