|
 |
|
Photo by The Joneses
|
|
 |
|
|
ARCHIVES:
Home Sweet Home...for now 02/12/10
Christmas in Germany 01/15/10
Christmas in Germany 12/15/09
Watch out for flying dinner rolls 11/12/09
From Dallas to devastation 10/28/09
Traveling to Texas 10/14/09
Back in the Lower 48 10/07/09
A memorable visit to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula 09/04/09
You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet in Alaska 08/07/09
Beautiful Alaska 07/28/09
Finally, we're in Alaska! 07/14/09
You wouldn't believe how beautiful Canada is! 07/02/09
On the way to Canada 06/17/09
Couldn't have had a better time in Omaha! 05/28/09
Bittersweet trip through the southeast 05/13/09
Leaving Florida, and heading north 04/28/09
Our time in Lakeland has come to an end 04/06/09
Time is flying by — but at least we're having fun! 03/19/09
From friends to work to warmer temps, we're still having fun in Florida 02/23/09
The cold weather is hitting Florida 02/11/09
'Life is good' in Lakeland, Fla. 01/29/09
Celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Florida and the Disney Parks 01/12/09
Happy to be in Florida again 12/22/08
Back in Florida 12/05/08
Back on the road again 11/20/08
At long last, back in the area 11/04/08
From the beautiful Maine coastline down to southern Connecticut 10/17/08
Dreams come true in Vermont 10/02/08
Chillin' out at 'Camp Monaco' 09/22/08
Michigan is full of treasures 09/10/08
Making our way through Minn., Wisc. and Ill. 09/04/08
Leaving Idaho and heading east 08/25/08
Boise sure has changed a lot 08/18/08
With family and spectacular sights in Hailey, Idaho 08/11/08
Idaho is full of natural treasures — and moon-like craters, too 07/30/08
From prairie country to beautiful views to grand 'ol Yellowstone 07/21/08
Escapees Rally in Wyoming 07/11/08
Who knew there was so much to see in South Dakota? 07/02/08
I (heart) Hart Ranch, South Dakota 06/24/08
Thunderstorms, flooding, tornados and a visit with the 'Duke' 06/17/08
Lots to see in the 'Show Me' state 06/06/08
Our final days in Kentucky 06/03/08
Moving days for Greg and his family 05/28/08
Leaving Indiana, but not before taking some of the state's best sites 05/16/08
Rallyin' in Goshen, Indiana 05/09/08
'The RV Capital of the World' 05/02/08
Out of Charleston and off to Indiana 04/25/08
Down in the Lowcountry 04/21/08
Arriving in Charleston 04/15/08
Wouldn't change a thing 04/04/08
Look back, look ahead 03/28/08
It's all about the theme parks 03/21/08
Strawberries, and more strawberries 03/14/08
From Boy Scouts to ‘Stars on Ice’ 03/07/08
The gang's all here! 02/29/08
A day with friends from Frederick 02/22/08
Under the weather 02/15/08
Earning our ears 02/11/08
Training for our jobs at Disney World 02/01/08
A special day 01/25/08
Into the Keys 01/21/08
The holidays in Florida 01/03/08
Arriving in Florida 12/28/07
And so it begins ... 12/17/07
|
It has been a while since I have written something. I honestly didn’t realize it has been that long and that we have been back from Germany for more than a month.
We are settled in our semi-permanent spot at the RV Park. That means we are paying an annual fee for this site and can stay for six months out of a year. This seems to be the arrangement for most residents and it suits us fine.
We have a very nice site, and I have actually planted a few bushes and want to put up a bird feeder. Lakeland is ideal for us since it is halfway between Tampa, where our kids live, and Orlando, where we work at Disney World. Lakeland is a nice college town about the size of Frederick. So, for the next few years, it will be our home in the winter while we are traveling during the summers.
This park has a great activities director who has planned something for everyone every day. Ralph is in the golf group on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the horseshoes group on Wednesdays. If he can manage, he also gets in another day at one of the Disney courses.
As a cast member (Disney has no employees – we are all cast members and the workplace is the stage), he can play these PGA/LPGA course for a very small fee. His golf partners love him because he can take three guests along.
I do not golf. When we began this lifestyle it was my intention to golf also. I took lessons and have the clubs, shoes, etc. But, the ‘golf bug’ never bit me.
Besides, now, I enjoy the time to myself when Ralph is at the golf course, and he enjoys time with the guys. I do have my own activities. Monday is Bunco (a fun dice game), Tuesday is line dancing and Bridge in the afternoon. Three mornings I do aerobics, and, as soon as the weather gets warmer, water aerobics as well.
On the weekend, we spent time with the kids – Richard (my oldest son), Robin (from Hagerstown), Jordyn soon to be 16 and Nick just turned 13. We enjoy being with them, and they enjoy having family close by even if it is only for 4/5 months. Everyone else is in Maryland or Germany.
Last Saturday, we attended the regional FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics competition in Tampa. FLL is an alliance of FIRST (for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – a program founded by the inventor Dean Kamen) and Lego. The kids build a robot out of Legos and program it to perform certain tasks. I wrote a lot about it last year. Nick is still involved in it. His team is called ‘Dart Panthers’ and they came in second, which means they will be at the state competition later on in February.
Ralph and I are working again at Disney. We are at the same place we have been for the last two years. Can it really be that we have been full-timing for three years? Where does the time go?
Actually, we were lucky to get our jobs back because there has been a hiring freeze at Disney for a while. However, they love us retirees and all it took was a phone call to the manager, and we were scheduled to work. We work the evening shifts on Mondays and Wednesdays so it doesn’t interfere with our social life!
Three weeks ago, friends from Maryland, Barbie and Steve McCully, came to visit us for a weekend. It was great to see them, and we had a wonderful time together. I know right now they are wishing they were back down here.
Today, as I am writing this, the Mid Atlantic area is having another monster snow storm. Although the weather here has not been typical Florida weather, we have no reason to complain.
We have a new addition to the family. We adopted a Shih Tzu from the Florida Small Dog Rescue. His name is Rascal and that is what he is. He is a little rascal, about 1 ½ to 2 years old and the cutest little guy. We still miss our Gretchen, but it was time for us to get another dog. This time, it is more of a motor home size dog. Rascal only weighs 10lbs and can get his exercise running from one end of the coach to the other. We love him.
|
