Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Start- November 7, 2013

Hello Everyone and Welcome to my ramblings!

Paul and I started off by getting up at 5am this morning and rustling about making sure we had everything in the bus so we could just get in and go.

Before I continue, I need to let you know that Paul officially retired from the businesses last week so it is going to be a new experience for him being able to get away and not have to worry about fixing problems( tho I am sure if he gets a call, he will take it).  With that said.....

The morning drive started great and then came the rain.  Paul looks over and says the only cloud on the radar this am and we get it!  We continue along, the sky was quite ugly for a good portion of  the morning but, then the sun came out!  But, when we thought the sky was clearing up and we were following the rain, the rain found us!

We stopped for gas and to stretch a bit and then we continued along our way.  Finally around noon, we pulled in to the French restaurant with the Golden Arches and had lunch.  One of the things we love about traveling South are the friendly people we meet along the way.  As we were leaving McDonalds, we heard one of the employees say Have a nice day!

Finally back on the road and the drive is nice.  I generally take a nap while Paul does the driving- he tells everyone he is driving Ms. Day!  Of course, once in awhile the wind catches the bus and we go over to the side of the road and the tires go over - Hell - I don't know what you call it but it causes your eyes to open!

We continue along I77 to I64 to I60  going over several bridges to reach our destination for the night,  the KOA in Milton, West Virginia.   Once we check in at the office, we are taken to our pull thru site
for the night.  Paul diligently gets everything plugged in and set up so we can relax and enjoy the evening watching tv and of course catching up with everyone on Facebook.

Soup and sandwiches will be our meal this evening as we don't want to unhook the jeep, just to have to hook it back up again as we plan on getting up again at 5am so we can be on the road by 6 and get to James Island Campground in Charleston, South Carolina to enjoy time with our Baby Girl!

Until tomorrow, have a great evening and God Bless!

Delia and Paul





Saturday, December 1, 2012

Already December 2012

Good Morning Family and Friends,

Haven't blogged in a bit but decided to catch up today!  The last few days, I have been downloading software to my computer and getting my Jeep fixed for the most part.

I spent the night at Mama's so she wouldn't be alone - not that she is because my brother was here but, it just made me feel better.

Yesterday started off as usual, I got up and did my daily 3 mile walk, saw the sunrise, did my exercises, etc.  and then headed to Mama's for the day.  We had my brother bring in the Christmas decorations so we could get things all set for the holidays, now that the new furniture was in place.

We put the tree up and get the lights on and can't seem to find the ornaments.  They aren't in the totes that were brought in the house.  My brother looked in the shed again and there were a few more totes.  I put the ornaments on the tree as Mama handed them to me and then she put out some of her other decorations.  Needless to say, there aren't any more little kids around so the gifts under the tree will be sparse.

I love this time of year and I miss my kids.  I'm glad that Paul and I are able to come to Key West to spend time with my Mama and she spoils us rotten (or at least me) while we are here, cooking the food that I grew up on.  Luckily, my children are older and understanding of why we do what we do.  But, I have a feeling that next year we will stay home and celebrate the Christmas Season with our family and head south after the New Year.

I just looked up and noticed the sun is out and at the moment the wind seems to have died down a bit.  Paul is anxiously awaiting for the wind to stop so he can go scuba diving.  Hopefully, he will get his chance next week to dive a wreck.

For now it is time for me to sign off and get back to downloading the software.  Have a fabulous day and a wonderful Christmas Season.

Love To All and God Bless,


Much Love,

Delia

Saturday, November 24, 2012

November 24, 2012

Good Morning Family and Friends,

Paul and I Thanksgiving Day
Haven't blogged since before Thanksgiving, but, I am Thankful and Count My Blessings Every Day!  Family, Friends, Health, Faith, God's Mercy, etc are just a few of the things I am thankful and blessed with daily.

Mama with the Turkey
Thanksgiving Day was pretty quiet at Mama's house.  No kids running around, no loud discussions.  Just good Food and a wonderful day enjoyed by us all.


Valerie and I
My niece Tabatha and I hit the Black Thursday at K-Mart in the evening and found the few things we wanted. Met up with Valerie and Jason as they were they trying to snag a few good deals as well.  We definitely weren't going to fight over items or push and shove to get in the door.  In and Out within 90 minutes - all was good and we were happy - Didn't have to get up early the next morning!

Yesterday, the day started as usual for me - got my 3 miles in and then off to Mama's for most of the day.  Leftovers for lunch in sandwich form and it was just as tasty!

Paul and I went to my little cousins' 2nd Birthday party and got to chat with all my cousins, their kids and watched as the little ones had a great time watching Blues Clues(theme of the party) and running around.  The sugar high from the cotton candy and sweet popcorn laced with white chocolate had nothing to do with it!  Enjoyed pizza and cake and then it was time to head out.

Once back at Mama's, Paul left and I stayed to have dinner (leftovers again), downloaded the video from the party and picked up our laundry that I had done earlier in the day.  Cleaned up in the kitchen, turned the computer off for the night and then I headed back to the bus for the evening.

With jammies on, chatted on fb for a bit and then relaxed on the couch watching a Christmas movie - It is that time of year and I love it!

The break of Dawn this am!
Today, I will be heading to Mama's to grab some of the Turkey for Paul and I for sandwiches as we watch the Michigan - Ohio State game that starts at noon and I will be texting my boys back and forth during the game especially if our team is playing well.

Have a wonderful day and God Bless!

Much Love,



Delia


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Calling The Sheriff's!

Good Afternoon Family and Friends!

What an exciting day for my niece Tabby and me....  Let me start at the beginning!

I started my day at 6:30am and off I went for my walk around the Park which I generally do every morning and today was no exception.  The only exception was that it was a lot cooler and the sun didn't come out - It tried but to no avail!  Finish my daily routine, exercise, check emails, facebook, etc. and then off I go to Mama's to visit with my sister Sonia and bake the Pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.

Get to Mama's house and the door is locked.  I have a key but when I looked down, I noticed I had Paul's keys.  Luckily, my sister Sonia was up and let me in.  I had decided to have breakfast at Mama's and it was going to be instant Oatmeal - get everything ready to go and get the milk - Sour!   There went that idea but then I made scrambled eggs for my sister and me - all is good!

I decided to get the ingredients for the pies all together so I can get them baking, then I remember we need to make a key for the Realtor and get it to her for my sister's house in Big Coppitt.  So, I get the first pie all set in the oven, turn the timer on and my niece Tabby and I are ready to hit the road.  Mama is staying behind to take care of the pie.

As we get going I mention to Tabby, let's go up to Big Coppitt first and check to see if there is any mail, etc. before we give a key to the Realtor.   So, off we go enjoying the cool breeze coming through the windows and chatting about nothing in particular.

We get to the house, check the mail - nothing there they have the door closed.  So we decide since we are there, lets go inside and look around.  Tabby gets the house key ready to open the door and notices that it looks like someone has tampered with the lock.  Low and Behold, someone had.  We get inside and she notices water on the floor.  I look up and see it isn't coming from the ceiling.  As we turn lights on to see, we turn towards the kitchen and notice a big empty gap where the refrigerator should be.  You guessed it!  Someone helped themselves to the fridge and oven inside.  Then they went outside and helped themselves to the wood chipper and weed wacker with attachments.

Tabby and I look at each other and say - We need to call the Deputies.  Tabby made a call to our cousin hoping he might be on duty and when they heard the message, we got a text back - Sorry, he is off today.  Damn, now what?  I thought and said - Well, I usually see them around the Park down by Mama's house - let's head back down to Stock Island and see if we can spot them there and tell them what is going on so they can advise us to what needs to be done.

We decided to leave the house so that we could get my bike carrier so we could go get Anise's bike from the house in case the thieves decided to make a return visit - They can take whatever they want but, they can't have our girls' bicycle!

There were two Sheriff's vehicles when we pulled up to the Park and luckily Tabby knew one quite well from working at Pantry Pride with him years ago.  We get out of the Jeep and approach the officer and tell them what we encountered.  He in turn informed us that we had to call dispatch and gave us the number and told us that once the call was placed they would be sent out to investigate.

Needless to say, they were true to their word.  Officer Rodriguez and Officer Valdes came out and checked things outs in and out.  They talked to neighbors and luckily the neighbor had seen someone and gave a vivid description.  The officers scoured the neighborhood once the Crime Scene Officer came to the scene and started taking pictures and looking for fingerprints.  It was quite interesting seeing it done in person (reminded me of CSI).

It was quite a spell, I had to write a report of what happened and why we were at the house so the Officers would be able to file the report and give it a Case Number.  A few minutes later, a guy comes by on a bicycle pulling a lawn mower.  He starts chatting with us (he thinks I am my sister) and the Officers realize by the description they were given by the neighbor that this is probably the culprit.

The guy goes with the Officer to his house which isn't that far away from here and they discover a few of the stolen items in his possession.  And they found a few things that we didn't realize was missing as well.  The Officers called us over to the culprits' house to identify the stolen objects and to ask us a few more questions.  We signed a release and they gave us the items as they didn't need them to pursue the case.  They asked if the owners of the home was going to press charges and we said - Of Course.

We got the items back and put them in the house and decided to change the locks on the doors and add a few deadbolts to make it a little harder to get in.  Once the locks were changed, we checked the doors to make sure all were closed and locked.  Out the door we went.

It wasn't the day I expected but - All turned out well.

And the pies - Perfect!  Now time for dinner.

Have a great evening.

Take Care and God Bless!

Much Love,

Delia

Monday, November 19, 2012

November 19, 2012

Good Morning Family and Friends! 

It has been a while since I last wrote my blog - haven't really been doing too much.  I get up every morning and get my 3 mile walk in and then do some of my exercises.  Once I am done with that, shower, breakfast and off I go to my Mama's house for most of the day.

I have been working on sports action pics that I took in Michigan the day before I left and they are all finally up on my website - www.photographybyday.com, if you wish to gander over and take a look.

We get to Key West in time to see our friend Ed and Shawn Smith race their offshore boat in the KW Championship races held the week of November 6th - 3 days of racing heaven for those that love the fast pace, not knowing how the water is going to be with the waves (this year pretty good size waves so most of the boats couldn't go as fast as they would under normal conditions), but, we know Key West is not normal!

Thanksgiving is fast approaching as it is this Thursday coming and we are busy making sure we have all we need for our feast.  Turkey is thawing out, side dishes have been decided and items purchased.  We have many things to be Thankful for and are Blessed with each day.

Time to start working on the 2nd race of the Sunday Offshore races so I can get them posted tomorrow.  Today the 1st race is being posted and it will probably take the whole day to get them up.

If you are traveling to enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends, Be Safe and Have a wonderful time with each other.

Take Care and God Bless,

Much Love,

Delia

Monday, November 12, 2012

November 12, 2012

Good Afternoon Family and Friends,

Sorry for not posting the last few days.  The Offshore Power Boats were in town and time got away from me.  Paul and I were at Fort Zach on Friday and Sunday to view the races and take photos and videos as well.  Haven't had a chance to do anything with the pics except to back them up - hoping to work on some stuff later today.

Still aground
View from the point at Boyd's
Today I started my walking routine again - it has been about a month since I stopped because of my back bothering me.  Was able to get about 3 miles in around the grounds and then do my usual exercises and boy did it feel good!

Paul decorating the campsite for Christmas.
Paul and I ran errands after breakfast.  We had to buy our Christmas tree and lights for the campsite and do the usual - grocery shop, etc.  Once back at the site, Paul got busy decorating while I put everything else away.
Now, the fun begins as Paul has to decorate the tree with Bud Light cans and I get to top it with my Caffeine Free Coke.

Palm tree - wind is really blowing.
I finally hooked up the printer so that I can print my bills out to pay them - Yes I still like to have a copy for my records!  Now, that I have the business part out of the way, I can get to working on all the sports action shots I took in Michigan the day before we left.

Weather here has been beautiful since we arrived on the 8th - windy and cool but the sun has been shining.  This week the wind should die down and the temps are to be in the high 70s.  For our friends Up North - we will try like Hell to send some your way especially when the temps really dip down!

Time to get to work on some pictures.

Take Care and God Bless!

Much Love,

 
Delia


Friday, November 9, 2012

Key West Bound - Baby!

Good Morning  Family and Friends,

Sunny and 64 as we leave the KOA.  Strapped in and excited to be heading Home - Always a Conch.  If you are not one, You wouldn't understand!

On the turnpike, paid the toll.  We look and are noticing emergency vehicles with top lights and hoping that there isn't an accident up ahead!  The closer we get, the traffic is not flowing,  there is a hiccup in front of us, but we keep inching along.  We pass the accident and are getting back up to speed.  Boy, are they doing some major renovations on the Overpass.

Finally off the turnpike and onto US1 - Key West!  The traveling weather is just perfect.  Now the real fun begins - driving down through the keys.  Getting ready to cross over the first bridge of many!  Nice that the traffic isn't really heavy and no orange barrels to contend with  - alone is a win.  We see several motor homes heading North - Thanks for holding our spot, but, we will take it from here.

Windows are open and we are taking in the smell o f the salt water.  It is great to be able to come Home.  We are truly Blessed!

Crossing over the 7 Mile Bridge is a lot nicer than the old days - back then if you didn't stay on your side - side view mirrors would be taken out.

Temp is reading 66 but with the sun shining it sure seems like it should be warmer.  As we cross the Bahia Honda Bridge, we look over and notice our friend Dunick in his FHP car watching traffic.  The pelicans and ahingas are sunning themselves on the old bridge and awaiting lunch.

Watchful of the Key Deer, we slow down and proceed with caution.  We are almost to Paradise - No need to rush as everything can always be done tomorrow!

One final stop before we head to our campsite - the Shell Gas Station on Key Haven Road.  We will fill up the tank and it will be ready to go when we head out in May.

Except for the snow in West Virginia (I Loved It), that delayed us by one day, our travel from Michigan to Key West has been wonderful as usual.

Now it is time to park the bus for the Winter and enjoy the warmth of the sun!

Take Care and God Bless!

Much Love,

Delia