SeaDawg

Someone emailed my friend a youtube of a Finnish log stove--an ingenious but old-time way of making a cooking stove out of a log. Perfect for Paul, as he always has his chain saw ready! (Although most parks will not allow you to use the chainsaw on site... ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCP71r4BUA&feature=related There are a number of videos under different names: Swedish log stove, Norwegian candle, etc. Have fun. I'll let you know how it works for us this summer. Sherry

Well, looks like we're almost to the new Jugfest---2012 What are the new plans? Hope you and Betty are doing well! Sherry

Ethanol gas has caused problems with our outboard small-boat engine, and lawn tools. Newer generations will probably accommodate for ethanol, but our garage is full of items that don't like ethanol. We use non ethanol gas in our generator also. Here's a link to a website listing for non-ethanol gas stations: http://pure-gas.org/ Sherry

We bought the inexpensive Home model, chrome, as it matches our faucet. Sherry

Years ago, I installed a water-saver aerator replacement on the kitchen faucet in our Oliver. Instead of having to turn the faucet on and off by hand, I touch the little plastic dowel that extends from the aerator, and the water runs only as long as I hold the device in place. I'm sure it has saved us hundreds of gallons of wasted water over the years. At the Tampa RV Supershow, we chatted with the manufacturer's rep in his booth, and picked up a three pack of the devices for $20.00. Here's a link to their website: http://instant-off.com/index.htm Installation is about two minutes, and requires no tools or special skills. I'm thinking about putting them on the home bathroom faucets, too. It's made in the United States, actually, right here in Florida. Packaging is eco-friendly, as well: no wasteful bubble pack, just a reusable plastic ziploc bag, and a recyclable card with installation instructions, a photo, and the manufacturer information. Sherry watersaver2.JPG

It's almost time for the 2012 RV Supershow in Tampa. Is anybody going to be around for it besides us? We've dry-camped in the parking lot several years, and enjoyed the show. Had a great time two years ago when Pete joined us for camping, as well as a Scamp from out west... If you're going to be in the area, here's a link: https://www.frvta.org/ Sherry

No one says it (or sings it) better than Sissel: <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x9 ... arge#t=160 "> http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x9 ... arge#t=160 A cousin sent me this youtube link. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you all enjoy your new year unfolding! Sherry

Well, it's the time of year for new resolutions, and celebrations with old friends. We wish all our friends on the board a very happy and prosperous 2012, and especially, great camping! We hope to see more of all of you in 2012. New Year's resolution: More camping! Sherry

We hope you will make the trip if the weather remains so nice. It's actually been an unusually warm December. Who knows what that means for January??? But, if you do come down, I can show you the bridges I have for sale. I've completely sold out of swampland.... Sherry

You know, Florida is a major destination for campers from all the northern states, and Canada.... I'll admit, the last few winters have been horrible here... cold, windy, and generally, not so much fun. 40-50 here, in a trailer, is not so much more fun than 10 at home in a comfy house with a real home furnace... I know. (Or, even less fun, without room to spread out, and plus the noise of the trailer furnace fan, which is maddening to me, in the trailer.) This year looks like it might just be different. It's still 80+ degrees in the afternoon... If it lasts, will any of you be down our way? We'd love to see you! And, the strawberries will be in season soon near us.... Sherry

We got the cutest little Christmas gift from our neighbors tonite. A little plastic birdhouse, with a solar panel on top that lights up the interior lights, shaped like (roughly) and Oliver. I love our neighborhood, and I love the season. We've missed seeing most of you this year. With all that happened, in our lives, we saw a few of our Oliver friends (and treasured those visits), but didn't get to see most of you .Next year! Merry Christmas, and a very happy and healthy 2012 to all of our friends. Sherry PS I know it's snowing (major fashion) in New Mexico. Perhaps some of you will have a white Christmas. Our high today on the patio was around 83. Right now, in the mid seventies. Not very Christmasy. You just have to carry the spirit in your heart if you live in Florida....

I love the holidays. We decorate, we anticipate, and (sadly) the season is over, all too soon. Tomorrow, a high school friend arrives for a visit. I hope, in the next few months, to see a number of friends and family. Are you home, or on the road, for the holidays? Sherry

We're home for the holiday season (with perhaps a sojourn here or there) as usual... Last night's neighborhood pumpkin carving gathering on the back porch was a huge success. 20 or so people, a dozen pumpkins, beautifully carved. I'm probably (a little) prejudiced, but our daughter's Betty Boop pumpkin stole the show... Wishing all of you a safe and happy Halloween! Sherry

We'd definitely go back to Greenbelt, and probably will in 2013 for the next Decathlon, if not before. The setting is quite amazing for being 12 miles out of DC center, and a mile or two from the Metro, shorter drive to restaurants and shopping. As with most national parks, facilities were a bit weary, and limited. One shower per sex for 50-60 camping spots is a bit shabby, especially in a park with zero hookups. Not to mention, a bit on the long-in-the-tooth side for decor. However, the bathhouses were pretty clean, and in late September, not very busy, even though most of our neighbors were tent-campers. Sherry

About six months after purchasing our trailer, we had an extra vent installed above the closet. It seems a one-way-in, one-way-out vent is not the best. Though I've never had problems with mildew, I have noted a musty smell in the closet after a few months of inactivity. Sometimes less. Depends on the weather---humidity, etc. Last time we left the trailer inactive for about a month, with the closet fully stocked, I propped the closet door open. Much better. I'm also thinking that hanging space is kind of a waste of time. True, twice we've taken our trailer to formal occasions (weddings), but with the short, small closet, suits and their big hangers don't fit anyway, and wrinkles would be all over the bottom third. Paul made a hanger out of zip ties off the pole, which worked well at night, and I laid the clothes out on the bed during travel days. Do any of you have the multi-shelf configuration in the closet? How do you like it? Do you get any air circulation? Curious. Sherry

Fun is worth a lot. We'll keep an eye out. Thanks for the warning. On another note, we bought an incredible sweet/hot honey/habanero hot sauce tonite, Got an extra bottle for you! Coming our way anytime soon? Sherry

We had a great time. The ideas, creativity, and implementation were inspiring, but especially the conversations with the students who planned and built the homes. We were also encouraged that the DOE is looking heavily at Affordability and Market Appeal in the ratings. In the past Decathlon, the house that won was totally out of reach, entirely clad in solar panels--not just the roof, but all exterior walls, putting it totally out of reach for any family's budget. I have some photos from each of the past two decathlons, but the professional photos, and the students' photos are probably better. You can see them at solardecathlon.gov, where all the information from all the years is contained. Sherry

To visit Washington D.C., we camped for three nights at Greenbelt National Park, Greenbelt, MD. The location of the park offers a lot of convenience. A traffic light at the entrance, it sits just off highway 193, and the Metro station, with an enormous parking lot, is just a few miles from the park entrance. The Green Metro line takes you to L'Enfant, and one more stop after transfer lands you at the Smithsonian/National Mall stop. The relaxed 35-40 minute ride sure beats driving in DC, and trying to locate a parking place. Also convenient to shopping, restaurants, IKEA, and I-495 and I-95. The park itself is an amazing 1100 acres, twelve miles outside the DC city center. Lots of deer, squirrels, some red fox, and a maturing hardwood forest. Our site was home to a naturally "braided" dogwood, and many laurel and holly bushes. Their lower height allowed our solar to recharge the battery daily, while we still had pleasant shade on the other side of the trailer for the afternoon. No services, however, so our rather rude neighbor across the road ran his noisy generator for hours at a time. Generators are ok from 6 am til 10 pm. We were in loop B, and got a fair amount of siren noise and helicopter noise through the evenings, reminding us of our proximity to the city. Bathrooms are older, but fairly clean, but with only one shower stall each for men and women in each loop of approximately 50-60 sites. Not a problem during the shoulder season, as we only had a half dozen campsites occupied around us, but could be a long waiting line in the summer. However, at $16 a night, (and half that for anyone with a geezer pass), it's a bargain in the DC area. A very nice volunteer staff, too. The park apparently suffered a lot of damage in a summer storm, as we saw hundreds of downed trees everywhere, and two loops were closed for repairs. A really unusually sighting was a fungus called "elegant stinkhorn," which sprouted daily in our campsite. Resembling a carrot growing upward rather than into the soil, in the morning the carrot tip was coated with a bright green slime. They attracted lots of flies, but wilted to the ground by the afternoon of each day. We see a lot of odd mushrooms and toadstools around the Appalachians, but I'd never seen one of these before. Sherry

Once again, the Solar Decathlon was a great experience. The weather was perfect this year for the two days that we toured the small, zero energy homes constructed by 19 college teams. (20 were approved for the competition, Hawaii dropped out due to financial issues.) All the teams had worked for 18 months to two years to create their compact (maximum 1000 square foot) homes utilizing the sun for energy, heating and cooling, and hot water. Their inventiveness and enthusiasm is quite energizing. Sadly, our two Florida teams didn't fare too well, but their houses were well-engineered and creative. Hot water issues left Team Florida at the bottom of the list, and Florida International had moved up to 11 from 16 when we left. Both houses also had to conform to Florida's stringent building codes, which added to the expense of construction. Affordability was a key issue this year, and rightly so. Clean energy powered homes will only become the norm when affordable. Still, both Florida homes ranked in our favorites from a design standpoint, as well as Appalachian state, New Zealand, and the Parsons/Stevens house, among others. Parsons/Stevens built the first story of a Habitat for Humanity house; the Deanwood HH is building the second story. More info at solardecathlon.gov, with lots of great videos and photos. Next US decathlon will be 2013; the European version is next summer in 2012, in Spain. We camped at Greenbelt National Park for three nights. No hookups, but decent sized spaces, only $16 a night (half with the geezer pass....), and a few miles to the Metro station for a stress-free ride to downtown DC. More on Greenbelt Park later in the camping forum. Sherry

We love our Maxxi's, but wish the Duros were still available. We got over 30k on those. So far, really happy with the ride and mileage of the Maxxis. Will start looking closely when we pass 15 k miles. We keep a log re: tire miles, axle grease miles, etc. Sherry

Sounds like a great trip! Post a few photos along the way? Safe travels! Sherry and Paul

One cousin in Maryland reported a few problems (including power outages). How did you fare?

We sincerely hope that none of our friends are in the path of this hurricane. It's a wide, wide path. Our prayers are with everyone from Cape Hatteras north. Sherry

Our daughter and her friends could not get into Blue Springs this weekend. They did snag a last minute opening at Wekiwa Springs State Park. Anyone been there? It's very close to Blue Spring. Sherry

TripAdvisor sent this link in an email today... It's that time of year when folks think about getting out on the road! Of course, as a hotel-oriented website, there's an inn or two linked into each drive. Wish they listed campgrounds instead! Anyway, 10 more vintage American drives http://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.road__5F__trips I don't think you have to be a member to view this part of the website. Sherry Happy Traveling!