Just Rambling for Now

Ended the last 10 days at Ft Myers cleaning and waxing Wanda, making her all beautiful for the trip home.

If you are into that sort of thing, we discovered this product Last Coat which is a ceramic type wax (thanks Kit for the suggestion). Went on pretty easily and we only used about a 1/4 of the bottle for the whole RV.

Of course, I am not crazy about Ty climbing around up on the roof.

Interesting Finds

Had this Holartic Tree Frog visit us while camping and this little guy looks innocent enough but at night he has such a large croak that we needed earplugs!

Then can anyone explain how the footprints in the sand got raised? This was so weird I just had to take a picture of it.

As we travel around every once in awhile that we see some pretty wild and crazy RV’s like this one made out of a plane fuselage.

Manatee Springs State Park

Normally not a fan of state parks since they are so hard to get into, but the senior discount is ½ price, we decided to try. Of course, trying to get a reservation using the online system was futile, made a call and found they have 1^st come 1^st serve and we decided to chance it. Score! Site 29, a pull through that was huge. And even better was Manatee Springs being a hidden gem of a park. It is quite a bit north of Tampa on the gulf side on the Suwannee River. The water is cool which is a haven for Manatees. Early on morning we we lucky enough to see momma manatee with her cub baby. No swimming in the springs as an alligator has taken up residency. And the deer that bounded thru the campground during the day made us chuckle. If you are ever in this area of Florida or any of the many springs in Florida, make this a stop.

St George Island – Barrier Reef in Florida

Another score! This time it was a first come first serve, however, we did have to move on the 3^rd day because site was taken. Camped right on the Gulf, beautiful white sugar sand. Good hiking trails for Ty. Went into the town of Apalachicola many because I like saying it (Apa-lat-cha-cola) and because this place is supposed to have the best oysters around. They do – not being a big fan of raw oysters but like ‘em fried!

All about “me” in Apalachicola – cute little touristy town actually had its beginnings in the sponge trade. Being on the Gulf, this was a hub for the trade. Sponges were overharvested and therefore killing off the immense availability and use. Town turned to oysters, but along the coast they are a “dime a dozen” (I think meaning a lot!). Now, it is coffee and tee shirt shops, occasional clothing store, restaurants and one brewery. Parking is plenty, but as you can see by pic that some only think of themselves and park where ever they please.

Destin Florida

Powdered sugar sand beaches, plenty of golf if you want and best of all Cindy and John McCue! We spent 4 days over the Easter weekend and it was lovely. John and Cindy so graciously give their time to Habitat for Humanity, building houses. On Saturday, Ty helped them put down a floor in this huge tent in which a fun raising event was going to take place the following weekend. I was not surprised at the number of volunteers that showed up to get this tent ready to host this very large event of wine tasting, dancing, auctions and giving of money. Cindy was saying that this event grosses well over $100,000 of which is divided out to the many local 501c’s of Destin. In addition, all of the plywood, and wood braces, and carpeting are given to Habitat, which can fit into 5-7 houses. That shows you just how large this tent is. I on the other hand, did not lay down plywood, rather, I passed out water and other refreshments to the volunteers to keep them hydrated as it was a pretty hot day.

Final Goblet ceremony of the Doolittle Raiders

Went to Okaloosa Island to watch a massive fly-over to honor the famed Doolittle Raiders of World War II and to recognize the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. But it is mostly to uphold the Doolittle tradition which is:  the Raiders all had silver goblets (which are kept at Eglin AFB in a display case) with their names engraved on them, and they would gather when one of them passed, to drink cognac and turn over that person goblet. Col Richard Cole was the last remaining Raider who passed in 2019 but because of Covid the ceremony was postponed to April 18, 2022. We were fortunate to be in town and to watch the fly-over which was awesome.

About the Doolittle Raiders

….named for then-Army Air Corps Lt. Col. James Doolittle, who led the mission, are credited with boosting the morale of U.S military and the American public with an April 18, 1942, bombing raid on Japan.

The crews flew 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers off the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet in the Pacific Ocean more than 800 miles to Japan, where they struck military and industrial targets before they either ditched their aircraft or bailed out before their planes crashed. Two of the 80 airmen drowned when their bombers ditched, and a third died while parachuting from his bomber. 

Just one of the bombers landed safely, in Russia — the Soviet Union was a U.S. ally at the time — and the crew eventually left the country under the guise of an escape.

Eight of the Doolittle Raiders were captured by the Japanese. Three were executed, one died of starvation and disease while in captivity, and four were subjected to more than three years of solitary confinement and brutality. 

The raid came just four months after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that devastated the U.S. Navy and pulled the United States into World War II. With the raid, the Doolittle Raiders proved that U.S. forces could strike Japan by air, something that Japanese leaders had said would not happen.

A Slow Pace through Spring

From Destin we wander along the back roads of Arkansas and Missouri, staying at Cracker Barrel and Cabela’s. For those of you unaware, these places are like staying at Walmart only a little nicer, less busy, and for the most part safer. It is still “sleeping in a parking lot” make no mistake about that. When we left Florida, spring was well underway and we kinda missed it since it seemed like winter was summer for most of the winter (did I just do a double negative?) and it is mostly pine and palm trees so we didn’t appreciate spring much. But the ride thru Ark and MO we witnessed the redbuds bursting, the chartreuse green of the buds especially contrasting against the pines. The cherry, apple and pear blossoms, it was truly a gorgeous ride in the country side, rolling hills passing through the many small towns. Very enjoyable.

…the state capital, and a very grand building indeed that cost $200,000 to build and $2M to restore. We also went to the Legacy Museum and Peace and Justice Memorial Center, the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence. These are very sobering remembrance about the US’ dealing with slavery and racism. We haven’t evolved much as evidenced by all of the brutality that goes on today. Both of these museums are sponsored by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) which is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

Settled In

Wanda is stored, and we are at Amy’s till May 8th then we begin a series of house and dog sitting while we recuperate.

Shoulder Replacement Surgery for Ty went as planned (reason for going to CO) and doc said he really needed it. The ball and socket were full of arthritis and was so misshapen that it could not be fixed, rather had to replace. Good news was the tendons supporting the shoulder were intact and not too frayed so a simple “tie up”; he should recover well albeit it is a 12-week healing process.

Life is a Great Adventure, how you choose to take the journey depends on you!