Well folks I apologize for the lack of posting for the past week or so.
I've been run off my feet!
After driving my butt off!
Once Memphis was behind me (more on that later) I had about 17 hours of driving time left to get to good old Southampton. With a stop over in Middletown Ohio (nice place I'm sure, didn't bother to look) I headed into the land of trees with no leaves and some dry, slightly brown fields of mid Ohio and Michigan.
Surprisingly (and thankfully) the border guard at Port Huron did not want me to unpack even one thing other than my passport and let me through with only a few basic questions. PHEW! I was having a few nightmares over the possibility of unpacking the super packed Equinox to prove all I had purchased. Yes, I had all the receipts and was prepared, like a good Girl Guide, but wasn't to be. Yay!
Now it was home to Southampton and all things Canadian. Ahhh it's good to be home. I was only a little road weary.
I really enjoyed being in the US. Everyone was so nice and I have no complaints but it's something to say that I'm Canadian and proud to be and glad to be home again. Even if the trees don't have leaves on them (yet) and the ground is certainly colder than what I'm used to and the wind is a little chillier it's still home. With the warm weather Ontario experienced in March it was nice to see some of the flowers blooming away but there was still a chill in the air. Quite the contrast from the heat and humidity of Port Charlotte.
I was in a bit of a time warp.
When I left Southampton in December it didn't look much different than it does now.
But I've got a tan.
Weird.
Something to get used to.
So I spent a couple of days and unpacked everything. Looked at where it all was to go. Toronto, L'Ann's End or the house of The Man. Then there was The Man's bag, packed with all the things he had bought down there. That was fun. Kind of like Christmas again!
Then there was a trip to Toronto for some appointments, check in with The Mother, open a mountain of mail and finish my income tax. Then it was time to get L'Ann's End sorted out for another season. I will actually spend a lot of time there this year and of course there are the chores that go along with owning a seasonal property. Siding to be cleaned. Basic repairs inside, a new picnic table to be found, wood to be chopped from a tree that was cut down last year; stuff like that. So I've been running around doing all sorts of things. What's really nice is that I can actually spend the time to do things and not feel rushed because I'm only here for a few days. Nice....
I have still to look at my pictures from Memphis and label them all. That'll be a challenge but I want to include some in my next blog because it really was something to be where Elvis lived, be where he recorded (Sun Records) and watch the Peabody Ducks parade to the elevator to their penthouse for the night at the historical Peabody Hotel. I have so many good memories of the last 5 months that it's hard to wrap it all up.
I think I'll keep blogging though. The topics might be of interest, might not but it's still something that's going on in my time on my pilgrimage. I guess every journey can be a pilgrimage if you want to make it so. I have gotten out of the blogging habit and have to get back to it. Sorry about that.
Suffice to say I am home safe and sound and better for the experience of being a Snowbird.
Something about having a tan in March is kind of cool.
The Man is addicted to Florida and is so wishing he was down there right now (yeah, it's 3 degrees Celcius out and a howling northwest wind so anyone would want to go south).
Thanks for reading and I PROMISE to blog more often. Pictures too 'kay....
OH yeah, The beloved Equinox has amassed 46,450 km since it's purchase on May 4, 2011. Whew! That's a lot of touring! Awesome....
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Another part of the Pilgrimage comes to a close
In a number of hours I will begin my journey home.
With a slight detour to Elvis' home first.
Ah, another check mark for the Bucket List.
It has been such a fantastic experience to be in a southern clime for the winter, or most of it.
Since my arrival in Port Charlotte I have had the best weather imaginable with only a few days of rain and that never slowed down any activities. What changed the agenda a few times was the heat and humidity. I know now I could never live in the tropics full time. I've only been dehydrated a couple of times down here but it can happen so easily. How can the body produce so much salty water? Yikes.
The beloved Equinox is now packed.
This is before.....
And after....
Even the back seat is utilized...
Every square inch of the Equinox has a purpose...
The space you see there is for my "hotel bag" and the Kool-a-tron on the floor behind my seat. You may notice a bungie cord holding up a Roots folding chair. This is to keep it from falling off the top of the pyramid. The bottom of the pyramid is the golf clubs hidden in a bed sheet. The club heads are wrapped in the end of the sheet as nothing drives me more nuts than a rattling in the back of the car that I can't stop. So, all jammed in and I even took it for a test drive to the gas station to fill up with my Winn Dixie discount points for a final time and take note of the sluggish handling now that the vehicle is so much heavier than usual.
My 'to do' list around the house is just about complete. Little things like deleting the search history on the computer will still need to be done. Even the two beach balls floating around in the pool for the last 3 months have been washed and scrubbed.
I've noticed a number of other Snowbirds have left. Laser Joe's place last night was in darkness, the first time I've noticed it like that in the evening. Two other sets of folks that have been here since I arrived I saw packing up a couple of days ago. Many are heading home to be back for Easter.
Wow, now that I think of it so much has happened since Easter of last year.
In 2011 I was celebrating Easter dinner at my cousin Tomas' cottage in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. What truly amazing things I have seen, heard, and done since that time.
Really, it has been a pilgrimage. I am amazed!
I guess I could call myself a "seasoned traveller" now.
Am I done travelling?
I'm not sure.
I have a lot to reflect on and what I might be able to do before this time is over but first I need to go home.
This Snowbird girl is starting her migration north.
I've been on "travelling rules" for beverages and food for the last week. If you've ever travelled as a Girl Guide or Scout you know travelling rules.
Never buy large containers of more than can be consumed before departure. I'm pretty good at it. After enough trips in Guiding it becomes part of your lifestyle and it comes naturally. So, I know I have enough orange juice, milk and cereal for tomorrow. I have enough bread for breakfast and to make a sandwich for a travelling lunch tomorrow. I have peeled all the fruit (easy snack on the road and no mess to clean up) and cut up all the celery and carrots left (hard to do in a hotel room).
My lunch is packed for tomorrow and dinner last night and tonight is "glop", a mixture of left overs (little bit of onion, hamburg patty, little bit of rice, a few pasta shells, tomato sauce, half of a green pepper and anything else I could find that might work).
Cans of pop and bottles of water are good to take because they are small and can be packaged up in smaller bags. The big containers are all gone. Woohoo!
One activity I didn't anticipate doing while I was down here was playing tennis.
Huh?
What?
Tennis? No way.
Yup, after a whole pile of years I was on the tennis court again. Not to play a real game I might say but to bash around some Penns on a court near the beach.
A friend of D's that had come down from Ohio was desparate for someone to go and hit against. Since there were no takers I sacrificed myself to the cause.
Actually it wasn't too bad. Despite the humidity being nuts (thank God for a dri-fit shirt) and being rather out of shape, I did okay.
I think it was all muscle memory.
See, I played tennis all through my pre-teen and teenage years and was kind of good for a while there.
Alas, life came into it all and between summer jobs then full time employment the tennis fanatic in me packed up and left.
(Really it was the life-long friends that I met at tennis lessons in Southampton that made me come back year after year...yes Nutty Buddies, you know who you are!!)
Being on the court again I began to remember how to hit and what it felt like to get my feet in the right place to make a pretty good shot. Right, so I couldn't serve worth a damn I did have some really good returns and even surprised myself.
But after being on the court for nearly an hour, in the sun and heat of Port Charlotte Florida I was done. Cooked, baked, over heated and parched (obviously 1 litre of water is not enough for 1 hour of working out) I headed home to pack the car.
Might as well mess up just one set of clothes in a day.
2 hours of working out in one day is good.
And it's good to be done too.
As I spend my last afternoon by the pool reading a book (why change from the norm on the last day) with a beverage I will remember all the great things that happened while I was here. What an experience it all has been.
Experience of a life time.
A Pilgrimage.
Awesome.....
With a slight detour to Elvis' home first.
Ah, another check mark for the Bucket List.
It has been such a fantastic experience to be in a southern clime for the winter, or most of it.
Since my arrival in Port Charlotte I have had the best weather imaginable with only a few days of rain and that never slowed down any activities. What changed the agenda a few times was the heat and humidity. I know now I could never live in the tropics full time. I've only been dehydrated a couple of times down here but it can happen so easily. How can the body produce so much salty water? Yikes.
The beloved Equinox is now packed.
This is before.....
The space you see there is for my "hotel bag" and the Kool-a-tron on the floor behind my seat. You may notice a bungie cord holding up a Roots folding chair. This is to keep it from falling off the top of the pyramid. The bottom of the pyramid is the golf clubs hidden in a bed sheet. The club heads are wrapped in the end of the sheet as nothing drives me more nuts than a rattling in the back of the car that I can't stop. So, all jammed in and I even took it for a test drive to the gas station to fill up with my Winn Dixie discount points for a final time and take note of the sluggish handling now that the vehicle is so much heavier than usual.
My 'to do' list around the house is just about complete. Little things like deleting the search history on the computer will still need to be done. Even the two beach balls floating around in the pool for the last 3 months have been washed and scrubbed.
I've noticed a number of other Snowbirds have left. Laser Joe's place last night was in darkness, the first time I've noticed it like that in the evening. Two other sets of folks that have been here since I arrived I saw packing up a couple of days ago. Many are heading home to be back for Easter.
Wow, now that I think of it so much has happened since Easter of last year.
In 2011 I was celebrating Easter dinner at my cousin Tomas' cottage in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. What truly amazing things I have seen, heard, and done since that time.
Really, it has been a pilgrimage. I am amazed!
I guess I could call myself a "seasoned traveller" now.
Am I done travelling?
I'm not sure.
I have a lot to reflect on and what I might be able to do before this time is over but first I need to go home.
This Snowbird girl is starting her migration north.
I've been on "travelling rules" for beverages and food for the last week. If you've ever travelled as a Girl Guide or Scout you know travelling rules.
Never buy large containers of more than can be consumed before departure. I'm pretty good at it. After enough trips in Guiding it becomes part of your lifestyle and it comes naturally. So, I know I have enough orange juice, milk and cereal for tomorrow. I have enough bread for breakfast and to make a sandwich for a travelling lunch tomorrow. I have peeled all the fruit (easy snack on the road and no mess to clean up) and cut up all the celery and carrots left (hard to do in a hotel room).
My lunch is packed for tomorrow and dinner last night and tonight is "glop", a mixture of left overs (little bit of onion, hamburg patty, little bit of rice, a few pasta shells, tomato sauce, half of a green pepper and anything else I could find that might work).
Cans of pop and bottles of water are good to take because they are small and can be packaged up in smaller bags. The big containers are all gone. Woohoo!
One activity I didn't anticipate doing while I was down here was playing tennis.
Huh?
What?
Tennis? No way.
Yup, after a whole pile of years I was on the tennis court again. Not to play a real game I might say but to bash around some Penns on a court near the beach.
A friend of D's that had come down from Ohio was desparate for someone to go and hit against. Since there were no takers I sacrificed myself to the cause.
Actually it wasn't too bad. Despite the humidity being nuts (thank God for a dri-fit shirt) and being rather out of shape, I did okay.
I think it was all muscle memory.
See, I played tennis all through my pre-teen and teenage years and was kind of good for a while there.
Alas, life came into it all and between summer jobs then full time employment the tennis fanatic in me packed up and left.
(Really it was the life-long friends that I met at tennis lessons in Southampton that made me come back year after year...yes Nutty Buddies, you know who you are!!)
Being on the court again I began to remember how to hit and what it felt like to get my feet in the right place to make a pretty good shot. Right, so I couldn't serve worth a damn I did have some really good returns and even surprised myself.
But after being on the court for nearly an hour, in the sun and heat of Port Charlotte Florida I was done. Cooked, baked, over heated and parched (obviously 1 litre of water is not enough for 1 hour of working out) I headed home to pack the car.
Might as well mess up just one set of clothes in a day.
2 hours of working out in one day is good.
And it's good to be done too.
As I spend my last afternoon by the pool reading a book (why change from the norm on the last day) with a beverage I will remember all the great things that happened while I was here. What an experience it all has been.
Experience of a life time.
A Pilgrimage.
Awesome.....
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Let the cramming begin...
Well, I think I'm organized.
I mean, I've gone through all my stuff and think that I've got everything organized to cram into the Equinox.
This is going to be a challenge.
You see this is the stuff...
But most importantly....
There it is. All of it. Yikes!!
I have been planning the packing part for a while and I think it's best if I take my time. I know I can fit it all in. It's just where.
If you're wondering about all the kitchen stuff the owner of Paradise wants NOTHING left behind so despite my best efforts to use things up as much as possible there is still a pile of stuff. Now this can be packed in smaller portions and stuffed where it can go in the Equinox. Some of it will not be needed until I arrive home but some might be used in transit. (Microwave popcorn for a snack after getting off the road).
The little Kool-a-tron is awesome for this. Keeps things cool that need to be. Right now that looks like just cheese slices from the fridge. Most of the hotels I have booked have fridges in the rooms but I have an AC adapter for the unit so I just plug it in and I'm good to go! Neat!
Right now it's nearly 90 F out by the pool and the humidity is off the charts again. Any work done outside is done slowly and with breaks. I can see why people are starting to head out. This weather is brutal for doing anything! Yeah, I even break a sweat reading! The ice maker gets a work out, let me tell you!
3 days to go in Paradise.
I'm not sad. It has been an awesome experience to be here.
With all the bags around I'm getting excited about being on the road again.
Sure I'm a little nervous as the weather dudes reported tornadoes last night in Texas. I hope that I'm not in a tornado alley in Memphis! Oh well, one more thing to experience on my journey.
The beloved Equinox had an oil change and tire rotation done (only $42!) and is deemed very fit to travel. I'm glad!
Imagine it's not even a year old! So far 42,000 km. Holy COW!
So a couple of days left to tour around and check things out for one last time and do some pool reading (floating on a pool noodle with the book propped up on the side of pool!) Fun!
I'll try to remember to take before and after pictures of the Equinox when I start to pack. I think it will amaze me that I'll get it all in. I know I will but yes, it will be a challenge.
Nearly on the road again....
Cheers all!
I mean, I've gone through all my stuff and think that I've got everything organized to cram into the Equinox.
This is going to be a challenge.
You see this is the stuff...
And this is the stuff from the kitchen....
Oh, then there is the folding bike....
And the golf clubs, golf shoes and the folding chairs....
And the Kool-a-tron...
I have been planning the packing part for a while and I think it's best if I take my time. I know I can fit it all in. It's just where.
If you're wondering about all the kitchen stuff the owner of Paradise wants NOTHING left behind so despite my best efforts to use things up as much as possible there is still a pile of stuff. Now this can be packed in smaller portions and stuffed where it can go in the Equinox. Some of it will not be needed until I arrive home but some might be used in transit. (Microwave popcorn for a snack after getting off the road).
The little Kool-a-tron is awesome for this. Keeps things cool that need to be. Right now that looks like just cheese slices from the fridge. Most of the hotels I have booked have fridges in the rooms but I have an AC adapter for the unit so I just plug it in and I'm good to go! Neat!
Right now it's nearly 90 F out by the pool and the humidity is off the charts again. Any work done outside is done slowly and with breaks. I can see why people are starting to head out. This weather is brutal for doing anything! Yeah, I even break a sweat reading! The ice maker gets a work out, let me tell you!
3 days to go in Paradise.
I'm not sad. It has been an awesome experience to be here.
With all the bags around I'm getting excited about being on the road again.
Sure I'm a little nervous as the weather dudes reported tornadoes last night in Texas. I hope that I'm not in a tornado alley in Memphis! Oh well, one more thing to experience on my journey.
The beloved Equinox had an oil change and tire rotation done (only $42!) and is deemed very fit to travel. I'm glad!
Imagine it's not even a year old! So far 42,000 km. Holy COW!
So a couple of days left to tour around and check things out for one last time and do some pool reading (floating on a pool noodle with the book propped up on the side of pool!) Fun!
I'll try to remember to take before and after pictures of the Equinox when I start to pack. I think it will amaze me that I'll get it all in. I know I will but yes, it will be a challenge.
Nearly on the road again....
Cheers all!
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