A Mobile Odyssey

The end of May and start of June we are still in Florida and our Air Conditioning bills are piling up!

The original plan was to have the sailboat finished and out of the storage yard by the end of December 2020, however the delays and problems as well as some necessary medical procedures have held up the process.

On the 3rd of June I went for Cataract Surgery and we not only stayed for 5 days to get everything checked out but agreed to “house sit” so Doug and Prudence can attend their grand-daughter’s wedding.   

So now after 3 days I still have slightly blurred vision but things are brighter. I can’t lift anything over 5 pounds or bend over yet so the engine in the boat will have to wait.

The sailboat was put on the market however there is not much demand for “Engineless boats.” So it looks like next season we will return with a different plan.

Two things will happen, either the oil cooler is discovered to be the culprit, or I will rebuild the engine completely and then take the boat to a less expensive mooring!

June 9, I had the appointment with the Retinologist and got an all clear mostly. I got fitted for new glasses as all has changed. So now I have about 5 pair and some swim goggles that are now useless!

We planned to leave on or about the 15th But on the way home from ordering my glasses and dinner, the motor home fresh water pump stopped working.

Local shop price for a replacement was $185 online from freshwater systems was $65 so we wait a few days to get the pump. 

The Motor Home was prepared to leave Florida and my new shorter kayak as well as Dawn’s is going to be carried on the rack we prepared last year.

This is the longest that we have sat in one place and in the last 6 months it literally has been a comedy of errors.

The COVID Excuse for everything has worn quite thin, our losses have been over $5500 and there is no way we can make up the loss!

Our good friends and sailing buddy Steve and Sue Rosen took us out to a last dinner in Englewood. Besides a great time we got a chance to discuss their recent Class C Motor Home purchase and future sailboat plans.

We also had a last hurrah with Doug and Prudy at Cracker Barrel as they had a gift certificate. They love the Trout and we got the Southern Fried Chicken to save half for on the road later. Dawn is also cooking a last dinner for them as well.

The boat preparations before we leave again will get it ready for our return. However next October it will be a big problem to find a place to stay as we expect at least a month of work. 

So once again we push off for cooler regions but because we are so late in leaving it will be some time before it cools off!

Leaving Port Charlotte we made a last trip to Hungry Howie’s Pizza and Salad Bar and we have tentative plans to visit some friends on the way out.

Whether sailing or traveling in the motor home we love being back to “Tentative,” again!

There were only two overnight stops in Florida.

The Ice Cream Vending machine became our favorite.

We did not really need the Ice Cream but it was so fun to watch we bought twice and videoed the last one before leaving Madison County Rest Stop.  

One old friend is Felix’s Fish Camp Restaurant in Alabama. Our Waitress even remembered our lunch stop back in November! The Parking lot was flooded and we had torrential rain on and off all the way there. The food is still great!

Our overnight stop was the Grand Bay Alabama Welcome Center’. Interestingly there is a “No Overnight Parking” sign at the entrance to the truck parking. This sign was here last November as well however this time it was totally packed with Big Rig Trucks.  

Jeff let us park at his laundry at the beginning of the PLANdemic and we wanted to revisit on the way. They have been so busy with all the casinos opening that they have parked their Motor Coach at the laundry. Like so many businesses they have not been able to keep employees.

The visit to my friend Wynne included a marvelous dinner and a trip to COSTCO® in New Orleans. It was great to catch up on all the things in between our visit. We spent the night across the street at the Recreation Center which is also a “Park and Ride” lot.

Sadly time and weather prevented any exploring at this time.

On the way out of Mississippi we stopped at Shady Acres Village for lunch. We had their Smoked Chicken Basket and there was enough for another dinner later.

Then we stopped at Mound Rest Stop for the night. It is in Delta Louisiana and also has a RV Dump Station. 

Many of our friends own various businesses that we have visited during our travels.

Most are restaurant owners as we try to find smaller home grown types of places, like the “Yard Bird” near the Texas Welcome Center. The owner struggled through the “Plandemic” and managed to keep open. They do Louisiana Cajun style and no Deep Fat Fried foods!

Our last visit for June was to visit Linda Crone and then spent the night in Old McKinney for a celebration at the Celt Irish Pub. They had Irish folk music and better than Happy Hour, Half Price Fish an’ Chips.

Monday morning we headed North