Thursday, January 30, 2014

Have you ever wondered what the heck this stuff is?!

Since we arrived in Texas and started heading east we have seen endless amounts of Spanish Moss growing on the trees. Something you don't see back in Canada. It's quite beautiful, hanging loose like hair blowing in the wind. It is the quintessential southern back drop. Currently we are camped right under a few big old Cypress trees and find the stuff falling everywhere in large clumps like the trees are shedding. You've seen it in the movies, "Deliverance", "Steel Magnolias", "Gone with the Wind", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Cape Fear"… The list could go on and on, I'm sure you've got the picture now. So here are a few facts and photos we have taken along the way! Spanish Moss is a flowering plant that grows upon Live Oaks, and Cypress trees. Unfortunately we won't see these flowers as they only bloom from April to June. Spanish Moss is neither Spanish nor moss, they are a seed producing plant called Angiosperm for those of you who have a green thumb out there! It is an air plant surviving on nutrients like water and calcium in the rainfall and air. The moss has had many uses, such as insulation, mulch, stuffing for mattresses, and it has even been worn by the women of the Timucua Indian Tribe. For the music trivia buffs, Canadian singer songwriter Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song entitled "Spanish Moss"! Now for the creepy stuff… Spanish Moss is home to Rat Snakes, bats, and a species of jumping spider. Yup, I'll be wearing a hat from now on! All righty! Enough of today's lesson, hope you found it as interesting as us!







Thought I would include the picture above and below, moss and all! "Airstream Ranch", where 7 and 1/2 vintage Airstreams are buried. 7 and 1/2 because Airstream had just celebrated it's 75 anniversary when creator and owner of the RV dealership next door buried the trailers.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Who says camping can't be fancy?!!

This past week we had the pleasure of meeting Gerrie Burnett. Toronto native, currently on a road trip with her newly purchased Roadtrek Van, "Ruby". As we may have mentioned, we are in an RV resort where most of the occupants are from Quebec and only speak French. So when Gerrie rolled up behind us and enthusiastically introduced herself it was such a treat! We were neighbours for one week and got to know each other well, eventually enjoying two dinners together, dining in her van! As you all know, Graham and I have little space in the ole' T@b, so we pot lucked it and had a couple of great evenings together!! We soon learned that Gerrie is a professional photographer, mixed media artist, author and realtor! An amazing woman with a great sense of humour and lots of stories to tell. We had such a great week and we'll miss her greatly, just as we are missing all of our new found camping buddies… one of the hazards of being on the road! You can check out Gerrie's art work by clicking on the link!
http://www.gerrieburnettphotography.com

Life is good! Happy campers!
Shrimp fettuccine anyone? Who doesn't travel with a rotary cheese grater? Get it together people!! 
Gerrie and Ruby. This Roadtrek van was awesome! Has everything you need and such a great layout! Would highly recommend to anyone thinking of purchasing a recreational vehicle! 

Friday, January 24, 2014

Ybor City, Florida

Spent yesterday afternoon in Florida's Latin Quarter, Ybor City. What a great little neighbourhood! It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District. Founded in the 1880's by cigar manufacturers, it was populated by thousand of hopeful immigrants from Italy, Spain and Cuba. As we wandered down 7th avenue, which is also known as one of the 10 greatest streets in America, it felt like we were transported back in time and place. Tons of great restaurants, cigar shops, a cigar museum, some vintage boutiques (hallelujah!), and of course souvenir shops with all the cheesy necessities that the average tourist like Graham and I must have, bumper stickers to be specific, but the architecture is what draws you in. Beautiful old buildings with a street car running down the centre of it all. Here are a few photos of our day out and about.









Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A day with the Manatees!

In a far off remote south east corner of Tampa sits the Big Bend Power Station…….


OK, actually at first glance pulling up to the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing centre we were a little put off… We have arrived to come witness the strangely beautiful and endangered marine mammal, the Manatee, but we are at the door step of this ominous structure. As we approach the centre we begin to read more information about the power plant and learn that it is actually quite responsible, abiding by strict environmental regulations, and in partnership with the Florida Aquarium, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Next door to the power plant is a large water canal where the plant takes saltwater to cool the machinery and then discharges the warmed water back into the canal. This is where the Manatees come for refuge when the seawater goes below 68 degrees. We expected to get a glance at one or two Manatees but we were in awe of the large numbers… possibly a 100 or more, not to mention the sharks and other sea life and birds. It was amazing!! The Manatee sometimes known as a sea cow can grow up to 13 feet long and up to 1300 pounds and are known to live up to 60 years. Half of a Manatees day is spent sleeping in the water, but don't under estimate them, their intelligence has been compared to the dolphin! Ok, enough of my babbling, if you would like to learn more about this creature and why they are listed as vulnerable to extinction, you know what to do! Google!




A small shark, Yikes!
The viewing centre also offers information on the local habitat and the environment. Such as this hurricane simulator!

We had to! How can you resist! LOL!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Florida RV SUPERSHOW!

Headed over to the Florida State Fairgrounds yesterday and checked out the RV Supershow! Dogs were allowed so it was a family affair! It probably wasn't the smartest idea for two people travelling around in the smallest trailer known to man to go check out the latest and greatest in the recreational vehicle world, but we couldn't resist! Every type of trailer, motor home and camper was there, from some of our dream vehicles we mentioned in an earlier post, Prevost, Dynamax, Airstream, and even our little home on wheels T@b! Here are a few photos from our day, and for those of you interested, the Prevosts ranged from a mere 2.3 million… just in case you have a little spare cash laying around!

The Dynamx above and the two photos below was one of our favourites. It was somewhere in the ball park of $350,000 (Please send money)


This guy cracked us up. He was full of one liners. One of my favourites, and slightly x-rated folks..
"Hey lady! Stop staring at my bush!" LOL!

We have never, ever seen so many dogs in strollers in our life. It was really bizarre. Don't dogs walk anymore?
This Teddy Roosevelt was great! We saw him a few times, he would actually comment on how happy he was whenever he saw a dog walking and not in a stroller! LOL!

Not to flashy. I had a look inside of the 2.3 million dollar one. Pretty impressive. Besides the no shoes, food or drink rule, they wouldn't allow me to take pictures. So I will leave it up to your imaginations!
This was pretty impressive, but not sure how I would feel about this driving up behind us on a dark night! Pretty intimidating! Check out it's patio below! Crazy!



My all time favourite, the Airstream!



Of course our little T@b, which apparently are selling like hotcakes! Sold out till March!


To finish off today's post… a couple of oldies, but goodies!




Friday, January 17, 2014

A place to call home

Well here we are in Tampa, Florida. We've come a long, long way. 2687 miles, or 4324 km to be exact… or round about! That's a heck of a long way! We are currently on day number 98! Or if you count our "Running Away forever" start date.. We have been on the road for 1 year and 10 days! We are having a fantastic time, visiting amazing places, and meeting super people, but for those of you back in B.C….. Yes, we do miss our friends and family, our condo…. our bed, the freshest tap water ever, the bath tub, being able to do your laundry whenever you want, fast internet, our 50" big screen TV with surround sound, oh.. and yes… let's not forget my boots (insert sigh here). The restaurants, yes, we're talking to you "Temaki Sushi"…. "Moderne Burger", "The Noodle Box"… the list could go on and on. When you are away from home for such an extended amount of time, you do learn to appreciate what you have! Ok, Ok! Enough nostalgia! Getting a little weepy as I write this blog from the communal laundry room! Oh how glamorous!! LOL! So here we are at "Tampa East Resort". We have decided to plant it here for one month. Why rush north when the rest of North America is still in the throws of winter? We hope to explore central Florida a bit more. Perhaps we will go hang out with Mickey at Disney World, and hit some of the other popular tourist attractions. Tomorrow is a big day! We are going to the Florida RV Super Show! Woo Hoooo! We truly are seasoned RVers!! To close out the night, below are a few pictures of our current location.





The gym or shuffle board?! Oh the decisions!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

A day at the beach!

 After numerous suggestions from fellow campers to go stay at Fort De Soto, we hopped in the car to go investigate. The park consists of 1136 acres and is made up of 5 interconnected islands… or keys if you want to get fancy. Fort De Soto was named America's top beach for 2009 by Tripadvisor! There are over 7 miles of white sand beaches, a historic fort, 2 fishing piers, numerous trails, a dog park, a boat launch, camping and more!! The campground was awesome, right on the gulf of Mexico.. unfortunately for us the spots book up months in advance… Oh well, worth a try! After being rejected at the campground office the 3 of us headed to the dog beach, where Mango spent the afternoon digging holes, swimming, and flirting with countless other dogs… Oh it's a dog's life!






A little arts and crafts at the beach!
A hose off is always a requirement after a day at the beach! Great to have this amenity available!!
Here is a shot of the campground, not bad eh!