Wednesday, February 27, 2013

'13/#5 Settling In

We are now in the Ocala National Forest. Our jobs are easy enough and only require 20 hours a week. We get paid for all hours and get our site with electricity included. On top of that there are extra hours if we want to earn a little more money. Add that we get to live in a beautiful part of Florida and we think we've got a pretty sweet deal.

It has been almost a week since we arrived. Most days we have been working and getting a feel for the place. We are also trying to find all the places we will need while we are here. Remember we are in the middle of the forest so the nearest intersection is 10 miles away and the closest "downtown", and I use the term loosely, is another 5 miles down the road. If we want real grocery stores or a shopping center add another 5-10 miles. The closest mall is at least 30 miles away.

Again that is the price of living in paradise. Soon I will get some pictures of paradise and put them in the blog. For now we are getting in the swing of things. So I will sign off from our new home here in the Ocala National Forest because .....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

Friday, February 15, 2013

'13/#4 There Goes The Jello

We have been in Tampa for 2 weeks and it looks like we will be moving on once more. No real problems just time to move on. Our time here has been pleasant and we will look back on it fondly. We will also consider Bay Bayou as a home in the future.

Last year we applied for a position in the Ocala National Forrest. It has been quite a while since then and thought we were not going to hear from them. Then the other day a call came asking if we were still interested. Of course we were and said so. It seems that our application fell through the proverbial crack in the system and just came to their attention. This job pays much better and offers more opportunity for future travel around the country. Things appear to still be going our way. Yes Mary has been working here at Bay Bayou, but with limited hours and no work available to me in the foreseeable future this is an opportunity we just couldn't pass up.

We will be a couple of hours away from the kids and grand kids but it is still in Florida and close enough to be able to see them fairly regularly. We will also be some place where we can take the grand kids to see what Florida used to look like. The Ocala National Forrest has so much to offer. The rivers and springs, the wildlife, and the flora can be breathtaking. There are also canoeing opportunities right here where we will be working which should be fun if not entertaining if I remember our adventures with our children when they were that age.

Hopefully my new hitch will be here today and we will be ready to move as soon as all the paperwork is completed. National Forrest also means government, which means paperwork. It can't be avoided. With any luck we will be in our new home by this time next week. Our official title will be campground host which means anything from showing people their sites to cleaning the bath house. We will also have the opportunity to work in the gift shop and entrance gate to earn some extra money. We also get a site right here in the middle of this tropical paradise. Who could ask for more?

Well I have some things to do to get ready for our next move so I will sign off for now from our home here in Tampa Fl because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary