January 2024 – Page 2 – Julia A. Keirns

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/24/23

Sunday, December 24, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Another day in paradise —

The phone rang at 7:00 a.m. this morning and it was the two grandsons from Connecticut wanting to wish Grandpa Rich a Happy Birthday! Yes, today is his birthday. He is 63 today.

We were on the phone with them when in ran two little granddaughters who jumped on the bed and kissed and hugged him to wish him a happy birthday too.

Before long the son in South Korea tried to call and the son in Connecticut told him to wait his turn because he was too late and they beat him to it. Ha ha.

It was a wonderful fun morning spent on the phone for an hour and a half with all three kids, one in Connecticut, one in South Korea, and the daughter from Ohio who was here in the RV with us. In instances like this, technology is such a blessing.

We currently have five grandchildren, two in Connecticut, and the three who came to see us with our daughter. She left her husband at home for three days. I guess he didn’t mind too much. We still have one son left who might give us some grandchildren, but who knows?

After a fun morning of Happy Birthday wishes, the daughter and three grandchildren had to pack up and get to the airport to fly back home to Ohio. We had a wonderful visit for three days and it came to an end too soon.

But time goes fast and before we know it, winter will be over and we will head back up north to Ohio.

Rich drove them to the Destin airport while I stayed home and began cleaning and organizing the RV back to normal. It didn’t take long. And now they are gone.

By lunchtime, rain began to fall in Foley, Alabama and I received wind warnings, rip tide warnings, and coastal flood warnings on my phone. We are the blue dot in the photo above. Rich came home, ate some lunch, and went back to bed for a nap. I think he is worn out.

I spent the quiet, rainy afternoon reading and writing while watching movies.

I watched the 1999 movie “The Mummy” starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, then the 2001 sequel “The Mummy Returns,” then the 1996 movie “Independence Day” starring Will Smith and Bill Pullman, and finally the 2004 movie “The Day After Tomorrow” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid.

Four of my favorite movies that I have purchased on Amazon Prime and have seen a dozen times or more each, but I can always watch them and enjoy them each time. I know them all by heart so I don’t have to pay attention to know what is going on.

I have tons of movies like this that I will watch over and over and over.

My knee is sore from walking so much the past three days. Honestly, it is more than sore. I fear it is getting worse instead of better. I walked too much and it is swollen today in the knee joint and hurts to walk on it. I plan to remain in the recliner with it elevated for the rest of the day.

Happy Birthday to my other half and Merry Christmas Eve to all my readers and friends.

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/23/23

Saturday, December 23, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Showing family around Gulf Shores

The granddaughters woke up this morning and announced with great enthusiasm that today is Christmas Eve Eve!

So, Happy Christmas Eve Eve to all my Medium readers and friends.

Today was a fun day. The sky was blue, the wind was calm, and the sun was warm. It was a perfect weather day.

The first place we went was The Track Family Fun Park just a few miles down the road from where we are parked.

We played 18 holes of Putt Putt Golf. Rich kind of kept score but I think he embellished some. I still don’t know who really won and nobody even cares. It was a lot of fun.

The girls screamed when they first saw this little lizard and of course, the teenage boy tried to catch it, but the lizard was too fast for him.

The kids had a blast in the water boat ride and got each other wet with the squirt guns. They even squirted us as we stood nearby and watched. They all three agreed that this was the funnest ride of the day.

They rode go-karts, a twirling roller coaster, and swings. It was a lot of fun following them around and taking tons of pictures like I always do. Sadly, my knee was hurting already and it wasn’t even noon yet. I hate that I am so slow when my knee is grinding and swelling so quickly and I can’t keep up with everyone.

I found a common sparrow bird to photograph while sitting on a bench. At least that’s what I think it is. And some flowers, which by the way happen to be the Alabama state flower, the Camellia. It is so nice to see flowers blooming in December.

After the Track, we took them to Lulu’s Gulf Shores Restaurant. This is a fun family place on the water canal with a gift shop and activities for kids.

The food was great and reasonably priced. The kids enjoyed sitting by the water and watching pelicans fly by.

Empty plates and containers at a restaurant are the sign of a great meal.

After lunch, we took them to the Orange Beach Waterfront Park. Rich and I found this place a week or so ago. This is a wonderful family place with a long pier, sandy beach, and a great playground for the kids. It is located on scenic Wolf Bay.

After walking out on the pier, we sat in that swing for a while and enjoyed the view.

The playground at Edward H. Carroll, Sr. Kids Park at the Waterfront Park is new and has been completely renovated, and the girls had a blast.

They ran off so much energy here and it was fun to watch them play.

Next, we drove to Perdido Key State Park Beach to let the girls swim in the ocean again. It was a little windy but not nearly as bad as yesterday. We all got a little suntan today. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

And when you see a moment like this between two sisters, one nine and one six, you can’t help but smile and snap a picture.

After the beach, we came back to the RV. The kids all showered and begged for more shopping so Rich took them to the Tanger Outlets in Foley.

By this time, my knee was so swollen and hurt so bad that I had to stay back at the RV and sit in the recliner with my knee up and an ice bag on it. I am frustrated with my knee but thankful I can still walk some.

They came home and rushed in to show me some of the things they bought. It has been so nice to have family around for the past couple of days. When they leave tomorrow the quiet will return.

I hope you have had a great couple of days too. I want to thank you for reading about our daily adventures. See you tomorrow.

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/22/23

December 22, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Some of our Ohio family flew down to southern Alabama last night to see us. Oh, how special it is when two little granddaughters come running into the RV and give the biggest hugs ever!

We spent last night in the RV visiting and playing games. We are the game playing grandparents.

This morning we cooked a big breakfast outside consisting of eggs, bacon, and toast. By 10 a.m. we were on our way to the beach with a picnic lunch of pb and j, chips, and apples.

The first place we showed them was the Bon Secour Nature Preserve. And then we took them to Gulf Shores Beach. It was awful windy today so we didn’t stay too long.

The sandy beach at Gulf Shores is long and wide and the view is beautiful.

The girls found a few nice shells but not many. The ocean water was warmer than the air.

The youngest granddaughter lives in the moment enjoying everything about where she is right now. No worries at all about what will happen next.

She is the one who had leukemia and is in remission. She is six years old.

We had so much fun watching her jump the waves and try to build a sand snowman that didn’t look like a snowman at all.

She also had fun chasing the seagulls around.

The older two grandchildren, 16 and 9, only enjoyed the windy beach for a short time because they are more into shopping the gift shops so we took them to some of the beach and surf shops before taking them to the Wharf.

The Wharf is a fun shopping and restaurant venue located in Orange Beach not to far from our campground.

The Ferris wheel is $8 per person and the train ride is $6 per person.

There are a lot of shops and restaurants and even an arcade. At the arcade they played unlimited games for 30 minutes for like $20.

The kids did it all and by the time we walked all the shops my knee needed a break.

We ate at Yo Ho Rum and Tacos and sat at a table outside by the canal water.

They have $2.50 20 oz. Margaritas and Rum Punch everyday until 6 p.m. and classic beef or chicken tacos were only $3 each. All six of us ate and drank for only $50.

Afterward the girls got an icee for dessert. I laughed at the brain-freeze snowman in the window.

When we got back home to the RV the kids and their mother had a cartwheel and handstand contest. I sat and took pictures.

Having the RV a mess gives me the feeling of the Christmas morning unwrapping mess that I don’t get anymore. I loved seeing the mess.

It’s late, I am worn out, my right knee is swollen, and I am ready for bed. I can’t wait to see where they will drag us tomorrow.

Transplanted Alabamians

December 21, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

But always Ohio State Buckeyes

After living in Alabama since November 1, I feel tempted to call us transplanted Alabamians.

We have learned to love the beaches here in southern Alabama especially and are tempted to stay even longer.

Alabama State Flag

I learned that the Alabama state flag is a red x on a white background. It is supposed to resemble the crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white. We see a lot of these state flags flying.

Since we have already been here for nearly two months and are planning to stay another month, I thought it would be nice to learn more about the great state of Alabama.

Alabama State Bird

According to Wikipedia, the Alabama state bird is the Northern Flicker.

Photo Copyright: © ficusfoxone — http://www.redbubble.com/people/ficusfoxon

The northern flicker or common flicker is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family.

It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate.

I would love to see one of these birds while we are here and get my own photograph of one.

But — according to Encyclopedia Brittanica, the Alabama state bird is the yellowhammer. One of the nicknames of Alabama is the Yellowhammer State.

Either way, I have never seen either one of these birds in person and would love to find them.

Alabama State Flower

Photo Copyright https://camforest.com/products/c-jacks

The Alabama state flower is the camellia. It is a gorgeous flower and I have yet to see any of them.

Being here during November, December, and January is the ideal time for them to bloom, but I have yet to find any.

I guess I will need to be more observant of some of the blooms we see as we drive down the road.

Alabama State Tree

The Alabama state tree is the longleaf pine. We have seen a lot of these all the way from the northern part of the state down here to the southern tip. We even found bald eagles nesting in them.

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery and the oldest city is Mobile as it was founded in 1702. I hope to explore Mobile in the coming weeks, but we haven’t ventured that way yet.

A couple of interesting points —

Alabama has some of the strictest laws in the nation surrounding abortion. All abortions after the point of conception–the fertilization of an egg–is illegal. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Can You Still Get an Abortion in Alabama?

Marijuana is only legal for medical purposes in Alabama.

Patients eligible to buy weed in Alabama can only do so at licensed marijuana dispensaries.

As of August 2023, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission just awarded licenses to four medical marijuana dispensaries and five integrated facilities with approved dispensary locations.

This means that the legal sale of cannabis will likely begin in late 2023 or early 2024. When sales begin, consumers will not be allowed to buy smokable cannabis flower, marijuana paraphernalia, hash and concentrates.

Sales of recreational marijuana remain illegal in Alabama.

https://www.alabamacannabis.org

Thanks for coming along with us on our journeys and learning more about the states we visit.

RV Life – The Boring Days

December 20, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Sometimes we don’t wake up until late morning and then we just sit and relax and drink coffee until noon.

By that time one of us is hungry. The first one to mention food is usually the one who cooks something for both of us.

Dishes might get done or not. We have been known to binge-watch a show on a streaming service and barely move from our spots for an entire day.

We have also played cards or board games all day long while listening to music.

We don’t always go somewhere. We actually stay home quite often. When the weather is comfortable we sit outside and don’t talk for hours.

Living in an RV is much the same as living in a house. Except that we move around to new places and do a lot of sightseeing and exploring.

Yesterday and today were those kind of boring days where we stayed home and did nothing.

We need our rest because tomorrow we get some family visitors for three days. Our daughter and three grandchildren are flying down from Ohio. Let the fun begin.

I promise to take lots of pictures and write all about it. Stay tuned for our family adventures.

Beach Birds of Southern Alabama

December 20, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

A photo story of many birds in one place

We were shocked to see so many different breeds of birds in one place at a remote beach just west of the main Gulf Shores Beach. From Gulf Shores, we headed west on 182 and found a public parking area with access to the beach.

We found great blue herons, brown pelicans, willets, sanderlings, and seagulls all in one place.

We have seen several great blue herons while here, and I will never tire of photographing them. They are beautiful birds.

This one was sitting not too far from where we were walking and then it took to flight. I was fortunate enough to catch a photo of him in flight that was not blurry.

He flew to the nearest building and perched on the roof.

As we neared the beach we saw several pelicans resting on the sea wall.

The pelicans were not too bothered by us and were fun to watch. These are brown pelicans. The brown pelican and the American white pelican are the only two species seen on the southern Alabama coast.

The juveniles are brown all over and the adults have a white head and neck.

The willet is common in all areas of the Gulf Coast of Alabama. They are basically an extra-large sandpiper. We are seeing them everywhere we go.

I must declare myself a bird watcher. I am a person who enjoys watching and observing birds in their natural habitat.

Seagulls are common near any type of water. I was surprised to find out there are several types of gulls found on the Alabama coast. Google says the photo above is a white gull and the photo below is a laughing gull.

The sanderlings are also plentiful here on the southern coast of Alabama.

They are small wading birds and are fun to watch as they scurry along the beach sticking their long beak into the sand to find food. They are also part of the sandpiper family.

Before we left, the great blue heron came back and landed nearby as if to say so long. He stayed put while we walked by and allowed me to take several more photos of him. Who knows if this was the same bird or not, but I can pretend it was him.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the many birds of the southern Alabama coast as much as we did. Thanks for stopping by.

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/18/2023

December 19, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Another day in paradise —

Yes, it really was another day in paradise. The weather here in southern Alabama is so comfortable. Highs in the 60s everyday and sunshine. We get to open the windows and let the fresh air in. I love it. It is nearly perfect, at least for us. We don’t have to run the air conditioning or the heat.

After a weekend of collecting shells on the beaches, which you can read about in the article below, we had to clean them all this morning. We washed the sand off of them outside. We don’t want all that sand going down the drain into the tank of the RV. Then we put them on a towel on the table to dry.

I ended up with quite a haul of shells.

After cleaning the shells, we cleaned the RV. We bring an awful lot of sand inside and it seems our daughter and three grandchildren are going to fly down to see us! They will be here Thursday and stay until Sunday morning for a Christmas visit. We want to make sure the car and the house are nice and clean for them.

We went to the laundry room and did two loads of laundry and then Rich laid down for a nap. He seems to take a lot of naps lately. I think it is because he gets bored. I have so many hobbies and things I can do like writing, drawing, coloring, or even crocheting. He has nothing like that. So when he gets too bored, he sleeps.

Speaking of crocheting, I decided to crochet a garland for our little two-foot Christmas tree today. I decided to use a light green yarn that I had plenty of on hand.

For this small tree, I crocheted a chain of 402. Then all I did was skip the first chain and then put two double crochet in each remaining chain all the way across and it automatically curls on its own.

I love how our little tree is turning out.

I am considering crocheting a small white tree skirt next…

Well, guess what I did before I went to bed…yep, I crocheted a small white tree skirt for the tree. I think it turned out pretty good for just making it up.

Thanks for stopping by to read and share RV life with us.

It’s Not About Where You Are, But Who You’re With

December 19, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Home is wherever your heart is

Rich and I have lived in a lot of places since we met in 1985.

We both grew up having lived in the same house our whole lives. Rich may have moved one time when he was a young child but doesn’t remember much about the house before.

My mother still lives in the same house my dad was born in. He died in that house and so will she. She says that no other place could ever feel like home to her.

It’s not that I don’t have a home mentality, it’s just that I like change and so does Rich.

We started out in an apartment and then moved to a mobile home in a trailer park. We went to Florida and lived with friends for a few months before renting our first house. We rented a second house in Florida before moving back home to Ohio.

We bought our first house in Ohio after our first child was born and lived there for five years.

Having outgrown that house with three children, we bought a larger one. We lived there for sixteen years when we had to declare bankruptcy and give it up.

At that time we moved to a town twenty miles away where we both worked and rented a house. When they sold the house we were renting, we lived in three separate apartments until we found the house we were living in when we decided to become full-time RVers.

We lived in that house for nine years and now have been in the RV since April of 2022, not quite two years.

Since moving into the RV we have lived in many places. Each place is different but our home is the same. It’s really great to just close up and take our home with us wherever we go.

It is comfortable, and it is home. As long as we are together, we are happy with whatever type of dwelling we live in. I can make any place feel like home. I wonder where we will live tomorrow.

What does home mean to you?

A Weekend of Collecting Shells

December 18, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

RV Life Daily Blog – Saturday and Sunday, December 16 and 17, 2023

We found our very first ever whole sand dollar while collecting shells this weekend! It is small. Smaller than the palm of my hand. These small ones are super fragile. We found a second one, but it broke soon after I picked it up.

December is a quiet month here on the coastal beaches of southern Alabama and Florida. Many times, we are the only people in sight. I expect January to pick up some after the holidays.

But we are not the only creatures in sight. Many times we are privileged enough to have a great blue heron share the beach with us.

He even followed us around for a bit. I think he was curious about what we were picking up off the beach. He walked down to where we were and then, turned around and followed us.

We have found several beaches here that are great for collecting shells. You just have to check the tide schedule and show up at the right time. Here in the Gulf, there are two high tides and two low tides.

Would you believe that Shell Beach is one of the best? And parking is free at all the paid parking lots after December 1. Shell Beach is part of Gulf State Park.

Don’t let Rich fool you. He enjoys finding cool shells just as much as I do.

I want to pick up all the complete shells that aren’t broken, but Rich stops me after a while cause the bag gets too heavy.

When he asks me what I will do with all the shells, I remind him that all the little ones that have holes in them will be hanging on the tree. Just look at all the shells on the tree in the picture above. I love looking at them.

Last year, I made wind chimes with the shells we collected in Florida.

I wish we could find more of the large ones without imperfections or broken edges.

Why do we love shells so much? Maybe because it gives us a glimpse into the ocean. I have never been in the ocean, no snorkeling or diving, so I have no personal experience with what it is like, and seashells give me a personal glimpse into that. The farthest I have ever been in the ocean is up to my knees.

Yep. That is a full-sized bath towel full of just this weekend’s haul. What would you suggest I do with all of them?

We collected shells until we couldn’t. Last night’s sunset was gorgeous, as usual.

Thanks for sharing our travels with us by reading my stories about the places we visit and enjoying my pictures of the things we see.

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/15/2023

December 16, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

The first thing I did this morning was open the window blinds to let the pretty sunshine in.

The second thing I did was spend a couple of hours on Medium reading and writing.

Then I decided I better get some Christmas cards written and mailed. It is the 15th of the month already. Who knows how slow the snail mail delivery will be? If I get the cards in the mail today, the USPS has 10 days to get them to my family.

I was a little sticker-shocked when I asked for four postage stamps and she said $2.66! Excuse me?! I had a half a roll of forever stamps when we moved into the RV and it has taken me two years to use them all. I didn’t realize how expensive they were now.

After the post office, we put gas in the car at $2.49. I remember paying over $6 a gallon when we were in the state of Washington in May of 2022.

With a full tank of gas, we headed south toward Gulf Shores and turned west on Fort Morgan Road.

We stopped at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and walked out on the beach. As the surrounding area becomes increasingly developed, Bon Secour is a natural oasis of wildlands, where wildlife can exist without harm.

The dune areas are off-limits and protected. This is the place to come early in the morning for large seashells. We found some pretty good-sized broken ones.

I also found some large mushrooms along the path and of course, had to take pictures of them.

And then I saw another amazing large oak tree that I just had to get a photo of.

We drove on down to the end of the road at Fort Morgan. Fort Morgan is a State Historical Site so our National Park Pass didn’t work for entrance.

The entrance fee is $8 per adult. We opted out for now and just took photos of what we could see from the road.

This is also the location of the Dauphin Island Ferry that goes back and forth from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island.

We didn’t take the ferry today. Hopefully another day but it’s a little pricey.

We parked and walked out on the fishing pier. There was a man out there fishing who said he was from Scotland.

Another interesting site that I had to get a picture of was the oil rig just off the coast. I’m not sure if these are oil rigs or natural gas but there were several of them.

The only battery we could see without entering the fort was the Battery Dearborn on the road as we drove past. It was built in 1900 and completed in 1901. It was named after Henry Dearborn who was a distinguished soldier of the Revolutionary War.