Transition Time - 3/18 to 4/15

Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant in Magic Kingdom

Our time in Kissimmee as “snowbirds” came to and end in a rather busy flurry of activity. Since the spring break season was in full gear, Byron worked six days per week in Tomorrowland Terrace, a restaurant that is open seasonally. His last day was April 9. During this period he also substituted in an adult class at the First United Methodist Church where we’ve been attending regularly. Martha continued to enjoy card games and pool time with others in the park in addition to staying as busy as possible with her online medical transcription work; right up to the end.

What? The end? Yes. On April 10 Martha received an email stating that her contract was being terminated. The company had lost a major account and was releasing 20 contractors and/or employees due to the loss. She was among the unfortunate ones. That message, by the way, came when we were driving back to the resort after having our anniversary lunch.

After some brief discussion, we began the search for other opportunities knowing that the loss of income would negatively impact our situation. We both felt it was time she pull away from the demising opportunities as a medical transcriptionist (being replaced by new technologies in healthcare documentation) and take advantage of the opportunity to begin a new phase of our lives as work campers (called “workamping” by some people).

After looking for some open positions with Working Couples and Workamper News, we applied for positions at two campgrounds in Wisconsin. Within 24 hours we had heard from one, a KOA in Wisconsin Dells, and had communication from the other. We selected the KOA campground feeling that it would be a good fit for us and the employers.

Some of you may be asking: What is work camping all about? Well, not to bore you with the details, here are the basics. In some situations, couples may work about 15 hours each per week in exchange for a campsite at a state park and at some commercial campgrounds. In others, the couple works 40 hours each, with pay, and receive a reduced rate for the campsite. There are work camping organizations, as mentioned above that serve as clearing houses for positions. Couples post resumés and organizations post opening. The National Park Service hires retired personnel for a variety of positions at peak seasons. So does the Army Corps of Engineers as well as state park systems and, of course, KOA. In addition, Amazon has what they call Camperforce though they require 10 hours-per-day for five-days-per week. We have heard that many couples start but don’t complete a season so they don’t receive a bonus at the end of the work period (such as the Christmas shipping season). Duties vary from job to job and may include janitorial work, general maintenance and repair, camper registration and store operations, directing campers to their sites, delivering firewood, lawn maintenance, swimming pool maintenance, etc. In the case of Amazon package order assembly, packaging and shipping are involved. Pay goes from pure volunteer work to around $12 per hour. So, as you can see, it’s mainly for those who are fully or semi-retired with other sources of income. For standard camp hosting the season, of course, is generally from Memorial Day to Labor Day but can be up to six months in some locations. Amazon usually wants a 10-week commitment.

KOA Work Kamping gives us the opportunity to continue supplementing my retirement income while giving Martha an opportunity to continue working toward retirement. We’ll both be interacting with people which is one of the things we enjoy. At the same time, we’ll get to travel between locations and still get through our home base of Louisville where Jeremy and Candice live.

Now, for the rest of the story…

We enjoyed an anniversary lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World. Cast members receive a 40% discount so we took advantage of the opportunity to make a reservation, have some great food, and enjoy more of what Disney has to offer. In case you’re not aware, we married eleven years ago after meeting on eHarmony and celebrating each anniversary is a true blessing for many reasons.

Our eleventh anniversary celebration was lunch at a Disney resort lodge.

Since it was out anniversary, a cast member presented us with

a celebration button. Martha had a salad with shrimp while

Byron had the all-you-can eat meal of BBQ (ribs, chicken,

sausage link, and pulled pork).

The entrance to Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Lodge at Fort Wilderness Campground and Resort. The interior of the rustic-looking lodge is very similar to the lodge at Old Faithful in Yellowstone.

By the way, if you’ve never been to Walt Disney World (of even if you have), you may not be aware that only one-third of the property has been fully developed (resorts, parks, parking lots, golf courses, etc). Disney has a commitment with Florida to leave one-third undeveloped and in native condition. For the other one-third Disney has instituted a wilderness management program to aid in the control of the system of creeks and lakes which promotes wildlife habitat and the continued growth of native vegetation in spite of the roadways that link the various resorts and parks. In fact, one can travel by boat from many of the resorts and parks through the extensive system of canals and lakes.

On Sunday, April 12, our Sunday School class had a brunch hosted in the home of one of the members. It was an enjoyable time though it served as a reminder that we would be leaving our Christian friends for several months. We look forward to returning in the fall and picking up where we left off, as friends are known to do. We have counted it a joy to affiliate with members of First United Methodist Church in Kissimmee.

After getting things cleaned up, checked out, packed away, and taxes filed electronically, we pulled out Wednesday morning shortly after 9 AM and headed for Coastal Georgia RV Resort in Brunswick. We attended a rally there last year and are looking forward to spending the night there before heading on through the Carolinas to East Tennessee. We will be slowly making our way back to Louisville after visiting a brother in Johnson City, TN and friends in Scottsville, KY.

Entrance to Coastal Georgia RV Resort. The office is in the background.

By the way, the Honda Element we bought in Florida and equipped for towing followed along just fine. The Accord, which we once had, was easy to tow if we remembered to put it in neutral (it had a manual transmission), release the parking brake, and turn the key to the first position. The Element with  all-wheel drive and automatic transmission is a bit different and we were concerned that we had followed the correct procedure to prepare it for 250 miles of travel. We did OK because it made a trip to Winn-Dixie and back after parking at Coastal Georgia RV Resort.

First Snowbird Winter - 1/28 to 3/17

It has been a while since posting but we’ll try to not bore you with all the details of our first winter in Florida as “snowbirds.” Speaking of snow; from what we understand this was the winter to avoid in Louisville. While Byron doesn’t mind snow so much, Martha was glad to avoid seeing snow and sub-zero temperatures and wind chill factors. However, our thoughts were with our friends north of the Tennessee border.

Here we all are at a photo opportunity with Mickey himself. We are with

Ashley and Michael and the grandchildren on one of our visits

to Walt Disney World. This photo was taken at Epcot.

For us, here in Kissimmee, the temperature has gotten close to freezing a few nights. For a few days the highs were in the mid-50s. For us, that has mean wearing jackets. For others, the natives of Florida, it has meant wearing gloves and wearing wool coats. While they complain about the “cold” weather, those of us who have lived near or north of the Ohio River know it to be a little cool but nothing to complain about.

We are well settled into life at Great Oak RV Resort. We have made several friends by playing cards, attending the bi-monthly Karaoke nights, participating in the bowling league, and sports weeks. Almost twice weekly Martha can be found playing Hand and Foot with a group of a dozen. Byron has played Bid Euchre when possible. As a result of his singing, he has picked up a voice student who has improved greatly over the course of about three months. Our bowling, while we consider ourselves to not be great, has resulted in us winning a few ribbons at the sports recognition banquet. Though we didn’t get in the Shuffleboard tournament, Martha did participate in Bean Bag Toss and Byron in Horse Shoes. Wow, that does put us in a certain age-related bracket. Still, it’s having fun with other peers in the park.

We’ve had a few visitors in the last six weeks. The first were some friends with whom we spent time at Epcot. We first met Sue Ann and Rose at a Newmar Kountry Klub rally in Escanaba, MI last year. Both are retired from the Navy and now spend time traveling together and time apart when they are visiting relatives.

Since Rose had never been to Epcot and Sue Ann only once several years ago, we took most of the day going around the World Showcase seeing the programs at Canada, China, and American Adventure. We also took in a part of the performances in Mexico and Japan as well as the logging competition at Canada.

Not only did we do a day at Epcot but we also went to the RV Super Show in Tampa another day in January. We all decided we can now check that show off our list of things to not do again as neither of us is interested in purchasing space for our motorhomes in Florida or purchasing a park model. After all, we have motorhomes so we can be mobile.

The others to visit us were Michael and Margery Simpson from Fairfield, IL where Byron grew up.  Mike is one of Byron’s cousins while Marge and Byron attended the same high school and college (Oakland City University) though a year apart in age. They had taken a cruise from Port Canaveral and took a couple of days to be in the Orlando area before returning. Since they were here later in the winter, we made a day of it during the Flower and Garden show in Epcot which included lunch at the British restaurant, Rose and Crown, in England in addition to taking in Illuminations, the nightly light and fireworks show. By the way, the high temperature that day was 66.

One of the perks of working for Disney is taking advantage of time-limited discounts at WDW (Walt Disney World). One of those was 40% off at the Whoop-Dee-Doo Review at Fort Wilderness Campground and Resort. Carl and Jeanine, friends from Great Oak, attended with us. Not only was the program of music and audience participation great but the food service and all-you-can-eat BBQ ribs and fried chicken (with fixings) certainly made for a delightful evening for healthy eater.

With our new friends, Carl and Jeanine, at Woop-Dee-Doo Review

at Fort Wilderness Campground and Resort in Walt Disney World.

Fortunately, we were able (spoken in jest) to take time to get to Plant City (toward Tampa) for a few minutes at the Strawberry Festival. The season in Florida is about three months ahead of the Louisville area so it was quite a treat to have a great dessert one day in February. This is a snapshot of Martha’s “serving” which included the cake, fresh and delicious strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and whipped topping. Wow!

During the less busy time at Walt Disney World Byron worked a few nights at Hollywood Studios at the Fantasmic show and served as a greeter/host at the full-service restaurant in the Polynesian Resort. He thoroughly enjoyed that time getting to greet guests from a variety of states and countries while seating them. Incidentally, the view of the Wishes nightly fireworks show at Magic Kingdom is awesome from the ’Ohana.

On several occasions Byron has worked the Fireworks Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. As he is given to saying, the staff prepares twice as many desserts as taken and guests take twice as many as they can eat. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll go away without being disappointed. The dessert event is popular with reservations filled more than four months in advance. Those who serve at the party always hate to throw away all that is left over because it is a lavish waste of food though it is something we, in American, are quite used to doing.

Byron was asked to fill in as teacher for the adult Sunday School class we have engaged in at the United Methodist church. After doing the three weeks, as agreed, he was asked to do four more weeks so the regular teacher could enjoy a bit of a sabbatical.

Before long it will be time to unhook and head north. Our plan is to leave Kissimmee on April 15 and gradually work our way through Johnson City, TN to Scottsville, KY and, finally, to the campground in Clarksville, IN which is just across the river from Louisville. We’re looking forward to being back in the area in time for the Kentucky Derby.

Into the New Year - 12/27 to 01/27

It is our first January in Central Florida. It isn’t unusual for the overnight low to get to 40° F. In Kentucky, our former home area, this is a cool night. In Florida it’s considered very cold. One thing we’ve noticed is that gloves go on at 50 whereas in Kentucky 40 seems like a suitable temperature.

After starting earlier in December, Byron was well into working at Casey’s Corner on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. Several of the shifts he worked were late at night meaning that he’d start after 6:30 PM and not get off until cleaning and closing at 3 AM in the morning.

Between the middle of December and middle of January Magic Kingdom opens at 8 or 9 AM and closes after midnight. For New Year's Eve the park closed at 2 AM.

He did get to work a variety of the dozen positions at Casey’s. His preference is to work as a dishwasher, fry cook, order filler, toppings bar attendant, or greeter. What he doesn’t care much for is working on “the line” which involves assembling the variety of dressed hot dogs that are their specialty. It involves remember which bun to use and what toppings among a choice of pork bar-b-q, slaw, hot cheese, sauerkraut, whole seed mustard, and bar-b-1 sauce. To him, a hot dog should only involve a bun while the eater puts his/her own toppings on. All in all, however, he enjoyed working with the college students he encountered.

After the seasonal rush of (Magic Kingdom operated a capacity for several days and even closed the gates by noon on three days) hours at Casey’s have been cut back severely. They’ll pick up again after the middle of February. During the interim Byron picked up extra shifts working in Parade Assistance Control and as a Seater at the ’Ohana restaurant in Polynesian Resort.

Between Christmas and New Year we got together with

David and Stephanie Garrard. David is a magician as well as

the Children’s Minister at our church in Louisville. Stephanie

was raised in the Orlando/Kissimmee area.

During the first week of January our daughter, Candice, came to visit for a week. While here she and Martha spent a day at Magic Kingdom. The three of us made it to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

While in the Magic Kingdom, Martha and Candice stopped by

for a visit with Mickey Mouse, the boss.

Near the end of her visit Ashley and children came up for a visit from their new home near Fort Lauderdale. Of course, we all made a visit to Magic Kingdom where grandson Ben quickly adjusted to meeting some of the Disney characters.

Martha and Ben meet Minnie Mouse at the

Square on Main Street.

While it was handy, we decided to go to the highly touted Tampa Super Show, an RV show that is well known among RVers. Some full-timing friends we met at a Newmar rally this past summer decided to meet us to walk around the show.

Present and marching around the grounds was this bagpipe band

playing some patriotic American music.

Roseanne, Sue, Martha, and I also got together a week later for an excursion to Epcot. We all had a great time covering just about every square inch of the World Showcase, which is the back side of Epcot where we got to experience Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Morocco, Italy, Germany, China, and Mexico. We experienced some British cuisine by eating at Rose and Crown Restaurant. The weather was ideal and the time with other adults quite enjoyable.

Two of us have sunglasses and two of us don’t, can you

tell which two? Spaceship Earth at Epcot is in the background.

Lest you get the wrong impression, Martha has been keeping up with her job putting in an average of 32 hours per week across five days. That means she works part of the day on Sunday and Monday and then eight hours each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. She’s off on Friday and Saturday. So, when Candice was here, she was fitting it all in – the visits to Walt Disney World and working from 3 PM to 11:30 PM.

We’re also continuing to attend First United Methodist Church at Kissimmee. We’ve been accepted by our Sunday School class and are happy with the worship style of the traditional service. In fact, this week Byron openly asked if we’d get our chairs back when we return next year. And, yes, we plan to return next year though we’ve decided to stay at a different RV park; one with better facilities and a bit closer to Walt Disney World.

Our December to Remember - 12/1 to 12/26

Question: What do full-timers in a motorhome do about decorating for Christmas?

Answer: The couple gets out the few things they brought along and make a trip to Old Time Pottery and Walgreens to get something new that adds color but takes up very little room.

Just because we have no house, garage, yard, etc. doesn’t mean we’re that much different. We just have less to worry with and can’t buy as much. This, in itself, is a blessing. It’s all a part of living with less and being just as happy and alive.

When we got out the lights to string along the side of the Dutch Star we noticed that one was missing. Since we couldn’t find the spare bulbs, we went by Walgreens to get some. Well, wouldn’t you know, they didn’t have the spares we needed but they did have a string that looked similar to the string we had. Byron, being the “big spender,” suggested we go ahead and by a strand and use the supplied spares in the box for the lights at the motorhome. They appeared to be the right thing but, when we got home, they didn’t fit correctly in the base. So, we have now started a junk collection. Thank goodness it’s only a strand of Christmas lights. After all, we don’t have room for much.

The trip to Old Time Pottery was to buy a pair of small Christmas trees on sale. The box said they were to place at the entrance of a house. We have one decorated with knitted and crocheted ornaments from Grandama Mildred (Byron’s mother) and the other outside to complement the lights on the motorhome. We also have a Hallmark nativity set up by the inside tree. It is sitting on the dash.

We also have a few Christmas place settings, some candles and a couple of other small things. It doesn’t take much to decorate 400 square feet, especially when you have little room to store it for the rest of the year. Besides, we have the decorations of others in the RV park to enjoy.

The office building of Great Oak RV Resort

decorated for the holiday season.

On December 9 Byron began is first day as a Walt Disney World cast member (employee). This involved three days of orientation beginning with a general introduction to the Disney brand and the values it represents. Seasonal positions are quite limited so he elected to accept a position in the Food and Beverage group. He was assigned to the Casey’s Corner/Dessert Party group. Casey’s serves a variety of hot dog meals while the Fireworks Dessert Party is a ticketed event. The on-the-job training for these venues involved five shifts of training under the tutelage of five different trainers. Finally, the opportunity to work unassisted was presented. As Byron has found, there are a lot of people working at the “grumpy” level of the work force to create the “magic.” As he also told some his younger co-workers he’s back to working a few percentage points above minimum wage like he did when working at the hospital while in college.

Casey’s Corner on Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom at

Walt Disney World decorated for the Christmas season.

Byron has been told that Casey’s Corner is the second busiest quick service restaurant for the Walt Disney Companies. Considering the little amount of space and the high volume of traffic, it helps one understand that it takes a lot of team members doing their task well to create the magical Disney experience, that underneath the showy surface a lot of works is being done.

A benefit of occasionally working the Fireworks Dessert Party

is being able to get a glimpse of this unobstructed view

of the Wishes fireworks display and take more time

to interact with the guests.

Martha is still working as a medical transcriptionist for a Utah-based company. She has enjoyed working for this company and has found them to be very respectful organization. When not working during the evening hours, Marta can be found playing Hand and Foot with her new friends at the resort’s meeting room.

Our experience at First United Methodist in Kissimmee continues to be a positive one and one for which we are both thankful. Another couple from our RV park also attends worship so we sit together on occasion. Since Byron was working he wasn’t able to attend one of the Christmas Eve services. Martha was ill with cough and chest congestion so she wasn’t able to attend either.

For Christmas we shared lunch with several of the other residents. That is, the one’s that didn't go back north or to visit with other relatives. There were probably about 30 of us that were together for the meal. Other, less social people here over the holidays stayed away preferring to eat in their units. They also don’t get out to play cards or participate in the karaoke nights.

It was a “red out” for the luncheon on Christmas Day. Byron,

not pictured, chose to wear green.

Speaking of karaoke, Byron has picked up a voice student. While the person truly loves music she has had no training in reading music and was quite intrigued when he explained the ”Do, Re, Mi” song from The Sound of Music. Because of the way she handles her voice, Byron says he feels he’s teaching someone to play the trumpet with a trombone.

We’ll close this weblog by saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and include two photos. The first is of Byron’s fellow cast members at the Magic Kingdom. You may recognize a few of them even though dressed in their holiday best. The second was taken at the Candlelight Processional performed from Thanksgiving through December 30 at Epcot with 200 in the choir and a full orchestra. We’ll be attending the December 26 presentation featuring Blair Underwood as narrator of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2.

Our New Community for Winter - 11/7 to 11/30

The general rule of travel for us is to not drive more than 275 miles in a day unless absolutely necessary. When you have the time, “absolutely necessary” doesn’t come around frequently.

Our trip from Gulf Breeze (where Ashley and Michael live) to Kissimmee (our new base for the winter) by way of Jacksonville was about 525 miles. We chose to break the trip across two days because 525 miles is more than our new rule allows. Besides, 525 miles by car makes for a long day, anyway.

We left Gulf Breeze near 10:30, stopped for a lunch and refueling break and then arrived at our overnight destination, which was a campground near Lake City. Since we got in late, we decided to eat an an Italian restaurant. We wouldn’t recommend it unless you like your sauce from a Sysco can.

The morning light – looking across some open sites to our

motorhome in line with others who also spent the night.

The Spanish moss hanging from the live oak trees

says “welcome to the South.”

We decided to drive by way of Jacksonville in order to avoid the toll road and the frequent stops that would be required. Besides, it was only about 25 miles further and would allow us to go by a Camping World to look for a few things.

We arrived at Great Oak RV Resort about 4:30, just before the sun was setting. We were shown to our site by the owner who had arrived from his summer home in Germany two days earlier. At our site, two other residents assisted us with getting parked. They made us feel welcome.

A couple of days later, while walking around the park, we met a lady from Quebec. She and her husband had been coming to the resort for five years. When we mentioned where we were parked she said: “Why don’t you move in next to us? You’ll have more room and good neighbors.” We asked at the office and were allowed to make the change. We’re glad we did because our original spot felt a bit tight. Besides, if we get out to go to some rallies in Florida we don’t want to have to maneuver in and out of a tight space.

As it turns out, there are several couples here from Canada with most of them being from Quebec. Most of them are comfortable with English but when they get together they break into French. (Note to selves; learn some French).

The RV resort has over 200 spaces. Several are permanently filled by what are called “park model homes” (generally 9 x 40). Most of them have enclosed attachments built on as well as underpinning. There are also a good number of fifth-wheel travel trailers. Of those, about half are permanently parked with storage buildings and patio covers attached. We, in our motorhome, are in the minority. We do have a concrete pad and patio with enough room to park the Honda in our drive. We’re close to the trash and recycling dumpsters and a laundry/bath house. Since we have a Splendide combo washer/dryer and use our own shower and toilet, being near the park’s facility is of no consequence to us except that there is a clothesline at the building. (Yes, people do still hang clothes out to dry.)

Martha, Redford and Julie pose after a walk around the RV park.

Two times around the loop equals about one mile.

Until the end of March our address will be: 4628 Daisy Drive #112, Kissimmee, FL 34746-6376. Google Maps doesn’t show the location correctly but it is close. Since we’re in a gated community with one way in and one way out, finding us isn’t a problem. We’re known as the people from Kentucky in the big motorhome by the dumpsters though it sounds nicer to say at the intersection of Daisy Drive and Mimosa Court.

Our location in the resort is easy to find. Continue past

the main entrance on Mimosa Court and turn right

at Daisy Drive. Our motorhome is at the intersection.

On our second night here we attended a potluck dinner at the recreation hall. From our estimate, about 35% of of the residents are engaged in the activities. On Monday night Martha played Hand and Foot along with about 17 other people. On Thursday Byron joined a group of 20 card players for Double Deck Bid Euchre. Saturday night was karaoke night. There were seventeen that participated in singing with several others present for listening. Byron joined in and did versions of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa” and the Sinatra standard, ”New York, New York.” (Some of the participants take karaoke very seriously since they go to other locations around Kissimmee to sing. We’re told that by December the social room will be filled with singers and spectators.)

By the end of our first week Martha was told of a water aerobics group that meets each morning at 10 AM in the heated pool. She attended on the Monday before the leftovers of the arctic blast made it’s way to Central Florida. It seems the ladies only get in the pool if the overnight low is above 60° F.

There are a few reasons for being in Kissimmee. 1) It shouldn’t get below freezing more than a couple of nights. 2) It is close to Walt Disney World where Byron was hired for a seasonal job. 3) We had to be somewhere.

We have made the observation many others have: The variety of languages and accents heard is rather broad. Not only do we have French-speaking neighbors from Quebec but the owners of the resort (25 years) are from Germany. Of course, when we go to the Walmart about a mile away we encounter Spanish. Another observation is that the two churches we have visited are multi-ethnic, which is a good sign.

We had found First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee to be

a congregation that offers a variety of ministries and activities

where we can feel involved.

At the beginning of our third week at Great Oak we were feeling quite comfortable. Though there were many new names to learn and other cultural things to adjust to, we’re adapting to the warmer climate without issue.

For Thanksgiving, about 50 of the residents gathered for a meal prepared by a committee. Of course it included turkey and ham and all that goes with it. For the second night of karaoke Byron did “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “Hello Dolly.” Other singers, however, repeated their favorite songs and, so we’re told, will continue to do so. Byron has picked up a voice student. It seems that four nights a week there is some kind of card game going on at the social hall as well as a poker game where a the ante is a nickel. Thus far, no one has been shot and no fight has broken out (apparently Florida is more civil than the Old West). Ambulance runs? Thus far there have been two for some of the more elderly residents.

For the first Sunday of Advent we made our third visit to the Methodist church. This included going to an adult Bible study class. We quickly took up with some of the members since three of them are graduates of Western Kentucky University. Two of them attended Eastern High School (we lived two blocks away when in Middletown) and another is from Danville, Kentucky. Another couple is from the Cincinnati area. We were all quite comfortable talking about the football season and our favorite teams. They’ve also invited us to their Christmas gathering.

Now that Christmas is approaching, several residents (inmates) in the park are decorating for the season. A gentleman from Canada, whose wife is from Germany, was used to decorating his house and yard for Christmas. He reported that he had hundreds of strands as well as animated figures standing up to seven feet tall. Since wintering in Florida at Great Oak is now their habit he saw no reason to stop decorating for the season. He has several collapsable trees with lights, a large star, and an image of The Grinch he displays on the front of their lot. Since we don’t have the storage space we can’t match what he does.

Our Canadian neighbors who live in a permanently parked fifth-wheel

trailer fully decorate their space for Christmas. The spotlight

is focused on The Grinch.

Layover in Gulf Breeze - 10/5 to 11/7

When in Gulf Breeze we park the motorhome in Ashley and Michael’s driveway. Their home has more than adequate shade cover with mature pine trees on their property as well as the corner lot that is owned by the local municipality. Being here for the nearly five weeks has allowed us to help with day-to-day tasks of caring for a new baby, a two-year-old, a four-year-old, and an 11-year-old. Grannie did get to have plenty of time with the grandchildren. Grandpa Byron did, too.

On our first Sunday in Gulf Breeze we attended Life Church with with Ashley, Michael and family. The church meets in the Gulf Breeze community center which houses meeting rooms and two gymnasiums.

On Sunday afternoon the church had a picnic on the the beach

which included the baptism of a new believer.

While in Gulf Breeze we had some work done on the motorhome at the Freightliner service facility on the north side of Pensacola. We were treated well though the service work took a few days. We stayed in the motorhome each night.

Since Jody’s father died during this time, Byron made a quick trip back to Kentucky to attend the visitation and sing at the funeral mass. It’s about a ten-hour trip but was worth it. Supporting family at times like that is essential to us.

We made an outing to the Naval Air Station Pensacola to see the lighthouse. Martha, Byron and Jada made the climb up the 177 steps after going through the museum in the old light-keeper’s house.

The historic Pensacola Lighthouse. It is still putting in active use with

the light being easily seen to the edge of the horizon.

This view is of the main runways (n the distance) of Naval Air Station

Pensacola. Note that the water tower, which seems high from the ground,

is actually below the viewing walk atop the lighthouse.

From the distance, we could see a ship moving on the horizon with

a large plume of water spray. By the time we climbed down and

walked to the beach, we saw this catamaran Navy vessel turn

and come into Pensacola Bay. The Joint High Speed Vessel is

built by Austal in the Mobile facility. It was on a sea test.

Often we’re asked how our English cockers, Redford and Julie, get along in the motorhome. They are good travelers. Julie usually sleeps on the couch and Redford usually sleeps on the floor between the captain’s chairs. When parked, they just act like they would in any place else. Sometimes they get next to each other and sometimes they’re on opposite ends, one in the living area and one in the bedroom.

Redford and Julie are half-siblings. Still, they don’t mind being

next to each other, especially on cool mornings.

Chapel and Ben enjoy looking at the iPad with Grammy. Martha is

wearing the head decoration she made for the Oktoberfest.

Time on the beach is always nice, even when it’s bright and windy.

Dressed and ready for Halloween.

While in the area we also attended Gulf Breeze Presbyterian Church as well as First Baptist Church in Pensacola. We especially appreciated the service at Pensacola complete with a great message by the pastor, vocal solo by a choir member, choir anthem, handbell offertory, and the singing of hymns to organ and orchestra accompaniment.

The steeple and main edifice of First Baptist Church in Pensacola is easily

spotted on the skyline of the city since it sits on a bit of a hill near downtown.

Our last day with family in Gulf Breeze was on Thursday, November 6. Of course, we enjoyed our stay which included some time at the nice farmer’s market held each Saturday on Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola.

Oktoberfest and Grandparent Days - 9/24 to 10/4

Continuing our trip to the northwestern part of Wisconsin from Wisconsin Dells we often had experienced views like this out the windows of our Newmar Dutch Star motorhome. The contrast of distant hills with hardwoods and evergreen trees against some plains is quite interesting in this portion of Wisconsin. Fortunately, the weather agree and was equally beautiful, too.

In the foreground is the right-of-way along the interstate highway. Between it and

the line of colorful trees showing fall colors on the horizon is a field of corn

ripened and ready to be harvested either by picking or making silage.

We arrived in Chippewa Falls and the Northern Wisconsin Fairgrounds one day before the start of the convention. This allowed us to have a day to see the city and visit one of the local manufacturing facilities. This particular facility was the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls. While not beer drinkers ourselves, it’s always interesting to see the different processes and science used in making beverages of any variety whether wine, bourbon, or beer. Unfortunately, however, we visited the brewery on Friday. Leinenkugel’s begins brewing and works around the clock from Monday morning through Thursday night. Friday is the day for cleaning. Still we were taken on a fascinating tour which included an explanation of the history of the company as well as a presentation of the various styles produced over the years.

The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is a major brewery for Wisconsin

with it’s hometown being Chippewa Falls.

The main purpose for our being in Chippewa Falls was to attend the fall gathering for owners or former owners of classic GMC motorhomes. If you’re not aware, GMC wholly built and produced the recreational vehicle from 1973 through 1978. The drivetrain was based on the front wheel drive of the Oldsmobile Toronado. Units in two lengths were produced, 23-feet and 26-feet in length. We owned a 1978 model from 2007 through 2011.

Welcome to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and the fall

convention of classic GMC owners. This graphic, the ninth designed

by Byron for GMCMI, was used on t-shirts and

other promotional materials.

As active members of the organization, we have participated in the convention by leading a crew of volunteers in preparing a pancake, bacon, and sausage breakfast using a recipe Martha has used since we married. For GMCMI members it is billed as a breakfast featuring “Martha’s Famous Pancakes.” We’ve headed up the activity for eight conventions. Byron has also served as the music director for the worship services and has conducted seminars covering a variety of topics.

Midway through the convention there was a free afternoon to explore the area. We headed out on a drive around a large square with Chippewa Falls being at the lower left corner of the square. The drive took us to Bloomer, Cornell, and Cadott.

Caddot, Wisconsin has the distinct honor of being midway between

the longitude of the Equator and the North Pole.

Caddot is also on the legendary Yellowstone Trail as shown in

this roadside sign.

One night of the convention is designated as the “fun“ night when we enjoy a thematic dinner and entertainment. Since the observance of Oktoberfest begins in September in Germany and German communities, GMCMI honored the tradition by having an Oktoberfest celebration. For our celebration everyone was provided a stein filled with root beer and ice cream.

Martha and friends from Ohio enjoy the root beer floats at Oktoberfest.

The souvenir mug for our root beer floats.

Our hostess was dressed appropriately to introduce the

beer-drinking contest. When contestants signed up they had

no idea that they’d be drinking from baby bottles.

Another event was the sauerkraut eating contest. Byron had no die

that he was to be fed, from behind, by another contestant. He and

his partner, Lucy Weidner, were the winners.

Another treat for this fall’s convention was a night at the historic Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater in Menomonie, Wisconsin (not to be confused with Menomonie Falls). We enjoyed a private dinner and show featuring an excellent jazz group that is well-known in the area. Interestingly, the oldest member of the group is a saxophone/clarinet player who turned 87 on the following day. By the way, Byron’s kraut partner is on the board of the theater and formerly served as is Director.

The Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater was constructed in 1889 as a tribute to Mabel Tainter, a young woman who loved music and the arts. Mabel passed away in 1886 at the age of nineteen. The Memorial was commissioned by her parents, Captain and Mrs. Andrew Tainter. Captain Tainter was a lumber baron and silent partner with Knapp, Stout, & Co. The facility, renamed the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, now serves as a performing arts and cultural center.

The Victorian-era side and modern rear addition of the Mabel Tainter. The facility is

listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Mabel Tainter building includes a lavish 251-seat “crown jewel”

Victorian theater. It is a premier example of a restored,

vintage American theater. It also houses the original Steere & Turner

tracker pipe organ. The organ has a total of 1597 pipes and 28 stops.

Although the wind supply was originally water powered, it was

later converted to be driven by electricity. The organ was

first refurbished in 1957 and, since then, has been fully restored.

After the convention we headed toward Gulf Breeze, Florida by way of Belvidere, Illinois. Oddly, neither of has ever been to Belvidere but we found ourselves going through the campground there three times this year. We have no plan to return in the near future.

Our second stop on our trip to Florida was in Fairfield, Illinois. This allowed Byron to attend a planning meeting for the 50th anniversary reunion of his high school class.

Just before entering Alabama we found that the Caterpillar engine was blowing oil all over our Honda Accord. From there we drove to a Freightliner facility in Birmingham only to learn that they wouldn’t be able to attend to the situation until the next week. (Freightliner repair facilities always seem to be busy). So, we journeyed on adding a quart of oil or so every 150 miles. Our third night was spent on the road at the Flying J south of Montgomery, Alabama. We don’t mind the accommodations at a Flying J because they allow overnight parking in the RV area. Besides, it was late and we were tired.

Thankfully, our fourth day of travel was not to be very far; just another quart of oil. However, after exiting I-65 in Flomaton, Byron noticed that the voltage gauge was showing a negative charging situation. We had no cooling problem, had air brakes and power steering so he just monitored things until we arrived at Gulf Breeze and the home of our daughter, son-in-law and family. It was then that we saw the reason for the voltage situation, the serpentine belt had separated so the alternator wasn’t being turned. Fortunately, our engine is the 3126e and has a separate belt to drive the water pump.

Here’s what was awaiting us in Gulf Breeze — baby Luciana Caputa

who was born a few days before our arrival.

Our purpose for being in Gulf Breeze was to help in caring for the Ashley, Michael and the children during Luc’s first several weeks of life. The grandparenting days were in full swing minutes after our arrival. More on that in our next blog entry.