Just Okay

Have you seen the AT&T commercials with the slogan, "just okay is not okay? That came to mind for me this week because that pretty much sums up my cooking both on Wednesday, and Thursday. More about that later..

Following our awesome camping trip, this happened on Friday morning, a week ago.

Thus, I wrote we were a one car family for some days. Not terribly inconvenient, but more of an annoyance than anything. Later that day we did some shopping for our contribution to the 2019 "Basket Brigade" which we were participating in through our church.

Although we've made a basket in the past, this time we were part of the delivery crew that met at the church for our assignments.

Thirty five baskets of Thanksgiving groceries, along with gift cards to buy the perishables, were made and delivered. Organized by Lisa and David, they had lists of addresses by areas of the city. We chose ones closer to us, or at least on our way to the errand that was to follow. One recipient was in an apartment complex that was neat and tidy, and in fact she was in her robe, asking us to leave it just inside the door. We could do that.

Next up was an apartment about a block from the Coalition for the Homeless with nowhere to park. Bruce was driving the MINI, so I hopped out to do the delivery. Although we were told that all recipients knew we were coming, at this apartment they were reluctant to open the door, however, eventually after I called out, a teenage boy surfaced, perhaps after looking through the cardboard covered windows and seeing an old lady who looked not very intimidating! Maybe it was his brother joining him, who knows, but anyway the two of them waved a thank you to Bruce in the car, as well as wishing us blessings. It is the least we could do following a year of good fortune, thanks be to God. 🙏

While the BMW was in the shop, we went looking at cars, something neither of us much likes Nevertheless, it had to be done because not having a reliable car, no matter how much Bruce did not want to get rid of his beloved (when it works!) car, has just been too much for us. One day he was sold on the Subaru Forester, the next, the Mazda CX5, going so far as to put a deposit on the latter. Sunday afternoon we went to Classic Honda on West Colonial to look at the Honda CRV, a very popular mid sized SUV. In fact, one morning we walked the entire complex looking at cars and counted about seven of them. The previous dealerships were not so bad, but this one.....yikes, they had so many that you could barely walk.

I was literally going crazy at this place, dying for the experience to be over. To be fair, the folks were fine, it was just so weird seeing about 100 cars jammed together, none of which were right.

Tuesday evening the car was finally ready, this time it was a fuel injector, something that was replaced during our Washington State breakdown. Looking back at the post, which you can do here, I am still amazed that we went through that experience. Fixed or not, the next morning Bruce was ready to let someone else take it over. Should you be wondering he disclosed all information, both good and bad!

Contacting Angel, our very competent Subaru salesman, they agreed to meet at 9AM on Thanksgiving eve. I kid you not, it took almost all day what with them installing roof racks and who knows what else!

Speaking of the holiday this was unlike any other we've had while in Orlando. Sure, it was just the two of us in Vancouver, but as it turns out, all of our family had other plans for the big day. Instead of spending Thanksgiving together, I invited the closest Pecks over for lasagna the night before.

This is where the "just okay" comes into play.

I began by making a sour cream chocolate bundt cake. Having made bundt cakes countless times, I anticipated no problems. Until Wednesday. Friends, it is no fun making a cake for company and it fails to come out of the pan properly, instead a lumpy mess that I patched together.

Thus began my cooking woes which were to continue for the next two days. Having not made lasagna before with the no-cook noodles, I should have put way more sauce in the pan. Although it was entirely too dry, no one actually complained, but I knew it was marginally "just okay."

Many thanks to my sister Lisa for the awesome tablecloth that I decorated with some Autumn leaves I'd dried from our time in Vancouver. The cake was mostly saved by tasting good, and looking somewhat better with whipped cream on top.

Bruce went fishing on Thanksgiving morning and I took my time getting into the kitchen. Too much time, as it turns out. Yikes!! I made the pie crusts, put them in the fridge to chill, and began preparing the apples.

To make a long story short, I forgot the flour and that explained why the pie did not bubble up and over, something I'm accustomed to.

No flour? Way too much liquid in the pie. Whereas my lasagna was too dry, the pie was too wet. Then the turkey took longer than I'd anticipated. I was guilty of something I was teaching Bruce about while on our trip. I told him that the old adage is, "a watched pot never boils." I'm here to tell you from experience that the a watched turkey never cooks! That said, we eventually ate that night, with plenty of turkey and dressing leftovers that were more than "just okay."

While the turkey was cooking Bruce moved into his new vehicle and we took it out for a spin yesterday, heading down Narcoossee Road to 1-92, on our way to see another state park. There are a crazy amount of features in new cars, including ours. We tried out the navigation system and it is so much easier to use!

Sensors to keep you driving straight, back up cameras, blind spot cameras, and more. I realized I neglected to take a shot of the exterior which I will do soon enough. This was not the kind of road a person would normally want to take with a day old car,

however, Bruce was a good sport about it. St. Sebastian River State Park was not exactly what we were expecting with this huge dyke beside the road. Eventually it came to an end, and here's something interesting we saw.

That would be Bruce in the gold shirt talking to a man who told us that on this side of the sluice (?), it is fresh water, while the side below is salt water.

Heading back the way we came, we made our way through a very cute town, Fellsmere, before arriving at the Atlantic Ocean. BTW, we spent no time in Fellsmere, however it might be worth revisiting. The provided link has some very interesting information, including that it is the first place in Florida where women were allowed to vote! Anyway, we checked out the Sebastion Inlet State Park before stopping for a short rest at Melbourne Beach where the water was exquisite in the early evening light!

Can you just feel that foam on your feet?? Had we been in the old car I would have taken my shoes off for a feel, but on this day, I resisted the temptation. There were plenty of folks out enjoying the mild weather.

Not only did a flock of pelicans fly over my head,

there was a very interesting 3-D mural commemorating Juan Ponce de Leon landing in Melbourne Beach. Designed by local artists, each tile was painted on copper by school children.

In what we hope will be many trips in the new Subaru Forrester, we arrived close to home as the sun was setting on the day after Thanksgiving.

Indeed, we have so very much to be thankful for.

your friend,

Gail

Camping Fun

Firstly, we have been a one car family again which is not something I wanted to be typing. But yes, the car is back in the shop, and has been since it was towed to the dealership early Friday morning. Can't believe it? Neither can we, thus we have been car shopping for days because we are fed up to here with the uncertainty. Actually Bruce is very sad about this as he loves his car when it is working properly. Despite having just spent nearly a week in the shop, about sixty miles from home a warning came on---drivetrain malfunction. Needless to say, we were nervous about getting home with all of our gear on the car. Limping the last few miles we made it!! So that was the sad end of the trip.

Let's go back to the beginning because it was really all fun and games while we were at Ocean Pond Campground in the Osceola National Forest, just outside Lake City, FL, about 170 miles from home.

For the record, we saw no black bears; the only creature I saw was a little bunny just after sunrise one morning.

First we had to get there, taking our usual back roads, one of which was having some construction. The reason this fellow is sitting down is because it was blocked off for about two miles, so no hurry to wave traffic along!

Eventually we were moving, turning onto the road leading into the forest. I can't get enough of this photo..

By now it was about one in the afternoon so we had a quick sandwich and then set up camp.

National forests do not take reservations-- you have to arrive and hope there is an empty spot! This particular campground is very popular so we were quite lucky to get this amazing spot on the water. Our new bike rack worked like a charm and I used it for both pleasure and work. Work? Oh yes, gathering firewood was my job.

There were several areas, only one of which has electrical hookups, which we did not have. Mostly the RVs use them, although had there been an open one we could have camped amongst the big boys.

This area had the closest bathroom and shower area, so oftentimes I used my bicycle for that too. Should you be wondering, this is what one of the four showers looks like:

A bit of peeling paint, but good hot water and pressure, so no complaints from us. And let me tell you that hot water felt wonderful indeed because it was mighty chilly during our stay, mostly at night. How chilly, you wonder? 41 degrees our last night there! But we had a fire, this being the first one:

It is super fun cooking outdoors especially when you have all that you need.

Now you know just what was in the camping box! Or maybe you don't because you did not see my last post?  I mentioned that I gathered firewood, leaving other chores for Bruce, including washing the dishes. One thing was that it got dark very early so making dinner had to begin just after 5 in the evening, leaving enough time to wash up in dim light.

I am boiling potatoes here before combining the cabbage and bratsworth in another skillet. Another item in the camping box is a folding saw which Bruce used for some of the wood I gathered.

I mentioned it was chilly, right? The fire was heavenly, especially combined with the glitter of a star filled sky above. 

Before it got totally dark that first night, well cooking and sunset watching is a tricky business, but I managed, becoming totally obsessed with the Cypress tree.

Rising early the next morning, another spectacular show on the lake at sunrise.

Could it have been any better? I don't think so.

Camping is mostly a leisurely business, especially if you are staying for a few days. One morning Bruce took off in the kayak while I read by the morning fire. Another day he spent mostly reading the novel, The Great Alone, thoroughly enjoying it.

Folks walk by, greeting one another and making friends. If you can imagine, and really I still cannot, a man came to our huge site,

wondering when we would be leaving because he wanted our space. We got to talking and he mentioned he was from Western Kentucky. Hmmm....know anyone in Fancy Farm? Yes he did. Not only in FF, but he knew folks in Paducah, specifically....our second cousin Hilary!!! Perhaps you remember when we took the trip to meet him and his lovely wife Ginnie? Should you be curious, click on this link! Unreal, both how big our site was, and meeting that man who claimed Dr. Hunt (cousin), as he is locally known, was the best orthopedic surgeon around. There were families with young children and plenty of old folks like us who spend their time traveling all over, heading to Florida for the winter months. Thus, it is hard for Floridians to find open camping sites!

Also there are hosts, volunteers who park their RV's for up to six months who clean bathrooms and sort out any problems in exchange for their spots which include water and electricity. Bruce began a conversation with one of the women hosts and told her I was a bird nut. She promptly drove her golf cart to our space, showing me photos of a newly hatched Red-cockaded Woodpecker that a biologist was banding. An endangered species, the forest is a habitat and scientists come from all over to study them. Of all things, we'd taken a walk on the Florida Trail the day before,

and just when we got to this spot,

I saw two woodpeckers that I'm almost certain were that kind. Two quick for my camera though! There was plenty of standing water the further we went, prompting us to turn around to retrace our steps. There were some lovely Maple trees with color,

but not nearly as many birds as I'd hoped for. In exchange I had a multitude of STARS which I really can't get enough of. I'm not going to lie, the first night we were cold with Bruce thinking it would be too much for me. Not so! After spending nearly eight months sweating I was more than happy to put on another pair of socks along with long underwear, and our Icelandic blanket over two quilts. Before packing the tent to go home, here's the bundle of covers we used.

Popping Jiffy Pop over a campfire ended up like this...

That's right, up in flames! Bruce is wearing one of our handy head lamps because believe you me, it is very dark at night! The lake is surrounded by trees with almost no development so it is also quiet, aside from a little drone of traffic from nearby I-10. One day I was worried when I saw the smoke, however, it turns out it was from a controlled burn.

Here I am learning to light the stove before preparing yet another yummy outdoor meal.

Look closely and you will see the toaster we used for the first time, and it worked beautifully.

I told you I was obsessed with the Cypress tree, taken on our last night.

Because we were so close, we drove over to Live Oak, FL for a quick visit with Bruce's old friend Bill who recently bought a house on five acres there. The big oak on the right is what sealed the deal for them.

The good news is that we took the Interstate on the drive home, hoping to arrive before dark. Making a stop for a sandwich about 60 miles from home, Bruce asked me if I noticed the car skipping? No, not really. Off we went and fortunately that pesky warning light waited until we were much closer to home. Once there, I threw everything in the bottom of the shower to wash the following day, just in case we were bringing bugs home, although we saw very few during our time in the forest. We traded cold weather for no bugs!

How do I like camping so far? A lot! It will be even more fun once we have a reliable car, something I thought I would never write about at our age. In the grand scheme of things, it is a small problem to have.

Three days of car shopping behind us, we await the news on the car so we can trade it in ASAP!

your friend,

Gail

Weekend with the Old Folks

In lieu of a grandchild visiting, we had Dave and Michelle's darling Grace for a few days while they went to New York City. It has been nearly two years now that we've not had a dog around and this was an excellent opportunity to see if we, once again, wanted to bring a dog into our life. While a visitor was good, a permanent resident doesn't seem like such a good idea for us now. Now, being the operative word. About a month ago our friend Lisa who works with the Pet Alliance sent me photos of a dog coming up for adoption that was so cute, she was hard to resist. In the end though, we decided that we were enjoying being foot loose and fancy free. We'll see how long we stick to that plan.

Mostly we stayed home to keep an eye on her as she is but two years old. We cleaned and packed! Plus, I did a bit of work on my quilt. With hundreds of pieces to sort, I decided putting them in the dryer would mix them up for better pairing.

And whereas the table looked so tidy in my last post, not so much now. I've really enjoyed working on the dining room table because there is loads of room to spread out, not to mention watch football at the same time. I'm thinking the top will take nearly 1,000 pieces, so the plan is to work slow and steady. No rush for this gal.

I know it sounds weird, but one duck that gives me fits is the Mallard. If only they would have a fully green head all year!

Following church this morning, we met Jeff and Laurie for lunch. Jeff had the most positive attitude imaginable! Laurie takes such good care of him as he navigates day-to-day activities while living with Stage 4 cancer.

So, camping took a back seat during the month long hiatus while Bruce did his project managing gig, but now the time has come for us to go back out on the road. In the morning we are heading to Ocean Pond  campground in Osceola National Forest just outside Lake City, FL, about 170 miles north of here.  How it got the name Ocean Pond, when it is nowhere near the ocean, is something I've not been able to discern. That said, there is a lovely, large lake where we hope the fishing is good for Mr. Peck. And while we have visited other campgrounds to see if they are a fit, this one we have not visited and are going on faith that what we've read in print is true.

The camping box Bruce built many years ago has been checked for all of our supplies,

 along with the handy check list he made, lest we forget something. The white tub is for washing dishes should you be wondering. 

The last four days have been gray and dreary, not to mention chilly, however, a break is coming! Whereas sunny skies are predicted for the next four or so days, the nights will be very chilly--perfect for campfires! Bruce thinks I'll be sorry when the temperature dips to the middle 40's at night, but it sounds like perfect snuggling weather me, especially underneath the STARS! That quilt I made is not going to cut it in those low temperatures, so I've packed two and the blanket Jon and Alissa gave us for Christmas last year. No way are we going to be cold with that wool blanket that came to us all the way from Iceland!

your friend,

Gail

p.s. This is a bit of a tie in with my last post that you can find here if you missed it.