Settling In At Jonathan Dickinson

Monday January 6- Today I got busy early, doing laundry and cleaning up inside the rig. We took Ruby for a walk and when we got back the new volunteer coordinator showed up. We talked a bit with her. Then we decided to make a trip to town. Jeff wanted to go to Best Buy, looking for a waffle iron. He has some credit to apply to it. He found one he thought he would like. While he was there I walked over to the container store. I love that store. They give you so many ideas. When you live in a 5th Wheel you really need to be organized. So when I walk through this store I am overwhelmed with all the ideas that are around. I don't always purchase all those neat ideas but it helps. I purchased a white eraser calendar. I had one before but it broke. I couldn't wait to get me another. Then we went over to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Jeff had the white chicken chili, me I had the pizza and salad. One thing I can say about this restaurant, they give you a lot of food. We both took home half for our lunch tomorrow. After eating and getting a piece of cheesecake to go we went over to look at some of the shops. I found a couple Christmas tea towels, they were 70% off. That is always fun. Then we made our way back home. For supper we had the homemade noodles I made yesterday. It was a good dinner. Tomorrow we start back to work, this time a full shift.


Tuesday January 7- Back to work today. This will be our first full week of work. Our first day was rough trying to find everything and trying to remember our routine. So going in to work today we have everything filled and in it's place. So instead of running around looking for things we can get back into our routine. The weather was a bit cool but it warmed up nice. The day went really fast. It felt a whole lot better. When I finished I came home and made chocolate chip cookies. We are having a get together with Jeffrey and Maren. They are bringing the kabobs, we are making rice and bread. Oh and the cookies. Everything was really good. While we were outside before dinner I received a call from my niece in California. She is taking care of her Mom, my sister at her house. She is bed ridden with dementia. She has a lot going on but she is taking really good care of her.

Wednesday January 8- Back to work again and it went very smooth today, almost back to normal. We finished up in good time. I ran to town after work. Did leftovers for supper. We don't always do a lot on our work days. People seem to think it's a vacation we are living, that's not true. We do have lovely weather but we are just living life in a different way.


Thursday January 9- Our last day of work for the week. We went down to the shop at 7:30 to get our cart like we always do and Kirrin the new volunteer coordinator was there she wanted to go with us to see what we do. That slowed us down a little because instead of just doing the task we had to explain what we use to clean it and how often it gets done. She wanted to help us too. Well after we cleaned the first 2 shower houses she went back to her office. I think we passed. The wind today was extremely crazy. It just wouldn't quit. All the campers were timely about leaving. Our last camper left at 12:30. We hung around here the rest of the day. It is still so windy you can't hardly sit outside.


Friday January 10- The wind didn't stop last night, not for a minute. I got a walk in with Ruby this morning. Then I thought since the wind is crazy I figured I might as well get started sewing blocks together on my new quilt project. Before starting that I went in to town to pick up my prescriptions. While I was there I made a few stops since Jeff was at home. He's not much on shopping. When I got home I thought maybe I should give Belle her hair cut. I figured if I had my back to the wind it would blow away from me. That really didn't happen. The hair just blew everywhere. I at least got that task completed. She looks so much better.

Saturday January 11- Guess what....still windy. Not only is it windy, it is gray and rainy.I took Ruby for a walk and we got caught in the rain. When I got back I made breakfast. Then finally I decided to get the sewing machine out and get to sewing. It is so hard to get started on a new project. Once I get it going it's fine. So I got everything set out and started on a block.

























I am making a log cabin block this time. Haven't done one of these for awhile. I got a couple blocks made. We have been watching the weather today fairly close because we had planned on going to an outdoor concert tonight. Thankfully the weather cooperated. Jeffrey and Maren came and picked us up at 5:30. Jeff has seen they are having a food truck from Leftovers. He wanted to eat there. We also figured it would be super busy, and it was. We found the the Abacoa Ampitheater and the parking garage. It was just a short walk to the theater. The show started at 7:30. We got there around 6 and there were already lots of chairs there. We found a nice place to sit and then went to get us some supper. Jeff got the sweet potato encrusted mahi on a bed of greens, me I got chicken tenders with fries. It was really good and the prices were too. We sat and watched as more and more people show up. It was packed. At 7:30 out comes The Long Run, a Eagles tribute band. We have seen them before and they are great. We had a fun night. The weather was perfect, the wind even dies down and we even had a full moon behind us. What a night.

Waiting for the show to start

enjoying the show

Sunday January 12- The wind is done I think. I took Ruby for a walk, thinking we would catch Jeffrey and Maren before they left. Well, we didn't do that. They already left. Oh well, they will be back in a couple weeks. We went to church and then stopped at the store on the way home. Then after our brunch the rain started. Not a lot but it was just on and off all afternoon. I decided to sit back down at the sewing machine and put together some more blocks....I have 5 made now. I only need about 50 more. It is going to be a long process but this quilt is for our grand daughter so it's worth it.

Monday January 13- I started the day off early. I got my laundry done and then did some cleaning inside. It was pretty nice outside. I noticed the sign on the door that I made looks like it needs to be touched up. So I found the paint and got busy on that. That helped quite a bit.

Since arriving at the park we haven't even made a trip down to the river area. Today we decided to do just that. We walked around a little looking around. Then we came back to the campsite and decided to start removing the decals on the kitchen slide. The ones that have either really faded or are cracked. This is going to be super tough. First they don't want to come off, then the glue stays behind and it certainly doesn't want to leave. This is going to take us a while.

Tuesday January 14- Back to work with us. When we got up it wasn't raining but before we went to work at the shop it started pouring rain. We tried to wait it out at the shop but it just wouldn't quit. It finally slowed down and so we headed off to the shower house. We didn't get very far before the rain started, and it poured along with lots of wind. We pulled under the roof to keep everything dry. We got the first shower house cleaned. Went to move to the second one but guess what....as soon as we jumped in the cart the sky's opened up and poured again. It took us a while to get things done because that seemed to happen every time we jumped in the cart....rain. We were happy when this day was over, we were tired of being wet.

Wednesday January 15- Off to work but at least the rain was gone. We got everything done and when we got finished I sat outside. Jeff saw online that Blue Point has a 4 course dinner from 5-6 for $15.00. We didn't have anything sat out for supper so we decided to go there. They had live music and a happy hour going on when we arrived. When we arrived it wasn't that busy but it got busy fairly quick. Our waiter must have been new. He was pretty slow and messed up a few times.  Jeff ordered his supper, the special. The portion size was small. We are not big eaters but this was really small portions. The meat part was good the rest was ok. I ordered my usual the chicken tenders which were delicious. The music was really country, not our favorite.

Thursday January 16- We had decent weather today. It is our last day of working this week. We had a couple extra jobs to get done today. It wasn't that good of a day. Everything went wrong that could have. We sure were happy when we finished up. It was almost like a Friday the 13th...


Friday January 17- It's a busy day today. We don't have to work but I have plenty to get done. We were off and running early getting stuff done. Jeff is still trying to find something that will take off the glue from those decals. Then we needed to get Belle's prescription dog food. We had to wash the car. Next Jeff needed coffee for his nespresso. Then our final stop was at the store. We needed to get stuff for tonight. We are having a volunteer pot luck. When we got home I got busy making deviled eggs and cupcakes. Our pot luck was at 6:30. We went up a little early to get the lights and electric turned on. It is super windy tonight. We had a really good turn out. It was nice to see everyone.

Saturday January 18- The day started off really busy with laundry and cleaning. Then we decided to take a road trip and check out a few things. First we checked out a RV park, It was really small and it was so crowded....not for us. Next we drove over to Le Mesa RV. We like to look at whats new. We checked out a few 5th wheels that we liked. We also met a couple there that we had a nice time visiting with. Then a bonus...they have free lunch there. So we had a hotdog before moving on. Our next stop was Jensen Beach. First we looked at another RV park. We had looked there before. It is really nice with lots on extras. We had planned on staying in Jensen Beach for a bit because we wanted to got to get supper and live music. We still had time to kill so we walked around downtown checking out the area. Jeff found a coffee house, called The Bunk House. It was a cute little place. He said the coffee was really good too.

Then we walked to the Tako Tiki. It is a new place for us. The music there tonight was The String Assassins. We also heard the food was really good. We were excited to give it a try.

We got there early and it was a good thing we did. We walked in and found a table. First we just had a drink with chips and salsa. Then Jeff ordered 2 blackened snapper tacos, I had a beef taco. I wanted to make sure I liked them before ordering another. Well it was great so I did get a second one. The food was really good and the prices very reasonable. The place got packed then the music started and it got even busier. We had a nice evening for sure. We ended up sharing our table with 5 others. The String Assassins were really good too.

We left around 8. We figured the dogs had been home alone long enough. It didn't take that long to get home. We had a really good day.

Sunday January 19- Church day, we got ready to go to the first service. We got to meet the new youth pastor. He seems like a really good guy. Before making our way to the campground we stopped at the store. Our small group is having a dinner today. I was going to make coleslaw. So I got busy when I got home. We needed to be there at 1 so no time to mess around. I couldn't remember the last time I made coleslaw. At  our small group we had a taco dinner. The food was good. We had a smaller than usual turn out. Still was nice. Then we came on home and relaxed the rest of the day outside enjoying the weather. We also waited to hear from our kids. Hailey has a gymnastic meet today. They always keep us up on her scores. She did pretty good.

Our favorite gymnast....

That's all for this time....

Enjoying The Holidays.......

Monday December 23- It's our 42nd wedding anniversary today. The first gift was the stormy weather they were calling for last night didn't show up. We just got rain. It was gray most of the day. We did get the dogs a walk. Since we purchased Belle a harness instead of a collar she seems to walk better. Not so much pulling. She acts like she wants to go for a walk. It used to be we would say who wants to go for a walk, she would jump up on the couch. Now she wants to come. While we were out walking we checked the water in the pool. It seems they have the heater fixed and the water feels perfect. Now we just need some decent weather. It sure has been super gray, rainy and windy lately. To celebrate we made our own steak dinner. I even got the recipe for Ruth Chris Steak House Au gratin potatoes. Mine tasted as yummy as theirs.

Tuesday December 24- It's Christmas Eve. We don't have any plans really for today. I wanted to do the pool. It is gray and cool today again. We did see just a bit of sunshine today, but it didn't last long. We drove to Jupiter to attend Christmas Eve services at Generation Church. It was a nice service, we even got to see Agnes and her son Max. We seem to sit with them every year.

As we were coming out of church Seth face timed me, the kids were going to open there traditional Christmas Eve gift....pajamas'. I think they liked them. We came on home and couldn't believe how busy the turnpike was. Not just lots of cars but lots of crazy drivers. Was glad when we got home.

Tuesday December 25- Merry Christmas everyone! We don't really do gifts for each other but we do get the pups something. This is the one day where Belle takes charge. She likes toys and she will have hers and Rubies. Seth called us when the kids got up. We got to watch them open there gifts, so that is fun. Maddyn wasn't up so early. Justin called so we got to watch her as well. It is so nice to be able to watch. When that was finished we just hung here. I did surprise my friend Judy, I face timed her. I don't think she has ever done that. It was nice to see her too. It was a super long day. I really dread the holidays. I mean the actual day. It is very long and a bit sad. I was hoping I could float in the pool. The weather did not cooperate. We did talk to the kids more than once. They got me the picture I wanted.

This is what I miss over the holidays.....

Thursday December 26- We both wanted to do something today. We decided to take in a movie. So we got ready early and went to the mall. I had just the shirt to wear today. Jeff wanted a cinnabon and me I wanted more jelly belly jelly beans. I found pomegranate ones. They are very tastee. Then I went to Bath and Body. They started there sales. I just ran out too. I went in and picked out what I wanted. Then I looked at the line...yikes. Well I had plenty of time so I jumped in line. The bad thing was I tried to call Jeff but I had no service. He thought I was just getting jelly beans. I kept trying to call him...no luck. I even tried to get on the wifi in the mall but still no luck. I thought I would try to text him, even though he doesn't do that. No luck. I couldn't even get that to go. What the heck, I'm in the twilight zone. They finally opened some more registers and I go lucky. Some of them people were buying crazy amounts of stuff. I left there, called Jeff and met him at the theater. I was kind of happy. I got my jelly beans and my shower gel and lotion....on sale. It was a win win. We got us some popcorn and found our seats. The movie we saw was Richard Jewell. It was really good. We left and when we walked out in to the mall, it was crazy busy. We made our way to the food court, got a sandwich and went on home. I also took all my Christmas stuff down. We are going to be moving soon and I just wanted that stuff put away.

Friday December 27- Today was cleaning day. I did all the laundry first. Then I did some cleaning in the rig.  We started the day a hot one then a big black cloud rolled in and it rained the rest of the day. So no swimming today. We are trying to get things put away for the move. We went to Fire Up a pizza place that was really close. They do the fast fire roasted pizza. It is really good. We wanted to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes bowl game. We don't get it on our dish system. So we just had to watch the updates on my phone. I also was keeping up on the Chicago Blackhawks score. Well even though I couldn't watch either game they both managed to win, so that was a good day. 

Saturday December 28- Woke up again to rain. Jeepers this is really making this packing up a bit of a challenge. The first break in the rain we got the bikes loaded and covered. I also got my swing chair taken apart. Before the rain started again we got the sunshade dryed and packed up too. Then the rain came so I went ahead and defrosted the freezer. Tomorrow we move to site #125. It is just up the road. We will only be there one night then on to Jonathan Dickinson. Jeff had a little glitch. We didn't have any site, so luckily then had a spot for us to stay here in.

Sunday December 29- We didn't got to church today. We are moving and we know someone is waiting to get into our site. So we watched for our site to open up so we could move. Finally about 11 o'clock our site was open so we moved right in. We were ready to go so when we landed we didn't set up much stuff because we are moving again tomorrow. We didn't really feel like cooking so we went to dinner with Jeffrey and Maren. We went back to Park Avenue BBQ. It was a yummy meal again. 

Monday December 30- It's moving day. This time we are moving out of this park and in to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. This is where we will be until April 15. Today we will be moving to site #23 for a couple of days. Then we will move into our volunteer site when the site becomes available. We left here about 11:30. It took us about an hour to get to JD. Traffic was a bit heavy but we know the area so that helps. Just as we arrived in Jupiter the rain started. Oh boy, nobody wants to set up in the rain. Lucky for us the rain moved out as fast as in arrived. We got set up and then the rain started again. We have a rig across from us that looks familiar. It turns out that is Frank and Rita's rig. They are here every year. It always feels good to pull in here because we know so many people here. We had Linda, a volunteer stop by to welcome us back. We met her here last year. When the rain stopped I took Ruby for a walk and saw that Ken and Sandy had just pulled in. They are volunteers here too. So it's starting to feel like home here.

Tuesday December 31- It's sunny!!!! We watched more volunteers pull in and set up. We also saw our site open up, a day early. We decided to go ahead and move today. We got moved and then begin the process of setting up our compound. When we land for so long we really set up house. This way we will have a day to relax before we start work. We got busy and set up stuff inside and out. We still have a few things to do but it is starting to feel like home. We have site V-1 this year, it's the 3rd time we have had it. It's nice. We have shade and it's close to the laundry and the shop. 

We had made plans to get together with some of the volunteers for a happy hour tonight. It was nice to catch up with everyone. Since a lot of them arrived today and had a busy day it was an early night. We will not stay up to bring in the new year. 

Wednesday January 1 2020- This is the other reason we love this site. Every morning I will wake up to the sunrise behind my favorite tree. It was a cool morning. I had a few more things I wanted to get out and put up. I raked the area, put up my buoys, scrubbed and secured our rugs. It turned out to be a beauty of a day. We got to meet the new volunteer coordinator. She came by to bring us our handbook. She seems really nice. We watched as Jeffrey and Maren rolled in. Then we went to dinner with them. We went to Outback to get a steak to welcome in the new year. Tomorrow we will start back to work for the season.

Thursday January 2- An early start today. We got ready and met at the shop at 7:30. We picked up our cart and off we went. We have a lot to get done today. It is always a little rough to get things organized the way we like it. We have to find things, and figure out our routine again. We walked in to a mess this year. It will take a while to get things fixed up. We really like this park and we want it to look good when the campers visit. It was a long day and we both are tired. The good thing is we are off the next 4 days. Our schedule is us working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We have 4 days now to get ready for our next shift. They have decided to use rags this year so after work I washed the rags that we found. Since I was doing laundry I decided to go ahead and get mine done too. 

Friday January 3- I got up and early and headed to Walmart. Since I went by Jupiter Donut I went ahead and stopped and picked up a 1/2 dozen. Then on to Walmart. I got there early enough that there wasn't many people there. I got everything on my list. I even found some Christmas lights that were really on sale. I decided to put some lights up on our site. I came on home and sat outside a bit. It is really a pretty day outside. We went down to the Square Grouper this afternoon to enjoy happy hour and some music by Rob Arenth. It was a really nice day and we found seats at the bar.

Saturday January 4- We walked Ruby and then we packed up some stuff and made our way to the beach area up the road. It is actually on the waterway outside of the wildlife preserve. When we arrived there was no one there. We stayed a couple hours and it was never really busy. We didn't bring the dogs but they are allowed. So next time we will bring Ruby. Bell does not like the sun or the heat.

After enjoying the sun and the quiet for a couple hours we packed up and headed towards the car. On our way we had some steps and then in the parking lot a spotted this fellow.

When we got home I made brunch. We stayed around here for a while. Then we decided to go back to the Square Grouper to listen to Jodi Gaines this time. We invited Jeffrey and Maren to go. It was a really hot one today. It was a nice day to sit outside and enjoy a beverage. There was a nice crowd there too. 

Well as we were watching the show we notice the weather taking a change. The skies darkened, the wind picked up and the temperature started dropping. We left just in time. As we arrived at the parking lot the rain started. We came home at called it a day...a good day.

Sunday January 5- With that weather yesterday a cold front arrived. It was a cool morning. We got ready to go to church. To our surprise Lori Hackbart brought the message today. She did a great job. She is a friend from the church and the leader of our small group. After church and before we left for home we wanted to tell her how good she did. She invited us to the lunch the small group is having today. We weren't sure we were going because we didn't have any food prepared. They assured us there would be plenty. We decided to go and it was a good time. It was nice to be welcomed back. The food was good and the company was great. We came home and called it a week. So until next time...... Happy New Year!!!!