We are home!
It was a long but uneventful trip up the San Joquin from Bakersfield on 99. We arrived home between rain showers around 3:30 pm.
Now time for some trip decompression, rest, and trip reflection.
Judy continues to improve, and it is great to be home!
Well, we are getting close. We are here in Bakersfield, CA and will head home tomorrow.
The decision today was to travel North from San Bernadino from I-10W, then West over Tehachapi to Bakersfield or continue on I-10/ I-210W/I-5N through the LA Basin over the Grapevine. There was still lingering weather to the north and high winds forecast in the high desert towards Tehachapi. We decided to do the Grapevine route recognizing traffic would be heavy but no wind/weather.
As predicted, lots of traffic, and trucks but we got through it all and arrived at our stop for the night in Bakersfield, the River Run RV Park where we have stayed numerous times.
Home tomorrow, a long drive up 99. The forecast is cold and raining. This will be complicated by being unable to park the RV in the driveway due to the driveway damage from the car fire incident on 4/5. We will get Judy in the house, unload as we can from the street, and park the RV at the fairgrounds for the weekend pending further action.
The road goes on forever and the party never ends - but hopefully we are almost there.
Another layover day. After the hard drive yesterday, we both needed a little down time before going over the hill to Bakersfield tomorrow.
Didn't do much today. Slept in a little and relaxed, Judy did her exercises, washed her hair and we ate in. Soup for lunch and a bag meal for dinner.
The RV Park is virtually deserted, not like most other times we have come through here during "snowbird season" in February-March-Early April. As mentioned, we are sort of in-between RV travel seasons right now. The snowbirds have gone home, the kids are still in school, and the old people - well you never know what they are up to, but not a lot of them are here right now.
The decision in the morning is what route to take. to Bakersfield. It is either North towards Victorville then West over the Tejon pass at Tehachapi or through the LA Basin and over the Grapevine on I-5. The Tejon route is longer but less traffic. The Grapevine is shorter but with LA traffic. A "Hobson's choice" weather being equal. Right now, both routes are forecasting dry roads. The wind however appears to be stronger going North with a pretty good crosswind component. Right now, I prefer traffic to wind, but we will see in the morning.
A nice evening at the Emerald Desert RV Park and early to bed.
Well, we are back in California. It was a very challenging drive today, but we are here at the Emerald Desert RV Park, in Palm Desert, CA. It is a really nice RV park and we have stayed here virtually every trip East and West and even some trips just to here,
Dinner tonight was takeout pizza from a favorite Italian restaurant just down the road from the RV park. SWtill very god.
We got an early start from the RV park in Eloy, AZ around 8:00 am. Made it around the loop around Phoeniz just fine, but then hit a major traffic delay just west of Phoenix. Heavy Westbound traffic on I-10 West was forced into two lane compressions due to road construction. It was stop and go for at least 45 minutes. When that cleared, the winds came up and we delt with a moderate crosswind all the way to Palm Desert. And the road on I-10 in Arizona is especially bad. Between bouncing around on the road and fighting the wind, it was a long day. Nevertheless, we are here and have a layover day tomorrow before going on to Bakersfield on Friday. The big decision for Friday travel will be either the Tejon Pass through Tehachapi or the LA basin and the Grapevine on I-5. Weather and wind will be the determining factors and a final decision will be made before leaving on Friday.
Judy continues to do well. She had a bit of a rough day with all the bouncing around but recovered after we arrived.
We are getting closer and are excited as we near home.
A long drive today over perhaps the portion of the trip West the most vulnerable to high winds and dust storms. Lots of open space with loose sandy soil. Warning signs in the most likely spots. Flashing warning signs, speed limit reduction signs, pull of the roadway, shut of the engine, turn off the vehicle lights, stay in the vehicle and keep buckled in. Scary stuff. Thankfully we have never experienced one of these zero visibility dust storms. Today was all good. Very little wind and open roads.
It was our longest leg of the trip today (330 miles) and we made good time arriving in Eloy, AZ, just South o Phoenix. We also gained an hour as AZ is not on Daylight Saving Time. We are staying at a seniors RV park. We have stayed here before and it is a good overnight stopping point.
Our destination tomorrow is Palm Desert, CA. Back into CA with $4,00+ a gallon gas. We have been averaging from $2.97 to $3.50 a gallon all the way across country. Nothing higher even at the "last gas for 100 miles" stations in the middle of nowhere,
Judy continues to improve. She is a little stronger each day. She had a good night last night in the RV bed and mobility access is definitely improving. We are both anxious to get home but will continue to pace ourselves doing so.
A layover day in Las Cruces, NM today. We are pacing ourselves to give Judy as much rest as possible and time to recover in the RV as we head home.
It was a great day for her today. She was able to transition getting in and out of bed in the RV and use the RV bathroom. She still needs some assistance, but this is major progress for her. She will no longer need to sleep on the RV sofa and use a portable toilet. It will not be possible for her to shower in the RV due to the small space, but she is able to wash herself. I helped her wash her hair today, but she is close to doing that by herself. Still not a lot of energy, but she is doing her exercises, getting her appetite back, and is fully cognitive. Real progress.
I also did the laundry today in the RV park and picked up a few supplies to get us home.
It was take out Mexican food for dinner from our favorite restaurant just down the street. It was excellent as always.
An eventful day. We are on to Arizona tomorrow, Eloy, AZ, just South of Phoenix. A fairly long drive but the weather looks good, and all the RV equipment is working fine.
We got an early start today, getting on the road at 8:30 am.
It was a fairly easy drive. Very little wind, lots of straight open road, and not much traffic. I put it on cruise control and enjoyed the scenery. Actually, there wasn't much to look at that wasn't any different after the first 30 minutes of driving.
The first city/town we went through was Van Horn, TX. Besides a crossroads oasis town, it is known as the site (30 miles north) of Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket launch site, where several high-priced celebrity sub-orbital rocket launches have occurred. The Van Horn site uses the "New Shepard" launch vehicle and will be the vehicle used for Blue Origins space tourism they plan to expand in the future. Blue Origin is an ambitious space exploration enterprise and hopes to be an active partner with the government in ongoing space exploration activities.
Just West of Van Horn we entered the Mountain Time Zone and went through the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sierra Blanca. West bound you just go the sensor gauntlet. Eastbound you are stopped and talk to a Border Patrol agent. They clearly seem to profile, and they always have dogs and handlers ready as needed. Trucks have a separate lane with different inspection protocols apparently.
The biggest challenge today was getting through El Paso at the Western border of Texas. Every time we have come through here there has been highway construction. This trip was no exception but getting through has been significantly improved. Since it is Sunday, traffic was a little less congested and we made it through without any delays. El Paso has certainly grown over the years and appears to be thriving.
We arrived in Las Cruces around 1:00 pm due to the time change and ease of travel today. We have a layover day here tomorrow at the La Hacienda RV Resort. We stay here every time we come this way.
Tomorrow will be laundry day and a getting few things from Walmart. Tomorrow night dinner will be take out from La Posada de Mesila. Our favorite Mexican restaurant anywhere,
Judy continues to make progress and she has expanded her mobility within the RV. She diligently does here exercises, even while travelling. I don't expect she will be able to exit/enter the RV without assistance before we get home, but we are not ruling it out. Her spirits remain high and wants to regain her previous strength and mobility as soon as possible but also realizes it is going to take some time.
We are still on track for returning home next Saturday, 5/6. No severe weather is forecast or anticipated.
It was a hard travel day today.
After the cold front came through last evening, it cooled down and the wind remained high on the backside of the front. Nevertheless, we headed out from the RV park around 9:00 am and continued our journey west. The skies were clear, and the wind was mostly a North-Northwest wind of around 20 mph with gusts. Our RV, even with towing our truck is still pretty light compared to larger and heavier vehicles and is susceptible to any crosswind component in the 20 mph and greater category. So, it was two hands on the wheel drive pretty much the whole way on our 240-mile drive to our destination tonight, Ft. Stockton Texas.
The drive across West Texas between San Antonio and here is mostly rolling hills and few towns except for a couple of I-10 Interstate truck stop locations, no people and very few cows. Just us, the semi-trucks and pickup trucks zooming by, often in excess of the 80-mph speed limit.
We are staying at the Ft Stockton RV Park tonight. We have stayed here almost every time we have come this way, both East and West. It is a nice, nothing fancy, overnight stop in the middle of West Texas. There is a cafe in the park, but we ate in tonight. We had a frozen bag meal. I cooked it, served it, did the dishes and cleaned up afterwards. I have significantly expanded my household skills on this trip.
Judy had a hard day riding sideways on the sofa as the RV bounced around on less-than-ideal road conditions and swaying from side to side fighting the wind. She did well despite it all. Her appetite is returning, and she even had a small glass of wine with dinner. Leg strength, stability, and more energy remain her major rehab goals.
We continue West tomorrow to Las Cruces, NM, another familiar stop on our way East and West. We will stay two nights at the Hacienda RV Resort and on our layover day, do laundry, a little shopping for supplies at Walmart and Mexican food of course at our favorite restaurant there. It will necessarily be takeout this year. Thats O.K. it will still be good.
Rest and Recuperation in Kerrville ,TX today. We are pacing ourselves on our return trip and taking it easy as Judy recovers. She continues to do well and make progress towards her recovery.
We just relaxed in the RV today. Judy worked on her exercises, and I didn't do much except help her and work on some paperwork issues.
It was a nice day here until around 4:00 pm. Another front came through and we had some rain and high winds. We missed the heavy stuff again and it is clearing this evening. The wind is forecast to subside overnight. I hope so, so our trip tomorrow to Ft. Stockton, TX doesn't become a burden. We have been fortunate with the travel weather so far and hope it continues. From here, it really starts to feel we are back in the West.
One day at a time as we get closer to home.
We had a lot of heavy weather come through last night. It was a pretty good front that dumped lots of rain, thunder and lightning sometime after midnight and lasted a long time. It was all close, but thankfully no hail. When we woke up in the morning it was still raining but the thunder and lightning had moved on to the East and South.
By the time we were ready to leave at 9:30 am, the rain had stopped. There was standing water in the RV park, but nothing significant. So, we headed out, despite a traffic report on the local TV station that reported an overturned semi on I-10 W in downtown Houston. In the best of times, getting through Houston is never easy, we knew any kind of incident would impact travel. Sure, enough approaching the incident, traffic was backed up big time. Despite most of the mess being cleaned up, two lanes were closed, and we had about a 20-minute delay getting through.
The rest of the trip towards San Antonio, after getting through Houston (that seems to go on forever) under cloudy skies was uneventful. As we approached San Antonio, there was a lot of road construction and heavy traffic. San Antonio used to be an easy transit, but no more. It is now a very busy city with lots of traffic.
Also had another stop at a Buc-ees, Their peach muffins are hard to resist, so we got a few to keep the hoarders from getting them all.
Anyway, we got through it all and arrived at our stop for tonight in Kerrville, TX, about a hour NW of San Antonio. We are staying at a very nice RV Park, the Buckhorn Lake Resort.
It was a fairly short drive today (200 miles) to our stop for the night just East of Houston. We have stayed here at the Houston East RV Park several times before. It is a nice park and a good place to rest up before continuing through Houston and San Antonio to our next stop tomorrow n Kerrville, TX.
It was a low energy day for Judy today. She slept most of the way here and didn't feel up to doing all of her exercises. It still looks like it is going to be a fairly lengthy recovery, but we are managing the return trip O.K. so far and she is doing well, considering all she has gone through. Her appetite is improving, and her spirits remain strong,
Weather remains good. It is sunny and mild here today and looking ahead, no problems forecast as least as far as New Mexico. Of course, things can quickly change, and we will react accordingly if needed.
A layover day today. Slept in a little and some more rest for Judy. Also, Judy had several rounds of her PT exercises today. She continues to make slow progress.
Still a quiet RV park. Not too many people here and it seems we have the park all to ourselves.
We left Pensacola around 9:00 am this morning. That is a fairly early start for us today even with dealing with our modified travel arrangements to facilitate Judy's travel requirements.
Judy had a pretty good travel day, on motion pills, she slept a lot on the sofa just behind the RV cab. We made good time despite heavy traffic in Mobile and Baton Rouge and arrived at our destination RV park in Breaux Bridge, LA around 3:00 pm. Actually, travelled through 4 states today (FL, AL, MS and LA).
We have stayed here before most recently on our trip East. It has been rebranded as Camp Margaritaville RV Resort. It is a large destination resort with lots of things to do for families and others. Right now, the park is virtually empty. It is after the snowbirds have left, spring break is over and summer vacations have not yet started.
Our next stop on Wednesday is just East of Houston.
On the road.
We left Tifton, GA this morning around 10:00 am and headed southwest on US 319 towards Tallassee, FL It is a good highway that travels through rural Southern Georgia. Lots of ag land, mostly fallow right now, small towns with a couple of gas stations, a Dollar General, and at least one or two Baptist churches. Since today is Sunday, there were a lot of cars parked in the church lots. We saw some really poor housing situations as well as some impressive larger houses/plantations along the way. Not a Confederate flag in sight but lots of American flags in the yards of houses we passed.
After entering Florida just North of Tallahassee and turning right as we entered the city on to I-10W, we headed toward Pensacola, FL, our stop for the night. It was almost a perfect travel day, driving wise. Clear skies, dry roads, no wind, light traffic and no construction delays. We will be on I-10W most of the way home.
We were concerned how Judy would be able to effectively travel as she recovers from her bout with pneumonia. She remains weak with limited mobility and strength. Her throat is still a little raspy but does not have any respiratory symptoms or any cognitive limitations. Consequently, we have modified our RV travel arrangements somewhat. Since Judy cannot easily get in and out of the front seat of the RV, she decided to travel sitting/laying down on the sofa just behind the front cab. It worked pretty well but she reacted a little to the normal bouncing around of the RV, After taking a motion sickness pill, she was a lot better. Likewise, bathroom stops cannot be made while the RV is moving.
Nevertheless, we safely arrived in Pensacola around 3:00 pm local after gaining an hour entering the Central Time Zone. It is a nice RV park, just off of I-10W near the many things to do in the Pensacola area. We have done most of them on previous trips with great memories but will not be doing so again this time.
Our next stop tomorrow will be near Lafayette, LA (Breaux Bridge). We are staying there for two nights. We will be taking our time going home and expect to arrive on Saturday, May 6th if everything goes well.
It is great to be finally heading home.
Leaving for home tomorrow. First stop Pensacola, Fl.
We are ready. Judy doing well in recovery.
Updates to follow. No side trips, just careful travel home making Judy comfortable along the way.
We are continuing to work on Judy's ability to getting around in the RV as she recovers. We have made a few facility adjustments to accommodate her strength and mobility limitations right now. It is going to be a slow full recovery and our goal is to get home safely as soon as possible while making the trip as a comfortable as possible for her.
Pending her status and progress, the plan is to stay here another day and leave for home on Sunday. One day at a time.
Discharged today and back in the RV. Still very week and no leg strength. Some difficulty in walking and standing. Also low energy.
More improvement for Judy today. Looks like another 2-3 days before discharge. Then depending on Judy's ability to travel, we will plan and begin our trip home. We are ready,
Here are a few pictures of the hospital where she is staying. A very nice medical center, modern and fully staffed. I have no complaints about her care. We were lucky to be able to access this level of medical care while on the road.
A lot of progress for Judy today and she has been moved from ICU to the ward.
We may be getting close to discharge. She still needs a little more strength and mobility, Looks like the pneumonia is essential resolved.
We will have a better idea tomorrow re: discharge benchmarks after talking to the doctor,
We are still here in Tifton. Judy remains in the hospital recovering from Pneumonia. She continues to gradually improve but it has been a slow process. No estimate just yet when she may be discharged, and we will be ready to travel.
I visit the hospital every day at 8:30 am and leave at 6:00 pm at the end of ICU visiting hours. She is receiving excellent care at a modern regional hospital in rural Georgia. We are lucky we landed here in need of major medical care.
I am staying in the RV in a campground just south of town, about 5 miles from the hospital. I am getting by and learning how to survive by myself in the RV. I have been spoiled.
Hoping for Judy's continued improvement so we can start for home soon.
Judy had a bit of a setback today and they moved her to ICU. Additional tests did not detect any new issues and she is resting but weak,
Tomorrow should be better.
No progress today. Judy is still in the hospital working on recovery from pneumonia.
Looks like it going to take a while.
Not much else to report right now. At the hospital all day, the RV at night.
Slow progress for Judy today. They are working on getting her O2 level stabilized, and the lung congestion eliminated. Lots of antibiotics. Also, some PT.
I have moved the RV to another RV park south of town. More amenities and a laundry, that I did tonight. Take out pizza for dinner.
Judy had a pretty good day today with some evident progress. They have also diagnosed a specific type of Pneumonia - Aspiration Pneumonia - a nasty version. They have expanded the range of antibiotics and we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Crazy weather here. RV heater on this morning, AC when I got back this evening.
Hard to say when we can start home. Maybe this week but only when Judy is ready to travel.
I am also moving out of the overnight RV park where we have been staying to a KOA down the road, A few more amenities for our extended stay..
We are still here. Judy is still in the hospital and getting better but is not ready for discharge just yet. It has been a bad case of Pneumonia that is taking time to resolve.
Not much else to report. I go to the hospital at 8:30 am and leave at 6:00 pm. Then back to the RV. for dinner (I am not cooking beyond the microwave,)
The weather here has turned cloudy and cool (60 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night}. I am surviving and doing OK.
Judy is progressing but still in the hospital. With continued progress, she will hopefully be ready for discharge early next week. Hard to predict, but we are hopeful.
The weather here has changed from hot and muggy to cool and rainy. A frontal passage today but no severe weather, just a significant cool down with some light to moderate rain.
I am surviving on take-out BBQ. Skipping the catfish, fried pickles and grits.
Happy Easter!
Judy is still in the hospital. Slowly getting better but no estimate for discharge just yet.
Not much else to report tonight.
Judy is getting better. She had a pretty good day today with notable progress. Not ready for discharge, still a way to go and I suspect, with the Easter weekend ahead, early next week may be the target. Of course, it will depend on her condition.
Obviously, we will not be home as planned by 4/15. We will pace ourselves accordingly and may lay up for a few days after discharge to make sure she is ready to travel.
An interesting day today.
Judy continues to progress in her recovery. Improvement is slight but seems to be steady as the antibiotics treating her Pneumonia kick in. It is still going to take some time before she is well and ready to travel.
We also had an incident back home early this am (2:00 am). Two cars, one apparently following the other, missed the turn at the bottom of our street (Black Oak Dr,) went airborne into our property with one landing at the bottom of the driveway and catching fire. Our son Kevin, who is at the house, is dealing with the aftermath. Another day in the hood.
Judy continues her recovery at the hospital. Each day is a little better, but it is going to take some time to get well.
She is getting great care at a modern 5-county hospital in rural Georgia, although Tifton, GA is a fairly large city in the center of a busy agricultural part of GA. We are fortunate she didn't get sick in a more remote area of the country on the way home.
I am at the hospital all day and staying in the RV at night at the RV where we arrived last Sunday. Doing OK.
Still here in Tifton and Judy is still in the hospital. There are continuing her tests and monitoring her condition. Vitals are still good, and she is resting but tired. Might know more tomorrow.
She in a very good hospital and getting great care.
Judy woke up this morning and wasn't feeling well. We went to the ER at the regional hospital in Tifton to make sure it wasn't anything serious. After a series of tests, they decided to keep her overnight for more tests in consideration of her medical history. She is feeling better than this morning and we will see how everything goes tomorrow.
We have cancelled our trip to Alabama and will head straight home when Judy is ready.
We left Bay Bayou at 10:00 am after topping off the propane and checking out.
It was a busy drive through Tampa heading North on I-75. It got worse as we approached Ocala. Traffic was very heavy, and we had congestion for the better part of an hour going forward (10-20 miles per hour}. No construction or accidents just too many vehicles. In observing license plates as we were creeping along, most were from out of state. Snowbirds and spring breakers on the way home is what it looked like.
We also had some wind, some construction lane compression delays near Valdosta, GA and a thunderstorm as we approached our destination. Anyway, we are now in Tifton, GA (about halfway to Atlanta)., arriving around 5:00 pm.
We are staying in a unique RV park, a type we have never stayed in before. Its business model is a place to park your RV for the night with full hookups in a gated location. Thats it. You get a reservation online and a gate code, a site assignment and an Internet password. Not a site employee in sight. Anyway, we are here. The weather has passed, and we leave for Anniston, AL in the morning.
We 're ready.
We had a mobile auto detailer wash the RV this morning. The roof especially needed a good cleaning. I knew it needed cleaning, but I am not allowed up on the roof anymore to do it myself. They did a good job, it is very clean, and we are ready for the first enroute rainstorm.
After getting the inside of the RV ready, going to the store for a few last-minute things and resting awhile, we went out to dinner.
We went over to Safety Harbour, a nearby, very nice waterfront resort/vacation town, for dinner at a neat pizza place. Pizza Gregario. Alas, despite a website that said they were open, when we got there a sign on the door said they were closed and unsure about their future plans. So, we went to another place downtown, The Bar Fly and had an excellent meal. It is a casual beach theme restaurant with an extensive menu and a lot of fresh seafood selections.
It was then back to the RV to rest up for our morning departure. Our first stop is Tifton, GA, about halfway between here and Atlanta.
Getting ready.
We started the day fairly early. Judy had a 9:10 am appointment at the Quest Diagnostic facility (In Walmart) for a blood draw for an upcoming doctor's appointment at UCSF after we get home. It was then breakfast at a nearby restaurant, La Peep, and back to the RV.
After returning to the RV, I started breaking down our outside setup, organizing the outside bins, and checking the towing cables and hitches. We are not totally finished with our outside trip preparations, but we made a lot of progress.
I also wanted to replace the RV chassis battery before we started home. It still works but it is the original battery that came with the RV in 2016. It was time for a new one. There was also a lot of corrasion around the battery terminals. I decided to have a professional install a new one and clean up the corrasion. It didn't exactly fit the effective response model of our road emergency service provider, Good Sam Roadside Assistance, so I purchased a new battery at an auto parts store and had a mobile RV repair guy do the old battery removal, installation of the new one, and cleanup of the battery terminals and battery location area. He came at 11:00 am and did the job. It was well worth it and above my pay grade to personally do it while on the road.
After taking the old battery back to the auto parts store to get my "battery core deposit" back, I stopped at the grocery store for a few things we needed before leaving on Saturday. It was then dinner in the RV after a busy day.
Laundry tomorrow.
Last baseball game of spring training today. The Phillies played the Toronto Blue Jays on a " Get Away Day". The game started an hour early at 12:00 pm to facilitate the departure of the team to Dallas (Arlington, TX) for their opening day with the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.
The regulars played into the 5th inning and some of the reserves and minor leaguers finished the game. The Phillies won in the bottom of the 9th inning. With the win, they finished with a spring training record of 16-14-1.
We also said goodby to a great group of park staff in our reserved seating area. They really made us feel welcome. Many are seasonal, some are regulars and work the Phillies Class A team, the Clearwater Threshers games during the summer. The Threshers play most of their games in the evening due to the Tampa summer heat. The crowds are not large. They say they average about a 1,000 people each game and frequently have promotions like $1.00 hot dogs and beer. The tickets are cheap, and you get to watch a lot of young minor league players who may-or-may not ever make "The Show". In contrast, about 140,000 people attended Philles Spring Training games this year. Most were from out of town.
Baseball also continues here for now as the minor league/non-roster players continue their spring training. The minor league team rosters will be formed shortly and the players for each minor league team will travel to their home parks (Allentown, PA, Reading, PA, and Lakewood, NJ). The rest of the young prospects not making a minor league team roster, will stay here for Extended Spring Training into the summer with the club development staff. It really is almost a year-round baseball operation down here.
After the game and a quick stop to a nearby Sam's Club, we headed over to Clearwater Beach to have an early dinner at another favorite restaurant, The Columbia. It features Cuban cuisine and has been open since 1905 at its original location in Ybor City, the Cuban cigar community just north of Tampa. They now have 4 locations in Florida. The one we visited is on the water between Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, just south of town. We have eaten here many times, and once again, had a great meal, - a pitcher of sangria, tapas and authentic Cuban bread.
We will be focusing on getting ready to depart on Saturday. It will a busy time. Right now, the weather looks good all the way to New Mexico. It is too early to tell beyond there. And of course, things may change before we get there.
Most of the day today was spent getting ready to leave for home. The itinerary for the return trip is pretty much set, some of the RV park reservations have been made, and we confirmed our stops in GA, Al, and MS all escaped the severe weather that just passed through the area where we will be travelling to visit our high school friend in North Central Alabama.
We are also keeping a close watch on the weather forecast for our trip home. The 10-dayforecast looks good for the first leg of the trip, but can quickly change this time of year in the South.
We went out to dinner tonight at a favorite Italian restaurant the Aqua Alta Ristorante. It ia authentic Italian and has mostly a local clientele. We had another great meal. Linguine with clams, shrimp and tomatoes in a great sauce.
Our last spring training baseball game tomorrow. The game will start an hour earlier at 12:00 pm. The opening day rosters have been set, and the team will break camp after the game and head to Dallas to play the Texas Rangers to open the season on Thursday.
A relaxing day today in the RV.
We just slept in, had a late breakfast and didn't do much. All of a sudden it was lunch time. After lunch the highlight was listening to the Phillies game. No TV only a streaming radio feed from a Philadelphia radio station. They were playing the Orioles in Sarasota. A dull game. Marginal regulars and reserves had to do the bus trip south. A very uninspired performance and thy lost 4-2.
We had a great dinner in the RV I cooked steaks on the grill and had baked potatoes with beans and salad
Another day off tomorrow and our focus will be departure planning. The preliminary weather forecast for our going home side trip to Alabama on the way home looks favorable right now. We will keep checking.
Baseball today with the NY Yankees. A very good team. The Phillies fielded their starters and best pitcher, Aron Nola in essentially a last warmup before the season starts. Alas, the Yankees hit the ball early and often and the Phillies lost 8-3.
There is one more spring training game on Tuesday, before they break camp and head for Dallas to play the opening game of the season against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Traditionally, the last few spring training games are just "let's get out of here as soon as we can games" for the regulars. Non-roster players are still playing for major league jobs, however. We may see the regulars for an inning or two, in the last game but most just want to end spring training and start the season.
Nevertheless, we will be there for our last spring training baseball experience this year. We also still have things we want to do here before leaving on April 1st and will try and get everything in before leaving.
Our visit to Alabama to visit a high school friend may be impacted by the severe weather yesterday. Our going home route and schedule is a carefully considered experience depending on weather and road conditions.
It was a late dinner in the RV and not so early to bed for a change.
We slept in today and relaxed in the RV this morning. We had haircut appointments at 1:15 pm so we skipped lunch and traveled to see the same person (Kerri) who has been cutting our hair every year we have been coming here. She remembered us when we called for an appointment. She has a lot of regular clients from the RV park for years and said we probably hold the record for RV "snowbirds" from the farthest location.
After the haircuts we traveled over to the Frenchy's Grill on the causeway over to Honeymoon Island. Another great late lunch/early dinner: Pina Coladas, she crab soup, a couple of shrimp appetizers and the famous Frenchy's fish pretzel.
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It was then back to RV and we watched the Phillies v Toronto evening baseball game in Dunedin on TV. Not a very good game for the Phillies. Mostly reserve players and minor league pitchers against the Blue Jays first string team. It was 6-0 in the 7th inning when we called it a night. The Phillies play the Yankees tomorrow. It should be essentially the final tune-up for both teams before the season beginning next week
A much nicer day today. Lots of sun, very little wind and temperature in the low to mid 80s.
Baseball today. As we were eating breakfast, we had a visitor (Great Blue Heron) checking out the park retention pond for fish. There may be some in there, but no one is fishing that we have seen.
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Another day off today (sort of). It was laundry day again and it went pretty well. The weather has significantly improved. Lots of sun, a gentle wind and temperatures in the 70s.
I also went to the local auto parts store to get a new battery for the RV chassis (Ford E450). The current battery came with the RV in 2016 and is about ready to crash. I decided to replace it before we start for home. The old one would probably make it, but a new one certainly will.
We also got caught up somewhat with paperwork and calls that needed to be made. I also did some return trip planning and made RV Park reservations for the first part of our return trip. Travel home will depend on weather variables and road conditions for the most part. We will closely monitor what is ahead of us and take proper precautions, either route changes or shelter in place as needed.
After another long and exhausting leisure day, it was take-out pizza/Italian food for dinner.
Baseball tomorrow. Three games to go.
Not a lot to report today. We slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and just relaxed around the RV.
The weather has improved. Florida winter has moved on and we are unlikely to see cold weather again before we leave on April 1st. They are predicting mid 80's by the end of the week.
We have started go home planning and today I got caught up on some paperwork and other things that follow you wherever you go. Also, a short shopping trip for a few grocery supplies.
No lunch after a big breakfast, and I cooked out hamburgers for dinner with potato salad and beans.
No baseball tomorrow so it is laundry again and more RV time. Maybe out for dinner tomorrow night.
Well, it was supposed to be warmer and less windy today but it wasn't. It was another "cold" day at the ballpark. We sit in the shade on the second level and if the wind comes from the North and the temperature is down, it can be brutal. The temperature never got above 62 degrees today and the wind was out of the North at 10-15 mph. Deespite being bundled up we all were still cold. It was also a very slow game and when the Phillies went ahead with 11 runs, we decided to leave early again.
We then went over to Dunedin for an early dinner at another favorite restaurant the Bon Appetite. It is at the end of the wharf and a great place to watch the sunset. It was too early for that however and too windy and cold for outside seating. Nevertheless, we had a great meal inside.
No baseball until Thursday. It is getting close to the end of Spring Training and the beginning of the regular season. We have three more games left. It is time to start thinking about going home and we will start planning for our April 1st departure.
An interesting day today. The cold front went through and as predicted it was cold and windy this morning.
Our plan was to go back to Lenny's restaurant with Phinneus for breakfast. We left early (we thought) to get there and have breakfast in time to get to the game at the regular time. When we arrived, the wait was an hour for a table. The place was packed. So plan B. We went to a Waffle House down the street. Waffle House restaurants are fairly small, a simple standard menu with a breakfast emphasis wherever you go. There are 2,000 Waffle House restaurants throughout the south, all corporately owned.
After a short wait, we were seated and our waitress, a long time Waffle House employee, after taking our order she asked us where we were from. We said California and asked if we had ever eaten in a Waffle House before. We might have once or twice on the road but Phinneus had not as there are no Waffle Houses in California. She said first timers had to wear a Waffle House hat and have their picture taken. Well why not, and we posed with silly hats. A nice lady, very friendly and like many older Southern waitresses we have encountered, calls the customers hon or honey.
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The forecast was for rain today but it didn't quite get here by 9:00 pm local. Maybe later tonight.
No baseball today so we decided to sleep in and check the weather this morning before making any plans to do things with our grandson today. He also wanted to sleep in after a long day yesterday.
We finally got around to deciding to go up to Tarpon Springs, about 12 miles north of here on the coast. It is famous as the sponge diving center on the Florida Coast and perhaps the country. It was settled by Greek immigrants/sponge divers and is still a working port and thriving Greek American community. It is also a very popular tourist attraction.
Besides an active fishing and sponge diving port, the sponge docks portion of town has numerous excellent Greek restaurants, trinket shops (lots of sponges for sale) and an excellent Greek bakery. You can also take boat tours including one with a diver in an old fashion diving suit with the metal helmet. You go out to the end of the inlet and the diver goes down and brings back a sponge to show the people in the boat.
We have been here many times for the Greek food. Phinneus also likes it and we had another great meal at Dimitri's on the Water. Any restaurant that uses olive oil in 50-gallon drums has to be visited.
It was then back to the RV and Phinneus to his Airbnb.
Baseball tomorrow with the Boston Red Socks. The forecast is much cooler with a North wind. Unsure about any rain after todays weather.forecast
Our grandson Phinneus, our daughter Karin's son, flew in from Los Angeles this morning for a visit with us through the weekend. He will be attending 3 games with us while here: today, Sunday and Monday. He has joined the Army and is leaving for officers' candidate school in April.
It was a great weather day for baseball and the Phillies won, beating the Toronto Blue Jays. Since it was St. Patrick's Day there were a lot of fans "wearing the green". It was also a full house with a very festive atmosphere.
After the game we headed up to the Lucky Dill Brookyln Deli a very popular restaurant and bakery with New York style deli food and atmosphere. They also have a week-long celebration of St. Patrick's Day festivities culminating in a big St. Patrick's Day event with live Irish Music, entertainment, and related events, decorations, and of course the green beer. We arrived around 4:00 pm, had an early dinner and left before things got too crazy later in the evening.
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A nice weather day today. Sunny and temperature in the mid 70s.
No baseball today. We slept in again then headed over to Lenny's restaurant near the ballpark for a late breakfast. It is a Philly outpost for spring training. Every Philly fan from Philadelphia and elsewhere who attends spring training here eats at Lenny's at least once during their visit. Lots of Philly stuff on the walls (and ceiling) and the menu is typical East coast (Philly) - large portions, many selections, regional favorites (scrapple, pork roll, bagel and lox, knishes, etc.), reflecting the historical ethnic heritage of the Philadelphia area - mostly Italian, Irish, Jewish and a few other European countries that immigrated to the East Coast back then.
I had the "Redneck Benedict" again. Not a historical ethnic dish however but good. Two poached eggs on biscuits with sausage covered with biscuit gravy and lots of home fries' w/onions. Each meal comes with a basket of Danish pastries. Judy had a more traditional "Country Breakfast" - two eggs, sausage, home fries and fresh fruit. We were able to eat most of it and took the leftover pastries with us.
