Travel time......soon!

Excitement abounds here in the Goode household.  We will be pulling out on Monday, heading North to Indiana.  Bill is busy outside checking tires, lights, and re-organizing the 'basement'.  I'm defrosting the freezers, cleaning house, and doing laundry.  The furbabies are looking good as I groomed and bathed them yesterday.   Tomorrow we will be saying our goodbyes to family and friends.  My oh my how the time do fly!  It was a great winter!  After you sit in one spot a spell.....you always worry if the wheels will go round once ya hook up and head out.....LOL!

Looking forward to the journey, we always try to find new places to see and explore.  Praying the weather cooperates and we don't run into any bad storms or SNOW!  I'll be posting more frequently....reporting on our adventures with plenty of photos and links to the rv parks along the way.  Who knows....maybe I'll be seeing you along the way too! 

Cosmo is holding his own.....feeling so much better after his dental work.  We have his medical records and x-rays of his leg and back.  That will be first up after we arrive back in Indiana.....meeting with his vet and seeing what we can do to help stabilize his back and legs.  Thanks for all the support and prayers....we do so appreciate it.  Here's to a safe journey with lots of new and interesting things to see and do along the way!

Sad News

Here is my little Cosmo boy....what a sweet face.  Cosmo is having some issues.  For the past couple of months we have noticed he is having some difficulty with his hind quarters.  Took him to the vet here in Florida and she thought it might be his knees.  Yesterday he had to have an infected tooth removed so while he was under anesthesia they took the opportunity to x-ray his knees and back.  Unfortunately it looks as tho his problem is in the spine.  She didn't give us a very good prognosis....not much they can do and it will probably continue to deteriorate.  However, she admitted she was no expert and told us we should definitely talk to a vet with more experience in this area.  I'm taking his x rays and records to our vet back in Indiana...we'll see what they have to say.  Then there is always Purdue Veterinary Clinic in West Lafayette.  Whatever the outcome, Cosmo's happiness and quality of life are foremost in our thoughts.  At present, he doesn't seem to be having in pain or discomfort.  He has just become more cautious in his movements because he knows something is just not right.   I would appreciate all your prayers....or if you know of anyone or anything that might help us to help Cosmo, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or send me an email. 

March...already!

My goodness, can't believe how the time do fly....guess that is what happens as you get older.  Time goes by faster and faster...or so it seems.  It will not be long and we will be heading back to Indiana.  My sister is coming for a visit the first week in April and we will leave right after.  I sure hope it has stopped snowing up there by then!
Hubby and I have been full timing now for almost 7 years and we have loved it....but...it is time for a change.  We both feel as though we just have not "traveled" as much as we would like too.  We have seen a lot and been to a lot of places, but we also have spent a lot of time "sitting" in one place.   We want to change that....next year after our "winter" in Yuma, AZ we plan on taking most of the summer and traveling the northwest and I'm hoping the summer after that we can head up into Canada.  Another "change" we are hoping to make in a couple of years is trading our fifth wheel for a motorhome.  The biggest reason for making the change is our big dually truck.  Love the truck for pulling the fifth wheel....but for sight seeing and daily life it's just too big.  We like the idea of being able to tow a more manageable vehicle.  Another reason....the fifthwheel, as we have ours set up, is just for two.  Not saying we couldn't do it, but traveling with more then ourselves and the dogs would be uncomfortable at best.  Now that our son is getting married....well, you get the drift....we are thinking of grandchildren and more family adventures.  It would be nice if we could all travel comfortably together. 
So that's the plan....at least for today....

Ah...another day, another party!

Last weekend was the "Knight" parade down in Ybor city.  What would a Knight parade be without the Knight family partying down at Elmer's bar....and party we did!  My darling hubby is not fond of large crowds so he offered to be the "taxi" driver...dropping us off and picking us back up once we had exhausted ourselves in the merriment.  It was so much fun....there was a band that played music you could actually dance too...lots of beads.....lots of "pirates"....and oh yeah, there may have been a bit of drinking going on too!  Oh and did I mention the men in kilts?  Well there were and I am now able to answer that age old question, "Exactly what do you guys wear under those things anyway?"  I asked....they told me to have a look for myself and......oops there it is....NOTHING....NADA....ZIP!  So next time you see "men in kilts", my advice is to keep walking....baby.....keep walking......Ha! Ha! Ha!

ARGH.....the pirates are coming....

Having a grand time here in Tampa with family and friends.  Saturday was the Gasparilla festival with starts off with a pirate invasion.  My uncle has a fantastic boat and took us out so that we could see the pirate ship coming into Tampa....cannons firing...mulitudes of happy pirates waiting to go ashore.  It was AWESOME!

That is just part of our motley pirate crew.....quite the sight!

There you see the pirate ship in the distance just brimming with pirates of all kinds........
After a "hard" day at sea....several of the crew headed down to Ybor city for a little rum, a little dancin, and a whole lotta fun!  HA! HA!  The pirate's life for me!!

Yes....back in Tampa

Yes, we are back in Tampa at my Uncle's marina.  We have been all settled in here for a little over two weeks.  Lots of holiday celebrations.....great food and fun shared with family and friends.  It's good to be back!
Getting ready for our big New Year's Eve bash.....folks have come by boat and by RV.......we have such fun and everyone spends the night.....that is the best part... not worrying about folks driving home!  We can all just relax and enjoy!  Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year.....

Back in Miami

Back in Miami and back at the Larry and Penny Thompson Park.  This time we made sure we had a "roomy" site....less trees and much easier to get in and out!  We had originally planned on spending another 3 days in Key Largo, but that did not work out.  I had called the Key Largo Kampground and Marina RV Park....to check on availability and to make sure they could handle a rig our size.  The gentleman I spoke to assured me it was no problem and, in fact, I could have a waterfront site if I was interested.  We only had about an hours travel time to reach the place so we didn't leave Grassy Key until noon.  Arrived at the Key Largo park around 1:30.  Passed a really nasty accident on the way.....a semi who somehow manage to dislodge his entire cab from its frame....really scary looking.  We knew something had happen because before we left Grassy Key traffic had backed up for several miles.  Sure hope everyone involved in that mess is ok.  Anyway, back in Key Largo I'm informing the gal at the desk that I called yesterday....that we had a 40 foot fifth wheel, 3 slides, 2 dogs, and a dually.  She is all smiles, tells me the site number and to go ahead and check out the site then come back and pay.  This park is really old and tight.....got back to the site....no way in "heck" are we getting into it.  Back to the office to explain and she actually says to me, "Oh no, the largest rig we can accommodate anywhere in the park is 35 foot".  "I thought you meant you were 4o foot total...including your truck".  I"m like "REALLY????",  I called yesterday and spoke to a gentleman who assured me you could handle us.  "Oh well, maybe he thought you meant 4o foot total too".  Again, "REALLY????"!!!!!  Here it is late in the day, we have no place to go, and I really would like to jump over the counter and strangle this old lady with my bare hands.....time to go....least I be seeing the inside of a jail cell.  We got back in the truck...regrouped....and decided Miami was our best and safest bet.  Thank goodness that plan worked out.  Once we arrived and were set up we treated ourselves to a nice dinner out at the local Longhorn steakhouse....it was delicious!  Yesterday I went back to the Miami zoo and spent another great day there enjoying all the animals.  It really is a beautiful zoo!
Tomorrow, Friday, we head to Fort Myers.  Found a Passport America Park....looks very nice.  They have 75 foot concrete pull throughs and were even willing to give us the passport rate for all 3 nights...on a weekend no less.  Sure hope there are no surprises waiting for us there!  I'll let you know.....and yes, there will be photos!!