0068 - Rollin'

Today we got the truck back. It now has six new tires, new shocks, a new map sensor, and most of the fluids and have flushed and replaced. We replaced the brakes in Tennessee and had some recall work done. It rides so much better now, or maybe it's because there is less weight to our wallets... We get compliments on Rammy everywhere we go; people tell us it's a nice truck or comment on the Resistol package. We have to admit, we have been extremely pleased with it. We were also really happy with the shop here in Florida, McGee Auto Service and Tires in Zephyrhills. The manager was awesome, a great guy who loves his job and loves to joke around. I told Mike that would be a great place to work just because people love what they do and the atmosphere is pleasant.

After that we attempted to visit the orange grove around the corner... but they are closed until October. It's a trend we're noticing. So we went straight to Florida Estates, another local winery. You have to pay $3.50 if you want to taste all their wines, but if you want just two samples it's free. We liked their Spice wine the best, it was a little sweet with a cherry flavor that goes really well with chocolate... excuse me... it pairs well with chocolate. *cough* Their unique wine was a key lime, it's part key lime, part grape, not sweet, not exactly dry either. They also had an orange wine, but I am so addicted to Stonehaus' tangerine that this couldn't compete.

Next it was on to Villa Verde. One of the sales clerks at a western wear store we visited told us about this place and we tried to go... only to find out that it was another one of those places with odd hours... it is not open until 4 pm, and it is open Wednesday thru Saturday. I have to say, it was worth the wait. We were very happy with our meal. They didn't have the first entree I wanted so I made an offhanded remark that what I really wanted was chicken piccata, and she had the chef make if for me. They make their own pasta, which is so far superior to pre-made that it's almost a different thing entirely. The oil they serve with the bread was nice and garlicky, had almost a feta flavor to it. Dessert was delicious, a chocolate cake that wasn't overly sweet, just the right dry/creamy mix. And they had sangria. We seem to be very into sangria.

Speaking of food, yesterday we ate at Stonewood Grill & Tavern... it reminded me of a hybrid of my favorite restaurant in Austin (North by Northwest Brewery) and a restaurant we loved in Louisville (Red Star... which no longer exists). We had a bleu cheese and potato chip appetizer, then Mike had mahi with a citrus basil manhattan, and I had sirloin with bleu cheese-horseradish butter and a strawberry-rhubarb mojito... followed by an orange cake with creamsicle frosting... the meal was amazing. Half mine came home with me to enjoy tomorrow... I try to bring half of most of my meals home if I can, and we split dessert (if we get it at all).

Now we're home... ready for more wine and more Big Love. :) Take that as you will.

RV Tip while I'm thinking of it... a couple, actually. We had some dead space above our cabinets, and it was the perfect place to store extra rolls of paper towels and toilet paper. I bought flats at the office supply stores, so we had a lot and haven't had to buy any since we moved in. Anyway, a tension bar for the shower has pretty well kept it all in place as we travel. (see picture below)

Tip number 2 (irony, I love it), the fan in the bathroom... it's awesome if you have it going while you're using the bathroom... when I'm putting on makeup, if I close the door and have the fan on, it sucks cool air under the door and makes it nice. It helps a lot with humidity even if we only run it for a short time. And if you're going to the bathroom, it makes air freshener fairly unnecessary... just don't EVER leave it on once you start to flush the toilet or it will suck sewer gases into the bathroom... and you will never get that smell memory out of your nose... It's kind of subtle at first, like you imagined it, and then BAM! the whole trailer undergoes a transformation. So... remember that, it's important. :)

Tomorrow I'm going to call Lazy Days and schedule our RV service. Now that Mike's job is done we don't have a specific geographic location we have to be close to, so we will just bite the bullet and stay at the Extended Stay near Lazy Days. They accept pets, and they give discounts to customers of Lazy Days. We're thinking that we should visit Gator World and maybe Busch Gardens while we're in the area. I'm probably going to hold off on Harry Potter until I can find someone who wants to go... it's more fun that way, and I keep thinking of all the Muggle children that are out of school at the moment... I hate crowds, so maybe I'll go in the fall when I have airline miles and it's now so new anymore.

Haven't been taking many pics, but here is what we have:

Our paper goods setup in the wasted space above the cabinets. We can't keep anything heavy and unwieldly up there, but it works for paper. Right now the moisture absorbent jug is sitting up there as well. We don't collect a lot of water from it, so that's good, hopefully it means we're doing a good job of managing the humidity.

The sky in Florida does some crazy things. Two things I noticed... the donut hole shaped cloud... and the contrast between the rain and the downpour.

Birds perch on the lights and towers around here a lot. There were two but one is mostly behind the other. I'm still sick that I didn't get a pic of the huge bird that swooped down in the woods in front of me last week...

Like a rainbow in the dark...

Sun behind the clouds always fascinates me.

Clouds almost look like smoke behind the trees.

Moo cows looking indignant.

Crane.

Shy turtle.

 Mike's closeup... his camera is better than mine... I'm jealous. Then again, it comes with its own set of complications... so I guess it equals out to some extent.