#39 D-Day & "D" is for Departure

Well here it comes. Tomorrow is April 1 & it is time to leave. I know it is April 1st but we are really leaving April Fool's Day not withstanding. We washed the the truck & trailer & have everything ready to hook up. We are really proud of our rig & love to have it looking good when we hit the road. It's nice when people come up to you & say that the trailer doesn't look 5 years old. The job is worth the effort but it is a job. 40' of trailer & a truck you need a ladder to wash the windshield.

A last minute trip to the grocery store, walk the dog around the park to say goodbye to our friends, & out to dinner because we are too tired to cook. After dinner one more load of laundry & then an early night. I hope we can sleep as excited as we are about leaving. Jessie & Jim are coming over for breakfast in the morning to say goodbye. They don't know it yet but we are going to put them to work helping us hook up. They are good kids & I know they won't mind helping the way family is supposed to.
It is 11pm & I would like to be on the road by 10am so this is our last good-night from our home in Largo FL because......

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#38 2 Days Blah, Blah, Blah......

My neck hurts, time is getting short, things are getting done, & I just want to GO! We saw the grand kids for the last time before we leave, got together with our oldest daughter & her husband,even got to see the ever elusive eldest son & made promises to get together when we get back. My younger daughter & her husband(these are the ones they gave us grand children) have moved from their apartment into a house. Now that they have a yard Mary has found another home for a lot of her plants that can't travel with us. It also allows her to visit(?) them when she comes back. I'm not a plant person so I don't get the "visit my plants" thing.

Our travels start soon( 2 days, 7 minutes, etc etc...) and we need to do some planning. Where we are going, how long we are staying, making the reservations. It can be fun to fly by the seat of your pants but it is also nice to know when & where you will stop for the night. If need be a Walmart parking lot will suffice for a night but we prefer the safety & convenience of a campground. We are good through the middle of June & will work on it later for the rest of the summer & fall.

Well I have some chores to take care of, dinner to be made, & tomorrow the procedure for my neck. I'm sure I will be good for nothing after that, so with Tuesday a waste it looks like Wednesday will be the only day for final preparations. I am sure it will all get done done. It always seems to. So off I go to busy myself in our last days this year at home in Largo FL because......

Home is where we park it,
Fran & Mary

#37 It's Getting Closer!

More cleaning & things are getting put away. I think we are going to make it. Mary's bike is back & runs great. We are ready to bike around the countryside. Mary has gone to her last Bingo this season & I got together with a couple of the guys & went to an Arena Football game. As much as we are looking forward to leaving we will also miss our friends here.

Tomorrow we are going to spend some time just relaxing, riding the bikes, & enjoying the weather. Then probably our last visit with the grand kids. We will really miss those little monsters. Sunday & Monday the final preparations, Tuesday my little procedure, Wednesday anything else that needs to be done, & Thursday we are on the road. Yahoo!!!!

Well, here's me signing off from our home in Largo for the next 4 days 23 hours & 44 minutes because ...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

# 36 Tick Tock Tick Tock...

7 days 1 hour 35 minutes AAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually we aren't doing so bad on the readiness front, but it is getting closer. The usual spring type cleaning but RV style. We also are getting together with the grand kids at least one more time before we leave. I think they miss us just as much as we miss them. We will also see our daughter & our new son-in-law and if at all possible maybe a friend or two, but family first! Foxy is starting to get antsy. She knows something is up what with all the activity & talk about a doggie bath. Mary's motorcycle has been in the shop & we need to get it back & put some miles on it before we load it up for the trip. Things are a bit hectic but they are getting done. The excitement mounts!

Mary got a cold & she decided that we should share, but the Dr jumped on it right away & we are doing better. My neck isn't cooperating with treatment so I am having a procedure done right before we leave. It's the same as I've had with my back over the years & it seemed to work there so keep your fingers crossed..... Mary has come to the conclusion that traveling with a garden is not practical in an RV so her plant collection is being whittled down. She will keep a few small plants & the rest will find good homes. I feel bad because I know how much she loves gardening, so my job will to be getting her a green thumb fix as often as possible. We will be traveling with quite a few of her plants to the east coast because her uncle has as much of a green thumb as Mary does. I guess that might be where she gets it from.

Well it is time for bed. We have any early morning, some shopping for the trip, an evening with the grand kids & I will be ready to go to bed again. I wish I had 1/10th of the energy the little ones do. The only consolation is that my daughter has them everyday & that is what we call
"Grandparent Payback". So for 7 days 1 hour 14 minutes more our home is in Largo because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#35 Comments

OK let's discuss comments. First thing is that I look forward to every one's comments. I like to know who I have reached & how. Now I hear that some of you aren't having any luck commenting on the blog. I am about as computer illiterate as they come so I tried to figure out from my comp-savy friends what could be the problem, I Googled it ,& trial-&-errored it. It seems that the best way to leave a comment is to click "__# comments" below the post you are commenting on. Then comment in the "Post Comment" box that appears at the bottom of the post. Next in the "Comment as" box click on "name/URL" or "anonymous". "name/URL" lets you put in your name & does not need a "URL". "anonymous" is just that & requires nothing more. Then click "post comment" & Voila you have commented. Try it out & let me or Mary know if this helps. If not I will do more research. Looking forward to your comments.

Back to the every day grind of life. We finished our taxes, fixed a tire, got the carpets cleaned, cleared out more unnecessary debris/weight, & got Foxy set up with a new harness & plenty of doggie treats for the road. I have a count-down clock that was given to me pre-retirement & have set it for our departure. I am looking at it now & it says:
12 days 9 Hrs 50 Min 5.4 sec
and counting. It is getting close & we have more to do so I will end this now. From our home in Vacation Village Largo(for now) because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

#34 And The Countdown Begins!

14 days, 2 weeks, half a month, OH MY GOD!!!!!!! Time is running out before we hit the road. The two of us(plus Foxy) are both excited & anxious. We are getting excited about continuing our adventures but also hope we can get everything done that we want before we go. Anyone who travels knows that there will always be "one more thing" ,but you still would like to be as ready as possible. Oh well, a little every day and we will be off!

Foxy is doing well after her surgery. We will keep a close eye on her but she is doing well for 14 years(98 dog years) and still is a good traveling companion. Mary's trigger thumb surgery went well & needs no further follow-ups. My back is doing better every day & I think I am at that point where I can say that is worth the pain of surgery. I still have a ways to go but I am confident I will progress well. On the other hand I am having issues at the other end of my spine. Apparently the arthritis in my lower spine is also in my upper spine & has decided to irritate a nerve in my neck & arm. It is being taken care of but I am still hitting the road on time! Load me up with anti-inflammatory, hot packs, and a wife who is willing to give neck rubs & I am good to go (she is reading over my shoulder & laughing "oh yeah?" but I know she loves & will take care of me).

We are putting off travel prep today so Mary can participate in the trailer park's St Pat's Day Parade with the Red Hat Ladies. Yes you heard me, the RED HAT LADIES! She is technically too young, but the club rules allow her to participate as a "junior" or "Red Hat in Training" and she gets to wear a pink hat instead. I am limiting my participation to "semi-official" parade photographer. Mary will have pictures on Facebook & I will try to put some in the blog. Oh well, back to work tomorrow. I am sure I will have more to blog about in the next few days.

We have gotten together with many of our friends this winter but have also missed meeting up with many more. What a wonderful problem to have...too many good friends! Next winter we will try to plan more efficiently & get together with everyone. HAHA, you know what they say about plans.

'Til next time from our short-time home in Largo FL because...
Home is where we park it,

Frank & Mary

#33 Spring? Break?

What is a more sure sign of spring than the Plant City Strawberry Festival? So off we go for Mary's annual short cake fix and a country music concert. As it has been lately, the temperature was a little on the cool side. Then the sun went down as we prepared for the concert. Back to the truck and pile on the layers. Into the concert, under the blanket, & try not to chatter our teeth so much while we sing along! I'm not saying it was cold, but you could see Billy Currrington's breath while he sang!!! This winter has been horrible. Next year I think we should go to Florida where it is warm in the winter!

Well, we are getting closer to being ready for our April departure. We have a severe case of "Hitch-Itch", which for you non-RVers means we want to hit the road. It seems funny that staying in one place for more than a month or so is too long. You grow up look forward to setting down roots & then one day you can't stay in one place for long. Our days are full, what with getting ready and taking care of last minute business before we go, the time is flying. I know we will be gone soon & the adventures will continue.

So I will keep writing from our home in Largo because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary