If you want to hear God laugh...

The old table and booths...

...the new table and booths...

...the new table, chairs, and cabinet with baskets!

  It all started when we were in Freeport, FL. We stayed there 2 months and had planned on going to the Ocala area Dec. 1st. We had reservations at the Wilderness RV Resort in Silver Springs for 3 - 4 months. Two weeks before we were to head that way,Joe started with a tooth ache which led to a chain of events that landed us back in Pine Mountain, GA where we stay when we are visiting in our hometown area. What a blessing that was...the evening we arrived, Joe was in severe pain with acute gastritis. It seems the antibiotics he had taken for his tooth, ate away the lining in his stomach. While he was recovering from that, he had a tooth pulled, a new root canal done on the tooth that caused all this mess in the first place and then a new crown. One of Joe's favorite expressions is.....If you want to hear God laugh, just tell Him your plans!
  So here we are in Victoria, TX. We arrived on Dec. 23rd. We headed this way instead of back tracking to Florida because our travels for 2013 were to be out west. I have never seen the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Southern California, etc. But weather wise, we knew we needed to stay south. The older we get, the more we dislike cold, rainy, windy weather! Southern Texas seemed like the perfect solution. We booked a stay at the KOA on South Padre Island on the Gulf. Once we arrived in Victoria, we took a google satellite view of the KOA on SPI and were shocked! It looked like a Wal-Mart parking lot and not somewhere to spend a month! We read some reviews and quickly cancelled! So on January 2nd we head to San Antonio instead. I have never been there either. We don't expect the weather to be much better, but at least there will be places to go and things to see.
  There isn't much in Victoria...so we have been busy doing things around the house! While we were in Pine Mountain, we ordered a new dining table from rvfurniture.com so it could be delivered to our land house. The old table was made from the same pressed paper product with a vinyl coating that the old countertops we had removed were made from. I now have a real wooded cherry table. It is very pretty! Once we got here and set it all up, we both agreed the booths had to go! So we found chairs and cushions at Pier One here in Victoria and Joe dismantled the booths. I will miss the storage, but it sure makes our space look and feel so much bigger! All my seasonal "decorations" will now be stowed under the bus. We also found a small cabinet unit with baskets (no drawers) to store small things in at Hobby Lobby. I do like our new look.....but I am alittle sad for the pups. They so loved the booths!!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Photos

Our time at Live Oak Landing is almost over. We will be packing up and leaving on November 30th. We have enjoyed our time here. Neil (the general manager), Janet, Stephanie, and James have been so nice! We've met so many nice people at the Landing, in the neighborhood, and all around Freeport and Destin. Lots of memories to carry with us!

 

We headed to Thunder on the Beach in PCB. We had never been to a bike week before. The weather was great and the ride over was so pretty.

The show was fun to watch.

 

The beach has never been more beautiful, but I say that every time I see the Gulf Coast.




We all met Gus at the doggie park...Sally is in love! They run and chase and play almost everyday.





We rode the Harley to Navarre Beach for a picnic...

and then went to the Air Force Armament Museum. 



This photo was taken by David on Pitts Ave. Its a dead end street and with the loop at the Landing it is 2 miles from start to finish. We have done our 2 mile walk 4 -5 times a week....all 6 of us! David lives on the island on the bay behind Pitts Ave.....beautiful home and property and what a view! We met him during our walks as he is also an avid walker. The couple behind us is Alyce and Ward...fellow RVers from Wisconsin who are here for the winter. 

Out with the old... kitchen...

...in with the new!

Before...old bathroom...

After...new bathroom!

We had the pleasure of working with Matt, Gabriel, and Louise at Kitchen and Bath/Slab Gallery. We decided on Cambria Ashford. From there we had the great pleasure of working with Kat at Ferguson (the most beautiful kitchen, bath and lighting showroom I have ever seen). It was our lucky day! Kat RVs so she knew first hand our needs. I wanted under mount sinks. The kitchen sink was easy to find, but the bathroom sink (because it is smaller and I wanted a biscuit porcelain ) was harder to find.....but Kat did it! I just love it. Joe did the tearing out and all the plumbing for the new sinks!





Our neighbor who lives in the huge oak tree you see in the picture below...

Live Oak Landing

Live Oak Landing is a RVC Outdoor Destinations property. It is located in Freeport, FL which is between Panama City Beach and Destin. It is on the Choctawhatchee River which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.



We arrived here on September 30th, checked in and began to settle in on site 61. Our reservation was for 1 month, but that quickly changed to 2 months. This will be home until November 30th. It is so pretty here...the people are so nice...our site is awesome...the doggie park is the best ever...the beach is 12 miles away...lots of shopping and places to eat nearby...not a hard decision to make !

St. Andrews, New Brunswick

Our last stay in the Canadian Maritimes was St. Andrews...August 6-13. St. Andrews is a National Historic District. The small town is one of the oldest in the Maritimes. Located in the Bay of Fundy, it is a treasure of beautiful architure, scenery, and rich in marine life. Today, it offers all the features of a modern resort, yet the streets and people have managed to retain a turn of the century charm.

      





We went on the Zodiac Whale Watching Tour. It was a 2:00pm tour.  It was a foggy afternoon in the bay, but it cleared and what a treat. We saw quite a few  finback whales.The finbacks are the second largest mammal in the world. Our captain said the whales we saw were about 60 feet long and 600 tones! The whales use the bay as a feeding ground during the summer months. The whales feed on enormous amounts of krill,squid, and schools of herring, pollock, and mackerel as a result of the Fundy tides. The Bay of Fundy is also a preferred location for whales to give birth, both for the abundant food and the protection the Bay provides. Up to 12 species of whales can be found in the Bay of Fundy during the summer months. The seals were cute too and we learned that they do not have any natural preditors in the Bay.













                                      

This was our campground...Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground. We were heading back to the dock when I noticed we were passing by it.

Joe and I decided to take the Harley to Deer Island. We were told about the Old Sow Whirlpool...the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. You have to take the St. George Ferry...about a 30 minute ferry ride...to get to Deer Island. We were told to be at the southern point of the island 3 hours before the high tide...that was 2:37pm. We got there, had a picnic, met several other people also waiting, watched the seals play and the boats go by, and waited...finally, a young girl who had been coming to Deer Island for 20 years said she had never seen the whirlpool...something about the moon having to be in just the right phase....we didn't see the whirlpol, but it was still a beautiful place to be and a scenic ride as well.

Our next door neighbors for several nights were Geoff, Tina,  and their children Josie and Maxx. Geoff  told us about Wolfhead Smokers and even brought over samples of their hot and cold smoked salmon on crackers for us to try. WOW...it was unbelievable. We met the owner Karen Wolf at the Thursday market on the docks in St. Andrews the next day. When we visited her business on Saturday, Karen helped us with our selection of smoked salmon, gave us recipes, and packed our salmon for traveling home as we had other stops to make. Their website...www.wolfheadsmokers.com... has a short, but informative video of the process. I cant leave this topic without saying we have already had 2 delicious meals from 1 of the hot smoked salmon filets we bought.

Joe and I both enjoyed our stay in the Maritimes....just over 5 weeks.  It would have been 6 weeks, but we could not get reservations in Halifax. We met Charlie and Marie in Cavendish. They are from Halifax. They took us to dinner at a lovely restaurant (The Dunes) on the island their last night at the KOA. Since we missed Halifax (and now have friends there), Peggy's Cove, and the eastern shore of Nova Scotia and since I do want to ride the ferry to New Foundland too......sounds like a trip in the making!!!

Nova Scotia

Joe and I arrived at the N. Sydney/Cabot Trail KOA on Cape Breton Island on July 27th.

This was our home for nine nights.  What a treat.  We backed up to the side of a mountain and enjoyed the view.

This was the best view we have ever had from our front window.  The bridge, Seal Bridge, crosses the Bra d'Or Channel.

This is a view of our home as we crossed the Seal Bridge after shopping in Sydney.  On Sunday the weather was perfect for our Harley ride of the Cabot Trail loop.  We decided to ride it counterclockwise so as to have the closest view of the coast lines.  The loop is 192 Km (119 miles) which was within our 6.5 hour window of time we allow ourselves to leave the puppies.

When you head out for the Cabot Trail loop be sure you have a full tank of gas because gas stations are few and far between and only offer regular.  We just made it to Wreck Cove , about a 30 minute drive from the Englishtown ferry landing on the east side of the island. Joe said the Harley didn't like the regular gas because it caused spark knocking but it didn't bother me.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at the lookout over Neils Harbor.  I took several pictures to capture the waves crashing over the rocks WAY below.

We could see for miles and miles. Words just cant describe the beauty!

It was a great ride....and a great day!

Fortress of Louisbourg...is a national historic site and the location of a partial reconstruction of an 18th century French fortress at Louisbourg. We did a self-guided tour on July 30.

We had lunch at an 18th century home. It was a typical meal that would have been served during that era. Not only was the delicious meal of that time, but the dishes, flatware, and other utensils were of that time as well. We shared a table...family style...with 2 other couples.

The Louisbourg Lighthouse is the site of the first lighthouse in Canada. The first lighthouse, built in 1730, played an important role in the siege of Fortress Louisbourg. It was destroyed by fire, but the stone tower was unharmed. The second lighthouse was, built in 1738, was also deatroyed by fire.  This lighthouse was built in 1923...it is concrete.

Bra d'Or Lake Loop...We took one last ride around the Bra d'Or lake on July 31. We wanted to see eagles...no luck though. We were out during midday...guess the eagles weren't!

The weather was so nice...we had another nice picnic...apples, crackers and cheese, and yogart with granola. We didn't want to leave!



Our last morning... sunrise...and a red fox.