Lakeland Florida March - May 2014

After my cataract surgery in March, Kirk and I headed to Lakeland to start my new assignment at Palm Terrace.  Lakeland is halfway between Orlando and Tampa.  First of all though, on our trip from Beverly Hills, FL to Lakeland our truck hitch came partially loose from the motorhome while in tow.  Weird looking out your side view mirror and seeing your tow vehicle in the lane next to you hanging by a thread.   Blessed we are!   The next exit had a place that sold RV parts and just happened to have ONE of the thing we needed.  What are the chances.  Well we finally made it to Lakeland in one piece.  We stayed at the Lakeland Carefree RV resort.  We had a place on the lake, with a sign in our site that said something to the effect of "watch for alligators".  So, of course the dogs were never left unattended when outside.  Never did see an alligator while there.  Nice place, but don't plan on going there anytime soon. They have been repairing, remodelling, etc for the past year.  So, no hot tub, or restaurant.  And the pool is only open part of of the time.
I Started my job in Lakeland on March 10. My boss was an SLP also. Great gal!  Actually, everyone of my co workers at Palm Terrace were great.  I loved my assignment there and made some awesome friends.
Kirk and I found another Chuys tex mex restaurant in Orlando.   So, of course we had to drive there a few times to get our Chuys fix.  One of those times was on Cinco de Mayo.....that was so much fun.  Did I mention that Chuys has the best margaritas ever!!!
I feel like I'm all over the place here, but if you ever happen to be in Plant City, FL don't forget about the strawberries.  This place is known for their strawberries and has a festival every year to celebrate them.
On March 19th I had to return to Ocala to have my 2nd cataract surgery. It went quick and I was able to return to work the next day.  If I had it to do all over again, I would have found the money to have the multi focal implant lens.   Cheaters are a hassle.  Especially with all the close up work I have to do.  Dang insurance companies anyway ( they only pay for standard vision lens implants).
On a positive note, we had 2 Costcos very close to us in the Tampa and Orlando areas.
During our stay in Florida, we got news from home  ( March 20) that daughter in law, Nicki ( Bens wife) became very ill.  She ended up with a diagnosis of discitis and after leaving hospital, had to continue with medications given through a PICC line for the next 6 weeks.  Today, all is well.
Every 2nd Thursday of the month in downtown Lakeland there are food trucks.  This is a very fun event and should definitely be attended if you are in the area.  Don't forget about Harry's Cajun seafood and bar also in downtown Lakeland.
On 4/12 Kirk and I took the motorcycle and rode to Winter Garden.  We drove to the park where his grandparents wintered years ago.  Their old mobile home was still there and inhabited.  We also visited the farmers market while there and bought our summer hats, which we wore when we visited FT Desoto and Anna Marie Island on 4/26.  (Ben turned 31 on 4/26.).  Anna Marie Island is a fun place to visit.
On 5/3 our beagle, Lily came down with a crazy itching.  We took her to the vet, but nothing really helped.  One week later we were back to the vet as now she was having trouble walking, and would yelp when barely touched. The vet thought that maybe it was a disc in her neck and gave us lots of meds.  Nothing helped and on 5/13 after more vet visits, and now in excruciating pain, and still not walking, we had to have her put down.  Before taking her to the vet, Kirk fed her a rib eye and she was allowed as many treats as she wanted.  The vet now thought she had a spinal disease or tumor.   This was the hardest thing so far that Kirk and I have ever had to do.  The Polk county animal hospital was the best.  We had Lily cremated and they were able to give us her remains the next day as we were leaving to go north.  Lily was a friendly, faithful, and loving part of our family.
We returned to Homosassa, FL while in Lakeland to eat shrimp at the Freezer and even bought extra to bring back with us.
Mother's Day this year was on 5/11.  Kirk took me golfing, and grilled rib eyes, shrimp, and jalapeño poppers.  Totally awesome.  Think I'll keep him.  The kids sent me their famous selfie of all of them in one pic.
My last day at Palm Terrace was 5/15.  Gave all my co workers my homemade organic lip balm, and homemade cashew brittle.  I will miss them all ( Jill, Mike, Natalie, Allison, Brittany, Lantz, Sloan, Linda, Tianna, Brandy, Jay, Victor, Janice, and Pete ).
Kirk literally picked me up at the back door of Palm Terrace my last day of work and we headed north.

 Happy Mother's Day....from those crazy kids of mine :)

 Cinco De Mayo....just one more reason to go to Chuys in Orlando (like we need an excuse)

 Wearing our new sun hats on St Petersburg, FL beach

 Our little Lily....June 13, 2001 to May 13, 2014

 Our back yard in Lakeland, FL...dogs never left unattended!

Kirk's grandparents old winter home in Winter Garden, FL.  Can't believe it's still there.

Beverly Hills, Florida December 2013 to March 2013

So many things occurred during this assignment.  This is one neat area in Florida.  My job was in Hernando at Woodland Terrace Nursing Home.  I started the week of Christmas, 12/23.  We stayed at Sandy Oaks RV park in Beverly Hills, FL, just 15 minutes from my work.  I worked with some awesome therapists, nurses, and CNA's at this facility.  My go to gal was Lissette, the rehab aide.  She was absolutely wonderful.  I love her.  All that being said, I believe I was there about 7 weeks.  I was the one this time giving my 2 weeks notice.  Not because of the people, but because of the company, just not ethical.  Enough of that.  We really loved the area and did many, many things for the short time we were there.  We met a great couple, Frank and Sharon from Tennessee.  They stayed at our park till end of March.  So, where do I start:
On Christmas Day, Kirk and I drove to the bay in Crystal River, then over Kings Bay to see the manatees. We had to back to the park early as we had signed up to eat Christmas dinner with the park people in the Club house.  They provided the meat, potatoes and gravy, dressing, and drinks.  Everyone else had signed up to bring a dish to pass.  We enjoyed a great meal with our new friends, Frank and Sharon.  I have to also mention that this year, my side of the family decided we would do homemade Christmas gifts.  At the time, it sounded simple, and fun.  It was fun, but not so simple.  Since I had learned to crochet a million years ago, and had made probably 2 afghans at that time, and had not crocheted since,  I thought I could crochet.  Well, after many mistakes and unravelings, I did manage to get through it, and in the process, actually learned how to crochet.  Still learning.
On 12/28 Kirk traded in his little blue 250 scooter for a 600 Honda Shadow motorcycle.  We have had some fun rides on it so far.
On 12/31 we celebrated NYE at the park clubhouse with Frank and Sharon.  They are such  a fun couple.  I do hope we are able to keep in touch with them.
On 1/3/14 Got word from Ben and Nicki that they thought Isaac broke his arm (fighting to put his coat on).  Fortunately, it was not broken, but badly something, and I don't recall just what.
On 1/4/14  we drove to Homosassa with Frank and Sharon to eat at a restaurant on the bay and view Monkey Island.  Now this is an interesting story.  Long story short, the monkeys on the island used to be from a research lab. For some reason the lab was shut down, and now the monkeys reside on this fun little island.  No one except for the caretakers are allowed on the island.  I hear the monkeys can be mean if they want to, and could hurt you.    The next day, Kirk and I rode the motorcycle to Cedar Key, FL.  Very nice ride, even though we took the long way ( someone took a wrong turn) and almost ran out of gas.  We had a great lunch there and walked around.  Very small place.  You could see Asina Odie Island  which used to be the original Cedar Key Island.
The next week, 1/11  Kirk and I drove down to Tarpon Springs, FL to visit the sponge docks.  This is a neat area.  My brother Rudy and his wife, Bev had told us about this place a few years ago.  I'm so glad we went.  This is a Greek community, so lots of delicious greek food.  The docks are close to their places of business.  One of the Greek store owners was kind enough to explain the process of making sponges, and the difference between the many kinds of sponges.  Who knew!  I thought all sponges were alike, but not anymore.  Kirk and I bought a couple of sponges, one for washing the RV and vehicles, and one for the shower.  I also bought some organic shea butter which i used in my homemade lotion.   Per our Greek store owners recommendation we ate gyros at Platka's.  Were told these were the best in Tarpon Springs.   After leaving Tarpon, we drove on down to Clearwater and took a walk on the beach.  It was 80' in the middle of January.  NICE!.  Oh yeah, today was also our granddaughter, Isabella's  4th birthday.
The next weekend 1/18 we drove down to Tampa with Frank and Sharon to the big RV show.  Saw a lot of new ideas that we might use in the future, but were good and did not buy anything.  After returning home, Kirk and I drove to Crystal River and ate at Crackers.
Kirk and I celebrated his birthday on 1/23 by eating at Stompknockers restaurant in Beverly Hills.  Since it was his birthday, he got a complimentary piece of Key Lime Pie.  By the way, did I mention that Kirk turned the BIG 60!!!  I'm officially married to an old man.
We had been doing something every weekend, and the next weekend was no exception.  We went kayaking  with Frank and Sharon, her sister and brother in law, Carol and Jim, and Mike from the campground on the Weeki Wachee River.  This river is absolutely beautiful.   It is crystal clear, sand bottom, and you can see every marine creature there is.  We were able to kayak next to the manatees, so much fun.  When we returned home, we watch the Super Bowl Game outside.  Seattle and Denver.  Seattle won.
I saw something on my way home from work one day that kinda freaked me out.  I thought it was an haboob, only to find out it was seafog coming in from the gulf.  I had never seen or heard of this, and it was quite weird, yet interesting.
I will keep this short.  We found, and ate at a Chuy's in Gainsville, Florida.  We also found out, but did not attempt, about the Chuy's burrito challenge.  You eat 2 burrito's you get the third one free ( at a time of your choice).  I forbade Kirk to even think about it.  It would surely have made him sick, and I did not want to deal with that.
Homosassa has a Wildlife State Park.  This was very fun and interesting.  The only non-native floridian creature in the park was a hippo.  Lu, the hippo was a former animal actor whose owner wintered him and other exotic animals in Homosassa in the 1960's.  Lu was retired and the Park purchased him.  However, the park decided to feature only animals native to Florida.  The people protested, and soon after, Lu was given an certificate as a citizen of Florida, allowing him to remain at the Park.
On 2/22 we attended the Cracker fest with Frank and Sharon at Rainbow Springs Park.  Have also heard that Rainbow Springs is another great place to kayak.
Kirk and I drove to Homosassa on another evening to eat at The Freezer.  Now this is a hole in the wall (one of the reasons we wanted to go) and is on the bay.  Boats, canoes, whatever, pull up in the bay just to eat here.  We had the best steamed shrimp we have ever had, all 2 lbs of it.  We were also told to get the smoked mullett dip, and are so glad we did.  Highly recommend this place.
Frank and Sharon talked us into going for a bike ride on the trail to Hernando.  Ten miles round trip.  So we packed a lunch and took off.  The other 3 did great, as they are regular bicycle riders.  I got my butt kicked. But, I made it, and would probably do it again.  Saw some interesting things along the way.
My last day at work in Hernando was March 4th.
On March 5 I had my first cataract surgery (left eye) at Ocala Eye Center.  Dr Ahmed did a great job. I had never known what it was like to see without glasses.  This eye is now 20/15 for distance.  I did have to give up my close vision and need to wear readers, but it was a good sacrifice.
Kirk and I left that Friday (after my surgery) for my next assignment in Lakeland.

                                      

 Flamingos at Homosassa Wildlife State Park

 Lu, the hippo at Wildlife State Park

 Tandem kayaking in the Weeki Wachee River 

 Monkey Island in Homosassa 

Kirk, Reina, Sharon, and Frank 

 Bringing in the New Year at Sandy Oaks RV Park in Beverly Hills

 Kayaking with the manatees in the Weeki Wachee River

 Kirks new toy!

 Driving through Floral City, FL on way to Beverly Hills

 Our site at Sandy Oaks

 Found us one in Gainsville

 Two pounds of heaven at the Freezer.  An ice cold Corona went great with this.

Isaac and mommy....so glad it wasn't broke.

Lakepark RV resort December 2013

So we left Midland very early in the morning on 12/5/13 as we saw the weather on the radar was going to be ICE.  We needed to stay ahead of it.  We also had to be in Florida in 3 days so I could start my job on Monday.  We drove to the south side of Ft Worth, TX where we met Rudy and Bev for lunch.   We had a fun lunch at Applebee's, but had to keep it short as the ice storm was fast approaching.  At least we were still ahead of it.  It's one thing to be in an ice storm in an RV when it's parked, but you definitely don't want to be in one when it's moving down the road.  We got back on the road and didn't stop till we got to Ajax, LA.  We had managed to escape the ice storm.  We stayed at Country Livin RV park there.  The guy in the office told us about a quaint little BBQ joint across the street.  After settling in, we walked over there.  Great BBQ and soul food.  The owner/cook (very old man) sat in the eating area on a sofa watching TV.  We struck up a conversation with him, as we were the only ones in there.  An interesting old man who was very difficult to understand because of his thick, southern accent.  It was still fun listening to him.
The next morning we headed down the road again, and made it as far as Marianna, FL.  There, we stayed at Arrowhead RV park.  It was a passport America park (which means if you are a PA member, and you stay at one of their campgrounds, the fee is usually 1/2 off).  As we finished checking in, the manager asked that we not leave before 0800.  Asking someone who is trying to make time to stay till 0800 is like asking us to not leave until noon.  Not going to happen!  This was an interesting place.  The site was not big enough to accommodate us, so the manager had us pull up till we were partially in the road ahead of us.  He said no one ever uses that road anyway.  Of course they don't.  Later that night, the Class C next to us decided they needed to go on a beer run.  They apparently didn't have a car, so drove their RV, missing our RV by only inches.  Very scary!  Later, another truck decided to use the road no one ever uses to wriggle through our RV and the camper ahead of us.  The next morning, we hear someone outside leaving near our RV.  Kirk runs out there to find someone leaving BEFORE 0800, and they need to get by our RV.  We tell them we can be up and out of there in 15 minutes.  They decided not to wait and went through another site.  So, we decided not to wait either, and headed down the road.  I'm sure he had the RV police after us :).
On 12/7 we arrived at Lakepark RV resort in Ft Myers, FL.  Except for the sign, you can't see this place from the road.  As you drive in, at first glance you think you are in a trailer park, then as you get to where you are going, it's great!  Robby, the manager had custom built an RV site just to accommodate us.  This guy is great.  He will go out of his way to please you.  He even put in a small deck, and put our site overlooking the lake.  We absolutely loved it there.
I started my job at Coral Trace nursing home in Cape Coral, FL on 12/9.  As sometimes can go with the travel part of working, I got my two weeks notice my first day on the job.  They had hired a permanent SLP while we were busting our fannies to get there in 3 days.  Anyway, again, it was a blessing in disguise.  We hated to be leaving our RV park, but we were fortunate to find another one in Hernando, FL.  While at Lakepark, we enjoyed the neighbors, listened to a concert directly across the lake from our campsite  featuring The Band Perry, Joe Nichols, and many other country bands.   It was also getting close to Christmas while we were there.  Being our stay was going to be short, we decided not to put up decorations.  Well, with getting cut short at my job, and missing my kids (the time of year ya know), I was feeling pretty down.  I came home from work one afternoon to find Kirk had put up all the Christmas lights inside the RV to cheer me up....which it did.  I know he always wants everyone to think he is an old grouch, but he's a great guy and I love him.  Since we were only in Ft Myers for 2 weeks, we tried to get to some of our favorite places from last time we were there 3 years ago.  We headed to Bonita Beach, known for their sunsets, and ate pizza at Doc's on the beach.  While we were eating our pizza on the beach, we watched an Irish TV crew filming "50 Ways to Kill Your Mother".  It was about one of the producers taking his mother all over the world and having her participate in dare devil type activities.  This one on Bonita Beach was having her parasail and jet ski.  Very fun to talk to and watch them.  We also drove over to Seminole Campground where we stayed 3 years ago, and visited with some of the regulars there.  The hardest part about leaving, was telling Robby we had to go.  We promised we would stay with them again whenever we were in the area.

 Country Concert across lake from our RV Site

 Eating Pizza on the beach watching the sunset

 View of Lakepark Lake from inside our RV 

 50 Ways to Kill Your Mother.  She was an old lady too!

 Kirk knew how to cheer me up...Christmas lights!

Perfect end to a perfect day on Bonita Beach.

Midland Texas

Not sure if many of you have ever been to Midland, TX, or why you would want to, but this was my next assignment following our wonderful vacation.  Now, I have learned to look at places we have traveled as NOT bad, just different.  This place was definitely different.  We had a terrible time finding a place to stay.  Let me give you a little history.  Midland is the fastest growing city in the nation at this time.  The reason being because of the oil boom!  Everybody and their brother, mother, sister, father, uncle, aunt, cousin, friend, etc is there working.  Housing is limited, and even if you do find a house, apt, etc.  you will be paying 10X what it is worth, because they (the landlords, etc) know they can get it.  That being said, many people travel there in their campers, motorhomes, 5th wheels, trailers (with sometimes many people in one camper) just to work there.  We found a place in Stanton, TX (about 20 minutes East of Midland) called Permian Basin Golf and RV Resort.  Now I know I've warned you never go by the pictures you see on the campground websites.  Most are not ANYTHING like it is when you get there.  Well, this couldn't be more true of this place.  They boasted a 9 hole free golf if you stayed with them, restaurant, pool, etc.  I thought I was going to be sick when we arrived.  All the sites are caliche.  In other words, pretty much hard red dirt.  There used to be a golf course, years ago, but to be fair, the holes were still there, so I guess you could at least practice your golf swing.  The restaurant was now the owners home, so no food.  There was a place where a pool used to be, but was no longer in use.  AND, I love dogs, have 2 of my own, but they allowed their many dogs to run around the campground and do their business in whoever's site they wanted.  Dang, it sounds like I'm complaining, but really, I'm just giving you the facts.  I would have been embarrassed for any of my friends and/or family to visit us there.  After one week of hell, we went for a drive and came upon a small campground, call AMC RV campground near Gardendale, TX.  Now, because of the oil boom, many people with any amount of land have turned that land into a campground.  You will see makeshift campgrounds everywhere you go.  That's exactly what this guy did at AMC.  Nicest guy you ever met.  Clause was great.  He had just had a site open (God was looking out for us that day).  We moved there immediately and stayed for the rest of my assignment.  My job started October 25, 2013 at Midland Memorial Hospital.  This was one of the best places I have ever worked.  Absolutely wonderful people to work with.  A little bit of trivia, this was the hospital where baby Jessica was taken when they fetched her from the well in 1987 (anyone remember that?).  Anyway, this part of west Texas is very dry, dirty, windy, and you can see oil wells drilling 24/7.  There is also fracking going on 24/7.  I will add this though, and this is what helped keep me sane (besides my husband, and awesome co-workers) Midland has the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  The week before Thanksgiving we had a terrible ice storm.  Believe me when I say, these are not fun in a motorhome. My last day at Midland was 12/4/13.  I accepted a job in Ft Myers, FL. 

 This dirt you see is called Caliche at our beautiful Golf and RV resort (UGH)

 This pic doesn't do justice to the beautiful sunrise...notice the oil well in the background burning off the natural gases.  This is a common site.

                                     

Tree outside our RV during the ice storm

Anniversary Vacation October 2013

Kirk and I had been married 10 years as of May 25, 2013.  I was still working in Elroy at that time, and had a 7 week assignment in Oshkosh, WI following that.  So, we really weren't able to celebrate like we had wanted.  We decided that after my Oshkosh assignment was finished, we would take a 2-3 week break and take a Fall vacation in the NorthEast United States in the motorhome.  We left Oshkosh October 3rd and headed to the Upper Penninsula.  On the way there, we spent our first night in Rapid River, MI at the Vagabond Campground.  The Fall colors were beautiful on the drive there.  The Campground itself was very rustic, but nice.  The next day we arrived in St Ignace, where we stay at the Tiki RV campground.  After getting settled in, Kirk and I drove over to the Upper Peninsula Soo Locks in Saulte St Marie, MI.  We took the boat tour which took us through the locks and by the Canadian side of the Lake.  We really wanted to take a boat over to Mackinac Island, however, the day we were there it was raining and we were advised not to go.  The next day we took a drive going over the Mackinac suspension bridge and looking at the Fall colors.  It was raining most of the time we were there (2 days).  Before leaving St Ignace, we did get Murdock fudge, and Bessie's pasties (had never had a pastie before).  They were both great.
On 10/5 we headed out to Niagra Falls, Canada.  We stayed at an Encore park over night in St Clair, MI, and arrived in Niagra Falls, Canada on 10/6.  We stayed at Jelly Stone Campground.  We got settled in fairly quickly as it was supposed to be the only beautiful day while we were there (rain forecasted for the rest of the days we would be there) and we headed off to the Falls.  OMG...pictures do not do it justice.  Kirk and I walked around and then decided to take the boat tour to the Falls.  This is a must. When you go to Niagra Falls, you HAVE to do the boat ride.  The boat gets as close as it can, almost to the point of feeling like you are going to get sucked in by the Falls.  It's a breathtaking experience.   I think Kirk's favorite part of the Falls is when we were walking around and two young Slovakian ladies (if you've ever seen a young, beautiful Slovakian lady, you'll know what I'm talking about) had us take their picture, and in return took a picture of us by the Falls.   While at the Falls, we had drinks at the Edgewater, and dined at the  Copacabana....our first Brazillian cuisine experience.  After dinner, we took a walk by the Falls at night.  Another once in a lifetime experience.
We then took off towards New York.  Our first stop on the way was at the Oxbow Campsite in East Branch, NY located at the foot of the Catskills.  We ate dinner that evening at a quaint little place in Horton, NY called the Riverside Cafe.   The next day we arrived in Florida, NY at the Blackbeard Campground where we would be staying for 2 days.  The campground offered day tours into New York City.  They covered just about everything that we wanted to see, so we went that route.  Here is a list of what we saw:  Near Ground Zero, Times Square, Ferry Boat tour to Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Cathedral,  Tear Drop in Bayonne, NJ (donated by Russia), Statue of Liberty, Central Park, John Lennon's apt building.  We were not able to depart the boat to tour Ellis Island as the Government shutdown was still in progress.
After leaving NY, we headed toward Maine.  We stayed at Wassamski Spring Campground in Scarborough, ME for 2 days (10/10 - 10/12).  Kirk could hardly wait to eat Lobster.  The office at the campground recommended The Ocean Garden restaurant in Gorham ME (very near where we were staying).  Kirk had his first lobster or should I say 3 lobsters for $20.  I don't like working for my food, so I had a prepared lobster dish.  During our stay there, on 10/11 we took a drive on 1A to Kennebunkport where we saw George Bush Sr's house, and experienced our first Lobster roll.  The best food we had though, was at The Fisherman's Grill (hole in the wall) where we shared seared scallops and a jumbo roll.   We had drinks and appetizers in Portland at Demilla's floating restaurant.  Thanks Bev for the pumpkin beer recommendation.
On 10/12 we drove to the Penobscot Observatory, and Fort Knox in Prescot, ME.  I can't begin to express how beautiful the Fall colors have been this entire trip.
On 10/13 we drove to our next stop, the Holden Family Campground in Holden, ME.  While there, we took a drive to Bar Harbor.  We wanted to go to the Acadia National Park, but once again, we were still looking at the government shutdown.  Had yummy lobster mac and cheese in Bar Harbor.
10/14 we are on the road to DC.  We stopped in Clarksboro, NJ where we stayed overnight at the Timberlane Campground.  The next day we drove to Stafford, VA where we stayed at the Aqia Pines Campground.  This is where we stayed while we toured Washington, DC or what we could with the GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN!!. We took the Metro in Washington.   Anyway, we did have a great time, and totally wore ourselves out.  Kirk even distracted the guard, while I snuck up the steps to see the Lincoln Memorial.  We also saw the: Vietnam War Memorial Wall, Korean, and WWII memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the Capital Building, Washington Monument, The White House, and many, many more sights.  As tired as we were, when we returned to our RV, we freshened up, fed the dogs, and let them outside for a bit, and drove to Fredricksburg, VA to visit Chuck and Kara Luman, and Charlie and Jonathan.  We met Chuck and Kara when we lived in San Antonio.  They belonged to the same church, Journey Fellowship (a Max Lucado church) as we did, and we all attended the same community group.  They are an awesome family.  When we were there, Kara was pregnant with Katherine and due in January.  She has since given birth (just goes to show you how far behind I am in catching up this blog).
We drove to Roanoke Rapids, NC on 10/17 and stayed at Caroline Crossing RV resort.  It was a nice park, but they didn't do Passport America as they had stated online.  We had pretty good Mexican food at San Jose restaurant.  We got up the next morning and headed to Georgia or Alabama.  We ended up at the Harderville SC RV resort.  During this past week, Kirk had been battling a sore throat/cough and it just wasn't getting any better.  But, he wasn't ready to go to a Dr yet (men!!!).  We did end up going to a CVS pharmacy in Savannah, GA to see the walk in nurse practitioner.  That was a waste ( it wasn't until we got to Midland, TX, that Kirk got any real medicine for his upper respiratory infection.  They never did tell him what he had, as they couldn't tell by the CX=ray).   We ate BBQ at the Pink Pig, just down the road from our park.  This place ( a hole in the wall) had been featured on the food channel, and Southern Living magazine for their BBQ.  I also had Brunswick stew for the first time.  We took a 4 mile nature preserve drive in Savannah, GA, not far from where we were staying, and saw one gator.  It was a pretty drive though.
We had been told that we really should take a drive to Tybee Island, which we did.  We took a walk on the beach and then ate at Sting Rays, where we had a waitress with an attitude...really?  The next day, 10/20, we drove over to Hilton Head and golfed at the Hilton Head Lakes in Harderville.  Afterwards, we ate at the Crazy Crab, and from our table, saw dolphin in the grassy bay.
On 10/21 we were on the road again, heading West.  We stayed at the Pelican Palms RV park in Milton, FL for the night.  The next day, we were up and heading West again.  During this time, we were hoping to have heard from my recruiter about a job assignment, as we wanted to be in Florida for the Winter.  Just nothing was coming up, and it wasn't looking good.  By now, I was getting ready to be back to work.  So, with nothing in FL, we decided to head to TX.  Our next stop was at the Palm Coast RV in Beaumont, TX.  It was a very nice place, but very noisy from the highway traffic. Fortunately, it was just for the night.  My next assignment was going to be in Midland, TX.  Definitely not somewhere we wanted to go, but God must have wanted us to be there ( as we find things usually work out for a reason).  So, off we went.  On 10/23 we stopped in San Antonio, TX, to visit our old neighbors.  We stayed at Stoney Creek in Schertz just off I35.  We had a great visit with Dave, Karin, Ava, and Dylan.  Ate at Chuys with them.  Also visited with Bill and Jan.  Kirk saw the Thews, and Keith and Melissa and kids.  We also talked with Pedro.
On 10/24 we left SA and headed to Midland.    This was the end of one of our most wonderful adventures up to this point as husband and wife.   Happy 10th Anniversary Kirk!!!    Now back to work!

 On the boat going through Soo Locks in Sault St Marie, MI

 More of the Soo Locks

 Entering Canada in the Motorhome

 The Slovakian Girls took this one at Niagra Falls (reason for Kirk's big smile)

 More of the Falls from the Canadian Side

 Boat tour to the Falls.  We got kinda wet!

 Beautiful view of the Falls from the boat.

 Felt like we were in the Perfect Storm when we got this close.

 Our first experience at a Brazilian restaurant.

 George Bush Sr's house in Kennebunkport, ME.  They don't let you get too close.

Kirk is no longer a lobster virgin.  Can you tell he really enjoyed it!!!

 Yummy Pumpkin beer in Portland, ME

 Penobscot Narrows Observatory.

 Having lobster mac and cheese in Bar Harbor, ME

 Sand Bar at Bar Harbor.  Better leave before high tide comes in.

 Oxbow Campsite (literally in someone's yard) in East Branch, NY at the foot of the Catskills.  Gorgeous area!!

The Pink Pig BBQ in Hardeeville, SC.  Featured on the food channel.

Golfing at one of the Hilton Head courses makes you a better golfer :)

 View from the top of Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect, ME.  Beautiful fall colors.

 4th line from the top

 Vietnam War Memorial

 Kirk took this panoramic pic of the Capitol Building

 What we ran into most of our trip.

 Kirk's dad, George was a WWII veteran

 Saw this couple taking this WWII veteran through the Memorial.  Very humbling!

 My dad, Rudy was also a WWII veteran

WWII War Memorial

 Another view of the Vietnam War Memorial

 The White House

 Crazy, busy, wonderful New York City

 They don't tell you a tip is required until AFTER you take the pic.  It was worth it though.

 If you look close, you can still see the black char on the entire building from 9/11

 Piece of the Twin Tower made into an art display.

 The Tear Drop Monument donated by Russia in memory of the Bayonne, NJ victims from terrorists attacks in 1998 and 9/11

 Thinking about all those at Sandy Hook, as we pass by.

This pic does not do the colors justice.  On our drive back to Holden, ME from our day trip to Penobscot.

 The Washington Monument

 Korean War Memorial

 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  

 What happens when you leave the dogs at home all day while you are sightseeing!

 One of the Cathedrals where survivors were taken, and also where those helping were able to rest during 9/11.

 The Freedom Tower, built in place of the Twin Towers.

 Alongside one of the buildings in New York City.

 Ground Zero

 The Station near Ellis Island where Immigrants awaited passage into the United States

 Statue of Liberty.  Never got tired of seeing this.

Fort Knox near Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect, ME