Off to see the Circus!

Dunedin, FL -- Some days unfold in a completely different way than you expect. Such was the case today, when we headed up to the clubhouse for the weekly Monday morning coffee, and sat down with our new friends Paul and Karen. They mentioned that they were heading out to Sarasota to see the Ringling Cultural Center -- and asked us if we'd like to come with them.

"Give me a second to clear my calendar for the day," Val quickly replied, and shortly afterward, we were in their car heading south toward Tampa Bay and beyond. The trip took about an hour, although it went very quickly as we got better acquainted. We crossed the huge Sunshine Skyway bridge between St Petersburg and Bradenton and on to Sarasota.

The Ringling, as the facility is called, is a 66-acre tract of land with beautiful gardens and vegetation, ponds and fountains, plus a museum dedicated to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, a huge art gallery, a theatre and, at the far end of the property where it meets Sarasota Bay, the Venetian-style mansion where John Ringling and his wife lived out their final days.

 We arrived at the circus museum just as the guided tour was beginning. Brightly coloured circus posters from the past, with tigers and elephants and acrobats and girls in sequins and feathers, beckoned small-town Americans to the big top for a day they would not soon forget. Original circus carts with ornately carved decorations and flashing wheels were on display, and you could almost see the snarling tigers behind the cage bars, or hear the upbeat music from the bandwagon that led the parade into town.

Next door in the Tibbals Learning Center, we marveled at the miniature circus display of some 3,000 hand-carved figures of performers, animals and spectators, lovingly created by one man, with wagons, train cars, tents, sideshows and a 7,000-seat big top three-ring circus tent complete with animated acts. Each figure was about four inches tall, with delightful scenes of performers practising, chefs serving hundreds of meals, men unloading horses from train cars, and kiddies licking cotton candy. It was wonderful!

John Ringling, the youngest of the five brothers, had a huge collection of priceless masterpieces that are housed in the Museum of Art which is, itself, a place of classic beauty, with a central garden surrounded by arched porticoes topped with copies of classic sculptures, and highlighting a replica of Michelangelo's David at its centre. We strolled through dozens of galleries till our feet ached!

One of the trams that purr through the grounds was a welcome sight when it pulled up to the doorway to carry us off to Ca'D'Zan, the Ringling's mansion. On the way, we passed massive banyan trees and sprawling lawns, as well as Mabel Ringling's colourful rose garden. We didn't have tickets to tour the inside of the mansion, but the outside views were magnificent, with their marble patios and commanding view of Sarasota Bay.

We didn't get back to the RV park till almost 7 pm, but it was a terrific day from start to finish, thanks to our kind friends Karen and Paul.

Eagles, lizards and pizza

Dunedin, FL -- After a couple of weeks in transit and getting settled in the RV park, it was time to get back to reality and check in at the local Weight Watchers outlet. All our indulgences along the way -- not that there were THAT many -- were impartially registered on the cold, hard surface of the WW scales and its large digital readout in front of us. The numbers were neither unexpected nor horrifying, so we were pleased to know where we stood, so to speak.

With our handy dandy RV waiting outside in the parking lot, we were able to enjoy breakfast before we stopped in at the grocery store in the same mall. Restocked with healthy fruits, vegetables and a frozen pizza, we headed for the beach once again for an invigorating walk. More on the pizza later.

Honey-moon Island State Park is more than just a beach, and after our stroll we thought we'd drive to the end of the access road to refresh our memory of the park from past years. Mostly, there were groves of palmettos on either side, but at one intersection I spotted a tall tree with what looked like eagles perched in the branches. We turned back for a closer look, and sure enough, there were three of them, each on their own branch, and on a fourth was calmly perched a large white crane, undaunted by the nearby predators. I guess when you're twice as tall as the other guy, you don't have to worry. I managed to get a picture of the group without scaring them off.

One of the joys of spending a lot of time outdoors is seeing all the creatures that share our neighbourhood with us. Our RV park has several rabbits that keep the greenery nicely trimmed, and if you're sitting out on the concrete pad next to your site for any length of time, you're bound to catch sight of a lizard darting out of the shadows, or sunning itself on a warm patch. Sometimes you can see the red of their fleshy throats pulsating in and out. Not sure what that means they're doing but it's neat to watch.

It was while I was pondering the lizard that I started to ponder what we'd have for supper, and my thoughts strayed to the frozen pizza we'd picked up. We often treat ourselves to one after our weigh-in, and there are some pretty tasty ones out there that aren't too fattening. The one we'd found had a cauliflower crust which really reduced the calories. Only problem is, although we have nearly every modern convenience in our little home on wheels, we don't have an oven. Oops.

Fortunately, there are some pretty kind people in the park who do have ovens, and Gloria and Gary were only too willing to help us with our little problem. Their gleaming, spacious fifth wheel trailer has everything including a convection oven, so at supper time I trotted down to their place with our little pizza and they cooked it in no time. Whew! Made our day!

Snowbirds and other feathered friends

Our second week in the new RV is unfolding nicely. Now that we have stopped site-hopping, we feel a bit more settled, but with an RV that's your only transportation, "settled" is a relative term. Today we set off in it once again, and we are getting our mobilization routine worked out pretty well. There are only a few small things we need to do before we head out, as a result of our discipline regarding putting things away when not in use.

Honeymoon Island beach was stop number one; we never get tired of strolling along the shore of this beautiful spot. This time we headed toward the pet beach, where a number of visitors were letting their dogs romp in the waves and sniff other dogs. Even though I have a basket full of pretty shells at  home, I couldn't resist picking up a couple more.

Next was Camping World. That was a bit further afield, so by the time we got there, we were ready for lunch. No problem; just put 'er in Park and head for the fridge, two feet away! After enjoying a bite to eat, we went in to the store and started browsing. The number of gadgets for RVers and campers is truly amazing, from sporks (an eating utensil that's a fork at one end and a spoon at the other) to foldable rocking chairs and everything in between.

Val was looking for a device to keep our awning from flapping in the breeze. We deployed the awning for the first time yesterday but we couldn't leave it out for long because the wind had picked up. The wide expanse of material is like a sail if a gust catches it, and we had no desire to become airborne, let alone face a nasty repair job if it should rip. Unlike other awnings, this one rolls out with two V-shaped arms under the fabric, rather than straight ribs on either edge. Once extended, you can release telescopic legs to anchor the awning to the ground or to a couple of clips on the RV wall. Unfortunately, the flap preventers we saw at the store weren't designed for our style of awning. So we'll just close it when it's breezy.

With a couple more errands attended to while we were mobile, we came back to our spot and got settled once again. As we bustled about preparing supper, we could hear the local neighbourhood mockingbird trilling away from a nearby tree. The serenade continued while we ate. I sure wish this bird would fly north and do its thing back home; it's so uplifting to hear this plain-looking creature singing its heart out with every variety of birdsong you could imagine! Meanwhile, other large white birds with red legs and a long, probing beak meandered through the park providing free soil aeration services. And down the way, an egret has been spotted, courting a cute plastic version of himself that someone has planted next to their RV. It looks like true love.

Off to the duck race

Dunedin, FL -- I wouldn't have thought I'd appreciate a down-filled sleeping bag for Florida nights, but it's been a real boon since we got here. Overnight temperatures have been in the low sixties, and that extra warmth has made all the difference. The days have started off quite cool, and some might feel the highs lately have been disappointing, but not me. Low 70s are my kind of weather, if you throw in some sunshine and breezes. We should be hitting that for the rest of the week at least.

The main activity of the day in the park today was the annual duck race and Tiki party, centred around the swimming pool. Dozens of bobbing yellow plastic ducks are set afloat inside a boom of pool noodles. When the noodles are lifted, a team of swimmers armed with squirt guns tries to nudge the ducks toward a narrow opening near the deep end. On the other side of the opening is an opposing team, similarly armed, whose objective is to keep the ducks out. Great shouts of encouragement fly forth from the excited crowds, who have a stake in which duck gets through first. Each little floater has been numbered and paid for, and the winning duck garners a nice prize for the sponsor! Smart observers park themselves at a certain distance, unless they don't mind being doused with stray squirts from time to time!Of course, the fun is augmented by a tasty barbeque lunch and drinks.

We enjoyed our burgers in a shady spot and watched the first couple of heats, but since we weren't around when they sold the tickets, we didn't have a stake in the results. So we headed out on our borrowed bicycles to try the home-made ice cream at the Causeway Café. One of our friends told us about the place and piqued our interest.

Lots of bikers were out today on the Pinellas Bike Trail. There was every type of two-wheeler imaginable, and every level of biking expertise as well. With ours carefully locked at the bike stand next to the café, we went in to see what we might want to sample.

Ten flavours in the glass case enticed us. Val chose vanilla and strawberry, and I picked one labeled "Heath"; I thought it was "health" with a typo, but it was really a flavour resembling a chocolate bar of that name, with chocolate bits and toffee crunch. Yum. Neither of us could remember the last time we'd had ice cream, but it was worth the wait! We enjoyed our treats, sitting in comfy Adirondack chairs watching the passing throng.

I'm sure our feverish cycle home again canceled several of the calories we'd enjoyed....yeah, right.

No fixed address

Dunedin, FL -- We got mobile again today. Our rental time at our temporary spot ran out at 11 o'clock this morning, so we disconnected, battened down the hatches and set off to run a few errands to take advantage of our freedom. It was reassuring to see how few things we had to do compared to the setting-out routines from our previous motorhome and fifth wheel. With them, there were so many important steps to take, which if forgotten could have dire consequences, that we wrote up a checklist and had it laminated. So, just before pulling away from a site, we'd go through each item like a pilot before take-off! You never saw us peeling down the highway with a hose dragging behind or an awning flapping in the breeze!

The grocery store we picked just happened to be in a mall with a hairdresser I'd used before, so after stowing our purchases, I left Val to make himself some lunch while I trotted off to get a haircut. Lucky me: Cheryl led me to a barber chair immediately and I was nicely shorn in no time!

It was too nice a day to spend entirely on chores, so we decided to visit the beach at Honeymoon Island State Park for a stroll in the sunshine. This lovely expanse of powdery sand is beautifully unspoiled, and we could feel all our knots coming loose as the foaming surf curled around our toes and the breeze ruffled our hair. It was delightful to see little kids with their plastic pails and shovels, bright umbrellas planted in the sand and kites flying overhead. As we walked along, tiny sandpipers and plovers scampered out of our way and gulls screeched overhead. What a treat.

When we returned to the RV park, we had a new temporary spot at Val's brother John and Fawn's site, where we squeezed in next to their car for the next couple of nights. On Sunday we'll move again to Anna's site, after she and Doug vacate it to return to Canada. She kindly sublet the space to us for the duration of our stay.

Anna had a little gathering on her site to bid farewell to her RV park friends and neighbours, so we got a chance to meet some of the ones we hadn't met before, and to let them get to know who their new site occupants would be. I'm looking forward to the shady spot we'll have for sitting outside.

Friends and neighbours

Dunedin, FL -- Our temporary rental spot is in a very public location, right along the main drag of the RV park, so if we are outside doing anything, there is no place to hide from the passing throngs! As a result, the smallest chore can take up to an hour, as folks drop by to say hi and catch up.

Such was the case today, as Val tried to stop an annoying drip from our hose connection at the back of the RV. He hates leaks. No matter what he tried, there was always a wet spot under the rig. That's when Chuck, our neighbour, strolled over and offered to take us to his favourite RV supplier in his truck. He also said we could drop by at Walmart to pick up a filter for our water supply -- that got me excited, as there were a few other items we'd noted that we could pick up there at the same time. So, off we went, with me in the back seat, and Val and Chuck up front exchanging war stories from their working days with great gusto.

After a successful outing, Val was out there attaching the new filter and dealing with the drip again, when another couple stopped to chat. Then some more folks meandered by and joined in the conversation. Before we knew it, most of the day had passed and we'd hardly done anything -- but we'd had a lovely time doing it!

It has been breezy and fresh again today, and delightfully cool overnight, promising another peaceful sleep in our little home on wheels.

Shanks mare

Dunedin, FL – The patter of raindrops on our RV rooftop told us this morning that we probably wouldn’t need the sunscreen any time soon. And the thermometer reading of 55 degrees nixed the shorts and sandals to boot! However, we’d slept soundly and in comfort, with nothing to complain about.

Our plan for the day was to get Val’s cellphone up and running with a U.S. SIM card from T-Mobile. Some years back we’d been stung by unexpected roaming charges from our Canadian service provider when we used our cellphones outside the country; a surprise we did not want to repeat. We decided to head over to the store on foot, for the exercise as much as to avoid unplugging the water and electricity which tethered the RV to our site. It wasn’t raining very hard by that point anyway.

We stopped in at the clubhouse first to post some mail and talk to the park manager, and as soon as we stepped inside we were greeted with cries of recognition and hugs from a group of park regulars! It was delightful! I just wish my mental databank of names was a bit easier to access after a year’s absence!

There were a few other customers at the cellphone store when we got there, but our wait to be served was short. Getting Val’s phone unlocked, its Canadian SIM card replaced with an American one, and a new account set up was not short – and there wasn’t a bench or chair in the whole place! We must have been there for the better part of an hour. Still, Val was delighted to have all his favourite apps at his fingertips once again.

Just before we left, a customer came in for some help with her cellphone, and then asked for her umbrella. Turns out it was T-Mobile Tuesday, when they give out free umbrellas! We asked if we could have one too, and they gave us one each – a black one for Val and a T-Mobile pink one for me! Perfect for today’s weather! I used mine all the way back to the park, once again providing free advertising for a U.S. enterprise. Well, the price was right!

Next to the mall as we were walking back, we noticed a line of small trees with plaques in front describing each one. It was a mini-arboretum of local trees, the most beautiful one bearing showy yellow blossoms. Unfortunately, it was the only tree without a plaque, so I still don’t know what sort of tree it was, but it sure looked pretty.

After supper this evening, we set about sticking up removable hooks in various strategic spots, so now we will be able to free up a bit more cupboard and drawer space by hanging some items on them. We’re gradually getting settled, and we’re also realizing how glad we are to be RVers once again.