Lake Wales, FL – Jan 2023

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that another month (and year) has passed me by.  Especially since it would appear on the surface that I’ve not accomplished much this month.  As the end of each month approaches, I review my photos and I start creating the collages that will make up the outline for the next blog.  Alas, I found myself with very few pictures this month.  So what have I been doing?  Well, lets dig in and find out.

New Couch

When my brother Gerry visited with me this past Nov, he once again slept on the RV pull-out couch (at left, middle right) – something that he has endured many times before.  This time, he happened to ask me if I had noticed that it was coming apart.  When I looked closer based on that comment, I did in fact discover that the faux (aka fake) leather that the couch was made from was seriously cracking, splitting, and otherwise deteriorating.  The dual recliner that I once had, which was made from the exact same material, was disposed of a couple years back for the same reason – cracking and peeling faux leather.  So, it would appear it was time to now replace the couch.  Frankly, the various sections were not all even for sleeping nor all that comfortable, so its departure would likely not be seen as a loss.  I did, however, look to this as an opportunity to get something more comfortable for my guests, and was thinking a high-end futon with a nice mattress might be a good choice.  So I began my search – Amazon, IKEA, Futons-R-Us, etc., in search of the perfect replacement.  I was also very size constrained, and needed one that was not already assembled in order to get it into the RV.  After dismantling the old couch and taking it out in pieces into the truck to be later taken to the dump (left, top right), I did some careful measuring to see just how much space I had to work with.  There already were two little side shelve/arm things that are part of the RV that remained after taking out the couch, so I figured a futon with no arms would be the most practical.  Also, it would allow me to just fit a true full size queen into the space.  I found the perfect frame, and with that, purchased an upgraded queen futon mattress for maximum comfort.  The set arrived in several boxes, and required the better part of an afternoon and evening to assemble.  Once complete, it fit perfectly into the open space and compliments nicely in the overall decor of the RV.  A couple of guests have slept on it already and have said it was comfortable.  I’ll wait to hear the final verdict from my brother Gerry as he has the most experience with the old setup. Hopefully he agrees that this was in fact an upgrade.

Friends & Family

So I invited my friend Theresa to come spend New Year’s Eve and day here at the RV.  In fact, she was the first one to test out the new futon.  I planned a lasagna dinner, then to be followed by some relaxing time around the campfire, possibly making it to see the new year arrive. Well, the lasagna turned out great, but it was a cold and drizzly evening which ruled out the campfire.  Also, neither one of us made it past 10pm anyway, so that was that.  But I did enjoy her company as we watched a movie then some of the new year music variety shows on TV.  I did, however, neglect to take any photos while she was here.  Sorry about that!

Next I was blessed to spend several days with my daughter Samantha, and granddaughter Savannah.  Though I frequently enjoy Portal video calls with them on a regular basis, I’ve not seen them in person since the beginning of Apr last year – some 9 months ago.  They flew down on a Sun afternoon where I picked them up from the Orlando airport and took them back to the RV home base to spend the evening.  The next day, they would “borrow” my car and drive south to spend time with husband and dad Ryan.  Then, back to my place on Fri afternoon then back to the airport on Sat afternoon to fly back to MD.  It was a quick trip with little time to spend with them so I obviously had to get in lots of snuggle time with Savannah – to which she was most happy to oblige.  I had a nice crock pot stew waiting for them on Sun, with a hearty eggs, bacon, and english muffin toast the following morning.  Friday’s return dinner was spaghetti and meatballs.  They also got to enjoy Pop-Pop’s heated pool on Fri afternoon, which Savannah had been really looking forward to.  After dinner, it was a campfire and some S’mores.  I had also prepared to have some strawberry shortcakes to celebrate my upcoming birthday, but with being so full from dinner and S’mores, we opted instead to have them for breakfast the following morning before returning to the airport.  All in all, it was a fantastic visit that I thoroughly enjoyed.  On a side note, Samantha also took the opportunity to clear out one of her storage lockers that she was maintaining down here.  Some of the items she took back, others are things that I still need to ship back for her, while others are now enjoying life in my shed (without the benefit of monthly rent).  Oh well, I look forward to their eventual return to FL to live full time, and until then I’ll continue to enjoy our Portal video calls.  Thanks for the wonderful time we spent together, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

My brother Gerry was kind enough to come down for a few days and be my designated driver so that I can have a kidney stone procedure done.  I have a large stone in my kidney that’s been there for a while.  Fortunately it’s large enough that it won’t pass normally which, had it done so,  would have produced the extreme pain that many of us know all to well.  But, it has to be taken care of before it causes other problems.  So I’m going to have what is called shockwave lithotripsy – which is where they will sedate me then send specifically targeted shockwaves directed at the stone to bust it into tiny pieces which will then pass without further issue.  I’ve had the procedure before and overall it’s not too bad, and not very invasive.  However, I’m told that they may have to add a stint after the procedure, which is way more invasive and will result in several days of discomfort (I’ve had it too before – not fun).  So, I’m not looking forward to that.  I’ve had off and on issues with kidney stones much of my adult life, and look forward to being rid of them again – at least for now.

While Gerry was here, we enjoyed checking out some new restaurants, and having some happy hours around the campfire. We also celebrate my 64th birthday on Sun the 29th.  We did so by attending another comedy show at the local theater, then grabbing a nice dinner out. Then, on Mon the 30th, it’s kidney stone reckoning day for me.

Other Projects

Though I don’t have any pictures or other evidence to show, I have been working on a number of other projects during the month.  One in particular is my trip planning for the 2023 season.  I’m pretty far along, including having pretty much plotted out most of the route and having more than half of the campground reservations already booked and confirmed.  But, I’m not quite ready yet to share the route and itinerary.  Sadly, you’ll have to wait until next month’s blog to get those details.  I’ve also been very busy with work on the upcoming community’s 50th Anniversary celebration that we will have in late Feb, early Mar.  I’m working with one resident who is putting together a variety show, for which I’m producing all the video and music for.  We’ve already begun dance rehearsals, and I’ve also been learning about the clubhouse audio and video systems so that I can plan for how all that is going to work.  I also continue to work with the community historian, taking on the job of refreshing and updating the historical video slideshow.  I’ve also just recently been added to the overall 50th celebration planning committee, so that is yet another recurring meeting that I’m attending. I’ve also had conversations with the BOD president and current community website admin about the possibility of building out a new community website for them.  So for a retired guy, I seem to be keeping myself pretty busy.  But as I stated, I’ve got nothing yet to share on any of this.  Eventually, I intend to create a community YouTube channel where we can store historically interesting videos (like the ones I’m creating), and where I can share much of the video work being done for the 50th variety show.  So more on all that in the coming months.  Just know that I’m not here sitting around doing nothing.  Far from it!

Final Thoughts

Feb is going to be another busy month for me.  I’ll be recovering from kidney stone procedure, and will continue to work on the 50th celebration stuff and the 2023 adventure plans.  I’ve also been in contact with my cousin Louise, and she, her sister Denise, and I are planning a multi-day trip to the west coast to visit our Uncle Ray and Aunt Marge, and our cousin Lucy.  I’m also planning to attend the Orlando HamCation again this year being held in Feb, as well as getting together with the brothers to enjoy the Super Bowl and celebrate several of our birthdays around that time.  I might also take a road trip with brother Dick to visit with Peter Toth and his gallery.  He’s the artist who made the Trail of Whispering Giants Indian sculptures that I’ve written about and whose statues are present in every state.  There is also the Mardi Gras parade in Lake Wales in Feb, and perhaps a visit to Webster, FL to check out the massive flea market on Presidents Day.  So, lots to look forward to in Feb.  Never a dull moment!  So, till next month, safe travels to you all.

I only show a sampling of my adventure pictures here in the blog, and do so mostly in collage format for brevity and ease of reading. If you want to view an album containing individual full fidelity and hi-res images of all my travel pictures related to this specific blog, click the image below. Enjoy!