0062 - Mike's Awesome Pics

On the way to and from work, and at the jobsite, Mike has been taking some great pics. I'm a little jealous. :)

I never really thought about farms in Florida. Orange groves, sure. Farms? Not so much. They have a lot of moo cows here, and a few longhorns.

This is cool to me for some reason.

Me trying (futiley) to capture the sun in some clouds. Every time I almost got a pic, there would be a tree, or a powerline, or something else in the way. It didn't really photograph well. :(

He chased down this armadillo... and it's not dead on the side of the road. My friend Laura would be pleased.

The tower he's working on.

Really cool shot of a turtle he saw. I think this one is amazing. He said there is a bunny somewhere in the RV park. I have a new mission.

Tree frog jumped right when he snapped the picture.

This was me taking pics of a(nother) rainy afternoon.

Dry soup. Before.

Dry soup. Properly mixed.

After dinner I look out the window and see a couple of deer. I quietly go outside and see three more standing under the trees. All of a sudden there is a good sized herd out there. Only thing that sucks is that it was getting dark, so the pictures are grainy.

Back to Mike's escapades. He got the male version of the huge cranes I've seen around here (I lovingly refer to them as The Witches because they always come in a gaggle of three).

Awesome rainbow.

0061 - Eh.

Yesterday Mike came home early. It was the first afternoon he's had free since we got here, usually he works twelve hour days. Seems like we've been here forever. Sucks for both of us. He's exhausted and sore. I'm feeling dull because there's nothing going on except tv and housework so I don't have much to talk about. When we do go out I would almost rather be home... I can't seem to find anyone that makes food I want to eat. I don't know what there is around here and get frustrated when I try to search for something... I either get too much information, or not enough, but mostly I usually don't know what I want until I see it so it's pointless, and I have no information beyond a name to help me know if it's worth a damn.

I have no transportation, so simple things like buying stamps are beyond my abilities, I can't just run to the store to grab little things here and there - because as big as this place is, they have no store and the closest convenience store is about 5 miles down the road. Mike is good about it, but I know he's exhausted when he comes home, and like I said... I would almost rather be home. I've always been more active during the day and I want to relax in the evenings. I'm a homebody, perhaps too much of one sometimes. I don't have cabin fever yet, though I do get frustrated. In Tennessee we got bored from time to time, but exploring was fun and we had a small social circle going.

There's no one here to talk to, not that I leave the trailer much because it's hot and humid and gross, and the minute I walk out the door I start to sweat and itch... it's not just the mosquitos, there's something else out there, invisible and bloodthirsty and relentless... and there are creepy maintenance guys outside. I went to the office to pay for more days and talked to the ladies up there, and it was the first interaction I've had with anyone other than Mike since the last time I went up front to pay. I talk to people on the phone from time to time but it's not the same. I wish I had my car and I wish we could hang out with our friends every now and then. We were supposed to go to Cocoa Beach this weekend but it looks like Mike will be working... forever. Because of rain delays, personnel issues and red tape, this six day job is growing by the day, and there are no days off. We still haven't taken the RV or the truck in for repairs. I got the name of a lady who *might* have a trailer we can rent for a week or so... no guarantees. Haven't heard back from the park with the trailer with the floor being fixed.

So I got a little off-topic... back to errands... after Mike got cleaned up, we hit the road. First we had Mexican food for lunch. It was the best we've had in months. No cheese soup on the nachos...actual cheese! The meat was tasty! The salsa needed a little help, but when I asked for cilantro and some limes they obliged... that's all it needed. It was a happy day indeed.

After lunch we went to see an acupuncturist. Mike's wrists and hands have been bothering him, which makes it almost impossible to climb. We got a couple of wrist braces for him to wear at night, figured the support couldn't hurt. It didn't seem to help. I called a couple of rheumatologists, one was closed by the time I made the attempt, the other one recommended a neurologist... for potential carpal tunnel? I think not... This guy put three needles in Mike's hands and then told him how to stretch to prevent furthering and/or reverse the damage. A lot of what he said made sense, but I think the stretches were the most valuable part of the visit.

Then we drove. And drove. And drove. And I hate traffic. I felt like crap. I made a chocolate pudding the other night and something must have been off, it was upsetting my stomach in all kinds of ways. I started feeling queasy and weak and dehydrated. I was in a bad mood. Mike had some Gatorade in the cooler so I drank some of that and it helped a lot. I was able to go grocery shopping afterward, and then we ate at Beef O'Brady's. It was a lot like a Bennigan's to me. I  wasn't impressed by my meal, I'm sure they have good food, but my salad obviously came from a bag and I hate that... I got a sangria margarita... it could strip the paint off a wall... it was too syrupy and too tart at the same time. They said it usually comes frozen and that helps with the tartness... why it didn't come frozen the first time, I don't know... so they brought me a frozen one. It was less tart and syrupy, but still disgusting. I got a coke instead. I felt bad for sending it back twice, but I couldn't drink it. I don't know why, but things just don't taste good to me right now.

I ended up getting out of bed just after Mike left this morning. Usually I go back to sleep, but I couldn't, so I got up. I still don't feel right. I was planning on walking down the road to see if I can find some of the trees Mike pointed out... huge trees with twisty, strange limbs the come down to the ground... may be too far away on foot. And it's hot. And it will probably rain. It rains every day, which makes the humidity worse. Taking pictures is about all the entertainment I have that doesn't come from a television or computer. I'm trying to make myself get out once in a while, and I'm trying to get some exercise while I'm at it.

Pictures... Mike got an awesome picture of a tree frog jumping, but it's on his phone so when he sends it to me I'll post it. Other than that:

Interesting rock.

Can you find the butterfly?

Lizard.

Looking up a tree.

Golf.

Sky through the truck's skylight.

Gracie's perch.

Pretty blue eyed baby.

Mike's hand. Ouch. :)

0060 - Picture Page

Big, big cranes that travel in three like witches from a Shakespeare play.

A gaggle.

And now, a series of photos entitled "Gracie: The Most Adorable at in the Universe"

Gracie: Mom... really... another photo?

Me: Yes. Poopadoopalis. Another.

Gracie: I won't cooperate. Quit calling me poopy names.

Me: No Poopzilla, I won't. You are my Poopsie and that's that.

Gracie: I wish I was chasing a bird. And I am not your Poopsie.

Me: Whatever you say Poopcicles.

Gracie: We're done here.

Moon looked cool tonight. Couldn't quite get it the way it actually looked... but this is close.

Zoomed in, this camera continues to impress me.

Almost zoomed in all the way.

I'm jealous. Mike caught this Monarch with his phone. Gorgeous.

I leave the exact circumstances to your imagination, but I think this cow looks surprised.

0059 - TBD

This morning I got up at 7:30. I didn't really want to, but I was awake and wasn't groggy so I decided I could always take a nap if I got sleepy later. I always say I'll take a nap and it never happens... So I got up and started working.

In the background I watched About Face: Supermodels Then and Now. I admit I was fascinated by models when I was younger. I bought a book put out by the Ford Modeling Agency and read it from cover to cover... how to apply makeup, what to eat, a day in the life, etc. As I got older I lost interest in models and celebrities... I don't know them personally so they mean little to me beyond the entertainment value they provide. I hate the paparazzi that feeds on them, but that's a different soapbox altogether. The film turned out to be rather engaging. I didn't recognize all of the models, and I felt some iconic models were missing, but I was impressed by some of the interviews. Isabella Rossellini, in particular, she has so much wisdom and everything she says, the way she says it is fascinating. I also found the modern day Paulina Porizkova to be highly intelligent and level-headed. So yeah... I ran out of movies that interested me and have moved on to documentaries... and now mini-series.

I also watched Friends with Kids. I thought it was going to be a comedy. It was more of a drama. It was okay... A lot of the same cast from Bridesmaids, which I thought was hilarious. So yeah...

Then I actually did take a nap. I don't know if I had a fever or not, because the inside rims of my eyes were burning and that's usually one of the signs. I was also getting warm at the same temperature I'm usually comfortable. I slept for about three hours. Then I got up and finally took out the trash and made the bed. About that time Mike called to let me know he was on his way home so I started cooking. Now it's 11:30 and I'm still not quite ready for bed. Vicious cycle that.

When Mike got home we had dinner (black beans and rice from a packet, Vigo brand... with a little Slap Yo Mama! and some Tapatio it's tasty) and watched Act of Valor. Mike has been wanting to see it for a long time now and I happened to notice it when we were at Walmart last night so we grabbed a copy. Had no idea what to expect, just that it was a military movie. Those movies are bittersweet to me as it's hard to think of them solely as entertainment... in some ways they are very stressful. This one was based on true events, and starred some real life Seals. The fact that Mike has been around that kind of thing in real life makes it hard for me to stay objective. I tend to insert myself into the plot line anyway, but movies like this especially feel personal to me, because when the wife is saying goodbye to her husband I can relate to what she feels firsthand. It was a very good film, very action packed, lots of amazing insight into the Seals who are very impressive... just makes you go 'wow', and of course, it's sad as well. At the end there is a roll call of soldiers to remember and Mike was pointing out some who served with Marcus Lutrell, and he mentioned that Marcus' dog Dasy was named in remembrance of four of Marcus' fellow soldiers, a letter from each of their last names.

Nothing big happened today, just lots of typing, lots of movies... Yee. Haw. Yawn.

0058 - Bor-ring

Yesterday I turned to the internet for entertainment. As bad as local television is during the week, it's exponentially worse on a Sunday. Ironically, this sleepy little ghost town started to hop a little on Sunday. I saw several golf carts driving around, and a few cars/minivans as well. But I digress... First I watched Back to Eden, a fascinating documentary about gardening. It's overtly religious, but I would say that even if you find that to be off-putting, the knowledge you can gain is well worth it. If a garden can become that effortless, it's exciting to me, and man-o-man did those veggies look scrumptious. I really can't wait to be able to start working in the dirt... that is one downside to this transient lifestyle.

Then I decided to see what was on cable. Enter HBO Go. Even if I can't use the satellite, I can watch HBO on my computer. So I watched What's Your Number. It was pretty funny but ultimately predictable. It helped alleviate my cabin fever somewhat, and it was by far the most entertaining thing I've seen in days.

For dinner I ripped off a Tookie's classic. I didn't have buns... but I pan fried some hamburger patties, melted some cheddar on top, smeared bean dip over the cheese, crushed some Fritos and smooshed them into the beans, then topped all that with salsa. Delicious. I was attempting to make smashed potatoes to go with it... you boil new potatoes then smash them and fry them in oil to crisp them up... but when I smashed them they just fell to pieces. So... I improvised. I cooked them in the hamburger grease (win-win... no having to find a way to get rid of the grease and no having to add more oil), added some bottled queso, and some chopped bacon, and voila... a concoction of some sort involving potatoes! ;-p That sort of helped empty the refrigerator out a bit... it's all part of the plan.

I also tried out another raw pudding. You soak raw cashews in water for six hours until they soften, then blend them up with other ingredients, and as strange as it sounds, it comes out almost mousse-like. I thought it needed more sugar, but Mike liked it the way it was. I guess it's healthy and good for you? Regardless, it's fun to experiment with something new every once in a while, and any time I get to use my BlendTec, it's fun, I'm always amazed at how creamy everything is when it comes out.

I've spent the better part of the past few days calling around to find a place to stay while we have our RV repaired... no dice. This place has RV parks out the wazoo... but several are closed until September. Of the open parks, a handful have rental units. Of the open parks with rental units... 99% of them only lease by the month, but usually require a six month stay. It astounds me. I only found one park with a rental unit we can use, but it is undergoing repairs and won't be available for a few days. I told her to let me know.

I also found a nice home on a lake for $550/week and it is available... but the price goes up during the summer to $750. The lady said she can call the owner and see if they'll let us have the $550 rate... but once you add $125 in cleaning fees, plus taxes, it's back to $750 again. That's a lot more than I wanted to pay. Looked for condos... nothing. Hotels are an option but most won't accept pets and honestly... I think I would lose my mind if I had to stay in a hotel room for a week.

Nothing is ever easy... so the repairs will have to wait a bit and we are staying put in the meantime. Except for the maintenance building, it's not a very exciting place this time of year... but the few people who are around are very nice. Today the siren went off at 10 am. Then it went off around noon, long and loud. Well... the weather is pretty crappy out there so I got a little worried. The lady at the front desk explained their system, it's the five short bursts followed by a pause that I need to be concerned about. I also told her when the weather clears I'll make my way to the office to pay for our additional nights. She told me it looks like I should stay put for a while and if I don't make it today we'll take care of it another time.

Trying to figure out dinner for tonight... I'm sure I can come up with something but it's going to take some thought. Just another challenge... no biggie.

0057 - Big bird

Went out to drain the tanks so I could do a load of laundry - yes, I have to do that... often. On the way back in I thought I lucked out and saw the three deer from yesterday grazing a few yards away from the 5'er. Squee! So I rushed (quietly) inside to get my camera. When I zoomed in, I realized they weren't deer after all, they were birds. Huge birds. Birds I would not like to piss off. (I wear glasses dammit, leave me alone, the white feathers sort of looked like fawn spots)

I'm starting to pack things up... I don't know where we're going. I called seven parks yesterday, but since it's the off-season, none of them were open on a Saturday. Our service appointment is at 9:30 am on Monday, so unless Mike gets a day off (not likely), we need to drop our 5'er off this evening... which means we need a place to stay tonight. Not all hotels take pets, and Gracie isn't easy to sneak in, so I don't know what to do and am sort of panicking... The only place I managed to get ahold of only rented by the month. There was another one they suggested but it was an hour from Mike's worksite, so was the hotel the guy at the RV place mentioned. At this point, I can't even get the repair place on the phone to change our appointment.

Went out to see if I could get photos yesterday and this is all I got...

This kind of gives you a better idea of the sort of otherworldly quality of the moss when the sunlight hits it and it turns into a shimmering blanket. It's all around you so it's a cool effect. Reminds me of a twisted fairy tale... like Legend...

Hope you like squirrels... that's about all that's out there on a regular basis other than mosquitos... but who wants to see pictures of those bloodsuckers?