Maddie's Last Concert

John and Becky's youngest daughter and my 15 year old granddaughter, Maddie, has been singing in the Allegro Children's Choir for seven years. They perform three major concerts a year along with numerous lessor concerts and they also travel out of Kansas City to perform concerts in other cities and other countries.

During her seven years of participating, Maddie has performed in twenty-one major concerts and many smaller ones . . . not to mention hundreds of practice sessions. I guess she's just getting burned out on it as she has decided this will be her last year of participation.

Tonight was the final concert of the year, so this will be "Maddie's Last Concert". It was held at the Colonial Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Missouri, a large beautiful church. This was probably the best of the concerts I've been able to attend. I have always been impressed with the high quality of musical performance by the Allegro Children's Choir, but this was by far the best I've heard.

After the concert, I congratulated Maddie for the great performance. Shown below is the proud grandfather (me) with Maddie after the concert in the vestibule of the church.



Below is a picture of John and Becky, proud parents, with their daughter, Maddie. Of course, John brought roses to the concert and presented them to Maddie afterward.




Sorry you won't be singing with the Allegro Children's Choir next year, Maddie. But thanks for the past seven years of giving us the pleasure of attending and hearing the Allegro concerts, of which you were a part. We love you.

White Stuff

As drove across Missouri on the final leg of our journey back home, we began seeing traces of "White Stuff" in the fields on the North side of some of the hills. As we drove further West, the "White Stuff" became more common until it wasn't limited to just the North side of a few hills, but was also on the South side of many hills . . . and there were piles of it along the road.

By the time we pulled into our driveway at home in Kansas, we discovered "White Stuff" all over our back deck!


Having been gone since November, we have not seen snow for quite a while . . . but we still recognized it. We learned from our neighbors that our area had about eight inches of snow on Friday. It's good we didn't arrive home until Monday after most of the snow had melted . . . but even so, I was wondering if we might have returned from the South too soon.

No, it's good to be home even if we have a little "White Stuff" around. I'm sure the rest of it will melt soon.

Last Stop

We managed to get on the road at about 9:30 this morning and enjoyed an uneventful drive across Tennessee through Nashville, then through Paducah and across Kentucky into Illinois. We made it through Illinois and into the St Louis metropolitan area . . . all with smooth sailing.

At about 4:30, we checked our Campground Directory and decided that our "Last Stop" before home would be Sundermeier RV Park in St Charles, Missouri, along the by-pass on the West side of the St Louis metro area.




This was a wide open RV Park with big concrete pads on which to park. There were only a couple of other RVs in the whole Park, but the weather was kind of cold and the Park Manager told us that when the weather breaks in a few weeks, the place will be packed.

The really nice feature of this Park is the very nice restaurant adjacent to the Park Office. After we got "The Bus" located and "plugged in", we wandered over to the restaurant where we had a cocktail (or two) and enjoyed a very nice dinner.

Unwinding after a full day on the road was sure easy to do here . . . our "Last Stop" before we arrive back home in Kansas tomorrow.

Springtime in Georgia

As we drove North on I-75 through Georgia, the scenery was beautiful. We came through at just the right time of the year . . . "Springtime in Georgia".

The early flowering trees were in full bloom; the Bradford Pears and the Redbuds. It was still a little early in the season for Dogwoods, but the Georgia countryside is full of Redbuds and most of the communities have lots of Bradford Pears. Springtime in Georgia" is a great time of year to visit this State.


We stopped at a Wal-Mart in Dalton, Georgia, where we picked up a few groceries and filled a prescription.

In addition, I found a stepping stool which will make it much easier for Carole to get in and out of "The Bus" while our steps are inoperative.

Now I won't have to untie the steps at every stop.







Just North of Dalton, we entered Tennessee and immediately passed through Chattanooga where we picked up I-24 West. The Interstate route through here always intrigues me. We left Georgia, drove through Chattanooga, Tennessee, then just West of Chattanooga the highway curves to the South back into Georgia, then curves back North to re-enter Tennessee. This is very close to Alabama and the road signs through here lead you to believe that you also drive through a corner of Alabama and back into Tennessee . . . but I don't think you actually do.

The Interstate winds around through the mountains and crosses over the pass to the North side of the Appalachian Mountains. We came through the mountains with no problems at all. There was no ice or snow in the mountains, but most of the waterfalls along the highway were flowing pretty good.


At about 5:00 PM near Manchester, Tennessee, we stopped for the night at a KOA campground along I-24. This KOA Campground was nicely wooded and had lots of wide open spaces. This was a quiet, relaxing place to un-wind from a day on the road.

We entered the Central Time Zone, so we had picked up an extra hour of driving today.

Carole is anxious to get home, so we'll be up and back on the road again early tomorrow morning . . . probably at our usual time around 10:00 AM.

Mystery RV Park

We left Florida heading North on Interstate 75 and made our usual stop at Adcock Pecans in Tifton, Georgia. Carole picked up a year's supply of pecans along with the usual assortment of candies, jellies, and dressings.

As we were rolling further North on I-75, we saw a sign for an RV Park at the next exit. It was about 5:00 PM and time to park for the night, so we exited the highway and followed the direction sign to 'Camping'. We drove East on a two-lane road with no sign of a campground . . . and no place to turn "The Bus" around for about 10 miles. That is a "Mystery RV Park". We finally did find a place to turn-around, drove back 10 miles, and got back on I-75 headed North.

A few more exits and we found a sign for another RV Park, the Twin Oaks RV Park near Perry, Georgia. When we pulled in and relayed our experience to the campground owner, she told us she had heard the same story from a number of other people . . . and she had no idea where that "Mystery RV Park" is either.


But this is a nice stop for the night . . . and certainly no "Mystery RV Park". They were kind enough to lend us a stepping stool to make it easier for Carole to get in and out of "The Bus" with our broken steps tied up with a piece of rope.

Nice people in Georgia!

We'll be back on the road tomorrow . . . headed for home . . . still without working steps to "The Bus".

Ocala

Our second stop on our way home was to visit an RV couple we haven't seen for about two years, Dave and Rich Coleman. We stopped at their home in Ocala, Florida, where we were able to park "The Bus" adjacent to their house, so we could visit and have our bed nearby.

Here's a picture of Dave and Rich as we were preparing to leave the next morning.




Rich's t-shirt says, "I Don't Do Mornings", which is true. But Rich made an exception for us. She was up at 8:00 AM and we even fixed omelets for breakfast, and didn't get on the road 'till after 10:00 AM.

It was really nice to see them even for a short visit, but we had to head for home.

St Patrick's Day

On the road home, we made our first stop in Oviedo, Florida, to visit a long time friend, Hugh Phillips. He has a very nice home backed up to a retention pond, which was not visible from the house the last time we were here. But the trees and brush around the pond has all been cleaned up providing a nice view out back looking beyond the pool . . . and an opportunity to watch wildlife as well.



Since this was St. Patrick's Day, Carole had to fix a dinner of corned beef and cabbage. She also included potatoes and carrots . . . and we had a traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner.



It was enjoyable spending time with Hugh. It's just too bad we can't see and visit with our friends more often, but it was a great "St Patrick's Day".

If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will

I was feeling so good about "The Bus". Everything was working so well. I don't know who the guy named 'Murphy' was, but he must have been a really smart old guy. We are continually reminded of 'Murphy's Laws' . . . like the one that goes "If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will".

This morning we packed up, unplugged and started the engine to hit the road . . . then there was a loud 'bang' in the doorway. As the steps to "The Bus" were being retracted, a connecting arm between the electric motor and the steps snapped in two . . . as Murphy predicted, an "Anything" just went wrong. The electric steps could no longer be extended or retracted. They just hung there.

I suggested we go back to the RV repair shop, but Carole objected saying, "We would be there all day". So we decided to 'hit the road' minus the steps.

I tied the steps up with a piece of rope and a safety strap so they wouldn't drag on the ground. It makes us look kind of like the Beverly Hillbillies with "The Bus" tied together with a piece of rope.

That will have to do until we get home to Kansas.

I'm able to pull myself up into the coach without the steps, but Carole has to have a stepping stool . . . plus a boost . . . to get in. She has just as much of a problem getting out.

She just wants to go home, so we are on the road . . . without steps.

And Murphy has been proven right again . . . "If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will".

Pleasant Surprise

We took "The Bus" into the the shop today for the DC electrical problem we have been having. While it was in the shop, we drove the Blazer to The Groves, an RV Park in Fort Myers Beach where we have stayed several times in the past. We visited with some old friends there while "The Bus" was being repaired.

When we returned to the RV shop late in the afternoon, we received a very "Pleasant Surprise". The problem with "The Bus" was only some dirty, corroded battery terminals and cables. I had cleaned them with baking soda, but had not taken the cables off to clean the inside of the terminals. Well, all of that has now been cleaned up, everything is working well, and we are ready to head North in the morning.

Back to "The Bus"

Today was the first day of the Annual Lion's Club Shrimp Festival on Estero Island . . . beginning with the Shrimp Parade down Estero Boulevard, which is the only through street on the island. For the parade, they close the only bridge to the mainland from 9:00 AM to noon. So we had to be off the island before 9:00, or be stuck there 'till after noon . . . and the storage facility where "The Bus" was located closed at 2:00 PM. So we were up and around early (for us) and off the island by 8:30 AM.

We stopped for a really great breakfast at the McGreggor Cafe, an outdoor restaurant on the main street through Fort Myers, then picked up "The Bus" and drove to the Upriver RV Park along the North bank of the Caloosahatchee River, which separates Fort Myers and North Fort Myers.


This is a really neat RV Park. We were assigned a nice shady site under a large spreading tree that dropped very small leaves continuously.

This also seems to be a very quiet park, but with lots of activities.










They have a channel in from the river with RV and Park Model sites along both sides. Each site has a boat dock and there is a boat ramp for residents to put their boats in and take them out of the river. The Caloosahatchee River flows into the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Myers, so these Park residents can travel by boat from here out into the Gulf.

This is really an attractive area of the Park.







This Park obviously caters to boaters and fishermen . . . but has some very large 'pull-thru' sites for big rigs. This part of the Park has lots of wide open spaces . . . and the 'pull-thrus' are 100 feet long.











Many of the 'big-rigs' here are towing toy haulers with luxury cars in them. I saw Mercedes and Corvettes which are pretty nice 'toys' for some people to be hauling in a trailer behind their RV.

The toy hauler some of these 'big-rigs' are towing are painted and stripped the same as the RV. Pretty fancy, huh? . . . and pretty expensive too! Of course, if you can afford a Mercedes or Corvette to haul in the trailer, I guess you can afford a special paint job.
















After walking around the various areas in the Park, I returned to the 'poor section' of the Park where our site is located. But we'll only be here for a couple of days as we are taking "The Bus" in to a dealer across the river in Fort Myers for some service work on Monday morning.

We are having a DC electrical problem. It is likely a problem with the house batteries (which are nearly new), cable connections, a ground connection, or the inverters. We'll hopefully find out Monday morning. I hope it can be repaired quickly (and inexpensively) so we can get on the road. Carole's ready to go home.

In the Red

During the two weeks we have been at the Estero Island Beach Club, the weather has been unseasonably cool, but generally sunny. We have had only a few cloudy days and almost no rain at all.

But that changed today! Today, it has been "Rain, Rain, Rain" all day long. Just look at the rain in this picture looking out our front door.




The old record for the amount of rain for one day in Fort Myers was 1.75 inches. Today we had over 5 inches of rain.

Just look at the weather radar on TV . . . green is rain, yellow is very heavy rain, red is a good old fashioned 'gully washer'. Today we were "In the Red" much of the day!







The walkway in front of our condo was under water. The water was so deep that if it had been 2 inches deeper, it would have been running through the front door into our living room.












Just past the gazebo are the shuffleboard courts. No, that's not the swimming pool, that's the shuffleboard courts in this picture . . . under water.

This is our last day at the condo. Tomorrow we will have to leave and get "The Bus" out of storage.

Fortunately, the weather forecast for tomorrow and the next several days is warm and sunny. It may take several days for this place to dry out after spending most of today "In the Red".

Reece's Restaurant

Across the street from the Estero Island Beach Resort where our condo is located, is a small shopping center. In the center is "Reece's Restaurant" where both indoor and outside seating is provided. The place is well known for its cow decor. Everything in the restaurant is decorated with cows. White table clothes with black spots, pictures of cows on the walls, coffee mugs with cows on them, and shelves with many ceramic cows.

But the best thing about "Reece's Restaurant" is their breakfasts and lunches. They are only open until 2:00 PM daily. Every year I make the pilgrimage across the street for breakfast . . . and today was the day.


I had the Belgian waffle with blueberries, Carole had the corned beef hash with eggs. They obviously have a new Belgian waffle maker as the waffle was very small, much smaller than they used to be. And Carole's corned beef hash was fried. Not just fried, but fried to a crust!

No need to make the "Reece's Restaurant" pilgrimage again next year.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

It seems to me that the old saying, "All Good Things Must Come to an End", applies more to the end of a visit from one of our kids than anything else. Especially a visit from my son, Greg, who lives in Guam . . . as we don't have an opportunity to see him very often.

And so it was when I took Greg to the airport this morning for his return flight to Guam. I dropped him off at the Continental Airlines baggage check area early. It was before daylight and we hadn't had a full night's sleep, which explains why Greg looks so groggy. I was groggy too.



We very much enjoyed the time Greg was with us, but as they say, "All Good Things Must Come to an End". Have a safe trip, Greg.

Spring Break

The weather has improved. The sun has been shinning brightly. The temperatures have been in the high 70's or low 80's. And the beach has been really nice with lots of room to walk in the sand.



But all of a sudden, it's "Spring Break" time . . . and the 'breakers' have shown up en mass. Below is the same section of the beach as above a few days ago, but today the beach, as shown below, is a little more crowded with college kids filling the beach with bikinis and thongs.



With all of the activity out on the sand, life becomes more interesting and entertaining. That's what "Spring Break" around here is all about.

SOB

For years, friends have been talking about the "SOB", Smokin' Oyster Brewery . . . and we have never been there, even though it is only a few blocks down the street from our condo on Estero Island. We have been told they have fantastic oysters and both Greg and Carole have been talking about oysters all week long.

I'm not a fan of oysters, but Greg and Carole just had to have an oyster 'fix'. So late this afternoon, we made the trek to "SOB" for the first time to find out if it's as good as we've heard.


Greg only wanted a half-dozen oysters . . . but Carole ordered a 'bucket' of 30 oysters. Yes, a 'bucket' of 30! I settled for a simple appetizer of Buffalo Wings . . .

















I ordered the wings 'hot' . . . and they were just right. But while I was enjoying the wings, Greg and Carole dove into the oysters. They both obviously enjoyed them immensely . . . and between them, they ate the whole 'bucket' of oysters!





















Both Greg and Carole were impressed with the oysters at "SOB", so I suppose we'll be back again when Carole needs another oyster "fix". The wings were great too.

Florida Wildlife

We had to check out some of the "Florida Wildlife". No, not the partying on the beach, but turtles in a pond across the street from our condo. Greg is shown below getting a closer look.



There must have been 20-25 turtles in that pond, many of them sunning themselves on the shore. But when Greg went for a closer look, they began scurrying back into the water.

That was the extent of our encounter with "Florida Wildlife" today. Maybe we'll look for 'gators tomorrow.

Annual Ritual

I have been coming to Estero Island at Fort Myers Beach every March for almost 30 years and every year I go to the Gulf Shore Grill down the beach about a half mile from our condo for a breakfast of Eggs Alaskan, which is a dish similar to Eggs Benedict except it has crab meat or smoked salmon instead of Canadian Bacon, and Choron Sauce instead of Hollandaise Sauce. Their Eggs Alaskan have been so good it has become an "Annual Ritual" with me.

This morning, my brother, Ron, who is visiting from California, and his friend, Dick Keyes, from Ohio, came by our condo. Ron has been staying at Dick's winter home in Fort Myers Beach, just across the bridge on the Mainland. Ron is pictured on the left below, Dick is on the right.



Carole, Greg, and I, along with Ron and Dick then made the trip to the Gulf Shore Grill for my "Annual Ritual" of Eggs Alaskan.

All of us have had the Eggs Alaskan there before, and all of us ordered it today, but it just wasn't the same. We were all disappointed! They've changed it . . . even though our waitress claimed it is the same as it always has been. The eggs were fried, not poached, they were skimpy with the crab meat, and the Choron Sauce was different. Their Eggs Alaskan wwas good, but just not what it used to be . . . and not nearly as good as it used to be.

I have decided 2010 was the last year for this "Annual Ritual".

Florida, As It's Supposed To Be

We have had cool weather all week, not at all what we expected in Florida. It's been generally bright and sunny, but with an uncomfortably cool wind blowing every day . . . until today! Today the weather changed to "Florida, As It's Supposed To Be".

We sat out in the sun soaking up some rays and watching the boat traffic out in the Gulf. That's why we put "The Bus" in storage to come here.



Carole soaked up enough sun for the day, so she went to her cover-up and wide brimmed straw hat. Yes, that's "Florida, As It's Supposed To Be".

Greg's Arrival

Last night near midnight I picked up my oldest son, Greg, at the airport after he had been in route for some 26 hours flying from Guam to Tokyo to Newark to Florida. The leg of his flight from Tokyo to Newark alone was 14 hours in the air. He will be spending a week with us. So far, the weather here has been a little cool, but it's supposed to warm up. I hope so, or Greg will freeze as he's accustomed to temperatures in the 80's & 90's on Guam.

At least the sun was out this morning causing him to squint as he was 'unwinding' while seated outside the front door of our unit. It was a long flight and he needs some time to recover.



But after the sun went down, Greg was able to relax in the condo with a glass of wine while we talked well into the evening. My brother, Ron, also returned and we all enjoyed a glass of wine following a really great dinner of Chilean Sea Bass cooked on the grill.

















Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be beautiful with temperatures in the mid-70's. That will sure be welcome . . . and I know we will all certainly enjoy some really warm weather for a change . . . especially Greg.

Surf's Up

The weather here at Fort Myers Beach has been erratic . . . to say the least. I guess this area is no different than the rest of the Country has been this Winter. Every place seems to have had a difficult Winter . . . some areas being colder than normal, some areas have had a lot more snow than normal, and some areas in the South being warm for a few days, and then cold and windy for a few days.

That's the way it was in The Valley in Texas . . . and that's the way it seems to be here in South Florida. The weather was a little cool when we arrived, but the sun has been bright and warm. "Snowbirds" have been laying out in the sun.

But today was overcast much of the day, temperature in the low 60's, and lots of wind. The Gulf has looked angry most of the day. You can certainly say the "Surf's Up".



And, of course, when the "Surf's Up" and the wind is blowing, you can expect the Kite Boarders to show up . . . and show up they did. At least a half dozen Kite Boarders appeared quite suddenly, set up their equipment in no time and were in the surf, sailing away.

















It's always fascinating to watch them jump the waves . . . many times flying 12-15 feet into the air. They also appear to use the same technique when turning directions. They jump into the air 12-15 feet, do a 180 and land going the opposite direction.

Looks like a lot of fun . . . for a young guy . . . wearing a wet suit when the "Surf's Up".

"The Bus in Storage"

When we arrived in the Fort Myers area, we drove directly to the vehicle storage lot where we had arranged to park "The Bus" for two weeks while we stay at the beach. It was a nice facility enclosed by chain link fence with barbed wire on top. The lot is locked up after hours and guard dogs are allowed to roam the property. So I felt "The Bus" would be secure.

I was able to plug "The Bus" in to an electric connection, only 20 amps, but enough to keep the refrigerator/freezer running and keep the batteries charged.



We loaded some of "our stuff" from "The Bus" into the Blazer and left for the beach where we plan to stay at the Estero Island Beach Club on Estero Island in Fort Myers Beach for two weeks with "The Bus in Storage".