October 20,2016- Thursday

 Forgot to finish this trip  blog. Our last travel day home started with rain, including lightening and thunder. Thank goodness it eased up while Richard was getting the car hooked up on the tow dolly. It was pretty much overcast most of the way, but only a little rain. We have been gone for 39 days. We had a great vacation, but as I have said before, there is no place like home!! I started this blog a few years ago on our first RV trip as a journal for us to look back on. I had no idea so many of our friends & family would follow us on it. So again we thank you all for "being along" with us. We thank God for another safe, healthy trip.Until Pauper's Pride is on the road with another adventure, so long. Rich & Audrey

October 19,2016- Wednesday

Today we went into the town of West Frankfort nearby. Richard found a golf course with reasonable rates. On the way there (which was about 1/2 hr away) it started to rain. Not a hard rain, so we did a little supply shopping. When we were done, it stopped raining, so we went back to the golf course. It was a perfect golf day, a little overcast with a slight breeze. It was a really nice course. They had a person on a huge leaf blower, blowing the leaves off the course. There weren't many golfers out so we pretty much had the course to ourself. We only lost 2 balls and Richard did great. He golfed a 103 for 18 holes, had a birdy & 2 par's and 3 bogies. That's pretty good for a beginner golfer! Well this is our last night of our vacation, we will be home tomorrow. Storms are predicted for tonight. I hope they won't be strong and that they will be gone by morning. 

October 18,2016- Tuesday

After 155 miles, 4 hours...we crossed over the Mississippi River and over the state line of our home state....Illinois!! We arrived at our last campsite, Gun Creek Recreation Area in Whittington, Illinois. A COE site which was our first stop on our way down to Florida. It is at the southern tip of Illinois . We arrived early afternoon and checked in. When we got to our assigned site, we realized the site which was right along the shore of Rend Lake, was on a very steep incline. It was, we guessed, intended for a much smaller RV than our 30 foot one. We had to go back to the ranger station & get assigned a different site. After we got all hooked up, it was early afternoon, so we went to the golf course which is right at the entrance to the park. But, they were very expensive. It would have cost $35 for Richard to golf and another $15 for me to ride along in the cart. Needless to say, $50 is a little out of our price range! So Richard looked on line and found another course nearby which we found and  was only a total of $16 for him to golf and me to ride along. It was not a very good course.....bumpy with a lot of leaves on the ground. We lost about a dozen balls we couldn't find because of all the leaves. So Richard was discouraged and didn't do very well. Afterward we went to a little cafe for a good meal.

PS  The green bridge picture was a bridge on the golf course we had to drive over, not very wide with swampy water on either side. 

October 17,2016- Monday

Today we went from Florida, through parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Tenn, & Arkansas and into Missouri, to our next campsite on our way north which was in Greensville, Missouri by Lake Wappapello. It was a long travel day, about 7 hrs, 187 + miles, very windy which adds travel time. As we were traveling in Missouri, we were amazed at how many cotton fields we saw. We had no idea cotton was grown in Missouri. At the campsite,which we didn't realize was so far from the expressway, about 11/2 hrs, We also found out there was no TV reception, not even one station! Looks like we won't be staying here in the future! We made the best of it & played cards outside until the mosquitos came out and joined us.

P.S. The one picture of a bridge shows markings of how high the water has risen in past years..a few marks were almost to the bridge!

October 16,2016- Sunday

Had a long travel day, about 7hrs. Good weather. Our next stop was in Hernando, MS. We are traveling the length of Mississippi, it sure is a long state. Our campsite was right by Lake Okatibbee. Surprisingly we were able to pick up 41 TV stations just from our antenna. The picture of the rocks shows how far the water has receded over the years.

October 15,2016- Saturday

RWell vacation is over :( , today we start our journey north... Home!! Goodby Navarre, FL!! Thank goodness it was a cool morning. Richard got everything all hooked up. I "battened down" the inside of the RV for travel. Having been in one place for a month, there was a lot to stow away. We got an early start 8:30. We had good travel weather. Blue skies & sun.....a perfect beach day..oh well... Our first stop for the night was 218 miles, about 6 driving hours to Twitley Ranch COE Campgeround in Collingville, MISS. We stopped several times to check the straps on the tow dolly, since this was the first time towing the KIA. Luckily everything was fine.

October 14,2016- Friday

Well our time here is winding down. We will be leaving here on Saturday. We spent most of the day getting things ready for travel. After living here for a month, there is a lot to store away, beach things, ect. And Richard had a lot of checks to do on the RV to make sure everything will be running okay.  In the afternoon we went to the pool to relax for the last time this trip. In the evening we went out to dinner with our next door neighbors here, who we got to be friends with. They too arrived the same time we did and also will be leaving Saturday. They are from Georgia. We went to the Italian Restaurant we went to a week ago and really liked. They (Raymond & Sheryl ) had not been there and wanted to try it. We had a delicious meal and good conversation. 

October 13,2016- Thursday

Today we went golfing. Richard got a late morning tee time at Hidden Creek Golf Club. It was really hot, high 80's with just a little breeze. Richard was disappointed with his game, he didn't do to well. But in his defense, the course was extremely hilly. So it was very hard to track the balls, especially with our old eyesight! We lost about a dozen balls. But we still had fun. In the afternoon when we got back we went in the pool to relax and cool off. We met several new people who just arrived. They are "snow birds". That's what  people who come south for the winter mts are called. They will be here for 6 mts. In the evening we got the laundry done. 

(The pictures are from yesterday that I forgot to post)

October 12,2016- Wednesday

Just noticed that I have been posting the wrong month!! I guess I have been stuck in September! Well I got it right now, it just took me a week to notice it. So today we had an exciting day. We found out that the Blue Angles were practicing  at the Pensicola Naval Air Base. So we took a ride to see them and it was awesome!!! They were going right over our heads, they are so fast and loud! There were people parked all along the road into the base to watch them. I got some great photos, but it was hard because how fast they are going. When we heard them coming, I just held the camera to the sky and clicked. I wasn't sure what or even if I got anything. So I was excited that I caught them. In the afternoon we  went to the beach. It was a perfect beach day, warm, sunny with a light breeze. Richard wanted to try and find some "silver dollar" shells. We were told you could find them out by the sandbar in the water. The last time we were here, there were too many jellyfish in the water to make it out to the sandbar. Today we only saw a few in the water, so Richard attempted it. Lo and behold he found four of them! They are brown in the water, but we were told to put them in bleach and they turn white. We realized that it was our last beach day. Tomorrow we have a golf tee time, and Friday will be busy getting ready to travel since we leave here Saturday. Well at least we got a lot of beach time in this trip being that the weather was so warm.

September 11,2016- Tuesday

Went to a Huge mall in Destin. But most of the stores are ones we have at home. In the afternoon Richard wanted to go to the driving range at the golf course to practice with the new club he bought. When we got there it was 3:15 and we were told  that the driving range was closed at 3:00 for ground maintenance. So we decided to drive to another golf course we were at last year in Milton, about  20 minutes from where we were. We haven't golfed there this year because their prices are really high. We were the only ones at the driving range, but there were several golfers out on the course. Richard did really good with his new club. We took a different route home and did some sight seeing. 

September 10,2016- Monday

We had to take KIA in today to the dealer in Fort Walton, where we bought it ,for their complimentary 1,000 mile check.  It's hard to believe we have put 1,050 miles on it in the three weeks since we purchased it! We really like the car. We don't have any complaints with it so far. In the afternoon we went golfing. It was a nice sunny day with a light breeze, about 84degrees. Richard did really good. He golfed a 112. That's  pretty good for a beginner golfer. He has only been golfing for about 3years. I didn't golf, my foot still is a little sore, and it is rather pricey at the courses here in Florida for the two of us to golf. I don't mind, I really like driving the golf cart & tracking Richards balls. There wasn't many golfers, so we were able to take our time.

September 9,2016- Sunday

In the morning we went to a Butterfly Festival. There were craft & food booths. They also have a butterfly museum, but the line was really long to get in it. I did get a neat outdoor solar butterfly light. We are going to go back there this week, when the festival is over, and tour the museum. It is not far from where we are staying. In the afternoon Richard wanted to watch the NASCAR race on TV, so he dropped me off at the beach. Being a Sunday, I knew the beach would be full and it was a sunny day. I love to watch little kids play in the water & in the sand. I didn't realize just how hot it was and I didn't bring the beach umbrella. The sun was scorching and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. On top of that there was a lot of seeweed along the waters edge and pretty many jellyfish could be seen near the shoreline so I didn't want to go in the water to cool off, even though there were a lot of people in the water. (Call me chicken, but I am afraid of those jellyfish) after a couple of hours I was sweltering. I was just going to call Richard to pick me up when he called that he was on his way. We came back and went in the pool to cool off. There were pretty many people at the pool. Several said they too were at the beach, but came back because of the jellyfish.

September 8, 2016- Saturday

OToday we took a ride to Pensicola. A fellow told Richard that a new Goodwill center opened there and they had several golf clubs. We found the place, but they didn't have any clubs that Richard needed. I bought a candle holder, I felt I should get something, I didn't want to just walk out without at least giving a donation for something, and it is a neat candle holder. It was a nice ride there. We did some sight seeing and came home through Milton, FL. Richard wanted to check out the road because that is the way we will be taking as we start our trip home to ILoinois. It was too late to go to the beach when we got back because we were going to 4:00 mass. So we went to the pool for awhile. After church we went to the Shrimp Basket restaurant we were told had delicious shrimp, cooked several different ways. We thought it was a bit pricey, but the food (Richard had shrimp, I had white fish) was really good and plenty of it. 

September 7,2016- Friday

Spent the day at Opal Beach. Weather was very hot & humid, (again) . Had to sit under our beach umbrella because it was a scorching sun & no clouds. There were a lot of jellyfish in the water right by the shore water, so we didn't want to go in the water to cool off. Thank goodness there was at least a little breeze. Then the pesty, biting black flies made their appearance!! That was when we packed up and left, as did several other beachers. Back at the campsite, the people in the site next to us are very nice. They have a trailer RV with a truck. Richard helped the fellow with a few things because this was their first time pulling their trailer & RVing. So Richard asked if we could hook our tow dolly to his truck and put our KIA, our new car on it to make sure everything hooks up right for towing. The adjustments Richard made to the tow dolly to accomadate the KIA worked great. Everything lined up good. 

September 6,2016- Thursday

We are keeping a close watch on Hurricane Matthew which is due to hit the East coast of FL by tomorrow. Being that we are in the Fl panhandle in the north west, on the gulf side, we are in no danger.if there was any chance it was near where we are, Richard said we would have packed up already and headed north.   But the news coverage is on every channel. They are saying it is the most dangerous hurricane of the century! The East coast of FL has already been evacuated. Where it is due to hit land is where we were in March when we were down here. Even Disneyland in Orlando has closed!! It's ironic, the storm of the century is hitting Florida and where are we....in Florida!!! The resort we are staying in is filled, in fact several RV's coming from east FL had to be turned away. Our daughter Nancy & grandson Matthew are in Fort Myers which is also on the gulf side,but on the southeast side for a baseball tournament Matt is in. Hopefully they will only get some rain, Nancy said they haven't as of yet. On a lighter note, we had beautiful weather here today, just a little overcast, but not exactly a good beach day, So we went golfing. Richard got a new driver he was anxious to try out and he did pretty good. He got 107 for 18 holes, that's pretty good for a beginner golfer.

September 5,2016- Wednesday

Laundry day today, ugh! But it has to be done and the maid didn't show up again!! While I was "having fun" in the laundry room, Richard was washing the awning on the motorhome. It is a big job..he has to get up on the ladder with a brush and do a little part at a time & hose it down. He got about a half done today. We went to Alphy's restaurant for lunch because the special on Wednesday is........Richards favorite, liver & onions.

September 4,2016- Tuesday

Today we went to a beach in Pensicola. It was on the sound side, not the gulf side. That meant the waves were very small.  But the good thing was that the parking area was very close to the water, so only a short sand walk to the shoreline. There was a lot to watch ...parasails, jet skies, sailboats & motorboats. We enjoyed the day even tho while Richard was sitting on his chair right in the shallow water, he saw a jellyfish, so he was out of the water and took a nap on shore.

October 3,2016-Monday

One thing about Florida this time of year is that there are a lot of Monarch butterflies everywhere. We are told that they are migrating to Mexico. They are so beautiful. They are even on the beach. We spent the early afternoon in the pool, no beach today because Richard had a 4:00 tee time, which he found a good deal on. It was a beautiful day, warm but not humid, with a slight breeze. A good golf day. But being that it was a later tee time, by the time we got to the 16th hole we were facing riight into the bright sun which was starting to go down. There was no way we could even see which direction the ball was going.  So Richard said there was no sense trying to finish holes 17 or 18, so we headed back to the club house.

October 2,2016- Sunday

Had a laid back morning, visiting with other RV'ers staying here. (At least Richard did the visiting) I tidied up the RV. "A place for everything & everything in it's place" is my motto. Especially living in a motorhome for 5 weeks! In the afternoon we went to Opal Beach between Navarre & Pensicola. It was a slightly overcast day, but warm and not as humid as it has been. Well it was nice until ....jellyfish could be seen in the waves close to shore. (In the one picture Richard took you can see the jellyfish, it's the brown circle in the water) they are ugggggly!! Then the black flies showed up, they are so annoying and they bite. We met them last year when we were here also. We were told that they show up this time of the year if there is an offshore wind. They are so annoying that people actually leave the beach because of them. Which is finally what we did.

 

October 1,2016- Saturday

A very Happy "17th" Birthday to our Grandson Matthew Joshua Bebar!! Richard spent the morning working on the LED towing safety lights that we have on the car we tow. He had to do some re wiring to accomadate the new car. He had to have the wire go from the underneath of the front of the car to the back. First he had to buy lumber to make ramps to put the car on to get underneath it. He didn't trust the jack that came with it because he didn't have his safety jacks along. It was a big job and several trips to the hardware store nearby. It took most of the morning and afternoon, but he got it done. We went to church then out to dinner at an Italian restaurant we were told about called Vinnie R. The food was delicious. Richard had lasagna & I had baked ziti. We will definitely put this on our list if come back here next  year. The picture is of a rental unit we found interesting. We called it the "house of cards" because it reminded us of a shuffle of cards.