AROUND THE CAMPFIRE WITH TOM AND BECKY

Tue, Mar 24 - There is a good group of Pickleball players here at TT Peace River; however, Ken and I have not made an appearance at the courts -- getting O L D !!

We were thrilled when our friend Tom knocked on our door this morning and said he and Becky were going to have a campfire in the evening about 7 PM.  Some of the Pickleball players were going to be there and could we join them.

We were delighted of course.  Here are some of the guys:  Ken, Keith (notice his hair is back), Barry, and Jerry.

And some of the girls:  Marie, Faye, Sis and Pam.

And our host and hostess Tom and Becky with Paul in the middle.

The evening weather was perfect.  The campfire was enjoyable.  And the company was most delightful!!  Thanks so much Tom and Becky for including!

STORY OF THE STUFFED PEPPERS WITH TRAVIS

Fri, Mar 20 - Ken and I were taking a leisurely afternoon drive around the campground at TT Peace River a couple of days ago.  Travis was enjoying his patio beside the River so we stopped and joined him for awhile for some "Happy Hour" conversation.

Later, as we were getting ready to leave, Travis gave us two huge green peppers a friend had given him fresh out of their garden.  They were the most beautiful green peppers I have ever seen!  I told Travis if he would give us three peppers I would make us all a Stuffed Pepper Dinner.  So we took the three peppers and decided on dinner on Friday (today) at 5:30 at Travis' by the River!

The peppers were so large that it took a full recipe meant for six peppers to have enough to fill the three of them.  Along with the Stuffed Peppers we provided a Spinach Salad and Brownies for dessert.  Travis said that was the first Spinach Salad he had ever eaten!  Travis used his mini fryer and made a bunch of French Fries.   UUMMMMM!!

After dinner Travis built a campfire for us.  He had a pile of wood he wanted to use up before pulling up stakes in a couple of days.

Thanks so much Travis.  That was a lot of fun!!

ANOTHER DELICIOUS DINNER WITH TRACY

Fri, Mar 13 - We spent the afternoon with Ken's daughter Tracy in Sanford.  Well, actually, we spent part of the afternoon AT Tracy's watching the VCU basketball game against University of Richmond in the Quarterfinals of the Atlantic-10 Conference.  This was a very important game because Richmond had beaten us two times already this season.  We absolutely Could Not lose again!!!  We Won!!!  In fact, VCU went on the win the Atlantic-10 Conference 2015!!  Go VCU!!

After the game, we spent time with Tracy and Chuck and Gabe playing around with their Royalty Puppies.  https://www.facebook.com/RoyaltyPuppies.

During the afternoon, Tracy mentioned that a friend of theirs was taking riding lessons at the stables and would be riding this afternoon and might come for dinner.  We went out to watch him ride but we were too late.  He was just heading to the stables to end his ride.

Later he did come over to the house and Tracy introduced us:  Steve ? who was involved in producing a number of episodes of "American Pickers" on TV.  He was very nice guy and it was an enjoyable experience getting to meet him.

We all went outside to take a look at his Fiat 500.  The guys were impressed:  Chuck, Ken, Gabe, and Steve

And so was I.

Ken checking it out a little closer.

For dinner Tracy prepared a large kettle of mussels -

And baked Grouper with slivered almonds.

Ken has been craving some Shoo Fly Pie, so I baked Shoo Fly Pie for dessert.

It was a very enjoyable time on the farm and a delicious dinner.  Thanks to all of you.

MARDI GRAS WITH ZATARAIN'S!!

Tue,  Feb. 17 - I can't believe we do not have any plans for Mardi Gras again this year!!  Third year in a row we have not generated a party!!!  I keep remembering the great party we had in 2012 at TT Palm Springs when a group of friends got together to celebrate.  Would love to do that again but guess we will just stay in for Mardi Gras 2015.  Really getting OLD!!

But, Zatarain's to the rescue!!!  After happy hour with Ken's wonderful Bloody Marys with all the garnishes and snacks of shrimp and cheese crackers, we enjoyed a quite dinner of Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice!!

Not bad for Mardi Gras in a box!!!

NEW AIR CONDITIONER/HEAT PUMP FOR HIGHWAY RUNNER!

Fri, Feb. 13 - About two months ago our rear Dometic Air Conditioner/Heat Pump stopped cooling or heating.  The weather was mild enough that we chose not to have it replaced right away.  Besides, we had just spent a bundle replacing the tires on Highway Runner.

But now the weather in Florida is much colder so we decided to bite the bullet have have the unit replaced.  We stopped by Camping Connection on 192 and ordered a new one and set up an appointment to have the unit installed at our site at TT Orlando.

This is not the new AC!!  The techs are removing the old, worn out unit!!

The new Air Condition/Heat Pump is much more fancy than our old one.  This one has a digital thermostat with blank-de-blank settings and programming options.  Dan from Camping Connection told us, "Do not touch the programming button!!"  Hope we can conquer the new equipment!


Tue, Fri 17 - WHAT NEXT!!  BATTERIES, OF COURSE!!

A couple of weeks ago when we were moving from TT Peace River to TT Orlando, the motor home would not start and Ken had to jump it with the Suzuki to get it going.  While we were at TT Orlando for two weeks, Ken had a "Trickle Charger" attached to the coach batteries to keep them charged.

This morning, he decided to start the coach to check the batteries.  No luck!!  And we are scheduled to depart tomorrow morning!!  Again Camping Connection came to the rescue!!  It just so happened that Dan and his partner were in the campground and could fit us into their schedule to install new batteries!!  Of course the job was not as simple as it should have been, but a couple of hours later we have two new InterState batteries!!!

Just waiting to see WHAT NEXT!! 

SPACE SHUTTLE WATCH FROM TT ORLANDO!

Sun, Feb 08 - Wed, Feb 10 - Late on Sunday afternoon I saw our neighbors, Amy and Bob, sitting in lawn chairs on the vacant site that is between us, facing East.  They looked as if they were expecting something to happen.  I asked them what was going on and they told us they were waiting to see the shuttle that was to be launched at 6:05 ET.  So Ken and I grabbed our lawn chairs and joined them in their watch.  We had sat there chatting and getting to know one another for about 10 minutes when Pickleball friend Big Al came up behind us - "I hate to tell you guys but the shuttle launch has been scrubbed.  They will try again tomorrow."  DARN!!

Well it poured rain all day on Monday.  Launch rescheduled for Tuesday, same time.  Scrubbed again and rescheduled for Wednesday at 6:03 pm.

So again, a little before 6 o'clock on Wednesday, a small group of us gathered to watch the shuttle pass over.

Shuttle Watchers:  Our neighbors, Bob and Amy; Pickleball friends, Eddie and Al; Ken and Faye; and Pickleball friends, Travis and Baxter.

"Just before sunset at 6:03pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 11th, 

Falcon 9 lifted off from SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. 

carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite 

on SpaceX’s first deep space mission." (www.spacex.com)

This is our amazing sight of the shuttle, launched from Cape Canaveral more than 70 miles away!

Thank you neighbors and friends for this experience.  This is the first time we have actually seen a space shuttle from our camp site at TT Orlando.  Hope it is not the last.

KEN WAS IN THE HOSPITAL BUT HE'S OUT NOW!!

Sat, Feb 05 - Yes.  That's right.  Ken spent a few days in South Lake Hospital, Clermont, FL!  We took him to the Emergency Room on Thursday afternoon because he was easily exhausted with the least bit of exertion .  He had been feeling like he could not catch his breath with a lot of coughing to get the phlegm out of his chest.  We decided it was time for him to get checked out.

Almost as soon as he checked into the Emergency Room they had him on oxygen.  They gave him a couple of breathing treatments and ran a number of tests.  After further treatment in the ER, they decided to admit him to the hospital for observation and further tests.

After a couple of days of tests, the doctors' diagnosis was COPD -- chronic bronchitis and emphysema, etc.  And his blood pressure was unusually high!

After treatment of steroids and antibiotics, etc. Ken felt (and looked) a lot better.  He was released on Saturday afternoon with some new prescriptions and told to follow up with a local Primary Care Physician.

Now back home and feeling a lot better!!

SUMMER BEER!

Tue, Feb 03 - Sally and Cis have been telling me about a new cocktail they have enjoyed at some of the Torrey Oaks happy hours -- Summer Beer!!  Have you had it??!!

I decided to serve Summer Beer at our Venison cookout on Tuesday afternoon.  First time I have ever tasted it.  Let me tell you, Summer Beer is sooooo refreshing!!

Here is the recipe for your next party!!

SUMMER BEER

1 12-Ounce Can Lemonade Concentrate
1 Lemonade Can of Vodka
2 12-Ounce Cans Beer

Pour ingredients into a jug or pitcher.  Serve over ice.

Enjoy!!

VENISON BURGERS WITH FRIENDS!!

Tue, Feb 03 - We are leaving TT Peace River tomorrow to go to TT Orlando for a couple of weeks.  Before leaving, we wanted to invite friends to join us for a cookout with the Venison Burgers that Joe and Cis had brought to us from Pennsylvania.  Mitch and Barb had come into Peace River on Monday, so we had already made arrangements for them come and asked Mitch, the chef, if he would cook the burgers.  He was most happy to do that.  We invited long-time friends Sally and Stan; and, of course, we invited Joe and Cis, after all, they were the ones who provided the burgers!!

Mitch and I enjoying Venison Burgers and a beer!!

Mitch's brother, Dan and his wife are also at TT Peace River, so of course they were invited to join our crazy bunch!!  Here is Stan enjoying a Hamburger and Dan having Venison Burger.

 Other happy dinners, Barb, Joe and Ken!

In the middle of my picture taking, two little dolls walked down the road.  Stan called them over to chat.  This is Melissa and Ariana.  They said they are not in a special program or anything like that; they just enjoy dressing up sometime.  Cute!!

And here are Sally, Dan's wife Cari, and Cis!

That was fun!!  A great time was had by all!!

DINNER AND EUCHRE WITH CIS AND JOE

Tue, Jan. 27 - Cis and Joe invited us to their place for dinner on Tuesday evening.  Stan and Sally joined us as well for a fun evening with friends!

Cis had baked a delicious Chicken Salad Casserole served along with String Beans.  And look at this beautiful Apple Pie.  It was so perfect it looked almost like a decorative ceramic pie!

The guys' table in the living room.

And the girls in the dining room!

After dessert, Joe and Cis and Ken and I enjoyed a couple of competitive games of Euchre.  Sally and Stan had other obligations and had to leave us.

It was a great evening!  Thanks Joe and Cis!!

BAD DIRECT TV RECEIVER!

Fri, Jan 23 - This morning we had an error message on our TV.

This receiver will shut down.  The receiver is running hot.

Oh, horror of horrors!!  We won't be able to watch TV today!!!  Today of all days!!!  The Australian Open tennis is playing all day -- all week!!  And our college in Richmond, VA (Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), currently ranked 16th in the NCAA, is playing St. Louis tonight!!  What can we do??

We called Direct TV.  We tried everything.  We unplugged the Receiver.  We re-plugged the Receiver.  We tested this.  We tested that.  There was nothing to be done.  The receiver is too hot.  So we ordered a replacement receiver to be shipped to us at TT Peace River, but it will not arrive until next week sometime!!!

We asked all of our friends to record the VCU game although we knew we would probably not watch it after the fact.

And then, we had an idea!!!  We stacked wooden "TV Trays" on top of each other and placed a house fan to blow on the Receiver to cool it.  It worked!!!

With the new set up, we were able to watch the VCU game against St. Louis!!  (They won in the last seconds of the game!)  We could record and watch the Australian Open tennis all day and all night!!!  The fan kept the Receiver cool and in turn, kept us cool!!!

Hopefully, we will be able to install the replacement receiver when it arrives!!  Can't live with this set-up forever!!!

DELICIOUS VENISON, COMPLIMENTS OF JOE AND CIS!!

At the end of my posting of January 03, I mentioned that Joe and Cis had brought us quite a bit of Venison from Pennsylvania.  Joe said that 2014 had been a very good season for deer hunting and we reaped the benefit!!  Thank you so much, guys!!  This is how we have enjoyed it, so far!!!

SLOW COOKER VENISON CHOPS!

Sun, Jan 11 - Today we prepared a package of Venison Chops given to us by Joe and Cis.  I used the slow cooker recipe that we used last year.  The result was delicious, although the presentation does not quite live up to the flavor!!  The chops were wonderful!!!

VENISON ROAST BY TWO CHEFS!!!

Tue, Jan 20 - Joe and Cis had given us a large package of venison roast!!  Ken and I had no idea how to prepare it; besides, it was more than we could eat!  But then we had an brilliant idea!!  We "hired" two chefs to prepare the roast for us!!

We discovered that friends Barb and Mitch were going to be at TT Orlando while we were here.  They were staying in a Get-Away Cabin to meet up with a group of Monaco friends.  Also, Marie and Keith were going to be at TT Orlando after the big Tampa RV Show.  All of us have been good friends for years.

Mitch is a chef by hobby and enjoys preparing special dishes for all of their friends.  Keith is a Chef and teaches culinary arts to his students in Pennsylvania.  So - we told them about the Venison Roast and we all arranged a venison dinner with the two chefs demonstrating their culinary skills in preparing the roast!!!

Keith and Mitch carve the Venison Roast!

All of us prepared to sit down for dinner!!  Marie, Keith, Barb, Mitch, Faye and Ken!

For dinner:  Spinach Mandarin Orange Salad, Venison Roast with Blueberry Reduction Sauce, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Minnesota Wild Rice.  Not pictures is the Big Joe cake for dessert!

Our hostess and chef, Barb and Mitch!

Ken and Faye enjoying a bottle of Romantic Girl Cab from Sally and Stan!

It was Keith and Marie's 46th Anniversary.  So we all toasted them on the big occasion!

It was a wonderful evening with good friends.  And the Venison Roast Dinner was DELICIOUS!!!  A big thanks to all involved!!

LOTS OF P/B PLAYERS AT TT ORLANDOBo

Mon, Jan 19 - Boy is it COLD here at TT Orlando!!  In fact, it's been so cold in the mornings that we didn't even leave the RV until after 11 o'clock!!  By that time, all the Pickleball players were leaving the courts.

But, this morning I was brave and ventured over to the Pickleball courts.  There were a million players there!!!  Or so it seemed.  I got busy and took some pictures of the action!

One match had just finished playing.

Here is the action taking place on the other courts.

And all of these players were waiting for an open court!

Cold weather does not seem to bother some people!!!  Have fun, Guys!!  Burrrrr!!!

JUDGE AND PAULINE'S CONFERENCE GAME PARTY!!

Sun, Jan 18 - We joined Judge and Pauline and friends when they threw a party to watch the Conference Playoff Game - Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers!  Judge had steamed up five pounds of jumbo shrimp.  UUMMMMM!  People brought meatballs, salad, cheese spread, spinach dip, salsa and chips, plus cakes for dessert!  What a spread!!

The game was good!!  Looked like Green Bay had it all the way, but the Seahawks came alive late in the second half and made some unbelievable plays to win the game!!  Yeah!!!

Here are the guys enjoying the game.

And the gals enjoying some Virginia Moonshine that Pauline shared with us!

What a fun afternoon!!!  Thanks Guys!!

RACK OF RIBS AT MILLER'S ALE HOUSE!

Mon, Jul 12 - Monday is Rib Night at Miller's Ale House near TT Orlando.  When we were with Judge and Pauline on Sunday, we all decided to go for ribs on Monday night.

Here we are, each with a full rack of ribs in front of us!!  Just as good as they were when we were here a few weeks ago.  YUMMMMM!  Only $10.95 and enough left over for another meal!

We think The Ale House ribs are just as good as The Oakwood Smokehouse in Clermont.  Besides, The Ale House is closer and the special price for the full rack at The Smokehouse on Sunday-Wednesday is up to $13.45.

JUDGE AND PAULINE AT TT ORLANDO

Sun, Jan 11 - This afternoon we stopped by to visit our acquaintances Judge and Pauline from Virginia.  For several years they have had an annual campsite near Ken's son Mike and Diane at the TT Chesapeake Bay campground.  Mike called the other day and said Judge and Pauline are down at TT Orlando.  We came in here on Friday and looked them up yesterday and again today.

Pauline recently retired so they gave up their annual site, bought a new fifth wheel and hit the road!!  TT Orlando is their first stop!!

Have fun on the road Judge and Pauline!!

MY BEAUTIFUL PLANT!!

Sat, Jan 10 - Back in March/April 2014, I ended up in the hospital in Wauchula, FL for 10 days with a really bad case of Pneumonia.  The day after I was admitted, Ken brought me a beautiful pink plant to cheer me up.

After I left the hospital, we kept the plant but had no idea if it would live or not.  Here we are almost a year later.  The plant died back but came to life again (just like me!!  HA HA).  Today I took this picture of the beautiful plant!!  Can't believe it!!

Thank you, Ken, for the beautiful plant!!!  Anyone know what type of plant it is???