Happy Holidays

Holidays are loaded.

Everyone dreams of the Norman Rockwell Christmas, and maybe those are out there, but I think they must be the exception more than the rule. More often than not they are a little less Rockwell and a little more Griswald. Everyone has such high expectations, and the money, effort and preparations that go into each piece… It’s bound to go horribly wrong at some point. When I look back at holidays as a child, the best were those blissful childhood years when you didn’t know that everyone else was busting their butt trying to make it magical! As soon as we become old enough to become aware of the politics, the drama and the cost of holidays, the sheen wears off.

     This year, I approached the holidays with a mixture of joy and dread. So many concerns come with full timing with kids! Will it be festive enough? Is a tree essential? Where will I put the gifts? Can we buy gifts? Is there room for MORE crap? And then, when December arrived, I realized, we were in Florida, at the beach! Our entire collective Christmas memory includes snowmen, sledding, and cherished décor that is now in storage!

     Just as my panic reached the height of it’s fevered pitch, a package arrived. Mini Christmas trees, reindeer and garlands, Rudolph noses and stockings…. Christmas in a box!  Our friend Beth from Colorado was so worried about our lack of Christmas Spirit, she and her family put together a care package! Soon lights began to adorn the carts that drove past. Campers began to light up, sculptures of flamingos pulling sleighs made an appearance. A huge Christmas tree lit up the Clubhouse. Neighbors invited us to see the boats all lit up, a Christmas Boat parade in the fishing village of Matlachay. The boys were invited to make the centerpieces for Christmas Dinner at the park. Neighbors came by on their carts singing Christmas carols, a new kind of caroling! And suddenly, Christmas was here, in its true form, with friendship and community. And we took a second look at the holiday. We watched four different versions of “A Christmas Carol” and looked for the overriding meaning. The boys got it, more so than any other year.

   It wasn’t just the box, or the tree or the carols it was the realization that a loving community surrounds us, both here and around the country. That, even though we say it every year, the true celebration of this season is love. We are so grateful to be surrounded by that love, to have the chance to be together as a family. We have been able to spend more time with family than we have in decades, and Pappa and Gramcyn are coming to have Christmas with us. 

Isn’t that really the appeal of the Griswald family as well? That even though the tree is infested with squirrels, it goes up in flames and the cat is incinerated, the love of family ultimately reigns supreme over the indignities of daily life. 

According to Dr. Seuss…

“It came without ribbons!... it came without tags!... it came without packages, boxes, or bags!”

In our case, it came without snowmen, sledding or cocoa, but it has come all the same.

Happy Holidays to all, we wish you a holiday filled with the love you deserve, now and always.

First Really Bad Day

    I know that bad days are just a part of life but it has been so wonderful for six months that I almost forgot things happen. While moving the fifth wheel to Camping World our poor Wanda the Wildcat has experienced a major problem. To sum it up, we were taking Wanda in because we hit a good bump in the road and heard a load bang and noticed the trailer was sitting lower than normal. On the way in the area that was broken got worse and now we cant move it. To make it worse, our warranty wont cover it because it structural and our insurance company may or may not cover it. I know I should have learned by now that it doesn't matter how much you think your covered, your really not.

     I asked if our rig was covered for the full amount of the loan and of course I heard yes 8 months ago, now they change their tune and only cover what it worth which apparently changes a thousand dollars a month since its now worth 8k less. So tonight we are doing the parking lot thing waiting for our insurance company to send someone out to decide if they will cover the damage or if we are going to have to take our chances and tow it back to the island until we can come up with 5k to fix it. I honestly cant understand why we buy insurance since they don't seem to cover anything. Well I have to say that my four coors light beers are making sitting in the trailer in the parking lot much better. It will most likely be a week before we can move but we will make the most of it. We are headed to Orlando on Friday anyway so only really three more nights here.

   

Settling in with the Snowbirds....

I know you have all been waiting with baited breath to see what the Hamilton family is up to next. Well, since our last trip to Big Cypress we have been working pretty hard at the KOA getting into the swing of things. Laura has become an expert in custodial management and I have become more proficient in fixing problems that older people cause. Aiden and I had our birthdays in November and we have made plans in December to go to Disney World with my Dad and Cyndi and Sea World so we can catch up with AJ, Tom and the kids. 

            For my Birthday Laura and the boys fixed up the 5^th wheel with balloons and a nice card as well as a dinner certificate which we used to go to the Tiki Bar and have some drinks.

  For Aiden’s birthday we did a similar thing but got him a cake and some gifts so he felt loved.  We also took the A-dog to the Naples Zoo. We got to see them feed some alligators and learned about moneys and snakes. (Honey, tell them about the gators, okay I’ll tell them…

     We were at the zoo and went to the Gator show, they had a new zoo keeper and while the woman was narrating all about Gators the kid let one of the gators get past him. All the zoo keepers scattered and this HUGE gator was roaming around up where he wasn’t supposed to be until a more experienced keeper got him back in the water. It was awesome.)

               

Since we have been on the island we have seen tons of wildlife including three species of turtles, at least 4 species of lizard, hundreds of geko’s and so many different frogs its unreal. You have all heard my story on the giant tree frog who tried to give me a heart attack, well I have more to add. It seems that all the different species of tree frogs here like to sit on the top of the doors and when we open them at night they jump and pee all at the same time which is awesome when you aren’t expecting it. Yesterday we came across a 18” leatherback turtle in the road and the last week I have seen several yellow rat snakes and black racers.  I have tried to get pictures of the countless night creatures but cant figure the dang camera out so you can see them with us.

                                        

Some of our other friends here on the island are a pair of bald eagles that have a nest near the KOA,  several osprey that have nests in the area and several thousand crows that fill the sky when they fly around. I never have a camera when these things are happening but will continue to try and get a picture of that, it’s amazing.

     We have finally got our nameplate like the rest of the people on the road so everyone knows what trailer to stay away from. I was also able to finally get Laura some local plants that are wonderful colors so she can make this more of a home for the family.  (AND now we have two cute little coconut turtles there too! The boys were given their very own coconut turtles to decorate from Miss Suzie. She and her husband Kelly are Cattle ranchers up in North Dakota and come down here for the winter. They sell adorable coconut animals, I LOVE the flamingoes! She supplied the coconut animals for them to paint as part of their art projects. We are also in charge of making all the centerpieces for the Christmas dinner, THIRTEEN TABLES!)

We got the below picture in front of the sign on the pool deck here at the resort. In case you can’t read it, the sign reads “Stranded on Pine Island, Don’t send help”.

     

                 

Since Alan CLEARLY isn’t going to say it, I am! The blessings of the universe are obviously upon us, I mean, sheesh, we get to spend 24-7 together with our kids except for the 45 min of “Adult time” each night with a glass of wine in the hot tub under the palm trees! But all that loveliness couldn’t continue unless we could fund it after March. The minimum wage jobs we work now are just for grocery money and the reduced rent we are given in turn for being employees! All the “real” bills are paid out of our savings. But….. Drumroll please….. this is big people…. Big Daddy will be working for an online firm as of December 15^th! And it’s totally remote which means he will be doing it out of the rig, WAHOO! So, we don’t have any set plans for after March yet but lots of options. We’ll let you know. And thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts!  

This is Aiden. Yesterday was my birthday. I went to the Naples Zoo. It had monkeys on there own island. The monkeys could not swim. That would be a disaster.

You could feed the Giraffes. It was one of the four zoos that had honey badgers. My cake had chocolate frosting and it was chocolate cake too. This is Aiden here and out.

Daily life...

Daily life on the road.

So there are some things that have changed about our daily lives now that we live in a camper. (Caution, no news here, just a slice o’ life for those who may be interested.)

Making new friends:

Today Alan came in from work and announced that a family with a boy Aiden’s age has come to stay in site #53 for the next three days. (And they are from Colorado Springs!) The boys, who at home might hem and haw about it, raced to their bikes, pedaled over immediately and introduced themselves setting up an intricate play-date schedule for the next three days! I sure hope their parents didn’t have anything planned!

Another couple from Colorado came by and introduced themselves this morning. By noon they had come by again with brochures about the water taxi that could take us to the best shelling beach, prices and recommendations. By 6 pm they had brought by 10 squash, some sweet potatoes, shrimp, lunchmeat, broccoli and salad they had “left over”. Amazing!

Generally speaking, people in these places are outstanding and friendships seem to form quickly. (That and no one cooks, they all go out to eat. Every night. I mean EVERYNIGHT. Got a restaurant, I got your cliental. The local fish joint was filled to bursting by 6 pm on Tuesday night.) It’s amazing!

Learning:

We are doing the same Math that the boys were doing at Meadow View. They really like it and it’s challenging. So that is about the ONLY thing that is the same.

We take our social studies from the history of the area around us and mold the learning around the Colorado state standards to the extent that it is pertinent. Yesterday we did hands on learning about Newton’s Laws of Motion at the Imaginarium.

Sometimes they write blogs, do comic life and work in some workbooks all in our laundry rooms, picnic tables or the local Library. Tomorrow we are exploring the Pine Island Library. Education is everywhere!

     As we watched a group of Tom Turkeys hassle a group of ducks and their ducklings the boys broke out into a spontaneous narrative in which the ducks were the colonists and the turkeys were the British soldiers! Even the kid goats that seemed to be on the periphery were given roles as the natives, here before the ducks OR the turkeys! It was a great example of how they are learning and thinking even while I toss and turn, worried about their learning. Assessments aren’t all paper and pencil!

     Jacob fights me tooth and nail but still, I win…most days…

Down Time:

Why do I STILL not have down time?

We all love TV, it’s our major vice, or should I say WAS. Now the TV choices are up to the campground and they range from pretty bad to hideous. (The ONE exception being the KOA in Mass. The TV choices were FAB!) So, while we’ve been lucky enough to get all our episodes of Duck Dynasty shows we are now relegated to 6 year old re-runs of America’s Funniest Videos. (Listen I don’t care if it is a crotch shot from 2007, it’s still damn funny.)

Cleaning:

We clean every day, often two or three times a day. 200sq ft becomes messy in a hurry. Not having the little conveniences we once had, like a dishwasher and a garbage disposal, or counter space, makes it a process to get and keep anything clean but also makes it super important. Dishes and cooking require us to assemble the side table, get the water heater going, wash, rinse and dry the dishes, put them away, dismantle the side table and pack it away. Clearly, I love my paper plates. Earth friendly, not so much. I love that I can sweep and vacuum our whole house in less than 5 minutes! I also discovered today that I can plug the vacuum in at the far end of the boys room and still reach to the end of our room, our house is as long as the vacuum cord!

Laundry:

We have a new definition of “clean”. Showers are every other day due to the daily pool use and because laundry is so dang expensive, shirts worn twice, pants three times. Undies of course are the only exception to the rule! My new favorite invention, our current laundry room has a card reader! Wahoo! No more hoarding quarters! Needless to say, the days of separating whites and colors, or even having “WHITES” has long since gone out the window. We have varying shades of grey! All new incoming clothes must be colored! The boys have continued to grow at an astronomical rate.  Ever since the song “thrift shop” has come out though, getting them to get the basics from Goodwill or the local thrift shop has been a snap! It’s cool, because Macklemore said it was. Thank God for pop culture! Also, living in Florida means there are no “short pants” issues every six weeks! They wear board shorts and voila! We had a traumatic incident in which I threw away Aiden’s soccer t-shirt from his team “Orange Crush”.  He begged “Mom, it’s the only thing I have to remind me of my team!!!” Dear God, he’s so sentimental. Guess who went and dug it out of the laundry room garbage? He’s not wearing it, just keeping it. Fine, it’s 3 square inches of your allotted space pal….

Food:

From the beginning we have been avid about buying from small, local producers. It’s been great buying from roadside stands in just about every state. The Amish stands in Pennsylvania are still my favorite! Down here we have a fabulous stand just down the road to get our produce from. When we splurge we buy shrimp right off the docks in the fishing village of Matlacha. Having lots of fresh mangos and pineapple is a major plus to this lifestyle! I have learned to deal with the tiny fridge/freezer combo. I don’t like it, but I’m dealing with it. We have a Berkey water system so ever day we use it to fill about 10 empty water bottles and put them in the fridge. We could drink out of the faucet but I know we won’t. We’ve tried everything and I have given into the washing and filling cycle of water bottles. At least I know we are hydrated! We’ve given up soda unless we are at a restaurant so we use a zillion different kinds of flavorings, everything from Yahoo to orange crush. God help you if you take the last of someone’s favorite! Overall, it’s the lack of space to prep any food that makes me nuts. Maybe that’s why no one in this place cooks?

All of things together have taken some getting used to but we feel really comfy in this life. Some of it is a little reminiscent of “the olden days” but we have more than we need. We are getting into the swing of things here at Pine Island, visitors encouraged!

Happy Travels,

Laura

Big Cypress

     Laura mentioned to the group that we went on a great air boat ride for my birthday but I don't think she told you we didn't see that many alligators in the air boat or where we were driving around. Well friends, this time we went to Big Cypress National Park and the boys were able to achieve another Junior Rangers badge. We were also able literally dozens of gators and it was pretty damn cool. Laura had to stop me from tossing Bridgeeta into the water to see what would happen, LOL!

Big Cypress Junior Ranger Badge

                  This one wanted Bridgeeta real bad

Look they are such a great looking family

14 footer

     We walked around a great board walk in the park that went from the grasslands right into the swamp. There were more spiders in the swamp than should be allowed on the planet in one area.

This was cool!

                 I think the boys are enjoying our stop here in Florida but you be the judge!

I love these guys!!!

I am going to take some pictures later this week of all the great things I see at night here but I wanted to share a funny story. On my first night shift I turned on the lights at one of the pavilion's and watched gecko's, frogs and lizards pour out of the light fixtures. That was cool but while driving on my golf cart I passed under a palm tree headed to my next stop and about had a heart attack. A rather large tree frog decided that he wanted to catch a ride on the cart with me. This would have been pretty cool had the frog just landed on the cart, instead, he landed square in the middle of my chest and caused me to let out quite a loud yell. I almost peed my pants and I guarantee that any of you would have had the same reaction! I brought the family out to see the rather large tree frog and when Jacob went to pick it up it peed all over him. This is something great about the frogs here, they will attack you when you open doors in the dark and then pee on you to show they are the boss. The house keeper at the last KOA made a great comment that I now believe whole heartedly. She said that this state is a jungle that is constantly trying to reclaim its land.

I'm baaaaackkkkk.....

Hello All!

I am so sorry to have been gone so long but Alan has been doing a great job keeping you informed! I have been lucky enough to work with my sweet friend from college, Beth Garst, on some online work! It has been a financial saving grace and we so appreciate her thinking outside the box and helping hook us up! (PLEASE keep us in mind if you need anything digital done!) I have been really busy with the online App Review and we’ve been moving around and also, I have been deep in thought about, well, what to tell you!!

     On the one hand, we want desperately to tell you all the amazing things we are up to. On the other, we don’t want it to sound like a big fat Nanny nanny Booger to you when we do!  Many days I just revel in the blessings of our life and try to take it all in. It has, honestly, taken me weeks to fully understand that we are here, in this gorgeous place. It’s seemed unreal for a long time, remember, I’m a mountain girl! This is all stuff I’ve seen in movies! 

Alas, real life peaks in on occasion.

     It seems that everything costs three times what it should and twice what we expected so it isn’t really a “luxury” tour but it’s been so filled with so many amazing experiences that we don’t even notice the little things anymore. 

For example, Alan finally made the jump to off brand mayo today, it was a big moment.

     It’s big Daddy’s birthday on Monday and also when he starts work at this KOA so we celebrated by doing some sight seeing in our new area. Yesterday we went down to Sanibel Island and looked around and had Gator, which is my new favorite food. I am contemplating how I can raise Llama, bees and gators simultaneously. Maybe that is just asking for trouble…    

     Our sweet friends Don and Merri, whom we met when we worked with Jon and Sally in Massachusetts, are in Florida. It’s a coincidence that we are just up the road from their gorgeous National Park, Lover’s Key. I bet they think we are stalking them! We stopped by to see them and they took us to their beach, it was breathtaking! (They do a big vow renewal there on V-day that Alan and I will be doing, come on down!!!!) I am in awe of the sheer volume of shells on the beaches there! It seems each beach down here has it specialty and they have some gorgeous shells along with sugar-y white sand and a tram…and a concession stand… and wildlife… and really clean bathrooms…

    Today for birthday Hanukah we took Alan on an airboat tour in the Everglades. It was, obviously, awesome! I’m amazed at the people we meet. Whizzing through the swamp in an airboat at a million miles per hour, constantly on the verge of being tipped over into the gator infested muck was pretty cool but as always, the guide was pretty interesting too! This time it was Jerry, of “Captain Doug’s Airboat tours.”  He had no problem wheeling us around in circles, in and out of overhangs, zipping around all while never once putting out his Marlboro Red.  He told us that the Gator had three sets of lids, and detailed the purpose of each one. He did the same with the very friendly Raccoons that came up to us, who, by the way are NOT nocturnal here, rather they come and go based on the high and low tide. Then he told us all about how the Everglades are a vital link in the food chain and why...

AH-Mazing-ING!

     I have so much more to share with you! But alas, the no-see-ums are invading and I have very little data left so more next time….

Happy travels,

From Paradise!