Dusk on St. George Island.
We have no microwave in this trailer. It didn’t come with one. I suppose we could get one (a small one!) but I don’t want to give up my counter space, such as it is. And if we got one we’d have to store it when we tow, which is yet another complication. So, we don’t have one. The only time it is an issue is when we want to reheat leftovers. So I, being the ingenious (and humble) person that I am, devised a way to warm them up. When we bought our pots and pans for this trip, we got a vegetable steamer that fits on top of our small pot. All I have to do is put whatever it is I want to reheat in some aluminum foil and place that in the steamer. A few minutes later we have warm _________ (fill in the blank). Now I’m sure that I am not the first to think of this and goodness knows our ancestors (!) had to reheat things before the microwave came along, but it’s fun to be a little resourceful on your own.
In the past week, I have talked to both my sister and sister-in-law on the phone. And both of them have asked me the same question, “How are you?” (emphasis on the last word). And I’m not sure how to respond. Not that I don’t appreciate it. I know that the life I am living right now is different from theirs and I think they wonder how I am doing in this new environment. I think that the only thing about this kind of living that is different from “normal” living is a lack of privacy. We are pretty much always together although Elise is getting better at spending some time on her own. She has spent most of this morning on her bed playing Polly Pockets and listening to Trixie Belden on her iPod.
Even though our environment is different, our life is not. We still have the same issues to deal with: how to be good parents, how to interact with each other, getting chores done. Some days are better than others, but that’s normal. I suppose some people go on trips like this to “find” themselves or because they are looking to have an epiphany. That’s not why we’re here. We’ve done this because the timing was right and we thought it would be a great experience. And it is. Seeing all that we have seen so far has certainly increased our gratitude: for the beauty of this country, for what we have, for the time we have to do this trip. We’re just glad to be here.
It was bound to happen. A trip to the emergency room. No, not due to an alligator or bear or rabid racoon. Elise took a dive from her bike and hit her hand, then chin, in quick succession. The chin took the brunt of it and split. She handled it bravely. The split looked deep so Danine went to ask a ranger where the nearest primary care facility would be: the hospital in Ocala, about 40 minutes from our campground.
So instead of a campfire, some grilled salmon, and more s’mores, we spent our last evening at Ocala National Forest at the ER. Danine and I are so impressed with how Elise endured the less-than-idyllic evening. We both secretly dreaded the impersonal ER and its long wait. We got lucky. The hospital has a special pediatric primary care building, which meant we were seen by a doctor within 30 minutes. The physician who saw Elise and put in her stitches, Dr. Bardruff, was excellent. He spoke to her very clearly and kindly, explaining exactly what he was doing. The most painful part was the needle used to numb her chin. It hurt a ton, but Elise stayed very still and squeezed mom’s hand. She patiently remained still while he put in the stitches. A whole hospital visit in under two hours. Whew!
At her request, we took Elise to Subway, came home and put her to bed. This is a good example of the fact that our trip does not make us immune to the hazards encountered in Regular Life. In this case, it’s a little more complicated because we won’t be here in five days when the stitches need to come out. We’ll have to call a primary care place in Niceville, FL (where we’ll be for Thanksgiving) to see if they will remove them.
I was in a little bit of a hurry yesterday when I was writing our blog. I had promised Elise some time on the computer to play with her Webkin. So today, I will tell you more about where we are.
The view from our trailer.
Juniper Springs Recreation Area is in Ocala National Forest, one of three national forests in Florida. Juniper Springs is part of the only subtropical National Forest in the continental U.S. The spring pours forth 15 million gallons of water a day, at a constant 72 degrees. Local lore tells of someone trying to dynamite the spring to kill and collect fish. This caused the springs to collapse from the sides, filling it in with boulders and sand. Water was still able to come from the springs, however. When the Civilian Conservation Corp came along in the 1930s, they developed the spring into a recreation area. The springs were cleared of the sand and rock by hand, and a concrete and rock pool built around the springhead.
You can see the wall and steps built by the CCC at the back of the photo.
People still swim and snorkel in the spring. Elise and Bobby tried it out the first day we were here. 72 degrees or not, it was a little chilly!
In 1936, there was a small dedication ceremony and officials then said they hoped people would come there to enjoy the outdoors. And they have. But not this week. Luckily for us, we have hit it just right. This is their slowest month of the year. There is no sign that anyone else is on our loop. We seem to have it all to ourselves.
One of the cool things to see in the springs is the boils, the water coming up from underground through the sand. We were able to see this in several places. We went on a short hike this morning and saw several. We noticed that fish tend to hang out near the boils. We also noticed that the area around the boil is clear of debris since the water is constantly pushing things out of the way.
There are a few boils in the center of the picture.
Last night we had an early dinner so that we could have a fire. Many of the places where we have been staying don’t allow fires which has caused plenty of disappointment for Elise. As soon as we got here, we got some firewood and Bobby built us a lovely fire. We had a borgesmorg for dinner (that means we raided the fridge for leftovers) and then made s’mores. By the time we were finished, it was full dark and we were able to see the crescent moon. Right before we went in, we heard an owl which spooked Elise a little. Bobby had to head back out for something after we had gotten in and he said that he saw a pair of eyes watching him in the woods nearby. When he shined his light, whatever it was ambled away (raccoon or opossum?). Then Elise trounced us both in only her second game of Yahtzee. All in all, it was a fairly spectacular day.
This is GeGe. She is a two-headed red-bellied turtle. She was found about 15 years ago and brought to the park. Both heads eat. One stomach.
We did it again. We found ourselves at another RV “resort” this weekend. It was close to Homosassa Springs State Park, which was our true destination. An RV resort means that you get full hook-ups (electric/water/sewer), but are parked side-by-next to other RVs and, in many cases, 90% of the residents are permanent. There’s one other Airstream here and it has an eight foot by thirty foot screened porch firmly attached to its starboard side. Most of the motorhomes here haven’t motored in years. The, uh, ambience just isn’t our style, but to its credit, it has been quiet and all we have met are pleasant enough. Elise coined the perfect phrase for these places: these are “rusty” campgrounds.
When Danine’s parents were on their trip, about once a week they stayed at a KOA (Kampgrounds of America) so Mary Lou could do laundry. We haven’t stayed at a KOA yet, mostly because those we’ve seen are relatively expensive, resemble parking lots, and frankly the K in Kampground kind of spooks me. But we’re starting to see the point of them. They might be parking lots, but no one is staying forever, and that appears to make a huge difference in how a place looks. Still, nothing beats state and national parks.
The volunteer is feeding the manatees carrots.
On Saturday we went to Homosassa Springs State Park, which is a natural spring pouring forth millions of gallons of fresh water every day, all of it at a comfortable 72 degrees Fahrenheit. This would be appealing to humans, but it is even more appealing to manatees. Despite their looks, manatees don’t have much insulating blubber and are prone to hypothermia like us. As coastal waters get colder (68 degrees), they head south, and if they know about it or have a good manatee travel guide, winter at Homosassa Springs. There is a resident population of a half dozen female manatees. They were really enjoyable to watch. Danine and I found them relaxing because of their slow, gentle way. There’s no such thing as an aggressive manatee.
Similarly, there’s no such thing as a cuddly vulture or a lethargic river otter. The park has lots of animals. The two just mentioned were partners in a delicate game for fish. A volunteer was feeding the otters fish, which they would grasp with their front paws, then flip over and backstroke their way to a rock. On the way they would put it in their mouths and flip back over upon arrival, using the rock as a table. Vultures swooshed down and lurked carefully nearby. Occasionally an otter would leave a scrap and the nearest vulture, again very cautiously, would hop down and try to nab it for himself.
The star of the park (aside from the manatees) is Lu. He’s a hippo. He’s forty-seven years old and a former movie and television star. His career was short due to his “unpredictability.” This may have to do with a hippo’s tendency to mark his territory by moving his tail back and forth like a high speed windshield wiper whilst defacating. Everything within twenty-five feet is so marked. He was fun to watch – from a distance.
Nothing like eating a quarter of a melon at a time!
Our visit to Homosassa happily coincided with their 33rd annual Seafood, Arts and Crafts Festival. After church on Sunday, we headed over to have a look-see. Sure enough – seafood, arts and crafts! Elise had her first root beer float and Bobby helped himself to an Italian sausage complete with peppers, onions and mustard. All were happy. Elise bought herself a shirt that she loves. It’s made of polyester and looks all puckered. It fits her and will actually fit me, too. It was a fun purchase and one she made on her own.
The new shirt in front of a Civil War era sugar mill plantation.
We left Homosassa this morning (Monday) and we are now at Ocala National Forest in central Florida. We plan to canoe here (over alligators they tell us!) and maybe even swim in the springs (again, a constant 72 degrees). Thursday we head to St. George Island on the Gulf of Mexico and then Monday we will be at my brother and sister-in-law’s for Thanksgiving week. We can’t wait to see family!!
Our new, and much preferred, location!
Hi! I really hated Disney. It was the worst place EVER! Just joking. I really, really liked Disney. We went to Animal Kingdom first, then Epcot. There was this show in the beginning called the Hoop Dee Due Revue. Two people from the show came up to us and the girl is actually following us on our blog. I met some friends and their names were Elizabeth and another one, but I don’t quite remember her name. I met some other people and their names were Charlotte and Trey. The mom and dad were Amelia and Dan.
I went on Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom. The last time we rode it, it got stuck. I couldn’t believe it. I was freaked out! I liked Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad and I also LOVED It’s a Small World. There are all these little dolls and they sing “It’s a Small World” over and over and even in different languages. In the last part, they were all dressed in white. There were trapeze artists and see saws and people dancing and ferris wheels and boats. It was very cool. At the very end, there is a part where they show you all these different languages for saying “goodbye”. I knew three of them – “goodbye”, “dasvedanya” and “adios”.
The campground where we are staying now had this arts and crafts thing and I made goo. I am having a great time here.
It is so nice to slow down a little bit. This morning we treated ourselves to a morning at Panera to use their wi-fi, eat their yummy bagels and drink their chai (my favorite). Next we head to the post office and then back to the campground for an afternoon of exploring.
Yesterday we went to Mass at St. Joseph’s in St. Petersburg. It was an awesome experience, let me tell you! Our first indication that it was going to be a Mass to remember was the woman in choir robes who hugged us when we came in. The congregation is diverse, about half African-American and includes many Canadian snowbirds. They are an incredibly warm and friendly group who obviously care very deeply for each other. All around us people were greeting each other with, “You’re lookin’ good” and “It’s good to see you here”.
The gospel choir had great energy and everyone was clapping and singing along. Fr. Tim was good, too. He looked just like all the stereotypical pictures you see of Jesus — blue eyes, long hair and beard. He gave his homily from the top of a ladder, since the gospel was about Zaccheus. During his homily you could hear people saying, “Amen, Father” and “You know that’s right”.
At the end of the Mass, they asked guests to stand up so they could greet us. Fr. Tim asked where we were from and we told him we were from Virginia but traveling around the country for the year. After the closing song, the people behind us told Elise to have a great trip and then they handed her a bag of honey roasted peanuts and $2!
Last week I noticed that Daylight Savings Time ended on Saturday. Then, I forgot. This morning our rather boisterous neighbors woke us up around 8:30. Not bad, I thought. We all got up, had some kiwi and strawberries while playing a game of UNO and then got ready for church. Driving away from the campground, I plugged in Vicky, our GPS, to get us to church on time. Imagine my surprise when Vicky told us we would be getting to church an hour earlier than it was right then! Turns out our neighbors woke us up at 7:30, not 8:30. So instead of going to the library after church to pick up email, here we are bright and early.
The weather here has FINALLY cleared and we are enjoying glorious mid-60s temperatures with not a cloud in the sky. Happy Sunday everyone!
