Learning Curve

To tell you the truth, this was not our favorite camping trip, however, we did get to use our awesome new lights, so there is that to celebrate.

And by the number of photos I'm fixing to share, you would think it was our best trip ever, but in spite of the weather, we did manage to see some interesting things that I hope you will find the same.

Let's start with packing the cooler, shall we? It is the last thing I do before we leave and this time I tried out some new containers to keep things out of the melted ice.

On the left is a box with fitted lid where I kept things that had paper, or I just did not want to freeze. It worked beautifully, so now that is something new we've learned. Thanks to Marshalls clearance aisle. The other one is so the eggs don't freeze which happened once, an unpleasant surprise.

The day was quite warm and mostly sunny making the drive pleasant although setting up our site was not as much due to the blazing mid-day sunshine.

Not to mention that there was absolutely no shade on site #48, although the close proximity to the bath house was good.

As a reminder, this is where we were camping.

One bummer we learned upon arriving was that there is no fishing in the campground itself, however, the helpful woman gave us directions to the dam and reservoir which was but a mile away. So the distance was no problem, but as it turns out, they were on a draw-down on the reservoir so no fishing on that either. Yikes! Things were not getting off to the best start.

After a lunch of fried chicken and pasta salad, we took off to see said dam and reservoir.

The reservoir is on the other side while the side where we were standing is the Oklawaha River where there were plenty of folks fishing and loads of Cormorants,

along with plenty of Osprey flying high above looking for their next meal.

We watched one swoop down, catch a fish, only to lose part of it, so that was neat. Not so neat were the number of Vultures which numbered in the teens. Generally you will not find photographs of that bird because they give me the creeps, but it was interesting to watch this one pick through the trash,

and come away with something to eat.

With no bites, Bruce was ready to take off, so we headed back, stopping in the other part of the campground where there is a canal. As you can see, the clouds were gathering.

I think this canal runs out to the reservoir, but don't quote me on that. All of this has to do with the aborted Cross Florida Barge Canal which if you are curious, here is a link to the history. For environmental reasons, it was shot down several times, however, I've come across a photo of LBJ at the ribbon cutting ceremony in 1964. If I had to guess, this was about the same time he visited Orlando and stayed at the old Cherry Plaza Hotel on Lake Eola. Bruce's Mom took them to see his arrival!

Back at the campsite we enjoyed the later sunset as it does not get dark now until well after 6:30, an hour later than when we were at Ocean Pond where we sure could have used lights like we have now. Of course we did not have electricity at that site, so forget what I just said. Because of our late lunch, I made French bread pizzas which are super easy. The night before I took a can of diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano and basil, salt and pepper and whirred them all up in my baby food processor. At the site I heat the sauce before putting them together, using our wonderful oven which we are still loving.

Woo hoo....I love those lights!

The night was warm allowing us to leave one of the "windows" open. Before long, it was really dark, so the lights went out for proper stargazing ,which is but one of my favorite things about camping.

No extra blankets necessary on Monday night and after a good night's sleep, we awoke before sunrise to the music of birds chirping. I popped out of the tent to get a look at the sunrise and with an open field behind us, it was no problem. Except, I was not thrilled with what I was seeing. If you, like me, believe in the "red sky at morning" adage, you get my drift.

I did manage to cook Bruce's favorite camp breakfast,

but it wasn't long before the rain began. Nevertheless, I took a walk because it was not torrential. The other loop in the campground abuts yet another canal, or maybe the same one that we saw previously, but anyway, look what I saw.

There is some money spent on gear right there! I wonder if they caught anything?

Bruce had a tip from a friend that he wanted to check out, so we got in the car and drove across Hwy. 19, entering this property.

Gosh, there is so much to say about how nice the ranch is and who these folks were, but let me just say that Homer Rodeheaver was the author of the beloved hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross" among many, many, others. Mr. Westbury was interesting in his own right, but should I tell you all that I've learned you will undoubtedly want to bail on me!!

We took a side road that led us to yet another part of the canal, in this case locks where Bruce put his line in the water.

Might I just add that it was raining off and on, although not too hard. Yet, anyway! We also came across some logging that I thought might be of interest.

Because, by now we were fairly close to Palatka, we kept on going. Using the iPad, I found us a route that took us right to Ravine Gardens State Park, a place, you guessed it, that was built in the Depression.

It is known for the wonderful yearly display of azaleas.

I'm pretty sure we missed the peak, but it was nice nonetheless.

Neither of us is certain what kind of citrus these are, but it was a welcome sight on this dreary day. We crossed the suspension bridge, me first, and when I turned around, Mr. Peck had his arms outstretched and I said FREEZE!

In that moment he looked so happy, my heart was bursting! After working SO hard for so many years just to be able to walk around in the dreary weather enjoying whatever happens is such a blessing.

As we drove that back route under an oak tree canopy, I might add, the amount of historic homes blew my mind. An example below.

Built in 1916, this is but one among dozens and dozens of old homes which presumably were owned by either the steam ship captains that brought winter visitors on the St. John's river, or lumbar barons. Honestly, Orlando does not have nearly the same number as we saw.

Do you suppose they will make their goal? One thing about this particular campground is that there is NO wifi or cell phone coverage. NONE! During our short time in Palatka, I found a Wikipedia page  that I read to Bruce on our drive back to the campground. Had it not loaded while we were there, well, I would have been left wondering how the city, at one time, was so darn prosperous.

Upon our return I said to Bruce, I'm going to get a start on the chili which I'd planned for that night in a bowl, and the next over spaghetti, one of Bruce's favorites that we call chili mac. Anyway, I got a good start,

Bruce lit a fire, and well, it began raining harder.

Meanwhile the chili is cooking and the rain kept pouring down, although I was under the canopy. After our last trip, Bruce sprayed the whole canopy with water proofing and it worked for a while, but eventually steady drips kept popping up. Somehow we managed to eat our chili quickly, rinsed all the dishes, and sadly, had to take shelter in the tent. The good news is that while it rained steadily most of the night, we stayed dry in the tent. And it never got too chilly. The ranger said the same was expected for Wednesday.

Hmmm....

When we awoke before sunrise, after sleeping for like ten hours, we were dry and it was not raining. Looking at each other, we both agreed that another day of rain did not sound one bit pleasant. The sunrise confirmed our suspicions.

Our tent, wet on the outside and dry on the inside.

Another thing about this campground we did not like was the large gravel that we set up our tent on. Most places have pea gravel for drainage instead of these big rocks, but then again, we stayed where there was electricity amongst all RVs. The tent only campground is on grass but those lights--I need electricity!

Had the campground been more to our liking, perhaps we would have taken our chances, but as it was, I cooked a quick breakfast and we took our gear out into that open field to dry while the sun shone.

Yet another thing that we did not like was when a ranger came by saying that we could not set up out there. Well, duh! The good news is that Bruce got his shower, the gear dried in the sun, and we packed up without incident, ready to head home. Of course you know us, we took a different route to check out another campground and then it was time for lunch.

A lot could be written about the lunch place, yet most of it would not be good.

I say most because by the time the food came after about 45 minutes, it was not bad. When we finally emerged to really head home it was pouring like mad and continued most of the way home. To say that we were glad not to be at our campsite is an understatement!

Not wanting to end on a downer, Bruce spotted this Catbird while we were making breakfast.

So, what did we learn on this trip? Rodman Campground is not for us for one thing. Another is that we need a more waterproof canopy which we are now in the process of looking for.

Me--today I worked on our income taxes while Bruce was back working on projects at the church.

When is our next adventure? Don't know, but hopefully it won't involve too much rain!

your friend,

Gail

Eight Days of the Week

The longer we live in the condo, the lazier I've become so, of course I was nervous at the thought of having to get out of the house early for eight days in a row. Well, we made it, and the good news is that we sold a lot of clothes, and I do mean a lot.

As we heard, the folks were lined up when we arrived around 7:00 Friday morning. Our room was pretty well settled, but it was good to have a few moments of calm before the storm. Holy Cow, the doors opened and people flooded into our space.

The Ebay sellers were some of the first, grabbing up what they thought they could sell. One girl had a fold up wagon that she piled high; with the crowd in that room, not to mention the tables and such, she did not have the easiest time navigating, although I suspect she is a seasoned rummage sale shopper from the looks of it.

While we knew that our neat piles would end up in disarray after the doors opened, one woman really added to it by, get this--taking one of our boxes with extra clothes from under the table and literally dumping it into the middle of the "medium size" table. I did not see her do it, but I sure saw her carrying around the box! The day absolutely flew by with a steady stream of customers, sometimes up to 25 at a time filling the chapel. Needless to say, we went home bushed. Our room looked like this at the end of the first day.

Out the door again early Saturday, we did not know what to expect as far as crowds were concerned. Would we have a repeat? As a matter of fact, we did not, yet people came steadily throughout the day. Those plus sized clothing? Friday, it seemed like barely anyone gave them a glance, however, I said on Friday afternoon, I'm sure someone will come along on Saturday and boy did they ever in the form of a Mother/Daughter duo.

Here is the daughter standing by a formerly packed rack of skirts....yeah, 60 of them before they arrived, however, at $2.00 a piece, they kept pulling them off the rack amassing a huge pile.

Does this color work for me?

When it was all said and done, between the two of them, our racks were emptied of about 75 (!!!) garments and as far as we could tell, they were all for them. I sure hope they fit!!

Cynthia was not feeling well so Ann found another helper, Brenda, an amazingly calm woman who did not mind folding clothes endlessly.

She would be the one with the clothes over her shoulder, refolding the large/xlarge table which was mostly an exercise in futility, but she said doing so made the day go faster.

Above is the men's table that she had not an hour earlier made neat and tidy. A little later Brandy came to help and turns out she also did not mind folding. I, on the other hand, was not a fan. I'd remove empty hangers all day long, but folding....no thanks!

You might note the purses hanging in the background...that two tiered hanging apparatus built by John, was a God send for this purpose. At one time, both the upper and lower tier were so full of bags, you could hardly move them, so, turns out we sold a lot of handbags as well.

Hip, hip, hurray....it was over!! The Goodwill truck arrived and it was time to box, or bag the leftovers, but not before we filled multiple boxes with clothes to take out to Mascotte for a migrant workers camp. Yes, we had leftovers, but at an average price of $2 for each item, I'd say we sold several thousand dollars worth. Priced to sell was my philosophy!

A small army of helpers arrived, we removed everything from the hangars,

I think we ended up with 25 (?) bags of leftovers,

which considering all that came in, well, we were pleased. Cynthia, recovered a bit, arrived to help turn the space back into a chapel again.

Overall, I would say that at least 50 people volunteered for the event and while it was good to make a little over $9,000, it was also good to meet new people and work together. As it turns out, I discovered that although lazy, I'm still capable of working, so that was good for me. Bruce, meanwhile, was working on another project much of the day, but went into action when the cleanup time came, putting tables away, loading bags and boxes, putting the fellowship hall in order, that sort of thing. We were both so tired that we stopped by Johnny's Other Side for some refreshments, however, it was darn chilly so we boxed our food to eat at home. Here is Mr. Peck before he fell asleep on the couch.

Sunday morning I did not go to church, instead I had some catching up to do around the house, as well as a much needed visit with Maureen who was perkier than normal, AND wearing blue nail polish!

My plan was to spend the afternoon preparing for today's camping trip, however, instead we had a lovely surprise when Bill called saying he and Lisa were in town from Lake City! We spent the afternoon gabbing away and it was super fun. Both of them are a blast to be around.

Then it was time to get to work in the kitchen, frying chicken and boiling bowties for a pasta salad. What a mess it makes on my stove, but totally worth it!

Plus there were oranges to squeeze and is this batch good...Valencia oranges make very tasty juice!

Artichokes out, grape tomatoes, olives, all kinds of goodies went into the salad which makes a good camp lunch.

Now the car is packed, the kayak on top, the bikes on the back, and as soon as Bruce finishes showering, we are off to Rodman Dam campground near Palatka.   Wish us luck as, according to the weather reports, we will face all manner of weather.

Hopefully the stars will be out at night.

your friend,

Gail

Anatomy of a Rummage Sale

Before we get into the rummage sale, I received a lovely surprise on Valentine's Day from our son David, a bouquet of tulips that immediately found their way into a large decorative vase. Realisticly it was probably Michelle's idea, but either way it was super sweet. Anyway, here they are looking oh so cheerful!

The vase felt a little damp so I placed them on a folded cloth napkin to grace our kitchen table. So far so good, until it was not. Yesterday morning, before I left for rummage sale duty, Bruce noticed the napkin was wet. Oh no! A large square of wet on the teak table!!! They are now in a large plastic glass and today, while I was gone, Bruce refinished the table and it looks like a million bucks! Another lovely surprise...

So, about the sale. Ann, pictured below, asked if I would handle the clothes, warning me that it was a big job. I will give it a go, was my response.

Around 11 on Saturday, Bruce and I arrived to took over the chapel. People began arriving with their donations and the sorting began, one by one. About ten of the racks were obtained by Jackie, our chairman, from the closing Gap store on Park Avenue. Bruce applied felt bumpers on the bottom and we planned a layout. We can do this.

About those bags...

At first it seemed somewhat manageable as we opened them up, hung the clothes, and so on and so forth. After leaving at 4 on Saturday, Ann texted saying a family was donating 25 bags worth of clothes belonging to a woman who passed away last year. Not able to wrap my head around that just yet, I arrived at 8:30 Sunday morning and there they were, hanging wherever space could be found.

Saturday afternoon it looked like this after Cynthia and I were done for the day.

Things were taking shape. Here's one of my favorite outfits we came across.

Yup, one leg red, one leg blue! A costume perhaps? We actually do have a costume section that I've mostly been ignoring so far.

Removing those plastic bags, I was heartened that everything was already hung,  yet I could not help but wonder how big a closet she had. I counted SIXTY skirts! SIXTY! The good news is that they are mostly all from Talbots, and in prime condition. Should you know anyone who wears a 3X size, let them know that we have three whole racks of goodies! As well, loads of bras and nightwear. Oh yeah, probably sixty colored knit shirts to wear with those skirts.

I've been told that in the past, all of the handbags were piled on a table, however, since Ann's husband John had already made this double rack, seemed like a good place to display them.

About those bags....good night, every day more and more arrive. I had the good fortune to have another Cynthia for a helper on Monday morning, a most interesting woman and super worker who did not mind folding clothes.

Of all things, in this morning's paper, there she was as the interim director of the Orlando Museum of Art. You know what? She never even mentioned it. As the bags kept arriving, piled one atop another, I began feeling overwhelmed, so moving them all to a spot where they are hidden from sight until such time as they can be opened and find homes was just the ticket. In the afternoon, the other Cynthia and a helper plowed through them with only about ten remaining when I arrived this morning. Except more kept coming today with nowhere to display them. Finally, help arrived in the form of a double rack!!!

Just as I was fixing to leave the rack came in and we moved the tables, hoping to put it in the middle of the room with items on both sides. Afternoon helpers arrived, opening bags and boxes and sorting items into sizes for when the masses arrive on Friday morning.

Linda and Debra helped me both yesterday and today, and were they ever amazing, organizing and sorting like nobodies business. I thought I recognized Debra and turns out she was the principal at Conway Middle School when Bill and Dave were there. Small world, eh?

As you can see, the tables are piled high, too high if you ask me, but I've been overruled. Jackie tells me that people line up for several hours before the doors open and it is like Black Friday here. I've got a pretty picture of those stacks tumbling down, but hey, what are you to do when folks have been so generous with their donations? We've got belts, tons of shoes, loads of purses, hats, bathing suits, lingerie, both men's and women's clothing with the vast majority of it being of very good quality. Will more come in tomorrow? I so hope not, but there are no guarantees.

Meanwhile, other volunteers are feverishly working in other parts of the fellowship hall, sorting everything from housewares to electronics to jewelry to linens. Of course there are books and lots of them. I did come across a few vintage pieces, one of which is a gorgeous cream colored wool knit coat dress from Bonwit Teller which begged to have a circle pin on the collar.

Vintage or not, I came home with something I fell in love with Saturday afternoon.

Super fun, right? And of all things, a few days ago I heard from my publisher, Sarah, who asked if I had any donut photos to share with her. No, I did not, that is until someone brought in some fantastic donuts to share yesterday morning. Opening the box I immediately went for my camera.

So, four days in and I admit I'm a little worn with four more days to go. Should the donations cease, with a little luck, Cynthia and I can take Thursday off before the big sale. Or, that's my hope anyway. Last evening I had time to visit with friends down by the lake during sunset and the sky looked a little beat up don't you think? Like it was bruised or something.

Should you stop by a church rummage sale in the future you will now know what goes into putting such a sale together. Although I've not counted, I imagine there have been at least thirty volunteers involved, not to mention the hard work put in by Ann and Jackie.

Having been warned in advance, I'm happy to do it, but I am here to say that they were not exaggerating when they said it was quite the task for all involved!

your friend,

Gail