Archive for Uncategorized
March 27, 2006 at 10:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
We’re pretty sure that Eleanor’s recent illness has been due to the incredible pollen load here in Florida. The weather report for this area shows “very high” pollen outlook and it has been just monstrous since we arrived in Pensacola a couple of weeks ago. Eleanor has been feeling it again lately, with lots of unpleasant symptoms. Emma’s eyes are a bit red too. Even I am feeling itchy eyes at night and I don’t have that kind of allergies.
So, we are going to make some modifications to the Airstream. Brett and I spent part of the evening looking at HEPA filters. My idea is to add a HEPA filter to the cold air return for the furnace, and also see if I can retrofit a pair into the Dometic air conditioner. The furnace has no filter at all right now, and the filters that are built into the air conditioner are just for dust.
Eleanor will be seeing her doctor in Vermont later this week about new allergy meds, and while she is gone, I plan to work on the retrofits. I’ll also wipe down the interior of the trailer to try to eliminate pollen as much as I can.
My friend and fellow full-timer Rich Charpentier is going through this process as well, since he has horrible allergies that are disrupting his life. He’s considering switching from an Airstream Safari to an International CCD or Safari Special just to get away from fabrics and carpeting. You can read about his saga on his daily blog.
If we had no commitments out east, I’d be heading back to the southwest right now. Tucson was great — we could spend more time there. But since we have things to do here in Florida and South Carolina through the end of April, we’ll stick it out and hope Eleanor can get on some better allergy medications. Next year, we’ll be better prepared and we might arrange our schedule to be sure to avoid the spring pollen season.
March 26, 2006 at 9:00 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
We packed up the roadshow at Fort Wilderness this morning, and pointed the Airstream west on I-4 to return to Tampa. With no particular schedule, we weren’t in a hurry to move on, so we stopped off at Camping World to pick up a few items and have lunch in Brett’s motorhome.
A couple of months ago, someone asked me about
maintenance items. At the time, I listed a few basic things we do. Since then, I’ve added a few items to the list and deleted others. This morning as we were preparing to go, I was noting that most of them have to do with lubrication.
For example, the entrance door hinges started squeaking a few weeks ago. I used powdered graphite in a liquid suspension for that — the same stuff I use on the compartment locks.
One of the stabilizer jacks started squeaking also. I put a dab of “Anti-Seize” compound on the threads of the jack screws and ran them up and down a few times. (A fellow Airstreamer gave me that stuff. You can find it in hardware stores.)
While we were at Camping World, I bought a level for the front of the Airstream. Up to now, we’ve determined level just by feel. We’ll be attaching the new level to the front of the trailer next weekend. Most of the projects I get into on the trailer are like that, little improvements rather than repairs (like our modification of the LCD TV to 12v). We’ve got a few other tweaks in mind for this week as well.
On Wednesday, Eleanor and Emma are flying home to Vermont for a visit, while I hang back here in Tampa doing “guy stuff” with my friends. This will be the first time we’ve been separated on this trip. It should be an interesting change for a few days. What might happen? Probably more maintenance!
We’re planning to use the interim to do some long-term planning, also. We need to cross the country again, and we want to make the most of every mile. I’ll be working out routes and stops from Myrtle Beach to Las Vegas, and then to Salem, Oregon. We need to cover the country in less than two months, which is faster than we’d like. With good planning, we’ll be able to take advantage of courtesy parking and see some great parks. As we work out the stops, I’ll post them to the Schedule page.
March 25, 2006 at 10:08 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
I’m dragging myself to the keyboard tonight but it’s an effort. Brett (a.k.a. Energizer Bunny) led us on another full day of theme park adventures. He keeps going and going when ordinary humans start to fade. It’s 10 pm and by the time I’m done typing this I expect to find Eleanor and Emma already fast asleep. I won’t be far behind.
Barry joined us today, so we had four parents and only one kid, which made childcare easy. But pretty soon it was five kids, and no parents. We started with MGM Studios in the morning (Tower of Terror is great way to wake up ““ who needs caffeine?), EPCOT in the afternoon, dinner at Marrakesh, and then one last ride before fireworks over the lake. It was a great day.
So here we are, back at the Airstreams in Fort Wilderness, worn out (again) but happy. We’ll sleep well. Too bad it has to wrap up tomorrow. We’ve got a blueberry pancake breakfast planned at Brett’s motorhome, and then we’ll all hitch up and head to Tampa. This has been a flawless Disney weekend, but our fun in Florida is just beginning. I’ll update you on the next set of plans later this week.
March 24, 2006 at 10:48 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Wow, what a difference a day makes. Eleanor woke up this morning after 14 hours of sleep, feeling better. She was able to stop taking the heavy-duty pain meds the docs had prescribed for her. At 7 a.m. she was planning to stay in for the day and recuperate. by 7:30 a.m. she was thinking of things to do. By 8 a.m. she was insisting that there was NO WAY she was going to sit around the trailer while we had fun, and by 9 a.m. we were all out the door.
It was a fabulous day today. Florida sunshine, a happy crowd (me, Eleanor, Emma, and Brett), and lots to do. Barry hung back in his Airstream for the day to relax. The rest of us took the shuttle boat across the lake from Ft Wilderness to the Magic Kingdom and spent the day enjoying the rides, shows, parades, and all the other little things that make the park so fun to visit. Emma was, of course, having the time of her life.
We made sure Eleanor had plenty of snack breaks since she has hardly eaten in the past four days, and she had to make an effort to spend the day hiking around the park, but it worked out well. I thought she’d bail out by lunchtime but she stayed with us the entire day. I told her this afternoon, “It’s nice to have you back.”
The Magic Kingdom was, well, as magical as ever. Brett and I may have gotten a bit too engrossed by the Buzz Lightyear ride, however. I don’t normally buy the post-ride souvenir photos, but this one was too good to pass up.
By dark we were back at the Airstream grilling chicken that Brett had marinated. Everyone piled into our trailer for dinner, since the temperatures here in Florida have dropped due to a cold front. (We’re expecting 40s tonight.) I think that the shared experience with our friends, especially little things like cooking and eating together, is the best part of this trip. Camping is what makes it possible.
At 10, Eleanor and Emma crashed in their beds. Barry, Brett, and I had a final treat (triple-chocolate Dove bars) in Brett’s motorhome, and called it a night.
Tomorrow will be another fun day, I’m sure. Our schedule includes MGM Studios in the morning, and Epcot Center in the late afternoon and early evening. We won’t try to do everything, but just take it easy and pick a few spots that we all really enjoy. With the Airstreams, we know we can come back next week if we want, and spend another night. And it doesn’t matter what we do anyway — being with good friends is the best part.
March 23, 2006 at 10:06 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Thanks to everyone who expressed concern for Eleanor in the past few days. We were pretty spooked by her persistent and severe migraine, but she is turning the corner now.
Eleanor stayed in the trailer all last evening, taking some heavy-duty medications that had been prescribed for her. I spent some time researching migraines on the Internet, and learned about what to expect and how to help her recover. It’s a difficult thing to experience, both as patient and caregiver.
Emma and I got out of the way last night by joining some friends for bowling. Emma loved bowling. We gave her a 6-lb ball and she rolled it slowly down the lane and did fairly well. (The bumpers were up, so she couldn’t have a gutter ball.) At one point she was leading against three adults!
This morning Eleanor started to feel a tiny bit better, so we decided to proceed with our plan and head to Ft Wilderness (Disney). We met our friend Brett (with his 1978 Argosy 28 motorhome) and Barry (with his 1973 Overlander) at a local shopping center, and caravanned all the way to Disney World.
Fort Wilderness is a great place. Expensive, but very nice. Even though there are hundreds of campsites, each one feels private thanks to the extensive trees. The on-site activities are terrific (campfire sing-alongs, character visits, huge heated swimming pools, movies at night, games, etc), and of course we are only a short ride via boat or bus from all the Disney theme parks.
Eleanor crashed again this afternoon so Barry, Brett, and I took Emma out for a bike ride and later for the campfire sing-along. We grilled some steaks behind our Airstream this evening, and ate them with caesar salad and cheesecake, while listening to the crickets and talking.
If Eleanor had been with us it would have been better, but I felt good knowing she was recovering in her own bed and that I was close by at all times. We are hoping she will be feeling much better tomorrow, and able to join us at one of the theme parks later in the day. But in any case, this episode has been a reminder to us that you can’t take life (and health) for granted. Carpe diem!
March 22, 2006 at 3:43 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Eleanor’s headache has continued unabated, so we made a trip to the local doc. While she was being examined, Emma and I sat on the waiting room floor and practiced reading sight words.
The doctor thinks it’s a migraine, but Eleanor has never had one before, so it’s still a small mystery. One theory is that allegies triggered it, but nobody really knows. They sent her home with an injection and a prescription and she’s in bed now, hoping the pain stops. She may miss out on the Fort Wilderness fun this weekend if things don’t clear up. We’re worried but hopeful.
So I’m Mr. Mom today. Emma is helping me do the laundry and errands, and in between I try to get a bit of work done. We are coping. It’s a bummer to be stalled like this, but on the other hand a migraine for four days would be a bummer no matter where we were.
Emma has made a drawing for you, of her trailer. Drawing is one of her favorite pastimes, and I have been meaning to share some of her artwork with you for a long time. Today seemed the right day to show this five-year-old’s view of our home on wheels.
March 20, 2006 at 5:14 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
It’s been a challenge to update the blog due to the lack of Internet anywhere near Mystic Springs, but nonetheless we are all glad we went. Saturday was a great wrap-up, eventually. It didn’t start off well. Emma woke up feeling badly again, and while we were at Panera Bread updating the blog, well, she had a bad moment which certainly didn’t do anything for the appetites of the dozen college students tapping away at their computers.
We took her home and put her back in bed, and I went to the past president’s luncheon without Eleanor and Emma. A lot of people showed up, so the park was full of Airstreams, which was great to see. By mid-afternoon, Emma was back on track and our home was full of interested passers-by who wanted to chat about what we do and what sort of Airstream, tow vehicle, hitch, and cordless drill we do it with.
Rich gives an impromptu seminar on Hensley hitches
Dinner was a hotdog campfire with everyone (Emma didn’t eat one, which told me she was still not feeling 100%), and we ended up staying up later than we should have. I left a bit early and snuck back to the Airstream to watch “Star Trek: Enterprise” on DVD … my first three episodes arrived from Netflix and I couldn’t wait.
Sunday was more showings, and talking, which meant we couldn’t leave early, but we didn’t really want to anyway. Finally we managed to get everything packed up by 11, hit the “leftover lunch” for a few minutes, and slowly pull out over the sandy roads and back down Rt 29 to Pensacola.
I will go on record as saying this, at risk of being labeled a curmudgeon: Spring Break has ruined the panhandle of Florida. When I was a student at LSU (Baton Rouge) many years ago, the panhandle was a peaceful place with large sections of wild open beach. I remember a great spring break that I spent living in a shack made of bamboo. So driving east on Rt 98 I had hoped to show Eleanor and Emma the beautiful green water and white sands that make this place so gorgeous.
But it’s spring break season, and every campground and state park was full. No chance of getting in, except at one place that was willing to let us in for $70 a night. Panama City is not what I remember, but that’s no surprise since it has been 20 years. We tried a few spots, but ultimately nothing was available (or appealing) and we kept heading east. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.
We ended up in a tiny harborside campground (Presnell’s Bayside Marina) in Port St Joe, which is near Cape San Blas. We arrived in time for a beautiful sunset, but the air was filled with tiny midges which nipped mercilessly at us, and so we spent the evening inside. At least it was quiet and warm all night. By the way, if you want to take your RV to the water and then walk to a fishing charter, this is a great spot to try.
Camping in Port St Joe
I’ll post more about where we spent most of today, and where we are going, a bit later. Right now, I’m just catching a moment of Internet connectivity on a stop along the road. Cellular coverage along Rt 98 is not great. At the moment, we’re in Perry, FL, which is not where we intend to spend the night, and it’s time to get back in the saddle.
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