IT'S CHILLY IN FLORIDA!

My daughter, Sally, asked me to continue with the blog as the Road Runner is in motion again. It really started out in November when I took the Road Runner to Houston. I parked her at a friend's house while I flew to Seattle to surprise this daughter for her 50th birthday (courtesy of my son-in-law). And was she ever surprised!!! I haven't downloaded the pictures off the camera yet, but promise myself I will do it soon! Great party, great friends, but a short visit..as I was back in the air heading for North Carolina for Thanksgiving with my son and his family.

Thanksgiving was spent on the Outer Banks. Weather wasn't the greatest, but the company and food made up for it. My son got in some desperately needed fishing..rain or shine! And he didn't do to bad some days.

Back to Seattle on Dec. 3 and a visit with my other daughter, Karen for a couple of weeks. I can say one thing for sure...the fireplace got a workout! I then went back to Sally's to house, cat and bird sit while they head out in their truck camper for Christmas on the South Carolina-Georgia border in N. Augusta. But before they left, old man winter paid a visit bringing enough sleet/snow combo. It made driving a bit tricky as they could not make the short grade up their street in their Toyota. They had to back down the road and get the truck (already loaded with the camper) in order to get to work. Sally posted on Facebook so I could keep up with their travel. Christmas Day and night was spent at Karen's. It was a quiet two weeks alone in a good size house, but I found plenty to keep me busy. I had two elves come by and help me move furniture and assemble Sally's birthday present - a big, heavy NordicTrak treadmill. Hope you are using it daily, Sally!

I flew back to Houston mid-January and found I had a slight problem with the Road Runner. Guess she got lonely and paying me back for leaving her. First it was the coach batteries...dead er than dead! Replaced them. The next time I started the Road Runner up, I heard a ticking noise similar to the hazards lights, but much faster pace. The guy across the street from my friend's is a chief mechanic for a major airlines and also owns two Vokswagens....Whoa...what could be better! He thought it was the relay switch, but we couldn't find it. He went home to research it and I did the same thing. We both found out at the same time from different sources, that the switch is built into the hazard button. An all-in-one deal. So we took part of the dash apart to get to the dang thing! When the fuse was remove, of course the ticking would stop. When we removed the flasher, it stopped. So we thought we found the problem, I ordered a new switch and Voila! Not such luck! The wrong switch was shipped so I was delayed two more days. I was to meet Amye at the Hollywood Casino in Gulfport, MS and I had to cancel. We were going to meet Joan in Panama City Beach, Florida on the 10th of Feb. Well, the new switch came in, we installed it and tick, tick, tick. NO CHANGE. Problem is still there. So I said the "H" with it. I'm leaving this afternoon, noise or no noise. After an hour of driving with the stupid noise, I turned my CD player on, inserted a book on CD and drowned out the tick, tick, tick. I was beginning to feel like someone had a timed bomb already to go off on a certain tick. Rained all the way into Jenning, Louisiana where I stopped for the night. It was still raining when I got up in the morning.

Never, ever buy Crocs with holes in the front! Because if you think they will keep your feet dry, think again...especially if you step into a mud hole. Oh, yes I did!!! Trying to unplug the electrical cord from the post. Not only were the Crocs wet and muddy...add my soaked socks. So a change in footwear was warranted....as well as a foot bath.

When I got back on to I-10 heading Eastbound and Down (under the speed limit due to rain) I thought I was seeing some big, thick snowflakes. Can't be! This is southern LA! Wrong. Sticking to the Road Runner, clogging the wipers, coming down the windshield...big, big flakes! Sure slowed me down more. If one has ever been on I-10 through LA, one knows there is an 18 mile drive OVER the bayous. Road sure can be treacherous...especially when the snow become sleet. By the time I got to Baton Rouge the snow/sleet was back to rain. Whew!!! The weather continued to be cold, wet and windy through Mississippi. But watch out Alabama! 25 miles west of Mobile, road warning signs were flashing and telling one to turn your radio on. I didn't need to. Within a one mile stretch five cars had slide into the medium strip..3 westbound and 2 eastbound. Traffic westbound was backed up with State Troopers directing traffic. Why? The white stuff was coming down agin. Wait a minute!!! This is suppose to be the SUNNY SOUTH where the snowbirds head to! And all this time I had a tick, tick, tick! Not a good day! I arrived in Panama City Beach at 4PM..10 hours since I left Jennings.

Good thing...I was in time for Pot Luck! I bought the fixing for pineapple cole slaw thinking it would go good with the pulled pork BBQ the campground provided. Yummy. One tends to eat too much at these. Diet starts Monday as we have another Pot Luck Saturday night (campground providing the pork chops and more pulled pork BBQ. They also serve a full breakfast on the weekends, and I do mean full! from O.J. and coffee, to homemade biscuits,sausage gravy, hashbrowns, 2 sausage patties, 2 strips of bacon, 2 pancakes and eggs scrambled or fixed the way you want them..all for $5. See why I said diet begins Monday.

Oh, I missed telling you, the temperature Saturday morning at 7AM...32 degrees F. Brrr...and this is the SUNSHINE STATE!!

There are 46 units here at our gathering. Some of the guys are working on small problems with rigs (sure hope somebody comes by and stops this tick, tick tick!). The ladies had a Red Hat Tea Party yesterday as well as two craft projects, The guys had a tech-talk session. Guess tomorrow is will be raining AGAIN! Some plan on doing laundry, some may go to the mall and then some of us may hibernated with a good book. Time will tell. Guess I'll let you know tomorrow. As I sit here with a small box of Valentine candy given to me by a male friend in Houston, I hope you all had a Happy Lover's Day.